Willow Smith says she doesn’t need validation from anyone but herself.
The 13-year-old daughter of Jada Pinkett and Will Smith has come under fire in recent weeks after a photograph of her lying on a bed fully clothed with 20-year-old actor Moises Arias was published. The teen and her family all defended the picture stating the pair are just friends.
But Willow appeared to feel compelled to address the controversy on her own in a tweet posted Wednesday.
“Kids are constantly told they have to be validated by an outside source, in school at home ect [sic],” she wrote her 3.77 million followers. “But the truth is, the only one that needs to validate you is you.”
Radar Online previously reported the photo had prompted an investigation by the Los Angeles Department of Children & Family Services. An unnamed source told the outlet the investigation was formally opened last week and is being taken very seriously. A spokesperson from the agency did not confirm the claims.
“Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have been extremely cooperative with officials. Of course, they aren’t happy that their parenting skills are under scrutiny, but they understand,” the source said.
Moises is a close friend of Willow’s older brother Jaden. Their mother Jada Smith, 42, has previously vocalised how furious and disappointed she was in how people had reacted to her daughter’s photograph.
“Here’s the deal: there was nothing sexual about that picture or that situation,” she told photographers at LAX airport, according to TMZ.
“You guys are projecting your trash onto it, and you’re acting like covert paedophiles, and that’s not cool.”
An Internet video of six young Iranian men and women dancing to Pharrell Williams’ Happy has led to their arrests, showing how far Tehran will go to halt what it deems to be decadent Western behaviour – despite the views of its moderate president.
Criticism outside Iran was predictably swift Wednesday, with calls for freedom for the jailed youths zipping around social media. Williams tweeted: “It’s beyond sad these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness.”
It’s beyond sad these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness http://t.co/XV1VAAJeYI
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) May 21, 2014
A tweet posted on President Hassan Rouhani’s account seemed to address the controversy, even if it stopped short of mentioning the video or the arrests directly.
“#Happiness is our people’s right,” it said. “We shouldn’t be too hard on behaviours caused by joy.”
“#Happiness is our people’s right. We shouldn’t be too hard on behaviors caused by joy.” 29/6/2013
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) May 21, 2014
The widely followed account appears to reflect Rouhani’s positions. Iranian media in the past quoted Rouhani as saying the account is authentic. At the same time, a senior Rouhani adviser said last year that the president had such an account only during the presidential campaign and that Rouhani’s views are represented by his official website.
Other social media posts suggested at least some of the dancers had already been released, although there was no independent confirmation from authorities.
The case was another reminder of the tensions that exist at the highest levels of Iranian power, with hard-liners determined to maintain the status quo while moderates try to push through change – be it improved relations with the West or a loosening of morality clampdowns at home.
Hard-liners are increasingly challenging Rouhani as the country negotiates a nuclear deal with world powers. The president campaigned for greater cultural and social freedoms in his bid to succeeded Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year.
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As recently as Saturday, he articulated a moderate stance about the Internet, which remains tightly regulated by Iranian authorities.
Sites such as YouTube and Facebook are blocked by censors, though many young and Web-savvy Iranians use proxy servers or other workarounds to bypass the controls.
“We should see the cyberworld as an opportunity,” said Rouhani, according to the official IRNA news agency. “Why are we so shaky Why don’t we trust our youth”
Hard-liners accuse Rouhani of failing to stop the spread of what they deem “decadent” Western culture in Iran. Last week, hard-liners marched over women not wearing hijabs and dressing provocatively.
While Rouhani pursues a policy of social and cultural openness, hard-liners say the government should be tough to those who challenge interpretations of Islamic norms. They accuse Rouhani of showing leniency and too much tolerance toward those who question Islamic sanctities or women who are not sufficiently veiled.
The dancing Iranians would seem right at home in the West – or indeed in the music video that accompanies Williams’ song. Fans have posted similar videos from around the world, showing people dancing down streets and smiling in choreographed crowds.
But in Iran, some see the trend as promoting the spread of Western culture, as laws in the Islamic Republic ban women from dancing in public or appearing outside without covering her hair with the hijab. The government also bans some websites.
The video that got them in trouble shows hip twentysomethings hamming it up for the camera in sunglasses and silly clothes on Tehran rooftops and alleyways. One of the bearded men goofily dips his female dancing partner.
None of the three women in the video wears a hijab.
The video was posted online several weeks ago. It includes the participants’ first names in a credit roll with outtakes. They describe themselves as Williams fans, adding: “‘Happy’ was an excuse to be happy. We enjoyed every second of making it.”
Tehran Police Chief Hossein Sajedinia confirmed the arrests on state TV late Tuesday in a report that blurred images from the video and then showed the six with their backs turned toward the camera.
“They were identified and arrested within six hours,” Sajedinia said.
In the TV broadcast, those arrested said they had been deceived and that the video was not meant to be posted on the Internet.
“They had told us that this video won’t be released anywhere and that it was for our own joy,” one of the women said.
Another detainee said: “They invited us to appear on the video to practice acting.”
It wasn’t immediately clear if the six faced criminal or civil charges, or if they had lawyers.
On the broadcast, Sajedinia warned Iranian young people that police will confront those who challenge Islamic and social norms.
“The youth should try not to be deceived by these people under pretexts such as acting or singing,” he said.
The last time there was a crackdown on music was on Dec. 2, 2013, when Iran’s Morality Police temporarily arrested popular rapper Amir Tataloo, whose songs authorities deem inappropriate. He was released two days later.
The Eagles, one of the biggest-selling, easiest-listening but most fraught bands of all time are bringing what could be their final world tour to New Zealand early next year.
The six-time Grammy winners have promised three-hour arena concerts in Australia and, for the first time in nearly 20 years, New Zealand, on Saturday March 14 at Mt Smart Stadium.
The Eagles have been playing most of their classic-hits FM-radio staples on what is effectively a greatest hits world tour, including Hotel California, Take It Easy, Lyin’, Eyes, Life In The Fast Lane and Desperado.
The band’s Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) record has become the equal-highest selling album of all-time in the United States, tied with Michael Jackson’s Thriller according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Their album sales put the band in the top-five selling artists of all time in the US, with only The Beatles, Elvis, Garth Brooks and Led Zeppelin ahead of them, according to the RIIA.
The touring lineup will be Frey and Henley, guitarist/keyboard player Joe Walsh and Mesiner’s replacement Timothy B. Schmitt on bass. Frey will be 66 when the group tours and the others 67.
In the band’s 2013 documentary, History of the Eagles, Henley said the current world tour (which began last June) “could very well be our last”.
A German writer on a cultural exchange in Wellington has lost chapters from her new novel after thieves stole her laptop from her inner-city cottage.
Maike Wetzel is the Goethe-Institut inaugural writer-in-residence at the Wellington City Council’s Sexton’s Cottage in Thorndon. She arrived home with her 3-year-old son early on Saturday night to find the historic Bolton St cottage’s front door bolted from the inside and one of its windows smashed.
Invercargill singer Cheryl Anderson has won the “Bledisloe Cup” of country music.
Anderson scooped the Trans-Tasman Entertainer of the Year competition at the Norfolk Island Country Music Festival this week.
Anderson, who was eligible to enter because of last year’s New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards senior overall win, will take home a hand-carved trophy and $3200 prizemoney as well as the prestigious title, which was well-known within the country music scene, she said.
“It’s like the Bledisloe Cup of country music.”
Anderson competed against six Australian and New Zealand singers who had won similar titles, she said.
She performed three songs, All Jacked Up by Gretchen Wilson and originals John Davis and his Son and Me and the Duke, during a 15-minute time slot.
Anderson was shocked by the win.
“I thought they’d either love me or wouldn’t like me at all.”
The awards continue to pile up for the Southland songstress.
She is the Southland Vocalist of the Year and a former Southland Entertainer of the Year.
This year, Anderson achieved a runner-up and a section win in two categories at the 2014 Tamworth Country Music Festival in Australia.
Her country music quest started in 1993 when she was 13 years old, at the Corral Country Music Club in an old building behind Southland Hospital.
She first entered the Gold Guitar Awards as an intermediate, aged 14 or 15, and from the time she turned senior, aged 16, she was a regular contestant.
Colin Firth, the 53-year-old star has appeared in countless films and many fans will always think of him as the charming Mr. Darcy from ’90s TV series Pride and Prejudice.
In action thriller The Secret Service he now takes on the role of a veteran secret agent who mentors a young upstart. Far from making him feel past it, it helped Colin appreciate his experiences so far.
“I love it. I love it. I mean, it’s actually one of the things that makes me feel better about growing older,” he smiled to insidemovies.ew.com.
“You know, I wondered when I was that age whether I’d end up one of those bitter, disappointed old actors who are jealous of young people. I fully expected to be that. But it actually gives me enormous gratification to see how much I’m learning.
“If someone wants to put me in a paternal role, that’s great, but actually what’s going on in reality is that I’m the one thinking, ‘I couldn’t do that at that age.’ So it’s a two-way process.”
The young protege is played by Taron Egerton, whom Firth was so impressed by that he claims he often felt like the student.
Firth’s kick-ass part in The Secret Service is a far cry from his usual roles, which often see him playing the charming British gentleman. It involved a great deal of training but the actor swears it hasn’t given him an action man body.
“I think that a six-pack, that’s a bit too far,” he laughed.
“Well, I’ve got a one-pack. At 53, anything that isn’t just a kind of blob of mozzarella just hanging there is something of an achievement. But it definitely changed me enormously. I was thankful but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the work. I felt bereft when it was over.”
Samuel L Jackson also stars in the thriller, which is directed by Matthew Vaughn and has an October 2014 release date.
Not sure what’s good on TV The TV Guide has rounded up the five best shows this week.
Bye, bye, Bill After more than a quarter of a century on screen, the long-running British cop series The Bill has drawn to a close. Well, actually it drew to a close four years ago in the UK but we’re only just getting to see the finale here this week. The producers threw the kitchen sink at this two-parter, using every character then in the cast in a story culminating in a dramatic car chase and huge explosion. Cop that – and farewell to a TV legend. (UKTV, Friday, 8pm)
One last trick up her sleeve One of the strongest female characters on TV for years bids adieu this week when Detective Sergeant Sandra Pullman decides she has had enough of police work in New Tricks. Amanda Redman made the decision to quit the show after James Bolam and Alun Armstrong had already gone and the storyline guarantees some fireworks as her character takes on one last cold case for UCOS. Sandra Pullman was never going to go quietly! (Prime, Saturday, 7.30pm)
Shopping a villain Well, hasn’t that villainous Lord Loxley been an absolute cad and a bounder in Mr Selfridge lately Never fear – the awful aristocrat looks like he might finally get his comeuppance in the final episode this week, as Lady Mae searches for the vital evidence that would clear Harry Selfridge’s name and drop her hateful hubby right in it. All’s well that ends well, then Maybe not, as the Selfridges have another crisis waiting in the wings. (TV1, Sunday, 9.30pm)
Sunny days on Grey’s Neither bombs nor floods nor crashing planes could prevent US medical drama Grey’s Anatomy from reaching its 200th episode this week. But, let’s face it, with that many disasters and more over its 10-year history, is Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital a place you want to check in to That’s a yes, according to the show’s many fans and the drama shows little sign of ending just yet. More patients, please … (TV2, Monday, 9.40pm)
A blast from the past The old adage that says if you can remember the 1960s you weren’t really there is put to the test this week in the first part of a three-part Prime Rocks doco, Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll. The series reveals interviews by British TV personality Bernard Braden with some of the biggest pop stars of the day – interviews that have never been broadcast until now. Cilla Black, Tom Jones and Lulu are among the 60s stars looking back on those halcyon days. If they can remember them, that is. (Prime, Wednesday, 9.30pm)
Angelina Jolie may be Hollywood royalty. But she’s no princess, and has never been a fan of the Disney variety.
“I found them quite dull,” the actress says.
Evil Maleficent, whom Jolie portrays in Disney’s new live-action spin on its animated classic Sleeping Beauty, conversely “seemed to be having a great time,” Jolie said.
“(Maleficent) is kind of an anti-hero for the odd man out,” Jolie continued. “And, when she feels abused, or when somebody hurts her, she then says, ‘Oh, all right. You’re going to mess with me Watch me.”‘
In a recent interview to promote Maleficent, which opens May 29, the conversation veered to the celebrities at the Cannes film festival campaigning for the return of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.
“We need to go after (Boko Haram), arrest them, and they need to face justice,” said Jolie, who is known for her worldwide humanitarian efforts. She added, however, that the media shouldn’t be myopic, but instead continue to report on the array of world horrors, including the continuing plight of millions of refugees suffering in Syria.
Last week marked the one-year anniversary of Jolie’s disclosure that she was having a double mastectomy because she carries a genetic mutation that greatly increases her risk of potentially fatal breast cancer. “(I’m) very happy that other women now know that they have that choice,” she commented.
Jolie’s next film is her big-budget directorial debut, Unbroken. She previously directed the modest 2011 Bosnian war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey and the 2007 documentary A Place in Time, which chronicled 49 simultaneous moments around the world.
Arriving this Christmas, Unbroken chronicles the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
“It looks beautiful,” Jolie said. “It’s such a … it’s big,” she added, with an exasperated laugh. “So, we’re just trying to kind of wrestle it in to the best version of itself.”
Channing Tatum’s hilarious antics are one of the many reasons we love him, and he recently gave a no-holds-barred interview to GQ that showed us just how ridiculous he can get. In his June cover story, there are more crazy stories than we can count, including his outrageous bet about 21 Jump Street.
After Channing said they’d make $35 million in the first weekend, his co-star Jonah Hill said, “I will kiss the tip of your d**k through your underwear if we make $35 million.” Yes, you read that right – and the story gets even crazier from there. In a tamer revelation, Channing also opened up about his extreme love for Funfetti cake and his invisible childhood friend named Boy.
Here are the six craziest things we learned about Channing from his GQ interview.
1. He and Jonah Hill made a crazy bet about 21 Jump Street.
The original bet that Jonah made with Channing if 21 Jump Street made $35 million at the box office: “I will kiss your tip! I will kiss the tip of your d*ck through your underwear if we make $35 million.”
Jonah’s reaction after they did make more than $35 million: “I will only say that Channing and I say a lot of stupid stuff when we drink together.”
Channing: “I haven’t made him do it yet. For obvious reasons. That’s a bad bet to lose – it’s not too good to win, either. But definitely the shame of it would be enjoyable. It’s my trump card, for sure. He tries not to bring it up at all costs. Unless he did something horrible to me, I don’t know if I could ever cash it in. It would change our relationship forever.”
Jonah: “It’s a lose-lose for both parties, I feel. I’d have to clear it with Jenna. There’s all sorts of loopholes that have to be taken into consideration.”
Channing: “Maybe on a drunk night when we’re all being crazy and hopefully, knock on wood, Jump Street 2 works out and people love it, maybe out of the elation of that event in our lives I might call in the bet. Or I might make him double or nothing.”
Jonah: “I might have to double down, because there’s no way I’m doing what I said I was going to do.”
2. He really, really loves Funfetti cake.
“I have an inner fat kid in me. I just love cake. Confetti cake, to be specific. It has little coloured candies inside the cake, and then you get the confetti icing, which is really hard to find sometimes. It’s really hard to explain to people, because it’s not icing with sprinkles on top. It’s icing that actually has candies inside of it. It’s Funfetti icing. The icing, coupled with the actual confetti cake. It’s a beautiful mix. It is an angel sent from heaven.”
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3. He had an invisible friend as a kid.
“His name was Boy [and at dinner I’d say], ‘Don’t sit here – Boy’s sitting here!’ I would make a plate for him and all that. Crazy behaviour. I think I just lived in an imaginary world. I was always playing war in the woods, people are chasing me. I wasn’t doing it because I was desperate for friends. I had friends.”
4. He wants to make his own dishes to give as gifts.
“‘I’ve always wanted to paint my own bowls and dishes and shit. I want to eventually be able to make my own plates and stuff, so I can stop having to worry about what to buy people as gifts. I can just make them something, and it will be unbelievably annoying that they have to keep it forever. ‘You’re not using my plates'”
5. He calls himself a “high-functioning” alcoholic.
“I probably drink too much, you know. My wife, that’s what she bought into. I’m probably a pretty high-functioning, I guess, you know, I would say, alcoholic, I guess. There’s probably a tendency to escape. I equate it to creativity, and I definitely equate it to having a good time.”
6. He had a crazy deleted scene in This Is the End.
“I mean, when can I say I’ve drank the blood of James Franco Why wouldn’t I go and do that”
