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12:25 PM ET, January 8, 2025

WeSmirch

 Top News: 
Los Angeles Times:
Pacific Palisades fire explodes to nearly 3,000 acres as thousands of residents flee, homes are lost  — Fires have ignited in the L.A. area amid dangerous, dry offshore winds.  — The Palisades fire has grown to more than 2,900 acres and forced about 30,000 residents to evacuate.
RELATED:
Los Angeles Times:
Palisades residents face traffic gridlock, panic as fire blazes through community: ‘It looks grim’  —  As a brush fire tore through Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, evacuees quickly jammed the area's whirligig of canyon and hillside roads, as black smoke descended in 50-mph gusts, forcing some to abandon their cars and flee on foot.
Charmaine Patterson / People:
Steve Guttenberg Goes Unrecognized as He Comes to the Rescue of People Evacuating Pacific Palisades Fire  —  The actor urged evacuating residents to leave their keys in their car so he could move their vehicles, making room for fire trucks that needed to get through
TMZ.com:
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag Lose Home in Los Angeles Wildfire  —  SPENCER PRATT, HEIDI MONTAG LOS ANGELES HOME TORCHED IN WILDFIRE … Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have lost their home in the massive wildfire that's currently burning on Los Angeles' westside ... TMZ has learned.
TMZ.com:
Austin Butler & Kaia Gerber Break Up After Nearly 3 Years Together  —  AUSTIN BUTLER, KAIA GERBER SPLITSVILLLE ... NO LONGER DATING  —  EXCLUSIVE … Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber have kicked off the New Year with a new relationship status — they're both single ... TMZ has learned.
RELATED:
People:
Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler Split After More Than 3 Years Together  —  The couple was first sparked romance rumors in December 2021  —  Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler have called it quits.  —  More than three years after going public with their relationship in March 2022, the model, 23 …
Jim Farber / New York Times:
Peter Yarrow, the Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary, Dies at 86  —  The folk trio he formed with Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers became a pop phenomenon, scoring hits like “If I Had a Hammer” and “Puff the Magic Dragon.”  —  Peter Yarrow, whose caring and righteous vocals for the trio Peter …
RELATED:
Laura Snapes / The Guardian:
Peter Yarrow of folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary dies aged 86  —  Known for his political songs as well as Puff, the Magic Dragon, the group's co-songwriter died of bladder cancer  —  Peter Yarrow, a vocalist with the US folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died aged 86.
Ed Meza / Variety:
Armie Hammer Set for Lead Role in Uwe Boll's Vigilante Thriller ‘The Dark Knight’ (EXCLUSIVE) … Hammer is set to play the crime-fighting titular character in the vigilante thriller, which is scheduled to begin principal photography in Croatia on Jan. 27.  —  The embattled actor …
Tamantha Ryan / Page Six:
Allison Holker discovered hidden drugs in Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss' shoeboxes after his death: ‘Scary moment’  —  Allison Holker learned about late husband Stephen “tWitch” Boss' dark secrets after his December 2022 death.  —  During a new interview with People, the “So You Think You Can Dance” …
RELATED:
Tionah Lee / E! Online:
Former MLB Pitcher Brian Matusz Dead at 37  —  Brian Matusz, who spent 8 years pitching for the Baltimore Orioles, has died, the MLB organization shared in a statement.  —  The Major League Baseball world is mourning the loss of a beloved athlete.  —  Brian Matusz, former pitcher …
Rachel McRady / People:
Travis Kelce Shares the One Time of Year He Wouldn't Get Married  —  Travis and his brother Jason Kelce disagreed about the merits of fall weddings on their ‘New Heights’ podcast  —  Don't expect to see Taylor Swift wearing her cardigan at a fall wedding.  —  Travis Kelce made his opinion …
Discussion: Just Jared and Page Six
Joe Otterson / Variety:
‘Holes’ TV Series Picked Up to Pilot by Disney+ (EXCLUSIVE)  —  A “Holes” TV series has been ordered to pilot at Disney+, Variety has learned exclusively.  —  The potential show would be based on the book of the same name by Louis Sachar, which was previously adapted into a 2003 feature film by Walt Disney Pictures.
Discussion: Deadline, Consequence and TVLine
Nicholas Hautman / Page Six:
‘Bachelorette’ alums Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo finalize divorce  —  “The Bachelorette” alums Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo finalized their divorce Tuesday, Page Six can exclusively confirm.  —  While a Los Angeles court ordered Lindsay, 39, to pay Abasolo, 44 …
Discussion: Us Weekly and TMZ.com
Becca Longmire / People:
Spencer Pratt Shares Devastating Moment His Home Is Destroyed by Pacific Palisades Fire: ‘Nightmare Came True’  —  ‘The Hills’ alum shared a video on TikTok after the fire burned through his and wife Heidi Montag Pratt's home  —  Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag Pratt's home has been destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire.
Discussion: New York Post, Extra and The Sun
Rachel DeSantis / People:
Sabrina Carpenter Looks Back on ‘Baby Steps’ That Led to Best New Artist Grammy Nod 10 Years Into Her Career (Exclusive)  —  The pop star recently partnered with T-Mobile as a sponsor on her Short n' Sweet tour, which will head to Europe in the spring  —  Sabrina Carpenter may be nominated …
Discussion: Billboard and UPROXX
People:
Meghan Markle Mourns Death of Rescue Beagle Guy: ‘I Have Cried Too Many Tears to Count’  —  Guy, a rescue from a Kentucky kill shelter, has held a special place in the Duchess of Sussex's heart since 2015  —  Meghan Markle is mourning the loss of her beloved rescue beagle, Guy.
Jen Juneau / People:
Jennifer Lopez ‘Wants to Close the Door’ After Ben Affleck Divorce: ‘Fairy Tale Turned Out to Be a Nightmare’ (Exclusive)  —  The pair finalized their divorce on Monday, Jan. 6, 20 weeks after Lopez filed for a dissolution of marriage in August 2024  —  Jennifer Lopez is focusing on a fresh start following her split from Ben Affleck.
Leah Degrazia / E! Online:
YouTuber David Dobrik Unveils Before-and-After Photos of Major Fitness Transformation  —  YouTuber David Dobrik revealed the before-and-after of his recent fitness transformation in a series of photos and videos.  See the results of his jaw-dropping glow-up.
 
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 More News: 
Lauren Iannotti / Real Simple:
Brooke Shields Has Some Things to Say About Aging
Discussion: Daily Mail and People
People:
Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Vows to Release ‘Evidence’ of Blake Lively's ‘Pattern of Bullying’: ‘We Have the Receipts’
 Earlier Picks: 
Christine Rendon / Daily Mail:
Paris Jackson reveals secret heroin addiction as she celebrates five years of sobriety
Phoebe Tatham / HELLO!:
Prince Harry to return to the UK next month - why Meghan Markle won't join him
Discussion: Us Weekly
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Sara Fischer / Axios:
Internal memo: TikTok has signed a deal to sell its US unit; Oracle, Silver Lake, MGX will collectively own 45% of the US entity, and ByteDance will retain ~20%

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
CBS News and The Free Press announce Things That Matter, a series of town halls and debates, starting in early 2026, with Sam Altman, J.D. Vance, and others

Shane O'Neill / Washington Post:
Q&A with Christopher Anderson, who photographed Trump's inner circle for VF: “My job is to ... draw on my experience as a journalist and photograph what I see”

 
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