Being a child of a celebrity usually comes with the price of public exposure and living a life under the spotlight. Most times, these children are forced to live with the pressure of reaching their famous parents’ fame, and are expected to act and behave in a certain manner.
However, it looks like this isn’t always the case.
When it comes to singer Reba McEntire and her only son, Shelby, she has raised him not to be a spoiled brat. Instead, she did her best to implement in him the values she was taught by her parents and grand-parents who always taught her to be down-to-earth, as she indeed is besides the extent of her fame.
Reba knows she did a great job as a parent whenever someone tells her that her son is an incredibly humble man.
Being brought up in the countryside came with certain values for Reba who once told People, “Mama and Daddy always said to me, ‘If you tell somebody you’re going to be somewhere at a certain time, you show up. That’s the way I was raised.”
Shelby is no different than his mother. “I’m very proud of him. He was a kid who had ADHD and could barely read in school, and now he’s read 10 books this year. He’s always trying to improve and do better. His daddy did a great job too,” she shared with People.
“When we would play games or cards, I’d never let Shelby win,” the singer said. “He wouldn’t have learned anything that way. I always told Shelby, ‘I’ll always love you, but I want other people to like you. So don’t be a little jerk. Don’t be a spoiled brat.’”
Paul Morigi/WireImage
Speaking of raising him, the Does He Love You hitmaker said that despite her hectic work schedule, she spent regular quality time with her son.
“I had the best nannies, and I took him on the road with me,” she said. “When I couldn’t, I would fly home after a concert, get him up in the morning, take him to school and pick him up. We’d play until I had to fly out again for a concert that night. I wanted to be with Shelby. Still do.”
Shelby, who is now 33 years old, is a professional race car driver. In 2022, he married his girlfriend Melissa.
Getty Images/ Instagram
Though Shelby is Reba’s only biological son, she also has five stepchildren. While married to her first husband, Charlie Battles, she became a stepmother to his two sons, Lance Battles and Coty Battles, with whom she remained very close even after her marriage ended. When she married music manager Narvel Blackstock in 1989, she became a stepmother to his children Shawna Blackstock, Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband, and Chassidy Blackstock.
“I don’t consider Brandon, Chassidy and Shawna stepchildren,” she told The Boot in 2010. “I claim them all.”
Getty Images
One thing is certain. Besides being an incredible country singer, Reba is also an amazing mother.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
Shaquille O’Neal had his fans concerned when he posted a photo of himself from a hospital bed.
The Newark native who stands at a whopping seven-foot-one-inch tall and has won four NBA titles in a Hall of Fame career could be seen hooked up to machines. Of course, this made many wonder what was wrong. Along with the photo, O’Neal wrote, “i’m always watching @TurnerSportsEJ and @Candace_Parker miss y’all,” and comments started pouring in.
O’Neal then decided to reveal the real reason behind his hospitalization, but he did it his way and joked that he was going under BBL treatment, which stands for ‘Brazilian butt lift,’ and made many laugh.
“To all the people who are concerned. First let me start off by saying thank you,” he began his March 20 Instagram post. “And lastly i am fine. Just had to get some BBL work done aka #hipreplacement. but yes i am fine no need to worry.”
As expected, this gathered the amusement of many. “Lol Sending get well wishes for a speedy & healthy recovery,” one of his fans commented. Meanwhile, another dubbed the NBA player “Cheekquille O’Neal.”
O’Neal managed to lose a significant amount of weight after a close friend of his confronted him about his figure.
His career has been an impressive one and he’s considered one of the greatest athletes of all time.
We wish him speedy recovery.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 07: Macaulay Culkin seen out in Manhattan on May 7, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images)
Macaulay Culkin started his acting career at the age of just 4, starring in the iconic film Home Alone at age nine, only to take a very long break from Hollywood at only 15.
It’s safe to say that he’s one of the most famous child stars ever, enchanting millions of people with the role of Kevin McCallister which earned him both a Golden Globe nomination and a Young Artist Award. His broad portfolio of performances includes Uncle Buck with John Candy in (1989), Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), My Girl with Anna Chlumsky (1991), The Good Son (1993), and Richie Rich (1994). And this is all before he even turned 15.
Being the third of seven children, Culkin’s family lived in a Manhattan apartment. Shortly after stepping foot to Hollywood, the young star became a familiar name who rose to stardom almost overnight.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
However, after starring in a number of iconic films, Culcin decided to leave the film industry, and the reasons were various. Among the rest, he missed being a regular child.
“I was tired of it, to be honest,” Culkin said of acting in a 2018 interview with Ellen DeGeneres. “I did like 14 movies in six years or something like that. I was away from home a lot. I was away from school. I needed something else.” After retiring, he went to high school. “It was the smartest thing I could have possibly done was to take eight years off,” he added.
Another reason why this superstar opted out of the insane world of child stardom and went for a quieter life were his parents, particularly his father, Kit. He couldn’t stand the pressure any longer, and rumors were that Kit wasn’t the best of a father. In fact, he once tried becoming an actor himself, and when he failed, he pushed his children towards the world of film. “My father was jealous of me. He was a bad man. He was abusive. Everything he tried to do in life, I excelled at before I was 10 years old,” Culcin said.
Culcin spoke of the decision to emancipate from his parents and said, “Our 1994 divorce was one of the best things that’s ever happened, as it led to me leaving the industry,” during Marc Maron’s podcast in 2018, as reported by the Mirror. “I wanted to take a break for a while and eventually I was like, ‘I’m done guys, hope you all made your money because there is no more coming from me.'”
Getty Images
In 2020, he told Esquire that he didn’t divorce his parents, instead he removed their names from his trust fund.
“It’s always misconstrued, that I ‘emancipated’ myself from my parents. The story was that I divorced my parents. I just thought I was doing it cleanly–taking my father’s name off, taking my mom’s name off, so my opinion is unbiased. And when I did that, the whole thing kinda ended a lot faster.”
Today, Culcin is married to Brenda Song. The two have two children together. Their daughter, whom they welcomed in 2021 is named after Culcin’s sister who died in a car accident. Their son was born in early 2023.
Macaulay Culkin walks the runway at the 2021 Gucci Love Parade down Hollywood Boulevard on November 02, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)
In 2003, he returned to acting with the film Party Monster and his most recent role is in the 2021 horror anthology TV series, American Horror Story: Double Feature.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
We’ve witnessed many times before that animals have the ability to feel happiness and sadness and to experience other emotions. The video below is a proof that this is true for birds as well. Sinbad, an African Grey parrot, is staying by his owner’s side during the last days of her life.
The two have been companions for 25 years and now the time has come for this magnificent bird to say the final goodbye to the person he shared his life with. Parrots are known to be very emotional creatures and Sinbad is aware he is about to lose his friend because African Greys are keen observers of the people’s facial expressions and body language and they can easily sense when something is not right.
Source: NTD
These birds are believed to possess the mental and emotional capacity of a 5-year-old child, which makes them even smarter than the dogs, and certainly smartest among any other kind of pets. Among other things, scientist believe they can feel love, happiness, loneliness, boredom, jealousy, anger, depression, and most thrilling of all, empathy.
When they bond with someone on a deeper and more emotional level, the parrots find in those people real friends and it’s not unusual for these birds to grief the loss of the one they love. In cases like this they can be given antidepressant that serve to ease their emotional pain.
Sinbad is usually very talkative, but now the only thing he wants is to stay silent next to the hospital bed of his owner. The owner’s daughter captures the amazing moment when her mother whispers ‘I love you’ to Sinbad and it’s so adorable that it touched the hearts of many.
Source: YouTube
The video was shared many times and everyone who got to see what these two shared was now convinced that birds can be special pets able to give love.
Please SHARE this touching story with your family and friends on facebook.
Some love stories are meant to last forever. Finding that one special person you want to spend your entire life with is a blessing.
When it comes to Hollywood marriages, one thing is certain, they don’t usually last, but there are those who prove that fame can never affect the love they have for one another. Take actor Matthew McConaughey for example.
The Dazed and Confused star is a loving husband and a father of three. He and wife Camila Alves met in 2006 and tied the knot six years later.
In a recent Instagram shared by Alves, McConaughey is seen cutting his son’s hair, and people think that’s the cutest thing ever, especially because the actor doesn’t reveal much about his personal life and his family on the social media.
Along with the photo which shows a clump of Livingston’s blonde, highlighted hair on the floor, the Brazilian model wrote, “Then this happened.”
Another thing that caught the attention of many is the uncanny resemblance of the boys, especially 14-year-old Levi, to their father. It’s easy to see that he’s the spitting image of his famous dad.
The family leads a quiet life in Texas, and speaking of it, Alves shared with Fox News Digital, “It’s been great. It really embodies our belief system, especially the ones I grew up with, like going to church every Sunday, saying ‘yes ma’am’ or ‘no, sir.’ I grew up saying those things coming from a family of farmers. For me, being from Brazil and then coming to Texas, I discovered a lot of similarities in terms of what families practice here, especially going to church on Sundays, and being very into the outdoors. It’s been a great transition.”
McConaughey has also spoken of his family in the past, especially of his children. “Sometimes loving your kids means giving them just what they want. Other times it means tough love. Affluent people can give their kids everything they want, but they’re not usually going to get what they need. Loving a child is a lot harder if you really give a damn. ‘No’ takes a lot more energy. It’s a lot easier to say ‘yes,’” he told Town & Country in 2020.
The actor also discussed the difficulties of raising teenagers.
“You know, it’s interesting because when you have little ones, you are physically exhausted, right? And I feel like when you get to the teenagers … it’s almost like you need more energy,” he told US Weekly.
“You need more brain power because it becomes all very about the mind, right? It’s like a teenager [is] trying to find their identity and find how they’re going to navigate their lives. So I think that … for me, it’s more challenging in a good way.”
Recently, the couple celebrated their daughter’s, Vida, 13th birthday and had a special guest, Woody Harrelson.
“Uncle @woodyharrelson is questioning if the cake is vegan or not!!!” McConaughey wrote under a photo he shared which shows Vida with her cake and Harrelson looking bewildered. Of course, it was just a joke which made many laugh.
McConaughey and Alves are the founders of the organization Just Keep Livin’ that “is committed to enabling high school kids by equipping them with the tools to lead active lives and make healthy choices for a better future.”
Following the shooting massacre during which 19 children lost their lives, McConaughey became an advocate for gun regulation.
What a beautiful family, don’t you agree?
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
Having a sibling means having a best friend for life. The brothers and sisters are the first people to turn to when we face difficulties in life, and the first people we feel the urge to call when something beautiful happens, because we are certain that the happiness we share with them doubles.
Our siblings hold special place in our hearts because they represent a piece of our childhood that we never want to let go of.
Chris Garafola and Brittany Garafola are a brother and sister from Vermont who are lucky to have one another. The two are also best friends, and it has always been like that. Brittany has Down Syndrome, and she is a very special person in her brother’s life. The two grew up in a loving family and developed a close-bond which is unbreakable until this very day.
According to Chris, who is two years younger than his sister, he and Brittany were a “package deal” and he doesn’t remember an opportunity he missed to remind her just how special she is to him.
In a touching Instagram post, Chris wrote that Brittany: “Always poured her love onto him, challenged him, and taught him timeless lessons—giving him countless opportunities to grow (quickly) as a man, and become the best BROTHER he could possibly be.”
Of course, having Down Syndrome has sometimes been challenging for Brittany, not because of herself, but mainly because of the society and how these people are perceived by some. However, she has been able to overcome all the challenges knowing her brother is always by her side.
When the two grew older, Chris met the love of his life, a woman named Tatiana who knew how important Brittany was to Chris, so she started loving her as if he was her sister too. What’s most, Chris and Tatiana even postponed their wedding in order for Brittany to be able to attend it. During the pandemic, Brittany needed to be extra careful because of her weak immune system, so she couldn’t go out much. But the moment she got her COVID-19 shot in February 2021, her brother and her future sister-in-law could start preparing for their big day.
Of course, both Chris and Tatiana knew that Brittany deserved a special role on their wedding day, so one day, Tatiana FacedTime with Brittany and asked her a very important question while Chris, who works as a male model, filmed the entire thing.
“And you know what I wanted to ask you? Can you be my maid of honor?” Tatiana can be seen asking in the video.
As expected, Brittany bursts into tears of joy and answers, “Yes, I can.”
Chris and Tatiana tied the knot in April 2021. The newlyweds had a special gift for Brittany, a beautiful ring which served as a reminder that she would always be a very important person in their lives.
“She’s been my best friend since day one and even once I’m married, it won’t change,” Chris said.
As the video of their wedding was posted online, many couldn’t help but praise Chris and his wife for their dedication and commitment towards his older sister.
This is what love between siblings should look like, don’t you agree?
Please SHARE this lovely story with your family and friends on Facebook.
Actress FARRAH FAWCETT at the New York premiere of her new movie Dr. T & The Women. 10OCT2000. Terry Lester/Featureflash
Farrah Fawcett wasn’t just an on-screen angel, but an angel in real life, too. Her mesmerizing beauty was a huge part of who she was. Although she didn’t want people to see her as a beautiful face, the truth is that her appearance did help her become a celebrity which marked an era. “I always felt so self-conscious,” Farrah’s mother Pauline recalled the actress saying. “I wanted people not to look at me because so many people kept looking at me.”
Ever since she was a young girl, everyone noticed her charm. During her high-school years, she was voted “Most Beautiful,” a title she earned once again while at university. Somehow, a photo of her reached Hollywood PR man, David Mirisch, who was eager to meet her and work with her. At the time, Farrah attended the University of Texas where she studied microbiology and art, but after being offered to move to Los Angeles multiple times, she decided to accept the offer. She only planned to stay there for a short while and then return to university, but her career took off and she became a megastar loved and adored by millions.
Youtube/Classic TV Rewind
At first, she appeared in a number of commercials, and before long, her face was on the covers of every magazine. During the mid 60’s, Farrah tried herself as an actress. She initially appeared in television series such as I Dream of Jeannie, The Partridge Family,and The Flying Nun, before television producer Aaron Spelling had cast her in the 1975 television movie Murder on Flight 502. Her acting was extraordinary and the audience accepted her with arms wide open so Spelling offered her the role in his brand new TV show Charlie’s Angels. “We were looking for the California beach-girl type, and Farrah was perfect for that,” he wrote in his 1996 memoir A Prime-TimeLife. “She was drop-dead gorgeous and the living image of the beautiful L.A blonde in tennis shorts or a bathing suit.” Well, the rest is history.
Shutterstock/Featureflash Photo Agency
As Farrah reached worldwide fame, it was her hair which became her trademark. “Her feathered, high-lighted, layered phenomenon was a work of art that looked as if it had just come out of the sea and had been tossed by the wind into a state of careless perfection. Farrah’s hair was emblematic of women in the first stage of liberation – strong, confident, and joyous – before the reality of mortgage payments and single parenthood set in,” the Times wrote, as quoted by Texas Monthly.
After one season on Charlie’s Angels, Farrah had it enough. She decided to leave the show but the production sued her for $7 million for breach of contract. In a settlement, she agreed to return for six more episodes and starred in 29 out of 115.
Youtube/midimac
“I left Charlie’s Angels because I felt creatively stifled,” Farrah said.
“Now, when I go back to Charlie’s Angels, it is much better. I have a chance to work with the writers on the script and the director. I can treat it like a business, I could not do that before, I was hurt at first because I was sued.”
She then added: “I read things in the press that hurt, like things that girls had said. All of that is past now. We are all friends again. I feel much better.”
Youtube/Charlie’s Angels
In 1976, at the same the series aired, Farrah posed in a red one-piece bathing suit which became the best-selling poster of all time.
Farrah enjoyed her fame, but at the same time, she was angry because of all those stories magazines made up about her.
“I go through life thinking everything is wonderful,” Farrah said. “People keep things from me. I don’t read most of the things about me. You almost have to quit reading to keep from being hurt. Writers write unflattering things bout you because that sells.
“Sometimes I get very sad,” she added. “I just want to go out and be myself; I would like to just go shopping or go to the movies and buy popcorn and sit quietly in the audience. But I am constantly watched. Things like going to dinner with friends become very precious.”
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Over the course of her career, she received many awards and nominations.
Farrah was married once. Her marriage to Lee Majors lasted for nine years. The divorce was finalized in 1982, but the couple separated a couple of years before that. Farrah dated actor Ryan O’Neal for many years. He was a good friend of Farrah’s husband. The two first met in 1979, and he though she was the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.
“She’s delightful, full of childlike warmth,” Ryan wrote in his 2012 book Both of Us: My Life with Farrah. “There is no pretense or cattiness about her whatsoever, she’s vibrant and wholesome, refreshing in this town.”
Shutterstock/Vicki L. Miller
He witnessed her marriage break down. “Farrah and I have no plans to marry — nor do we have plans to separate,” Ryan said. “Don’t fix what ain’t broken.”
Farrah and Ryan welcomed son Redmond O’Neal in 1985. In 1997, however, she caught him cheating with actress Leslie Ann Stefanso, and a year later, they split.
In 2001, Ryan O’Neal was diagnosed with leukemia and Farrah was diagnosed with cancer herself five years later. He spent all his time by her side and took care of her.
Express Newspapers/Getty Images
“The hair is gone,” he told People at the time.
“Her famous hair. I have it at home. She didn’t care. I rub her head. It’s kind of fun, actually, this great, tiny little head. How she carried all that hair, I’ll never know. She doesn’t have a vanity about it.
“It’s a love story. I just don’t know how to play this one. I won’t know this world without her. Cancer is an insidious enemy,” he added.
Sadly, great Farrah Fawcett passed away in 2009 in the arms of Ryan O’Neal.
In his book, he wrote: “After the priest leaves, I lie down next to her, wrap my body around her to keep her warm, and then take her hand. I can feel a steady pulse… I caress her hand for hours. Her heart refuses to quit.
“I’m left alone with my love. I take her hand. I can still feel her pulse, but now it is fluttering. She’s trying to let go. Her heartbeat slows, then disappears. On the morning of June 25, Farrah slips into eternal sleep.”
Farrah and Ryan spent 30 years together, but he had his regrets and said he wished he had a do-over.
“I would have been much kinder, more understanding, more mature,” he told People.
“I’d lose some of the savagery. I don’t know how she got cancer; maybe some of it was me. But ultimately, there was never a day I didn’t love her.”
Shutterstock/Featureflash Photo Agency
Farrah’s assistant, Mike Pingel, opened up about the actress’ final days in the book Channel Surfing: Charlie’s Angels, and wrote, “Farrah fought as hard as she could,” adding: “All of it was to be here for Redmond, her child. Redmond was her moon, her stars, her sky, her heart. Her father was also, but Redmond was her life. She fought tooth and nail to continue to live, to be with him. And she documented her journey through cancer… because she wanted to help others. Farrah was not only an icon, but she wanted to help everybody with… her life.”
“She did everything she could,” Pingel added. “Whether it was experimental treatments in Germany or just bringing to light different things about the cancer world, she felt that’s what she needed to do with her journey, to help others.
“As a boss, she was an amazing person,” Pingel explained. “She was exactly who you thought she was. A down to Earth Texan – just a good, wonderful woman. And the smartest woman I knew. She knew what her image was worth. She knew what she was worth… She was just the smartest person in the room and the person everybody wanted to meet. Jay Bernstein, who was her old manager, once told me, ‘Everybody wanted to meet Farrah from the busboy to the Prince of Wales. Whoever was in the room wanted to meet Farrah wherever she was.’ And it was absolutely true.”
Shutterstock
“Farrah had a huge career,” Pingel said. “’Charlie’s Angels’ was just one year out of her career. She knew that it catapulted her… She [and the other girls] couldn’t go anywhere with paparazzi and fans following them everywhere… She always loved ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ And a lot of it was the camaraderie with Jaclyn and Kate. They were sisters. As a threesome, they shot into stardom together… They were always going to be connected to this embodiment of the ‘70s, the golden years of television. She really embraced it. She enjoyed it. [And] she was happy when she left. She thought she did what she could with the character, and she went on to do… great work as an actress.”
In 2019, the late actress’ friend Mela Murphy, who was by the actress’ side during her last days at the St. John’s Health Center in Los Angeles revealed Farrah’s last words. The actress kept repeating her son’s name, ‘Redmond.’
“She was saying his name, ‘Redmond’. That was the last thing she said. I told her I’d take care of him, that I’ll always be there for him. I said, ‘You can go now.’ It was just a few hours before she died,” Murphy shared.
“Farrah did not have an ego,” Pingel reiterated. “She was always that sweet Texas girl. Her parents raised her well and she loved her parents so much. Daddy Fawcett would call every day. Regardless of what was going on – if she was sleeping, talking to somebody else – everyone got dropped off because Daddy was calling, and she had to take his call. She was daddy’s girl, America’s girl and TV’s sweetheart. That’s Farrah Fawcett.”
She truly was an icon and she is still dearly missed.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
The media has been covering the topic of Céline Dion’s health ever since the singer appeared to have lost significant amount of weight.
Recently, however, it was reported by a representative of hers that Dion suffers from muscle spasm, something that affects her ability to be on stage. As a result, Dion was forced to cancel several concert dates in Las Vegas.
“Celine has been experiencing severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing,” the statement read.
“Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat her. However, the symptoms she is experiencing are prohibiting her from participating in the ongoing rehearsals for the new show.”
Speaking of her health condition, Dion said in a video that she posted back in April that “she’s not there yet.”
“I need to be in top shape when I’m on stage.
“Honestly I can’t wait, but I’m just not there yet. … I wanted you to know that I’m sorry for this news. I know you’ve all waited so long for the concerts, and I appreciate your loyalty.
“All I can say is that I’m doing my very best to get back to the level that I need to be so that I can give 100% at my shows because that’s what you deserve,” she added, overcome with emotion.
Sadly, it seems like her health hasn’t improved much. The singer posted two videos on her social media, one in English and one in French, in which she said that due to her serious sickness, she is unable to “sing the way I’m used to.”
She added that the muscle spasm impacts every aspect of her everyday living. “It’s been incredibly difficult for me to face these obstacles and talk about everything that has happened to me,” she continued. “I’ve had health problems for quite some time.” Her tours have been postponed again. “I can only sing,” Dion added. “I’ve done that my whole life. And it’s what I’m most passionate about.
On Thursday morning, François Legault, the Premier of Québec, expressed his wish for Dion to “get well as quickly as possible” to reporters on his approach to the National Assembly’s question period.
As a tribute to Dion, a children’s choir performed My Heart Will Go On in Toronto’s Queen’s Park.
We truly hope Dion would be able to perform in the near future.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
