Fluff: Elmo's sex scandal

1. It’s alright, it’s alright, Elmo himself isn’t involved in a sex scandal. That would be odd. Because he is a puppet. But his puppeteer, 52-year-old Kevin Clash, has been accused of having a sexual relationship with an underage boy.

Representatives for Sesame Street said in a statement: “In June of this year, Sesame Workshop received a communication from a then 23-year-old man who alleged that he had a relationship beginning when he was 16 years old with Kevin Clash.

Mr Clash has taken a leave of absence from the show since the allegations surfaced. He has admitted having a sexual relationship with the accuser but said it began when the accuser was an adult. “It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not,” he said.

2. Anne Hathaway had to lose a LOT of weight for her role as a “miserable prostitute” in Les Miserables – and this is how she did it. Hint: do not try this diet at home, friends. It involves dried oatmeal paste. Ugh. We’re off to 7-11 to pick up some Krispy Kremes. (And just because Anne is a bit of a legend – here’s a video of her doing a hilarious Katie Holmes impression for you to enjoy as well.)

“Finding out I was pregnant again so soon was quite a shock”, Peaches told Britain’s Hello! magazine. “Tom was so happy. He loves being a dad so much and is brilliant with Astala, who totally adores him, so he was over the moon.”

And the pair have already picked out a name for the new baby – Phaedra, which for the occasional reader who isn’t up to speed on Ancient Greek (what’s wrong with you?) was: “The wife of Theseus. She fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, who rejected her, whereupon she hanged herself, leaving behind a letter that accused him of raping her.”

Flick through our gallery of other celebrities who have recently announced their pregnancies:

4. Now for some happy local engagement news – Federal Child Care Minister Kate Ellis and News Limited columnist and The Punch Editor David ‘Penbo’ Penberthy are engaged. The couple plan to get married next year.

We know that you all want to hear about how Dave popped the question – apparently it happened on Friday during a sunset picnic on Aldinga Beach. “We’re both really happy and really excited,” Penbo said. “When we find a date, we are looking forward to celebrating our marriage with our families and our friends.”

Our Managing Editor, Jamila, who worked for Kate for many years is practically bouncing off the walls and pushing hard for election day nuptials.

 Catch up on other recent engagement news by flicking through our gallery…

6. Victoria’s Secret are in a bit of trouble following last week’s fashion show. And it’s not because they decided to dress one of their models up as a sexy bicycle. You see, they decided to use traditional Native American dress as inspiration for one of their costumes. American model Karlie Kloss, who was apparently “representing Thanksgiving”, strutted down the runway in a feathered headdress, buckskin bikini and turquoise jewellery. Take a look:

The Native American community did not appreciate the cultural misappropriation. Victoria’s Secret has since apologised and agreed to remove the look from their Dec. 4 televised broadcast.

The company sent the following message via their Facebook page:

We are sorry that the Native American headdress replica used in our recent fashion show has upset individuals. We sincerely apologize as we absolutely had no intention to offend anyone. Out of respect, we will not be including the outfit in any broadcast, marketing materials nor in any other way.

7.  Want to see what age 50 looks like in Hollywood? Go here. Hint – it’s not what 50 looks like anywhere else in the world.

8. Some of our favourite celebrities made the trek to Germany over the weekend for the MTV Europe Music Awards. Heidi Klum, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian were joined by Psy (of Gangham Style fame). Psy it seems, is quite the pied piper with a whole host of those celebrities catching Gangham Style fever. See the hilarious video here.

9. On what planet is Jennifer Lawrence considered fat? Seriously? Gah.

10. The woman has an Oscar, a lifestyle empire and a rockstar boyfriend. We can’t deliver you any of those (sorry) but we reckon we’re a pretty good substitute for for her stylist. Given most of us aren’t regular attendees at red carpet Hollywood events, here is how to recreate Gwyneth Paltrow’s off-duty look. The secret? A cool, casual tank. And we’ve found the perfect one at 25% off.