Oscar blunder makes 2017 Academy Awards ending awkward

By Chris Stouffer


If you missed the 2017 Academy Awards on Sunday night, by now you must have heard about heard about the biggest mistake in awards show history since Steve Harvey's 2015 Miss Universe slip-up.

Actors Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty took the stage to announce the final Oscar winner of the evening for best picture. At first it seemed like playful banter between the two as Beatty pulled the card from the envelope, hesitated for a moment, then looked inside the envelope again as if confused. Dunaway even laughs at him assuming he's playing the audience as she tells him, "You're awful." Dunaway laughs and takes the card announcing La La Land the winner.

As the acceptance speeches began, cast and crew on stage began moving about in confusion. Something happened, but nobody said anything until producer Fred Berger in the middle of his speech announced, "We lost by the way." It was then that even the audience knew there was a problem.

Moments later producer Jordan Horowitz announces there's been a mistake and that Moonlight won best picture. Silence fell over the audience for a brief moment. When Beatty and host Jimmy Kimmel attempted to clear things up, in what almost turned into a rehash of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards with Kanye West storming the stage like a mad man during Taylor Swift's win, producer Horowitz literally forced the card from Beatty's hand, holding it up for the audience and viewers at home of proof that Moonlight won.

The Washington Post called the incident the most shocking moment in Oscars history. In the video which has gone viral, Beatty attempts to explain why he seemed so confused. According to Beatty the card he was given read: "Emma Stone, La La Land." But in another twist of events, the Post reported that backstage Stone said she was holding her best actress card the entire time she was on stage with the rest of her cast and crew.

Although both crews took it seemingly well, it was apparent Horowitz wasn't going to let it sit lightly with him. Of course everyone wants an explanation, but don't shoot the messenger quite yet, Jordan. Award officials are investigating how the error occurred. Meanwhile, if you missed it, you can relive the moment again in this ABC 7 New York video clip. I still however contend that the biggest Oscars mistake last night was Dakota Johnson's head-to-toe look, while Emma Stone nailed it.

For a complete list of 2017 Oscar winners and nominees, check out the Los Angeles Times website or go to my page at facebook.com/thegossipguy!

The pointlessness of disliking someone you don't know

By Chris Stouffer


Have you ever disliked someone whom you really didn't know on a personal level, or hated (such a strong word) someone at a retail store, restaurant, office, etc. for the simple fact that they made a horrible first impression on you? I have. And although I've heard in the past it's useless being angry with someone because usually your friends could care less, and the person you hold that anger toward doesn't even know it, I was recently reminded of how true that is.

When I made the decision to go to grad school, I checked out a certain private institution, based on the fact that it was close to home, and it was technically the first school I applied to as an undergrad, yet opted to go elsewhere. As I was driving by one day, suddenly I found myself in the parking lot and in the admissions office of this university.

Ok, so I didn't have an appointment, but it seemed slow in the office, therefore I figured it was ok to stop by and speak with an advisor about the program I wished to pursue. The advisor assigned to me was short with her words, quick to answer (and not in detail), and overall seemed very uninterested in me taking her time. You better believe for the next eight years I talked so much smack about this woman. I even ran into her at a social function we both attended almost four years later and was just disappointed to be sharing the same space with her.

Recently I bumped into a long-tieme friend of mine who happened to know this woman. In fact he worked with her at one point. When I mentioned her name he simply laughed. He remembered my dislike toward her, but couldn't remember the reason (remember, most of the time your friends don't care that you hate someone you don't know - case in point).

He asked me to refresh his memory as to why I was bitter toward this person. When I rehashed my drama, he laughed and basically gave me a pat on the back. "Oh Christopher," he said to me. "She wasn't even a graduate admissions counselor. She was an undergrad admissions counselor. She probably didn't seem fully invested in your meeting because she didn't have the answers you were looking for and she wasn't familiar with the graduate programs."

Honestly, I was taken back for a second. I realized all that energy I spent disliking her for really no good reason at all, and the breath I used to repeat this story over and over again to friends, friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends. For what? She never knew I disliked her, I'm certain she didn't remember me after I left that office, and to top it off, my friend tells me what a fun person she was, which had I taken the time to socialize with her at earlier said function, I may have realized.

So the point I'm attempting to make in my pointless dislike toward this unknowing individual is that it makes no sense to dislike someone whom you haven't even given a chance to know (or even met for that matter) if you're basing this dislike on that first impression. You don't know the situation that person has been put in unless you ask or at least attempt to ask the right questions first.

A Bid Farewell to One of America's Original Sweethearts and her Princess daughter.

by Chris Stouffer


While many of us look at 2016 as the end of another year, for Hollywood it's the end of an era as millions of adoring fans, and close friends and family say goodbye to a couple of women who defied odds both on screen and off.

Carrie Fisher, who became a household name after playing the role of Princess Leia Organa in George Lucas's original space fantasy Star Wars in 1977, died Tuesday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center from cardiac arrest at age 60, according to multiple reports.

Her mother, Debbie Reynolds, was making funeral plans Wednesday with her son at his home just one day after Carrie's death when she suffered a stroke, according to TMZ. Reynolds died later that day at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was 84.

Tweets from celebrities paying their respect and sending condolences to family were all over Twitter, speaking fondly of the two, proving just how much of an impact these women made on the lives of so many.

Reynolds grew up in a modest home, according to her 2013 book, Unsinkable: A Memoir. She grew up in West Texas in the city of El Paso. Living with her grandparents, Reynolds shared a bed with her brother and three uncles, close in age. It was a small house with no shower. The bathroom they used was in a gas statioin next door to the home.

Her father worked for Southern Pacific Railroad and later moved the family to California. In 1948, Reynolds then 16, competed in the Miss Burbank contest. In her 1988 book, Debbie: My Life, she talks about entering the contest with no intention of participating, but instead for the prizes given away for registering: a white silk sports blouse and a green scarf. Reynolds however took home the title and a contract with Warner Bros. The following day, the headline of an article published in the Los Angeles Times read: "GIRLS WANTS BLOUSE---GETS FILM CONTRACT"

Little did this girl from El Paso realize this was only the beginning of a career that would make her Hollywood royalty.

"I first saw Debbie Reynolds in Singin' In the Rain and I just remember how beautiful she was," said Jessica Briseno, payroll specialist for COSA. "I remember how great of a dancer she was next to Gene Kelly. It wasn't until later I found out she wasn't a dancer. She had to cram all the choreography in while Gene Kelly was against her (playing the role) because of that. She had to prove herself."

Reynolds' big break came in 1952 when Louis B. Mayer of MGM studios cast her as the lead female role for Singin' In the Rain, despite objections from the film's star and co-director, Gene Kelly. Her performance in the classic film is perhaps no more than pleasant, but she was cute and energetic, and her popularity soared, according to John Calhoun's article "Screen Legend Debbie Reynolds Dies at 84," for biography.com.

The studio and press positioned Reynolds as the embodiment of 1950s girl-next-door wholesomeness, earning her roles in other musicals and comedies, according to Calhoun. She married one of the most famous singers of that time, Eddie Fisher, and the two were soon dubbed America's Sweethearts. They had two children, Carrie and Todd, before he would leave her for his best friend's widow, actress Elizabeth Taylor. It was one of the biggest Hollywood scandals in history.

Reynolds continued to work and would later marry shoe tycoon, Harry Karl, and real estate developer Richard Hamlett. Both marriages not only unsuccessful, but both left her almost penniless, forcing her to declare bancruptcy in 1997. Reynold's was a determined woman. She continued to make small appearances on film and in TV. She got her second wind playing the title role in the Albert Brooks 1996 comedy, Mother, and a recurring role in the sitcom Will & Grace playing Bobbi Adler, Grace's mother.

Unlike her mother, Fisher was just born into Hollywood royalty, making front page news in the Los Angeles Times before she was born. Because she was the daughter of two of the biggest celebrities, she lived her early years in the spotlight. Early on she showed interest in poetry and writing, but she eventually followed in the footsteps of her parents and jumped into showbiz, making her big screen debut in Shampoo with Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn. It was two years later in 1977 that George Lucas would cast her as the smart, wisecracking and ass-kicking princess that would forever make her legendary.

Her role as Princess Leia would inspire girls everywhere to be bold and would instill crushes on millions of young boys. Her movie role showed movie goers everywhere that not only could women be sexy, but they could be real bad-asses too. Fisher would go on to reprise her role in two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

“I remember the first time it was weird to me was when someone wanted to thank me because they’d become a lawyer because of me,” Fisher said in an article by Josh Rottenberg for the LA Times. “The main thing they said is that they identified with me. I felt like that was somebody that could be heroic without being a superhero and be relatable.”

By the 1980s, Fisher struggled with alcohol, drugs and bi-polar disorder. She starred in a number of roles that didn't do much for her career such as Under the Rainbow (1981) and Hollywood Vice Squad (1986). But as the 80s came closer to an end, Fisher once again reinvented herself publishing her first semi-autobiographical novel Postcards From the Edge. It was about a showbiz mother and daughter. It later became a motion picture starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. Fisher would continue to write other best selling novels including Surrender the Pink, Wishful Drinking, and The Princess Diarist (the latter a recollection and look behind-the-scenes of Star Wars from her POV and excerpts from a journal she kept during that time).

Fisher was very outspoken about her bi-polar disorder, and accepted her condition. She was diagnosed at age 29. In an interview with Diane Sawyer for ABC News in 2000, Fisher said when she was first told she was manic depressive, she thought doctors were only trying to maker her feel better about being a drug addict.

"I have a chemical imbalance, that in it's most extreme case, will lead me to a mental hospital," she said to Sawyer in her interview. "I used to think I was an addict, pure and simple -- just someone who could not taking drugs willfully. And I was that. But it turns out I am severely manic-depressive." Fisher was working on several projects at the time of her death, and had just finished shooting Star Wars: Episode VIII (aka The Force Awakens), reprising the role which made Fisher a movie icon.

A new documentary spotlighting these two women airing on HBO has moved up it's original air date. Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds was scheduled to air in March, but you can expect to catch it this month. It premieres on HBO January 7. What will you remember most about Reynolds and Fisher? Feel free to comment and reminisce in the section below.

Remembering Legends who impacted our lives.

by Chris Stouffer



As we move from day-to-day, taking care of all those things we need to such as our families, our jobs, our well being, etc., we often miss things happening outside of our own realm. While coping with our own bad news, we sometimes miss out on the tragedies of those who have unknowingly been there for us.

These are the people who made us laugh when we needed it the most, and those who comforted us during times of heartache. They're the people that inspired us, and the people who allowed us to venture into a fantasy world at times. They're the actors, and musicians, and athletes, and writers who welcomed us into their world with their words, lyrics, and performances.

Today I honor some of those who passed in 2016. Some of them we remember vividly, as their deaths made headlines across the country. Others still made an impact on fans however may not have gotten the same press, or were in fact overlooked by other news. Thank you for coming into our lives and making some of our life experiences just a little better with your craft.

Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917 - 2016), Hollywood socialite
Craig Sager (1951 - 2016), NBA sideline reporter
Bernard Fox (1927 - 2016), actor Bewitched
Alan Thicke (1947 - 2016), actor Growing Pains
John Glenn (1921 - 2016), American astronaut
Greg Lake (1947 - 2016), musician Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Billy Chapin (1943 - 2016), child actor
Andrew Sachs (1930 - 2016), actor Fawlty Towers
Van Williams (1934 - 2016), actor Surfside 6
Margaret Whitton (1949 - 2016), actress Secret of My Success
Fritz Weaver (1926 - 2016), television actor
Florence Henderson (1934 - 2016), actress The Brady Bunch
Ron Glass (1945 - 2016), actor Barney Miller
Gwen Ifill (1955 - 2016), tv journalist, Washington Week on PBS
Leon Russell (1942 - 2016), musician/collaborator
Robert Vaughn (1932 - 2016), actor tv's The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Leonard Cohen (1934 - 2016), singer-songwriter
Julie Gregg (1937 - 2016), actress Godfather, Godfather II
Michael Massee (1955 - 2016), actor Amazing Spider-Man
Arnold Palmer (1929 - 2016), professional golfer
Jose Fernandez (1992 - 2016), MLB pitcher Miami Marlins
Jean Shepard (1933 - 2016), Grand Ole Opry country star
Charmaine Carr (1942 - 2016), actress The Sound of Music
Alexis Arquette (1969 - 2016), actress and reality tv star
Anna Dewdney (1965 - 2016), children's author
Gene Wilder (1933 - 2016), actor Young Frankenstein
Steven Hill (1922 - 2016), actor Law & Order
John McLaughlin (1927 - 2016), host The McLaughlin Report PBS
Kenny Baker (1934 - 2016), actor Star Wars
John Saunders (1955 - 2016), sportscaster ABC college football
Jerry Doyle (1956 - 2016), actor Babylon 5
Gloria DeHaven (1925 - 2016), actress MGM musicals
Garry Marshall (1934 - 2016) director Pretty Woman
Noel Neill (1920 - 2016), actress Superman tv series
Michael Camino (1939 - 2016), director The Deer Hunter
Elie Wiesel (1928 - 2016), Nobel Peace Prize recipient 1986
Pat Summitt (1952 - 2016), women's basketball coach U of Tenn.
Buddy Ryan (1934 - 2016), NFL coach
Bud Spencer (1929 - 2016), actor They Call Me Trinity
Ryan Jimmo (1981 - 2016), UFC fighter known as "Big Deal"
Bill Cunningham (1929 - 2016), fashion photographer NY Times
Bernie Worrell (1944 - 2016), musician Parliament-Funkadelic
Anton Yelchin (1989 - 2016), actor Star Trek
Ron Lester (1970 - 2016), actor Varsity Blues
Ann Morgan Guilbert (1928 - 2016), actress Dick Van Dyke Show
Theresa Saldana (1954 - 2016), actress Raging Bull
Christina Grimmie (1994 - 2016), singer The Voice season 6
Muhammad Ali (1942 - 2016), legendary boxer
Gordie Howe (1928 - 2016), NHL pro Detroit Red Wings
Nick Menza (1964 - 2016), musician Megadeth
Morley Safer (1931 - 2016), CBS reporter 60 Minutes
Guy Clark (1941 - 2016), Grammy winning singer-songwriter
Madeleine Lebeau (1923 - 2016), actress Casablanca
Richard Libertini (1933 - 2016), actor Fletch
Billy Paul (1934 - 2016), Grammy winning R&B and jazz singer
Prince (1958 - 2016), music legend Purple Rain
Chyna (1970 - 2016), WWF wrestler and reality tv star
Doris Roberts (1925 - 2016), actress Everybody Loves Raymond
Daisy Lewellyn (1980 - 2016), magazine editor and reality tv star
Merle Haggard (1937 - 2016), Country Music Hall of Fame 1994
Joseph Medicine Crow (1913 - 2016), Battle of Little Bighorn
Zaha Hadid (1950 - 2016), architect London Aquatic Centre
Patty Duke (1946 - 2016), actress The Miracle Worker
Nancy Reagan (1921 - 2016), former first lady of the U.S.
Mother Mary Angelica (1923 - 2016), founder of EWTN
Garry Shandling (1949 - 2016), comedian and actor
Joey Feek (1975 - 2016), CMA winner country duo Joey+Rory
Pat Conroy (1945 - 2016), author Prince of Tides
George Kennedy (1925 - 2016), actor Naked Gun
Cara McCollum (1992 - 2016), anchor SNJ Today, former Miss NJ
Vanity (1959 - 2016), musician Vanity 6
Katie May (1981 - 2016), Sports Illustrated model
Maurice White (1941 - 2016), founder Earth, Wind & Fire
Paul Kantner (1941 - 2016), founding member Jefferson Airplaine
Glenn Frey (1948 - 2016), founding member The Eagles
Abe Vigoda (1921 - 2016), actor Barney Miller and The Godfather
Noreen Corcoran (1943 - 2016), tv actress Bachelor Father
Dan Haggerty (1941 - 2016), actor Life & Times of Grizzly Adams
Rene Angelil (1942 - 2016), husband of musician Celine Dion
Alan Rickman (1946 - 2016), actor Harry Potter film series
Sir George Martin (1926 - 2016), record producer The Beatles
David Bowie (1947 - 2016), legendary British rocker
Phife Dawg (1970 - 2016), founding member A Tribe Called Quest
Keith Emerson (1944 - 2016), musician Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Angus Scrimm (1926 - 2016), actor Phantasm film series
Patrick Harrington Jr. (1929 - 2016), actor One Day At a Time
Kitty Kallen (1922 - 2016), swing era pop singer
Pierre Boulez (1925 - 2016), world-renowned French conductor
Robert Stigwood (1934 - 2016), producer Grease, Sat. Night Fever

Although these creative minds are gone, the footprint they leave will entertain and create memories for generations to come as they have for many of us today.

Sources: www.legacy.com, www.imdb.com, TMZ

Former Brady Bunch actress fired from popular L.A. radio host gig over homophobic Facebook rant.

by Chris Stouffer

Susan Olsen, once known (or should I say "best known") for her role as the "girl with golden hair like (her) mother; the youngest one in curls," by the hit sitcom The Brady Bunch was recently fired from her job as a Los Angeles radio host over a homophobic rant made on Facebook, according to www.msn.com.

In Olsen's defense, I can neither agree nor disagree with this post on her Facebook page made December 8:

Susan Olsen December 8 at 12:32pm · People can have different opinions, thats how we learn. That is exactly what makes each and every one of you so precious to me! I LOVE to be told that I'm wrong and to actually see that I AM wrong! How blessed am I to be trusted in the hearts of so many people that I have never met? You people are almost as good as getting residuals for the reruns ...OK not really as good. But hey, this is what we got And I love you! oxoxoxoxo

Honestly, she's right. We all have the right to our opinions, and I truly believe her when she says it's what makes us all so precious. It's a bit comical that I began considering writing this blog with preconceived notions about Susan Olsen, being the gay man that I am, assuming she was immediately dismissing my kind from the start. In fact, I almost thought I was going to write a blog which would be a direct attack on her character. After looking through her recent posts however, I see she simply stated her opinion on his work, when the man in question, Leon Acord-Whiting (award winning actor/writer/prodoucer Off-Broadway) jumped to his own defense.

I can't throw blame his way either. I've been one to jump to my own defense immediately, especially if I didn't agree with what someone was saying about me or my work. This is however why we got into the business. We want to hear what people are saying about us. If we can't handle the constructive criticism, then we should all become radio hosts (wink, wink).

In at least two posts I read on Olsen's page, she made attempts to speak with the actor one-on-one, which fell upon deaf ears. You can't chastise a person for first making negative remarks (her opinion, of course), followed by attempts at hearing your side. I may have simply seen her as another radio-host as I started this blog, but she did what any other professional would have done: she attempted to tell his side of the story, giving readers the opportunity to decide for themselves where they sit on the topic of Acord-Whiting's work.

Perhaps Olsen may have seemed a little unprofessional by some minor name-calling after everything went down, but can you blame a gal who just lost her job on a popular radio show "Two Chicks Talkin Politics," for doing her job?

The website makes it clear the actress was an avid Trump supporter. Politics aside, she could have been a Hillary supporter, and most likely would have been dubbed the woman not onboard with the direction this country is going.

Cindy Brady (totes kidding), aka Susan Olsen, if you're reading this (because I know you have friends looking at my blog), please hit me up to get an unbiased account of your story. I know you know everyone wants to hear it. Photo taken from www.susanolsen.net.

Actor Judge Reihold arrested in Dallas this week.

by Chris Stouffer



Actor Judge Reinhold was released from a Dallas jail early Friday morning after being arrested for causing a disturbance at a local airport.

Reinhold, 59, was taken into custody by Dallas Police Thursday afternoon for disorderly conduct after Transportation Security Administration officers reported he refused a checkpoint screening at Dallas Love Field airport.

TSA reported that one of Reinhold's bags set off an alarm as he passed through a scanner, according to the Dallas Morning News. Agents asked to pat down the actor, but he refused since he did not trigger an alarm himself when passing through the scanner.

The actor was travelling from New Mexico to Florida where he was scheduled to appear at the Paradise City Comic Con. The convention's website posted late Thursday that Reinhold's appearance was cancelled due to an incident occuring earlier that day.

"I knew better; I just didn't do the right thing."

According to Reuters, in a statement released by his Dallas attorneys on Friday, Reinhold said he had a negative reaction to antibiotics prescribed to him on Wednesday, his original travel date, but had to be admitted to a hospital for treatment and observation and had to reschedule his flight for Thursday. Reinhold added, "I have to say the past 48 hours ahve been the most unusual, hair-raising and regrettable two days of my life."

Reihold admitted in his statement he acted wrongfully. "Two Dallas police officers came over and gave me every opportunity to keep my mouth shut," he said. "I didn't comply with the pat down or their suggestions. This led to my arrest. I knew better; I just didn't do the right thing."

Reinhold posted bond from Dallas County jail at 1:00 A.M. on Friday. Disorderly Conduct is a misdemeanor offense in Dallas, and if found guilty, Reinhold could pay a fine up to $500.

Reinhold and his family reside in New Mexico. He is known for such blockbuster 80s movies such as Beverly Hills Cop (which also shot Eddie Murphy to movie stardom), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (acting alongside movie newcomers Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and a young Sean Penn), and Ruthless People (one of my personal favorites also starring Danny Devito, Bette Midler, and Helen Slater).

He is currently wrapping up production on two movies scheduled for release in 2017: Highly Functional, and Grandmothers Murder Club. Image of mug shot taken from www.tmz.com.

Former Mean Girl officially announced she's pregnant!

by Chris Stouffer

Amanda Seyfried, who played Karen Smith in the 2004 blockbuster Mean Girls, announced today she's expecting her first child with fiance Thomas Sadoski.

The 30-year-old actress made the announcement Tuesday while rocking a sheer black minidress showing off her small baby bump at the launch of Givenchy's new fragrance, Live Irresistible, which Seyfried is a spokesmodel for.

Seyfried and Sadoski, 40, met in 2015 while working in the off-Broadway play, The Way We Get By. But they didn't begin their romance until reuniting for their upcoming film, The Last Word.

The actors announced their engagement in September after Seyfried was spotted wearing a modest gold band on the ring finger of her left hand while walking her dog.

The photo above, courtesy of Splash News Online, shows Seyfried sporting the simple engagment band as she reaches into her bag while on a stroll with her pooch, Finn, in New York City, according to People Magazine.

On Tuesdays she wears hoodies! Not really, but US Weekly confirmed the photo was taken Tuesday, September 13, reporting that the "ring added a hint of glitz to her comfy dog-walking outfit of a blue hoodie, a gray tank, Adidas leggings and multicolored sneakers."

Her engagment band, unlike elaborate pieces you might find on many Hollywood celebs, seems to be making a statement while it may appear trying not to make a statement at all.

Best Mean Girls reference came when E! News tweeted, "God Karen, you're so pregnant: Mean Girls' Amanda Seyfried is expecting first child with Thomas Sadoski!"

No wedding date has been confirmed. Although I can't tell you when to expect Syfried to walk down the aisle, I can tell you to expect her and soon-to-be husband together on the big screen in The Last Word, March 2017. Seyfried is also set to star in the series premiere episode of a new Twin Peaks series from original creator David Lynch this coming April.