By Mark Gray
8:53am PDT, Mar 24, 2017
On-set drama!
The past week was a bizarre one in the world of celebrity news. One of the most talked-about moments of the week concerned the Fox show "Empire." There is reportedly major drama on the set, and it's squarely centered on Nia Long. On March 22, it was reported that there was such bad blood between stars Taraji P. Henson and Nia that they basically can't be in the same room together, despite being in scenes together. The bitter relationship between the women supposedly stems from an incident in which Taraji felt Nia was disrespectful to the show's hair and makeup staff (there was even a report on March 23 claiming the hair and makeup people filed a complaint against Nia). Nia's rep denied the reports, telling E! News, "This story is complete nonsense" and insisting that "Nia has been nothing but a consummate professional."
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Mistaken identity
Wyclef Jean, the Fugees singer, was the victim of mistaken identity, and the whole thing turned into a giant fiasco. "I was asked by the police to put my hands up. Then I was told do not move. I was instantly handcuffed before being asked to identify myself," he tweeted on March 21, explaining what happened in Los Angeles earlier that day. "Nor was I told why I was being cuffed. In the process I said my name and told them they have [the] wrong person… They proceeded to ignore me and I was treated like a criminal until other police showed up and pointed out they had wrong person." A spokesman with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said 'Clef, his clothing and the car he was in matched the suspect and vehicle description for a man who had committed a nearby armed robbery. Wyclef was detained for 10 minutes before authorities realized they had the wrong guy. Though authorities publicly apologized to the music star, they maintained that officers did the right thing in detaining him in the wake of the robbery. Wyclef is calling for a racial profiling investigation.
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Divorcing
The marriage between Spice Girl Melanie Brown and Stephen Belafonte is over: It was revealed on March 20 that she has filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple has a 5-year-old daughter together and Mel is seeking joint custody. They are also attending family therapy. According to Mel's filing, she and her husband of nearly 10 years separated back on Dec. 28.
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Horrific tragedy
Two men were arrested on March 21 and charged with the murder of two other men who were killed inside an Audi owned by former "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Kim DePaola. On March 17, two badly burned bodies were found in a car that belonged to Kim. Both people were also shot in the head "execution style," police sources told news outlets. Kim's son Chris Camiscioli regularly drove the car, but a friend had it that fateful day. After the identities of the victims were made public — two men Kim knew — she wrote on Instagram, "No Mother should have to bury their child !! These boys were Fathers, sons, brothers !!!"
Heating up
So, you think this whole Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez romance is just short term thing? Well, friends of his think you are wrong. Alex is apparently in this for the long haul. "All his friends can tell he really likes J. Lo [but] in the beginning they thought this may just be a fling," a source told E! News. "Friends are slowly thinking this may actually be a great match. He calls J. Lo his lady. He would wife her up in a heartbeat… She is different than other people he's dated." The source said the two have a "crazy" connection and doesn't see it slowing anytime soon.
Injury
Ouch! On March 21, Ellen DeGeneres was speaking to her talk-show audience when she held up her hand and showed off a bandaged finger. Turns out she broke it falling into a door after just two glasses of red wine. "Portia [de Rossi] and I were coming home from a dinner party," she explained. "[We] drive home, almost at the front door, literally, like, at the door. The dogs were so excited to see us, and I just caught the lip of the top step. I was like a foot away from the door and I fell into the door…" She showed an X-ray, only to have everyone gasp. Doctors put the finger back in place, she said. "Burning followed by cursing is what happened," she said. "Think of any curse word. Just think of any curse word, and I said that. I invented three new ones, actually."
New beau
Kate Hudson has a new man in her life. Over the past week, the actress was seen all over Los Angeles with musician Danny Fujikawa, and the two packed on the PDA too. Kate and Danny were actually seen having dinner in early March, but it looks like things have now blossomed into a full-fledged romance. Another musician for Kate. Don't say she doesn't have a type!
Oh, baby!
It's another girl for a "Boy"! Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean and wife Rochelle welcomed their second child — and second daughter — on March 19. They named the little girl Lyric Dean McLean. "Having two baby girls is a dream come true and we couldn't be any more proud or excited to welcome Lyric Dean McLean into the world and into our family," he told People.
Engaged
"Fifty Shades Darker" actress Bella Heathcote has gotten engaged to her longtime partner, New Zealand-born film director Andrew Dominik. E! News reported the news on March 20. A few weeks prior, rumors started swirling that Bella was engaged after she was seen wearing a huge diamond ring at the Sydney airport. She also slyly showed off the ring on Instagram while celebrating Lily Collins' birthday. Congrats!
New romance?
There were reports this past week that Tom Cruise has his eye on a new love. Tom has reportedly fallen for his "Mission: Impossible 6" co-star Vanessa Kirby. On March 23, In Touch reported that Tom thinks there could be a future for him and the actress, who plays Princess Margaret on Netflix's "The Crown." "He's blown her away with his endless charm and energy. He thinks she's perfect to be his next wife," a source told the magazine. Tom supposedly wants to be married again by "early next year," the source claimed. Whether the British actress feels the same way isn't known. GossipCop later claimed it's been told the report is false and that "the two barely know each other," but did not credit that information to anyone.
