In Distant Islands
The stars flocked to St. Barts and Anguilla to ring in the New Year. Justin Bieber, Jon Bon Jovi, and Dustin Hoffman were spied during the holiday. Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, and Ronald Perelman were also seen spicing up the island. However, the big bashes were held on the more paparazzi-intense island of St. Barts. Heavy hitters like David Geffen, Victoria’s Secret billionaire Leslie Wexler, and tech mogul Paul Allen all showed up with enormous yachts. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s may have been the biggest of all, a 533-foot boat called Eclipse. Abramovich owns football club Chelsea and has a $90 million 200+ acre estate on the island. He is famous for throwing a wild New Year’s Eve party every December 31. A bedraggled Prince arrived by helicopter, clutching a silver cane. Prince is actually 57, so it’s not surprising the miniature singer is a bit less spry than he used to be. Leonardo DiCaprio and his entourage, which includes Tobey Maguire, were also on hand. George Lucas, who made headlines for his sour grapes regarding Star Wars: The Force Awakens, also showed up to party with the Russian. Princess Beatrice may have also been on hand.
In the Florida Heat
Other celebs trekked to Miami to celebrate in style. Diddy threw a huge party to celebrate the release of a spirit that no one needs more of: Apple Vodka. Ryan Philippe and his new fiance continued to celebrate by sunbathing and partying all over South Beach.
In Kardashian Land
In Vegas, Scott Disick was the special host of a party at 1OAK. Witnesses say Disick drank only water and contrary to his 2015 party behavior, was happy and in a good mood. Disick led the countdown to midnight and then jetted back to Los Angeles. Ex Kourtney Kardashian made a point of posting a photo to Instagram showing her kissing their son Reign at midnight. Kim Kardashian gave everyone a sneak peak at her new year’s resolutions, including dropping baby weight, taking a West family vacation and more basic goals.
More interesting was the adventures of model Kendall Jenner, who turned up kissing Harry Styles in Anguilla. The two are trying hard to make it seem like they are back on, but gossips are still whispering that she is not that straight, and he is not that into her. Kendall has been rumored to be gay, although she and her family are dead set against her coming out. She recently preempted talk about whether she had a drug or alcohol problem by revealing she was hospitalized briefly for “exhaustion” in December. I think we all know by know what “exhaustion” is code for…
We can’t even keep up with rumors involving Harry Styles. One minute his fans say he’s in a relationship with Louis Tomlinson, the next they’re pushing him back toward Taylor Swift. Meanwhile we hear the real story is that Styles, like other members of One Direction, are heavily into the drug scene and may need some time off to get clean.
Lamar Odom Jr. and his sister Destiny posted the first picture of their father Lamar Odom since his drug overdose. The blurry picture couldn’t have made Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner too happy, since she’s been using the Lamar storyline to add more glitter to her reality show. Khloe was not on hand for the photos, but Lamar’s ex-wife Liza Morales was there throughout the Christmas holiday.
As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Rob Kardashian has been hospitalized and diagnosed with diabetes. Never has a person’s diabetes generated more headlines than the reclusive reality star’s diagnosis. This is all the more ironic since Rob is apparently sick and tired of the publicity machine his mother runs. Rob had no idea that he was diabetic. He was rushed to the emergency room after nearly slipping into a diabetic coma. Some sources claim that Rob has other health problems to worry about, including a poorly performing pancreas. Although Rob has since returned home, sources say he still isn’t hanging out with anyone in his family except for Khloe, with whom he lives. Khloe documented her feelings about the whole Rob issue by posting a selfie, entitled “melancholy.”
In Memoriam
Melancholy was the word for New Year’s Day, as it was announced that “Unforgettable” singer Natalie Cole died at 65 of congestive heart failure. The daughter of Nat King Cole had a string of hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including a memorable video featuring a mash up of Natalie and her late father dueting together. Tony Bennett summed up most celebrity tributes by posting to Instagram: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Natalie Cole, as I have cherished the long friendship I had with her, her father Nat, and the family over the years. Natalie was an exceptional jazz singer and it was an honor to have recorded and performed with her on several occasions. She was a lovely and generous person who will be greatly missed.”
M.A.S.H. star Wayne Rogers has also died. He was best known for playing Trapper John, M.D. Although Rogers was only on the show for three of its 11 seasons, Rogers was one of the show’s most popular performers. He subsequently appeared on shows like Murder She Wrote, and became a successful entrepreneur investor after he retired from acting. He was 82.
