The second season of Yellowjackets is approaching. It’s set to premiere March 26th. Melanie Lynskey got a full interview in the New York Times to promote it. Unfortunately, the interviewer seemingly spent more time researching adjectives for their piece than they did coming up with interesting questions for Melanie. It’s a decent primer to Melanie if you know absolutely nothing about her as it rehashes her career and the choices she made and how she sought more complex roles. And, of course, Melanie was asked about her weight and how that affects her as an actress and her characters. She gave a great response to question, though. Melanie said that if more people who looked like her were represented on film, she wouldn’t have to keep talking about it.

“I am a quiet person,” the actress Melanie Lynskey said. “I’m a shy person. I’m not a person with a big resonant voice or a big presence.”

Lynskey, 45, born on the west coast of New Zealand, entered the industry early and somewhat by chance. She had always loved acting, which offered her a reprieve from what she described as an acute self-consciousness. But she had only ever done plays at school or church when a casting director for Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures,” a 1994 film inspired by a lurid murder case, came to her high school.

Lynskey, who was 15 at the time, was cast opposite Kate Winslet, as a teenager who conspires to murder her own mother. She is thrilling in the role, with a scowl that burns through the celluloid and a dark, mordant energy. That predilection for women with turbulent inner lives, women who strain against social norms — it was there from the start.

For a long time, though, Hollywood ignored it. After finishing high school and trying college in New Zealand, Lynskey moved first to London and then, in 2000, to Los Angeles, where she spent a decade playing anodyne supporting roles in mainstream films (“Sweet Home Alabama,” “Coyote Ugly”) and the occasional indie (“Shattered Glass”). Casting agents and her own representation saw her as the sister, the stepsister, the friend and, rather more vividly, as Charlie Sheen’s erotomaniac neighbor in “Two and a Half Men.”

She was slender in those years, though not perhaps as slender as the industry prefers: The scripts she received were typically for “the fat friend or the jokey kind of fat person,” she recalled. “There was one thing I read where the person had a candy bar in every scene.”

Lynskey’s performances have been scrutinized on social media largely (and irrelevantly) because of her size, which remains smaller than that of the average American woman though greater than the Hollywood norm. Lynskey has complicated feelings about this.

“I very much want to be onscreen representing an interesting person who’s not paying attention to what her tummy looks like,” she said. But she is troubled by the misogyny, the callousness. And though she has an elegant way with a clapback, she wishes that her perfectly ordinary body wasn’t so unusual for prestige television.

“If there were more people who look like me, then I wouldn’t have to talk about it as much,” she said.

[From New York Times]

Melanie’s mission has been to appear on screen as a sexual being without having her character focused on their weight. That ties into her point here. For characters who place larger than a size 2-4, mainly women, generally at least a portion of the dialogue is spent discussing their weight in some way. Maybe a joke at their own expense or a wink to the audience, but they’re rarely allowed to exist unbothered. Melanie’s right, if they simply put a wider variety of faces and figures on screens, everyone would become accustomed to seeing it. It would start looking like the word around them – how novel.

I didn’t love season one of Yellowjackets – I liked it – but I did love the cast. However, the last episode hooked me, so I am looking forward to season two. I’m looking forward to the new characters too.

Jeffrey Mayer, Xavier Collin and JPI Studios/Avalon and Cover Images

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Keira Knightley fell victim to the dreaded puffy-sleeve trend at the New York premiere of Boston Strangler. [GFY]
I feel bad for Pedro Pescal, he’s getting pap’d all the time now. Everyone wants to see him, everyone wants to take his picture! [JustJared]
Law Roach’s best looks as a stylist to the stars. [Jezebel]
I agree, it’s more likely Tom Cruise wanted to avoid the “jokes” at his expense, and that’s why he didn’t go to the Oscars. [LaineyGossip]
Eric Andre has some thoughts on Chet Hanks. [Dlisted]
I haven’t watched Ted Lasso yet, no spoilers or recaps for me! [Pajiba]
That hot editor who won an Oscar? He’s aware of his privilege. [Buzzfeed]
Elton John is planning a massive holiday now that his tour is done. [Towleroad]
Gisele Bundchen has had some cosmetic work recently, right? [Egotastic]
I love that everyone is calling out Gwyneth Paltrow. [Starcasm]

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Did you know that it’s been over fourteen months since we’ve devoted a post to Miley Cyrus? It’s true, I checked. The last time we even talked about her was back in January 2022, when Kim Kardashian unfollowed Miley after Miley flirted with Pete Davidson (who was then dating Kim). While Miley has been active and seen a lot in the past year, it’s also felt like she’s been relatively quiet (for her). Then she released her latest album, Endless Summer Vacation, this month as the first single, “Flowers,” dominated the charts. And still, while the song has been everywhere, Miley hasn’t. It’s been interesting. Is this “growth” perhaps? Has Miley matured? Well, there’s a new piece in People Magazine and it actually sounds like she’s still hung up on explaining what happened during her marriage and divorce to Liam Hemsworth. Their divorce was finalized in January 2020!

Miley Cyrus is 30 years old & thriving: The star is thriving after having had ample time to heal and reflect in the aftermath of her painful divorce from Liam Hemsworth. “She’s the healthiest and happiest she’s been in a long time,” a Cyrus source says. “Everyone was blaming her for the divorce and calling her this wild child, but that wasn’t fair. Their relationship and marriage was toxic, and she was heartbroken.”

Her side of the divorce story: Though Cyrus released the glam rock album Plastic Hearts in November 2020, the source says that she finally feels ready to “tell her side of the story” after having “had time to process and heal” from the split. Though Hemsworth is not directly referenced on the album, fans have speculated that some lyrics — like the ex in “Muddy Feet” who smells like “perfume that I didn’t purchase” — are about the Hunger Games actor.

She’s not blaming Liam: “She’s not trying to bash Liam, but she feels like she has every right to own the narrative after everyone was picking her apart after the breakup,” the insider says.

Miley is moving on too: Hemsworth has been dating Australian model Gabriella Brooks, 26, since December 2019, while Cyrus moved on with drummer Maxx Morando, 24, in late 2021. A second source tells PEOPLE that Morando — who produced two songs on Endless Summer Vacation — is a “cool guy” whose drama-free personality Cyrus finds refreshing. “He has no interest in being a huge celebrity; he’s very low-key. Miley loves these qualities,” the insider says. “Miley can be herself. They are supportive of each other’s careers. Miley is enjoying life and things are great.”

[From People]

I mean… four years after Miley and Liam split and she’s still devoting whole-ass albums to “her side,” really? There’s no time limit on healing, but this sounds more like Miley is trying to rewrite her own (toxic) narrative, where she split with Liam at the same time she launched a full-blown affair with Kaitlynn Carter. Again – I’ve gotten in trouble for this before, so I’ll repeat myself – I have no doubt that Liam cheated or whatever. I just think Miley was just as toxic, dysfunctional, unfaithful and immature as Liam when they were together. I also think Miley sounds like she’s still hung up on Liam!

“Flowers” is a very good song!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

While I’m so proud of Ke Huy Quan and his Oscar win, his journey is so bittersweet. The anti-Asian racism within the film industry, the lack of roles for a talented Vietnamese immigrant, his decades of struggle to find work within the industry he loves. Ke covers the post-Oscars issue of Variety and while they take pains to say that Quan has several projects already in post-production, he also talks about how there’s nothing on his plate right now after winning an Oscar. It reminds me slightly of Lupita Nyong’o post-Oscar career, at least in the first few years: will Hollywood figure out what to do with a talented Oscar winner who isn’t white? Some highlights from Quan’s Variety cover story:

Talking to Steven Spielberg: During a commercial break in the Academy Awards telecast, Quan, 51, went over to where Spielberg was sitting with his wife, actress Kate Capshaw, whom Quan hadn’t seen since they co-starred in “Temple of Doom” four decades earlier. After hugs all around, Spielberg put his hands on Quan’s shoulders and said, “You are now an Oscar-winning actor.”

30 years of little to no work: For 30 years, Quan suffered through countless failed auditions. He later attended USC film school and took odd jobs working as the fight choreographer on “X-Men” and developing projects for director Wong Kar Wai at his production company, Jet Tone Films. That’s where he met his wife, Echo, whom he regards as the unsung hero of his recent success. Every month for the past 20 years, Echo has told her husband, “Trust me, your time will come.” “At times, I was frustrated with her,” Quan says, tearing up as he remembers their conversations. “I told her, ‘You keep saying that, and it’s never going to happen.’ I didn’t believe it. Twenty years isn’t a short time.”

A refugee in America: “I was just a normal kid in Vietnam in 1978, and all of a sudden my parents decided to flee the country. I didn’t understand what was happening. All I knew was I was separated from my mom, from my little brother and a couple of my sisters. It was in the middle of the night when my dad, five of my siblings and I escaped in a boat. We got to Hong Kong, and I was in a refugee camp surrounded by guards and police officers for an entire year until we were granted political asylum. Then I got on a plane and landed for the first time in Los Angeles. This was in 1979. I didn’t have the maturity to process the sacrifices that my parents made so that we could have a better future.”

The future in terms of Asian representation: “Forget about 30, 40 years ago — even 10 years ago. Look where we are now: The landscape looks so different. We have a seat at the table. Our voices are being heard. Our faces are being seen, and it feels amazing.

Harrison For presenting Best Picture: “When he opened that envelope and read the title, it made our win for best picture even more special. And when I ran up onstage, I pointed at him and he pointed back at me and I gave him a hug. I just couldn’t help myself. I just want to shower this man with all my love. I gave Harrison Ford a big kiss on the cheek.

Whether he hoped Short Round would come back for The Last Crusade: “I was secretly hoping. But honestly, Steven has given me so much — not one movie, but two movies. And they were the first ones to put an Asian face in a big Hollywood movie.

Struggling to find roles for 30 years: “I was taught never to blame anybody. If something doesn’t go the way you want, it’s either because you didn’t work hard enough, you weren’t good enough or you didn’t try hard enough. So when I couldn’t get a job, I blamed myself: I thought I wasn’t tall enough, I wasn’t good-looking enough, or I wasn’t a good enough actor because I wasn’t classically trained. I never blamed anybody — even to this day. We talk about Asian representation, but I don’t like to look at the past and say, “Oh, my God, how bad it was!” I’d rather focus on the present and moving forward. A lot has changed.

His worries about what comes next: “I had a conversation with my agent. I’m so worried that this is only a one-time thing… I attended an event recently and sat next to Cate Blanchett. I told her that I don’t know what I’m going to do next, but I feel I have a responsibility to do something good, and that I don’t want to disappoint all the people that have supported me. And she said, “Just go with your heart and be irresponsible: Don’t worry about what other people think. Choose something that you believe in, choose something that you love, and things will work out.”

[From Variety]

The part where he talks about blaming himself for not booking roles… that might have actually broken me. Like, how much weight he was carrying on his own shoulders, how he never said to himself “this industry is just fundamentally racist.” It’s sad. In case you’re wondering about his completed projects, he’s in the second season of Loki, he’s in the series American Born Chinese and he’s filmed the sci-fi movie The Electric State. But yeah, people need to write roles for him or cast him in interesting projects. The fact that he’s in a Marvel series is interesting to me – if he gets in with Disney/Marvel, he could have work coming in for the next decade.

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Cover & IGs courtesy of Variety.

The heiress to the Spanish throne is Crown Princess Leonor, a 17 year old. She is dutifully preparing for her future role – so far, she’s been mainly educated in Spain, but she’s currently in a program at Atlantic College in Wales, which she will complete this summer. Instead of going straight to university or perhaps taking a gap year to be a normal teenager, Leonor has announced her plans to begin her three-year mandatory military training. That’s certainly a choice.

Crown Princess Leonor of Spain is getting ready to report for military duty. The Royal Household of Spain announced in a press release this week that Leonor, 17, will begin three years of military training later this year to prepare for her future role as the country’s head of state. Leonor, who is also known as Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias, is the oldest of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia’s two daughters. As first in the line to the Bourbon throne, she will become supreme commander of Spain’s armed forces when her father steps down from his position or dies.

The royal’s training will begin in August after she finishes studying at the UWC Atlantic College in Wales, where she is studying for an International Baccalaureate alongside Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, 17.

Princess Leonor will take part in her first year of training at the Army Military Academy in Zaragoza, before moving on to a naval school, and then finishing her studies at the General Air Academy in Santiago de la Ribera, 280 miles southeast of Madrid.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles spoke about Princess Leonor’s upcoming military service.

“In the Cabinet Meeting today, we have approved a royal decree whose aim is to give structure to the military training and career of [Princess Leonor],” Robles said, per CNN. “It shows that we will have, when the time comes, a supreme commander who is a woman. And in recent years, we’ve made a big effort to incorporate women into the armed forces.”

Noting that an heir “has to have a military background and a military career” throughout “all parliamentary monarchies,” Robles added, “It’s an essential step in the life of Her Royal Highness … toward the leadership of our country.”

[From People]

I get that they want the future queen to have some military background, but is it a rule to do three years of training before university? I wonder. In the British royal system, the habit is more towards university education first, then Sandhurst. That’s what Charles did, that’s what William did. Will Leonor go to university after her military training? Will she have to sleep in the barracks? This poor kid. I mean, she seems bright and capable, but three years is a long time to be in military training.

Look at her trousers, blazer and flats! These are photos from December, when she did an event with the Red Cross.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

In February, there were several (hilarious) stories about all of the angst and big feelings within the British aristocracy, all over the invitation list for King Charles’s coronation. The Duke of Norfolk is in charge of the guest list, obviously in consultation with Charles and the Chubbly committee. Well, the Earl of Rootentooter and Viscount Finger Bowl are quite worried that at the end of the day, they’re not going to be invited to the coronation. The posh people are unsettled, so much so that they might have to summon their quill and parchment to formally complain. Of course, Richard Eden (aka Maureen) has to frame this growing aristo angst by talking about… the Sussexes.

There’s no doubt about it: Coronation fever is in the air. No, not at a certain ‘Spanish Revival-style’, £11 million mansion in Montecito, California, which, by some accounts, boasts nine bedrooms and 19 bathrooms — and at which, according to their spokesman, an email recently arrived from Buckingham Palace, advising Harry and Meghan to ‘save the date’ for Saturday, May 6.

I refer, instead, to the tension brewing up in lesser dwellings — a stately home or two, as well as mere manor houses — which lack the gym, bar, five-car garage and other amenities of Harry and Meghan’s residence. These houses — some of them in need of almost continuous repair — are the homes of those who are, or have long considered themselves to be, good friends of King Charles and Camilla, but from whom the precious email has, so far, been withheld.

‘Some of them are furious, especially those who have made rather a lot about their royal friendships over the years,’ an amused grandee tells me. ‘They’re finding the wait excruciating. And, for some, it’s going to end in humiliation.’ Indeed it is. No fewer than 5,000 were crammed — almost crow-barred — into Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation in 1953.

‘Scaffolding was specially installed, so that you had row after row more or less sitting on top of each other,’ reflects a historian of the Abbey’s state occasions. ‘But that sort of Heath Robinson arrangement simply isn’t possible today because of health and safety.’

In consequence, no more than 2,000 will be able to attend this time. Aware of this, some, I’m told, have resorted to trying to emphasise their links to charities which are likely to be favoured with a handful of invitations. Camilla is, after all, patron of over 100 such bodies, ranging from Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie to the National Literacy Trust.

But such ploys, of course, offer no guarantee of an invitation, which will be sent by post only after prospective guests have received — and acknowledged — the prized, preliminary email. I’m told by a royal source that the emails are being sent in batches — periodically. ‘It’s a practical arrangement,’ I’m assured.

[From The Daily Mail]

So it’s not just that the aristos are mad that they haven’t gotten their invitations, it’s that Meghan and Harry confirmed that they received their email and the Duke of Bugf-ckshire hasn’t. Someone made the point that if Charles wasn’t so hellbent on showing off and inviting foreign monarchs and Camilla’s extended family, he would actually prioritize the aristocrats because they could do some real damage to him. I don’t know, though – Charles is getting it from every angle at this point. His younger son (hopefully) won’t even show up. The anti-monarchy protests keep getting bigger. The Chubbly keeps getting more expensive. Would you prioritize these terrible people?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

One of the dumbest things Quentin Tarantino ever did was set a limit to the number of films he would make. People change, circumstances change and storytellers want to tell stories. For years, QT has said that he only wants to make ten films (as a director) and then he’ll retire and do other things. While I understand why he would tell himself that, I don’t get why he continues to put that entirely arbitrary limit on himself publicly. In any case, he has announced his tenth and “final” film: The Movie Critic. It’s rumored to be another period piece, likely about the infamous critic Pauline Kael (or a character a lot like Kael).

Quentin Tarantino is back for the last time. The filmmaker behind some of the most indelible movies of the past three decades, Pulp Fiction and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood among them, is putting together what sources say is being billed as his final movie.

The Movie Critic is the name of the script that Tarantino wrote and is prepping to direct this fall, according to sources.

Logline details are being kept in a suitcase, but sources describe the story as being set in late 1970s Los Angeles with a female lead at its center.

It is possible the story focuses on Pauline Kael, one of the most influential movie critics of all time. Kael, who died in 2001, was not just a critic but also an essayist and novelist. She was known for her pugnacious fights with editors as well as filmmakers. In the late 1970s, Kael had a very brief tenure working as a consultant for Paramount, a position she accepted at the behest of actor Warren Beatty. The timing of that Paramount job seems to coincide with the setting of the script — and the filmmaker is known to have a deep respect for Kael, making the odds of her being the subject of the film more likely.

The project does not have a studio home; it could go out to studios or buyers as early as this week, according to sources. One frontrunner could be Sony, where Tarantino has a tight relationship with topper Tom Rothman. Sony distributed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the filmmaker’s 2019 opus on 1960s moviemaking, and also gave him a unique deal in which the copyright reverts to him over time. Hollywood also won two Oscars after nabbing 10 nominations and grossed over $377 million worldwide.

[From THR]

The rumor going around is that Tarantino has cast Jessica Chastain in the lead, although that doesn’t seem to be confirmed by any of the trade papers? If this is set in the 1970s and it’s about the film industry and movie critics… well, there’s a potential for an exciting ensemble. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ensemble on Once Upon a Time – it seemed a bit janky and hodge-podge, especially with the way Tarantino cast the Manson family, and I still shudder at Tarantino casting Damian Lewis for a cameo as Steve McQueen. How utterly random. Anyway, it will be interesting to see if The Movie Critic does end up being Tarantino’s final film.

people keep saying Tarantino won’t really retire and maybe he won’t, but dude’s been almost comically stone-cold serious about retiring at 60 for almost 15 years pic.twitter.com/BChgWEMmCD

— Brendan Hodges (@metaplexmovies) March 15, 2023

QUENTIN TARANTINO’S final movie is rumoured to be based on movie critic PAULINE KAEL.

Here she is speaking to DICK CAVETT in 1971 about the state of the movie industry.

Who do you think would be a good fit to play her? pic.twitter.com/ifj4bi3Elt

— James Leighton (@JamesL1927) March 15, 2023

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Oprah Winfrey was a guest on Wednesday’s episode of CBS This Morning, where her BFF Gayle King interviewed her about her latest book club pick, how Donald Trump can’t keep her name out of his mouth, and many other subjects. Gayle took a moment to ask Oprah about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and whether Oprah thinks the Sussexes should go to the coronation:

Oprah says that Prince Harry and Meghan “should do what they feel is best for them and for their family” when deciding whether to attend King Charles’ coronation. https://t.co/GAGXph1ern pic.twitter.com/nCV3vEbq73

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 15, 2023

Oprah says: “I think they should do what they feel is best for them and their family. That’s what I think. That’s what the bottom line comes down to. What do you feel like is the right thing for you? They haven’t asked me my opinion.” I love that Gayle asked and Oprah answered! I do wonder what the conversations are like behind the scenes, just as I wonder if Harry has decided to go no matter what, simply because it is his father’s coronation and he feels it’s his duty.

Anyway, I wanted to bring up the fact that a network anchorwoman asked billionaire Oprah Winfrey about the Sussexes because the British media is still trying to make “the Sussexes are so unpopular in America” happen. The Daily Mirror even has a piece today about “six concerning signs that Harry and Meghan have damaged their reputation with Americans.” The British media doesn’t understand American culture, American celebrity or how we view British royalty whatsoever. The Mirror honestly claims that Americans have such strong feelings for QEII that we are completely rejecting the Sussexes. LMAO. Meanwhile, the Americans who actually follow royal gossip are like “Oprah needs to call Harry and Meghan and tell them to stay the f–k away from Salt Island forever!”

Photos courtesy of CBS, and CBS/Harpo.

From CB: I got the Elf Halo Glow Liquid Filter and it’s so nice! Before that I was using Maybelline Instant Age Rewinder 4-in-1 Glow Makeup as an alternative to full foundation, which is also quite good, but not as amazing as this. Elf Halo Glow can be used alone or under foundation and it just makes your skin look glowy without being sparkly like other products I’ve used. I used it all over my face and am surprised at how well it works – it really lives up to the hype and makes my skin look fabulous. Here are some more things Hecate and I are looking at on Amazon.

An affordable stick vacuum that’s as powerful as more expensive brands

From CB: My German Shepherd sheds so much and I would love to own a Dyson, but the stick vacuum model I was looking at was astronomically priced at $750! I did some research and ordered this stick vacuum from trusted brand Shark for just $159. This is a corded vacuum that comes with multiple attachments for picking up pet hair. It has over 9,200 ratings, 4.6 stars and a B on Fakespot. Reviewers say it has excellent suction, makes vacuuming easier and has easy to swap attachments. “We love this vacuum. Works great on solid surface floor and short-pile carpet.” “This lightweight vacuum does great on my carpet, rugs and hardwood floors. Perfect for picking up all that holiday glitter and tree or decor fallings around the house. No more having to use my hand or other tools to empty the carpet/dirt debris around either the filter or motor. The XL cup is separate and very easy to detach and empty.”

A meat thermometer that’s so popular it consistently sells out

My meat thermometer from 2017 stopped working so I bought a new one. I got this Kizen thermometer that we featured back in October. It comes with batteries and it has a magnet so I stick it right on the fridge! It’s easy to use, seems accurate and is on sale for 20% off. I wanted to feature it earlier but every time I check it’s sold out. This has over 70,000 ratings, 4.7 stars and the same score on ReviewMeta. Most reviewers like it as much as I do. “Thermometer works great, is simple to use, and is accurate. It can be used for anything you are cooking or baking, from -58° to 572° F.” “We had needed to replace our old meat thermometer and this one showed high ratings. So we have it a try and so far very pleased! The most shocking was it came with a backup battery, which is truly worth it right there!”

A hotel room door lock for peace of mind while traveling and at home

We were talking about this hotel room door lock in our Celebitchy Zoom this week and two of us have them. (We’ve featured this product before but I thought it was worth mentioning again.) One of my friends said hotel staff opened her door without knocking and that’s why she got this. This lock protects against hotel staff and thieves breaking in. Many people use them on their apartments to avoid maintenance people coming in unannounced. It has almost 15,000 ratings, 4.4 stars and a B on Fakespot. People say it really works. “Today early this morning I was getting out of the shower and guess what? A key turned in my lock but the door would not budge. I ran to my peep hole and I could see it was the same guy from the carpet service. I told him to back up before I use my weapon and he claimed ‘He just stopped by to apologize again.’ I’m in the process now of reporting this to the police.” “This thing actually works, and works far better than my expectations. I’m a large person (6’4, 400lbs.) and I tried to push the door in from the outside while my wife placed this inside. Not only could I not open the door, it didn’t even budge.”

Portable soap works better than hand sanitizer

How many times have you been in a public restroom that doesn’t have soap? I’m frequently out and have to use hand sanitizer instead of washing my hands as there’s water but no soap available. These travel soap dispensers come with 200 strips of soap film and can be stored in a purse or backpack. They’re so affordable at only $8 for four little cases. They have almost 5,000 ratings, 4.5 stars and the same score on ReviewMeta. People say they’re super convenient. “They fit in your pocket and they lather up really well. Very handy if you are somewhere that doesn’t have soap. Highly recommend!” “The soap sheets worked perfectly. I think I handed out about 10 of them to strangers who were at the sink at the same time that I was. They were so thankful and thought they were the coolest thing.”

A silicone pot handle cover to avoid kitchen accidents

From Hecate: I’ve often gone to turn a pot on the stove only to burn my hand because it was roasting hot. That’s why I need one of these pot holders to save me from my own stupidity. It’s safe to use up to 475° and has an anti-slip grip. Just don’t use it over an open flame. But it’s a good grade silicon, so it should last you a while. It comes in red, black or blue and only costs $6. It has over 33,000 reviews and 4.4 stars on ReviewMeta. People say they are easy to use and effective, ”It is easy to clean and easy to use. I have yet to end up with blistered knuckles or palm since I started using the handle to move the pans around so that is a win in my book” And they love their efficiency, “I love my cast iron skillet, and hate burning my hand on the handle. Regular potholders are unwieldy and ineffective. Oven mitts are worse. These keep my hands unflustered and well cushioned.” Most reviewers talk about using them with cast iron pans, which I get. But these would protect the coating on other handles as well.

Anti-frizz spray for silky smooth hair

From Hecate: Color Wow dream coat spray is all natural and sulfate, gluten and paraben free. It promises to take a frizzy, wild mane and tame into Instagram worthy locks. And by the customer reviews, if you follow the instructions, it does just that. The only catch is the product is heat activated so you need to use some form of dryer or iron for full effect. But once styled, it lasts for up to three days. The spray has almost 54,500 reviews with 4.3 stars that ReviewMeta confirmed. It is $27, but it’s a professional product and it lasts a while. People love it, “I am obsessed! I have tried a LOT of hair care products over the years. Some leave my hair greasy, some sticky, some just don’t work. On and on….this product? PERFECT! My hair is so silky and soft and static free yet not at all greasy and not at all sticky.” And even better news, the spray has no scent, “I love that it leaves no scent behind. My husband in particular struggles with any strong smell.”

Cool pastel highlighters make studying a little easier

From Hecate: I have so many highlighters it should be embarrassing, if I had any shame. And while I have them in some cool jewel tones, I don’t have any pastels, like these Alohaster highlighters. And now, even with a full highlighter drawer, I’m thinking I need one, possibly both sets. They’re only $11 for a set of six. And since they are on sale for $8 this week, maybe I *can* get both. Not only are the colors cool, they have the chiseled tips, which make highlighting neater. I guess I’m already sold, aren’t I? They have over 8,000 reviews with 4.7 stars from ReviewMeta, so I’m not alone. They don’t cover up like darker highlighters, “They are light and don’t cover up the letters, do not bleed through Bible pages and the colors are perfectly aesthetic and not obnoxious.” I realize you may not be highlighting bibles, but that rice paper is tough to highlight, so it’s good to note that these work on it. This person even used them on older material, “I can use the tan and brown on browned old mass market paperbacks and have a hierarchical difference between my highlights, which is really nice, because I tend to highlight A LOT of my books.”

Thanks Lisa for the tips! As an Amazon Affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Brian Cox is a socialist, a republican, a Scottish independence proponent, activist and an actor. In interviews, he’s never shied away from sharing his political opinions or his opinions on how the British monarchy should end. He thinks Scotland should be independent and that the Windsors should be put on an ice floe and set adrift in the Atlantic. I’m surprised he even has opinions about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the two people who left the sh-tshow and are now making their own money and paying taxes. But here we are. Cox was recently interviewed in Haute Living New York to promote Succession, and he had some sh-t to say about the Sussexes.

Actor Brian Cox claims Meghan Markle ‘knew what she was getting into’ when she married into the Royal Family as he repeats his call for the monarchy to be abolished. The Succession star, 76, criticised the Duchess for entering the family with an expectation that she and Prince Harry could ‘cut themselves off’ from the established ‘system’.

Mr Cox, speaking with Haute Living New York, accused Meghan of having ‘ambitions’ to join the family and alleged she may have had childhood dreams of marrying Prince Charming. Furthermore, the actor, who has previously pushed for abolition of the monarchy, reiterated that the traditional entity is ‘not viable’ and ‘doesn’t make any sense’.

Mr Cox, addressing the ongoing controversies surrounding Megxit, claimed that while people think there’s an ‘innocence’ about the Sussexes, he believes Meghan was fully aware that she was inserting herself into a longstanding system.

‘You can’t go into a system where somebody’s already been trained to behave in a certain kind of way and then just expect them to cut themselves off,’ he told the outlet. ‘I mean, she knew what she was getting into.’

The Emmy-award winner also claimed that Meghan ‘clearly’ had an ‘ambition’ when she married Harry.

‘The childhood dreams of marrying Prince Charming and all that s**t we see as fantasy that could be our lives in our dreams,’ he argued, calling himself a ‘Cinderella person.’

Despite him criticising Meghan for seeming disrupting the royal system, Mr Cox added: ‘In my opinion, we shouldn’t have a monarchy. It’s not viable; it doesn’t make any sense.’

He said that although royalists would say the system is a ‘tradition,’ his thoughts are ‘f**k it, move on.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I’ve been looking for the full interview but it doesn’t look like it’s been released online quite yet. My guess is that Haute Living sent out some excerpted quotes and the Mail cherry-picked the “worst” ones for the Sussexes. For what it’s worth, I bet in the full context, Cox is being much more critical of the monarchy than the Sussexes. Just a few months ago, he indicated that he believed that the Windsors treated Harry and Meghan poorly and “something clearly traumatic went on for the pair of them.I don’t think they made it up, I don’t think it’s false. I think it’s true and should’ve been rectified, and it hasn’t.” Now, can he say that and also suggest that Meghan had a princess fantasy? Sure. Because I think it’s true – Meghan did have a princess fantasy, or more like “wow, I can use the royal platform to do amazing work like Harry’s mother.” And then it all came crashing down.

Cover courtesy of Haute Living, additional photos courtesy of Avalon Red.