By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:30am PDT, Jun 24, 2023
Still out of touch
As Jamie Foxx continues recovering from the undisclosed "medical complication" that sent him to the hospital in April, he's remained out of touch with his "Back in Action" costar, Cameron Diaz, a "close friend" of the actress tells the Daily Mail. According to the Mail's source, Cameron's currently in the dark about both Jamie's health and the movie's future. "Cameron has not spoken to Jamie at all and does not know anything other than what she hears," the friend is quoted as saying in a report published Thursday, June 22. "Cameron is not sure what is going on with 'Back In Action,'" added the pal. Jamie, an executive producer on the film, previously encouraged Cameron to sign on to the project as a "comeback movie," given her recent retirement from acting.
Cameron, of course, is not the only colleague who has yet to hear from Jamie since his medical issue arose. Speaking to Deadline at last week's premiere for "They Cloned Tyrone," John Boyega said he'd hoped to see his costar at the screening and implied they haven't spoken. "I've been calling, I'm just gonna keep on calling," he said.
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MORE: More stars' near-death experiences
Moving on
Nine years after Kesha sued her former producer Dr. Luke for sexual assault and emotional abuse, sparking Luke to file a countersuit, the two have "agreed to a resolution," they said in a joint statement on Instagram on Thursday, June 22. "Only God knows what happened that night. As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened," the "Tik Tok" singer wrote in her portion of the statement, referencing her allegations Luke drugged and assaulted her in 2005. "I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved."
Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, wrote: "While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging that she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened. I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone," he continued. "For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years. It is Time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life. I wish Kesha well."
Luke publicly denied Kesha's claims when she first filed suit against him in 2014. In his countersuit, he claimed her allegations were an attempt to force her way out of her contract with his record label, Kemosabe. Kesha released her final album of the contract with Kemosabe in May. Titled "Gag Order," it deals with the trauma and depression the singer suffered as a result of her relationship with and lawsuit against the producer. His case against Kesha was slated to go to trial in July 2023.
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Cage match challenge accepted
Tech billionaires (and, last we checked, grown men) Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are threatening duke out their grievances the old-fashioned way — in a "cage match." Elon — who bought Twitter last year for $44 million — was replying to users who'd posted about Mark's plans to launch a new app that will "rival" Twitter, when the Tesla CEO joked, "I'm up for a cage match if he is lol." A long stream of replies urging him to go for it against the Meta owner quickly followed — as did a response from Mark on one of his own social media platforms. Sharing a screenshot of Elon's cage match challenge on his Instagram Story on Wednesday, June 22, Mark wrote, "SEND ME LOCATION." Back on twitter, Elon soon suggested the "Vegas Octagon," Sin City's UFC Apex.
While the "lol" Elon included in his initial tweet suggests he was kidding about the whole thing, it's worth noting Mark recently shared photos of himself fighting an opponent at a a jiu-jitsu tournament. "The story speaks for itself," a Meta spokesperson told CBS News when asked if Mark was serious. As for his company's new app, reportedly set to be called "Threads," Meta chief product officer Chris Cox has already dubbed it the team's "response to Twitter," according to The Verge. Taking a swipe at Elon's controversy-sparking Twitter leadership, the Meta exec added: "We've been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run, that they believe that they can trust and rely upon for distribution."
Retirement update
Rod Stewart says his recent comments about wanting "to leave the rock 'n' roll stuff behind" did not mean he's thinking about retirement just yet. "I'd like to clear up any confusion that I may have caused with my dear fans and the media," the 78-year-old singer wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, June 22. "I shall never retire! I was put on this earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good lord lets me." He went on to confirm he'll "be playing the hits as advertised" on tour this year and next, "… but no retirement as such."
Rod went on to explain that in interviews like last week's sit-down with the BBC, he discussed taking a break from rock to pursue another genre — not to stop playing music. "During recent interviews, I've mentioned my newest passion is big band/swing music and when we wrap this greatest hits tour, it's something I'm very eager to share with you," he wrote, in part. "I could never turn my back on the songs that I've written and and sung over the last six decades. They are like my children. I created them and I love them." Rod's update follows a Daily Mail report claiming some of his children have urged him to stop touring out of concern for his health.
Secret wedding?
Fans are wondering once again if Rihanna tied the knot with her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky. After the Fenty Beauty mogul's wedding-ready appearance at the 2023 Met Gala last month, Rocky paid tribute to his "wife" Rihanna during his performance at the Cannes Lions Festival on Wednesday, June 21. "I'd like to dedicate this song to my beautiful wife in the motherf****** building!" Rocky hollered at one point in his set, according to Page Six. Rihanna reportedly gave her love a smile and he continued with his show. By the next day, speculation about whether two have quietly said "I do" was all over Twitter. "Wait, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Might Be Married? And Didn't Tell Us?" one user posted. "i feel like rihanna and asap got married in private," tweeted another. Rihanna, who's currently expecting her second child with Rocky, has not responded to the outlet's requests for clarification. The stars reportedly began dating in 2020 after a long friendship and a handful of collaborations. They welcomed their son, RZA, in May 2022.
Toxic set response
Kelly Clarkson says she's ready to "do better" after her eponymous show was hit toxic work environment allegations. The claims surfaced in a May 2023 Rolling Stone expose, where multiple former and one current employee of "The Kelly Clarkson Show" said the staff was subjected to overly high work demands by "abusive" personalities behind-the-scenes, all while allegedly being paid unfairly. The sources also said Kelly was unaware of how "toxic" things were for many of her staffers. "I definitely was blindsided," Kelly tells The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview out this week. While she understands "the mindset" of cancel culture, she also says it's important to keep improving: "You have to progress. You have to go, 'Oh man, well maybe we can do better at this. Obviously, we might have missed the mark here, so what can we do better?'"
Going into Season 5, Kelly says she and her team were already prioritizing "inclusivity" and "connection" among staffers, since the production was moving to New York City from Los Angeles and new people would be working together in-person. "I want everybody to feel happy and feel empowered and inspired," she explains. "And I think that's all [the Rolling Stone piece] did for us is one, recognize: OK, there's something wrong, maybe. I didn't know when that first came out. So, how do we fix this? How do we be better and better examples? So we're already doing that, and adding on to what we already had planned initially, just to make sure everybody feels included and a part of the team."
2023 Kennedy Center Honors
Singer, actress and part-time Twitter comic Dionne Warwick is among the stars whose cultural contributions will be celebrated at this year's Kennedy Center Honors, the iconic performing arts organization announced this week. "I'm exceptionally happy to be honored by the Kennedy Center. It's very exciting to be recognized for my contributions to the music industry for the past 60 years," said Dionne, 82. The singer's fellow 2023 honorees include comic Billy Crystal, Bee Gees star Barry Gibb, opera singer Renée Fleming and actress, singer and rapper Queen Latifah. "When we started on this journey decades ago, we were often told, 'No,'" Latifah said in a statement following news of her award. "No, you won't be able to leave New Jersey. No, if you rap you can't sing. No, singers can't become actresses. No, actors can't also produce. To now be recognized amongst so many multi-hyphenates feels unbelievable, not for just me and my team, but for our community." The 46th annual Kennedy Center Honors take place in December at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
