It’s that time of the week, friends – Bumper Fluff time!
And while we know you’ve been reading our daily celeb updates (religiously), we’ve gathered this weeks best in one oh-so-convenient location. Just in case you were, you know, busy working on world peace that day.
Take a peek:
The first official portrait of Kate Middleton has been unveiled in London.
The painting, by award-winning artist Paul Emsley, was revealed to a small audience at the National Portrait Gallery including Kate and her husband Prince William.
“I think it was the right choice in the end to have her smiling. That’s really who she is, I think,” Emsley told BBC News.
1. Australian actors Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts and Jacki Weaver have all received nods in the 85th Academy Award nominations, released this week.
Jackman, who hosted the ceremony in 2009, has been nominated for the first time for his portrayal of reformed prisoner Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. His competition for the Best Actor gong includes Bradley Cooper, Denzel Washington and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Watts’ performance in The Impossible, set during 2004 Thailand tsunami, has earned her a place in the Best Actress category, while Weaver received her second Best Supporting Actress nomination for Silver Linings Playbook, in which she plays the mother of a bipolar sufferer.
You can see the full list of nominees here. All will be revealed on 24 February – if the suspense is too much, why not distract yourself with this gallery of red carpet fashions from last year’s ceremony?
3. Singer and former Australian Idol contestant Ricki-Lee Coulter has announced her engagement to magazine New Idea. Coutler and her boyfriend, personal trainer Richard Harrison, have been dating for three years. During that same period, the singer has lost 30kg by following her soon-to-be-husband’s personal training program.
Coulter was previously married to childhood sweetheart Jamie Babbington but the pair split in 2008, after one year of marriage. Last year, Coulter said that the pain she experienced when going through her divorce was enough to put her off for good. Coulter said: “”I don’t know about marriage, I think there are a lot of issues with marriage in this country.”
5. Lindsay Lohan’s mother, Dina Lohan, has made some serious abuse allegations during in an interview with NY Daily News.
Dina, a 50-year-old former dancer, was armed with police and medical reports to back up her claims that she was abused by her ex-husband of 22 years, Michael Lohan.
Dina said: “Lindsay saw her dad abuse me — that’s why she’s so screwed up… She saw a lot of crazy stuff. I want the world to know the root of her problems.
Apparently, an old family photo gave Dina the courage to share the abuse she allegedly experienced during her marriage (which ended in 2007). The photo shows Dina with a purple bruise on her right eye, holding baby Lindsay.
Michael Lohan has denied assaulting or raping his ex-wife, and is now questioning her motives in coming forward with what he calls “evil lies”.
7. Girl-next-door pop star Taylor Swift and One Direction’s Harry Styles have ended their brief romance, leaving us wondering if the entire thing was a a publicity stunt.
Latest reports are that 22-year-old Swift has broken the heart of 18-year-old Harry Styles. Swift was spotted leaving their tropical holiday in the British Virgin Islands two days early, apparently looking “visibly miserable”.
No official confirmation from either camp as yet, just a lot of quotes from close “sources”.
According to US Magazine:
Taylor“They had a fight,” one insider tells Us. British crooner Styles, 18, “said something he shouldn’t have . . . This [breakup] is definitely going to be for good.”
“They are 100 percent over,” another insider adds, noting that the “Red” chanteuse could be “intense.”
8. George Clooney sleeps with Cindy Crawford, blames tequila [click for more]
9. Lily Allen has given birth to a baby girl. The 27-year-old singer and her husband, Sam Cooper, welcomed Marnie Rose Cooper into the world on Tuesday night.
Lily and Sam are also parents to a 14-month-old girl named Ethel.
The Sun newspaper reported the following from a source close to the pair: “Marnie is a real cutie. Sam and Lily are ecstatic about adding another girl to the family. A little sister for Ethel is brilliant news to lift the January blues for the family.”
It’s very happy news for the couple, especially considering Lily’s struggles in the past; she tragically lost two children previously, one by miscarriage in 2008 and one by stillbirth in 2010.
11. Ellen Degeneres is coming to Australia for the first time.
The talk show host, who is married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi, made the announcement during filming of The Ellen Degeneres Show in LA this afternoon.
“So, I am actually for the first time in my life going to Australia. I’m going in March and I’m going to shoot a bunch of stuff in Melbourne and Sydney. We’re going to do tape pieces and meet the fans and hang out,” she said during a segment with surprise guest Nicole Kidman.
Ellen also revealed that each audience member would receive airfares and six nights’ accommodation for their own Australian holiday.
Unlike Oprah Winfrey’s Australian visit in 2010, there will be no full episodes of The Ellen Degeneres Show filmed locally. However, segments will be filmed in Sydney and Melbourne to be featured in future episodes.
13. Justin Timberlake announces his return to music, hints at massive ego [click to see]
Top Comments
A fresh engagement! Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis are getting married.
A spokeswoman for Wilde confirmed Saturday that the couple is engaged.
This will be the second wedding for both actors. Wilde finalised her divorce from documentarian (and Italian Prince) Tao Ruspoli in 2011 after eight years of marriage. Sudeikis was previously married to "Pitch Perfect" screenwriter Kay Cannon. They divorced in 2010. He also dated January Jones.
Wilde, 28, rose to fame on TV's "House M.D." Her film credits include "Tron: Legacy" and "Cowboys & Aliens." Sudeikis, 37, is a star of "Saturday Night Live." He hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 2011 and appeared in the film "Horrible Bosses" that same year.
The Lohan "family" - I use that term very loosely - need to take a long break out of the spotlight and focus on their daughter before it is too late.
That portrait of Kate looks like it was done while she was ill.