The Venice, Deauville and Toronto Film Festivals are coming up in the next few months, but it looks like the writers’ and actors’ strikes will probably extend into the fall, especially with AMPTP refusing to come to the negotiations this week. Which means no SAG or WGA union member will travel to any summer film festival to promote their films. In Venice, they’re trying to carry on like nothing is happening and they’ll have big premieres for European and Asian films. Venice has planned premieres for films by… Woody Allen, Roman Polanski and Luc Besson. I just-

Despite ongoing strikes in Hollywood that led to the exodus of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers from its opening slot last week, the Venice Film Festival will proceed—but not without a wave of early backlash. When the prestigious festival unveiled its lineup on Tuesday, alongside films from Sofia Coppola, David Fincher, Ava DuVernay, and Bradley Cooper were works from a trio of men accused of sexual misconduct. Woody Allen’s Coup de Chance and Roman Polanski’s The Palace each scored out-of-competition slots, while Luc Besson will debut his new feature, DogMan, in competition at the fest.

“Luc Besson has been recently fully cleared of any accusations. Woody Allen went under legal scrutiny twice at the end of the ’90s and was absolved. With them, I don’t see where the issue is,” Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera told Variety in defense of their inclusion in the lineup.

“In Polanski’s case, it’s paradoxical,” Barbera argued. “It’s been 60 years. Polanski has admitted his responsibility. He’s asked to be forgiven. He’s been forgiven by the victim. The victim has asked for the issue to be put to rest. I think that to keep beating on Polanski means seeking a scapegoat for other situations that would deserve more attention,” he continued, adding, “I am on the side of those who say you have to distinguish between the responsibilities of the individual and that of the artist.”

Polanski will not be attending the festival, which runs from August 30 to September 9. Barbera is “not sure” that Allen “will be doing press,” but “he is coming to the film’s premiere for sure.”

[From Vanity Fair]

VF summarized the charges and credible accusations against the men – Woody Allen was accused of abusing his daughter, multiple women have credibly accused Besson of rape and assault (Besson was cleared in a French court last month) and Polanski pleaded guilty to raping a minor, and he’s also been credibly accused of multiple assaults and rapes across Europe. This is just a reminder, to me, that these European festivals have a long history of using their “glamour” to rehabilitate abusers. It’s not just Cannes, although Cannes is the biggest and most recent example, especially given the reception Johnny Depp got just a few months ago. Anyway, no thanks to all of this.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Bethenny Frankel is obsessed with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She has been engaged in a completely one-sided “war” with Harry and Meghan for years now. I suspect that Bethanny is trying to become a premium anti-Sussex content provider, especially since “Sussex hatred” is a billion-dollar industry for cracked-out losers. I also suspect that a lying, melodramatic famewhore like Bethanny understands that whenever she says anything about Harry and Meghan, people respond. It’s feeding the beast and it scratches her famewhore itch, so here’s your attention, Bethenny. Previously, Bethenny has claimed that Meghan behaves like a Real Housewife “who can’t stop talking.” She’s also claimed that Meghan is a “terrible businessperson” who only did a successful Netflix docuseries as a “smash-and-grab for money.” So what does Bethenny have going on these days?

Bethenny Frankel has again criticised Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with the reality star describing the couple’s lives since leaving the royal family as a “botched job”. In her own remarks about Harry and Meghan, Frankel appeared to question both the couple and their publicist when she asked: “How could someone botch something so badly?”

“I almost feel badly, like I think I do feel badly, because I can’t imagine having so much at your fingertips and letting it all slip away because of living inside your own head,” Frankel added. “And thinking every single thing that you do and say and want is so fascinating that you should be accepting awards at podiums around the world. Why?”

After discussing Meghan’s success as an actor before marrying Harry, Frankel once again remarked on the negative press that has surrounded the couple. “How do you do every single thing wrong?” she asked.

The reality star then claimed “god forbid” the couple were to split, they are “all that each other has” – seemingly referring to Harry’s estranged relationships with his father, King Charles III, and older brother, Prince William. Meanwhile, Meghan also has an estranged relationship with her father, Thomas Markle.

Frankel continued her video by claiming that she’d “never seen a botched job like this in my life” as she described Harry and Meghan’s public lives. “I just, I can’t imagine going from hero to zero like that,” she said, seemingly referring to their decision to leave the royal family. “Having money, having opportunities,” she added, before calling Harry and Meghan “two grifters” and urging the couple to stay out of the spotlight.

“Go away for a long time, and basta and close the mouth,” she said.

[From The Independent]

“And thinking every single thing that you do and say and want is so fascinating that you should be accepting awards at podiums around the world. Why?” Is she mad that Meghan and Harry win awards? That they accept awards? Bethenny thinks they should refuse awards and say “no, I’m not fascinating and I don’t deserve this!” I’m always so confused by Bethenny’s one-sided obsession with making all of these TikToks about how everything the Sussexes do is wrong and terrible and blaming them for trying to break free of being racially and financially abused. What is SHE trying to accomplish here? Is it simply… hearing herself talk? Just adding her grating voice to hater chorus? You would think that Meghan had personally pissed in Bethenny’s cornflakes, the way Bethenny nurses this unhinged grudge.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

No one paid much attention to my coverage of Greta Gerwig’s NYT interview this week, but Gerwig told the Times that the well is dry and she’s not thinking of anything having to do with a Barbie sequel. A sequel feels inevitable though – the Barbie movie is just so successful and there’s so much room to play with that Barbie Cinematic Universe. My guess is that Warner Bros will eventually hire someone new to write and direct a sequel but they’ll bring in Gerwig to executive produce. And obviously, Margot Robbie is probably the key to it. In any case, Mattel is incredibly pleased with Barbie’s worldwide success and they’ll planning to make dozens of movies based on their portfolio of toys and games. Like, UNO: The Movie. For real. Some highlights from this bonkers Variety exclusive:

Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz plans a full slate of toy-movies & Barbie sequels: With dozens of children’s toys on their film slate, 14 Mattel properties are in active development, including “Barney,” “Polly Pocket,” “Thomas and Friends” and “American Girl.”

Barbie sequels: “Barbie, as a brand, has many different iterations. The product lines of Barbie is a very broad brand. In addition to the main Barbie figure, she has family, she has a lot of elements around in her universe,” Kreiz told Variety. “It’s a very rich universe… It’s a very broad and very elastic brand, in terms of opportunities. At the outset, we’re not saying, ‘Okay, let’s think already about movie two and three.’ Let’s get the first one right and make that a success. And if you do that, opportunities open up very quickly, once you establish the first movie as a successful representation of a franchise on the big screen. Successful movies lend themselves to more movies. Our ambition is to create film franchises.”

A Barney movie: Producer: Daniel Kaluuya. The iconic purple dinosaur will inspire a live-action film that Mattel has previously described as an “A24-type” of “surrealistic” movie. Now, Brenner divulges a few more details, telling Variety, “I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to be darker. It’s just going to be unique — more of like a ‘Being John Malkovich’ or an ‘Adaptation,’” she says, referencing the 1999 and 2002 Spike Jonze films.“Any movie that has Barney is not certainly going to be straightforward,” Brenner adds. Referencing the Seth MacFarlane comedies, she quips: “We’re not making ‘Ted.’ You know what I mean?”

Polly Pocket: Studio: MGM, Star: Lily Collins, Writer/Director: Lena Dunham. The “Emily In Paris” star will star as the micro-doll in a family comedy written and directed by the “Girls” creator. Brenner confirms to Variety that there is a script, which she enthusiastically describes as a “great” script. “First of all, they are two of my favorite ladies ever,” Brenner says of Collins and Dunham. “It’s been an amazing collaboration. Lena is so collaborative and rolls up her sleeves and really likes to roll around in notes and listen. She’s incredible. Lily is so smart and so specific and so productorial. It’s just been an incredible collaboration, so we are thrilled about it. Hopefully, we’ll be making that at some point in the future.”

[From Variety]

Variety has a huge f–king list of all of their plans, including Hot Wheels (with JJ Abrams attached), Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots (Vin Diesel), American Girl, Magic 8 Ball, Masters of the Universe, Major Matt Mason (Tom Hanks, Akiva Goldsman), UNO, Wishbone, View Master and on and on. Barbie’s success really opened Pandora’s Box when it comes to toy companies believing that every f–king toy needs a movie. I don’t even recognize some of these toys either.

People have a lot of thoughts about Lena Dunham doing a Polly Pocket movie… and I get it, it’s a terrible idea, even though I sort of like Lily Collins. But don’t give that kind of project to Lena Dunham, my God.

Greta Gerwig realizing she accidentally paved the way for Lena Dunham’s “Polly Pocket” movie https://t.co/1yltUf43ch pic.twitter.com/WyVBXyJ2eb

— Drew Landry (@MrDrewLandry) July 26, 2023

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

Byline Times has released Part 4 of their ongoing investigation into Dan Wootton. Wootton is still currently employed by GB News, and he’s been on air this week. He’s still technically employed by the Daily Mail, although it’s been a full month since he’s written anything for the Mail. The bulk of Byline’s current investigation is for Wootton’s time in Rupert Murdoch’s British media empire, namely the now-defunct News of the World and The Sun. Wootton climbed the editorial ranks at the Sun with record speed until he was swiftly shown the door in 2020. That’s something left unsaid in Byline’s reporting, that Wootton likely had a “professional motive” to do certain despicable things – he was getting kompromat on his bosses or colleagues, blackmail material which he used to “help” his ascent up the corporate ladder. Speaking of, Byline’s Part 4 details exactly how Wootton made arrangements with p0rn stars:

GB News presenter Dan Wootton paid adult film stars to meet gay men he had catfished in order to secretly record them having sex, Byline Times can reveal. Wootton ‘rented’ the Facebook profiles of at least three different male p0rn performers for up to £500 a time, before posing as them and tricking his targets into meetings to be covertly filmed with cameras he supplied.

At least one of these meetings took place in a hotel paid for by Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun newspaper – of which Wootton was associate editor at the time. The journalist also charged a £1,500 p0rn star’s fee for the ‘private work’ to his then employers News UK – disguised as payment to a ‘contact’ for a front-page story about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

This newspaper has interviewed two of the adult performers involved and has evidence from another man also paid by Wootton to make secret sex tapes for him.

Byline Times has also identified two of the victims of Wootton’s catfishing conspiracy, which is separate to his use of the pseudonyms ‘Martin Branning’ and ‘Maria Joseph’, to trick scores of other male victims into revealing compromising sexual material.

[From Byline]

Byline then interviews a few of the adult-film actors who rented out their social media pages to Wootton so he could use them as “bait” for certain targets. Wootton would pretend to be these actors on their Facebook pages and set up meetings/sexual encounters with the targets, then he would pay the actors to have sex with the targets and film all of the encounters. I’m kind of blown away by Wootton’s detailed schemes and yet… the crimes were somewhat low-tech. They usually involved Wootton talking some adult actor, escort or down-on-his-luck hustler into having sex with a target and trusting the actor/escort to film it themselves on Wootton’s iPad or cameras connected to Wootton’s Cloud. The catfishing operation was stupidly elaborate and yet ridiculously easy for Wootton to pull off, time and time again. But yeah, there’s evidence and testimony of dozens of crimes here.

Photos courtesy of GB News.

From CB: I ordered this SunBum vegan fragrance free face sunblock and it’s excellent. It doesn’t leave a film on my skin and absorbs nicely. Plus it’s under $13. Here are some more things Rosie and I are looking at on Amazon.

A hydrating K-Beauty serum that will leave your skin glowy

From CB: Beauty of Jocelyn serums come in four varieties and a multi-pack of smaller versions. The full size serums are under $14. Most of the reviews are for the glow serum, which is formulated with niacinamide and propolis. This listing has almost 3,500 ratings, 4.5 stars and a B on Fakespot. People say this serum reduces acne and scarring and that it makes their skin look noticeably smoother. “I’ve been using it for just a month, and the results are seriously jaw-dropping. It’s like they sprinkled pure magic into this bottle. Not only is it super easy to incorporate into my skincare routine, but it also gives my face an enviable glow.” “I did not expect the drastic change that this made in just a few days! I use it morning and night and the bumps under my skin on my chin and forehead and cheeks have seriously improved! Highly recommend!”

An ice cream scoop that gets through the hardest pints

From CB: I bought this ice cream scoop over four years ago and it still works great! It has no moving parts that can break like a traditional ice cream scoop and it’s stronger with a wider shape. This dishwasher safe ice cream scoop by Spring Chef is under $12 and has over 38,000 ratings, 4.8 stars and a B on Fakespot. People wish they’d bought it sooner. “I live with two ice cream addicts. I’ve yet to find a scoop that could take the abuse they give them. They either bend, chip, something always happens. Until this one! This is the perfect shape, perfect material, just all around the best dang ice cream scoop I’ve ever found.” “This scoop is awesome! It is ergonomic and very well balanced. It makes perfect scoops every time. I highly recommend it.”

A grocery bag carrier so you don’t have to make multiple trips

The Click and Carry is a hands free grocery bag carrier that works with both reusable and plastic bags. You just hang your bags from the interior hooks and it fits in your hand or on your shoulder. This has 4.5 stars, over 4,700 ratings and a B on Fakespot. People say it’s easy to use and make carrying multiple grocery bags a breeze. “I was pleasantly surprised by how simple and easy these handles worked. I’d highly recommend these to anyone who hates making multiple trips to the car.” “This product is amazing! I buy a lot of groceries and using this makes it so easy to carry all of them. I have a sore bicep and using this, I can carry all my bags with my other arm. Makes my life so much easier!”

A mouse mover to keep you looking active at work

From CB: I saw this on Buzzfeed and it seems to solve a problem a lot of people have. This is a mouse mover that keeps your computer from snoozing and makes you look active online. It comes in eight different colors and patterns, all under $30, and is said to be realistic and undetectable. It has over 11,500 ratings, 4.7 stars and a B on Fakespot. People say it’s quiet, discreet, gives them freedom at home and that it solves the annoying problem of their computer going to sleep. It works with most mice, wired and wireless. “With this device, I can go about my business without the annoyance of being tied to my laptop even more than if I was working at an actual office building. I don’t have to fear that my status is falsely showing me as unavailable to my colleagues because it keeps my mouse moving across the laptop screen as well as my external monitor.” “My Teams shows me as away so quickly. I’m always being accused by micro managers of not working when I’m actually just going to the bathroom, getting a drink, or going through written material in binders. This has saved my sanity.”

Comfortable, fashionable linen overall shorts

From Rosie: I’ve tried several times to make it happen but I just don’t have a body type that looks great in rompers or denim overalls. I impulse-purchased these looser linen overall shorts for my trip to San Diego last week and crossed my fingers that they’d look cute…and they did! I got them in deep gray but they come in 10 different colors. These overalls have a 4.3 star rating and 78 reviews on ReviewMeta. Reviewers point out how comfortable and flattering they look. “This romper is the perfect summer outfit. The fabric is good quality, it is a loose fit, and it is perfect for a warm summer day.” “Love it!! It’s so comfy and cute. Just got it yesterday and already received multiple compliments. The material isn’t super soft, but it’s comfortable and hides my problem areas very well.”

Reusable facial sponges for cleansing, exfoliating, and makeup removal

From Rosie: These facial sponges are $10 for a pack of 50 and come with a container, too. They’re great for washing your face, exfoliating, and makeup removal. There are 8 different buying options. They have a 4.5 star rating, more than 200 reviews, and a B on Fakespot. People love how well they work, especially for sensitive skin. “I used to purchase these exact facial sponges from another popular brand and you only get five for 10.00 – these hold up and come with a container for such a steal price. They work amazingly and have become a staple in my nightly skincare routine.” “These have changed my life! I will never use a washcloth again. These sponges work amazingly to clean and exfoliate without damaging or drying my skin out.” “[T]hey are soft and work well with my sensitive skin, would recommend and purchase again!”

Hydrating under eye patches to help reduce dark circles and puffiness

From Rosie: I don’t think I’ve met an under-eye patch I haven’t wanted to try, and these refrigerated rosé gel patches caught my eye (pun intended). They’re made with antioxidants and hyaluronic acid, which help with reducing dark circles, lessening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and calming inflammation. They have a 4.5 star rating and more than 900 reviews on ReviewMeta. In reviews, people mention how soothing they feel. “I put mine in the refrigerator & when I am ready to use before bed. It feels so amazing & I can tell the difference in the morning that my under eye circles have lightened up & my eyes look more refreshed.” “I’ve noticed less discoloration and less swelling under my eyes when I am using these. They feel so soothing. Great for a ten minute pick-me-up after eye strain from [the] computer.”

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Vanity Fair recently published a piece called “From Handshakes Instead of Hugs to Prince Louis’s Adorable Antics: The Peculiar History of Royal Parenting.” I thought it was just going to be praise for Prince William and Kate for not being sh-tty parents like so many of William’s ancestors, because the bar is (as always) in hell for the Windsors. Much of the article is just that, but there are some interesting stories about how royals all around the world, throughout history, have always been awful parents. King Charles is even criticized, not for being a dogsh-t father (it’s true) but for having the kind of childish arrested development typical of people sent off to boarding school. Some highlights:

The royal absentee parent: “Royal parents traditionally had nothing to do with their children’s day-to-day care when they were very young—George V, the late Queen’s grandfather, once saw a maid pushing a pram along a corridor at Buckingham Palace,” Tom Quinn, author of Gilded Youth: A History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, tells Vanity Fair. “He said to the maid: ‘Whose baby is that?’ The maid replied, ‘It’s yours, sir.’”

Royal children were sent off to become mini-adults: “In medieval times, royal princes and princesses were sent away aged just eight or nine to live in other aristocratic households—the idea was to make the child into an adult as soon as possible,” Quinn says. “The modern version of this is the royal obsession with boarding schools: sending princes and princesses to schools where they live and work 24/7 and only return home every couple of months. The royal obsession with making princes and princesses as mature as possible as early as possible actually has the opposite effect and many royal children (especially boys) never really grow up. They behave like children when they grow up because they were not allowed to be children when they were young. This applies to Edward VII, George V and VI, Edward VIII, and especially King Charles.”

QEII was a cold & distant mother: “Elizabeth…inherited the idea that the young Charles and Anne must be looked after by nannies and governesses—they had nothing to do with Charles’s and Anne’s daily routine when they were babies,” Quinn writes. “All the work was done by paid staff and Elizabeth and Philip saw their children just once each day for a very formal meeting. One member of staff told me that, ‘Queen Elizabeth would no more visit the nursery than fly—instead we took the children to see her each day.’”

Princess Diana shook things up: In many ways, she started a royal parenting revolution that was adopted by many European ruling houses. She was demonstratively affectionate in private and public, took them to McDonald’s and amusement parks, and made sure many harsher aspects of royal life were not imposed on “her boys.” It is a legacy of involvement her sons are attempting to follow, expand, and refine (no McDonald’s for Kate’s children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis).

Middle-class Kate: “William and Kate—but especially Kate—are determined to do things differently,” Quinn says. “William was brought up partly by Charles (who was embarrassed by physical affection) but also by Diana who loved to hug her children. But despite their slightly more modern outlook, both Charles and Diana still relied on paid staff—nannies—to do most of the work. Old habits die hard!”

Will & Kate are still restricted in how much control they have over their children’s lives. According to Quinn, when William and Kate discussed sending their children to state schools, there was pushback from “The Firm.” And the family still has a huge staff, including super nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo. “When [Kate] demurred and suggested she would like to do a little more the nitty-gritty part of the childcare,” Quinn writes in Gilded Youth, “it was made very clear to her that this was best left to the professionals, and Kate is nothing if not obedient to the rules of life in the royal family.”

Prince Louis’s antics. “Old school royal parents would have felt Louis’s behaviour was undignified for a royal child of any age,” says Quinn, “because elements of the old obsession with royal princes behaving like adults even when they are still children still persists, but Kate and William are acutely aware of how much good publicity comes from having a charming child!”

[From Vanity Fair]

“It was made very clear to her that this was best left to the professionals, and Kate is nothing if not obedient to the rules of life in the royal family…” LOL. You guys, Kate HAS to employ a big household staff, because the Windsors dictated that to her! Please. While I agree that Kate changed up the royal-parenting rules (much like Diana), let’s also be clear – Kate wishes she could have even more staff. And a bigger house. And a husband who viewed her as something more than his children’s main childcare provider. “Kate and William are acutely aware of how much good publicity comes from having a charming child.” More like Kate and William use the children as buffers and distractions from their own bullsh-t.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Instar.

Spoilers for Barbie.

New York Times columnist Jessica Bennett organized a special outing and wrote about it in a column this week. The outing? Taking noted feminist author Susan Faludi to a matinee of Barbie and asking Faludi what she thought about it. Faludi seemed to enjoy it, and she even has some theories about the feminism and backlash politics contained within the film. As I read through the (overwritten and overwrought) column, I sort of agreed with her? Faludi thinks that the film is about abortion and the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade. I agree that I think it was really pointed that much of the third act of the film hinged on voting, the Barbieland constitution, patriarchal overreach and, in the final moment, a trip to the gynecologist. Some highlights from this NYT column:

Faludi’s immediate reaction: “I mean, you couldn’t write the script without 30 years of women’s studies,” Ms. Faludi said as the lights came up. “It seems to me that a big theme underlying the movie is shock and horror over what happened to us — what happened to women — from 2016 on, with the double whammy of Trump and then Dobbs. And in particular, I thought abortion was the subtext to a lot.”

Ms. Faludi explains. “I mean, it begins with little girls playing with dolls learning the origin story of Barbie — and the rejection of the idea that women can just be mothers. It ends with her going to the gynecologist.”

Ms. Faludi went on to outline a series of other allusions to our present moment: In an early montage introducing viewers to Barbieland, lawyer Barbie speaks before the Supreme Court about the idea of personhood — “which immediately made me think of attempts to create the unborn as ‘persons,’” Ms. Faludi said. Later, the Kens attempt to change the Constitution, amid Barbie lamenting how hard they had worked to create Barbieland, and “You can’t just undo it in a day.” (To which Ken responds, “Literally — and figuratively — watch me.”) Ms. Faludi’s take? “I mean, that’s what happened on Election Day of 2016.”

The Midge problem: And then there’s Midge, the doll once marketed as Barbie’s best friend, and the one pregnant doll in the Barbie universe, before she was discontinued. (You could remove Midge’s belly and baby intact from her body and then magnetically reattach it. It was weird.) Midge and her bump are in the film, too, repeatedly — a ghost that the fictional Mattel executives, and everyone else, just wish would go away. She’s there for laughs, but squint hard enough, Ms. Faludi suggested, and you could also see her as “the specter of Dobbs.”

Barbie ofers genuine catharsis. “Perhaps what’s going on,” Ms. Faludi wrote me in an email a few days after the screening, “is that women are finding a way to explore their anger about recent history without feeling like they have to drown themselves in the bathtub (in real water)….Only Barbie could say, ‘By giving voice to the cognitive dissonance required to be a woman under the patriarchy, you robbed it of its power!’ and turn it into a laugh line.”

[From The NY Times]

Yeah… as I said, I think Faludi makes a very good case. Is every part of the movie about abortion and feminism? No, but there’s tons of subtext (and just plain upfront text) about personhood, feminism, bodily autonomy, women’s right to “choose” and the political realities of being a woman in a modern society. I also noted, as I watched the film, that Ken’s line of “Literally — and figuratively — watch me” was actually frightening. They play it off later on, but making Ken drunk on his own patriarchal power and hellbent on achieving a completely male autocracy, a Kenocracy, was a huge f–king choice.

Photos and posters courtesy of Warner Bros/Barbie.

If you choose to briefly forget about King Charles and Queen (Consort) Camilla’s overwhelming awfulness for a moment, you might actually enjoy these photos. Like, I really can’t stand either of them at this point, but even a bitter hag like me thought “wow, they looked kind of cute at this event.” On Wednesday, the king and queen attended the Sandringham Flower Show. They arrived in a horse-drawn carriage. Charles wore a snazzy summer suit complete with a coordinated tie and pocket square, a cute boutonnière, two small brooches, a Panama hat and a pair of plastic-rimmed sunglasses. Imagine Tom Wolfe as a British king… I think it would have looked like this.

As for Camilla… I’ve admitted this before, but I like Camilla’s housedresses. That’s what they are, they’re old-school housedresses, like women used to wear in the 1950s. Simple silhouettes and material (cotton), usually a knee-length A-line, sometimes a half-shirtdress, with a built-in cloth belt. She has a lot of them in various florals and those housedresses are her preferred look for daywear. Wednesday’s housedress was from Fiona Clare and it was a custom look. She’s absolutely getting Fiona Clare and other designers to just make the same dress in different fabrics.

Page Six also noted that Camilla wore her Sole Bliss (orthopedic) heels, which she’s worn more than 80 times. She also accessorized with her favorite Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra bracelet in blue, which retails for $4800. She has a lot of Alhambra pieces in all different colors, but that blue bracelet is one of her faves. She also wore a Kiki McDonough blue topaz pendant ($1,937) and carried a nude Bottega Veneta tote ($5,200).

I think C&C looked so happy because Kate wasn’t there, trying to steal their thunder…like she did at the Chelsea Flower Show. Where was Kate, btw? Isn’t the cover story that Kate and William are spending the summer in Norfolk? Shouldn’t they attend the Sandringham Flower Show too?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Back in March of this year, Senate Minority Leader “Moscow” Mitch McConnell had a “fall” at a “hotel” in Washington. No one really nailed down the circumstances of the fall, and to this day, I’ve never heard the names of anyone with McConnell when he fell or the circumstances of the fall. Did we even learn why he was in a hotel in the first place? No, I don’t think we did. Everything about the “fall” was hushed up, and Moscow Mitch was not seen or heard from for weeks afterwards. At first, he was recuperating at home, and then they said he was doing in-patient physical rehab. Moscow Mitch returned to the Senate in April/May and I guess I wasn’t paying attention. This man looks like ten kinds of hell, but he’d had that sickly look for a while, honestly. Well, Moscow Mitch was trying to do his weekly press conference on Wednesday and the man just froze in front of the cameras:

First of all, before he froze, he already sounded and looked like he was recovering from a stroke. As for the deep freeze… experts are saying it could have been a stroke or a seizure. I’ve watched the video a few times already – look at the Republican senators behind him. Senator Thune was the one who took over the press conference after Sen. Barrasso escorted Mitch away from the podium. About twelve minutes after McConnell was escorted away, he came back and spoke off-the-cuff to some reporters, telling them that he’s “fine” and he just “felt light-headed.”

The cable news networks had some doctors on air to consult and they were all like “yeah, he should see a doctor, he should go to a hospital.” If the Republican Party is fine with having cold, clammy, half-dead Mitch McConnell out there, so be it. Instead of worrying about that despicable old man’s health, think about all of the disgusting things he’s done with his power: shoved a sexual predator and a Quiverfull dipsh-t princess onto the Supreme Court; expressed his desire for a national abortion ban; used his office to try to make Barack Obama a one-term president; does everything to cut and end Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; never supported equal pay; pledged absolute fealty to Donald Trump and on and on. Let this motherf–ker rot.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Ariana Grande has had an enormous amount of public sympathy in recent years. The turning point was the Manchester Arena terrorist attack, where terrorists set off pipe bombs during Ariana’s 2017 concert. Twenty-two people died and over a thousand people were injured. Ariana was beyond devastated, and she was extremely brave to return to Manchester after the bombing, to raise money for the families and support the community. Ariana had so much goodwill after that. And… it’s kind of over. Ariana dumped her husband Dalton Gomez and carried on with Ethan Slater, a man with a wife and baby at home. Ari blew up this guy’s life just because she was bored in London, working on Wicked. Speaking of, Ethan Slater has now filed for divorce:

Ariana Grande’s boyfriend wants a totally clean slate going into his new relationship with the singer … filing to divorce his estranged wife. According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ethan Slater decided to legally end things Wednesday with Lilly Jay … filing divorce papers in New York. We don’t yet know the specific reason Ethan’s listed for the split.

Ethan and Lilly were high school sweethearts — getting hitched back in 2018 — and welcomed a son together last year.

[From TMZ]

The divorce news came just hours after TMZ posted this story, where Ethan’s wife Lilly Jay is refusing to go quietly. Lilly is telling people that she feels like Ethan abandoned his family as he’s entered a full-blown relationship with Ari:

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s romance came as a surprise to the Broadway actor’s now-estranged wife who feels he abandoned his family … TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Lilly Jay — who married Slater back in 2018 — tell us she’s devastated her family’s been torn apart. She’s also upset their young son, who was born in August 2022, won’t have both his mom and dad around constantly, now that they’ve split.

Our sources say Lilly and Ethan aren’t on good terms now that the Ariana relationship is full steam ahead. We’re also told, for her part, Lilly feels like he’s completely turned his back on his family.

What’s more, we’re told Ariana actually used to hang out with both Ethan and Lilly while they were still a happily married couple, and she even liked his Instagram tribute to Lilly on Mother’s Day this year. Remember, we’re told Ariana and Ethan’s romantic relationship started several months ago. The whole thing has left Lilly feeling betrayed and heartbroken … according to our sources.

Additional sources close to the situation tell us, “It’s understandable that emotions are high and it’s hard seeing your ex move on, especially in such a public way, and her friends are trying to protect her. But Ari and Ethan are just trying to lay low and be respectful of their exes as they pursue this new relationship.”

[From TMZ]

Other people were making this point on Twitter (X): Ethan blew up his marriage for a woman who barely stays in relationships for a year at a time. It could be that Ari will pull a Full Miranda Lambert and make a big show of sticking this one out for a while. But I doubt it. Ethan also sounds like a total douchebag, my god.

Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red, Cover Images.