One of the world's most famous landmarks will soon be no more. This is the horrible reality we now face, as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire on Monday, April 15, igniting into flames that appear to be threatening to topple the entire antique building. Such a targedy has caught the attention of anyone who has visited this religious building in France, along with anyone remotely familiar with its history. This includes many celebrities, of course. Scroll down to learn more about Notre Dame Cathedral and to see what these famous peoplea are saying about it… 1. What’s the History Here? Construction on Notre Dame cathedral started in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely completed by 1260, although it was modified often in the following centuries. 2. You’ve Probably Seen It, Even If You Don’t Realize It The cathedral ahs been the subject of or has inspired numerous works, such as Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and its 1996 Disney film adaption. 3. Move Over, Eiffel Tower Approximately 12 million people visit Notre Dame annually, making it the most visited monument in Paris. 4. This is Awful. What Happened? It’s not entirely clear, but construction next door appears to have played a role in the accidental fire. As you can see, Twitter has been keeping folks up to date with tragic updates. 5. Was Anyone Hurt? No injuries or deaths were reported as a result of the fire, which broke out minutes after the church closed to the public for the day. Approximately 400 firefighters were deployed to the structure. 6. How Has Donald Trump Reacted? In typically idiotic fashion, as you can see above. View Slideshow
Lori Loughlin is ready to fight, people. The polarizing actress is apparently willing to risk her freedom and whatever is left of her reputation by denying she did anything illegal when helping her kids apply for college. That’s right: Loughlin just pleaded not guilty in the admissions bribery scandal that has captivated a nation. Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, entered not guilty pleas to all charges in court this morning: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud, along with conspiracy to commit money laundering. They entered said pleas via documents submitted by their lawyers. The charges, as you must know by now, stem from the allegation that Loughlin and Giannulli engineered their two daughters’ way into college through very unethical and illegal means. They were indicted in mid-March for supposedly paying a middle man $500,000 . This middle man then bribed an official at the University of Southern California to pretend that Loughlin’s kids were athletic recruits, thereby lowering their admission standards and allowing them to be accepted into the semi-prestigious school. Over the past several days, numerous outlets have reported that Loughlin didn’t take the federal charges seriously at first. Hence why she chose NOT to sign a plea deal similar to the one signed by Felicity Huffman. Huffman, the other famous name associated with this scandal, did plead guilty last week, did issue an apology and did take responsibility for her actions. As a result, she likely will not end up in prison for more than a few months… if she gets sentenced to jail at all. But Loughlin has thus far bristled at any notion of any sort of deal. Previously, the U.S. Attorney out of Boston gave all of the parents charged in this scheme an ultimatum: Either accept a plea or the case would go to the Grand Jury and additional charges would be filed — and this is exactly what happened to Loughlin and her husband. They now could be sentenced to 40 years behind bars . Does this seem likely? No. But if there really are recordings of Loughlin arranging to make her bribe, and if she is eventually found guilty, it seems very easy to believe that she’ll face real prison time in the end. How great would that be?!? “At this point, [Loughlin] is getting complete clarity and she’s scared and in terrible shape,” a source recently told Entertainment Tonight, adding: “She has been in complete denial and thought maybe she could skate by. She refused to accept any jail time and thought the DA was bluffing. She was adamant she wouldn’t do any jail time.” Conversely, after Huffman agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, she said the following: “I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.” Loughlin is playing a very different legal game here. And a very dangeorus one as well.
David Eason was in court again last week. No, it wasn’t for his alleged assault on Jenelle Evans back in October. And it also wasn’t for the time he towed a stranger’s car without their knowledge, because he apparently doesn’t know how to pull out of a parking space. No, this day in court was all about a January incident in which David allegedly threatened a woman with a gun. In case you’re having trouble keeping track of David’s many brushes with the law, here’s a brief refresher: Sandra Britt is a North Carolina real estate agent who says she was checking out a listed property near the Easons’ home when David approached her car and brandished a weapon. Eason says he did not have a gun and merely informed Ms. Britt that she was driving on private property. Britt says David is lying on both counts, as he was definitely packing, and she “was parked on a public road, not their property.” According to Britt’s version of events, David chased her down on a four-wheeler and threatened to shoot her if she didn’t drive away, Obviously, no one really knows what happened that day except for David and Sandra, but given Eason’s lengthy history of violent acts and compulsive lying, we’re gonna go out on a limb and assume he’s once again full of sh-t. If you follow him on Instagram, you know that David frequently brags about never leaving the house without a weapon on his hip. And yet, he claims that on the day of his encounter with Britt, he decided to leave all of his guns at home. That sounds hard to believe, but David has the world’s most trustworthy witness testifying on his behalf. We’re talking, of course, about Mrs. Jenelle Evans. (And we’re being heavily sarcastic, in case that’s not already abundantly clear.) “Jenelle testified that his gun was inside of their nightstand at the time that [Sandra] said David had it on him and showed it to her,” a courtroom source tells The Ashley’s Reality Roundup. Astonishingly, the judge apparently bought David and Jenelle’s story, because Eason was found not guilty and the charges against him were dismissed. Of course, the decision was likely the result of a lack of evidence. The fact that David and Jenelle didn’t immediately take to social media to boast about their legal victory is a good indication that the judge in their case issued a gag order. Despite this unexpected win, however, Eason’s legal headaches are far from over. The 30-year-old father of three is due back in court on June 3 for the car towing incident. He’ll face charges of “Injury to Personal Property” and “Tampering with a Vehicle,” and it’s unlikely that Jenelle’s testimony will save him this time: David filmed the incident and posted it YouTube. View Slideshow: David Eason Threatens Woman With Gun: New Details of Alleged Incident Emerge
If you follow her on social media, you’re probably well aware that Jill Duggar is no stranger to trash talk. Most of Jill’s critics fall into one of two camps: There are the folks who love to mom-shame Jill and give her no end of grief for everything from her kids’ diet to the location of her home. (Too close to the freeway! Unsafe! Unsafe!) And then there are the fans who are very vocal in their belief that Jill should divorce Derick Dillard due to his bigoted belief system. But over the weekend, Jill took some serious flak from a new group of haters — followers who take issue with her insensitive stance on bees. Jill posted the photos below in order to share her latest conquest with fans. “No, just no,” she captioned the images. “I spent several minutes yesterday trying to kill a wasp that come into the house and in the meantime also killed a bee, then killed ANOTHER wasp today!” she added. “Actually, I hate almost all bugs, but especially those that can actually do some harm … or look like they could!” The saga continued from there, as Jill spun a thrilling tale of a family imperiled by flying insects: “Israel was helping protect Sam while I kept telling him how I wished @derickdillard was home at that moment to kill the flying, stinging insect! lol I HATE flying critters,” she wrote. “Who else hates these things with a vengeance?!” Considering Jill has two young sons at home, you would think just about everyone would be on board with her disposing of stinging pests by whatever means necessary. But several of her followers were not fans of Jill’s decision to kill her little home invaders. “Bees are so good for the environment, don’t kill them,” one wrote. “Capture them in a cup and let them out, that’s what I do. Wasps suck ass, kill those guys.” “Seriously, killed a bee? Do you know anything about current events?” added another. Others joked about the backlash, with one quipping, “Careful Jill, the insect police might come for you.” Typically, the Duggar women suffer in silence when the internet decides to dogpile them. But this time, Jill felt compelled to fire back. “Ya’ll seriously?! If it’s in my home, it’s trespassing,” she replied. “I do try to take most critters outside, but some I just don’t. And I got stung by a bee once on my foot and was on crutches for three days. Literally had to crawl everywhere,” she added. “No joke. Even had to use a little scooter to get around one day since my entire family was at a theme park for the day. I’m not anti-bee, just don’t like them close to me.” Wow. We don’t know what’s more surprising — that there are so many ardent bee defenders out there, or that Jill has such strong views about bugs. It’s one of those situations where both sides have a point, but we’ve gotta hand this one to Jill due to the kid factor. In most cases, killing a bee is a total jackass move, but if their indoors alongside young kids, then they’ve gotta go. Feel free to tell us how wrong we are in the comments. View Slideshow: Jill Duggar & Derick Dillard: Here’s Why Fans Think They’re Getting Divorced
Is Jenelle Evans a good mother? LOL, just kidding. Jenelle basically shot to reality superstardom because she wasn't a good mother — she was actually really, really bad at it. The first season of Teen Mom 2 was an absolute disaster when it came to her scenes, and since then, she's had two more children. Have things gotten better? Sure. But better certainly doesn't mean good. And that's why the latest news concerning Jenelle's reproductive systen is just so, so great. 1. A Sincere Nightmare So Jenelle’s parenting skills … yeah, they’re not so great. 2. Poor Jace After she gave birth to her first child, Jace, when she was 17 years old, and a few months later she lost custody of him to her mother. 3. Come On Now The issue was that she just didn’t understand that you have to, like, take care of a baby — she honestly thought she could leave her newborn at home and party all night because he’d be sleeping anyway. 4. True She once said that Jace didn’t need her because he had her mom, and that was true — Barbara stepped up to take care of him, and she’s never stopped. 5. Sure For several years, Jenelle kept talking about how she was going to get Jace back without ever really putting in any work to reach that goal. Instead, she got arrested several times and developed a heroin addiction. 6. Weird Move She did eventually settle down a little bit — she kicked heroin, at least — but instead of putting her time and energy into getting things together for Jace, she just had another kid with a guy she’d known for a few weeks. View Slideshow
They say a picture can say one thousand words. In the case of Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, however, a new photo on her Instagram can be summed up by just using four: I’ve totally moved on. The veteran Jersey Shore cast member posted the image below late Friday, giving followers a look at what appears to be the reality star out on a date. “Cheers to the weekend,” Farley captioned the intriguing snapshot, which shows her hand holding a glass of red wine while she has lunch with some guy on a terrace overlooking the water. The 33-year-old MTV personality went ahead later and shared a video on Snapchat that featured a glimpse of this same dude’s arm as he and Jenni sat in a car together while “Titanium” played on the radio. We wonder what may have happened next… Farley’s represenative, Robyn Matarazzo, even on the social media posts, telling Us Weekly in no uncertain terms that Farley was announcing a relationship to the world here: “Jwoww has moved on and is happy,” Matarazzo says. Moved on, she means of course, from estranged husband Roger Mathews. The former couple shares two children (Meilani, 4, and Greyson, 2, the latter of whom has been diagnosed with Autism) and they got married in October of 2015. They then announced their separation three years later, seemingly on amicable terms, with Mathews even saying publicly that he planned on winning Jenni back. But then A LOT changed. Farley accused Mathews of abuse in late 2018 after the two got into some kind of altercation in the kitchen of their home. Mathews was led out of the residence that night by the police and was ordered to stay away from Farley and the home for an undetermined period of time. He then jumped on Instagram and simply went off on his wife, alleging that Farley cared more about her job than about her kids and that she had falsely accused him and is a giant liar and lots of other mean and shocking things. You can get caught up here: View Slideshow: Jenni Farley Explodes at Roger Mathews, Accuses Estranged Husband of Abuse in Epic Rant “You are an abuser to the core, Roger Mathews. You have pushed me. You have shoved me,” Farley wrote on her blog in January. She continued at that time: “You have aggressively thrown me to the ground. You have prevented me from closing doors to escape having you coming at me. You have belittled and disparaged me. You have threatened me.” She went on and on and on along these lines, too: I will never allow someone to try all avenues to ruin the person I worked so hard to become… I have been broken down, beaten, hospitalized, traumatized, threatened, degraded, battered, and abused. I got out. I stand strong today. For me. For Greyson. For Meilani. They will not grow up watching their mother being a victim of domestic violence. I will be a victim no longer. Roger, know this here and for always – my kindness should never again mistaken for weakness. Remember that. I will not be threatened. I will not be controlled. I will not be broken. Mathews actually admitted to some physical behavior in an open letter to Farley, but also claimed she was always the instigator. In short, things have been very ugly between this pair for months. And there are two small children stuck in between. “Jenni’s kids’ needs and wants will always come first,” Matarazzo told Us Weekly , concluding: “She is being an adult about the divorce and working towards being better coparents. As far as the divorce, there is no reconciliation in the future and she is excited about continuing to move on with her life.” View Slideshow: Roger Mathews and Jenni Farley: WTH Happened That Night?!?
Things aren't looking so good for Jenelle Evans right now. And that's for many, many reasons. But today, let's focus on her custody battle with Nathan Griffith, OK? Because as it turns out, it's not going well for her. Like, it's going so not well that there's actually a real chance she could lose Kaiser … 1. Dude So Jenelle and Nathan’s issues go way, way back — pretty much all the way back to when they first met. 2. Poor Kaiser They were always awful together, and contrary to her belief, having Kaiser didn’t really help things. 3. Yikes They tried to make it work for a little while, and by “make it work” we mean that they accused each other of domestic violence before breaking up for good in August of 2015. 4. Moving Fast A month later, she started dating David Eason, and from what we saw on Teen Mom 2, he wasted no time in being mean to Kaiser. 5. Awww We all remember when he called the poor kid a “screaming little bitch” in that one episode, and things have only gotten worse since then. 6. What a Turn of Events In 2017, Nathan’s mom, Doris, filed for custody of Kaiser. In the documents she filed, she claimed that David was physically abusing Kaiser, and that the boy had told her as much. View Slideshow
Ian Cognito, a popular British stand-up comedian, passed away on Thursday night while performing a routine at the Atic bar in Bicester, England. He was 60 years old. According to the bar’s owner, Ryan Mold, per an interview with CNN, Cognito “sat down” at one point in his set, “put his head and arms back; his shoulders were twitching.” The crowd presumed it was part of his act initially, as Cognito had joked about his health shortly beforehand. “Imagine if I died in front of you lot here,” he actually, incredibly told attendees. An ambulance was quickly called after it was clear this was a serious situation because a fellow comedian realized something was legitimately wrong. Cognito was pronounced dead at the scene upon the arrival of the paramedics. Andrew Bird, who runs the Lone Wolf Comedy Club, told BBC News that Cognito was not feeling well before he went on stage, yet he wanted to perform anyway. Cognito began performing as a comic in the mid-1980s. He was best known for envelope-pushing comedy, claiming to have been banned from more clubs than any other comedian in all of Great Britain. One of his signature bits involved hammering a nail into the wall and hanging his hat on it. “This lets you know two things about me,” he explained. “Firstly, I really don’t give a sh-t. Secondly, I’ve got a hammer.” That’s pretty funny. Cognito earned Time Out Comedy Award in 1999, earning respect of countless comedians over the years. Many of them paid tribute to him on social media after learning of Cognito’s death. Tweeted Jack Whitehall: “Gigged with him when i first started out and he was always so much fun, had his own mythology on the circuit his exploits where [sic] legendary. A true maverick. Hope he’s found somewhere to hang his coat in heaven.” And Jimmy Carr: “I’ll never forget his kindness when I started out & how god damn funny he was.” And Matt Lucas: “He was always kind to me when I started out, and brilliant and provocative and entirely original onstage. What a loss.” We echo the sentiments of those who knew Ian Cognito. We send our condolences to his friends, family members and loved ones. May he rest on stage. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2019: In Memoriam
As previously reported, it is all over for Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter . AT LAST. In the wake of this announcement, we have a handful of updates about the talk show host finally splitting from her terrible husband, starting with details from her divorce filing… In court papers obtained from a New Jersey Court house by Radar Online, Williams completed her documents and filed her complaint for divorce from Hunter on Wednesday, April 10. She cited irreconcilable differences as the basis for the couple’s split. “There exists irreconcilable differences between the parties, which have caused the breakdown of the marriage for a period of six (6) months and which make it appear that the marriage should be dissolved as there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation,” the paper read, adding: This would appear to be the understatement of the century. According to numerous outlets, Hunter has been cheating on Williams with a woman named Sharina Hudson for several years. Williams acknowledged these rumors on occasion, never truly shooting them down on her progra, but simply confirming to viewers that she was committed to her marriage for the rest of time. So… what happened? Hudson allegedly got pregnant by Hunter… Williams suffered a relapse and ended up in a sober living facility… Hudson then gave birth to Hunter’s baby … and Williams them got so drunk in response that she was rushed to the hospital. So, basically, a lot happened. Too much for Williams to remain in the marriage. Williams is demanding the marriage be dissolved, that the court equitably divide the parties’ marital property and that the appropriate amount of child support be established, based on these documents. Williams married Hunter on November 30, 1999 in a civil ceremony in New Jersey. They share an 18-year old son named Kevin. After news of this divorce went viral, fans wondered what Williams would say about the decision on air. Would she mention it at all? Yes, in very broad terms. “Honey, I have got a situation going on. We’ve got to get this show done quickly,” Williams said during Friday’s Wendy Williams Show, which was taped on Thursday, April 11. She added: “My ankles and my feet are swelling as we speak. … This here is embarrassing.” While she did open up about her body part “situation,” Williams did not bring up the divorce news specifically. But it’s out there, of course. And Williams has been receiving some support from other talk show hosts in the wake of the break-up. “I think if everything that’s alleged is true, it’s about damn time,” Sheryl Underwood declared yesterday’s installment of The Talk. “We wish her the best,” Sara Gilbert added on this same show. The View also touched on Wendy’s drama, with Meghan McCain telling viewers and her co-panelists: “This is a woman who looks like she’s in a lot of pain. I wish her nothing but love and compassion. “Being vulnerable on TV — when she was talking about living in a halfway house, I actually cried when I watched it. … She’s in a lot of pain. She’s a real talent. I wish her nothing but compassion and love, and I hope she comes back to her show better and stronger than ever. “Screw that guy. She doesn’t need him!” Joy Behar mentioned how Hunter also cheated on Williams in 2001, after she gave birth to their son, while Abby Huntsman delivered a message to Williams that reads as follows: “We are rooting for you. We hope you come back and you feel good.” Amen, right? View Slideshow: Kevin Hunter: Who is Wendy Williams’ Awful Husband?
It's really happening!! Star Wars Celebration introduced fans to the cast, both new and old, of Star Wars Episode IX , which premieres this December. Then the lights dimmed, and the world saw a teaser trailer — and learned the very exciting title of the newest installment in the Star Wars saga. PLEASE take note: this post contains spoilers for the teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode IX . The teaser opens with darkness and heavy breaths. It's Rey, standing in a desert while wearing white and visibly steeling herself. Echoes of Luke Skywalker's voice can be heard. “We've passed on all we know,” Luke says, while the camera pans to Rey's lightsaber — one that she must have built herself. “A thousand generations live in you, now,” Luke's voiceover says as Rey draws her weapon. In the distance on the planet, the distinctive buzz of TIE fighter type vehicles can be heard. “But this is your fight,” Luke's voice says with encouragement as Rey braces for what is coming. As the First Order vehicle races along the sand-covered terrain towards Rey, she runs, only to do a massive backflip. She ignites her lightsaber's blue (that's significant!) blade, and flips through the air. It's clear that the First Order pilot is in for a rude awakening. Viewers are then treated to a series of shots of planet surfaces, ships, and familiar faces. Notably, Kylo Ren, his faulty red lightsaber in hand, subdues an unknown opponent who appears to be wielding a crude melee weapon. In the background, a First Order trooper appears to be participating in the fight. We also see a repaired and modified version of Kylo's infamous mask, now laced with red. He does not appear to be wearing it during any of the trailer's scenes, however. Lando Calrissian makes his cinematic return, piloting the Millennium Falcon. Most emotionally evocative of all, we see scenes of General Leia Organa, portrayed by the late, great Carrie Fisher. As promised, these are not motion capture scenes, but made from unused footage from the first two films. Watching these powerful scenes in theaters is going to exact an emotional toll upon us all. “We will always be with you,” Luke's voice promises. Then, as Rey and her companions — including Finn and Poe — look out upon what may be the remains of the second Death Star, Luke makes another promise. “No one is ever really gone,” he assures Rey, acknowledging that those closely connected to the Force can endure beyond physical death. This is when the most surprising moment of the teaser occurs. Viewers hear wonderful, terrible laughter — distinctively belonging to the best character in all of Star Wars canon: Palpatine. Finally, the trailer reveals the film's title: Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker . At Star Wars Celebration, after the lights came back on, the audience exclaimed with joy — because there was a new actor on stage. That actor was Ian McDiarmind — who plays Emperor Sheev Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious. (Everyone has their preferences, but he plays one of the most iconic and best-conceived characters in all of fiction) Plenty of people's eyes (mine included) teared up with joy at this stunning surprise. Obviously, fans have so many questions. Who is the “Skywalker” mentioned in the title? Is Kylo Ren going to foresake the Dark Side and claim his birthright as a descendant of Anakin? Or is Rey secretly, somehow descended from the Skywalker lineage, despite what appeared to be clear denials. And speaking of Rey, where did she find the kyber crystal that powers her new lightsaber? How much time has passed in the story since the end of the controversial The Last Jedi ? What role will Palpatine play in the film? Will his return, engineered through technology or perhaps Sith sorcery, make him the final villain? For that … we'll have to wait for the premiere this December.
