While Katy Perry’s music is rarely my favorite, I acknowledge that the woman has some huge hits. Her catalog is extensive and well-known. She performed at the Super Bowl Half-Time show and she had to leave out several of her hits because there were just too many. I’m sure her masters are worth a fortune. So why does it sound like she sold them for much too small a figure? Katy is the latest in a long line of musical artists to sell their masters and catalog to a private-equity firm. The price? $225 million. As I said, it sounds way too low.

Litmus Music, a catalog rights company backed by private-equity giant Carlyle Group LP, said on Monday (Sept. 18) it acquired the rights to Katy Perry’s five studio albums released for Capitol Records, including her Grammy-nominated Teenage Dream.

According to sources, Litmus paid $225 million for Perry’s stake in the master recording royalties and music publishing rights to her five albums released between 2008 and 2020 — One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, PRISM, Witness and Smile. Litmus declined to comment on the deal terms.

Perry’s catalog sale, finalized earlier this year, follows other 2023 music rights deals like Justin Bieber’s $200-million sale to Hipgnosis Songs Capital, demonstrating that household name artists can still command top dollar even as high interest rates moderate investors’ appetites for song rights.

From her breakout single “I Kissed A Girl” in July 2008 to the five chart-topping songs from 2010’s Teenage Dream, Perry has notched a total of nine No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100. During a musical era that saw major hits from other female pop stars like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Adele, Perry remains the first woman and only second artist ever (after Michael Jackson) to send five songs from the same album to the summit of the Hot 100. Those songs are “California Gurls,” “Firework,” “E.T.,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and “Teenage Dream.”

[From Billboard]

Billboard also mentioned her Vegas residency, which was pretty lucrative for her – $168 million for about four months. Plus, she’s done so many huge tours over the years, although she hasn’t toured since 2018 and now she’s a mom. Oh, and she’s getting $25 million a year for American Idol? My point is that Katy isn’t poor, far from it. We’ve never heard stories about Katy drowning in debt or spending crazy money. She just sold her catalog for no real reason, I guess because they made her an offer. Did her manager not tell her that the bid sounds pretty low?

Maybe Katy decided to pack up her career after the mess at the coronation? I still can’t get over the absolute desperation of Charles and Camilla.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Here is Rep. Lauren Boebert on the House floor speaking about banning YA books that display “offensive and very inappropriate” themes and here she is at the Denver theater last Sunday where she and her date were caught on camera groping each other publicly. pic.twitter.com/kQEgbCjzAI

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) September 17, 2023

Here’s part of the Lauren Boebert–Beetlejuice saga. [Jezebel]
All about the “How often do you think about the Roman Empire” trend. [Just Jared]
Ciara laughs when asked about coparenting with Future. [LaineyGossip]
I really want to see Rustin, despite the mediocre reviews. [Pajiba]
Jason Wu’s collection is very pretty (and slightly boring). [Go Fug Yourself]
Oh, Keira Knightley looks amazing here. [RCFA]
ABC canceled The Wonder Years. [Seriously OMG]
What Emma Watson keeps in her backpack. [Egotastic]
Here are some (surprisingly) good tips about how to change some “mindless” habits which leave people feeling exhausted. [Buzzfeed]
This Elon Musk-Grimes situation is just… ugh. [Starcasm]
More photos from the Vogue World event last week. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Last week’s drag news. [Socialite Life]

Prince William arrives in New York today. He’ll leave tomorrow. Before he left the UK, William and his clowns at Kensington Palace organized several hype pieces about the trip, about his first year as Prince of Wales, and about how he’s a “global statesman” now. William really thinks he can just declare himself a “global statesman” and everybody will be like “oh, I guess he is.” Please – this is the man who was too lazy to fly to Australia to do his job as Football Association president. This is the man who hasn’t done a commonwealth tour since he and his wife did their Caribbean Flop Tour last year. During that tour, William got global headlines, but it wasn’t for being a “statesman” – it was for being a racist and neo-colonialist. Anyway, here are some headlines from the completely embarrassing CNN piece called “Prince William wants to be a global statesman.”

A wider strategy: Prince William will touch down in New York on Monday for a two-day visit – primarily to attend the second Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit. However, aides have revealed to CNN that the trip is also part of a wider strategy for the royal. The event coincides with both Climate Week NYC and the 78th session of the UN General Assembly and will see the announcement of the 2023 Earthshot finalists, who are in the running for a £1 million (about $1.2 million) jackpot.

Additional engagements and meetings: “In addition to unveiling this year’s Earthshot finalists next week, you’re also going to see Prince William sitting down with the UN Secretary-General and other world leaders… This really is the evolution of Prince William as the global statesman,” a close aide said.

The Boston Flop Tour: William will surely be hoping this trip is less challenging than his visit to Boston late last year. While he was “absolutely delighted” to be in Beantown, where he met US President Joe Biden, the visit was somewhat overshadowed by a racism scandal back in the UK.

The keen international leader: The whistle-stop visit will be the heir’s second solo trip in a year in which raising his global profile has been a focus. A close aide tells us that William is keen to evolve as an international leader as he continues his transformation from Duke of Cambridge to Prince of Wales and future King. Rather than get side-tracked by controversy and the distractions that have bruised the family’s standing over the past few years, we understand he is keen to be part of the global conversation around bettering the world while fiercely concentrating on impact and solutions.

[From CNN]

“The event coincides with both Climate Week NYC and the 78th session of the UN General Assembly” and “you’re also going to see Prince William sitting down with the UN Secretary-General and other world leaders.” You’re supposed to be left with the impression that Mr. Earthshot is so globally keen that he was invited to be part of Climate Week and the UN General Assembly. What’s actually happening is that no one invited Peg anywhere and his big Earthshot Summit is being held at the Plaza, probably in some rented conference room, and after which Peg will wander the halls of the United Nations building, asking people for “meetings.” This whole “summit” could have been an email. But no, William has to center himself in all things, and this is his I WANNA BE A GLOBAL STATESMAN tour.

Photos courtesy of Instar.

Around King Charles’s coronation, Thomas Markle was trotted out on Australian television. That pathetic grifter and his lunatic daughter Samantha got paid to deliver a script about how Toxic Tom is sad and how the Duchess of Sussex “owes” him and she’s “denying me my grandchildren.” He’s abusive and Meghan cut him out of her life for good reason, and every time he does these paid interviews, he shows why Meghan had every right to cut her ties. Well, now that the Dusseldorf Invictus Games were a massive success, guess who got trotted out again? This time, Toxic Tom appeared on Good Morning Britain.

‘She is not the person I knew as my daughter’

‘I think she has influence on Harry more than he does on her’

In an exclusive interview with GMB, Thomas Markle, who has recovered his speech following a severe stroke, shares his hurt of not being able to see his grandchildren. pic.twitter.com/AvCP5BsP1I

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 18, 2023

Why? Just… why? The British media and Thomas Markle openly treat a 42-year-old Black woman like a runaway slave, like Meghan “owes” them something, that she’s theirs to abuse and harass and threaten. It’s sickening. There’s no journalistic angle here – just an abuser getting paid to harass his daughter on British television. It’s disgusting. The tweet below is GMB’s PINNED TWEET. They’re conducting an internet poll on whether an American citizen should speak to her abusive father!!

Does Thomas Markle deserve to see his grandchildren?

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 18, 2023

‘Meghan is punishing Thomas for doing exactly the same thing that she has done.’

‘She owes nothing to her father but everything to herself and her children.’

Does Thomas Markle deserve to meet his grandchildren? pic.twitter.com/TVCgysC8RZ

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 18, 2023

So after a hugely successful Invictus Games that the British media managed to almost completely ignore, what do the scum low press do? Drag out Thomas Markle out of his pit again, dangle a cheque in front of him and demand he start spewing bile again. Pitiful. #InvictusGames2023

— Marcus Righton MP (@MarcusRightonMP) September 18, 2023

Photos courtesy of GMB, WENN, GB News, 60 Minutes Australia.

I’m trying to parcel out the final Invictus Games photos into multiple posts for the next few days, because I don’t want the Duchess of Sussex’s many looks to go unnoticed, nor am I interested in doing some mega-post about a million stories happening all at once. So please, just have faith that if I’m not covering something you want to talk about right at this very moment, I will get to it and I want the subject or look to have the proper attention it deserves. Yes, this is a long-winded way of saying “please don’t threadjack.”

The photos in this post are from two Sussex appearances on Friday and Saturday – the photos with Meghan’s blue dress are from Friday’s seated volleyball final and the pics with Meghan in a cream ensemble are from Saturday’s medal ceremony for swimming. They also gave a medal to Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, the Ukrainian medic featured in Heart of Invictus. Taira has gotten so much attention during the games and she’s been doing tons of press. She seems to have a special bond with Harry and Meghan.

Fashion notes: Meghan’s cream outfit on Saturday was Cuyana, paired with Aquazzura pumps. The blue dress on Friday was Carolina Herrera, with Dior pumps and Pippa Small earrings. The Herrera dress is maybe one of my favorite things Meghan has ever worn, and I love that she did a pop of color in what was mostly a palette of white, black, cream and brown. Meghan has gotten a lot of high marks from fashionistas for her Invictus looks, all while the Daily Mail’s most unhinged accountant is furiously tallying up the cost of every belt, every bracelet, every pair of shorts. They’re seething that… a rich woman wears whatever she likes, regardless of the cost.

At Friday’s volleyball final, Meghan and Harry were seated with two interesting VIPs: the UK’s Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer (the man beside Harry) and Nicky Scott, who sat beside Meghan. Nicky is one of Harry’s closest friends and they’ve been tight since they were at Eton together. Nicky was also interviewed in the Harry & Meghan docuseries. It’s lovely that he seemingly flew in (with his family) for Invictus and for Harry’s birthday. As for Johnny Mercer, he actually made public statements praising Harry at Invictus, saying that Harry created “a legacy he can be proud of with the Invictus Games. The nation is incredibly grateful to him.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Russell Brand used to be a sort of famous comedian and actor, 10-15 years ago or so. He was married to Katy Perry and he talked about his sobriety and he was briefly ubiquitous. Then Brand got left behind and he did what many has-beens do: he turned to right-wing politics and wellness culture and became some kind of self-styled political pundit and influencer. Throughout his famous years and his has-been years, there were always rumors about Brand and his behavior with women. Quelle surprise, it turns out that Russell Brand is a serial predator. The Times of London did a big investigation and they dropped their exclusive this weekend – you can read the full archived version of the article here.

The comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse during a seven-year period at the height of his fame. Four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013, while he was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and then an actor in Hollywood films. Others have made a range of accusations about Brand’s controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour. Brand denied the allegations and said his relationships have all been consensual. The findings come from a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.

One woman alleges that Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home. She was treated at a rape crisis centre on the same day, according to medical records. Text messages show that in the hours after leaving his house, she told Brand that she had been scared by him and felt taken advantage of, adding: “When a girl say[s] NO it means no.” Brand replied saying he was “very sorry”.

A second woman alleges that Brand assaulted her when he was 31 and she was 16 and still at school. She said he referred to her as “the child” during an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship that lasted for about three months…

A third woman claims that he sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles, and that he threatened to take legal action if she told anyone else about her allegation. The fourth described being sexually assaulted by Brand and him being physically and emotionally abusive towards her.

All said they felt ready to speak only after being approached by reporters. Several said they felt compelled to do so given Brand’s newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer, with millions of followers on YouTube and other sites. The others have accused him of physical and emotional abuse, sexual harassment and bullying.

[From The Times]

I believe all of them, especially the story about the 16-year-old. He’s left enough breadcrumbs over the course of his career to lead me to believe that he’s guilty of statutory rape in several countries. Speaking of, I’ve always believed his interest in Asia and Asian culture is mostly about “sex tourism.” Anyway, I hope some of Brand’s victims press charges. Even if they don’t, Brand needs to be shoved out of society entirely. I’ve already seen that Andrew Tate is defending him, which is all you need to know.

Someone gave Brand a heads up about the Times’ exclusive before it came out, which is why Brand tried to get out ahead of the story on Friday, and he released this bonkers video of his pre-denial. Why does the video jump when he claims all of his relationships were consensual?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

This really shocked me, not because I thought Hugh Jackman and Deborra Lee Furness are some kind of magical, perfect couple, but because they’ve truly weathered every storm before now. Hugh and Deborra are separating after 27 years of marriage. They were both actors when they met in Australia in 1995, but as his career reached all kinds of crazy heights, Deborra phased out her acting career and raised their two children, Oscar and Ava. Predictably – you can really set your watch to this – Hugh and Deborra are separating soon after their youngest turned 18 years old.

Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-lee are amicably ending their marriage. The couple say in a statement exclusively shared with PEOPLE: “We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”

“Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.”

The statement, signed “Deb and Hugh Jackman,” concludes: “This is the sole statement either of us will make.”

The Aussie pair, who share two kids, Oscar, 23, and Ava, 18, have been married for 27 years.

[From People]

As I said, they seemed like they were in it through thick and thin, come what may. They seemed like best friends, like they enjoyed each other’s company and they understood each other. But! Sources told Page Six that their split had been “a long time coming” and that “It happened a while ago. Friends and family knew about it.” For what it’s worth, they went to the Met Gala together this year, so… I don’t know about that. This might have been a slow-burn pandemic split too, because there’s some indication that they really started having problems in 2020-21, and Deborra was barely around when Hugh went back on Broadway for The Music Man in 2022. Plus, you know, so many couples are just limping along for those last few years before their kids leave for college. I feel for Ava!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Bad Bunny really doesn’t want to talk about dating Kendall Jenner. [LaineyGossip]
Neve Campbell said f–k you, pay me. [OMG Blog]
Tiffany Haddish was really trying to get Shakira’s attention at the VMAs. [Pajiba]
Caitriona Balfe looks great as a blonde. [Go Fug Yourself]
Taylor Swift is still dealing with Matt Healy rumors. [Just Jared]
Republicans are so scared of abortion voters. [Jezebel]
Photos from the ATG Summer Party. [RCFA]
Whoopi Goldberg got a pregnant vibe from Alyssa Farah Griffin. [Seriously OMG]
Kristin Cavallari is not dating Morgan Wallen. [Egotastic]
I love all the SAG auction memes. [Buzzfeed]
Americans are leaving the church in droves, yay, let’s have brunch. [Towleroad]

Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast has yet another psychotic Royalist column about Prince William’s desperate, pathetic, one-sided war with his brother. Sykes starts by giving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex begrudging, seething credit for all of their great coverage in Germany for Invictus, then pivots to William’s desperation to be included in every Sussex newscycle, especially the Sussexes’ photocall with NATO high command. Sykes also conveniently ignores the most important part of the Telegraph piece this week, which was a reference to veterans viewing the Windsors as too petty, short-sighted and immature to actually show any kind of support towards Britain’s Invictus competitors. Some highlights, and keep in mind, all of this is coming directly from Kensington Palace:

The Sussexes’ NATO meeting: But it’s not all fun and froth; telegraphing that they still intend to remain politically active, the couple staged a meeting and photocall on the fringes of the Games with NATO joint force commander General Luigi Miglietta and other NATO chiefs and their families. According to some, this was an attempt to blunt the impact of William’s planned meetings at the UN next week during his high-profile New York trip.

How King Charles feels: There is also hope among some of the king’s friends that a happy Harry might be a less troublesome Harry. One friend of the king’s told The Daily Beast: “Of course Charles wants the attacks on him and his family to stop. If Harry has once again got a purpose in his life that makes him think twice about attacking him, even if it is only because that image is not good for Invictus, that can only be a good thing for everyone.”

War as usual: William, however, is perhaps less optimistic that Harry’s renewed focus on good works is a panacea for all that ails the royals. Indeed, for the two brothers it has been very much “war as usual” over the past seven days, after Harry overshadowed William’s official act of remembrance for the queen (by turning up unexpectedly at St George’s Chapel) and William then overshadowed Harry’s Invictus launch by releasing a film of an unprecedented hour-long conversation between himself, Kate and aunt Anne for a popular sports podcast fronted by his cousin Zara’s husband, Mike Tindall.

This is genuinely idiotic & false: On Thursday, just before Harry and Meghan’s big NATO photocall came out, William and Kate cooked food around a campfire at a forest school focused on teaching kids about conservation. Lovely pictures, and if you were a picture editor, which royal would you put on the front page: William and Kate toasting marshmallows with some cute kids, or Harry and Meghan with a stuffed shirt military general?

William is above petty moves, you guys: One friend of William’s told The Daily Beast that William was above “petty moves” such as putting out a video to deliberately scotch his brother’s big moment. They said it was just an accident of timing that the Rugby World Cup, in support of which the video podcast was recorded, began on the same day as the Invictus Games. However they added, “The reality is William can click his fingers and organize a fireside chat at Windsor Castle to bring impact to his causes. Harry can’t do that stuff anymore, but that’s the inevitable consequence of his choice to leave the royal family. William is the heir to the throne and Harry is a just a private individual without that access. That’s what he wanted.”

The Windsors are being called out for not supporting wounded warriors: However friends of William’s and the king’s dismissed this argument as naïve. A friend of William’s said: “It would be a huge distraction if William were to start sending messages of support to Invictus. Of course he supports wounded veterans, but I don’t think anyone seriously thinks it would be a good idea for him to start sending telegrams to the competitors.” The friend of the king’s made a similar point, saying that Charles wouldn’t want to “distract attention” and was “incredibly proud” of Harry’s work with Invictus and that Harry knew that. Neither Kensington Palace or Buckingham Palace responded to requests for comment on if their principals supported the Invictus Games.

[From The Daily Beast]

The whole twisted-pretzel logic of “it looks bad for HARRY and INVICTUS that the Windsors won’t acknowledge the Invictus veterans” is pretty wild, as is William’s now open contempt for anything and anyone associated with Harry (up to and including veterans). William is a 41 year old man who is literally too stupid, angry and childish to simply do the diplomatic thing. Literally, a tweet of support, a palace spokesperson saying “of course the Prince of Wales is rooting for Team Britain.” William is too busy organizing sad-sack photo-ops with sheep and bragging about how HE could organize a fireside chat if he wanted to. Meanwhile, Harry is literally meeting with NATO high command, and NATO sent a 1100-person delegation to Invictus. William’s version of “one-upping Harry” is crying to Mike Bloomberg and throwing a national tantrum about how HE is the “global statesman.”

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

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Real Time with Bill Maher has been on HBO since 2003. I admit that I watched with some regularity in those first years. I was young, then, and enjoyed the fact that for some reason his face visually reminded me of Sylvester the Cat. Mainly I tuned in for the New Rules segment at the end. My favorites were the absurdist, non-political throw away ones he’d mix in, like “new rule: cornbread isn’t bread, it’s cake!” and then he’d move onto the next with no further explanation. During his twenty-year tenure, Maher has offered a veritable cornucopia of reasons to be fired. Yet stubbornly, he remains. Let’s see how he fairs with his latest stunt, which is bringing back his show without his writers, during the ongoing strike. I guess he saw how well it was going for Drew Barrymore and wanted in on that glowing PR. Some words on the strike from Bill the Scab:

“Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work,” Maher said Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The WGA strike started in May and was swiftly joined by striking actors in the union known as SAG-AFTRA, which began their strike in July. Writers have asked the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, which is made up of studios and executives, to provide them with better pay and residuals, bigger writers’ rooms and protections against artificial intelligence.

“The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction. But they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns,” Maher continued on X. “Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily. We all were hopeful this would come to an end after Labor Day, but that day has come and gone, and there still seems to be nothing happening. I love my writers, I am one of them, but I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much.”

Maher says that he will “honor the spirit of the strike” by not showing any written pieces.

“And I’ll say it upfront to the audience: the show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop. But the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bullsh-t and predictable partisanship, and that will continue. The show will not disappoint,” he added.

Earlier this month, Maher criticized the WGA strike on his “Club Random” podcast.

“They’re asking for a lot of things that are, like, kooky,” Maher told stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan on the podcast. “What I find objectionable about the philosophy of the strike [is] it seems to be, they have really morphed a long way from 2007’s strike, where they kind of believe that you’re owed a living as a writer, and you’re not. This is show business. This is the make-or-miss league.”

[From HuffPost]

Yeah, those goofy demands of writers to be able to, you know, get healthcare and pay rent! To borrow my grandmother’s Yiddish, what a schmuck. This line also really leapt out at me: “We were all hopeful this would come to an end after Labor Day, but that day has come and gone, and there still seems to be nothing happening.” File that away for future reference, union members — Summer holiday strikes are ok, but anything longer and you’re on your own. I don’t mean to minimize the struggle of below-the-line crew, because they are all out of work too right now, and not getting the same attention and recognition. But there are other ways to support them. And I doubt that fat cat Bill has even scratched the surface of his resources with the “assistance” he says he’s provided. I will agree with him on one point though: the show will not disappoint, but only because it hasn’t been good for years.

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