By Mark Gray
8:58am PST, Mar 8, 2019
Cancer diagnosis
"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek announced on March 6 that he has was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer this week. "Normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to keep working," he said in a video. "And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease." He humorously added that he "has" to beat it "because under the terms of my contract, I have to host 'Jeopardy!' for three more years!"
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R.I.P.
Luke Perry passed away on March 4 after suffering a massive stroke on Feb. 27. The actor, who rose to fame on the original "Beverly Hills, 90210" and had been starring on The CW's "Riverdale," was 52. News of Luke's death stunned the entertainment world, and many celebs took to social media to share their thoughts. Former "90210" co-star Shannen Doherty said she was "struggling with this loss and am having a hard time with my thoughts." Tori Spelling was in "utter shock." The tributes poured in. A day after his death, a report claimed Luke's daughter, Sophie, had rushed to Los Angeles from Africa to be by her father's side. On March 6, Luke's son, Jack — a pro wrestler who goes by the name "Jungle Boy" Nate Coy — paid tribute to his father on Instagram, writing, "I've learned so much from you, and my heart is broken thinking about everything you won't be here for. I'll miss you every day that I walk this earth. I'll do whatever I can to carry on your legacy and make you proud. I love you dad."
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Wild, passionate interview
R. Kelly got incredibly emotional this week during an interview with "CBS This Morning" that aired on March 6 as he ranted that the women accusing him of physical and sexual abuse are lying. "I'm very tired of all of the lies," he told Gayle King during the 80-minute sit-down. "I have been assassinated. I have been buried alive. But I'm alive." Gayle pulled no punches, asking the R&B star if he is holding women against their will, to which he replied, "I don't need to." He then got out of his chair and shouted about the accusations against him (a picture from that moment quickly went viral). During the course of the interview, he was asked about Jocelyn Savage and Azriel Clary, two women who remain in a relationship with him. Their parents claim the women are being held captive. R. Kelly denied he's holding them hostage and accused their parents of "selling" their daughters to him. The same day that the first part of the interview came out, the singer was jailed in Chicago for failing to pay more than $161,000 in child support.
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Dramatic love life
Danielle Staub's love life — what a doozy! On Feb. 28 — one week after her divorce from third husband Marty Caffrey was finalized — the "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star announced that she was engaged to Oliver Maier, the German-French managing director of Speyside Equity (it's her 21st engagement!). They told People magazine they were planning to wed just a few days later in New York City on March 4 after only a few weeks of dating. Two days after that announcement came reports that the couple had postponed the wedding to give Danielle's adult daughters time to make peace with the news. Then on March 4 — the very day the duo was initially set to exchange vows — Us Weekly reported that Danielle and Oliver had split up. A source told Us Weekly that Danielle and Oliver went shopping for an engagement ring at Van Cleef & Arpels in early March but that he didn't purchase one — yet Danielle showed off a photo of herself wearing a ruby and diamond sparkler on People.com. On March 4, Danielle posted a video with Oliver to "correct rumors that he and I are not together." You wanna talk about a whirlwind!
Billionaire status
Move over, Mark Zuckerberg! On March 5, Forbes magazine declared that Kylie Jenner is now the world's youngest self-made billionaire. The reality TV star and Kylie Cosmetics mogul is 21, whereas Facebook founder Mark was 23 when he hit the money milestone. Yes, there is still a rabid debate over whether Kylie is "self-made," as Forbes describes her, but she'll let everyone talk it out while she deposits checks. "I didn't expect anything. I did not foresee the future," she told Forbes. "But [the recognition] feels really good. That's a nice pat on the back." The same week, TMZ reported that Kylie's boyfriend, rapper Travis Scott, deactivated his Instagram account to prove his loyalty to her after she allegedly discovered he's been trading inappropriate DMs with other women. He then turned it back on a few hours later. Mo' money, mo' problems.
Cancer return
Taylor Swift revealed some terrible news in a "30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30" piece she wrote for ELLE magazine that was released this week: Her mother's cancer has returned. "I've had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family," she writes. "Both of my parents have had cancer, and my mom is now fighting her battle with it again." Andrea Swift was diagnosed with the disease in 2015 (she's never revealed what type of cancer she's faced). Up until the essay's release, it wasn't public knowledge that Taylor's dad, Scott, had ever battled the disease.
Documetary fallout
The fallout from HBO's March 3 and 4 airings of the documentary "Leaving Neverland," in which two men allege they were sexually abused by the late Michael Jackson as children, has been swift. A statue of MJ was removed from Britain's National Football Museum this week; several radio stations in Canada and New Zealand stopped playing his music; "The Simpsons" pulled an episode that featured Michael's voice; actor Corey Feldman said nothing inappropriate ever happened between him and the pop star, but because of the accusations, he said he "can not in good consciousness defend anyone who's being accused of such horrendous things." The Jackson family has denied the men's claims and described the documentary as a "public lynching."
Hockey is for lovers
And they said it wouldn't last! Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale are still going strong two months after they were first linked, and they wanted all the world to see! On March 3, the new couple openly kissed while attending a hockey game in New York City. Pictures from the makeout session quickly went viral and memes were created — many took note of "Queer Eye" star Antoni Porowski seated next to the smooching duo. During the middle of the week, a social media user created a meme that labeled Kate as "me," Pete as "guys with problems from childhood who I can 'fix'" and Antoni as "wholesome guys with good paying jobs who text back and have no baggage." Kate hilariously clapped back at the meme, commenting, "Antoni is gay, if that helps clarify at all #queereye."
Splitsville
Demi Lovato is a single lady again. The singer and her beau of the past four months, fashion designer Henry Levy — her first boyfriend since her near-fatal drug overdose — have split up, People magazine and Us Weekly confirmed. In other Demi-related news, the singer recently returned to Los Angeles after a secret trip back to a treatment facility. "She has not relapsed since she overdosed. She did recently go to a facility, but it was her own decision," a source told People. "It was one trip to a treatment facility for a few weeks outside of Los Angeles." The newly single singer is now "taking care of herself and is in a positive place," added the source. "She's working out and getting back in the studio to make music."
Married
Chance The Rapper announced on Twitter on March 6 that he and his longtime girlfriend, Kirsten Corley, were set to marry this weekend. But according to a report, that wedding will be all for show. The Chicago Tribune reported on March 7 that it obtained a copy of a marriage certificate confirming the couple actually exchanged vows during a civil ceremony in Chicago on Dec. 27, 2018. Chance, who shares a daughter with Kirsten, revealed on Twitter that he met his wife when he was 9 years old. He detailed his father nudging him to dance with her. "This wasn't the time or place," he wrote. "Not just because it wasn't my party, not because it was their moment to dance, not even cause I was nervous about dancing in front of folks. It's cause I knew I was gonna marry that girl…16 years later its happening This wknd is the time, and the place is my wedding. I'm gonna dance with my wife because this is my destiny."
