Last week, two of the Duchess of Sussex’s girlfriends took her out to lunch. Her colorist Kadi Lee and author Cleo Wade had lunch with Meghan somewhere – Montecito? LA? – and Kadi posted the photo, above, on her IG Stories. Meghan looked fresh-faced and beautiful. But did you know that this photo was hiding an evil secret?? Look at Meghan’s left hand, where she’s wearing her wedding band. That’s the evil secret, according to the British tabloids. Meghan wasn’t wearing her diamond engagement ring. Again, she wore her wedding band, but still – it became a story, because someone was being dragged for being too lazy to fly to Australia and do his job. For what it’s worth, a “source” told Page Six that Meghan wasn’t wearing her diamond ring because the ring was “being fixed.”

Speaking of Page Six – owned by the Murdochs – they had a weird piece about how Meghan “loves being famous.” Again, someone over in Rosebush, UK was particularly salty about all of the bad press he was getting, and this could have been the trade-off. After an exhaustive accounting of how many times we’ve seen Meghan in recent months, Page Six’s sources basically say that Meghan has new stuff in the pipeline and she and Harry are in a really good place personally and professionally.

Meghan’s gotten pap’d frequently in recent months: As an insider familiar with the Sussexes told us: “Meghan’s not seeking out opportunities to be photographed, but she’s realized she has to live her life, none of the cameras are going away.”

The new project: All of this comes as Markle — who signed with Hollywood powerbroker Ari Emmanuel’s WME — is putting the finishing touches on her new project, the one that everyone in her circle has been talking about. Will it be something to rival Gwyneth Paltrow’s multi-million dollar lifestyle business Goop, or something akin to Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine, which sold for a billion dollars? Will it even be “The Tig” 2.0, a revamp of Markle’s lifestyle blog? “Meghan and the team are working hard,” an insider tells Page Six. “I think it will be surprising, it won’t be what everybody is expecting it to be, it will feel familiar to who Meghan is.”

New sponsorship deals? Markle was just a customer for the NuCalm sticker when she wore last week during a visit to the dentist. Then the company quickly posted the photos on their Instagram and watched sales take off.. it shows to possible commercial partners or backers that Markle retains the ability to create viral sales as she once did for Rothy’s shoes and jewelry brands, just by being photographed. As we revealed, she’s still keen to join forces with her favorite brand, Cartier, although they have close ties with the royal family.

The Windsors were behind the “privacy” storyline: Indeed, her camp says it was the royal family — from whom the Sussexes remain very much estranged — who pushed that storyline. The insider said: “Nobody is fighting this whole privacy issue, this whole story of ‘don’t pay attention to us, pay attention to us’, it’s a total exaggeration, because the crux of Harry and Meghan’s move, in the beginning, was mostly spun from the palace that they wanted a more private life. They know they’ll never have a private life,” the insider stressed.

Meghan likes being famous? A more critical source, with knowledge from their time with Spotify, tells Page Six: “Harry has made it clear that he never wanted to be in the media…he would be very happy to go away. I think he’d like to go and live in Botswana – as long as he had money. Meghan actually likes being famous.” But a source in the couple’s orbit says that while Harry “understands that he’s a public figure” and that it would be “delusional to expect a life out of the spotlight,” it is Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2, he is concerned about. “If he’s seen out getting dinner he doesn’t have a problem with it, but what he struggles with is protecting his children and their innocence, so much of what he felt was really challenging in his own life,” the insider says.

The Sussexes are fine: “They’re not divorcing, they’re not moving – they have more confidence and they’re at peace. They are making friends in their community and they’re feeling more comfortable to explore. With the (Netflix) documentary series and Harry’s book behind them, this is the end of that era. It was tough prior to the book and the documentary coming out, when you anticipate the worst. But this is really the closest we’ve seen Harry and Meghan achieve some level of normalcy — ever.”

[From Page Six]

I actually hope some of this is the truth. I hope Meghan is preparing to launch something new. I hope they’re at peace. I hope they’ve found their personal and professional rhythm. The privacy stuff is kind of fascinating too – I never really thought about it that way, that the Windsors pushed a storyline that all Harry and Meghan wanted was to go away and “be private.” The thing is, Harry did speak about wanting privacy for years, but I think Meghan has a more nuanced understanding of what privacy means to her and how best to use the attention she already gets. That being said, they’re trying to make Meghan sound like a famewhore, when really, she disappears from public view for months at a time. They’re basically saying that Meghan is making famewhore moves every time she leaves her house, because she could be photographed by a paparazzo. It’s insane.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instagram.

Britney Spears’ communication of choice these days is through her Instagram. For months now, she responds to articles and gossip on IG, plus she films herself dancing and posing a lot. Well, Britney decided to do all of the above to respond to Sam Asghari filing for divorce. In a video where she was dancing around, she posted this message:

“As everyone knows, Hesam and I are no longer together … 6 years is a long time to be with someone so, I’m a little shocked but … I’m not here to explain why because its honestly nobody’s business !!! But, I couldn’t take the pain anymore honestly !!!

In some sort of telepathic way I have been receiving so many messages that melt my heart from friends and I thank you !!! I’ve been playing it strong for way too long and my Instagram may seem perfect but it’s far from reality and I think we all know that !!! I would love to show my emotions and tears on how I really feel but some reason I’ve always had to hide my weaknesses!!!

If I wasn’t my dad’s strong soldier, I would be sent away to places to get fixed by doctors !!! But that’s when I needed family the most !!! You’re supposed to be loved unconditionally … not under conditions !!!! So I will be as strong as I can and do my best !!! And I’m actually doing pretty damn good !!! Anyways have a good day and don’t forget to smile !!!

[From Britney’s IG]

“If I wasn’t my dad’s strong soldier, I would be sent away to places to get fixed by doctors” made me wince. This situation is so comparable to Kanye West, in that they are both surrounded by people who aren’t in the position to get Kanye and Britney the help they need. Meanwhile, TMZ had this update, because they’re very focused on the money (and advocating for Sam):

Britney Spears will not have to ante up any money to estranged husband Sam Asghari, at least based on their prenup, but our sources say there’s a big reason she’ll feel compelled to write him a substantial check. Sources with direct knowledge of the prenup tell TMZ … Sam gets no payout in the event of divorce. In addition, the prenup precludes him from getting spousal support. He can keep the gifts Britney gave him and his cars, but that’s about it.

Our sources say there’s an “extensive confidentiality clause” in the prenup, prohibiting Sam from talking about his relationship with Britney. So on the surface, it seems Sam’s getting nothing of significance, but that’s not the case.

As we reported, Sam’s lawyer, Neal Hersh, filed divorce docs which ask for spousal support. Given the prenup precludes such support, Hersh’s move signals a challenge to the prenup. There are other elements of the divorce filing suggesting a challenge … writing about community and quasi-community property.

[From TMZ]

Again, the focus on money is so strange to me in this particular case. Britney’s father financially abused her for years and likely embezzled millions from her fortune. Britney has been paying Kevin Federline millions in support for like fifteen years. There isn’t some vast fortune which Sam wants a slice of. Don’t get me wrong, I think Britney will probably cut him a check as well, but it won’t be a major or significant settlement.

Photos courtesy of Britney’s IG.

Samuel L. Jackson recently gave a fantastic interview to Rolling Stone. He was promoting his Disney+ series, Secret Invasion, where he reprises his role as Nick Fury. Disney/Marvel put together a great team of actors for the series, including Emilia Clarke, Ben Mendelsohn and Olivia Colman. What struck me, as I was reading this interview, is how much joy Sam has for his job, how much he loves his fellow actors, how much he cares about the franchises he’s apart of. Like, he actually watches all of those Marvel movies, even the ones he’s not in, and he cares about the storylines and why Nick Fury wasn’t around for that movie or that series. Speaking of, he’s also got The Marvels coming out later this year, which reunites him with someone he clearly loves dearly: Brie Larson. Brie is his girl, he adores her. Some highlights from Rolling Stone:

He wasn’t pushing for Nick Fury to have his own series: “I actually have not. My biggest concern with Marvel was trying to keep them from killing me more than anything else. [Laughs] I kind of liked the gig! When they called me in to tell me what’s going on, I always thought they were trying to kill me. They didn’t let me go to Wakanda, which I was kind of upset about. How could Nick Fury not know about Wakanda? They said, “Well, you do know but you can’t go.” I always wanted to tell the story about who Nick was before he had these superhero friends — when he lived in the shadow world as a spy, and how he connected with these people. Secret Invasion is not a superhero movie. It’s gritty and dark.

Whether he’s been fairly compensated in his nine-picture deal with Marvel: “Every deal was negotiable. [Laughs] Every movie was a negotiated deal. It wasn’t like, “You do one movie and the next one will be X more dollars.” It was better than that. It’s been equitable in terms of what it’s been and how it’s played out. But there are things I wish I’d been in that I wasn’t in, like Civil War. If the kids are fighting, why isn’t Nick Fury there to send them to their rooms? They never explained that to me.

The sexism directed at Brie Larson: “Brie’s a stronger person than people give her credit for. We had done Kong together, which was not the most wonderful experience for either of us. We became great friends during that particular experience because we were having such a hard time. Then, when she was doing her movie [Unicorn Store] and trying to get a particular actor, I was in the makeup trailer with her and was like, “Why are you trying to hire this other actor and not trying to get me to do your movie?” She said, “I didn’t think you’d ever do it… so, will you?” And I was like, “Let’s do it.” Then, we bonded through the election while we were doing her movie when Donald Trump won. She was broken and I was like, “Don’t let ‘em break you. You have to be strong now.” Then, when she got Captain Marvel, she called me and was like, “They want me in the Marvel Universe. Should I do it?” And I was like, “Hell yeah! Let’s do it!” But she’s not going to let any of that stuff destroy her. These incel dudes who hate strong women, or the fact that she’s a feminist who has an opinion and expressed it? Everybody wants people to be who they want them to be. She is who she is, and she’s genuinely that.

Difficult times in America: “The world seems to be in as hard a place as it’s always been. As a child of the Sixties, watching what happened at the 1968 Democratic Convention, and seeing the police beating those demonstrators — and those were young white kids — I learned there’s a certain kind of thing that the powers that be don’t want us doing. One of them is protesting what they think they want us to do. So, when George Floyd happened, it was great to see all the different faces of kids out there fighting the injustice and what the power was doing once again to keep you from having an open mind or keep you from creating change that is not the change they want made. That part has not changed. In my opinion, it’s kind of worse. They used to hide it. Now, they don’t hide it anymore! When I grew up in segregation, I knew which white people didn’t want to be bothered with me and I knew how they felt about me. I know how the Republicans feel about me now because of what my mindset is. When I see Trump, I see the same rednecks I saw when I was growing up who called me “n*****” and tried to keep me in my place. That’s what the Republican Party is to me. They’re doing it to young people, gay people. They don’t care who you are. If you’re not them, you’re the enemy.

Working with Olivia Colman on Secret Invasion: “Amazing! So amazing. I walked in the room that morning when we were supposed to shoot our first scene together. I looked at her, she looked at me, and we both burst out laughing. It was just, “OH MY GOD!?!” It was so great. Emilia Clarke was amazing. Ben [Mendelsohn] has got chops that are out of this world. And, as many Marvel movies as Don [Cheadle] and I have been in, I don’t think we’ve ever had a conversation until Secret Invasion. And I’ve known Don forever! We never had a moment onscreen that was meaningful together until this particular thing. I had an amazing time doing stuff with people I truly admire and watch. I even went to work when I wasn’t working just to watch Martin Freeman because I wished I was in the scene with him.

[From Rolling Stone]

He was asked about Quentin Tarantino’s last film, The Movie Critic, and whether he has a role in it and he doesn’t know, but he hopes that QT will write a part for him. He also talks about how much he wants to do a Korean film or work with a Korean director, because he loves the Korean films being made now, and now I hope Bong Joon-ho hears that sh-t and writes a role for him. Anyway, I love what he said about political activism and how the MAGA crowd is just made up of the same old bigots and rednecks. It’s true.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Stella McCartney is a nepo baby. She wasn’t the first and she won’t be the last. Being Paul McCartney’s daughter opened a lot of doors for her. I remember her early days as a fashion designer, and it was a big deal that Paul would come to her shows to lend his support, but that was pretty much the reason she was hired in the first place. I also remember the rumors of her stealing from other designers when she was at Chloe, and a more recent controversy was when she put her stink on African designs and called them “British.” While it’s great that she was at the forefront of sustainable and no-leather fashion, I think many of us would admit that her designs are (for the most part) kind of awful. Anyway, please allow Stella to tell you about how she’s a nepo baby who works hard:

Stella McCartney has had a groundbreaking career in fashion, but she’s not forgetting where she came from. In a new interview with TIME released Wednesday, the 51-year-old designer — who’s branded herself as a steadfast proponent of expelling fur, leather, feathers and animal hide from her sustainable collections — addressed being a “nepo baby” of former Beatle Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda, herself an animal rights activist and artist.

“As one of the first nepo babies I had the privilege of choice. I’m very aware of how lucky I’ve been to be accepted to work in this way since day one,” said Stella. But even with a famous surname giving her a head start, she’s faced difficulties in terms of standing up to the status quo.

“I’ve had moments where I’ve been challenged very heavily to change my morals for the success of the company,” she remembered of an instance in which she was urged to use leather.

Her Grammy-winning father, 81, also spoke with the outlet about his children’s upbringings, including their local school education. “They had to take a bit of flak for having a famous dad, but it toughened them up,” he said of his four kids with Linda.

“One side was this farm life, and the other side was the stage, with glittery boots and glamour,” Stella recalled of her unique childhood. “It was an early inspiration.” She later went on to attend Central St. Martins, a prestigious art and design college in London. “She had to prove herself,” Paul shared. “I said, if she doesn’t do well at the end of that year, then the name is not something to help, it’s a cudgel to beat her with. But she did well.”

[From People]

I’m sure that her name has made her a bigger target within the fashion industry, especially in her earlier years. But again, she wouldn’t have been in a position to be “targeted” without all of that nepotism. Something that’s so funny to me is when nepo babies are like “stop judging me by my family, judge me by my work” and their work is trash. Like… what did you actually learn at that prestigious design school? What did you learn at that nepo-position at Chloe?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The Oppenheimer cast obviously did a lot of pre-strike interviews and promotion, and it looks like Emily Blunt chatted with the Guardian within hours of the SAG-AFTRA strike. The Guardian’s piece is somewhat incomplete, and they basically had to use Emily’s sister to fill in some quotes because no one in the Oppenheimer cast would speak to journalists once the strike was called. Emily did speak about her character, Kitty Oppenheimer, and how she was a woman ahead of her time. Some highlights from Emily’s interview:

Kitty the nonconformist: “There was something flighty and wild and nonconformist about her. It was a time where contortions were happening to women, as they tried to kind of mould themselves into perfect housewives. But Kitty was a terrible mother and she wasn’t a very good housewife – and had no desire to be one….[It was a fate of] a lot of women with great minds – that brilliant brain gone to waste at the ironing board. I know so many women of a certain age who are angry at their lives being defined by being someone’s mummy or someone’s wife. And I have empathy for that. It’s OK that that’s not enough for them.”

She is pro-strike: “I am a big believer in unions getting exactly what they want.” She is also pro-resolution: “I’m a huge believer in getting our crews back to work – the people who will suffer most.”

Kitty also had no sympathy for her husband: According to the book, she left both babies with friends for months. Oppenheimer died alone because his wife found his final-hours regression to infancy “pitiful”. “Just horrific. She was pretty ruthless in so many ways. She worshipped Robert, but also really called him on all his sh-t.” Still, Blunt gamely attempts empathy. Perhaps some people are just allergic to weakness? And don’t label Kitty an alcoholic: surviving on cigarettes and martinis at Los Alamos was understandable, she says. Plus, Robert’s genius got him a free pass denied to his wife. His gender, too? “Yes, I think so. I wonder what the world would feel if it was Kitty Oppenheimer who created this bomb.”

Female actors worry about being likable: “I think there is still a pressure to be likable, and sort of warm and understood, and men are not held to that same standard. No one cared if Leonardo DiCaprio was likable in The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Are women, broadly speaking, more forthright? Yes, says Blunt, “but I could equally generalise and say a lot of women tend to try to dance around things because we’re not often given a platform to speak honestly. Or you’re considered too ambitious or emotional if someone appears to be speaking their mind with spirited opinion.”

Kitty was revolted by her husband’s desperation to atone for his sins. “She just wanted him to own it. You see that explosion of frustration and rage start to build. I remember Chris saying to me: ‘She’s wild, she’s unpredictable, the drinking is now out of control, but she’s right!’ And she was always right, and she knew it.’”

Officially, Blunt is not on social media. “But I have been prone to getting occasionally pulled into lurking on Instagram, and it just makes you feel terrible. I don’t feel good after doing it. I don’t feel like I’ve done anything beneficial to myself.”

She’s not a scientist irl: “I am very easily overwhelmed by the idea of the vastness of the never-ending universe,” she says. Contemplating black holes “would be the depths of hell”. She is shaky on the nuclear physics casually strewn through the movie – and uneasy about more recent technological advances: “AI unnerves me. It’s human nature to propulsively want to keep inventing new things. But do we have to put into action everything that we create? Does it better us? Or does it really start to eviscerate what it is to be human? Sometimes I’m like: oh my God, I’m such a dusty old fart about this stuff. But I can’t wrap my head around how beneficial it will be to us, as people, in our souls.”

[From The Guardian]

She’s right about likability and actresses always wanting to find something redemptive or “nice” in characters or stories. I wish more actresses would realize that it’s great to play the villainess. Well, I wish more writers would write fully-fleshed female characters who are more than a cookie-cutter “mom” or “wife.” As for the AI stuff… I think AI scares the sh-t out of a lot of people, not just actors. I also can’t really wrap my head around the “why” of it, beyond “this is what’s next, this is the next scientific evolution.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Cover Images.

It feels like this happened years ago, but it was back in February of this year when the news broke about Monica Bellucci and Tim Burton. Burton has been with a string of beautiful, accomplished women. While Burton is a genius, he also seems like a pretty weird guy. Maybe he genuinely has a great personality, but given his statements on inclusive casting, I think the dude may be pretty problematic in real life. Anyway, now Tim and Monica are together and they’ve been dating for about eight months or so. She seems to really love him. Monica covers the latest issue of Elle France and she spoke about their relationship:

Love is in the air for Monica Bellucci and Tim Burton. After months of speculation, the Italian actress finally confirmed she’s dating the “Beetlejuice” director.

“What I can say … I’m glad I met the man, first of all,” she told Elle France in an interview published Monday. “It’s one of those encounters that rarely happens in life … I know the man, I love him, and now I’m going to meet the director, another adventure begins.”

Bellucci continued, “I love Tim. And I have great respect for Tim Burton.”

The “Matrix Reloaded” actress, 58, has been tapped to star in “Beetlejuice 2,” which is being directed by Burton, 64. The couple is currently overseas in London filming the fantasy comedy film.

“I love this dream world where the monsters are kind, like we can turn our darker aspects into something bright, forgiving,” Bellucci told the publication. “Tim Burton’s films talk about that a lot.”

[From Page Six]

I think the world of Monica but I feel like she’s setting herself up for a broken heart with this one. That being said, I do enjoy the fact that they’re generational peers – 58 years old and 64 years old. Maybe that will work in their favor – they’ve both been through big relationships, they’ve both dated eccentric actors, and they just want comfort, conversation and friendship. Maybe. Her two daughters are 18 and 13 – Tim’s youngest (Nell) is 15 years old, soon to be 16, and his son is 20. It’s sort of like The (Italian) Brady Bunch meets the Munsters. Will their romance last past filming? Monica certainly hopes so.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Elle France.

It’s always curious to me when years-old royal gossip suddenly gets presented like it’s new information. It’s even more interesting when it’s about the current Princess of Wales and the regurgitated gossip feels pointed and shady. Take, for example, one of the Daily Mail’s current top royal stories: QEII made a “stinging remark” about Kate Middleton’s many vacations. It’s true, and it’s true that Buckingham Palace briefed against then-Kate Middleton several times during Kate’s decade-long wait for the ring. QEII didn’t think much of Kate, and the palace made a point of briefing the media about how the queen thought Kate should get a job and stop going on so many vacations. Thus, a pretend job at Party Pieces came about (eventually) and that was about it. Why is this being repeated right now?

Before she settled into the royal family, the Princess of Wales had often been spotted jetting off on luxurious holidays. William and Kate were seen holidaying on the Caribbean island of Mustique with the Middleton family, or off on a couple’s ski trip in the Alps. While for many their jet-setting lifestyle looked dreamlike, it did not impress the late Queen who apparently expressed concern about the number of holidays her future granddaughter-in-law was taking every year.

Perhaps aware that William and Kate would soon be engaged, the Queen stressed that the future Princess should get a job rather hoping around from country to country. The stern words of advice were said to have ‘stung’ Kate, Royal expert Katie Nicholl has suggested. She wrote in her 2010 book William and Harry: ‘If she was not with William at Balmoral then the couple were skiing or holidaying on Mustique. Kate was there so often the press dubbed her “Queen of Mustique”, a title that had previously belonged to Princess Margaret’.

When Kate was heading to the island in the 2000s, Britain was heading into a recession, and ‘such frivolous displays of wealth were unpalatable to the Queen’, according to Nicholls. She added: ‘While the rest of the world speculated that an engagement was on the horizon for William and Kate, the Queen believed an announcement should be postponed until Kate was settled in a career.’

One source quoted in the book added: ‘It is Her Majesty’s opinion that if Kate is one day going to be William’s consort, then she needs a proper job. Swanning from one five-star holiday resort to another is not the prerequisite for a young woman possibly destined to be Queen.’

It is clear that the royal couple, since marrying and having their three children, have taken the Queen’s advice to heart. While they have been seen holidaying on the Caribbean island since, they have also taken more staycations, including trips to their Norfolk, the Isle of Scilly and Balmoral. The family will also avoid overseas trips with their young children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, according to OK! Magazine. Instead, they will holiday at their Norfolk royal residence, Amner Hall, instead of jetting off each summer.

[From The Daily Mail]

Hilariously, right after Kensington Palace briefed the media in 2021 about how Will and Kate would only vacation within Britain, they traveled to Jordan for a family vacation, only no one knew it until they released their Christmas card. Will and Kate also spent much of their first six years of marriage vacationing in Mustique, India, France, Switzerland and every other vacation hotspot. I will admit that we haven’t heard about many Mustique trips recently, but that’s probably more about Carole and Mike Middleton being broke as hell. So… why is this story being pushed right now? Is Kate being told that she can’t leave the UK anymore? Does the Mail have information about a family vacation outside of the UK?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Kensington Palace, Avalon Red.

Tom Quinn is the author of Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family. He’s been promoting this book for months by giving interviews about what his “royal sources” are telling him about the sorry state of Prince William and Kate’s marriage. I mean, it’s clear that Quinn is trying to put the most positive spin on things, but he’s quietly spelling it out: William and Kate have a lot of marriage drama, they shout at each other, they say unkind things together, Kate treats William “like the fourth child” because he’s so immature, short-tempered and tantrum-prone. Great future king, right? Well, Quinn is back at it:

Prince William and Princess Kate’s marriage is “not as perfect as it seems” but they know how to make it work, a Kensington Palace insider has claimed. In an exclusive interview with Daily Express US, Tom Quinn, author of Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, dished on his private conversations with a Palace insider.

The main takeaway from the intimate exchanges is that, like all healthy marriages, William and Kate have their differences but know how to compromise and make it work. Mr Quinn explained: “From people I’ve spoken to, it’s not as placid. It’s not as perfect as it might seem. But William adopts the manners and the way of behaving of his grandmother and Kate is very good at not complaining and adopting.”

In Mr Quinn’s eyes, this has been the recipe for their marital success.

“Both of them have stuck to the thing that made the late Queen such a remarkable monarch,” he explained. They very, very rarely complain. And when they do, it’s always in measured terms.”

That is not to say William and Kate never have heated arguments. Mr Quinn learned from the Palace insider that they have “terrific rows”.

“Where some couples have a row and throw heavy vases at each other, William and Kate throw cushions at each other,” he said. “It’s always kept under control”.

By keeping their personal affairs private, the Waleses have invited less public scrutiny than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Mr Quinn believes. “They are less picked apart than Harry and Meghan,” he said.

[From The Express]

“They very, very rarely complain. And when they do, it’s always in measured terms.” They complain all the time, to everyone, about everything. They complain about their workload, they complain about the Sussexes, they complain about Charles, they complain about needing more time off. They throw tantrums at the drop of a hat. They dedicated a full day of their trip to Boston to briefing the media about how much they hate the Sussexes. As for this: “Where some couples have a row and throw heavy vases at each other, William and Kate throw cushions at each other. It’s always kept under control.” The fact that there’s even a consciousness to “keep in control” when they’re having violent fights does not bode well. In the past two years, even before Harry revealed that William assaulted him, it absolutely feels like there are many people talking around the fact that William is a violent man. It’s another one of those open secrets within the British media and royal establishment.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Backgrid, Cover Images, Avalon Red and WENN.

Michael Lewis literally wrote the book on the Tuohy family and Michael Oher. Lewis, a longtime friend of Sean Tuohy, wrote The Blind Side, which was adapted into the successful film. Lewis’s book was ground zero for the misinformation about Oher for years, and Oher only learned this year that the Tuohys had never adopted him, that they put him into a conservatorship without his knowledge. Lewis’s book fudged that fact with the talk of “guardianship” and then the film adaptation just lied about it totally, saying that Oher was adopted by the Tuohys. Lewis missed the chance to actually be an investigative journalist and tell the truth about the Tuohys. Instead, he’s towing the Tuohys’ line and suggesting that Oher’s lawsuit is solely about the profits from the film (of which Oher was scammed out of his life rights).

In an interview with The Washington Post, Michael Lewis said that despite the movie’s success, no one involved in the book saw millions of dollars from the movie.

“Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system,” Lewis said. “Michael Oher should join the writers strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets.”

According to Lewis, Twentieth Century Fox, as it was then known, paid $250,000 for the option to make “The Blind Side” a movie, which he split 50-50 with the Tuohy family. The Tuohys have said they split their share evenly, including with Oher. After taxes and agent fees, Lewis said, his half was around $70,000. Fox, however, never made the movie. (According to Lewis, the studio had thought Julia Roberts would be interested in the film, but she wasn’t.) Instead, Lewis said, Alcon, a small production company backed by Tuohy’s neighbor, FedEx CEO Fred Smith, stepped in. Instead of paying the actors large salaries, Lewis said, they were offered a share of the profits. Lewis said his deal provided him a share of the movie’s net profits, too. Warner Bros. distributed the movie.

According to Lewis, the film made around half a billion dollars, but the equity stake in the movie was not as lucrative as it would appear. In fact, he said, he had called his own representatives at Creative Artists Agency over the years, following the movie’s success, asking about his share of the profits.

Lewis said that ultimately after agent fees and taxes, he and the Tuohy family received around $350,000 each from the profits of the movie. Lewis said the Tuohys planned to share the royalties among the family members, including Oher, but Oher began declining his royalty checks, Lewis said. Lewis said he believed the Tuohy family had deposited Oher’s share in a trust fund for Oher’s son. Additionally, Lewis said that two years ago Oher called him to ask about a speaking tour to make money discussing the book. Lewis raised the idea to his agent, but nothing came of it.

“What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close,” Lewis said. “They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.”

[From WaPo]

This is journalistic malpractice and everyone should be extremely suspicious of Lewis’s books and reporting now. Lewis completely glosses over the lies about adoption and the fact that the conservatorship was never removed after Oher graduated from Ole Miss. Surely, if the argument was “the conservatorship was just a way to work around the NCAA booster rules,” then the jig would be up once Oher graduated? But no, the Tuohys never removed it, because that would mean that they would have to admit that they lied to Oher about adopting him, and that they scammed him out of his life rights. As for all of the talk about who made what from the film… like, I would halfway believe that the Tuohys got screwed out of their backend, except they’ve lied about literally everything else, so…

In case you need more evidence that Lewis is parroting the Tuohys’ line, people dug up this clip of Lewis being mind-numbingly racist about Oher and his intelligence. One of Oher’s complaints was that the Tuohys promoted a version of his life in which he was stupid or mentally deficient. He was not.

Michael Oher disliked being portrayed as ‘dumb’ in the #Blindside film.

Where did that stigma around Oher originate?

Listen to the author of the Blindside book – Michael Lewis – speak of Oher’s academic achievements to a group at Google.

Full talk: https://t.co/IfBQgaDFN2 pic.twitter.com/cYT8D5DVD2

— Nancy French (@NancyAFrench) August 15, 2023

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

There are 20 million updates on Sam Asghari and Britney Spears’ divorce. Their marriage implosion has been so hard and fast. Asghari filed for divorce this week, and he lists the date of separation as July 28. He is requesting spousal support and he wants Britney to pay his legal fees. His filing also “reserves the right to amend” petitions over property and community assets. Sam’s rep Brandon Cohen told People: “There are many claims that Sam is challenging the prenup and threatening to exploit his ex-wife with videos. However, all these claims are false, as no negative intention has ever been directed towards her and never will be. Sam has always and will always support her.” Sam also posted this on his IG:

I think Sam’s strategy is to be polite and conciliatory in public, all while he leaks damaging information to TMZ. A lot of celebrity men do that – they let TMZ and Page Six do their dirty work. Now, just because these leaks are coming from Sam’s side, doesn’t make them false. But it is a pattern I’m already noticing. After TMZ reported that Britney has physically assaulted Sam multiple times, TMZ also got some tips about how Britney apparently cheated on Sam:

Sam Asghari is telling people he believes Britney Spears cheated on him with a staff member at her house, and engaged in other inappropriate sexual conduct as well … sources tell TMZ. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Sam has claimed Britney asked at least one staffer to shoot video of her naked. Not only that, we’re told Sam believes she hooked up with at least one of the male staff members working at her home.

As for how Sam supposedly knows — our sources say he claims there’s footage of Britney and the staffer together in a compromising position. We’re told Britney’s in a fragile and hyper-sexualized state, and it’s contributed to her dangerous decision-making … making her a risk to her own safety.

Our sources say Sam acted as a crutch for Britney for a long time, but her recent conduct was too much. We’ve reported Sam has been over the marriage for a while now, and recent events were simply the last straw, leading him to file for divorce. As we reported, Britney’s now without a support system — she’s iced her family out, doesn’t have real friends, and has now lost Sam. We’re told there’s serious concern from her loved ones, but at this point, there’s not much they can do.

[From TMZ]

I don’t know if this is true but… it wouldn’t surprise me. I also think that Sam finding out that Britney cheated on him might have been the last straw. Meanwhile, Britney’s team keeps sending messages to People Mag – sources tell the mag that Britney is still “in great spirits despite everything going on. Obviously it’s never an easy thing to go through, but she’s remaining positive and focusing on the future.” It kind of sounds like she’s in a manic phase.

Photos courtesy of Instagram.