Prolific filmmaker, visionary, meditation guru and amateur meterologist David Lynch has passed away at 78. He leaves behind some of the most original, bizarre and entertaining films of the last century. Lynch?s cause of death has not been disclosed although he recently announced that he had emphysema.

David Lynch, an influential director known for his unique and surrealistic films and TV shows including ?Blue Velvet? and ?Twin Peaks,? has died. He was 78.

His death was confirmed via his official Facebook page, where his family wrote:

?It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There?s a big hole in the world now that he?s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ?Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.??

?It?s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.?

CNN has reached out to Lynch?s foundation for further comment. A cause of death has not been disclosed.

Lynch?s almost-50-year cinematic career was distinguished by a series of distinctive, highly stylized films that often feature surreal situations, fragmented timelines, and supernatural elements. He was awarded the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 2006 and an honorary Oscar in 2019 for ?a lifetime of artistic accomplishment.? He was also a four-time Oscar nominee in competitive categories, including three times for best director for 1980?s ?Elephant Man,? 1986?s ?Blue Velvet? and ?Mulholland Drive? from 2001.

In 2024, Lynch announced that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after many years of smoking, and that he was largely ?housebound? due to the risks of contracting Covid-19. After sharing the news, Lynch assured his supporters that he planned to keep working, writing that despite his diagnosis, ?I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire.?

[From CNN]

Lynch?s death hits me for so many reasons. His films were a big part of my Gen X goth teen years. So many of his twisted and beautiful scenes live rent free in my head. I still think about the car crash in Wild at Heart where Sherilyn Fenn?s character picks at her broken skull. The scene in Blue Velvet where Dean Stockwell sings Roy Orbison in Dennis Hopper?s drug den is one of the most iconic in film history. Lynch helped establish the careers of incredible actors like Isabella Rosselini, Naomi Watts and Kyle MacLachlan. What?s more is that he helped popularize transcendental meditation, which has helped so many people, me included. Plus he was an outspoken curmudgeon who always spoke his mind.

Tributes are coming in from so many people who worked with him and were influenced by his work, including actors, directors, film organizations and crew. It was a priviledge and a joy to witness his weird dark genius and he will be missed.

This was Lynch?s last on screen role, as director John Ford in Spielberg?s The Fabelmans.

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Like many people, I thought it was odd that Justin Baldoni?s legal team had not countersued Blake Lively and her PR team in the New Year. Blake?s legal and PR strategy was very effective ? she filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department on the Friday before Christmas, and her team organized a New York Times exclusive which was published the weekend before Christmas. Baldoni and his people were doing a lot of talking post-Christmas, and Baldoni?s team managed to file a lawsuit against the New York Times on New Year?s Eve. I wondered what the hold-up was on countersuing Blake, but then Variety mentioned (in a piece about Baldoni this week) that Baldoni?s lawyer Bryan Freeman lost his house in the Southern California wildfires. Which explains the delay. In any case, Justin Baldoni is now suing Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane. It sounds like a monster lawsuit too.

Justin Baldoni is now suing Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane?s PR firm Vision PR, Inc. over the heated situation behind the scenes of It Ends With Us.

Attorneys for the actor-director, 40, filed a $400 million lawsuit in the Southern District of New York on Thursday, Jan. 16 on behalf of Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan, claiming Lively, 37, took measures to gain control of the hit movie. He?s suing on claims of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.

Reps for Lively, Reynolds and Sloane did not immediately respond to PEOPLE?s request for comment.

In a statement, Baldoni?s attorney Bryan Freedman says: ?This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team?s duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media. It is clear based on our own all out willingness to provide all complete text messages, emails, video footage and other documentary evidence that was shared between the parties in real time, that this is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret. Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth.?

?Let?s not forget, Ms. Lively and her team attempted to bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for heinously selfish reasons through their own dangerous manipulation of the media before even taking any actual legal action. We know the truth, and now the public does too,? the statement continues. ?Justin and his team have nothing to hide, documents do not lie.?

Lively has already sued Baldoni and his associates, making claims of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign orchestrated by Baldoni.

[From People]

A few weeks ago, I said I was taking a wait-and-see approach to a lot of this stuff. That still holds. This is going to be a huge case in the months and possibly years to come. Meanwhile, Blake?s legal team has now responded. Here is their statement:

?This latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates is another chapter in the abuser playbook. This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.?

?Wayfarer has opted to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public?s ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations.?

Lawyers for Lively, 37, say Baldoni and his associates ?are trying to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni. The evidence will show that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. The evidence will also show that Sony asked Ms. Lively to oversee Sony?s cut of the film, which they then selected for distribution and was a resounding success.?

?Their response to sexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it?s her fault. Their justification for why this happened to her: look what she was wearing. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively?s complaint, and it will fail.?

[Via People]

One of Baldoni?s claims, within his lawsuit, is that he and other producers were concerned that Blake hadn?t read the source material, Colleen Hoover?s book, and that Blake was extremely unconcerned about what story they were actually trying to tell. This response from Blake?s team feels similar, like she hasn?t bothered to read any part of Baldoni?s suit. Baldoni isn?t saying at any place that Blake asked for it or that she wanted it. Baldoni is providing context and nuance, often in text form, of some of Blake?s claims. To be fair, I think it?s very likely that Justin did and said some weird/creepy stuff and that Blake really felt uncomfortable. But I also think there?s going to be a lot of evidence that Blake has exaggerated and misrepresented some of her claims about Baldoni, and Team Lively has already been caught in several lies/misrepresentations. If this ends up going far into the legal/trial process, Lively and Reynolds are not going to come out unscathed, especially since they?ve put Justin Baldoni in a position where he?s got nothing to lose.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

It?s my hope that all of us can protect our peace as much as possible for the incoming political situation. We?ll cover some of it, but I?m not going to feel the same level of outrage and anger as I did from 2016-2020. MAGA world and the media have been expecting to feed on our anger and fear, and they?re really mad that a lot of people are withholding it. We?ll also cover some of the political situations when there?s overlap with the entertainment world. Honestly, I wasn?t expecting the overlap to happen so quickly ? for Donald Trump?s 2017 inauguration, his team struggled hard to find any celebrity, of any caliber, willing to attend his inaugural events, much less perform at them. But it?s a brand new MAGA world. Not only will Carrie Underwood perform at the inauguration, but a bunch of country music people will perform at the various inaugural balls.

The inauguration festivities for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance are taking shape as the (near) final roster of events, performers and participants has been unveiled by the committee.

Carrie Underwood, confirmed earlier this week to sing ?America the Beautiful? in a move that surprised some fans, will have plenty of company from the country music world when she arrives in Washington, D.C. Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Aldean, Lee Greenwood, Parker McCollum and Rascal Flatts are booked to hit the stage, either at one of three official inaugural balls or the Make America Great Again Victory Rally. (There are a number of unofficial balls and inauguration events in and around D.C. this weekend.)

Gavin DeGraw, whose work has straddled pop, rock and country and who is perhaps best known for hits off his album Chariot like the One Tree Hill anthem ?I Don?t Want to Be,? will perform at the Starlight Ball. The Monday event will also feature remarks by President Trump. News of DeGraw?s participation was met by criticism from a portion of his fan base, so much so that his name was a trending topic on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

The Village People addressed their fans directly in revealing they would participate in the inauguration. The band, whose classic hit ?Y.M.C.A.? has long been an anthem of the LGBTQ community and a favorite of Trump?s used at countless rallies and events, posted a statement Monday. ?We know this won?t make some of you happy to hear, however, we believe the music is to be performed without regard to politics,? the band shared on Facebook. The group is booked for two events including the MAGA Victory Rally and the Liberty Ball. ?Our song, ?Y.M.C.A.,? is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.? (The mention references their support for defeated Democratic candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris.)

[From THR]

In case you?re not well-versed in country, Jason Aldean is that guy who wrote a loving ode to small-town lynchings in 2023. Aldean previously dedicated the same song to Trump, a New Yorker. I hate to admit this, but Billy Ray and Gavin DeGraw surprised me. Billy Ray is chaotic and I?m not surprised that he?s a Republican, but I just figured that he would also not put himself out there for Trump in this way. Now, I had no idea that DeGraw has MAGA politics, but I?m not sure I?ve ever even read an interview with him, so how would I know? Anyway, these are Shaboozey and Beyonce?s country music coworkers. I hope Shaboozey never goes to a country music awards show again.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

In recent weeks, Angelina Jolie?s performance in Maria has been snubbed for several award nominations, like the SAG and BAFTA. There?s been a conversation among Jolie fans about Brad Pitt and whether he?s pulled strings or made quiet moves to ensure Jolie?s snubs. I?m not sure if Pitt has been that proactive specifically to get Jolie snubbed for awards, but I do feel like Pitt?s years-long tabloid harassment of Jolie has done a lot of damage to Jolie?s image within Hollywood. Even more specifically, Pitt?s team has been doing a lot in recent months to whine about his lack of relationship with the kids, and how Jolie is a big meanie for not signing the NDA to hide his abuse. Many people haven?t paid attention to the specifics, and they just assume Jolie has enabled or caused the toxicity because ?bitches, amirite??

I bring all of this up because Brad seems to be attempting a victory lap now that his divorce from Jolie has been finalized. We still don?t know the specifics, and don?t say ?she got $80 million from him.? That report is via the Daily Mail, and that figure is based on Jolie?s sale of Nouvel, her half (which she owned outright) of Chateau Miraval. We do know that Jolie made the decision on Christmas day to sign the divorce papers, which leads me to believe that Brad did make a new/different settlement offer towards the end of the year. Now Brad covers the latest issue of Us Weekly, and a lot of this is about how Brad wanted the divorce over and done with because of Ines de Ramon.

Pitt is relieved: ?There?s a big sense of relief that it?s over,? a source shares in the latest Us Weekly cover story. ?A weight has been lifted.? Now Pitt, 61, is looking ahead. ?Brad wants to get his life [back] on track and put this behind him,? says the source. ?He can start over again.?

Ines was the catalyst for Pitt finally making peace with Jolie. ?Ines helped Brad move forward,? says a second source, ?and think about the divorce in a new light?.She brings out the best in Brad.? They reportedly spent the holidays together at his $40 million mansion in Carmel, California. (As Us previously reported, de Ramon moved into Pitt?s L.A. house in early 2024.) With a busy career keeping his schedule full, the second source explains, ?Ines has [brought him] a sense of calm and peace.?

Ines?s split with Paul Wesley split in 2022. ?That?s something she and Brad bonded over,? says the second source. Adds the first source: ?Ines has helped Brad through this from the start. She?s been his rock.?

The volatile relationship: Their romance is a breath of fresh air for Pitt. ?He had a volatile relationship with Angelina, and doesn?t have that with Ines,? says the first source. ?They?re madly in love and work so well together. Brad?s happier than ever.? In July, a source told Us they enjoy ?low-key date nights? at home, often cooking and watching movies together. ?Brad loves how easygoing and smart Ines is.? Ines actively encouraged Pitt to finalize the divorce with Jolie. ?Ines is very zen and doesn?t like conflict or negativity. She wants Brad to find peace, forgiveness and move on.?

Ines & Brad aren?t getting married: Though Brad?s divorce is now official, the second source explains Pitt and de Ramon ?aren?t putting any pressure on marriage. [Still], they?re committed to each other and very serious.? While the actor is happy to focus on his future with the jewelry designer, the source explains he ?doesn?t necessarily need to get married again at this time.?

Brad?s relationships with his kids: Pitt is hopeful ? but realistic ? about reconnecting with his kids. Last May, Shiloh had her last name legally dropped to Jolie. (Zahara and Vivienne also appear to only use Jolie.) ?Brad isn?t in contact with the older kids. It?s a very sad situation for him,? says the second source. (In an alleged resurfaced Instagram post that Pax posted on Father?s Day in 2020, he called the star a ?world-class a?hole.?) According to a third source, Pitt retains joint custody of Knox and Vivienne ?but has very limited time with them, especially because of filming for F1, which required travel.? The second source says Pitt and the twins ?don?t have a super close relationship,? adding, ?He always reaches out and is hopeful things will eventually get better one day.?

Now the focus is on the Miraval lawsuits: ?Brad?s relieved the divorce is finalized. He closed that chapter many years ago and can?t believe it was dragged out this long, but he knows there?s still more to come with Miraval,? explains the second source. ?This was just one hurdle for him. Still, he?s happy to have it behind him.?

[From Us Weekly]

In recent stories about Brad and Ines?s relationship, I inevitably feel sorry for Ines. I honestly wonder if she?s kind of Team Jolie, like Ines is whispering in Brad?s ear that he needs to let Angelina go and settle the divorce and maybe end the Miraval sh-t too. Maybe I?m giving her too much credit, but Ines really is coming across like a Jolie opp. As for Brad?s new lease on life? this story is sprinkled with sh-t about his dumb F1 movie, and he obviously cares more about that movie than his children. Oh well.

Cover courtesy of Us Weekly. Additional photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Cover Images.

Since King Charles took over, Prince Harry?s UK security situation has been in the same holding pattern. It?s actually one part of a multi-pronged case which is still weaving its way through the British court system. Harry?s main argument is that the Windsors largely dictate which royal gets protection and when. The Windsors? argument is that ?no we don?t, Ravec determines security.? Nevermind that high-level palace aides sit on Ravec?s committee and Ravec simply does whatever the royals want anyway, I guess. But the holding pattern is that Harry must give the police 30 days notice before coming to the UK if he wants security. This 30-day notice has the added benefit of helping the Windsors prepare their ghastly schemes to ?snub? Harry. Well, the general public doesn?t know when Harry will be in London for his trial against News Group Newspapers, but Harry apparently gave the police their 30-day notice, and so Harry will have police protection while he?s in town.

Prince Harry will be given ?limited police protection? when he comes to the UK next week after losing his legal battle for taxpayer funded security. Harry is due to travel to London from his US home to attend his forthcoming High Court trial against News Group Newspapers. He is set to be granted protection from the Metropolitan Police while attending the hearings. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has agreed to provide The Duke of Sussex with armed officers from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, a source said.

The insider said: ?He is offering Harry limited police protection. The Met has been trying to recruit officers on their days off because they don?t have a lot of spare staff.? It is understood that Harry was offered a place to stay at Buckingham Palace but turned it down.

[From The Mirror]

While I hate that Harry even has to go back to that country at all, I wish people would acknowledge that what the Windsors and the Met Police are doing to him is insanely dangerous. He is a target of racists, terrorists and extremists. He should have automatic police protection every time he enters the UK, and he shouldn?t have to give notice. The reason I?m pointing out the 30-day notice part is because sh-t like this happens ? the police are clearly putting a target on his back, and so are the Windsors. It?s like there?s high-level collusion to create situations in which harm might befall Harry. And I?m glad, once again, that Harry has apparently refused to stay at Buckingham Palace or wherever they were going to put him. All of these people are very dangerous.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Last May, when Prince Harry was in London for the tenth-anniversary service for the Invictus Games, King Charles organized an especially pointed event. Charles formally handed over the commander-in-chief of the Army Air Corps patronage to Prince William. They appeared together (they did not arrive or leave together) for a photocall, and then William bumbled around in a uniform and made vroom-vroom noises in a helicopter (I?m including the photos from last year?s handover). The event was organized as a message to Prince Harry, because Harry served in the Army Air Corps in Afghanistan. Since that handover, William has done very little with the military patronage. He was scheduled to fly to Suffolk today for an event, but he canceled at the last minute. Perhaps it was all of that boozing in Birmingham yesterday?

Prince William was forced to cancel a royal outing on Thursday, Jan. 16. The Prince of Wales, 42, was planning to visit families and servicemen and women at a military regiment where he holds a prestigious royal role.

But the weather meant that the outing to the Army Air Corps (AAC) regiment in Wattisham, Suffolk, had to be postponed. In a message, Kensington Palace said the poor weather would have ?significantly restricted the planned program.?

?The Prince of Wales sends his sincere apologies to those who he had been due to meet and hopes to reschedule his visit at the earliest convenience.?

William had been due to arrive in style at the AAC regiment in Wattisham ? in a Wildcat Helicopter. The chopper is critical for reconnaissance, and William had been expected to talk to the armed forces members about the Corps? work and meet teams training at the facility. He was also expected to spend time with soldiers and their families for a discussion about the experiences of the regiment from the perspective of those enlisted, and talk on the importance of resilience and adaptability as well as the importance of caring for one?s mental health and physical wellbeing.

[From People]

It?s perfectly possible that the weather was simply too bad, but this is telling: ?William had been due to arrive in style at the AAC regiment in Wattisham ? in a Wildcat Helicopter.? Basically, William had a big stunt planned to ?co-pilot? a Wildcat and people were supposed to ooh-and-ahh over the big He-Man Heir. When William was told the weather meant that his Wildcat stunt would need to be canceled, he decided that if he couldn?t have the photo-op, he wasn?t going at all. That?s just what it sounds like to me! There are other ways to get to Suffolk besides a joyride in a ?26 million piece of military equipment, that?s all I?ll say. Of course, it?s also possible that Peggy was too hungover as well.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Timothee Chalamet was in London earlier this week to premiere and promote A Complete Unknown. He then joined the cast in Paris for a screening/premiere there last night. All was well ? until photographers realized that Kylie Jenner had flown in to spend time with her boyfriend following his premiere. There was a huge paparazzi swarm around Kylie and Timothee last night. This feels like a big deal! Obviously, they?ve been photographed together at events (the Globes, the US Open, etc), but this was different. They handled it well, honestly.

Kylie Jenner and Timoth?e Chalamet were photographed holding hands during a romantic date night in Paris on Wednesday. They were seen entering the ritzy Hotel Royal Monceau after dining at one of chef Cyril Lignac?s high-end restaurants.

The Kylie Cosmetics founder, 27, dressed to the nines for their date night in a black curve-hugging jumpsuit and matching heels. Chalamet, 28, kept things more casual in back jeans, a white tee and a colorful jacket. He added a pop of pink with a skinny scarf and a baseball cap.

The couple?s Parisian trip comes just over a week after they attended the 2025 Golden Globes together. Page Six exclusively reported that Jenner did not walk the carpet with the ?Dune? star because she wanted the night ?to be all about Timoth?e? rather than them as a couple.

[From Page Six]

Reportedly, Kylie is often in New York with Timothee but the paparazzi rarely catch them out and about. That?s especially true when they?re in LA together too. Anyway, I enjoy it. I like them together. I like that Kylie flew into Paris to hang out with him, and that he held her hand and didn?t hide in the bushes. They?ve been together two years, they might actually care about each other. This might even be built to last.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

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Kylie Kelce is in the middle of her second trimester of pregnancy. So far, she?s been candid about how miserable she is during pregnancy, the annoying intrusive questions that she gets from people, and the inevitability of a minivan in her future. She?s also pretty open about parenting in general. While appearing on a recent episode of the Sunday Sports Club podcast, Kylie spoke candidly about her experience with postpartum depression after her oldest daughter, Wyatt, five, was born. After she brought Wyatt home, she felt detached from her and struggled to make a connection early on.

The 32-year-old, who is expecting her fourth baby with husband Jason Kelce, revealed that she had an early experience with postpartum depression after welcoming her and Jason?s eldest daughter Wyatt, now 5.

?I have had periods of my life where I truly believe I was experiencing postpartum,? Kylie told Allison Kuch on the Sunday Sports Club podcast Jan. 12. ?I know with Wyatt that I had severe baby blues. We left the hospital, and I was like, ?So you?re telling me this is mine???

The Not Gonna Lie host, who also shares daughters Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 22 months with the former Philadelphia Eagles player, admitted that it took her baby girl reaching a particular milestone before she felt a sense of ease in motherhood.

?The biggest milestone for me with Wyatt was when she could smile on purpose,? she added. ?Because it showed me there was a connection. Most people will take their baby home, and it?s sensationalized social media of, ?Look at how cute my baby is.? No my baby cried from bewitching hour at 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. if I wasn?t holding her or if she wasn?t on my boob.?

Quipping about her then-newborn, Kylie added, ?We were not cool.?

[From E News Online]

It?s great that Kylie is speaking out about this, especially because she has such a big platform and following now. I also appreciate that she was specific in how she experienced it in the form of not feeling connected with Wyatt. There are so many women out there who feel the same and are beating themselves up over it. According to the National Institute of Health, 1 in 7 women will experience postpartum depression. The more public awareness about these more taboo subjects, the better, so that more women and men understand that PPD is real and shouldn?t just be dismissed as ?hormones? or ?baby blues.? If anyone out there is experiencing or has experienced it, please know that what you?re experiencing is real and you are not alone. Please talk to your doctor or a health professional about what resources are available in your area.

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The big Sussex story this week is Prince Harry and Meghan volunteering in the LA/Pasadena/Altadena areas, and being called ?disaster tourists? by unhinged Justine Bateman. It actually flew somewhat under the radar in American and British reporting that the Sussexes also released a scathing statement about the social media company Meta this week too. Last week, Meta announced a new policy: no more fact-checking on Facebook or Instagram, a free-for-all for political disinformation, bad science and more. Meta and Mark Zuckerberg were widely condemned by media analysts, politicians and even President Biden, who called the move ?shameful.? The Sussexes didn?t even rush their statement out ? they waited something like five or six days to issue a comprehensive statement about the larger issues involved with social media and mental health.

Well, because everything is awful, Heritage Foundation?s Nile Gardiner ? a complete lunatic who has been obsessed with the Sussexes for years ? has been trying to make a meal out of the Sussexes? Meta statement. Gardiner is twisting himself in knots to claim that ?members of the British royal family are interfering in American politics and that?s why Harry should be deported!? Jesus Christ.

A prominent member of the pro-Trump think tank behind Project 2025 said he will personally urge Donald Trump to deport Prince Harry if he lied on immigration papers, after he and wife Meghan Markle launched a withering attack on Meta for abandoning its fact-checking program.

Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom and Bernard and Barbara Lomas Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Beast that the whole issue of fact-checking at the social media giant is a ?deeply political matter.? So it is ?hugely inappropriate,? he said, for individuals styling themselves with the royal titles ?Duke and Duchess of Sussex? to intervene in a ?hot-button political topic.?

Gardiner told The Daily Beast the statement was ?a clear intervention on a deeply political matter, specifically the contentious issue of censorship on social media in the United States. This is a hot-button political topic, particularly in the current climate.?

He said that while he accepted that the couple are no longer working royals, they remain ?The Duke and Duchess of Sussex? and are putting their royal connections and titles ?front and center? to ?actively advance their causes.?

The Heritage Foundation has been accused of spending millions to block voting rights in the United States, and taking anti-LGBTQ positions, such as opposing gay marriage. The think tank is, however, hugely influential in conservative circles, and according to some reports, it has helped vet candidates for top jobs in the new administration.

Gardiner added: ?For members of the royal family to engage in such overtly political matters is, quite frankly, highly inappropriate. It goes against royal protocol. Their use of these titles to further their personal and political agendas makes a mockery of the royal family?s customary neutrality. Their statement wasn?t a moderate call for dialogue or understanding; it was an outright political rant.? Gardiner said he believed the ?poorly timed intervention? would ?backfire? and intensify ?public interest in their political activities? and stoke demands for Prince Harry?s immigration records to be released.

Gardiner told The Daily Beast: ?On the issue of Harry?s immigration status in the United States, I believe that if he was dishonest on his application, he should be deported. It?s a straightforward matter of transparency, accountability, and the equal application of the rule of law. Everyone applying to enter or reside in the United States should be treated the same, without exception. The public has a right to know the truth, and there is a significant public interest in the release of his immigration records.?

Gardiner said: ?I am confident that these records will eventually be released, likely under the new U.S. administration. President-elect Donald Trump has already expressed displeasure at Harry?s treatment of the queen and the royal family, and has the authority to order the release of these documents. I met with Donald Trump on a number of occasions at the White House during his first presidency, and if I have the opportunity to meet him again I will strongly recommend the release of Harry?s immigration records. I believe it is only a matter of time before they are released to the American people.?

[From The Daily Beast]

The Sussexes have been working in the fields of social-media watchdog/media critic/mental-health advocacy for years now, but this sh-tfit comes right after Zuckerberg makes huge, overt moves to endear himself and his company to Donald Trump and the incoming Trump administration. The Sussexes were right to issue a statement about Meta ? it?s directly in their wheelhouse, and it?s about work they?ve been engaged with for years. And now Heritage is using the statement as yet another excuse to scream about their titles and deportation.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

As I said yesterday, the clean-up on the Princess of Wales?s visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital began immediately, practically while she was still meeting with cancer patients and saying some truly bizarre things. In addition to her statements about ?recognizing beeps? and craving sunlight, and she also said that she did not use a cold cap, which prevents hair loss for many cancer patients. Instead of devoting a lot of energy to Kate?s frankly weird statements, the British media went into overdrive to keensplain how Kate?s visit was a one-off (specifically timed to try to steal the Duchess of Sussex?s thunder), and that Kate would absolutely not be back to work in any meaningful way for a while. Becky English at the Mail got that exclusive, and so did Kate Mansey at the Times. Some highlights from the Times piece:

Kate was ?smuggled in? to the hospital? When she walked under the ornate archway at the Royal Marsden, the Princess of Wales appeared to stop for a moment, glance up at the building and take stock. Kate, 43, was there to thank doctors, meet patients and, later, announce that she is now in remission from cancer. The specialist cancer centre in Chelsea is all too familiar to the princess because this was where she was smuggled in for chemotherapy treatment.

Kate?s new normal: Sources close to Kate point to two words in her statement on Tuesday that were doing some heavy lifting, that this was the: ?new normal?. But what does that look like for a family that, for centuries, has been resolutely sticking to the old normal, for whom the old normal was their bread and butter, their very raison d??tre? First of all, it means that her royal engagements post-treatment have been gradual and will continue as such. The granting of royal warrants, for example, from the Prince and Princess of Wales will only come when the couple is ready to do so.

Kate?s life will never be the same, and neither will her schedule: None of this should truly come as a surprise because Kate has told the public, repeatedly, that cancer has changed her life dramatically. Even though she is back on the road to health, her written statements read as if she is spelling it out to everyone very slowly and in words that we can all understand that, for her, life will never be the same again. Why would you go through the year she?s had just to run straight back to work, palming your three children off on round-the-clock nannies so that you can zip around the country on an old-fashioned royal ribbon-cutting parade? It?s not going to happen.

Kate is savoring her kids? pre-prep school days: In two years George will be going up to secondary school, with Kate?s alma mater Marlborough College reportedly the leading choice for the Waleses. Why wouldn?t Kate want to savour every moment of her children in their prep school years? She has shown a new delight in the minutiae of her young family?s daily life, details of which she shares in letters to the King. She finds joy in family time, but also the day-to-day: the school drop-offs and the pick-ups, the homework dilemmas and the playground friendship dramas. No doubt she feels a renewed sense of gratitude that she can be there for them when they need her while they?re still young.

William is not using Kate?s illness as an excuse to be lazy! Palace sources will urge that Kate?s illness is not being used by William as an excuse to slack off or do less. After all, he knows the ?big job? is just a heartbeat away. But they say that when he embraces a project, he does it wholeheartedly and in a way that is designed to have a lasting impact.

[From The Times]

While I can?t pinpoint it, I?ve been getting a vibe this week that the British media is annoyed. They?re not ready to burn it all down, and clearly, they?re happy that Kate is petty and conceited enough to try to steal Meghan?s thunder (With Love, Meghan was originally supposed to be released on Wednesday). There?s a sense of? ?you have to give us more than this.? They?re working their asses off trying to cover her ass. The part about ?William isn?t slacking off? is hilarious too, because he clearly has been slacking off for the past year, and we?ve been told repeatedly that he has every right to! It just feels like the Waleses are on really shaky ground, like this is a house of cards that everyone is trying to keep standing.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.