18-year-old Iam Tongi has been crowned the winner of the 21st season of one of the most popular music shows there are, American Idol.
However, not many are convinced that he deserved this win and believe that runner-up Colin Stough was robbed of the title. Fans of the show claim that it wasn’t his talent and his singing that made Iam win, but his ‘sob background story’ he presented the judges and the audience with.
Iam, who is the first ever contestant from Hawaii to claim a win in this show, opened up about these accusations and said he isn’t bothered by them, on the contrary, he loves them. “A lot of people are like, ‘Colin Stough was robbed,’ or whatever. And I just love it,” the teenage shared with Daily Mail about his divisive victory.
18-year-old American Idol winner Iam Tongi finally responds to his ‘rigging’ scandal
Further, he said how his late father, who passed away in 2021, warned him about the fact that he can experience backlash throughout life and face people who won’t like him and won’t appreciate his music.
“My dad always told me that your music’s not meant for everyone. There’s going to be people that are not going to like it and that’s OK, that’s normal,” he said.
“Everyone gets their own opinion. Everyone gets to think what they think. So, it’s fine.’ As for how he deals with the hate, he said he simply has a policy of killing them with kindness, in fact, he sometimes even ‘likes’ some of the posts he sees on social media.
“I just like [them], whatever what they say, ’cause you know, [I gotta] let those things happen,’ he said with good humor.
“I am guilty for liking it. But look, [my] music’s not for everyone. And I have to learn that the hard way,” the winner added.
Speaking of runner-up Colin Stough, Iam said he has no hard feelings towards him.
“I love Colin man, he’s such a kind guy. I’m going to see him again, we are going to jam out again and have fun,” he said about Colin.
“But yeah … it makes me happy to see that people love other styles of music as much as I do,” he added.
“They love Colin that much [that they say], ‘He should have won.’ And that makes me happy, to be honest.
“I love [my] community coming out and supporting me and showing up [for me], and I’m not going to really chase after fans. I’m going to be myself and do what I love and just have fun while I’m doing it and see whatever happens, happens,” he explained.
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Further, Iam gave his honest opinion about judge Katy Perry who will likely leave the show because of the backlash she faced over some of the comments she made during the final season.
“[All the judges] are so fun and we had a lot of fun with them while I was on Idol. The support [Katy] gives, and the love [she] gives to the contestants would be missed. I would miss Katy [if she left],” the young winner said.
No matter the comments, Iam enjoys his victory and everything that came with it. Currently, he’s working on his first album, which according to Iam himself would have a ‘Jack Johnson kind of vibe.’
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When the family of actor Bruce Willis shared the news that the Die Hard star had been diagnosed with a condition which affects one’s ability to communicate, the world fell silent. All of a sudden, fans started wondering if that would mean the end of his career, which sadly, was confirmed to be exactly that.
Willis then withdrew from from the spotlight, and later on, he was diagnosed with another condition, frontotemporal dementia.
This was a huge blow not only for him, but his entire family who has never left his side. On the contrary, both his current wife, Emma Heming, his ex-wife, Demi Moore, and all of his children tend to spend as much time around Bruce as possible as his health is deteriorating, according to sources close to the family who also claim that “Bruce can’t say much, and it doesn’t appear like he understands much of what people say,” so Emma serves as his spokesperson and communicator.
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Bruce’s third-born daughter, Tallulah, penned an emotional essay in Vogue earlier this week in which she spoke of her father’s health struggles during the recent years and how that affected the family.
“He had had two babies with my stepmother, Emma Heming Willis, and I thought he’d lost interest in me. Though this couldn’t have been further from the truth, my adolescent brain tortured itself with some faulty math: I’m not beautiful enough for my mother, I’m not interesting enough for my father,” Tallulah started her letter.
“I admit that I have met Bruce’s decline in recent years with a share of avoidance and denial that I’m not proud of. The truth is that I was too sick myself to handle it.
“For the last four years, I have suffered from anorexia nervosa, which I’ve been reluctant to talk about because, after getting sober at age 20, restricting food has felt like the last vice that I got to hold on to.”
As she was fighting her own demons and was struggling to make things right when it came to her personal life, her father was fighting his own battle one no one was aware of at the time.
“All kinds of cognitive testing was being conducted, but we didn’t have an acronym yet,” Tallulah continued.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 14: (L-R) Emma Heming, Rumer Willis, Tallulah Willis, Bruce Willis and Scout Willis attend the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis at Hollywood Palladium on July 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images For Comedy Central)
“I remember a moment when it hit me painfully: I was at a wedding in the summer of 2021 on Martha’s Vineyard, and the bride’s father made a moving speech. Suddenly I realized that I would never get that moment, my dad speaking about me in adulthood at my wedding.
“It was devastating. I left the dinner table, stepped outside, and wept in the bushes.”
She concluded her emotional letter writing, “He may always know who I am, give or take the occasional bad day.
“I know that trials are looming, that this is the beginning of grief.
“It feels like a unique and special time in my family, and I’m just so glad to be here for it.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Bruce Willis and his family.
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For stunning Melissa Gilbert, who portrayed Laura Ingalls on NBC’s Little House on the Prairie and became a sensation adored by millions almost overnight after she first appeared on TV, the days of acting are behind it seems.
These days, she and her husband Tim Busfield live a quiet life away from the Hollywood glam. The two have been residing in upstate New York after purchasing a 14-acre property in the Catskill mountains where they keep chickens and plant crops. And although the life on the farm brings nothing but peace and tranquility for the actress, she was recently involved in a serious accident which led to her visiting the hospital.
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Namely, Melissa was bitten by a bug, and at first, she didn’t pay much attention to it, but it wasn’t long before her hand swelled.
Once at the Bon Secours hospital in Port Jervis, NY, she was diagnosed with bacterial skin infection known as cellulitis which according to Healthline ”can occur when bacteria enter your body because of a cut, scrape, or break in the skin, such as a bug bite.”
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Taking to Instagram, Melissa wrote, ”A Public Service Announcement: Well that was a fun night in the ER (she said with dripping sarcasm),” Gilbert captioned the post of her hand in an IV and a close-up shot of her swollen arm. “Two days ago a flying insect (not bee or wasp) bit my arm. By last night my arm was incredibly swollen, red and hot.
”Called my [doctor and] he suggested we hightail it to the ER. I was gonna wait but [Timothy] said, ‘Absolutely not. We are going!’ After many tests I was diagnosed with an abscess and cellulitis.”
Doctors were quick to administer an intravenous infusion of clindamycin, Benedryl, and acetaminophen which eased her pain and made her feel better right away.
”Still kept me up all night. Starting antibiotics, Benedryl and ibuprofen orally today,” she shared and urged her followers to take bug bites seriously and avoid possible complications.
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”The lesson-take bug bites seriously! If it swells up like crazy (my whole upper arm was swollen!), don’t wait to get treated, thinking ‘it’s just a little bite. How bad can it get?’ Go to your dr or urgent care or the ER. I’m serious!” she said.
”Back in the days of #lauraingallswilder, this would’ve meant death or amputation. There’s treatment available. So now I’m going to take my meds and rest like the good bunny I am. Stupid bug bite.”
We are glad Melissa is now recovering and doing fine.
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Team of EMS Paramedics React Quick to Provide Medical Help to Injured Patient and Get Him in Ambulance on a Stretcher. Emergency Care Assistants Arrived on the Scene of a Traffic Accident on a Street. Blur
A heartbreaking tragedy took place when a 3-year-old boy named Josiah Toleafoa was killed on the day he was supposed to celebrate his third birthday.
The sweet boy and his family were at the parking lot of Play City, an indoor venue for kids’ parties, when a car hit Josiah.
Witnesses of the tragedy said that his devastated mother screamed and cried hysterically as paramedics were trying to save his life. Unfortunately, Josiah didn’t make it. He died at the Rady Children’s Hospital.
This family’s lives turned upside down. What was supposed to be a day of joy turned into the worst experience of their lives. Their happiness was replaced with grief and sorrow and their world shattered into a million pieces.
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Reportedly, the 36-year-old driver who killed Josiah and whose identity hasn’t been confirmed wasn’t under influence of drugs or alcohol. He stayed at the scene and cooperated with the authorities and reasons behind the loss of control haven’t been confirmed.
Members of the family started a GoFundMe to help Josiah’s mom and dad with the funeral expenses.
“JOSIAH brought the family together- his incredible SMILE, LOVING HEART simply brought JOY to any room. There was no time to see him do amazing things. I KNOW HE WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD,” the boy’s aunt, Tatiana Toleafoa wrote.
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“We’re doing this gofundme to help with my sweet nephew’s funeral expenses and services for the little angel that touched so many lives in so many different ways before he was called to Heaven. Any amount would help, anything at all. We are so thankful to have loving family and friends to be with us and love us through this horrible tragedy and want to be able to put him to rest to say goodbye and never forget the little boy who loved with a tremendous heart,” the page stated.
The owner of Play City donated $2,000 to the Josiah’s family and that the landlord matched his donation as well.
Currently, no arrests have been made.
We are so very sorry for this family’s heartbreak. There is no greater loss than that of losing a child.
Rest in peace, Josiah.
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An icon to American youth in the 1960s, George Maharis, best known for his work on Fantasy Island and Route 66 passed away this month, his friend and caretaker Marc Bahan confirmed.
“George Maharis passed away on Wednesday, May 25. George is well known for his stardom in route 66, stage productions, singing, artist, and above all a great guy would do anything for anyone. My dear friend, you’ll be terribly missed,” Bahan wrote in his post.
On Route 66, Maharis played Buz Murdock, a hardened survivor of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. He, along with co-star Tod Stiles, who passed away in 2015, traveled the highway that author John Steinbeck had dubbed “The Mother Road” and embarked on new journeys visiting new city with each new episode.
After three seasons, Maharis left the show and the role which earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Continuity of Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Series. The reason was his hospitalization for hepatitis.
Maharis went on to appear in a number of films, including Sylvia, The Satan Bug and The Happening, before he got a leading role in another series, The Most Deadly Game. At the same time, he is known to be one of the first models to pose nude for Playgirl.
Before studying at the Actors Studio and being part of a number of off-Broadway shows, Maharis, who was born in Queens to parents of Greek origin, served in the Marine Corps.
Besides being a famous name in Hollywood, Maharis also had a singing career during which he released seven albums. His song Teach Me Tonight reached the charts.
George Maharis died aged 94. May he rest in peace.
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Over the years, Kate Middleton became a much-loved member of the family. Along with her husband, the future King of the country, they make one of the most powerful couples in the world.
The Princess of Wales truly is a special woman, both as a royal and as a mother. One thing about her is that she carries a lot of weight on her shoulder, but she performs everything with such excellence that she leaves many stunned. Always down-to-earth and extremely fashionable, Kate steals the attention whenever she appears.
Her and William’s love story dates back from the time they were still relatively young and studied at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
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They both graduated in the same year, 2005; William with a master of arts degree in geography, and Kate with a master of arts degree in art history. But while their relationship appeared only to flourish, trouble lay on the horizon.
When the media learned that the Prince was dating Kate, who was labeled as a ‘commoner’ despite the fact her parents made millions through their company, all eyes were on her. And knowing how cruel the British press can be, then 19-year-old Kate went through hell when they started calling her “Waity Katie” and “Lazy Katie.” This was due to the fact that she quit her job to “prepare for her future life.”
However, in 2007, the couple split, and that split was a high-profile one as everyone suddenly started talking about it. The news filled the newspapers and made headlines while many speculated of the reasons behind the break-up.
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Recalling the time of their break up, both Kate and William claimed it was actually good for them because they got to “find themselves.” Kate even said that “you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you’re younger,” as per The Telegraph.
As William was partying at London nightclubs and was dating different girls, Kate believed he was “cheapening her image.” According to royal correspondents Laura Collins, Katie Nicholl, and Ian Gallagher, “harsh words” were exchanged between William and Kate as she felt humiliated by his behavior.
William was very supportive of his loved one and made sure he prepared Kate for her life as a royal.
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At certain point of their relationship, it was William’s friends who overstepped the line and treated Kate with certain amount of disrespect, giving her nicknames. This made William furious and he stood up for her.
Before starting their multi-million dollar worth company Party Pieces, Kate’s parents worked ordinary jobs. Her mother was an air hostess for the British Airways and it seemed like a good ground for jokes at the future Princess’ expense.
Speaking on Vanity Fair’s DYNASTY podcast last year, royal expert Katie Nicholl – author of The New Royals – described how William’s “snooty” friends whispered “doors to manual” when Kate arrived at one of West London’s nightclubs.
The prince’s aristocratic friends who were referred to as the “Glosse Posse,” a reference to their Gloucestershire roots, didn’t feel like Kate was on their level. However, she never rose to the “derogatory” comments made towards her, but decided to ignore them.
“It was never water off a duck’s back, but she has extraordinary strength of character and resilience. I’ve never once seen or heard of her losing her temper,” a royal aide told the Sunday Times Magazine.
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William never let anyone mock Kate. When his friends didn’t treat her right, he would stop the insults right away. According to a 2021 article published by Daily Mail, “[William] flies off the handle at any sign of Kate being patronised and stamps that out very quickly. It’s one of his triggers,” a royal source said.
“Over the years, many people have come up with great ideas for her, but if they are put across in a dismissive way, they’ve got pretty short shrift from him.”
“When Kate felt isolated from his life, he confronted the ‘friends’ who were not only abusive toward her but also her mother, mocking her English [and] calling her ‘door to manual’ as she used to be a hostess. [William] made it clear he didn’t tolerate disrespect to [Kate] or his in-laws,” royal expert namedCanellecitadelle on Twitter shared.
One time, people referred to Kate’s family as to “the en masse Middletons.” This was because the family would show up to an event in a “pristine” Land Rover, bringing with them all the things that come with an upper-class picnic.
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“The snootiness of the upper classes leveled at what they called the ‘en masse Middletons,’ this idea that the Middletons would turn up for a picnic at a social event for example and they would turn up in their pristine Land Rover that had been newly polished and they had a brand new Fortnum and Masons hamper, all of the paraphernalia that comes with an upper-class picnic,” Katie Nicholl explained on the DYNASTY podcast.
“But of course, [they were] alongside the sort of true aristocratic double baron titles that turn up at these events, in their muddy Land Rovers, with their moth-eaten blankets that are full of holes and some sort of oddly cobbled together picnic with hardboiled eggs rather than M&S finest.”
As time passed by, Britons started showing their appreciation for Kate, and today, she’s high on the list of favorite members of the Firm.
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She, of course, did all in her power to create an image of herself as a suitable future Queen.
“Kate’s look has definitely taken a more serious, business-like mood since she became the Princess of Wales, which reflects the gravitas of her new position within the Royal family as she gets nearer to the throne,” royal fashion expert Miranda Holder told Newsweek.
“The fun, feminine, flirty Kate who we all fell in love with in her polka-dot tea dresses seems to have been replaced by a new, more heavyweight incarnation.”
The expert continued: “In the last 6 months, trouser suits have most definitely prevailed, whereas before this we were most familiar with the princess in skirts and dresses.
“Indeed, the whole aesthetic is far more formal and occasionally a little austere—it is indeed as if the princess means business and takes her contribution to the many causes she supports extremely seriously, and wishes to refocus the public’s attention on the charity in hand rather than the brand she is wearing.”
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Halle Berry isn’t just an on screen superhero, but an amazing real life mom to her two children, daughter Nahla, who was raised away from the spotlight and the public eye, and son Maceo Martinez.
The Monster’s Ball star, who is the first ever black woman to earn an Academy Award for best actress, was married three times. From 1993 to 1997, she was married to MBL player David Justice, and then, from 2001 to 2005, she was married to singer-songwriter Eric Benét. But it wasn’t until two failed marriages that she met the father of her future daughter. Berry met handsome Canadian model, Gabriel Aubrey, at a 2005 Versace photoshoot. The two fell for one another and welcomed daughter Nahla in 2008.
Halle Berry and daughter Nahla Aubry are seen shopping in Century City on July 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage)
Sadly, the couple split in 2010, and the two were left fighting over Nahla whom Berry wanted to move to France but was forbidden to do so by the courts. Over the years, the two have been involved in a number of disputes over their parenting styles.
One time, Berry accused Aubrey of dying Nahla’s hair, but he denied the accusations. Berry then took him to court and after analyzing the girl’s hair, it was determined that it was indeed dyed.
Olivier Martinez and Nahla Ariela Aubry are seen at the Pumpkin Patch on October 7, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/WireImage)
Today, Nahla is 15 and she’s bigger sister to Berry’s son whom she had with Olivier Martinez, her co-star from Dark Tide.
However, the fact that Nahla turned 15 surprised many, probably because of the fact that the world hasn’t seen much of her throughout the years.
For the occasion, Berry shared photos of her daughter. One of them is a framed black and white image on which the mother-daughter duo share a laught, and the second captures Nahla from the back, while she lies on a netted hammock overlooking the water. On the third photo Belly shared, Nahla is sitting on an outdoor couch while her face is covered with a brown, beret-styled cap.
“One of the greatest gifts the universe has given me is my daughter, Nahla. She is the sun that never fades and the moon that never wanes! Please join me in wishing her a happy 15th Birthday today! I love you sweet angel,” the proud mom wrote.
“Is that ‘15th a typo? That human cannot be 15 already,” one fan wrote.
Nahla’s dad also shared a sweet message for his daughter’s birthday. “Happy Birthday my beautiful little Nahla. Nothing brings more joy than seeing you grow into the amazing little woman that you are.”
One thing about Nahla that everyone agrees on is that she is a spitting image of her dad. A lot of people commented on the physical likeness between the father and the daughter, writing, “that baby looks like her daddy,” and “she has her dad’s face.”
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After four months, the body of Brazilian actor Jefferson Machado, best known for his role in the soap opera Reis, who was last seen on January 27, 2023 and was reported missing on February 9 after his dogs were found abandoned at his Rio de Janeiro home, was found stuffed inside a wooden chest buried six-feet beneath the backyard of a house in the area of Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro.
As of now, the suspect of this horrific crime is one of Machado’s friends who was renting the property where his body was located, but no arrests have been made.
The news of his tragic passing was reported by his lawyer Jairo Magalhaes Advogados who shared a statement with the public which read, “It is with regret that I share the sad news of the passing of actor Jeff Machado, whose body was found with signs of strangulation.”
“His arms were tied behind his head and buried in a trunk that is very similar to the ones in his own house,” Advogados added.
The actor spoke to his mother on January 29, two days after he was last seen, but no one heard from him ever since. What’s most, shortly after he went missing, the password of his iCloud was changed and his location deactivated. In the meantime, his family and friends were receiving text messages from his phone number from someone who tried to impersonate him.
Credit / Jeff Machado – Instagram
“Jefferson was coldly and brutally murdered by envious, evil and, of course, unscrupulous people,” family friend Cintia Hilsendeger wrote on the actor’s Instagram account, according to the New York Post.
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