By Tara Woods
I’m back to round up all the of celebrity news in one spot for you. This week we’re talking about some heavier topics, starting off with sexual assault survivors receiving the an award for their bravery in speaking out. We then switch gears to talk about Demi Lovato’s current hospitalization. Some of the material may be triggering for some. You can skip down to the giant Jeff Goldblum statue decorating London, and you’ll be in the clear. And then, the kiss. Meryl Streep and Cher make life worth living, and “Mama Mia” is a godsend.
The women of the ESPY Awards shine.
This year’s ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Awards honored the survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Larry Nassar with the Arthur Ashe Courage award. All 141 survivors of Larry Nassar’s abuse came on stage to collect the award that evening.
The annual award is meant to honor those who mirror the spirit of the tennis legend and human rights advocate, Arthur Ashe.
Jennifer Garner introduced the women as “an army that has come here tonight to be heard,” as they walked towards the stage to a standing ovation from everyone in the crowd.
Before the award was presented the survivors detailed the abuse they endured over the years at the hands of Nassar, the former team doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University who was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison in February.
Crisis counselors and therapy dogs were on hand for the survivors as they spoke about the trauma they experienced.
Sarah Klein identified herself as the first to be abused by Nassar, and said she represented the hundreds of “sister survivors” who could not attend the event.
“Make no mistake, we are here on this stage to present an image for the world to see, a portrait of survival. A new vision of courage,” said Klein, one of three women who accepted the award.
Her voice quivering, Klein thanked the detective and attorney general who helped put Nassar behind bars, and said it’s time to start caring about children’s safety more than adults’ reputations.
She described how important it is to speak out even when no one listens.
“Speaking up and speaking out is not easy,” she said. “Telling our stories of abuse over and over and over again in graphic detail is not easy. We’re sacrificing privacy. We’re being judged and scrutinized. And it’s grueling and it’s painful, but it is time.”
Tiffany Thomas Lopez accepted the award along with Klein and encouraged those suffering to stand tall when sharing their stories.
“I’m here to tell you, you cannot silence the strong together,” she said.
Aly Raisman started her speech by listing the years they suffered.
“1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. These were the years we spoke up about Larry Nassar’s abuse,” said Raisman, an Olympic gold medal gymnast.
“All those years we were told, ‘You are wrong. You misunderstood. He’s a doctor. It’s okay. Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered. Be careful. There are risks involved.’ The intention – to silence us in favor of money, medals and reputation.”
She urged those who are suffering to speak out.
“We may suffer alone, but we survive together.”
Demi Lovato awake after hospitalization.
Last Tuesday, reports came out about Demi Lovato being rushed to the hospital after an overdose.
Wednesday, her publicist came out with a statement stating Lovato is alive and is asking for respect and privacy during this time.
“Demi is awake and with her family who want to express thanks to everyone for the love, prayers and support,” wrote Lovato’s representative. “Some of the information being reported is incorrect and they respectfully ask for privacy and not speculation as her health and recovery is the most important thing right now.”
The statement did not provide any details on what led to the singer’s hospitalization.
Emergency officials confirmed they transported a 25-year-old woman who lives on Demi Lovato’s block to the hospital after receiving a call at 11:22 a.m. Tuesday.
TMZ was the first to report that Lovato had been hospitalized for a drug overdose, based on its sources. Other outlets, including “People” magazine also reported her hospitalization based on sources.
Lovato indicated in a new song released last month that she relapsed after six years of sobriety. On the song “Sober,” she sings the lyrics: “Momma, I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore/And daddy please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor.”
The hashtag #PrayForDemi trended on Twitter and several celebrities posted supportive words Tuesday, including Missy Elliott, Ariana Grande, Brad Paisley, Kesha, Bebe Rexha, Meghan Trainor, Maren Morris, Kehlani and British electronic group Clean Bandit, whose current single “Solo” features Lovato.
There’s a giant shirtless Jeff Goldblum statue in London.
I know this might seem like a joke, but if we’re being honest it’s probably the best thing to happen this year.
More than two decades ago, before Chris Pratt blessed our screens while training and fighting dinosaurs, Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm mesmerized and perplexed viewers with a now-memed-to-death shirtless scene in the original “Jurassic Park” film. The European telecommunications company “Now TV” recently had a 25-foot-long statue replica of the character in all his shirtless glory erected in Potters Fields in front of London’s Tower Bridge.
The statue weighs about 330 pounds and was commissioned in honor of the 25th anniversary of the U.K. release of the 1993 movie, which spawned a whole trilogy and the “Jurassic World” film series, which includes the recently released movie “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”
In the scene in question, Goldblum’s character is lying in recovery with his shirt open after a T-Rex broke his leg.
“It’s supposed to be Costa Rica, right? So things are hot and I’m sure I’m in some sort of fever. So all the logic is that we gotta get some of these wet clothes off immediately,” Goldblum told Yahoo! Entertainment earlier this year. “As I remember, I don’t think anybody fought me on that.”
Cher and Meryl Streep kissed, and I am beyond excited.
Meryl Streep and Cher, two of the world’s most famous icons, came together for an iconic moment on the red carpet last week.
At the premiere of “Mama Mia! Here We Go Again” in London on Monday the two mega stars shared a peck on lips and the internet blew up.
“Holy water is Cher and Meryl Streep’s shared spit,” said Twitter user @anderfinn.
@jonbenetsghost shared how important this moment is in history.
“Cher and Meryl Streep kissing at the Mamma Mia! Premier is the most important thing to happen in my lifetime.”
The kiss soon became a meme (duh) in the best possible sense with people poorly photoshopping the two into iconic movie scenes.
This isn’t the first time the two have kissed as there have been other instances captured on video.
While the women are only three years apart, Cher, 72, plays the mother of Streep, 69, in the film and says she was “thrilled to death” to do it.
“That doesn’t make any difference,” said Cher in an interview with People.
“I was thrilled to death, and it was so silly. It was great fun, and I love her [Meryl], so it was perfect. It was great, and she was hiding watching me sing, and I was so excited. I didn’t find out until afterwards — I would have been more nervous.”
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is in theaters now.
That’s all for this week guys, I’ll see you next week and I’ll probably talk about “Mama Mia 2” because I will be seeing it at least 12 times. Ttyl.
