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People may make fun of me for not being up on any sports — and by “people” I mean anyone who knows me — but the truth is I’ve had it marked on my calendar for weeks now that this Sunday is Puppy Bowl XX. Ha, so there. Featured in this anniversary-year game will be over 100 pups coming from 73 shelters across 36 states. Returning to referee duties for the 13th year in a row is Dan Schachner, who will have an assistant ref for the first time: his family’s newly adopted poodle mix Whistle. While Whistle is the first dog Schachner has adopted as an adult, he and his brood have been fostering four dogs a year for the past 10 years. They wanted to make sure they did their homework before committing to an adoption. That’s some research period! But it makes it all the more fitting for Schachner to be the host/referee of this great event.

Why he fostered first: “When I first got the job, I was tempted, of course, every year we’re tempted,” the Puppy Bowl ref remembers, “But, I was like, ‘Let me learn.’ There is no better way to learn than through fostering. I remain a staunch advocate for fostering. If you are unsure of what kind of dog to get, if you can handle caring for a dog, or any trepidation, you should 1000% foster.”

The merits of fostering: In his 10 past years of pet fostering, Schachner and his family have helped care for 40 different dogs and have enjoyed the company of each pup. “You’re doing good because you’re making room in the shelter for the next dog. So you’re automatically winning here, and you’re helping the shelter,” he says about the many pros of pet fostering, adding, “Forty different dogs in 10 years has really given me perspective.” Schachner’s family had fostered large, small, special needs, and senior dogs before adopting Whistle. All of the pet care experience left them feeling confident that they would know the pet that was the right fit for them.

Whistle was ‘the one’: When Schachner met Whistle through Phoenix Animal Rescue at an adoption event in Pennsylvania while searching for a puppy to foster as his assistant ref, he had an inkling that the puppy mill rescue dog might become a permanent family member. He brought Whistle home, and after the second night of fostering the dog, Schachner’s family sat together, “and we’re just like, ‘This is the one, right? This is the one.’” Schachner adopted Whistle in December after several months of fostering, during which the puppy received several vet exams for luxating patella, a “fancy way of saying displaced kneecaps,” per the ref. “It’s hard for her to run. She can’t do stairs well because of her kneecaps. It’s something that’s going to require surgery down the line. But so far so good,” Schachner adds.

Whistle gives him legitimacy as Puppy Bowl ref: Animal lovers can expect to see Whistle refereeing most of Puppy Bowl 2024 from Schachner’s arms. He says the spot gives the pup the perfect view to cover the game. “I think a Puppy Bowl assistant ref is probably an idea that’s a long time coming; I’ve always needed a little help on the field. And honestly, having a dog in stripes along on the field helps enhance my authority because the other dogs see me with a dog, and they’re like, ‘Ah, this guy’s cool. I trust this guy,’” Schachner explains.

How Whistle is adapting: “It’s been great,” the ref says of having Whistle as a pet. “It’s been a lot of changes for this little dog. If you think about it, going from the breeder, being surrendered to the rescue, and having the medical issues, and going to Puppy Bowl.” Whistle has handled it all with a cuddly demeanor. “She’s the clingiest, sweetest dog you’ve ever met,” Schachner says.

He keeps up with former fosters on Instagram: Schachner notes that adopting Whistle doesn’t mean the dogs he fostered before were “disappointments.” “They were all awesome, and they were all incredible learning experiences. It’s like Santa Claus doesn’t have his own kids. He has kids around the world. … I get to follow these dogs on Instagram and see their forever lives, these 40 dogs, and it’s just the most fulfilling thing,” he says. The Puppy Bowl referee hopes his enriching experience with pet fostering inspires others to foster and adopt. “Adoption and fostering are the way to go, and I’ll shout it from the rooftops forever that you’ve got to adopt, not shop,” Schachner shares.

[From People]

Fostering is a big-hearted, but also sensible way to get the practical experience of caring for a dog. I just can’t believe Schachner and his family were able to say goodbye to 40 pups!! And speaking of adorable floofs looking for homes, the bowl is this Sunday at 2pm ET and can be streamed on Max, Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, and TruTV. You can check out the players for Teams Ruff and Fluff and vote in the Pupularity Playoffs until Friday morning. I’ve already selected my MVP from the lineup: a dachshund from New Orleans named Beignet.

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Around the coronation last year, there was an interesting and macabre discussion about what would happen if Queen Camilla survived her husband. The Windsors and their staff make all kinds of contingency plans, and obviously they are dealing with a king and consort in their 70s, so I understand why the courtiers were already considering what would happen if X, Y or Z happened. In any case, the courtiers seemed to settle on the idea that if Camilla survives her husband, her new title would be Dowager Queen Camilla. What goes unsaid is that the title and style a widowed Camilla would receive will be largely up to King William, and I even suggested last year that William would probably prefer something like Dowager Consort. I was reminded of that story and conversation this week because, following King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, friends of Charles and Camilla claim that Charles is more concerned about Camilla than himself.

The King will be most concerned for the Queen in the wake of his cancer diagnosis, his closest friends have said. Dame Julia Cleverdon, who served as chief executive of one of the King’s charity organisations when he was Prince of Wales, and Lord Dobbs, a friend of Their Majesties, discussed the repercussions of the King’s health revelation on the rest of the Royal family.

Dame Julia, who worked closely with the monarch while running Business in the Community, said: “The real heroine it seems to me in all of this is Queen Camilla, who he will be most concerned, I suspect, about the effect on her and the conversations and the load that she will take as he goes through his treatment.”

The King began regular treatment at a London hospital on Monday, as an outpatient, but has not revealed what type of cancer he has or what kind of treatment he is undergoing. However, the Palace confirmed that he did not have prostate cancer after the illness was discovered during his corrective surgery for a benign enlarged prostate.

Dame Julia, who was also a special adviser to the Prince’s Charities, the King’s non-profit organisation, is such a trusted friend of the monarch’s that within hours of Princess Diana’s death, he rang her for advice on how to speak to his two sons. She has gradually reduced her workload over the years but at one point was said to speak to the then heir to the throne twice a day. She was appointed DCVO at the personal direction of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2008.

Dame Julia told the Today programme that the King “loves to work” and will be “very disappointed at the disruption to his plans” from his cancer diagnosis.

“He will be awash with the things that he can’t do as he steps back, but he will be absolutely clear and totally determined to do everything he can to recover fast and well,” she added.

The 73-year-old also hailed the support that the rest of the Royal family has shown him, including his sister the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Waleses.

“I’m absolutely sure that this reign will continue…and that he will be A, knowledgeable, B, determined and C, absolutely clear that the show will go on,” she said.

[From The Telegraph]

Putting aside my personal feelings about the monarchy, it’s going to be hard on both Charles and Camilla and they have my sympathy. I also think Charles is very concerned about Camilla, and I’m sure people inside the monarchy are concerned too. Camilla has always “managed” Charles and his moods, and a lot of what comes next will fall on her shoulders. And that’s always tough, to be the spouse of someone going through a big medical situation or illness. Add to that, there will be the expectation that Camilla balance being there for Charles and trying to cover for him at public events. It’s a lot to put on a 76-year-old woman. The reason I mentioned the “what if Camilla survives her husband” issue is because I bet that’s also something concerning both Charles and Camilla – while Camilla has gathered a lot of power in recent years, so much of it is dependent on her proximity to Charles and the crown.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Felicity Huffman is currently promoting a play, Hir, which is being staged in London for a month. Which means she’s giving interviews to British outlets like the Guardian, and the Guardian didn’t really want to talk about the play. They wanted to talk about Felicity’s arrest and brief imprisonment, her guilty plea and her politics. I’m used to reading bonkers interviews and profiles and let me tell you, this Guardian piece is very, very weird. Partly because Felicity so clearly does not want to talk about many subjects and partly because the Guardian interviewer is making it extremely awkward. Some highlights:

How she feels about her criminal past: “You mean Varsity Blues? ‘How I am is kind of a loaded question. As long as my kids are well and my husband is well, I feel like I’m well. I’m grateful to be here. But how am I? I guess I’m still processing.”

She has barely worked since the scandal broke. “I did a pilot for ABC recently that didn’t get picked up. It’s been hard. Sort of like your old life died and you died with it. I’m lucky enough to have a family and love and means, so I had a place to land.”

She has encountered a range of reactions from the public. “I’m not in any way whitewashing what I did but some people have been kind and compassionate. Others have not.”

David Mamet defended her: Among her defenders is her good friend David Mamet, who wrote an open letter insisting that Huffman should have received the “Texas Verdict” which means: Not guilty, but don’t do it again. “I thought it was kind and brave of him to say something, regardless of what it was.” What does she think of his Texas Verdict argument? “I don’t know,” she says flatly, bringing the matter to a close.

She’s a Democrat, David Mamet is not: “The country is so siloed. My husband and I are Democrats and we thought we should try watching different news channels that don’t tell us what we want to hear.” Or they could speak to Mamet, a proud Donald Trump supporter. “It’s really hard to do with someone you love,” she sighs. “I can’t understand it.” Isn’t it worth trying, now that a second Trump presidency is a possibility? “Anything I can do on the ground with my actions and my pocketbook to help that not happen, I am committed to doing. But talking a loving friend out of their political convictions? I’m not signing up for that.” Was she surprised when Mamet swung to the right in his 2008 essay Why I am no longer a “brain-dead liberal”? “Yeah, I don’t really wanna go into it,” she says, squirming in her coat. We move on again.

[From The Guardian]

In late November, Felicity gave her first big interview since the guilty plea and jail, and while she sounded humbled, she also claimed (bizarrely) that she thought she had to do fraud and break the law “to give my daughter a future.” The pushback on Felicity was immediate. I think she realized that she needs to talk about all of it in a different way, but she still hasn’t figured out what to say so she’s just sort of stilted and awkward about it.

This is such a tangent, but let me compare Felicity and Halle Berry in a narrow way – in 2020, Halle got probation, a fine and court-ordered community service for a hit-and-run. Halle began working with Jenesse Center for her community service and simply never stopped. She’s an ambassador for the domestic-violence charity and she’s spent over two decades doing amazing work with them. I actually believe that Felicity is trying to do something similar, which is continue working with charities beyond her community service. Lean into that and work with a publicist to figure out a way to talk about your crimes so you don’t come across like a privileged a–hole. Like, it’s so simple but Felicity still hasn’t figured out a way to do it.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

To recap, Prince Harry flew fourteen hours to have a 45-minute sitdown with his father, and then King Charles immediately flew to Sandringham and Harry checked into a hotel overnight, having seemingly been banned from staying at any royal property. All of those big reconciliation narratives and “what if Harry comes back to work for the firm” fantasies were blown up in less than an hour. Charles doesn’t give a sh-t. Harry loves his father but cannot change him or force him to be a better person or a better father. But please, let’s hear from some “sources” who insist that Harry wants to spend more time in England now:

Prince Harry plans to ‘spend more time’ in England following dad King Charles’ cancer diagnosis – and Meghan has given her blessing.

The father-of-two was pictured as he touched down in London from California where he now lives with wife Meghan Markle and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. It comes as Harry hopes to put the rift between his brother Prince William behind him and be a support to William as he takes on more responsibility while King Charles undergoes treatment.

Harry is ‘keen to start healing his rift’ with Wills for the sake of their family, and Wills is coming around to this idea too, says a source close to the family. An insider told us: “Harry is making plans to spend more time in England so he can be there physically for his father. Meghan has given him her blessing to do this as she knows family is paramount. It’s early days yet and they are working out logistically how they can make it work as Harry’s life is now in the States with his wife and kids. Harry and Wills have always been there for each other through tough times, and it looks like they will restart building their relationship again. The brotherly love never really went away. It will take time.”

[From The Mirror]

I honestly did have a moment where I hoped that Charles’s cancer diagnosis would help Charles reevaluate his relationships with his sons and perhaps even begin to repair some of the damage with Harry. But no, it’s clear that won’t happen. Granted, we don’t know what Harry and Charles said to each other, but three facts in evidence show that Harry won’t be welcomed back for frequent visits: Charles only gave Harry 45 minutes; Harry wasn’t invited to Sandringham; Harry wasn’t welcomed overnight at a royal property and had to stay at a hotel. The Windsors don’t want him back, especially because Harry has been so successful and he’s not broke and divorced.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Ultra-processed food is super addictive and largely unhealthy. We all know that at this point. But the good folks at CNN thought we ought to know that its addictive quality stems in part from it being predigested. Someone’s been eating our porridge! Only instead of Goldilocks it’s the food industrial complex, and they’re breaking down staples like potatoes at the cellular level and then rebuilding the remaining slurry — that’s the manufacturing word, I’m not making this up — into the Lays chips we love. The process of destroying and remaking molecular structures, though, combined with the additives thrown in post-slurry stage, removes most of the nutritional value of the food, and disrupts the human body’s natural digestion. So why do they process food this way? Duh, because it’s cheaper! Oh, and about 73% of the US food supply is ultra-processed now. Chew on that while digesting CNN’s reporting:

The process of predigestion: To manufacture cheap, delicious food that is packaged for convenience, basic food crops such as corn, wheat and potatoes are dissembled into their molecular parts — starchy flours, protein isolates, fats and oils — or what manufacturers call ‘slurries.’ “The bulk of what is extracted is starch slurry, a milky mixture of starch and water, but we also have extracted proteins and fibers,” according to a video explanation of the process from Starch Europe, part of the European Starch Industry Association.

‘An illusion of food’: Next, with the help of artificial colorings, flavorings and glue-like emulsifiers, those slurries are then heated, pounded, shaped or extruded into any food a manufacturer can dream up. Add in just the right ratio of sugar, salt and fat designed to tickle our taste buds, and an ultra-processed food that’s nearly irresistible is born, said infectious disease specialist Dr. Chris van Tulleken, an associate professor at University College London. … “It’s an illusion of food,” he added. “But it’s really expensive and difficult for a food company to make food that is real and whole, and much cheaper for food companies to destroy real foods, turn them into molecules, and then reassemble those to make anything they want.”

Humans aren’t built like birds: Much like the regurgitated food mother birds feed their babies in the nest, ultra-processed food is quick and easy to digest, according to experts. But that’s not how the human digestive system was meant to work. Starting with teeth designed to tear food apart, the human gastrointestinal system evolved to break down whole foods into their various nutritional components, absorb those vitamins, minerals and micronutrients and then eliminate the indigestible leftovers and fiber as stool.

Skipping over stretch receptors: When food moves through the digestive system in ways Mother Nature didn’t intend, however, the body loses the ability to send a signal of fullness to the brain, said Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventative and lifestyle medicine who founded the nonprofit True Health Initiative. “In effect you are bypassing the stretch receptor effect in the stomach,” Katz said. “Before the stretch receptors can even tell you, ‘Hey, we’ve had enough,’ you’ve put down twice as many calories as you need.”

What the frack: Breaking down the chemical and physical structure of the cells in a food, or a food’s matrix, can damage or even eliminate many of the nutrients in that food, said Anthony Fardet, a senior research scientist at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research in Paris. “By fracking food much like we frack oil, we have fully deconstructed the food matrix, and this is associated with many times higher risk of chronic disease and early mortality and a degradation of global health. … Before the Second World War, before we began using these new manufacturing processes, we never observed such a high level of chronic disease worldwide,” Fardet said.

Fighting the system: But we are paying a price, said Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, who has written books on food industry politics. “The food industry has created an eat more environment — that’s what it’s supposed to do,” Nestle said. “And it’s fun — the foods do nice things for your brain’s pleasure centers and your hormones and the like, so it’s very difficult for people to stop eating them. The other way I put it is that individuals who are trying to control their weight in today’s food environment are fighting an entire food system on their own. That’s hard to do.”

[From CNN]

Ok, but… can I still buy the prepared meals from Trader Joe’s? I’ll confess, in my first five read-throughs of this article I was convinced that CNN was just trying to frighten us from ever eating again. And then I shifted to despondency when Professor Nestle (no relation to the food corporation, still hilarious) talked about fighting the entire system. But then I had a scathingly brilliant idea (and if you know that reference, hello you are my people). We need a reality series where contestants are given the slurry remnants of corn, wheat, and potatoes and have to turn them into real-looking food. Take the premise and earnestness of Great British Bake Off and use it to expose the industry! If Gen Z actually gets to see the slurry origins of the food they eat daily, then I have a sliver of hope they will demand change. I’ll start writing my pitch to the networks, just as soon as I finish my mint Milanos.

photos credit: Pavel Danilyuk, Esma Atak and Norma Mortenson on Pexels, Acton Crawford on Unsplash

As soon as Buckingham Palace announced King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, royal reporters fired up their laptops and wrote a series of columns and thinkpieces suggesting that Prince William isn’t up to the job and that he desperately needs to make peace with Prince Harry. Even funnier, the royalists put it all on Harry, like Harry was supposed to beg William for… something. That’s because any royalist with half a brain knows that Prince Petulant is still seething with rage about all things Harry. Speaking of, William read all of those thinkpieces and his response was to insist (via sources) that he will never, ever meet his brother and Harry WISHES!

Prince William has no plans to meet Prince Harry after he flew to the UK today to be by the ailing King’s side following his cancer diagnosis.

The Prince of Wales remains focussed on looking after his wife Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery and is taking extended leave from public duties until after Easter, sources have said. William, 41, is due to return to public work tomorrow, carrying out an investiture at Windsor Castle in the morning and later attending a gala for the London Air Ambulance in the evening.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, has cleared his diary to fly to London to be with his father despite their troubled relationship, raising concerns about the seriousness of the King’s health. He was pictured arriving at Clarence House to visit his father this afternoon.

Sources close to the Duke, who now lives in Montecito, California, have suggested he would have welcomed an opportunity to meet with William “if the opportunity were to arise”. A source said: “The Duke’s primary reason to travel to the UK is to visit his father. If the opportunity were to arise to see the Prince of Wales then the Duke would have gladly accepted it.”

A source close to William said: “The prince’s main focus is for his wife, who is recovering from surgery, his three children and now his father. There are no plans for Harry’s visit to act as some kind of vehicle for reconciliation.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

Other outlets must have gotten the same briefing, but they made it sound much more mutual, as in neither Harry or William were prioritizing some kind of brotherly meeting. I wonder who dropped “If the opportunity were to arise to see the Prince of Wales then the Duke would have gladly accepted it” into the Mirror’s story. While it does make Harry seem like he’s “begging” for reconciliation, it also makes Harry look mature. While William looks like Harry’s sudden visit caught him flat-footed and mid-tantrum. Speaking of, that mysterious Friend of Bill once again chatted with the Daily Beast about the nonexistent plans for reconciliation between the brothers:

One old school friend of both William and Harry, who has remained loyal to William and not spoken to Harry since he emigrated to the US, told The Daily Beast: “The news about their father is absolutely shocking, but I don’t think it means William wants to meet up with Harry and shake hands for the cameras. If the papers want to write that they are going to be having pints together and a heart to heart, they will, but in reality, the idea that William and Kate are ever, ever going to let Harry back into their lives, or trust him with any personal information ever again is a total fantasy. It’s simply not possible to exaggerate how bad and how damaged the relationship is, and how angry William is at Harry for betraying him for money.”

Asked if his father’s illness would not concentrate the mind on the importance of family bonds, the friend said: “This isn’t just two guys falling out. The point is, Harry betrayed the monarchy. He can’t be trusted, he is out.”

A former staffer who worked with Harry and William told The Daily Beast: “I gather it is considered highly unlikely they would meet. The relationship is non-existent because of the allegations made against his wife.”

[From The Daily Beast]

I wonder if this is the same friend who told the Daily Beast that the next time William would speak to Harry is at their father’s funeral? It sounds like it. This Friend-of-Bill certainly is well-versed in all of William’s childish and hypocritical talking points. Maybe if William’s friends keep screaming this version of events, someone will believe them.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

People Magazine regularly features members of the British royal family on their covers, but I’ve gotten so used to People’s Photoshop elves working their magic on the royal photos, I actually did a double-take when I saw this cover. I get it, they wanted a photo where King Charles looked old, but yikes. This is very harsh. As you can see, People Magazine has devoted this week’s cover to King Charles’s health crisis, his cancer and treatment. Much like the Princess of Wales’s mysterious abdominal surgery, palace sources were “shocked” when the palace made the announcement on Monday. Here’s an excerpt from the cover story:

Although the statement offered few details, the palace did reveal that when Charles underwent his prostate procedure, a separate issue of concern was detected, and “subsequent diagnostic tests have revealed the presence of a form of cancer.” (The type of cancer has not been disclosed in keeping with the palace’s tight-lipped approach to medical conditions, but it is not prostate cancer, a spokesman confirmed.)

“In time we might know,” Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue. “but for now, there is a feeling that they have been pretty open.”

The King has begun “regular treatments” and will postpone public duties, the palace statement added, noting that Charles “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”

Those close to the family were taken aback by the announcement. “I was really shocked when I heard it,” says a palace insider.

Adds a source who knows him, “He has not looked himself. I put it down to grief—he’d had two deaths close together [his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in Sept. 2022 and his father, Prince Philip in April 2021]—but maybe he wasn’t well, without realizing so. It would take it out of him.”

The news comes just nine months into Charles’s reign and only 17 months after the death of Queen Elizabeth at age 96.

The potential for increased responsibilities for the king’s son and heir, William, 41, once again highlighted the royal family’s thinned ranks since the departure of Charles’s younger son Prince Harry, 39, and the removal of Charles’s scandal-plagued brother Prince Andrew, 63.

Says a palace insider: “He will want to get on with the job. But that will depend on what treatment he is having. It may be utterly draining on him. He will need a lot of support.”

[From People]

I’m surprised that People Mag included this quote: “He has not looked himself. I put it down to grief.” If I’m being honest, I think Charles has aged a lot in the past two years, even if he had some big moments where he appeared to be having the time of his life (especially since he became king). But absolutely, his color has been off for a while and his fingers always look so swollen and uncomfortable. I’ve been thinking about the Princess of Wales too, and wondering how long she’s been dealing with her health issues, because you could make the argument that, like Charles, her appearance changed somewhat dramatically over the past year. Kate and Charles’s health crises seemed to take a lot of palace insiders by surprise too. Hm.

Last October, Charles and Camilla were the guests of honor at a dinner at Mansion House. I remember looking at the photos (below) and thinking that Charles did not look well.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red, cover courtesy of People.

There’s one small part of me which wonders if Prince Harry’s visit to the UK this week was used as some kind of “smoke William out of his hole” maneuver by Buckingham Palace. Prince William has been almost entirely out of sight for the past month, his staff and communications office have seemingly been operating without any guidance. It genuinely felt like William was MIA for several weeks. William only popped up as soon as BP announced the king’s cancer diagnosis and, in the same breath, Prince Harry’s plans to visit. Suddenly the Kensington Palace comms office had something to do, yet another incandescent briefing spree about how much William hates his brother. William will also do two events today, his first in more than a month. But, according to Becky English at the Mail, this will be the last time we see William for “a bit.”

Prince William will continue to put his wife and children’s welfare to the fore as he steps up to help his ailing father. While the heir to the throne will return to public duties today – after having decided to ‘clear his diary’ in order to support the Princess of Wales during and after her operation last month – he is not expected to pick up full-time royal duties quite yet.

He will undertake two public engagements, holding an investiture at Windsor Castle on behalf of the King in the morning followed by a gala dinner in central London in the evening in his role as patron of the London Air Ambulance. After that, however, he has no further duties scheduled this week and will be with Kate and the children again next week during their half-term holiday.

A source said: ‘The Prince has always made clear that his priority is to support his wife and family for the time being – and he did not put a timescale on that. He will make a return to duties on Wednesday but you should not expect to see him again for a bit after that.’

It is understood that his team at Kensington Palace are speaking to their opposite numbers at Buckingham Palace about which public engagements William could potentially attend in his father’s place. They are likely to be along the lines of further investitures and, perhaps, leading the family at events such as the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey early next month.

But with His Majesty insisting on keeping his hand firmly on the tiller of State business during his treatment, it is highly unlikely that the future king will be required to take over any constitutional matters.

It is understood that William, 41, has his father’s ‘100 per cent’ backing in returning at his own pace. A source said: ‘The King adores Catherine and thinks she is doing a wonderful job. He understands that family comes first.’

The King has been spending an increasing amount of time at Windsor Castle since his accession, often staying over on Sunday evenings, affording him more time with his son and young grandchildren to whom he is growing ever closer. William, who now lives in Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate, a short walk from the castle, also often uses rooms in the historic royal residence for meetings.

William has always made clear that, at this stage in his life, his duty to his family comes ahead of his public role. However, it is unheard of to have three senior members of the Royal Family out of action at one time, particularly now the King is likely to be away for longer than planned, meaning working royals will be thin on the ground. And this means there will, inevitably, be more pressure on the future king to step up.

[From The Daily Mail]

Imagine a national press openly begging the 41-year-old heir to “step up” and help his 75-year-old father suffering from cancer. As I said in the intro, we simply were not getting these kinds of briefings from Kensington Palace in the past month. It’s only after Harry came to the UK that William’s comms office actually gave Becky English some solid information. That info? LMAO, that, no, William won’t be coming back to work in any meaningful way. Today is all they’ll get for another month. Also: British schools’ vacation schedules are completely bonkers to me, how is it that the kids already have a “half-term holiday” coming up? They just went back to school like three weeks ago?? Don’t they have another month off around Easter?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Embed from Getty Images

Celine Dion made a surprise appearance at the very end of Sunday night’s Grammys. She got a standing ovation from the audience as she stepped out to present Album of the Year. It all went sideways soon after, but not for Celine. Celine presented Taylor Swift with the AOTY Grammy and Taylor was too busy dragging Lana del Rey on stage and making faces at her producers to even notice Celine. Taylor snatched the Grammy from Celine’s hands without even acknowledging her. Backstage minutes later, Taylor made sure to pose for photos with Celine, and Taylor’s people put out stories about how there was no drama, etc. Meanwhile, an internet full of Celine-lovers lost their sh-t on Taylor for being so disrespectful to a queen. So what did Celine think of all of that?

Céline Dion made her sensational Grammys appearance to show that her illness is “not a death sentence” — and was unfazed by Taylor Swift’s alleged snub, sources told Page Six. The superstar, 55, has been battling Stiff-Person syndrome, a rare — and incurable — neurological disorder that makes walking difficult and has prevented her from singing the way she’s “used to.”

Dion was greeted with a standing ovation at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Sunday night as she stepped onstage to hand out the final award of the night, Album of the Year. And despite an alleged snub by the winner, Swift, one music insider said that Dion achieved what she wanted — to show everyone that she’s back.

Swift has been dragged online for not properly acknowledging Dion as she accepted the award, but an insider who knows the latter said Dion brushed it off.

“I don’t think Céline cared and they talked backstage afterwards. But Céline was just gracious and happy to be there,” the insider said. “Of course, the right thing would have been for Taylor to acknowledge her, like Adele did years ago.” When Dion presented Adele the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2017, the two warmly embraced and Adele made an “I’m not worthy” hand motion to Dion.

Backstage on Sunday, other luminaries paid respect to Dion and flocked to her dressing room. Page Six is told she sang with Steve Wonder — “they were just riffing,” said the insider — and caught up with Oprah Winfrey.

“She wanted to show everyone that she’s doing alright,” the insider said of Dion’s surprise appearance. “She has good days and bad days … it’s a painful disease, but it’s not a death sentence. She’s clearly capable of doing things and she wanted to show everyone that she’s back. She looked fantastic. The hope is that she will be able to perform.”

Dion was forced to cancel a world tour after she announced her illness last year, and has made rare public appearances since then. On Sunday night, she flew from her home in Las Vegas to Los Angeles — accompanied by a small entourage including her stylist Jay Roach — landing at 7 p.m. PST. She was escorted onstage by her son René-Charles Angélil, 23, presented the final award of the night to Swift and was on her way home by 9:30 p.m., we’re told.

[From Page Six]

“Of course, the right thing would have been for Taylor to acknowledge her, like Adele did years ago.” Sounds like Celine did notice that Taylor totally blanked her and it might have even bothered her. The thing is, Celine really is a lovely and gracious person (by all accounts) so I’m sure this story is more about Celine’s team being mad on her behalf and trying to refocus the story back on Celine.

Meanwhile, The Town podcast with Matthew Ringer had the inside story on what happened when Taylor and Celine left the Grammys stage, with Taylor’s team “scrambling” to fix Taylor’s mistake. Here’s the thing – if Taylor and her people had just come out and said “Taylor was caught up in the moment and she’s so sorry she didn’t acknowledge Celine properly, Taylor loves Celine and apologizes completely,” that would have been it, story over. But Taylor has an almost Trumpian attitude towards apologizing or acknowledging her mistakes.

not The Town casually confirming that “the Taylor camp knew immediately” her Celine snub was a “misstep” and that this photo was scrambled together as instant damage control https://t.co/OXb7OBhB9Z pic.twitter.com/2MvdY1XRhc

— Who? Weekly (@whoweekly) February 6, 2024

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.

Super Bowl LVIII is happening this Sunday and we all know that there are three big components that make up America’s biggest night for sports: the game, the half-time show, and the commercials. When it comes to Super Bowl commercials, it’s like there’s a whole other competition going on to determine which crazy over-priced ad is the best one of the night. Over the years, Super Bowl commercials have gotten more outrageous, nostalgic, and celebrity-friendly. Not even beloved mascots are safe anymore! In fact, a 30-second commercial slot is a whopping $7 million this year!

One of the most-hyped commercials this year involves former Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, David and Victoria Beckham, this year’s half-time performer Usher, and rapper Jelly Roll. The minute-long commercial, which you can check out below, is for Uber Eats. The premise is that in order to remember all of the great services Uber Eats provides, you have to forget something else in order to create room in your brain.

Uber Eats’ 2024 Super Bowl commercial is a star-studded 60 second event!

The big game spot features Jennifer Aniston reuniting with Friends co-star David Schwimmer, David and Victoria Beckham, Jelly Roll, and Usher.

The commercial is all about being forgetful, and these stars all seem to be forgetting quite a bit. Jennifer totally forgets who David is, Victoria can’t remember the name of the Spice Girls, Jelly Roll thinks his face tattoos are fake, and Usher can’t remember he is performing in the halftime show.

“Jen! Hey!” David says in the commercial while going in for a hug. Jennifer stops him from hugging her and says, “Have we met?”

David responds, “Well, we worked together for ten years.”

“Ten years? You were great,” Jennifer says, before David responds, “You still don’t know, do you?”

Jennifer walks away and says, “Like I’d forget ten years of my life,” clearly still not really remembering. David then says, “I hate this town.”

[From JustJared]

Honestly, I thought this was pretty cute! I think it’s fun when celebrities commit to a silly joke and poke fun at themselves. Watching the silly Aniston/Schwimmer interaction put a smile on my face. I also laughed at the Beckham scene where they’re trying to remember the name of the Spice Girls. It reminded me that I really need to get on watching their Netflix documentary. I go through phases of interest in Super Bowl commercials, but I do enjoy the nostalgic ones, like the Google Assist commercial with Joe Pesci from a few years ago that spoofed the Home Alone one that Macaulay Culkin did for the 2018 holiday season. The Betty White Snickers one also holds a special place in my heart. This year, there will be commercials starring Ben Affleck, Chris Pratt, Jenna Ortega, Christopher Walken, Quinta Brunson, Aubrey Plaza, Lionel Messi, and more. You can watch the ones that have already been released here.

Note by Celebitchy: Due to the amount of time it takes and the lack of interest I’m not doing a comprehensive Super Bowl commercials post this year! Thanks for understanding!