Latest news with #ShallowHal
Screen Geek
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Screen Geek
'Shallow Hal' Actor Rene Kirby Dead At 70
Actor Rene Kirby only played a handful of characters throughout his career, though his performances were quite memorable, including his appearance as Walt in 2001's Shallow Hal . Sadly, however, it's been confirmed that Rene Kirby has died at age 70. It's been shared via Variety that Kirby passed away on July 11 in Burlington, Vermont. The outlet, as shared by Kirby's brother Jon with Seven Days, added 'that Kirby had died at the University of Vermont Medical Center.' The outlet adds that Kirby was dealing with a number of health issues prior to his death: 'Kirby was hospitalized for two months with kidney, bladder and esophagus issues, as well as multiple infections. Kirby had previously survived throat cancer, but lost the ability to speak after the removal of his larynx.' Kirby had a number of health issues prior to this time, however, including spina bifida which Variety notes 'causes scoliosis, leg paralysis, and difficulty walking.' After his appearance in Shallow Hal , Kirby appeared in 2003's Stuck on You and an episode of the TV series Carnivàle . Rene Kirby has might not have had a large acting career, but the few roles he did play were quite memorable and have stuck in the minds of viewers for decades. While it's unfortunate that he had to suffer through so many health issues, at the very least fans will remember him for his work. It all started when Me, Myself and Irene director Peter Farelly spotted Kirby while shooting the film in 1999. After meeting Kirby, Farelly decided he would be perfect to play Walt in the movie Shallow Hal which starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black. The other movie that Kirby appeared in, Stuck on You , was another picture made by the Farrelly brothers. Carnivàle , on the other hand, was a TV series which saw Kirby play the character Hoppy for one episode. Kirby is survived by his mother as well as six siblings.
The Age
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Cutting through the Goop: What Gwyneth Paltrow's bio reveals
Amy Odell has collected enough Gwyneth Paltrow relics to open a private museum – or a shrine, depending on how you feel about jade eggs. 'I have all my Gwyneth stuff all around me in my office. Like, I have this …' the biographer says, brandishing a magazine spread with a wry smile, the kind that says: Yes, this actually happened. In the pages of Talk from the early 2000s, Paltrow's unmistakably serene face is photoshopped onto the body of a larger woman clad in black lingerie, posed just so. The stunt was part of the publicity blitz for Shallow Hal, that slapstick comedy which saw Paltrow declare 'every pretty girl' should be forced to try on a fat suit – all in the name of teaching Jack Black a lesson about inner beauty. Looking back, it's one of those moments that makes you pause and wonder: What was she thinking? But then, so many moments in Paltrow's career invite the same double-take. In Odell's new, already-headline-grabbing biography Gwyneth, each one slots into the larger puzzle of Brand Paltrow: the teary Oscar for Shakespeare in Love; the Hollywood boyfriends and headline splits; the jade yoni egg that launched a thousand think pieces (and a lawsuit); the ski trial 'I Wish You Well' sign-off that launched a thousand memes; and her latest role as 'temporary spokesperson' for tech company Astronomer after the Coldplay kiss-cam saga. Paltrow's quotes alone read like high satire: I would rather smoke crack than eat cheese from a can. Or: I can't pretend to be someone who makes $25,000 a year. The daughter of Hollywood royalty – Bruce Paltrow, the TV powerhouse and Blythe Danner, the Broadway darling – Paltrow had Spielberg in her corner as godparent and Madonna writing her notes urging her not to smoke. Odell traces the arc: from privileged upbringing to the big hits (The Talented Mr Ripley, Sliding Doors) and bigger flops (Duets, View From The Top); Paltrow's courageous involvement in denouncing the man pivotal in building her early career, Harvey Weinstein; motherhood and two marriages (one 'uncoupling'); and how she turned the mess of modern fame into an empire that taught every star how to monetise their name – one candle (not fit to print here) at a time. 'I was interested in Gwyneth because, love her or hate her, she has been in the public eye for 30 years, which in itself is extraordinary,' Odell says. 'And she is fascinating to a lot of people. She's also super polarising to a lot of people. And she's someone who, it seems like countless articles have been written about her, but I came to see that those barely scratched the surface of who she really is. She's a complicated person.' Around Odell is an archive of Paltrow-abilia that has helped her prise apart the contradictions of the modern celebrity goddess: vintage profiles, issues of Goop's short-lived print magazine, even Paltrow's high school yearbook, where she signs off to her privileged classmates with breezy words taken from the 1989 movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure: 'Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes.' It's become part of the decor, Odell jokes, something Paltrow would probably abhor, given her luxury, minimalist aesthetic. Overlooking Odell's latest project from the bookshelves is the last one, Anna, her 2022 biography of Anna Wintour, the famously inscrutable Vogue editor. Wintour provided access to friends, colleagues and family willingly. Paltrow was trickier prey. Odell went back and forth with her team, hoping for co-operation from those close to Paltrow. While they originally agreed, Odell found herself stonewalled when she reached out to Paltrow's circle. Communication flickered on and off. It wasn't until the book was nearly finished that the final 'no' – including to a one-on-one with Paltrow – arrived. 'I don't think it's ever easy to do a book like this,' Odell says. 'But I'm persistent. If someone says no, I'm not afraid to call them back in a year and say, 'Hey, I'm finishing up…' And often, they'll talk.' The biography is full of delicious morsels for the internet to dine on: Paltrow has a parking spot at Goop HQ nicknamed the G-Spot. She enjoyed 'teabagging' during her short-lived relationship with Ben Affleck, and described ex-Brad Pitt as 'dumber than a sack of shit'. Jay-Z gave her music advice when she was considering making an album (fingers crossed!). She once encouraged Goop staff to clean up after themselves, posting in the Slack channel that 'someone tinkled' on an office toilet seat. Paltrow comes across as smart and sassy, completely out of touch yet shrewdly canny and naturally talented – a whirlwind of contradictions wrapped in a luxe cashmere sweater. 'She can be cold, she can be icy, she can be aloof. People compared her to Anna Wintour,' Odell says. 'But that said, she can also be incredibly charismatic and warm. If she wants to make you feel like you're her best friend, she's very good at it.' Odell's favourite gem after excavating Paltrow's public and private trail for three years, including conducting 220 interviews? Paltrow's late father, Bruce, liked the finer things and insisted on flying first class. Her mother, Blythe, was more frugal and often booked economy. This, Odell discovered, infuriated young Gwyneth, who once whinged: 'You mean we're not flying first class? We're flying no class?' But for all the tabloid-ready trivia, Odell is more interested in the big picture: what Paltrow means for the $6 trillion Big Wellness industry she helped create. Before it became par for the course – think Hailey Bieber's Rhode, Scarlett Johansson's Outset, or Jessica Alba's Honest Company – Paltrow realised that she could use her image to promote her brand instead of someone else's. She seems scrupulous about her own health, but just as ruthless about turning that obsession into profit. Goop launched in September 2008, first as a weekly email newsletter before expanding to include publishing, production, skincare, health, fashion, events and travel businesses, all carefully curating an idea of modern womanhood and wellness. 'She was the original influencer. She was monetising her influence. She was one of the first people, I think, in the public eye to do that,' Odell says. 'She's just really good at sort of playing on public perception of her. She tells personal stories to promote and sell the products.' It's easy to mock the pseudoscience and extravagance (Odell skipped the $700 signature cardigan, but tested the moisturiser and scalp scrub), but there's a much darker side too: the link between Goop's brand of 'wellness' and the growing distrust of Western medicine and scientific evidence. This is a company that once claimed women should steam their vaginas, promoted 'Body Vibes' stickers said to heal anxiety because they were 'made with the same conductive carbon material NASA uses' and claimed wearing a bra might cause breast cancer despite zero scientific basis. 'I think she did two things for the wellness industry that were really important,' Odell says. 'One, she gave it a rhetoric and a language. And we see similar rhetoric of Robert F. Kennedy Jr in the US talking about things like toxins, getting toxins out of our food, our bodies, our living spaces and our beauty products through clean eating, clean living, clean beauty. The other thing she did for wellness, that I think was really impactful, is she gave it a beautiful aesthetic.' Odell admits she's got the usual nerves on the eve of publication. She has no idea if Paltrow will flip through the pages over a cup of detox tea, but she doesn't see herself as going toe-to-toe with an institution. 'I think there are a lot of stories in the book that she'll be pleased with. There might be some that she's less pleased with,' she says. 'I think it takes some guts to write a biography in general. But no, I don't feel like I'm going up against somebody. That's not the idea. The idea is to start a conversation about a really interesting, impactful person.' Loading Odell's never met Paltrow, but if she did in the future have a chance to sit down with Paltrow, she'd start with the obvious: 'Why drink raw milk?' She's curious if Paltrow ever worries about the harm of putting out questionable health claims, of doubting doctors and scientists. 'And I would also like to know, what is her ambition? This is assuming she would tell me honest answers. I asked so many people what drives her, what motivates her, and that was a hard question for them to answer,' she says. For now, Paltrow isn't answering – but the empire rolls on. She's filming again (most recently kissing Timothée Chalamet on the movie set of Marty Supreme, in her first leading role since 2019). Goop's future is somewhat hazier: it's privately owned, but there were multiple rounds of lay-offs last year, and talk of a sale comes and goes. Next up for Odell? A break. 'I put a lot into the book, and I'm looking forward to being with my family. You know, I'm going to clean up my office and put all this shit into a box,' she says. And let's be honest, the Gwyneth Paltrow museum seems like it won't run out of curiosities anytime soon.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Cutting through the Goop: What Gwyneth Paltrow's bio reveals
Amy Odell has collected enough Gwyneth Paltrow relics to open a private museum – or a shrine, depending on how you feel about jade eggs. 'I have all my Gwyneth stuff all around me in my office. Like, I have this …' the biographer says, brandishing a magazine spread with a wry smile, the kind that says: Yes, this actually happened. In the pages of Talk from the early 2000s, Paltrow's unmistakably serene face is photoshopped onto the body of a larger woman clad in black lingerie, posed just so. The stunt was part of the publicity blitz for Shallow Hal, that slapstick comedy which saw Paltrow declare 'every pretty girl' should be forced to try on a fat suit – all in the name of teaching Jack Black a lesson about inner beauty. Looking back, it's one of those moments that makes you pause and wonder: What was she thinking? But then, so many moments in Paltrow's career invite the same double-take. In Odell's new, already-headline-grabbing biography Gwyneth, each one slots into the larger puzzle of Brand Paltrow: the teary Oscar for Shakespeare in Love; the Hollywood boyfriends and headline splits; the jade yoni egg that launched a thousand think pieces (and a lawsuit); the ski trial 'I Wish You Well' sign-off that launched a thousand memes; and her latest role as 'temporary spokesperson' for tech company Astronomer after the Coldplay kiss-cam saga. Paltrow's quotes alone read like high satire: I would rather smoke crack than eat cheese from a can. Or: I can't pretend to be someone who makes $25,000 a year. The daughter of Hollywood royalty – Bruce Paltrow, the TV powerhouse and Blythe Danner, the Broadway darling – Paltrow had Spielberg in her corner as godparent and Madonna writing her notes urging her not to smoke. Odell traces the arc: from privileged upbringing to the big hits (The Talented Mr Ripley, Sliding Doors) and bigger flops (Duets, View From The Top); Paltrow's courageous involvement in denouncing the man pivotal in building her early career, Harvey Weinstein; motherhood and two marriages (one 'uncoupling'); and how she turned the mess of modern fame into an empire that taught every star how to monetise their name – one candle (not fit to print here) at a time. 'I was interested in Gwyneth because, love her or hate her, she has been in the public eye for 30 years, which in itself is extraordinary,' Odell says. 'And she is fascinating to a lot of people. She's also super polarising to a lot of people. And she's someone who, it seems like countless articles have been written about her, but I came to see that those barely scratched the surface of who she really is. She's a complicated person.' Around Odell is an archive of Paltrow-abilia that has helped her prise apart the contradictions of the modern celebrity goddess: vintage profiles, issues of Goop's short-lived print magazine, even Paltrow's high school yearbook, where she signs off to her privileged classmates with breezy words taken from the 1989 movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure: 'Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes.' It's become part of the decor, Odell jokes, something Paltrow would probably abhor, given her luxury, minimalist aesthetic. Overlooking Odell's latest project from the bookshelves is the last one, Anna, her 2022 biography of Anna Wintour, the famously inscrutable Vogue editor. Wintour provided access to friends, colleagues and family willingly. Paltrow was trickier prey. Odell went back and forth with her team, hoping for co-operation from those close to Paltrow. While they originally agreed, Odell found herself stonewalled when she reached out to Paltrow's circle. Communication flickered on and off. It wasn't until the book was nearly finished that the final 'no' – including to a one-on-one with Paltrow – arrived. 'I don't think it's ever easy to do a book like this,' Odell says. 'But I'm persistent. If someone says no, I'm not afraid to call them back in a year and say, 'Hey, I'm finishing up…' And often, they'll talk.' The biography is full of delicious morsels for the internet to dine on: Paltrow has a parking spot at Goop HQ nicknamed the G-Spot. She enjoyed 'teabagging' during her short-lived relationship with Ben Affleck, and described ex-Brad Pitt as 'dumber than a sack of shit'. Jay-Z gave her music advice when she was considering making an album (fingers crossed!). She once encouraged Goop staff to clean up after themselves, posting in the Slack channel that 'someone tinkled' on an office toilet seat. Paltrow comes across as smart and sassy, completely out of touch yet shrewdly canny and naturally talented – a whirlwind of contradictions wrapped in a luxe cashmere sweater. 'She can be cold, she can be icy, she can be aloof. People compared her to Anna Wintour,' Odell says. 'But that said, she can also be incredibly charismatic and warm. If she wants to make you feel like you're her best friend, she's very good at it.' Odell's favourite gem after excavating Paltrow's public and private trail for three years, including conducting 220 interviews? Paltrow's late father, Bruce, liked the finer things and insisted on flying first class. Her mother, Blythe, was more frugal and often booked economy. This, Odell discovered, infuriated young Gwyneth, who once whinged: 'You mean we're not flying first class? We're flying no class?' But for all the tabloid-ready trivia, Odell is more interested in the big picture: what Paltrow means for the $6 trillion Big Wellness industry she helped create. Before it became par for the course – think Hailey Bieber's Rhode, Scarlett Johansson's Outset, or Jessica Alba's Honest Company – Paltrow realised that she could use her image to promote her brand instead of someone else's. She seems scrupulous about her own health, but just as ruthless about turning that obsession into profit. Goop launched in September 2008, first as a weekly email newsletter before expanding to include publishing, production, skincare, health, fashion, events and travel businesses, all carefully curating an idea of modern womanhood and wellness. 'She was the original influencer. She was monetising her influence. She was one of the first people, I think, in the public eye to do that,' Odell says. 'She's just really good at sort of playing on public perception of her. She tells personal stories to promote and sell the products.' It's easy to mock the pseudoscience and extravagance (Odell skipped the $700 signature cardigan, but tested the moisturiser and scalp scrub), but there's a much darker side too: the link between Goop's brand of 'wellness' and the growing distrust of Western medicine and scientific evidence. This is a company that once claimed women should steam their vaginas, promoted 'Body Vibes' stickers said to heal anxiety because they were 'made with the same conductive carbon material NASA uses' and claimed wearing a bra might cause breast cancer despite zero scientific basis. 'I think she did two things for the wellness industry that were really important,' Odell says. 'One, she gave it a rhetoric and a language. And we see similar rhetoric of Robert F. Kennedy Jr in the US talking about things like toxins, getting toxins out of our food, our bodies, our living spaces and our beauty products through clean eating, clean living, clean beauty. The other thing she did for wellness, that I think was really impactful, is she gave it a beautiful aesthetic.' Odell admits she's got the usual nerves on the eve of publication. She has no idea if Paltrow will flip through the pages over a cup of detox tea, but she doesn't see herself as going toe-to-toe with an institution. 'I think there are a lot of stories in the book that she'll be pleased with. There might be some that she's less pleased with,' she says. 'I think it takes some guts to write a biography in general. But no, I don't feel like I'm going up against somebody. That's not the idea. The idea is to start a conversation about a really interesting, impactful person.' Loading Odell's never met Paltrow, but if she did in the future have a chance to sit down with Paltrow, she'd start with the obvious: 'Why drink raw milk?' She's curious if Paltrow ever worries about the harm of putting out questionable health claims, of doubting doctors and scientists. 'And I would also like to know, what is her ambition? This is assuming she would tell me honest answers. I asked so many people what drives her, what motivates her, and that was a hard question for them to answer,' she says. For now, Paltrow isn't answering – but the empire rolls on. She's filming again (most recently kissing Timothée Chalamet on the movie set of Marty Supreme, in her first leading role since 2019). Goop's future is somewhat hazier: it's privately owned, but there were multiple rounds of lay-offs last year, and talk of a sale comes and goes. Next up for Odell? A break. 'I put a lot into the book, and I'm looking forward to being with my family. You know, I'm going to clean up my office and put all this shit into a box,' she says. And let's be honest, the Gwyneth Paltrow museum seems like it won't run out of curiosities anytime soon.
USA Today
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Book alleges Gwyneth Paltrow's 'cult' of Goop hid 'difficult,' 'toxic' workplace
Gwyneth Paltrow may be running defense as a temporary spokesperson for Astronomer after its now-former CEO's Coldplay concert drama, but a new biography is more interested in how she runs her own empire. 'Gwyneth' by culture and fashion journalist Amy Odell maps Paltrow from Hollywood nepo baby to household name to controversial wellness figure. The biography is based on interviews with over 220 sources, but Paltrow declined to speak for it. 'Gwyneth' (out now from Simon & Schuster) spans the star's life and includes a behind-the-scenes look at her relationship to Brad Pitt, her marriage and 'conscious uncoupling' to Coldplay's Chris Martin and her journey to Oscar-winning fame. Perhaps the most fascinating peek behind the curtain, however, comes at her career transition to Goop guru. How Gwyneth Paltrow's out-of-touch lifestyle led to Goop If there is one central theme in this deep dive of all things Paltrow, it's the actress' unrelatability extends much farther back than her jade egg shenanigans. When promoting 'Emma' in 1997, Paltrow requested a private plane for herself and 10 friends, a penthouse suite at the Ritz where only her friends would be allowed and Mercedes vehicles to chauffeur her and her friends around, the book says. The plane ride alone cost Miramax $200,000 in today's dollars, Odell writes. And when she filmed 'Shallow Hal' alongside Jack Black, her team requested her lodgings be distant from the rest of the cast and crew. But what kickstarted Paltrow's slide into the luxury wellness sphere was her father's throat cancer. While Bruce Paltrow was in denial about his health, Odell writes, Gwyneth took charge of hers – 'I felt I could heal him by proxy,' Gwyneth wrote in The Guardian. It was around this time that she was promoting 'Shallow Hal' (a poorly aged comedy in and of itself) and began sharing often unfounded comments about her health, like that her liver 'wouldn't drop down' during yoga because of her diet, Odell writes. Around the mid-2000s, she became disillusioned with the film industry and asked her 'Spain… on the Road Again' producer Charlie Pinsky what her next move should be. Her ideas of food and home improvement projects seemed something like 'the next Martha Stewart' to Pinsky, but he insisted she focus on motherhood as her brand, Odell writes. She didn't take his advice. Branding expert Peter Arnell helped her come up with the name and fine-tune the vision for Goop. Biography alleges Goop as a 'sometimes-toxic environment' Behind the scenes of the clean marketing and health promises, employees Odell spoke with described Goop as 'one of the most difficult working environments they had ever encountered.' Odell says the employee said they 'never felt less well in my life than during my time there.' Paltrow had a 'capricious, indirect leadership style' that led to anger and resentment. Her close relationships with some employees 'blurred the lines between professional and personal,' Odell writes – she had her food editor double as a personal chef, making her lunch and even sometimes dinner for her and husband Brad Falchuk. Some employees described the office culture as "noxious and chaotic," Odell writes. She describes writers as overworked and underpaid, expected to be on call at all times, with some employees pulling over on the side of the road while driving to answer work messages. Paltrow offered employees a two-week 'Goopcation' but still expected employees to respond to her messages during that time. Gwyneth Paltrow ruffled feathers at Condé Nast over Goop fact-checking As Goop's influence ballooned, it treaded further and further into debunked wellness fads like vaginal steaming, bone broth diets and vaginal jade eggs (for which Goop was fined $145,000 in 2018 for unsubstantiated medical claims). Paltrow has seen herself as a crusader for little-known women's health topics, though medical experts abhor her 'vigilante health journalism,' Odell writes. According to Odell's reporting, "neither Gwyneth nor Goop's board nor its investors were concerned about these controversies." When Condé Nast and Anna Wintour tapped Goop for a magazine partnership in 2017, the deal fell apart after only two issues because Paltrow and Goop wouldn't comply with Condé Nast's fact-checking standards. There was also a power struggle over whether Paltrow or Wintour had true control over the magazine. Paltrow wanted complete control to promote Goop's merchandise in the magazine, but Condé Nast feared it would alienate advertisers or compromise integrity. Odell reports that Wintour and Paltrow's relationship was a 'lovefest in the early days,' with the media mogul calling Paltrow 'baby' in meetings. But Wintour wanted the stories to be rigorously fact-checked, and Odell writes that Paltrow dismissed any criticism as 'patriarchal,' saying that she was 'finally illuminating truths that other outlets would not' about women's health, even if they weren't backed by science. Experts Odell spoke with for 'Gwyneth' liken Goop to a cult because of the way its foundational wellness beliefs tie into consumers' identities. 'Proponents of wellness have positioned it as necessary opposition to Big Ag and Big Pharma, conveniently ignoring (what) they've created: Big Wellness,' Odell writes. New celeb memoirs: Read tell-alls on aging, marriage and Beyoncé Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Rene Kirby, actor who danced alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in 'Shallow Hal,' dead at 70
Rene Kirby, a film star best known for his role in the body comedy "Shallow Hal," died July 11. He was 70. According to an official obituary, Kirby died in his native Burlington, Vermont, "following a short illness." Kirby was born with spina bifida, a condition that occurs when the spine or spinal cord doesn't form properly, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can result in a variety of symptoms, including numbness, leg paralysis and back pain. Rock star Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76, weeks after final Black Sabbath show Kirby, who for many years worked at tech giant IBM, and then later as a motivational speaker, had only a short stint on the big screen, also starring in 2003's "Stuck on You," and an episode of the television program "Carnivàle." He is most famed, though, for his role in "Shallow Hal," the Farrelly brothers' 2001 comedy romance, which cast Kirby as Walt, who, alongside stars Gwenyth Paltrow and Jack Black, danced with crutches, embodying the film's "seeing beyond appearances" sentiment. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who starred as Theo on 'Cosby Show,' dies in drowning at 54 The movie, which became a cult classic to some and an example of poor movie judgment to others, saw Black fall in love with Paltrow for her inner beauty, rather than her outward looks. In the film, Paltrow donned a "fat suit," a choice she later voiced regret over. Kirby, though onscreen for only short clips of the movie, brought an enthusiasm and joy to the big screen. Kirby is survived by his mother, Janet; brothers, Ric, Daryl and Jon, and sisters Donna, Cheryl and Jean, as well as several cousins, nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.
