THE OTHER STUFF . . .

Christie Brinkley is 'so excited' for return to Broadway's 'Chicago'. The name on everybody's lips is once again Christie Brinkley. The supermodel, 65, who is prepping for her return in the lead role of Roxie Hart in Broadway's "Chicago," told Page Six on Wednesday night that she's brushing up on her routines from when she first hit the stage several years ago. "You can forget a lot in six years but it really is coming back to me," she said. "There's been some changes to some of the dance routines so now I have to learn those and try and remember all the things that you have to do." "I'm so excited," she added while chatting at the Bella Magazine party at Bagatelle. Brinkley covers the publication's "Influencer Issue." The eternal stunner originally took on the role of Roxie in 2010 and returned for a limited run in 2012. This time around she'll be starring in several productions, including the show's national tour in Phoenix, Ariz. and Las Vegas, Nevada, before hitting the Broadway stage at the Ambassador Theatre from April 18 to May 12. "I just feel so honored to be able to work with the professionals that I've been working with, they're so wonderful and they all love the material so much," she said. "They are there because of the passion for it and I love that so much." In addition to "Chicago," Brinkley said that "West Side Story" and "My Fair Lady" are among her Broadway favorites. "They're like the classic, classic shows," she said. As for being considered an influencer by the fashion and lifestyle magazine, Brinkley said, "I hope that I'm influencing people to take good care of themselves and to also just take the time to really live in the moment and enjoy every day." (PageSix)

Chrissy Teigen Wishes Her Son Miles a "Happy Graduation" From Wearing a Helmet. Someone please cue up "Pomp and Circumstance" because we have a graduate on our hands. Chrissy Teigen announced on Twitter that her and John Legend's son Miles Stephens is now officially helmet-free. The Cravings cookbook author shared on social media on Dec. 3 that Miles was "getting fitted for a little helmet today for his adorable slightly misshapen head." She assured her followers not to "feel bad" for her son because "he's just fixing his flat and honestly he's probably gonna be even cuter with it somehow." She was right about that! Wednesday was a momentous occasion for the sweet 9-month-old boy. Teigen celebrated her son and praised him for being "such a trooper for 3 months of helmet." This marks his official helmet "graduation." The 33-year-old shared a video of them snuggling on the couch and wished him a "happy helmet free day." Miles seemed to cheer along in his own way as she repeated, "No more helmet. No more helmet!" Well, no more helmet for now until it's time to learn how to ride a bike. But one protective step at a time. Teigen received an outpouring of support and praise when she initially shared on Twitter that Miles had to start wearing a helmet. Many of her followers shared pictures and anecdotes of their own experiences with themselves or their children wearing helmets. "Chrissy, really cool of you to share. All of us parents have these moments with our kids and it just makes it easier to talk about them when you see you are not alone," one Twitter user replied. Teigen has posted her fair share of videos of Miles repping his well-decorated helmet while he plays with his dog or his toys. Helmet or not, one look from Miles on camera is enough to make anyone's heart melt into a million pieces. On Jan. 12, Miles needed some fashion advice while getting ready for his dad aka twin-with-a-40-year-age-difference's James Bond-themed birthday party. Teigen posted side-by-side photos of Miles wearing a black tuxedo and a white tuxedo and turned to her trusted 11 million Twitter followers to help her decide. The verdict didn't even matter because it was clear that Miles would be the star of the show no matter what. It's safe to assume that Teigen is celebrating Miles' big achievement with some delicious food. There's one snack in particular, however, that probably won't be on the menu. On Feb. 23, the Lip Sync Battle host celebrated her son's 9-month birthday by sharing a fun update about some of his main likes and dislikes. For instance, Miles loves his sister Luna Stephens and toys with music noises. However, don't think about giving him any quinoa. He'll take a bath over that trendy grain anytime. Congrats on the big day, Miles! (Eonline)

Ben Affleck defends his enormous phoenix back tattoo. Not only is Ben Affleck's colorful phoenix back tattoo incredibly real -- it's very meaningful. On "The Ellen Show" on Thursday, the actor, 46, acknowledged that the reaction from the public was "not so much positive" and defended his enormous back piece. "It represents something very important to me. It's meaningful to me," he said. "I like it. It's something that I sort of kept private, I wasn't doing photoshoots or whatever. I love my tattoo. I'm very happy with it." Affleck was first spotted with the huge design in 2015 while filming his upcoming Netflix movie "Live By Night." He later dodged questions by claiming the design was actually fake for the movie and not a permanent addition. However, in 2018, Affleck alluded that the ink could be real after The New Yorker skewered it and his mental health, describing Affleck as having "thick skin with garish tattoos." He responded, "@NewYorker I'm doing just fine," on Twitter. Ex-fiance and ex-wife Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner both vocally disapproved of the phoenix imagery. "It's awful!" Lopez said. "His tattoos always have too many colors, they shouldn't be so colorful. They should be cooler." "You know what we would say in my hometown about that? 'Bless his heart,'" Jennifer Garner said in 2016. "A phoenix rising from the ashes. Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes." BFF Matt Damon was among the few supporters: "I mean, it's not one man's job to tell another man what he can do to his back. I support him in all of his artistic expression," he said. Even Ellen couldn't resist ribbing the father of two, joking that the multi-colored bird is rising out of his "ass." However, it seems Affleck would like everyone to butt out completely. "Luckily, I'm the one who has it," he said. Though he didn't go into detail about what the phoenix -- a symbol of rebirth -- represents, he did allude to his past few tumultuous years. "There's temptation to get like -- I could get depressed, I could be like, 'I've been through a lot. That was hard, this was hard,' or I could be kind of embarrassed. But I have to say, I feel so good right now," Affleck said, hinting at his recent stint in rehab and recovery from addiction. "I'm in such a great place, kids are healthy, life is good. So, whatever it took for me to get to this place, I'm grateful for." (PageSix)

Demi Lovato is moving on up ... to a high-rise luxury condo in Century City, and her new place is loaded with some baller amenities and breathtaking views!!! We've learned Demi recently moved into an exclusive condo building -- home to tons of celebs and high-profile peeps -- and she's doing it big, all the way up on the 22nd floor! As you can see ... Demi is enamored with her amazing views of the Hollywood Hills, San Gabriel Mountains and Los Angeles skyline. Talk about your window to the world! The amenities are next-level too ... we're talking indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, an insane fitness center, exercise studios, private park, outdoor chef's kitchen, a lounge, game room and screening room. How does she ever leave the property?!? Our sources say Demi moved in about 2 months ago, which puts her move-in date right around the time she celebrated 6 months of sobriety, and she's throwing down about $35,000 a month in rent. We broke the story ... Demi is selling her Hollywood Hills home, where she OD'd on Oxycodone last summer, and it's on the market for $9.495 million. Home ownership is overrated anyway. (TMZ)

Carly Schroeder's left Hollywood for the Army, because she's on a life mission to help out those who desperately need it ... and feels it's time to walk the walk. The "Lizzie McGuire" actress joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss her decision to enlist, which wasn't made lightly. She tells us she got a lot of support from her family, though ... especially her dad, a former Green Beret, and her younger brother, a Marine. Carly says she's passionate about giving aid to veterans and the homeless and rescuing human trafficking victims. The best way to do both, according to her  enlist in the Army and learn some skills to make it happen. The "Mean Creek" star's been accepted into Officer Candidate School and has already begun training -- a lot of training -- to improve her skills. Ultimately, she plans to get into military intelligence, which is crucial for combating trafficking. Military service might be a family affair for Carly, but as she put it ... "There is no way I am going to let the boys have all the fun." (TMZ)

Honest celebrities lash out at college admission 'cheats'. Hollywood icons who didn't shell out bribes to get their kids into elite schools sounded off against actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, and the rest of the La La Land losers who got busted Tuesday on allegations of gaming the system. "I got into Harvard against long odds via hard work and perseverance. Neither of my parents went to college, we didn't have money 2 even pay for SAT prep course let alone bribes. Shameful. It's hard enuf for working class kids 2 succeed w/o rich privilege taking opportunity away," tweeted "Breaking Bad" star Dean Norris. "When I think of all the kids who studied hard, stayed up late, had part time jobs to pay for their college application fees, and then were denied rightly deserved places in elite colleges because some rich f�kwads cheated for their already privileged kids -- I'm disgusted." Rob Lowe also waded into the fray after his Stanford-grad son John Owen Lowe tweeted the scheme was "horrible" when kids like himself spent months studying for the SAT only to have to retake it "multiple times." The "Parks and Recreation" star followed it up by writing "Very proud of my honest, hardworking sons," but later deleted the tweet. Meanwhile, Richard Dreyfuss' son Ben half-joked on Twitter: "I got into college the old fashioned way: by letting my father's celebrity speak for itself." His mom tried to convince him it was his stellar writing that got him into Emerson, but he proved her wrong in a series of texts he shared on the social media site. "I was throw [sic] out of one high school, left another with a drug problem, and then graduated from a correspondence school that gave me credit for having a drivers license," the Mother Jones scribe told his mom, adding he only got in because he mentioned his Hollywood upbringing in an entrance essay. "Ok that may have helped," the mom admitted, adding "dad never made any donations." (PageSix)

Shutting it down! Kyle Richards clapped back after trolls asked if she bribed her daughter Sophia Umansky's way into a prestigious university amid the nationwide college admissions cheating scheme known as Operation Varsity Blues. "Some people are really unbelievable," the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 50, captioned an Instagram Story screenshot on Wednesday, March 13, of Sophia defending herself against haters. "So proud of you @sophiakylieee." Sophia, 18, who is a freshman at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., didn't hold back after a fan commented on her page, "Did your parents bribe your way into Gw just like all your neighbors back home did? You seem incredibly stupid." The teen quipped back, "I actually graduated high school on the deans list and worked really hard to get into a good school thank u for ur concern tho sweetie." Richards previously addressed the racketeering scam during her Tuesday, March 12, appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen after a fan asked if anyone in Sophia's "circle has ever had an issue like" this. "We know a lot of people in that circle and it was really shocking today," explained the Bravo star, who is friends with Lori Loughlin. "Everyone's talking about it today, you know, in our world and our circle. Until today, [I] had never heard this ever existed. Maybe I'm naive. I didn't even know that existed." Loughlin, 54, and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were arrested on Wednesday and Tuesday, respectively, for their alleged involvement in the scheme to get their daughters Bella, 20, and Olivia, 19, admitted into the University of Southern California. According to documents, obtained by ABC News, the couple "agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team -- despite the fact that they did not participate in crew -- thereby facilitating their admission to USC." Felicity Huffman was also arrested for her connection to the scam, which involved nearly 50 people total. The Desperate Housewives alum, who was taken into custody at gunpoint on Tuesday and later released on a $250,000 bond, allegedly "made a purported charitable contribution of $15,000" to participate in the college entrance cheating scandal on behalf of her eldest daughter, Sophia, 18, who she shares with husband William H. Macy. She reportedly considered doing the same thing for the couple's younger daughter, 16-year-old Georgia, but ultimately chose "not to do so." (US Weekly)

Jordan Klepper is shocked undocumented students hadn't come up with the idea of having rich celebrity parents -- which now seems like a much easier way to get into schools. We got the former 'Daily Show' correspondent at LAX Wednesday and got his 2 cents on the explosive college admissions bribery scandal. The comedian has been pushing for Dreamers -- undocumented students brought to the U.S. when they were kids -- to have access to higher education. He's such an advocate, Jordan got arrested last month during a protest for the cause. So, you can see how the college bribery indictment -- which nailed Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin -- hit a nerve. Actually, it hit a funny bone because Jordan jokes Dreamers need to get on board and explore the celeb parents option. Jordan makes fun of those who tried playing the game, but he does get serious for a min ... saying every kid has the right to be evaluated fairly and the opportunity to fail on their own. In other words, the exact opposite of what the bribery ringleader Rick Singer was preaching. (TMZ)

Denise Rich's grandson Kai Schachter reportedly dies by suicide in London. A teenage grandson of Denise Rich reportedly killed himself Monday in London. Kai Schachter, one of Rich's six grandchildren, was 19 and one of four kids of Ilona Rich Schachter and New York art dealer Kenny Schachter. "Kai's death is a devastating loss, he was a hugely gifted artist with a wonderful spirit and a sense of humor that touched everyone he met," the Rich and Schachter families said in a statement. "The family is asking for privacy at this time as they take time to grieve and gather all of the details." One source said Kai, enrolled at London's Slade School of Fine Art, was heartbroken over a busted romance. The teenager split his time between NYC and London and had been living on the Bowery with his older brother Adrian and two other artists. In November, he told Vogue Italia: "I'm inspired when I'm completely immersed in nature and can vigilantly study the beauty and lines created by mother earth, but I equally draw inspiration from promotional signs on trash cans and the popping images plastered on the side of a bodega in NYC." The brothers were members of a London-based collective, Something to Hate On, which was started by Jude Law's son Raff, 22, and two of his pals. Denise Rich, ex-wife of the fugitive financier Marc Rich, is no stranger to tragedy. She lost her eldest daughter, Gabrielle, to leukemia in 1996, and founded the charity now called the Gabrielle's Angel Foundation for Cancer Research in her honor. With the help of its annual Angel Ball, the foundation has awarded $33 million in research grants. Marc Rich, who fled the US for Switzerland in 1983, was pardoned by President Bill Clinton on his last day in office in 2001. Denise pleaded the Fifth before Congress at a hearing into whether the pardon was granted in exchange for her $1 million in contributions to the Democratic Party and the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park. (PageSix)

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