Janet Charlton's

HOLLYWOOD

The biggest story of the week was the Met Gala, both who showed up and who DIDN’T. So our first few recap items this week will be about that.   Here’s what we know.  Taylor Swift was supposed to attend, but decided it wasn’t a good look with the ongoing war in the Middle East, so she and her soon to be husband, Travis Kelce hightailed it to London.  My source says Taylor wanted an excuse to skip the event so she personally let Anna Wintour know that she had a commitment overseas that she just couldn’t get out of.  The real reason was that she just didn’t like the optics.

Zendaya was another no-show at the star studded event for similar reasons. My source says that she and her FIANCE ( maybe husband) Tom Holland backed out just a few weeks before the big night because of the optics.  She used the excuse that she just needed a break and some downtime from her challenging schedule, but the real story is she found it a bad idea to flaunt excess when so many people around the world are suffering.

Yet another no show was Sydney Sweeney, who has attended the event for the last four years. We can tell you this.  Sydney’s once promising friendship with the Gala’s cohosts, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez seems to be on hiatus.  Although Sydney was an unexpected guest at their Italian wedding last year, a chill has developed between the powerful couple and the voluptuous actress. We don’t know exactly what happened, but we can tell you they’re not as close as they once were, and the rumor in the fashion world is that Lauren nixed Sydney’s invite.

Someone who DID attend was Olympic Gold Medalist Alysa Liu.  Our source, who was a guest at the Gala, reveals that despite the star power in the room, Alysa attracted the most attention.  Everyone from Beyoncé to Madonna wanted to meet her and snap a selfie with her.  My source adds that Alysa, a guest of the fashion giant, Louis Vuitton, couldn’t have been more pleasant and seemed totally confident and anything but star struck.  Fun fact.  My source also says that while most of the crowd just pushed their food around the plate, Alysa actually enjoyed her meal!

Just as we expected, the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni lawsuit settled before it went to trial.  Again, we told you that months ago.  Here’s the latest though.  Since Justin still has the rights to the It Ends with Us sequel, my well placed source reveals that Blake is still hoping to star in the movie despite the bad blood between her and Justin.  While it’s a long shot, the original movie was a huge box office success, so Blake has a plan.  She is going to wait a bit until the story is old news, and then reach out to Justin to bury the hatchet.  Again, it’s a long shot, and the wounds are still fresh, but at the end of the day, money is money and there could be a lot made with this sequel.

Jake Reiner was in the news for returning to cohost his podcast about the Los Angeles Dodgers.  We can tell you this.  Jake’s return to the public eye is just the first step as he tries to cope with the unimaginable loss of his parents, Michele and Rob Reiner, and the shock of having his brother Nick charged with their murders.  Here’s what we know. Jake is being wooed by major networks to sit down for an in depth interview about his parents and his troubled relationship with his brother Nick.  For now, Jake has not decided which, if any, offer to take, but don’t be too surprised if the interview happens before the beginning of summer.

Jennifer Lopez was in the news when she once again listed the mansion she purchased with her then-husband, Ben Affleck.  As we recently reported, Ben signed away his rights to the home as a parting gift to Jen, and now she’s lowered the price to a measly $50 million – which is substantially less than she and Ben originally paid for the place.  Here’s what we know.  The lower price has attracted a ton of interest from celebrities and the upper class.  Even Ivanka Trump has requested a private video tour of the place, as she is looking to put some roots down in Los Angeles. Another interested potential buyer is Rihanna, who loves the security aspect of the sprawling estate.