Prince’s family has announced that they are planning a public memorial service to honor the late singer. The memorial will be open to fans, and while details have not been released, it will take place some time in the near future. Their statement reads: “We would like everyone to know that, contrary to previous and current reports, there has been no memorial, funeral or tribute service for Prince that was organized or authorized by the family or Paisley Park representatives. “Together, the family is planning an official memorial service and public event to take place in the near future. “Prince and his music influenced so many people that we feel inspired to celebrate his life and legacy in just the right way. “We appreciate the public’s patience and have been comforted by your outpouring of love, support and condolences. “We look forward to sharing with the world this celebration of, and farewell to, our Prince.” View Slideshow: Prince: Remembering the Music Legend’s Life In Photos Prince was found dead last month in his Paisley Park residence near Minneapolis. He was just 57 years old. While a cause of death is still unknown, fans and officials suspect drugs may have played a role. The singer was said to have been taking the painkiller Percoset to relieve discomfort in his hips, and the drug was in his system at the time of his death . A report also claims that the music legend had sought out an outpatient treatment program to try and move away from taking the drugs. None of this serves as confirmation that Prince died of an overdose or that drugs were related, but provides insight as to what may have led to his death. Toxicology reports are still pending at the time of this writing. View Slideshow: 9 Tantalizing Times Prince Appeared on TV
Michael Phelps may won the most Gold Medals of any athlete in the history of the Olympic Games. But he’s just won something far more important: The hearts of Internet users everywhere. Because the legendary swimmer has shared a photo of his first-ever child! Phelps and fiancee Nicole Johnson welcomed a baby boy into the world on Friday night, with Phelps confirming the news via the Instagram photo above and the affiliated message below: Welcome Boomer Robert Phelps into the world!!! Born 5-5-2016 at 7:21 pm !!! Healthy and happy!!! Best feeling I have ever felt in my life!!! @nicole.m.johnson and Boomer both healthy!!! #boomerphelps ???? @boonestudios. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Welcomed Babies in 2016 The couple, whose relationship was off and on for a number of years prior to their engagement last year, announced they were expecting in November. Phelps is very close to swimming coach Bob Bowman. This is who many presume he has named his child after, in terms of Boomer’s middle name. The Olympic legend and Johnson, a former Miss California, have been dating periodically since 2007. After breaking up in 2011, they rekindled their romance in 2014 and got engaged in February 2015. Following a pair of DUI arrests, a stint in treatment and six-month suspension from competing, things are much better for Phelps these days. He plans to compete in the Rio Olympics and hopes to add to his record medal count. “I feel like I am okay and happy with who I am,” Phelps recently told the Associated Press. “I feel like I’ve learned so much about myself, who I truly am. I can honestly say there aren’t many people who have seen who I really am.” View Slideshow: Celebrity Baby Photos: So Adorable!
Michael Phelps may won the most Gold Medals of any athlete in the history of the Olympic Games. But he’s just won something far more important: The hearts of Internet users everywhere. Because the legendary swimmer has shared a photo of his first-ever child! Phelps and fiancee Nicole Johnson welcomed a baby boy into the world on Friday night, with Phelps confirming the news via the Instagram photo above and the affiliated message below: Welcome Boomer Robert Phelps into the world!!! Born 5-5-2016 at 7:21 pm !!! Healthy and happy!!! Best feeling I have ever felt in my life!!! @nicole.m.johnson and Boomer both healthy!!! #boomerphelps ???? @boonestudios. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Welcomed Babies in 2016 The couple, whose relationship was off and on for a number of years prior to their engagement last year, announced they were expecting in November. Phelps is very close to swimming coach Bob Bowman. This is who many presume he has named his child after, in terms of Boomer’s middle name. The Olympic legend and Johnson, a former Miss California, have been dating periodically since 2007. After breaking up in 2011, they rekindled their romance in 2014 and got engaged in February 2015. Following a pair of DUI arrests, a stint in treatment and six-month suspension from competing, things are much better for Phelps these days. He plans to compete in the Rio Olympics and hopes to add to his record medal count. “I feel like I am okay and happy with who I am,” Phelps recently told the Associated Press. “I feel like I’ve learned so much about myself, who I truly am. I can honestly say there aren’t many people who have seen who I really am.” View Slideshow: Celebrity Baby Photos: So Adorable!
It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t have left y’all without a dope beat to step to. OK, it’s been two weeks. But just like sands through the hourglass, so will celebrities remain messy as fuck on Twitter. This week, Solange gave the tabloids another Becky to hunt down, Johnny Manziel thinks domestic abuse is… Read more »
Bodyguard Fired By Kanye West Says He Never Had Affair With Kim Kardashian A bodyguard who claims Kanye West fired him for his interactions with Kim Kardashian is speaking out about the experience via NY DailyNews Steve Stanulis, a brawny former NYPD cop who has moonlighted as a Chippendale dancer, told the Daily News he was just doing his job when West thought he was flirting with Kim Kardashian and fired him in a fit of jealousy. “I’m not having an affair with Kim Kardashian, I’m not f—ing Kim Kardashian, I’m not doing anything with Kim Kardashian,” Stanulis told the Daily News Thursday. “Kanye needs to chill out.” After his bizarre beef with West, Stanulis doesn’t think he’ll be protecting the rapper during his upcoming tour in support of his “The Life of Pablo” album. “He’s the most condescending person I’ve ever met in my life,” Stanulis said. “I’ve worked with a lot of people in his position and higher a lot less self-absorbed and more humble.” Stanulis said his time with West came to an end as he was standing guard outside the Waldorf Astoria Monday as the celebrity couple prepared for the night’s Met Gala in the hotel’s presidential suite. He went upstairs to confer with someone from the West team about transportation to the gala when Kardashian answered the door. “She was just naturally speaking to me in a normal manner,” Stanulis said. “I would describe it as her being very gracious and having a nice dialogue. I was surprised she was very nice. She’s the polar opposite with me than he was.” Stanulis found out he’d been cut loose at West’s request shortly after 6 p.m., while waiting along with the rest of the entourage to drive the stars to Anna Wintour’s big bash at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “What I could say was that him or his handlers didn’t like what they saw, the body language or what have you,” he said. “They may have thought there was something going on that wasn’t.” “My intent was not for this to happen,” Stanulis fumed. “When I’m walking outside my door and there are six guys with cameras asking me with my wife there ‘are you f—ing Kim Kardashian?’ I didn’t ask for that!” It turns out this isn’t the first negative experience the bodyguard has had with Yeezy either! Stanulis has protected West on several occasions this year — and said the pair have butted heads over Kardashian in the past. The hot-headed rapper and the chiseled bodyguard had a brief run-in at a fashion studio on Wooster St. during Fashion Week in February when West noticed Stalinus chatting with the 35-year-old “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star. “When they first asked me to do this gig again, I turned it down,” Stanulis said about his recent stint with the family. “I figured that since they were requesting me, the rapport with Kanye would be better.” The 42-year-old former NYPD officer has made looking after celebrities has business and counts Leonardo DiCaprio and Alanis Morissette among his clients. Stanulis, who is married and has three children, has also appeared in film and TV projects including “The Sopranos” and “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.” “Me being here and this getting this much attention, it’s basically karma f—ing him in the a$$,” Stanulis said. “That’s what this is. It’s god’s way, he has a strange way of making things right.” Are you buying it or do you think the bodyguard is just badmouthing Ye for publicity? We ask because that’s pretty much the report coming from Kimye’s camp. According to TMZ reports Stanulis wasn’t fired because it was always supposed to be a temp job: Kanye West has no issue with bodyguards talking to Kim Kardashian, and absolutely did NOT fire one for doing so. Sources close to the Wests tell TMZ … Steve Stanulis was hired by the guy in charge of their security to help out before the Met Gala. We’re told it was very clear Stanulis would only be used for the day leading up to the event. That’s it, just a temp deal … we’re told. There were reports ‘Ye axed Stanulis for talking to Kim, but we’re told Yeezy never had a confrontation with him, and in fact … everything “went very smoothly”. Our Kimye sources say Stanulis has worked with them before, but since people in their camp believe he perpetuated the firing story for some publicity … he won’t get that chance again. Welp… Sounds like everyone is on the same page. This guy and Kanye don’t need to be anywhere near each other EVER again. AKM-GSI
As has been previously documented at length, celebrities from every walk of life attended the MET Gala in New York City on Monday night. There were some really impressive fashion choices made on the red carpet… View Slideshow: 2016 MET Gala: Best-Dressed Stars! … and some really atrocious fashion choices made on the red carpet: View Slideshow: 2016 MET Gala: Worst-Dressed Stars! There was Emma Watson once again proving that she’s the greatest person ever and there was Kylie Jenner somehow managing to hurt herself with her ensemble. But whatever. Who cares? We’ve finally come to the most important development from a fun night in The Big Apple: Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston engaging in a dance-off. Oh, yes, this really did happen. According to the Internet, the singer and the actor actually arrived together at the official after-party at Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel in Manhattan shortly after midnight. No, we’ll stop you right there: they are not dating. But they were having a ton of fun, getting up at one point and then getting down as a pair to T.I.’s smash 2004 hit “Bring Em Out.” This enchanting video was shared by jeweler and Valentino brand ambassador Carlos Souza. It starts with the celebs bumping along to the beat-heavy first few notes of the track, with Swift twirling and shimmying… while Hiddleston simply breaks it down on the floor. A bunch of people eventually crowd around because… how can they not? It’s a Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston dance-off! A video posted by Carlos Souza (@carlossouza1311) on May 3, 2016 at 6:28am PDT Who won the impromptu contest? Watch and decide for yourself. As for which member of Taylor’s squad looked best at the annual event, you can also decide that for yourself now .
First world problems, amiright? Despite being named Vogue’s best-dressed couple at the 2016 Costume Institute Gala, Kim Kardashian is not pleased with how she looked. “Kim said she felt like she was going to fail big time,” a source told Radar Online before the gala , adding that she “was so furious” that Kanye West pressured her to wear a silver gown by their friend, Olivier Rousteing at Balmain. Kardashian put on a good face for the cameras, and told E! why she went with the robotic look. “I felt everyone was gonna go with [silver],” she explained. “I still really wanted to do it. I thought Balmain was the perfect choice for me and Kanye especially.” The real story is far different from what Kardashian told the press. “She seems so sick of wearing Balmain and she is definitely sick of Kanye calling the shots for practically every single thing she does,” another source told Radar . A few months before the year’s most anticipated gala – which draws high-profile guests including billionaire moguls, fashion designers, royalty and celebrities – Kardashian wanted to take control of her ensemble. “Kim doesn’t want to do anything risky,” a source told Radar at the time. “She wants to wear something classic and elegant. Nothing like that floral print dress Kanye persuaded her to wear in 2013 .” View Slideshow: MET Gala 2016 Fashion: Which Couple Dressed Best? 2016’s theme was Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, which explored the contrast between handmade couture and machine-made fashion. “Kanye thinks he can totally push the envelope and have Kim in something very avant garde and unique,” the source claimed. “The theme plays to Kanye’s strengths as a fashion designer, and it’s very frustrating that Kim isn’t falling in line.” Imagine a couple citing “Met Gala Sartorial Differences” as their reason for divorce? “Kanye is very vocal about Kim’s fashion choices and is hyper-critical when he doesn’t agree with how she is presenting herself,” the source added. “They are fighting non-stop over this, and it has just gotten ridiculous.” Well, things may have turned around for the Wests, because Vogue named them last night’s Best Dressed Couple. “Thank you Vogue for making us the best dressed couple!!!” Kardashian wrote on Instagram. “THANK YOU @balmain & @olivier_rousteing for bringing us & making us the sickest looks! We love you #RobotVibes”
Last night, the world was shocked to learn of the death of Ashley Sawyer , the star of one of the more memorable episodes of MTV’s Catfish . The news was confirmed to the public in a social media post from the network: “MTV is deeply saddened to learn that Ashley Sawyer has passed away,” the statement read. “Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.” No cause of death was given at the time, but now Radar Online is reporting that Sawyer’s passing appears to have been drug related . According to a statement from the Hoover (Alabama) Police Department’s public information officer, Chuck McDonald, EMTs responded to a 911 call just after midnight on Monday to find Sawyer unconscious in her apartment. “Arriving officers found a white female unconscious with bystanders/witnesses performing CPR,” McDonald revealed. “Officers attempted to revive the female with the Automated External Defibrillator (AED), to no avail.” McDonald didn’t speculate on the cause, but an autopsy report indicates that Sawyer’s death “may be related to a drug overdose, possibly heroin.” Police sources confirm that Sawyer received a dose of Narcan, which is typically administered only in cases of narcotic overdose. The 23-year-old was reportedly pronounced dead on the scene. Sawyer’s episode is remembered by Catfish fans for the revelation that she and online friend Michael Fortunato were both “catfishing” one another by misrepresenting their identities online. Tragically, Fortunato died of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 26 just one month after the episode aired. Sawyer appeared on a recent catch-up episode and revealed that she had been staying in a sober-living facility after struggling with substance abuse for several years. “Shocked and saddened by the death of Ashley Sawyer,” Catfish co-host Max Joseph tweeted yesterday, “So sweet and kind. Thoughts and prayers go out to her family.” View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten
Ever since his wife, Michelle McNamara, died in her sleep at the age of 46 last month, Patton Oswalt has been uncharacteristically quiet. The beloved comedian and actor tweeted a loving tribute to McNamara one week after her death, writing: “She wrote lines that stung & hummed. 13 years in her presence was happily humbling. #RIPMichelleMcNamara.” He included a link to make donations to in McNamara’s honor to 826LA, an organization that assists students with their writing skills. Fans of Oswalt’s know that he and his McNamara – a writer who operated the website True Crime Diary – shared a common love of words. The comic is as well-known for his eloquence as for his cunning wit, so it was no surprise when he paid more long-form tribute to his beloved wife of 11 years in a way that honored both her work and her devotion to her husband and daughter. He accomplished that today, in an essay for Time magazine that is both moving and full of surprising revelations about a life well-lived: After recounting her tireless work for the website that made hers a familiar name in certain online circles, Oswalt recalls McNamara’s earlier days and lesser-known achievements: “Those are facts but not her entire story,” he writes. “Her life also involved social work in Belfast and Oakland, and screenwriting in Los Angeles, and teaching creative writing at Minnesota State, and motherhood and marriage and glorious, lost years on the outskirts of the early 90s Chicago music scene, where she also worked for a young Michelle Obama. “One day Michelle Obama’s husband came into the office to speak to the staff. He was impressive and funny. Another encounter, another memory in a life spent fascinated with people and relationships and the unknown. “The reaction to her passing, the people who are shocked at her senseless absence, is a testament to how she steered her life with joyous, wicked curiosity. Cops and comedians call—speechless or sending curt regards. “Her family is devastated but can’t help remember all of the times she made them laugh or comforted them, and they smile and laugh themselves. She hasn’t left a void. She’s left a blast crater.” You can read Oswalt’s entire tribute to McNamara at Time magazine’s website now. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten
