If you don’t know who actress Merritt Wever is, you will after seeing her Emmy Awards acceptance speech, which was easily the best in the show’s history. When Tina Fey and Amy Poehler announced that Wever won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, many viewers were pretty surprised. But that surprise paled in comparison to this amazing acceptance speech: Merritt Wever Emmy Acceptance Speech Host Neil Patrick Harris, after she exited stage right, summed it up best: “Merritt Wever, best speech ever. Good luck to everyone else.” Some may recognize her from Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip , Lena Dunham’s first film Tiny Furniture , or as Schmidt’s sort-of girlfriend Elizabeth on New Girl . But the 2013 Emmys honored Merritt for her work on Nurse Jackie as Zoey Barlow, the titular character’s best friend at work. For that, we congratulate her! And encourage others to prepare speeches ahead of time.
To coincide with the Emmy-winning HBO film Behind the Candelabra , Sir Elton John paid tribute to the late Liberace at the 2013 Emmy Awards last night. Stars Matt Damon and Michael Douglas introduced the singer, who took the stage to perform “Home Again,” a song he said reminded him of Liberace. John said Liberace had always enjoyed being at home. Take a look: Elton John Emmy Performance 2013 Elton John talked about his influence and joked about not realizing Liberace was gay, referring to him by his nickname “Lee” before performing “Home Again.” It was the first time he had performed at the Emmy Awards. “Home Again” will appear on John’s upcoming album, The Diving Board , due out Tuesday. What did you think about Elton John’s Liberace tribute?
To coincide with the Emmy-winning HBO film Behind the Candelabra , Sir Elton John paid tribute to the late Liberace at the 2013 Emmy Awards last night. Stars Matt Damon and Michael Douglas introduced the singer, who took the stage to perform “Home Again,” a song he said reminded him of Liberace. John said Liberace had always enjoyed being at home. Take a look: Elton John Emmy Performance 2013 Elton John talked about his influence and joked about not realizing Liberace was gay, referring to him by his nickname “Lee” before performing “Home Again.” It was the first time he had performed at the Emmy Awards. “Home Again” will appear on John’s upcoming album, The Diving Board , due out Tuesday. What did you think about Elton John’s Liberace tribute?
Jon Gosselin pulled a gun on a photographer who followed him home in Pennsylvania on Friday and even fired a warning shot – by his own admission. The crazy incident happened in Beckersville, Pa., when a photographer followed him from his job waiting tables to the log cabin where Jon lives . The paparazzo admits that she followed Jon off the main roads and onto dirt roads, but assumed it was still a public road and not private property. Not the case. According to TMZ, she started taking photos of Jon Gosselin and he came at her, pulled a gun out of the back of his pants and yelled at her for trespassing. He then fired off a warning shot. The photographer peaced out immediately after that, but says Jon followed her until she got back on the main road. He declined to give chase further. She went to the police station to file a report, but ultimately did not do so as she likely would have ended up charged with criminal trespass as a result. Jon Gosselin later said he has no apology for firing the warning shot, saying he was within his legal rights to defend his private property from trespassers. “I am licensed to carry a concealed handgun, which I withdrew,” Jon says. He admits he used it “to fire a warning shot AWAY from the paparazzi. It is well within my rights under Pennsylvania law when someone is trespassing on private property.” Gosselin says he is certain police would back him up and would take his side on the issues of trespassing and a person’s right to protect their property. Nevertheless … Jon Gosselin is strapped. This is both surprising and a little scary. Definitely did the job, though, as far as making his point in this case.
Jennette McCurdy and her family were hit with some tragic news today: The actress’ mother, Debra McCurdy, finally lost her battle with breast cancer and passed away. Jennette, the star of Nickelodeon’s Sam & Cat , was especially close to her mom and canceled a hosting gig in New York City after receiving the sad news. Debra had battled her disease for 17 years. It had gone into remission, but then returned in 2010 and spread into her brain and throughout her body. We send Jennette and all of Debra’s loved ones our very best wishes during this difficult time.
Note to Oregon: What the heck is going on in the northwest corner of the United States?!? Three months after a kitten with two faces was born in the town of Amity, we now have reports of a two-headed calf also birthed in that state. Heidi Kirschbaum tells KBOI 2News that the unusual animal was born on the family farm in Jamieson. Unfortunately, he did not survive. “We know it doesn’t happen very often,” Heidi said of the cow, whose large double head currently sits in a family freezer. “But it happened to us.” See photos of the doubly-headed creature (may she rest in peace) below: Calf Born with Two Heads: WHOA!!!
Under intense scrutiny for her conduct all summer on CBS, Big Brother 15 star Aaryn Gries is finally coming clean, admitting she talks like a racist. STILL, she insists this doesn’t make her one though. The reality star tells TMZ she’s made racial jokes for years, but had no idea they were offensive because “no one had expressed that I was taken that way.” So … does that mean all her friends and family are also racist? Aaryn apologized for throwing the whole state of Texas under the bus when Julie Chen grilled her after her eviction, saying she was in “defense mode.” Yet Gries, who was fired as a result of her actions and words on TV, says she WISHES SOMEONE HAD WARNED HER before going on Big Brother . She had no idea, she swears, that making such “jokes” in that setting would leave her branded as a racist. Or homophobic, or mean, or just dumb, or … Whatever. “I am not a racist,” Aaryn Gries reiterates, lamenting her mistakes and adding that “Sometimes you can say mindless things that will haunt you.” So basically … racist.
Dina Lohan may want to consider downsizing, or plotting an aggressive New York mortgage refinance strategy, because she’s being foreclosed on. According to reports, a bank has filed a lawsuit regarding her Long Island house, which she’s been falling behind on her mortgage payments on for years. JP Morgan Chase Bank filed the foreclosure action, according to the Long Island Press , though Lindsay Lohan ‘s mom can still settle this with the bank. If she does that, she may remain in the property; Dina has salvaged similar situations in the past, including last year, when LiLo floated her $40,000. The foreclosure documents were filed two weeks before Dina Lohan was arrested for DUI . Her BAC was allegedly 2.5 times the legal limit in New York.
The U.S. House passed a short-term spending plan to continue funding government operations through mid-December but withhold funding for Obamacare. House Votes to Defund Obamacare In the never-ending battle over President Obama’s signature health-care law, the GOP fired the opening salvo in what promises to be a contentious 10 days. If the measure, which would extend government operations by only three months, or an alternative bill is not passed, the government will shut down. The legislation would fund federal agencies at an annual rate of over $986 billion but would also leave in place automatic spending cuts known as sequestration. Those are set to take place in January. The bill includes language to prohibit any funding going to implementing the health-care law, leading House GOP leaders to declare victory Friday. “The House has listened to the American people. Now it’s time for the United States Senate to listen to them as well,” said House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH). Also acknowledging that the proposal to end the health-care law is at the centerpiece of the budget plan was House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA). Whether it happens is another story. The Democratic-controlled Senate is expected to move quickly next week to strip the health-care provisions from the bill. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said upon passage of the measure that any bill that defunds Obamacare “is dead” and “a waste of time” in the Senate. Still, House lawmakers voted by a 230-189 margin to approve the funding measure. Two Democrats voted for it. One Republican voted against it. “This place is a mess. We’re not here to expand government, but we’re not here to eliminate government,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said. “If the idea is to limit government, let’s work together to do that. But what is brought to the floor today is without a doubt a measure designed to shut down government.” The bill now moves to the Senate, where it has no chance of being passed in its current form. Whether the sides can come to a deal in ANY form is the open question. Obamacare: Save it or sink it? Uphold the law, it’s clearly constitutional! Repeal the law, it’s so unconstitutional! View Poll »
Miley Cyrus has gone racy for Terry Richardson again. But this time the singer isn’t alone. A month after posing for this famous photographer with her middle finger raised , Cyrus is now embracing Mike Will Made It in a couple new pictures Tweeted by Richardson this afternoon. The 20-year old and the music producer have allegedly been hooking up for weeks, having met in February when Mike (Mr. Will Made It?) began working with Cyrus on the album “Bangerz.” According to a series of new reports, Miley and Liam Hemsworth actually split some time this summer, which explains why she has moved on already to this strangely-named fellow and why Liam is now all over Eiza Gonzalez .
