Before I saw Wicked, I was fully prepared to say “this is not for me.” But then I watched it and… yeah, I enjoyed it. Was it the best thing ever? Eh, that’s an impossible standard, but it was fine-to-good. What really surprised me was how much I enjoyed both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Both women really worked their asses off and you could see it on screen. Well, now both women are Oscar-nominated for their performances, Cynthia as the lead actress category and Ariana in supporting. To celebrate her first Oscar nomination, Ari posted this on her social media:

picking my head up in between sobs to say thank you so much to @theacademy for this unfathomable recognition. i cannot stop crying, to no one’s surprise. i’m humbled and deeply honored to be in such brilliant company and sharing this with tiny ari who sat and studied Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow just before the big, beautiful bubble entered. i’m so proud of you, tiny.

thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for this acknowledgement @theacademy.

thank you @jonmchu for taking this chance on me and for being the most unbelievably brilliant leader, human being, and most fierce friend. i am so deeply proud of my beautiful Wicked family. i am so proud of my Elphie, my sister, my dear @cynthiaerivo. your brilliance is never ending and you deserve every flower (tulip) in every garden. i love you unconditionally, always.

i don’t quite have all my words yet, i’m still trying to breathe. but thank you. oh my goodness, thank you. Universal, Marc, my family, my heart.

lemons and melons and pears, oh my.

[From Ariana’s IG]

Real talk: if Ariana was a less messy person or she had a less scandalous romantic life, I actually think she would be a major contender. I’m not even joking, she was really good in Wicked and she absolutely deserves this nomination. I’m just saying, she probably could have won if she and Ethan Slater didn’t have an affair and wreck both of their marriages (ON THIS FILM!). Alas, my guess/hope is that Lilly Jay’s well-timed essay last month was the final word on Ariana’s Oscar chances. As it should be.

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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Best performance by an actor in an Oscar campaign goes to Timothee Chalamet, hands down. He’sbeen a pure delight while promoting the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. Although it wasn’t an event related to the film, I think Timmy’s campaign really began with his lookalike contest in late October. You remember, the contest that started them all, where the organizer didn’t get a permit for NYC’s Washington Square Park, so police shut down the proceedings, then 1,001 Chalamets traversed to a backup park, and Timmy himself crashed the party just long enough to come in 13th place? Good times. Well, fast forward to this week, where Timothee secured his second Best Actor Oscar nomination just days before he’s hosting SNL. Only, he’s not just hosting, he’s also the musical guest. So in an inspired move, the angle for Timmy’s new SNL teaser is how he’s deploying his lookalikes to aid him in preparing for Saturday’s show:

Timothee Chalamet is enlisting his lookalikes for help pulling off double duty on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend.

In a promo skit for the episode, for which he’ll be both host and musical guest (playing songs from Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”), Chalamet confesses: “I’ve never done this before. I’m having to be ‘SNL’ host and musical guest in the same week, so it’s a lot of work. And I want to focus on the songs, so I brought in some help to cover all the hosting duties.”

Four Chalamet doubles then appear, seemingly from the New York City lookalike contest that Chalamet himself crashed back in October. Each is dressed in a different Timmy era — there’s “Wonka” Timmy, Timmy at the Paris premiere of “A Complete Unknown” (where he rocked a pink skinny scarf), everyday Timmy and, of course, Bob Dylan Timmy.

The lookalikes are shown taking on some of Chalamet’s “SNL” workload, including meeting with the writers, working on his monologue and listening to Mikey Day bragging about hosting “Is It Cake.” And, when he forgets to show up for a “Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” interview, the Paris lookalike goes in his place — much to Fallon’s dismay.

“He’s good. He’s really good,” Chalamet says to the other lookalikes backstage. “You guys should learn from him.”

Twenty-one-year-old Miles Mitchell won the lookalike contest in October — which took a turn when, not only did Chalamet arrive, but so did the NYPD, leaving one of the doppelgangers in handcuffs.

[From Variety]

Excellent. Brilliant. No notes! Timmy just gets the assignment, as the kids say. Yeah, he’s promoting a high profile awards-baity movie, where he plays arguably the most consequential singer songwriter of the 20th century, no less. But Timmy isn’t taking himself so seriously that he can’t embrace a fun, somewhat silly fan-driven event, and end up making it a prominent feature in his repping of the film. While contest winner Miles Mitchell already experienced the perk of attending the Golden Globes, it’s very generous of Timothee to include even more of his clones for this SNL bit. And yes, at this point I am absolutely expecting that the extra Timmies will have cameos in the live show. A great nod to Hollywood history would be if they riffed on the classic Lucille Ball–Harpo Marx mirror routine (are you listening, SNL writers?!). But whatever they do, Timmy has given these kids such great exposure! Mensch, thy name is Chalamet.

PS — Mikey Day and the cake gag killed both me and CB!

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Photos credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages, Anna Maria Tinghino/Future Image/Cover Images, Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF Foto/Avalon, Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF Foto/Avalon, IMAGO/Steve Vas/Avalon

More James Bond rumors for Sam Heughan? Or is he trying to make those rumors happen? I don’t think they’re anywhere near choosing the next 007. [JustJared]
Taylor Zakhar Perez looks hot in Lacoste underpants. [Socialite Life]
Damn, Nicholas Hoult looks great in Bottega Veneta. [RCFA]
A new Tori Amos interview! [OMG Blog]
Crybaby Donald Trump threw a tantrum over Right Rev. Mariann Budde politely asking him to show mercy to marginalized people. [Jezebel]
What happened during the RHONY finale? [LaineyGossip]
The Simpsons will remain on Sundays. [Pajiba]
Chris Pratt said that Anna Faris’s house burned down. [Buzzfeed]
Jesus, this is an irresponsible headline & story at HL. [Hollywood Life]
David Eigenberg, before he was famous. [Seriously OMG]

Gwen Stefani and Blake Sheldon have been together for 10 years and married for three-and-a-half. Gwen has always been a devout Catholic, and for the last month or so, she’s promoting two things: her new album, Bouquet, and a prayer app called Hallow (Insert the lame “hallow-back girl” joke of your choosing here). Gwen started writing Bouquet when she and Blake got engaged and dedicated it to him and their “love story.” Gwen sat down for an interview with Today, in which she talks about the album, her musical journey, her favorite memory from No Doubt, her life’s purpose, and more.

Everyone has a purpose: “We all have a purpose. One of the purposes of my life is to be a wife and a mother. But the only time I feel like I’m really contributing to the world is when I’m writing songs.”

On the “magical” collabs on Bouquet: “Yes, yes! This album was magical and special and a miracle. It’s a pure miracle I received these songs. I was like, ‘What? Again? I get more?’ There was one really unexpected collaboration and that was that Blake Shelton hopped on a song called “Purple Irises.” That was pretty special because, you know, everybody wants him. The other huge collab was this producer called Scott Hendricks who is more of a country producer. But it’s not a country record. It’s a Gwen record.

How her dreams have grown throughout her musical journey: “The longer I get to be part of the world and try to fulfill the purpose — my purpose — of making songs, you want it more and more and more. Because it’s got to be over soon. It’s got to be. Once you get that love, once you got to share your life with people, it’s hard to stop. The dream just keeps getting bigger in a way, and the gratitude keeps getting more as well.”

She really loves collaborating with other artists: There’s never been a time where I haven’t like absolutely enjoyed collaborating. Collaboration is when I feel like I shine the most. That’s when like I feel like I’m the best. I would definitely go back in the studio with any collaborator that I’ve ever worked with and write a song. I love writing music. It is the one thing that makes me feel like I’m worthy of something to be on this planet for. I need to keep pressing that button and try to write songs. You want to collaborate, I’m right here, guys.

Her favorite memory from the No Doubt days: “I was sitting on the tour bus, and we had been on tour for a while. I was actually making a baby blanket for my sister. I was like sewing this blanket by hand, everyone else was like doing other stuff — I won’t say what — and I looked out the window and I see all these girls coming to the concert. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that girl, she’s dressed like me.’ It was just this amazing … how is that happening right now? It just made me feel like impossibly good.”

What music she’s listening to now: “I think there’s a lot of good music out there. I kind of went backwards in the last couple of years. As I’ve been writing this record, I rediscovered a lot of the music I was listening to when I was a kid. Back in the station wagon, going to church, listening to soft rock. One of my favorite new artists that my son turned me on to is Zach Top. I love that record so much; such good lyrics and voice and melody. I’m going to come and see the concert.”

[From Today.com]

At first, it was kind of jarring to reconcile that the woman who co-write “Just a Girl” was gushing so hard about her purpose being “a wife and a mother,” but then I remembered that this is what Gwen has always wanted. She tells us in several No Doubt songs. In “Simple Kind of Life,” she sings about wanting a simple man so she could “be a wife” and wanting to be a mom so badly that she sometimes wishes “for a mistake.” “Marry Me” is all about how she likes “tradition” and wants to get married and cook dinner. She’s in a happy marriage and a good place in her life, so I’m glad that she got what she’s always wanted. Good for her.

What she says about really wanting to keep making more music as she gets older because she’s realizing her own mortality is pretty poignant. I feel that sentiment hard. I also love the way she tells the story about her favorite memory from No Doubt in which she’s sewing a blanket by hand while the male bandmates are doing “other stuff” that she can’t say. It paints a picture of her sewing while all sorts of debauchery is going down around her. I don’t know if it’s being stuck inside all day because of the snow or what, but for some reason, this imagery is so funny to me right now.

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On Tuesday, Justin Baldoni’s team released “raw footage” from It Ends With Us, a ten-minute clip of Baldoni and Blake Lively shooting a “slow dancing” scene at a crowded bar. The scene was supposed to be used in a montage about their characters falling in love. Blake cited the filming of that particular scene in her sexual harassment complaint and her lawsuit against Baldoni. Baldoni added context for what actually happened within his lawsuit, then he released the footage to prove his point. There were obviously a lot of interpretations about what the video actually showed, but that didn’t stop Blake’s team from claiming that her visible discomfort (within the 10-minute video) proved that this was one instance of Baldoni sexually harassing her. Team Lively must have been unsettled by the fact that so many people actually watched the video and debated what it really showed about her dynamic with Baldoni though, because it looks like Team Lively is trying to make sure that Baldoni isn’t allowed to provide any more context or evidence of Lively’s misrepresentations or exaggerations.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds want a judge to gag Justin Baldoni’s lawyer … claiming he’s making false statements about the case.

The megastars filed a letter in court Tuesday … and, in it, they ask the court to issue a protective order to stop Baldoni’s lawyers — led by Bryan Freedman — from engaging in “improper conduct” including going on an alleged “harassing and retaliatory media campaign” against Blake and Ryan.

They say he’s violating court rules that stop a lawyer from making statements to the press that are irrelevant to a case and might prejudice the jury. In it, Blake and Ryan specifically mention the release of unedited footage from “It Ends With Us” filming … which Blake’s team claims “corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described” in her initial complaint back in December.

Remember, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and engaging in a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation. Baldoni has since filed his own $400 million lawsuit against Lively … accusing her of defamation, civil extortion and other allegations.

Baldoni’s team released the behind-the-scenes footage from the movie to prove he never made harassing comments … while Blake’s team pushed back and said Baldoni never discussed or choreographed the intimacy here — and, it made her uncomfortable.

Sources connected to JB tell TMZ … they believe it’s grossly unfair to impose a gag order after Justin has been defamed by the New York Times in an article that they say has cost him three jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars. All Justin wants to do, the source says, “is release videos and text messages to prove the allegations are false.”

The source adds, it is “unbelievable” that Blake Lively would go on a takedown campaign against Justin and then immediately turn around and say she wants a gag order so that Justin can’t defend himself.

[From TMZ]

I actually understand Team Lively’s point – Baldoni and his legal team are absolutely waging a trial in the court of public opinion, and given the multiple lawsuits involved, I’m sure gag orders will eventually be issued (hopefully to all sides). That being said, Team Lively is mad that they’re losing in the court of public opinion, let’s be clear. Blake, Ryan and their team have been waging their own campaign to win over the public, establish their narrative and rebrand Blake. They’re the ones who went to the New York Times, they’re the ones who immediately ran to People Mag for a sugary, sympathetic cover story about poor Blake, they’re the ones who have loudly screamed “DARVO” every time Baldoni pointed out an inconsistency or provided receipts to dispute Blake’s story. All of their efforts have been hampered by Baldoni refusing to just roll over. I’ve been asking this for weeks, but it’s still so striking to me – did Blake honestly think that Baldoni wasn’t going to fight back? Did she really think that he would not defend himself?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, cover courtesy of People.

The Telegraph is one of the few British outlets doing in-depth royal-specific coverage of News Group Newspapers’ settlement with Prince Harry. The Mail has barely said a word, and the Sun… well, you know. What I mean with “royal-specific coverage” is that almost everyone is running this as a media/press story about how the mighty Murdochs blinked and got scared about all of the sh-t that was about to come out during this trial. There’s also been a wealth of coverage about how Harry managed to get something no other plaintiff has gotten: a public apology and a public admission of wrong-doing by NGN. NGN settled, not Harry. I also saw one British legal expert explain that if NGN was willing to admit their crimes publicly, Harry basically had no choice but to accept NGN’s settlement, because his case would have fallen apart (because NGN was basically conceding a huge part of what Harry was accusing them of). I bring this up because the Telegraph’s Hannah Furness (one of their royal reporters) has written an alternate-reality piece in which Harry sucks because NGN settled and admitted wrong-doing: “Meghan and the money: Are these the real reasons that our lost royal has finally settled? Rather than lay bare the tabloid grievances that have tormented him, Harry accepted a settlement from home – the question now is why?”

Prince Harry, our noble dragon slayer, has laid down his sword. With moments to spare, as teams of lawyers and a phalanx of press filled the High Court, he agreed to settle with News Group Newspapers (NGN) and avert what was expected to be the 10-week-long media trial of the century. It is the last thing anyone expected.

The Duke of Sussex, so vocal and so determined in his battle against the tabloid press, will now not have the full-scale “public inquiry” he was accused of wanting, as part of his quest to “change the media landscape” forever. Far from jetting into Britain to lay bare the tabloid grievances that have tormented him for so long, he accepted the settlement from home. The key question is, why?

Firstly, it cannot be ignored that this is a personal, emotional success for Prince Harry. For a man who has been so open about his pain and grief, the apology issued by the publisher about his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, will carry great meaning. That NGN “acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the Duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family” will also be incredibly important to Harry.

But can the Duke claim that, as hoped, he has changed the media landscape with his crusade? Not quite. In this regard, it is not what was said in NGN’s “full and unequivocal apology” that is key, but what was missing. There is no admission of phone hacking, surveillance or misuse of private information at the Sun; just the News of the World, which closed more than a decade ago. Admissions of “unlawful activity” are confined to private investigators, with no executive heads rolling, no forensic examination of any cover-up, and no airing of new details of the “serious intrusion” that NGN admits to.

As such, one wonders how quickly the elation of the personal victory may, behind the scenes as the adrenaline wears off, give way to deflation for the man who has called holding the British press to account his “life’s work”. Having set himself up as a champion of the voiceless (“I’ve been told that slaying dragons will get you burned,” he cried poetically, after a legal victory last year), Prince Harry now finds himself – in terms of taking the stand – back among them. His quest to bring down part of the Murdoch empire has ended in a fizzle rather than a bang.

What could have persuaded the Duke to stop at this stage? The decision will inevitably raise questions about his finances – the settlement was an eight-figure sum, we are told. While other celebrities and civilians settled, with some saying they could not afford to pay the legal fees, Prince Harry planned to be the one who saw it through, with money as no object.

It is not clear to what extent his settlement is materially or morally different to the one he told the world his elder brother had made, with 2023 court papers claiming Prince William “has recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes”. One brother did so in private, and the other in public.

There will be question marks, too, about whether someone finally convinced Harry, a family man who is forging a new life on another continent, that his energies might be better spent elsewhere. The cost, both financially and mentally – as he relived his unhappy younger years – was huge, and the rift with his family significant, as his legal battles came to play a “central piece” in this, he said previously.

[From The Telegraph]

“It is not clear to what extent his settlement is materially or morally different to the one he told the world his elder brother had made.” Fantastically stupid – William made a secret deal with NGN, didn’t get a public apology or any kind of admission of NGN’s wrong-doing, and William and NGN still collaborate to this day, with William regularly giving exclusives to the Murdoch-owned Times of London. If anything, any attempt at comparison between the brothers highlights the fact that William looks like he’s been bought and paid for by the scummiest media figures in Britain, and that his office has been in open collaboration with NGN for years.

The larger effort is obviously to hold Harry to an impossible standard – why hasn’t Harry single-handedly changed the British media? Why won’t he spend another six years on this? Because he’s not the police and he’s not a politician, and these are not issues which can be solved through civil litigation alone.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

If you ask me, this was always going to be a weird awards season, given the films and everything going on in the world in 2024. But the awards season absolutely changed and shifted with the Southern California wildfires, which started right after the Golden Globes. The reality is that many LA-based Oscar voters have lost their homes or they’re hosting evacuees. The schedule rightly shifted as people’s priorities changed. As of now, the Oscars are still scheduled for March 2nd, and I do not believe that the date will change. The Oscars telecast will shift though – they’ve removed the “Original Song” performances, and they’re going to honor LA firefighters and more. Okay, now let’s get to this year’s nominations! These are just the biggest categories, you can see the full list here.

Best Supporting Actress.
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Best Actor
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Best Actress.
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Best Director.
Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
Caralie Fargeat (The Substance).
James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
Sean Baker (Anora)
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez)

Best Picture.
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune Part 2
Emilia Perez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked

Notable snubs: no Denzel Washington for Gladiator II (a damn shame), no Jamie Lee Curtis in The Last Showgirl (YAY), no Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez or Margaret Qualley. Qualley’s snub actually surprised me, given all of the buzz for The Substance. Obviously, Nicole Kidman was snubbed for Babygirl, and the Academy decided that they’re Team Brad Pitt, so no nom for Angelina Jolie. Other surprises: no Daniel Craig for Queer, no Pamela Anderson for The Last Showgirl and no Marianne Jean-Baptiste for Hard Truths. What other surprises? No nomination for Wicked director Jon Chu or Conclave director Edward Berger. Berger’s absence is definitely shocking, as is Denis Villeneuve.

I feel like Fernanda Torres getting nominated is a surprise, even if she won the Golden Globe. The Apprentice surprising everyone and picking up noms for Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong…it’s certainly interesting, although it does feel like Stan (in particular) is riding a critical wave at the moment. What else… I love Conclave’s noms, especially the ones for Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini. I would love it if we got a big surprise in Supporting Actress.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Posters courtesy of ‘The Brutalist’ and promotional images courtesy of ‘Conclave’.

On Wednesday, the day before the Oscar nominations came out, GLAAD revealed the nominations for their GLAAD Media Awards. The biggest talking point is that GLAAD snubbed Emilia Perez, a musical starring a trans actress, Karla Sofia Gascon. There’s been so much discourse about Emilia Perez, with a lot of negativity coming from Latin American film critics and cultural figures. But it’s worth noting that Emilia Perez is also being hotly debated by the LGBTQ community. Part of the debate – from what I’ve seen – boils down to “is it better to have trans representation in a film, even if the film is largely problematic?” GLAAD’s answer to that question is: nope.

We have the nominees for the 36th annual GLAAD Media Awards, which honor fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community in film, TV, music, videogames, podcasts, journalism and more. But the noms don’t include one of the most talked-about films of 2024 or its trans star. More on that below.

Vying for the Outstanding Wide-Release Film prize are Cuckoo, Drive-Away Dolls, Love Lies Bleeding, Mean Girls, My Old Ass, Problemista, Queer and Wicked. Up for the Limited-Release Film award are 20,000 Species of Bees, Backspot, Before I Change My Mind, Big Boys, Close to You, Crossing, Fitting In, High Tide, Housekeeping for Beginners and A Place of Our Own.

Noticeably absent from the GLAAD noms is Jacques Audiard’s Oscar contender Emilia Pérez, which won the Golden Globe this month, and its trans star Karla Sofía Gascón, who also won a Globe and is up for SAG and BAFTA awards in February. Back in November, GLAAD put out an article titled “‘Emilia Pérez’ is Not Good Trans Representation,” labeling the film — among other things — a “profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman” and calling it “a step backward.”

[From Deadline]

The “Emilia Pérez’ is Not Good Trans Representation” piece is trending again because of the snubs – you can read it here. I love film discourse and representation discourse, so this piece was a fascinating read. I actually admire GLAAD Media for holding strong in this case and saying “no mas” on what is proving to be one of the most controversial films of the awards season.

Additionally, there is another piece of “we don’t actually like Emilia Perez” news from AMPAS – this year’s Oscar telecast will not include any of the “Best Original Song” performances. They made the decision in anticipation of one or more of Emilia Perez’s songs being nominated. The cover story is that the Oscars will use that time to honor LA wildfire victims and firefighters.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The Princess of Wales’s “life in remission” is one of this week’s People Magazine cover stories. I just saw that there’s another cover with Michael Strahan. I kind of love when People Mag does multiple covers, almost like an admission that one of those cover stories probably won’t get much attention from American readers. I don’t know though – are People’s readers more interested in Kate’s keenery or Michael Strahan’s daughter and her brain cancer? One of the biggest problems with Kate’s whole PR situation these days is that they’re trying to convince people to believe too many questionable things all at once. This isn’t “one big lie,” it’s a series of smaller lies, exaggerations, nonsensical cover stories and possibly-true-but-definitely-incomplete stories. Speaking of, here’s a new excerpt from People’s keen cover story, all about how William and Kate are closer than ever and they communicate better than before.

Throughout Kate Middleton’s tumultuous year, Prince William has remained steadfastly by her side, maintaining a sense of stability as she navigated cancer. A source close to the royal household tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story that the Prince and Princess of Wales are “more open” now and “talk about their relationship together.” The difficult period has brought a newfound depth to their relationship, revealing an unprecedented level of openness in their expressions of love for each other.

“For the princess, family — her husband and­ children — are more important than anything else,” a close royal insider tells PEOPLE.

Of their public displays of affection, royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE, “William must feel so fortunate that Kate has come through this that he wants to tell the world about that love. It shows the intimacy of them sharing that journey together. They are able to express themselves in a way they would never have done before,” Seward says.

William and Kate have shown a greater sense of intimacy over the past year, and royal historian and writer Dr. Amanda Foreman says their bond is strong.

“They feel they are very lucky to be married to each other. Their marriage is strong, and they are being honest about it,” says Foreman.

Away from the spotlight, Princess Kate has also been focused on her children, attending their school sports and activities. Over the holidays, the family enjoyed a ski getaway in the Alps with members of the Middleton family. As she gradually resumes her royal duties, Kate is expected to participate in some U.K.-based engagements. However, she will not be joining William on overseas tours in the immediate future. The palace has yet to confirm whether the Princess of Wales will attend the BAFTA Awards in February, an event she traditionally attends with Prince William (who is president).

[From People]

Yeah, I’m sure some people are buying it, but I do feel like it’s been common knowledge that the Wales marriage has been in a Struggle Era for years. Even casual gossips know something’s up, that there have been strains and weird vibes for a while. That sense that something was “off” came to the forefront last year, when Kate went missing. All of the attention turned to William, his wandering sceptre and Rose Hanbury. Many of the conspiracies back then revolved around the real state of their marriage too. Anyway, as I said, they’re all doing too much to convince people of too many things all at once. One lie at a time, you know?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace.

One of the most asinine parts of Vanity Fair’s February cover story was the stuff about the Duchess of Sussex “pitching” a book about her divorce to publishers. Now that we’re days past the initial shock of the VF hit piece, that one gossip item really stands out as being the most ridiculous part. VF claimed that “a rumor began circulating” through the publishing world “a few years ago” that “Meghan’s team had a conversation with a publishing house to gauge interest in the idea for a potential book. The concept, for which there was no written or formal proposal, was post-divorce.” As I said in our coverage, logically this makes zero sense – even if Meghan had considered divorce, she KNOWS that everyone would want her memoir. She wouldn’t have to pitch anything. She doesn’t even have to pitch anything now – publishers would love it if Meghan wrote a memoir right now. She doesn’t need the “hook” of a divorce.

In my coverage over the weekend, I mentioned that the whole “rumor” felt like it was started by the News Corp-owned publisher HarperCollins. The Murdoch family have a wicked web, from their print media arm in the UK (News Group Newspapers), to their media arm in America (News Corp, which owns Fox News, the WSJ and the New York Post, among many others) to HarperCollins. Given that Harry’s Spare was published by HarperCollins’ rival Penguin Random House, it felt like this was a very specific rumor started with a very specific (publisher) agenda. Now that NGN has settled with Prince Harry, wouldn’t you know, the Murdoch-owned Page Six has an exclusive with more publisher rumors. What are we even doing here? Be less obvious.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can’t split — because “their value is in being a couple,” a source told Page Six amid claims that Markle shopped a potential post-divorce book. A Vanity Fair cover story published last week alleged that the Duchess of Sussex’s team had quietly held talks with an unnamed publishing house to “gauge interest” in the idea for the book.

However, a source who has worked closely with the couple told Page Six, “Meghan and Harry know that they are tied together, their value is in being a couple — even if they wanted to split, they couldn’t. And honestly, they are obsessed with each other. They are just two narcissists.”

Another insider familiar with the original $20 million Penguin Random House deal the two signed in 2021 said they had never heard anything about a divorce tome. However, it does appear the highly-publicized deal — which, as we previously reported, was originally believed to include books on “leadership” and “wellness” — seems to have quietly dissipated after Harry’s best-selling memoir, “Spare.”

“They are worth more together,” said the publishing insider. “It doesn’t benefit them to be apart — they have all their deals together. I think the Random House deal is much like the Netflix deal: Netflix just said ‘Yes’ to everything because they wanted to get the docu-series [‘Harry & Meghan’]. So they said, ‘Ok, we’ll take the ‘Polo’ show’ and let’s see what happens with Meghan’s lifestyle show.”

Vanity Fair’s source reportedly clarified that the so-called “divorce” book was meant to be about the aftermath of a split from Harry, and not Markle’s first husband, Trevor Engelson, whom the “Suits” alum divorced in 2014. Indeed, Page Six has been told that Markle never likes to broach the subject of Engelson.

Page Six is told there was talk of Harry splitting his memoir into two parts before he decided to keep it to one book. “Spare” has now sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and was the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Markle, for her part, has only released a children’s book.

Within the seemingly scuppered Random House deal, Page Six was told there were also plans for a potential wellness book by Markle, as well as a book penned by the couple and believed to be about leadership.

[From Page Six]

Nothing like a giant media company settling out of court with Prince Harry, admitting they committed crimes and apologizing thoroughly… and then that same media company’s American arm turns around and spreads these rumors within 24 hours. “They are just two narcissists.” Your company just had to apologize for committing crimes against that “narcissist.” Anyway, this is all part of a new, stupid campaign against the Sussexes – their marriage isn’t great but they CAN’T get a divorce, because of their couple-brand! If these outlets are so obsessed with Divorce Watch, they should spend two seconds wondering why Prince William has been trying to rebrand himself as a hot single guy for years.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.