I watched the trailer for The Boys in the Boat a few months ago and I thought it looked good, but I completely forgot that George Clooney produced and directed it? George loves a WWII-era film, my goodness. This one is even pre-WWII but just barely. It’s based on the true story (and adapted from the nonfiction bestseller of the same name) of the University of Washington crew team who represented America at the Olympic games in Berlin in 1936. It’s a feel-good film about college kids who survived the Depression then represented their country on a global stage at the Olympics in Nazi Germany. Intense.

Anyway, these are photos of George and his wife Amal at last night’s LA premiere. The Clooneys were in Europe last week and there were some premieres and screenings, but they didn’t get a ton of attention. I guess this marks the beginning of the American promotion. Amal looked gorgeous in a striking yellow gown which appeared to be corseted. This is a great cut for her figure and I don’t even hate the yellow on her. Like, there’s too much yellow on red carpets and it’s such a tricky color. But with Amal’s coloring, she looks amazing. George looks nice too.

George told Access Hollywood that Amal doesn’t have a stylist!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

I love British names – I hear the name “Luther Ford” and, here in America, that would be the name of a handsome and large Black man. But in the UK, Luther Ford is a pale ginger actor and film student. Luther Ford was cast as a teenage/early 20s Prince Harry in the final season of The Crown. While Meg Bellamy and Ed McVey are stuck talking about William & Kate’s college love story, Luther spoke to the NY Times about how he got into character and whether he actually gives a sh-t about the Windsors.

How he felt when he was first cast as Harry: “At first I was like, “This is amazing — brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I’m going to tell everyone.” But the first rehearsal was when I realized, “Oh, this is actually serious, and this is not going to be something I’m just going to walk through.” I was so naïve, and then when I actually got there, I was looking at the script like, “God, I don’t know how to act. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Whether he was interested in the Windsors before he was cast: “Not particularly. They are embedded in British culture whether you like it or not. I didn’t love them or hate them, I was semi-impartial. The fact that I didn’t know a huge amount about the royal family and the fact that I had been cast, that kind of made me feel like, OK, well, there must be something I’m doing that just works for the character.

Whether he consumed the Sussexes’ docuseries or Harry’s memoir: “I listened to the audiobook of “Spare” all the time while filming because he’s reading it. It was good for the voice. But I would only use it in the sense of what Peter’s scripts were exploring, because otherwise, there was too much to worry about. It’s not about doing an impression, but capturing a kind of essence or a flavor. So we were encouraged to focus on the timeline of the show because the rest is somewhat irrelevant.

The Black Sheep: “One of the things Peter was interested in exploring in terms of brotherhood, and the institution was the idea of Harry being the black sheep of the family. In a funny way, I related to that because, as a non-actor who was new to that world, going onto “The Crown” set, it didn’t take a huge stretch of imagination to feel like an outsider. When you’re surrounded by some of the best British actors I didn’t immediately feel like I fit in with them. I leaned into the fact that it was uncomfortable for the role. It was useful to feel out of place.

How he feels about Harry now: “Yeah, I’ve thought about him every day. By thinking about someone and researching a lot about them, you build up a lot of empathy for them. It’s your job to like them in some way.”

Whether he wants to know what Harry thought of his performance: “It would be a lie to say no — but I’m definitely not holding my breath for a statement.”

[From The NY Times]

Yeah, my guess is that Harry would never make a public statement about watching the last season of The Crown, but he might privately send Luther a note or something. Luther seems like a nice guy, honestly – what’s surprises me the most about so many of the younger actors who have been cast in The Crown is how many of them are completely ambivalent towards the royals. They view them as characters to unlock as actors, but the actors generally don’t care one way or the other about “the royal family.” Josh O’Connor was republican-adjacent, Emma Corrin basically only liked Diana, and Luther sounds like he only really gives a sh-t about Harry.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Netflix/The Crown.

It’s an open secret within the British media and longtime royal watchers that Prince William and Kate barely live together at this point. Adelaide Cottage is supposedly “their” home in Windsor, but it’s far more likely that Adelaide is Kate’s separation cottage, where she does the school runs and doesn’t have enough space for “live in staff.” I bring that up because we really don’t know where William is most of the time – perhaps he’s based out of Kensington Palace, perhaps he just keeps a suite of rooms at Windsor Castle, perhaps he’s living in Frogmore Cottage, who even knows. Meanwhile, Will and Kate barely work, and they barely work together. So the Ephraim Hardcastle column in the Daily Mail pointed out something interesting: Will and Kate made a point of traveling together to Kate’s fruity Christmas carol event. The Mail thinks they should stop doing that, traveling together.

Dropping the late Queen’s convention that those first in the line of succession travel separately, William, Kate and the children motored together to Kate’s Westminster Abbey carol service.

In the event of an unlikely disaster, we could have ended up with Harry as the heir apparent and Meghan as Princess of Wales. The King has not altered Harry and Andrew’s positions in the line of succession. For the sake of everyone, William might consider his travel arrangements in future – or ask his dad to change the succession rules.

[From The Daily Mail]

Mail columnist Richard Eden was ringing this bell too, that it’s imperative that the Sussexes be removed from the line of succession because what if something happens to the Wales family? Are these people just being macabre or is something being left unsaid? Or is this still all about the Sussexes, like always? Like… maybe William and George should fly separately, but they’re raising this kind of stink about William and George using the same car? Besides, it’s pretty clear that William and the kids do most things separately, especially given that William barely stays at Adelaide.

Note by CB: Get the Top 8 stories about Will and Kate’s crumbling marriage when you sign up for our mailing list! I only send one email a day on weekdays.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

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Kat Dennings married Andrew WK in November, after Thanksgiving. Vogue got the exclusive photos and an interview with Kat, and the whole thing is charming. They got married at the home they already share, and the guest list was kept down to a modest number (15). Kat didn’t hire a wedding planner, she did all of the florals herself, and she did spend a lot of time finding “the dress” – she ended up wearing a vintage McQueen gown in ivory. She and Andrew have been together for three years, so none of this was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and she ended up getting the wedding of her dreams. You can see the full Vogue piece here, and I’m including the IGs in this post.

Meeting Andrew WK in person: “About three years ago, Andrew had come to visit me for the first time. At the end of his trip, we couldn’t imagine ever separating. We actually proposed to each other in the kitchen at the exact same moment.”

A wedding at home: “But in the end, the kitchen engagement moment kept calling back to us. We realized that a small home wedding was too cozy to resist. Plus, all our stuff was there so we wouldn’t have to pack anything.”

The couple planned the whole thing by themselves. “I wanted our wedding to feel completely different from an ‘industry event’ in every way,” says the bride, who threw herself into DIY ahead of the event. “I even handmade all of our wedding florals, aisle pieces, and our ceremony arch, which took three entire days. I wanted to be hands-on with the entire experience and feel like we had built our moment together from scratch.”

The gown: “I realized that, as a very pale person, I didn’t like myself in white, so I ordered and returned gowns in every cut and color I could think of, until I figured out which style made me feel most like myself. I ended up finding the most perfect [dress] I could ever imagine from Alexander McQueen, in a deep ivory.” She wore shoes from Jimmy Choo that were “like a mermaid’s dream.”

They almost delayed the wedding: “It was incredibly emotional for both of us, and the love surrounding us was very palpable. My dad had passed away a month and a half before, and I had a moment where I thought we should delay the wedding—but I realized it was even more of a reason to grasp any joyous feeling where I could. My wonderful mom walked me down the aisle, and I felt very present and filled with gratitude for Andrew and our loved ones during the ceremony. I felt truly lucky to be marrying such a kind and loving man. The ceremony itself was kind of a blur, but in the best way. We just looked into each other’s eyes and were so excited to finally be husband and wife.”

She’s proud of her wedding: “I’m very glad I didn’t realize how completely insane it was to do everything ourselves. Had I known the florals would take three days of nonstop work, I might have hired a professional. But standing with Andrew at an arch I made myself, infused with all our effort and care, it was exactly what we wanted in the end.”

[From Vogue]

I love the idea of having a small wedding at home with fewer than 20 people and trying to DIY everything. That being said, I would have hired some help! Especially with the floral stuff. But the rest of it sounds so nice and simple. I wish more celebrities would do these kinds of easy-breezy weddings, but the urge to turn everything into an industry party must be intense.

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Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Kat’s Instagram.

Omid Scobie’s Endgame includes many stories about the left-behind Windsors’ awkwardness in general, and their specific awkwardness at showing racial sensitivity, empathy or humanity. One minor point is Scobie quoting a “royal source,” who said that Prince Edward is “a massive germaphobe” and that’s why he rarely shakes people’s hands while he’s doing walkabouts or events. This was not something made up out of nowhere by Scobie – there have been conversations for a while about Edward’s refusal to shake hands, including right after his mother’s death, when he refused to shake mourners’ hands on a grief walkabout.

Well, the Windsors are still bizarrely showing that they’re obsessed with Scobie and Endgame, because Edward was out this week and he put on a big show of shaking peasants’ hands. The way the Telegraph’s Victoria Ward framed this specifically with Scobie’s words is so…

Buckingham Palace releases a video of Prince Edward shaking hands with members of the public after Omid Scobie claimed in Endgame that he “famously avoids most physical contact with the great unwashed”. Scobie quoted a royal source who said: “He’s a massive germaphobe.” https://t.co/ehvhsTx1Qm

— Victoria Ward (@victoria_ward) December 11, 2023

It’s the fact that he only shook a few hands and then mostly avoided touching the people of color…? This is also smoothly edited so we don’t see him obsessively using industrial-grade hand sanitizer after he shook a few hands. I mean, I’m not going to shame him for being a germaphobe, but if that’s the case, just own it and have your people say “no handshakes.”

Even if Omid Scobie’s book isn’t selling like hotcakes, it’s clear that Buckingham Palace picked up twenty copies and they’re going to keep doing these kinds of stunts to “push back” on Endgame. Such weird people.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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Last December, CB talked about Panera’s Charged Lemonade energy drink. The drink contains almost 300mg of caffeine, which makes one single drink equal to almost three cups of coffee. It also has more caffeine and sugar than Red Bull or a Monster energy drink! It’s like someone who works at Panera’s corporate office drank a Starbucks Refreshers and said, “Let’s make these, only with four times the amount of caffeine.”

In October, the family of a 21-year-old who passed away after drinking a Charged Lemonade filed a lawsuit against Panera. The young woman, Sarah Katz, had a heart condition called QT syndrome and actively avoided energy drinks because of the health risks that caffeine and other stimulants posed. The lawsuit included photos of the menu and beverage dispensers, which showed that the Charged Lemonade was advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage that contained as much caffeine as a dark roast coffee. Sadly, a second person with pre-existing conditions has also passed away after drinking Charged Lemonade. His family is also suing Panera for wrongful death, alleging that he also avoided energy drinks for health reasons.

Panera Bread is once again being blamed for causing someone’s death with its highly caffeinated “Charged Lemonade” energy drink. The family of 46-year-old Dennis Brown has filed a wrongful death suit against the chain this week, alleging that Brown’s heart-related death in early October was caused by the drink. It’s the second such claim made against the company this year, but Panera has denied responsibility for either death.

This latest lawsuit was filed by Brown’s mother and siblings in the Superior Court of Delaware, though the actual death took place in Fleming Island, Florida. According to the suit, Brown had been a long-time fan of the chain, but only recently began to regularly drink Charged Lemonades. On October 9, he reportedly ordered the drink and refilled it twice before starting to walk home. During the walk, he experienced an ultimately fatal “cardiac event.”

Brown was known to have a chromosomal deficiency disorder that left him with mild intellectual disability and blurry vision, but he was living independently. He also had high blood pressure, which may have contributed to his death. According to a death certificate shared by the family’s lawyers and viewed by the New York Times, Brown died of a “cardiac arrest due to hypertensive disease.”

The wrongful death claim is the second filed against Panera in about two months. In late October, the family of 21-year-old Sarah Katz alleged that her fatal cardiac arrest in September 2022 was similarly instigated by the energy drink. Both families are being represented by the law firm Kline & Specter.

Like Brown, Katz was known to have a pre-existing cardiovascular condition: long QT syndrome. It’s generally recommended that people with such conditions moderate their consumption of caffeine and other stimulants commonly found in energy drinks since it might raise their risk of heart problems.Both families claim that Brown and Katz actively avoided energy drinks, but that Panera’s marketing did little to appropriately warn customers about the Charged Lemonade’s high caffeine content.

According to the company’s website, the large Charged Lemonade is estimated to contain about 390 milligrams of caffeine—just below the 400 milligrams a day cap recommended for most people by the Food and Drug Administration. However, the lawsuits note that workers are expected to mix the drink on site, which could lead to varying amounts of caffeine per serving. They also allege that Panera did not clearly label the lemonade as an energy drink, instead comparing its caffeine content as similar to their Dark Roast coffee.

Following the initial lawsuit, Panera claimed that it would display “enhanced” disclosures about the high caffeine content of their Charged Lemonade. But at least for the time being, Panera is denying any direct culpability for either Brown or Katz’s deaths.

“Panera expresses our deep sympathy for Mr. Brown’s family,” Panera said in a statement responding to the second lawsuit. “Based on our investigation we believe his unfortunate passing was not caused by one of the company’s products. We view this lawsuit, which was filed by the same law firm as a previous claim, to be equally without merit.”

[From Gizmodo]

This is so, so sad. It’s scary and frustrating how restaurants and companies will deceptively market something. Even if they list the amount of caffeine, does the average person really know what the suggested daily intake of caffeine is? We grew up with things like sugar being villainized but values are not usually attached to define “too much caffeine.” Panera absolutely needs to get the word out better that the Charged Lemonade is not a lemonade with caffeine, but a lemonade-flavored energy drink. In the meantime, the drink’s dangers need to go viral on Tik Tok or various social medias. *Clears throat.* Back in my day, we knew what drinks had too much caffeine in them because our parents said it would stunt your growth (it doesn’t) and kids at school would repeat the (unfounded) rumors of their effects on male fertility. Our condolences go out to the two families who have lost their loved ones. Hopefully, Panera takes this seriously by putting actual warnings out there and lowering the drink’s caffeine levels in general.

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The Princess of Wales has made “baby banks” into one of her causes in recent years. I don’t hate it, and I’ve always said that she should do more (tangible) work with baby banks, from volunteering consistently or hosting fundraisers or donation drives. She really hasn’t done any of that. Instead, every few months, Kate will stop by a baby bank empty-handed and she’ll do a photo op and that’s it. But someone clearly passed my advice along to Kate, and she filmed a little video/commercial where she and her three kids arrive at a baby bank with a trunk full of donations, which they drop off. Then Charlotte, Louis and George got to pick out stuff to make gift bags for needy kids. To their credit, the kids seemed really into it, Charlotte especially.

Louis picking up the King Kong toy and saying “this is a big guy” – very cute, and some needy kid is now getting a King Kong toy. Rebecca English at the Mail dutifully wrote up an exclusive, basically saying that Kate always promised to bring her kids to a baby bank and she finally did it. This was filmed last month. I’m glad Kate dropped off some donations (in the dead of night) and brought cameras to document it, I guess. Still, I have to wonder if no one told Kate that she could actually take the initiative to actually lead a donation drive or host a fundraiser for the network of baby banks? Jeez.

Sidenote: Kate drops her plummy fake-posh accent in the video, did anyone else notice that? I’ve always wondered if she tries to do that posh accent at home and I think this is our answer. When she’s around her kids, that’s her real voice.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images .

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Joe Manganiello and girlfriend Caitlin O’Connor have been linked together since mid-September. Joe and Sofia Vergara announced their divorce in July, after seven years of marriage. O’Connor is an entertainment reporter and actress who’s been in HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Days of Our Lives, and Ballers. She and Manganiello reportedly met at an after-party for Winning Time, but were just “casual” in the beginning. Things must be heating up between the two because they just made their red carpet debut at the Children of Armenia Fund gala, where Joe was honored with a humanitarian award.

Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor had their first public date night!

On Saturday, the 46-year-old actor and the 33-year-old Winning Time actress walked the red carpet together during the COAF (Children of Armenia Fund) gala.

Manganiello looked dapper in a dark suit that he paired with a blue shirt and tie. Sporting a new look, the Magic Mike star rocked a clean-shaven face. For her part, O’Connor wore a emerald green dress with a high slit, that allowed her to show off a little leg.

The pair showed little PDA as they posed alongside each other. At one point, the True Blood star wrapped his arm around O’Connor’s waist while the photographers snapped their pics.

Inside the event, Manganiello was honored with the COAF Humanitarian Award. Manganiello took to his Instagram to share reposts of him accepting his award. However, he did not share any photos with O’Connor.

[From ET]

Hey, good for them. Honestly, I didn’t fully recognize Joe at first with his clean-shaven look. I liked his scruffy, bearded look, lol. Grow it back for me, Joe! He also looks a little bit uncomfortable, like he’d rather be anywhere but having his picture taken on the red carpet. According to COAF’s Instagram, Joe was honored at the gala for embodying the “spirit of creating positive change,” thanks to his “remarkable on-screen achievements” and “tireless efforts in making the world a better place.”

Alright, fashion talk: I think his suit is fine, but it looks like his shirt is bunching up weird in those pictures. As for Caitlin, I like her dress. It’s a nice color on her and fits her well. I also like her earrings, but admit that I am a sucker for big, dangly earrings. I’m not really a fan of her shoes, though. The black straps around the ankles look weird. I don’t know much about her and I don’t think I’ve seen her in anything, but she looks so familiar to me. Does she just have one of those faces? It could be the makeup, but in those red carpet photos, I think she sort of resembles Kate Moss.

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Photos credit: Darla Khazei/INSTARimages and Getty

Tom Brady & Irina Shayk are rekindling their romance? [Just Jared]
King Charles & Camilla’s Christmas card is from the Chubbly. [Seriously OMG]
Kerry Washington looked incredible at the Hollywood Reporter event. [LaineyGossip]
How to pet-proof your Christmas decorations. [OMG Blog]
Adam Driver was good on SNL? [Pajiba]
Charlie Hunnam’s new film is a mouthful. [Go Fug Yourself]
Another amazing look for Lily Gladstone. [RCFA]
Kristen Stewart went to Manchester to promote Chanel. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Travis Kelce is throwing Taylor Swift a “surprise” b-day party. [Hollywood Life]
Creepy hometown rumors which were true. [Buzzfeed]
Hello, Lee Pace. [Socialite Life]

One of my favorite parts of Omid Scobie’s Endgame was all of the stuff about how much King Charles and Prince William hate each other. They’re constantly briefing against each other and trying to one-up each other, and each man thinks the other is an idiot. If anything, the Sussex issue is a distraction for the main show of the massive dysfunction between the king and his heir. It’s also clear that William has zero self-awareness for his own, um, limitations? He’s not clever, kind, compassionate, well-educated, well-read, erudite or passionate. He’s cruel, petty, boring, short-sighted and ruthless. Charles has those same qualities only he dithers and he’s well-read (and at least he has interesting hobbies, say what you will). Anyway, William cannot wait to be king. He cannot wait for his father to die. William is already planning for his reign of terror:

Prince William has drastic plans for modernising the monarchy once he takes over from his father, King Charles, an extremely well-placed source has revealed. The heir to the throne is already working on a five-point plan that will mean an even slimmer monarchy with fewer royal engagements and patronages, less formality and frugality in mind, and a wave goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved Commonwealth.

“Focusing on the United Kingdom is very much a priority for William moving forward and there are already plans being worked on to that effect,” said the source. “There is a reluctance there from both William and Kate to join the tour of the Commonwealth because they feel it’s an outdated institution and not something they want to head.”

Prince William ended a disastrous tour of the Caribbean last year by suggesting he does not mind if he is not head of the Commonwealth – and that he believes it may one day be led by someone other than a member of the Royal Family.

The source added that the royal families of the Netherlands and Sweden have proved to the Prince and Princess of Wales that a homegrown focus on a much smaller scale can be a success.

“Once William and Kate become King and Queen, everything will look very different,” said the source. “The wider family will be reduced to almost nothing, with the Wales family becoming the main focus.”

Earlier this week, the Express revealed that Prince William has had more than enough of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and is already looking ahead at a monarchy that does not include them. “William is already planning for when he becomes king, and he doesn’t see a future for the Sussexes in the Royal Family,” said the source. “The focus will be very much on the Wales family and a reduced number of royal patronages and engagements will reflect that. Once the King goes, it will be out with the old and in with the new rather swiftly.”

When William does eventually become king, the source reveals that he will noy be crowned amid pomp and ceremony like his father was earlier this year. Instead, he will begin his reign with frugality in mind. “Processions, rituals and official ceremonies will be scrapped in favour of more modern displays for state occasions. Frugality will most certainly be in mind when it comes to things like state banquets, coronations and any public display of wealth.”

[From The Daily Express]

“There is a reluctance there from both William and Kate to join the tour of the Commonwealth because they feel it’s an outdated institution and not something they want to head.” Okay! Don’t threaten the Commonwealth with a good time – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the African and Caribbean Commonwealth countries should take note and get out while the getting is good. What’s funny about the “focus on the United Kingdom” is that Scotland wants to be excluded from this narrative, and Wales is pretty surly too. It’s also funny to hear that William wants the whole focus to be on his family, meanwhile Kate will still be sitting in her separation cottage and working one day a week when her kids are all over 18 years old. While I agree that the pomp and pageantry of the monarchy is gross, wasteful and ridiculous, that’s the stuff that people actually like – that’s why they tune in, that’s why they pay attention, to see tiaras and gold carriages and magic orbs. William wants to be a one-island despot in an ill-fitting business suit, demanding that everyone pay attention to him.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Instar.