Finally a happy ending for Lady Gaga! For everyone who ugly-cried all the way through her recent Netflix documentary, Gaga 5'2", especially that part where she breaks up with Taylor Kinney when we all thought it was true love, this is the best ever news.
Us Weekly reports that Gaga is engaged to her boyfriend and longtime manager, Christian Carino! The two have been dating for about a year that we know of, but it's hard to say for sure since the first time they took their relationship public was Gaga's performance at the Super Bowl in February, and they've been super-coy about it.
They've apparently been engaged for a while, though. A source spilled to Us Weekly that Carino put a ring on it over the summer after asking Gaga's father for permission. Are you dying from how sweet this is yet? Because we're dying.
Unfortunately, wedding plans are kind of on hold right now while they focus on getting Gaga healthy. As she revealed in her documentary, the singer suffers from fibromyalgia, a disease that causes chronic pain, fatigue, memory loss and mood problems. She just announced last month that she's postponing a number of performances after being hospitalized.
"I was taken to the hospital, it is not simply hip pain or wear and tear from the road, I am in severe pain. But am in good hands w/ the best doctors," she wrote on Instagram at the time.
Gaga was previously engaged to Kinney, but they broke up in July 2016 after five years together. The heartbreaking moment of their split was chronicled in 5'2" when Gaga tearfully told the cameras she was done with men. We're glad that wasn't the case, and she's finally getting the happy ending she deserves.
Another day, another powerful Hollywood man being accused of raping, assaulting and harassing people. Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge are leading the charge, this time against powerhouse director Brett Ratner.
Both actors spoke to the Los Angeles Times about truly shocking interactions with Ratner. Henstridge alleges he forced her to perform oral sex on him when she was 19 and new to the industry. She told the paper she was watching TV at his apartment with a group of people and fell asleep, and when she woke up, the others had left. She said Ratner blocked the door and started masturbating and then forced himself into her mouth.
"He strong-armed me in a real way. He physically forced himself on me," she said. "At some point, I gave in and he did his thing."
Munn told the Times that she was asked to drop off food to Ratner's trailer on the set of After the Sunset, a movie he directed. She thought he wouldn't be there at the time, but "he walked out ... with his belly sticking out, no pants on, shrimp cocktail in one hand and he was furiously masturbating in the other," she said. "And before I literally could even figure out where to escape or where to look, he ejaculated."
Munn said she told the man who asked her to drop off the food, and, "[i]t wasn't a shock. It wasn't a surprise. It was just, 'Ugh, sorry about that.'"
She also details years of sexual harassment by Ratner following that incident, including a time he told her at a party, "I bought 10 of your magazines and came over all of them."
She also discussed the incident with an attorney, who persuaded her not to take on a powerful director early in her career. This is also not the first time Munn has spoken about her run-ins with Ratner; it seems now people are finally willing to listen.
Four other women — Jaime Ray Newman, Katharine Towne, Eri Sasaki and Jorina King — have made allegations against Ratner alongside Henstridge and Munn. His lawyer denies them all, saying, "I have represented Mr. Ratner for two decades, and no woman has ever made a claim against him for sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. Furthermore, no woman has ever requested or received any financial settlement from my client."
These women now join hundreds of others who have come forward to accuse powerful Hollywood men, including Harvey Weinstein and James Toback, of similar cases of assault and harassment.
Some of us are a little, um, meat challenged. It's true — even the most seasoned chef is prone to overcook meat at some point. It's an unfortunate occurrence; however, slaying the hell out of a beef tenderloin is a total event that leaves dinner guests believing you're Julia Child incarnate.
But, seriously, you can slay that tenderloin. Yes, you can. And now that the holidays are upon us, it's time to bust out your skills.
It's super-decadent and may seem a bit intimidating, but mastering the art of perfectly roasted beef tenderloin isn't nearly as hard as it sounds. When you keep things simple and use quality ingredients, it's easy to create a meal that will totally wow everyone who shows up to your dinner party.
This roast recipe is delicious as is or with a sauce of your choosing. If you happen to have leftovers (which you probably won't after everyone is done devouring your creation), beef tenderloin makes for a great steak sandwich or salad too.
Perfect beef tenderloin recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 (4 to 5 pound) beef tenderloin roast, preferably trimmed
4 to 6 cloves garlic, crushed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon or so rosemary
1 teaspoon or so thyme
Olive oil
Butcher's twine
Directions:
The day before serving, examine your tenderloin and trim off any excess fat or tendons. Using a mortar and pestle, grind together the garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme, using a little olive oil to smooth it along. Rub this mixture all over the tenderloin. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.
Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator an hour before roasting and let it come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Tie up the tenderloin such that it is even in thickness, tucking up the thinner tail if necessary. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the roast and place in a shallow roasting pan.
Roast 35 to 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F. Loosely cover with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving. And that's it. You're done! Slice and serve.
Fall has finally arrived, which means it's finally time for all things pumpkin. It's what you've been waiting for all year long, right? But the next time you have an event or gathering, don't serve your guests the same tired pumpkin-flavored recipes you've been baking up for years. Instead, whip up a batch of these easy KISSES Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles — the introduction of seasonal spices will make it your new favorite cookie, and the KISSES Pumpkin Spice hidden in the center will blow everyone away, we promise.
KISSES Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 bag HERSHEY’S KISSES Pumpkin Spice candies
Directions:
Cream together butter and 1-1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy in your mixer, reserving the other 1/4 cup of sugar for the spice mixture.
Add in egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing well between each addition.
Mix the reserved 1/4 cup of sugar, pumpkin spice and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the dough, place a HERSHEY’S KISSES Pumpkin Spice candy in the center and roll into balls.
Roll each dough and KISSES ball in the spice and sugar mixture and place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are set.
Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Remember all that wedding fervor surrounding Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani about this time last year? Sources close to them were adamant they'd be at least engaged if not married by the beginning of 2017. And here we are a year later without so much as a proposal.
Shelton and Stefani are coming right up on two years together after they started dating in 2015 in the midst of both of their divorces. They were judges on The Voice alongside Levine, and that's where their romance began, so he's been literally by their sides for their entire relationship.
"Because [their relationship] is in the public eye, a lot of people want to have their own bullshit opinions about it, but I’m, like, there," Levine said. "I see it every day. I have a pretty unique perspective on it, and it’s real, man. I’m so affectionate and gross with my wife — this is a whole other level of vomit. They’re so in love. It’s really nice."
If "a whole other level of vomit" doesn't just encapsulate true love to you, we don't know what will.
As for that proposal? Levine claims he doesn't know if it's coming, but we kind of think he's lying. After all, Shelton and Stefani are some of his "closest friends," he says. If there's any couple we would put money on getting engaged any day now, it would be these two.
Once, I took a pregnancy test on the 20th floor of my college library. It was late at night, but I was so distracted and anxious at the thought of being pregnant that getting any work done was impossible. So I went to the floor of the building that was the least populated, peed on the stick and waited. No one came in. I wasn’t pregnant.
In retrospect, it was unlikely I would have been since I hadn’t had unprotected sex, but my period was late, and so there I was. I threw the test out and got back to studying, directing that flood of unspeakable relief into my work. Being able to return to normalcy was how I celebrated.
I remembered this incident the other day because someone told me her friend had thrown herself a party when she found out she wasn’t pregnant, including red punch and a uterus piñata. After this conversation, I Googled “celebrating not being pregnant” and found this, as well as a clip from that Sex and the City episode in which Samantha throws herself an “I Don’t Have a Baby” party, but the search mostly yielded a lot of Pinterest-y things about celebrating your pregnancy, including how to do it without booze and a list of absurd ways to mark the occasion. So then I talked to some actual people.
B assumed she was pregnant and was researching her options when she got her period at work. ” I almost cried in the bathroom,” she told me. “I had to keep myself from grinning at my desk. That night, I bought myself a bottle of wine.”
In college and right after, R had two pregnancy scares, both of which were likely due to the fact that she was in an emotionally abusive relationship.
“I never knew when he was going to break up with me or, if we were broken up, when he was going to call out of nowhere and ask if we could get back together,” she said. “On one occasion, I had my best friend come over to be with me when I took the pregnancy test. She’d brought over lots of treats and, I later found out, two cards: one congratulating me on not being pregnant and another telling me it would be OK. I was so relieved that I wasn’t pregnant that we ended up throwing ourselves a dance party right then and there.”
R wasn’t the only person who told me about a pregnancy scare in the midst of an abusive relationship. While it was actually a change in birth control that was causing A’s pregnancy symptoms, finding out she wasn’t pregnant led to many important revelations, including that she would have an abortion if she turned out to be pregnant.
“I was in a terribly toxic, co-dependent relationship with a man who would be pleased to know I was pregnant just so I would stay,” explained R. “I didn’t tell him. I kept drinking. If I had this baby, I would be forever trapped with him. When I realized it was only a switch in birth control that was causing the symptoms, I was beyond relieved. I broke up with him (perhaps it took this scare to get me there). But I never forgot the sureness of that feeling. I would have done it. And I’m so glad I didn’t have to.”
Unless you know you don’t want to have kids, how happy you are not to be pregnant might vary. It’s a matter of timing. At some point, you might be thrilled and at another, miserable. While R was relieved when she wasn’t pregnant in her 20s, nine years later, when she and her partner were trying to conceive and nothing was happening, her feelings were very different.
“I went to the doctor and she mistakenly determined that I had a brain tumor and couldn’t conceive. I was heartbroken and couldn’t stop thinking about that day when my friend and I celebrated my negative pregnancy test.” It turned out she didn’t have a brain tumor, just a severely underactive thyroid. Once that was dealt with, she was able to get pregnant.
We don’t always allow ourselves to have complicated feelings, especially when it comes to things like pregnancy and fertility. It’s hard to imagine that what we were delirious with joy about years before might make us deeply unhappy at a different time in our lives. It’s OK to celebrate not being pregnant when you don’t want to be pregnant (here’s where you can buy a uterus piñata, and here’s where you can learn to make one), and it’s OK to mourn when it’s not happening. Make the best decisions you can when you have to make them, and in the midst of it all, take care of yourself and one another.
The onslaught of accusations against powerful men in the entertainment industry continues, proving yet again how ingrained the culture of sexual assault and harassment has always been in Hollywood. This time, a former production assistant is accusing Dustin Hoffman of harassing and groping her when she worked on set with him in the '80s.
Anna Graham Hunter was only 17 when she worked on Death of a Salesman, which starred Hoffman. In an essay for The Hollywood Reporter, quoting letters she wrote to her sister at the time, she details Hoffman's frequent harassment of her and other PAs.
"[Another PA] and I were discussing why he is so nice to us," she wrote in one letter. "One reason is because he likes girls. Jenna is in eighth grade. Another is probably because he gets tired of all the kissy-assy people."
By her second week on set, Hunter wrote that Hoffman had asked her, a high school senior, about her sex life. She alleged he had also groped her multiple times. She reported his behavior to a supervisor, who told Hoffman she had complained.
"Later, I was delivering lunches when John, Stephen, and Dustin came down the hall and he shouted, ‘Anna! So you think I’m a sexist pig, huh? Anna!’" she wrote. "The whole fucking studio heard him. So I told him that I didn’t appreciate his wandering hands or his comments. He apologized and said he would stop."
Hunter also wrote that her supervisor victim-blamed her and told her harassment was something she would just have to tolerate because it came with the job.
"The bad news is [my supervisor] said it’s too bad [the harassment] became an issue. Hell, I didn’t make it an issue. He did," she wrote in a 1985 letter. "She said that for the sake of the production we have to sacrifice some of our values and just let it roll over our heads. She said we should try to have a sense of humor and just giggle and slap his hands or something."
In her essay, Hunter explained that she was charmed by Hoffman's behavior at first, but her attitude quickly turned sour when his advances became physical.
"My heart aches for the awkward virgin with the bad hair who had only been kissed three times in her life, laughing as the man her father’s age talked about breasts and sex. I want to weep that she found this charming," she wrote.
Hoffman has responded to Hunter's accusations with a statement, saying, "I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am."
Hunter now joins literally hundreds of women who have come forward in recent weeks to expose deeply rooted sexism and violence in Hollywood. Just this week, Kevin Spacey and director Brett Ratner have also been accused.
Remember those crazy early years parenting little kids? They sure were chaotic, weren't they? Then again, those kiddos usually called it a night well before 8 p.m., leaving you to enjoy your home in blissful quiet. Not so anymore, eh?
Because those toddlers turned into tweens and teens. And those once-early snoozers have started roaming the house at 10 p.m., 11 p.m., midnight or even beyond. This is no good for a couple of reasons. For one thing, older kids still need sleep (8 to 10 hours a night). And for another thing, you need to be able to watch Stranger Things 2 without interruptions. I mean, priorities.
But trying to get a "no I don't feel tired at all" kid to go to bed is anything but easy. So here are some tips that can actually help.
1. No gadgets in the bedroom starting 30 minutes before bedtime
There is no way your kid is going to bed if their phone is beeping and buzzing just a few feet away. Child psychologist Alissa Sheldon says that if the phone is around, the temptation for your child to check it is just too hard to resist. "Even if it’s just to check the time or how many likes an Instagram post received, by picking up the device, you are engaging in a stimulating activity," Sheldon says. "It can signal the brain that it may be time to rise, not rest."
So half an hour before bedtime, kids need to leave their phones downstairs. Yep. It may sound impossible, but if you have a strict policy of keeping all chargers in the kitchen or living room, your child will be more likely to plug in and walk away. After all, the thought of an uncharged phone is enough to send any teen into complete panic mode.
Also, if possible, set your child's phone to switch to Night Shift a few hours before bed. This displays yellow instead of blue light, which is better for allowing the brain to transition to bedtime.
2. No sugar or caffeine before bed
Seems self-explanatory, but it needs to be noted. Kids of any age should not consume a ton of sugar or caffeine before they go to sleep. And that means for several hours before bed — sorry, overpriced Starbucks "dessert" drinks. So if you do allow your kids to have dessert, just make it the ending to an early dinner. (My 13-year-old recently tried to make herself a bowl of chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup and whipped cream 15 minutes before her bedtime. Oh, no you don't, girl.)
3. Exercise & downtime need to be on the schedule
Children are not robots. They can't just focus at school for six hours, head to an after-school activity, eat dinner, do their homework and then go to bed. That list is missing two crucial things: exercise and downtime. Sure, some kids get exercise through PE or their after-school activities, but if that's not the case, make sure yours are given some time to move, run and play. My teen, for example, likes to jump on our trampoline for at least 15 minutes to get some energy out. But Sheldon warns that kids and adults alike should "try not to exercise too vigorously right before bed, as this can sometimes energize rather than relax."
And don't discount downtime; kids need space and time to just chill out. If you need to, scale back on his or her extracurricular schedule so your child has time to goof around and decompress.
This is not TV time. It's not scrolling Instagram time. It's taking a bath, working on art, playing music or reading a book — alone or with a parent. Your kid is well past Goodnight Moon at this point, but there are lots of great books that are way more interesting than a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush. Reading together is also a perfect time to have a quiet conversation with your child before you say goodnight.
Or why not try meditation? Headspace is a great app for kids looking to do some mini-meditation before bed to encourage sleep.
5. Get into bed at the same time every night
Subtitle: How the Heck Am I Supposed to Do That? This really takes commitment, because it can seem like something always comes up (a late game, a test, etc.). But really try to get your tween or teen into bed at the same time every night. Of course there will be exceptions, but the more you develop a bedtime routine, the more likely kids will be to sleep early and well.
Besides, according to most doctors, sleeping in on the weekends doesn't actually help kids "catch up" — it just plays havoc with their sleep schedule. So, sure, they can stay up an hour later and maybe sleep in a bit on Saturday and Sunday morning, but don't let it turn into a 3 a.m. weekend "bedtime" or some other radical departure from the weekday schedule.
And in addition to a consistent bedtime, Sheldon recommends keeping kids' rooms cool (68 to 72 degrees), making sure it's dark (even limit nightlights) and if possible, make sure they reserve the bed for sleep only (rather than doing homework or watching TV in bed).
And if after all that, your kid is still not sleeping? Hey, there's always boarding school. Just kidding. But really, remember: You cannot actually force your kids to sleep. What you can do, however, is let them know that after a certain time, the kitchen is closed, the TV is off and all their devices are off-limits and charging downstairs. Given the limited remaining options (read some more?), going to sleep might not sound so bad after all. I hear their parents love it!
On Tuesday evening, Justin Timberlake, wife Jessica Biel and their 2-year-old son, Silas, hit the streets for some serious trick-or-treating. In a sweet Halloween photo Timberlake shared on Instagram, the trio paid homage to Pixar’s most famous threesome: Toy Story’s Sheriff Woody, Jessie, and of course Buzz Lightyear.
“If you see us in these streets then have your candy ready! Trick-Or-Treat, little homies! — Woody, Jesse, and Buzz,” Timberlake captioned the photo. Timberlake was wearing a head-to-toe Buzz Lightyear costume complete with the action figure’s signature hood and helmet.
Meanwhile, Mama Biel, clad as our favorite yodeling cowgirl Jessie, also shared an adorable photo. Biel confirmed what most of us already suspected: Silas, aka Sheriff Woody, runs the Timberlake-Biel household with an iron fist. “Clearly Lil Woody is the boss of this Halloween rodeo! Love, Buzz, Jessie and Woody,” she captioned the pic, in which Silas appears to be addressing his papa like a boss.
Justin timberlake, jessica biel and silas Halloween
Justin timberlake, jessica biel and silas Halloween
Unlike many star couples who keep mum about their private lives and kids, Timberlake and Biel have never shied away from discussing the ins and outs of being first-time parents. Motherhood has influenced Biel’s professional life as well. The actor, along with a few business partners, recently opened Au Fudge CAMP — a restaurant and activity space for adults and their minis — in West Hollywood.
In a February interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Timberlake admitted that his first few months of fatherhood were no picnic. “Those first eight months felt like those old [Ed Sullivan] shows where people are balancing spinning plates on poles — except if you drop one, they die,” the 'NSYNC alum said.
Considering Silas just turned two in April, it’s clear the TimberBiels have much more plate-juggling (and adorable holiday photo ops) in store. To infinity and beyond!
Lifelong avocado lovers know there is no greater mystery and pain than trying to figure out how to preserve leftover avocado. It seems any moment an avocado isn’t moving directly into your mouth, it’s actively turning brown, mushy and unappealing. Sure, you can always scrape the brown bits away, but guac being extra means it’s painful to waste.
To understand why it’s so hard to preserve, you have to understand what makes avocados turn brown in the first place. That could take a whole chemistry lesson, but the basics are: the phenols in the avocado react with oxygen to turn into another compound called quinone, which link together to create the brown pigment you see. And yes, it happens faster than pretty much every other commercial fruit.
You cut open an avocado to enjoy it and oxygen immediately starts reacting with the phenols, working to make your avocado flesh inedible. People have recommended all kinds of treatments to make avocados last longer. They’ve claimed that lemon juice, an ingredient regularly used as a preservative, can help. They’ve argued that leaving the pit in helps, covering the cut half of an avocado in water, even oil, can help.
If you’re tried these methods, you know they fall short. Several experiments online have shown as much. At best, you can expect a still-partly-edible avocado 24 hours later.
So what is the best method for preserving avocado?
A vacuum sealer.
Think about it: What does a vacuum sealer do? It removes the air (aka oxygen) from the container. What turns avocados brown? Air.
Avocado video
Avocado video
The trick is to act quickly after you’ve cut open the avocado. Either put the pit-containing side in the vacuum bag or quickly prep the avocado by mashing it and then vacuum sealing it. Some reports argue it can stay fresh for up to a week this way. If you follow the advice of the video, you can freeze the vacuum-sealed avocado as well. They won’t have the exact same texture when you defrost them, but they’ll still be edible up to two months later.
If you don’t have and aren’t willing to invest in a vacuum sealer, you can get a similar effect by tightly wrapping the avocado in plastic wrap or mashing the avocado, putting it in a zip-close bag and pressing the air out to the best of your ability.
Donald Trump Jr. is not here for children having lighthearted Halloween fun.
On Tuesday night, Trump shared an image of his 3-year-old daughter, Chloe, wearing a police officer costume and a solemn expression. “I’m going to take half of Chloe’s candy tonight & give it to some kid who sat at home. It’s never to [sic] early to teach her about socialism,” he said in a tweet accompanying the photo, in which Chloe also appeared holding up a bucket of candy. And the internet has gone bananas, basically calling Trump the Grinch who stole Halloween — from his own kid.
While a few commended Trump's political parenting style, the tweet was largely met with an onslaught of backlash. Commenters zeroed in on the questionable message being taught to poor Chloe. “Take these things you did nothing to earn and cry about sharing them with people, yup,” wrote one user.
Others commented that they couldn’t but help see parallels between Trump’s perception of "socialism" and the "charity" practices of his father, President Donald Trump, who allegedly siphoned money from a kids' cancer charity into his business. "Or you could tell her you're taking it to help kids with cancer but then leave a wrapper trail so she can learn how Trump charities work,” the user wrote. Ouch.
Then again, maybe this is all a ruse. Maybe Trump just wanted the lion’s share of his kid’s Halloween candy for himself. Maybe he's like many other sweet-toothed parents with a guilt complex, occasionally inserting life lessons as a reason to pilfer candy. Or maybe he just forgot about the age-old tradition of “inspecting” a child’s candy while pocketing a few chocolates for yourself.
It's time to gather 'round, Charmed fans. If you've been champing at the bit wondering whether or not your favorite show about three sisters who also happen to be witches would get the reboot treatment, we have some news for you. And while we've been following this news for some time and it seemed like this reboot would actually happen, we have a clearer picture of whether or not it's still happening and what to expect.
Enter: Alyssa Milano, star of Charmed and all-around amazing human being. Milano recently spoke with In Touch Weekly about a variety of things, but of course, the hottest topic was the oft-spoken-about Charmed reboot. So, is it still happening? From the picture Milano paints, it sounds like this project has already undergone some major changes in regards to what shape it would take — a sign that things are not looking so good.
"They were going to reboot it as a prequel. The script came in last year and they didn’t feel it was strong enough or held up to the integrity of the original, so they decided not to move ahead with it," she told the magazine.
Equally telling about the quality of the proposed reboot was Milano's simple personal verdict on the Charmed reboot falling flat in the preproduction phase: "They did the right thing." Damn.
Milano's additional comments indicate that along with the quality of the proposed reboot idea seemingly lacking, the show's other stars are just moving in different directions in regard to their careers right now. "We all said that we would do it, but nobody’s actually put that in motion," she explained. "I’m working with CBS Studios on my new Netflix show Insatiable, and that’s the studio that was trying to reboot Charmed."
While it's exciting that Milano has a new project we can check out soon on Netflix, it's a little disappointing to know we won't be reunited with our Charmed faves. Then again, never say never, right?
Updated November 1, 2017, 4:00 p.m. ET: Jessica Allen, the surrogate mom who accidentally conceived her own biological child while pregnant with another couple's implanted embryo, revealed to People today that the couple asked her to pay $22,000 for the return of that child.
She also told the publication that both children were taken away from her immediately after their birth in violation of a contractual agreement that Allen would be allowed to spend one hour with the babies before handing them over to the couple. Allen also suspected early on that one of the children might be hers since they looked so different (twins from a split implanted embryo would be identical).
But Allen's quarrel is with the surrogacy agency, not the couple. “It’s not her fault..." she told People of the baby's intended mother. "The agency put it in her head that I was going to try to sue her. I never said those words."
Allen added that she would not consider being a surrogate again.
“I thought I wasn’t going to get him back," she told People of her "surprise" biological son, "because they were pressuring me to pay this money back first. Then they were saying that the intending mom was thinking about giving him up for adoption. I thought I had a child out there that I was gonna be forced to let go of all because I couldn’t buy him or because I couldn’t adopt him. They wanted me to buy... my own child.”
“I didn’t even know I was pregnant with [my own bio baby],” Allen explained to ABC News. “I carried my own child, and I didn’t know he was mine.”
The process by which a fluke like this can happen is called superfetation, and it means that after Allen became pregnant with the couple's implanted embryo, she continued to ovulate. Thus, she was able to conceive and give birth to her biological son, all the while assuming he was one half of a split implanted embryo.
“The chance of an embryo splitting is very small, but it does happen,” Allen explained to ABC. “I was very surprised.”
The "twin" pregnancy went as planned, and Allen said goodbye to the babies shortly after their birth. It wasn't until she saw photos of them later in the year that she realized what must have happened.
"One was much lighter than the other,” Allen, who is white, explained. She said it was obvious the babies "were not identical twins" from a split implanted embryo. One looked Asian like its parents; the other looked mixed-race, much like Allen's other kids with her husband Wardell Jasper, who is black.
After what Allen describes as an emotional court case, she and her husband were able to obtain custody of their biological child. We can only imagine how harrowing it must have been for the boy's quasi-adoptive parents to lose a child they had assumed was theirs, but it's clear Allen and her family are providing him with a home filled with love.
Allen told ABC they named the baby Malachi and that "[h]e’s just so smart, so intelligent. He’s learning fast. He’s got two big brothers to run after and learn from... We treasure Malachi with all our hearts.”
Watch the full story on Good Morning America below.
This story was originally published on October 30, 2017 and was updated on November 1, 2017.
There's never a good time to have gallbladder problems, but having them during pregnancy when you're already uncomfortable is a double blow. Bile, a substance made by the liver, is stored in the gallbladder. It helps our bodies to digest fats in the small intestines. But if it sits in the gallbladder too long, it takes on a sludge or solid form — the solid bile is also known as a gallstone. This is more common during pregnancy, when the gallbladder is more sluggish at emptying bile, giving it more time to form sludge or stones. Problems occur when the stones block bile from flowing through the organ.
Why the gallbladder?
Gallstones are more common during pregnancy because of the increased level of estrogen in the body, noted Dr. Amos Grünebaum, an OB-GYN and professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City.
Cholesterol can also contribute to a pregnant woman’s risk of gallstone development. A 2006 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases study reports that women with high levels of good cholesterol were less likely to experience gallstones.
Grünebaum said that excess weight gain during pregnancy can increase cholesterol amounts in our bile, which can cause gallstones.
“When you’re pregnant, your estrogen levels are higher than ever, and estrogen is partly responsible for the increased concentration of cholesterol in the gallbladder,” Grünebaum said.
Image: Getty/Design: Ashley Britton/SheKnows
Your risk for pregnancy-related gallbladder issues
How do you know if you’re at risk for gallbladder issues during pregnancy? A 2006 study on about 6,200 women who had a gallbladder disease diagnoses upon being discharged from the hospital after delivery between 1987 and 2001 found that 76 percent of women were diagnosed with having gallstones (uncomplicated cholelithiasis), 16 percent had pancreatitis, 9 percent had acute gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis) and 8 percent experienced a bile duct infection (cholangitis).
Those researchers determined that risk factors for hospitalization were age, maternal race, being overweight or obese before pregnancy and weight gain during pregnancy. Having higher insulin resistance could be what links having gallstones and high BMI, a 2008 study by the University of Washington found. Overall, being hospitalized for a gallstone-related disease is common during the first year after pregnancy.
Women are twice as likely as men to develop gallstones. A 2003 study on more than 1,300 women found that about 8 percent experienced gallstones. Gallstone risk goes up the more times you are pregnant too.
According to Dr. Amy Stump, a surgeon at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, chemical- and muscular-function changes can last up to five years after delivery, which raises a woman’s chance of developing gallstones during that time.
If not treated, gallstones can cause gallbladder infections and ruptures. Alone, gallstones can produce some pretty unpleasant symptoms as well. Gallbladder attack symptoms include ongoing abdominal pain, vomiting or nausea. Back pain between shoulder blades and pain in the upper right area of the abdomen are also symptoms, the Mayo Clinic reports.
Treating gallbladder problems during pregnancy
Think you’re having a gallbladder problem? The doctor will usually conduct an ultrasound to diagnose it.
Treatments can vary. Gallbladders that cause issues during pregnancy are usually removed through minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery upon delivery, though it can be performed during any trimester in most cases, a 2014 study in American Family Physician reports.
“Sounds scary, but this is safe for both Mom and Baby, especially during the second trimester,” Grünebaum said, adding that the gallbladder can be surgically removed safely during your pregnancy as long as gallstones are discovered in the first or second trimester
“Gallstone-related surgery is, after appendicitis, the second-most common no-obstetric surgery done in pregnancy,” he added. “Surgical removal of the gallbladder, usually by laparoscopy, is safe and effective to treat symptomatic gallstones in pregnancy.”
There’s a short list of places that consistently trick us into buying more than we need. Be honest with yourself: When’s the last time you walked into Target and left with just one thing? Brick-and-mortar destinations like this have forced us to create an actual budget, but it’s 2017, and online spots are just as dangerous for our wallets, especially Amazon. We’ve bought everything from a couch to designer threads on the commerce site, and now, some of us are forgoing the drugstore to get our beauty must-haves without leaving the couch.
In recent years, the site’s beauty channel has grown to include a massive inventory of products for pretty much everything we need. At first glance, it seems like a dream come true, but with more options come more difficult decisions to make and things to worry about. For instance, is that price too good to be true (spoiler alert: probably)? Will this limited-edition lipstick I just bought expire tomorrow? There’s always the risk of not getting what you paid for, but if you tread lightly and keep these five things in mind, you’re headed in the right direction.
Try to avoid third-party retailers
Amazon and other well-known shopping sites typically allow unauthorized retailers to sell products, which means you have no idea who’s behind the products you’re buying. When browsing the beauty section, aim for the must-haves that are shipped from and sold by Amazon. This information is shown just under the price in the right-hand column next to the product photo.
However, if you must have that makeup palette sold by JoeSchmo17, be sure to click on the retailer’s name first and check out the reviews. Do this with the same energy you use to review a product you ended up hating. Being aware of the seller’s quality control and shipping habits is extremely important whenever your credit card is involved. Pro tip: Run far away if there’s no return policy.
Check the brand’s authorized retail list
If the brand doesn’t have final say, you probably shouldn’t pay! Before you throw a designer fragrance into your virtual shopping cart, make sure Amazon is an authorized retailer for whatever you’re perusing. Typically, this information can be found on the brand’s website under the “Store,” “FAQ” or “Terms and Conditions” sections. And if you’re really hesitant, don’t be afraid to reach out via social media too.
One of the main reasons we flock to Amazon is because the prices are usually a lot lower than the original price. Who can blame anyone for taking advantage of that? However, there’s a very thin line between a true discount and “too good to be true.” Before you say yes to a luxe find, compare the Amazon price to the one offered on the brand’s website. Paying $20 for a $100 product usually indicates it’s been used or is counterfeit. Other bad signs include nonexistent bar codes or misspelled words on the packaging.
Discontinued or limited-edition items are probably expired
Lastly, limited-edition items are usually sold in smaller bulks, which means you should buy it while it’s hot! Amazon and other sites like eBay sometimes offer steep discounts on discontinued items, but when they’re sold is a huge indicator of its expiration. For instance, if you found a limited-edition holiday 2016 lipstick today, chances are you will be getting an old tube since lipsticks have a shelf life of one year. In fact, you risk buying a replica altogether if the brand only made a limited quantity to begin with.
Again, shopping for beauty products online is always a gamble, but the end result is really up to you.
Sales are down at Papa John's, and it's not because people have realized they can get better pizza elsewhere. At least, not according to founder John Schnatter, who claims that the players' protesting during the national anthem is leading to a drop in viewership, which then is contributing to less people seeing ads for Papa John's and ordering pizza during the game.
It's not totally preposterous to link the NFL's falling ratings to lower sales for its advertisers — its viewership is down about 18 percent compared to 2015 — but the protests aren't necessarily to blame. Extreme weather events like Hurricane Irma and the Las Vegas shooting in October likely drew away viewers who were keeping up with the news instead of tuning into football, and the fact that younger TV watchers and sports fans are less likely to have traditional TV that lets them watch games in real time also likely hurts those viewership numbers according to Sporting News.
Another potential reason for declining sales? The number of restaurants in the U.S. is currently growing at twice the rate of the population, and that's why other fast-food and fast-casual restaurants like Chipotle and Domino's have also seen share prices of their stocks fall in the past year.
But much of the internet wasn't happy with the Papa John's CEO, Schnatter, conflating the NFL player protests with the chain's abysmal sales, and they weren't afraid to let it be known.
Papa John's Pizza Tastes Bad
Papa John's Pizza Tastes Bad
Papa John's is Against Obamacare
Papa John's is Against Obamacare
Papa John's
Papa John's
On the other hand, the racists of Twitter have now found a new favorite pizza chain:
Well, there you have it. Sales are down at Papa John's, and it looks like they now have a PR crisis on their hands too. But hey, at least we know how well their partners at the NFL handle those! Oh, wait...
Updated Nov. 2, 2017, 7:35 a.m. PT: Following multiple women's accounts accusing director Brett Ratner of sexual harassment, assault and rape, Warner Bros. has killed his planned Hugh Hefner biopic. The studio severed all ties with Ratner soon after Jared Leto, who was rumored to be playing the lead, denied having any involvement with the film.
"Jared Leto is not and was not attached to a Brett Ratner-directed Hugh Hefner film, nor will he be working with him in the future," Leto's rep told Deadline. "Earlier reports were incorrect and not confirmed by his representatives."
Meanwhile, Ratner, who originally denied the claims against him, says he's distancing himself from Warner Bros. while he works on his "personal issues."
Original story:
Well, this is certainly interesting news no matter which way you slice it: Jared Leto will play Hugh Hefner in a planned biopic. News the famed method actor was confirmed to be stepping into the shoes of the Playboy mogul broke early Tuesday morning, and the casting decision is sure to be notorious for a couple of reasons. Director Brett Ratner, who was the guiding force behind Rush Hour 2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, is also set to direct this biopic about Hefner's life.
The project is still in the super-, super-early stages of development, which only adds to the surprise this film has landed its leading star already. According to The Hollywood Reporter, who first reported the news, Ratner had his reasons for wanting Leto to play Hefner. "Jared is an old friend," Ratner explained. "When he heard I got the rights to Hef's story, he told me, 'I want to play him. I want to understand him.' And I really believe Jared can do it. He's one of the great actors of today."
There's no doubt that even though Leto has reportedly never met Hefner (there were plans to arrange a meeting through Ratner, but Hefner's health was failing at the time according to THR), there is more than enough video and print footage for Leto to study and use to craft his own version of Hefner.
The news is additionally surprising when you consider the fact that Hefner very recently died on Sept. 27 at age 91. The founder of Playboy led a colorful and controversial life, and while there have been a plethora of opinions about what kind of legacy he leaves behind, it will no doubt be interesting to see how Leto interprets the man behind the legend. Announcements of planned biopics aren't typically made so soon following the death of the subject of said biopic, so once the dust settles around the shock of this news, there will no doubt be intense curiosity about what events in Hefner's life this film will cover.
For now, all we have are visions of Leto in Hefner's infamous smoking jacket surrounded by Playboy Bunnies — a very interesting thought to say the least.
Updated Nov. 2, 2017, 7:50 a.m. PT: Following now-multiple allegations of sexual misconduct as well as a production halt on his Netflix series House of Cards, Kevin Spacey seems to have retreated from the limelight. His rep, however, released a statement to reporters, saying, "Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment. No other information is available at this time.”
No details were given on what kind of treatment Spacey is seeking.
Updated October 30, 2017, 11:10 a.m. PT: In the wake of BuzzFeed's exclusive interview with Broadway star Anthony Rapp, who came forward with allegations of untoward sexual advances made while he was a minor by an adult Kevin Spacey, there's been much discussion and some consternation about the things Spacey said in his apologetic statement. Issuing the apology within hours of the story's publication, Spacey also used that space to come out as a gay man. While some contend this has been an open secret for years and that it's not exactly new news, others are pointing out that Spacey's coming out feels like an inaccurate and irresponsible deflection of the allegations levied against him.
Zachary Quinto Kevin Spacey Tweet
Zachary Quinto Kevin Spacey Tweet
Billy Eichner Kevin Spacey Tweet
Billy Eichner Kevin Spacey Tweet
Chief among the detractors of Spacey's coming-out timing is GLAAD, who released a statement on Monday morning to comment on their feelings about Spacey's actions. "Coming-out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault," Sara Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, wrote in the group's official statement. "This is not a coming-out story about Kevin Spacey, but a story of survivorship by Anthony Rapp and all those who bravely speak out against unwanted sexual advances. The media and public should not gloss over that."
Original story:
House of Cards star Kevin Spacey faces serious accusations of sexual assault made against him by Broadway and Star Trek: Discovery star Adam Rapp. In an extended interview published on BuzzFeed on Sunday, Oct. 29, Rapp recalled the events around Spacey's alleged sexual assault on him in 1986. Shockingly, this means that Rapp alleges this happened when he was 14 years old and Spacey was 26.
According to BuzzFeed's report, Rapp has been carrying the pain of that one evening with him in the 30-odd years since it allegedly happened. Regardless of the fact that both he and Spacey have gone on to have monumentally successful careers in film, television and theater, it's clear from Rapp's account that what may have happened has imprinted deeply on him and has been with him ever since.
BuzzFeed writes that at the time, Rapp was starring in a play alongside actor Ed Harris. Rapp's success and the prominence of the show meant he was able to hobnob with actors in the New York theater scene at various functions and get-togethers. Spacey was one such actor, who was himself in the early days of a soon-to-be successful career. Rapp was comfortable being around adults, and so for most of an evening spent at a gathering at Spacey's apartment, he was more bored than nervous at being the youngest person there. That was until he eventually realized he was the only person left at Spacey's place.
Rapp tells BuzzFeed, "[m]y memory was that I thought, 'Oh, everybody's gone. Well, yeah, I should probably go home.'" He also says Spacey "sort of stood in the doorway, kind of swaying," continuing with, "My impression when he came in the room was that he was drunk.” From there, Rapp says, "[Spacey] picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don't, like, squirm away initially, because I'm like, 'What's going on?' And then he lays down on top of me.”
Shortly after the story was published, Rapp posted a short statement thread to his Twitter where he wrote that he was able to come forward with his account of what allegedly happened because of the recent waves of brave women and men coming forward with their own stories of alleged sexual assault at the hands of men like Harvey Weinstein, Roy Price and director James Toback.
Anthony Rapp Statement 1
Anthony Rapp Statement 1
Anthony Rapp Statement 2
Anthony Rapp Statement 2
Anthony Rapp Statement 3
Anthony Rapp Statement 3
Additionally, while BuzzFeed reports that Spacey did not (through his reps) respond to verbal requests for comment, the actor did post his own written apology and statement to his Twitter account. In a surprising move, after apologizing to Rapp, Spacey also came out as a gay man.
"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I'm beyond horrified to hear this story. I do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I'm sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years," Spacey began.
Kevin Spacey Assault Statement
Kevin Spacey Assault Statement
He then went on to address his own sexuality in a second paragraph, using the topic of stories which have come out about him over the years as a segue to officially coming out as a gay man. "This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life. I know that there are other stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior."
Years ago, my daughter had a playdate with a girl who has severe nut allergies. This girl spent the entire day in my home, but wouldn't eat a single thing in my house. She was well aware that my own son has severe, life-threatening allergies and that I possibly know a thing or two about safety. It didn’t matter to her; she was not putting a morsel in her mouth that didn’t come from her own home.
I hate to see children suffer from anxiety regarding their health, but I couldn't help but find myself a little envious and in awe of this cautious girl. It’s just that with Ben, my food-allergic son, it seemed like we always had the opposite problem. Ben has always been a super-laid-back, absent-minded kid. I get it because I'm similar. The difference is that I’m a parent, so when it comes to my children’s safety, I can't afford to be laid-back.
I spent years reminding Ben to read food labels, years yelling after him as he raced out the door, years asking whether he remembered to take his emergency meds with him. Today, we are finally at a decent place in the battle with his food allergies. Today, my son is able to enjoy himself, much like any other teenager, while also staying safe.
I've found that by laying down a few simple rules and doing everything we can to live by them, my son and I have been able to come to terms with his life-threatening food allergies. Now, I even run a company, Allermates, that helps kids with food allergies and other medical concerns. Because in the world of allergies, sometimes you just have to learn from experience. Below are what years of experience have taught Ben and me. If your kid is struggling with food allergies, I hope these tips can help you too.
Never eat anything if you don’t know what’s in it
Ben has learned he can’t just reach for a plate of cookies at a party. If no one can completely verify all the ingredients in a certain food item, then he doesn't eat it. I have to say, over the years, he has begun to show such amazing discipline. He never pities himself, and he has become an expert label-reader (I have too).
As much as many of us want to keep personal information private, my family has learned that it’s vital to let others know about our health conditions — particularly food allergies. I’ve taught my son to tell servers, "I'd rather not end up in the emergency room this evening" as a way to make sure he's being taken seriously. If we don’t feel confident enough about a server's knowledge, Ben knows to speak directly to the kitchen about the ingredients in a dish. Who knew the yogurt dressing of a beet salad at a Greek restaurant is made with almonds or that fish sauce is used to cook a chicken dish at our local cafe? We did.
Always carry your emergency meds
Sure, on occasion I still have to yell out, “Ben, did you take your meds with you??” But it's gotten so much better — with patience and practice. My heart swells when I hear him shout, “Mom, where did you put my medicine case?” We have made it a simple part of life: Where we go, those medications go too.
Education
Ben and I have learned the hard way to immediately recognize the signs of an allergic reaction. When he grips his stomach following a meal, we both now know that this is not a tummy ache and that he didn't "just eat too much" (is that even possible for a 13-year-old boy anyway?). Instead, it's usually the start of a whole series of allergic reactions — and it means it's time to get the epinephrine in and head to the hospital.
Although learning the signs of a reaction — and understanding what our immediate response to that needs to be — hasn't been easy, I sure am glad we've both figured it out together.
One day, Ben will be on his own, and all I can do is hope he'll take everything we've learned together and be as diligent as he can in ensuring his safety. I'm so proud of how far he's come — how far we've come as a family. As I work to offer families tools that make living with allergies and other medical concerns easier and less stressful, Ben remains my inspiration and my motivation. And if this whole difficult journey is what it takes to ensure his health and the health of kids like him, it's worth it.
AllerMates’ sales event can be found on zulily beginning Nov. 2.
If you woke up this morning, scrolled through Twitter, saw the cast announcement for the live-action remake of Disney's The Lion King and literally screamed, you are not alone. In fact, you're far from it.
Disney dropped a significant portion of the cast, which was almost immediately shared by Beyoncé because she's going to be playing Nala, and OMG, I can't breathe.
The internet pretty much immediately melted down upon getting this news, which is understandable, because Bey is perfect for this part, but also kind of beyond-our-wildest-hopes-and-dreams-level perfect. Yet she's doing it. And Beyoncé is far from the only exciting part of this cast, which is dominated by people of color. Donald Glover will play Simba, and James Earl Jones is the reprising his role, Mufasa, from the 1994 animated film. The absolutely legendary John Kani will be Rafiki. John Oliver is the perfect Zazu we never even would have thought of. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen will also team up as Timon and Pumbaa.
Lion King live action remake cast announcement
Lion King live action remake cast announcement
Guys, the star power in this cast is 15/10. I don't even know how to convey how happy I am in words, and it's literally what I do for a living.
Obviously, people are stoked. There is no acceptable reaction other than utter excitement.
Reactions to the Lion King live action cast announce 1
Reactions to the Lion King live action cast announce 1
Reactions to the Lion King live action cast announce 2
Reactions to the Lion King live action cast announce 2
Reactions to the Lion King live action cast announce 3
Reactions to the Lion King live action cast announce 3
Reactions to the Lion King live action cast announce 4
Reactions to the Lion King live action cast announce 4
Elle reports the new movie will use CGI and green screens, much like the live-action remake of The Jungle Book — the two films share director Jon Favreau. Hans Zimmer is set to score the new film; he wrote much of the score of the animated original.
