Naomi Angered by "Golliwog Supermodel" Taunt
You probably know that Naomi Campbell pled guilty yesterday to assaulting police officers after a mid-air disturbance on British Airways. If you missed it, get all the details in our news story here.
But here’s some backstory from Britain’s Sky News (via gossip guy Perez). Yes, Naomi admits she was wrong, but she has more to say about why she went off:
“I was called a racial name on that flight. And that was part of my reaction. Again, nothing to do with the police but yes from British Airways. I was called a golliwog supermodel, I don’t think that’s really fair, do you?’ Would you like it if someone turned round and called you a golliwog supermodel?
“I mean, I’m proud to be a black woman, I’m proud to be British, I’m proud of the job that I do, but I did not call anyone names of color, of their race. And, you know, I’ve had to leave all of that out of court…because at the end of the day the real problem was, I took my upset and my, the end of my wrath came out on the police, which was wrong.”
The airline denies Campbell’s suggestion that any such slurs were slung:
“BA does not accept any allegations of racism. We are proud of our diversity. We have strict policies concerning dignity at work and have long-standing training programs on diversity and inclusion.”
In other words, Naomi, kiss those frequent flyer miles good-bye.
Ashley Tisdale’s Mom: Furious About Rumors
Ashley Tisdale’s Mom: Furious About Rumors
It was quite unexpected when last week, rumors began to circulate on the Internet that Ashley Tisdale was dying of AIDS. And now her mom is speaking out about it.
Last Thursday (June 5th) blogs began running an unconfirmed/unsourced ‘news story’ that the 22-year-old High School Musical cutie had been diagnosed with HIV due to ‘contaminated equipment’ used during her rhinoplasty surgery.
Subsequently, reports began to surface saying that her HIV had developed into full-blown AIDS, and that she only had six months to live. Of course, Tisdale’s rep shot down the false reports, but by then the damage to Ashley, and her family, had been done.
Lisa Tisdale, Ashley’s mother, told press, “My daughter is healthy and just fine — but my husband and I just don’t know why anyone would spread such a rumor. And what really upsets me is that anyone can write anything, and it ends up on the Internet. It’s so irresponsible; so many people will just assume it’s a fact.”
American Idol: David Cook Versus David Archuleta
First things first. David Cook is OK.
You may have heard that the Idol contestant (prodigy?) took a trip to the hospital last night after suffering from anxiety, high blood pressure and light-headedness—but David insisted on taking the stage before being treated. Only after his "Little Sparrow" performance did he head to the hospital. Fortunately, he is expected to be back on set tonight. (Get all the details in our news story.)
Here's hoping he makes a full and speedy recovery, for his sake and the sake of the fans, because the last two weeks of Idol have made something pretty clear: This season belongs to the Davids. Really, as much as some of us do love Carly Smithson, Michael Johns or Jason Castro, the season is shaping up to be a fierce competition between David Cook and David Archuleta.
Both Davids are insanely talented (perhaps the best talent we've seen on AI since Kelly Clarkson back in the day) and yet remain wildly different, both on screen and off. While David Cook is subdued, thoughtful and edgy, Archuleta's adorable, unbridled enthusiasm often makes him seem straight out of a Disney movie, and this may be due to the folks behind them. While Cook says that growing up, "music was something that was readily available to me, but not forced upon me," on-set sources tell me Archuleta's father is most definitely of the "stage dad" variety (not surprising for anyone who won Star Search at the age of 12).
Bottom line, both guys have proven themselves enough to have wildly successful stand-alone careers after the show ends, regardless of who wins (the loss didn't hurt Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson or Clay Aiken), and if you ask me to choose between my Davids, I won't. The'yre both too good to make the call.
What do you say? Vote below for your Idol pick so far…and how about some nice well wishes for David Cook in the comments below?
—Additional reporting by Ken Baker
Strikewatch: The Thrilling Conclusion!
The strike is over. Like really, really over. The WGA voted tonight to end it and everything, and then the WGA prez announced, "The strike is over."
Whoo.
Maybe it's just us, but the ending seems a bit…anticlimactic. After 100 days of sheer "What will I do without Jim and Pam?" panic, not to mention weeks of mother-daughter beauty pageant and lie-dectector reality hell, and then the last 10-day jaunt of rumors that the strike was over, then, no, wait, that's a lie, then, no wait that's a lie, you silly idiots, ahem…We here at WWK are, frankly, exhausted—and really happy to be putting this whole S-word thing behind us.
So, where do we go from here? We start to make amends with that little talking box that has been the source of so much grief as of late, and mark our Aprilish/Mayish calendars for the returns of 30 Rock, The Office, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, House, How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives, Samantha Who? and…
Wait a minute—we get all those shows back?! Turns out this news is worth getting excited about! So, join us for a little strike-ending soiree in the comments section by sounding off on the show you are most excited about welcoming back into your living room this spring.
And check out our "TV Bosses" item for exlusive scoop on what the strike's end means for our favorite shows. (It has been updated multiple times today.) And our news story.