online backlash

'Drag Race' star apologizes for coronavirus 'hoax' comments

"RuPaul's Drag Race" star Gia Gunn is apologizing and promising to "do better" after downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday, the drag queen said on Instagram Live that the coronavirus was a "hoax" and alleged the government was blowing the pandemic out of proportion. "I think the whole mask thing is f–king ridiculous," she added. 

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The video prompted many "RuPaul's Drag Race" alums to eviscerate Gia online.

"Drag Race" Season 10 winner, Aquaria, tweeted, "please @GiaGunn put on your stupid mask and let it be a reminder to not open your mouth when trying to influence your followers to practice the same unsafe actions you feel entitled to. people are still dying. be grateful its not you or I right now."

Jaremi Carey, who starred on the fourth season of the reality series, told Gia, "Your video and comments are honestly quite ignorant and it would behoove you to step back from Twitter and educate yourself, false information is harmful to so many."

After backlash from her social media followers, Gia seemed to get the message.

"It's time for Miss Gia to take her own advice and do better. With the 6,000 cases on the rise alone here in California, it's apparent that no theories, no questions, no excuses, it's time for us to put our masks back on," she said. "And for those of you that never took their masks off, I thank you and I commend you so much for setting the example that I wish I would have."

She added, "Life is too short and we need to protect each other. And I thank you all so much for correcting me, educating me and informing me."

To date, more than 2.5 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus, resulting in nearly 130,000 deaths. 

Gruesome injury

'Cake Boss' star Buddy Valastro hospitalized following horrific hand injury

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro was hospitalized this week after he impaled his hand during a bowling accident at his New Jersey home over the weekend.

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Buddy, who was released from the hospital on Sept. 23, has already undergone several surgeries on his right hand. 

"I had a really bad accident at my house with my hand," he said on his Instagram Story, adding that he's "getting the best care possible."

A rep for the Food Network star told People magazine, "There was a malfunction with the bowling pinsetter, a common fix in the past, but it turned into a terrible accident."

"After trying to release the bowling pin from the cage mechanism, his right hand became lodged and compressed inside the unit," the rep continued. "Unable to remove his hand, he can see a 1-1/2 inch metal rod slowly and repeatedly impale his hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger."

Buddy's teenage sons were able to free his hand after using a reciprocating saw "to cut through the metal rod and relieve his father from the machine," the rep noted.

The chef maintained a sense of humor on Instagram, posting a photo from his hospital bed. 

"I was involved in a terrible accident a few days ago… What do you think of my new accessory?" he wrote in the caption.

Buddy has showed off the bowling alley inside his house several times in the past. 

"It will be an uphill battle as it's Buddy's dominant right hand and he will need prolonged recovery and therapy," his rep said.

Many famous chefs wished Buddy well on Instagram.

Emeril Lagasse commented, "Get better quick my friend!" Duff Goldman wrote, "Get better homie. You're gonna need that hand."  

Bombshell secret

Emma Stone, Dave McCary secretly married: Report

Emma Stone and Dave McCary have secretly married, a new report states.

On Sept. 23, Page Six quoted a source confirming that the duo "have definitely tied the knot."

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The news comes after the couple were seen in paparazzi photos wearing what appeared to be wedding bands. 

Emma, 31, and Dave, 35, were reportedly set to marry earlier this year in Los Angeles, but their nuptials were scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.  

The pair were first linked in October 2017, but they supposedly met in 2016 during her hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live," on which he previously worked as a segment director.

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The duo announced their engagement last year on Instagram when Dave shared a photo with Emma showing off her engagement ring.

Shade

Lisa Vanderpump shades Teddi Mellencamp after 'Housewives' firing

Lisa Vanderpump won't miss Teddi Mellencamp on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

One day after Teddi confirmed rumors that Bravo didn't pick up her contract for another season of the reality TV show, Lisa reacted with essentially a shrug… and some Grade A shade.

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"People said because she was boring," Lisa, who starred on "Housewives" with Teddi for two seasons, said on the "All Things Vanderpump" podcast. "I certainly didn't have a good experience with her, so boring would be one of the nicer things that I could say."

Although Lisa seemed happy about Teddi's dismissal, Kyle Richards was on the other side of the coin: She posted a tribute to her friend on Instagram. 

"To my friend @teddimellencamp who I love & adore ..I am so grateful for #RHOBH for bringing you into my life. You are an amazing Mom, wife, sister, daughter & friend. You work so hard, always giving it your all. You are so smart, kind , thoughtful, funny & real," Kyle wrote. "I look forward to witnessing what the universe has in store for you next. I know it's going to be amazing. You deserve it all. Cheers."

Prior to Kyle's post on Sept. 22, Teddi spoke about her "Housewives" exit.

"I don't want to bore you, but I figured I could give you a little update on what's going on. I recently found out that my contract as a Housewife is not being renewed," she said. "Of course I could give you the standard response of, 'Oh, we both came to the decision that it would be best.' Nah, I'm not going to do that — that's not who I am."

She continued, "Of course when I got the news I was sad. It feels like a breakup, almost because you develop such strong relationships with the cast, with the crew. And you get to do incredible things that you probably never get to experience without the show."

Wedding bells

Kelly Dodd, fiancé obtain marriage license, set for October wedding

Going to the chapel! Kelly Dodd will soon be a Mrs.

On Sept. 22, the "Real Housewives of Orange County" star announced that she and fiancé Rick Leventhal have obtained their marriage license and are set to tie the knot next month. 

"We got our marriage license today!!! I'm so excited to marry my ride or die @rickleventhal ❤️❤️❤️❤️10/10/20," she captioned a selfie with Rick.

Rick expressed his excitement on Instagram, as well.

"License in hand! Thank you my love for making me so happy," he wrote along the snap. "Here we come 10/10/2020."

Kelly and Rick began dating last summer and got engaged just a few months later when the Fox News personality popped the question with a 4-carat ring.

Both Rick and Kelly posted videos to their Instagram Stories moments before getting the license. 

"It's happening," they both said in one video. Kelly later added, "I can't wait."

 It's still unclear if Bravo will be filming the wedding. 

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Kelly previously said former "The Real Housewives of New York City" star Dorinda Medley will officiate the ceremony.

This will be the third marriage for Kelly and Rick. 

Engagement rumors

Tyra Banks addresses engagement rumors

Tyra Banks downplayed speculation that the ring she's been sporting is an engagement ring, but she avoided confirming or denying rumors that she's betrothed. 

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In an interview with Tamron Hall, the "Dancing With the Stars" host said her new bauble is "just a ring."

"They're talking about the ring. … The ring is a crab. It's shaped like a crab. … And it's an opal, not a diamond," Tyra said. (Noticeably, she wasn't wearing the ring in question.) "It is not a crab opal engagement ring. It is just a ring."

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The legendary supermodel has been linked to Canadian businessman Louis Bélanger-Martin for well over a year. A source told Page Six earlier this year that the duo are "very, very much in love." Last month, the couple sparked engagement rumors when Tyra was spotted wearing what appeared to be a diamond ring while leaving her soon-to-open theme park, ModelLand, in Santa Monica, California.

Tyra, who didn't confirm or deny the speculation, called the rumors both "funny" and "annoying."

"The press gets it right sometimes but a lot of times they're bored," she said.

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Tyra and Louis were first photographed together in Los Angeles in August 2019. In the fall, they were spotted together several times, displaying some "low-key" PDA at a New York City restaurant.

The romance has moved quickly. In November 2019, Page Six reported that Tyra and Louis were living together, although he spends ample time across the pond to be with his teenage son, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Valérie Martin Scraire.

"Louis also spends some time with his own child in England and around the world for business," Page Six's source said at the time. "Tyra's child has his own room at Louis [and] Valerie's house in Magog [Quebec] and Tyra moved some of her stuff — clothes, jewelry — there too."

Unrecognizable

Macklemore debuts shocking new look in quarantine

Macklemore is quarantining a little differently these days. 

The rapper recently posted a shirtless selfie to Instagram that shows him looking nothing like the Macklemore we remember. 

"Oh you didn't think I was gonna hit the glow up during Covid?" he captioned a photo of himself with thick, curly hair and a handlebar mustache.

"Tag someone that didn't know I had natural curls and enter in a chance to win my secret recipe for the perfect dangles," he added.

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The rapper's followers were stunned by the new look, with many comparing him to other celebrities. Some followers didn't recognize him at all.

"Songland" judge and Grammy-winning songwriter Shane McAnally wrote, "I will never be the same."

The best comment, however, came from David Spade, who couldn't help but notice a resemblance to himself.

"When did I get that tattoo?" he quipped.

Space travel

Tom Cruise cleared to go to space next year

Tom Cruise is leaving Earth next year. 

Earlier this year, NASA and SpaceX announced that they're working with the movie star on a film that will shoot while in orbit aboard the International Space Station.

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TMZ, citing the 2020-2023 ISS official manifest, reports that Tom is set to head to the ISS on the SpaceX Crew Dragon rocket and capsule in October 2021.

Little is known about the film, but it is reportedly an action-adventure movie that is not part of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. It will become the first movie ever filmed in space. 

After the otherworldly news was formally announced in the spring, several retired astronauts spoke about what Tom will experience in space. "The only thing on Earth that compares to space travel is going over Niagra Falls in a barrel while you're on fire," Scott Kelly told TMZ.

Both Scott and Roy Bridges Jr. added that usage of the space toilet will be a key part of Tom's intense space training. 

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Scott, who's spent more time in space than any human being, said Tom needs to move very slowly aboard the ISS, as it's not uncommon for first-time visitors to vomit because of zero gravity.

Tom's training will run the gamut of getting in and out of the space capsule and wearing a spacesuit. Plus, he'll have to learn many things that we take for granted, including how to make food and actually get it in his mouth. He'll also get training on how to sleep and clean himself while in the ISS.

The astronauts said the "Top Gun" star will have to learn to prepare for a space emergency, such as space debris flying into the ISS. He'll also be trained on surviving an ocean splashdown when he comes back to Earth.

Role play

Kit Harington is done with 'masculine' roles

Kit Harington is ready to change up his on-screen image. 

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During a chat with the Telegraph, Kit, who famously played Jon Snow on "Game of Thrones," said he wants to move on from heroic characters.

"I feel that emotionally men have a problem, a blockage, and that blockage has come from the Second World War, passed down from grandfather to father to son," he said. "We do not speak about how we feel because it shows weakness, because it is not masculine. Having portrayed a man who was silent, who was heroic, I feel going forward that is a role I don't want to play anymore," he said.

Kit, 33, adds, "It is not a masculine role that the world needs to see much more of."

Thinking of himself as somewhat of a complex person, Kit noted that those are the roles he's now vying for.

While the days of playing heroic and stoic characters like Jon Snow are over, Kit does think he brought "a certain self-reflective, introverted broodiness" to Jon Snow's personality.

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Kit has spoken about trying to shed the Jon Snow character before. In 2018, following a makeover, he told Entertainment Weekly, "I like having the long hair and beard both, but it will be like ritualistic thing. I can't go into my next role looking the same. This role was brilliant, but I'll need to get rid of Jon Snow."

Ambush interview?

Tamron Hall denies she went 'rogue' during Stassi Schroeder interview

During a chat with Tamron Hall last week, Stassi Schroeder spoke out publicly for the first time about her firing from "Vanderpump Rules." Soon after, a report from Us Weekly claimed that the reality TV star felt ambushed by the journalist. 

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Tamron is now speaking out about that "fair and open conversation," while also expressing one regret.

"The other day I was told that there was a report that Stassi felt 'unprepared' and that it was 'awkward.' Even that I had gone rogue — whatever that means," Tamron said on her eponymous talk show on Sept. 22. "Let me just be open because I'm expecting everybody who's participating in this show today, I want them to be open, so I have to do the same. It's why I wanted this show to be honest with you."

"So I'm going to take you behind the scenes of TV," she continued. "Now, I don't tell people the specific questions I'm going to ask them. How they answer, that's up to them. But the topic and everything that we discussed, Stassi knew. She knew the subject matter. She knew what I was going to ask her. Not the questions."

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Tamron said that Stassi's team called on the eve of the interview and asked her not to bring up the former Bravo star's past comments about the #MeToo movement, which she called a "witch hunt." Stassi also criticized women for coming forward.

Tamron now regrets that she agreed to shy away from that line of questioning.

"It hit me to my gut that I didn't ask her," Tamron said. "But again, I want to be honest with you. Given that she was five months pregnant, the issue of race was hard enough for her and for me and it was a lot to unpack, including that Nazi comment, so I said we were not going to go down that road but we would have this difficult conversation that we all should have to provide a better platform for our children."

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Stassi was one of four "Vanderpump Rules" cast members notoriously fired in June for past racist actions. For months, she remained silent on the matter. Hence, her chat with Tamron was widely promoted.

"Stassi felt totally unprepared for the interview," a source told Us Weekly. "She wasn't in a good mood afterward and felt like she was put on the spot. She has built her brand on being candid and funny, and she feels afraid to make any wrong comments or jokes and having them come across negatively, which, in turn, made the interview awkward."

"She doesn't want to make a wrong move or say anything that can be taken out of context because she really has been taking time to work on herself," the source said. "She felt somewhat caught off guard in how the interview went down because she really has been doing her best to learn, educate herself and be the best version of herself that she can be."

A second source added, "Producers laid the segments out for Stassi and her team, and everything was all set. And then, to everyone's surprise, Tamron went rogue and took the interview in a completely different direction."