ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Jamie-Lynn Sigler Explains Why She Will Not "Fall Victim" to Her MS Diagnosis. Jamie-Lynn Sigler is refusing "to fall victim" to her MS diagnosis. On Wednesday, The Sopranos alum stopped by Daily Pop and opened up about how she navigates being a working actress, a mom and a person diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. While Sigler admitted to stressing about finding balance in the past, she said she now just tries to be present. "I don't balance, I feel like I have to throw that word off the table," the 38-year-old actress relayed to co-hosts Justin Sylvester and Morgan Stewart. "I just try to be where my feet are, because when you have kids, a piece of your heart, you're never whole until everyone is in the home together. So, I just feel like when I'm with my kids, I'm committed and when I'm working, I have to trust that they're in the best care possible and I can commit." We're sure many working moms can relate to this sentiment. Yet, in addition to these everyday demands, Sigler also has a disease which attacks her central nervous system. Back in 2016, the veteran actress opened up for the first time about her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. At the time of her announcement, Sigler had already been diagnosed for 15 years. Despite initially keeping her diagnosis private, she is now open to talking about her life with MS and is breaking stigmas surrounding the disease. "I think that's why I'm sharing that I live with MS more than anything... I'm somebody that represents a group of people, I think, that live with this disease. But, it's not my life! " Sigler added. "People with MS fall in love, have kids, have marriages, have jobs, have other problems that have nothing to do with their disease. So yes, I don't bring it up because it is something I deal with every day, but we all have things we deal with every day." In fact, per Sigler, she has "every excuse to stay in bed and say, 'Poor me!" Yet, she made it clear she will not live her life that way. "I live a full life. There's many faces of this disease," Cutter Dykstra's wife continued. "I think more than anything, I just try and represent somebody who is trying to be brave in the face of it and still live their life and choose every day to not fall victim to it." And Sigler certainly hasn't let this diagnosis hinder her career. In addition to this candid chat, Sigler discussed her "Ripped from the Headlines" Lifetime movie, The Neighbor in the Window (premiering Saturday, Feb. 8). (Eonline)

Alicia Keys Surprises Clueless Lyft Riders As She Drives Undercover in Hilarious Video. Keys hinted at her real identity by making references to her hit songs and her hosting job at the Grammys. Alicia, take the wheel! Alicia Keys just gave unaware Lyft riders the surprise of a lifetime in a new Lyft Undercover clip (shared exclusively with PEOPLE). The video follows Keys -- disguised in sunglasses, a cap and a baggy plaid shirt -- as she slowly reveals her identity to the clueless riders. "Have you been dating or anything lately," Keys asks one rider. "I've actually been with my boyfriend for about five years," the rider replies. "Before I met my husband, I just kept falling in and out of love. I was actually worried there would be no one, no one, no one," Keys replies, hinting at her hit song "No One." The singer also plugged her lead role at none other than the Grammy Awards. "I'm going to spend the holidays with Grammys," the 39-year-old tells multiple riders, hinting at her host role at this year (and last year's) award show. "What's Grammys?" asks a rider with suspicion. "Oh, my Grammys. Like your grandmas," Keys replies hesitantly. The rider then looks over and says, "Alicia. Just say it." With another rider named Chris, Keys sings "You Don't Know My Name" as she removes her cap and glasses. "You sound like Alicia Keys," the rider says. "Isn't she a piano player? She's a really good piano player." "She's good," Keys replies. "I like her, because I am Alicia Keys and I'm driving you today." The video ends with Keys taking photos with the surprised riders, including one who hopped on with a ukulele. "I rock with you heavy, especially because I'm nonbinary," they say. "When you use your platform to say something positive, I felt that heavy." The video ends with Keys playing a small keyboard and the ukulele-playing rider performing a rap. "Fire!!" Keys says. The partnership spotlights LyftUp, a new initiative with the ride-sharing app that helps expand transportation access to those who need it most. "Undercover Lyft was too fun! I loved it! Such a beautiful experience," Keys tells PEOPLE exclusively in a statement. "Lyft is all about connecting communities, and I loved getting the opportunity to connect with people in such a real and intimate way as a 'driver.' I've never had an experience like this! It lit me up!" (People)

Ewan McGregor's Ghostly Experience Will Totally Freak You Out. Love a good ghost story? Well, wait until you hear Ewan McGregor's. The 48-year-old actor appeared on Wednesday's episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers and recalled a paranormal encounter he had decades ago. It happened on his 20th birthday. The Moulin Rouge! star was attending a drama school in London and was staying in student housing while his classmates were away for Easter and Passover. At one point, he decided to watch Blue Velvet and then take a bath. "I was suddenly struck with this pain on my back," he recalled. "I ripped off my robe, and there was a big black burn mark on the back of my robe." McGregor thought he'd perhaps caught fire on something or that there had been a spark when he removed the tape from the VCR. However, he didn't find anything. "I looked at the robe again and now I see the whole back of the robe was singed dark brown and then this black burn mark on my shoulder blade," he said. "So, I freaked out. I got out of there and went to spend my birthday with my Uncle Dennis." When he came back, he discovered that one of his fellow students, a neighbor downstairs, had returned. So, he told him what happened. "His face went ashen," McGregor recalled. McGregor was then told about a man who used to occupy the neighbor's apartment. Apparently, the man was "an old, reclusive guy" who "never went out." The man's brother would reportedly bring him hot meals two to three times a week. However, there was one weekend when the brother got sick and didn't come. "The gentleman was boiling kettle in his kitchen, and he was so hungry that he fainted," McGregor said. "The kettle set fire to his kitchen and he was burned on his back, dragged out of the house and he died of his burns to his back." At first, McGregor thought his neighbor was just trying to scare him. To prove his point, the neighbor called the landlady, who confirmed the story. She said, 'But he was a very nice man. I'm sure he wouldn't wish you any harm,'" McGregor said. Still, the Star Wars celeb was totally freaked out. So, he decided to leave his room and spend the night in his neighbor's apartment instead. When he walked in, he joked that the place was "as dusty as when the old man used to live here." That's when the "ceiling came down like in a wave." "There was this scream, like 'Aaaahhhhh,' which I realized was me," he said. During the rest of his stay in the student house, McGregor would have unexplainable experiences, like the phone mysteriously ringing or the door squeaking open on its own. "I never saw him, but it was just odd," he said (Eonline)

Vanessa Lachey is clearing the air about an interview she gave earlier this week, in which she was asked about husband Nick Lachey's ex-wife, Jessica Simpson. During a Monday appearance on Today show, the Love Is Blind host, 39, showed confusion when anchor Hoda Kotb said she and Nick, 46, had previously sent Simpson, 39, a gift during a milestone in her life. "It wasn't us, but thank you, whoever sent it from us," she responded at the time. "I didn't. I don't know her address." Following the broadcast, Vanessa and Nick's interview went viral with some viewers decrying on social media that the mom of three's answer was "petty" and "awkward." "@VanessaLachey is petty and it's really disappointing to see her act this way. I used to like her," one wrote on Twitter. Another tweeted, "Anyone else catch @VanessaLachey deny doing something nice for @JessicaSimpson on the today show? I feel like that was 10000% not necessary... and super awkward." "Sorry @VanessaLachey but that was definitely some type of shade," a third chimed in. "Why even deny it? What did that accomplish exactly?" On Wednesday, Vanessa responded to some of the backlash, defending her decision to clarify on-air that she actually had not sent Simpson a present in a series of tweets. "Sorry you think that, just didn't want to take credit for something we didn't do. That's all. Seems weird to ignore sending a big beautiful gift basket and taking that credit," the actress wrote, responding to a tweet that accused her of throwing "some type of shade." "Trust me! If I sent something, I'd take credit!" she wrote, before adding in another tweet, "Truly... I think it's weird accepting credit for something you didn't do or give. Even weirder to bring up something so random. Just giving facts. Wanted to make sure we were truthful." When a Twitter user called her a "classless act" for correcting Kotb, 55, during the broadcast, Vanessa fired back, "Totally hear you. But also, you make sure you do your research and state facts and ask appropriate questions as the host... don't you think. The statement wasn't true, so I was simply clearing that up. But definitely a beautiful sentiment if it was." The former Miss Teen USA added in another tweet, "No shade though, haha. Just wanting to clear the incorrect statement up. That's all." During the interview, Kotb had asked Nick if he knew of the revelations that Simpson uncovers in her new memoir Open Book, which details their marriage and split in 2005. "I'll be honest, I obviously haven't read the book, so I don't know what she said or what she revealed there, but I'm certainly happy for her and her life, I know she is happy for us," the 98 Degrees band member said. He continued, "There's definitely a mutual respect there, so that's, you know -- obviously it was a long time ago; we've all moved on." (People)

Nicki Minaj Wishes She Had "Shut the Hell Up" Amid Meek Mill Twitter Feud. If Nicki Minaj could do it all over again, she probably wouldn't have engaged in that Twitter war with Meek Mill. The 37-year-old rapper opened up about her public feuds during a Q&A session at the Pollstar Live! conference in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Wednesday. The topic came up after the "Super Bass" star was asked to give some advice to developing artists. "Keep your eye on the bigger picture is what I would say," she said, per Variety. "If I had to, I would have redone the whole thing and just kept my mouth shut. Put my music out and shut the hell up." After the interviewer, Irving Azoff, jokingly asked Minaj if she'd done any tweeting today, the celebrity quipped she was going to use the "good old hack excuse." "Listen, it never fails," she said, per the media outlet. "Every time I do it, five minutes later, I'm like, why the f--k did I...? Every single time. But it's a good lesson in knowing how to master your anger and emotions. So, every time I do that, I like give myself a talking to in my head, like, 'OK, you played yourself, you shouldn't have did that. You learned your lesson again.' How many times did I learn that lesson? So, I gave myself that talk today, sir." These tweets weren't the only ones to make headlines. Back in September, Minaj tweeted that she'd "decided to retire." However, she's since made it clear she isn't stepping away from music. "Again, once again, another time where I shouldn't have had social media on my phone," she acknowledged. "And that's why for the last few months I haven't had social media on my phone. I just recently put it back on my phone and I'm about to take it back off." She then encouraged her viewers to take a break from their social channels, too. "Have you noticed when you take social media off your phone, you, as a person, feel happier or more at peace?" she asked. "You guys really should try it, I promise you. Because it's too much of just nonsense and nothingness and looking at what everybody else is doing and comparing yourself to people when you're having a great life. You are having a great freaking life. People didn't wake up this morning. We're good. And then we go on social media and make ourselves depressed." She reportedly concluded this thought by saying "social media is a tool" and that "it can be your best friend or your worst nightmare." In addition to talking about social media, Minaj reflected on her catalog of music. "I wish I never recorded 'Anaconda.' I like the video but ugh," she said. "My first ever solo song on Billboard was 'Your Love.' To this day, I hate that. I like the video, but I hate the song. I can go on and on. I hate 'Starships.' I mean, like, ew. 'Starships are meant to fly?' I was like, why did I do that?" She also opened up about her relationship with husband Kenneth Petty after an attendee asked how she maintains her confidence. "The truth of the matter is, I'm not as confident as people think...I'm such the opposite," Minaj said, per Variety. "I really am. But lately I think the thing that has changed in my life the most... when you marry someone that lifts you up, whenever I'm down, I feel like I can have one conversation with my husband and it'll just get me back to where I need to be mentally. He's been a really great force in my life. I've known him since I was 17 and I think I feel a level of comfort with him that I hadn't felt before to just be myself and to share who I am. He's seen my lows and I don't have to walk around with makeup in the house. I can just be me." While she reportedly added that "you do not need a man," she also claimed "there's no greater feeling in the world" than having a partner who "lifts you up." There was also a touching moment when she was asked about the late Kobe Bryant. "I can't imagine what his wife is feeling -- to lose your husband at such a young age but your child, too," she said while tearing up. She later added, "We love you, Kobe and to your wife to your family and your friends, we are praying for you guys." (Eonline)

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