Milestone Moments: All The Celebrity Vitals

[ProudMary]

After 27 years. Wow.

Witness to the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur indicted on murder charge in rapper's death 

[roamyn]

On 9/28/2023 at 8:58 AM, Spartan Girl said:

Oh damn, damn, damn.

I’ll always wonder how different it would have been if Richard Harris had been allowed to finish playing Dumbledore.

He wasn't 'disallowed', he died.

Unless you mean unless God would've let him finish?  😲😉

Regardless, RIP Sir Michael.  Thank you for all the roles you made your own.

[Spartan Girl]

3 hours ago, roamyn said:

He wasn't 'disallowed', he died.

Unless you mean unless God would've let him finish?  😲😉

Regardless, RIP Sir Michael.  Thank you for all the roles you made your own.

That’s what I meant, yes.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 9/29/2023 at 3:18 PM, ProudMary said:

After 27 years. Wow.

Witness to the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur indicted on murder charge in rapper's death 

I really don't understand why it took so long to indict and arrest this person, he's been saying for years, including in a memoir, that he was involved. 

[ProudMary]

55 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I really don't understand why it took so long to indict and arrest this person, he's been saying for years, including in a memoir, that he was involved. 

I watched the press conference when it was announced. The Clark County SO said that they've known this was their guy (the other three involved are all deceased) for more than five years, but they felt they didn't have enough evidence to make it stick. Now they did and it's a strong indictment. 

[Vermicious Knid]

Michael Oher’s Conservatorship With Tuohys Terminated

Quote

Shelby County Probate Court judge Kathleen Gomes was perplexed that the agreement was even reached, saying that she never saw a conservatorship reached with a person who is not disabled throughout her 43-year career. “I cannot believe it got done,” Gomes said, according to AP News...The judge said that she will not dismiss Oher’s claims that the Tuohy family profited from his name, image, and likeness while under the agreement, paving the way for a continued legal battle.

This opinion piece really points out what is so disturbing about the Tuohy's brand of evangelical Christianity:

Quote

 

It’s also difficult to take Oher’s story out of the context of the abuses rife within Christian adoptive communities. In the last two decades, it has become trendy for  White Evangelical families to adopt children, often children of color and often children from poor countries, as part of a broader mission to spread God’s word. This Evangelical “crusade to create a culture of adoption” and engage in “orphan-care” has created multi-racial “rainbow congregations” around the country.

Evangelicals, according to this “orphan theology,” are called to spread the Gospel by adopting children. This both Christianizes the children and uses adoption as a way to create arrows for Christ — more people to spread the Gospel. And it has the added benefit of imbuing the adoptive families with a sense of charity and goodness; they are often applauded by their community members for having hearts big enough to take in poor, suffering orphans.

This has resulted in profound and widespread exploitation, from child abandonments to skirting travel restrictions and baby-stealing; many countries have cut off American adoptions because the wrongdoings were so pervasive...

The Tuohys, although they did not actually adopt Oher, use similar language when they tell their story: According to the book jacket of the couple’s autobiography, Leigh Anne “decided early on that her mission was to raise children who would become ‘cheerful givers.’..

It also claims that “Michael Oher’s improbable transformation could never have happened if Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy had not opened their hearts to him.”

Oher’s success in life, in other words, was made possible by the Tuohys, and they have used his story to promote themselves through the language of Christianity.

 

[magicdog]

8 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I really don't understand why it took so long to indict and arrest this person, he's been saying for years, including in a memoir, that he was involved. 

With everyone else dead, he was the only living link and they couldn't prove anything (supposedly) that he had anything to do it.  SWAT raided his house over a month ago, and apparently someone found evidence of some kind after all this time sitting on the case.  Last word was they have evidence he gave the gun to the shooter who killed Tupac.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

Until the recent changes where college athletes can sign advertising and spokesperson deals (like the gymnast in the Vuori ads), NCAA rules prohibited athletes from dealing with agents, advertising and other deals.    So, if Oher had talked with agents before he went pro, his eligibility for scholarships and to play college ball would be gone.    

The Tuohys (?) claim that they didn't deal with any of his finances after he went pro, and could sign contracts.  Also, they've been estranged from Oher for about 10 years, and still put money in trust for his son from their cut of deals.   They're very wealthy people, and don't need any money from the movie or book.   

The claims they made millions from the book or movie is not true.   The author of the book paid about $100k to each Tuohy and Oher.   The movie money was a total of $767k, split among the family and Oher.   

In his book Oher admits it was a conservatorship, not an adoption.    It's pretty strange for an adoption when someone has living parents, and at least at the time of the conservatorship, Oher's mother was alive.    An outright adoption might have messed up Oher's scholarships, and his option to play football, because of the Tuohys being huge financial boosters at Ole Miss.   

Edited October 1, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Laura Holt]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The claims they made millions from the book or movie is not true.   The author of the book paid about $100k to each Tuohy and Oher.   The movie money was a total of $767k, split among the family and Oher.   

A lot of the negative reaction I am seeing focuses on the idea that the Tuohy's made millions from the movie.  Clearly the lawsuit will follow the money trail but unless they had some kind of arrangement where they got a percentage of any profits from the movie I don't see how that could be true.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Until the recent changes where college athletes can sign advertising and spokesperson deals (like the gymnast in the Vuori ads), NCAA rules prohibited athletes from dealing with agents, advertising and other deals.    So, if Oher had talked with agents before he went pro, his eligibility for scholarships and to play college ball would be gone.    

The Tuohys (?) claim that they didn't deal with any of his finances after he went pro, and could sign contracts.  Also, they've been estranged from Oher for about 10 years, and still put money in trust for his son from their cut of deals.   They're very wealthy people, and don't need any money from the movie or book.   

The claims they made millions from the book or movie is not true.   The author of the book paid about $100k to each Tuohy and Oher.   The movie money was a total of $767k, split among the family and Oher.   

Personally, I’m not ready to believe any of the specific numbers that have come out. The reaction of both the Tuohy’s and the producers have been awful. The producers claiming the movie is “verifiably authentic and will never be a lie or fake” is the wrong response to have in the situation. I would find the statement ridiculous even if Oher had never spoken out. Any movie inspired by real events is filled in inaccuracies. 

There is so much suspect about the Tuohy’s behavior. They have been estranged from Oher for ten years but still did not seek to end the conservatorship. That alone is insanity to me. 

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

In his book Oher admits it was a conservatorship, not an adoption. 

To me, the key issue isn’t if he knew the correct term but if he understood what it meant. How it was framed for him and if he had his own lawyer to represent his best interests.

Not matter what the outcome of the lawsuit is, the extent the Tuohy’s represented his interests along with their own is always going to make me uncomfortable. Even if their version is 100% true I would still have issues with their handling of it. They elevated their entire family in the story of his success. I find it ridiculous all four Tuohy’s got the exact same split as Oher. 

[Crs97]

I’m looking forward to the trial just because I don’t understand how they became his conservators, yet were not involved in any of his NFL contracts or his buying a house or any financial decisions he has been making over the years.  It seems the money trail will easily prove/dispose both sides’ claims, but the court should already have annual reports and I don’t know how the Tuohys avoided filing those.

[Bastet]

11 hours ago, Dani said:

To me, the key issue isn’t if he knew the correct term but if he understood what it meant. How it was framed for him and if he had his own lawyer to represent his best interests.

Exactly -- it's not an "admission" that he called it a conservatorship in the book.  He always knew that's what it was called; his contention is they told him it was merely technically called something else because he was an adult, but it was an adoption (and, yes, adoption of adults happens).  They certainly ran around calling him their son in order to sell books and speaking engagements. 

And his lawyer was their friend who'd made their deals, so there's a case to be made he didn't have independent counsel (conflict of interest).

The film is not the only issue, so the money the Tuohys made from it is just a distraction at this point, by lazy media outlets that don't bother to understand the law, just report on this because a popular film is one part of the story. 

And the notion because someone has plenty of their own money, they wouldn't screw somebody else out of theirs has been disproven throughout history.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Bastet

[andromeda331]

4 hours ago, Dani said:

Personally, I’m not ready to believe any of the specific numbers that have come out. The reaction of both the Tuohy’s and the producers have been awful. The producers claiming the movie is “verifiably authentic and will never be a lie or fake” is the wrong response to have in the situation. I would find the statement ridiculous even if Oher had never spoken out. Any movie inspired by real events is filled in inaccuracies. 

There is so much suspect about the Tuohy’s behavior. They have been estranged from Oher for ten years but still did not seek to end the conservatorship. That alone is insanity to me. 

To me, the key issue isn’t if he knew the correct term but if he understood what it meant. How it was framed for him and if he had his own lawyer to represent his best interests.

Not matter what the outcome of the lawsuit is, the extent the Tuohy’s represented his interests along with their own is always going to make me uncomfortable. Even if their version is 100% true I would still have issues with their handling of it. They elevated their entire family in the story of his success. I find it ridiculous all four Tuohy’s got the exact same split as Oher. 

Their behavior is suspicious to me. Why did they do the conservatorship in the first place? And why did they keep it in place until now? He's forty or almost. 

[Blergh]

1 minute ago, andromeda331 said:

Their behavior is suspicious to me. Why did they do the conservatorship in the first place? And why did they keep it in place until now? He's forty or almost. 

I totally agree! Moreover, there's been no shortage of cons,grifters and frauds throughout history who were loaded in their own right yet have  had no compunctions of trying to cheat others not so well off as themselves!

Regardless of how the dust settles, at least now Mr. Oher has no more  legal ties to them with the conservatorship being officially dissolved.

[Guest]

14 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

Their behavior is suspicious to me. Why did they do the conservatorship in the first place? And why did they keep it in place until now? He's forty or almost. 

Yep. Their story sounds nice at first but it doesn’t add on when you really think about it. A conservatorship doesn’t make any sense. All it really did was give the Tuohy’s a financial stake in Oher’s life and allowed him to go to their alma mater because the relationship was under scrutiny. He got scholarship offers to other top football colleges. 

Even now you can find Leigh Ann Tuohy available as a motivational speaker, with Oher’s name mentioned repeatedly, for $30,000+ an engagement. The daughter is also available calling Oher her adoptive brother. 

[MissAlmond]

 

[Vermicious Knid]

The Tuohys never filed any financials in 19 years.

Quote

 

The judge who approved Oher’s conservatorship told Bloomberg Law no case papers ever crossed his desk after the initial approval. “To my recollection nothing was ever forwarded to me,” said former Probate Judge Robert Benham, who retired in 2013...Indeed, the court file in the Oher case is empty between December 2004, when the conservatorship was approved, and this week, when the new petition was filed. A court official said the Oher digitized file contains all of the case’s pleadings.

Did he ever ask questions about the case?

“No, and I would have had no reason to unless they would have filed something in court for an additional hearing,” Benham said...

In their petition to end Oher’s case his lawyers, Johnson and J. Gerard Stranch IV, zero in on this lack of oversight.

The Tuohys, they said, never filed yearly accountings of the conservatorship, as required. Nor did they file required fiduciary or other statements “to inform the Court as to whether the conservatorship should continue.”

 

[andromeda331]

5 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

The Tuohys never filed any financials in 19 years.

Sure nothing suspicious about that. Not once showing any accounting for the conservatorship? Not wanting show where all the money went.

[DearEvette]

And the Divorces keep a-comin'. Jodie Turner-Smith files for divorce from Joshua Jackson.

This makes me (a tiny bit) sad.  I liked them together.

[Irlandesa]

I don't really follow either of them closely but yeah, I did really think they were totally it for one another. 

I certainly expected more than four years of marriage.

[MissAlmond]

Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus has died, age 80.

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/05/1204082640/dick-butkus-dead-chicago-bears

https://www.nfl.com/news/dick-butkus-hall-of-fame-linebacker-and-bears-legend-dies-at-age-of-80

https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears-legend-dick-butkus-passes-away

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38577860/dick-butkus-hall-fame-linebacker-chicago-bears-dies

 

[ElleryAnne]

1 hour ago, MissAlmond said:

Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus has died, age 80.

Aw.  He was Brom Bones in my favorite version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

 

[BetterButter]

British Filmmaker Terence Davies Dead at 77

[Bastet]

Chef, cooking show host, and alleged sexual harasser Michael Chiarello died at 61 of anaphylactic shock caused by an allergic reaction.

[praeceptrix]

Glynis Johns celebrated her 100th birthday! 

[MissAlmond]

1 hour ago, praeceptrix said:

Glynis Johns celebrated her 100th birthday!

Hi-ho, the glamorous life!  Happy 100th birthday to Ms. Johns.

Edited October 9, 2023 by MissAlmond

[andromeda331]

4 hours ago, praeceptrix said:

Glynis Johns celebrated her 100th birthday! 

Wow, 100! Happy Birthday! 

[Amello]

Thanks for the reminder. Her version of Send in the Clowns is still, and will forever be, my favourite. You can't beat an OG like that. Her voice was too uniquely wonderful.

[Mindthinkr]

17 hours ago, praeceptrix said:

Glynis Johns celebrated her 100th birthday! 

My father (RIP) had a crush on her so she was always fondly thought of in our house. Well, perhaps not by my mother 😂

[BetterButter]

Anthony Hickox Dies: Director Of Horror Films ‘Waxwork’ & ‘Hellraiser III’ Was 64

[MissAlmond]

Former Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton in ICU for rare form of pneumonia.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2023-10-10/mary-lou-retton-hospitalized-pneumonia

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/former-olympic-gymnast-mary-lou-retton-icu-battling-pneumonia-1235614586/

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/10/sport/mary-lou-retton-pneumonia-hospitalized/index.html

https://people.com/former-olympic-gymnast-mary-lou-retton-fighting-for-her-life-in-icu-8349994

Edited October 11, 2023 by MissAlmond

[Anduin]

Kiwi/Aussie comedian Cal Wilson. Age 53 after a short illness, is all that's said. Too young. She was great.

[bluegirl147]

Not really sure which thread this should go in but since it's about their marital status I'm putting it here.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jada-pinkett-will-smith-secret-separation-together-red-carpet-151359952.html

This isn't a surprise right?  I mean there have been rumors for years.

[Notabug]

26 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Not really sure which thread this should go in but since it's about their marital status I'm putting it here.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jada-pinkett-will-smith-secret-separation-together-red-carpet-151359952.html

This isn't a surprise right?  I mean there have been rumors for years.

So, they quietly separated in 2016, but continued to make red carpet and other appearances together because they needed to decide 'how to move forward'?

And Jada calls it a 'divorce' even though they are still legally married and no one is trying to end it.  After 7 years.

Oooooh-kay.

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by Notabug

[Laura Holt]

Jada Pinkett Smith Says Chris Rock Asked Her Out Amid Will Smith Divorce Rumors

Like a lot of other people I have wondered if Rock going out of his way to be nasty to her on numerous occasions was more personal than he wanted us to believe.

[bluegirl147]

19 minutes ago, Laura Holt said:

Jada Pinkett Smith Says Chris Rock Asked Her Out Amid Will Smith Divorce Rumors

Like a lot of other people I have wondered if Rock going out of his way to be nasty to her on numerous occasions was more personal than he wanted us to believe.

I used to like Rock but I think as he got older and more successful he felt entitled.  And I would not be surprised in the least if he was salty about Jada telling him no even though she told him her and Will were not splitting up. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Oh FFS, Jada is increasingly coming across to me as someone who can't stand not being in the spotlight for very long. I think between her, Will, and Chris Rock, she may actually be the most problematic, and the real impetus behind The Slap.

[Crashcourse]

I always thought Jada was full of crap.  I saw part of her interview with Hoda Kotb this morning, and she just spews word salad because she thinks she's soooooo insightful.  🙄

Right now, she's just trying to sell a damn book.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Oh FFS, Jada is increasingly coming across to me as someone who can't stand not being in the spotlight for very long. I think between her, Will, and Chris Rock, she may actually be the most problematic, and the real impetus behind The Slap.

Seems like they all deserve each other. Jada doesn’t really surprise me but Chris Rock and Will Smith continue to sink in my opinion. Will in particular. Spouting off about “my wife’s name” when they’ve been separated for years. 

[Fool to cry]

 

[dalek]

RIP Keith Giffen.  My favorite of his creations was Ambush Bug.  I also really liked his run on Justice League International.

Here's another decent obit and career overview: https://screencrush.com/keith-giffen-dies/

 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

8 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Oh FFS, Jada is increasingly coming across to me as someone who can't stand not being in the spotlight for very long. I think between her, Will, and Chris Rock, she may actually be the most problematic, and the real impetus behind The Slap.

Aren't Will and Jada Scientologists? That might be one of the reasons they're 'divorced', even though they're still legally married and have been seen in public together like nothing's going on.

[Zella]

21 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Aren't Will and Jada Scientologists? That might be one of the reasons they're 'divorced', even though they're still legally married and have been seen in public together like nothing's going on.

I think they are in the same category as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis in that they've never claimed to be Scientologists (and I believe Smith at least has even directly denied it), but they do so much Scientology adjacent stuff, that the denial rings a bit hollow and makes you wonder. 

What I can't get over is how much every couple of years, Smith and Pinkett Smith reclarify what their relationship is publicly and then directly contradict what they said earlier. (And who is even asking? I feel like all the TMI stuff I've learned about them over the years was directly against my will.) I've never watched her Red Table Talk series, but isn't her entire shtick on there having "candid" conversations about their family? They seem to have still presented themselves very much as a married couple there even quite recently. 

[Vermicious Knid]

Rolling Stone has a helpful timeline of Will and Jada's marriage.

[Shelbie]

Just read the article. They both sound exhausting to be around. Desperate to be seen as deep and evolved instead of two people who married each other twenty years ago and aren’t happy.

[Lugal]

12 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Aren't Will and Jada Scientologists? That might be one of the reasons they're 'divorced', even though they're still legally married and have been seen in public together like nothing's going on.

According to Mike Rinder (I don't have the link handy right now) Will was never more than a dabbler, while Jada was a serious Scientologist, but they are supposedly both out now.

[bluegirl147]

48 minutes ago, Shelbie said:

Just read the article. They both sound exhausting to be around. Desperate to be seen as deep and evolved instead of two people who married each other twenty years ago and aren’t happy.

I remember when Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin separated and issued a statement that said they were consciously uncoupling.  A lot of people laughed and said why can't they just say we split.   At least they admitted they split.  What makes this Will and Jada thing bothersome for me is they were pretending they were still together.  Some people might argue it's nobody's business and I might agree with that if they hadn't been actively presenting themselves as a married couple.    For what it's worth I don't think Will wants to be separated.

Edited October 12, 2023 by bluegirl147

[Wiendish Fitch]

 

20 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I remember when Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin separated and issued a statement that said they were unconsciously uncoupling.  A lot of people laughed and said why can't they just say we split.   At least they admitted they split.  What makes this Will and Jada thing bothersome for me is they were pretending they were still together.  Some people might argue it's nobody's business and I might agree with that if they hadn't been actively presenting themselves as a married couple.    For what it's worth I don't think Will wants to be separated.

This makes the Slap even worse in hindsight. Will strikes me as someone desperately clinging to something that's just gone. 

Will, Jada? Please, divorce already. It's okay, it'll hurt, but it won't kill you. This whole charade is agonizing at this point. If Hugh Jackman can end his 25+ year marriage with his dignity intact, then so can you.

 

[bluegirl147]

5 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Will strikes me as someone desperately clinging to something that's just gone. 

In Will's book he writes that his first divorce wasn't finalized yet when he became involved with Jada.  Before the papers were signed his first wife Sheree was willing to give their marriage another try but Will signed the papers and went off to be with Jada.  I think he had regrets over that and might be why he doesn't want to get divorced again.  

[JustHereForFood]

23 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

Jada Pinkett Smith Says Chris Rock Asked Her Out Amid Will Smith Divorce Rumors

Like a lot of other people I have wondered if Rock going out of his way to be nasty to her on numerous occasions was more personal than he wanted us to believe.

That doesn't surprise me, he sounded like someone who could not handle rejection well when he went after her in his special.