Presenter Pharrell Williams gestures on stage at the 56th annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, in Los Angeles.Matt Sayles
THE BIG HAT
It took several weeks, but Arby's has finally landed Pharrell Williams' great big hat. The fast-food chain is the new owner of the singer's oversized chapeau, which they purchased for the not-unreasonable sum of $44,100 (U.S.). Williams made the Vivian Westwood hat fashionable by wearing it to perform on the Grammy Awards in late January, which prompted the Georgia-based chain Arby's (which features a cowboy hat in its logo) to issue a tweet asking: "Hey Pharrell, can we have our hat back?" Williams recently put the hat on eBay at a starting bid of $10,000 with all proceeds going to the non-profit charity From One Hand to Another, which assists disadvantaged children. The auction period ended on Sunday and the Arby's offer was the highest of the 131 bids received. Source: Mashable
ENCORE, ENCORE
Idina Menzel simply can't stop performing Let It Go. The Broadway star received a standing ovation for her rendition of the Oscar-winning song from the movie Frozen at last Sunday's Oscars broadcast. And on Monday night, she was doing it all over again during her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – except this time she was accompanied by Fallon and house band The Roots, with everyone playing kiddie classroom instruments. The instruments included the kazoo, xylophone, bongos, melodica, chimes and a lemon shaker.
Source: Mashable
STAR HOOFERS
Dancing with the Stars will welcome two Olympic ice-dance darlings, a former pro hockey player, a game-show host and two ex-child stars for its 18th season. ABC released the contestant names for the new campaign and the list can accurately be described as eclectic. Booked to trip the light fantastic: Recent gold-medal winners Charlie White and Meryl Davis (who will dance separately with pro partners, not with each other); ex-NHLer Sean Avery; The Price is Right host Drew Carey; reality star Nene Leakes; Star Wars fixture Billy Dee Williams; former The Wonder Years star Danica McKellar; and ex-Full House mainstay Candace Cameron Bure. Dancing with the Stars returns to ABC on March 17.
Source: USA Today
BAD TWEETING
Chelsea Handler is being accused of racism following her questionable tweets on Oscars night. The comedian and talk host was invited to take over The Huffington Post's Twitter account during the awards show and took the occasion to repeatedly make the connection between the Oscar-winning feature 12 Years a Slave and her new book Uganda Be Kidding Me. When 12 Years was named Best Picture, Handler tweeted, "Congratulations 12 Years a Slave. Go to Africa or buy #ugandabekiddingme." Handler also took a shot at Kenyan-born 12 Years star Lupita Nyong'o winning Best Supporting Actress with her tweet: "Angelina Jolie just filed adoption papers." Hundreds of Twitter users decried Handler's comments as "disgraceful," "offensive" and "racist."
Source: New York Daily News
CROSS DRESSER
Liza Minnelli was not amused by Ellen DeGeneres suggesting she was a drag queen during the Oscars. The film and stage legend (and 1973 Best Actress Oscar-winner for Cabaret) was shown squirming in her seat when DeGeneres cracked, "Hello to the best Liza Minnelli impersonator I've ever seen. … Good job, sir," in her opening monologue on Sunday night's Oscar telecast. Talking to a TMZ reporter on Monday night, Minnelli said, "I think she thought it would be funny, but she never stopped after she said it and said, 'My friend Liza Minnelli.' So I think it went a little astray." In true Hollywood fashion, Minnelli quickly buffered her comment by saying, "I don't think she meant any harm at all. She's a wonderful lady."
Source: TMZ
BUY THE BOOK
The best picture Oscar win by 12 Years a Slave suddenly has more people buying and reading books. The movie was based on the memoir penned by former slave Solomon Northup, which ranked at number 326 on Amazon.com before the Academy Awards on Sunday night. By Monday afternoon, the book had risen to 19th place on Amazon. 12 Years, the movie, has already made cinema history as the first film directed by an African-American to win the Oscar for best picture.
Source: The Province