By Wonderwall.com Editors
5:34am PDT, Mar 23, 2021
John Oliver has a bone to pick with Meghan McCain. Following the shooting spree that left eight people dead — most of them women of Asian descent — in the metro Atlanta region, celebs including "The View" host condemned anti-Asian violence and hate speech on social media. "Stop Asian Hate," Meghan posted in a graphic on Twitter last Wednesday. On Sunday's edition of "Last Week Tonight," John reminded viewers that just one year ago, during a discussion on "The View" about then-President Donald Trump's use of the phrase "China virus" to describe COVID-19, Meghan dismissed concerns from "the left" about "P.C. labeling this virus." "I don't have a problem with people calling it whatever they want. It's a deadly virus that did originate in Wuhan," she said at the time. Later in the same episode, per EW, Meghan added that while she's no "proponent" of racial profiling, she doesn't think the world should let China "off the hook." After rolling the clip, John reacted to Meghan's March 2020 remarks this way: "Oh good! Meghan McCain doesn't have a problem with it. Listen not to the scores of Asian Americans telling everyone that the term is dangerous and offensive. Instead, gather around and take the word of a wealthy white woman who's dressed like she's about to lay off 47 people over Zoom." He went on to note that while Meghan's "stop Asian hate" post is "a fine sentiment to throw up on Twitter after the fact …there has to be an understanding that saying, 'I don't have a problem with calling it the China virus,' is very much giving space for hate to grow." "The View" host has since responded to John's criticism through her rep, who shared the following statement with EW. The same statement appeared on Meghan's Twitter on Monday, March 22. "Meghan condemns the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian American community," the statement read. "There is no doubt Donald Trump's racist rhetoric fueled many of these attacks and she apologizes for any past comments that aided that agenda."
Keep reading to find out which rappers Blue Ivy Carter was channeling after she won her first Grammy at age 9 …
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Fans think Blue Ivy Carter was wearing Biggie's iconic, $600k crown in Beyonce's Grammy win post
At age 9, Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, has already won Grammy and BET Awards. She recently recorded the narration for her first audiobook. She's even made waves in the art world, having entered into a bidding war with Tyler Perry over a painting of Sidney Poitier back in 2018. She lost out to Tyler on the painting, but fans are wondering if she won a different prized pop culture item that hit the auction block last year. Last September, the now iconic crown worn by the Notorious B.I.G. in his 1997 "King of New York" photo shoot sold at Sotheby's Auction House last for $594,750, according to The Source. Last week, after Blue's Grammy win for Beyonce's "Brown Skin Girls," Bey shared a reel that showed Blue wearing a crown that looks just like the Biggie crown as she sips a drink out of her Grammy Award. "You can be certain that is Biggie crown," wrote one Instagram commenter. Others agreed, though Bey never chimed in to confirm or deny the crown speculation. One thing that is certain, however, is that the straw-in-a-Grammy move was a reference to Jay's 2014 Grammy acceptance speech, when he announced, "I want to tell Blue, 'Daddy got a gold sippy cup for you.'" Yeah, thanks dad, but I'll get my own sippy cup, if you don't mind …
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Kylie Jenner addresses backlash over her promotion of a makeup artist's GoFundMe
Kylie Jenner is speaking out about criticism she faced over the weekend for encouraging her social media followers to donate to a GoFundMe created to support makeup artist Samuel Rauda as he recovers from serious injuries he sustained in a recent car accident. Slamming the backlash as a "false narrative," on her Instagram Story on Monday, Kylie explained how she came to post about Samuel's fundraiser. "I saw my current makeup artist and friend Ariel post about Sam's accident and his family's GoFundMe and I called Ariel immediately to see what happened to Sam," she explained (via Page Six). "I put in 5k to reach their original goal and thought I'd post on my stories to gain more awareness if anyone also felt compelled to share or donate," she continued. "Anyone that knows me knows that I do things from the heart and I try to be helpful whenever I can be. Let's all stay positive and keep Sam, his family, and anyone you know who is going through a difficult time in our prayers. I hope you have a beautiful day and let's encourage each other to help." Critics mostly complained that Kylie shouldn't have sought donations from fans, given her own sizeable wealth.
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Vin Diesel's son will reportedly play younger version of his dad's character in 'Fast & Furious 9'
In recent posts about "Fast & Furious 9," Vin Diesel's repeatedly used a "fatherhood" hashtag. It seems that's not just because of the plot, which sees Vin's character, Dominic Toretto, going up against his brother, Jakob, an assassin with a "personal vendetta" against Dom, per an "F9" fan Wiki. This week, TMZ reports Vin's son IRL, 10-year-old Vincent Sinclair, will play the younger version of Dom. EW also confirms that in Vincent shot scenes in 2019 for the new flick, which hits theaters June 25, after a delayed release date due to the coronavirus pandemic. Universal announced last fall that the "Fast & Furious" franchise will include two more films after "F9," coming to an end with "F11."
Queen Elizabeth is reportedly considering the appointment of a 'diversity tsar'
A new report from the Mail on Sunday suggests Queen Elizabeth will proactively address concerns about racism and the royal family in the wake of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. Sources tell the Mail Harry's grandmother is considering appointing a "diversity tsar." In the meantime, aides at Buckingham and Kensington palace, as well as Clarence House, are expected to conduct a "listen and learn" program that will put them in touch with "a range of businesses and individuals" who can shed new light on "how the monarchy can improve representation." As one insider put it, "This is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the Households … We have the policies, procedures and programs in place but we haven't seen the progress we would like and accept more needs to be done." The source also claimed "the work to [improve on diversity issues] has been underway for some time now and comes with the full support of the [royal] family." In the Oprah interview, Meghan, who is biracial, recounted that there had been "concerns" about how dark her child's skin might be when he was born. In a statement, the palace said it takes allegations of racism "very seriously;" Prince William later told a reporter, "we are very much not a racist family," when asked directly about the Sussexes' claims. Gayle King, who is friendly with Harry and Meghan, said last week that the couple was frustrated because "… all they wanted all along was for the [royal family] to intervene and tell the press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories [about Meghna] that definitely have a racial slant."
Justin Bieber faces backlash over MLK samples on 'Justice' despite Bernice King's stamp of approval
Justin Bieber's new album, "Justice," continues to evoke a mixed response, largely because of backlash related to his use of samples from Martin Luther King Jr. The album opens with MLK delivering his famous, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," statement, followed by a track called "MLK Interlude" that includes samples from Dr. King's 1967 "But If Not" sermon. Ahead of the album's release, Justin also pledged on Twitter to help raise awareness for social justice organizations. "You can help too," the singer told fans. The message and, apparently, the album were well-received by the slain civil rights leader's daughter, Bernice King, who responded to Justin's tweet by posting, "Each of us, including artists and entertainers, can do something. Thank you @JustinBieber, for your support in honor of #Justice, of @TheKingCenter's work and of our #BeLove campaign, which is a part of our global movement for justice #MLK #EndRacism." Despite that support — and the fact that Dr. King is credited on the album as a songwriter, which likely means his estate licensed the use of his work — other Twitter users criticized the context of the samples. "idc if his daughter approved the samples lol," one user tweeted. Sniped another: "bieber has an interlude on his new album called 'MLK interlude' and it's a clip of a MLK speech and then it moves into a song…. about his love for… hailey?" Rolling Stone found the combo problematic, too, with the outlet's reviewer writing, "Slapped in the middle of an album about being in love with his wife and feeling misunderstood, the powerful speeches are a jarring musical misstep."
Ana De Armas posts 'nope' stickers amid Ben Affleck romance rumors
Nope! Ana De Armas appears to be shutting down speculation that she and Ben Affleck have rekindled their romance. Over the weekend, Ana shared a selfie in which she was wearing a pendant with half a heart on it. According to People, the necklace looked to fans like the matching ones she and Ben wore when they were dating. As questions about the former couple's status began popping up on social media, Ana returned to Instagram to share a whole lot of "nope" stickers" — plus a peace sign and an "I don't think so" — on her Story. The actress, who plays Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming screen adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' novel, "Blonde," also shared a clip of Marilyn singing, "no, no, no," in the classic film, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." "What she said! 💋," Ana captioned the clip. She and Ben called time on their romance in January after about a year of dating. They reportedly split because Ana wasn't ready to settle down in Los Angeles, while Ben needed to maintain roots there for his kids. They are reportedly still friends, which might explain the heart pendant.
Andy Cohen celebrates 15 years of 'Real Housewives'
The world is a very different place in March 2021 than it was when "The Real Housewives of Orange County" premiered on March 20, 2006. As Andy Chen noted in a recent post reflecting on the 15th anniversary of the "Real Housewives" franchise, reality TV and pop culture have changed dramatically — as has Andy's hair. "#RHOC premiered 15 years ago today," Andy, now 52, wrote on Instagram over the weekend, sharing a photo of himself in his office circa 2006. "When I posed for this picture a week later, I had no idea the series would change the course of pop culture — and my life — forever. Thanks to each and every Real Housewife, and the incredible production teams from Evolution, Shed Media, Truly Original, Sirens, GoodBye Pictures, & Purveyors of Pop for keeping the series humming!" he continued, before joking, "(SIDENOTE: I'm not saying the Housewives turned my hair entirely Grey, but they did)."
Emma Corrin donates custom Globes gown to support survivors of sexual abuse
Emma Corrin, whose portrayal of Princess Diana in "The Crown" won her a Best Actress Golden Globe last month, has found a way to make a second fashion statement with the custom Mi Miu gown she wore to virtually attend the event. As the actress told Bazaar this week, the black and white dress is now available through a raffle whose proceeds will be donated to The Survivors Trust, which provides support services to those who have experienced sexual assault. "I wanted the outfit to keep on giving and with the raffle it means that it wasn't just made for one evening — it will make a difference and give a charity the money it needs to provide crucial help," Emma said, noting that the raffle has a low entry price point. "I've been aware of the incredible work that The Survivors Trust do for a while now and have wanted to find a way to launch a working relationship with them, to help raise money to fund all the crucial support they provide for survivors," she added. "I think that in general our social consciousnesses have been broadened over the past year; the gap between wanting to effect change and making an actual difference has closed. The time to act is now." Funds raised through the raffle will be used to help the charity continue developing its live chat service, set to launch later this year.
