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| | Semisonic: We did not authorize or condone the White House's use of 'Closing Time' | | Added 2 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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More than 250 people were deported without due process over the weekend. The Trump administration claims these were Venezuelan gang members, but no evidence has been provided of any gang or terrorist group affiliation, nor of any convictions. Additionally, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as his right to enact the mass deportations, even though the law is only supposed to be used in wartime. Naturally, this whole operation was wildly illegal, and the ACLU was in court immediately to stop it, which led to a judge issuing a verbal order to pause the deportations until everything could be reviewed and litigated. Instead, not only did the Trump administration let the planes continue on to an El Salvador prison (where we?re paying for them to be detained), the cruel f?ks made a video documenting it all that was posted from official White House social media accounts. Playing throughout the clip is Semisonic?s 1998 hit ?Closing Time,? and the band would very much like you to know that they did not authorize or condone this (mis)use of their song:
Semisonic said it did not authorize and does not condone the White House?s using its hit ?Closing Time? in a video that appears to depict deportation, the band said in a statement Monday.
The video, posted on the White House?s official social media accounts Monday, features a handcuffed man being patted down while the song plays in the background: ?Closing time, you don?t have to go home, but you can?t stay here.?
In the next shot, the audience can see ?BORDER PATROL? in capital letters as people climb up stairs to an airplane in the background, seemingly to be deported from the United States. The rest of the song?s verse continues: ?I know who I want to take me home.?
The Minneapolis rock band was quick to denounce the use of its 1998 hit.
?We did not authorize or condone the White House?s use of our song in any way. And no, they didn?t ask,? Semisonic said in a statement shared by its publicist. ?The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.?
Many musicians say they did not authorize President Donald Trump?s campaign or administration to use their songs.
Last year, Celine Dion?s management team and record label, Sony Music Canada, said the use of her 1997 hit ?My Heart Will Go On? at a Trump rally in Montana was ?unauthorized.?
Rihanna did the same in 2018 after ?Don?t Stop the Music? was played at another rally.
The list goes on, with Adele, Steven Tyler and Neil Young also criticizing Trump for using their tunes in rallies over the years.
[From NBC News]
I?m glad Semisonic clapped back right away. As of this writing, I haven?t found any updates on whether the band plans to sue over the unauthorized use of their song, as countless artists have done before them. Though, honestly, it wouldn?t make any difference, right? I mean, if the Trump administration isn?t heeding the orders of a US district judge about illegally shipping hundreds of humans off to prison without any kind of due process whatsoever, why would they bother listening to a court over a song? There has been no end of heinous acts committed over the last two months (only two months??!!), and sadly I don?t think we?ve even seen the bottom yet. But that video the White House put together shook me to my core. I meant it when I called these people cruel f?ks. They?re gleefully filming acts of inhumanity. And then on top of that, someone took the time to consider, ?What song can we use to pump up our deeds of derring despicable?? It?s almost quaint of Semisonic to say the White House ?missed the point? of the song. The cruelty is the point of this administration, and they?ll manipulate whatever they want, however they want, in pursuit of that goal.
Note by CB: We are not linking or embedding the despicable video from the White House. You can see it at the source link if youre interested. Also I had the Great Divide and Feeling Strangely Fine CDs when they came out. Im glad to see Semisonic is doing well.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Semisonic (@semisonicband)
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| | Brenda Song tried to teach her fiance Macaulay Culkin to drive and do laundry | | Added 2 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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My new favorite celebrity couple is Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin. I know they?ve been together since 2017, but it?s only been over the past few months that they?ve really opened up and let us get to know them as a couple. ICYMI, they did a big spread for Cosmopolitan in February. Brenda is currently co-starring in the new Netflix series, Running Point with Kate Hudson, so she?s been doing the talk show circuit. On The Jennifer Hudson Show she talked about being a working mother, how she?s a die-hard LA Lakers fan, and her relationship, including the times that she attempted to teach the world?s most famous child star how to drive and do his own laundry.
Brenda Song revealed her fianc, 44, still doesn?t know how to drive a car and didn?t know how to do laundry when they first met.
?I always say Mac is a very unique human being the most famous child actor in the world,? Song said during her Thursday appearance on ?The Jennifer Hudson Show.? ?He still doesn?t know how to drive! I took him out to drive in our neighborhood. I was terrified, let me tell you.?
The ?Suite Life on Deck? star, 36, joked she has to ?hire someone? to teach the former child star to do that specific task.
As for the laundry, Song explained that Culkin?s unique childhood is to blame.
?He lived and grew up in hotels, he had just never really done laundry, and I was shooketh?,? she told Hudson.
?I?ve been doing laundry since I was 10 helping my mom,? Song added. ?It?s funny, teaching him how to do laundry.?
Song and Culkin have kept a relatively low profile throughout their relationship. Though, Song has shared more details of their personal lives in recent months while promoting her latest projects ? ?The Last Showgirl? and the Netflix series ?Running Point.? The parents, who share 3-year-old son Dakota and 2-year-old son Carson, gave fans the first glimpse at their kids when they attended Culkin?s Walk of Fame ceremony in December 2023.
[From Page Six]
There?s a famous scene in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody where Phil Lewis? character, Mr. Moseby, is trying to teach Brenda?s character, London Tipton, how to drive, and she refers to the gear shift as ?the PRINDL.? It sounds like there was a case of life imitating art here. I think that the older you get, the harder it is to learn how to drive. It?s similar to how it?s tougher to learn a new language as you get older. Mac is rich enough to be able to call a driver and he could have gotten lessons at any other point in his life before now, so I?m sure he doesn?t really feel like he?s missing out. Still, the imagery of him trying to practice left-hand turns in an empty parking lot is sending me. As for the laundry, it makes sense that he never had to learn due to growing up in hotels. It?s also not surprising. Some couples split up household chores and literally never learn how to do the one that isn?t their responsibility.
JHud was stanning Mac pretty hard throughout, so Brenda also talked about how she made her beau watch Home Alone for the first time in over a decade when they first got together. He kept telling her behind-the-scenes trivia and she had to tell him to knock it off because he was ?ruining it? for her. Hahaha, amazing. As it turns out, Jennifer is such a fan that she actually tried to buy the Home Alone house when it went up for sale last year! I think that is so cool. Apparently, the people who ended up buying it did so anonymously, but this makes me wonder how many other celebrities also tried to buy it.
Heres Brendas appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show. I queued it up to start when she comes on, but just in case, she shows up at 26:54:
Embed from Getty Images
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| | Tina Fey: 'I have a problem with rich people having a side hustle' I judge it' | | Added 2 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Amy Poehler has a new podcast called Good Hang with Amy Poehler. Of course, Amy?s ?wife? Tina Fey was one of her first guests, and I can only hope that Tina will be a regular guest. There?s something magical about Tina and Amy?s friendship and their comedic energy when they?re together. They have been dear friends for what? Almost three decades? Something like that. Well, obviously, Tina made some comments which are getting a lot of play. Tina and Amy start talking about celebrity side-hustles and how Tina doesn?t really respect rich people who dabble in money-making schemes on the side.
Tina Fey revealed she will never have a side hustle and admitted she judges fellow celebrities who do.
?I have a problem with rich people having a side hustle,? the ?Mean Girls? star shared on Tuesday?s episode of the ?Good Hang with Amy Poehler? podcast. ?If you already have like $200 million ? I judge it,? she added.
Poehler, 53, encouraged Fey, 54, to change her viewpoint, saying the latter should ?learn from Gen Z? and not ?judge it.?
The pals got on the topic of side hustles when the ?Parks and Recreation? star complemented Fey on her ?incredible hair.?
?I feel like you should have a hair campaign,? Poehler said. ?[I?m] always pushing you to have a glasses line. Why do you not have a glass [line]??
Fey started to detail why she hadn?t invested in a glasses line before Poehler interrupted, saying, ?You hate money??
?I do kind of hate money,? the ?Date Night? star chimed in, explaining that she is ?terrible with money.?
?No, I?m not terrible. I don?t waste money, but I don?t get excited about money,? she clarified. The ?30 Rock? alum shared she only needs enough funds to feel ?safe? and live.
[From Page Six]
Page Six missed one of the funniest parts, which is when Tina said that she judges side-hustles and Amy says ?you mean like a podcast or something?? LMAO. The thing to understand about Tina?s perspective and this is why Amy brings up Gen Z is that Tina is Gen X. Gen Xers and Xennials did not grow up in ?hustle culture.? That was not part of our cultural experience when we were growing up, we were told to look down on ?sellouts? who ?did things for money.? There was a whole period of time when people looked down on new designer clothing and everyone prioritized vintage everything and flea-markets and Goodwills. Actors just ACTED, they didn?t have their own wine labels. Musicians didn?t have a list of sponsors. That absolutely shifted in the past twenty years, but Tina is still clinging to her Gen X belief system.
?i have a problem with rich people having a side hustle? shes literally so important to the culture pic.twitter.com/ndUCn18oBB
m (@bigIttIeIies) March 18, 2025
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| | Leslie Bibb is not responsible for Sam Rockwell's crazy role on 'The White Lotus' | | Added 3 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Spoilers for The White Lotus.
Generally, I avoid writing too much about Severance and The White Lotus because most discussions involve so many spoilers, and I want people to be able to genuinely enjoy the experience of watching these shows in their own time. I?m really enjoying this season of TWL I?m rooting for two characters to make it, Aimee Lou Woods? character Chelsea and Natasha Rothwell?s character Belinda. Almost everyone else can choke! No, I actually like some of them, including Walton Goggins? man of mystery, who is apparently hunting down the guy who killed his father. Goggins? character, Rick, has flown to Bangkok to hunt down this guy, and Rick ended up calling an old friend for some help.
In the most recent episode, we finally got to meet Rick?s friend, who was played by Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell. Rockwell?s guest role it?s more than a cameo, he?s in next week?s episode too has quickly become one of the most bonkers moments in TWL?s history. Rockwell delivered a truly insane monologue which I will not even describe, you just have to watch it. So many people thought Rockwell?s partner Leslie Bibb somehow got Rockwell the role, or that Rockwell might have been hanging out on set with Bibb, because she?s one of the major characters this season. As it turns out, not so much. Bibb spoke to Entertainment Weekly about how Sam dropped into Thailand for eight days and did his thing.
Leslie Bibb tells Entertainment Weekly that she actually had nothing to do with Sam Rockwells casting.
No, they came to me and they were like, Were going to offer this to Sam,' Bibb tells EW. I was on the treadmill and [producer] Dave Bernad came to me. But I was like, Sam is wild as a buck. Listen, I dont know what hes going to do. Hes doing a movie in South Africa, he likes time to prep. And he was very nervous about that prep time.
That was a big arc to do that quickly, Bibb says of [Rockwell?s] characters debut. And [Rockwell] literally went from one [project] to the next, so I said [to producers], You cant get mad at me if he says no. What if he says no? I was so scared! Then [creator] Mike [White] was like, No, no, no, we wont get mad at you.'
Bibb laughed as she remembered telling the showrunner, I was like, That jet planes going to fly, I cant ground him. But then it was really sweet ? I think Walton really, because theyre very good friends, wanted to have that experience with him.
And getting her real-life partner to come join her on the set of The White Lotus was a treat, even if Rockwell got a truncated experience. It was really fun, she says. We dont have any scenes together, and he did all of his stuff in eight days. We were there for six months, Sam was there for eight days ? Sam did not [have] the same experience in eight days. He got The White Lotus light. But its nice to be able to have a context to share, and I think hes a great actor, and were lucky to have him, and I think he chewed up that character. Mike was really happy to have him too.
Bibb did get a bit jealous when she first saw some of Rockwells scenes, however. I saw some stills from them on the boat in Bangkok, and I was like, Were sweating our faces off, and they were like, hair blowing in the wind,' she added with a laugh. Look how cool they look. This is like To Live and Die in L.A., but it was like To Live and Die in Bangkok. It was so cool.
[From EW]
What?s even wilder about this is that Sam still hasn?t said anything? He just dropped into TWL, delivered the craziest monologue in the history of the show, dipped after a few days and he?s done absolutely nothing to promote it or talk about it. An actor?s life is so wild though, I bet Sam enjoyed the hell out of the guest role and being able to work with his friend Walton Goggins. What I also liked was that Rockwell?s appearance felt completely organic within the show. It wasn?t like ?oh, look, a movie star just showed up!? You actually felt like those two guys had some history and once you see the scene, you realize that Sam didn?t do this for the glamour.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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| | Kim Kardashian considers stripping Kanye West of joint custody of their kids | | Added 13 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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When Kim Kardashian finally filed for divorce from Kanye West, everyone knew that it would be a giant mess. Even Kim knew that, and she clearly had a plan for how to handle it and how to ?manage? Kanye. He spent so many months trying to stall every part of their divorce, and Kim patiently waited it out. When they finally completed their divorce, the terms were simple enough: joint custody of the kids, Kim kept almost all of their jointly-held real estate, and they otherwise left the marriage with their separate assets. Since the divorce, Kanye has not been a consistent father to those kids and Kim has repeatedly said that she feels like a single mother.
If anything, Kanye only seems to give a sh-t about the oldest child, North West, and he seems to spend the most time with her. To the point where North is being featured in Kanye?s chaotic new music. Over the weekend, Kanye released a new song called ?Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine.? It features North rapping and a phone conversation between Kanye and Sean Combs. Kanye is still on Twitter (naturally) and he tried to ?expose? Kim?s attempts to get the song taken down, and Kim?s protests about including their eldest child in anything involving Sean Combs, who is still awaiting trial for human trafficking, rape, etc. This song seems to be the straw that broke the camel?s back, and now Kim is making moves to strip Kanye of joint custody of their kids.
Kim Kardashian is mulling over a big decision whether to go to court and ask a judge to strip Kanye West of joint legal custody of their 4 kids, because her ex-husband has flagrantly ignored their custody agreement.
The latest legal war was set off after Kanye agreed in a mediation Friday not to release a previously recorded song in which their daughter North raps. The track Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine also includes a phone convo between Diddy and Kanye.
Thing is Kim was vehemently opposed to letting North participate in any way and according to their divorce settlement, they both have equal say in making decisions for their kids.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, the divorce settlement provides for the event theres a conflict Kim and Kanye must first go to a private judge to try and hash out an agreement. Kim was there for the mediation with her lawyer, Disso Queen Laura Wasser, and his lawyer, Patrick DeCarolis, and they did reach an agreement North would not appear on any version of the song if it was released.
But agreements dont seem to matter with Kanye, and he released the song with Norths voice over the weekend. Kanye posted to X last night THE MAN MAKES THE FINAL DECISION.
So, heres what Kim is weighing Kanye rarely sees his kids, so physical custody is not an issue. In fact, Kim wants their kids to have a relationship with their dad and has almost always facilitated that. One recent exception when Kanye held an event where he urged participants to wear swastika shirts. She did not feel it was appropriate for her kids to attend that event.
As for legal custody, hes not that involved in decision-making, but still Kanye has made it clear hes not about to follow the rules of the road. So our sources say Kim is seriously considering going to court to ask a judge to strip him of joint legal custody.
[From TMZ]
Many people wondered why Kim didn?t seek sole custody in the first place, but looking back on everything, I think Kim understood that she would effectively have sole custody anyway because Kanye was such a deadbeat dad, plus she really did want the kids to have a relationship with him in some way. But yeah, I?m fine with her seeking sole custody and I?m sure Kanye is enjoying the fact that he finally got a reaction from Kim after she?s mostly grey-rocked him for years. I expect the family court judge will be like ?he put his CHILD in a song with Sean Combs?? I?ve heard enough.?
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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| | Gwyneth Paltrow has 'a strong instinct to stand up' for women like Duchess Meghan | | Added 13 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Gwyneth Paltrow covers the April issue of Vanity Fair, mostly to promote her big return to acting in Josh Safdie?s Marty Supreme, opposite Timothee Chalamet. The film doesn?t have a release date, but Gwyneth is still talking? and talking. This VF piece made me incredibly nostalgic for these kinds of love-them-or-hate-them movie star tell-all interviews which are all too rare these days. Gwyneth talks extensively about being an empty-nester, about conscious uncoupling, about her move to Montecito and about the business of Goop. She even talks about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex too. You can read the full VF piece here. Some highlights:
Her life has changed so much since she had a major film role: ?I?ve gone through a lot since the last time I was onscreen in a real way. I?m going through hard-core perimenopause, which doesn?t help. There?s this weird, deep grief that comes with letting go, saying goodbye, and then calling into question your own purpose? is how Paltrow puts it. She?s talking about empty nesting, but the same could apply to her state of personal and professional flux. ?Who am I now??
Filming sex scenes with Chalamet: ?There?s now something called an intimacy coordinator, which I did not know existed,? she says. When Marty Supreme?s intimacy coordinator asked Paltrow if she?d be okay with a particular move, ?I was like, ?Girl, I?m from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera?s on.?? Incidentally, Gwynothe all but waved off their intimacy coordinator, a choice actors are free to make. ?We said, ?I think we?re good. You can step a little bit back.? I don?t know how it is for kids who are starting out, but?if someone is like, ?Okay, and then he?s going to put his hand here??- I would feel, as an artist, very stifled by that.?
Did #MeToo change anything? ?I think so.? For one, ?there are no meetings set up in hotel rooms, from what I understand, or if there are, it?s multiple people in the room. That bubble has definitely burst. I?m sure people still abuse power in Hollywood because they do everywhere, but it has definitely changed.?
Depleted in the ?90s and early ?00s: ?I was really disenchanted with how I was treated for a lot of it,? including ?the disparity between male costars and all that, which now sounds clich, but it?s really true and it?s hard to live.?
Winning an Oscar so young: ?I had the validation so early that it was almost not a good thing? It?s just not as glamorous as it looks. There?s a healthy level of ambition, like, ?I know who I am? and ?I want the world,??and then there?s another aspect that comes from damage?. ?I want that so that a hole will be filled, so that other people will find me worthy, so that I?ll be lovable.??? Looking back, she says, ?I think I was very much dancing between those things.?
The GOOP brand: ?It used to be, ?We can take shots at these models or movie stars ?cause it?s fun to read,??? Paltrow says, including fellow famous founders Hailey Bieber, Blake Lively, and her friend Reese Witherspoon, but it?s more precarious when they?re answering to investors. ?You?re crossing a line because you could be impacting my P&L??corporate-speak for profit and loss. ?If it?s not true and you?re creating a negative perception about any one of our businesses, what?s your responsibility there? It?s different than just saying, ?Look at this gross picture of Gwyneth on a beach on vacation.??
The lifestyle pioneer: ?I feel like more than being a successful actress or being a part of #MeToo, or being one of the first actresses to launch a lifestyle brand and I haven?t fully fleshed this out yet, so I?m sort of saying this to you as I?m thinking it for the first time, but it might just be that my role is to pave the way. By some instinct or curiosity or desire, I go somewhere and I hack through the path and I get the scratches of hacking through, but I make space for other people, then, to do it.? She?s just putting it out there: What if the sh-t she?s pilloried for?but that is gradually, eventually, adopted more widely??that?s the point of my life, maybe??
On the Sussexes: ?I don?t know Meghan and Harry,? Paltrow says. I?m surprised, given how close they live. ?I mean, I?ve met Meghan, who seems really lovely, but I don?t know her at all. Maybe I?ll try to get through their security detail and bring them a pie.? She hasn?t seen the trailer for Markle?s Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, either. Based on its fresh-veggie-filled emphasis on the good life, the show seems quite Goop-adjacent, but Paltrow is unthreatened. If anything, she?s inclined to defend the duchess: When ?there?s noise about certain women in the culture, I do have, always, a strong instinct to stand up for them.?
There?s space for everyone: She says she welcomes Markle?and any number of Goop?s descendants?to the proverbial lifestyle space. ?I was raised to see other women as friends, not foes,? Paltrow says firmly. ?I think there?s always more than enough to go around. Everybody deserves an attempt at everything that they want to try.? It?s a lesson Paltrow learned early, around age 19, from Danner. She?d lost out on a much-coveted role and was griping about the actor cast instead. She says her mother cut her off, telling young Paltrow: ?Another woman is never your competition? and ?what is right for you will find you.?
[From VF]
There?s a ton more, including a large section about raw milk and Robert Kennedy Jr?s ?Make America Healthy Again? agenda and Gwyneth?s somewhat murky politics these days, but she sounded like an ahole there and I didn?t think many people would care (who gives a sh-t about raw milk when Kennedy is bringing back measles and flu deaths?) I appreciate what she says about the Duchess of Sussex and that she made the effort to show some public support for Meghan. I also sort of hope that Gwyneth and Meghan do become friends or perhaps allies. I mock Gwyneth a lot, but she?s a good ally to have.
Cover courtesy of VF, additional photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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