One of the more curious stories to come out of the Sony hack is the fact that Ben Affleck can be exacting about his image. That’s not the most interesting thing, because one might suspect that about him. What’s notable is how demanding he can actually be. According to emails leaked as part of the Sony hack, Affleck requested that the PBS show Finding Your Roots, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., remove parts of the show referencing the fact that he had a slave-owning ancestor. We know this because host Gates emailed Sony CEO Michael Lynton requesting advice.

Affleck taped his segment in January, 2014 and according to emails that Gates sent Lynton at the time, the taping went very well and Affleck “enjoyed it so much that he is getting Matt Damon to do it, too.” (Unfortunately that didn’t happen.) Then, in July, Gates emailed Lynton again asking how to deal with the fact that a celebrity guest requested that parts of their ancestry be wiped from the show. (He didn’t name the star, but referenced “Batman.” Incidentally, in that same email thread they also talk about what a douche Harvey Weinstein is.) Gates said they’d never done this before and that it might compromise the show’s integrity. Lynton advised him to acquiesce and Gates said he was relieved, however he added that the slave-owning ancestor wasn’t demonized, and that in contrast Anderson Cooper had a horrible, abusive slave-owner as an ancestor and that he sucked it up and dealt with it. Both Affleck’s and Anderson’s episodes aired in October of last year.

Gates: Confidentially, for the first time, one of our guests has asked us to edit out something about one of his ancestors–the fact that he owned slaves. Now, four or five of our guests this season descend from slave owners, including Ken Burns. We’ve never had anyone ever try to censor or edit what we found. He’s a megastar. What do we do?

Lynton: The big question is who knows that the material is in the doc and is being taken out. I would take it out if no one knows, but if it gets out that you are editing the material based on this kind of sensitivity then it gets tricky. Again, all things being equal I would definitely take it out.

Gates: Good; relieved. As for the doc: all my producers would know; his PR agency the same as mine, and everyone there has been involved trying to resolve this; my agent at CAA knows. And PBS would know. To do this would be a violation of PBS rules, actually, even for Batman.

Lynton: Then it is tricky because it may get out that you made the change and it comes down to editorial integrity.

Gates: It would embarrass him and compromise our integrity. I think he is getting very bad advice. I’ve offered to fly to Detroit, where he is filming, to talk it through…

And [the ancestor] wasn’t even a bad guy. We don’t demonize him at all. Now Anderson Cooper’s ancestor was a real s.o.b.; one of his slaves actually murdered him. Of course, the slave was promptly hanged. And Anderson didn’t miss a beat about that. Once we open the door to censorship, we lose control of the brand.

[From Wikileaks]

Here’s the thing: Gates said that he suspected Affleck got bad advice, which makes sense as it took Affleck a full six months to request the change. What I don’t understand is, if this wasn’t Affleck’s own idea, why he followed the advice. Has he never seen this show or even Who Do You Think You Are? There were slave owners in America up until the Civil War. It’s a despicable, sad, regrettable part of history but we can’t help who we’re descended from. As Gates mentioned, Anderson Cooper handled an even worse situation with grace. Plus, I don’t think it affects a star’s brand at all to have horrible ancestors. People understand that no one has control over their genealogy.

In response, Gates and PBS have issued statements defending their editorial choice. Both made extremely good, convincing points. That could be due to the excellent writers at PBS but I came away feeling sorry for them. Here is part of Gates’s statement, with more on E!:

Gates: I maintain editorial control on all of my projects and, with my producers, decide what will make for the most compelling program. In the case of Mr. Affleck—we focused on what we felt were the most interesting aspects of his ancestry—including a Revolutionary War ancestor, a 3rd great–grandfather who was an occult enthusiast, and his mother who marched for Civil Rights during the Freedom Summer of 1964.

PBS: It is clear from the exchange how seriously Professor Gates takes editorial integrity. He has told us that after reviewing approximately ten hours of footage for the episode, he and his producers made an independent editorial judgment to choose the most compelling narrative. The range and depth of the stories on Finding Your Roots speak for themselves.

[From E! Online]

I do think that Gates caved, but that he considered the situation and weighed the pros and cons. I also wonder if Matt Damon was mulling doing the show and decided he didn’t want to deal with it after Ben’s issues came up. This begs the question: if Affleck (and/or his people) are this controlling about his public image, what else have they covered up?

Here’s a segment from Affleck’s Finding Your Roots episode in which he learns that he had a spiritualist ancestor.

There are a surprising number of Duchess Kate and Kate-adjacent stories from the weekend. Surprising because… Kate isn’t doing anything but gestating and waiting to go into labor. On Friday, people were theorizing that she would go into labor over the weekend. By Sunday, people were surprised that nothing was happening, although it seems like no one is committed to reliving The Great Kate Wait of 2013, where the media and royalists camped outside of the Lindo Wing for days/weeks, waiting to hear of the new royal baby. Now people are saying Kate will probably give birth later this week, maybe Thursday/Friday. So, let’s do a list of some various royal stories making the rounds while we wait.

Mini-break in Bucklebury. People Magazine says Kate took a short little holiday at her parents’ home recently. I’m not sure why that’s notable though? She’s always at her parents’ house. They make it sound like William wasn’t with Kate, which makes sense because he’s still working/training for his new job.

Life at Anmer Hall. The Daily Mail did a lengthy story about how Will and Kate are committed to spending the next few years in Norfolk, living at Anmer Hall. Royal aides told the Mail that after Kate gives birth, the family will spend the first night at Kensington Palace, then they’ll go to Anmer for the whole summer while Kate takes her “extended maternity leave.” Aides also tell the Mail that William “plans to scale back his black-tie charity commitments so that he can enjoy more time at home” and “His focus for the next two years is on family and flying in that order.” Anything to avoid royal work, you know.

Carole Middleton. She’s decamping to Anmer as well. The Mail says Carole plans to spend the upcoming months living at Anmer and helping with “childcare and housekeeping.”

Kate has no interest in living in London. A friend tells The Mail: “She can’t wait to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Both she and William love the country and it’s where they want to raise their family.” Kate and William have reportedly been considering sending George to a Norfolk nursery school.

William might miss the birth. Except not really. First there were claims that William might be on duty at his new job and he would have to rush to meet Kate in London. Now people are picking apart William’s scheduled appearance next Saturday at the commemorations at the Cenotaph in London. William is supposed to make an appearance with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh and his aides say that he’s committed to making the appearance if Kate isn’t going into labor that day. My guess is that if Kate does go into labor on Thursday/Friday, he’ll probably still skip the appearance with the Queen.

Duchess Kate’s dodgy Uncle Gary. The Middletons snubbed their wealthy relation yet again. Dodgy Uncle Gary is throwing a big party to celebrate his 50th birthday later this month and none of the Middletons are going. Gary is dodgy, for sure, but it really seems harsh to never invite Gary to any occasion or go to his parties. After all, I’m pretty sure Uncle Gary bankrolled a big part of Kate’s Great Wait to land William.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Coachella was largely uneventful this year without Vanessa Hudgens and her headdress. That’s not entirely true statement. We did see a dancing Sparkles and Bieber in a chokehold, but nothing major in the style department. Thankfully, Jaden Smith livened things up. I was wondering where he was last weekend, but he burst onto the scene with much fervor for the Coachella finale. Jaden’s been rocking skirts lately, so he kept up the trend with a tunic-like ensemble. And he added a flower crown! He had a fantastic time without appropriating anyone’s culture. The red stripe in his socks goes with the flowers without appearing too matchy matchy. Jaden wins.

Kylie Jenner’s Friday look featured a pink wig. This look was very conservative compared to what came next.

I l????ve pretty girls

A photo posted by Kylizzle (@kyliejenner) on Apr 17, 2015 at 11:33pm PDT

On Saturday, Kylie showed off her spider-lady outfit with Tyga at Khloe Kardashian’s pre-”Chella” party. Kris Jenner is a failure as a parent.

Khloes Party. Chella ??????

A photo posted by Kylizzle (@kyliejenner) on Apr 18, 2015 at 3:42pm PDT

Kendall Jenner wore a Megadeth t-shirt, which was more tasteful than Kylie’s outfits.

Diane Kruger looked casual but still cool with Joshua Jackson and Nina Dobrev. Only Diane can escape the hipster vibe and still look chic at this festival. Oh, and everyone must hold hands at Coachella!

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, Fame/Flynet, WENN & Kylie Jenner on Instagram

A few weeks ago, Us Weekly had an exclusive story claiming that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt “wanted” to adopt a child from Syrian. My mind went to the thousands of Syrian refugees being taken in by Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey. Many of those refugees are children, and many of those children are orphans. But! As I said at the time, it’s not like Angelina and Brad can just stop by a refugee camp and grab a child. The protocol for adopting refugees is actually much more difficult that adopting a child from a stable nation-state, and Angelina would know that. Still, it was interesting to me that Us Weekly’s sources were so insistent on this idea that Brad and Angie were ready to adopt again. And now this…

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are planning to adopt another child, this time from war-torn Syria, according to friends. The Hollywood couple have made no secret of the fact that they want to expand their family of six children. They already have Cambodian-born Maddox, 13, Vietnamese Pax, 11, Ethiopian Zahara, 10, biological daughter Shiloh, eight, and six-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

A business associate, who has known Brad and Angelina for more than a decade, said yesterday: “She has been moved to tears on several occasions over the plight of youngsters orphaned in the Syrian conflict. Now she has sorted out her health issues, she and Brad believe the time is right to adopt another orphan from there, most likely a daughter.”

In an impassioned plea in November 2013 the actress called on the world to act “to save a generation of traumatised, isolated and suffering Syrian children from catastrophe”. Now she and husband Brad, 51, are ready to follow up on her appeal by legally adopting a Syrian child.

Another friend revealed: “This is something that has become very close to their hearts. They would like to accomplish it, if possible, before the end of summer because, even though they are both busy, their diaries are relatively light for most of 2015. Angelina’s feeling good about turning 40 in June with a clean bill of health but what will make her happiness complete is seeing a new little face at the dinner table.”

[From Express]

I have two simultaneous trains of thought. One thought: where there’s smoke, there’s fire. It seems very suspicious to me that somewhat legit outlets like Express and Us Weekly are saying similar things, claiming that sources close the Jolie-Pitts are telling them that it’s happening. The second train of thought? It’s utter bulls—t because Brad and Angelina’s friends know well enough to keep their mouths shut. Brad and Angelina keep their gossip game pretty tight, especially on matters of their family.

So, what do you think? I’m actually coming around to the idea that Brad and Angelina might be looking to adopt again, but I think these details are wrong – I just don’t see how they could legally adopt a Syrian refugee?

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.

Here are some more photos of Aaron and Sam Taylor-Johnson at the LA premiere of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Sam and Aaron always attend the other’s premieres – Aaron was on board the whole time Sam was shilling Fifty Shades of Grey, and now Sam is Aaron’s road-dog while he shills Ultron (Aaron plays Quicksilver). As per usual these days, Aaron is getting questions about his marriage and the age difference between he and Sam. They’ve been getting those questions for the past six years, ever since they got together. Currently, Aaron is 24 (he’ll be 25 in June) and Sam is 48. They got together when he was 18 and she was 42. And to hear Aaron tell it (consistently), he knew Sam was “the one” right away, that his 18-year-old self knew he needed to lock it down with marriage and babies. Some highlights from Aaron’s interview with The Times this weekend:

On the age difference: “I don’t notice it now – we just instinctively gel … People who know me call me Benjamin Button – they think I’m an old soul and she’s a young soul.”

Marrying Sam when he was 20 and she was 44: It made “perfect sense…I knew I wanted to be with her. I wanted kids, we had kids and I was really into that, taking time off and involving myself in the bubble of her pregnancy.”

Life before Sam: He describes himself as a “self-destructive teenager struggling with success.”

They have a rule, only one project a year: “Being a father has been the happiest time of my life – it’s what I live for, what I love doing – I have a real reason why I’m here, I’m not as proud of my acting; it’s a job that I do … I’m grateful, but I don’t live for acting.”

[From The Times via The Daily Mail]

I don’t understand the Benjamin Button reference? I think it would work better in Sam’s case, right? Because Aaron is aging in the traditional sense, and Sam just seems to have “met in the middle” and may even be reversing the aging process because she’s married to a young piece. Benjamin Button was born an old man and he got progressively “younger” so…why is Aaron being called Benjamin Button?

In a recent Marie Claire interview, Aaron also described how happy he is to be surrounded by women throughout his life. He was raised by his mother and his sister, he’s married to Sam and they have two biological daughters together, plus Sam’s two daughters from her previous marriage. And Aaron has a female agent. Aaron told Marie Claire: “I’ve always been better around females. It’s funny that life has given me girls, but now I can raise strong women. And they’ve got such a great role model in their mum. My household’s kind of great.” Eh, some men are just like that. It’s sweet. I guess?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

Dakota Fanning covers the May issue of Nylon magazine to promote two new films. She stars in Franny, which premiered at Tribeca this weekend, and a period drama called Effie Gray. We don’t really see Dakota other than in candid paparazzi photos as she shuffles back and forth to university. She’s finishing up her third year without incident, although she’s lucky enough to attend school “for my own interest” rather than for a career. Dakota plans to stick with acting, and she’s majoring in Women in Film at NYU’s Tisch school.

Dakota turned 21 years old in late February (Pisces!), and she’s handling it well. She tells Nylon that she does party a little. She just never does it where people will report her behavior. Dakota’s also fine with people still treating her like a child star. I left out the stuff she says about relocating from Georgia to LA as a child. Dakota ruffled some feathers last year by comparing LA to Africa; she mostly tells Nylon that her family never considered LA to be a permanent move. Her family kept her out of trouble, and Dakota attended high school like a normal kid. She stills sounds mostly unaffected. Some excerpts:

People mistake her for an Olsen: “There’s a man on my corner who thinks I’m an Olsen. He’ll yell, ‘Hey Olsen!’ at me. It’s really funny.”

On the “child star” label: “I’ve made my peace with the fact that there will be some people who, for the rest of my life, will believe I’m, like, nine years old. I have this joke that I’m literally going to be 35, married, and pregnant and people are still going to say, ‘Oh my god, you grew up so fast! I can’t believe it!’ And yeah, sometimes when you’re 21 years old and people are still saying that, you just want to rip your hair out. But I’m OK with it. I know who I am.”

On handing the pressure: “Sure, I handled myself the best that I could and was professional, but I was also a kid. I think that people who knew me then knew I was also exactly how kids are supposed to be. I’ve found that anybody who takes what they’re doing seriously or seems to be a caring person gets called an old soul. And it’s not a negative thing to say, but it’s also not 100 percent accurate. I might not be running around being insane, but I’m also a 21-year-old who likes to be silly. Just because I don’t flaunt those parts of my life doesn’t mean I don’t do some of that privately, you know what I mean?”

She’s majoring in Women in Film: “I think there aren’t a lot of movies that are made for women–they always want to insert something so the guys will go. A director that I worked with, Naomi Foner, once said, ‘Somebody decided a couple years ago that only 15-year-old boys go see movies.’ There aren’t a lot of stories told strictly from a woman’s perspective.”

She won’t do social media: “I feel like if I did it, I’d start to measure my experiences by how good of an Instagram it’s going to turn into. And I don’t want to be living my life trying to see it all in a square, trying to get a photo. You have to set the photo up, you have to take the photo, you have to edit the photo, pick the right filter, format it, caption it–like, too much! There are so many more things I could be doing!”

[From Nylon]

Dakota is one of the few stars her age that you won’t find on social media, which is nice. A little bit of mystery goes a long way, and she insisted a few years ago that she’ll never join Twitter. I think her thoughts on Instagram are probably the best criticism I’ve seen from a celebrity. She’s not talking down to people who take selfies. Dakota is simply pointing out how so much effort goes into creating the perfect Instagram photo. That takes up a lot of time! Like I’ve said before … trying to create the perfect life to show off on the internet can make you miss out on reality.

Here are some photos of Dakota at Tribeca. The white dress is Zac Posen and oh-so-structural. The darker dress is a blue suede Theory pinafore dress, which is very pretty.

Photos courtesy of Nylon & WENN

Meet Silas Randall Timberlake.

New parents Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel introduced their newborn son via Instagram Sunday. “The Timberlakes are ready!!! GO GRIZZ! #GritNGrind #Playoffs #BabyGrizzROAR,” the proud new papa, 34, captioned the image of his wife, 33, and son.

The A-list couple welcomed their first child earlier this month.

Silas was the middle name of Timberlake’s maternal grandfather, while Randall is Timberlake’s father’s name and also the singer’s middle name.

The couple has remained mum on all other birth news – including their son’s actual birth date and weight/length – at this time.

The Timberlakes are ready!!! GO GRIZZ! #GritNGrind #Playoffs #BabyGrizzROAR

A photo posted by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) on Apr 19, 2015 at 5:12pm PDT

Sexy papa alert!

Football star Gerard Piqué toted his tots – sons Milan, 2, and Sasha, 2 months – at his soccer match in Barcelona, Spain on Saturday (April 18). The FC Barcelona centre-back, 28, was also joined by longtime love Shakira and her mother Nidia Ripoll.

The Colombian pop star, 38, cheered on her beau from the sidelines with their sons, who were sporting adorable customized jerseys.

The soccer star recently celebrated a big milestone in his career.

“300 games with @FCBarcelona! Not bad,” he Tweeted. “I want 300 more! Congrats to the team and to all the supporters that came to Paris to watch the game!”

Last week, the proud mom shared a shot of their beautiful baby boy.

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Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe and husband Rodger Berman were photographed with their two sons – Skyler, 4, and Kai, 1 – in Brentwood, Calif. on Saturday (April 18).

After lunching at the Brentwood Country Mart, the fashionable family-of-four stepped out for some frozen yogurt.

On Thursday, the reality star, 43, was spotted lunching with her sons in West Hollywood.

On Sunday, the mom-of-two shared a shot from their recent holiday in St Barths, France.

“Vacation still on my mind #stbarthsforever #surreal #kaiusjagger #mommymoments xoRZ,” she Instagrammed the idyllic image.

Vacation still on my mind #stbarthsforever #surreal #kaiusjagger #mommymoments xoRZ

A photo posted by Rachel Zoe (@rachelzoe) on Apr 19, 2015 at 10:01am PDT

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Happy Birthday, mama!

On Kate Hudson‘s 36th birthday, the actress shared a sweet shot with sons Ryder, 11, and Bing, 3, via Instagram on Sunday (April 19). “Best birthday present ever! #MorningCuddle,” she captioned the cute image.

The Good People actress recently dished about continuing to make wine with ex-fiancé Matt Bellamy.

“We’re family for the rest of our lives, we have a beautiful baby and we love making wine,” she shared. “We’ll continue doing it.”

Happy birthday to Kate!