By Wonderwall.com Editors
3:19am PST, Feb 24, 2022
Elton John's plane forced to make emergency landing after mid-air hydraulics failure
As Storm Franklin battered the U.K. earlier this week, clocking wind speeds up to 80 mph, Elton John was traveling through it in his private jet — until the plane was forced to make an emergency landing after its hydraulics failed at 10,000 feet. Video footage published by The Sun shows the plane's scary impromptu touch-down at a private airport in Hampshire, England, following its apparent U-turn near the southern coast of Ireland. "The plane was being buffeted and couldn't make it," said plumber Philip Thomson, who was among the crowd of people who'd gathered when they learned it was Elton's jet. "The aircraft's nose was far too vertical. The plane was descending and was halfway along the runway when it gave up trying to hit the tarmac. … It soared back in the air … And as the plane came around again for a second attempt to land, the storm was doing its worst," he said. "It was only at the third attempt to land that the plane got down. The pilot made a flatter approach and the wind had dropped slightly. Everyone watching was mightily relieved." According to The Sun, the singer was "shaken" after the terrifying incident, but managed to hop on a later flight to New York City, making it in safely in time to perform at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 22.
Keep reading to see how Kanye West referenced Kim Kardashian divorce at his "Donda 2" listening party …
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Kanye West samples Kim's 'SNL' monologue, disses Pete Davidson at 'Donda 2' show
Kanye West performed at a listening party for his new album "Donda 2" in Miami on Feb. 22, where the rapper reportedly spent much of the show riffing on his split from Kim Kardashian and dissing her boyfriend, Pete Davidson. He even sampled part of Kim's 2021 "Saturday Night Live" monologue. The concert started more than two hours late, according to The Daily Beast, and featured tracks from his latest recording, which is only available on the $200 Stem Player audio device he recently released. His digs at Pete came during "Eazy," where he rapped, "God saved me from that crash, just so I can beat Pete Davidson's a**," and "Security," where he seems to threaten the "SNL" star again while rhyming about a text Pete seemingly sent to assure Kanye he won't interfere with his relationships with the children Kanye shares with Kim. "He's not a threat, send him a text, put him in a timeout," Kanye rapped. "I'll put your security at risk. Never stand between a man and his kids." Finally, he sampled Kim's 2021 "SNL" monologue in the intro to "Sci Fi" — right up until the part where Kim joked that she "divorced him" because of "just one thing: his personality." The clip he used featured Kim saying, "Honestly, all the ups, all the downs … I mean, I married the best rapper of all time. Not only that, he's the richest Black man in America." Kanye also reportedly referenced Monica Lewinsky and Vice President Kamala Harris in the music — and once again, brought out Marilyn Manson, who stands accused of sexually assaulting and physically and emotionally abusing multiple women. DaBaby, who was dropped from numerous festival dates over homophobic comments he made at the Rolling Loud festival, joined Kanye onstage as well.
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Khloe Kardashian is 'manifesting happiness' in wake of Tristan Thompson scandal
All about the twos! Khloe Kardashian seems determined to usher joy into her life after the latest drama surrounding her ex, Tristan Thompson. On Feb. 22 — a day whose 2/22/22 palindrome date is believed to hold special spiritual significance, given its mathematical rarity — Khloe shared a message on her Instagram Story that read, "2/22/22 🤍 Manifesting happiness and peace of mind." In another post, she referenced the fact that the next Feb. 22 landing on a Tuesday in a "22" year is still centuries away. "22-2-22. This is the last palindrome we will experience in our lives," Khloe shared. "May this day bring joy and unexpected miracles to everyone. May God bring you blessings in twos." Khloe's focus on "happiness" and "joy" on social media echoes what insiders have said about how she's moving forward in the wake of Tristan's recent paternity scandal. The NBA player confirmed last month that he was the father of Maralee Nichols' new baby boy — a child they conceived while he and Khloe were still together and exclusive. He later publicly apologized, acknowledging she didn't "deserve the heartache and humiliation" he's caused. Though they split (again) in June, the two still interact regularly as co-parents of their daughter, True, 3.
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Halyna Hutchins' husband addresses Alec Baldwin's responsibility for her fatal shooting on 'Rust' set
A new preview for the Feb. 24 edition of "Today" features clips from an interview in which Halyna Hutchins' husband, Matt Hutchins, discusses Alec Baldwin's role in Halyna's fatal shooting on the set of "Rust." Asked if he watched Alec's sit-down interview about the incident, he replied, "Yeah. But watching him I just felt so angry," according to ET. "I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly, in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her," he added. In Alec's interview, he said he didn't "pull the trigger" on the gun that was in his hands — which he'd been told was "cold" — went off, killing the cinematographer and injuring director Joel Souza. Asked if he believes Alec is to blame, Matt, who recently filed a wrongful death suit against Alec and others involved with "Rust," replied: "The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible, is absurd to me. But gun safety was not the only problem on that set. There were a number of industry standards that were not practiced and there's multiple responsible parties." Matt's lawsuit filing says its plaintiffs want "justice for the losses of her survivors and to hold responsible those who caused her tragic death." In a statement, Alec's lawyer denied "any claim Alec was reckless" and noted, "He, Halyna and the rest of the crew relied on the statement by the two professionals responsible for checking the gun that it was a 'cold gun' – meaning there is no possibility of a discharge, blank or otherwise." Halyna was 42.
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Britney Spears says she's 'buying a new house,' threatens to sue former business manager
Britney Spears says she's leaving the home where she spent more than half of her conservatorship. Posting an Instagram clip of a pink sky outside her bedroom window, the singer, 40, told followers on Feb. 22, "So this is the view from my room … it's pretty spectacular 😍🌤 !!!! I've lived in this house for 7 years and I'm in the process of buying a new home 🏡 … it's time for change !!!!" Britney, who got engaged to Sam Asghari last year, is likely to have plenty of capital for a new house soon, given reports she just inked a $15 million tell-all memoir deal with Simon & Schuster. Still, the financial details of her conservatorship's dissolution have yet to be nailed down. That may have inspired another Instagram post this week in which Britney slammed Tri Star Management Group, the firm her lawyer is pushing for more information regarding the amount of money they received from her estate while serving as her business manager during the conservatorship. He's also asked why certain payments were made that allegedly don't correlate to work Tri Star did. "Nobody else would have lived through what they did to me," Britney wrote in reference to Tri Star's Lou Taylor and Robin Greenhill on Feb. 23. "I lived through all of if and I remember all of it !!!! I will sue the s*** out of Tri Star !!!!"
Jenna Jameson discharged from hospital, remains in wheelchair
Doctors have apparently been unable to determine the cause of the mystery illness that left Jenna Jameson hospitalized for nearly two months. The actress, 47, shared an update on her Instagram Stories on Feb. 22 in which she said she's been released from the hospital and is "resting" at home, despite having learned very little about what rendered her unable to walk in early January. She previously told social media followers the walking issue started after she endured weeks of uncontrollable vomiting. "I still have more testing to do but it seems there's something off with my femoral nerve, and it's affecting my strength in my legs," she said on her Stories, according to Page Six. "So I am still in a wheelchair, unfortunately, but I hope to be out of the wheelchair soon and walking, so say a little prayer." When she became sick, doctors diagnosed her with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that affects the nerves. But her boyfriend, Lior Bitton, has since said "a second test and five rounds of IVIG" confirmed that's not what she's suffering from. In her post this week, she showed off her legs, pointing out the "atrophy" in her quads. "My legs are incredibly skinny. But don't get too alarmed, because my legs have always been ultra skinny. So don't judge me," she said. "We will be back to the best soon!"
Meghan Markle's dress from Oprah Winfrey interview named 2021's 'Dress of the Year'
The black silk Giorgio Armani wrap dress Meghan Markle wore in her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey has been declared 2021's Dress of the Year by The Fashion Museum in Bath England. In the sit-down, Meghan and her husband Prince Harry expressed concern about one member of the royal family's comments regarding the color of their baby-to-be's skin and said, among other things, the royals refused to let Meghan seek mental health assistance when she was suffering severe depression. "It's well known that members of the Royal family often use outfits to send a message through their choice of style, color or motif," the museum told People in a statement about its inclusion of the Armani dress in its "A History of Fashion in 100 Objects" exhibit. "It was reported that the Duchess chose a dress with a lotus flower design because of the flower's symbolic association with rebirth, self-regeneration and spiritual enlightenment, and its ability to flourish despite seemingly challenging conditions," the museum added. Harry and Meghan's interview was reportedly seen by 60 million viewers when it premiered in March 2021.
Charlize Theron requested 'protection' from Tom Hardy on 'Mad Max: Fury Road' set
It's no secret Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy fought on the set of "Mad Max: Fury Road." In 2020, Charlize told the New York Times, "in a weird way, we were functioning like our characters, everything was about survival." But a new book, "Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road," by Kyle Buchanan, details just how ugly things got between the stars, with Charlize recalling she asked for protection from Tom on the set. Their co-star, Nicholas Hoult said he felt like he was a kid in the backseat of a car watching his parents argue up front. Charlize agreed. "We were either fighting or we were icing each other — I don't know which one is worse — and they had to deal with it in the back. It was horrible! We should not have done that; we should have been better. I can own up to that," she offered, according to an except in Vanity Fair. According to camera operator Mark Goellnicht, that "turning point" came after Tom, who Mark said was often late, arrived three hours after call time. He said Charlize wanted "to make a point," so "she didn't go to the bathroom, didn't do anything. She just sat in the War Rig" waiting. When he finally arrived, she reportedly asked Tom, "how disrespectful are you?" then said producers should "fine" him "a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he's held up this crew." Mark said Tom got "quite aggressive" and stormed over to Charlize, demanding, "what did you say to me?" He said Charlize "really felt threatened" and "that was the turning point, because then she said, 'I want someone as protection.'" According to Charlize the tension "was kind of out of hand" at that point "and there was a sense that maybe sending a woman producer down could maybe equalize some of it, because I didn't feel safe." She also said she now knows she "was in survival mode" and "really scared s*******." Said Tom: "The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times. What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced partner in me. That's something that can't be faked. I'd like to think that now that I'm older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion."
