Chris Evans Says He's Quitting Acting to Be a Full-Time Director

Chris Evans has officially announced that he’s leaving acting behind to pursue a career as a director. He spent his last hiatus directing a feature called 1:30 Train, about “a young woman who misses her ride home at Grand Central Terminal and spends the night talking to a street musician.”

“I’ve known for a while I wanted to direct,” Evans says. “But (time) never really opens up. There’s another movie to do, there’s another acting job. It just got to a point where I was like, you know what — I have to do this.”

Evans recently made news when he said he plans a short break from acting after his Marvel run ends, but now, he tells Variety, he wants to retire from being in front of the camera. “If I’m acting at all, it’s going to be under Marvel contract, or I’m going to be directing,” he says. “I can’t see myself pursuing acting strictly outside of what I’m contractually obligated to do.”

So, Captain America is quitting. If you have the energy to make a metaphor out of that, please leave it in the comments. [Variety]

Ugh, this Johnny Weir/Victor Voronov divorce is getting worse and worse (as divorces tend to do, I guess). Voronov claims that Weir sent him a “cryptic” e-mail, suggesting that he might go public with allegations that Voronov had threatened Weir’s life. Meanwhile, Weir alleges that Voronov beat Tema, the couple’s beloved Japanese Chin.

Voronov not only claims Weir’s allegations are false — he told police the email was a violation of the restraining order he obtained against Weir last week, which prohibits Weir from contacting him in any way.

A court date has been set for next week to determine whether Weir actually violated the order — and if he did, Weir could be thrown in jail.

Johnny claims Victor is lying when he says Tema, a Japanese chin, was the family dog. Johnny says it was his — that he got Tema from a pet store, that Tema slept on his side of the bed, that Tema waited by the bathroom door when Johnny took a shower, that Tema followed Johnny all over the house.

Johnny thinks it’s ironic that Victor is fighting for the dog, because he claims Victor is volatile and has seen him “strike the dog with force on occasion when we were married.”

Guh. [TMZ] [TMZ]

Madonna is slated to direct the film adaptation of Rebecca Walker‘s Ade: A Love Story.

It’s an adaptation of Rebecca Walker’s novel that centers on the love between an American college student and a Swahili man. The two make swift plans to marry but are torn apart by societal pressures.

…”I certainly can relate to all that. I know the agony and ecstasy of love,” she said. “I feel like I’m in a very-qualified position to speak of it and make a film about it. Absolutely, for anyone and anything we love [we make sacrifices]. Love equals sacrifice.”

Oh, Madge. [MTV]

If you haven’t already, you should really read the lovely obituary that actor Jim Rebhorn wrote for himself, prior to his death from melanoma. Here’s a short excerpt:

He is also survived by his wife, Rebecca Fulton Linn, and his two daughters, Emma Rebecca Rebhorn and Hannah Linn Rebhorn. They anchored his life and gave him the freedom to live it. Without them, always at the center of his being, his life would have been little more than a vapor. Rebecca loved him with all his flaws, and in her the concept of ceaseless love could find no better example.

His children made him immensely proud. Their dedication to improving our species and making the world a better place gave him hope for the future. They deal with grief differently, and they should each manage it as they see fit. He hopes, however, that they will grieve his passing only as long as necessary. They have much good work to do, and they should get busy doing it. Time is flying by.

Read the whole thing. [StPaulLutheranChurch]

Joey Fatone has signed on to host a reality show called Parents Just Don’t Understand. [TheWrap]
Khloe was supposed to be on Fashion Police this week, but she bailed after Joan Rivers filmed a bit spoofing Kim‘s sex tape with Ray J (timely reference!). Seems pretty reasonable, actually. I don’t think you’re required to be a good sport about people making fun of those close to you. Celebrities are people, after all. [TMZ]
Remy Ma has “squashed her beef” with Fat Joe. [MTV]
Jessica Pare went swimming topless and talked about her teeth. [Us]
Patrick Dempsey‘s mother has passed away from cancer at age 79. Condolences. [Yahoo]
The guy who used to host Wild Recon on Animal Planet has been sentenced to 2 years’ probation, 200 hours of community service, and $9000 in fines for selling illegal lizards. [Yahoo]
Kim Kardashian wore this dress and I don’t like it. [E!]
Demi Lovato and Kathy Griffin are having a Twitter feud because Kathy called Demi a “douche.” I have some love for Kathy Griffin, but doesn’t she ever get tired of this shit? [E!]
Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to play an elderly Terminator in Terminator: Genesis. [MovieWeb]
The car crash that killed Paul Walker was caused by high speeds, not a mechanical failure, investigators say. [E!]
Paula Patton is maybe gettin’ sexy with her publicist. [DailyMail]
This song is way more disturbing than I remembered.