The Florida school is censoring/banning Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem, “The Hill We Climb.” [Towleroad]
Julia Fox might be a “divisive” figure in fashion, but it turns out that she’s actually super-influential. People are copying her. [Buzzfeed]
People are disgusted with this Jonathan Majors-Meagan Good relationship. [LaineyGossip]
Florida Man is pretty chill after an alligator ripped off his arm. [Dlisted]
Who is Charles Melton and why is he everywhere? [Tom & Lorenzo]
Max’s Smartless On the Road is self-indulgent? [Pajiba]
This story is heartbreaking on like twenty different levels. [Jezebel]
Khloe Kardashian confirms that her son’s name is Tatum (which we already heard a few weeks ago, so good for whoever leaked that). [JustJared]
Photos from the Cannes Chopard Art Gala. [GFY]
Kim Kardashian lists her 36 qualifications for a perfect man. [Starcasm]
I actually loved this Dior look on Juliette Binoche. [RCFA]

Please, what is this outfit??? The Princess of Wales stepped out today in London. She visited the Foundling Museum, where she was highlighting the museum’s fundraising initiative and trying to lend her name to their effort to raise $1.2 million to preserve the museum’s collection. Like, instead of donating money through the Royal Foundation, Kate is just “lending her name” and “doing a photo-op.” It’s better than nothing, sure, but it’s just kind of bizarre.

The pink suit Kate is wearing is actually a repeat, and it’s a McQueen look and it’s really expensive – the blazer costs £1,420 and the trousers cost £540. She wore this to a Kensington Palace event last year, paired with a white scoopneck t-shirt and pink suede heels. There was definitely better styling last year. Today, she paired the suit with white Gianvito Rossi pumps in white and a Camilla Elphick belt with faux pearls. So… I actually sort of like the matching pink blouse, and it’s nice to see her in a different neckline, especially since she’s been favoring so many high-neck sister-wife looks recently. But the belt is just ruining this look. Oh God, I just realized she matched her pearl earrings to her pearl belt. Oh, honey.

Every day @FoundlingMuseum‘s ground-breaking work supports care-experienced young people to fundamentally change the future direction of their lives.

All the support and care we can offer those who have faced real difficulties early in life has such a positive impact on… pic.twitter.com/49VxuyTND8

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 25, 2023

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

When covering the coronation, I ignored Mike and Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter and son-in-law. They were invited to the Chubbly – they’re both extremely loyal to Prince William, it seems – but they were shuffled into the FOURTH row. Which is apparently a fate worse than death, at least according to all of the royal commentators who tried to convince people that Prince Harry’s third-row seat was a massive snub. All of that loyalty, all of that sh-ttalking, and the Tindalls were seated behind Harry? Yeah. So Mike Tindall complained about that on his podcast.

Mike Tindall has complained that he could not see the King’s Coronation from his “frustrating” seat in Westminster Abbey. The former England rugby player attended the historic service earlier this month with his wife Zara, the Princess Royal’s daughter. However, he revealed on his podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, that he could not see the whole ceremony, despite being seated in the fourth row.

“You’re in the hottest spot, but it’s happening all around the corner where you can’t see,” he told his co-host, James Haskell. “You do have a front-row seat… it was unbelievable being sat there, but frustrating.”

Mr Tindall was sat next to his wife and her brother, Peter Phillips, during the two-hour service. They were located in the row behind Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice, the Duke of York and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The first row in the Abbey was reserved for the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Despite the Royal family having the best seats in the Abbey, Mr Tindall said the majority of the ceremony took place out of their eye-line. Organisers had placed flat-screen televisions around the Abbey for the 2,300 guests to be able to watch the moment of crowning.

[From The Telegraph]

It’s not like something super-exciting happened and he missed it? It was just a man being dressed by church staffers and then an archbishop put a bejeweled hat on Mike’s wife’s uncle. That was it. I mean, there was the fondling of the Bracelets of Sincerity and William’s inability to memorize two sentences, but surely, Mike got the gist of it. Anyway, it’s pretty funny that Mike made such a big f–king deal about bad-mouthing Harry and showing loyalty to the royal remainders and all he got to show for it was a fourth-row seat where his view was blocked. Oh well. Just goes to show you, the Windsors never reward loyalty.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

For about five days following the Sussexes’ “near catastrophic” paparazzi chase in New York last Tuesday, the British and American media did a blitz of stories questioning the Sussexes’ statement, questioning their version of events and spreading bizarre gaslighting conspiracies about what “really” happened and why Harry and Meghan were to blame. It was definitely weird, and as I mentioned in a few posts, it felt like haphazard damage control to cover up what actually happened and how bad it was. What’s even weirder is that all of that heavy-handed damage control just… stopped. It makes me wonder if there’s stuff happening behind the scenes, like the Sussexes’ lawyers are preparing a major lawsuit. We also haven’t seen H&M since that night, leading some to wonder if they’re going underground for a while until they feel safe. “Sources” told Us Weekly that they still plan to come out in public and speak up for themselves. Good.

A bridge too far. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been “shocked” by the response to their frightening car chase experience, a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly.

“They insist their account of the car chase was absolutely not exaggerated, and for people to say otherwise is so hurtful and out of line,” the insider adds.

Despite facing backlash over their version of events, Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, refuse to be silenced. “As far as staying out of sight and being scared to show their faces, that’s not going to happen,” the source tells Us. “[This has] just strengthened their resolve to keep standing up for themselves and speaking out when they feel wronged.”

[From Us Weekly]

I was a little bit shocked by the reaction too, but that’s on me – I should have remembered that the British media’s favorite f–king thing in the world is lying about the Sussexes as a way to “fact-check” them. I just didn’t expect so many in the American media – including People Mag and the New York Times – to play along with that sh-t too. The NYT was literally trying to score an interview with one of the shady paps there that night. Some sh-t went down and we don’t know the half of it. As for H&M being resolute, I hope they are, and I hope they stay safe.

Note by CB: Get the Top 8 stories about the Sussexes’ paparazzi car chase when you sign up for our mailing list. I only send one email a day on weekdays after lunch.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

One of my favorite sub-genres of “coronation gossip” was all of the reporting about the random aristocrats who were so pissed off that they were not invited to the coronation. There were multiple stories for months about titled “peers of the realm” leaving angry voicemail messages and sending strongly-worded parchments to the Duke of Norfolk, who was in charge of the whole fiasco. King Charles didn’t invite most of the non-royal dukes and they were ready to storm the castle. Charles didn’t even invite many royal-adjacents and various cousins, nor did he invite anyone from the Mountbatten family. Of course, Katy Perry and Queen Camilla’s ex-husband got invites. Yeah. As I said before the Chubbly, if the aristos are truly angry about it, it’s going to be a slow-burn gossip story. It looks like people are still steamed. From Hugo Vickers piece in the Mail:

Up and down the country the aristocrats are hopping mad. Almost all of them were excluded from the Coronation. I’m told that the Duke of Norfolk – who as Earl Marshal had a key role in organising the ceremony – was bombarded by letters from peers explaining why they should be there.

When giving talks and lectures in the months beforehand, I found myself assailed by disappointed hereditary peers whose robes would be remaining in the cupboard. One of them assured me that as a peer of the realm, he had an ‘inalienable right’ to be present at a Coronation.

I am all for inclusivity and for acknowledging changing times. But I have this rather controversial suggestion to make: that when Prince William starts planning his own Coronation, he shows the decency to invite an element of the aristocrats back. It’s true that the nobility have lost influence over time. In the early years of the Queen’s reign, for example, her equerry Patrick Plunket, would tell her that the aristocracy were getting restive – and she would give a ball.

But it is a shame to risk alienating them. I even had one irritated peer (in the House of Lords) saying – ‘Just wait till the King asks for more money from Parliament…’

We had crowds of TV and sporting celebrities. Would it not have been easy enough to invite five Dukes, Marquesses etc – 25 seats for the hereditary peers? The world has changed. Ant & Dec in; the hereditary peers out for the first time in 1,000 years.

I’m not suggesting that William should invite all the peers to his Coronation when, eventually, that takes place – just a representative sample. They are, after all, a part of the way things are done. They still own large parts of England and Scotland. They understand the concept of public service in the same way as the monarchy and many of them devote their public lives to duty.
The King is there by hereditary right. So are they. And to complain that the peers of the realm are a mere relic of the past is to raise awkward questions about the monarchy itself.

[From The Daily Mail]

The fact that the aristocrats are still seething, weeks after the coronation and that the Daily Mail is reporting on it? Yeah. It’s bad. Bad for King Charles, I mean. Hilarious for everyone else. What’s especially crazy is that Charles – more than his heir – is quite close to many aristocrats, to many of the titled dukes, earls, viscounts, lords and what have you. He socializes with them and they helped facilitate and cover up his affairs for decades. These are the people who know a lot of dirt about Charles and Camilla, I’m just saying. It would be such a shame if the Duke of Fancybottom suddenly felt the urge to write a scathing takedown of the new king. It would be so devastating for the new reign if the Earl of Corgipaw wanted to make a big fuss about it. Also, this is a major threat: “to complain that the peers of the realm are a mere relic of the past is to raise awkward questions about the monarchy itself.” You think the aristocracy is out of touch with the modern world, Charles? Guess what.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

Rock star Tina Turner has passed away in Switzerland at home after a long illness. She was 83. Tina is a singer, actress, author and one of the best selling musicians of all time. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. She put out her third book, Happiness Becomes You, also in 2021 and did some press around that and for a documentary about her life, Tina, which came out on HBO. Tina is survived by her husband, Erwin Bach, whom she’s been with since 1986, and two of her four children. Here’s more about her passing:

Tina Turner, whose volcanic voice and dynamic dance moves earned her the Queen of Rock crown over the course of a 60-year career, has died at age 83.

The legendary singer died Wednesday, May 24 after a long illness at her home near Zurich in Switzerland, her publicist Bernard Doherty confirmed in a statement.

“Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock’n Roll” has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland. With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model,” the statement read. “There will be a private funeral ceremony attended by close friends and family. Please respect the privacy of her family at this difficult time.”

Since 1994 the American-born singer had been living in Switzerland with her husband, German actor and music producer Erwin Bach, earning her Swiss citizenship in 2013. In recent years she battled a number of serious health problems, including a stroke, intestinal cancer and total kidney failure that required an organ transplant.

Boasting one of the longest careers in rock history, Turner scored Billboard Top 40 hits across four decades, earning her Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, and entry into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

[From People]

Tina reinvented herself in her mid 40s, found fame, success and love and was living a peaceful life in Switzerland when she passed. She sold the rights to her likeness and her music in October, 2021 for $50 million. I remember seeing Tina steal scenes in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and I still love and listen to her hits like Private Dancer, Simply The Best and of course What’s Love Got to Do With It. She was a phenomenal performer and artist and she changed music and culture. She will be missed.

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Joe Alwyn went to Cannes this week to attend the Celine event. This was his first big public outing since his split from Taylor Swift. He’s not going to sit at home and cry forever, Taylor! He’s so over you! *sob* [Just Jared]
The Color Purple’s first trailer (this is the musical version). [Dlisted]
Fan BingBing has been serving looks at Cannes. [LaineyGossip]
Yeah, I don’t get why Disney is doing all of these live-action remakes either. [Pajiba]
Julia Fox is in Cannes, please pay attention to her. [Go Fug Yourself]
Rita Ora sampled Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You.” [OMG Blog]
Jon Hamm mocks Josh Hawley’s “masculinity” shtick. [Jezebel]
Chloe Bailey is on vacation. [Egotastic]
Cute & funny tweets from parents. [Buzzfeed]
Barbara Ronchi wore Armani in Cannes. [RCFA]
Seann William Scott talks about what Stifler would be doing today. [Seriously OMG]
Kellyanne Conway’s daughter Claudia will become a Playboy bunny. [Towleroad]

Joe Alwyn photographed in Cannes for Celine. pic.twitter.com/hIWZDaHE4B

— joe alwyn source (@badpostalwyn) May 24, 2023

Joe Alwyn before the Celine dinner (via liztaw on ig) pic.twitter.com/CnI7Ynxe1K

— joe alwyn source (@badpostalwyn) May 23, 2023

As we heard this week, Jeff Bezos finally proposed to Lauren Sanchez. They’ve been together since 2018, when he was married to Mackenzie Bezos, and Lauren Sanchez is the reason why his marriage fell apart. Still, Jeff Bezos didn’t cat around once he was officially with Lauren – they’ve been together ever since and they legitimately seem happy together. Well, there’s more information on where, when and how the proposal went down, including some info about the ring.

Jeff Bezos clearly timed his big proposal to Lauren Sanchez to align with the maiden voyage of his spectacular superyacht and their grand arrival in the French Riviera … because shortly after landing in Spain last week, he did the deed!!!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Jeff pulled out the 20-carat sparkler on dry land, somewhere in Spain … we believe either Ibiza or Mallorca. We’re told the proposal was private — just the 2 of them — and boy, did they keep a secret for a few days.

It wasn’t until the pair arrived in the South of France for the Cannes Film Festival that they finally let the cat out of the bag at a star-studded Vanity Fair party.

“They were telling everyone they were engaged; they were so excited. They are completely in love,” one insider told us, while another added that the two acted like horny teenagers.

“They were all over each other. I mean, they’re always affectionate, but they could not keep their hands off each other,” the second spy shared.

That night, the former journalist flaunted the massive ring — which cost between $2.5 to $3.5 million – while on a dinner date with her fiancé as well as his sister, Christina Bezos, and her husband, Steve Poore.

[From TMZ & Page Six]

People Magazine confirmed some details about the engagement and Lauren’s new ring. Apparently, the ring is between 25-30 carats and it’s likely a cushion-cut diamond, and it is probably worth more in the $3-5 million range. There was some talk that he got her a heart-shaped diamond, but I don’t think it is? I think it’s as People Mag says, a cushion-cut diamond (which is a good cut, if you ask me). Anyway, these two are… something. I would wish them well if only Bezos wasn’t such a union-buster.

Lauren Sanchez flashes $2.5M engagement ring as she, Jeff Bezos return to yacht https://t.co/VbpD9RwXHX pic.twitter.com/HJXZg1B6ua

— Page Six (@PageSix) May 24, 2023

Lauren Sanchez shows off massive engagement ring on Jeff Bezos’ $500M yacht https://t.co/LLiqopVWB8 pic.twitter.com/XDwDqMQWh1

— Page Six (@PageSix) May 22, 2023

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

It’s been abundantly clear for months that the main reason why the “King Charles will force Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge” story was put out there was to combine it with “King Charles is evicting the Sussexes from Frogmore Cottage.” Buckingham Palace thought they were doing something – once again, putting Harry and Andrew in the same category, and putting it out there that Andrew was being “offered” Frogmore Cottage free of charge. The same Frogmore Cottage which the Sussexes spent $3 million-plus renovating and leasing. The point was never to punish Andrew, it was solely to punish the Sussexes and “humiliate” them by offering their family home to a rapist and human trafficker. As predicted, King Charles could only keep up that pretense for a few months. We’re now back to “nevermind, Andrew can stay at Royal Lodge.” Per Ephraim Hardcastle’s Mail column:

Further indications that King Charles is not coercing Andrew out of Royal Lodge to the smaller Frogmore Cottage.

It would cost the monarch a tidy sum to make palatable for Andrew the move from a rent-free mansion to a residence costing him £360,000 in annual payments. And the Crown Estate would have to reimburse him if they terminated his 75- year lease early.

Charles has also sustained the practice of his late mother allowing occasional meals to be ferried over to the Lodge from the Windsor Castle kitchens.

Andrew also receives help with the gardens and running repairs from castle staff. Not quite the actions of a King determined to make life difficult for his disgraced brother.

[From The Daily Mail]

“It would cost the monarch a tidy sum to make palatable for Andrew the move from a rent-free mansion to a residence costing him £360,000 in annual payments.” Yeah, that wasn’t even what palace sources said months ago. Palace sources said that Charles had “offered” Frogmore Cottage to Andrew free of charge if he moved out of Royal Lodge. Andrew’s disgust at the offer had nothing to do with the cost of renting Frogmore and everything to do with Andrew feeling like Frogmore Cottage is beneath him, beneath his status. And if Andrew is somehow forcing Charles to buy out his Royal Lodge lease, then I wonder if the Sussexes got reimbursed for everything they spent on Frogmore. No one is reporting anything about that. As for Andrew still getting meals from Windsor Castle and still getting help from royal gardeners… my god, he’s useless.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Jude Law has always struck me as a character actor trapped in the body of a matinee idol. Back in the aughts there was a big push, with mixed results, to sell him as a heartthrob leading man (Alfie, The Holiday). But to me it seemed the creepier the role, like his crime scene photographer in Road to Perdition, the better he was. Which brings us to his recent turn as Henry VIII. Premiering at Cannes over the weekend, Firebrand is about Wife #6 Catherine Parr, played by Alicia Vikander (Michelle Williams was originally attached to star but had to depart due to her pregnancy last year). Though the film is firmly Catherine’s story, it was Jude’s commentary at the press conference that stole the show. While sporting a mustache, Jude described something extra he brought to the part:

In his later years, Henry VIII wasn’t very easy on the eyes, ears, or nose. And Jude Law took that quite seriously when he embodied the 15th-century king in Firebrand.

During a press conference for the film Monday at the Cannes Film Festival, Law described going to a gifted perfumier to really abuse her talents in order to help him get into character.

“I read several interesting accounts that at this period you could smell Henry three rooms away,” the actor recalled. “His leg was rotting so badly. And he hid it with rose oil. So I thought it would have a great impact if I smelt awful.”

Law had the perfumier, whom he gushed makes “wonderful scents” but also “awful scents,” create the latter–a concoction with notes of puss, blood, fecal matter, and sweat.

The actor initially used the perfume “subtly” and thought he would just keep it for himself… until director Karim Aïnouz got hold of it. Then, according to Law, it became a “spray fest.”

Law and costar Alicia Vikander, who plays Henry’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, went on to share anecdotes of crew members dry-heaving from the stench.

Though Aïnouz agreed that when Law walked on set “it was just horrible,” he also admitted to spraying rooms down with the perfume when everyone left to eat because the horrifying smell was “incredible” and “triggered a lot.”

[From EW]

Ok I have several questions. Were the essences from human or animal sources? If animal, which one(s)? Was it the same source for all four (puss, blood, feces, sweat) or different for each? How much of the perfume was procured if the director was “spraying rooms down” with it, and what is the going rate for poop perfume? Did they give it a name?! Eau de Ew. Shit No. 5. English King.

Imperative missing data aside, this got me to thinking about the Method Acting conversation that’s been peaking lately. How does this stack up against being “in character” all day? To be fair to Jude, he only wore the perfume “subtly” before the director got his hands on it and apparently doused the set. Am I crazy if I think Jude isn’t being annoying here, but a helpful scene partner? And since Catherine Parr is the lead, I want to hear more from Alicia on this. I watched the full press conference and she mimed some puke takes, but didn’t really discuss the impact the stench had on her performance, so until then, I’m reserving judgment on Jude. In the meantime, can we please get a new Variety series, “Actors on Aroma”?

Note by CB: Welcome our new writer Kismet. Kismet is a writer and artist living in New York. She has a preference for paleolithic technologies like handwriting and watercolors, and dreams of one day being a natural redhead. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater, any comments on actors are professional, not personal opinions.

photos credit: Olivier Huitel/Avalon