By Mark Gray
11:45am PST, Nov 13, 2021
Weight watcher
The "Piano Man" is shedded pounds. For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, Billy Joel took the stage and showed off his impressive 50-pound weight loss. The music star had previously spoken about the slimdown, telling radio host Howard Stern it was unintentional. "I had back surgery early this year and the pain afterwards was so bad I lost my appetite," he told the famed radio host last month. "I embraced that, I said, 'OK, I won't eat as much' and I ate less and less and less and less and then there was just life aggravation and that tends to, you know, impact your appetite too."
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Mistaken identity shame
Shailene Woodley has an odd way of sticking up for her man, Aaron Rodgers. On Nov. 9, the "Divergent" star posted screenshots from a tabloid news story claiming to show the Green Bay Packers quarterback getting coffee. The actress was quick to disparage the story, insisting that the man in the published images isn't her fiancé. She can tell, she believes, by the man's hands, feet and car — all of which she shamed. In the midst of her posts, the "Big Little Lies" alum drew circles around faux-Aaron's feet. "i know aaron's body. VERY well. first off, his feet, ahem and no offense to this rando dude, are a LOT bigger. ;)," she wrote, implying that the innocent man wasn't as well endowed as the football star. She said the man's hands were different. Then, she made fun of the innocent man's car. "also, cute car dude, but aaron would never drive this," she wrote. The drama came in the wake of criticism aimed at Aaron, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early November, as he was accused of lying to the media about his vaccination status and of violating some of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols for unvaccinated players.
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Tragic event sparks lawsuits
Travis Scott is being accused of negligence for continuing his Astroworld Festival concert last weekend in Houston while fans were literally dying. Eight people died on Nov. 5 amid a crowd surge. On Nov. 11, a ninth person passed away from injuries sustained at the concert. A 10th person, a 9-year-old boy, is still fighting for his life in the hospital. In the tragic aftermath, Travis said he was "heartbroken" and claimed he didn't know the gravity of what was happening in the crowd during his 75-minute performance. A San Antonio, Texas, lawyer told CNN on Nov. 10 that he was already representing 150 people in a lawsuit against Travis, Drake (who joined Travis on stage that night), Live Nation (the festival's promoter) and Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation. The lawsuit claims the rappers "incited the crowd." The attorney, Thomas J. Henry, told the Houston Chronicle, "While we are all still working to understand the full scope of the Astroworld tragedy, I believe the damages suffered by its victims could total in the billions." Additionally, the family of Ezra Blount, the aforementioned 9-year-old boy, has also filed a lawsuit against Travis and Live Nation. Ezra, the suit states, was "kicked, stepped on, and trampled" as people around him were lifting up "unconscious bodies of friends and strangers and surfed them over the top of the crowd, hoping to send them to safety." Also on Nov. 10, Houston Police alleged they told production officials to "shut down the performance" after emergency personnel began CPR on multiple victims in the audience. At that time it was deemed a "mass casualty incident." Travis performed for another 40 minutes. "The ultimate authority to end a show is with production… and the entertainer," Police Chief Troy Finner said.
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Woke is a joke
John Cleese decided to "cancel" himself to protest "woke" culture. The comedy legend was set to speak at his alma mater, Cambridge University, but he canceled his appearance after staff and students "blacklisted" a fellow attendee. "I was looking forward to talking to students at the Cambridge Union this Friday, but I hear that someone there has been blacklisted for doing an impersonation of Hitler," he tweeted on Nov. 10. "I regret that I did the same on a Monty Python show, so I am blacklisting myself before someone else does." John, 82, actually impersonated Adolf Hitler twice: for "Monty Python" and on "Fawlty Towers." He added, "I apologize to anyone at Cambridge who was hoping to talk with me, but perhaps some of you can find a venue where woke rules do not apply."
Sexy, sexy, sexy
Hello, sexy! On Nov. 10, People magazine named Paul Rudd the "Sexiest Man Alive." The declaration is always one of the most anticipated annual moments in pop culture, and the mag is known to fiercely guard the identity of the chosen one. The Marvel actor follows previous SMA winners including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Michael B. Jordan and Chris Hemsworth. "I mean I'm going to lean into it hard. I'm going to own this," Paul said. "I'm not going to try to be like 'Oh, I'm so modest.' I'm getting business cards made. But all of my friends will destroy me and I expect them to. And that's why they're my friends." Former SMA Ryan Reynolds joked that the title "will be wasted" on Paul. "Don't blow this, Rudd," he hilariously said on "Today." "If you're there, do not blow this opportunity. Run like the wind."
Forever young
Scott Disick is at it again. On Nov. 8, the 38-year-old reality TV star was snapped following an alleged dinner date with Brooklyn Beckham's ex-girlfriend, 23-year-old model Hana Cross, at Nobu in Malibu. Ever since splitting with Kourtney Kardashian many years ago, Scott seems to have a type: young! Scott has been linked to actress Bella Thorne, 24, model Bella Banos, 25, and model Megan Blake Irwin, 27. He began dating his two most recent girlfriends — Sofia Richie, now 23, and Amelia Gray Hamlin, now 20 — when they were teenagers. Just last month, he was also spotted with 23-year-old Instagram model Elizabeth Grace Lindley.
Freed Britney
On Nov. 12, the conservatorship that has ruled Britney Spears' life for nearly 14 years was finally terminated. "The conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is no longer required," Judge Brenda Penny ruled in a Los Angeles courtroom, ending the legal arrangement that's controlled the singer's life since 2008. According to The New York Times, Britney won't have to undergo mental "capacity" evaluations either, since the conservatorship was technically voluntary. But there will be more loose ends to tie up in the coming weeks. The pop star's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, has said he plans to further investigate her father, Jamie Spears, for his handling of the singer's nearly $60 million estate. He's also asked for discovery related to allegations that Jamie used illegal surveillance to monitor Britney in her own home. Jamie was removed as conservator of Britney's estate in September months after she accused him "conservatorship abuse." The Times previously reported a separate hearing on Britney's financial matters is scheduled for Dec. 8.
Taking a trip
Will Smith had an interesting way of healing his broken heart. In his new book "Will," which was released on Nov. 9, the actor revealed that he drank a plant-based psychedelic called ayahuasca in a tea after temporarily splitting with wife Jada Pinkett Smith in 2011. "I was floating deep in outer space … I was trillions of light years away from earth," he said. While "tripping," he sensed an "unseeable woman" whom he called "Mother." He then used ayahuasca 13 more times, and "Mother" visited him eight of those times. Elsewhere in the book, Will wrote about going to a tantric sex expert, where he discussed having a "harem" of women he fantasized would include actress Halle Berry and ballerina Misty Copeland. Will and Jada eventually got back together. The harem never came to fruition.
Married woman
Paris Hilton has a new identifier: Mrs. On Nov. 11 (11/11, get it?), the heiress, podcaster, DJ and reality TV star married venture capitalist Carter Reum at a lavish estate once owned by her late grandfather, hotelier Barron Hilton. The couple, who got engaged in February, exchanged vows in front of A-list guests including Kim Kardashian West, Emma Roberts, Bebe Rexha, Paula Abdul, aunt Kyle Richards and uncle Mauricio Umansky of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" fame, Rachel Zoe, Ashley Benson and more. "My forever begins today… 11/11," Paris captioned a photo of herself in her wedding gown and veil on Instagram, adding the hashtags #JustMarried and #ForeverHiltonReum.
