Calling out OceanGate
"Titanic" director James Cameron, an avid deep-sea diver who's taken 33 submersible dives into the Titanic wreckage where OceanGate's Titan imploded, killing five people, told the BBC in an interview that aired Friday, June 23 he was "very suspect of the technology that they were using." He added, "I wouldn't have gotten in that sub." He also said the implosion event was clear to him as early as Monday and called press coverage of details like the "banging noises" that had allegedly been heard underwater a "prolonged and nightmarish charade" for the victims' loved ones. "That was just a cruel, slow turn of the screw for four days as far as I'm concerned. Because I knew the truth on Monday morning," he said. "For the sub's electronics to fail and its communication system to fail, and its tracking transponder to fail simultaneously — sub's gone. For me, there was no doubt. I knew that sub was sitting exactly underneath its last known depth and position, and that's exactly where they found it."
The director went into more technical detail on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360″ on Thursday, the same day authorities confirmed debris on the ocean floor indicated a "catastrophic implosion" had occurred. According to James, an implosion or "shock wave event" was "the only scenario" that would explain how the Titan's technology failed the way it did. James said he'd reached out to others in the deep ocean exploration community after learning the Titan was missing and soon "got confirmation that there was some kind of loud noise that was consistent with an implosion event." That's when he said he told his "inner circle of people … that we had lost our comrades," though he admitted he "hoped I was wrong."
OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein responded to James' comments on Friday's "CNN This Morning," asking viewers to "hold off judgment and just see exactly what the data comes back with."
Keep reading for more news …
RELATED: Hollywood reacts to missing submersible's 'catastrophic implosion'
Ex text
On her new album, "chemistry," Kelly Clarkson gets very, very candid about her split from Brandon Blackstock. But she gave her ex-husband a heads up about the lyrical content before the album's release on Friday, June 23. "We did have a little text exchange about it," Kelly said on Thursday's "Today" show, according to People. "I don't even remember why or how it happened, but I was like, 'Hey, I didn't just diminish us down to one [thing], you know what I'm saying? It's all in there, the ride. The beauty is in there, as well. Now there's a lot of pain, but that's what happens for all of us," the singer explained. Kelly filed for divorce from Brandon in 2020 after seven years of marriage and two kids. And since the children are young — River is 9 and Remington's 7 — she said she was careful about what she included on the recording. "I think when you have kids … you kind of debate, 'What am I going to do here?' So I was very selective about the songs I picked for the album," she explained.
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'Get over it!'
Jennifer Lawrence is finally addressing a claim her "Hunger Games" costar Liam Hemsworth made nearly a decade ago about her kissing prowess … or lack thereof. During an appearance on "The Tonight Show" in 2014, Liam was asked about his experience filming an onscreen romance with Jennifer for the movie. His review was not positive. "Any time I had to kiss Jennifer was pretty uncomfortable," Liam said at the time. "When you look at it on the outside it looks like a great picture. She's one of my best friends. I love her. But if we had a kissing scene, she would make a point of eating garlic or tuna fish or something that was disgusting." Reminded of Liam's claims on a recent edition of YouTube's "Hot Ones," Jennifer burst out laughing. "It was not intentional!" she insisted. "It was just, like, what I was eating, and then we'd kiss!" Still laughing, she added, "He should just, you know, get over it."
Jennifer and Liam played Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne in all four installments of the "Hunger Games" franchise, which first hit theaters in 2012 and ended with 2015's "Mockingjay — Part 2."Jennifer's now married to art expert Cooke Maroney; the two welcomed their first child in 2022.
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Child psychology pursuits
Father of 12 Nick Cannon says he's working on a master's degree in child psychology. He shared the update during a June 2023 appearance on "The Language of Love" podcast, hosted by Dr. Laura Berman. "Yeah, that'll come in handy," Laura replied when Nick told her he'd recently transitioned into the child psychology specialty (via Vibe). "I'm in that conversation every day," said Nick, whose kids range in age from 12 years to just a few months old. "Oh, the presence of a father and how much will they need you and the Freudian aspect of reverting back to your childhood trauma, or the lack thereof. Nature vs nurture. These are conversations I have several times every single day," he continued.
Asked who he was having those conversations with — "naysayers" or the six women with whom he's fathered children — Nick said it was not the naysayers. "But I'm like, I'm living, whether in therapy on my own or even just wanting to make sure that every single child has what they need, developmentally. And emotionally," he explained. "I'm studying the brain and at what point does sensory matter." Nick is also reportedly pursuing a PhD from Howard University's School of Divinity.
Body-shaming 'still hurts'
At 21, Billie Eilish no longer feels confined to the baggy, boy-ish looks she was once known for. But experimenting with feminine fashion — like the body-hugging number she wore to the 2023 Met Gala — has also sparked body-shaming comments from trolls, something Billie still struggles with after coming of age in spotlight. Asked if the body-shaming gets to her, the singer recently admitted to British Vogue that yes, it "still hurts."
"It's tough, man. Honestly, nobody can say anything about my body that I don't have a stronger opinion about," she said, in part. "I also think that if I was younger, like if the internet talked about me the way they do now when I was like 11, I don't think I would be able to exist, to be honest. I like myself more than I used to, and I'm more interested in how I feel than how they feel. But then also that might be a load of b******* because it still hurts my feelings like a son-of-a b****." Billie added that the negativity is "really hard," though she's also developed healthy ways to cope with it, from spending more time with friends to keeping social media off her phone. "I've had a rough time, TBH, and I'm still figuring it out. But it's definitely a weird life; I'll say that," she concluded.
Controversial podcast pitch
Before Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's multi-year podcast deal with Spotify was terminated after producing just one series, Harry reportedly pitched a show about childhood trauma in which he would interview Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg. That's according to a new report from Bloomberg, which cites its sources as "people with knowledge of" the podcast ideas Harry pitched "and why none of them came to fruition." The insiders reportedly indicated Harry's guests on the childhood trauma-themed show would be "controversial" figures who would be asked about events in their "early formative years" that helped who they became.
The Duke of Sussex also reportedly pitched a podcast about "major societal conversations" such as religion. For that episode, he wanted to interview Pope Francis, according to Bloomberg. Fatherhood was another podcast theme that reportedly interested the royal. While Harry's ideas never made it onto the airwaves, Meghan hosted her "Archetypes" series for a full season before last week's announcement that Spotify and Harry and Meghan's Archewell Audio production company had "mutually agreed to part ways."
Protest on 'The View'
Dermot Mulroney walked off the set of "The View" on Friday, June 23, as a show of support for members of the Writers Guild of America, whose strike is now entering its seventh week. Dermot's mini-protest came after he chatted with the show's co-hosts about his new Marvel series on Disney+, "Secret Invasion." It also came after he announced his protest plans, according to Variety. As Joy Behar moved to take the segment to a commercial break, Dermot politely interrupted her. "Sorry, first, I want to do this symbolically — in support and solidarity with the writers, I'm gonna walk off your show," he said, adding "love you" and "see you on the picket lines" as he exited.
Staged by the WGA's approximately 11,500 Hollywood writers, the strike has hinged largely on calls for changes in pay, support and working conditions amid the new age of streaming content. It's effects have rippled far beyond the writers themselves, too, shutting down dozens of scripted television and film projects and leaving countless production staff and others out of work.