Lunch with A-Rod, serenade by Bieber as #allinchallenge on coronavirus takes off

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Leonardo DiCaprio is offering a walk-on role in his next movie, Justin Bieber says he will serenade the winner in their hometown, and Ellen DeGeneres is offering one lucky American the chance to co-host an episode of “The Ellen Show.”

Former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, offering a one-on-one batting lesson and lunch, and National Football League quarterback Tom Brady, whose offer is a private workout, are also among dozens of celebrities taking part in the #AllInChallenge, to raise money to help feed Americans affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

“Bob (De Niro) and I are going to be starring in a film called ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and if you’ve ever wondered what it is be like to work with the great Martin Scorsese, this is your chance,” DiCaprio said in a social media video posting with Robert De Niro on Wednesday.

“We’re offering a walk-on role, you’ll spend the day on the set with the three of us, and of course you’ll attend the premiere,” De Niro added.

The challenge, launched on Tuesday by businessman Michael Rubin, asks celebrities to offer unique experiences. Some are available for auction to the highest bidder while others operate as a sweepstake to anyone donating as little as $10.

By Wednesday more than 50 celebrities had signed on for the challenge, raising more than $4 million for food charities including Feeding America, No Kid Hungry and Meals on Wheels, according to the AllInChallenge website.

The idea is the latest initiative by celebrities to support the millions of Americans who have been thrown out of work and seen their lives upended by the coronavirus which has killed more than 30,000 people in the United States.

Dozens of musicians, actors and sports stars are also taking part in a two-hour global concert on Saturday to show support for healthcare, grocery store and other workers on the front lines of efforts to slow the epidemic.

Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Jonathan Oatis

-reuters-

Quarantine like jail joke brings fierce backlash for Ellen DeGeneres

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ellen DeGeneres, one of America’s most popular TV personalities, faced a barrage of criticism on Wednesday after comparing her self-isolation in a multimillion-dollar mansion to being in prison.

DeGeneres, whose daily television talk show had been off the air for three weeks because of a stay-at-home order, returned on Wednesday with a show filmed by her wife, actress Portia De Rossi, from one of their California homes.

“One thing that I’ve learned from being in quarantine is that people - this is like being in jail, is what it is,” quipped DeGeneres, who was filmed in an armchair looking out on vast, grassy lawns and mountains.

“It’s mostly because I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay,” she said, laughing at her own joke.

While DeGeneres also praised health workers and other on the frontlines battling the coronavirus epidemic, the prison joke did not go down well.

“I have actual friends and loved ones who are currently incarcerated. They are locked down in horrific conditions and terrified what is going to happen to them. Your ‘joke’ about being quarantined at home being like that is unfunny and disrespectful,” tweeted social justice activist Diana #FreeThemAll4PublicHealth.

More than 280 inmates and 400 staff in New York prisons have been infected with the coronavirus and at least seven people have died, according to the New York Department of Corrections.

In Chicago, some 230 detainees in Cook County jails have tested positive for the virus, along with 92 staff members.

Louisiana has also reported coronavirus-related deaths among prison inmates.

“Hey @TheEllenShow, prisoners across this country are trapped in 24-hour quarantine in cells that are probably about the size of one of your showers & others are sleeping 3 feet away from sick inmates. And they’re dying. You aren’t experiencing anything close to prison,” wrote Caleb Grossman on Twitter.

The backlash was the latest example of celebrities being called out for what appeared to be tone-deaf comments and social media postings as the pandemic has put millions of Americans out of work and killed more than 14,000 in the United States.

Last month, DeGeneres was slammed for complaining of being bored in videos that she posted of herself lying on a couch at her home.

Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bill Berkrot

-Reuters-

US chat queen DeGeneres recounts sex assault as a teen

LOS ANGLES -- US talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres has opened up to late night talk show host David Letterman about being sexually assaulted as a teen by her mother's then-husband.

The daytime talk show host recounts in an upcoming episode of Letterman's Netflix show "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" that the abuse took place when she was 15 or 16, after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It's a really horrible, horrible story and the only reason I'm actually going to go into detail about it is because I want other girls to not ever let someone do that," DeGeneres says in the episode airing Friday.

She explained that her stepfather, who is deceased, first assaulted her when her mother was out of town, telling DeGeneres that he needed to feel her breasts to make sure she had no lumps.

"He told me... he'd felt a lump in her breast and needed to feel my breasts because he didn't want to upset her, but he needed to feel mine," she said, according to excerpts of the interview with Letterman carried by US media.

"Again, because I didn't know about bodies. I don't know that breasts are all different.

"Anyway, he convinced me that he needs to feel my breasts and then he tries to do it again another time, and then another time he tries to break my door down and I kicked the window out and ran 'cause I knew it was going to go more to something."

DeGeneres said she did not talk about the abuse with her mother at first, afraid it would ruin her happiness.

"I should never have protected her," DeGeneres said. "I should've protected myself, and I didn't tell her for a few years and then I told her, and then she didn't believe me and then she stayed with him for 18 more years."

She said her mother finally left her stepfather after he changed his version of the story many times.

DeGeneres said she was speaking out about the abuse to inspire other women to come forward.

"That's the only reason I think it's important to talk about it, because there's so many young girls and it doesn't matter how old you are," she said.

"When I see people speaking out, especially now, it angers me when victims aren't believed, because we just don't make stuff up.

"And I like men, but there are so many men that get away with so much."

DeGeneres, who came out as gay in 1997, first spoke about the abuse in a 2005 interview with Allure, clarifying at the time that the assaults did not influence her sexual orientation.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

VIRAL: Balang 'kills it' with 'Sorry' dance cover

Sorry by Justin Bieber Dance Cover ???? #Sorry

Posted by John Phillip Bughaw aka Balang on Saturday, 30 January 2016

MANILA - John Phillip "Balang" Bughaw, who rose to fame after catching the attention of television host Ellen DeGeneres for his nifty moves, is at it again.

In his official Facebook account, Bughaw shared his dance cover of Justin Bieber's "Sorry."

A host of foreign media such as Time and MTV have caught wind of his video and helped it reach more than 14 million views since being uploaded last January 30.

Even Bieber himself managed to watch Bughaw, and praised the Filipino kid for his adorable dance moves. "Kills it," the pop star wrote on his Twitter account.

Bughaw first shot to stardom after a video of him dancing to Ariana Grande and Jessie J's "Bang Bang" went viral. He was invited to perform on DeGeneres' show last May.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

People's Choice disruption laughed off as DeGeneres, Depp win big

Ellen DeGeneres, Johnny Depp and hit film "Furious 7" were among the top winners at Wednesday's People's Choice awards, which featured an on-stage incident that recalled Kanye West's Video Music Awards antics seven years ago.

As the team from "The Talk" accepted the favorite daytime TV hosting team award, a young man in a red biker jacket strode onto the stage and seemed to give his name and plug a project as Sheryl Underwood waved him off, intoning "uh uh."

"The Talk" co-host Sharon Osborne kicked the interloper's backside as he was pushed away and held up her middle finger, while Underwood called "security, security!". The women then laughed off the encounter.

The disruption recalled West's 2009 stunt at the VMAs, where he pulled a microphone from Taylor Swift to complain that Beyonce should have won.

The rest of the live ceremony, which kicks off Hollywood's annual awards season culminating with the Feb. 28 Oscars, went off without incident.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres received a humanitarian award for her work for causes including children in need, the environment, animal rights and health issues.

Joking that she started out hoping "to make people laugh, and to get very, very rich," DeGeneres then struck a humble note. "Would I call myself the Dali Lama of daytime? No. But I'm sure someone out there has," she said.

An emotional Vin Diesel accepted the favorite film prize for "Furious 7," noting how hard it was to resume filming after the death of co-star Paul Walker in a car wreck.

Johnny Depp, named favorite male dramatic actor, called his storied career "a bizarre road for an actor."

Depp, who has had several box office failures since starring in the hit "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series, told fans "I'm very appreciative that you've stuck with me," sounding a familiar note among winners who singled out fans for thanks.

The People's Choice Awards are chosen by fans voting online in categories spanning film, television and music. More than 200 million votes were cast, said host Jane Lynch, the star of "Glee".

Dakota Johnson, star of the explicit "50 Shades of Grey," suffered an apparent problem with her gown while she accepted her favorite dramatic movie actress award but laughed it off as nothing people hadn't seen before.

Other winners at the Los Angeles ceremony included Sandra Bullock as favorite movie actress, "The Big Bang Theory" as favorite network TV comedy and "Grey's Anatomy," which was named favorite network TV drama.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ellen hands Oscars pizza guy $1,000 tip

MANILA - The delivery man who handed out boxes of pizza to some of Hollywood's most famous stars at the recently concluded Academy Awards finally collected his tip on Monday -- and its a hefty one.

Edgar Martirosyan, owner of Los Angeles' Big Mama’s and Papa’s Pizzeria, appeared on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" to recount his "crazy" experience and to collect his $1,000 tip.

"They told me I’m just gonna deliver for some writers. And then when I was there they just told me just wait here. And then you came out," he told host Ellen DeGeneres. "And then I was on the stage. I was just shocked."

He added that it felt surreal handing out pizza to his favorite actress, Julia Roberts, who gamely took a slice along with several others including Oscar winners Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o.

"She was like my woman in dreams. I was always watching her movies back in Moscow. So it was something crazy to me to deliver [her pizza]," he said.






DeGeneres, who collected tips for the delivery using Pharrell William's hat at the record-breaking awards show, then handed Martirosyan his tip, which amounted to $600.

"So you left before, I wanted to get you a tip and I passed Pharrell's hat around and I ended up getting around $600 something like that. Here is some more, here's a total of $1000."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ellen's Oscars 'selfie' sets Twitter ablaze

HOLLYWOOD -- Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres shattered a record on Twitter Sunday after the selfie photograph she took with Hollywood stars at the Academy Awards became the most retweeted message ever.

"We crashed and broke Twitter. We have made history," she told the crowd during the broadcast, when her picture went viral with more than 1.9 million retweets so far and the number rising fast.

She dwarfed the previous record-holder, President Barack Obama, whose post about securing "four more years" in the White House in November 2012 earned 800,000 retweets.

"See, Meryl, what we did, you and I?" she boasted, referring to multiple Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, who crowded in next to a grinning DeGeneres in the photo.

DeGeneres, who joked with A-listers throughout the show, corralled a crowd of stars including Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence.

"You get in here, too, Julia. Lean in," she said to Julia Roberts.

The crowd also included Kevin Spacey, recently of Netflix's "House of Cards" fame, and Lupita Nyong'o, who moments later won an Oscar for best supporting actress for "12 Years a Slave."

"Channing (Tatum), if you can get in also. Bradley (Cooper), come in," the host quipped to loud laughter.

Eventually the group -- which also included Jared Leto, Nyong'o's brother and Angelina Jolie -- grew big enough that Cooper kneeled in front of DeGeneres and snapped the pic with her smartphone.

"If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever," DeGeneres posted along with the photograph on her Twitter feed, @TheEllenShow, during a break in her hosting duties.

DeGeneres, who said Twitter officials contacted her to say she broke the record, had her eyes on the prize even before posting the photo, encouraging viewers of the widely-watched show to retweet it and break the record.

Viewers obliged. Within five minutes, it had nearly 100,000 retweets. Less than 90 minutes after that, her tweet had garnered more than 1.9 million retweets and nearly 900,000 "favorites."

"The envelope please... to @TheEllenShow - this is now the most retweeted Tweet with over 1 million RTs. Congrats!" Twitter said on its own feed.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Enchong marks birthday with Ellen DeGeneres

MANILA, Philippines -- Enchong Dee recently got the VIP treatment for his birthday in the United States, as he visited the studio of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" as a live audience member.


Along with Kapamilya actors Jason Abalos and Rayver Cruz, Dee scored VIP tickets to the show's episode, which reportedly aired in the US on November 6.

In a photo shared Wednesday by Dee on the image-sharing site Instagram, the "Ina, Kapatid, Anak" actor is seen inside the Warner Bros. Studios in California, where the live talk-variety show is held.

According to Dee in the photo's accompanying caption, DeGeneres "hugged [him] for three seconds."

Dee turned 24 on November 5.

He also expressed excitement over getting tickets to a concert of the pop-rock band Maroon 5, as well as to another live episode of "Ellen."

"#ImAtEllen Im with my friends, I won an Ellen shirt for Dancing, We won Maroon 5 tix for March 15 in staples, I got a new album of maroon 5, Ellen Hugged me for 3 seconds and greeted me Happy Birthday kahit walang picture masaya na ko to the Ginormous level," Dee said.

"The best part we have a sure seat for December 17 show for 12 days of giveaways on Ellen again:) ahhhhhh!!!! #bestbirthdayever," he added.

Upon seeing their idol on the American TV show, fans of Dee took to micro-blogging site Twitter to share that they've spotted the actor with Cruz and Abalos in the audience.



A video of the opening segment of "Ellen" for its November 6 episode has even made the rounds among Dee's followers. The video uploaded on YouTube (seen above) shows the Kapamilya actors dancing along with the audience in the first minutes of the program.

Along with other Kapamilya talents, Dee is in the United States for a series of shows celebrating the 20th anniversary of ABS-CBN's talent management arm, Star Magic.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

'Random girl' back in PH after 'Ellen' guesting

MANILA, Philippines – Internet sensation Zendee Rose Tenerefe, who was one tagged as the “random girl” in YouTube videos showing her singing at various malls, said she considers it an honor perform for American TV personality Ellen Degeneres.

Fresh from her guesting at Degeneres’ show, Tenerefe arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Manila on Sunday morning.

Tenerefe said her experience in the United States was something she will never forget.
“Masaya po napakabait po nila doon. Iba na po 'yung feeling kapag nag-perform ka na po doon parang wala ka na sa sarili. Thankful pa din ako siyempre kahit papaano may [naka-appreaciate] naman sa tallent ko,” she said.

According to Tenerefe, she became really emotional when Degeneres hugged her after her performance.

“Actually po nung kumakanta po ako parang gusto ko na rin pong umiyak kasi 'yung mga tao umiiyak... Doon na ako umiyak nung niyakap na ako ni Ellen,” she narrated.

She said she also considers it an honor to be able to perform outside the country.

According to Tenerefe, Degeneres gave her a “karaoke” and the new iPad.

Aside from Degeneres, the 24-year-old singer also met Hollywood actress Halle Berry backstage.

“Doon po sa backstage si Halle Berry, nakita niya po ako tapos sabi niya ‘Hey Zendee, finally I met you in person.’ Niyakap niya po ako mga six seconds tapos kinilig ako grabe,” she shared.

Tenerefe is currently recording an album under the Warner Music Group.

She rose to fame when a video of her singing the "Dreamgirls" hit "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was posted on the video-sharing site early this year.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

American Idol Judges

American Idol Judges: Ellen DeGeneres announced that she was leaving the show after just one season due to her active and busy schedule with her organized daytime talk show, and besides she's feeling depressed by the emotional call of criticizing many contestants.

TMZ reports that Kara DioGuardi, a judge for the last two seasons, has been fired and American Idol has hired Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler to replace Ellen DeGeneres and Simon Cowell.