By Mark Gray
5:30am PDT, Mar 20, 2022
Fan concern
Jessica Simpson fans are on alert after a March 14 Instagram post. In the mirror selfie, the fashion mogul teased that she was trying out a new look, but most fans focused on her appearance, claiming she looked incredibly thin. Jessica's comments section was soon filled with words such as "concerned," "worried," "unrecognizable" and "weird." "Her face looks super thin, I hope she's ok," another fan said. She was even compared to rockers Sammy Hagar and Dee Snider. Several fans, though, chalked up her look to odd lighting and a bad angle, as they pointed to her appearance in recent Instagram pictures. Jessica never responded to the comments.
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Road warrior
Rod the repair man! Last weekend, Sir Rod Stewart lamented that a street near his English home in Harlow, Essex, was in dire need of repairing, but city officials apparently hadn't deemed bettering that particular road a high enough priority. So, Rod and few pals decided that they would fix the road at their own expense. The rocker posted an Instagram video of him shoveling gravel from a construction truck. "I'm repairing the street where I live since no one has bothered to do it," he told the camera. "People are bashing their cars up. The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tire. My Ferrari can't go through here at all. Me and the boys thought we would come and do it ourselves." However, this week, Essex Highway, the department responsible for repairing roads in the area, issued a statement about Rod's take-matters-into-his-own-hands approach and wasn't pleased. "While we appreciate Sir Rod's commitment and community spirit, we discourage anyone from carrying out work on the roads themselves," a statement read. "Without proper traffic management and other specific safety measures, residents are putting themselves and others at risk."
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Released
Jussie Smollett is a free man again. On March 16, the appeals court ordered that the "Empire" star be released as he appeals his conviction on five counts of felony disorderly conduct. Immediately following the order, Jussie posted $150,000 bail and walked out of Cook County Jail in Chicago. While behind bars for nearly a week, TMZ said Jussie gave up food and only drank water. He planned to continue his water-only diet until Lent ends on April 17. Jussie did not speak to awaiting reporters as he walked out of jail, but his lawyers claimed his 150-day sentence for his hoax attack was unconstitutional and draconian.
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Insta-banned
On March 16, Instagram announced that it booted Kanye West from its platform for 24 hours because he violated the policies on hate speech, harassment and bullying. The temporary banning came as Ye's been lashing out at Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson, D.L. Hughley and Trevor Noah. Kanye has even appeared to threaten violence recently. Once Kanye returns to the platform, Instagram might take additional steps if further violations happen. Just hours after Ye was put in Instagram timeout, he turned up court side with his son Saint at the Golden State Warriors game in San Fransisco. (Earlier in the week he accused his ex-wife of keeping his kids from him, which certainly doesn't appear to be the case.)
Gushfest
It's officially official. Less than a week after going Instagram official, Kim Kardashian is gushing about her boyfriend, Pete Davidson. "I have the cutest pictures of us and I want to be like, 'Oh my God, we're so cute,'" she told Ellen DeGeneres on March 16. After Ellen told Kim she sees "a shift" and "a whole different side" of the SKIMS founder, the reality TV star said, "It feels good. I think it's just in life, like no matter what it is, I just think I encourage my friends and the people that I love just to be happy. And I went for it. I was like, 'You know what, I'm in my 40s like f— it, just go for it. Find your happiness.' I went for it and I took my time. I found it and it feels so good. I want to hold on to that forever." Pete seems to be in it for the long haul, too, as Kim said he "branded" her name into his skin, and he's gotten a few tattoos to honor her.
RIP
Another sad one. "The Big Chill" and "Body Heat" actor William Hurt — who won an Oscar for his performance in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and earned three more Academy Awards nods for his work in "Children of a Lesser God," "Broadcast News" and "A History of Violence" — died of natural causes on March 13, Variety reported. He was 71. William's career spanned decades, with many newer fans getting familiar with him from his work as General Thaddeus Ross in Marvel's Avengers films.
Delayed debut!
What took so long?! Two years after first getting together, "Emily in Paris" star Lily Collins and her hubby, filmmaker Charlie McDowell, finally made their official red carpet debut as a couple. The couple tied the knot in September 2021 and attended a special screening of "Windfall" — which he wrote, directed and produced — in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 11, 2022.
