By Wonderwall.com Editors
3:05pm PDT, Jul 9, 2020
How Florence Pugh deals with trolls taking aim at her relationship with Zach Braff
Since they were first linked as a couple last year, Florence Pugh, 24, and Zach Braff, 45, have been subjected to age gap trolling on social media … though, to be more precise, the trolling is usually aimed at Pugh. The "Little Women" star addressed how that kind of scrutiny makes her feel during a recent appearance on "Sue Perkins' An Hour Or So With" podcast. "I've always found it funny, how I can be good enough for people to watch my work and support my work and pay for tickets and I'm old enough to be an adult and pay taxes but I'm not old enough to know who I should and should not have sex with," she said, according to JustJared. "Once again, it's making a young woman feel like s— for no reason." (Of course, the keyword there might simply be "woman;" at 46, Kate Beckinsale seems to bear the brunt of the online criticism when it comes to her relationship with 23-year-old Goody Grace.) "I think I did feel s— for awhile for admitting that, and then I thought how ridiculous is that?" Pugh continued. "I'm 24 and I can't choose who I love? There's a reason why I'm not with someone my age – it hasn't worked, so who are you trying to match me up with?"
Keep reading for the latest on Lady A vs. Lady A …
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Country act Lady A files suit against Black performer, Lady A
When the country act Lady Antebellum announced they were changing their name to Lady A last month, they apologized for making "anyone [feel] … unsafe, unseen and unvalued," given the original moniker's slavery connotations. A few days later, however, Anita White, a Black, Seattle-based soul and funk singer who has gone by Lady A for two decades, took issue publicly with the group's name change. It wasn't long before both White and the country trio were posting about a group Zoom they said featured "transparent, honest, and authentic conversations" and "positive solutions." It appears those solutions didn't hold water, though. On Wednesday, "country" Lady A filed a lawsuit against "Seattle" Lady A. Excerpts published by NPR show the country stars claim White made "an exorbitant monetary demand" of $10 million as part of their settlement on the matter. The filing also cited fans' decade-long habit of calling the country band "Lady A" for short and noted they'd used that name themselves on their website as far back as 2008. In a statement on Thursday, they told NPR: "We never even entertained the idea that she shouldn't also be able to use the name Lady A, and never will." NPR also reports Lady A Entertainment LLC, presumably the "country" Lady A given the LLC's Nashville homebase, filed for trademarks of "Lady A" three times in 2010 and once this year on June 9, two days before their name-change announcement. According to their suit, White neither opposed their applications nor applied to trademark the name for her own use. Speaking to Newsday after the Zoom call and before the lawsuit filing, White said of the trio, "Their camp is trying to erase me and I'll have more to say… Trust is important and I no longer trust them."
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Mariah Carey shares new details about her forthcoming memoir
Get ready, lambs! Mariah Carey is ready to share all the details about her first memoir, which she's just finished writing. The singer and her publisher announced Thursday that the book, co-written by Michaela Angela Davis, will be titled "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," and will hit shelves on Sept. 29, according to Entertainment Weekly. On Wednesday, Carey shared an open letter on Instagram to let fans know what was in store. "This book is composed of my memories, my mishaps, my struggles, my survivals, and my songs. Unfiltered," she wrote in the post. "Writing this memoir was incredibly hard, humbling and healing. My sincere hope is that you are moved to a new understanding, not only about me but also about the resilience of the human spirit." An official statement about the release describes Carey's story as an "improbable and inspiring journey of survival and resilience as she struggles through complex issues of race, identity, class, childhood, and family trauma during her meteoric rise to music superstardom." According to the statement, the memoir will also feature Carey's take on "her battles with gender and power dynamics, emotional abuse, public embarrassments, personal failures, and phenomenal victories."
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Lee Daniels is rebooting 'The Wonder Years' from a Black family's perspective
Hollywood's latest recast-reboot comes courtesy of Lee Daniels — and unlike some of the more contrived "all female version" takes on pop culture gems of yore, this one makes a lot of sense, especially in 2020. Entertainment Weekly reports Daniels is working with ABC on a pilot for an all-Black "Wonder Years," set in Montgomery, Ala. The original coming-of-age show, which aired from 1988 until 1996 and starred Fred Savage as a teen in the turbulent late '60s and early '70s, turned on the specific challenges of growing up during a cultural revolution. Montgomery played a major part in that revolution, given its central role in the Civil Rights Movement from the mid-'50s through the mid-'70s. Executive produced by Daniels, the show will also loop in Savage, both as the director of the pilot and as a producer. Neal Marlens, who co-created the original show, is listed as a consultant. EW points out Savage's involvement is a bit surprising, since he's long said he would not participate in a reboot because it wouldn't "work, conceptually," though he seemed to be referring to a "Fuller House" or "Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life"-style update. Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2017 (shortly after the "Gilmore Girls" revival), he explained: "… The way the show was written, it's about looking back with some longing. I think we all look back at that time in our lives and long for it and idealize it. One of the reasons it takes on this kind of mythic, almost haunting quality in our lives is because it's something you can't go back and can't revisit. It only exists in our memories, in our shared experiences with people who went through it with us. That's really what the show was all about."
Naya Rivera's son is 'in good health' as authorities shift gears from rescue to recovery after boating disappearance
"Glee" alum Naya Rivera, 33, is now presumed dead after she disappeared while boating on California's Lake Piru with her son Wednesday. Her 4-year-old son, Josey, however, was "in good health" when he was spotted alone and sleeping on the boat, Page Six reports. "I can't stress enough that this seems like a tragic accident, come out here for a great day and something bad happens," Deputy Chris Dyer said. He added that Josey is now with family members as the rescue operation that began for his mom moves into a recovery phase. "The goal is still to bring Miss Rivera home to her family," Dyer said. No foul play is suspected, as Rivera is presumed to have drowned.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita welcome their first child
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita are dads! The couple's first child together arrived earlier this week. "Jesse and Justin welcomed their little bundle of joy Beckett Mercer Ferguson-Mikita on July 7, 2020," a rep confirmed to People on Thursday. "The new parents are overjoyed and excited for this new journey as a family of three." Jesse, 44, announced that he and Justin, 34, were expecting a new addition to their family during a January appearance on "The Late Late Show," joking, "I'm very excited, but it feels like I'm 44 now, let's get this show going. Tick tock!"
Lil Nas X, Dolly Parton and more stars set to appear on the first virtual GLAAD Awards
Here's one more for your streaming calendar … The GLAAD Media Awards announced Thursday that this year's ceremonies, originally scheduled for March and April in New York City and Los Angeles, respectively, will take place virtually on July 30, due to pandemic-related safety measures. According to THR, comedians Fortune Feimster and Gina Yashere will handle hosting duties alongside appearances by Lil Nas X, Dolly Parton, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, Lena Waithe, Chloe X Halle, Beanie Feldstein, Rachel Maddow and more. "As this year's Media Awards go virtual, we hope to send a powerful message to LGBTQ people that in the midst of this culturally and politically divisive time, our visibility and voices have never been more important," said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. The virtual show will stream on GLAAD's Facebook and YouTube pages at 8 p.m. ET. The previously announced prestigious awards going to Taylor Swift, Ryan Murphy, Judith Light and Janet Mock won't be featured, though. A rep tells THR they will be "handed out at a later date."
Cameron Diaz launches a new wine label
After penning two wellness books — one on aging gracefully and another on embracing your bod — Cameron Diaz found a way to transfer her interest and knowledge in health into something a little more fun. The actress, along with her friend Katherine Power, is launching two new wines, one white and one rose, under the name Avaline. Both are vegan-friendly and organic, free of pesticides and additives. "It starts in the vineyard, with the land, with how the grapes are cared for from the moment they come onto the vine. If you're not drinking wine with organically grown grapes, you're drinking pesticides — it's nothing you want inside of you," Diaz recently told InStyle. She adds that while she always assumed wine was simply made of fermented grapes, she has since learned more than 70 additives can be involved before you pour a glass at home. "When your mouth turns purple from drinking red wine? That's not natural. That's a coloring called Mega Purple," she explains. "People just assume the wine they're drinking is vegan. Most wines are not — they're filtered through either egg whites or fish bladder lining." Diaz says she and Power both found drinking organic, naturally-made wine "changed the way we felt both physically and mentally," but it was tough to source. So they decided to team up and make their own. Their new Avaline wines even list all the ingredients on the labels. "In the wine industry, there are no regulations, there's nothing that says that the label has to be transparent about what's inside of it," says the actress. "We think our consumers deserve that."
Dr. Phil received up to $7M in PPP loans as his son forks over $10M in cash for new mansion
Kanye West's Yeezy brand isn't the only celeb-owned company cashing in on the Small Business Administration's emergency loans. A report of loan recipients released this week by the SBA shows Dr. Phil McGraw — who's worth about $440 million and earns about $88 million a year, according to CelebrityNetWorth — also got multi-million dollar, forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, which was created to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. The TV psychologist's Stage 29 Productions, which he runs with his son Jay McGraw, was awarded between $1 million and $2 million , while Dr. Phil's Peteski Productions received between $2 million and $5 million from the program, Page Six reports. News of the loan awards was released Monday — the same day Variety reported Dr. Phil's son Jordan McGraw paid $10 in cash for a new mansion in Beverly Hills. Page Six sources told the tab the loans are "to protect their employees," and that the money is not related to Jordan's $10 million purchase. Still not a great look for the McGraw family … but maybe less eyebrow-raising than billionaire Kanye West's $2 to $5 million PPP loan. West's loan news surfaced just as TMZ reported that rapper got a green light to build a "megamansion on one of his Wyoming ranches."
Joy Reid makes history as cable's first Black woman to anchor a primetime news show
This month, MSNBC's Joy Reid is set to become the first Black woman anchor of a primetime news show on a major network. The political commentator's new show, "The ReidOut" will replace Chris Matthews' "Hardball" in the 7 p.m. ET slot beginning July 20, according to ET. "It's impossible to reply to all the kind tweets and well wishes today, but needless to say THANK YOU," the 51-year-old journalist tweeted on Thursday. "I'm so thankful and excited about this new chapter in building #TheReidOut starting July 20 & misty about leaving my #amjoy home. Rocking my idol Gwen Ifill in my avi in honor 🙅🏿♀️." Reid joined MSNBC in 2011.
