By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:30pm PDT, Jul 4, 2023
Beautiful, delicate — and super dangerous
"Absolute terror." That's how Tom Cruise left the crew feeling on the set of "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" when he executed a speed-flying stunt. Tom learned the extreme sport — which combines paragliding and parachuting, but in a much faster, foot-propelled format, usually down the side of a very steep mountain — for the movie, according to a new featurette about how it was made, via Variety. "Mission Impossible" director Christopher McQuarrie calls speed-flying "one of the most dangerous sports in the world," pointing out, "While it may look similar, speed-flying is not skydiving. Skydiving is fairly predictable. Speed-flying is very unpredictable."
To Tom, however, "it's a very beautiful and delicate sport," particularly as it appears in the film. "We're gonna do spirals, and we're landing at an incredibly high speed, over 80 kilometers an hour," says the actor, who rode a motorcycle off a cliff for another scene for the film. According to Christopher, however, the beauty of speed-flying did little to ease the crew's concern for Tom's life when he filmed the stunt. "Behind the scenes, we were all in absolute terror," he admits. "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" hits theaters July 12.
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
Shading Kim?
Kourtney Kardashian has legally changed her name and license to Kourtney Kardashian Barker in the wake of her 2022 wedding to drummer Travis Barker. She announced the news on Thursday, June 29 — the same day "The Kardashians" aired an episode devoted to Kourtney's sister, Kim Kardashian's glam team-centric trip to the DMV, which she'd had shut down for the occasion of updating her license photo. Kourtney's timing seemed like more than a coincidence to fans who've been following her feud with Kim on the current season of their Hulu show. Sharing a black and white pic of her license above "Kourtney Kardashian Barker," Kourtney wrote "Say my name" in the caption, tagging the location as "Department of Motor Vehicles."
"Kourtney is totally mocking Kim's episode from today 😂😂," one fan wrote in the comments. "The same day the episode came out. Dare I say there's still beef," another added. A third person chided the reality star, commenting, "Lol after Kim's license episode…. It's not a comp kourtney."
On Thursday's episode, Kourtney vented about Kim's collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana for Milan Fashion Week just four months after Kourtney had teamed up with the brand for her wedding in Italy. "It's almost like a greediness," she said at one point, per E! News. "If I look at the photos from the fashion show, half of the time I'm like, 'Is this my wedding?'" While Kim insisted she was careful about not stepping on her sister's toes with the looks she chose for Milan, Kourtney pointed out repeatedly that her issue with Kim's partnership went beyond the runway show. "This was definitely not about a brand," she said. "It was about my wedding."
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
Unfaithful ex
SZA had mixed feelings about traveling to London to play at the O2 Arena this week, thanks to an ex. "I never told anybody," the singer said at one point during her show, according to multiple social media videos. "But, like, my boyfriend cheated on me in this city before," she said with a chuckle. "It was f****** terrible. That's why I was really sad to come here … but you guys made it so much better. Thank you!" The crowd cheered as the opening of her hit break-up ballad "Nobody Gets Me" began. "This song is about my other trash ex-boyfriend," she noted. "I have bad taste in men."
Speaking to Hot 97 in 2022, SZA revealed "Nobody Gets Me," which samples Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You," was inspired by how low she felt after breaking up with an ex-fiance, and her initial fear she was "doomed" because "nobody understood me the way he did."
RELATED: Every 'Vanderpump Rules' scandal through the years
Mama's boy
When Pete Davidson got his big break on "Saturday Night Live" in 2014, his mother, Amy Davidson, was not about to let trolls talk trash about her kid on social media. "My mom used to have a fake Twitter account when I first got 'SNL,'" Pete revealed on the "Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers" podcast this week, according to People. "You know the traditional 'SNL' trajectory: you first get the show, everyone loves you and then they stop and you actually have to be good at the show and then they love you again," he explained. "It was, like, my second or third year, and it was a lot of 'he's not useful' typical Twitter comments. And my mom made a f****** fake Twitter account under the name @JoeSmith1355 and would respond to everyone."
Pete went on to recall how "specific" Amy was in defending her son. "Like, 'Actually, I heard he's working on himself and does that quite often,'" he said. Eventually, though, she was caught and got the boot from Twitter. "They found out because her usernme was @JoeSmith, but her profile name was Amy Davidson and the profile picture was Amy Davidson," Pete said. "So, it was a picture of my mom, with a name that said @JoeSmith1355, commenting on all these haters … She got my back, dude."
Following doctor's orders
After landing in the ICU with what her manager called a "serious bacterial infection," Madonna is recovering at home on New York City's Upper East Side, where "she's feeling better and following doctor's orders and resting," according to an unnamed People source. The update comes after her friends Rosie O'Donnell and Debi Mazar both posted about her health on social media, telling fans on Thursday, June 29, she was doing "better" and "on the mend" after the scare. The singer, 64, was hospitalized due to the infection on Saturday, according to her manager, Guy Oseary, who said she's expected to make "a full recovery" but will not be hitting the road for her Celebration Tour as planned. She was scheduled to kick off the shows in Vancouver on July 15 and had reportedly been rehearsing on a grueling schedule prior to getting sick. TMZ reported on Thursday that Madonna was still "vomiting uncontrollably" when she was released from the hospital after spending multiple days in intensive care. Page Six initially reported the singer was "unresponsive" at some point on Saturday before she was treated for the infection.
More abuse allegations
Marvel actor Jonathan Majors faces multiple new allegations of physical and emotional abuse ahead of his domestic violence trial, which is scheduled to begin in New York City on Aug. 3. Late on Thursday, June 29, Rolling Stone published a wide-reaching expose about the star featuring nine unnamed sources who claimed he was abusive with a woman he was dating, allegedly strangling her and abusing her, emotionally. The outlet's survey of Jonathan's past relationships, romantic and otherwise, reportedly dates back to his "time in graduate school" at Yale. One ex who went on record with her name, Haley Carter, said she dated Jonathan as a teenager and remembered him as "sweet, kind and gentle" and "not violent in any way." Other sources gave very different accounts, including one woman who reportedly called her relationship with the actor "emotional torture" and people who worked on movie and TV sets with Jonathan "where production members raised concerns over his treatment of crew," according to Rolling Stone.
In a statement about the piece, Jonathan's attorney, Dustin A. Pusch, said: "Jonathan Majors vehemently denies Rolling Stone's false allegations that he physically, verbally, or emotionally abused anyone, let alone any of his past romantic partners … [He] also denies any allegations of abuse, violence, or intimidation during his time at Yale." The lawyer also claimed Rolling Stone "purposefully ignored" the statements he gave the outlet "from Mr. Majors's actual past romantic partners attesting to his character and the falsity of the charges." Rolling Stone, meanwhile, reported that it contacted the six people Jonathan's attorney had shared statements from, including Haley. As far as the others, three people reportedly claimed never to have given the actor "permission to release such statements." A fourth said the statement in her name was neither "truthful" nor something she'd "approved," and the fifth didn't respond to Rolling Stone. In her defense of Jonathan, Haley told Rolling Stone, "he is exactly the opposite of what these allegations say."
Remembering Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin, whose decades-spanning career began on Broadway in 1963 with a Tony Award winning performance in "Enter Laughing" and led him to many more award-winning performances in movies like "Little Miss Sunshine" TV shows like "The Kominsky Method," has died at 89. His sons confirmed the news of his death on Friday, June 30, calling the actor, director, screenwriter and dad "a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man." Colleagues past and present also paid tribute to Alan on social media on Friday, with Billy Crystal praising him as "our greatest actors," writing that he was, "hilarious, heartbreaking, and the ability to be terrifying, his range was amazing." Paul Reiser also remembered the late star, posting, "A world without Alan Arkin is …not so great. I've loved this man from the moment he came on screen in 'The Russians Are Coming..' ('Whitaker Walt!') I was 8. Getting to know him – and getting a laugh out of him – is a highlight of my life. RIP dear friend." Ellen Barkin recalled Alan's "astounding range" as well, writing, "He could do it all and he did. And brilliantly. Watching him over the years taught me so much about acting. Talent like this is rare indeed. Rest in Peace Alan Arkin." When he died, Alan had recently been cast in "The Smack," which was in pre-production, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
