Newsletter Friday, July 21, 2017

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Friday, July 21, 2017 [Intro for July 21, 2017]( [Tiffany Haddish seen at the ABC studio in Manhattan on July 17, 2017 in New York City]( Dear Gossips, Are you going to the movies this weekend? Are you going to see Girls Trip? Duana and I podcast Show Your Work on Friday nights. Tonight, after we tape, we’re meeting up with Kathleen and a couple of other friends for an 11pm showing. Kathleen, as mentioned earlier this week, has torn her ACL. Girls Trip is the light she’s been looking forward to all week. Actually, it’s the light she’s been looking forward to [for months](. Girls Trip is being called the funniest comedy of the year. The reviews have been solid. And, as I mentioned yesterday in [What Else?](, while Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith have been the most visible on the press tour, most people who’ve seen the movie report that it’s Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish who steal the movie. Tiffany Haddish especially. When you can make a “booty hole” joke and still look so f-cking adorable, it’s a star-making performance. As was her appearance this week on Jimmy Kimmel – have you seen this yet? Tiffany talks about the time she took Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith on a “groupon swamp tour” in New Orleans when they were shooting the movie. This is masterful storytelling and even though Will and Jada are basically the butt of the joke, the reason why you’re laughing is not because Tiffany is mean – it’s actually the opposite. She delivers the details with so much affection and self-deprecation, nobody’s walking away from this with any hurt feelings. Which is why this weekend is so exciting. Tiffany Haddish is taking her moment. She did the most she could with that moment on Jimmy Kimmel and she showed her work. According to Sandy Cohen of the [Associated Press](-'Girls-Trip'-a-wonderfully-hilarious-destination), “Get ready to know the name Tiffany Haddish. If there were such a thing as Comedy Oscars, she would win for Girls Trip”. We are about to enter the time of Tiffany Haddish. Have a great weekend! Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 1:56 PM [Ben Affleck isn’t in good enough shape for Batman]( [Ben Affleck as Batman]( In what can only be described as a “PR nightmare”, [The Hollywood Reporter]( is saying that Ben Affleck’s tenure as Batman is coming to a premature end and he will be phased out of the DC Extended Universe. We’ll talk more about it next week, in the context of their (now totally f*cked) Comic-Con coverage. For now, let’s focus on the report itself because IT IS THE SHADIEST. It’s so shady it resides at 2701 Shady Oak Lane, Bitchville, CA, population: Kim Masters and her DC source(s). This is a masterpiece of shade. Masters writes, “…Affleck will turn 45 in August, so he would be pushing 50 before The Batman arrives in theaters. If [Matt] Reeves makes a trilogy, Affleck would be in his mid-50s at best by the time that’s done. Maybe Tom Cruise could pull that off, but Affleck’s body hasn’t exactly been a temple.” HIS BODY HASN’T EXACTLY BEEN A TEMPLE. She is straight-up saying Ben Affleck is too out of shape to play Batman. His age isn’t so much a problem, because as she notes, RDJ is 52 and still doing fine as Iron Man. (Granted, that role is less physical.) But the new director of the stand-alone Batman movie, Matt Reeves, is planning a trilogy and, according to Kim Masters and her PhD in shade, Ben Affleck isn’t capable of taking care of himself well enough to go the distance. Ya burnt, Ben. Ya burnt like bad toast. Last year, Ben Affleck was rising as a creative force at DC Films, getting on board Justice League as an [executive producer](, forming part of the cabal of producers meant to rein in Zack Snyder’s (terrible) creative decisions, and he was going to make and star in a standalone Batman movie. But then earlier this year he [backed out of directing](, and just last week, Matt Reeves announced he was [scrapping Affleck’s script]( and starting over. When that script news broke, I texted Lainey, “What are the odds Affleck doesn’t even end up playing Batman?” And she responded that he would “hang onto Batman” because of his midlife crisis, that “Batman is his masculinity.” So what does it mean for Affleck’s masculinity if he’s dismissed from the role after only two (featured) performances? And how bad can this press get, without Jennifer Garner around to manage it? We’ve seen what a f*cking disaster his Lindsay Shookus roll out has been. Now he has to manage a career crisis. And maybe deal with whoever fired this torpedo? Seriously—the timing is IMPECCABLE if your goal is to ruin Affleck’s Comic-Con weekend. We haven’t heard from Chrissy O in a long time, is all I’m saying. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:41 PM [Mimi tour time]( [Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka out in LA, July 20, 2017]( Lionel Richie and [Mimi](’s All The Hits tour was supposed to start earlier this year but was postponed after Lionel had knee surgery. So now the kickoff is tonight, in Oakland. They’ll be performing 22 shows in 22 cities until September 5. It’s not unmanageable for most artists…but we’re not talking about most artists. We’re talking about Mimi. And Mimi, well, as you know, she has her own work ethic. I’m going with my friend Marci on August 24th in Toronto. That’s the last week of the tour. So we’ll have a good idea by then what to expect from Mimi. How late she’ll be. How… um… energetic she’ll be. Obviously I can’t wait. Actually no, I can wait. We can wait. We probably will be waiting. Unless somehow Lionel Richie can convince Mimi to stick to a set schedule and actually take the goddamn stage when she’s supposed to. It’s one thing when we’re dealing with her Vegas residency and she doesn’t have to fly from here to there and you can stick her in a wheelchair and just wheel her from one floor of the hotel to another. But on tour? When there are buses and planes and different checkpoints to manage? It’s a whole other level of maintenance and drama and maintenance of drama. Here’s Mimi out in Beverly Hills yesterday with Bryan Tanaka. I guess she’s all rehearsed, totally ready for tonight? If you’re going, let me know how it is. And if it’s anything like that video [I posted earlier this week]( [#Mood #Cbf AF #CaptionThis #MariahCarey 😂😂😂]( A post shared by N V (@nectro_v) on Jul 18, 2017 at 5:14am PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:25 PM [Smutty Social Media, July 21, 2017]( [Olivia Munn out in San Diego during Comic-Con, July 20, 2017]( Sean Spicer has resigned. We’ll always have, “That was the largest audience to witness an inauguration, period.” And the hiding in the bushes – remember when he hid in the bushes? [Melissa]( is on vacation but I’ll bet she pops up for a farewell when SNL starts up again. [Ciao from Roma!!!]( A post shared by Melissa McCarthy (@melissamccarthy) on Jul 3, 2017 at 3:05am PDT After a 3-week break, presumably for her honeymoon, [Jessica Chastain]( is back on Instagram. Jessica’s public persona is [a lot like Kerry Washington’s]( – there’s a focus on her work and supporting projects she cares about, she’s forthcoming in interviews and active on social media, and she’s also a fashion darling. And they both keep their private life very private. But will she be breaking with this strategy now that she’s married? [Sometimes being without Wi-Fi, cell service, Instagram, Twitter, and emails is exactly what you need. I loved staying in Zimbabwe. I loved seeing the animals and being a visitor in their home. (Yes that includes huge spiders but it was a fair trade off for BABY ELEPHANTS.) There were no ovens and all the cooking was on the fire! Delicious. Loved our guide, Spike. Unparalleled knowledge of wildlife and nature. GL & I loved sitting by the fire and learning about the constellations above us. #hwangebushcamp #premiertoursAF]( A post shared by Jessica Chastain (@jessicachastain) on Jul 21, 2017 at 8:36am PDT Oh lord how long until the lower-tier tabloids latch onto a [Justin Theroux](-[Olivia Munn]( story? [Just kickin it 🥋🤾🏼 ♂️@ #comicon With Conanthecomedybarbarian @oliviamunn and #davefranco #canwekickit❓ #yeswecan 🙌🏽 #starwars #gratuitousstarwarshashtag #ninjago]( A post shared by @justintheroux on Jul 21, 2017 at 12:40am PDT I completely forgot about Brad and Angelina’s Château Miraval! I did a quick search and it looks like they still own it – I don’t know how easy it is to unload an estate of that size. But what happened to the staff that makes the wine, do they just carry on business as usual? [#WineOClock 🍷]( A post shared by Eva Longoria Baston (@evalongoria) on Jul 21, 2017 at 7:33am PDT [Mindy]( is kind of f-cking with everyone on Twitter. She knows what we want to know and she’s not telling. And maybe she’s enjoying it a little, which makes it even better. September 12th, we back! 🙊🙊 — Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) [July 21, 2017]( Dwyane Wade commented “Competition is good.” Do you think the Wades strategize together? I do. [This is supposed to be my competition, it's rated #1 on BET check it out. it's good but I'm gonna beat the ratings with (50central)#50centralBET]( A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) on Jul 19, 2017 at 9:35am PDT Is HGTV the greatest hatewatch channel of our time? If you aren’t a believer, try a marathon. I would suggest Tiny House Hunters. “Wow it’s so spacious.” IT'S A 250 SQUARE FOOT HOME FOR 4 PEOPLE NO IT’S NOT. Also wondering how much of Million Dollar Listing NY is real? Like I heard a bunch was fake but I dont know. I want to believe in it — Chelsea Peretti (@chelseaperetti) [July 21, 2017]( yeah stuff like that really makes it hard to fully engage. its tough — Chelsea Peretti (@chelseaperetti) [July 21, 2017]( I think [Kevin Hart]( is trying to tell us that he didn’t bone that woman in the [back of the car in Miami](. [Gotta love the entertainment business....I love everything about it. As a successful entertainer you are forever in the spotlight. It's a good thing and a bad thing....You can't love the good and complain about the bad. It's important to understand that it comes with the territory. The one thing that I was blessed with is a super strong mental. You can never allow others or others words or opinions to affect YOUR mental because your the only one that knows you. My advice to the world is to keep your circles small and your positivity high. People can't penetrate what you don't allow them into....Which is my house & my circle. Words to live by people. #LiveLoveLaugh]( A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on Jul 21, 2017 at 9:21am PDT Why is he shaking his own hand. [Thank you all for the love...]( A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on Jul 20, 2017 at 4:10pm PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:22 PM [Jon Snow and Gidget are not engaged]( [Rose Leslie and Kit Harington in Capri, Italy, July 20, 2017]( For those of you new to this site, I know it’s not Gidget. I just can’t ever remember or properly say it the right way. [Kit Harington]( and [Rose Leslie]( were photographed together in Capri yesterday. Also they are NOT engaged. They are not engaged because it was [Life & Style]( that reported that they are engaged. That should have been your first indication. When contacted about the story, his rep told Metro UK that, “They are not engaged”. They have, however, moved in together, as he told James Corden [last month](: "I've moved in with my best friend, Rose. So, I'm very, very happy and it's going well. She has all sorts of ideas for the house…. I said to her, because she moved into my house, 'Look, darling, this is important that it's our space, that it feels like our space, that you haven't just moved into mine. Move anything you want around—change anything, chuck anything out. I went to the shops and I came back and said, 'What did you decide?' And she said, 'We're moving the kitchen downstairs.'" That’s way cuter than an engagement, non? Let’s talk about Game Of Thrones. Season 7 Episode 2 on Sunday. The episode is called Stormborn. Apparently “Dany received an unexpected visitor”. Jon Snow? Last week Sam sent him a raven to tell him about all the dragon glass stored underneath Dragonstone. And in the trailer for episode 2, Jon’s debating with his advisors about trusting Targaryens. So… are they finally meeting? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 5:05 PM [Jennifer Lawrence: Mother!, VOGUE, Flu]( [Jennifer Lawrence in Mother! poster]( It was confirmed yesterday that [Darren Aronofsky](’s Mother!, starring [Jennifer Lawrence]( and Javier Bardem, originally scheduled to be released October 13th, will now come out a month earlier, on September 15th. No reason was given for the change. And some are speculating that Mother! could be [hitting the festival circuit]( as Venice, Telluride, and TIFF are all coming up soon and all of them will be making their first announcements about this year’s slate in the next few days. If Mother! had stayed with October 13th, it would have been up against Marshall, with Chadwick Boseman playing Thurgood Marshall, a performance that already has people predicting an Oscar nomination. Now that Mother! has been moved to September 15th, it will avoid Marshall and go head to head with American Assassin, starring Michael Keaton and Dylan O’Brien, and Blake Lively in All I See Is You. I’m going to take this to mean that everyone wants to get the f-ck out of Black Panther’s way, even though he’s not officially due in theatres until February. In support of Mother!, the [rumour is]( that Jennifer Lawrence will be on the cover of the September issue of VOGUE. Which is probably why VOGUE is revealing so much of their Celine Dion coverage now. Apparently Jennifer's VOGUE spread will be a collaboration with artist John Currin whose work has a similar vibe to the Mother! poster that was released a few weeks ago. According to a reader called “E”, if this is true, Jennifer Lawrence would be the first celebrity to cover the all-important September issue two times (thanks E!) In other Jennifer Lawrence news, she supposedly [had the flu]( earlier this week and threw up at a performance of 1984 on Broadway on Monday. On Wednesday she was with Amy Schumer at a fundraiser at the Comedy Cellar: [Last night we raised money for @safe_bae and had a blast. Thank you @vanessabayer @aidybryant @miacomedy @juddapatow @chrisrock @rachelfeinstein_ @bridgeteverett and Jennifer Lawrence who even with the stomach flu put me right on blast]( A post shared by @amyschumer on Jul 20, 2017 at 6:48am PDT Yesterday a reader called “Q” emailed me with this observation: “When it's announced in 3-4 months that she's pregnant...I said it first. Call it my witchy sense. You don't recover from the flu that fast, especially the kind you catch from other people's kids.” Fair enough, Q. We’ll give you some shine if you’re right. But does that means she’s drinking non-alcoholic beer? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:33 PM [Gwyneth matches with her ma]( [Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner attend goop event in the Hamptons, July 20, 2017]( It’s been a week since [Gwyneth Paltrow](’s goop published an open letter in defence of their wellness recommendations with commentary from their doctors. Both [Maria]( and [Sarah]( addressed goop’s [mansplainey clapback]( last Friday. Goop took issue with Dr Jen Gunter, MD, FRCS(C), FACOG, DABPM, ABPM (pain) who’s been critical of goopsh-t on her blog which, as Maria pointed out, just showed how sensitive goop and her doctor friends are to the shade that Dr Jen Gunter, MD, FRCS(C), FACOG, DABPM, ABPM (pain) has been throwing at them. Because Dr. Jen Gunter MD, FRCS(C), FACOG, DABPM, ABPM (pain), isn’t some asshole with an egg Twitter account, she’s a legitimate expert, a qualified professional. Dr. Jen Gunter MD, FRCS(C), FACOG, DABPM, ABPM (pain) [posted her response]( to goop’s challenge a day later, addressing the goop letter point by point – with science and experience. Here’s my favourite part of her rebuttal: How dare the editors of GOOP promote the idea that I somehow think women “are not intelligent enough to read something and take away what serves us, and leave what does not” when they present half-truths. The classic GOOP playbook is to stoke fear with the names of dangerous sounding chemicals and then offer a “natural” cure (often found in their shop). For example with nitrosamines and condoms GOOP neglected to tell women that using 1 condom a week for 30 years results in about 0.9 microgram of absorbed nitrosamines and that animal studies suggest that topical application of about 1 g is a concern. So 30 years of condoms once a week is about one millionth of that single carcinogenic dose. Let me tell you kiddos bad information is the exact opposite of autonomy. How can women possibly take away anything useful when the crucial information about dose and the studies that show condoms reduce the rate of cancer are missing? I also take umbrage at the idea that I have mocked women who desperately turn to the snake oil that GOOP sells. That is simply untrue. My ire has been directed squarely at the people spreading misinformation, especially if it is for profit. I blog to help women get better advice so they can be more empowered with their health. Women are of course free to do what they want with their bodies. I have walked that walk more than any actress, editor, doctor, naturopath, ghost whisperer, or jade eggthisiast at GOOP. I literally write about choice regularly, a subject absent from the self-proclaimed collection of feminists at GOOP. How dare someone who has never counseled a woman about a second trimester abortion never mind done one lecture me on choice and health. And that’s probably what troubles me the most about Gwyneth and goop’s pivot toward wellness – that in their focus on women’s health, and looking for ways to help women feel better, they do not address the systemic and institutionalised social problems that contribute to why women feel like sh-t. Women need to be able to afford the goop vitamins before they can buy the goop vitamins. But that’s always been goop’s problem – the demo they market to doesn’t need social change to be able to afford the vitamins. They’re already there. Which is why I’ve been comparing her to Ivanka Trump. If that’s the brand strategy, to tap into a select segment of the female population, no problem, by all means, they wouldn’t be the first brand to target the upper tax bracket. But, more and more, goop is claiming representation for women, period. In goop’s words, from the open letter: As women, we chafe at the idea that we are not intelligent enough to read something and take what serves us, and leave what does not. We simply want information; we want autonomy over our health. Who is the “goop woman” though? Is she worried about the attack on Planned Parenthood? Is she worried about the proposed new changes to healthcare in the United States and how many of those policy changes will negatively impact [women’s health](, and women’s “autonomy” over their health? Gwyneth Paltrow and goop have directed a lot of outrage and indignation towards Dr Jen Gunter, MD, FRCS(C), FACOG, DABPM, ABPM (pain), a female doctor who has focused much of her career advocating for women’s autonomy over their bodies. So where is the goop outrage and indignation over the people and the proposals that are actively undermining women’s autonomy over their bodies? They published an open letter attacking ONE person. And have remained silent about an entire system. THAT’s the fight that goop wanted to pick. Here’s Gwyneth yesterday in the Hamptons attending a goop event with her mother. And they decided to dress the same. Are you into this? Should mommy and tot matching wardrobes extend into adulthood? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:05 PM [Will Smith: WAND COP]( [Will Smith speaks onstage at Netflix Films: 'Bright' and 'Death Note' panel during Comic-Con International 2017 at San Diego Convention Center on July 20, 2017 in San Diego, California]( Earlier this year we saw a [teaser trailer]( for Bright, the Netflix movie directed by David Ayer and starring [Will Smith](. It looked sort of interesting, with Smith playing an LAPD officer in a world where trolls and fairies are real, and seemed like a decent-ish rebound chance for both Smith and Ayer coming off Suicide Squad’s critical drubbing. Well, Bright had a panel at Comic-Con yesterday where they premiered a new trailer and this movie looks F*CKING INSANE. Will Smith plays a human cop and [Joel Edgerton]( is his orc partner, and the whole thing is about a MAGIC WAND. They have to escape South Central LA while being pursued by FAIRIES and TROLLS because there is a MAGIC WAND. Will Smith is a WAND COP. I am 100% on board. During the panel, the Great Debate about Netflix came up, again, and once again, Smith was diplomatic, echoing statements he [previously made at Cannes](. This time, the subject came up because Ayer, always A Personality, rolled into Hall H and announced it was “Netflix’s house”. He went on to say, “[Bright] ain't no bullsh*t PG-13 studio movie,” which seems like a jab at Warner Brothers/DC after all the shenanigans that went on behind the scenes with Suicide Squad. (Ayer is set to direct a Squad spin-off starring Margot Robbie call Gotham City Sirens for Warners/DC.) And of the experience working with Netflix he said, “Netflix is going to pull a lot of talent because they are so supportive.” The Great Debate was restarted after Christopher Nolan sh*t on Netflix’s “[mindless policy](” regarding theatrical release. Nolan, who has not struggled to make a movie since 2005 and makes exactly the kind of visual epics audiences actually go to the theater to see, can’t understand why anyone bothers with Netflix, a studio that shells out hundreds of millions of dollars so filmmakers can actually make their movies like they want. (“I’m sure this will end soon, but they give you money and let you make the movie,” Smith said.) Ayer defended Netflix for letting him make Bright the way he wanted to—which is, apparently, completely insane—while Smith played the diplomat: “I think Mr. Nolan is a wonderful director and I am not going to say anything that is going to keep me from being in his next movie.” Netflix is stirring up sh*t at Cannes, and now they’re stirring up sh*t at Comic-Con, and both times it came down to Will Smith to keep the peace. Will Smith: WAND COP is the hero we need. [Source]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:35 PM [Halle Berry chugs whiskey, nerds approve]( [Halle Berry at the 20th Century FOX panel during Comic-Con International 2017 at San Diego Convention Center on July 20, 2017 in San Diego, California]( Comic-Con got underway yesterday, and kicking off the festivities in Hall H was Fox as the studio trotted out the cast of Kingsman: The Golden Circle, including [Taron Egerton](, [Colin Firth](, [Jeff Bridges](, [Channing Tatum](, [Pedro Pascal](, and [Halle Berry](, who won over the crowd when she chugged an oversized glass of bourbon. (Channing Tatum has the best reaction.) Kingsman was the only movie Fox showed off. They brought no X-Men or Deadpool, which feels anti-climactic—and weird, because two X-movies and Deadpool 2 are due next year. Kingsman looks good, and they put together a solid hour with a new trailer (below), an animated introduction featuring Sterling Archer—I love how Egerton pronounces “twat”—and a few (unreleased) clips from the movie, but I don’t think Kingsman is popular enough to placate the nerds who were hoping for some Deadpool stunting or X-Men first looks. If it weren’t for Berry downing that glass of probably-bourbon-but-she-seemed-set-up-for-the-joke-so-I’m-a-little-suspicious, the panel wouldn’t have had any real standout moment. But that’s been the feeling going into Comic-Con this year that it’s a subdued on the film side and studios are less and less willing to spend on it. It’s not just the cost of trailers and exclusive footage—though that stuff can easily run into seven figures—it’s the travel and talent support, too, that makes Comic-Con so expensive (not to mention potential production delays as you ship everyone out to San Diego for the weekend). Maybe Fox thinks their other movies don’t need the help, and thus didn’t feel a trip was necessary. Deadpool 2 definitely doesn’t, but they’re overestimating people’s memory of X-Men: Apocalypse. They should be reassuring fans that the success they’ve found with stand-alones like Logan will translate to a fresh approach to the team-up movies, too. But they didn’t. So thank god for Halle Berry, who made something happen and provided a memorable moment. This is the weakest start to Hall H in recent memory. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:02 PM [July 21, 2017 – Smutty Shout-Outs]( [Justin Theroux for Leslie]( Leslie! Happy Birthday from Michelle who misses you so much and can’t wait to see you in August. As she said, “here’s the sexy beast himself to ease into your big day!” To Michele from Staci – Happy Birthday! By request, here are Idris Elba and Jason Momoa, aka “the hottest man alive”. Wait, no. It should be all caps. THE HOTTEST MAN ALIVE. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:16 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](