Janet Charlton's

HOLLYWOOD

Matt Lauer was back in the news (and he’s not thrilled about it) because his accuser, Brooke Nevils released a book about the 2014 incidents which she termed as rape and he insisted were consensual. Matt was NEVER charged with any crime, but lost his job and his marriage because of the scandal.  Of course, he’s LIVID over the new tell-all, and is already plotting his revenge.  Here’s what we know.  Matt is working on his own book about what he says REALLY happened, and he is telling pals he has all of the receipts to prove that while he was a cheating jerk, he was never a rapist.  Matt is smart enough to realize that he might have a tough time landing a publisher, so he’s prepared to self publish and sell it on Amazon.

Handsome accused felon, Luigi Mangione, was a topic of conversation when a man impersonating an FBI agent was arrested for attempting to free Luigi from jail using fake credentials.  We can tell you this unknown tidbit. The accused, Mark Anderson, was borderline obsessed with Luigi and had previously written gushing letters to him in jail.  He even had a photo of Luigi in his wallet when he was arrested.  My sources tell me that unless something drastic happens, Mark probably won’t do any prison time since prosecutors are expected to suggest he spend a great deal of time in a mental health facility instead.

Lamar Odom was in the news for all the wrong reasons – getting a DUI in Las Vegas.  Days after the arrest, Lamar checked into a rehab facility in Los Angeles and we can tell you this.  His unlucky in love ex-wife, Khloe Kardashian, is picking up the tab for EVERYTHING.  Khloe arranged for transportation for Lamar from Vegas to LA, and is fronting the bill for his rehab and post stay care.  Khloe feels living in Vegas might not be the best thing for Lamar (they call it Sin City after all) so she’s offered to lease him a home near hers until he gets back on his feet.

Speaking of Kardashians and their troubled exes, Kim Kardashian’s former boyfriend and infamous sex tape partner, Ray J, was all over the news when he took to social media to claim he had major heart issues and might only have months left to live.  Although Kim and Ray J are far from friendly (remember he sued her and her mom recently over the sex tape) Kim still felt bad.  She didn’t reach out to him since she wants zero contact, but she did lean on a mutual friend and let it be known that she is willing to use her numerous contacts and unlimited resources if he winds up needing a heart transplant.

The Super Bowl dominated the headlines when the two teams who are competing were decided – the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. We can tell you this.  Behind very closed doors some NFL executives are still hoping to persuade Taylor Swift to come to the game.  Taylor’s presence at games  over the last few years was a huge ratings boost to the league, especially among the coveted younger female demographic.  The earnings for the ads during the game depends on ratings (more viewers translates into more ad revenue).  Taylor has yet to commit to coming to the game, but if she takes the league up on their offer, you can expect to see her in a coveted private box at game time.

Irrelevant comic Rob Schneider was in the news (talk about a blast from the past) when it was reported that his Mexican actress wife, Patricia, was pulling the plug on their marriage.  We can tell you why. Patricia was fed up with Rob’s seemingly undying devotion to everything MAGA and the latest ICE deportations were the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Although somewhat conservative herself, Patricia felt there was no common sense nor compassion in much of the MAGA movement, and she finally decided she had ENOUGH of Rob’s passion for everything Trump.

As we already told ya so, Nicki Minaj was in the news when Donald Trump apparently gifted her with a coveted gold card, which is a fast track to citizenship. Nicki boasted that she didn’t have to pay the normal $1 million fee for the card, but we can tell you this.  Trump does NOTHING without getting something in return,  and this time it’s no different.  Nicki had to agree to campaign heavily in the African American communities during the upcoming midterm elections and of course, endorse all of Trump’s preferred candidates.  We’re not sure how much influence Nicki will have come November though, since her fan base is reportedly shrinking by the minute, thanks to her newfound alignment with Trump.