Newsletter Thursday, January 25, 2018

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Thursday, January 25, 2018 [Intro for January 25, 2018]( [Rachael Denhollander speaks as former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar listens to impact statements during the sentencing phase in Ingham County Circuit Court on January 24, 2018 in Lansing, Michigan](Dear Gossips, The thing about being brave is that the people who end up being brave probably would prefer to not be put in the position to have to be brave in the first place. When you are brave, you are “[ready to endure danger or pain](”. Nobody wakes up and says, well sh-t, it will would totally make my day today if there’s some danger or pain on the schedule so that I can be brave. F-ck the bravery, just take away the danger and the pain. Rachael Denhollander is a survivor, the first to publicly come forward to accuse Larry Nassar of sexual assault. She is the reason so many other women also came forward to share their stories, their very similar stories. Rachael has been brave. But her point has been, over and over again, that she and the sisterhood of survivors we’ve heard from over the last week should never have had to be brave in the first place. They had to be brave because a lot of people failed them, over and over again, and that started with Larry Nassar but it doesn’t end with him. Yesterday, following her statement in court, Rachael Denhollander was asked what the takeaway from this entire situation should be. [Her response](: “Do it better next time.” So that there is no next time. So that bravery doesn’t have to be the result of being sexually assaulted. Of course her bravery should be acknowledged and appreciated. I’m not saying otherwise. But through it all, Rachael’s message has been that bravery shouldn’t be the intended conclusion. What she has repeatedly emphasised is the need for change, the kind of change that prevents the necessity of bravery. That has been the purpose behind her work. To read more about Rachael Denhollander’s work, check out Deadspin’s [piece on her]( from back in September, about what started as a “shot in the dark”, and their article about her statement [in court yesterday](. Also her victim impact statement [here](. For more on the background of this story, [this Vox piece]( is a good starting point to understanding how several institutions failed the people they were supposed to be protecting. From there you can access more information on the entire situation. It is the hope of Rachael Denhollander and the sisterhood of survivors that people keep paying attention to this story the way they’ve paid attention over the last few weeks because justice for them, even though Larry Nassar has been sentenced, is still not complete. Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:11 PM [Justin Timberlake: Say Something]( [Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton in Say Something music video](Say Something nice: this is the third song Justin Timberlake has released off of the upcoming Man Of The Woods. And, to me, it’s the most tolerable. I don’t hate it. Say Something nice again: this is the third video released off the upcoming album and I enjoyed it. It is definitely the least offensive video so far. It’s not offensive at all. It will only be offensive if some dumbass JT stan tries to credit him with the live, continuous-all-in-one-shot concept because that would be bullsh-t. It’s been done before. Jake Gyllenhaal and Cary Fukunaga [did it on Broadway](10 months ago. But sure, it wouldn’t be a Justin Timberlake production without him trying to claim ownership over something he has no claim to in the first place. Very on brand. Say Something nice one more time: Chris Stapleton is the best part of the song and basically makes the song. Without him on it, this song isn’t much. Say Something …else: Well. What is he trying to say with Say Something? Is he out here trolling? Because that’s been the criticism about him, repeatedly. That he never says anything. He did not speak up for and stand by Janet Jackson after the Super Bowl. And, more recently, Dylan Farrow has been calling out his ass, specifically for NOT saying something. About Woody Allen. So, in some ways, releasing a song called Say Something, you could say it’s pretty f-cking rich. But also? Here’s one of the lyrics from [Justin Timberlake](’s Say Something: Sometimes the greatest the way to say something is to say nothing at all Ohhhhhhh. JT’s like the strong silent type now, I get it! A Man Of The Woods, going into the forest with his ax and coming home with the dinner, nothing to say other than a few grunts, because the words are in his ACTIONS, guys. And actions speak louder than words. Sure. Others would say that staying silent and deciding not to Say Something might be an act of cowardice. But silence is also a privilege. Few people can Say Something by saying nothing at all. And certain people don’t want to Say Something because… well… what’s there to say? When everything has been set up for them to succeed, what needs to be said? If you Say Something you could change something. And why, WHYYYYYY would Justin Timberlake ever want anything to change when things, the way they are, have worked out for him every single f-cking time? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 8:58 PM [Emily V. Gordon adapts The Nest]( [Emily V Gordon](I’m about to make a controversial statement about Oscar-nominated writer Emily V. Gordon: I was worried she was being overlooked this Oscar season. I know it’s preposterous, given that The Big Sick is literally about her, but Kumail Nanjiani has more facial recognition and ‘Emily’ is in a coma for half the movie. It’s what caused him to tweet things like this: Hey [@washingtonpost](. Big fan. Love what y’all do. Appreciate you covering this. Could you add my wife’s name to this headline please? She is Emily V Gordon, & not just the inspiration, but one of the writers of The Big Sick. — Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) [January 10, 2018]( she has a name she has a name she has a name: Emily V. Gordon, now a multiply-award-nominated screenwriter. it's HER body & HER illness. the least you can do is put her name in the headline, if you're going to make a "moment" of her life. thanks 👋🏼 — zoe kazan (@zoeinthecities) [January 10, 2018]( Even though Kumail and Emily have made a point of promoting the movie together—because they wrote it together—I’m still sure there are people somewhere who think Nanjiani is married to Zoe Kazan. Even though there’s evidence like this to the contrary, you know how people are. It’s only now settling in. Wow. Emily & I met when she heckled me at a comedy show in the back of a diner in 2006. We wrote a movie about it & 12 years later we’re nominated for an Oscar. I will never get over this. — Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) [January 23, 2018]( So I was thrilled yesterday to read that she’s been tapped to adapt The Nest, for a number of reasons. First off, that was a big New York Times bestselling book, and so this is an appropriate assignment for an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. Gordon has written on The Carmichael Show and Crashing, but this gig – which was almost certainly in the works before the nominations were announced Tuesday – is more fitting of someone who was able to take a ‘tiny’ movie through all the necessary hurdles to appeal to audiences the way it did now. I’m also happy because The Nest, just like The Big Sick, is fundamentally a ‘small’ story. That is, it’s about nuance and family dynamics and history, and about different perspectives on the same event. This is not always the kind of story that is super-welcome in Hollywood… unless it is. That is, execs are always going to be interested in stories about earthquakes, kidnappings, whatever – because they can ‘see’ them. They know what those films are going to look like, the moments of realization of the impending disaster, the moment the worst possible thing actually comes to pass, the brave recovery. It takes more imagination to see how a ‘small’ story will make it to the big screen—and it takes a lot of trust in the storyteller. This is a big vote of confidence in Emily V Gordon, and evidence that The Big Sick is working for her track record and visibility as well as Kumail’s. Plus there’s the added bonus of being excited this movie’s being made. I didn’t obsess over The Nest but I think about it a lot, and I think in addition to a compelling script, it’s going to be real achievement and creativity in casting that’s going to make this work. I suspect they’ll ask Jason Bateman, since, post-Arrested Jason Bateman is asked to do anything involving having one or many siblings… but to me he’s not as conniving (or as charming, don’t kill me) as Leo needs to be. Now, give a role like that to Jason Ritter, who’s been working forever but isn’t seen as a headliner, and you could have a really interesting group. I also think the neurotic Melody is going to be interesting. It’s the kind of role that would once have gone to Laura Linney, but the Plumb siblings are supposed to skew younger than her, so the field is kind of wide open… is that an Alison Brie role, maybe? A Trudy Campbell throwback? It’s a long way from script to screen, obviously, but I’ve rarely read a book I could so easily picture and thought “yeah, this is in good hands”. It’s a nice change. [Source]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:54 PM [Smutty Social Media, January 25, 2018]( [Idris Elba at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, January 21, 2018](Praise Xenu, Tom Cruise has joined Instagram! What do you think his feed will look like? I’m guessing lots of photos of him hooked up to ropes and jumping off buildings. Does Tom Cruise ever chill and like, take a bath? Or does he shower suspended 200 feet in the air, upside down? Does he nap in a shark cage? After a long day on set, does he scale the side of his house – using only the drainpipes for support – to climb into a window, instead of just using the front door? [A post shared by Tom Cruise (@tomcruise)]( on Jan 25, 2018 at 5:03am PST The Rock is not here for any Jumanji-splaining. Actually my friend, in the JUMANJI Lore Handbook, it clearly states in article 72 of section 7, that “any character who loses a life, shall return to their original state with any item they possessed at the time of their demise”. So kindly go f*ck yourself James. — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) [January 24, 2018]( I couldn’t agree with you more, [Billy](. [A post shared by Billy Eichner (@billyeichner)]( on Jan 24, 2018 at 7:03pm PST Ed Sheeran would SO cameo on Friends (especially because he’s very tight with Courteney Cox and her boyfriend, Johnny McDaid). Ed is really the musical equivalent of Friends – always on but no one seems to know why. FRIENDS 2018 PLOTLINES -Joey eats Tide pods, goes to hospital (guest star Ellen Pompeo) -Chandler won't shut up about how funny his Vines were -Ed Sheeran cameo interrupts Phoebe's Central Perk set -Ross gets everyone into Bitcoin -The One Where The Gang Realizes Their Privilege — Netflix US (@netflix) [January 24, 2018]( At 70, Elton is embarking on a 3-year goodbye tour. Do you think he will actually retire, or will 3 years turn into 5? 7? 10? A 70-year-old in this jacket is not ready to retire. [A post shared by Gucci (@gucci)]( on Jan 24, 2018 at 2:41pm PST Yesterday I wrote about some custody issues Jesse Williams is having, particularly one pertaining to a “new girlfriend.” I wondered if it was Minka Kelly. Apparently they’ve split, so [I guess not](. [A post shared by Minka Kelly (@minkakelly)]( on Jan 24, 2018 at 7:53pm PST Miranda Kerr is doing a Little Black Book of Wellness for Harper’s Bazaar – she eats avocado toast and then has a private yoga class on her deck. She’s had an organic skin care line for a while and has branched out into aromatherapy and affirmation books (and maybe crystals?). But when you think of Miranda Kerr, do you think lifestyle? [A post shared by Miranda (@mirandakerr)]( on Jan 22, 2018 at 8:36am PST After seeing Zooey Deschanel’s new haircut I looked for a photo of her without bangs. I found an article from 2013 and I have to agree – [she is unrecognizable](. [A post shared by Zooey Deschanel (@zooeydeschanel)]( on Jan 24, 2018 at 1:31pm PST I’m so sick of Idris Elba being asked about James Bond because he has no control over it [unless he is offered a part](. Why is he being asked to comment on a franchise he has no part of, taking away from promotion of his own work? Ask the f-cking producers who cast the damn movie! Obviously he’d be amazing, what else do you want him to say? [A post shared by Idris Elba (@idriselba)]( on Jan 20, 2018 at 1:39pm PST Alex Rodriguez signs his cards with his jersey number. Also I had to look up the price because this is a massive bouquet – I’m guessing it ran him [at least $1200](. 13 can afford it. [A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo)]( on Jan 24, 2018 at 1:44pm PST [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:21 PM [#BRAG]( [Chris Hemsworth leaves AOL Build in NYC, January 17, 2018](A couple days ago I wrote about the mysterious new “[movie](” from [Danny McBride](, Dundee, purported to be an extension of the Crocodile Dundee franchise. I called bullsh*t and guessed it’s a Super Bowl ad for Australian tourism, and guess what? IT’S A SUPER BOWL AD FOR AUSTRALIAN TOURISM. Last time I [had a hunch]( I let the internet talk me out of it but this time I did not fall for the internet’s sh*t and now I’M RIGHT. Lainey is always disappointed in my bragging so this time I’m going for lots of CAPITALS and also HAHA, I WAS RIGHT. The Brisbane Times cites “industry sources” that say Dundee is, indeed, a Super Bowl ad. Besides the presence of [Chris Hemsworth](, [an ambassador]( for Tourism Australia, they note the Dundee director, Steve Rogers, is—disappointingly—not Captain America but is a noted Sydney commercials director with the ad firm Revolver. So that pretty much seals it. It’s an ad. A really elaborate, expensive ad. I WAS RIGHT. (Lainey, is this enough gloating?) But Oz does not need to go to these lengths because, really, there are so many Americans looking for escape. They could just show the Titanic sinking and then cut to a photo of a [beautiful beach](. Or here’s a free ad pitch: Show a clip of Trump delivering a speech, cut to the video of that guy [punting a toilet spider]( and then smash cut to the Tourism Australia logo with the tagline: Still Better. If the ad simply must include Chris Hemsworth, just let a [cassowary chase him](  ) for thirty seconds and slap that Australia logo on at the end. There’s no need to spend millions upon millions of dollars on an elaborate viral stunt to entice Americans to travel right now. You could just play back 2016 election night coverage and accomplish the same thing. [Source]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 5:27 PM [Shailene in (public) love]( [Shailene Woodley and Ben Volavola are seen arriving at Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2018 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 24, 2018 in Paris, France]([Shailene Woodley]( has been dating Ben Volavola, a Fijian-Australian rugby player, for a while now. They met in Fiji where she was shooting a movie last year. This is the first time they’ve attended such a public event together though – here they are at the Valentino show in Paris and she also posted a shot of them kissing on Instagram so they’re also “IG official”. Which is a thing now. Don’t roll your eyes! This is the world we are living in! [A post shared by shailene woodley (@shailenewoodley)]( on Jan 25, 2018 at 7:23am PST So it’s been about 6 months. And it seems pretty intense, as love is in the first 6 months, as intense as it was when the first pictures of them [came out in October](. It wasn’t the kissing shot, which was the most popular one, that reflected that. It was the next one, with their arms around each other, her cheek pressed to his forehead. It’s recognisable to anyone who’s been there – when you don’t have to talk, you just have to be right up in each other all the time to feel right. That was probably really corny and gross to read because it was corny and gross to write. But this is also what it’s like at this stage in a relationship – corny and gross to everyone else but the only sh-t that matters when you’re in it. Can we talk about her boots now? I love them. But this is a tricky boot height because of where they cut off. I have short legs. I wonder if these would go up to the knees on me. This is the problem with so many designer boots in particular. They’re made for certain proportions. Not only height but also leg size. Like if your legs have even a little muscle, sometimes you can’t even zip them up. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:53 PM [FYI, Murphy Brown is back.]( [Candice Bergen as Murphy Brown](I sent Lainey an all-caps message about Murphy Brown because I was sure someone would scoop up the chance to write about the reboot before me. I can’t possibly be the only one who is super excited about this, right? Murphy Brown ran for 10 years (starting when I was 9 and ending when I was 19). I’ll be honest, the 19-year-old me was not into Murphy Brown but they 9-year-old me was SUPER into her. Murphy was the first TV character that I recognized as a Career Woman. Her work was important to her, but unlike the stereotypical 80s power players in film and on TV, her career didn’t mean she had to sacrifice every other aspect of her life. She had friends, she dated, she lived in a great house and, eventually, she had a child. All by choice. That pregnancy storyline literally made history – remember how Dan Quayle mentioned Murphy Brown in a speech about “family values”? His [exact quote was](: “It doesn’t help matters when prime-time TV has Murphy Brown — a character who supposedly epitomizes today’s intelligent, highly paid, professional woman — mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another ‘lifestyle choice’.” In today’s news cycle, a VP calling out a fictional character for having a baby would not even be a ripple, but in the 90s, it was a massive news story. It sparked debates about the role of working mothers and challenged the notions of what makes a family. The show went on to address his speech in one of the storylines (it ended in potatoes – did I spell that right?) and I guess now I’m really showing my age. But I need the youths to know that Murphy Brown was the sh-t. And I remember it being funny – was it funny? I can’t catch up on it because it’s not available through streaming sites, but beyond the humour was the setting, a big city newsroom. This was also the coolest f-cking thing in the world (yes, I was 9) because Murphy and her colleagues chased stories and made tough decisions (remember when she had to interview the country singer instead of covering a war?). The pursuit of the story was the story, which is something that is still very relevant today. Candice Bergen is in her 70s and and ready to get back behind the desk, which is pretty cool in and of itself. (On a side note, she has a tote bag line, [Bergen Bags](). The tagline is “From one old bag to another.” I swear to you, this is true.) What does “work” look like for Murphy Brown in the current climate? The newsroom setting is pretty ripe with storyline opportunities. What does she make of “fake news”? Is she on a talk show with a panel of women? Has she found a receptionist or does she just use Siri? Has one of her clips gone viral on YouTube? Is FYI a streaming web series now, with no network home base? Is her son an intern? Is she being produced by a 23-year-old with a degree in digital media? Has Corky done Dancing With the Stars? Is Miles in a Twitter feud with Buzzfeed? Is Frank being courted by the MRM? Will Rachel Maddow cameo? If you’ll need me, I’ll be with on “35 and older” Twitter geeking out over FYI. [Source]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:22 PM [Meryl gets another Emmy]( [Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon during American Film Institute's 45th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to Diane Keaton at Dolby Theatre on June 8, 2017 in Hollywood, California](The official news is that Meryl Streep is [joining the cast of]([Big Little Lies]( but we all know what that really means. Season two won’t air until next year so they should just go ahead and put Meryl’s name on the 2020 Emmy ballot. #Meryl2020 Let’s back it up. Meryl Streep is going to be on the next season of Big Little Lies. This is not a drill. At first, I was confused. Why? When we were emailing about this, Duana pointed out that Big Little Lies doesn’t need Meryl Streep. Meryl Streep doesn’t need the show either. And not because Meryl doesn’t need to be doing TV right now – in fact, this move is just another affirmation that we are at the peak of Peak TV. If the most Oscar-nominated and revered movie actor in the world is doing television, the conversation about whether TV is a notch below movies in the Hollywood hierarchy is clearly obsolete. Maybe Meryl read the Ellen Pompeo [THR op-ed](? Meryl has already won three Emmys (one for the HBO mini-series Angels in America) so it’s not like she’s a stranger to TV. The news may have made me scratch my head for a second but it actually makes sense and after reading the character description, I’m EXCITED. [According to THR](, [Meryl Steep]( is playing Mary Louise Wright, mother of creepy, controlling, f-cked, up piece of sh-t, Perry Wright. Good riddance. Alexander Skarsgard is rumoured to be back for season 2 in some capacity but now that we’ve got Mary Louise, what’s the point? Mary Louise Wright is described as a woman who is concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son Perry's death. She arrives in Monterey searching for answers. So, she’s going to be a rich, passive aggressive, overprotective grandmother. Mary Louise sounds like the most similar character to Miranda Priestly Meryl has played since The Devil Wears Prada. Imagine Miranda Priestly in Monterey? I’m already terrified of her. A reader named Victoria sent us this tweet. Just got off the phone with Liane Moriarty. She says she developed the character Mary Louise Wright specifically for Meryl Streep. (Fun fact: Mary Louise is actually Streep's birth name.) [#BigLittleLies]( — Broede Carmody (@BroedeCarmody) [January 25, 2018]( First of all, that’s BADASS of Liane Moriarty to write something specifically for Meryl Streep with the confidence that she’d say yes to the role. People have been worried about Big Little Lies season 2 because the source material is finished. I’ve had my doubts too. Well, Liane Moriarty is like, bitches, I’m your source material and I just got Meryl F-cking Streep. YES, LIANE. Even before learning that little name tidbit, I loved that Meryl’s character is called Mary Louise. Mary Louise is the perfect old rich white lady name. Of course, Mary Louise is a Monster in Law. Mary Louise is going to f-ck up Celeste Wright with snide comments and not-so-subtle parenting tips. Mary Louise is going to go toe-to-toe with Madeline Martha McKenzie. Oh my god, I can’t wait for Mary Louise and Renata Klein to run into each other at Tom’s coffee shop or at the kid’s school play or WHEREVER. Sure, Meryl Steep joining this cast in particular is a little unfair. It’s like Big Little Lies is the Golden State Warriors of television. (That reference didn’t go over well in our group thread because sports.) The cast was already STACKED. There was already enough star power in season one that all five female leads were already basically household names. But I’m OK with stacking the deck on a show dominated by women and the stories of mothers. I’m OK with bringing even more attention to a season of television [directed by a woman]( and produced by women. They just better still do right by Bonnie because [she deserves more]( in season two. I’m all in for Mary Louise but only as long as she’s not hijacking Bonnie’s screen time. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:39 PM [Octavia Spencer & Jessica Chastain show their work]( [Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain ](Octavia Spencer told a really great Show Your Work story at Sundance this week. Octavia and Jessica Chastain are good friends. Over a year ago, Jessica reached out to Octavia because she wanted them to do a movie together. During those discussions, they talked about pay equity and how men are paid so much more in Hollywood than women. But Octavia took it further and wanted Jessica to understand that while there is pay inequality between men and women, women of colour are paid even less. What ended up happening is that they’re doing the movie now. And they’re getting paid the same. Which is five times more than what they asked for originally. This is called “favoured nations” and Duana has brought it up during the last two episodes of [Show Your Work](. It’s what the cast of Friends did, negotiating to each be paid the same ($1 million/episode) during the final two seasons. [Jessica Chastain](, after learning from [Octavia Spencer](, backed up Octavia and insisted on a favoured nations clause to the deal. Watch the video starting at 19:30 – it’s only 5 minutes and it’s well worth your time: F-ck yes, right? And while Octavia, of course, is giving credit to Jessica for “walking the walk”, as the moderator points out, Octavia had to make herself vulnerable, having a potentially uncomfortable conversation with a friend about the different levels of privilege, in order for this to have happened in the first place. Credit to both of them then for putting in the work, in this case taking the time to have these awkward conversations, in order to get a place where equality can happen. Last week, when I posted about Tracee Ellis Ross’s [contract negotiations on]( it came out of a report from The Hollywood Reporter that at Time’s Up meetings now, women are getting transparent about money, sharing pay information so that other women might be better prepared as they negotiate their salaries and demand to be paid to their value. This is exactly what Octavia and Jessica have done. And in doing so, both came out ahead. Which must be terrifying to the status quo and the institutions that have, up to this point, tried to discourage it. In November, on Show Your Work, Duana and I [podcasted]( about The Hollywood Reporter’s [actress roundtable]( Jessica Chastain was there alongside Mary J Blige, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, and Allison Janney. During that conversation, we noted that it was consistently Jessica who would direct the conversation over to Mary, to ask about Mary’s experiences, to get her thoughts on whatever it was they were talking about. I think back now to that interview and I wonder if that’s part of what Jessica learned from Octavia. Over a year ago, her friend Octavia got real with her. And she was listening. We should all be so lucky to have friends like that, to teach us what we don’t know and to guide us when we do wrong, even though they don’t have to. [Source](� ) [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:14 PM [January 25, 2018 – Smutty Shout-Outs]( [Idris Elba and Charlie Hunnam for Caroline](Caroline! Happy 33rd Birthday with love from Jenna! By request, here are photos of Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba. And together! Also? I know you know what this means and I thank you for it. #NeverForget Keep sharing that message! And for Catie because you lost Riley on Friday. I’m so sorry. You said it doesn’t get easier. I agree – and it shouldn’t. They are our homes. Even when they’re being assholes, they’re never the problem. It’s what makes them so special – few things in life are never the problem. For 12 years, Riley was the best. You asked to see some recent photos of Barney and Elvis. Here they are sleeping side by side and also sleeping in the car. Please note that this is Barney’s gift – sleeping upright while sitting on top of his brother. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:36 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](