Since Luigi Mangioni was arrested on Monday in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania police have photographed this guy like a dozen times. They keep releasing new mugshots or in-custody photos of him. Mangioni has now been charged with multiple crimes in Pennsylvania, including possession of an unlicensed firearm (he had a ghost gun on him when he was arrested) and forgery. Pennsylvania isn’t charging him with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson – it’s a New York crime, and NY authorities are trying to get Luigi extradited to New York. Luigi appeared in a Pennsylvania court on Tuesday and he shouted something to the media as he was being shoved inside the courthouse.

The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted while being led into court Tuesday as new details emerged about his possible motivation behind the ambush. In his first public words since a five-day search ended with his arrest at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car shouting about an “insult to the intelligence of the American people” while deputies pushed him inside a courthouse.

The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family is fighting attempts to extradite him to New York so that he can face a murder charge in the Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company.

Mangione remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Manhattan prosecutors were beginning to take steps to bring Mangione to New York, but at a brief hearing Tuesday, defense lawyer Thomas Dickey said his client will not waive extradition and instead wants a hearing on the issue. Mangione was denied bail after prosecutors said he was too dangerous to be released.

He mostly stared straight ahead at the hearing, occasionally looking at papers, rocking in his chair or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion but was quieted by his lawyer.

[From The AP]

There’s psychological analysis needed for why Luigi Mangione has captured the American public’s imagination in this way. Partly, it’s because he is a good-looking guy, but it’s more than that. I haven’t seen anything like this in many years. People are really obsessed though, to the point where even outlets like the NY Times are doing deeper dives on Luigi’s motivations and the mystery of his life. A guy who came from enormous privilege, who had severe back problems for a few years, then disappeared for several months in 2023 because of back surgery, and came out of the experience a different person.

Luigi Mangione, the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, yells to the press as he is taken into court for his extradition hearing:

“…completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people!” pic.twitter.com/wKymRxGvUW

— The Recount (@therecount) December 10, 2024

Photos courtesy of social media, Backgrid.

Prince William has been doing solo engagements almost exclusively this year, because of the Princess of Wales’s health problems and her commitment to only doing things which bring her joy. For the most part, I actually believe William prefers going solo to events, but on Tuesday, he did an event which sort of screamed out for Kate’s presence. He went to visit military families at the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment in Wiltshire. He’s the honorary Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment, and the event was just a friendly Christmas lunch where he just had to make small talk and get introduced to a lot of babies and kids. That’s what made me think of Kate – while Kate has never been good at speaking (in general), she’s usually able to get through these kinds of family-oriented engagements by talking about kids and asking to hold the babies. William never asks to hold the babies and he’s not great at talking to kids. He did get to greet a ram though. William was told that Private Derby (the ram who is the regiment’s mascot) would spend the holiday in a “field full of ewes,” to which William replied, “So he has quite a fun Christmas. Oh, good luck to him.” LOL.

What to buy the man who has everything at Christmas? If the Prince of Wales is anything to go by, the answer is simple: a Christmas jumper. Prince William, who said he would spend Dec 25 with 45 members of the extended Royal family, found himself among a sea of festive jumpers as he handed out Christmas presents to military families on Tuesday, as Colonel-in-Chief of 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment in Wiltshire. Asked why he was not wearing his own, he pointed to himself and said: “Some people don’t own one.”

Sharing details of his own Christmas plans, he said he would spend the day with 45 members of his family “all in one room” but “normally spread out”, and hoped for a long walk including the dogs. “Am I ready for Christmas?” he laughed. “No, no way am I ready.”

The Wales family will spend the festive season in Norfolk, staying at their home of Anmer Hall and joining the Royal family at Sandringham for their annual outing to church and lunch on Christmas Day. They traditionally open presents on Christmas Eve, in the German style.

The Prince of Wales, 42, today started the festivities early, as he met soldiers and their families at Picton Barracks, Bulford Camp, in Wiltshire, for lunch. Receiving Christmas cards for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis in return, he was particularly charmed by a drawing of himself, putting it in his pocket to take home. He was handed it by Karson Heighway, ten, who had drawn it on a Post-it note and asked “Is that me?” before folding it up and tucking it in his breast pocket.

Dylan Potter, 14, made the Prince laugh after revealing he was wearing two Christmas jumpers.
He said afterward: “I asked what does a prince do for fun? He said he likes watching movies and hanging out with his children but because he is over 40 finds fun hard to come by.”

Prince William also disclosed that he has been watching Netflix at home with the Princess, including Black Dove which stars Keira Knightley.

He chose not to put on a Santa hat and, when asked why he was not wearing a jumper, pointed at his new equerry and joked: “I didn’t know, you see that guy in the jacket, it’s his fault and I will be having a word.”

[From The Telegraph]

“He chose not to put on a Santa hat.” He was handed a Santa hat and he refused to put it on, because he wants everyone to see his suspicious new baby-hairs on his bald-ass head. William isn’t just dull, he just has no whimsy or festive spirit. Put on the Santa hat! Hold the babies! Wear a fruity holiday sweater! For the love of God. William is trying so hard to seem both cool and serious, he comes across like the Windsor Grinch. (Charles would have put on the hat! Harry would have worn the ugliest Christmas sweater!)

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Since the election, cable news viewership has cratered, and print media has seen their readership crash and burn. There’s been a lot of talk about “you can’t just ignore the Trump family for four years!” Watch me. Actually, I will pay some attention to what’s happening, but the whole shambolic Trump soap opera will be incredibly painful to watch the second time around. At least Ivanka Trump won’t be preening and sashaying in the White House this time around, but we can assume that the Trump sons are going to be more involved. Speaking of, Don Trump Jr. has been with Kimberly Guilfoyle since 2018. They got engaged in 2020, and they often appear to be united by their love of drugs and plastic surgery. But there’s trouble in crackhead paradise, because Don Jr. has seemingly dumped Kimberly and now he’s seeing a Florida socialite.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle have broken up, sources tell Page Six. Insiders add that Trump Jr. has moved on with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson. There have been rumors for months that Don Jr. and Guilfoyle’s relationship has been on the rocks: Multiple sources have told us recently that the political power couple had split, or were on shaky ground.

“Don and Kimberly haven’t been getting along over the past year,” said one source. “They get argumentative at Mar-a-Lago in front of people. Nothing crazy, but you know when a couple is fighting. They bicker in public.”

Another source told us the relationship was “rocky,” while two other sources said they’d split. Adding to the rumors, Don Jr. has been photographed multiple times with Anderson. A source told Page Six on Tuesday: “Bettina and Don have been together for a few months, and are super cute and happy together. It’s just a natural fit — everyone is happy for them!”

On Tuesday, the Daily Mail published images of Don Jr. and Anderson holding hands in public after an allegedly romantic meal at Buccan to celebrate her 38th birthday. A source also told Page Six that they saw Don. Jr. and Anderson at Buccan in a corner booth together — looking cozy and holding hands.

[From Page Six]

This is typical Trump-family melodrama and I do not care one iota unless it leads to criminal charges. So what if Don is having some kind of midlife crisis and he traded in his nutjob ex-Fox News fiancee for a younger model? But here’s the kicker, here’s what makes it interesting. On the heels of Don Jr. being spotted out with his new girlfriend, Donald Trump Sr. appointed Kimberly Guilfoyle his new ambassador to Greece. Facelifts in Mykonos for everybody!

It was an announcement made amid a swirl of tabloid speculation: Kimberly Guilfoyle, a loyalist of President-elect Donald J. Trump and — more pointedly — the fiancée of his son Donald Jr. had been named ambassador to Greece. The timing of the move — early Tuesday evening — would have been unremarkable except for what preceded it: rumors that the president-elect’s eldest son was dating a socialite, Bettina Anderson.

The new relationship was seemingly documented in a series of photos published earlier on Tuesday by the British tabloid The Daily Mail, which described them as “incontrovertible proof the soon-to-be First Son has moved on” with a “stunning ‘it girl.’”

Andrew Surabian, a spokesman for Mr. Trump, 46, did not return a request for comment on his relationship with Ms. Anderson, or on his engagement with Ms. Guilfoyle, to whom he has been betrothed since late 2020. Ms. Anderson, 38, also did not return requests for comment.

In his announcement of her posting to Greece, the president-elect called Ms. Guilfoyle “a close friend and ally,” but made no mention of her relationship with his son.

“Her extensive experience and leadership in law, media, and politics along with her sharp intellect make her supremely qualified to represent the United States,” the elder Mr. Trump wrote, in a post on Truth Social.

[From The NY Times]

This is a special kind of “failing up” – six years banging Don Jr, and your reward is an ambassadorship to a European country. It’s breathtaking, honestly – usually, the Trumps don’t reward their wives/girlfriends/exes this way. This reminds me that Donald Trump actually really liked Guilfoyle and thought she was a good choice for Don Jr. This is her reward for sucking up to the Trumps.

Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red.

Last Friday, the Princess of Wales hosted her annual Together at Christmas event at Westminster Abbey. This has become her “thing,” and in years past, it’s usually a multi-day story as everyone analyzes the videos, fashion, messaging, etc. Not so much this year. There were some minor storylines – why did Gabriella Windsor walk in with Carole Middleton, where’s Pippa’s terribly moderately wealthy husband – but the event was immediately overshadowed by William’s meeting with Donald Trump the next day. Even the fashion was boring – Kate repeated a years-old McQueen coat, which she didn’t even remove in the Abbey. The only “new” thing was a gigantic black bow, which Kate attached to her chest, like she’s a Christmas present. Well, Becky English at the Mail got a big exclusive on that stupid bow.

Her stylish red coat with an oversized black velvet bow at the throat was described by the Mail’s fashion writer as a ‘triumph’. Once thought of as girlish, she said, bows are now a by-word for ‘grown-up dressing’ and a huge trend this winter, dominating both designer stores and the High Street alike. Paired with a favourite designer coat by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the Princess of Wales was deemed to have ‘nailed’ the festive dressing theme at Friday’s Royal Foundation carol service at Westminster Abbey.

Now the secret to Kate’s look can be revealed – and fans will be delighted to know it doesn’t come with a designer price tag. In fact the bow isn’t an item of clothing at all, but is a none-other than a hair clip. And one that she picked up at High Street favourite Jigsaw for just £20.

The firm are advertising it, saying: ‘The bow is making its comeback as one of the most coveted accessories. This oversized velvet bow hair accessory instantly dresses up a ponytail or down style for adding a touch of charm to your look’ – little realising that royalty would do just that. Kate cleverly used the clip to attach it to her top to ‘style up’ her outfit, which was otherwise head to toe ‘rewears’.

It’s not the first time the princess has cleverly used a bow to ‘upcycle’ a look. Earlier on this year she added a large black and white striped one to the neckline of an old Jenny Packham dress, giving it a completely new lease of life. She has also reworked one of her favourite black Catherine Walker jackets on several occasions, removing its tassels and adding a black bow at the neckline and silver buttons. Other subtle but effective tweaks to favourite outfits include an Alexander McQueen gown first worn in 2017, which was initially a strapless number but two years later had been miraculously given sleeves, completing changing its look. It is believed the princess uses a private dressmaker and has the help of her equally long-standing senior private executive assistant, Natasha Archer, for style advice.

Lucy Smith, accessories buyer at Jigsaw, told the Mail of the Princess’ decision to buy and use one of their bows: ‘Proof the bow is not just for gift wrapping, our velvet bow adds a charming embellishment to any look, however you decide to wear it.’

[From The Daily Mail]

You guys… what are we doing here? Kate clipped a hair bow to her coat or sweater and we’re being told it’s the chicest thing ever. We’re being told that by the same British tabloid which has been hysterically crying and screaming about the Duchess of Sussex wearing a red dress in October (they just wrote a new piece about that red dress this weekend). I guess it’s the easiest “fashion inspo” ever – you too can look like an overgrown girl-woman princess by buying a bow at a hobby story and attaching it to your coat.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Embed from Getty Images
Mariah Carey doesn’t want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing she needs… and it’s for the audience members at her Christmas Time Tour to quit fighting during the show! The first incident happened in St. Louis at the end of November, when two people got into a fracas mid-performance that a nearby ticket holder captured on their phone. Adding insult to injury, the melee went down while Mimi was singing “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” The nerve! Then a week later, it happened again. TMZ posted a larger skirmish that broke out at the Baltimore show. Does it count as a step forward in concert etiquette that at least audience members are only hurting each other, instead of throwing things at the performer on stage?

Mariah Carey’s fans call themselves the Lambs, but a few of them haven’t been living up to the nickname during recent shows on her Christmas tour. Over the weekend, footage surfaced online of a group of fans fighting during her Saturday show in Baltimore.

As posted by TMZ, the clip shows four or five people getting into a physical altercation at CFG Bank Arena after someone threw a drink. Many punches were thrown and one person was even put in a headlock during Carey’s choir interlude leading into “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

This fight came roughly one week after two women threw hands during Carey’s show at St. Louis’ Enterprise Center on November 29th while she was performing “All I Want for Christmas.” Adding to the absurdity, the men who attempted (and failed) to break up the fisticuffs can be heard in the footage saying, “Where’s the f–king security?”

If you’re game to chance getting in a fight, Carey has a handful of remaining dates on her “Christmas Time” tour. She’s also extended her “Celebration of Mimi Live in Las Vegas” residency into 2025.

Carey’s upcoming 30th anniversary Merry Christmas deluxe edition is up for pre-order ahead of its release this Friday, December 13th.

[From Consequence of Sound]

Mimi Season comes but one time a year. And not only that, but as the article noted, this particular year marks the 30th anniversary of her Merry Christmas album that gifted the world with “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” This kind of behavior is NOT the way to repay the Queen of Christmas for all she’s done to brighten the season! We might as well be torturing her with the hideous lighting of daily life, that’s how naughty this conduct is. Mariah has only four stops left on the Christmas Time Tour, so please, folks, let’s treat the diva with a little respect by playing nicely at the remaining shows. Make her wish come true… if she’s sacrificing staying awake to hear those magic reindeer click, she certainly doesn’t need to hear those crummy humans smacking each other around. It’s called manners, yeesh.

The fight that broke out next to me at the MC XMas Concert. @MariahCarey @EnterpriseCtr #AllIWantFoChristmasIsYou pic.twitter.com/mNCqJpimjz

— Aaron (@aaronnezzy) December 2, 2024

Embed from Getty Images

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A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey)

Chris Evans joined the cast of Avengers: Doomsday. No one knows who he’ll play, but this is the same project where Robert Downey Jr. plays Doctor Doom. [JustJared]
Saoirse Ronan & Jack Lowden attended the British Independent Film Awards on Sunday. Jack is… very good-looking. [LaineyGossip]
Donald Trump will likely ban abortion pills. [Jezebel]
Analysis of what went wrong with Hawk Tuah. [Pajiba]
These are some awful brides. [Buzzfeed]
Handsome Aussie firefighters! [Socialite Life]
What is Jay-Z’s net worth? [Hollywood Life]
Tyler Posey’s first kiss? Miley Cyrus. [Seriously OMG]
Blue Ivy Carter wore Christian Siriano at the Mufasa premiere. [RCFA]
Sabrina Carpenter & Chappell Roan covered “Last Christmas.” [OMG Blog]

The past two years have been horrible for the Middleton family. Their house of cards collapsed last year, when Carole and Michael Middleton’s business, Party Pieces, went bankrupt and the court ordered an insolvency firm to negotiate the sale of the Party Pieces’ name and stock. The scope of the Middletons’ mismanagement, debt and lies was breathtaking, and they left numerous businesses, small vendors, banks and creditors on the hook for millions of pounds. The Middletons were so broke-ass, they couldn’t even pay the insolvency firm handling Party Pieces’ bankruptcy. They were looking at being permanently shunned from polite society. But then something shifted with the Princess of Wales’s health this year, and suddenly, the Middletons were able to negotiate a deal for themselves. They were back in the fold, welcomed at Ascot and Wimbledon, and the bad press magically stopped. Not only that, royal reporters are back to acting like the Middletons are completely embraced by the Windsors.

Princess Kate has had a tough year with her cancer struggles, and her Middleton family have been “pivotal”, according to experts. Carole and Michael Middleton are said to have been “very welcomed into the royal fold”, and will be rewarded this Christmas.

Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent Katie Nicholl said: “The Middletons have been very, very welcomed into the royal fold. They have a very close relationship, and they had a lovely relationship with the late Queen. And I think there’s, I think there’s a good relationship between the King and the Middletons. The Middletons have been so pivotal and important this year.”

Royal reporter Richard Palmer said that the Middleton family could even be invited to stay at Sandringham with the royal family this Christmas, due to their close bond. Katie continued: “I think it’s a very real possibility if there’s space, because that’s the problem with Sandringham. It sounds ridiculous. There’s not enough space, but why not? But there are outhouses, and Anmer Hall is only a stone’s throw from Sandringham.”

[From The Sun]

Ah, to be a royal reporter! To feel no need to give any kind of history or context or truth. No, King Charles doesn’t like the Middletons. They’ve been lowkey beefing for more than a decade. In fact, I still believe that the Middletons’ fall from grace last year was at least partially engineered by Charles and Camilla, in the sense that Charles and Camilla did nothing to stop the downfall and likely tacitly or openly approved of the reporting around the Middletons’ debt and financial catastrophe. Charles tolerates the Middletons staying at Anmer Hall, but he will not invite them to stay at the big house. And yes, the Middletons will be in Norfolk this Christmas, as will the Parker-Bowles family.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, Avalon Red.

Do you know when someone is flirting with you? When you flirt, do people know you’re flirting? When I was young, I didn’t know when people were flirting with me and I was pretty terrible at flirting. I’ve gotten better at all of it as I’ve gotten older, although I’m still probably pretty terrible. The biggest problem is that I’m a very literal person. If someone says something suggestive or extends some kind of invitation, I immediately think of the logistics. “Is he asking me on a date? Is there parking?” Well, I would assume that the Duchess of Sussex is good at flirting and always has been. She seems like the type of woman who knows when men are flirting with her too. Well, some ESPN bro told a story about how he was trying to hit on Meghan back in 2014, only she turned him down cold.

Former ESPN host Ryen Russillo revealed Meghan Markle once turned him down despite him believing she was “obtainable.” The TV personality recalled meeting the now-Duchess of Sussex at a celebrity flag football game in February 2014 while appearing on an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” last week.

“It was all of the [Sports Illustrated] swimsuit models. So, nobody was really paying any attention to Markle,” he claimed. “I was like, ‘That’s my lane. She’s probably doubting herself a little bit right now,’” Russillo, 49, continued. “She’s never been more obtainable.”

According to People, models Chrissy Teigen, Hannah Davis and Nina Agdal participated in the event alongside Markle, 43, and fellow actors Nina Dobrev and Michael B. Jordan.

While Russillo didn’t shoot his shot at the game, he recalled later jumping into the actress’ DMs to ask her to appear on his sports program, “The Ryan Russillo Show,” to promote Season 4 of “Suits,” which was about to premiere.

“It was a very soft sell,” he further explained. “It was, ‘Hey, I know the new season … is coming out if you ever want to come on the show to promote it.’ It was really professional.”

Although Russillo admitted his message had an ulterior motive, Markle didn’t take the bait.

“It was ice cold,” the sports personality said of her response. “It was, ‘Oh, I don’t know anything about sports, but thanks for the offer.”

[From Page Six]

The way he describes the encounter is actually pretty gross – “So, nobody was really paying any attention to Markle. I was like, ‘That’s my lane. She’s probably doubting herself a little bit right now.’ She’s never been more obtainable.” Another way to look at it is that Meghan was surrounded by supermodels and this douche went out of his way to hit on her and not Nina Agdal. Anyway, I brought up the “I take people literally” thing because Meghan’s response sounded like something I would think – oh, I can’t go on a sports show, I would be out of depth, I don’t know anything about football. Of course, Meghan probably knew what the guy was trying to do and she shut it down. So the Legend of Meghan Markle grows. It’s like she’s a folk hero at this point, all of these people keep talking about when they had a brief encounter with her a decade ago.

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.

In the 1860s, French scientist Louis Pasteur developed the process later named for him that made certain foods like milk safe to consume. Before pasteurization, one in four foodborne illnesses came from dairy. After pasteurization, bacteria, viruses, pathogens, et al. are eliminated or rendered useless, thus removing the risk of death and disease. So naturally, Trump’s nominee to direct the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is against it. RFK Jr. prefers drinking unpasteurized milk, often called raw milk. Not every state allows the retail sale of raw milk, and there’s a federal ban of its sale across state lines. California, the largest dairy producer in the country, does allow for the sale of raw milk, and has had over 500 herds infected with H5N1 bird flu virus. One such infected CA herd includes Raw Farm, RFK Jr.’s brand of choice. Their products are being recalled, and the CEO is predictably unhinged about the government infringing on people’s right to drink milk… contaminated with bird flu.

Raw Farm products have been recalled, the CEO is not handling it well: Last week, California public health officials announced a voluntary recall by Raw Farm LLC after detecting the [H5N1] virus in raw milk and cream at company bottling and storage sites. … Still, Raw Farm CEO and founder Mark McAfee questioned why California officials were asking him to pull his products from shelves, saying they were over-reacting since no one has yet gotten sick. “That’s because this is just the latest convenient platform to attack legal raw milk in California!” he wrote in an email to USA TODAY. “Protect consumers from what???”

There are no proven health benefits to raw milk: There’s little scientific evidence to support these [pro-raw milk] claims, said John Lucey, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Dairy Research and a food science professor. “The short answer is no, there are no proven benefits,” he told USA TODAY. “You are being conned with these claims,” he said. “This is snake oil.” … Before pasteurization, people routinely were sickened and died from drinking raw milk, catching diseases like tuberculosis, and raw milk is still far more likely than pasteurized milk to contain bacteria like salmonella, E. coli and listeria. “I don’t have any time for farmers who want to put other people at risk for products they make on their farm, knowingly,” said Lucey, who grew up on a dairy farm.

More diseases linked to Raw Farm: In 2023 and 2024, more than 100 people fell ill from salmonella linked to raw milk from Raw Farm, the same company now at the center of raw milk recalls for bird flu. At least seven people were hospitalized, and 40% of cases were in children. … In a July 11 blog post, Raw Farm called the investigation the result of a “corrupt, biased agenda” including from the Food and Drug Administration and the media. “This is just the most recent of a long history of dirty tricks,” the post said. “If you see concerning and questionable headlines, please be very clear we are in a war zone with a corrupt system that hates raw milk.” Before that, the company’s products were linked to several outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter, according to the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research.

The dirt on germs in raw milk: Bacteria and viruses that can make people sick are found throughout farms. Bacteria like E. coli are present in poop or in the dirt, so cows can lie down and get contaminated material on their udders, said Dr. Meghan Davis, an associate professor of environmental health and engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Typically, the milking process has standards to wipe down udders and equipment before milking begins. But some bacteria can remain and contaminate the milk. Pasteurization kills these pathogens, but they can persist in raw milk.

[From USA Today]

“Protect consumers from what???” Oh nothing, just diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, or death. So if you’re like Mark Renton from Trainspotting and prefer to choose life, stick to tried and true pasteurized dairy. And don’t worry about Raw Food CEO Mark McAfee’s prospects: not only is raw milk fan RFK Jr. the nominee to run HHS, but he’s already invited McAfee to apply for a position at the FDA. RFK Jr. — the man whom 77 Nobel laureate scientists are begging the Senate to not confirm, and whose brain was an inhospitable living environment for a worm — tapping the farmer whose unsanitary working practices have led to cases of bird flu, salmonella, E. coli, and campylobacter, to work at the Food and Drug Administration. I’d be laughing at the farcical elements here — like McAfee deliriously ranting “we are in a war zone with a corrupt system that hates raw milk!” — if these preachings weren’t also so potentially lethal.

Photo credit: IMAGO/hoo-me.com/MediaPunch/Avalon and via Instagram/RFK Jr. and Raw Farm

For decades, ever since the birth of pop music really, it’s generally acknowledged that music stars are not making bank from selling their music, but rather from touring. Music sales are complicated and everyone gets a cut, especially nowadays in the Spotify/streaming era. An artist can be streamed tens of millions of times and they’re only making a small fraction of what they should earn. Tours are much more profitable and straightforward, organized by the artist and their team. Profitable not just from ticket sales, but from the ultra-lucrative merchandising. Well, I don’t know the exact breakdown, but Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour blew every record to smithereens, from ticket sales to merchandising.

For the last 21 months, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has been the biggest thing in music — a phenomenon that has engulfed pop culture, dominated news coverage and boosted local economies around the world. Now we know exactly how big.

Through its 149th and final show, which took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sunday, Swift’s tour sold a total of $2,077,618,725 in tickets. That’s two billion and change — double the gross ticket sales of any other concert tour in history and an extraordinary new benchmark for a white-hot international concert business.

Those figures were confirmed to The New York Times for the first time by Taylor Swift Touring, the singer’s production company. While the financial details of the Eras Tour have been a subject of constant industry speculation since tickets were first offered more than two years ago — through a presale so in-demand it crashed Ticketmaster’s system — Swift has never authorized disclosure of the tour’s numbers until now.

The official results are not far from the estimates that trade journalists and industry analysts have been crunching for months. But they solidify the enormous scale of Swift’s accomplishment. Just a few months ago, Billboard magazine reported that Coldplay had set an industry record with $1 billion in ticket sales for its 156-date Music of the Spheres World Tour — a figure that is just half of Swift’s total for a similar stretch of shows in stadiums and arenas.

According to Swift’s touring company, a total of 10,168,008 people attended the concerts, which means that, on average, each seat went for about $204. That is well above the industry average of $131 for the top 100 tours around the world in 2023, according to Pollstar, a trade publication. The biggest single night’s attendance was in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 16, 2024, with 96,006. And Swift’s eight nights at Wembley Stadium in London, which she played more than any other venue, drew 753,112 people — about as many as live in Seattle.

As gigantic as they are, the figures revealed by Swift’s company are only part of the overall business that has surrounded the tour. They exclude her extraordinary merchandise sales, for example, a product line so in demand that Swift opened stadium sales booths a day early in some markets to sell T-shirts, hoodies and Christmas ornaments to fans, ticketed or not.

[From The NY Times]

“Phenomenon” gets thrown around a lot, but holy sh-t, the Eras Tour was a phenomenon, as is Taylor herself. Think about how she did this too – she dropped Midnights as her relationship with Joe Alwyn was coming to a close, she announced the tour and the sales went through the roof, and she just committed nearly two full years of her life to all of this. AND she released another album in the middle of it, not to mention cycling through Matt Healy and starting up with Travis Kelce. It’s also amazing that Taylor had a great team around her and there were zero catastrophes. I mean, yeah, there was a terrorism threat in Europe and there were climate issues, but none of that was her fault or her team’s fault. Over $2 billion in ticket sales alone. Probably that much in merch sales too. Seriously, congrats to Taylor and her team.

Additionally, People Magazine had an exclusive about the bonuses Taylor hands out to her tour crew. It looks like Taylor’s touring production company decided to confirm a lot of news after her last Eras concert, right? People Mag says that Taylor “gave out $197 million in bonuses to everyone working on her tour — including truck drivers, caterers, instrument techs, merch team, lighting, sound, production staff and assistants, carpenters, dancers, band, security, choreographers, pyrotechnics, riggers, hair, make-up, wardrobe, physical therapists and video team.” So, she gave out bonuses which were just shy of 10% of the total ticket sales. Say there were 1000 people working to ensure the tour ran smoothly – that’s roughly $200K per person just in bonuses, in addition to their salaries.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.