Blake Shelton incited a major Twitter war over the weekend and was eventually forced to apologize for a tasteless joke and a string of insults… all because of a fake turtle’s death. It all started on July 27 when Shelton wrote: Does anyone know if the Eastern Box turtle is protected in Oklahoma? If so I didn’t just swerve to the shoulder of the road to smash one… NPR blogger Barbara J. King quickly responded in shock, asking the country music superstar: That turtle’s life meant something- was your tweet a bad joke? Why would you be so cruel to a living being?” From there, it was on! Shelton especially got into it with a user named @turtlefeed, going off on her/him in reply to that follower questioning Shelton’s apathy for animals: Hey @turtlefeed. Before u make an even bigger dipshit of urself you should research on how much money I have raised to feed homeless animals… Hey @turtlefeed.. I solely have raised over a million dollars in animal rescue/conservation alone… How much have you raised? Oh. Ok. Next! The artist eventually revealed that he was joking all along, but not before getting awfully personal in his insults: The best part of all of this is that the dumb asses didn’t even look to see that I’m not even in Oklahoma today!! I’m in North Dakota!! Do they even have turtles in North Dakota?!!! God almighty! Finally, Shelton received so much flak for his joke and his responses that he tried to issue an apology to put an end to the back and forth: Ok.. Now that “Turtle-Gate” is over I want to apologize for my ignorant joke.. I never ran over a turtle. It wasn’t even possible.
With rumors of Kris Jenner cheating with Todd Waterman running rampant, she decided to face the music on Keeping Up with the Kardashians Sunday. The reality momager (how much do we hate ourselves for writing momager) finally met with her old flame for ratings/closure after 20 plus years. “I think that this dinner has taught me a lot of things,” she said afterward. What were those things, exactly, and how did Bruce Jenner react? We break it all down for you right here, right now in THG’s official +/- recap: When Kris tells Bruce about her epiphany, he doesn’t exactly respond in kind. Plus 20 because he wouldn’t be a man if he accepted that explanation. “I don’t even know how I can trust you,” he says. “I can’t believe you.” Have no fear, though, because Kourtney, Khloe and Kim Kardashian have an idea … to hook mom up to a polygraph. Because that happens. Minus 40 . “We know that we’re playing with fire,” Kourtney says. “But if she really has nothing to hide, she shouldn’t be worried about answering them.” True. Plus 5 . Kris admits Kim Kardashian is her favorite. Money talks! Plus 10 . She also comes out clean as far as bilking her famous daughters and not being in love with Todd, so perhaps that will assuage fans/Bruce? Plus 10 . “I passed,” Kris says afterward. “Hopefully my family will realize I’ve been telling the truth all along.” They clearly all read the script, so yeah. Minus 30 . Elsewhere, the girls “decide” Lamar should go to the doctor. He’s a pro athlete. The folks at Ryan Seacrest Productions are running out of ideas. Minus 30 . “You walk outside, you probably get some of the best sandwiches in the world.” – Lamar, on a heavy dose of anesthesia. Plus 15 . “I might just start chipping my own tooth just so I can be in the chair again,” he says later. And you wonder how people get hooked on painkillers. “It really bugs me that Kim makes comments like, ‘You’re balding. Your hair is thinning … it’s giving me a complex.” – Rob. Only gets worse, B. Minus 10 . Fortunately, brother-in-law Lamar tells Rob he needs to start rolling with it. Helps to have a large NBA player with a bald head as a role model! Plus 15 . Kris and Bruce go on vacation to “rekindle the passion.” Please tell us the cameras won’t show too much of their combined plastic surgery. Minus 20 . “They met in Malibu for the first time,” Kim says. “So, we want to do whatever we can to help them get some of that passion back that they used to have.” “You know what the difference between now and then was?” Kris says in her most honest moment ever. “We used to put our relationship first.” Plus 5 . “How can we put you and me first?” Bruce asks. Answer: Bom-chick-a-bow-wow. Aww. Brings a tear to your eye if you believe any of this. Plus 10 . EPISODE TOTAL: -40. SEASON TOTAL: -180 .
It’s likely just an afterthought for her as she tries to help lead the U.S. to Olympic gold, but soccer star Hope Solo turns 31 today. Happy birthday to the goalie! If Hope’s Twitter feud with Brandi Chastain has distracted the squad at all, you wouldn’t know it; the Americans are 2-0 after blanking Colombia Saturday in London. Solo met with coaches over her Twitter comments, but isn’t expected to face disciplinary action. Here’s hoping she and the team keep their eyes on the prize! One of the best-known U.S. soccer stars since … well, Chastain and Mia Hamm, Solo has found herself in the news frequently over the years, on and off the field. Hope lit up the parquet on Dancing with the Stars with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and posed nude in the annual ESPN the Magazine body issue. She publicly criticized her coach in ’07 for using another goalkeeper, and was recently given a warning for failing a drug test which found a banned substance. Hope said it was due to premenstrual medication she takes and was cleared for the Olympics, where she says a lot of extracurricular activity goes on at night. Here’s wishing her the best in tomorrow’s contest against North Korea – and a happy birthday as well! Don’t party too hard in the village tonight, Hope … [Photo: WENN.com]
Emily Maynard and Jef Holm continued their media blitz today, appearing on Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM morning radio show and making a couple announcements. First, Maynard will soon be Emily Holm. “Even though I went on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette , I’m pretty traditional, believe it or not, so yeah – sure [I’ll change my name],” the beautiful single mother said. Holm then reiterated his plans to relocate to North Carolina and could not have sounded more excited over the couple’s future. “Every chance I get to see her and hang out with her, I take advantage of that,” he gushed to Seacrest. “She’s seriously the sweetest girl ever.” Finally, what about the rumor that Emily and Jef will pull a Molly and Jason Mesnick and get married on TV? “People keep asking us that, and we don’t even know what we’re going to eat for lunch tomorrow,” Maynard said. “I never thought I was going to be the Bachelorette, so I’ve learned to never say never. But it’s something we’ll have to talk about as a family.” In other words: if the money is right…
Audrina Patridge is still at it…take that haters who thought her stint on The Hills was all she was good for….you know those of us who thought she was just a half retarded chick with implants her dad bought her cuz he had no hope for her to achieve anything beyond stripping….well guess what…she’s booking really prestigious jobs…like running pool parties in her bikini at Foxwood’s Casino…rocking Indian reserves harder than a bootleg cigarette vendor shack…it’s the fucking Vegas of the the North East that trashy fat old couples go to cuz they can’t afford vegas….haters….you just have no idea what’s up…or what making career moves is all about….this is not prostituting yourself for a dollar…you’re just a bunch of haters…now look at her fake tits…they are all that matters. To See the Rest of the Pics FOLLOW THIS LINK
One of North America’s biggest annual film events released details of its lineup Tuesday morning including 17 Galas and 45 “Special Presentations” that will screen in the 37th Toronto International Film Festival in September. Festival CEO and Director Piers Handling as well as TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey announced the lineup this morning in Toronto at a live event about this year’s festival, which includes 38 world premieres. As revealed earlier , Looper with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis will open the festival. Debuts from directors worldwide including Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Costa-Gavras, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, Margarethe von Trotta, Joss Whedon and Yaron Zilberman are in the lineup. TIFF takes place September 6 – 16. Today’s lineup follows. More details from the festival will be announced the coming weeks… “We are thrilled to announce so many exciting and prestigious films today, with many more to follow,” said Handling in a statement. “This year’s Festival is looking particularly strong with bold, adventuresome work coming from established and emerging filmmakers.” “This year we present our most diverse Gala programme to date with films from Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, USA and Canada,” added Bailey. “Toronto’s red carpet is a global one and we’re excited to welcome some of the world’s best filmmakers and greatest stars to Canada.” Toronto lineup details provided by the festival : Galas : Looper by Rian Johnson, USA World Premiere (Opening Night Film) In the futuristic action thriller Looper , time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good… until the day the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. Also starring Emily Blunt, Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels. A Royal Affair by Nikolai Arcel, Denmark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany North American Premiere A Royal Affair is a gripping tale of brave idealists who risk everything in their pursuit of freedom for the people. Above all, it is the story of a passionate and forbidden romance that changed an entire nation. Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander. Argo by Ben Affleck, USA World Premiere When militants storm the U.S. embassy in 1979 Tehran, six Americans manage to slip away. Knowing it’s only a matter of time before they are found, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist comes up with a plan to get them out of the country: a plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies. Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Kyle Chandler. The Company You Keep by Robert Redford, USA North American Premiere Jim Grant (Robert Redford), a civil rights lawyer and single father, must go on the run when a brash young reporter (Shia LaBeouf) exposes his true identity as a former 1970s radical fugitive wanted for murder. Sparking a nationwide manhunt, Grant sets off on a cross-country journey to clear his name. Also starring Susan Sarandon, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick, Stanley Tucci, Chris Cooper and Nick Nolte. Dangerous Liaisons by Hur Jin-ho, China North American Premiere As war looms in Shanghai, glamorous libertine Mo Jietu (Cecilia Cheung) runs into playboy Xie Yifan (Dong-gun Jang), an ex-boyfriend who’s never stopped loving her. She persuades him to play a treacherous game: Xie must seduce the innocent and naïve Du Fenyu (Zhang Ziyi) and then dump her. But the game becomes increasingly dangerous as Xie falls in love with Du, leading them all to tragic and shocking consequences. English Vinglish by Gauri Shinde, India World Premiere Money, fame and a knowledge of English. In India, these 3 factors play a huge role in how society judges an individual. English Vinglish is the story of Shashi, a woman who does not know English and in turn is made to feel insecure by her family and society at large. The film is the lighthearted yet touching and transformational journey of Shashi. Circumstances make her determined to overcome this insecurity, master the language, teach the world a lesson on the way to becoming a self assured and confident woman. This film marks the comeback of India’s biggest female star, Sridevi. Free Angela & All Political Prisoners by Shola Lynch, USA/France World Premiere Legendary radical activist Angela Davis’ words and actions made her a revolutionary icon in the 1960s. The documentary Free Angela & All Political Prisoners tells the dramatic story of how a young philosophy professor’s social justice activism implicates her in the botched kidnapping attempt of a judge that ends in bloody shootout. Newsweek asks: what would prompt Angela Davis, “the daughter of the black bourgeoisie, to take a desperate turn to terrorism?” Great Expectations by Mike Newell, United Kingdom World Premiere Based on the Charles Dickens classic. Orphan Pip rises from humble beginnings thanks to a mysterious benefactor. Moving through London’s class-ridden world as a gentleman, Pip uses his new status to pursue Estella, a beautiful, heartless heiress he’s always loved. The shocking truth behind his fortune will have devastating consequences for everything he holds dear. Starring Holliday Grainger, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jeremy Irvine. Hyde Park on Hudson by Roger Michell, United Kingdom World Premiere In June 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Academy Award® nominee Bill Murray) and his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) host the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Colman) for a weekend at the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park on Hudson in upstate New York. With Britain facing imminent war with Germany, the Royals are desperately looking to FDR for support. But international affairs must be juggled with the complexities of FDR’s domestic establishment. Seen through the eyes of Daisy (Academy Award nominee Laura Linney), Franklin’s neighbour and intimate, the weekend will produce not only a special relationship between two great nations, but also a deeper understanding of the mysteries of love and friendship. Inescapable by Ruba Nadda, Canada World Premiere One afternoon, on a typical day at work, Adib is confronted with devastating news: His eldest daughter, Muna, has gone missing in Damascus. Now Adib, who has not been back in over 30 years, must return to Syria and deal with his secret past in order to find her. Inescapable is a thriller about a father’s desperate search for his daughter and the chaos of the Middle East he left behind. Starring Alexander Siddig, Marisa Tomei and Joshua Jackson. Jayne Mansfield’s Car by Billy Bob Thornton, USA/Russia North American Premiere Jayne Mansfield’s Car is a funny, poignant and searching look at three generations of fathers and sons in the South during the tumultuous ‘60s. It follows the family’s heartfelt — and sometimes hilarious — struggles with long-held resentments, secrets, the memories of war, and how life, death and loss shaped them all. Starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, Billy Bob Thornton and John Hurt. Love, Marilyn by Liz Garbus, USA World Premiere Nearly 50 years after her death, two boxes of Marilyn Monroe’s private writings and musings were discovered in the home of her acting coach. These papers, brought to life in this innovative documentary film by some of our contemporary icons and stars, give us a new understanding of Monroe — revealing her carefully guarded inner life. Featuring Elizabeth Banks, Lindsay Lohan, Evan Rachel Wood, Ben Foster, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, Viola Davis, Jeremy Piven, Ellen Burstyn, Adrien Brody, Marisa Tomei and Glenn Close. Midnight’s Children by Deepa Mehta, Canada/ United Kingdom World Premiere “Born in the hour of India’s freedom. Handcuffed to history.” Midnight’s Children is an epic film from Academy Award-nominated director Deepa Mehta, based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Salman Rushdie. At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, as India proclaims independence from Great Britain, two newborn babies are switched by a nurse in a Bombay hospital. Saleem Sinai, the illegitimate son of a poor Hindu woman, and Shiva, the offspring of wealthy Muslims, are fated to live the destiny meant for each other. Their lives become mysteriously intertwined and are inextricably linked to India’s whirlwind journey of triumphs and disasters. Starring Satya Bhabha, Shahana Goswami, Rajat Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran, Siddharth, Ronit Roy, Rahul Bose, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Soha Ali Khan, Anita Majumdar, Zaib Shaikh and Darsheel Safary. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mira Nair, USA North American Premiere Based on the best-selling novel of the same title, that was translated into 25 languages, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a riveting international political thriller that follows the story of a young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall Street, who ultimately finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American dream, a hostage crisis and the enduring call of his family’s homeland. Starring Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland and Liev Schreiber. Silver Linings Playbook David O. Russell, USA World Premiere An intense, loving, emotional and funny family story from The Fighter director, David O. Russell. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence find themselves partners in a secret arrangement to rebuild their broken lives. Robert De Niro yearns to get closer to his son (Cooper), as he tries to keep the family afloat with his compulsive bookmaking. Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker co-star. Thermae Romae by Hideki Takeuchi, Japan North American Premiere Ancient Roman architect Lucius (Hiroshi Abe) is too serious. His inability to keep up with the fast-moving times costs him his job. When a friend takes the dejected Lucius to the public bathhouse to cheer him up, Lucius accidentally slips through time and resurfaces in a modern-day public bath in Japan. There, he meets aspiring young manga artist Mami (Aya Ueto), along with others of the “flat-faced clan.” Shocked by the many inventive aspects of Japan’s bathing culture, Lucius returns to ancient Rome and garners tremendous attention when he implements these novel ideas back in Rome. As he time-slips back and forth between ancient Rome and modern-day Japan, Lucius’ reputation as the ingenious, new bath architect begins to grow. Twice Born by Sergio Castellitto, Italy/Spain/Croatia World Premiere Gemma visits Sarajevo with her son, Pietro. Sixteen years ago they escaped the war-torn city while the boy’s father remained behind and later died. As she tries to repair her relationship with Pietro, a revelation forces Gemma to face loss, the cost of war and the redemptive power of love. Starring Penelope Cruz and Emile Hirsch. Special Presentations : A Few Hours of Spring by Stéphane Brizé, France North American Premiere Forty-eight-year-old Alain Evrard is obliged to return home to live with his mother. This situation causes all the violence of their past relationship to rise to the surface. Alain then discovers that his mother has a fatal illness. In the last months of her life, will they finally be capable of taking a step toward each other? Anna Karenina by Joe Wright, United Kingdom International Premiere The third collaboration of Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley with acclaimed director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, is a bold, theatrical new vision of the epic love story, adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s timeless novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love). The story powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart. As Anna (Knightley) questions her happiness and marriage, change comes to surround her. Also starring Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Also in Thursday morning’s round-up of news briefs, the upcoming Locarno Film Festival will honor Mexican actor Gael García Bernal. Is Warner Bros. taking on Instagram in the photo-sharing race? Also, some analysis offered up on today’s Emmy noms and Gwyneth Paltrow takes on a foodie indie. Robin Williams Joins The Butler and The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Williams will play President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Lee Daniel’s The Butler starring Forest Whitaker about a White House servant who served eight First Families over three decades. And he will star in the comedy The Angriest Man in Brooklyn opposite Mila Kunis, Peter Dinklage, Melissa Leo and James Earl Jones. The film is the story of a stand-in doctor who mistakenly tells an obnoxious patient he has 90 minutes to live. Gael García Bernal to Receive Locarno Honors The Mexican actor will receive an “Excellence Award” at the 65th Locarno Film Festival August 8th following a screening of his latest film, Pablo Larraín’s No . Charlotte Rampling will also receive an Excellence Award at the festival which takes place August 1 – 11. Past recipients include Oleg Menchikov, Susan Sarandon, John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Michel Piccoli, Carmen Maura, Toni Servillo, Chiara Mastroianni and las year, Isabelle Huppert. Warner Bros Sets Up New Photo Sharing Service Watch out Instagram? Warner Bros Technical Operations has launched outmywindow , which it touts as a “more personal way to share and save your photos” in which users can share images with specific friends and family through one-click permission-based albums. Around the ‘net… The Dark Knight Rises Takes $25M in Pre-Sales The Dark Knight remains the biggest 2-D North American opener at $158M and TDKR will likely best that by as much as $195M-plus, but now the question is, can it beat The Avengers box office busting $207.4M from 2-D, Digital 3-D, RealD and IMAX 3-D, Deadline reports . Emmys Shake Up Comedy But Nominees Contain Few Surprises “I wouldn’t say there were a lot of surprises on this morning’s Emmy nominations list although the comedy series categories offered a lot of fresh meat for the awards show, mostly supplied by HBO which came roaring back in series competition,” Pete Hammond offers awards analysis on Deadline. Gwyneth Paltrow to Star in Foodie Memoir Blood, Bones & Butter The actress and cookbook author is in talks to star in the indie film based on Gabrielle Hamilton’s 2011 book, which chronicles her unconventional background and her unorthodox journey to becoming a chef and owner of New York’s Prune restaurant in the East Village, THR reports .
Kerry Kennedy was arrested for driving under the influence on July 13, but the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy swears alcohol played no role in why she slammed into a tractor trailer. Appearing in North Castle Town Court last night, Kennedy pleaded not guilty and then addressed reporters, zeroing in on the claim that she failed various field sobriety tests. Kennedy said toxicology tests showed “no alcohol, recreational drugs or prescription medication in my system,” but neurological tests revealed an area of hyper density” in her brain. “This accident was caused not by a sleeping aid but by a complex partial seizure,” Kennedy said, adding that the aforementioned area is the result of an old injury. Kennedy will return to court in August.
Also in Wednesday morning’s round-up of news briefs, Kino Lorber Films picks up a Tribeca Film Festival doc that spotlights the culture wars in the Texas school system. Juliette Lewis is in talks to star opposite Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in an upcoming pic, while Diane Kruger is set for a role of a 19th century Kentucky stepmom to a U.S. president. Tribeca’s The Revisionaries Picked Up for North America Kino Lorber Films acquired the documentary for the U.S. and Canada. The Revisionaries spotlights how public education has become the latest battleground in a new wave of cultural, religious and ideological clashes, with local Texas education board members advancing agendas of Creationism and other religious issues in public schools. The film exposes how their tactics have had the effect of rewriting key aspects of U.S. democracy and are affecting educational policies at the national level. The New York-based distributor will open the feature nationwide in October and PBS’ Independent Lens will broadcast the feature in early 2013. Around the ‘net… Rush Limbaugh: Batman Villain Named ‘Bane’ to Hurt Mitt Romney The right-wing radio host said that the group behind Warner Bros’ The Dark Knight Rises are trying to brainwash audiences by naming the pic’s villain “Bane.” Bain Capital is Romney’s former employer, which has been criticized for outsourcing American jobs overseas, Deadline reports . Producer Jerry Weintraub Developing Hugh Hefner Biopic Peter Morgan is in negotiations to write the Hefner story that Weintraub is developing with Warner Bros. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter met with Hefner Tuesday, THR reports . Juliette Lewis Eyes August: Osage County Lewis is in negotiations to join the cast of the film. She’d play Karen, the self-deluding youngest daughter in the dark family comedy being financed and released by The Weinstein Company. She would join Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, Deadline reports . Diane Kruger Set for Lincoln’s Stepmother in Green Blade Rising Terrence Malick is producing Green Blade Rising , about the 16th U.S. president’s youth in Kentucky. Kruger will play his stepmother, the woman who encouraged him to read,” Movie Nation reports .
Another tabloid cover of Kate Middleton is creating quite a stir in Great Britain – but this one is actually real. Unlike the photoshopped image of Middleton with yellow teeth , an Australian magazine called Woman’s Day has published an image of Kate and Prince William on their honeymoon on North Island, a tiny archipelago in the Seychelles. It’s unclear how a paparazzi member sneaked on to the tropical paradise, as it’s rumored to be home to more tortoises than people. But one insider said the shutter bug likely earned an enormous payday for the pic. “Any shot of them on their honeymoon was going to go for at least half a million but because Kate is in a bikini I would estimate that this is a million dollar shot,” celebrity business journalist Jo Piazza told Yahoo! Shine. It’s true. For all the Kate Middleton fashion trends out there, best of luck trying to find another photo of the would-be-queen in a bathing suit. Sources say the royal couple is “distraught” over the leaking of the picture, as they went to great lengths to keep the honeymoon destination a secret from the press. Reports say that coast guard patrolmen and security teams were even stationed around the bungalow in which Kate and William stayed. Clearly, someone either messed up or was in on the tabloid scoop, however. Over a dozen additional images of Middleton and her prince swimming and strolling are featured inside the issue.
