Here are some photos of Megan Thee Stallion at last night’s MTV VMAs. Her dress on the red carpet was Brandon Maxwell and she looked so good, although I kind of think the diamond choker is a tad too much. Still, it’s Megan and she looks great. There was a big viral moment during the VMAs, because the producers will splice in backstage footage with what’s happening in the awards show. Backstage, Megan was getting ready to go on stage and Justin Timberlake passed by. Without context or sound, it appeared as if Justin and Megan got into a fight, or like she was bitching him out over something.

Footage going viral of Megan Thee Stallion and Justin Timberlake backstage at the #VMAs. pic.twitter.com/1vvKKSrlRV

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 13, 2023

I agree that it looks like they were getting into something, but Megan’s people quickly went to several outlets to correct the record and declare that there was “zero fight” – apparently, Megan and JT had never met before, and he said something along the lines of “It’s so nice to meet you.” Megan responded with “No, no this don’t count, this don’t count. We gotta meet proper.” Their exchange was not a “fight,” sources insist and instead it was a “very cute” exchange between celebrities. One eyewitness told Variety: “Meg loves Justin. She was saying ‘No, no, no, we’ve never met before.’ It was their first time meeting and she was excited.” Beef quashed!

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Aaron Rodgers got badly injured during his first game with the Jets. He will probably be out for the rest of the season. [JustJared]
Amy Schumer deleted an Instagram in which she made fun of Nicole Kidman, who was simply minding her business at the US Open. [Socialite Life]
Christian Siriano’s spring collection is… okay. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Review of Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins. [LaineyGossip]
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: Why is Daryl in France? [Pajiba]
This is the dream of every thrifter. [Buzzfeed]
I hate the sunglasses, but Jodie Turner Smith looks amazing here. [RCFA]
Christy Turlington closed the Ralph Lauren show. [GFY]
Taryn Manning “defends” Danny Masterson. [Jezebel]
The Cavinder twins were invited to NYFW. [Egotastic]

ESPN is now reporting that Aaron Rodgers is in the Jets’ “medical yurt” and the team shaman is “rubbing ivermectin on the spot where his chakra decoupled.”

— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) September 12, 2023

I’m feeling mean today, so let me get this out of the way: the Princess of Wales’s new wig is so bad and so cheap-looking. It looked okay in those blurry, low-quality pics in France over the weekend, but seeing it in high-res up close… YIKES. Kate did a public event today, because of course she did. After a two-month summer holiday, the only thing that gets William and Kate back to work is their pathetic efforts to “overshadow” Prince Harry and the Invictus Games. Think of how thoroughly Kate and William center themselves in everything, to the point where they don’t even want VETERANS to have the spotlight.

Kate’s event today was at a prison- High Down Prison, where she’s checking out the work of The Forward Trust. She’s nominally the patron of The Forward Trust, showing up once in a blue moon to check out the work being done by everyone else. The palace really pulled out the big guns here because they were expecting photos of Meghan arriving at the Invictus Games to come out today. The palace brain trust (Jason Knauf, Tory elders and a gopher wearing Kate’s discarded wig) was like: send her to prison, that will be a good photo-op, she can make jazz hands at the incarcerated.

Kate’s suit is McQueen, and the Mail is making a big deal about the bandages on Kate’s right hand. Their sources insist it’s nothing serious, merely a trampoline accident and nothing’s broken. This isn’t the first time Kate has shown up to events with large bandaids on her hands. My first thought was “kitchen mishap,” and then I wondered if the hand injuries might be tennis-related. But it keeps happening and I wonder if her consistent hand injuries are something else entirely.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Over the weekend, there was a new Daily Mail exclusive full of scorn and obsession about the Sussexes. The Mail’s Alison Boshoff exhaustively detailed all the times we’ve seen Prince Harry and Meghan do separate things this year (while conveniently ignoring all of the times we’ve seen together), and then suggests that Harry and Meghan are headed for personal and professional separation. The British media has been trying to convince themselves of a Sussex split all year, ever since Meghan… didn’t promote Harry’s memoir. Like, that was the start of this wishful thinking. The thing is, and I hate to admit this, but I do think H&M are going to do more individual projects professionally from here on out. And that’s fine. From this delusional Mail piece:

So what does all this recent separation signify? It is more about brand separation as opposed to personal separation. Some claim the couple’s five-year marriage is heading for the divorce courts, fuelled by Meghan’s habit of removing her engagement and eternity rings, as she did on Monday at the concert.

One LA source, with a senior media position in Hollywood, tells me: ‘It’s 100 per cent over. That’s what I hear, and I’ve been hearing it for months.’ Another says Netflix aren’t likely to renew their deal in two years, for the simple reason they don’t expect them to be a couple by that point.

Others disagree that there is anything awry with their personal relationship. The findings of an investigation by the Mail into what the future holds for the Sussexes indicates something rather different, and gives a fascinating insight into their long-term intentions. Speaking to friends of Meghan, and by examining the couple’s financial dealings, we can reveal the new buzz phrase for the Montecito two is ‘brand separation’.

And to help the couple monetise this new ethos there is, we have discovered, a hitherto unreported Mr Fixit moneyman, who is proving key to stabilising the Sussexes’ financial future: Adam Lilling, a venture capitalist, with a history of lucrative right-on investments, who is an adviser to TV host Ellen DeGeneres, a long-time friend of Meghan. Indeed, Lilling was with Harry — again without his wife — at a football match in LA over the weekend, where the men seemed at ease in each other’s company.

Nick Ede, a brand and culture expert, and friend of the duchess dating from the period before she met Harry, casts light on what Lilling’s presence reveals — and unpicks what ‘brand separation’ means in practice.

‘I’ve spoken to mutual friends and it’s not true they are divorcing,’ says Ede. ‘What is actually happening is they are trying now to undo the damage they did with the Harry & Meghan documentary and Spare, which made them into a toxic couple. The first way to do that is to allow Meghan to get away from the victim narrative and away from Harry so people can see who she is. Meghan needs to forget about being a duchess and forget about good works. She has been isolated in Montecito and hiding away. But she is fun and funny, which is why we became friends. There wasn’t anything fun in [the documentary] or in the [Spotify] podcasts. She will use Instagram to connect directly with fans around the world and to step out into who she is, which is not at all a victim. She is 100 per cent a celebrity and will concentrate on that while Harry does whatever moves him.’

‘If they are wise, they will copy the Beckhams, where each half of the couple has their own “thing” and they do only a small amount together. She could easily earn a million dollars. There is a lot of money which she will make very easily — as long as she does it away from him.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Again, I think going forward, there will be some delineation between Harry and Meghan’s professional projects. But the rest of this is absolute horses-t. The only people who think the Sussex brand is “toxic” are the people in the British media who keep rocking back and forth in their padded cells, trying to convince everyone that they alone can write H&M’s narrative. The Netflix docuseries was a huge hit, Spare was a bestseller, Meghan’s podcast was successful and the Sussexes are under the protection of the Beygency, Black Hollywood, WME and Ari Emmanuel. As for “a hitherto unreported Mr Fixit moneyman” – the tabloids have been bizarrely focused on Adam Lilling for more than a year, Jesus Christ.

Here are some photos of Harry at Invictus today (black shirt) and yesterday (white shirt).

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

I’m in agreement with the British tabloids this week – I cannot wait for the Duchess of Sussex to arrive in Dusseldorf. They’re all in a frenzy, tracking her movements and trying to figure out when she’ll be seen in Germany. Big same! I’m sure Meghan had her reasons for skipping out on the first weekend of Invictus, but she’s sorely missed. Well, good news – the Mail got the exclusive photos of Meghan at LAX yesterday evening, which means she’s probably arriving in Germany as I write this.

Meghan Markle looked delighted as she jetted out of the US to join her husband at the Invictus Games in Germany – but despite landing in London today she will not be stopping in Britain for long, MailOnline can exclusively reveal. The Duchess of Sussex, 42, boarded a plane from LAX to Heathrow last night accompanied by a single body guard spotted carrying some of her bags and clothing.

It is her first transatlantic journey since flying to London for the Queen’s funeral last September. The trip to Germany means she will be with Harry for his 39th birthday on Friday.

After arriving at the airport at just before 6pm, she grinned as she got out of her limousine wearing $770 ivory Valentino mules, black baggy three-quarter-length trousers, a V-necked long-sleeved top and oversized $500 Celine sunglasses on her head while carrying a trademark hat. She was clutching a $2,650 Goyard tote bag while her solo bodyguard was lugging a rucksack and dark suit carrier that may have been contained one of his boss’s dresses.

[From The Daily Mail]

What bothers me about this is that the Mail is salivating over the idea/reality that Meghan’s flight is routed through Heathrow. You know that they really want to demand that the Met Police storm the plane and drag her onto British soil so that the Windsors can punish her. I wish I was joking, but after years of reading the British bile targeting Meghan, that really is the subtext here. Anyway, Meghan looks lovely in the LAX photos – that’s such a great travel outfit, chic but sensible.

meghan, the duchess of sussex, pictured arriving at LAX airport before flying to germany for the invictus games pic.twitter.com/cd8LFczTDg

— meghan markle archives (@princessmeghn) September 12, 2023

PS… The photos included in this post are from The Hague Invictus Games last year. This is the outfit and look the Princess of Wales copied for her appearance at the rugby match this past weekend. Kate is utterly psychotic.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Before the Duchess of Sussex jetted off to Germany to reunite with her husband, she was enjoying a peaceful weekend in Montecito with her kids. Apparently, she didn’t feel like cooking, so she went to an In-and-Out Burger. Paparazzi got photos of her driving herself (GASP) in her $140,000 Range Rover (DOUBLE GASP) to In-and-Out on Sunday, with a friend riding shotgun. I thought Meghan and Harry were utterly friendless? I thought they had no friends or family and everyone hates them? Are you trying to tell me that Meghan has friends?

In her Variety interview last year, Meghan said that she and Harry both love In-and-Out, and she orders a cheeseburger, fries and a side of jalapenos, whereas Harry gets a Double Double. How dare they, honestly. Harry’s Double Double is an insult to his late grandmother. QEII was beside herself with grief over a side of jalapenos. Hilariously, the Mail also detailed what Meghan’s food would have cost – $8 for a cheeseburger meal, oo la la, eight whole American dollars for a cheeseburger meal, ordered from the comfort of her Range Rover and taken back to her $14 million Montecito home with the eleventy billion bathrooms.

Meghan is wearing Celine sunglasses in her Range Rover! Remember how Kensington Palace demanded that she turn over her American passport, driver’s license and car keys? Oh, and the haters think these photos are “staged.” I would say the backstory is probably a lot worse – paparazzi trailing Meghan, seeing that she was headed for the In-and-Out drive-thru and a photographer raced inside to “shoot” her from within the burger joint. That is exactly the level of stalking the Sussexes are facing.

Meghan Markle Picks Up In-N-Out Burger at the Drive-Through While Prince Harry Is at Invictus Games https://t.co/2G8sf8IAK7

— People (@people) September 11, 2023

Meghan Markle hits In-N-Out Burger drive-thru https://t.co/RlnJN5ukxa pic.twitter.com/oUg7MRRumC

— Page Six (@PageSix) September 11, 2023

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

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It’s been the summer of the Celebrity Divorce so it’s a nice change whenever we cover weddings. Joey King got engaged to her longtime boyfriend Steven Piet last year and they just got married this month at a villa in Mallorca, Spain. Joey’s ceremony dress (by Oscar de la Renta) is an unusual but beautiful choice: it features several large floral paillettes. It’s super striking in photos. Sabrina Carpenter sang as Joey walked down the aisle and the couple danced to “Sea of Love” by Cat Power. The photos, which the couple shared with Vogue, are gorgeous. It looks like a classic, elegant kind of wedding, which I love. The ceremony took place overlooking the sea with these very classical-looking arches. If I happen to marry rich (we can always hope), I’ll definitely be tracking down this villa.

Joey King stunned in Oscar de la Renta for her big day. The 24-year-old actress recently tied the knot with director Steven Piet in Spain, and gave Vogue a look at her picture-perfect nuptials and her unique gown.

King chose four Oscar de la Renta dresses for her wedding weekend, all of which were “perfect” to the bride. The standout look was certainly the gown King wore for the ceremony at La Fortaleza in Mallorca, Spain, which featured a dramatic strapless neckline and large fabric flower-petal paillettes.

She kept her glam and hair simple, and added scalloped detailing to her manicure to match her gown.

Sabrina Carpenter sang King down the aisle at the beginning of the ceremony, which the bride describes as “absolute perfection.” The couple’s friend, Erik, officiated as guests including Michelle Williams and Thomas Kail, AnnaSophia Robb, Phoebe Dynevor, Kaitlyn Dever and Logan Lerman watched on.

“Looking out from the altar at all of our friends and family was an unforgettable moment. We truly felt so perfectly present, and soaking in every detail was pure magic,” she says. “Between that and hearing Steven’s vows and being able to read mine to him… Nothing could’ve made this moment better. Also might I add, it was raining heavily right before the ceremony, and somehow the sun shone right as guests arrived. We were truly the luckiest people.”

After the ceremony, the newlyweds headed to the reception, which featured speeches from family members, “unreal” food and drinks, and the couple’s first dance to Cat Power’s “Sea of Love.”

“It was magical,” King says. “Looking at my perfect husband while dancing to this perfect song was a dream.”

Then the party really got going, with King noting, “We danced so hard that we looked like we had taken showers because we were so sweaty.”

“The best part was seeing all our friends who didn’t know each other just melting into one another and instantly connecting,” she says. “We are surrounded by the best people, and seeing them all together was infectiously joyous.”

[From Entertainment Tonight]

I love the dress because it mirrors the girlish prettiness in Joey’s features. She’s very much in the “gamine” archetype in my opinion and those types can get away with whimsy without it looking costumey. It fits her vibe and it’s unique! I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it. I also like her reception dress, which is very feminine with a tiered tulle skirt. Normally I hate tiered skirts like that but your wedding day is the best possible occasion to go for something ultra-romantic. Something else I love is the colors of her bouquet and the flower arrangements. The soft pinks and purples work well with the soft blue that her bridesmaids are wearing. Joey and Steven seem like a super cute couple and I wish them a lifetime of happiness.

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A post shared by Steven Piet (@stevenpiet)

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A post shared by Joey King (@joeyking)

Hot Labor Summer is definitely continuing into Fall, and I think it’s in no small part due to excellent messaging from the unions. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, who handily won re-election last week, ended August by framing the Hollywood strikes as commentary on the “culture of big business.” Well, it seems workers in the auto industry were listening. The 146,000-member United Auto Workers (UAW) have been negotiating new contracts with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis (they make Chrysler), collectively known as the “Big Three” of US automakers (and the only US auto companies with unionized workers). The deadline for working out new contracts with each of the Big Three is before midnight this Thursday, and all signs are pointing to the clock running out and strikes being declared:

A lack of good faith: UAW President Shawn Fain earlier panned some automakers’ offers and emphasized that union workers stand ready to head to the picket lines, though he told a crowd in Detroit over Labor Day weekend: “Our intent is not to strike. Our intent is to get a fair agreement.” The union is negotiating with all three automakers simultaneously, in a break from previous rounds of contract talks. The UAW also recently filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing GM and Stellantis of failing to bargain in good faith and in a timely fashion. The automakers have said they’re willing to negotiate in good faith and have pushed back against union demands they say are excessive — in some cases warning that big pay hikes could cut into investments needed to make the transition to electric vehicles.

CEO wages have been hiking: Fain has promoted the union’s “ambitious” push for more generous wages and benefits. The UAW is seeking a 40% wage hike over four years (amounting to 46% compounded), along with cost-of-living increases; beefed-up retirement benefits, including pensions on par with what autoworkers previously received; and a shortened 32-hour workweek, down from 40. The UAW has pointed to Big Three executives’ pay in demanding higher pay for workers. For example, GM chief Mary Barra’s compensation grew by 32.5% from 2018 to 2022. During the same period, the median GM employee’s pay grew by 2.8%, public filings show.

Agreeing to better wages would be cheaper than letting it go to a strike: Even a strike lasting just 10 days could cost the Big Three automakers at least $5 billion, according to a recent estimate by the Anderson Economic Group… GM and Ford stand to lose $2.5 billion and $3 billion in revenue, respectively, for every week a strike lasts, Goldman Sachs Equity Research estimated. By comparison, agreeing to a 40% wage bump for UAW members would cost GM $4 billion to $5 billion and Ford $5 billion to $6 billion over four years. Goldman didn’t provide estimates for Stellantis.

UAW has a fund ready in case talks break down: The UAW has amassed $825 million in a strike fund that would pay eligible members $500 a week during a work stoppage, a sum that is expected to last for up to around 11 weeks but could be depleted sooner because of health care costs.

A 2019 strike saw GM lose billions in a little over a month: In 2019, autoworkers at GM went on a 40-day strike that cost the company an estimated $3.6 billion that year. The work stoppage pushed Michigan’s economy into a single-quarter recession.

[From NBC News]

Look, at this point it’s not news that CEOs don’t want to part with their disproportionate salaries. Even though it’s not surprising, I still get angry, especially when the numbers so clearly spell out that there is money available to give workers better wages, and that doing so would cost less than a strike. But the part that really sent me over the edge, though, was the Big Three’s implication that there’s only room in the budget for transitioning to electric vehicles OR giving workers better pay. They simply cannot do both! Please, GMAFB. If only the Department of Energy would invest a couple billion dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act towards domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles…

The countdown is on for midnight on Thursday. UAW sure seems united and prepared should they be left with no alternative but to strike. I’m rooting for the autoworkers, the writers, and the actors. And later down the line I look forward to the Oscar-bait film that will inevitably be made with Charlize Theron as a UAW member just trying to make a living.

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A post shared by UAW International Union (@uaw.union)

Photos credit: Jim West / ImageBROKER / Avalon and via Instagram

Drew Barrymore is bringing back her talk show during the strike, but she claims it will comply with SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike rules. Meaning… no writers? [Seriously OMG]
Britney Spears was scared during her infamous VMA performance. [OMG Blog]
Jennifer Lopez was the buffer between Anna Wintour & Edward Enninful. [LaineyGossip]
Is the latest film in The Conjuring franchise any good? [Pajiba]
Emma Watson went to the Soho House Awards. [Go Fug Yourself]
Jake Gyllenhaal raves about his brother-in-law Peter Saarsgard. [Just Jared]
Marvel stuff feels like homework these days. [Jezebel]
Photos from the Venice Film Festival’s closing ceremony. [RCFA]
Nicole Scherzinger is in Austria? [Egotastic]
The youths created a new acronym for “being rude at dinner.” [Buzzfeed]
The amfAR gala was star-studded, probably because celebrities are not scabbing if they attend a fundraiser for a charity?? [Towleroad]

Here are some photos of Taylor Swift out in New York on Friday night. She was one again at the Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village. It’s Taylor’s hottest club – she’s been recording at that studio for the better part of a year, and she invites her friends to hang out with her there. On Friday, Margaret Qualley, Karen Elson, Cara Delevingne, Sadie Sink, Hayley Williams and several other friends all joined her.

Guess who else was there? Sabrina Carpenter. If you’re in any way familiar with the backstory of Olivia Rodrigo’s first album, Sour, you know that Sabrina Carpenter was “the other woman” in Olivia’s first relationship. After Taylor and Jack Antonoff sicced their lawyers on Olivia over her song “deja vu,” Taylor then invited Sabrina to open for her Eras Tour. Taylor and Sabrina are now tight, and Olivia is apparently writing music about how Taylor f–king sucks. Behold, Olivia’s “The Grudge,” which many people believe is about Taylor.

There’s also a lot of discussion about Olivia’s “lacy,” which is more clearly about a woman – a rival, someone who screwed over Olivia professionally and personally?

I have no idea what’s about Taylor and what’s about Sabrina or whether these songs are about someone else entirely. What I do know is that on the same day Olivia’s GUTS album was released, Taylor was in her Bad Blood era with her performative girl squad, which now includes Sabrina Carpenter. Sh-t went down and I’m on Team Rodrigo.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.