October 6, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Nicole Kidman is opening up about her past relationship with Tom Cruise.

Speaking to the New York Times recently, the 53-year-old actress detailed her past experience shooting a movie with her then-husband.

The two starred in 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut, but it was how they spent their time between shooting is what Kidman remembers most fondly.

“We were happily married through that,” explained the Undoing star. “We would go go-kart racing after [intense] scenes. We’d rent out a place and go racing at three in the morning.”

Kidman noted that filming a psychological drama can be emotionally taxing and fully credited director Stanley Kubrick for going above and beyond to ensure she and Cruise were comfortable and happy.

“We had two kids and were living in a trailer on the lot primarily, making spaghetti because Stanley liked to eat with us sometimes,” Kidman smiled. “We were working with the greatest filmmaker and learning about our lives and enjoying our lives on set. We would say, ‘When is it going to end?'”

That’s why when their three month contract “turned into a year, a year and a half,” Kidman says that she and Cruise surrendered to having “an incredible time” and “loved” working with Kubrick.

Kidman also praised the director for opening her up to the idea of doing nude scenes, explaining that she dreaded the idea because she agonized over the possibility of “me standing there nude and everyone laughing at me.”

To help the Australian actress overcome her anxiety, Kubrick amended her contract so that he “would show me the scenes with the nudity before they made it into the film. Then I could feel completely safe.”

Kidman and Cruise divorced in 2001.  They share two children together: Connor, 25, and Bella, 27.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 6, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Djeneba Aduayom(LOS ANGELES) — Gabrielle Union may have just ended a lengthy battle over the alleged racist treatment she received while working as a judge on America’s Got Talent, but that doesn’t mean she’s done talking about it. 

In a new interview with Marie Claire, the longtime actress dished the details about the various incidents which prompted her to file a formal complaint.

Union, 47, explained to the magazine that she was subject to a series of “microaggressions” with a lot of them having to do with her appearance. She claimed the show’s producers gave her “excessive notes” and called her hairstyles “too wild,” which she interpreted as code for “too Black.” 

“That is the beauty of being a Black woman,” she proclaimed. “I should be able to exist however the [expletive] I want to exist, because if you’re hiring Gabrielle Union for my talent, then my talent is going to come out of my body in every way, shape, and incarnation that I can imagine. You’re getting more bang for your buck the more you allow me to exist as I see fit.”

The Bring It On alum also had to endure a toxic work environment which included incidents like Simon Cowell’s blatant disregard for her allergy to cigarette smoke and insensitive jokes targeting Asians made by guest judge Jay Leno.

Union added that “racist institutions and systems” are largely what keeps many from speaking out on these issues — out of fear of being blackballed. But with age, she shared that she feels “liberated.”

“They want you to feel like ‘It’s not me, it’s you, you’re crazy, you’re doing something that’s causing this, you are complicit,'” she said. “You are not going to gaslight me into minimizing my trauma, which is exactly what allows this to continue on for the next person.”

By Danielle Long
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 6, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Eric McCandless(LOS ANGELES) — It was a fight to the finish on the ballroom floor as Dancing with the Stars whittled the list of competitors down to the top 12 Monday night.  Despite a series of breakout performances where a barrage of celebrity dancers finally hit their stride, actress Anne Heche was sent home.  

Heche appeared to have an inkling that her DWTS journey was about to end, choosing to share her truth on Monday about how she “moved the needle for equal rights forward” when she openly dated Ellen DeGeneres from 1997 to 2000.

The 51-year-old Psycho star proudly danced the Paso Doble to Katy Perry’s “Rise” and even pulled a Tyra Banks mid-dance by switching up her outfit that paid homage to the Pride Flag.  “It’s been a blessing to be on this show,” gushed Heche, who earned 21/30 as her final score. “And to be able to tell my story. And to be able to have a partner to tell the truth with and to learn with.”

Heche’s departure was preceded by a shocking snafu that took place in the final two minutes of the night when Banks mistakenly sent NFL pro Vernon Davis to the bottom two alongside Heche.

It was actually Cheer star Monica Aldama who was sent by the audience to stand before the judges.

“This is live TV,” Banks calmly explained before all three judges quickly agreed to redeem Aldama. “I was reading my cards, but my cards were wrong.”

Emotions were understandably riding high throughout the night, as the dancers were challenged to reflect on their past and made heartfelt tributes to those who had the biggest influence on their life.

There wasn’t a dry eye on the ballroom when Disney Channel star Skai Jackson dedicated her regal and emotional foxtrot to her late co-star Cameron Boyce, who unexpectedly passed away at the age of 20 following an epileptic seizure. 

Jackson’s raw emotion, paired with her elegant steps as she danced to John Legend’s “Ordinary People” moved judge Carrie Ann Inaba to tears, who awarded the Jessie alum the first 10 of the season and paved the way for the biggest comeback of the night.  Jackson soared to the top of the leaderboard, just two points shy of a perfect score, with an impressive 28 out of 30.

Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe also shined Monday night and, prior to Jackson’s foxtrot, was awarded the first nine of the season with her effortless Viennese Waltz to “Beautiful Crazy” by Luke Combs.  However, all the judges seemed to be in agreement that Bristowe needs to start challenging herself by breaking away from the romantic Waltzes and take a crack at some Latin dances.

Dancing with the Stars returns to celebrate everything 80s next Monday, October 12, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Here are the current standings:

First Place:
Skai Jackson, Disney Channel star, with Alan Bersten — 28/30

Kaitlyn Bristowe, former star of The Bachelorette, with Artem Chigvintsev — 25/20
Nev Schulman, host of Catfish, with Jenna Johnson — 24/30
Johnny Weir, Olympic figure skater, with Britt Stewart — 24/30
Justina Machado, One Day at a Time star, with Sasha Farber — 24/30
AJ McLean, member of Backstreet Boys, with Cheryl Burke — 24/30
Monica Aldama, head coach on Netflix’s CHEER, with Val Chmerkovskiy — 24/30
Chrishell Stause, Netflix’s Selling Sunset star, with Gleb Savchenko — 22/30
Vernon Davis, Super Bowl champion, with Peta Murgatroyd — 22/30

Lowest score:
Jeannie Mai, host of The Real, with Brandon Armstrong  — 21/30
Nelly, Grammy Award-winning rapper, with Daniella Karagach — 21/30
Jesse Metcalfe, actor, with Sharna Burgess — 21/30 

October 5, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images (LONDON) — Serena Williams says she was “undervalued” and “underpaid” in her tennis career, despite earning four Olympic golds and 23 Grand Slam singles titles to date.

It’s been an uphill battle for Williams over the years, who made her tennis debut in the 1990s alongside her sister Venus. She’s also has dealt with systematic prejudice and racial commentary on her physical appearance.

“[But] I’ve never been a person that has been like, ‘I want to be a different color’ or ‘I want my skin tone to be lighter,” said British Vogue’s November 2020 cover star. “I like who I am, I like how I look, and I love representing the beautiful dark women out there. For me, it’s perfect. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“When I was growing up, what was celebrated was different,” Williams continues. “Venus looked more like what is really acceptable: She has incredibly long legs, she’s really, really thin. I didn’t see people on TV that looked like me, who were thick. There wasn’t positive body image. It was a different age.”

She credits her three-year-old daughter Olympia for her newfound appreciation for her body, as she continues to stick up for and support other women. 

Williams said she plans to do all she can to change the narrative for “women and people of color” and promote size-inclusivity with her clothing line, Serena.

“In this society, women are not taught or expected to be that future leader or future CEO,”  Williams said. “And maybe it doesn’t get better in time for me, but someone in my position can show women and people of color that we have a voice, because Lord knows, I use mine.”

The November issue of British Vogue hits newsstands on October 9th.

By Rachel George
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 5, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Rich Fury/Getty Images for Def Jam Recordings(LOS ANGELES) — Taraji P. Henson is taking her commitment to spread awareness about mental health to the next level.

On Monday, Facebook Watch announced they had greenlit Henson’s new show, tentatively called Peace of Mind with Taraji, that will spotlight the challenging mental health issues that we face — particularly those within the Black community. 

Co-hosted by her longtime best friend Tracie Jade Jenkins, the new show will consist of personal interviews with celebrities, experts and everyday people. The show’s goal is to provide support, bring awareness and help eliminate the stigmas of mental health issues.

According to Facebook, each episode will focus on a different mental health topic.

“I’ve long been a mental health advocate for the Black community and created the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018 that has provided resources to thousands of people who are struggling,” said Henson in a statement. “I’m looking forward to bringing this new talk series to Facebook Watch, where I can continue to create conversation around an issue that is near and dear to my heart.”

Henson’s Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation is named in honor of her father, who suffered with mental health challenges as a result of his tour of duty in the Vietnam War.

The actress joins the the growing list of talent partnering with Facebook Watch for original shows, including Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith, and STEVE on Watch with Steve Harvey.

Peace of Mind with Taraji is expected to begin production later this year.

By Candice Williams
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.