Celebrity World Archives

Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who has brought Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life since Sesame Street’s premiere in 1969, is retiring from the iconic roles after nearly 50 years. Spinney, through a press release from Sesame Workshop, said that even though he is relinquishing these roles to other seasoned performers, he plans on remaining an ambassador for Sesame Workshop into the future. “Big Bird brought me so many places, opened my mind and nurtured my soul,” said Spinney. “And I plan to be an ambassador for Sesame Workshop for many years to come.” Spinney’s work with Jim Henson began after the two met at a puppetry festival in 1962, and Spinney joined the inaugural season of Sesame Street in 1969. Since then, he’s starred in hundreds of episodes of the show, winning the Legacy for Children Award in 2003 and The Christopher’s James Keller Award in 2004. His life and career were documented in the 2014 film “I Am Big Bird.” 

Tara Reid made headlines when it was reported that she was removed from her flight from LAX to New York City this week, coming after reports of a “disagreement with flight attendants.” But now Reid is explaining her side of the story. “They wouldn’t let the dog sit next to me, so I wasn’t going to stay on the plane,” said Reid. “Of course everyone made a big deal about it… I’m kind of used to that in my life. They always kind of pick on me.” Video of Reid being asked to leave the plane was posted on TMZ and other websites, and initial reports said that Reid was upset that she was given the wrong seat, and not given a pillow. Meanwhile, Reid is back to work, and the actress posted a photo of herself on a movie set with director Steve Stanulis on Tuesday. “On the set of ‘Fifth Borough’ with my amazing director Steve Stanulis!” Reid captioned the picture, which featured the star smiling as Stanulis hugged her.

Lady Gaga revealed she is engaged to talent agent Christian Carino during a speech at Elle’s Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration Monday. Gaga was among those honored at the gathering and at the end of her speech she began to thank people, including Carino.  She alluded to the engagement subtly, saying, “Thank you, Elle. Thank you all the loved ones in my life. … Everybody at table 5. My fiancé Christian.”  This is the first time she has acknowledged that the couple are engaged, though there has been speculation for some time now. Gaga, 32, and Carino, 49, have been dating since early 2017. They were first spotted together on the football field ahead of her Super Bowl LI halftime performance in Houston that February. Gaga and Carino – who is a talent agent that represents such big names as Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Lopez — have been very private about their relationship.

Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, met with the President of Uganda, Yoweri K Museveni, during their trip to the country in East Africa. Museveni detailed the meeting with the famous couple in a tweet on Monday, revealing that the rapper gifted him white sneakers amid talks of improving tourism. President Museveni also shared photos from the meeting where he’s greeting the couple, posing with the sneakers and having discussions with them. Museveni wrote on Twitter, “I welcome American entertainment stars Kanye West and @KimKardashian to Uganda. I held fruitful discussions with the duo on how to promote Uganda’s tourism and the arts. I thank Kanye for the gift of white sneakers. Enjoy your time in Uganda. It is the true Pearl of Africa.”  Kanye has been sharing videos from his time in Uganda live on Twitter, giving fans a glimpse into where his family is spending their time in the country, and where he is recording his album, Yandhi.

The Amazon series Transparent will end its fifth and final season with a musical episode. Series creator Jill Soloway revealed the news in a New York Times profile, announcing that show will conclude with a two-hour musical installment to be shot later this year and airing next fall. Soloway said, “this idea of music rescuing our family was all there. So we’re like, Let’s just keep blowing on the flame. The Pfeffermans will live on, and that’s what kept us going.” Earlier this year, Transparent made headlines after allegations of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment were brought against series star Jeffrey Tambor. Tambor was fired from the show in February, almost three months after being accused of sexually harassing Van Barnes, his former assistant,  and Trace Lysette, an actress on the series. Tambor has denied the allegations. Soloway told the Times the two parties have not spoken since his firing.