SERENA WILLIAMS lost the Women’s U.S. Open final to Naomi Osaka on Saturday . . . but the real story was Serena’s battle with chair umpire who hit her with THREE violations. It started when Ramos called a violation for illegal communication between Serena and her coach. Serena denied cheating. Her coach later admitted to hand signals, but also said that he didn’t believe Serena had even looked at him. He added that everyone does it, and said Serena’s opponent’s coach was doing the same thing. Then, Serena got a second violation for angrily throwing her racket at the ground and breaking it. The second penalty meant Serena lost a point, and she was NOT happy about that. She demanded an apology from the umpire saying he stole a point from her, and that he was a “thief.” She yelled, “You will never, ever, ever be on another court of mine as long as you live. You are the liar.” So he then issued a third violation for “verbal abuse,” which meant Serena was docked a GAME. After the match, Serena was fined $17,000 for the violations. She won $1.85 million for finishing in second place. Serena repeatedly said that she’d rather lose than cheat . . . and claimed she was being unfairly treated because male tennis players get away with much worse. After the match, Serena hugged Naomi, who had just won her first Grand Slam. Later, Naomi started crying at the trophy ceremony, because Serena’s fans were BOOING over how the umpire had treated her. Serena told the crowd, quote, “Let’s give everyone the credit where credit’s due. Let’s not boo anymore . . . let’s be positive . . . no more booing.”
Here’s something I bet a lot of us have in common with BLAKE SHELTON. Given a choice between a healthy dinner prepared for grownup-type people, or a tasty meal made for kids . . . we’ll take the second one. Blake admitted as much in an interview with “Cowboys and Indians” magazine. They were talking about things that would make up a perfect day for him. One is hunting, and another would be GWEN STEFANI cooking for the family. “But I eat terribly. She’ll make this big dinner . . . a piece of salmon and a salad for us. And then there are her three little boys, and so there’s macaroni and cheese and all those other things for them. “I’ll look at her plate and she’ll have the salmon and salad, and I’ll look at my plate and it’s all the [stuff] she made for the boys . . . chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, those little pretzel bread rolls. I’ve got to get better at that one of these days.”
PAMELA ANDERSON reportedly broke up with her soccer star boyfriend because he started talking marriage.
DENISE RICHARDS got married to Aaron Phypers, and CHARLIE SHEEN wishes her “nothing but happiness.”
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, 34, married former Playboy model Kayla Rae Reid, 27, in an intimate, outdoor wedding at Morrow Ranch, a private estate in Palm Springs, California, on Sunday. The couple — who are parents to 15-month-old son Caiden Zane — exchanged vows in front of 100 of their closest friends and family.
In a new interview with Australia’s Sunday Night, Olivia Newton-John has confirmed that she’s battling cancer for the third time, opening up for the first time about a 2013 bout with the disease — her second — that she previously decided to keep to herself.
Bill Daily, the funnyman known for his supporting work on the sitcoms I Dream of Jeannie and The Bob Newhart Show, died on Tuesday. He was 91.
Vince Vaughn has been charged with driving under the influence following his June 10 arrest in Manhattan Beach, California. In all, Vaughn is charged with three misdemeanors. In addition to driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, he has also been charged with driving with .08 percent blood alcohol content or higher and refusing to comply with a peace officer or to submit to an inspection. Vaughn faces up to 360 days in county jail if convicted as charged.
The haters lit up the Internet last night whining about CARRIE UNDERWOOD’s new Sunday Night Football theme song. Some called it “atrocious” while others said it sounded like a “parody” of last season’s song.
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE’s inaugural FGL Fest in Indianapolis had to be canceled on Saturday because of severe weather . . . and everyone totally understands. That’s the state where the Sugarland stage collapse happened back in 2011, and that should NEVER happen again.
LUKE COMBS announced the dates of his “Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour.” It kicks off January 31st in Birmingham, Alabama and runs into May. LANCO and JAMESON RODGERS are the openers.
Saturday was the one-year anniversary of TROY GENTRY’s fatal helicopter crash, so EDDIE MONTGOMERY posted a few words. “Not a day goes by that I don’t miss my brother in crime. Every time I think about you brother, I smile and laugh. I miss you, brother. I miss you a bunch.”
THOMAS RHETT and his wife Lauren are back from a getaway trip to Italy. And yes, they missed their kids. “We had a great trip. It was a much-needed time for me and Lauren to kind of get away and recharge a little bit. But we are definitely glad to be back. We missed our kids tremendously.”
JASON ALDEAN is very proud that his latest Concert for the Kids raised over $620,000 for the children’s hospital in Macon, Georgia. He hit up Twitter to say, “Nothing better than coming back to your hometown for a great cause. Thank you Macon for showing up and for a great night.”
LITTLE BIG TOWN performed The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” at the Stand Up to Cancer on Friday.
The toy company behind great toy brands like Barbie, Masters of the Universe, Hot Wheels and Thomas and Friends is launching its own film division. Mattel Films will focus on developing and producing movies based on the company’s brands. The new division will be run by Oscar-nominated producer Robbie Brenner. The Mattel CEO “Robbie is a gifted storyteller and a highly respected filmmaker with deep relationships in entertainment. She is the perfect leader to bring our celebrated brands to life.”
Ashley Monroe is 32.
