Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden Will Ring In 2021 With Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve - Vulture

Photo: Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images

When you’re deciding which network’s coverage you’ll watch this New Year’s Eve (the answer is, as it is every year, flipping between every channel’s programming, in a nonstop loop, for hours), ABC hopes you’ll throw your vote behind their Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special, which will feature a guest appearance by President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden. The Vice President and the future First Lady will join host Ryan Seacrest for what Variety notes will be “the future president’s last interview of the calendar year,” unless, of course, the Bidens find themselves in some sort of time-bending Tenet-type situation, and have to repeat the last few months in reverse, which would just be the most fitting end to 2020, wouldn’t it?

Times Square’s annual crowded gathering won’t be happening due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will feature performances in New York, where Seacrest will be joined by Billy Porter and Lucy Hale, Los Angeles, where Ciara will host, and New Orleans with host Big Freedia, with Jennifer Lopez closing out the evening as headliner. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest kicks off at Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Nicki Minaj chats 'all-night' labor and 'painful' breastfeeding 3 months after welcoming first child - Daily Mail

Nicki Minaj details her 'butt naked, all night' labour, painful breastfeeding and superhero mothers in candid Q&A to mark three months since welcoming her son

By Cassie Carpenter For Dailymail.com

Published: 06:54 GMT, 31 December 2020 | Updated: 09:35 GMT, 31 December 2020

Nicki Minaj has given a candid insight into motherhood to celebrate her beloved son - nicknamed 'Papa Bear' - turning three months old.

The Moment 4 Life hitmaker, 38, who shares her son with husband Kenneth 'Zoo' Petty  - discussed her birthing story and motherhood as a whole during an impromptu fan Q&A on Twitter on Wednesday. 

Asked about her first time breastfeeding her child, she wrote: 'He had no problem breastfeeding. He latched on in the hospital which was very surprising to me...

Milestones: Nicki Minaj has given a candid insight into motherhood to celebrate her beloved son - nicknamed 'Papa Bear' - turning three months old

'I was afraid maybe he wouldn't. But breast feeding is very painful. Pumping is too. Women make this stuff look way too easy. Moms r really superheroes (sic)'.

The Barbie Dreams hitmaker admitted she was 'butt naked' when her waters broke at home, and husband Kenneth Petty was 'very scared' in the moment.

Quizzed on the experience, she replied: 'Yes. I was butt naked. Just got out the shower & I asked him to rub my back. As soon as I started scooting over to him in the bed I just felt the water start coming out.

'I was weirdly calm & I quietly said 'omg, I'm about to be in labor' He was very scared & I was laughing @ him. (sic)'. 

Sweet: The Moment 4 Life hitmaker, 38, who shares her son with husband Kenneth 'Zoo' Petty - discussed her birthing story and motherhood as a whole during an impromptu fan Q&A on Twitter on Wednesday 

'He does the same thing now': Nicki was 'intrigued' that her baby had 'a full personality in my tummy' and 'knew how to get his way' well before his arrival on September 30

'I was weirdly calm': Minaj said her water broke at home while she was 'butt naked' 

Nicki, born Onika Maraj, admitted she 'intrigued' her baby had 'a full personality in my tummy' and 'knew how to get his way' well before his arrival on September 30.    

As the questions continued to flood in, she was also asked about the birth itself, and was happy to give details to her fans.

She added: 'Yes, natural vaginal birth w/epidural. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours. Only b/c first the epidural didn't wear off enough for me to feel myself pushing. Once I was able to feel the pain I pushed im on out. (sic)'

When a follower suggested this was 'short' for a first time mother, Nicki pointed out that she slept for a long time.

She tweeted: '[I had a] natural vaginal birth [with] epidural. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours'

Nicki added: 'I was actually in labor all night but all they did was let me sleep until I dilated far enough to push. The epidural didn't hurt either. They numbed me up real good'

'Moms [are] really superheroes!' And while Minaj had no trouble getting her baby to latch on to her nipple in the hospital, she admitted that 'breastfeeding is very painful'

She explained: 'Well I was actually in labor all night but all they did was let me sleep until I dilated far enough to push. The epidural didn't hurt either. They numbed me up real good. So I took my a** right to sleep (sic)'.    

'I pushed for 2 1/2 hours. Only [because] first the epidural didn't wear off enough for me to feel myself pushing. Once I was able to feel the pain I pushed him on out.' 

Nicki then said Grammy winner Ciara - who has three children under age 6 - was 'so helpful' and wrote 'bless her.'

The 35-year-old R&B songstress enlisted Minaj to rap on three of her tracks - I'm Legit in 2012 as well as Livin' It Up and I'm Out in 2013. 

Advice? The What That Speed Bout rapper said Grammy winner Ciara - who has three children under age 6 - was 'so helpful' and wrote 'bless her'

Thank, girl! The 35-year-old R&B songstress (R) enlisted Nicki to rap on three of her tracks - I'm Legit in 2012 as well as Livin' It Up and I'm Out (pictured) in 2013

The RuPaul's Drag Race guest judge also received support from Grammy winner Ariana Grande, who 'sent him some gorgeous gifts.' 

Minaj and her 42-year-old husband and manager - who have no nanny - just celebrated their very first Christmas with their little bundle of joy in Beverly Hills.  

Nicki will next appear in Michael John Warren's six-episode docuseries on HBO Max - which will give her 'Barbz' a 'raw, unfiltered look at my personal life and my professional journey.'

Ariana's reaction? Minaj also received support from Grammy winner Ariana Grande, who 'sent him some gorgeous gifts'

Sista from another mista: The RuPaul's Drag Race guest judge and the 27-year-old pop star (L) have collaborated six times - including Ariana's 2016 track Side to Side (pictured)

Merry: Nicki and her 42-year-old husband and manager - who have no nanny - just celebrated their very first Christmas with their little bundle of joy in Beverly Hills

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Judge Denies WME’s Request For Preliminary Injunction To End WGA Boycott; Major Legal Victory For Guild - Deadline

A federal judge has denied WME’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have ended the WGA’s boycott of the agency until the antitrust case can go to trial. It’s a major legal victory for the guild, and should add pressure on WME to settle the long-running dispute and sign the WGA’s franchise agreement, as have all the other major talent agencies.

In his ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge André Birotte Jr. said that he denied WME’s request because “The Court lacks jurisdiction to enter an injunction because this matter involves a labor dispute as defined by the Norris-LaGuardia Act.” According to the Norris-LaGuardia Act, “No court shall have jurisdiction to issue any injunction in a case involving or growing out of a labor dispute except in a strict conformity” with the act’s requirements.

“In short,” the judge ruled, “the Court lacks jurisdiction to issue an injunction because the NLGA precludes it from doing so. Because injunctive relief is precluded, the Court need not delve into the merits of (WME’s) FCC or any of the other strict requirements for the issuance of a preliminary injunction.”

Read the ruling here.

During a hearing on the matter on December 18, the judge urged the guild and the agency to settle the 20-month dispute, saying: “Come on folks. Get together. Get this done.”

WME then gave the guild a new proposal, which the guild rejected yesterday. Earlier today, WME said that it still wants to reach an agreement with the guild.

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Paul Batura: ‘Gilligan’s Island’ star Dawn Wells dies — unlike on TV, she was rescued in real life - Fox News

Dawn Wells, the actress who went on a fictional "three-hour tour" in 1964 and found lifelong fame as the bubbly girl-next-door Mary Ann Summers on the TV sitcom "Gilligan’s Island," died Wednesday of complications from COVID-19 — one of more than 341,000 Americans to die in the pandemic.

Unfortunately, Wells’ life that ended at age 82 was not as neat and tidy as the television show about tour boat passengers shipwrecked in a storm on a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific. We all have our storms in life, of course. And in real life, none of us have all our problem resolved every 30 minutes once each week. Wells was no exception.

On TV, Mary Ann miraculously managed to not only survive but thrive during three years of shenanigans on the island. She made it through misadventures with her hapless fellow castaways, navigating floods, volcanoes and even the arrival of uninvited visitors. Implausibly, the stranded group managed to find all sorts of ways to cope with the challenges they faced but never figured out how to build a boat that would enable them to leave.

‘GILLIGAN’S ISLAND’ STAR DAWN WELLS DEAD AT 82

Sadly, Wells spent her twilight years navigating a myriad of personal challenges, including a fall that left her financially destitute and desperate for rescue once again.

In the end, her saviors were her devoted fans, raising $197,000 to help lift her from the brink of bankruptcy via a month-long GoFundMe campaign.

Dawn Wells as her character Mary Ann on the TV show ‘Gilligan’s Island’ in 1964. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)

It seemed almost made for television — except Wells’ real life wasn’t fictional or fantastical. It was a testimony to her ability to resonate with viewers drawn to the kind and wholesome young woman she portrayed. In reruns that still air, she never grew old, and never left "Gilligan’s Island" after the show’s three years of new episodes ended.

Wells was born in Reno, Nev. on Oct. 18, 1938. She overcame the awkwardness of teenage years marked by acne, obesity, braces and bad knees from ballet to be selected as Miss Nevada in 1960 and compete for the Miss America crown. 

Four years later Wells became America’s sweetheart after landing the role of a Kansas farm girl sailing aboard the ill-fated SS Minnow that was shipwrecked on "Gilligan’s Island."

The character’s simple goodness resonated with generations of viewers.

Dawn Wells in 2014, with her book 'What Would Mary Ann Do? A Guide to Life,' which she co-wrote with Steve Stinson. (Getty Images)

Playing alongside an ensemble cast of stars, some of whom were already established in Hollywood, including Gilligan (Bob Denver), the Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.) and millionaire Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus), Wells’ character wasn’t even named in the first season’s opening theme song. If you listen to the litany of the show’s characters, you’ll hear the role of Mary Ann and the professor (Russell Johnson) simply referred to as "the rest."

But despite her credit anonymity, it didn’t take long for Wells to win hearts and fans in the series’ early shows.

DAWN WELLS' LIFE IN PICTURES

"Every character on Gilligan's Island was given a broad 'stock' comedy role to fill — captain, mate, wealthy man, wealthy wife, professor, movie star — except me," Wells noted in her autobiography. "She was given a name and location — Kansas farm girl. I had to fill in the blanks. So, from the get-go, the Mary Ann character was different. She wasn't a Hollywood creation. She was molded by me, from me."

Contrasted against her female compatriot, the sultry and vivacious Ginger Grant (Tina Louise), Dawn Wells’ Mary Ann character was the wholesome alternative. She was the "good girl" who won friends and influenced people by her sweetness, not her seductive sexuality. 

So-called "good girls" are often mocked in Hollywood and especially in sitcoms, lampooned as naïve simpletons. "Gilligan’s Island" wasn’t moralizing; it played to the sexual stereotype with Ginger. But I would contend Mary Ann’s legions of fans saw in her admirable qualities that parents want for their daughters, men want for their wives, and many girls want for themselves.

I’ll be honest. Ginger intimidated me as a kid watching "Gilligan’s Island" reruns. But Mary Ann? She was the kind of girl who I wanted to get to know. In fact, Mary Ann is the type of girl I wound up marrying. Julie Hamilton’s classic beauty immediately caught my attention, but it was her sweetness and kindness I truly fell in love with over 20 years ago. She was fun to be around — and still is.

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Popular culture tends to glamorize the seductress, but marriages are held together by more than sexual chemistry. Men who find in their spouses the qualities the fictional Mary Ann Summers possessed are exponentially more likely to enjoy happier marriages.

It seems that Wells’ real-life persona matched her castaway character. In recent years the "Gilligan’s Island" co-star operated Wishing Wells Collections — a company she created to design and manufacture clothes for elderly people with physical handicaps.

In the end, it was Wells’ own persona, brought to her TV character, that caused so many fans to step up to help her when she found herself in need of rescuing in real life. The GoFundMe page gave Wells something Mary Ann never got — a boat to enable her to sail away from a bad situation.

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"I am amazed at the kindness and affection I have received," Wells said at the time of her financial rescue. "I don't know how this happened. I thought I was taking all the proper steps to ensure my golden years. Now, here I am, no family, no husband, no kids and no money."

Sadly, bad things happen to good people, but good people like Dawn Wells tend to surround themselves with other people who are willing to help when tough times come — whether on a three-hour tour, a deserted island, or through a storm-tossed life.

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Joe Exotic's Legal Team Going to D.C. Hoping for Jan. 6 Pardon - TMZ

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Joe Exotic has not been pardoned yet, but it sounds like he has a plan to get sprung before Trump says adios to D.C.

The "Tiger King" star's legal team will fly to Washington next Wednesday ... we're told for a "high level" meeting in connection with their pardon petition.

Eric Love, who leads the legal team, clearly knows how to stroke Trump's ego. They chose January 6th for a reason ... it's the final straw, when the House votes to ratify Joe Biden as the next President, and when Trump's planning a rally.

There's a buzz in DC Trump may pardon a bunch of people Jan. 6th as a distraction, so the House vote doesn't get the attention it would otherwise get.

Joe's got several decades of sentence left, and, as we reported, he's already thinking about dying. Joe has told his team he does not want to be put on a ventilator if he contracts COVID, which is running rampant in the prison.

BTW ... this is the private jet the legal team will take from Ft. Worth to DC next week.  When they go wheels up, it will be wrapped with Joe's face emblazoned on the jet.

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Alec Baldwin should play himself in 'SNL' sketch about wife's heritage controversy: Trump Jr. - Fox News

Donald Trump Jr Wednesday suggested actor Alec Baldwin play himself in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch about his wife Hilaria’s scandal over her heritage.

"Alec Baldwin should play Alec Baldwin when SNL parodies his wife pretending she’s Spanish for the last few decades as opposed to the basic white girl from Mass that she actually is," the president’s son tweeted. "It would be the first funny thing Saturday Night Live has produced in years."

Baldwin, 62, has played President Trump since before he took office in an impression the president called "mean-spirited and not very funny."

Hilaria Baldwin, 36, received a backlash on social media this week for implying she is from Spain in the past and for using a Spanish accent in the past when she was born in Massachusetts.

WOMAN WHO SPARKED HILARIA BALDWIN SCANDAL SAYS SHE'S 'SCARED' ALEC BALDWIN MAY 'PUNCH' HER

A since-deleted tweet that sparked the controversy read: "You have to admire Hilaria Baldwin’s commitment to her decade long grift where she impersonates a Spanish person." 

Comedian Joe Piscopo, who was an "SNL" cast member in the 1980s, agreed with Trump Jr, telling Fox News, "We get offended too easily. Why she did it? I don’t know. I think that’s subject for a sketch on 'SNL,' I’m just saying."

There has been no indication that the show will cover the topic, and many say that producers won't touch the topic due to Alec Baldwin's ties to the show.

Hilaria Baldwin called the backlash "surreal," telling The New York Times, "There is not something I’m doing wrong, and I think there is a difference between hiding and creating a boundary."

JOE PISCOPO 'LOVES EVERY BIT' OF HILARIA BALDWIN STORY REGARDING SPANISH CULTURAL APPROPRIATION CLAIMS 

Hilaria was born as Hillary but told the newspaper family members have called her Hilaria most of her life. 

In defense of his wife, Alec Baldwin shared a Mark Twain quote on his Instagram Tuesday that read: "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."

In an April podcast interview, Hilaria Baldwin said, "I moved here [to America] when I was 19 to go to NYU from… my family lives in Spain, they live in Mallorca."

The bilingual mother of five's accent has also noticeably fluctuated over the years when she made appearances on TV and in a 2015 clip from "Today," she apparently forgot the English word for "cucumber."

Meanwhile, her CAA speaker page, Wikipedia and IMDB page all previously listed her birth country as Spain. The talent agency has since removed any mention of her birthplace, while the latter two have made corrections. Speaking in her latest interview, Baldwin blames false reporting and says she has never actively misrepresented her heritage. 

She says she is bilingual and often speaks in various different accents depending on her mood. She also noted she doesn’t read articles about herself and was unaware that her ethnicity was being incorrectly reported.

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As for the "cucumber" moment, she says that she was simply nervous to be on live TV and had a "brain fart."

Fox News' Talia Kaplan contributed to this report.

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Judge Refuses WME’s Bid to End Writers’ Boycott - Hollywood Reporter

Meanwhile, the agency is claiming that the guild didn't reply to its updated overture before a rejection: "There was no counter to our proposal, nor any offer to meet and engage."

After its Dec. 22 overture to make a deal to represent scribes for the first time in 20 months was denied by the Writers Guild of America, talent agency WME is claiming that the guild didn't counter its updated proposal before the rejection.

"WME presented an updated proposal that made a series of concessions just four days following our hearing on December 18. We made clear our willingness to engage in further dialogue with the WGA at any point during the holidays. We know this is how every other agency finally reached a deal — they had the opportunity to have a discussion with the Guild to address their specific needs, and that is what we have continuously tried to do in an effort to get a deal done," read a statement from a WME spokesperson.

The WME rep added: "However, instead of responding directly to us, once again we learned indirectly through media reports that our proposal was rejected by way of a leaked letter the WGA Negotiating Committee sent to Guild members. There was no counter to our proposal, nor any offer to meet and engage. While we find this tactic unhelpful in reaching a resolution, we will persist in our efforts toward reaching a new franchise agreement.”

Meanwhile, a U.S. District Judge ruled against the agency's bid for a preliminary injunction to halt a boycott by the guild. A WME spokesperson didn't immediately reply for comment on the ruling.

On Dec. 29, the Writers Guild's agency negotiating committee sent a note to its members outlining the reasons it was rejecting a deal with WME, adding: "Having sat mostly on the sidelines for the past 20 months, there will be no 'going last' bonus for WME – no accommodation for the fact that they are the most conflicted of all agencies – no alterations to our existing deals that soften the protections that writers have fought for nearly two years to achieve."

The Beverly Hills-based WME, led by president Ari Greenburg, is the last major holdout talent agency in a standoff with the Writers Guild. The talent firm, part of the entertainment and sports conglomerate Endeavor, is a sister company to film and TV company Endeavor Content, which has worked on 200 projects over the course of the last year.

The Writers Guild has called agencies' affiliation with production companies a conflict of interest and has required firms that represent its members to reduce their ownership interest in such entities to a 20 percent stake. The guild has also asked for more transparency about the private equity owners of agencies. (Private equity firm Silver Lake Partners holds the majority stake in Endeavor, run by CEO Ari Emanuel.)

In the Writers Guild's WME rejection note on Dec. 29, the agency negotiating committee said that Endeavor did not agree to place its ownership stake in Endeavor Content in a blind trust and claimed that "WME insists that they and an entity owned by Silver Lake may, together, own more than 20% of Endeavor Content." Sources close to WME dispute the guild's characterization and claim that Endeavor and Silver Lake are willing to reduce their stake in Endeavor Content to 20 percent.

Over the past 20 months, after thousands of writers parted ways with their agents in April 2019, the Writers Guild has signed up small boutiques as well as larger talent agencies to new agreements, including Paradigm in March, UTA in July and ICM Partners in August.

On Dec. 16, WME rival CAA became the latest major agency to make a deal with the guild, and the agreement was notable given that CAA backs a production entity, film and TV studio wiip. The agreement states that CAA, and its private equity majority owner TPG, will divest its stake in wiip to 20 percent and provide evidence of the sale in a timeline that wasn't publicly disclosed. The guild and CAA also agreed to withdraw legal claims.

Two days after the CAA deal, lawyers for WME and the Writers Guild spoke during a court hearing presided over by U.S. District Court Judge André Birotte Jr., who entreated the agency and the guild to make a deal. "Find a path to try to resolve this," stated Birotte.

On Wednesday, Birotte denied WME's motion for a preliminary injunction, writing that the court "lacks jurisdiction" regarding the matter and that the "group boycott" organized by the Writers Guild is protected. "Defendants’ group boycott against Plaintiff has not involved unlawful acts or substantial and irreparable injury to property," wrote Birotte.

Birotte ruled that even if WME could establish a likelihood of prevailing on its group boycott claim, that a federal court was unable to issue an injunction thanks to the Norris-LaGuardia Act, the nearly century old law that stripped courts of the power to enforce union-busting contracts. While the talent agency argued this wasn’t a typical labor dispute between employer and employee, Birotte responds: “Disputes involving the contractual means (i.e., the ‘how’) of labor representation does not convert this matter into a non-labor issue. Undoubtedly, this controversy springs from a labor dispute within the meaning of the Norris-LaGuardia Act.”

By coming to the conclusion that an injunction was beyond the scope of his powers, Birotte avoided a deeper analysis of the merits of WME’s antitrust claims. If the talent agency can take any solace from the Dec. 30 ruling, it’s that it has avoided a disastrous ruling stating it has no shot in ultimately winning a case premised on the assertion that writers are unlawfully colluding with others to hurt WME’s business.

5:35 pm PST Updated with details from the U.S. District Judge's ruling on WME's bid to end the Writers Guild boycott.

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