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Music historians will look back at this decade as when some of the biggest catalog deals of all time were made, both in terms of the artists and the money. Since 2020 we’ve seen rock and pop greats like Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie (and randomly also Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry) sell varying degrees of rights for hundreds of millions of dollars. And now add to that list, iconic British rockers Pink Floyd. After apparently difficult negotiations over a few years within the band itself, the group has finally settled on selling their entire music catalog and name and likeness rights to Sony for $400 million. Even once you divide that sum among the members, it should still be enough to make each of them comfortably numb… to debt. AV Club has more reporting on the sale:

Pink Floyd is about to find out if money really is a gas. After what Variety describes as “years of false starts,” the brand has finally completed a deal to sell their entire music catalog as well as their name-and-likeness rights to Sony for $400 million. The deal includes all of the band’s recorded albums — such as hits like The Wall, The Dark Side Of The Moon, and Animals — as well as merchandise, theatrical rights, and presumably, according to Variety, access to their iconic album artwork. Songwriting credits were left out of the deal and will remain with individual writers.

But while the band hypothesized that cash was “the root of all evil” in their 1973 song “Money,” its individual members — lead songwriters Roger Waters and David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason, and the estates of keyboardists Richard Wright and founding singer-songwriter Roger “Syd” Barrett — might have slightly more nuanced answers if you asked them today. Financial Times, which originally reported the deal, claims that it was delayed at least two years due to infighting among the band about tax structures and, more saliently, some incendiary comments made in recent years by Waters. In a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Rogers spoke out against Israel, in favor of Russian aggression in Ukraine, and against the United States, which he called “the most evil [country in the world] of all by a factor of at least 10 times.”

In this case, the money might actually buy happiness for at least one member of the band. In a separate Rolling Stone interview, Gilmour said that he wanted to close the deal less for financial reasons than “to be rid of the decision making and the arguments that are involved with keeping it going,” which he called “my dream.” In 2018, Mason — who has been caught in the middle of all of this for years — said of the infighting in his own interview with Rolling Stone, “It’s really disappointing these rather elderly gentlemen are still at loggerheads.”

Pink Floyd adds to Sony’s growing collection of “heritage” artists, into which they’re invested over a billion dollars in recent years. Other artists in the catalog include Queen, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, and more.

[From AV Club]

I understand the appeal to older artists of selling off their catalogs for a tidy sum. They won’t be writing and touring (i.e. generating income) the way they used to, and it removes the headache of having to review and approve all uses of their songs. Plus all the time and lawyering it takes just to combat the Trump campaign using stuff without permission! So I get it from that viewpoint. On the other hand, there’s something sad about the best pop cultural music of the 20th century — music borne out of free-minded, free-spirited artists responding to the mad world around them — all belonging to four or five mega corporations. (Yes, I know my hippie is showing.) With Pink Floyd in particular, though, it also appears that a big impetus to sell was some of the members really and truly wanting to run like hell from each other. Within hours of the sale being announced, an interview with guitarist David Gilmour came out in which he unequivocally said he would “absolutely not” ever perform with frontman Roger Waters again. Bandmates having a dramatic falling out? Now that’s classic rock & roll.

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The British media has spent the past two and a half weeks screaming “where’s Meghan” and “Harry needs the Windsors” in equal measure. That should tell you something about the monarchy and the media and the obsession, the jealousy, the stalking, the national and international harassment of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The latest lunatic analysis of the Sussexes came from the Daily Mail, obviously, and this was so bilious, I don’t even want to excerpt it or analyze it. Thankfully, a pro-Sussex piece dropped in People Magazine. In case anyone needed it spelled out, Meghan will being doing more commercial ventures from here, while Harry will be focusing more on philanthropy. I thought that was obvious, but again, the British media has been having meltdowns about this for weeks.

As Prince Harry gathered around a bonfire in the African kingdom of Lesotho on Oct. 1 with key allies from his charity, Sentebale, he reaffirmed his commitment to a cause close to his heart. Engaged in meaningful conversations about the HIV/AIDS crisis in southern Africa — an issue the Duke of Sussex has championed for years — it was the latest in a series of public engagements supporting his philanthropic interests. These recent outings strikingly reflect the duties Harry once carried out as a senior working royal.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in California, Meghan Markle remained at home in Montecito, focusing on a different but equally significant chapter of their shared journey. The Duchess of Sussex is preparing for the upcoming launch of her new Netflix show and lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, while caring for the couple’s two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

Insiders say that what’s unfolding reflects a clear shift in the couple’s public lives. While Harry is immersed in philanthropic efforts, Meghan is leaning into entrepreneurial projects and commercial ventures.

“It’s clear that a twin-track approach is evolving,” a friend tells PEOPLE. A royal insider echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the evolution of their working dynamic. “The Duke and Duchess have now hit their stride as individuals – not just as a couple. The Duke appears focused on his patronage work, and the Duchess focused on her entrepreneurial track,” the insider says.

Though their paths may seem divergent — philanthropy for Harry and business for Meghan — their shared initiatives, like the Archewell Foundation, show they remain united in their efforts. Meghan, 43, remains invested in causes such as mental health and children’s welfare, while Harry balances his nonprofit efforts with production projects like his polo documentary for Netflix.

The couple’s collaborative work endures, from launching The Parents Network, a new initiative to support families impacted by online harm, to local community engagements like attending the opening of Godmothers, a bookstore near their home in Montecito. Insiders confirm these joint efforts will continue, even as their individual projects expand.

“An entrepreneurial and enterprise focus is going to be more the Duchess’s priority and the Duke will continue to champion his not-for-profit patronages,” the friend adds. “But there will be joint efforts around those cause-driven areas of work.” This shift in focus has led to several recent solo appearances for Harry, but Meghan’s absence far from signals a split. “[It’s] as much a reflection on parenting priorities, in that one of them stays behind with the children,” says the friend.

It also reflects a strategic decision, given the intense scrutiny they face. Had Meghan accompanied Harry, critics might have accused her of trying to steal the spotlight, as they have in the past. “This truth is, this couple is damned if they do, damned if they don’t,” says the insider.

Ultimately, their dynamic reflects a balanced partnership, where individual passions complement their joint mission. “With their recent trips to Nigeria and Colombia, as well as their foundation-led events, it is still evident they show up together for the causes they jointly support,” the royal insider says. “What we are seeing is a functional and healthy relationship with two working partners, not the contrary.”

[From People]

I question why a “royal insider” is quoted here and whether the insider is in Camp Sussex. I point that out because a lot of other “royal insiders” have been quoted in recent weeks, swearing up and down that Harry desperately needs a peace treaty with his father. Now, I agree with everything written here. It feels like the royalists are trying to throw “you said you’re salt-and-pepper, you always move together” back in H&M’s faces, when really, Meghan said that as pushback. She was tired of everyone trying to break up her marriage. She was saying: we’re a team, we’re in this together, you can’t break us. And they are a team, a team with many joint projects and interests, and individual projects and interests too. You know, a real marriage and a real partnership. The collective hysteria about Harry taking a two-week business trip without Meghan has been really telling about how these horrible people view marriages and partnerships.

PS… Yes, I saw that Meghan was out solo last night! We will cover that tomorrow. I’m adding a preview photo of Meghan in her Carolina Herrera gown!

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Cover Images, Backgrid.

Boris Johnson’s book tour has commenced. The Daily Mail has been exclusively previewing his memoir, Unleashed, and now the real promotion has begun ahead of the release. Boris stopped by GB News to give an interview to Tory wingnut Camilla Tominey. Tominey is best known around here as one of the biggest Sussex haters out there – she not only exclusively revealed Harry and Meghan’s relationship, but she also exclusively revealed the lie that Meghan had made Kate cry, something which clearly came from Camp Middleton. Tominey still writes royalist fan-fic, but she’s turned more to political commentary these days (she was so mad when Keir Starmer became PM). Anyway, the clips from her interview with Boris are pretty funny. She asked him about his weekly audience with QEII, and then of course she asked about the Sussexes. Here’s the Sussex part:

The look on Tominey’s face when Boris says nice things about the Sussexes! She was bewildered and disgusted. It’s really like the British commentators have an agreement that every single thing must be slanted heavily against Harry and Meghan, and those commentators totally malfunction when someone goes off-script. BoJo told Tominey:

“They [Meghan and Harry] came to an event we did for female education. They were brilliant and she [Meghan] was particularly good and articulate on it. I got on well with both of them. I also worked with Harry when he did his Invictus Games for disabled veterans in the Olympic Park…. I thought, in a bit of pomposity, this national asset is leaving our country. I thought he, on the whole, could be a force for good so I’m going to try and discourage him. I had a pathetic attempt at that. It didn’t work. I failed to avert Megxit, but I did deliver Brexit.”

[From GB News]

Notice that Boris has already hedged away from saying (as he apparently writes in his book) that the palace asked him to convince Harry to stay. The current palace has denied it, but I think Boris’s original story is probably closer to the truth. I believe someone – likely associated with QEII – asked Boris to speak to Harry. Now the people in King Charles’s orbit are trying to say that of course no one asked Boris to do that. Anyway, I will give BoJo a sliver of credit – it would have been easy for him to say and write that Harry alone should stay. But no, he’s emphasizing that he liked Meghan and he hoped that they both would stay. If even BoJo gets it, then that says something about how short-sighted and out-of-touch the left-behinds were and are.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, GB News.

Here are some photos of the Duchess of Edinburgh in Surrey on Friday. She did an event with her patronage, Girlguiding, and it was all about encouraging girls and young women to enter into STEM fields. Meanwhile, there’s some interesting news about a horrible situation from 2023. Just after King Charles’s coronation, Sophie was traveling in a multi-vehicle police motorcade, and the royal protection officers were apparently speeding and being reckless. One of the speeding police cars struck an 81-year-old woman named Helen Holland. Holland was hospitalized and in a coma for two weeks, and then she passed away. While the Holland family was outraged by what happened, they made a point of saying that they didn’t blame Sophie. It did make people wonder why Sophie needs a multi-car motorcade to simply go to a garden party or whatever. Well, in any case, a police officer has been charged in Holland’s death.

A Metropolitan Police officer has been charged over the death of a woman who was hit by a motorcycle escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh through London. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had authorised a charge of causing death by careless driving against 67-year-old Christopher Harrison.

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 6 November.

Helen Holland, 81, suffered serious injuries in the collision in Earl’s Court on 10 May. She died in hospital two weeks later.

In a statement released at the time, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, said her “heartfelt thoughts and prayers” were with Ms Holland and her family. Ms Holland, a mother-of-four who was also a grandmother-of-10 and great grandmother-of-seven, was struck at the junction of West Cromwell Road and Warwick Road. The CPS said the charge against Harrison was authorised following a review of the evidence by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

[From Sky News]

From the descriptions of the road and the circumstances, the accident made no sense unless the police driver made zero attempt to slow down or show caution in a pedestrian-heavy area. So, I can understand why Christopher Harrison is being charged with a crime. I wonder if they did a larger investigation into why Sophie needs that many RPOs and why they believed they needed to speed in the middle of the day, carrying out non-urgent business.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

In the past week, there have been a handful of national-media stories about What Kamala Harris Is Doing Wrong. Or “doing wrong, according to the national media.” I’m not going to pretend that I would like to see the Harris-Walz campaign tweak their strategies here and there in the final month of this neverending election cycle, but I’m also not going to pretend that I don’t see Politico’s agenda and the NY Times’ agenda and WaPo’s agenda. They’re mad that Kamala Harris is running a disciplined and smart campaign. They’re mad that she hasn’t given them any “gotcha moments.” They’re mad that she hasn’t f–ked up. And most of all, they’re mad that she’s not giving them unfettered access so that they can rip her to shreds.

Democratic operatives, including some of Kamala Harris’ own staffers, are growing increasingly concerned about her relatively light campaign schedule, which has her holding fewer events than Donald Trump and avoiding unscripted interactions with voters and the press almost entirely.

In interviews with POLITICO, nearly two dozen Democrats described Harris as running a do-no-harm, risk-averse approach to the race they fear could hamper her as the campaign enters its final 30-day stretch.

With early voting by mail and in person already underway in more than half of the country, Harris spent just three days of the last week of September in battleground states. On Sept. 28, when Trump gave a speech in Wisconsin before flying to Alabama for the Georgia-Alabama football game, Harris was attending a fundraiser in San Francisco. And beyond concerns about her schedule, Democrats argue that Harris would benefit from venues that allow her to introduce herself to voters in a more authentic way, such as town hall events, more sit-down interviews and unscripted exchanges with voters.

“There’s a time at which you just have to barnstorm these battlegrounds,” said David Axelrod, the longtime Democratic operative who helped lead Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and was an early critic of President Joe Biden’s campaigning style. “These races are decathlons, and there are a lot of events, and you have to do all of them because people want to test you. It’s the most difficult oral exam on the planet for the most difficult job, and part of that is just that spontaneous — town halls, all kinds of interviews, and not just friendly interviews. OTRs where you interact in a substantive way with people, all of those things are valuable. And I would be doing them if I were her.”

[From Politico]

“And I would be doing them if I were her.” As in, David Axelrod is mad that VP Harris didn’t hire him. Axelrod is always convinced that female politicians are doing everything wrong – I remember how he sniped at Hillary Clinton from afar in 2016. Anyway, the real point is what Axelrod says here: “town halls, all kinds of interviews, and not just friendly interviews.” Axelrod is carrying water for Politico and the Beltway media because Harris continues to speak to outlets outside the Beltway. Speaking of, VP Harris is going on the Call Her Daddy pod, in an interview which will be released next week:

Vice President Kamala Harris will be a guest on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast next week, a campaign spokesperson confirmed to Axios Friday. Why it matters: The show, hosted by creator Alex Cooper, was Spotify’s second-biggest podcast last year and the most listened to among women.

Harris sat for an interview with Cooper Tuesday, and the episode will air next week. The conversation focuses on reproductive rights and abortion, along with other issues important to women in the upcoming election. Representatives for Cooper did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.

Harris, who has continued to widen her advantage among women voters, has made abortion rights a defining topic of her campaign. Reproductive rights are among the key political issues exacerbating the wedge between male and female voters ahead of the November election, and a winning issue for Democrats in the post-Roe era. Harris’ appearance on “Call Her Daddy” highlights her campaign’s emphasis on appealing to women voters and younger audiences.

[From Axios]

Last week, VP Harris appeared on the All the Smoke pod too. The Call Her Daddy pod is going to be a lot different, and I imagine it will reach so many more people (women) than if Harris did an interview with WaPo or whatever. It’s a presidential candidate meeting people where they are, and in this case, specifically targeting a young female demographic with a winning message about their rights. Whenever I worry about the ghosts of the 2016 election, I remind myself that 2024 is fundamentally different because of Dobbs. This is the first presidential election after women’s reproductive rights were stripped away. In 2016, Hillary Clinton told everyone what could happen and she was widely mocked. Eight years later, people can see for themselves what happened and how awful it is.

PS… Can we PLEASE get an emergency Hot Ones episode with Kamala??? And someone suggested that Tim Walz should go on the New Heights podcast and I keep thinking that sounds like a great idea. Also, I just saw that Kamala will go on Howard Stern’s show next week too.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Bruce Springsteen endorsed Kamala Harris in a new video. [Variety]
Halle Bailey & DDG broke up. Girl, we tried to tell you. [Just Jared]
Timothee Chalamet’s mustache is so bad. [Socialite Life]
Jennifer Aniston & her dog were on Jimmy Kimmel Live. [LaineyGossip]
Dakota Fanning just wants to work! [Pajiba]
Pierre Cardin’s whimsical new collection. [Go Fug Yourself]
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara is coming to Hulu. [OMG Blog]
Zoe Saldana wore Saint Laurent to a premiere. [RCFA]
That ‘90s Show was canceled. [Seriously OMG]
Plathville updates. [Starcasm]
Eminem is going to be a grandfather. [Hollywood Life]
Trying to nail down JD Vance’s sociopath vibe. [Buzzfeed]

Wow, this isn’t just an endorsement of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz by Bruce Springsteen, it’s a sermon, a song, and a love letter to America! pic.twitter.com/6u33rjqo8D

— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) October 4, 2024

There’s a new story from the Royalist column in the Daily Beast. Tom Sykes, the “Royalist,” recently wrote that ridiculous piece in the Times, which was all about how HIS sources insist that the Duchess of Sussex “screamed” at a florist for 30 minutes in 2018. The other part to Sykes’ Times piece was that Prince Harry is apparently desperate to reconcile with the Windsors because the Windsors alone hold the keys to the charitable and philanthropic world. This is the bizarre equation Sykes and other royal reporters keep fiddling with: that while Harry has no interest in “coming back” to the UK, HE is the one who wants to make peace with the Windsors, solely because he will never be taken seriously as an activist and advocate without the left-behinds’ blessing. Nevermind that a still-estranged-from-his-family Harry just spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative, or that he had a busy schedule of meetings and events in New York with his charities and patronages, nevermind that he’s currently in Lesotho and South Africa on business and charity work. Well, Sykes has decided to expound on this bizarre talking point in his new Daily Beast column: “How Charles’ Cancer, and ‘King William,’ Are Rewiring the Royal Family.” Would you believe that this piece is mostly about Harry? Weird.

Charles’s cancer spurred the courtiers to prepare for a “change of reign.” The planning and positioning for the reign of King William V, necessarily and behind the scenes, began—and it will be very hard to put that genie back in the bottle. Charles’ family were told the truth: that it was serious. That, of course, is why Prince Harry flew over from California three days later, and that is why the king agreed to meet him.

Harry needs the left-behinds!! For Harry, the changed potential timeframe for the reign of his father poses particular problems, because for Harry there can be no meaningful rehabilitation, allowing him to maximize his impact as a global social activist, “showing up and doing good,” as he and his team like to say, without a peace deal being hammered out with the institution of his family. And the truth is Harry is much more likely to be able to make a deal with King Charles III than King William V. The change of reign won’t really affect wife Meghan Markle, who seems quite happy being implacably at war with the British royal family.

Harry is tired of being a “bit part” in the Windsors: But speak to sources close to Harry, and it’s quite clear that, his successful monetization of it aside, he is tired of playing a bit part in a narrative of family drama and conflict and would like nothing more than to recover his reputation—and perhaps even become known, in time, as a serious player in the philanthropic world. One royal source told me that some insiders believe Harry went about cashing in on his family’s secrets in the expectation that he would be able to work his way back into the royal fold because of his father’s affection for his “darling boy.” “He thought he might have 20 years with his father as the ultimate authority to mend those broken bridges,” the source said. The source added that if a settlement were made with his father, William would not want to waste time or political capital trying to rewrite it when he became king.

The royalists still believe Harry regrets writing Spare?? When asked if they thought Harry would have written the book he wrote, or have publicly accused members of the family—one of whom was later revealed to be Kate Middleton—of being racist if he suspected Kate might be queen alongside his ‘nemesis,’ King William, a few short years later, the source said, “Exactly the point. I doubt it.”

The dumbass cancer-free video: Executive power and influence is already flowing William’s way. Anyone who doubts that only has to look at the glossy Instagram video William and Kate published last month to announce her recovery from cancer. It wasn’t signed off by the king, and featured not Charles, but Kate’s parents, Mike and Carole. To get away with such cheek showed William and Kate have an instinctive understanding—even though they would never acknowledge it and their office did not dignify The Daily Beast’s enquiries on the matter with a response—of how the power dynamic has shifted since the king’s diagnosis.

Charles’s staff didn’t want him to announce his cancer diagnosis: Intriguingly, The Daily Beast has been told that some of Charles’ advisers, instinctively preferring not to let daylight in on the magic, felt the announcement he had cancer was politically naïve. The inevitably diminished authority of a dying monarch is the reason palaces are usually so obsessively secretive about a monarch’s health.

A fixture of the gossip rags: Harry—whose office did not want to comment to The Daily Beast—does not want to trade the glorious California sunshine and the freedom he, his wife, and kids have for a return to the stultifying goldfish bowl of royal life. Stories saying he is searching for a path back to it are nonsense, reliable sources have told The Daily Beast. But he would like to be a regular part of the philanthropic/social activism space again, rather than being a fixture of the gossip rags.

[From The Daily Beast]

There’s more in the piece about William’s potential reign of terror, not only in regards to Harry, but William’s plans to put Princess Anne out to pasture and make Edward and Sophie take on more work. But the main thrust is not actually “here are the reasons why Harry and Charles should make peace.” These are royal sources – likely close to William – spinning fantasies to Sykes about Harry’s needs and desperation for reconciliation with the Windsors. These are not Sussex sources, this is William’s asinine projection. It’s their new thing which they think they’re holding over Harry’s head: capitulate or you’ll never be a global statesman! “Rather than being a fixture of the gossip rags” is telling as well – that’s an acknowledgement that the Windsors are largely behind the British media’s unhinged obsession with all things Sussex, five years after they left. The Windsors still toss the Sussexes to the media wolves. The wolves are fine with it, because they don’t want to ask themselves: why are “sources close to William” so eerily focused on what Harry is doing and why is William’s jealousy of his brother the only thing motivating William to do anything?

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

I’ve been waiting and hoping that Angelina Jolie would do some magazine covers and major interviews to promote Maria, and here we are. She covers the “Love & Fantasies” issue of CR Fashion Book, and Carine Roitfeld interviewed her. Surprisingly or not, the interview was as much about Atelier Jolie as Maria. Atelier Jolie is Angelina’s fashion collective, housed in Jean-Michel Basquiat’s old studio, using the talents of refugees and global artists and artisans. Most of the clothes Angelina is wearing in the editorial are from Atelier Jolie as well! Some highlights from CR Fashion Book:

On Atelier Jolie: “I wanted to build a collective with artists and designers who inspire me and are creating in a way that challenges overconsumption. Simon Ungless is a beautiful example of this; he has joined us in the atelier to share his craft and designs with our guests and has even printed on some of the pieces I’ve designed while he was teaching. Zolay Sherzad, the founder and creative director of the Afghan brand Zarif, designed and embroidered the jacket seen on the cover [of CR] with her network of Afghan artisans. It’s part of a capsule collection that showcases their beautiful technique, design, and culture. It’s exciting to see what happens when artists collaborate. There’s only one rule for our guests in residence: they cannot only create for themselves. They have to contribute to the community, to trade or teach or entertain.

Getting involved in humanitarian work in her 20s: “My mother was a very globally minded, thoughtful person, who often spoke to me about injustice. When I was in my twenties, I started to travel and realized how much I had not been taught in school or was aware of. I began my education, or reeducation rather, then. I began traveling to areas of conflict and post-conflict. Listening. Learning. My world view is very much shaped by refugee families, and I have so much respect for them. I hate it when I see the media and politicians using these families for their own gain. No one would choose that life.

Whether she watches her old films: “I don’t think often of the past and some of my films I’ve not watched. I love the process more than the outcome at times. The films where I have portrayed real people always mean more because there is greater responsibility. Sometimes when I see a clip of an old film, it’s like seeing a home movie and remembering places and friends.

Whether she has a mantra: “I don’t have a motto, but freedom has always been important to me. For myself and others.

Whether she still feels like a punk: “If punk means not to follow, but to question, then I suppose I do. The resistance to being told how to think, dress or feel is important to me.

A secret passion which makes her geek out: “Foreign policy. I suppose it’s why I direct the films I do. But I also like to be silly and love good standup comedy.

Her most recent tattoos: “I got “Stay Gold” with my daughter Viv during our time with The Outsiders. It means so much to us separately and together. There is also a Bird that I share with some of my children that is personal to us.

Playing Maria Callas: “Pablo expected me to really work very, very hard. And he expected me to sing. I went into classes six or seven months before…he expected me to learn, to really sing, to take Italian classes, to understand and study opera, to immerse completely and do the work, which of course for Maria, there was no other way. But it was much more than that, it was to understand Maria Callas and be able to play the character. The music was her life, her relationship to her voice and her body, her ability to sing, her presence on stage and her communication with the audience, it was her life. It was the key to her as well.

[From CR Fashion Book]

She got “stay gold” tattoos with Vivienne? Her teenagers are getting tattoos?? I wonder about the family bird tattoo – I would imagine a phoenix would be a bit on the nose, so maybe something else? A robin? Dove? Crow? Hm. As for Atelier Jolie, I’m fascinated by all of the cool stuff they’re making and how absolutely none of it is sold online. You have to physically got to the store/atelier in New York to buy something. While I have so much admiration for what she’s doing there, I also want this to make some money so it can become self-supporting. Sell some Atelier Jolie t-shirts! Sell online!

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Cover & IGs courtesy of CR Fashion Book.

In 2022 and 2023 especially, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s communications strategy pissed me off regularly. They couldn’t decide if they should still play by “royal rules” and they missed many opportunities to shut down or clarify certain stories. The worst period of Sussex communications was the summer of 2023: everything during and after the paparazzi swarm in New York; Spotify dropping the Sussexes; the British media’s soap opera storyline about a Sussex divorce. All of that was woefully mismanaged. Thankfully, things have started to look up this year – the Sussexes have been more responsive, they launched sussex.com, they’re doing more brand-building and everything feels more professional and polished. Well, now the Sussexes’ Global Press Secretary is starting her own communications firm, and the Sussexes are her first clients. Oh.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Global Press Secretary and Head of Communications, Ashley Hansen, has unveiled a new venture that will continue to include the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

After working with the royal couple for over two years, Hansen is launching her own Los Angeles-based communications firm, Three Gate Strategies. The firm will specialize in offering bespoke communications services and brand management for a select group of distinguished organizations and individuals, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Hansen will continue to represent and advise the couple as part of her new firm while providing strategic oversight to their international communications team.

“I am incredibly grateful to The Duke and Duchess for their continued trust in me. Their unwavering support and belief in my new firm has been meaningful and is a testament to their leadership. I knew when they first hired me that they were giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and I couldn’t be happier to continue working together,” Hansen said in a statement.

Beyond her work with the Sussexes, Three Gate Strategies will also handle communications for Meghan’s new business ventures and creative projects, including her upcoming Netflix show and lifestyle brand.

“We are so proud of Ashley, especially as a female entrepreneur. We look forward to having her focused expertise on our business and creative projects and her continued oversight of our communications team. My husband and I are excited to be alongside Ashley as she builds something extraordinarily special with her firm,” the Duchess of Sussex said in a statement on behalf of the couple.

The firm’s client roster now extends across industries, including entertainment, technology and finance. Meghan and Harry fully support the new venture, which originated after other clients approached Hansen seeking the same high-quality counsel that has been provided to the Sussexes. The Duchess of Sussex has been a vocal supporter of female-led enterprises, and this new firm joins the portfolio of women-led businesses she has championed since relocating to the U.S. in 2020.

This new chapter comes after significant growth within the Sussexes’ communications team earlier this year, with the appointments of Kyle Boulia and Charlie Gipson, senior-level communications executives based in Los Angeles and London, respectively. The team also includes longtime executives Miranda Barbot and Deesha Tank, who have been instrumental in managing the couple’s projects since 2022.

[From People]

“…Which originated after other clients approached Hansen seeking the same high-quality counsel that has been provided to the Sussexes….” *looks into camera* I mean… I’ll be generous and say that we don’t actually know which strategies Ashley Hansen has suggested, only to see Meghan and Harry reject the strategies for various reasons. It’s possible that the Sussexes’ comms strategy could have been a lot better if they were taking Hansen’s advice instead of going with their gut instinct “ignore it and maybe it will go away.” Or that old chestnut of “never complain, never explain.” As for what this means for the Sussexes… it’s not some big change. Hansen will still be focused on the Sussexes and Archewell, but now she’ll do it as the head of her own firm.

PS… You know how this will be reported over there, right? “The Sussexes have lost another staffer!” “Duchess Difficult drove her press secretary out of a job!”

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Garth Brooks has been married to Trisha Yearwood almost 19 years. This is Garth’s second marriage, and he’s father to three daughters with his first wife. Garth has been quieter in recent years, although he did perform at President Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Well, Garth is now facing accusations of rape and battery by his former hairstylist and makeup artist. Garth has already released a statement, which is folded into CNN’s reporting:

Country music star Garth Brooks has been accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit from a “Jane Roe” who says she worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist for the award-winning singer. The complaint, filed in a state court in California on Thursday and obtained by CNN, states the alleged incidents occurred in 2019. She claims she was once raped by Brooks during a work trip.

In a statement to CNN later on Thursday, Brooks said, “For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars. Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of — ugly acts no human should ever do to another,” he added. “We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.”

Prior to Roe’s filing and as first reported by CNN, an anonymous celebrity plaintiff – now disclosed to be Brooks – had tried to block Roe from publicly repeating her allegations and fiercely denied the claims, according to a previous complaint he had filed as a “John Doe.”

Roe began handling hair and makeup services for Brooks in 2017, according to her suit, which states that she was first hired to do hair and makeup for his wife, Trisha Yearwood, in 1999. In addition to sexual assault and battery, the suit accuses Brooks of repeatedly exposing his genitals and buttocks; talking about sex and sharing sexual fantasies with Roe; regularly changing his clothing in front of Roe; and sending sexually explicit text messages.

In her filing, Roe claims that during one alleged incident in 2019, when she was at Brooks’ home for work, he walked out of the shower naked, “grabbed her hands and forced them” onto his genitals, while speaking to her with sexually explicit and vulgar language.

In another alleged incident in May 2019, the suit alleges that Brooks raped Roe in a hotel room during a work trip to Los Angeles where Brooks was taping a Grammy tribute performance.

[From CNN]

I truly hope that Garth is being falsely accused, but I don’t know. I really don’t. Believe women, and let’s hear the accusations in full and hopefully the lawyers and the court will figure out what’s really going on. Like… my gut says that Garth is absolutely capable of cheating and even saying inappropriate sh-t, which would constitute harassment. But rape and assault? I don’t know.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.