Drag Race Sneak Peek, Virtual Reunion and Finale Details Confirmed
The final challenge of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 has arrived, and the remaining queens are feeling the Jantasy nostalgia.
Gigi Goode, Jaida Essence Hall, Crystal Methyd, Jackie Cox and Sherry Pie prepare to hit the runway for their Las Vegas-themed Rusical in TVLine’s exclusive sneak peek from tonight’s episode (VH1, 8/7c), taking the opportunity to reflect on how far everyone — but especially Crystal — has come in the competition.
In other Drag Race news, VH1 has unveiled its plans for the final two episodes of Season 12, beginning with the May 22 reunion (8/7c). According to the network, this season’s contestants — minus Sherry, who was disqualified before she even debuted — will come together for a “virtual slumber party hosted by RuPaul to kiki about everything that’s happened this season.” In addition to discussing how the queens have been handling quarantine, the group will also tackle “this season’s shadiest moments and most shocking eliminations.” The reunion will wrap with a round of fan questions.
The May 29 season finale (8/7c) will also be filmed virtually, though VH1 promises “innovative technology that highlights the creativity of the queens.” The finalists will compete in a “revolutionary lip-sync battle for the crown,” and one will receive it from reigning winner Yvie Oddly. Nina West will also return to crown this season’s Miss Congeniality, and other “special celebrity guests” are expected to make appearances throughout the night.
Article via TVLine
Colorado cops looking for man who wore KKK hood in market
Colorado cops are searching for a man who wore a Ku Klux Klan hood to go grocery shopping — the second time this month that someone in the US has pulled the hateful stunt.
The man walked into the City Market in Dillon on Thursday and proceeded to shop until he was asked to leave, which he refused to do. An employee at the store then called the cops, the Summit Daily News reports.
The man fled before officers arrived, but cops are working to identify him and his vehicle using surveillance footage, the newspaper reports.
“Right now, they’re trying to identify him, contact him and take it from there,” a spokeswoman for the grocery store told the newspaper. “Obviously, we take this kind of action very seriously.”
Video of the incident obtained by KUSA shows the man apparently chatting it up with other customers while holding a basket and a container of milk. He stands near three other shoppers before one of them apparently said something about his hood, prompting him to shrug his shoulders and walk away.
The man then argued with customers and workers who approached him until he left the store. In a statement to the station, the grocery chain said it values “diversity and inclusion,” as well as respect for every customer.
“We ask our customers to respect these values as well when in our stores,” the statement read. “Our store leaders are empowered to swiftly and respectfully address anyone who disregards these values, which includes blatant symbols of hate and intolerance.”
Another man was spotted wearing a KKK hood while buying groceries earlier this month in Santee, California. He ultimately took off the hood while shopping May 4 at a Von supermarket after being asked several times by clerks and a supervisor.
Article via NYPost
Scientists spot ‘one in a million’ super-Earth
Toward the center of our galaxy, in a star system far away, is a planet with features that remind us of home.
Astronomers at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury (UC) discovered a particularly rare super-Earth. “The new planet is among only a handful of extra-solar planets that have been detected with both sizes and orbits close to that of Earth,” said UC in a release on Monday.
“Extra-solar planet” is another term for exoplanet, which describes a planet located outside our solar system. We only have artists’ impressions of what these planets might look like, but they continue to fuel our curiosity as we seek out distant worlds that feel familiar.
The newly spotted exoplanet’s year lasts about 617 days and it travels around a much less massive star than the sun. It’s located near the Milky Way’s central bulge of stars. For scale, Earth is about 25,000 light-years away from the galactic center.
The researchers published their findings in The Astronomical Journal this month.
The super-Earth discovery was a fortuitous event that UC described as “one in a million.”
The astronomers used a gravitational microlensing technique to spot the planet. “The combined gravity of the planet and its host star caused the light from a more distant background star to be magnified in a particular way. We used telescopes distributed around the world to measure the light-bending effect,” said UC astronomer Antonio Herrera Martin.
There’s a lot of hope wrapped up in a term like “super-Earth,” but there are no guarantees a planet in this category will look anything like our own. NASA describes super-Earths as “up to 10 times more massive than Earth,” but says they may vary in composition from water worlds to icy planets to ones made mainly of gas.
NASA has racked up some intriguing super-Earth discoveries in recent years, including the potentially habitable Kepler 62f.
Article via CNET
Ellen DeGeneres Thought Rumors She’s Mean Were ‘Just Sour Grapes’
Ellen DeGeneres ends every episode of her talk show with, “Be kind to one another,” but she has been hit with a number of allegations in recent weeks that she is mean to staffers, guests and other people behind-the-scenes.
“Ellen is at the end of her rope,” a source reveals exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly. “She thought this was all just sour grapes from a few haters. But it’s not a passing thing — the hits just keep coming.”
It all started in April when beauty YouTuber Nikkie de Jager (a.k.a. NikkieTutorials) accused DeGeneres, 62, of being “cold and distant” when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January. That same month, the comedian came under fire for joking that being quarantined in her $27 million mansion during the coronavirus pandemic is “like being in jail.” In addition, Variety reported that the crew on DeGeneres’ show had been left in the dark about their jobs and pay during the global crisis, and her former bodyguard publicly called her “cold” and “dehumanizing.”
“Ellen’s so grateful to have Portia in her life as a soulmate and a sounding board, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy,” a second source tells Us. “Their home life is strained right now. … Her real friends never ask her to be funny or tell jokes. They accept her as is.”
And at the end of the day, DeGeneres’ ratings continue to soar, which indicates that the backlash has not affected her show.
“Ellen’s been in our homes for so long, it’ll take a lot more than a bodyguard and a blogger to change how people feel about her,” the second insider notes. “Her best response is just being happy Ellen on the show every day.”
Article via MSN
Netflix drops ‘Filthy’ trailer for Jeffrey Epstein docuseries
Article via NYPost
Netflix has dropped the trailer for “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,” a four-part docuseries about the deceased millionaire pedophile and the myriad of women who fell victim to his international sex trafficking ring.
“Stories from survivors fuel this docuseries examining how convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein used his wealth and power to carry out his abuses,” reads a short bio from Netflix for the series, available May 27.
A trailer released on YouTube Wednesday spans more than the late financier’s sex crimes and accusers, also going into his conspiracy theory-fueling August death by hanging following his July arrest. The series will also reflect on the larger #MeToo movement.
The brief look into the forthcoming show features shots of Epstein’s private Caribbean island, nicknamed “The Pedophile Island” for what one voiceover describes as an “ever-revolving door” of young girls, in a case another voiceover dubs “one of the worst failures of the criminal justice system.”
The series is directed by Lisa Bryant, executive produced by filmmaker Joe Berlinger of “Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” and based on author James Patterson’s best-selling 2016 book, “Filthy Rich: The Shocking True Story of Jeffrey Epstein.”
The coronavirus quarantine hasn’t quelled interest and ongoing revelations in the Epstein case. This month, Epstein’s cell buddy Bill Mersey revealed that he believed Epstein’s death was a suicide, an accuser came forward saying Epstein flew two girls from the UK to the US — suggesting for the first time that the tycoon and his co-conspirators went after UK girls — and Harvard officials admitted that Epstein maintained his own private office at the Ivy League school for a decade following his 2008 conviction for sex crimes. Last month, a petition to remove Epstein’s alleged enabler Eileen Guggenheim from the New York Academy of Art board gained steam though Guggenheim vigorously denies the allegations.
Donald Trump Defends Promoting Jeffrey Epstein Conspiracy About Clintons #fullbreakdown
Khloé Kardashian, Tristan Thompson threaten to sue woman over paternity claim
Article via PageSix
Khloé Kardashian is taking a hard stance over ex Tristan Thompson.
After responding to rumors she’s pregnant again with Thompson’s baby, the 35-year-old reality star sent a cease and desist letter to a woman claiming to have a child with Thompson, E! News reported.
The former couple’s attorney, Marty Singer, asked Kimberly Alexander to “immediately stop defaming them with malicious defamatory lies and specious fabrications” after she claimed in alleged text messages that the Cleveland Cavaliers player is the father of her baby.
Paperwork purporting to be from a lab that specializes in DNA testing services surfaced online and suggested Thompson, 29, took a paternity test in Jan. 2020. In the cease and desist letter, obtained by the entertainment outlet, Singer confirmed Thompson took the test and received a negative result.
Alexander requested Thompson take a second test, which Singer said he agreed to take as long as an AABB-accredited lab perform the test. Singer also alleges Alexander was “fired” from attorney Lisa Bloom’s firm after they determined they could not “resolve” her claims.
“I did previously represent her,” Bloom confirmed to Page Six on Thursday, “and I wish her the best.”
Singer continued to blast Alexander, claiming she’s looking for notoriety.
“It is obvious that the reason you are spreading these lies about my clients is because you want your 15 minutes of fame,” the letter reads. “My clients will not tolerate your despicable conduct.”
“It has been proven that Mr. Thompson is not the father of your child and we demand that you stop claiming that he is, and that he and Ms. Kardashian somehow falsified the paternity test results,” the letter continues. “It is defamatory per se to falsely assert that someone is a deadbeat dad who allegedly does not support his children, and to falsely accuse my clients of faking paternity test results.”
Thompson and Kardashian share 2-year-old daughter True Thompson. He also shares son Prince, 3, with ex Jordan Craig.
Singer is demanding Alexander delete all social media posts and cease posting anything about Kardashian or Thompson.
“This is an extremely serious matter,” the letter ends. “If you disregard this letter’s demands, you do so at your peril since you will soon find yourself in court facing multi-million-dollar claims while attempting to defend your indefensible misconduct.”
Singer did not immediately return a request for comment.
ANTM’s Jay Manuel Breaks Silence on Why He Left, Talks Relationship With Tyra and Current Backlash
“It became a culture where you could only speak your mind so much.”
Jay Manuel is dishing out enough “America’s Next Top Model” dirt, one can’t help but “smize.”
During an interview with Variety, the former “ANTM” creative director broke his silence on why he left the show, talked “uncomfortable” moments while filming, gave his take on the recent backlash from problematic clips resurfacing and revealed where he stands with Tyra Banks.
“Over the past few years, we’ve emailed,” Jay said of Tyra, noting the last time they saw each other was at BeautyCon in 2017. “To be very honest, we really have no relationship to speak of, which is really sad. Our time together on ‘ANTM’ was amazingly productive and, at times, magical. We got to experience being part of a global phenomenon.”
As for the recent criticisms of commentary by Tyra and other judges on the show being out-of-touch, Jay said he could see both sides of the coin.
Last week, “ANTM” came under fire after old clips went viral claiming to showcase racial insensitivity, body shaming and other apparent improprieties.
One video showeds the panel of judges scolding contestant Danielle “Dani” Evans for refusing to get the gap in her front teeth filled back in 2006, as they announced it would leave her “unmarketable.”
Another put a spotlight on judges telling contestant Toccaro she had to lose 150 pounds to be considered a model.
And the producers encouraged a contestant to pose in a grave after receiving news of her best friend’s death in yet another old clip.
“I do think it’s a little unfair for people to persecute Tyra now, especially because she has already taken heat for her past executive decisions in past years,” Jay told Variety. “However, I can’t really defend her either because when ratings were high and things were great, she remained a clear figurehead, because it was her show.”
“Consistently, when s–t hit the fan and people wanted to talk about some of the things that were said on the show, we would have another singular EP come forward to claim that all creative decisions were made as the team, and I really wish that were the case, but that just simply is not true,” he added.
One of the moments that drew the biggest online ire was when the show appeared to promote blackface, which Jay said he witnessed personally.
“I do remember, and it was very uncomfortable for me, in Cycle 4, it was a photoshoot where the girls had to swap races,” he began. “I was so, so, so uncomfortable with this. I was never scripted for my intros or anything, and I didn’t know how I was going to be able to set this up — I was so afraid that I would wear this because I was the creative director, but it was not my idea.”
“That swapped race was a layer added in,” he continued. “It was supposed to be a different concept. I remember that very, very clearly. I was basically told that I had to execute the creative, and it made me very uncomfortable.”
On Friday, Tyra spoke out about the backlash, tweeting, “Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you. Looking back, those were some really off choices.”
The show’s co-creator, Ken Mok, also tweeted that the clips were cringe-worthy, but added, “Just a FYI — the entire creative team made the choices on those shows — not just Tyra.”
TooFab has previously contacted reps for Tyra regarding the show clips.
Meanwhile, according to Jay, Ken’s statement was a bit misleading.
“I think it’s a little unfair to throw the whole team under the bus,” he said during the interview. “The whole team wasn’t there on the front side when they were making decisions about the show in its heyday. The team wasn’t really supported, so to speak.”
Finally, Jay cleared up any rumors of why he left the show after 18 seasons, as many fans believed he had a fallout with Tyra and was fired.
“When we parted ways, I had already completed my contract after Cycle 18 with no plans to return for Cycle 19, and that’s something that people don’t know,” he dished. “It was 100% my decision to leave the show, as I was ready to move my career in a different direction, but unfortunately at the time, my departure was misreported to the press, and contractually, I could not speak about leaving the show.”
“Now, I can speak about it, so I can be clear that my departure from the show was one of choice.”
Moving his career in a different direction has found Jay releasing his first novel, “The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown,” which was inspired by his time on “ANTM.”
“I wanted this book to entertain and that’s why I used satire, and had a lot of fun with it,” Jay told Variety. “All of the characters in the book took on a life of their own and were just inspired by people in my life, but we write what we know and, as they say, art imitates life — and is often larger than life.”
“The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown” sashays onto book shelves on August 3.
Article via TooFab
Mary-Kate Olsen Is Requesting an Emergency Divorce
Coronavirus has halted just about everything — and some government offices are no exception. According to TMZ, Mary-Kate Olsen and her husband, Pierre Olivier Sarkozy, are in the midst of a divorce. On top of that, Sarkozy’s legal team is demanding that Olsen remove her belongings from their New York City apartment by May 18. She says that it’s not safe to be moving at the moment and because New York City courts are closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her request for a petition for divorce has been in limbo.
TMZ reports that Olsen submitted the petition for divorce back on April 17 and that courts are only processing “emergency” filings. In Olsen’s case, she could be facing the possibility of Sarkozy tossing all of her belongings. In court documents, she claims that Sarkozy is “forcing” her out of the premises by terminating their lease without her knowing. Olsen requested an extension to May 30 and TMZ adds that Sarkozy has been unresponsive.
When the divorce petition is filed, it would “trigger an automatic court order” and prevent Sarkozy from getting rid of Olsen’s personal property. Olsen filed an emergency order to move the divorce process ahead and TMZ adds that she’s asked that the couple’s prenuptial agreement — which was never made public — be honored. Olsen and Sarkozy got married back on November 27, 2015, in a wedding that reportedly included “bowls of cigarettes.”
There is precedent for a divorce via telephone, though Olsen and Sarkozy’s messy situation may make things more complicated. A “non-contested” divorce can take place over the phone with a judge present and depending on the situation, there can even be video conferences for certain hearings.
Article via YahooNews
Pandas sent back to China over bamboo shortage
The Calgary Zoo will send its two giant pandas back to China over a shortage in bamboo supply amid the coronavirus pandemic.
How to Keep an Indoor Plant Alive
Keeping an indoor plant alive means providing it with what it needs on a long-term basis. Keeping an indoor plant alive means no forgetting about its existence for months at a time. Keeping an indoor plant alive is a sign that you’ve managed to cross the threshold into competent adulthood.
So how do you keep an indoor plant alive?
Sunlight, water and soil keep plants happy
Keeping a plant alive requires giving it the appropriate amount of sunlight and water, as well as the right soil and nutrients. How much of each will depend on the particular plant, and too much or too little will lead to yet another death. The key to is to research what your particular plant needs and figure out the right way to provide it and how to recognize the warning signs that something is out of whack if you’re doing it wrong. Although this sounds simple, it does take a bit of practice to get right (sorry, starter plants).
How to tell if a plant is getting too much or too little sunlight
Plants require light for photosynthesis, which is how they are able to produce energy. Each type of plant requires different amounts of light.
Too much light and plants become scorched, bleached and limp. Too little light and they become pale and wilted, their leaves growing long and thin in order to stretch toward a light source—or alternatively, dropping their leaves altogether.
Different plants will require low, medium or high light conditions, which is why it’s important to figure out what an individual plant needs and what place in your home might be able to provide it. Low light plants should be placed away from direct sunlight, medium light plants should be in a well-lit part of the house and high light plants should be in the sunniest spots in your home.
If you don’t know what the sunlight requirements for your plant are, one useful metric is to search out its foot-candle estimate, which is a measure of light intensity or brightness. A low light plant needs between 50-250 foot-candles, a medium-light plant needs between 250-1000 foot-candles, while a high light plant needs more than 1000.
How to tell if a plant is being over- or under-watered
Too much water is just as bad as not enough. If a plant is over-watered, the tips of its leaves turn brown, the stem’s base turns soft and mushy, and it develops yellow leaves which drop off. If a plant is under-watered, the leaves start to curl and get brown and crispy.
That’s why it’s important to water your plant at the right intervals and in the right amount. Each plant will have different requirements, but a good measure of whether a plant needs more water is to feel the soil. If the soil is wet or damp, it doesn’t need to be watered. If the soil is dry, then, depending on the plant, it might need more water.
When it comes to ensuring your plants get the right amount of water, drainage is critical. For example, if the soil in the pot is constantly damp, that’s a sign that the water isn’t draining, and can lead to molding roots.
Two hacks for ensuring proper drainage would be to either fill the bottom half of the pot with packing peanuts, or to line your pot with coffee filters, which will encourage proper drainage. It’s also important to dump any water that accumulates in the drainage tray, as letting it sit there isn’t good for the roots either.
Soil
Most house plants should be planted in regular potting soil. The exceptions would be orchids, which need more drainage and for which special orchid mixes are available, and cacti and succulents, which need more drainage, for which adding in sand will help.
Nutrients
You’ll want to fertilize your plants periodically to ensure they are getting the nutrients they need. A general indoor plant fertilizer will usually be enough, as long as it has a mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These fertilizers can be bought in liquid, stick and tablet forms, as well as slow release or granular. A good rule of thumb is to fertilize when the plant is actively growing—usually during the spring—and remember that, like water, too much fertilizer is just as bad as too little.
Easy plants for beginners
Some beginner-friendly indoor plants include aloe vera, chinese evergreen, christmas cactus, dumb cane, jade plant, lucky bamboo, snake plant and peace lily. Although these names may sound unfamiliar to plant newbies, you’ve probably seen them in the homes and apartments of people you know. These types of plants could probably thrive in your home as well—as long as you do a little bit of research to figure out what they need and how to give it to them. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be well on your way to keeping your plant friend alive. And just think how satisfying that will be.
Article via LifeHacker