By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:30am PDT, Mar 25, 2022
Nicolas Cage explains why he made so many flops
Nicolas Cage's new film, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," out next month, has a rare 100% rating on RottenTomatoes.com this week. It's already critically acclaimed in the wake of its SXSW premiere in Austin. And while this is hardly the "Raising Arizona" star's first foray into well-received movie-making, there was certainly a string of straight-to-video flops for Nic. In GQ's April 2022 cover story, he explains why. "The phone stopped ringing," says the actor, 58. "It was like, 'What do you mean we're not doing 'National Treasure 3?' It's been 14 years. Why not?' 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' didn't work, and 'Ghost Rider' didn't really sell tickets. And 'Drive Angry,' that just came and went," he recalls. "[Meanwhile], I've got all these creditors and the IRS and I'm spending $20,000 a month trying to keep my mother out of a mental institution, and I can't. It was just all happening at once." Rather than file for bankruptcy, he says he simply took as much work on as he could. "When I was doing four movies a year, back to back to back, I still had to find something in them to be able to give it my all," he muses. "They didn't work, all of them … But I never phoned it in. So if there was a misconception, it was that. That I was just doing it and not caring. I was caring." "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" hits theaters April 22.
Keep reading to see how Brad Pitt inspired Channing Tatum in "The Lost City" …
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Channing Tatum says he channeled 'Legends of the Fall' Brad Pitt' in 'The Lost City'
Brad Pitt's influence on "The Lost City" goes beyond his appearance in the action comedy. According to Channing Tatum — who plays a romance novel cover model named Dash opposite Sandra Bullock, who plays the romance novelist — Dash's flowing blond-ish locks and outdoorsy ensembles were inspired by Brad … circa 1994's "Legends of the Fall." "I can't believe I got to work with either one of them," Channing said on the March 24 edition of "Ellen." "I met [Brad] once. I've ridden motorcycles with him. And again, it's the same situation, he's everything you want him to be." He went on to reveal he "gave a note" on the film about how he thought Dash should appear in the beginning of the film. "I have to wear a wig for my cover model sort of look, Dash's look, and I said, 'I just want to look like 'Legends of the Fall Brad Pitt,'" Channing admitted, per ET. "'Could you please just make me that? Make me as close to that as you can possibly make me.'" The iconic movie features Brad as an early 20th Century-era wilderness type living in the Montana plains. Channing added that he loved seeing Brad get to show off his humorous side while making "The Lost City." "[He's] so funny in this," Channing gushed of his co-star. "I think people just don't know how funny he is. I think he's done comedies but nothing this broad … We had so much fun on it." (By the way, you can check out "'Legends of the Fall' Brad Pitt" right here.)
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Jon Stewart weighs in on pal Pete Davidson's Kanye West drama
As Kanye West continues his social media and music video attacks on Pete Davidson, Pete's got at least one comedy peer in his corner. That would be Jon Stewart, who recently spoke to Howard Stern about the bizarre, seemingly one-sided feud Kanye launched against Pete after the "Saturday Night Live" star began dating Kanye's ex, Kim Kardashian. "I think he's doing as best you can in that situation when you're dealing with something that's so explosive and loaded, with all kinds of other things," Jon said on the shock jock's SiriusXM radio show this week. "I just love that kid," the comic, 59, said of Pete, 28. "He's just a kid trying to live his life. [He's] one of my favorite people. He's just a smart, funny kid trying to live his life." The "Problem With Jon Stewart" host later said he worries about younger comics because of the nature of the industry they share. "I always have a very paternal instinct on those guys because I've seen too many of my friends get in trouble and some of them die, and you don't [want that]," he said. "It's a f***** up business." Jon added that he and Pete first became pals when they were both on the road, performing in Boston and Houston. Pete also worked with John Mulaney near Jon's home in New Jersey. Kanye, meanwhile, was recently banned from Instagram for violating hate speech policies and barred from performing at the 2022 Grammy Awards, reportedly because of his "concerning online behavior."
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Renee Zellweger recalls the 'serendipity' of meeting boyfriend Ant Anstead
Nearly a year after romance buzz started swirling around Renee Zellweger and TV host Ant Anstead, the couple's relationship is still going strong — possibly, thanks to a semi-supernatural force. As Renee says Harper's Bazaar's April 2022 cover story, she met Ant when he was co-hosting "Celebrity IOU: Joyride." At the time, she'd recently lost her close friend and longtime publicist, Nanci Ryder, to ALS, and wanted to somehow thank the two nurses who cared for her until the end. The show features celebs paying it forward to folks by surprising them with super-cool renovated cars. Renee got herself joined and Ant helped her get the nurses their dream wheels. And Renee, it seems, got her dream guy in the process. Asked if Ant "has somehow been a gift from" her late friend, Nanci, Renee tells the Bazaar interviewer, "Yeah, we do joke about that. She's always doing her best. It made me smile. It made me smile to think on this, yeah, the serendipity of it all." The stars went Instagram official in July 2021.
Wendy Williams demands access to her money amid bank battle
Clearly frustrated, Wendy Williams shared a video update on her bank battle on Instagram on March 23. The former talk show host previously acknowledged she's fighting with Wells Fargo over its alleged decision to block her from her account until she gets a guardian. In the clip, the slams Lori Schiller, who Page Six reports is the former financial adviser who allegedly told the bank Wendy was not stable enough manage her own money. "My thing is that I've been asking questions about my money and when I begin asking questions about my money, suddenly Lori Schiller has got no response regarding my money. I want my money. This is not fair," Wendy, 57, says in the clip. "Wells Fargo has no questions and answers regarding my money. This is not fair. And Lori Schiller and Wells Fargo has this guardianship petition about keeping me away from my money," she adds. Wendy then takes aim at her former manager, Bernie Young: "I know for a fact that Bernie Young used my American Express card to hire an attorney to file a petition against me," she claims, telling him, "You're no good and this is not fair at all." Finally, she alleges "a former doctor," whom she says she "fired," sent "medical information about me that I never even got … over to Lori Schiller," presumably to support Lori's claim Wendy was of "unsound mind" and should not manage her own finances. Before signing off, Wendy slams Wells Fargo for using "all this stuff to create the guardianship over me," then addresses the bank and her former managers: "Please let me have access to my money. This is not right, and again, this is not fair. Have a pleasant day. Thank you," she says. According to Page Six, Wells Fargo previously denied, "allegations of improper actions with respect to Ms. Williams' accounts."
Maksim Chmerkovskiy shares update on Ukraine relief work from Poland
"Dancing With the Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy shared an Instagram update on his efforts to support Ukrainians as Russia's invasion continues. The dancer and choreographer, who hails from Odessa, has been in Poland working on various humanitarian projects to aid refugees from his native country. On March 23, Maks shared a video featuring Michael Capponi, from the Global Empowerment Mission, which Maks says he's partnered with via his Baranova 27 organization. "I am looking forward to establishing this partnership and using our resources together with [Baranova 27] to help as many people as possible, as quickly as possible," he said in the clip, which he noted was shot at a warehouse that was "created to hold supplies and relief for those in Ukraine and refugees in neighboring countries." Later in the post, Maks thanked Bethenny Frankel for the work her BStrong foundation is doing in Ukraine, as well. Maks' update comes one day after his wife Peta Murgatroyd, also a star on "DWTS," said during a Q&A on her Instagram Stories that she was "nervous" about Maks returning to Europe but "I know he made the right decision." She added that while she has "anxious days" with him gone, "There wasn't a way that he could stay and watch. I'm just proud."
Gwyneth Paltrow's former GOOP CCO says cleanses were unhealthy for her body image
Gwyneth Paltrow's former chief content officer at Goop recently opened up about her newfound perspective on her body, weight, eating and wellness, a year and a half after leaving the company. Elise Loehnen, 42, left the brand to write a book and start a podcast. In an Instagram video posted this week, she reveals some of what she's come to see differently about health and wellness in recent months. The cleanses Gwyneth frequently advocates, some of which have been controversial, weren't working for Elise. "To me, [cleansing] had become synonymous with dieting and restriction, and I felt like I was not in a healthy relationship with my body, where I was always trying to punish it [and] bring it under control," she says in the candid clip. Now that she's spent two years "eating like a teenager … and enjoying it," she says she's found a "healthy" middle ground that's allowed her to break free of "ideas of what my body should look like as a 42-year-old who has had two kids." As she says in the caption, "I needed to break a tendency to be critical and punishing. To chastise myself. All of it. I stopped weighing myself completely." She also began to realize health needs to be somewhere in between the two poles she's explored. "When I talked with my friend @ellenvoramd on Pulling the Thread recently, we explored diet and she reminded me that wellness culture can be toxic AND that eating an abundance of overly processed foods can also be toxic," she says. "And I realized in that moment that I've kind of deserted how my body actually feels — as much as I've enjoyed two years of eating whatever my young kids want. And that I'm clearly being called back to a place somewhere in the middle because my stomach often hurts." She's even found a way to approach a version of a cleanse that's healthier for her, given how she handled previous ones. "I refuse to punish myself with food, or hold myself under the weight my body seems to want to be anymore," she wrote. "I don't have the energy or the interest, thankfully. (And more importantly, I've come to realize that I really like my body and am grateful it is mine.) Hopefully I've broken that cycle for good."
Aerosmith announces Las Vegas residency return
Aerosmith is headed back to Sin City to play the band's first live shows since February 2020. "The only rust at Dolby Live is going to be on our van in the lobby," Steven Tyler said in a statement announcing 24 new dates from June through December. "We are locked, cocked and loaded!" Aerosmith launched their "Deuces Are Wild" Las Vegas residency in 2019, but a series of COVID-19-related postponements and tour cancelations soon followed. They'll be the first act to play in the Dolby Atmos at Dolby Live, according to People. Speaking to USA Today, guitarist Joe Perry explained, "The fans want live music, and we want to be out there playing it." He also threw cold water on reports the 50-year-old rock band was slowing down because of their respective ages, which range from 70 to 73, by assuring the outlet he and Steven still plan to be hoisted above the stage during the encore. "That [lift] is something we normally wouldn't do on the road, but judging from the response of the audience, we'll certainly keep it in the show," he said. "I get as much of a kick out of it as anyone," he added. The Vegas shows kick off June 17.
