This story is so strange, but I think we should just sort of sit back and watch it play out. It feels like there’s a hell of a lot more to the story. More than a month ago, it appears that two men broke into the Windsor Castle estate. The men broke one of the gates to the enormous property, and they stole a few “farm vehicles” and they got away with it. No one knew this happened, nothing was announced when it happened weeks ago. But now they’re making a big deal about how burglars broke into the estate just yards away from Adelaide Cottage, where Prince William, the Princess of Wales and their three children slept peacefully, unaware of what was happening. Hm.

Burglars raided the Windsor Castle estate while the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children reportedly slept nearby. Two men are said to have climbed a 6ft fence at night and stolen farm vehicles during the raid last month, The Sun reported. They used a stolen truck to break through a gate said to be the nearest exit for the Prince, Princess and their children before targeting Shaw Farm, a working farm inside the estate. The pair, who remain at large, stole a black Isuzu pick-up and a red quad bike before making off, police said.

On Sunday night, a Thames Valley Police spokesperson told the newspaper: “At around 11.45pm on Sunday October 13, we received a report of burglary at a property on Crown Estate land near to the A308 in Windsor. Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pick-up and a red quad bike. They then made off towards the Old Windsor/Datchet area. No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.”

Kensington Palace did not comment to the newspaper on Sunday night.

The Prince and Princess are reported to have been at Adelaide Cottage, which they bought in 2022, at the time. The King is said to have been in Scotland, while the Queen is said to have been in India before the royal couple’s tour of Australia and Samoa.

A source told The Sun: “They would have to have known the vehicles were stored there before they broke in and known when was the best time to get and escape without being caught. So they must have been watching Windsor Castle for a while. There are alarms at Windsor Castle but the first time anyone knew there was a break-in was when they crashed through the security barrier at Shaw Farm Gate exit. The barrier has needed to be replaced as it was so badly damaged. It was a Sunday night on a school week so the young princes and princess would have been tucked in bed at Adelaide Cottage, just around the corner but still in the grounds.”

[From The Telegraph]

Yeah… what the hell is going on at Windsor Castle and the larger estate? Where are the guards? It’s very weird. Maybe that’s what the burglars discovered when they cased the joint – there were several entry points with minimal-to-no security, and all it would take is ramming the gate to break in. As for all of the talk about “William, Kate and the children slept through it all,” it’s also very interesting. Did they not hear the gate being rammed? They did not hear the Isuzu pick-up and quad bike in the middle of the night? And were William, Kate and the children actually IN Adelaide? Because I seriously doubt all five were together on a Sunday night.

Also: the Waleses did not “buy” Adelaide Cottage. It was given to them in 2022 by QEII and then-Prince Charles because William and Kate suddenly decided that they didn’t want to live in Kensington Palace anymore, that they didn’t like living in London. They were given some kind of vague lease on Adelaide, and I’m convinced that the whole thing was setting up Kate at a small separation cottage. They didn’t want HER to have one of the grander royal homes.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Kensington Palace.

A worm ate part of Robert Kennedy Jr.’s brain, and it’s widely assumed that the man takes steroids. He also loves to decapitate dead whales and leave random dead bear bodies in Central Park. He is also anti-vaccine and a years-long advocate of dangerous junk science. He is personally responsible for a deadly outbreak of measles in Samoa. He is not what I would consider a “healthy” man. But Kennedy is Donald Trump’s choice to lead Health and Human Services. Kennedy’s motto is apparently “Make America Healthy Again.” That’s what Don Trump Jr. posted alongside this photo – Don Jr., Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Robert Kennedy and Speaker Mike Johnson all eating some McDonald’s on a private plane (probably the plane which once belonged to Jeffrey Epstein).

This photo-op with what was probably cold-as-hell McDonald’s food was making a point, many people believe. Donald Trump is a huge fan of fast food, and he’s also a very unhealthy person. While Trump likes Kennedy a lot (birds of a feather), Trump doesn’t actually want Kennedy to do everything the brain worm tells him to do. Kennedy apparently wants to eliminate processed food from public schools, wants to force everyone to drink raw milk, wants to eliminate food dye, and most significantly, he wants to eliminate high fructose corn syrup and seed oil. You know, the seed oil used to fry McDonald’s food. Apparently, Kennedy wants people to go back to frying sh-t in beef tallow and lard (because that worked out so well for McDonalds last time). He says that will make people healthier. To be fair, people will die of preventable diseases (for which we have vaccines) before the lard will kill anyone.

So was this McDonald’s photo-op some kind of hazing? Was this Trump’s way of telling Kennedy to cool it with the talk of banning corn syrup and seed oil?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Don Jr’s IG.

Embed from Getty Images

I think it was Camilla Tominey who mocked the Duchess of Sussex for being friends with her hair colorist and makeup artist. The royalists are of the opinion that a royal woman should not be so friendly with “the help,” and that having close relationships with one’s glam squad is somehow tacky. Beyond the classism of that perspective, it’s stupid from a personal and business level. When Meghan and Harry moved to California, she got a recommendation to see colorist Kadi Lee, and it was not only the start of a beautiful friendship, it was the start of a business. Kadi Lee’s Highbrow Hippie salon/brand is now making a hair product and wellness line, and Meghan has invested in it. We learned that last week, when Meghan attended the launch party and gave some comments about Kadi and the business.

Meghan Markle shifted her beauty routine in a relatable way during the COVID pandemic: boxed hair color. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, made the relatable revelation at the Nov. 15 launch party for her close friend and hair colorist Kadi Lee’s new Highbrow Hippie Haircare and Wellness line at Gjelina restaurant Venice, California, showing support for the female-founded venture she backs as an investor.

After Lee spoke about how her friendship with Meghan influenced the evolution of her business, the Duchess of Sussex said, “I was using boxed dye when I met her!” eliciting laughs from those in attendance.

At the launch party, Meghan presented Lee with a thoughtful gift—roses from the garden of her Montecito home, where she lives with Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

Meghan’s glossy tresses have long been one of her signature style features, and she ordered her hair color online for just a few dollars during the pandemic. Celebrity hairstylist Serge Normant, who did Meghan’s hair when she married Prince Harry in 2018 and has remained a friend, told her that she only needed to know one person in California: “Kadi Lee.”

PEOPLE understands that the pair struck up a friendship following the introduction, and Meghan has turned to the celeb colorist for the past four and a half years. Lee is a strong supporter of BIPOC businesses, and Meghan is one of the lead investors in her brand.

The celebrity hair colorist runs Highbrow Hippie with her business partner, Myka Harris, and the two are introducing the new namesake range to curb the root causes of hair loss to promote the healthy aging of hair. The hair pro has highlighted her work with Meghan on Instagram several times this year, from the Invictus Games 2025 countdown in February to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala in October.

“She was in a joyful mood,” a source tells PEOPLE of Meghan’s infectious energy at the event. “She was dancing and celebrating with her friends.”

[From People]

That answered some of my questions about Meghan’s investment – People Mag describes her as “one of the lead investors in her brand.” That’s so cool, and Meghan is getting in at the ground floor. Clevr Blends was already a brand (a small, local brand) when Meghan invested. Cesta Collective was already a brand when Meghan invested. Now Meghan is part of the start of Highbrow Hippie’s first product line. Meghan also invited her friends to the product launch party – she was there with Daniel Martin (her longtime friend and former makeup artist) and Vicky Tsai.

As for Meghan’s box-dye comments… I use box-dye. I have ever since I started dyeing my hair in my early 30s. I get compliments on my hair all the time too! But yeah, I totally understand why Meghan would want to go to a real colorist. I’m fascinated by Meghan’s hair journey and I sort of want to know which brand of hair dye she used before she met Kadi!!

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by instylemagazine (@instylemagazine)

Photos courtesy of Getty, Instagram.

The Duchess of Edinburgh has been sucking up to Prince William and Kate for years. It’s similar to the way she sucked up to Queen Elizabeth II, and Sophie made sure to milk her relationship with her mother-in-law for all it was worth. Currently, Sophie’s PR is that she’s a loving aunt and “big sister” figure to both William and Kate. William even took Sophie as his date to a documentary screening last year, and Sophie and Kate are often paired together for formal events. Sophie’s PR always lays it on so thick, and you would think that she and Kate are regularly confiding in each other, which I strongly suspect that basically only see each other at events like Remembrance Sunday. That was where Sophie was seen putting a supportive hand on Kate’s shoulder, which launched Becky English’s weird new story about how Sophie and Kate bonded over how much they hated Meghan Markle or something. Some highlights:

Kate and Sophie support each other’s work: While the future Queen has focused on domestic issues such as mental health and the well-being of under-fives, Sophie has travelled solo to Chad, Ethiopia and even war-torn Ukraine – campaigning on women’s rights and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. And yet there is no competition between them, as was sometimes claimed in the early days of Diana and Sarah. Both respect each other’s work and they are mutually supportive of their approaches to their royal roles.

Kate admires Sophie: I am told Catherine also has ‘enormous admiration’ for Sophie as mother to Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 21, and the Earl of Wessex, 16 – both of whom have been brought up to value their privilege while having freedom away from the royal radar. It’s an approach Catherine is trying to adopt with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis within constrictions of their higher profiles and future roles. Catherine is said to be especially fond of level-headed Lady Louise, studying English literature at her alma mater St Andrews.

Sophie is pushing Louise to become a working royal: Louise is a member of the University Officers’ Training Corps and keen to pursue a career in the military, diplomacy or law. Some in royal circles suspect that, under a future King William V, Lady Louise could be called on to support the family at an increasing number of royal engagements – and shore up their dwindling ranks. ‘She’s an absolutely delightful young woman and would be a real asset,’ says a family friend.

Sophie & Kate’s issues with Meghan: Interestingly, I am told, both ‘repeatedly’ reached out to Meghan when she joined the Royal Family – Sophie particularly so as the late Queen valued her wise and steady counsel. They continued to do so even after the Duchess of Sussex first publicly voiced her unhappiness in 2019, telling journalist Tom Bradby that few people had asked if she was ‘OK’ as she struggled to adapt to royal life. Both women were ‘shocked’ (and probably slightly angered) at the suggestion – not least because they felt it was Meghan who had rebuffed them. But I know they were concerned enough at the apparent strength of the Duchess of Sussex’s feelings that they continued to offer their support. Needless to say, it was not taken up. There is no doubt the ensuing ‘Sussex saga’ brought Sophie and Catherine even closer as they defended Queen Elizabeth, their own families and the institution they had worked so hard to support.

Sophie wants to be Kate’s closest advisor: ‘There have been some really kind and wise people along the way who have helped the princess over the years, and Sophie is very much one of those,’ one royal insider says. Mark Foster-Brown, the Edinburghs’ close friend, has also echoed this, previously telling me: ‘Sophie has been a very positive reference point and sounding board for the Duchess of Cambridge. Their relationship has really strengthened. It will be absolutely critical for [the princess] to have a female backup. And she simply couldn’t get better than someone like Sophie.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Again, this is all written by Becky English, which means that one of the royal comms offices is pushing this narrative really hard, that Kate and Sophie lean on each other and that Sophie is an advisor/girlfriend/steady hand. I guess it’s all coming from Sophie, who continues to work with little attention, and she knows she can get a quick hit in the Mail if she briefs about her closeness to Kate and her “anger” towards Meghan. That alone with strengthen her bond with the Waleses – Will and Kate were never closer than when they were bullying the Sussexes, and Sophie has always tried to get a piece of that action.

As for the Meghan stuff… Kate and Sophie were not super-supportive at any point of Meghan’s brief, horrible time on that island. What did Sophie say when Kate and her mother were circulating endless stories about “Meghan making Kate cry?” What did Sophie advise when Kate was regularly freaking out about Meghan saying “baby brain” or not giving her an Easter gift? Was Sophie around when Kate was apparently regularly making disparaging comments about the skin color of Meghan’s baby?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Embed from Getty Images

If you can believe it, Angelina Jolie’s twin babies, her youngest children, turned 16 years old over the summer. Vivienne Jolie (as she calls herself) is a theater geek who was part of a Tony Award-winning production, The Outsiders musical. Meanwhile, Knox hasn’t been involved in much of anything of Angelina’s public life. He’s gone to some of his mom’s premieres over the years, but even Angelina’s biggest fans have no idea what he’s up to or what his interests are. Well, it looks like Knox is like all of the other kids in one way – happy to support his mom on a red carpet! Angelina brought Knox as her date to the Governors Awards last night.

The Governors Awards are where the special, pre-announced Oscars are handed out, like the lifetime achievement (honorary) Oscars and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (which Jolie won in 2013). Angelina was there because the Governors Awards are huge for Oscar campaigners, and Angelina is definitely campaigning for Maria. The fact that she gets to show up to premieres and events with her kids is a huge statement too. Knox is a cutie – I’ve seen some sites claim he looks more like Brad, but I don’t see it. As they kids have gotten older, they’ve gotten more of a Jolie/Marchand/Voight look.

Per WWD, Angelina wore a vintage gown which she bought at The Knit Vintage. The Knit Vintage praised Jolie on their social media for choosing a vintage look for an awards show, and they praised her low-key way of stopping into the shop on her own and picking out her own looks without input from a stylist or friend: “What makes this moment the most meaningful for us, is that we know what a true vintage lover, fan, and supporter she is. Every time Angelina shops with us, she comes in on her own. She is very present, engaged, and chooses each piece. There has not ever been a stylist with her to hold her hand or a FaceTime to a friend. It is her surrounding herself with vintage, inspired by what she puts on next.”

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.

Republicans are making a big show of being “shocked” by Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees, and many of them are tut-tutting the choices of Robert Kennedy Jr, Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth in particular. Kennedy is going to give everyone polio, measles and covid. Matt Gaetz is going to make the Department of Justice a haven for sexual predators. Pete Hegseth is going to ban women and people of color from the Pentagon and the armed services, all so he can create an ultra-right-wing white Christian army. But that’s not all – as it turns out, Gaetz won’t be the only sexual predator in Trump’s cabinet. Pete Hegseth paid a woman who accused him of drugging and raping her.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault as part of a nondisclosure agreement, though he maintained that their encounter was consensual, according to a statement from his lawyer Saturday and other documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, said that Hegseth was “visibly intoxicated” at the time of the incident, and maintained that police who were contacted a few days after the encounter by the woman concluded that “the Complainant had been the aggressor in the encounter.” Police have not confirmed that assertion. Hegseth agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to the woman because he feared that revelation of the matter “would result in his immediate termination from Fox,” where he worked as a host, the statement said.

The statement came after a detailed memo was sent to the Trump transition team this week by a woman who said she is a friend of the accuser. The memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, alleged he raped the then-30-year-old conservative group staffer in his room after drinking at a hotel bar. The person who sent the memo to the transition team did not respond to requests for comment from The Post.

The accuser, whose identity has not been made public, filed a complaint with the police alleging she was sexually assaulted days after the Oct. 7, 2017, encounter in Monterey, California, but the local district attorney did not bring charges. Police confirmed that they investigated the incident. After she threatened litigation in 2020, Hegseth made the payment and she signed the nondisclosure agreement, his attorney said.

The detailed four-page memo about the incident has set off debate among senior Trump transition officials, but so far Trump has stood behind Hegseth. Spokesman Steven Cheung earlier this week said: “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.”

[From The Washington Post]

In the letter to the Trump transition team, the victim’s friend described in detail what happened, which is that Hegseth likely drugged her and she lost about nine hours in the night in question, and what she does remember is struggling to find her way out of Hegseth’s hotel room. She had a panic attack and felt certain that he had raped her, so she went to the emergency room and got a rape kit. The whole thing sounds like it could be a pattern. I doubt it was the first time for Hegseth, let me just say that.

Oh, and there’s also an issue about his tattoos. Several of his tattoos are, like, known white nationalist and Christofascist symbols.

And, sure enough, Hegseth has 2 Crusader tattoos: a Jerusalem Cross, the symbol of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem on his chest, & “Deus Vult” the Crusaders’ theological cri de coeur (“God wills it”) on his bicep.

“Deus Vult” means God mandated Crusaders’ violence. 13/ pic.twitter.com/kAGwqjToyE

— Matthew D. Taylor (@TaylorMatthewD) November 13, 2024

Photos courtesy of Hegseth’s IG, YouTube videos.

While Denzel Washington has a villainous supporting role in Gladiator II, in interviews for the movie Denzel has come across as a respected elder, yet with a rather impish quality. It’s basically in the way he just talks about whatever he wants, not fearing any repercussions for spilling secrets. Like when he (probably) broke Marvel classified info by revealing he’ll be in Black Panther 3, or when he dropped ancient Roman tea that the same-sex kiss he filmed was axed from the final cut of Gladiator II. I mean, if even a king can’t push him around, why should he worry? And to give credit to Denzel, he doesn’t abuse his power (off screen). So in addition to telling King Charles not to rush him off his own red carpet, Denzel spent his time in London last week speaking with The Times for an in-depth profile. Some highlights:

On the reviews that he’s having fun in Gladiator II: “I’ve heard that too, and Macrinus is just more. More rings, more clothes, more.” He fixes me with a stare. “He wants power. How? By hook, crook, charm, smile, sex, murder, relationships and politics. Whatever it takes.” At one point, while discussing Macrinus’s sexual predilections, Washington blurts out, “Line up the virgins!” By which he means male or female, anyone will do. The actor claims that he shot a gay kiss for the film, but it was cut in the edit. “I think they got chicken.”

He doesn’t watch his films: “I watch it so I know what I’m talking about,” he says. “But I haven’t watched any film from my past from start to finish, not even Malcolm X. All you see is what you did wrong. Also why would you do it anyway?” He cackles before, rather campily, snarling: “‘Oh, wasn’t I good?’ You don’t read old articles do you? … It’s the same. ‘Ooh, I was brilliant here — what a sentence. I should try that again.’”

The three phases of life: “Well, in life, you learn, earn and then you return — as in give back. So if your life is 90 years long, up until 30 you learn and from 30 to 60 you earn.” He was 30 in 1984. “So in that era I was earning,” he laughs. “With a great agent, my career built into making money and so the earning kicked in and then life also kicked in, with bills, four kids and a house …” He grimaces. “After Malcolm X I made some real clunkers. Look them up — I won’t say their names.” However, I say, if you type his name into Google, one of the most common questions is “Is there a bad Denzel Washington movie?” “They are all in the 1990s. But I was earning. I had responsibilities.”

A good Samaritan: “You know, I stopped for gas the other day and I saw a woman stressed,” he continues. “I’m just sensitive, I guess. My sister is bipolar, so I could tell that she was mentally ill. So I said, ‘How you doing, sweetheart?’ and asked if she needed money. I said, ‘$500?’ She said no — $1,000! I thought she ain’t that crazy.!” Did she recognise you? “I don’t think so, but I gave her money. Then, as I’m pumping gas, she walked over to the shop window just rocking and a woman came out and looked like she was going to shoo her away. Then she saw me and said, ‘I love you!’ So I said, ‘You have a chance to help somebody, like I helped her.’ And the woman did. And I love that.”

[From The Times]

Denzel really can’t stop talking about all the rings he got to wear in this movie and it cracks me up! I guess the poor guy has been costume and accessory-starved in his previous films, and now he has a taste for the fun stuff. Welcome, Denzel, but fair warning: this path can get expensive. And speaking of money, I like the pragmatic way he acknowledges that there are films he made to pay the bills, the “clunkers.” And of course he’s too classy to name them, because they are solid parts of his resume that allowed him to live a life, support a family, and have enough wiggle room to help a lady out at the gas station. It’s also worth noting that he was still giving great performances even in “bad” movies. Not that he would exactly know, I guess, since he says he doesn’t watch his work. And boy did Denzel successfully spin that back on the writer, asking if he praised himself while reading his articles. I mean, to go back and marvel at your own particularly clever-witted, well-crafted sentence? That would totally be silly/idiotic/egocentric and is absolutely 100% not something I’ve ever done myself.

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: Phil Lewis/Wenn/Avalon, IMAGO/mpi099/MediaPunch/Avalon, Starface Photo/Cover Images, Lumeimages.com/ImageBROKER/Avalon, Getty

One of the things I remember from those early seasons of The Office was how real and, for lack of a better word, accessible its cast mates were. My college roommate was cast as an extra on the season 3 episode “Women’s Appreciation.” In between when it filmed and aired, she told me that I had to follow Jenna Fischer on MySpace because she was always doing these blog posts from her computer while they were actually filming scenes. I checked her page out and thought it was so charming how engaged she was with fans. I remember that she had this really great post about her time trying to “make it” as an actress before eventually landing the role of Pam.

Whenever I’ve written about Jenna, I’ve always thought back to just how nice she seems, and it all stems back to these posts. IIRC, she even said that she’d show her castmates people’s comments and reactions. It’s been almost 20 years since the days of MySpace and The Office, and I feel like we’re finally getting some payoff. During his exclusive interview with People for his Sexiest Man Alive cover story, John Kraskinski talked about the public reaction online for those early seasons of the show. As you can imagine, there was some good mixed with some very scary.

John Krasinski has gotten used to navigating his life in the public eye. But when it comes to social media and online comments, Krasinski, 45, opted out of reading them years ago. “I remember on The Office, the computers we had [at our desks] were live, and that was the early days of like Myspace and IMDb chat rooms and stuff,” he tells PEOPLE for this week’s cover story.

His costar Jenna Fischer “was super into it and she’d go, ‘Guys, last night’s episode, they loved it and blah blah, blah. And so we’d all jump on,” the actor recalls. “One of my first forays down that rabbit hole, I was like, ‘Oh my God, what did they say?’”

Some of the comments made the actor immediately stop reading. “It was like, ‘Oh dear Lord.’ And I’ve never gone back. I’ve never gone back,” he insists. “Truly, that scared the absolute hell out of me, those chat rooms in the early days. So I can’t imagine where it’s gone since.”

Krasinski says the first time he even knew he was famous was in New York City where he lives. “It must have been season two [of The Office] because iPods had come out and I had no idea what an iPod was,” he recalls. “I remember a guy came up to me on the street and he held up an iPod and he said, ‘Look, you’re on my iPod.’ And the screen was [tiny], and I couldn’t see who it was, but it looked a lot like me. And I thought, ‘I don’t know if that’s fame or if that person’s going to kill me, but either way, that person knows me and that’s a stranger.’ So that was that was a big, big moment.”

[From People]

I totally get this. It’s fun to read the comments until it isn’t, lol. I think people gave Jenna a lot of grace because she was known for being very interactive with fans, which endeared her to a lot of them. But as The Office kept growing bigger outside of the tuned-in online fans, everyone was fair game. It’s kinda weird to remember those early days of online fandom (which started a good decade before The Office came out), but it’s equally trippy to put together in real time how it morphed into everyone thinking their opinion mattered. I’m glad John figured it out quickly and has prioritized his mental health since then.

Photos credit: Paul Drinkwater/Avalon, PNP/Wenn/Avalon, Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon

Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and Lucy Liu have been hustling their film Red One in recent weeks. Given the cast, I thought this was some kind of standard espionage/action film, but no – it’s a Christmas movie. The Rock, who produced the film, plays “the North Pole’s Head of Security” and he teams up with a bounty hunter, played by Chris Evans, and they have to save Christmas after Santa is kidnapped. Sounds terrifically stupid, right? What’s hilarious is that Johnson has been giving some very out-of-touch interviews about the film, like when he claimed that watching Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer on IMAX convinced him that Red One should also be an IMAX film: “I watch ‘Oppenheimer.’ It was amazing, but I was thinking: ‘Holy sh-t. “Red One” on this screen and with this technology could be game over.’ I remember texting [director Jake Kasdan] a picture of my bare chest and a picture of the screen and we realized how cool [Imax] would be.” Which explains how Red One’s production budget bloated to $250 million, I guess. Well, funny story. Red One might be one of the biggest bombs of the year?

“Treat them the same way you treat us! How dare you?!” are some of the screams I’ve been getting from traditional major studios when it comes to the chilly box office performance of the Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans $200M Christmas action movie Red One. (“No! It’s $250M!” exclaims one ex-Amazon-er with knowledge). And at an opening of $30M, after a $10.9M Friday, we can’t ignore the fact that we’ve seen better from The Rock, as far as his solo non-Fast & Furious projects go.

And, damn, if this isn’t a high budget. That’s the biggest problem here with Red One overall. However, that’s what you get when you do business with the industrial complex that is the Rock. The gossip can cry tardiness, entourages, water bottles, schedules, studio execs asleep at the wheel and an exorbitant amount of jelly beans in Rock’s trailer — it doesn’t matter. Capisce? This is what it costs to get into business with Johnson, and the only ones who are bold enough to invest in this endeavor are streamers like Netflix with Red Notice and Amazon MGM Studios here with Red One. The Rock has yet to scale down the budget of one of his tentpoles.

First, to placate the irate, traditional model studio brass who want to put Red One side-by-side with the performance of Joker: Folie a Deux, let’s recognize the fact here that this opening for Red One is on par with the lower end of Johnson’s original IP, one of those examples being Skyscraper ($130M production cost yielding $24.9M domestic opening, $68.4M domestic final, worldwide was $304.8M booted by $98M+ from China). There’s an argument to be made that the movie in its execution is more like a lightweight Lethal Weapon for audiences than a family film, which is why we’re not seeing a rush from the latter audience.

In the same breath, Red One is arguably the best opening for a movie hatched by a streamer, besting Apple’s Killers of the Flower Moon ($23.2M) and it’s in the vicinity of where Christmas live-action movies open. Don’t knock the Rock’s star power: He’s arguably the first Hollywood star to have two No. 1 openings in a given month from two different films; the expectation is that Disney’s Moana 2 will soar to a $135M 5-day over Thanksgiving.

[From Deadline]

Deadline’s argument seems to be that The Rock’s dumbest and worst movies usually break even at the end of the day, or maybe even make the studio a little money. But it looks like Red One won’t even be able to limp along until it breaks even. While MGM-Amazon wants to keep Red One in theaters throughout the Christmas season, I doubt they’ll be able to? Not with Gladiator II and Wicked taking up so much space in the coming weeks/months, not to mention all of the awards-bait movies which will start to get wide or limited releases. All in all, it looks like Red One is going to lose a lot of money. Not as much as Joker 2 (lmao) but a lot of money.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

It is notoriously difficult to find someone to host the Oscars. It requires a lot of preparation, the pay is reportedly not that great, and thanks to social media, everyone has an opinion about what the host is doing wrong. I think Jimmy Kimmel did a good job hosting last year, but that’s because the only thing I really remember from it was him calling out a certain then 77-year-old orange man baby by asking him if it was past his “jail time.” This year, it was just a struggle as ever to find someone who was willing to do it. Kimmel said no, as did John Mulaney, Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, and a bunch of other people. The only person who seemed to actually want it was RuPaul!

Well, the Oscars have found someone to host next year’s ceremony, and it’s a good pick, too: Conan O’Brien. On Friday, the Academy announced that Conan would be hosting for the first time. They also released a video featuring Conan holding an Oscar as he pretended that he’d won it as someone off-screen corrected him to tell him that he was actually the host, not a winner.

“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme,” O’Brien said of the gig, adding: “In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang added that they are “thrilled and honored to have the incomparable” O’Brien serve as the host.

“He is the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humor, his love of movies, and his live TV expertise,” they continued. “His remarkable ability to connect with audiences will bring viewers together to do what the Oscars do best–honor the spectacular films and filmmakers of this year.”

In July, PEOPLE confirmed that Jimmy Kimmel declined to return to emcee the ceremony for what would have been the fifth time. John Mulaney also declined the gig, a source told PEOPLE at the time. Fellow stars like Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler and Dwayne Johnson had also been approached to host, Deadline reported in October, citing sources.

Craig Erwich, President of Disney Television Group, saluted O’Brien as the host, calling him a “preeminent comedic voice, whose decades-long success is marked by his distinctive humor and perspective.”

“He joins an iconic roster of comedy greats who have served in this role, and we are so lucky to have him center stage for the Oscars.”

“Conan has all the qualities of a great Oscars host–he is incredibly witty, charismatic and funny and has proven himself to be a master of live event television,” added Oscars executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan. “We are so looking forward to working with him to deliver a fresh, exciting and celebratory show for Hollywood’s biggest night.”

The 97th annual Oscars will air live Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7pm ET/4pm PT on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

[From People]

I think that Conan is a great choice. He’s quick-witted and always brings fun, silly ideas. He also isn’t afraid to commit to the bit. His over-the-top appearance on Hot Ones still lives rent-free in my mind sometimes. I remember how hilarious his opening video montage was when he hosted the Emmys for the second time in 2006. The bit with Bob Newhart is a classic. Conan also has great relationships with the actors who have appeared on his wonderful podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” so I bet he has no issues pulling people in to do skits with him. I’m actually hopeful that the Oscars will be a fun watch this year. I’m excited to see what Conan does with the gig.

Conan O’Brien is officially your 97th Oscars host!

Tune into the biggest night in Hollywood on Sunday, March 2nd at 7e/4p, LIVE on @ABCNetwork! #Oscars @TeamCoco @ConanOBrien pic.twitter.com/ZpsGM9LEIq

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) November 15, 2024

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images