KOBE BRYANT’s wife Vanessa made her first statement. She shared a photo of the family on Instagram, and said, “My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time . . .Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We’re completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe . . . the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna . . . a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri . . .There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives.”
HAILEY BIEBER took to Instagram to explain why her pinkies are crooked. It’s a genetic disorder she’s had all her life. She said, “So in conclusion please stop roasting me about my pinky fingers.”
“Lethal Weapon 5” is in the works, with MEL GIBSON, DANNY GLOVER, and director Richard Donner returning. No word on JOE PESCI or anyone else from the franchise, but they’re working on the script.
MICHAEL STRAHAN says it wasn’t his choice to leave “Live” for “Good Morning America”, it was the network’s call. He says he felt like a “sidekick” and not a partner, but claims he has nothing but respect for KELLY RIPA
CHRIS STAPLETON is doing another All-American Road Show tour and this time around he’s going big. It includes stops at Madison Square Garden, Wrigley Field, Atlanta’s Truist Park, the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington, and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The tour kicks off June 4th in New Mexico and will touch down in all four-corners of the country before wrapping in late October. There’s going to be a wide variety of openers, depending on the show, including Dwight Yoakam, Sheryl Crow, Elle King, Margo Price, Nikki Lane, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Highwomen, Yola, and Hank Williams Jr. July 30—Scranton, PA—The Pavilion at Montage Mountain++ July 31—Philadelphia, PA—BB&T Pavilion++ October 8—State College, PA—Bryce Jordan Center+ October 9—Atlantic City, NJ—Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall+ October 10—New York, NY—Madison Square Garden+
There was a time when rock stars and country stars didn’t do a Vegas residency until the AARP card arrived. What changed? “Rolling Stone” asked KEITH URBAN what changed. One reason is because, everybody’s doing it. Young performers, old performers, and every single musical genre you can think of plays Vegas. Keith says there are enough non-country people in town who are there to be entertained, so they add his show to their Vegas itinerary. “Our audience is quite diverse. We have people that love the country side of what I do, people that love the pop side of what I do. All the stuff that doesn’t really fit into any genre or category, which we’ve got a lot of.”
Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman proposed to his friend Moon Angell just 7 months after the death of his wife, Beth. The reality star, 66, popped the question to Angell, 53, during an interview on the February 3 episode of The Dr. Oz Show, which was recorded last week. “I am a lot happier with her around,” Dog tearfully says in a sneak peek of the episode. “Moon Angell, will you marry me?” Although the preview cuts off before it shows Angell’s response, she teased her answer via Instagram on Wednesday, January 29. However, a source confirmed to Us Weekly that Dog, who became extremely emotional during the interview, did not give Angell a ring and that the pair are not engaged. Over the past few weeks, Dog and Angell have sparked speculation that they are dating. Angell served as Beth’s administrative assistant for more than 20 years. Dog’s daughter, Lyssa, has openly criticized her father’s relationship with Angell on social media. Lyssa, 32, alleged that Angell had previously dated one of Dog’s sons. “If someone who met your family by dating your brother, tried to date your father after your step- mom died what would you do? If you went to your mothers closet and saw she moved all her clothes and replaced them with her own, what would you do? #ItsNotWhenOrWhyItsWho.”
DEION SANDERS said we’re letting too many people into the Hall of Fame, and implied that ELI MANNING doesn’t deserve it.
MIRANDA LAMBERT says “Revolution” is the album that changed her entire career. Before that she was pigeonholed as “spitfire” and a “firebrand.” But “Revolution” had a healthy mix of ballads and songs with meaning to change that perception.
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE’s “Blessings” isn’t just a song, it’s a “state of thankfulness” according to TYLER HUBBARD. “Every day we wake up, it’s a reminder [that] we have our heath, our families . . . and it’s hard to be in a bad mood or stay down too long if you’re staying in that mind state of thankfulness.”
“People” did “Six Things to Know About CHASE RICE.” Highlights include: He competed on “Survivor” in 2010. He used to work as a race-car jackman. He played linebacker at the University of North Carolina, and he co-wrote Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise”.
Super Bowl commercials and ad campaigns continue to flood the Internet early. Here are the latest:
- There’s an Audi ad where Maisie Williams from “Game of Thrones” drives while singing “Let It Go” from “Frozen” for some reason. There’s the line at the end about how “the cold never bothered me anyway,” which might be a loose reference to “Game of Thrones” . . . but it’s still random.
- Bud Light made two ads for Bud Light Selzer with Post Malone,
- A full, Cheetos “Can’t Touch This” ad with MC Hammer is out.
- John Legend and Chrissy Teigen star in an ad campaign for Genesis . . . the luxury division of Hyundai. Interesting Fact: There was originally a HELICOPTER in the first two seconds of the commercial . . . but they edited it out after Kobe Bryant died.
- Kia’s ad features Oakland Raiders rookie running back Josh Jacobs, who returns to his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to give his younger self some advice. Josh was homeless in middle school.
- The full Little Caesars ad is out. Rainn Wilson plays the owner of the Sliced Bread company, which is in danger of no longer being “the best thing.”
- Microsoft’s ad is an inspirational one starring Katie Sowers, the offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers.
- The Pepsi Zero Sugar ad featuring Missy Elliott and H.E.R. is out. They perform a version of the Rolling Stones song “Paint It Black”.
- Pop Tarts is advertising their new Pop Tarts PRETZEL in an ad with Jonathan Van Ness from “Queer Eye”.
- Snickers released their full “fix the world” ad. Basically they feed the Earth Snickers by dropping a giant candy bar into a hole in the ground in order to make everything better. It’s a parody of those feel-good, let’s-all-come-together ads, and it really works.
- Charlie Day and Emily Hampshire sort through their own dirty laundry in a Tide commercial.
- TurboTax has an ad with people dancing to a song about doing your taxes.
- Wal-Mart has a movie-themed ad with . . . Groot, Buzz Lightyear, Legos, the talking pug from “Men In Black”, “Bill & Ted’s” Alex Winter, a de-aged version of Alex Winter, and the aliens from “Mars Attacks”.
- Jennifer Lopez is performing during the half-time show, but she’s also in a commercial for Hard Rock, which features a mystery thief stealing her “bling cup.”
- Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi did an ad for Alexa.
- Coke will use its Super Bowl ad to plug its new energy drink, with a little help from director Martin Scorsese.
- Heinz’s ad features FOUR commercials in one.
Josh Kelley is 40
