Who, What, When, Where?!: Miscellaneous Celebrity News 2.0

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

He had never seen an episode.

And that's an ongoing problem in television (only made worse when the one-off director who's studied little to nothing beyond the individual script of an ongoing show is a big name); they come in, say "Play it this way," the actor explains, "No, my character does not react like that in such situations," and the director throws his - because, yes, it is almost always a him - weight around.

I don't watch the show, but I finally got curious enough to read the linked article (which summarizes a podcast conversation), and, as written, this wasn't Pompeo instructing another actor on how his character should handle a conversation (usurping his and the director's collaborative artistic process); she, during one take, responded in character based on how the actor was playing his character's half of the confrontation, feeling her character would be "pissed that [she] had to sit there and listen to this apology, and he wasn't looking at [her] in the eye" -- she wasn't instructing the actor where to look, she improvised dialogue in which her character responded to his character's body language, saying, "Look at me when you apologize. Look at me."

No problem at all, happens all the time, and the director can choose to use it or not.

But the way the article quotes her after saying he went "ham" on her ass (thanks to those posters who explained what that means) suggests something more than that simple scenario, either from jump or how it escalated:

Quote

Pompeo continued, "He was like, 'I'm the director. Don't you tell him what to do.' And I was like, 'Listen, motherf-----, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling?' Like, 'You barely know where the bathroom is.' And I have the utmost respect for him as an actor, as a director, as everything, but like, yo, we went at it one day."

That sounds like she said, or he took her as saying, it as an actor to the other actor, not her saying it as a character to the other character.  Add in the use of "I" and "me" to often - and as this article assumed, which may or may not have been clear in the source material - refer to the character, not the actor, and it's more unclear.

And then her memory of talking to his wife, the fan of the show, when she visited the set, further muddles the context:

Quote

"I was like, 'Yeah, he yelled at me today. Yeah, he let me have it today, and I'm not okay with him, and I'm not looking at him, and I'm not talking to him,'" she recalled telling Washington's wife. "So we didn't get through it without a fight, but you know, that's actors for you — passionate and fiery — and that's where you get the magic, and that's where you get the good stuff." 

"So it was an amazing experience, it really was," she concluded.

Bottom line, this is probably a big ball of nothing - like People specializes in culling from original sources and creating - but she did a terrible job of recounting what happened (at least as quoted in the article), has some iffy motives in her word choices, and People sucks.  But I don't care enough to listen to the podcast to try and parse this any more.

1 hour ago, bobalina said:

Grey's Anatomy is the book widely used in anatomy classes.

The book is Gray's Anatomy.  The only things I know about the show are 1) it's called Grey's Anatomy as a pun, since the main character has the last name Grey, and 2) that dork from Can't Buy Me Love growing into a real hottie meant Patrick Dempsey's character got dubbed McDreamy.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Bastet

[Zella]

49 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That sounds like she said, or he took her as saying, it as an actor to the other actor, not her saying it as a character to the other character.  Add in the use if "I" and "me" to often - and as this article assumed, which may or may not have been clear in the source material - refer to the character, not the actor, and it's more unclear.

But her response isn't of someone who was misunderstood. The normal way to de-escalate that reasonable misunderstanding would be to explain that she wasn't directing the costar--she was actually adlibbing. Instead, she screamed back the equivalent of "Motherfucker, this is my house. Don't tell me what to do in my house." In addition to that being unprofessional and hostile, it comes across as the response of someone who was in fact trying to direct, not someone who was misunderstood and had her actions misinterpreted. And then she goes and whines to his wife that they're not getting along after that. She is either extraordinarily ignorant about how social interaction works or she is being disingenuous if she doesn't get why he is not talking to her at that point, but she tries to make herself an innocent victim who didn't throw gasoline on the fire. And then years later she tells the story like it's a delightful anecdote about working with Washington and standing up for herself when in fact it just seems like she behaved like a complete jerk. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Zella

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I don't watch the show, but I finally got curious enough to read the linked article (which summarizes a podcast conversation), and, as written, this wasn't Pompeo instructing another actor on how his character should handle a conversation (usurping his and the director's collaborative artistic process); she, during one take, responded in character based on how the actor was playing his character's half of the confrontation, feeling her character would be "pissed that [she] had to sit there and listen to this apology, and he wasn't looking at [her] in the eye" -- she wasn't instructing the actor where to look, she improvised dialogue in which her character responded to his character's body language, saying, "Look at me when you apologize. Look at me."

I’ve seen it mentioned a few times that she was improvising in character and not directing the other actor. This confused me because one of the article specifically mentions that her character in the scene had her jaw wired shut. Out of curiosity I watched the scene in question and it is a key point that she can’t speak in that scene. It wasn’t improvised dialogue because her speaking at all made that take unusable as the episode was written. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Guest

[Bastet]

15 minutes ago, Zella said:

But her response isn't of someone who was misunderstood. The normal way to de-escalate that reasonable misunderstanding would be to explain that she wasn't directing the costar--she was actually adlibbing. Instead, she screamed back the equivalent of "Motherfucker, this is my house. Don't tell me what to do in my house." That comes across as the response of someone who was in fact trying to direct, not someone who was misunderstood and had her actions misinterpreted. And then she goes and whines to his wife that they're not getting along after that. She is either extraordinarily ignorant about how social interaction works or she is being disingenuous if she doesn't get why he is not talking to her at that point, but she tries to make herself an innocent victim who didn't throw gasoline on the fire. 

My point is People's usual brand of reporting makes it hard to understand what was said just from that linked article, and I don't care enough to go listen to the podcast it purports to summarize, but her own word choice, even in snippets, is suspect.

11 minutes ago, Dani said:

Out of curiosity I watched the scene in question and it is a key point that she can’t speak in that scene. It wasn’t improvised dialogue because her speaking at all made that take unusable as the episode was written. 

See, this is a key point that a magazine, in reporting on her telling of the tale, should have included.  So when she said "I" and "me" she meant herself, not her character, yet they decided to go ahead and change it to "[she]" and "[her]", as if she was speaking about her character's reactions in the first person, as actors sometimes do.  So it's a shit article.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Bastet

[Zella]

1 minute ago, Dani said:

I’ve seen it mentioned a few times that she was improvising in character and not directing the other actor. This confused me because one of the article specifically mentions that her character in the scene had her mouth wired shut. Out of curiosity I watched the scene in question and it is a key point that she can’t speak in that scene. It wasn’t improvised dialogue because her speaking at all made that take unusable as the episode was written. 

That's one of the most hilariously awful lies I've ever heard in my life. 

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

My point is People's usual brand of reporting makes it hard to understand what was said just from that linked article, and I don't care enough to go listen to the podcast it purports to summarize, but her own word choice, even in snippets, is suspect

That's a fair point about the People article. It doesn't seem like they did their due diligence at all.

[Dancingjaneway]

Ellen has been very problematic for years now. Her racism has been known for awhile. She went on The View a few years back & talked about how HBCU's & the NAACP awards show should be done away with. She thought that it created more segregation. Not understanding that they are in place so that Black people can be acknowledged in a white washed world & receive an education with people that understand their struggles. She also talked about how her dad was racist & so she brought over a bunch of Black boys to go swimming, just to make her dad uncomfortable. Who in the HELL does that? The woman is trash. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

See, this is a key point that a magazine, in reporting on her telling of the tale, should have included.  So when she said "I" and "me" she meant herself, not her character, yet they decided to go ahead and change it to "[she]" and "[me]", as if she was talking about her character's reactions in the first person, as actors sometimes do.  So it's a shit article.

People sucks but in fairness to the reporter Ellen is very hard to follow in the podcast and they do mention that the character had a broken jaw. She uses first person for both her own thoughts and her characters and randomly switches to third person. In the actual podcast Ellen does give the impression that she is improvising in character. It only doesn’t make sense when you realize the context of the scene. The article itself is pretty accurate to what she actually says. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Guest

[Kel Varnsen]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

But her response isn't of someone who was misunderstood. The normal way to de-escalate that reasonable misunderstanding would be to explain that she wasn't directing the costar--she was actually adlibbing. Instead, she screamed back the equivalent of "Motherfucker, this is my house. Don't tell me what to do in my house." In addition to that being unprofessional and hostile, it comes across as the response of someone who was in fact trying to direct, not someone who was misunderstood and had her actions misinterpreted. And then she goes and whines to his wife that they're not getting along after that. She is either extraordinarily ignorant about how social interaction works or she is being disingenuous if she doesn't get why he is not talking to her at that point, but she tries to make herself an innocent victim who didn't throw gasoline on the fire. And then years later she tells the story like it's a delightful anecdote about working with Washington and standing up for herself when in fact it just seems like she behaved like a complete jerk. 

Yea even if you ignore any racial aspects, calling someone a motherfucker in a workplace scenario is generally a pretty shitty thing to do. The only time I have ever heard it not being shitty is the story Tina Fey told on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, about how she helped Chris Rock punch up a movie script. As a show of gratitude, he gave her a Rolex, and on the back it was engraved with "thanks for the help motherfucker".

Edited October 3, 2021 by Kel Varnsen

[DearEvette]

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

There's a lot we don't know about the situation. 

And that is 100% on her.  Unprompted, she decided to tell a story using alarmist terminology like 'HAM' and 'We went at it' but without context or bringing receipts.  Maybe she is just a terrible raconteur.  But in the end we can only receive her story the way she told it.  And in the telling it does not reflect well on her at all.

Her response of:

"Listen, motherfucker, this is my show. This is my set. Who are you telling?’ Like, ‘You barely know where the bathroom is"

feels so very out of proportion to the lead up of the story she herself was telling.  It is a first person story from the primary source so we have to receive it the way she is giving it.

I think that is the part that a lot of people -- myself included -- is having a hard time with.  At the very least,  even if he was a no name, even if things are done differently on that particular set, he is deserving of professional courtesy.  Which from that one sentence --again based on her own telling --- she did not seem to grant him.

 

1 hour ago, Dancingjaneway said:

Ellen has been very problematic for years now. Her racism has been known for awhile. She went on The View a few years back & talked about how HBCU's & the NAACP awards show should be done away with.

Oooh, yikes.  She didn't,think that one through.  Obviously doesn't know what the  'H' is HBCU stand for.  I would hope she knows that students of all races can and do attend HBCUs?  And that just because the legal segregation of schools based on race that led to the creation of HBCUs no longer applies, you just don't jettison an entire university and their years of traditions because of it? 

That is like saying 'Oh well, since there is no longer religious persecution of the Puritans, America is no longer necessary."

Edited October 3, 2021 by DearEvette

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

And that is 100% on her. 

It's 100% on her that she told that story and therefore she has to make do with the reactions to it on Twitter. 

But my comment was specifically in response to the question of "why would anyone want her to stay on the show if she acted that way?"  My point was that her bosses know more about Ellen, and even this situation, than we do. 

 

[BlackberryJam]

I couldn’t pick Ellen Pompsomething out of a lineup. I’m thanking my lucky stars for that because …ugh. All I know about that show is Sandra Oh. Mentally, I have it clocked as “Sandra Oh on nighttime General Hospital.” 

Some celebrities are better seen and not heard. (I googled Ellen Pompeo and realized I did know her as the woman I always think of as Not-Katherine-Heigl-but-close.)

Denzel, on the other hand, is looking mighty fine in the new MacBeth film. If there is a side to pick here, I’m on his.

 

 

[aradia22]

Too many celebrities have podcasts. I don't listen to any podcasts from people who were more than moderately famous/niche popular before starting their podcasts. 

[Luckylyn]

“Racism is what drew me to black people.” - Ellen Pompeo  I don’t understand what she was trying to say with that.

A YouTuber did a video going over Pompeo’s history of discussing race.  Sometimes it sounds like she means well and then at other times she’s very tone deaf.  She speaks with authority while saying ignorant things.  I can see why people find her off putting.  I don’t think she’s the type to learn from mistakes but instead walks into situations thinking she already knows everything.

 

 

 

[Zella]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

But my comment was specifically in response to the question of "why would anyone want her to stay on the show if she acted that way?"  My point was that her bosses know more about Ellen, and even this situation, than we do. 

I asked that because she apparently has a long history of being an asshole and this happened in the middle of them trying to get her to stay. I've learned through hard experience that pacifying people like that never works, so I wouldn't really care what she brings to the table. The bullshit isn't worth enabling, and in my experience, they like to test boundaries to see what they can get away with. And the more you coddle them and let them get away with it, the more it emboldens them. 

It was a more a comment on the type of person who does this than her specifically, but my point about her still stands. And if anything the reveal that she is literally lying about the circumstances and what she was doing just reinforces the type of person she is. 

Edited October 4, 2021 by Zella

[Anduin]

31 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

“Racism is what drew me to black people.” - Ellen Pompeo  I don’t understand what she was trying to say with that.

I don't claim to have any special knowledge, but here's my guess. She heard all the racist talk, but decided to find out the truth herself. That's the charitable guess.

The uncharitable? She deliberately went to find black friends so she could say what she wanted and play the 'I have black friends' card.

I dunno.

[Mabinogia]

37 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

A YouTuber did a video going over Pompeo’s history of discussing race.  Sometimes it sounds like she means well and then at other times she’s very tone deaf.

I think she does mean well but is incredibly tone deaf. I don't think she meant anything she said as a racist attack but isn't quite aware enough to realize how it would come across. She may be married to a black man, have bi-racial children and maybe even read about racism but she is can never know in her soul the black experience in America. Unfortunately, she seems to think she does and can speak with authority about it via her proximity. 

I think she's just full of her own importance and thinks she knows everything. 

It might be her show, but that's why I stopped watching. She's the least compelling character and actor on it for me. 

Also, I'd be honored to have someone like Denzel Washington direct me even if it is as a character I'd been doing for years. it's called learning and growth to listen to someone else's ideas. 

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

It's 100% on her that she told that story and therefore she has to make do with the reactions to it on Twitter. 

But my comment was specifically in response to the question of "why would anyone want her to stay on the show if she acted that way?"  My point was that her bosses know more about Ellen, and even this situation, than we do. 

 

Ah.  Gotcha.  I think at this point (and possibly at that point) she had been given the clear message that the she was the show.  There are other stories coming out that paint a picture of her having a huge amount of power and influence on the show, even down to how other regular actors had to behave on set (sounds very Lea Michele, tbh).  So yeah, I don't think there was ever a question or possibility of her being removed from the show no matter how she may have acted.

It could be that the story wasn't as bad as she made it out to be, or it could be that she was a complete brat.  Either way, she wouldn't be the first person who was badly behaved that the network protected because they felt she was their moneymaker.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 10/2/2021 at 1:58 PM, Zella said:

No clue what motivated Ellen Pompeo's outburst, but I agree with the "big fish small pond" theory a couple of people have already mentioned. I suspect she felt threatened and overshadowed by having an Oscar-winning star directing an episode on what she considers her show, so her outburst was her very dumb way of marking her territory. She apparently still even sees it this way, based on how she tries to spin the anecdote. 

Denzel is also an incredibly accomplished director and has made some of my favourite movies.  His directing hasn't been rewarded as much as his acting, but it should be.

The defense of, well that's Ellen's territory, it's her show, I'm sorry but that makes me roll my eyes.  Why doesn't Denzel deserve a little reverence for being in the business much longer than she has?  He is a living legend.  Ellen isn't.  

Edited October 4, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 10/2/2021 at 3:32 PM, SusannahM said:

Exactly. How many viewers would ever even know who the director of any given episode of a show even was?  I mean I do notice the name occasionally when watching a show, and of course if it's Famous Name, I will take note but I can't imagine watching a show just because of that.

So Denzel should let Ellen boss him around?  I don't understand this.  A director directs and an actor acts.  If Denzel is so meaningless to the show, then why did they hire him to direct?

I Googled it, and apparently Meredith was allowed to become a producer of the show in 2017, which is not surprising, given how many shows grant producer status to their stars these days, probably as a result of contract negotiations.  Regardless, I feel like the story makes her sound really bratty and out of touch with how it would be received.  Like it was said upthread, if she was at all involved in coaxing Denzel to direct, it makes the story even weirder, and if she wasn't, or even against it, then it just really feels like some kind of weird pissing contest where she was excited to show someone of Denzel's stature Who's the Boss (in her mind).  Personally, I would be grateful for the opportunity to be directed by him and for him to be directing "my" (quotes highlighted) show, but that's just me.

Edited October 4, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[RealHousewife]

5 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Yea even if you ignore any racial aspects, calling someone a motherfucker in a workplace scenario is generally a pretty shitty thing to do. The only time I have ever heard it not being shitty is the story Tina Fey told on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, about how she helped Chris Rock punch up a movie script. As a show of gratitude, he gave her a Rolex, and on the back it was engraved with "thanks for the help motherfucker".

😂 I love Chris Rock. Who else would do something sweet and call you a motherfucker at the same time? 

[Vermicious Knid]

You know who else is looking mighty fine? Lenny Kravitz.

[ouinason]

I don't listen to EP's podcast, but do we know that she was directly quoting herself in that "confrontation"?  She made herself look like a total asshole, but there is the possibility that that isn't actually what was said at the time, just the gist of what she was thinking.  I have, many times, used "and I was like, look here bitch" to describe a confrontation of one kind or another, though I have never said that to someone.  It's probably all blown out of proportion People Magazine bullshit anyway, but I hate to think that anyone gets to talk to coworkers/directors/anyone that way on a set and there was not some kind of hand slap about it.

[SusanM]

10 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

So Denzel should let Ellen boss him around?  I don't understand this.  A director directs and an actor acts.  If Denzel is so meaningless to the show, then why did they hire him to direct?

I don't think that's what I meant!  I meant that there was no reason for Pompeo to be threatened by having him as the director - people aren't watching the show because of who is directing they are watching the stars (well for the most part).  If her hehavior was motivated by feeling that she was working with someone more famous than she then she was being petty not racist.

[ifionlyknew]

2 hours ago, ouinason said:

I don't listen to EP's podcast, but do we know that she was directly quoting herself in that "confrontation"?  She made herself look like a total asshole, but there is the possibility that that isn't actually what was said at the time, just the gist of what she was thinking.  I have, many times, used "and I was like, look here bitch" to describe a confrontation of one kind or another, though I have never said that to someone.  It's probably all blown out of proportion People Magazine bullshit anyway, but I hate to think that anyone gets to talk to coworkers/directors/anyone that way on a set and there was not some kind of hand slap about it.

This is plausible.  If it happened the way she said it did wouldn't someone have leaked that?  Gossip sites have sources everywhere.

12 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I think she does mean well but is incredibly tone deaf. I don't think she meant anything she said as a racist attack but isn't quite aware enough to realize how it would come across. She may be married to a black man, have bi-racial children and maybe even read about racism but she is can never know in her soul the black experience in America. Unfortunately, she seems to think she does and can speak with authority about it via her proximity. 

I myself am a white woman who is the mother of a biracial child and I can only speak to my experiences.  I would never presume to know what my child experiences.  Or what any person of color experiences.  

[letter8358]

Will Smith says Wild Wild West was his worst movie: A thorn in my side

Edited October 4, 2021 by letter8358

[HunterHunted]

12 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Denzel is also an incredibly accomplished director and has made some of my favourite movies.  His directing hasn't been rewarded as much as his acting, but it should be.

The defense of, well that's Ellen's territory, it's her show, I'm sorry but that makes me roll my eyes.  Why doesn't Denzel deserve a little reverence for being in the business much longer than she has?  He is a living legend.  Ellen isn't.  

Even if it is "her show," I expect the lead to be a big part of sort of setting the tone for the show behind the scenes. It's clear that Denzel misunderstood Ellen's ad libbing for Ellen berating a fellow actor and Denzel reacted to protect the other person. Rather than try to diffuse the situation, Ellen decided to dig deep into her ego and feelings and escalate things for no good reason. Ellen then ran to Pauletta to complain about Pauletta's mean husband. It's no wonder Grey's had a reputation for being a toxic set. It wasn't just Isaiah, Katherine, or Patrick. Sounds like Ellen may have played a part too.

On another subject, I'm just astonished by Katie Couric's new book. I never much cared for her, but she seems intent on destroying any positive opinion or legacy she ever had. It's perplexing that no one in her life either saw fit to or could dissuade her from writing this petulant mean girls-esque burn book masquerading as a memoir.

[ifionlyknew]

54 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

On another subject, I'm just astonished by Katie Couric's new book. I never much cared for her, but she seems intent on destroying any positive opinion or legacy she ever had. It's perplexing that no one in her life either saw fit to or could dissuade her from writing this petulant mean girls-esque burn book masquerading as a memoir.

I always got the mean girl vibe from her.  Didn't buy her perkiness for one minute.  As much as Katie is telling in her book I bet there is someone out there that has even more to tell about Katie.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, HunterHunted said:

On another subject, I'm just astonished by Katie Couric's new book. I never much cared for her, but she seems intent on destroying any positive opinion or legacy she ever had. It's perplexing that no one in her life either saw fit to or could dissuade her from writing this petulant mean girls-esque burn book masquerading as a memoir.

Ok damn.  You make me want to read it now.

[BlackberryJam]

13 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Ok damn.  You make me want to read it now.

Yes! I have zero interest in a Katie Couric perkfest memoir, but give me some trash, and I’m down with that. 

[Zella]

If you dislike her but still want to read it, check it out from a library! That way, you still get to satisfy your curiosity, but she doesn't directly make money off you for a sale. (I do this not infrequently. LOL) 

[ifionlyknew]

6 minutes ago, Zella said:

If you dislike her but still want to read it, check it out from a library! That way, you still get to satisfy your curiosity, but she doesn't directly make money off you for a sale. (I do this not infrequently. LOL) 

I already have it on my reserve list.  

I wonder if she will doing the talk show rounds promoting it.  She writes she iced women out that she thought were competitors. Would love to see one of them interview her.

[CrazyInAlabama]

2 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

I always got the mean girl vibe from her.  Didn't buy her perkiness for one minute.  As much as Katie is telling in her book I bet there is someone out there that has even more to tell about Katie.

She grew up where I did, but she was on the very rich and politically connected side, of the county, the part with mansions.     She was always exactly what you think she is, and worse.    The back stage stories about her were awful.    I'm not surprised at a thing she said about anyone else, just surprised that the people she dumped on were surprised. 

Edited October 4, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[GiuliettaMasina]

On 10/2/2021 at 12:49 PM, Peace 47 said:

Her husband is black; her children are biracial, and her bosses on Grey’s were black.  I’m not trying to assert the “I have black friends” defense on her behalf (especially because I’m not a fan and don’t watch the show), but I don’t know that it’s entirely fair to presume a racial element when there are enough other stories about her on-set behavior towards other people in general that it may be the case that she treats everyone with an air of superiority due to her star power on the show (but I’m leery of that type of take, as well, because I don’t like the misogyny implications of labeling women who assert their power as “difficult.”)  But like I said upthread, the story is messed up and I don’t think she handled herself well then or in recounting it now.

Just wanted to chime in as a biracial person here--having children, relatives, or a partner of another race is very, very, very much not a guarantee that a person does not harbor racist thoughts/engage in racist behavior. Sometimes, in fact, they are the ones you should be the most suspicious of. See: the DeBarges.

 

[HunterHunted]

1 hour ago, ifionlyknew said:

I always got the mean girl vibe from her.  Didn't buy her perkiness for one minute.  As much as Katie is telling in her book I bet there is someone out there that has even more to tell about Katie.

Yeah, she seems to come across like a grade A misogynist who was happy to torpedo the careers of other female journalists. She sounds like a nightmare.

https://nypost.com/2021/10/01/katie-couric-reveals-herself-as-an-misogynistic-idiot/

[Ms Blue Jay]

@HunterHuntedplease make sure to let us know if/when YOUR book is coming out. 😉  I love your posts here.  

[Enero]

4 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Yeah, she seems to come across like a grade A misogynist who was happy to torpedo the careers of other female journalists. She sounds like a nightmare.

https://nypost.com/2021/10/01/katie-couric-reveals-herself-as-an-misogynistic-idiot/

Which is interesting considering when Duchess Meghan encouraged women to mentor other women for at least (40) minutes on her 40th birthday, it was an initiative to promote mentoring and supporting women in the work place, Ms. Couric was one of the first to tweet her support and plans to participate in the intiative.

With all the other celebrity tweets promising to participate in the initiative, I wondered who would actually do the work and who were just tweeting their plan to participate as a publicity stunt.  Based on what I'm learning about Ms. Couric I'm betting her tweet of support for this initiative was all about the latter and that she had no intention of  (and did not) mentoring anyone. 

[Vermicious Knid]

And two of our discussions collide. Katie Couric is now reminding people she interviewed Denzel Washington in 2004 and felt 'shaken'. He comes off as a suffer-no-fools-gladly type in this exchange to me, and annoyed by having to do so many inane interviews.

Quote

“Denzel—are you—do you feel—you know some people say Hollywood folks should stick to acting,” Couric asked.

“I don’t know what Hollywood folks are first of all,” Washington responded. “Hollywood is a town that has some stars on the sidewalk. I don’t know anybody from there.”

He added, “I’m not a Hollywood folk. I don’t know who they are.”

Couric tried to reframe the question a few times, including asking him, “Are you an actor who would rather not...” but Washington cut her off.

“No, I’m not that either,” he said. “I’m a human being. My job is acting.”

Couric then told Pellegrino that she felt “shaken,” her questions were “misconstrued” by Washington, and that he “kinda jumped all over me.”

The author of the article wonders why two white women are suddenly going after Denzel.

[aradia22]

Quote

Which is interesting considering when Duchess Meghan encouraged women to mentor other women for at least (40) minutes on her 40th birthday, it was an initiative to promote mentoring and supporting women in the work place, Ms. Couric was one of the first to tweet her support and plans to participate in the intiative.

I mean, that was well-meaning but dumb. 40 minutes was not going to be meaningful and the majority of celebs would not be able to give anyone useful advice unless they were influencers or in the exact same field. 

[Anduin]

In other news, William Shatner is heading to space on Blue Origin. Does this make him the first space hero to actually go to space? I know Harrison Ford flies planes, but that's still within atmosphere and gravity.

[theredhead77]

55 minutes ago, Anduin said:

In other news, William Shatner is heading to space on Blue Origin. Does this make him the first space hero to actually go to space? I know Harrison Ford flies planes, but that's still within atmosphere and gravity.

I have the unpopular opinion that I don't care if a bunch of bajillionaires want to spend some of their money to further space travel. Shatner getting to go to actual space, regardless of the method, makes me ridiculously happy.

[Enero]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

I mean, that was well-meaning but dumb. 40 minutes was not going to be meaningful and the majority of celebs would not be able to give anyone useful advice unless they were influencers or in the exact same field. 

I didn’t think it was a dumb idea. It doesn’t take all day to give someone an encouraging word or a piece of helpful advice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on a brief call with an employee and provided them some coaching that’s turns out to be extremely helpful to them. The same goes for myself. I’ve received advise and coaching within a few minutes that have had a long term positive affect on my perspective and approach to certain things. And this coaching didn’t just come from folks in my career field. The 40 minutes was of course a tie to her birthday but an interesting initiative to perhaps encourage others to do this type of work with women on a regular basis. 

This initiative was announced by the Duke and Duchess foundation. So of course celebrities would be all over it for a few more SM likes or even followers, but this was also for the every day woman/ or man. Moreover, you don’t have to be in the same career field to mentor someone. There are many ways to provide mentorship besides giving someone insight specific to their career of choice. If all of us can find time, even if it’s for 30 minutes, once a week to mentor a woman, I think it would go a long way in helping us all.

Edited October 5, 2021 by Enero

[CrazyInAlabama]

I still remember one of the few morning show interviews I watched with her was Benjamin Bratt.   Formerly of Law & Order, but had left the show and was making movies for a couple of years.    Ms. Couric asked him if it was hard to work filming movies around his Law & Order role, and he looked startled, and told her he had left the L & O job a couple of years ago, and so there was no time conflict.    Not the first time I heard of her putting her foot in it.     

Then when she was interviewing Bob Baffert on the Today Show, she kept getting too close to the horse, War Emblem, and almost got bitten.   Baffert had to keep warning her to stay back, War Emblem didn't like other horses, or people.  

If I recall correctly, she was wearing old style jodpurs too, and looked ridiculous.    Baffert was trying to so hard to get her to stay out of biting distance, and she kept getting too close.    

Edited October 5, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Zella]

5 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Then when she was interviewing Bob Baffert on the Today Show, she kept getting too close to the horse, War Emblem, and almost got bitten.   Baffert had to keep warning her to stay back, War Emblem didn't like other horses, or people.  

I used to watch a lot of horse racing, so I remember both Baffert and War Emblem and this anecdote made me snort so hard. 

[Anduin]

40 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

I have the unpopular opinion that I don't care if a bunch of bajillionaires want to spend some of their money to further space travel. Shatner getting to go to actual space, regardless of the method, makes me ridiculously happy.

As a fan of space TV and an all around space enthusiast, I think more bajillionaires should put more of their money in that direction! And yes, if anyone deserves to go, it's Shatner.

[Bort]

My only concern about Shatner going to space is that he’s kind of old now and the G-forces to escape gravity might crush him.

[aradia22]

Quote

 The same goes for myself. I’ve received advise and coaching within a few minutes that have had a long term positive affect on my perspective and approach to certain things. And this coaching didn’t just come from folks in my career field.

I have a deep cynicism about self-help culture and surface level "mentorship." But I do have a bias being the employee in this scenario. #GaslightGatekeepGirlboss

[Anduin]

6 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

My only concern about Shatner going to space is that he’s kind of old now and the G-forces to escape gravity might crush him.

They put prospective astronauts through a lot of tests, including a giant centrifuge affair. Rockets usually pull 3 g or so on liftoff. Not ideal, but at least it isn't, say, 10. But even if it crushes him, he'll die as he lived. A space hero. If it was me, I'd say it was worth the risk.

 

[shoregirl]

3 minutes ago, Anduin said:

They put prospective astronauts through a lot of tests, including a giant centrifuge affair. Rockets usually pull 3 g or so on liftoff. Not ideal, but at least it isn't, say, 10. But even if it crushes him, he'll die as he lived. A space hero. If it was me, I'd say it was worth the risk.

 

He's a pretend space hero . John Glenn , Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong ,Sally Ride ,Mae Jemison etc are space heroes . The men and women who lost their lives on the Challenger and Columbia Shuttles are heroes . The men who died during the Gemini and Apollo eras are heroes. William Shatner is a actor who gets to ride on some billionaire vanity project.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

I have a deep cynicism about self-help culture and surface level "mentorship." But I do have a bias being the employee in this scenario. #GaslightGatekeepGirlboss

I think that's what people may be overlooking.  Katie Couric can 100% intend to do the mentorship challenge and sabotage the careers of people she feels might be a threat to her.

 

[RealHousewife]

Britney thanks the #FreeBritney activists. 

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9640328/britney-spears-free-britney-movement-thank-you

This reminded me of Chris Crocker. Not sure if this is old news to everyone here, but Chris is transitioning and going by Cara Cunningham now. 

https://www.out.com/celebs/2021/8/19/leave-britney-alone-creator-cara-cunningham-transitioning

Wishing both Britney and Cara much happiness! Both deserve to be free and their authentic selves.