By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:00am PST, Dec 7, 2022
Elizabeth Taylor's prescription drug doses in the '80s were so high that one medical expert reviewing them assumed the patient was dead
Elizabeth Taylor's prescription drug use in the 1980s involved dosages so high one medical expert reviewing her records deemed the combination to be "incompatible with life" and assumed the patient in question was dead. That's according to Kate Anderson Brower's new authorized biography, "Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon," which delves into Elizabeth's long battle with substance abuse, including her addiction to drugs doctors willingly gave her. According to the author, whose research included some 250 interviews and access to more than 7,000 personal letters, things came to a head in the 1980s, when Liz asked her son to give her a shot of Demerol. He refused, but his wife contacted a "regulatory agency" to report the Oscar winner's doctors for overprescribing pills. What the family later learned was three doctors gave Liz a "combined 1,000 prescriptions for twenty-eight drugs between 1983 and 1988, including tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and painkillers," according to Page Six. Most of those years spanned a period after she'd stopped drinking, having been treated at the Betty Ford Center in 1983. She reportedly continued to take the pills, however, as she believed they were safe since doctors had prescribed them. Elizabeth "said her entire life was a fight," the author recently told People, one she met with the "resilience of refusing to be a victim." Elizabeth died in 2011 at age 79. Her new biography is out now.
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Here's the real reason Khloe Kardashian was late to the stage the People's Choice Awards
Khloe Kardashian was late in joining her mom onstage at the 2022 People's Choice Awards on Tuesday (Dec. 6), where the two accepted the 2022 Reality Show of the Year prize for "The Kardashians." Khloe initially blamed her tardiness and breathlessness on a bad hair day, joking that she "was trying to fix" her 'do, because, "oh my god, a girl's gotta fix her hair." Turns out a girl's gotta fix her wardrobe situation sometimes, too — especially after a bathroom break in a skintight designer ensemble. In an Instagram Story posted from the back of her car later, Khloe shared the real reason she was late. "You guys, we just won People's Choice and I'm so grateful, but, OK, my outfit broke!" she shared after also having won the Reality Star 2022 award. "My outfit — the whole zipper popped open … I am sewn into my outfit. I had to pee. So we had to cut the stitching out and sew me back in," she explained. Before signing off she held a lock of her somewhat gnarled hair up to the camera, telling fans that was a "a disaster," too, albeit a forgivable one. "Champagne problems!" Khloe added. The Hulu star and Good American designer's sexy tux-inspired look came courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier, according to Us Weekly, while her black taffeta-clad mom opted for Alexander McQueen.
MORE: Fashion hits and misses from the 2022 People's Choice Awards
Hollywood reacts to Rev. Raphael Warnock's Georgia Senate win
Stars including Spike Lee, Kerry Washington, Billy Baldwin and Amy Schumer celebrated the results of Georgia's run-off election on Tuesday (Dec. 6), as it became clear Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, will hold onto his Senate seat, having defeated his Republican opponent, former NFL star Herschel Walker. On Twitter, Kerry congratulated both the reverend and "the PEOPLE of Georgia," writing, "You did it! You voted your values and when we show up, WE WIN! Let's goooooooooooooo!" Spike, an Atlanta native, urged Georgians to remember to vote ahead of the election, while comic Wanda Sykes took a less serious approach to the whole thing, tweeting, "I bet they asked Herschel Walker if he was ready to make his concession speech, and he said, 'Yes, two hot dogs please.'" Billy Baldwin appeared to be in no mood for jokes as the results came in, and bemoaned how close the race was, slamming Herschel as an "abusive, incompetent, unqualified, intellectually unfit dead beat." The football star was similarly skewered on last weekend's edition of "Saturday Night Live."
MORE: 'SNL' takes on Herschel Walker and Mitch McConnell: See which stars have played presidents and politicians on the long-running show
Fancy and filter-free
As the Lensa app's AI-generated self-portraits went viral social media this week, Millie Bobby Brown posted a quick reminder that filters — like the ones Lensa offers — can work in sneaky ways. Sharing a pair of selfies on Instagram, the "Stranger Things" star, 18, showed off her best kissy-face, complete with extra-wide eyes, exaggerated eyelashes, perfectly clear skin and extra-plump lips. She captioned that one "filter." Beside it, she shared an unfiltered pic, seemingly from a few moments later, that showed her face, up-close, in all its realistic, imperfect (and still plenty gorgeous) glory. "No filter," she wrote above her head. Though she didn't say more about what inspired the post, the former child star recently told Allure she had to stop using social media directly — someone else handles it for her — after she was bullied so fiercely online that she sought therapy. "It's really hard to be hated on when you don't know who you are yet," she said at the time. "Then you just start shutting down because you're like, 'Who am I meant to be? Who do they need me to be for them?'" In addition to therapy, the actress' family and friends eventually helped her understand why those outside expectations and demands don't matter. "I just have to develop within myself," she said. "That's what I'm doing."
Hilaria Baldwin reveals 9-year-old daughter's poignant reaction to 'Rust' shooting
Hilaria Baldwin says she and Alec Baldwin have talked to their two eldest kids about the 2021 "Rust" set shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins and it was about as awful as you might expect. Hilaria, who shares seven children with Alec, recently opened up to "Extra" about how the couple has navigated things at home in the wake of the incident, during which a prop gun Alec was holding discharged, firing a live round. Though he'd been told the gun was "cold," or free of live ammunition, according to authorities, a real bullet killed Halyna, the film's cinematographer, and injured director Joel Souza. Speaking to "Extra," Hilaria revealed Alec still has nightmares stemming from the shooting, then rehashed some of the conversation she and Alec had with their daughter Carmen, 9, and son Rafael, 7. As they explained what had happened, "Carmen started saying to me, 'Why are you telling me this?'… She said, 'I want to un-know this.' She used the word 'un-know,' and Alec said, 'I want to un-know it, too,'" Hilaria recalled. "I think everyone wants to un-know it … because it's real." Looking ahead, Hilaria acknowledged how poignant her daughter's reaction was. "We can remember [Halyna], continuing her legacy for her, for her family and we can take care of everybody who's still here who is extraordinarily damaged by this awful tragedy. That's all that we can do," she said. "But we can't un-know it." Alec reached a settlement with Halyna's family in the shooting in October. In November, he filed suit against crew members involved with handing him the loaded gun.
Christina Haack and Ant Anstead settle bitter custody battle
After a bitter custody battle, Christina Haack and Ant Anstead have come to an agreement regarding their 3-year-old son, Hudson, and will not go to trial over the matter after all, People reported on Tuesday (Dec. 6). According to Nov. 18 court records viewed by the outlet, the reality stars will maintain joint legal and joint physical custody, per their June 2021 agreement. They've reportedly decided to alternate holidays, with Hudson spending Halloween and Easter with his dad on even-numbered years and with his mom on odd-numbered years. As for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Christina gets Hudson on even-numbered years and Ant gets him on odd-numbered years, according to People. Christina — who also shares daughter Taylor, 12, and son Brayden, 7, with her ex and longtime "Flip Or Flop" co-star, Tarek El Moussa — split from Ant in 2020. The pair finalized their divorce in 2021, and Ant moved on with Renee Zellweger. Christina married Joshua Hall earlier this year.
Naomi Judd's family files to drop death records lawsuit
The family of late country music icon Naomi Judd have filed a notice to dismiss a lawsuit blocking access to information about the investigation of her death, according to the Associated Press. Naomi died at age 76 in April after a long battle with severe depression and anxiety. Her family, including daughters Wynonna and Ashley Judd, said in a petition at the time that allowing journalists access to reports about the investigation could cause relatives and loved ones "significant trauma and irreparable harm." It seems their concern was focused on potential requests for documents like video and audio interviews and photos from the scene of Naomi's death. Their decision to drop the suit stems partly from their discovery that those documents weren't requested. The family also reportedly cited a bill being introduced by a Tennessee state lawmaker "that would make death investigation records private where the death is not the result of a crime," according to the AP.
