celebrity news
Manny Machado agrees to record $300M deal with Padres, reports say
Manny Machado, one of major league baseball’s most coveted free agents this offseason, has agreed to a 10-year, $300 million contract with the San Diego Padres, multiple sources reported Tuesday.
Machado's deal is the biggest free-agent contract in baseball history, surpassing the the 10-year, $275 million deal Alex Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees after the 2007 season, KNSD reported.
While Ron Fowler, the Padres’ executive chairman, told The San Diego Union-Tribune Tuesday morning that “we do not have a deal with any free agent,” two sources who did not want to be identified confirmed the agreement to the newspaper. The deal will allow the third baseman to opt out of the agreement after five years.
Machado is a four-time All-Star and has won two Gold Glove Awards. He made $16 million last season, ESPN reported, splitting time between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles,
Machado, 26, batted .297 in 2018 with 37 home runs and 107 RBI. In his seven-year career, Machado has a lifetime .282 average with 175 homers and 513 RBI. He has hit 30 or more home runs in each of the last four seasons.
Meghan Markle visits Big Apple for baby shower
Meghan Markle is just like any expectant mom, attending a baby shower in her honor just months before the baby’s expected to arrive.
But the Duchess of Sussex made her trip to New York City in as secret of a manner as possible for someone of her position, People magazine reported.
The shower was apparently thrown by a select group of Markle’s friends from before she was part of the royal family.
She was first seen having lunch with a friend in SoHo Saturday before she visited a children’s clothing store, US Magazine reported.
Her baby shower is reportedly scheduled for Tuesday, and it will be a private affair with only 15 guests, Vanity Fair reported.
Once she returns home to London, Markle and husband Prince Harry will embark on a trip to Morocco from Feb. 23 through 25 to “highlight the vital roles that girls’ education and youth empowerment are playing in, and shaping modern Morocco,” according to a release from Kensington Palace, US Magazine reported.
The latest royal baby, the eighth grandchild for Queen Elizabeth II, is due in either April or May, the “Today” show reported.
The Morocco trip is expected to be the last international trip for the Duchess before the baby is born, “Today” reported.
Who won 'America's Got Talent: The Champions'?
“America’s Got Talent: The Champions” crowned magician Shin Lim as winner Monday, beating out singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer.
Both had won their respective “AGT” seasons.
The entire season was taped several months ago. The voters were a 50-state “panel” of voters. Lim’s mesmerizing close-up card trick won them over.
Georgia singer Angelica Hale did not make the top five but was in the final 12.
“Being there was just amazing getting to be back,” 11-year-old Hale said in an interview before the finale aired. “The competition was very tough.” Howie Mandel had given her the Golden Buzzer, a moment she called “mind-blowing.”
Viral sensation Susan Boyle, who sang the same song she chose during her opening audition on “Britain’s Got Talent” a decade ago, also didn’t make the cut.
The top five featured only two singers, including runner-up Farmer, who had her puppet Petunia sing opera.
Ukrainian sand artist Kseniya Simonova came in third. Over-the-top Spanish singer Cristina Ramos landed fourth. And stand-up comic Preacher Lawson landed fifth.
The other seven were not actually “placed” in any order; they were just eliminated.
Woman who called Michelle Obama ‘ape in heels’ embezzled $18,000 from FEMA
A West Virginia woman who lost her job as the Clay County development director after posting a racist comment about former first lady Michelle Obama on social media in 2016, could spend years in prison.
Pamela Taylor pleaded guilty last week to embezzling more than $18,000 in FEMA disaster benefits after deadly flooding in the state three years ago, according to WSAZ-TV.
In a plea agreement, Taylor admitted to falsely filing for disaster benefits and agreed to pay restitution of $18,149.04, WSAZ reported.
Investigators said Taylor claimed after her primary residence was damaged by flooding, she rented another place to live, but it seems her house wasn’t damaged at all, and, in fact, she was still living in it.
She’s facing up to 30 years in prison and a $500,000 fine at her sentencing in May.
>> Related: Woman who called Michelle Obama 'ape in heels' permanently fired
She permanently lost her job with Clay County government after calling Obama “an ape in heels” in a Facebook post over two years ago.
T.I. reportedly halts production of 'Family Hustle' after sister's hospitalization
T.I. and Tiny have reportedly halted production on their VH1 reality show, “Family Hustle,” while the rapper’s sister, Precious Harris, is in the hospital, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
According to TMZ, Precious Harris “hit a pole, which triggered an asthma attack. The 66-year-old — who often appears on the show — was taken to a hospital where she's now in ICU,” but that has not been confirmed by the rapper’s representatives or his family.
Tameka “Tiny” Cottle posted a photo with her sister-in-law on Instagram, asking for prayers, as did Precious Harris’ daughter, Kamaya.
The Atlanta couple, who had been having marital trouble the past couple of years but appear to be back together, took time out of their worry to celebrate Valentine’s Day. T.I. gifted his wife a canary yellow diamond ring.
‘Breaking Bad’ movie sequel on tap with Aaron Paul starring as Jesse Pinkman
“Breaking Bad” fans are in for a treat with a movie sequel to the popular AMC series now in the works by Netflix.
The sequel will focus on the escape of Jesse Pinkman, played by Emmy Award-winning actor Aaron Paul, with the show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, returning to write the screenplay and direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It’s unclear whether Bryan Cranston, who played the lead character, Walter White, is returning, but he has hinted about his interest in being involved.
The sequel is expected to be a feature-length movie, THR reported, and will first run on Netflix, followed by air dates on AMC, a reversal of the way the cable series ran.
>> Related: ‘Breaking Bad’ movie in works, reports say
“Breaking Bad” ran for five seasons and centered on chemistry teacher Walter White who finds out he’s dying of lung cancer and tries to earn extra money for his family by creating a meth lab in an old RV and selling the drug for huge profits.
‘The Golden Girls’-themed nostalgic cruise setting sail in 2020
“The Golden Girls” ended production over 25 years ago, with actress Betty White the only remaining star of the popular sitcom still living, but through reruns and syndication, the show has maintained a dedicated fan base, including much younger fans who never saw the original series on network television.
Travel and event company Flip Phone Events is planning a “Golden Girls”-themed cruise in 2020, leaving from Miami, the home of the girls themselves, with stops in Key West and Cozumel, Mexico.
Billed as a five-night, high-seas adventure, the cruise offers fans a chance to “Join other ‘Golden Girls’ fans for a once-in-a-lifetime gathering,” according to the website.
The cruise includes events like Caftan Sail Away Party with Cheesecake, “Golden Girls” trivia, Shady Pines Craft Corner, a “Golden Girls” costume contest and more.
Tickets for the cruise are averaging around $1,000.
>> Related: ‘Golden Girls’- inspired cereal flying off store shelves, already hard to find
“The Golden Girls,” created by Susan Harris and starring Bea Arthur, White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, ran on network television from 1985-1992. It’s a story about the lives of three middle-aged women, plus one of their mothers, who live together in a Miami home and face numerous challenges and adventures, including dating, jobs and travel.
Don Cheadle wears 'protect trans kids' T-shirt while hosting 'SNL'
Actor Don Cheadle made a number of social and political statements while hosting “Saturday Night Live” for the first time over the weekend, according to Deadline.
Among them, Cheadle wore a black T-shirt with white text that read, “Protect trans kids,” as he introduced musical guest Gary Clark Jr., who was doing his second performance of the night.
People reported Clark Jr. sang “This Land,” a song from his upcoming album of the same title.
The single, which Rolling Stone calls an “indictment of modern racism,” contains lyrics like “50 acres with a Model A/Right in the middle of Trump country,” and, “I remember they used to tell me … ‘We don’t want your kind/We think you’s a dog born’/(expletive) you, I’m America’s son/This is where I come from.”
At the end of the show, Cheadle also took President Donald Trump to task, wearing a Soviet Union hockey jersey with “Trump” and “45” on the back.
A number of celebrities who work in advocacy for trans people praised Cheadle for his shirt, including actress Laverne Cox and Karamo Brown of “Queer Eye.”
Cheadle thanked them and others for their support, tweeting, “I awoke to so much support and love!! thank you @nbcsnl for the opportunity to play and pay respect and throw shade in an historic space in an historic time. keep fighting, y'all. evil grows in the dark.
Photos: John Travolta through the years
Images of actor John Travolta throughout his time in the public eye.
Miranda Lambert allegedly dumps plate on woman in steakhouse altercation
Recently married country singer Miranda Lambert reportedly got into multiple altercations with restaurant patrons last weekend.
Before announcing she quietly married New York Police Department Officer Brendan Mcloughlin some time ago, she was about to get into a fight with a woman at Stoney River Steakhouse in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I have two guests about to get into a fistfight. ... Miranda Lambert,” a woman who identified herself as an employee told a 911 dispatcher, according to audio obtained by TMZ. “She just ran out the door, and got into it with another couple right here. ... I’m sorry, my manager just said call 911.”
Video from TMZ reportedly shows the aftermath from Lambert allegedly dumping a salad into a woman’s lap before leaving the restaurant. The video identifies a man as Lambert’s friend, who may be Mcloughlin. She was also at the steakhouse with her mother.
According to TMZ, the plate dumping stemmed from when Lambert’s friend was in the restroom and another man, the husband of the woman whose plate was dumped, made a joke about millennials and their cellphones.
More details come from 911 calls obtained by The Tennessean.
“Something happened in the restaurant between these two gentlemen, and another gentleman walked up to her table and started cussing him out,” the woman told the dispatcher. “This is the third time they’ve gotten into it, and now Miranda is trying to hit people and she's flipping plates over on them.
“There’s an altercation between two guests, and it’s about to get physical. Our managers are trying to hold them back but we can’t.”
Lambert’s publicist declined to comment, and nearly a week later, the musician announced she was married.
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