The daily gossip: 12-year-old charged in Ashton Kutcher 'swatting' prank, and more
5 top pieces of celebrity gossip — from Justin Timberlake's new business venture to the belated Honey Boo Boo Christmas Special
1. 12-year-old charged in Ashton Kutcher "swatting" prank
Perhaps you've heard of "swatting," the not-so-hilarious "prank" in which a caller convinces the police to rush to the house of a famous person by claiming there's a shooter inside. Who would pull such an immature stunt? As it turns out, a person who hasn't had the chance to mature yet. TMZ reports that the recent swatting of Two and a Half Men star Ashton Kutcher was traced to a 12-year-old boy, who has been charged with two felony counts of making false bomb threats and two felony counts of computer intrusion. It remains unlikely — but not impossible — that this is a very, very elaborate marketing scheme for a reboot of Punk'd.
2. The Grammys "blew it" when they didn't nominate Justin Bieber, says Justin Bieber's mom
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Justin Bieber continues to set new records and win the hearts of tween girls across the globe, but a Grammy-sized space on his mantle is doomed to remain empty, as the pop star wasn't nominated for a single award at Sunday's ceremony. "I think they blew it," said Bieber's mom Pattie in an interview at The Huffington Post, adding that the snub means he has "something to strive for and a goal to go for." Don't stop Beliebing, Justin.
3. Justin Timberlake is the new creative director of Bud Light Platinum
Justin Timberlake is officially a triple threat: Singer, actor, and promoter of mediocre beer. The "Suit & Tie" singer has partnered with Anheuser-Busch to become creative director of their Bud Light Platinum brand — which is not, despite its misleading title, a Bud Light with chunks of metal floating around in it. "Bud Light Platinum brings a refined, discerning aesthetic to beer," says Timberlake in a statement at Billboard, presumably while trying not to snicker.
4. John Mayer admits to being a jerk
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Breaking news, for anyone who hasn't picked up a tabloid in two years or listened to a Taylor Swift song: John Mayer can be kind of a jerk sometimes — a fact that he readily admits in an interview scheduled to air on Sunday. "I was just a jerk," confesses Mayer, according to People, later adding, "I wanted everybody to like me." Pro tip, John: Don't dump any more of America's sweethearts.
5. Here comes Here Comes Honey Boo Boo for A Very Boo Christmas
Just in time to miss the holiday season by more than a month — and thereby contributing, in its own small way, to making Christmas merrier — pint-sized reality star Honey Boo Boo returns to the small screen on Sunday for the TV special A Very Boo Christmas. In a preview at Fanbolt, Honey Boo Boo reveals that Mama is "bat poop crazy about Christmas decorations" as the family wanders aimlessly across their front lawn in a typically action-packed episode of the series.
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
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