Hollywood headlines: A crazy week in review
Above: Anderson Cooper with Christie Brinkley.
TV journalist Anderson Cooper revealed Tuesday that a work trip had left him blind for almost two days. “Temporarily blinded last week while on assignment,” the anchor shared on Instagram. “UV light bouncing off water. Much better now.” Cooper was shooting a segment on the coast of Portugal when apparently glare did some damage. “I wake up in the middle of the night and it feels like my eyes are on fire,” he said on “Anderson Live,” via People.
Full story: Anderson Cooper temporarily blind after a gig in Portugal (Neilson Barnard / Getty Images)
Demi Moore parties in Miami, Anderson Cooper temporarily goes blind, and Jay-Z shares a subway moment in this week’s Hollywood headlines.
“Big news coming tomorrow!,” Rihanna promised Tuesday on Twitter -- but did she deliver? Sure she did, if launching a new fashion-design competition series counts as big news in these reality-TV-laden days. Rihanna and the Style Network will be teaming to present “Styled to Rock,” the cable network’s first competition show, debuting next year. After a nationwide search, the pop star will personally select a dozen designers looking to “take their work to the next level,” the network said Wednesday in a statement, and then give them a chance to dress “some of the biggest names in entertainment,” none of whom were named. Riri will also get an assist from three expert mentor-types who’ll work with the competitors -- and then help cull the herd over the course of 10 hourlong episodes.
Full story: Rihanna gets a fashion-design competition show, ‘Styled to Rock’ (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)
Among the countless serendipitous subway rides that must go down daily in New York City, one local artist’s MetroCard has made her a viral sensation, thanks to Jay-Z. The rapper released a documentary short Tuesday on his eight-show engagement that marked the opening of Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. On the eve of his final performance, one clip shows Jay hopping a train en route to the grand finale. Sitting next to what countless outlets have dubbed an “adorable old lady,” Jay interacts with the woman in question as she puzzles out his identity. Someone (especially in New York) who doesn’t know who Jay-Z is!
Full story: Jay-Z’s sweet subway exchange makes a star of NYC artist | Beyonce, Jay-Z are highest earning celeb couple (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
With the help of bright yellow flowers and a brighter smile, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was discharged from London’s King Edward VII hospital on Thursday. Following treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum, an acute form of morning sickness, the former Kate Middleton and her husband Prince William exited the facility looking cheerful for camped-out members of the media. The duchess is expected to return to her North Wales home in keeping with her normal routine, but will forgo her end-of-year royal duties, including two weekend functions William will now attend solo, according to BBC News.
Full story: Duchess Kate all smiles as she heads home from hospital stay (AFP / Getty Images)
Demi Moore had a rather wild night Wednesday in Miami, getting her party on in a little gray romper and black specs at a beachside barbecue also attended by Lenny Kravitz and Stacy Keibler, to name a few. In the mix as well: Moore’s rumored new boy toy, art dealer Vito Schnabel, the 26-year-old son of artist and director Julian Schnabel. Possibly fueled by the empty cans of Red Bull seen around her in numerous photographs, the 50-year-old Moore was grinding in her seat, dancing and posing for the camera, mugging happily with Kravitz and Keibler but not getting snapped in the same frame with Schnabel.
Full story: Demi Moore has a wild night, romping in Miami Beach | Is Demi Moore really that torn up over Ashton Kutcher? (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)
Frankie Muniz, 27, isn’t sure why he suffered a mini-stroke last Friday, but he knows one thing: It’s good to be alive. “I’m still trying to make sense of it,” the “Malcolm in the Middle” actor-turned-drummer told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, “but happy that I’m alive.” The incident -- caused by lapses in blood flow to the brain -- occurred after a morning workout in his Phoenix hometown, while he was riding on his motorcycle over to his fiancee’s home, he told People on Tuesday. Vision in his right eye began to blur and things went downhill from there. By the time he’d arrived at his destination, his hands were numb, he was dizzy and unbalanced, and he felt like he was being “stabbed in the head,” he said.
Full story: Frankie Muniz ‘still trying to make sense’ of his mini-stroke (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)
Above: Katt Williams in 2008.
What the heck is up with Katt Williams? The comedian on Monday told a Seattle TV station that he’s quitting his chosen profession. “I’m just going to go ahead and announce my retirement from stand-up,” he told KOMO News in an interview as he exited what he said was the fourth hotel he’d been asked to leave in two days. “I’m kind of done.” The 41-year-old, whose real name is Micah Williams, said he hadn’t planned to give the news on a Seattle street, but rather back in L.A. at the offices of ICM or concert promoter LiveNation.
Full story: Katt Williams, amid rocky tour, says he’s quitting stand-up comedy | PHOTOS: Celebrity protraits by the Times (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Justin Bieber was not nominated for a Grammy Award on Wednesday night, and manager Scooter Braun was not happy, sharing his thoughts in a series of blunt, critical tweets after the nods were announced. “This time there wont be any wise words, no excuses, I just plain DISAGREE,” he wrote on Twitter. “The kid deserved it. Grammy board u blew it on this one.”
Full story: Manager Scooter Braun lets loose over Justin Bieber’s Grammy snub | Grammy snubs and surprises include a shutout of Justin Bieber | New Grammy categories soften the sting of losing others (Jason Kempin / Getty Images)
