1. Tanya Roberts dies hours after a confusing premature death announcement
James Bond actress Tanya Roberts reportedly died on Monday night, a full day after her rep prematurely announced her death. Roberts' domestic partner, Lance O'Brien, had told TMZ that he believed Roberts died on Sunday, when he saw her close her eyes; he left the hospital without speaking to medical staff and reported her dead, sparking the confusion. On Monday, Roberts was confirmed to still be alive, prompting Ashton Kutcher to reach out to fellow That '70s Show co-stars eulogizing the actress, who played Midge on the show: "Yo bro she's not dead," Kutcher replied to a tweet by Topher Grace. Sadly, Roberts did pass on Monday night at the age of 65; though her cause of death has not been given, it was confirmed not to be COVID-19 related.
TMZ People
2. Sia acknowledges that casting Maddie Ziegler as an autistic character is 'ableism' but 'I can't do a project without her'
Sia has doubled-down (tripled-down?) on casting Maddie Ziegler as a nonverbal autistic character in her upcoming film, Music, after being accused of making "another film where non-disabled actors play disabled roles." Speaking on the Australian talk show The Project, Sia acknowledged that casting Ziegler was "ableism," but that she wanted to do it anyway: "I realized it wasn't ableism — I mean, it is ableism, I guess, as well — but it's actually nepotism, because I can't do a project without her," Sia explained. "I don't want to. I wouldn't make art if it didn't include her." Hmm, not sure that defense is quite helping your case the way you want it to, Sia!
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3. Justin Bieber shoots down rumors he is studying to become a pastor
Despite Justin's cross tattoos and songs like "Holy," Pastor Bieber he is not. The singer shared a screenshot of a Page Six headline claiming he was studying to become a pastor at Hillsong Church, and declared it "fake news." "I'm not studying to be a minister or anything even close to that. Have no desire," he wrote in all caps. Despite ousted Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz having served as Bieber's "spiritual advisor," scandal-ridden Hillsong is not even his church; he is part of Churchome, he clarified. He went on to share a scripture-like paragraph about God patiently "awaiting your return," which is definitely not something a pastor would do.
NY Post
4. Cardi B defends 'WAP' again, clarifies she is not Jojo Siwa
Cardi B is defending "WAP" yet again. The rapper was lip-syncing to her notoriously sexual track on Instagram when her 2-year-old daughter, Kulture, walked into the room unexpectedly. When Cardi realized her child was near she quickly paused the music, and out came the Twitter trolls. One user lamented, "So ya daughter can't listen to it but everybody else's daughter can?" Cardi was not having it. "I'm not Jojo Siwa!" the rapper wrote, referencing the perpetually-pony-tailed Dance Moms alumna known for songs like "Kid in a Candy Store." Cardi went on to clarify, for anyone who was somehow confused, that unlike Siwa, she makes music for adults. And it's not her job to parent your child. Now you know.
Hollywood Life
5. Too many babies are named Baby
The year is young but it's already delivered this beautiful story about two Instagram influencers who are in a fight about both having named their babies Baby. Australian model Jessica Hart welcomed Baby with her fiancé, NASCAR driver James Kirkham, on Nov. 17, 2020, and was supposedly inspired by the character from Dirty Dancing. But where things get awkward is that influencer Sasha Benz and her husband already have a 2-year-old named Baybi. "Sasha was devastated that her close friend would copy her daughter's 'unique' name, especially after [Hart had] gone to [Benz] for name ideas," an insider told the Sydney Morning Herald. Supposedly Hart and Benz have "hardly spoken" since, which is a shame, since the truth is they both stole the name … from Rogelio De La Vega.
The Cut
