There have been editorials and memes popping up to help people adjust to our new normal. KELLY RIPA and RYAN SEACREST chipped in and shared their thoughts yesterday with “It’s Okay, It’s Not Okay List.” Here is Kelly’s list:
“It’s okay to feel scared and alone and helpless.
“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed worrying about money, jobs, and the sheer number of cases. It’s okay to think you’re developing symptoms every time you read a new news article. It’s okay to not know what to say to your kids when they ask why.
“It’s okay to not understand the math that your kids are doing in school. It’s okay to feel frustrated that you can’t hug your parents or convince them to stay inside.
“It’s okay to cook the same thing over and over and then reheat the leftovers. It’s okay to work from home in your pajamas. It’s okay to watch mindless TV and to make videos with your kids.”
“It is not okay to congregate in large groups. It’s not okay to shake hands. It is not okay to hoard toilet paper, food and alcohol.
“It is not okay to profiteer from hand sanitizer. It is not okay to pretend that you’re feeling fine if you aren’t. It is not okay to not wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and hot water.”
“It is not okay to only think of yourself. It is not okay to judge others ever, but especially now.
“It is not okay to give up. It is not okay to suffer anxiety attacks in silence.”
For his list, Ryan added, “It’s okay to reach out and check on family and friends . . . and it’s not okay to talk trash during a game of Candy Land.”
RIHANNA and her Clara Lionel Foundation are stepping up BIG TIME to help out in this time of need. (The foundation is named after Rihanna’s grandparents.) They’re donating $5 million to various organizations, including food banks, the World Health Organization, and the International Rescue Committee. The foundation says, “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, this pandemic will affect us all. And for the world’s most vulnerable, the worst may be yet to come.”
People were criticizing LIZZO on social media for wearing a mask when they’re in such short supply. But it turns out she has a valid reason. She said, “Got strep throat at the worst time ever. It’s nobody’s business but I’d prefer y’all not criticize me for wearing a face mask and doing what I was supposed to do to protect the people in my home. Please check yourself before you become an internet bully because you’re bored. Get your facts straight. The world needs less trolls and more compassion.”
MAREN MORRIS and Ryan Hurd welcomed their first child yesterday. They named him Hayes Andrew Hurd. They made the announcement online and captioned it “Love of our lives.” They also included photos from the hospital.
KELSEA BALLERINI came up with a pretty good idea to get her new album, “Kelsea”, into the hands of her biggest fans during the age of social distancing. She had a drone deliver it. At least one fan got a pizza too. She sent messages ahead of time, so they’d know something was coming. She included some of the drone footage in her video of the stunt, which she opened by saying, “We’re getting a little creative with this album . . . drop.”
A comedian by the name of Kevin T. Porter hit a nerve the other day when he Tweeted that ELLEN DEGENERES is, “notoriously one of the meanest people alive.” He asked people to send him stories about how mean she really is, and promised to donate $2 to the L.A. Food Bank for each one. He got TONS. Here are some of the things people CLAIMED about Ellen:
- She fired her head writer and never spoke to her again, because she refused to cross the picket line during a writer’s strike.
- She once complained to a restaurant owner because her server had chipped nail polish. The woman almost got fired.
- She once threw a plate of salmon in a waiter’s face because it wasn’t what she ordered.
- She has a “sensitive nose,” so everyone has to chew gum from a bowl outside her office before speaking to her. And if she thinks you smell, she’ll send you home.
- She fired a slightly autistic custodian because he, “forgot he wasn’t allowed to look at or speak to her, and he loved greeting everyone.”
- She adopts really cute kittens and puppies but as they get older she’ll get tired of them and force friends, family or staff to adopt them.
There’s no way of knowing if any of these stories are true, and even Porter acknowledged that. He said, “Well this got out of hand! It’s now hard to tell which stories are real or not, so I’ve rounded up to 300 and donated $600!”. Ellen hasn’t directly responded to this, but she did post some videos of herself putting Legos together while wearing a shirt that said, “Staff”. Also, Ellen responded to similar rumors in 2018, saying, “That bugs me if someone is saying that because it’s an outright lie. The first day I said: ‘The one thing I want is everyone here to be happy and proud of where they work, and if not, don’t work here.’ No one is going to raise their voice or not be grateful. That’s the rule to this day.”
BRETT YOUNG uses his smooth singing voice to calm down his baby daughter Presley. But he doesn’t serenade her with his own hits. He makes up “goofy and silly” stuff that you’re never going to hear. “They’re all in the moment . . . it’s like, let’s make up some words to a melody that seemed to calm this girl down. But it’s all really silly and it’s nothing that will ever make it outside the walls of our house, that’s for sure.”
PEYTON MANNING has reportedly turned down ESPN’s offer to join “Monday Night Football”.
They announced the official date of the “55th Academy of Country Music Awards”. It’s going down September 16th on CBS, and KEITH URBAN WILL be the host. No word yet where it’ll be held. Don’t forget: The “ACMs Presents: Our Country” replacement show will still be airing April 5th.
LITTLE BIG TOWN has postponed the Nightfall Tour because of COVID-19. The rescheduled shows will pick up in August. Previously purchased tickets will be honored at all of the rescheduled dates.
The “CMT Next Women of Country Tour” had to reschedule some remaining dates because of the coronavirus. The revised schedule gets going June 4th in San Francisco. The tour features TANYA TUCKER, along with Hailey Whitters, Aubrie Sellers, Walker County, and Erin Enderlin at select shows.
Peyton Manning is 44
Jim Parsons is 47.
Tommy Hilfiger is 69.
