Foundation

HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

It’s been a very busy week in the political world with the biggest story being the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump – here’s what we know. There was a reason that Donald was heard screaming for his SHOES as the secret service carried him away from the podium moments after the shooting. He wears LIFTS in his shoes to appear taller, and vain Donald didn’t want the press to photograph his shoes with the special inserts in them!

Speaking of Donald, as he accepted the Republican nomination for president on Thursday, he wore a bandage over his ear that was grazed by that bullet and now we just heard that he’s scheduled to undergo minor reconstructive plastic surgery to replace the cartilage that was blown away. Donald has turned to a top Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and is planning to have the surgery within the next few weeks. My source says that he could have gotten in earlier, but Donald enjoys the image of himself with the bandage as he feels it makes him appear stoic and macho.

The other big news is the continued backlash against President Joe Biden’s campaign and we just heard this scoop. The biggest Democratic donors were recently informed via a secure conference call that Biden will NOT be the nominee and to expect an announcement before the end of July. This isn’t speculation -it’s a done deal- and the powers that be are currently drafting a graceful way for Biden to bow out.

The Olympics are all over the news since they’re starting on July 27, and my source says that last minute plans are currently underway to get Taylor Swift to perform at either the opening or closing ceremony. Seems that ticket sales to the events haven’t been as great as expected, so they’re hopeful that an appearance by Taylor could somehow change that. She hasn’t signed on yet, as there are a lot of moving parts to navigate, but expect a big announcement if it all works out as the Olympic committee hopes.

Finally, a sad week for celebrity deaths, including Dr. Ruth, Bob Newhart and Shannen Doherty. Speaking of Shannen, her former husband, the handsome Ashley Hamilton just revealed his own cancer diagnosis during a statement he released to the press on her passing. We just heard this though – Ashley is planning to launch a cancer foundation in Shannen’s memory and raise awareness of the disease and hopefully raise funds in the process. He’s leaning on his stepfather, the wealthy but notoriously frugal Rod Stewart to kick things off with a large donation. We will keep you posted if Rod funds the endeavor.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

MATTHEW PERRY’S BATMAN COLLECTION IS UP FOR GRABS

Turns out the late Matthew Perry spent a considerable amount of his Friends’ fortune on Batman memorabilia. He identified with both Batman and his alter-ego Bruce Wayne – that’s why he often called himself “Mattman.” When he couldn’t sleep at night, he’d scroll on eBay for more Batman collectibles. Now his family is planning to auction off his collection to raise money for his drug and alcohol foundation. My source estimates that Mathew’s extensive collection of everything Batman could fetch millions at auctions for two reasons – many of the collectible items are rare AND the provenance of them being owned and treasured by Matthew increases the value. Though still in mourning, the family wants to focus on turning the proceeds from the auction into a cash infusion for the foundation they just launched. This IS what Matt would have wanted…

RYAN SEACREST FOUNDATION: DONATE AT YOUR OWN RISK

Here’s a piece of information worth repeating. Ryan Seacrest is in the headlines now because of his new job as host of Wheel of Fortune. But there’s one aspect of his life that you rarely read about. Roger Friedman at Showbiz 411 has reminded us that Ryan supports his father and sister from his untaxed Ryan Seacrest Foundation. According to 2021 tax files, Seacrest paid his sister $300,000 for her role as “Executive Director” and his father got $95,000 for “legal work.” The actual Senior Director of the foundation is paid $114.000 to run it. The charity’s purpose is to set up broadcasting facilities in children’s hospitals.(?) In 2021, the foundation made donations of $10,000 each to 11 hospitals. That’s ALL! Apparently MOST donation money is used to pay salaries. How many other celebrities have these “charities” set up mostly to support relatives? Makes you wonder…

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA