The daily gossip: Bruce Springsteen is a guitar monogamist, Ellen DeGeneres' apology was not exactly accepted, and more

(Image credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Bob Woodruff Foundation)

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1. Bruce Springsteen wrote his entire new album on a guitar given to him by a fan
2. Ellen DeGeneres' apology blasted by current and former employees
3. John Boehner releases his memoir's cover and it's … unexpected
4. Mariah Carey canceled then uncanceled Thanksgiving
5. Full House cast reunites again, this time to sing about golden retrievers

published 22 September 2020

1. Bruce Springsteen wrote his entire new album on a guitar given to him by a fan

Bruce Springsteen revealed to Rolling Stone that he wrote his entire new album, Letter to You, using a guitar that a fan gave him as a present. "I said, 'Geez, you know, thanks,'" the Boss said, recounting getting the instrument after one of his Springsteen on Broadway shows. "And I just took a quick glance at it and it looked like a nice guitar, so I jumped in the car with it … All the songs from the album came out of it." Presumably Springsteen hasn't broken the news yet to his beloved Fender electric guitar, which he's played for 40 years. "Unlike most rock stars who go through instruments as quickly as they do groupies, Springsteen has been a monogamist in this area," Men's Journal explains.

Well, it was a nice try? Apparently Ellen DeGeneres' apology on Monday didn't go over well with her staff. DeGeneres had addressed for the first time on air allegations of a toxic workplace environment at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, saying in her opening monologue that she's "so sorry to the people who were affected." But BuzzFeed News spoke to current and former employees who criticized DeGeneres' response and raised objections to her making numerous jokes during the apology; she'd opened the monologue by asking her audience how their summer was and sarcastically adding, "Mine was great. Super terrific!" "Not only did Ellen turn my trauma, turn our traumas, into a joke, she somehow managed to make this about her," a former employee told BuzzFeed.

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Former Speaker of the House John Boehner is using his retirement from politics to pivot to modeling for the front cover of romance novels. Or no, wait — that's actually the real cover of his forthcoming memoir, titled On the House. Boehner, who is perhaps best remembered for his frequent crying, appears on the front of his memoir with a glass of red wine in hand, as the smoke from a nearby cigarette clouds the upper third of the book's cover (lest we forget its original title was Notes from a Smoke-Filled Room). "It's the most honest memoir about how Washington really works ever written," Boehner's agent promises. Well, it's the most something, anyway.

With nearly every major event in 2020 canceled, it wouldn't be surprising if Thanksgiving was added to the list. What would be surprising is if the news came from Mariah Carey, which it did. In a thread of seemingly random words, the singer tweeted "THANKSGIVING IS CANCELED," with no further explanation. Perhaps if we skipped Thanksgiving we could listen to her Christmas album sooner? The tweet sent fans into a spiral of theories and confusion, prompting Carey to explain herself. "C'mon, I could never cancel Thanksgiving," she wrote. "I just wanted to share a few chapter titles from my memoir."

Whatever happened to predictability? The Full House cast brought it back by reuniting for the millionth time. Instead of a filming a Netflix show or coronavirus PSA, the gang is raising money for PetSmart charities by singing about their love for golden retrievers. The show's creator Jeff Franklin wrote an original tune about how "you gotta love a golden, because they love balls," and released a music video complete with dog montages and cast appearances. The video was inspired by National Dog Week and the 33rd anniversary of the premiere of Full House, which featured golden retriever Comet. John Stamos, Bob Saget, Candace Cameron Bure, Andrea Barber, Dave Coulier, and Jodie Sweetin were all there, but, unsurprisingly, Lori Loughlin and the Olsen twins were not.

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.