Justin Timberlake didn't bring sexy back at the 2015 Country Music Awards . Instead, the pop singer went a little bit country for the occasion, teaming up with Chris Stapleton at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena to duet on “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away.” And Mr. Jessica Biel proved to be quite the good luck charm for the up-and-coming country singer, as Stapleton went on to win New Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist and Album of the Year. Timberlake and Stapleton have known each other for years, with news of their unexpected performance breaking on Monday. The former boy band member Tweeted a photo from rehearsals at the time, writing “honored to share the stage with this BADASS. Wed night. Memphis x Nashville,” to which Stapleton replied: “The feeling couldn’t be more mutual #nashvilletnkids.” And just how impressive were these musical superstars? They actually earned a shout-out in Miranda Lambert's acceptance speech for Best Female Vocalist. “I'm just gonna keep it short, but Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton, thank you very much. I'm gonna go home and practice,” the country music sensation said of her fellow artists. Stapleton released hid debut solo album in May. Prior to going out on his own, he wrote singles for such singers as Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan and Adele. That's quite the resume. And this was quite the duet. Watch Timberlake and Stapleton team up on “Tennessee Whiskey” and prepare to be blown away.
Following a one-week World Series hiatus, Fox’s smash hit returned last night and Empire Season 2 Episode 6 certainly didn’t disappoint. There was no World Series of cage-fighting between Lucious and Cookie this week, though, as they were forced to put their feud on hold. Watch Empire Season 2 Episode 6 Online If you watch Empire online , you know how that goes: Lyons stick together, but only to a point, as alliances are quickly formed and broken. In the wake of Hakeem’s kidnapping, however, there was no time for their usual gripes or threats of violence. Against each other, anyway. “High Hope for a Low Heaven” surprised us by answering and handling the question of ‘Keem’s disappearance in a most unexpected way. Lucious and Cookie secured his release awfully fast, leaving the fallout – and Bryshere Y. Gray’s unreal performance – as the focal point. Never before have we seen the brash young rapper so raw, so vulnerable and so lost as when he was helping his girl group with their track. When it came time to do his verse with Mirage a Trois, something was deeply wrong in his head. We didn’t know what exactly. Nor did he. Anxiety? Fear? PTSD? An unknown medical condition triggered by the trauma he’d been through? Unclear, but the impact was profound. It came as little surprise, then, that when Cookie’s “promoter” Laz talked her into hiring ‘Keem’s assailants as her bodyguards, he lost it. Seeing it as an opportunity to exact revenge, he pulls a gun on the crew, leading Cookie to desperately plead with and console her son. “If you pull the trigger you’re going to force me to step in front of the bullet,” she begs her youngest. “I’d rather die than lose you again.” Vintage Cookie. As much as Hakeem wants to be the tough guy – and as much of a hard-ass as his mom is – cooler heads can still prevail. Cookie and Laz, meanwhile, maul each other passionately by the end of the night, which we might have been psyched about, until the twist: Laz sports the same tattoo of a cow skull on his back that the thugs who abducted Hakeem had, meaning he has some nefarious motives. Meanwhile on Empire Season 2 Episode 6, born again Andre is working the gospel into the A&R of Gutter Life Records, and with aplomb. It seemed at first like ‘Dre was out of his mind with this, but he may have just found a kindred, Christian rap spirit in Gutter Life’s J Poppa. Who, we might add, makes a hot couple with Becky. We did not see that side plot coming whatsoever, but hope to see more of it for sure! Jussie Smollett was once again the unsung backbone of the episode, as his latest song “Never Love Again” may be one of his best to date. Jamal is a powerful character who can command every scene even from the periphery, and Smollett’s voice plays a major role in that power. Lyons have pride, as we saw with his insistence on not being marketed as a gay artist, but they also have talent, loyalty and empathy. Andre and Jamal both stepped up in a big way to help Hakeem make his way on stage at the end, proving that family is still everything. View Slideshow: Empire Cast: Did You Know…?
In January 2011, Oprah Winfrey revealed a family secret . The talk show host disclosed that she has a secret half-sister. But more family secrets are rising to the surface. And this time, The Big O isn’t so innocent. According to Radar Online, Oprah Winfrey has been caught telling varying stories about her “secret son.” Winfrey confessed to Entertainment Tonight that she first became a mother-like figure to Calvin Mitchell in the 90s when he was 11. Mitchell approached Winfrey on a Chicago movie set. After their encounter, Oprah tried to adopt him. She even tried to send him to a private school away from his biological family. However, Mitchell became homesick and left the school. When he dropped out of the expensive school, Oprah decided to abandon the child because he couldn’t live up to her expectations. In the October 29 interview with Entertainment Tonight , Oprah said she opted out of meeting with the now 35-year-old Mitchell because Radar arranged an earlier meeting between Oprah and her son. But the mega-celeb brushed him off. The 61-year-old star also failed to tell Entertainment Tonight that she has repeatedly given Mitchell the cold shoulder. In 2009, the Illinois truck driver attempted to approach Oprah at a free concert along Chicago’s Michigan Ave. Oprah was the sponsor of the event. After he managed to slip past security, Oprah told him to give his phone number to one of the bodyguards. Mitchell gave his number, but Oprah never called him. Mitchell has also left countless messages for her at Harpo Studios, but she refuses to return his calls. The repeated and failed attempts to make contact with Oprah prompted Mitchell to ask Radar Online for help. He wants to know why Oprah abandoned him when he was 17-years-old. “The only reason I went to the media was because it was the only way I could get her attention,” he told Radar. “I wanted to ask Oprah, ‘Why did you leave me? Why did you leave me?’” It appears that no one in the Winfrey family will acknowledge Mitchell. Even Oprah’s father, Vernon Winfrey, refuses to meet his secret grandson. “I’m all right if I don’t meet him,” the elder Winfrey told Radar. “It doesn’t matter!”
Bristol Palin has once again come to the defense of Kylie Jenner. A few weeks after oddly praising Kylie for using lip fillers , Palin has jumped online to defend the reality star against Halloween costume haters. Over last holiday weekend, Jenner got dolled up in a fur-trimmed, all-white costume with a platinum wig for a Halloween party. The 18-year-old dubbed the look “Eskimo” and “Snow Princess” on Instagram. ( Jenner also dressed as some kind of sexy ninja for the occasion.) Kylie didn’t receive all that much backlash for it, really, but some critics thought the outfit was inappropriate because the term “Eskimo” is generally considered a slur. And also because the Inuit and Alaska Natives are actual people, not subjects for parody. Bristol Palin thinks differently, however. And she should know, the expecting mother argues. “Well, as a person born and raised in Alaska (born on Alaska Day, no less) who is also part Yup’ik, let me say this. I’m not offended!” Palin wrote on her Patheos blog. “In fact, I’m flattered that you think Eskimos looks [sic] this chic. “I think “cultural appropriation” Halloween guides are a joke, I think people need to lighten up, and I think you look great!” It is true that Palin’s father, Todd, has Yup’ik ancestry. It’s also true that Bristol loves to butt in on seemingly random topics from time to time, such as when she went off on the IRS . Palin, who is yet to reveal the identity of her second child’s baby daddy, is due to give birth in early 2016. View Slideshow: 21 Famously Unwed Mothers
You have to feel a little sorry for Rob Kardashian . With three older sisters who have made millions, and two younger ones already making a name for themselves, Rob’s the only family member who hasn’t found professional success. Instead, he’s become the target of tabloid fodder due to weight gain and refusal to attend filmed family events, like Kim Kardashian ‘s destination wedding in June 2014 (Rob flew back to LA at the last minute, explaining his reasons to Kim via email). Radar Online reports that Rob is not giving Kris Jenner a straight answer on whether he’ll be part of the annual Kardashian Christmas card (which the family usually shoots at the beginning of December). “He’s confident that by Christmas he’ll be in a good enough condition to be front and center of the group shots, but he’s refusing to commit to the shoot until the very last minute,” a source told the site. “Kris has torn into him for being so flakey and unreliable.” Wait, there’s more. Rob is allegedly demanding $250,000 to take part in the shoot. His reasoning? The sock designer claims he’s “the most marketable member of the family right now since he’s been out of the public eye for a long time now while he loses weight and cleans up his act,” the source explained. “He’s developed a major ego, which, combined with his sisters’ diva tantrums, has made this whole saga a total nightmare.” Honestly, you guys. Just do a throwback card and call it a day.
It was only this past June that we reported Joe Jonas and Gigi Hadid were dating . But five months later, reports are rolling in claiming that the couple has called it quits. The couple was first spotted together in May shortly after 20-year-old Hadid broke up with singer Cody Simpson . In August, Jonas, 26, officially announced he broke up with Blanda Eggenschwiler, his longtime girlfriend. And following what seems to be a pattern of break-ups in their romantic lives, the couple has reportedly spilt . A source told Us Magazine, “It was just due to busy schedules. They are just going to be friends for now, but it wasn’t [due to] anything serious.” The split comes as a surprise. Judging from their Instagram posts, the young couple seemed to be happy. They even went on a double date with Jonas’ ex and Hadid’s friend Taylor Swift and her current beau, Calvin Harris. Just a month ago, they made their first official red carpet debut at the Global Lyme Alliance Inaugural Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street. They attended the event to support Hadid’s mother, Yolanda Foster, former cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills . Yolanda, unfortunately, has been enduring a long battle with Lyme disease. Had they stayed together, Hadid and Jonas could have been a Hollywood power couple. Recently, Hadid was selected to walk in this year’s Victoria Secret Fashion Show alongside her BFF Kendall Jenner. And Jonas, the lead singer for DNCE, just released the band’s debut EP, Swaay.
It seems pretty clear at this point that Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are a thing. What kind of thing? That much may be unclear, but Stefani didn’t deny rumors that she’s dating the country artist in a recent interview… and the two got their major flirt on during a Halloween party over the weekend. How does Miranda Lambert feel about this? Considering she was married to Shelton for four years until this summer? It sounds like she’s putting on a brave face, according to E! News. “Miranda is at a point in her life where she is really focusing on herself and her music. This is a new chapter for her to create new relationships and really move on,” an insider says. “Miranda has been going through many personal changes over the past few months, but it’s all for the better.” View Slideshow: 25 Most Shocking Hollywood Divorces Still… Lambert has clearly heard rumors about her ex-husband and his fellow panelist on The Voice. “She was not surprised to hear of the romance between Blake and Gwen. They were always pretty flirty,” the source claims. “Miranda and Blake were on the rocks on and off and knew that this could always be a possibility.” Shelton and Lambert have stated numerous times that there’s no bad blood between them, though that assertion may be tested when both attend the CMA Awards in Nashville tonight. “Blake is just a flirty kind of charmer,” the E! source concludes. “She has nothing against Gwen and thinks she is a very talented artist. Whomever Blake is with she wishes them the best.” Wow. Either this source is lying. Or Blaek Shelton and Miranda Lambert just had the most amicable divorce in recorded history. View Slideshow: Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton: Through the Years
Fans of Jon Stewart need not worry that they won’t see him as much since he left The Daily Show in August (having hosted since 1999). According to TVLine , Stewart inked a four-year production deal with HBO that includes a “short-form digital content” focused on current events through Stewart’s “unique prism,” which he will both produce and star in. The deal also includes “a first-look option for other film and TV” projects. “Jon Stewart led a revolution that changed the face of TV comedy on The Daily Show,” HBO president Michael Lombardo said in a statement. “He graced our network nearly 20 years ago, so we’re thrilled to welcome back his immense talents in this next chapter of his career.” Stewart also released a statement on the deal. “I’m so excited to be working with Richard [Plepler], Michael and the entire HBO family,” he said. “Appearing on television 22 minutes a night clearly broke me. I’m pretty sure I can produce a few minutes of content every now and again.” This isn’t the first time Stewart has worked with HBO; he had a recurring role on the Larry Sanders Show , hosted George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy , as well as his own stand-up show, Jon Stewart: Unleavened . View Slideshow: 9 Classic Jon Stewart Segments
Gwen Stefani has seemingly left no doubt (sorry)… she is totally dating Blake Shelton!! At first, rumors of a romance between these singers seemed hilariously untrue. A man and a woman are allowed to work together without having seen each other naked. Yes, even if they both recently got divorced. But then talk of a wedding between Shelton and Stefani heated up, along with witnesses seeing The Voice co-stars getting along VERY well with each other during a Halloween party over last weekend. Is there really something going on here?!? “Who's Blake?” Stefani coyly responded during a radio interview on Tuesday morning with Ryan Seacrest, joking: “Ohh, the country guy.” Asked if there are any sparks between the stars, Stefani said she was “not going to answer” the question, but then added of her own volition: “I think he's hot, don't you?” Hmmm… that's not exactly how you shoot down dating rumors, is it? Over the summer, Shelton split from Miranda Lambert after four years of marriage; while Stefani called it quits with husband Gavin Rossdale. “To be super honest, it is kind of crazy we both went through the same thing at the same time,” Stefani added of her and Shelton. “There's been so many people that I've gotten so much comfort from. Just people coming to me and telling me their story. “Not confiding, but sharing, which has just helped me see things from a different perspective and move forward.” That's great and all, but has Gwen been confiding in Blake without any clothes on? That's what America wants to know! (Although, come on now: we all do know the answer at this point, don't we?)
Tonight, Kendall Jenner will no doubt hit the town to celebrate her 20th birthday . And if the latest rumors about her love life are to be believed, she’ll be joined by the new dude in her life, rookie Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell. Russell only has a few games under his belt, and they’ve all been losses (He plays for the freakin’ Lakers, after all.), so he should probably be focused on basketball at the moment, but insiders claim he just couldn’t resist the allure of Kendall. Sources say Kendall has been in attendance , cheering D’Angelo on at both Lakers home games so far, which is probably a nice alternative to the angry leer of Jack Nicholson that greets most rookies when they look into the crowd. “One person who definitely took notice of the romance rumors is D’Angelo’s teammate Kobe,” a source tells Hollywood Life. “He has been teasing the rookie about it, saying he’s already gone Hollywood. “Kobe really gives him a hard time saying he better worry more about being a professional basketball player than becoming a reality star. It’s playful hazing, but you know Kobe really wants him focused on the team and not Kendall.” View Slideshow: Kendall Jenner Instagram Photos: A Racy Rundown We don’t think of Kobe as the “playful hazing” type but if that’s what D’Angelo has to tell himself, we say go for it. Sources say Kobe’s not alone, and other players have warned D’Angelo of the ” Kardashian curse ” that’s thrown many a male celeb off his game. We’re sure Russell doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his career, but at the same time, he gets to see Kendall Jenner naked , so even if we winds up a sad, bench-warming national punchline, we’re guessing it’ll all be worth it. View Slideshow: 38 Wildly Inappropriate Photos of Kendall Jenner
