From Rosie: My kids are into cooking and have been asking about getting a pizza oven. I’ve made pizza before using a pizza stone but was looking at something like this oven, which reviews mention can be used to make a lot of different meals. “I have been using this to warm up pizza, to make pizza, quesadillas, chicken and rice with crispy bottom, and make omelets, and they all have turned out wonderfully.” “Cooked pizza, biscuits, calzones and all turned out perfectly. Love heating sandwiches in this too.” Here are some of the other things that CB and I are looking at on Amazon this week.

Blank hardcover books for kids to write stories

From Rosie: I bought this 3-pack of blank books for my kids a few months ago to help my older son with his reading and writing, and they both loved creating their own stories. I highly recommend these! They have a 4.7 star rating, almost 300 reviews, and an A on Fakespot. Reviewers also mention how much their kids loved these books. “They are well made and have plenty of pages to include illustrations with the stories. Very fun to customize, we have ordered these many times.” “Perfect for kids to make their own story.” “My son loves to make comics and wanted to make a “real” one. These books were perfect and I love the hardcover.”

A versatile vegetable chopper that catches your chopped food in a container

From Rosie: Tik Tok trend alert! This vegetable chopper is easy to use and catches the veggie you choose to slice, dice, cut, or spiral in a container that’s conveniently attached to the blade. There are three different color options to choose from and depending on what color you pick, there are different options for two, four, or eight different blades. It has more than 72,000 reviewers and a 4.5 star rating on ReviewMeta. Reviewers rave about how much time it saves them and how versatile it is. “I’ve hesitated buying this but I got an alert on my phone about this being a TikTok sensation and it was on sale so I took a chance. It works great – I made chili which had a lot of chopping – 2 red onions, 6 bell peppers. This made chopping a dream – saved me a ton of time.” “So far we’ve used all the attachments. Zucchini spaghetti, French fries, veggies, and fruit…..you can even use the cubed cutting attachment separately to cut cheese. Honestly this has been one of my daily favorite cooking ‘tools.’”

A chalkboard to keep track of your dog’s birthday milestones

From Rosie: Okay, I know this one is a bit random but I came across it while searching for customized first day of school signs. The idea is the same, only it’s for dogs! This sign is 9 inches by 12 inches and you fill in the info yourself. This sign has almost 200 reviews and a 4.6 star rating on ReviewMeta. While the reviews vary on whether or not it’s reusable, people who have bought it talk about how adorable it is. “Ok first of all this board is literally the cutest thing EVER. It was perfect for my fur baby’s 1st birthday.” “This board is super cute, a nice size (slightly bigger than a letter size sheet of paper), and very sturdy. Each section includes enough space for me to write all of the important details about my dog.”

A pencil and office supply organization case that holds so much

From CB: This multi-compartment expandable pencil case from Easthill is priced at under $16, with some colors under $12. It has a mesh compartment that can hold accessories along with two sections for pens. It would be great for the office, back to school or on the go. This listing has almost 47,000 reviews, 4.7 stars and the same score on ReviewMeta. People say it really keeps them organized. “This year for school I wanted to be the prepared person who has everything they need. I stuffed this pencil case with pencils, pens, sticky notes, scissors, correction tape, and even double sided tape. It’s holding a lot but still is organized. This is a really great buy and I recommend it.” “Bought this little spacious pouch randomly from one of the daily deals and it’s come in handy a couple times. while traveling, i’ve used it to carry makeup, makeup brushes, charger cables, etc. I don’t use it for anything else except for travel. Does what it needs to do.”

A pet grooming kit with a vacuum to save money and cleanup

From CB: My German Shepherd sheds a lot and although the Furminator brush is great, I wish I had something more effective and easier to clean. This pet grooming kit is also a vacuum with a huge canister to clean pet fur as you go. It has five attachments and five different clippers to adapt to different breeds of dogs. This listing has over 11,200 ratings, 4.6 stars and the same score on ReviewMeta. People rave about how well it works and say that their dogs love to get groomed with it. “I have three dogs and I am constantly sweeping and I have went through a lot of vacuums. So I decided to order it and I was not disappointed! I started by letting my dogs sniff the equipment and brushing them before turning it on. I turned it on and started brushing them and they were knocking each other over to get brushed. The motor is extremely quiet!” “This product is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Ever. I have a German Shepard who HATES to be brushed..but will lay down for as long as I need him to if I have the Neabot out. I also have a black lab that sheds like crazy. Having this has helped it not look like we live in a barn. I have even purchased two for other people because I was so impressed.” “Because it lifts the hair as you cut she has a much more uniform cut and it looks much more professional. But let me say again, there was not hair anywhere!”

A setting spray for long-lasting makeup

From CB: I have NYX matte setting spray and it really works for long-lasting full face makeup through heat, rain and sweat. This comes in matte, dewy and plump versions, with the two ounce bottles all under $10. It has over 100,000 ratings, 4.5 stars and a B on Fakespot. People say it holds up in sweaty conditions. “I work my friend’s farm as well as her petting zoo so I needed a setting spray that would help my makeup stay put, even during the hot summer months when the temp gets above 80. At 53, I have mature skin (no commentary) so I needed something that didn’t cake my makeup. No shine, my makeup doesn’t look caked on and it lasts all day, even my eyeliner & eyeshadow. This setting spray doesn’t irritate my skin like others do.”

A hairdryer that will give you professional results at home

From CB: If you need a new hairdryer and want to spend a little more for better results, I highly recommend the BaBylissPRO Professional Nano Titanium. I bought mine in 2018 and it’s still just as good as new! It’s $89, which is pricey for a hair dryer, but it makes my hair so smooth and dries it quicker than other, cheaper hairdryers. This hairdryer has almost 5,000 ratings, 4.6 stars and a B on Fakespot. Most reviewers like it as much as I do. “I’ve got thinning hair that’s highlighted every 8 wks…hair getting dry & brittle. This beast is light weight, great controls for temp & amount of blow power and accessories for blow-out or diffuser when I scrunch hair. Incredibly quick drying so no over exposing hair to heat … worth every penny.” “I’m extremely happy with this dryer and i also was a hair stylist for many years. Ive had my fair share of many hair dryers.”

Donald Trump has one-sided obsessions with many prominent women, from Hillary Clinton to Megan Rapinoe to the Duchess of Sussex. Sidenote: I’ve always thought it’s notable that he’s never really attacked Michelle Obama, but I strongly suspect that even he knows that a huge part of the population will turn on him if he ever breathed a word about MObama. In any case, his obsession with Meghan has been a years-long catastrophe, the worst of which was when Meghan was being held hostage for several years in the UK during the Trump “presidency.” During that time, Trump would often gleefully take part in the smear campaign against her, calling Meghan “nasty” and saying that Harry would regret marrying her. One of the king’s sons has buyer’s remorse about his wife and it’s not Harry, I’m just saying. Anyway, Trump is still something of a royalist and he’s still talking about Meghan. Apparently, he wants to “debate” Meghan. The man skipped out on the Republican debate last month, but now he wants to debate a private citizen who is minding her business.

In an interview that aired Wednesday, conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt asked Trump if he would debate Meghan and Prince Harry, who “don’t like you much,” for the ratings. Naturally, the ex-president’s first instinct was to scoff at the idea that the pair doesn’t like him—even though they clearly don’t—and then suggest that the late Queen of England was a huge fan of his, which he’s done before.

“I don’t know that they don’t like me,” Trump told Hewitt. “I said that I don’t think they are very appropriate, what they’re saying, what they’re doing, and I didn’t like the way she dealt with the queen. I became very friendly with the queen. She was an incredible woman. At 95, she was so sharp. She was 100%. When you watch Biden, you say, this is a different planet. But they treated her with great disrespect, and I didn’t like it. And I didn’t like the idea that they were getting US security when they came over here. No, I think it’s not a good situation going on with the two of them, but I didn’t know that they don’t like me.”

Reminded of the actual question, i.e. would he debate the couple, Trump responded, “Oh, if you want to set it up, let’s set it up. Let’s go do something. I’ll, I’d love to debate her. I would love it. I disagree so much with what they’re doing.”

[From Vanity Fair]

This reminds me so much of the Republican obsession/desire/hatred of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – she’s an attractive, well-spoken, desirable young woman and instead of just saying “wow, she’s pretty and smart,” Republican men scream and cry about how AOC should “debate” them. Basically, what I’m saying is that Trump sounds like he’s fascinated by and obsessed with Meghan and he’s desperately clout-chasing. “Debate me,” he wept, flop-sweating in between federal and state indictments.

(I’m actually shocked that Hugh Hewitt referred to Meghan by her title at first.)

Donald Trump tells Hugh Hewitt he would “love to debate” Meghan Markle:

“I didn’t like the way she dealt with the queen … I’d love to debate her. I would love it. I disagree so much with what they’re doing.” pic.twitter.com/vc7KpzTaeJ

— The Recount (@therecount) September 6, 2023

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

One of People Magazine’s cover stories this week is “Life Without the Queen,” a one-year death-anniversary update about what the remaining Windsors are up to. Maybe People Magazine will release a stand-alone story about Camilla at some point, but hasn’t it been so notable that Camilla has been largely absent from all of these death-anniversary articles and “Charles’s first year as king” thinkpieces? I’m sure that’s by design – I’ve come around to the idea that Camilla has pulled most of the strings to create the current situation. She’s accrued an enormous amount of power, yet she remains massively unpopular. Oh well! Speaking of unpopular, People Mag’s cover story has a lot about how Prince William and Kate are, as always, preparing to be keen. I still haven’t gotten used to the fact that everyone speaks and writes about a pair of 40-somethings like they’re teenagers who are too dumb to understand the basics of work or diplomacy. Williams wants everyone to know that QEII gave him a gold star for his “work” and now sources describe Peg and Buttons as “ready and willing to do the job.”

In the days after his mother’s death last Sept. 8, King Charles made William and Kate the new Prince and Princess of Wales (the titles formerly held by Charles and his first wife, Princess Diana), recognizing their seniority in the family and signaling their critical roles ahead.

“Charles is leading the way for them already, and [William and Kate] are both involved in decision-making behind the scenes. They are ready and willing to do the job — and Kate is very much a part of that,” a friend of the princess tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story.

Prince William and Princess Kate “are maintaining a good balance between carrying out their duties and raising their children as privately as possible,” royal author Sally Bedell Smith exclusively tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. Getting that right is key and “something they think about every day,” adds a source close to the family. In doing so, they honor the Queen.

“The prince was incredibly close to his grandmother,” the source adds. “She was such a big part of his life and a real supporter of his work, and I’m sure he and the princess miss her presence.”

Some suggest there is a sense of King Charles steadying the ship for William and Kate one day. King Charles and Queen Camilla will “provide the best possible platform for William and Kate to go forward,” says one close insider. But palace sources deny that Charles sees himself as a “caretaker King.”

“He will be keen to make his mark in whatever time he has and champion those brilliant causes he is interested in — like the environment, sustainability, art,” a palace insider says. “You don’t go into a position like that with an idea of how long or short it would be.”

[From People]

For years before QEII’s death, I often noted that William and Kate’s “future king and future king” PR fluff was the wrong message, because they were completely skipping over their Prince/Princess of Wales roles. They’ve left the impression for years that they’re committed to doing jacksh-t until William gets the throne. For all of Charles’s faults, he was a significant, active and important Prince of Wales – he carried out diplomatic missions, he remade the Duchy of Cornwall, he created important charities and foundations. Charles’s biggest legacy will arguably be his decades as PoW. So… it’s actually quite strange to watch as William and Kate stagger around, rudderless and promising to be keen, even now that they’re the second-most powerful people in the royal court. It speaks to how the royal court has always treated William and Kate though – as if they’re too incompetent and lazy to do anything. The bar has always been set in hell for them.

“They are ready and willing to do the job — and Kate is very much a part of that.” Who are “they” and why was Kate added on? William and Rose are ready and willing to do the job and Kate is very much a part of that!

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

I’m really happy to see that no one is buying Joe Jonas’ week-long smear campaign against his estranged wife Sophie Turner. Sophie and Joe’s names have been trending on the artist formerly known as Twitter, and it’s just wall-to-wall call-outs for what Team Jonas is trying to do. First, Joe wanted sympathy because the poor dude is looking after his children this summer while Sophie works in England. Then he filed for divorce and leaked to TMZ that Sophie “likes to party,” GASP. Even if it was true (there’s no evidence that it is), liking to go out to a nightclub with friends isn’t a divorceable offense. Still, Team Jonas isn’t giving up their quest to turn Sophie into The Unfit Mother Who Likes To Party. Apparently, Joe was monitoring his wife on a ring camera and he saw her do or say something that he didn’t like. My dude, why are you monitoring your wife again? CREEP.

Joe Jonas saw/heard something with Sophie Turner that was the last straw in his decision to file for divorce, and it involves a ring camera.

Multiple sources who have direct contact with Joe tell TMZ … Joe had access to a ring cam that he said captured Sophie saying and/or doing something that made him realize the marriage was over.

TMZ broke the story … Joe and Sophie’s marriage had been on the rocks for at least 6 months, and it was all over a significant difference in lifestyles. As one source put it, “She likes to party, he likes to stay at home. They have very different lifestyles.”

As we reported, over the last 3 months, Joe has had the kids almost all the time. Sophie has been in London, but Joe and his bros were touring the U.S. and he had his 2 small kids in tow.

We know Joe had been in touch with at least 2 divorce lawyers last week. Interestingly, both lawyers are in L.A., yet he decided to file divorce docs Tuesday in Florida.

[From TMZ]

My question is about logistics – Sophie has been working in England for months, presumably staying at a hotel or some kind of rental home/apartment. When and where did this ring-cam incident take place? Did Sophie know she was on camera? Did she know Joe was monitoring her every f–king move? And was this just something he watched randomly, or was he poring over all of their ring-cam footage obsessively? I’ve seen a lot of people theorize that Sophie was probably just talking to a friend and bitching about her marriage or complaining about Joe. Anyway, this story makes Joe come across as such a creep.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Instagram.

Something really weird is happening with the Daily Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle column. For more than a year now, the guy (?) behind the column has been fact-checking the Windsors and their sycophants on a regular basis. I’m not ready to call this Hardcastle guy part of the Sussex Squad yet, but the column has broken some interesting news here and there. The columnist spilled the tea about Prince William fighting his father over the Prince of Wales investiture. The columnist recently pointed out that despite Buckingham Palace’s briefing spree over the Royal.uk updates removing the Sussexes’ HRHs, the Sussexes still very much have their HRHs. The columnist also recently broke the news about Mohammed Bin Salman’s upcoming visit to the palace. What I’m saying is that this guy (?) loves to fact check and spill some matter-of-fact tea. Recently, Andrew Morton suggested that the Duchess of Sussex wouldn’t return to the UK because she didn’t want to curtsey to Kate. Well, Hardcastle had something to say about that:

Princess Diana biographer Andrew Morton commits a faux pas, telling Sky News that Meghan may not be keen on visiting her estranged in-laws as she would have to curtsy to Kate, now Princess of Wales.

The old rules of who should bow/curtsy to whom are old hat.

The late Queen abandoned much of the protocol in homage to both changing times and the arrival of a greater number of commoners into the family (among them Kate, Sophie, Tim Laurence, Mike Tindall, Jack Brooksbank and Camilla herself).

The only requirement now is for the King himself to be acknowledged and Meghan might feel herself even exempt from that.

It was noticeable that amid the sea of dips and bows as the King left his coronation, Harry didn’t join in. Perhaps his view was obscured by Aunt Anne’s plume hat.

[From The Daily Mail]

In Spare, Harry recounted his directions to Meghan about who she needed to curtsey to – basically, only QEII and Harry’s father (but notably not Camilla). In the Netflix series, Meghan talked about and around the “formality” which exists within the royal family behind the scenes, and many were left with the impression that William and Kate were probably mega-salty that Meghan treated them like her peers and equals rather than bowing and scraping as soon as she was in the presence of the “future king and future queen.” Basically, this whole story is just another huge projection by the Windsors and their people: they do care about the bowing and scraping and they’re incandescent with royal protocol that Meghan can’t be forced back to the UK and made to curtsey to Princess Karen. As I said in the opening, it’s interesting that there’s one Daily Mail columnist who comes along and gently shreds the royalist talking points.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

One of the funniest/sleaziest dramas of the year had to be the Al Pacino/Noor Alfallah saga. In late May, we learned that 82-year-old Al Pacino was expecting a child with his 29-year-old “girlfriend” Noor Alfallah. Pacino’s people called her a golddigger and suggested openly that she scammed her way into the pregnancy, while Noor’s people were like “she’s not a golddigger, she just loves old people!” It’s true that Noor is seemingly always in the company of a much older man. In any case, the pregnancy story set off a two-week gossip bonanza and finally, Pacino tried to put a bow on it by talking publicly about how he was looking forward to being a father again. Al and Noor made a big show of being “together” and she quietly welcomed a boy, Roman Pacino, in June. Now the “relationship” with Al Pacino is over and Noor has gone to court to establish custody of Roman.

Al Pacino’s girlfriend Noor Alfallah has filed for physical custody of their son, Roman, according to multiple reports. In legal docs obtained by The Blast, Alfallah, 29, requests that Pacino, 83, have “reasonable visitation” of their 3-month-old baby.

Alfallah, a producer who graduated from the University of Southern California’s Cinematic School of Artagrees, also reportedly requested the Academy Award winner have joint legal custody, which would allow him to participate in major decisions concerning their baby, including medical treatment and education.

A specified amount for child support was not listed in the initial filing, according to The Blast, but per California law, the income of each parent is to be established first before ordering child support.

Alfallah is also reportedly asking the court for the House of Gucci star to pay for her legal fees and any costs associated with the case.

A Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (or Paternity) was signed by both parties, according to reports, six days before baby Roman was born. A VDOP is a “government form two parents can sign to create a legal parent-child relationship between a child and parent” and is “often signed at the hospital when a child is born, but it can be signed later,” according to California Courts. The document was signed by Pacino and a third-party witness.

On Wednesday, Pacino and Alfallah were spotted at dinner at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles with another couple, a source tells PEOPLE. The pair arrived together and enjoyed dinner next to each other, the source added.

[From People]

If you ask me, this is the least scandalous part of the saga? It actually sounds like Al and Noor are on the same page about his involvement and financial responsibilities and that they’re doing everything through the court so it will be above-board and established. Like, we knew that Al and Noor weren’t made to last as a couple, but they can be in each other’s lives for the same of the baby and… whatever. She’ll get some child support and there you go.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instagram.

Although Emily Blunt did an excellent job in Oppenheimer, I did think it was kind of a thankless part. That does not appear to be the case with her next project. Yesterday Netflix released a trailer for Pain Hustlers, coming out in late October and starring Blunt and Chris Evans as pharmaceutical reps. I’m getting Erin Brockovich-meets-Breaking Bad vibes, with an opioid-crisis setting:

Emily Blunt is hustling her way to the top in her latest film.

On Wednesday, Netflix debuted the first trailer for Pain Hustlers, which stars Blunt and Chris Evans as pharmaceutical sales employees pushing opioids in a story based on real events.

Blunt plays Liza Drake, a single mom “at the end of her rope” after losing her job, per a synopsis. “A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme.”

The film’s trailer teases Liza and Pete’s high-earning, hard-partying lifestyle as title cards read that Pain Hustlers “may cause increased energy, elevated mood, ecstasy, paranoia, aggression [and] greed.”

As Liza deals with “her increasingly unhinged boss, the worsening medical condition of her daughter, and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing,” she begins to re-examine her career choices.

Netflix described the film as a “sharp and revealing look at what some people do out of desperation and others do out of greed.”

[From People]

Tis the season for pharmaceutical cinema, I guess. I’m genuinely surprised that Netflix is releasing this so soon after Painkiller, their six-part series with Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler that just came out last month. Don’t get me wrong, I’m positively gleeful with Big Pharma clocking in so much screen time as the super villains they are. They’ve well and truly earned it. I just find the timing questionable from a content perspective. My general impression of this first trailer was, this story has already been told, so what’s different? I think it’s gonna come down to the solid cast bringing people in, led by Blunt and Evans, and rounded out with Andy Garcia and… Catherine O’Hara! You can’t tell who she’s playing from the trailer, but does it really matter? (Answer: no. Thank you for gifting us with your talent, O Great Catherine.)

Photos credit: Brian Douglas/Netflix

The Oscars and the Golden Globes get a lot of flack for being toxic and prejudiced and that reputation is well earned. This is especially the case for Black women filmmakers and showrunners. As a recent example, The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, was shut out from the Oscars this year despite being a critical and commercial hit. And in 2021, the HFPA rejected Shonda Rhimes’ requests for press conferences about Bridgerton until it became a surprise hit. In 2019, Ava DuVernay sat through a press conference for When They See Us where only 20 of the 87 HFPA members showed up and none of them had watched the series. But some of the European film festivals like Cannes and Venice are just as bad as the American awards ceremonies. The European festivals still give premieres, awards and standing ovations to the Roman Polanskis and Woody Allens of the world, while ignoring films from BIPOC filmmakers. Ava DuVernay’s upcoming movie Origin was selected to premiere at Venice and it’s the first time in the festival’s eighty year history (!) that they are including a film directed by a Black woman. At a press conference, Ava admitted that people told her not to bother applying to the festival at all because she “won’t get in.” She was told that people in other parts of the world don’t care about stories from BIPOC directors or perspectives. But she hopes this is a door that the festival will “keep open.”

At the Venice Film Festival press conference for Ava DuVernay’s new film “Origin” on Wednesday, the director revealed that she has previously been told not to apply to the festival because “you won’t get in.”

DuVernay is making history this year as the first African American woman in the festival’s 80-year existence to have a film compete for the Golden Lion. “Origin,” starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Jon Bernthal, “chronicles the remarkable life and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson as she investigates the genesis of injustice and uncovers a hidden truth that affects us all,” according to the film’s official synopsis.

“For Black filmmakers, we’re told that people who love films in other parts of the world don’t care about our stories and don’t care about our films. This is something that we are often told: you cannot play international film festivals, no one will come,” DuVernay said. “People will not come to the press conferences, people won’t come to the P&I screenings. They will not be interested in selling tickets. You might not even get into this festival, don’t apply. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told, ‘Don’t apply to Venice, you won’t get in. It won’t happen.’ And this year, something happened that hadn’t happened in eight decades before: an African American woman in competition. So now that’s a door open that I trust and hope the festival will keep open.”

[From Yahoo]

This is one of the things that drives me nuts about Hollywood. The industry presents itself as being progressive, but it never really has been. It’s apparently similar in Venice. I’m not shocked it took this long for them to include a film directed by a Black woman, but it is discouraging. Being so racist and exclusionary is a dumb financial decision for studios and power brokers in the film industry. Like…do they not realize that diverse films like Black Panther and Parasite have done well and made money and made a cultural impact? On a global scale? I’m really happy this happened for Ava, because she has a track record of excellence and her work deserves to be recognized. But this also comes after she has been well-established in the industry and is one of a small number of name-brand directors who is not a white man in his seventies. If she had applied even five years ago, with a little less experience or name recognition, they probably wouldn’t have let her in. Though I share Ava’s hope that this is the start of a new trend prioritizing BIPOC filmmakers, I’m also skeptical that it will continue.

photos credit: IMAGO/Anna Maria Tinghino / Avalon

The Rolling Stones haven’t released an original studio album in nearly twenty years. That blew my mind. I guess I was surprised since it feels like they’re always out on tour. But the septuagenarians (and as of July one octo, Happy Bday Mick!) have finally stopped slacking off and are getting ready to launch a new release. Aside from being momentous for being the first studio album in decades, Hackney Diamonds also marks a sentimental milestone as it has the final recordings from their beloved drummer Charlie Watts, who passed away in August 2021. YouTube hosted a livestream event on Wednesday where the band chatted up their new music from London’s Hackney neighborhood:

For the Rolling Stones’ faithful fans, a very long wait is over: The seminal rock band is back with Hackney Diamonds, their first original studio album since 2005’s A Bigger Bang.

The LP is set to debut worldwide on Wednesday with an exclusive YouTube livestream. The same event will feature Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood chatting on stage with Jimmy Fallon from the London borough of Hackney — a neighborhood “at the heart of” the new album, per the band’s official press release — about the new music and new era ahead.

The announcement follows a teaser campaign along with a sneak preview of a song, “Don’t Get Angry With Me.” Ironically, that promotion did make a few people angry, since the website where you could supposedly hear a snippet of the tune kept crashing. But YouTube, one imagines, is prepared to handle heavy demand.

Richards told Rolling Stone last year that the group’s forthcoming project would include final recordings from longtime drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021, and that Steve Jordan, Watts’ live replacement, was filling in elsewhere. Prior to that, the Stones had released a surprise track, “Living in a Ghost Town,” in April 2020, as Covid-19 gripped the planet. Jagger later said that the pandemic had interrupted progress toward finishing a full album.

Hackney Diamonds may also feature a guest appearance from Paul McCartney, though reports that Ringo Starr sat in on recording sessions were not substantiated.

The Rolling Stones toured Europe last summer to celebrate their 60th anniversary, and with another record around the corner, they show no sign of slowing down, despite Richards and Wood being in their late 70s and Jagger turning 80 in July. Keep an eye out for them to hit the road once more next year to support their latest release — while revisiting the classics, of course.

[From Yahoo! Entertainment]

I mean, if you’ve still got it, flaunt it, right? I only wish to be as vital — not to mention spry and nimble — when I reach my 70s (or as Stevie Nicks calls it, the last youthful years). I’ll be honest, my first response to the debut event in Hackney was “Ugh, why Jimmy Fallon?” (I saw all your comments on the Strike Force Five post and thus feel emboldened to speak freely.) But then I remembered Jimmy landed that great cameo in Almost Famous where he says “If you think Mick Jagger will still be out there trying to be a rock star at 50, you’re sadly, sadly mistaken,” and it made more sense. I remember seeing Almost Famous in the movie theater with my mother and her getting a very good chuckle out of that line, and that was when Mick was a wee babe of 57. As for Paul McCartney featuring on the new album, I wonder if his bit was recorded before or after he called the Stones “a blues cover band.”

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Photos credit Hannah Meadows for Avalon/RETNA

Denzel Washington is a bigger star than Tom Cruise? Discuss. [Pajiba]
The Duchess of Sussex and the Beygency. [LaineyGossip]
This is a fantastic look on Diane Kruger. [Go Fug Yourself]
Kanye West ‘banned for life’ from Italian boat company [Socialite Life]
Alec Baldwin shares a photo of Hilaria & their seven kids. [Just Jared]
Forced-birth GQPers worry that they’re coming across as anti-woman. [Jezebel]
I love Sofia Coppola’s outfit here. [RCFA]
Stop turning nursery rhymes into horror stories! [Seriously OMG]
Madelaine Petsch models for Skims. [Egotastic]
No, I would have freaked about this too. NTA. [Buzzfeed]
Janelle Brown is 50 years old and she has “nothing.” [Starcasm]
Tennessee Pride had a great turnout. [Towleroad]