Last year, Prince William decided to grow and maintain a patchy, sleazy-looking beard to go along with his noticeable weight loss. It was a whole new Peggington: thin, drawn, with a closely-trimmed greying beard to cover up his hollowed-out cheeks. It has been clear for years that William was jealous of Prince Harry’s beard and it was clear that this was William’s attempt to copy something Harry “has.” Well, I missed this in Jason Knauf’s 60 Minutes Australia interview, but Knauf addressed the beard and whether the Princess of Wales approved of it.

A former royal aide has revealed what the Princess of Wales really thinks about her husband’s facial hair – hinting that she’s a fan of the brawny beard. Prince William, 42, first debuted his rugged stubble in August last year when he appeared in a clip alongside Kate congratulating Team GB on their successes in the Paris Olympics. This certainly left fans hot under the collar, with many describing his new look as ‘hot’ and pleading the future King to keep the stubble.

Although it was met with a mainly positive reaction, many wondered what Kate thought of his unshaven appearance. One of William’s closest confidants, Jason Knauf, who used to work as an advisor for the Waleses, has now taken royal fans one step closer to the answer, during an interview with Australian TV programme, 60 Minutes.

‘If she didn’t like it, it wouldn’t be there. I can tell you that,’ he said when asked by a journalist whether she was a fan of his beard.

When asked whether he personally liked William’s beard, he said: ‘I love it, I think it’s great, but I’ve talked to him about it or tried to talk to him about and he’s like ‘It’s here, I have a beard, no further conversation’.’

However, it didn’t go down so well with other members of the royal family. The father-of-three previously said that his daughter Princess Charlotte, nine, ‘burst into tears’ when she saw him with facial hair for the first time in the summer of 2024.

[From The Daily Mail]

I still think the Charlotte story is quite telling, the fact that Charlotte just “saw” William’s beard one day, and she wasn’t around him while he was growing it, apparently? As for “If she didn’t like it, it wouldn’t be there.” LOL. With Kate, I’m sure the beard is out of sight, out of mind, if you get my drift. It’s also funny that William refused to talk about the beard with his closest confidantes, henchmen and allies – William really did NOT want to be told that he looked like he was childishly copying Harry.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

There’s always an ebb and flow from year to year as to how much people are really paying attention to the awards season. Last year saw a lot of interest and engagement with what was happening because of Oppenheimer and Barbie, and then the prominent (and nonsensical) Oscar snubs for Barbie. Plus, those were the two biggest movies in 2023, so people once again cared about awards when they had actually seen the movies. This year is different – a bunch of smaller movies have gotten awards hype, a bunch of downer movies are getting awards, and the California wildfires have changed the award-show timelines. All of which means that it’s a really wacky year and people aren’t paying attention because there’s no consensus film which everyone has seen. Still, I’m enjoying the wackiness, even if I’m afraid that a bunch of terrible films are about to win Oscars. Speaking of, here’s the Hollywood Reporter’s first “Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot” of the season. This Oscar voter is a man in the short-films branch of AMPAS. Some highlights:

Emilia Perez wasn’t in his top ten: “I liked Emilia Pérez when I watched it but, even before all the sh-t that happened [involving lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón], it wasn’t in my top 10. I’d have preferred to see its spot go to Sing Sing, which was underappreciated; or Juror #2, which I really liked; or The Wild Robot or No Other Land, but you know how most of the Academy treats animated and documentary films — no respect. I do like musicals, and Wicked was tight.

He loves Anora, The Substance & A Complete Unknown: “I really liked the performances in A Complete Unknown — the fact that Timmy [Chalamet] and Monica [Barbaro] were both really singing and playing the guitar was incredible. Anora was great — the story and the performances were really fun, Sean [Baker] directed the sh-t out of it — but the others did more for me. The Substance was what I love about cinema at its best. It’s so bold — the story, the sound design, the makeup. They gave the audience an experience. And it’s so rare for the Academy to recognize a horror film, but the fact that this one is kind of about what it’s like to be a woman in Hollywood probably helped more people to connect with it.”

Thoughts on The Brutalist & Conclave: “Going in to The Brutalist, I’d never heard of Brady Corbet and was dreading the [three-and-a-half-hour] runtime, but the way people who had seen it at the festivals were talking about it convinced me to go to a screening really early in the season, and by the end I really appreciated why he did it the way he did it. It’s just an incredible film — beautifully shot, amazing performances, and such a powerful story. But Conclave was so interesting and exciting in a completely different way — and fun, with a little mystery involved. I thought the ending was great — it wasn’t trying to make a point, it was just a perfect reveal. Edward Berger is an incredible director. His votes for Best Picture: (1) Conclave, (2) The Brutalist, (3) Nickel Boys, (4) Dune: Part Two, (5) The Substance, (6) Anora, (7) A Complete Unknown, (8) I’m Still Here, (9) Wicked, (10) Emilia Pérez

His thoughts on Best Director: “I judge this category like one judges an Olympic sport: the degree of difficulty, plus the execution — did you stick the landing? I think this category needs to be expanded to at least eight. Edward Berger, RaMell Ross and Denis Villeneuve should’ve been nominated. How many other directors could’ve done what they did? And why is [A Complete Unknown’s] James Mangold in here but they aren’t? He’s a really good director — he told the story well — but there was nothing special about the way he directed that film. You want to tell me that directing Timmy Chalamet in New York was harder than directing an epic in the desert? Come on. I was torn between Brady and [The Substance’s] Coralie Fargeat, and I ended up going with Coralie. If she wasn’t there, I’d have picked Brady, because the fact that he made his movie look that good with only $10 million is unbelievable. But I just thought about historical absence [only three women have ever won this category’s Oscar] and high degree of execution — she nailed it with that film.

Best Actor: “I had a hard time with this one. Timmy was probably the easiest one for me to let go. Ralph [Fiennes of Conclave], [The Brutalist’s Adrien] Brody and Colman’s [Domingo of Sing Sing] performances were just so good. I got to hear a lot from the Sing Sing guys, and really liked them, and I think that what Colman did for that movie, on and off screen, was just remarkable. VOTE: Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Best actress: “I was very strongly considering voting for Karla, but when her tweets started coming out I was flabbergasted — I was like, “I can’t believe this person said these things.” And it kept getting worse every day. It quickly became obvious, “I’m not voting for this person. No way.” After that, it was between Mikey [Madison of Anora] and Demi [Moore of The Substance]. Both of them are at the heart of their films, and I loved both of their films. I’m not opposed to voting for new, younger people, when they are amazing. But Demi has been around for a long time, and she absolutely crushed it. VOTE: Demi Moore, The Substance

Best supporting actor: I thought it was insane that the one guy from Anora [Yura Borisov] got nominated over the other two [Mark Eydelshteyn and Karren Karagulian]. I seriously considered [The Apprentice’s] Jeremy Strong and [The Brutalist’s] Guy Pearce, but at the end of the day I just loved Kieran [Culkin] in A Real Pain.

Best supporting actress: I was never as high on Zoe [Saldaña of Emilia Pérez] as everyone else was. I definitely considered [Conclave’s Isabella] Rossellini. But I was just so impressed with Monica in A Complete Unknown. The only other thing I’d ever seen her in was Top Gun [Maverick], and this was like another person. VOTE: Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

[From THR]

It’s interesting that he chose Colman Domingo. I love Colman and Colman is a wonderful actor who deserves the world… but Sing Sing felt like a poorly-made student film and Colman couldn’t save it. Still, it’s nice to know that Brody isn’t a sure thing in that category! I also enjoy this guy’s vote for Barbaro, who is absolutely wonderful in A Complete Unknown, but she hasn’t won anything this season. As for Demi and The Substance… I hated the film, as I’ve said before, and I do not understand why Hollywood is so enamored with it. Is it *just* because of the very obvious and superficial send-up of ageing in LA? But I do think a lot of people are just going to vote for Demi because she’s been around forever and she’ll probably never get another shot at this. There is that sense that Mikey Madison will get another “chance” at all of this. Still, I don’t get the vote for Coralie Fargeat. He really thought The Substance was the best-directed film of the year??

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, ‘Conclave’ stills.

Over the weekend, a rumor spread like wildfire on social media. The rumor: that the Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, had turned down an invitation to appear at the Trump White House. From what I can see, this was never confirmed by any news outlet and it was likely started by a British tabloid several weeks ago. That didn’t stop MAGAville from screaming and crying about how the Eagles are disrespecting Nazis and how they should be ashamed of themselves. Except… the whole thing was based on a lie. The Eagles apparently haven’t been invited to the White House and they absolutely haven’t rejected an invitation.

A Philadelphia Eagles trip to the White House may still be in the works. Over the weekend, online chatter blew up over a report from The Sun earlier this month that the Super Bowl champions had given the White House a “massive no” in response to an invitation to the White House to honor the victory.

But a White House official granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks confirmed to POLITICO that the report is false, and that the team had not rejected an invitation. The White House has not sent an official invitation to the Super Bowl LIX winner, the official confirmed.

Spokespeople for the Eagles did not immediately respond to questions from POLITICO about a potential team visit to the White House.

After the report picked up on X, MAGA personalities, Joe Biden diehards and pop culture outlets both criticized and celebrated the news. Former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly led talks in shunning the team. Kelly reposted a post from an account titled “Toxic Cowboy,” saying they would not have supported the team if they’d known about the Sun report that the White House official said is inaccurate. “SAME. GO F YOURSELVES EAGLES. My husband is a fan so I got onboard but F this BS,” Kelly wrote.

Conservative radio host Eric Metaxas echoed Kelly’s sentiment calling it “disgraceful and shameful,” saying he “cannot again root for a team like this — and now I’m sorry I did.”

Those about-faces from purported Eagles fans drew a raised eyebrow from Philadelphia Inquirer editorial writer Daniel Pearson, who noted that “there is no Philadelphia sports fan who puts the love of an American President over their love of the Eagles, no matter which President.”

[From Politico]

A “club source” in Philly also told the Outkick that “We would be honored to visit the White House. It’s one of the things we had looked forward to doing, and we look forward to receiving the invitation.” As in, the White House still hasn’t invited anyone. An invitation probably won’t happen unless the Eagles publicly pledge fealty in some way, or make it known that they would show up en masse. And that’s the thing, isn’t it? While the Eagles management might be open to a White House invite, they can’t guarantee that all of the players will be so jazzed. Would Jalen Hurts go to the Trump White House if he was invited? And if he did, would that ruin his athlete-brand? Hilariously, Trump was rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs because there are so many MAGA people within the Chiefs organization. There would have been zero stalling if the Chiefs had won – they would have been at the White House within a week.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

In April 2023, the Duchess of Sussex signed with WME for her general representation. Apparently, Meghan had been courted by several Hollywood agencies and it’s widely believed that Ari Emmanuel came to Montecito to personally pitch WME to Meghan. In the years that followed, the Sussex-haters regularly try to say that WME is going to “drop” Meghan for this or that. WME always comes out and says no, we’re still representing her. Well, now that we’re one week away from With Love, Meghan’s debut on Netflix, of course Page Six is running a bizarre exclusive about new “rumors” that WME has dropped Meghan. Except that WME clearly confirmed to Page Six that they’re still representing Meghan and Archewell.

Meghan Markle has been dropped by WME, multiple sources tell Page Six, after months of speculation about her relationship with the top Hollywood agency. But the agency denies it has given the star the royal flush and says it’s still working with her.

We’re told that the Duchess of Sussex has not held any meetings with the agency’s uber powerbroker Ari Emanuel since January last year — though she is believed to have met with her day-to-day agents.

An industry insider said Markle, 43, was let go because she was “too demanding” and “difficult to work with.”

It is unclear exactly when she was dropped, though WME insists they are still working with her.

“WME continues to represent Meghan and Archewell,” said a rep. Indeed, sources said the agency is still working on some of her projects for Archewell, the foundation she runs with her husband, Prince Harry.

In addition to this, we hear that Markle had an outburst in January 2024, right after the holidays, when the Duchess demanded a meeting “and expected decks and plans,” though it’s unclear if this was for herself or Archewell. This led to a dispute and “Ari was done with her,” says the insider. The incident was confirmed by another source.

The news comes as the mom-of-two prepares to launch her new Netflix lifestyle show, “With Love, Meghan,” next Tuesday.

Markle had only been with the top agency since April 2023 and was being looked after personally by WME big hitters Brad Slater, who reps Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Jill Smoller, who represents the former “Suits” star’s longtime friend, tennis champ Serena Williams. But, another Hollywood source told us, “I don’t know what those projects are, but WME is definitely not working on Meghan’s personal business.”

[From Page Six]

“An industry insider said Markle, 43, was let go because she was ‘too demanding’ and ‘difficult to work with.’” “We hear that Markle had an outburst in January 2024, right after the holidays, when the Duchess demanded a meeting ‘and expected decks and plans.’” These are exactly the kind of lies thrown around on the most deranged social media accounts solely dedicated to Meghan-hatred. These are their go-to lies: Meghan stomped around, throwing a tantrum about this or that. Meghan demanded that people pay for her clothes, or she demanded that everyone drop everything and serve her. My point is that these “Hollywood insider” quotes are coming from some delusional hater online, not a studio head.

As for the idea that Meghan hasn’t met with Ari Emanuel personally in a while… yeah, I’m sure she has people working with her on a daily basis (including Jill Smoller) rather than the g–damn CEO of Endeavor. I’m sure WME is involved in the rollout for With Love, Meghan and probably her As Ever product line too.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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A couple weeks ago we covered Page Six’s reporting on Kid Rock and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert hopping in a cab together in the wee hours of the morning after Inauguration Day. The heavy-handed insinuation was that the two had hooked up, birds of a sleazy-feather and all. I was truly touched in the comments by all of you who expressed deep distress/concern… for the taxi cab and its driver. Page Six, for their part, gave a shout-out in their article to Audrey Berry, the woman Kid Rock has been with since 2011 and engaged to since 2017. Now Us Weekly has breaking news: Berry and Rock are no longer together! According to “sources,” the two split at the end of last year, thus suggesting that Rock wasn’t cheating when he (possibly) hooked up with Boebert, or earlier that day when he hit on a BBC News reporter on live TV. So not unfaithful, but still completely scuzzy. Here’s more from Us Weekly’s exclusive:

Kid Rock and fiancée Audrey Berry have broken up after their seven-year engagement, Us Weekly can exclusively confirm.

A source exclusively tells Us that Kid Rock, 54, has separated from Berry and has moved on, with a second insider noting the pair called it quits late last year.

“He is venturing into the dating pool,” per the source.

Neither the singer nor Berry has addressed the breakup. Us has reached out for comment.

Earlier this month, the “Born Free” crooner was spotted getting into a cab with Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, according to Page Six. The duo reportedly left a party together in Washington, D.C. at 2:30 a.m. TMZ, meanwhile, reported that the pair were spotted chatting at an inaugural event for President Donald Trump.

Kid Rock (real name Robert James Ritchie) had reportedly proposed to Berry seven years earlier in April 2017, according to the Detroit Free Press. They were first linked in 2011 and long kept their relationship private.

“This is somebody who is not a celebrity. It can really be a tough thing to deal with,” he said during a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan. “I’m thinking of somebody else, trying not to be so selfish.”

Kid Rock initially crossed paths with Berry in his native Detroit shortly after his divorce from ex-wife Pamela Anderson. (Rock and Anderson, now 57, were married from 2006 to 2007.)

The singer, who also is the father to 31-year-old son Robert James Ritchie Jr. from a past relationship, offered rare insight into his romance with Berry in a 2021 profile with Hook & Barrel magazine.

“Every day I pinch myself. I give many, many thanks. I do give a lot of attribution to the hard work that I’ve put in, but at the end of the day, I’ve been a very lucky person,” he told Hook & Barrel. “My fiancée, Audrey, says I have a golden horseshoe up my a–. I don’t take anything for granted, and I think that’s because it took me so long in the trenches to make it, and I worked so hard, but there’s no question I give thanks every day to the position I’m in.”

[From Us Weekly]

I never thought I’d utter these words, but I’m actually inclined to agree with a statement by Kid Rock: I totally believe there is something stuck up his ass. But enough about him! Instead I’d like to congratulate Audrey Berry on getting out of that situation. I don’t know if it was that she just couldn’t forgive and/or forget that 10-year affair he had with Julie Andrews’ granddaughter (yes, you read all those words correctly) that overlapped with Kid & Audrey’s courtship, or Kid’s well-documented history of sexist remarks, or his unhealthy anti-vaxx stance, or if Audrey just wanted a frickin’ Bud Light in peace. Any and all reasons are acceptable in this case! With the timing of this news, though, I am wondering — are we about to get a hard launch for a Lauren Boebert–Kid Rock relationship? Is Brockbert upon us?!! Mega barf. But if it does become official, SNL should definitely have the taxi cab on as a character who drops by Weekend Update.

PS — regarding Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson’s previous relationship… with all the lovely things we know about her today, just, how??

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Embed from Getty Images

In recent days, there’s been a lot of media gossip in and around MSNBC and NBC News. One big story is that Lester Holt is stepping down as the anchor of NBC Nightly News. This was announced on Monday, with Holt writing a letter to NBC News’ staffers:

Lester Holt, the veteran NBC newscaster and anchor of the “NBC Nightly News” over the last decade, announced on Monday that he will step down from the flagship evening newscast in the coming months. Mr. Holt told colleagues that he would remain at NBC, expanding his duties at “Dateline,” where he serves as the show’s anchor.

“It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to work with each of you every day, keeping journalism as our true north and our viewers at the center of everything we do,” Mr. Holt, 65, wrote in a memo to colleagues.

He said that he would continue anchoring the evening news until “the start of summer.” The network did not immediately name a successor.

Mr. Holt provided a steady hand to “NBC Nightly News” when he ascended to the job in 2015. The evening newscast was mired in a scandal after it was revealed that Brian Williams, the anchor at the time, had embellished a story about a helicopter attack in Iraq.

[From The NY Times]

While there was some criticism of Holt last year for the ways in which he conducted various interviews in and around the presidential election, Holt was absolutely seen as a steady hand and an old-fashioned news anchor. I also don’t think those controversies are why he’s stepping down? Page Six claims that Holt’s successor will be Tom Llamas or Hallie Jackson, but Llamas will probably get it.

Holt was also NBC’s first Black anchor of their nightly news. Which brings me to the shenanigans at MSNBC – apparently, a few of the anchors of color got sh-tcanned in recent days. To be fair, everyone knew the ax would fall on some of these people, especially now that the bottom dropped out for every cable news network except Fox News. Millions of voters did not appreciate MSNBC’s election coverage and those people (myself included) have simply stopped watching cable news entirely. MSNBC has seen absolutely decrepit viewership numbers post-election and everyone knew that people would be fired and replaced and that major shakeups were coming. I’m not sure people predicted that MSNBC would replace or fire all of the non-white anchors though.

MSNBC announced a series of programming changes Monday that amount to a major shake-up to the network’s daytime, evening and weekend lineups. Most significantly, the network is canceling the 7 p.m. show hosted by Joy Reid, the progressive commentator who in 2020 became the only Black woman to host a daily prime-time cable news program.

In her place, the network will air a show hosted by Symone Sanders Townsend, the former chief spokesperson to then-Vice President Kamala Harris; Michael Steele, the former Republican National Committee chairman; and veteran journalist Alicia Menendez. The trio currently host a show titled “The Weekend.”

The network has also decided to end Alex Wagner’s tenure as part-time host of the 9 p.m. hour. Since 2022, Rachel Maddow has hosted the 9 p.m. hour on Monday nights and Wagner hosted the rest of the week. As part of the network’s coverage of the first 100 days of the new Trump administration, Maddow has been hosting her show five nights per week, moving Wagner to a role as a roving correspondent covering the early impacts of Donald Trump’s presidency.

When Maddow’s every-evening stint ends at the end of April, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki will instead host the 9 p.m. hour Tuesday through Friday going forward, the network announced, with Wagner remaining with the network as a senior political analyst. Psaki, who is seen as a rising star at the network, currently hosts “Inside with Jen Psaki,” which airs on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings.

A source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, said that Reid’s departure should not be read as a move to the political center, considering that Reid has long been an outspoken critic of the president.

[From WaPo]

So Joy Reid is the only one being fired outright, while other anchors are being shifted around. Are they also saying Alex Wagner will be completely gone or are they giving her something else to do? Jonathan Capehart will still have a weekend show and so will Ayman Mohyeldin. Anyway… yeah… I watched MSNBC last year during the election and let’s just say, I’m not mad that Joy is being pushed out. MSNBC has needed a big shakeup for a while, but honestly, it’s too late at this point (for me, at least). It’s also wild that Mika & Joe are apparently going nowhere??

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Ke Huy Quan had a surprise “voice cameo” in The White Lotus. This post is a bit spoilery if you haven’t seen last night’s episode! [Just Jared]
A Tom Hiddleston sighting! [Go Fug Yourself]
Justin Bieber’s rep swears that Justin is not on drugs. [Socialite Life]
Review of Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey. [LaineyGossip]
Everyone’s talking about The Pitt these days. [Pajiba]
Lady Gaga took VF’s lie detector test. [OMG Blog]
Here’s more about Cynthia Erivo’s SAG look. [RCFA]
Colin Farrell gave covid to Jamie Lee Curtis at the Golden Globes. [Seriously OMG]
Is a Southern Charm star engaged? [Starcasm]
Joy Reid’s MSNBC show was canceled. [Hollywood Life]
I genuinely hope in-person banking doesn’t stop. [Buzzfeed]

If George Clooney has anything, it’s the audacity. Last summer, Clooney authored a NY Times column (rumored to be ghostwritten) about how Joe Biden was too old to be president and there should be a mini-primary to select the next Democratic presidential nominee, because VP Kamala Harris was obviously not the next in line. Between Clooney’s column and Nancy Pelosi’s machinations, the entire election cycle changed in the course of a couple of weeks. I will never forget the way these people treated Pres. Biden OR Kamala Harris. Clooney is on my permanent sh-tlist. He stayed quiet for a few months, but he’s currently promoting the Broadway adaptation of Good Night and Good Luck. Clooney is taking over the Edward R. Murrow role (David Strathairn played Murrow in the film, which was directed by Clooney). To promote this mess, Clooney spoke to Maureen Dowd at the NYT. Some highlights:

Playing Murrow: “I always felt like there was a sadness to Murrow, and that was not something that you could associate with me at 40 years old,” he said. Now he has to turn back the clock and cover his salt-and-pepper mane with black dye. “My wife is going to hate it because nothing makes you look older than when an older guy dyes his hair. My kids are going to just laugh at me nonstop.”

The Trump era: “You take a narrative, you make it up, don’t worry about facts, don’t worry about repercussions.” He said the play “feels more like it’s about truth, not just the press. Facts matter. [But] No rules count anymore. It’s like letting an infant walk across the 405 freeway in the middle of the afternoon.”

Explaining the 2016 election: “I believe that whole idea of the arc of history bending toward justice, and I know it doesn’t feel that way right now. I think there are always these pendulum swings. The first Trump election was, I believe, a result of eight years of a Black president.”

Explaining the 2024 election: “The Biden administration was terrible at explaining that we’re a world economy, where we were actually doing better than all the other G7 countries. They were bad at telling the story because their messenger was not working at his best, to say the least.”

On Trump: “He was a New York guy. He’d be at a restaurant and he’d be like, ‘What’s the name of that cocktail waitress?’” Trump even suggested a doctor who might help Clooney with an injury he had suffered on the set of “Syriana,” the film that netted him a best supporting actor Oscar. He added, “We’ve got to hope that he can have that Scrooge night where he wakes up and there are some ghosts of Christmas there that say, ‘There’s some good things you can do for people.’”

Another Biden story: Last June, Clooney and Obama appeared at a glittery L.A. fund-raiser that raised $28 million for President Joseph R. Biden Jr. When Biden appeared to freeze onstage, Obama led him away. Clooney was gobsmacked. “I saw him for hours a year earlier at the Kennedy Center, and I saw someone much less sharp” that night, Clooney said. “I’ve always liked Joe Biden, and I like him still.”

Writing the NYT op-ed: But after Biden’s debate meltdown, Clooney wrote a guest essay for The New York Times urging Biden to step aside. People thought Obama was behind it, but Clooney said he did it despite being urged not to. Many Democrats were grateful to Clooney, who said publicly what they were panicking about in private. Biden, then 81, had promised to be “a bridge” but was stubbornly clinging to power. But Biden’s cordon sanitaire at the White House and some other Democrats were angry at the actor. The piece sparked a debate about whether celebrities should have such high-profile roles in a party that is already perceived as rich, coastal and out of touch. Biden abdicated his responsibility by hiding his incapacities, Clooney told me, and “the media, in many ways, dropped the ball.”

[From The NY Times]

Several things I’d like to say, in no particular order. The anger I had (and still have) for Clooney is the way he and others were eager to pass over VP Harris in all of their nonsensical fantasies about replacing Biden. I continue to be outraged that there was all of this smoke for Biden’s advanced age and those people wouldn’t say one f–king word about Trump’s very obvious mental and physical decline. I continue to be disgusted that people like Clooney weren’t taking the threat of another Trump term seriously – they were like children fighting over a shiny toy, rather than adults justifiably terrified of how bad a second Trump term would be. They should have been locked in to do anything to ensure a Democratic victory, and they just weren’t. Clooney’s explanation that Biden was too old to explain why the American economy was doing well makes no sense either – the media refused to give Biden credit where credit was due, with the NYT (Clooney’s outlet of choice) running daily stories minimizing the galloping success of the Biden economy. Anyway, long story short, Clooney can choke and I hope his play bombs.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Presenter and nominee Lily Gladstone rewore a gorgeous Gucci gown last night that was custom made in a collaboration with Indigenous artist Joe Big Mountain. She originally wore this gown to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party last year and had to borrow it back from the Smithsonian to wear to the SAGs! Lily mentioned on the red carpet that the adornment is custom made from porcupine quills. I love the black and white detailing and the intricate layers of fringe. Lily was nominated for actress in a Television Movie or Limited Series, which went to Jessica Gunning for Baby Reindeer.

Jodie Foster was also nominated in this category, for True Detective. She was in a cranberry sequin Gucci boat neck gown. Jodie brought her son Charlie, 26, as her date!

Jessica Gunning was elegant in a velvet black Marchesa gown with ruffle sleeves. She’s been killing it this awards season and I hope she gets all the roles after this. Here’s a link to her acceptance speech. Jessica said she had a vision board during her time working in an office and that the other nominees, Cate Blanchett, Jodie Foster and Kathy Bates, were on there.

I’m including presenter Joey King here because I really liked her Miu Miu gown on camera. It’s unique and interesting without being fug. I like how the stiff collar is blended with a bandeau top and dripping sequins. This is how you incorporate elements of menswear.

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Zooey Deschanel’s vintage Armani tuxedo gown was somewhat silly. It works on that level but I’m not sure that’s what she was going for. It’s kind of cartoon like.

Photos credit: MediaPunch/INSTARimages, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Robert Smith/INSTARimages

Here are some photos of Elon Musk last week at the CPAC conference. He was literally wielding a chainsaw, which was apparently a gift from Argentina’s right-wing President Javier Milei. Milei used a chainsaw as a prop in his campaign, and now Musk is copying that whole “we’re taking a chainsaw to government spending” thing. The biggest problem is that Musk was also high as a kite during this appearance, so much so that he could barely speak and he had to keep his sunglasses on the whole time. We’re also getting more stories about how Donald Trump’s staff and Cabinet absolutely loathes Musk, but don’t pin any hopes on anyone doing anything.

Meanwhile, we recently learned that Musk had welcomed his 13th child with his fourth baby-mother, a transphobic bigot named Ashley St. Clair. Ashley had been trying to honey-trap Musk for years and she finally caught him briefly, long enough to get pregnant. She’s been giving interviews and trying to build a profile off of “giving birth to another Musk child.” Now she’s suing Musk for sole custody of the baby he clearly wants nothing to do with.

Ashley St. Clair is suing Elon Musk for sole legal custody of their infant son. St. Clair filed the petition for custody with the New York Supreme Court on Friday, Feb. 21. In the petition, St. Clair said New York is the home state of the child, who goes by R.S.C. User Magazine was first to report the news.

The author, 26, alleges in the petition that Musk is the father of the boy, who was born in September 2024 (the exact date has been redacted in the filing). She claims that Musk was not present at R.S.C.’s birth and “has met him only three (3) times and has had no involvement in his care and upbringing.”

Although she stated that Musk is R.S.C’s father, she also filed a paternity petition along with the custody petition. St. Clair is claiming that the Tesla CEO has met the baby boy “only three times” since his September 2024 birth.

In St. Clair’s custody petition — which she filed with the New York Supreme Court on Friday, Feb. 21 — she alleged that she is the “only parent and caretaker” that her infant, who goes by R.S.C., “has known.” She also claimed that, “by his choice,” the baby’s alleged father Musk, 53, “was not present for the birth of our child, has had no more than three in-person visits with our child and has not expressed an interest in having custody of our child.”

According to the legal filing, Musk met R.S.C. for the first time on Sept. 21 in New York City for two hours, and then spent an hour with St. Clair and the child the following day. The CEO later saw the baby for the “next and last time” in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 30, for an encounter that lasted “only 30 minutes.”

“Respondent has never asked to see our child on any other occasion, he has never communicated to me about our child without my prompting, he has never asked for photos of our child or checked in after doctor’s appointments,” St. Claire wrote in the petition for custody.

The conservative influencer said in the petition that she and Musk began a “romantic relationship in or about May 2023” and conceived the baby in January 2024. St. Clair claimed that Musk “acknowledged parentage of the child in various written correspondences,” and she included a screenshot of alleged text exchanges in the paternity filing. St. Clair claimed that Musk acknowledged their sexual relationship in the text exchanges, including one “on or about” Nov. 24, during which he allegedly wrote, “I want to knock you up again.” Three months later, she alleged Musk texted her again: “Well, we do have a legion of kids to make.”

“Ashley St. Clair has filed paternity and custody petitions to protect the best interests of her child,” St. Clair’s representative Brian Glickich told PEOPLE in a statement on Feb. 21. “She has made every effort to collaborate with Mr. Musk before taking this step. She has no further comment on the contents of the petitions, which speak for themselves.”

[From People Magazine]

Yeah, I think St. Clair is absolutely a moron and a white supremacist, but I also think that she’s probably doing the right thing by getting everything locked down legally. While Musk clearly wants nothing to do with her or the baby right now, that might change. Look at what Grimes is going through with their oldest, X. Musk has practically kidnapped the child and Grimes has barely any recourse. Of course, I also think Ashley St. Clair wants to get some money. Like, that was the whole point of this. She would have been fine with Musk ignoring her and the baby, but Musk isn’t paying for anything.

listen to this. Elon can barely form a sentence right now.

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) February 20, 2025 at 5:23 PM

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.