Amy Robach joined the ABC morning show in 2012. She took over the post-Good Morning America timeslot as host after the series “Pandemic: What You Need to Know” was revamped into “GMA3: What You Need to Know”.
Then there’s T.J. Holmes. He was roped in by ABC News in 2014 and quickly became pals with Robach. Soon after, he was named as her co-host.
Robach once told People, “You couldn’t have picked a better person to ask me what I thought of.” She was referring to Holmes, of course. They’d been trying to find a way to work together for a good five years.
Holmes? He’s like a brother to her. “We just can finish each other’s sentences,” he said. They get along like a house on fire. It’s a wonderful thing to have that kind of trust on set.
Holmes always has her back, no matter what. And she’s got his. That’s everything in this line of work.
On a more personal note, Robach revealed that she and her hubby, Andrew Shue, often went on double dates. And guess who the other couple was? Yep, Holmes and his wife, Marilee Fiebig.
Nicole Kidman is reflecting on a tough period in her life. She hit a significant career high in 2003, bagging an Oscar for her role in The Hours. However, her personal life was a different story.
She was dealing with her divorce from Tom Cruise, which was finalized just before her Oscar win. They had been married for 11 years.
Nicole opened up about this period to author Dave Karger in his new book, 50 Oscar Nights. According to People, she said, “I was struggling with things in my personal life, yet my professional life was going so well.” She added, “That’s what happens, right?”
The star of Big Little Lies has two kids with her ex-husband, Isabella, 30, and Connor, 28. She remembers not feeling like celebrating after her big Oscar win.
“I’m not a big party girl, so I was going to skip the Vanity Fair party,” she said. But everyone insisted she should go. They wanted her to walk through the party with her Academy Award in hand.
Nicole was uncomfortable with the idea. “I said, ‘That just feels like gloating, and it doesn’t feel humble.’ Like, what? You can’t walk through carrying the award! That feels really inappropriate.” But they insisted, “That’s what you do.”
Derek Hough, the Dancing With the Stars judge, bagged an Emmy. His wife, Hayley Erbert, was all hearts. The award he won? Outstanding Choreography at the Creative Arts Emmys on Jan. 7.
Hayley was quick to share her joy on social media. A sweet, celebratory post about her husband’s victory. “Congrats to my love for his 4th Emmy win,” she penned on Instagram on Jan. 8. Her words carried a sense of relief, “What a welcome home after an unimaginable month.”
Hayley had a rough December. A cranial hematoma, a burst blood vessel in her skull, was the culprit. Surgery was the only way out. She’s been on the mend since.
In her tribute to Derek, she posted two adorable pictures of them. Plus, one of the 38-year-old Emmy winner, holding his award. “@derekhough, you never cease to amaze me,” she wrote. Her words were full of admiration for his “drive, brilliance, and commitment to excellence.”
She cherishes being a part of his journey. She’s excited about what the future holds. Hayley’s post was not just a celebration of Derek’s win, but also a testament to their shared resilience.
• Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are blending their families well together
• Both of them are navigating the challenges of co-parenting with their respective ex-spouses
• Their relationship was made public in November 2022, leading to them both leaving ABC News a few months later
Here is what happened:
In a recent episode of the couple’s podcast, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes discussed the process of blending their two families together. For Amy, this means merging her daughters, Ava and Annalise, from her previous marriage with Tim McIntosh, while T.J. is the father of a daughter, Brianna, and a son, Jaide, from his former marriage with Amy Ferson. Additionally, T.J. is also the father of a daughter, Sabine, from his marriage with Marilee Fiebig.
T.J. shared that bringing their two families together has been one of the great joys over the past several months, noting that Amy has been great in the process. Their respective children have known each other for quite some time, with Amy mentioning that her daughters have known T.J.’s daughter since she was little and even communicated with her on her birthday.
The relationship between Amy and T.J. was first made public in November 2022. It was confirmed that the couple had exited ABC News in January 2023, after which they finally made their relationship official on Instagram in October 2023. The couple made a red carpet debut as a couple at Jingle Ball 2023, showing that their relationship continues to grow and flourish. They also subsequently shared intimate details about their relationship on the debut episode of their Amy & T.J. podcast, addressing the controversy and providing insights into their personal experiences amidst the media scrutiny.
Nikki Reed, the Twilight star, has just welcomed her second child with Ian Somerhalder. The saying “the grass is greener on the other side” seems to ring true for Nikki. She’s a proud mom to a six-year-old daughter, Bodhi, and a six-month-old son.
Her husband, Ian Somerhalder, shares this joyous family life with her on their farm. Nikki recently gave us a sneak peek into their blissful life through her Instagram post on January 8. She captioned it, “2024 starting off right.” The post included pictures of their beautiful landscape, hinting at a fresh start and exciting adventures ahead.
The Instagram post showcased a few snaps of the Thirteen star and her Vampire Diaries alum husband. There was also a photo of their daughter cradling a tiny lizard in her hand. A cute picture of their baby boy’s feet was also part of the post.
Nikki, who was last seen on screen with Ian in the 2019 series V Wars, has been living outside of Los Angeles. She’s been taking a break from her acting career. Nikki, 35, recently shared her thoughts on her current priorities in life.
She told NewBeauty in December, “Right now, raising babies is the most important thing for me.” Nikki and Ian are also working on a documentary titled Common Ground. She considers this project to be of utmost importance. The screening of the documentary was hosted by Demi Moore, which Nikki found to be a wonderful experience.
• Jessica Klepser is mourning the tragic death of her ex-husband Christian Oliver and their two children, Annik and Madita
• She is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from her community and beyond, and feels her late family’s love and support in spirit
• Jessica urged followers to spread love, cherish their loved ones, and stop arguing and worrying about the small stuff, emphasizing the preciousness of life and the importance of unity
Here is what happened:
Jessica Kelpser, the ex-wife of Christian Oliver, is grieving the tragic death of her former husband and their two daughters, Annik and Madita. She is leaning on her support system and has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support she has received from those closest to her and from complete strangers. In a touching message on Instagram, Jessica expressed gratitude for the strength she has gained from the messages and words of support.
In the wake of the devastating loss, Jessica is finding solace in the love and support she feels from her late family, emphasizing that they are with her in spirit and watching over her every step. She also encouraged her followers to keep spreading love and to appreciate the preciousness of life, urging them to focus on what truly matters.
The tragedy struck when the private plane carrying Christian, his two daughters, and the plane’s owner, Robert Sachs, crashed near the island of Petit Nevis on January 4. Jessica shared a heartfelt statement the following day, celebrating the unique and special attributes of her daughters, Madita and Annik, and expressing deep sorrow over the loss of Christian.
In a separate post shared on Instagram, Jessica fondly described her daughters’ vibrant personalities, detailing their academic achievements, interests, and passions. She also honored Christian, emphasizing the profound impact of his loss on those who were close to him.
The heartbreaking message Jessica shared on Instagram resonated with her followers, who offered their love and support during this difficult time.
Dating in Hollywood can be a wild ride. You’ve gotta have a plan for when things go south. Take Nina Dobrev, for instance. Her go-to strategy? Her passport.
Born in Bulgaria and raised in Canada, Dobrev’s a bit of a globetrotter. She spilled the beans in a 2018 Cosmopolitan interview. She’s “been kind of all over,” she admitted.
Material things? Not her style. She’d rather splurge on travel. Thailand, Japan, Australia, Brussels, Switzerland – she’s been there, done that. It’s all about discovering new cultures, meeting new folks, and breaking free from the daily grind.
And when she’s not working? She’s living life to the fullest. “I’m one of those people who works hard and plays hard—I go 130 percent in either direction,” she confessed. Breakups hit her hard, but they also fuel her wanderlust.
Her foolproof breakup strategy? “A plane ticket, a glass of tequila and a group of girlfriends.” Simple as that.
But hey, if a promising new love interest wants to tag along, she’s not gonna say no.
There are currently more people playing LEGO Fortnite than the traditional Battle Royale mode the game is so famous for. This is something that has never happened before. For the first time in history, Fortnite’s traditional BT mode has been surpassed by another Fortnite gameplay mode!
If you haven’t tried it yet but still want to hop into the fun anyway, you can buy a Fortnite account from Eldorado and jump straight into LEGO Fortnite’s wonderland!
Various gameplay modes have existed in Fortnite for quite a while. However, none of them have ever come close, let alone surpassing the player count of the more common Battle Royale mode.
But now, things have started to change. Statistics speak for themselves. Just 2 days after launch, on December 9th, 2023, LEGO Fortnite reached an all-time high peak of 7.6 million concurrent players, surpassing the previous record peak of 6.2 million set by OG a couple of weeks back.
Evidently, this partnership between Epic Games and LEGO has resulted in a huge success, breaking all previous records as well as exceeding any expectations by a huge margin.
NOTE: In the picture above, you can ignore the 11.6 million spike in player count as it was not caused by any game mode; rather it was an in-game Eminem event, called The Big Bang, that temporarily drew players into Fortnite for some time.
What is LEGO Fortnite?
LEGO Fortnite is a new social and cooperative gameplay mode that was introduced to Fortnite on December 7th by a collaboration between Epic Games, the developers of Fortnite, and LEGO, an iconic brand known for its plastic toys.
This new Fortnite gameplay mode essentially allows players to create, explore, and survive in an open sandbox world with endless possibilities and fun. This is because this sandbox world is a procedurally generated landscape made of LEGO bricks and Fortnite world elements, where players collect resources, craft items, battle enemies, as well as recruit villagers to help them build their own village.
In this game mode, players customize their outfits with iconic Fortnite skins designed as LEGO minifigures and build anything they want with LEGO bricks. From houses and castles to vehicles and weapons, virtually anything is buildable. And that’s not all. In this new Fortnite game mode, players also use the items they craft to defend themselves from enemies or attack other players.
Unlike the traditional battle royale mode, LEGO Fortnite has more creative and open-ended gameplay, with no fixed objectives or rules.
How and Why LEGO Fortnite Became an Overnight Hit?
There’s more to LEGO Fortnite’s overnight popularity than what meets the eye. This new Fortnite gameplay mode was bound to be popular and was further facilitated by the surge in Fortnite’s daily player count thanks to the OG battle royale mode released just over a month before.
While Fortnite fans were already reeling over the OG mode, LEGO toy’s universal appeal and familiarity further exploited players’ nostalgia and practically gave Fortnite a new life.
LEGO toys have been a part of our childhood for generations, and they have inspired us to unleash our imagination in many creative ways. Back in our childhood, we spent countless hours playing and building with LEGO bricks. We even created our very own worlds and stories with these block-style toys and basked in the glory of seeing them come to life.
As such, LEGO Fortnite tapped into this untapped nostalgia and offered players a chance to relive their childhood LEGO fantasies in an all-new digital form where they also get to have complete freedom to virtually accomplish anything they so wish in a procedurally generated sandbox world.
Another reason why LEGO Fortnite became an overnight hit is because of the already-established popularity of the Fortnite game.
For those unaware, Fortnite is one of the most successful games of all time and boasts both a gigantic and loyal community running into millions of players. It is a feat that only a handful of games have achieved thus far in all the 7 decades of gaming.
With its rich cocktail of shooting, building, and surviving, Fortnite has been dominating the gaming industry for years now. Among many things, the game is notorious for its frequent crossovers with different IPs that feature their characters and themes. Collaborating with LEGO was one such endeavor but one that surpassed any of the previous collaborations!
Lastly, yet another reason that is often overlooked as to why LEGO Fortnite became an overnight hit is because of the word-of-mouth marketing that worked in Epic Games’ favor.
Since LEGO Fortnite was launched, it generated a ton of hype on social media platforms such as X and Facebook.
Players who tried LEGO Fortnite initially have shared their experiences with their friends and followers, encouraging them to try it out as well. They posted screenshots and videos of their creations and adventures in LEGO Fortnite and showcased all the amazing features and creative possibilities in the game.
As such, while OG was a mode that was also a huge success and set a new record for concurrent players and revenue for Epic Games, LEGO Fortnite managed to surpass it in just two days and practically became the most popular mode in Fortnite.
However, it would be remiss of me if I don’t mention this. LEGO Fortnite benefitted much from the momentum and hype that OG created. This is because OG’s excitement was still fresh in the air by the time Epic Games introduced LEGO Fortnite. Hence, fans were ultimately prompted to give the game another shot.
To Wrap It up
LEGO Fortnite is a Fortnite game mode that can be played right from the Fortnite game. If you haven’t tried it out yet, you can get a Fortnite account from Eldorado and also get access to additional perks like a verified account and cool cosmetic skins to show off.
What do you think about this new game mode? Share your thoughts with us and let us know in the comments below!
• Barry Keoghan battled necrotizing fasciitis before filming The Banshees of Inisherin in 2021
• Keoghan nearly lost his arm from the disease and doctors couldn’t guarantee his survival
• Despite the health scare, Keoghan remained calm and went on to earn an Oscar nomination
Here is what happened:
Barry Keoghan recently shared his harrowing experience battling necrotizing fasciitis, a rare flesh-eating skin disease, just before filming “The Banshees of Inisherin” in 2021. According to Keoghan, he nearly lost his arm due to the disease, and at one point, doctors couldn’t guarantee his survival. Despite the seriousness of the health scare, the film’s director, Martin McDonagh, noted that Keoghan remained calm throughout the ordeal. McDonagh recalled visiting Keoghan and being concerned about his condition just days before filming, but Keoghan reassured him, saying, “Yeah, no, I’m going to be fine—I’ll see you on Tuesday.”
However, Keoghan’s health scare did not stop him from continuing his acting career. He later earned an Oscar nomination for his role in the 2022 comedy-drama. McDonagh even advised Keoghan to “remember” the ordeal when he eventually gets “nominated for an Oscar.” While Keoghan did not take home the Oscar, the actor expressed gratitude for the “honor” of being nominated.
With the health scare in his past, Keoghan is embracing a new chapter of his acting career and is enjoying the success that has come his way. He expressed that he is “F–kin’ happy, for once,” and noted that his recent success has “opened up other lanes” for him in acting. Keoghan also mentioned feeling relieved to no longer be solely recognized for his unique appearance. Additionally, he shared that he has a 15-month-old son named Brando with his ex, Alyson Kierans.
Ryan Reynolds, the star of Deadpool, gives us yet another reason to adore him. He had a weekend to remember, as his FX docuseries, Welcome to Wrexham, bagged several awards at the 2023 Creative Arts Emmys on January 7th.
In the spirit of celebration, Ryan took to Instagram. He shared a funny photo that was snapped by his wife, Blake Lively. The caption read, “photo: my Instagram boyfriend.”
The picture showed Ryan, clutching his Deadpool helmet. He was dressed in a three-piece suit. But the cherry on top? He was wearing a pair of cozy house slippers.
Ryan made a cheeky comment about his footwear. “F–k it. They won’t see below the waist,” he quipped.
The so-called “Instagram boyfriend”, Blake, can be seen in the mirror’s reflection. She’s standing behind her husband, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
This isn’t Blake’s first rodeo as the Instagram boyfriend. And it probably won’t be her last. Blake and Ryan, parents to daughters James, 9, Inez, 7, and Betty, 4, and a fourth child whose birth they announced in February 2023, love to tease each other on social media.
Ryan even ropes in Blake’s friends for these playful exchanges. Taylor Swift, Blake’s BFF, is often part of the fun.
