THE OTHER STUFF . . .

Kate Middleton Steps Out for Her First-Ever Solo Outing with Queen Elizabeth! Kate Middleton joined Queen Elizabeth for a special joint outing on Tuesday -- their first since she joined the royal family in 2011. The future Queen got further insight into the life of the Sovereign when she and the monarch, 92, toured a high-tech university in central London. Kate and the Queen visited King's College's Strand campus, which is housed in the former BBC building, Bush House. The Queen arrived in a Stewart Parvin pink cashmere coat (accessorized with her pink sapphire and diamond brooch!) over a silk printed dress and a matching hat, while Kate opted for a grey Catherine Walker coat dress and a black fascinator. The event marks the first time Kate has had a joint appearance with the Queen without any other members of the royal family in attendance. Almost a year after her wedding to Prince William, Kate made a royal visit to Leicester as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee tour in March 2012. Prince Philip was also on the outing but was viewed as a momentous occasion for Kate to step out with the Queen without William by her side. "They were chatting away," Lord Waheed Alli, chancellor of De Montfort University, told PEOPLE at the time. "Kate would ask me things and then tell the Queen." The Queen and Kate also viewed the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress at Buckingham Palace together, just the two of them, in 2011. But Tuesday marks the first public joint engagement without another member of the royal family. Meghan had her first joint outing with the Queen a few weeks after her wedding to Prince Harry, when they traveled by train to Widnes, Cheshire. Meghan and the Queen were also happily chatting away as they took in a children's dance performance during the outing. Princess Kate, 37, and the Queen arrived together on Tuesday in the courtyard that links the five Bush House buildings. They toured the education and learning facilities and then headed to the eighth floor where they saw one of the roof terraces that enjoys panoramic views across the city. They also viewed a robotics demonstration, including robotic surgery, and one showing how sensors made from textiles can measure useful information about the body. There was also time to meet students taking part. In a "virtual trading floor" run by the college's Entrepreneurship Institute. King's College which acquired the former broadcasting buildings in 2015 after the BBC's departure in 2012 -- is the fourth oldest university in England and has played a major role in world-beating research, including the discovery of DNA and the work that led to the development of televisions and radar and mobile phones. Later on Tuesday, Kate will step out solo to visit London's Foundling Museum to see work being done to help young adults get a foothold in art teaching. Over the weekend, Kate and husband Prince William helped mark St. Patrick's Day at a ceremony alongside the Irish Guards, while the Queen joined her granddaughter Zara Tindall (as well as Meghan and Harry!) for the christening of Zara's second daughter Lena. (People)

James Corden to Host the 2019 Tony Awards. James Corden will host the 2019 Tony Awards. The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards announced the news on Tuesday. "I'm thrilled to be returning to host the Tony Awards," The Late Late Show host said. "The Broadway community is very dear to my heart, and I'm beyond proud to be part of this incredibly special night." This won't be Corden's first time hosting the award show. As fans will recall, he served as emcee for the 70th Annual Tony Awards, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Program. He's no stranger to musical theater, either. In fact, the late-night host took home a Tony Award in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play category for his 2012 performance in One Man. Two Guvnors. Of course, fans have also seen him show off his singing skills in The Late Late Show's Carpool Karaoke and Crosswalk the Musical series. In addition, Corden is set to appear in the new film adaptation of the musical Cats along with Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson and Jennifer Hudson. Corden takes over the hosting duties from Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban, who served as co-hosts last year. The nominations for the 2019 Tony Awards will be announced April 30. The award show will then be broadcast live from Radio City Musical Hall in New York on Sunday, June 9, 2019 via CBS. (Eonline)

Julia Roberts Says Admissions Scandal Is 'Sad' Because Parents Didn't Have Faith in Their Kids. Julia Roberts is weighing in on the college admissions scandal that's rocked the America. Roberts, 51, was in the U.K. promoting the release of Ben Is Back alongside costar Lucas Hedges when she was asked about the controversy. Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were arrested along with 50 others for allegedly participating in various schemes to get their children into college. "That to me is so sad because I feel, from an outsider, that it says a little bit, 'I don't have enough faith in you,'" Roberts said during an interview with ITV. "I feel that in [Ben Is Back], this mother is trying to say, 'I have so much faith in you, I have both our faiths until you can find the faith in yourself again.'" Huffman and Loughlin were among 50 people named on Tuesday in an alleged conspiracy to defraud and undermine competitive student admissions at elite colleges and universities including Yale, Georgetown, the University of Southern California and Stanford, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts. An indictment claims Huffman allegedly donated $15,000 to a company in a scheme that allowed a proctor to secretly correct her daughter Sofia's SAT test answers, giving her a boost of more than 400 points over her PSAT scores. Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 in bribes to designate their daughters as recruits on the USC crew team even though they don't even row. All three are charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Roberts also give insight into how she keeps her own children grounded. The actress and husband Danny Moder share 14-year-old twins Hazel and Fin and 11-year-old son Henry. "My husband and I are very aligned on that front, I think that we live a very normal experience with our children," she said. "Obviously we have advantages that we didn't have as children. But I think that's the unique part of it, coming from the childhood that I have. You do need to know how to make your bed and do your laundry and make one meal. These are important life skills. They have to run their own race. They have to have their own experience." Ben Is Back tells the poignant tale of a mother struggling to keep her son afloat amid his history of drug abuse. It's available for purchase on DVD/Blu-ray and online streaming. (People)

Anderson Cooper has a two-book deal, first expected in 2022. Anderson Cooper has a two-book deal and plans to collaborate with historian-novelist Katherine Howe. Harper announced Tuesday the 51-year-old CNN anchor and "60 Minutes" correspondent will work on two books of nonfiction with Howe, who specializes in novels about witchcraft, including "The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs" and "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane." The first release is scheduled for 2022. Harper declined to share further details. Cooper is the best-selling author of "Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival" and "The Rainbow Comes and Goes," which he wrote with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. (PageSix)

Danielle Bregoli is too busy growing her business empire to be bothered with a lame-ass sweet sixteen. We got Danielle Monday at LAX, where our photog asked how she's celebrating her impending 16th birthday ... Danielle says her people are busy planning a party for her, but she'd rather just kick it at home on her big day. Yeah, we're kinda shocked too. Bhad Bhabie makes some pretty good points though ... fancy parties just never turn out how they're supposed to. And, who needs the stress that comes with it?!? Of course, Danielle ain't your typical teen ... she's already got her own Snapchat series, futuristic billboard ad, certified gold single, a music vid with DMX and a huge endorsement deal. No wonder she wants a night off. Skipping the birthday bash might be a smart idea after all ... good luck finding the millionaire a present. (TMZ)

After performing the biggest gig on the planet -- the Super Bowl halftime show -- with his band Maroon 5, frontman Adam Levine celebrated his 40th birthday rock-star style. He flew his pals to Mike Meldman's private island estate and celebrated with a dinner on the beach under the stars and with a performance by the band Sublime and stunning fireworks. Guests included Levine's bandmates, gymnast Aly Raisman, Irving Azoff, Ray Romano and Levine's wife, Behati Prinsloo. (PageSix)

Black activists ask NAACP to rescind Jussie Smollett nomination. Project 21, a prominent black leadership network, on Monday called for the NAACP to rescind embattled "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett's Image Award nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series," which was announced before he was charged with staging a hate crime. "Everyone has a reason to be disappointed with Jussie Smollett right now, and these accumulated reasons justify the NAACP taking swift and appropriate action to remove him from consideration for its Image Award," Project 21 co-chairman Council Nedd II said in a statement. The 50th NAACP Image Awards are scheduled for March 30. The NAACP did not immediately respond when asked for comment. "Smollett is charged with perpetrating a hate crime hoax that wasted valuable police resources and stoked racial tensions nationwide. It hurt our nation's ability to heal its racial wounds and made the NAACP's civil rights goals harder to achieve," Nedd II continued. "The NAACP needs to make it clear that his behavior is not OK by removing him from contention for an Image Award." In January, Smollett told police that two masked men attacked him, put a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him as he was walking home from a Subway restaurant. The actor, who is black and openly gay, said the masked men beat him, made racist and homophobic comments and yelled, "This is MAGA country" before fleeing the scene. However, the Chicago Police Department alleges that Smollett paid the Osundairos by check for a "phony attack" in order to take "advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career." The 36-year-old musician and actor was arrested for allegedly filing a false police report in the incident and released on a $100,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct stemming from the alleged hoax. Smollett is also being investigated for allegedly sending himself a threatening hate letter to the "Empire" set, which could potentially land him behind bars for 10 years for mail fraud. "The NAACP was founded to help move America beyond our deeply racist past. Generations of men and women  both black and white  have dedicated their lives to that noble cause. It would be nothing short of a slap in the face to those civil rights heroes for the NAACP to now honor Smollett with an Image Award while he's suspected of using symbols of racial barbarism  including a noose  to shamelessly advance and promote his career," Project 21 member Jerome Hudson said in a statement. "Empire" producers and showrunners previously stated that Smollett would be cut from the remainder of Season 5. Smollett's attorneys previously told Fox News they've "witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system. The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a Mayoral election. Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing." The National Center for Public Policy Research's Project 21 aims to "provide the conservative movement with a versatile and energetic organization capable of responding quickly and decisively to fast-breaking issues" and "promote the views of African-Americans whose entrepreneurial spirit, dedication to family and commitment to individual responsibility have not traditionally been echoed by the nation's civil rights establishment," according to the group's website. (PageSix)

Chris Harrison need search no more, because the perfect bachelor has been found: Bob Weinstein is looking for love. Weinstein, younger brother of disgraced movie mogul Harvey, is using an exclusive Manhattan dating service after two failed marriages, Page Six has learned. Weinstein is good friends with Greta Tufvesson Stack, co-founder of exclusive dating service the Bevy, which bills itself as an "intensely personal matchmaking service." Scores of attractive Upper East Side women are using it to find a man -- but one woman was "horrified" when she got Weinstein's details. A friend said: "Just the name Weinstein made her so upset!" While Harvey awaits trial on rape charges, his brother was accused of making unwanted romantic overtures to showrunner Amanda Segel in 2016, an accusation that he has denied. The dad of two left the board of directors of the Weinstein Company before it was sold last year. A friend told us: "Bob is looking for someone. He wants to settle down. He's really a family man." Tufvesson Stack said: "Bob is a longtime personal friend of ours who we set up from time to time with our members or friends." (PageSix)

Identity of person who poked, flipped off Diana Ross is revealed. The identity of the person who poked -- then flipped off -- Diana Ross in the middle of her performance has been revealed. And it turns out to be a drag queen who has performed tributes to Ross. HRH Princess Diandra fessed up to the bizarre incident that happened during Ross' performance at the opening of the Times Square Edition last week -- blaming it on free booze. "While looking for a bathroom I found a [backstage] room with a table full of champagne," Diandra posted. "I poured myself a glass and no one looked at me twice. I then went back and helped myself to a bottle." During the show, "[Ross] was so close I could practically lick her. I then reverted to my 5-year-old self. SUPER excited and fueled with champagne, a toxic combination!" Diandra explained, "In that moment I wanted a nod, a touch, some acknowledgment .?.?. In true [Ross] fashion, I got DUST! I then acted like a petulant toddler and I poked her. She mock hit me and I gave her the finger and said, F?-?-?K YOU! NOT REMOTELY COOL .?.?. Was I much? YESTH!" As exclusively reported by Page Six, the fan poked the living legend and tried to grab at her tulle boa while she was performing the classic "Upside Down" onstage. The diva went on the defensive, attempting to bat away the belligerent fan, causing her to angrily flip Ross off. Diandra then recalls being booted by two attractive bouncers, saying, "Next thing I know I am pon da street!" Ross also addressed the moment on social media. She said on Instagram Sunday, "It was truly a lovely moment in NY, it was a reach out and touch moment, totally loving. I was not hit or hurt! A really fun night!" Nile Rodgers and the hotel's owner and former Studio 54 boss, Ian Schrager, joined her onstage. (PageSix)

The insanely successful Peloton bikes, which changed the fitness game, have done so by jacking songs to use for its instructional classes ... according to a new lawsuit. Peloton is being sued by several different music publishing companies because -- according to new docs obtained by TMZ -- the company did not acquire the rights to play numerous hit songs featured in its wildly popular interactive spin classes. The docs say Peloton currently has more than 600k subscribers and is reported to be worth more than $4 BILLION ... and the music publishing companies claim a big part of that success is due to the music playing during the classes. Some of the songs listed in the suit include "Umbrella" and "Diamonds" by Rihanna, "Don't Wake Me Up" by Chris Brown, along with older hits like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar. Rihanna's hit track, "Umbrella," has been used in at least 55 workout vids since 2017 ... according to the docs. All in all, the publishers say they've ID'd more than a thousand songs in their catalogs that Peloton is using without proper permission. Peloton is being sued for massive damages. (TMZ)

The high school referee who told Andrew Johnson to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit is now threatening to sue ... claiming he's been DEFAMED and he's demanding $100,000 in damages. The wrestling match made international headlines when Johnson -- who is black -- appeared humiliated when he was essentially forced to cut his hair during the Dec. 2018 match. The ref, Alan Maloney, has not reffed a single high school wrestling match since ... and he's pissed -- claiming he did nothing wrong. In fact, Maloney believes he was simply following the rules laid out by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association ... and should NOT be subject to any sort of punishment. In his letter, Maloney states his case ... saying Johnson's hair length violated the rules. Maloney claims he gave Johnson time to get a hair covering, but Johnson did not have one. So, in accordance with NJSIAA policy, Maloney says "provided the wrestler with the time to correct the deficiency" -- aka, a haircut. Once the video went viral, many people accused Maloney of operating out of racism and he feels the NJSIAA did nothing to correct the narrative. Now, Maloney has fired off a letter to the NJSIAA saying he's planning to take legal action because he feels the association has participated in DEFAMING him, causing him to lose income and suffer emotional distress. He's claiming damages of $100k. We spoke with Johnson's attorney Dominic Speziali who tells us, "To the extent that [Maloney] plans to file a claim as a victim in this incident is outright absurd." As for Johnson, he returned to the mat after the incident and qualified for the prestigious regional championships. (TMZ)

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