By Mark Gray
11:22am PDT, Aug 22, 2021
Shouting match
It read like a scene from "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but it was real, not fiction. On Aug. 19, Page Six reported about a screaming match that Larry David got into outside a grocery store with former Donald Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz. The report said the former friends saw each other at Chilmark General Store in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and that Alan told Larry that they can still associate. Larry told Alan otherwise, largely based on Alan's Trump ties. "It's disgusting," Larry shouted. "Your whole enclave — it's disgusting. You're disgusting!" Oddly, when Larry walked away, Alan took off his T-shirt to reveal another T-shirt underneath it that said, "It's The Constitution Stupid!" Speaking of the incident to Page Six, Alan said of the "Seinfeld" creator, "I was worried that he was going to have a stroke." Still, Alan, who said he voted for Joe Biden, is willing to speak to Larry. "I won't get into a screaming match with him," Alan said. "If he wants to scream, he'll have to scream alone."
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So long, Scientology
Laura Prepon has kissed Scientology goodbye — in fact, she quietly did so years ago. In a chat with People magazine, the "Orange Is the New Black" actress said she left the controversial religion five years ago, shortly before welcoming her first child. "I'm no longer practicing Scientology. I've always been very open-minded, even since I was a child," she said. "I was raised Catholic and Jewish. I've prayed in churches, meditated in temples. I've studied Chinese meridian theory. I haven't practiced Scientology in close to five years and it's no longer part of my life." Laura said she now meditates daily with her husband, actor Ben Foster. "I'm really liking it, because it's something that helps me to hear my own voice and it's something we can do together."
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He's out
Mike Richards, the man tapped to take over the reins of "Jeopardy!" from the late Alex Trebek, has stepped down. The stunning move — which occurred just nine days after he was named as Alex's successor — followed a wave of public pressure demanding that Mike resign due to resurfaced offensive comments he's made in the past. "I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role," he said in an Aug. 20 statement. "However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show." While Mike won't be in front of the camera, he'll will still have a huge presence on the show, as he will remain its executive producer.
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Airborne again
Thirteen years after the plane he was in crashed upon takeoff, Travis Barker is back to flying the friendly skies. On Aug. 17, he celebrated his return to the air by praising his girlfriend, Kourtney Kardashian, and implied that she was the driving force behind his decision to fly again. "With you anything is possible," he captioned an image of himself kissing Kourtney on the tarmac, which was taken after they flew from Los Angeles to Los Cabos, Mexico. Back in 2008, the private plane carrying Travis and others crashed upon takeoff in South Carolina. His friends Chris Baker and Charles "Che" Still were killed, as were the two pilots. Travis escaped the flame-engulfed plane but was burned on 65% of his body. (Friend and collaborator DJ AM was the only other survivor; he died in 2009 of a drug overdose.) The drummer spent three months in the hospital and underwent 26 surgeries and countless skin grafts. Shortly after, he vowed to never fly again.
Baby bliss
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost are parents together. On Aug. 18, the couple announced that they've welcomed a boy. After the "Black Widow" star's rep confirmed the birth, Colin shared the baby's name on Instagram. "Ok ok we had a baby. His name is Cosmo. We love him very much," the "SNL" comedian wrote. This is first child for the couple. Scarlett shares daughter Rose, who soon turns 7, with ex-husband Romain Dauriac.
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Quiet divorce
"Pawn Stars" figurehead Rick Harrison is a single man. Who knew?! On Aug. 16, TMZ reported that the reality TV star quietly divorced wife Deanna Burditt on July 1, 2020. And, it seems that the divorce may have been due to political differences. In the filing, according to TMZ, Rick said there was no hope for a reconciliation, as their "tastes, mental dispositions, views, likes and dislikes have become so divergent that they have become incompatible in marriage." The timing of divorce is interesting, as the George Floyd protests had just happened, the country was in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 presidential race was in full swing.
Madonna shade
Debra Winger has opened up about the time she expressed herself in the early '90s. The actress revealed she dropped out of her role in 1992's "A League of Their Own" after Madonna was cast. In an interview that ran in The Telegraph on Aug. 13, Debra said the hiring of the singer turned it into "an Elvis film" and not the project that she intended to do. "The studio agreed with me because it was the only time I ever collected a pay-or-play on my contract," Debra said. "In other words, I collected my pay even though I did not play, and that's very hard to get in a court." Debra, who was replaced by Geena Davis, later said the actresses in the movie didn't accurately depict the real-life players from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Geena "did OK," Debra shaded. Still, her biggest jab was saved for Madge. "I think [her] acting career has spoken for itself," the "An Officer and a Gentleman" star said.
No. 2!
Kylie Jenner is going to be a mom again. On Aug. 20, multiple media outlets reported that the Kylie Cosmetics founder is expecting her second child with on-and-off boyfriend Travis Scott. The reality TV star and the rapper already share 3-year-old daughter Stormi. Neither the gender nor the due date of the baby is publicly known. There is suspicion that Kylie's father, Caitlyn Jenner, ruined the surprise, as she revealed on Aug. 19 that she had another grandchild was on the way. It was initially believed that she was referring to her son, Burt, who is reportedly expecting a third child with his wife, Valerie. Turns out there are two Jenner babies on the way.
Alleged incident
Britney Spears is being investigated for battery following an alleged incident with her housekeeper. The pop star's team, though, says the incident is a total fabrication, and they expect the Ventura County Sheriff's Department to find no wrongdoing on her part. According to TMZ, Britney and one of her longtime housekeepers got into a heated argument on Aug. 16 over one of the pop star's dogs, with the housekeeper claiming Brit slapped a phone out of her hands. The sheriff's department is now looking into what happened and will submit its findings to the district attorney's office when the investigation is over. The D.A. could file a misdemeanor battery charge against Britney if it's determined she was in the wrong.
New lady
Robert De Niro has a new love in his life. On Aug. 17, the acting legend was spotted holding hands with New York City-based martial arts champ Tiffany Chen in the French Riviera. The duo had been seen together in June, but the PDA appeared to confirm that the acting legend, who split from wife Grace Hightower in 2018, is off the market.
Wedding wardrobe
Paris Hilton's stylist is going to be kept busy when the DJ and socialite ties the knot. While speaking to Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show" on Aug. 17, the heiress said she will have "probably 10" dresses during the festivities because the wedding will be a "three-day affair" with a DJ and band. Paris has picked out her wedding dress already, but that's "basically the only thing" concrete at this moment. Of the 10 dresses, she added, "It's a lot, but I'm not a Bridezilla at all." Paris's fiancé, entrepreneur Carter Reum, won't have nearly as many outfit changes. "He's not nearly as high maintenance as I am," she quipped.
