Here’s something interesting: Duchess Kate, Prince William and Prince George didn’t leave Mustique until yesterday, Monday the 9th. The Cambridge family vacationed in Mustique a good long time, by my count… 17 days. So much for William leaving early to catch up on his pilot exams too – The Daily Mail had photos of Will, Kate and George leaving on the same flight yesterday. You can see the photos here.

Initially, it was reported that Will and Kate would only be in Mustique for two weeks, which was sort of true if two weeks includes three weekends. What’s also interesting is that William is the president of BAFTA and he was apparently loosely scheduled to host the big pre-BAFTA celebration at Kensington Palace on Saturday night. Instead, tons of celebrities came out to the event and there was NO royal host. Because William couldn’t tear himself away from his third weekend in Mustique. And you realize he hasn’t done one single event in 2015, right? This pre-BAFTA reception would have been fun too – lots of drinks, food and celebrities. And it would have counted as “work”. But Will just couldn’t tear himself away from his vacation.

So, at what point are we just saying that William is a lost cause? He won’t show up to work for one of his most fun patronages (BAFTA). He doesn’t have any scheduled charity-wise in the coming month either. Meanwhile, Will and Kate’s press office is working overtime to make Kate look like she’s booking things right and left. While Kate was sunning herself on a sandy beach, the KP Twitter account confirmed that Kate will be doing some events on the 18th. The press office has also been tweeting out older photos of Kate working, I guess hoping to make us forget about their long Mustique holiday.

Last Friday, People Magazine also had a propaganda piece about Kate’s endless charity work (ha), full of quotes from people involved with the charities Kate stops by one or twice a year. Go here to read it, and read carefully because People did break some news. You might remember that Kate waited nearly a year into her marriage before finally signing on to become a patron of anything, and when she did, she only chose a couple of charities and then just some museums which would have a lot of galas? We were told at the time that Kate would be adding more charities every year. That never happened. And People says it’s still not happening, that Kate “is not expected to add to any of her formal patronages in the short term.” A source also says that she will “pick up” her interest in charity “after a period of rest following the birth.” No word on how long that period of rest will be (two years, I’m guessing).

Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.

View image | gettyimages.com

So far, all we’ve heard about Bruce Jenner’s transition has been second hand. Jenner has not personally spoken out yet, although mainstream celebrity outlets like People and US Magazine have run cover articles about this using unnamed sources. We’s also heard that Jenner will do an interview with Diane Sawyer in May in which he will package an announcement that he’s transgender with the launch of a new reality series, filming now, which chronicles his journey. (Note: we will refer to Jenner by the female pronoun and by Jenner’s preferred name when and if Jenner expresses a preference.)

May is a full three months away and Jenner’s delay in making an announcement isn’t sitting well with some members of the transgender community. Transgender activist Zoey Tur, a helicopter newa reporter and correspondent for Inside Edition, spoke to TMZ about why many transgender people are suspicious of Bruce’s motivations. Here’s what she said and you can see the video on TMZ’s site:

“A lot of people are very suspicious of what’s going on because of the connection with the Kardashians. They feel that if Bruce is transgender, come out with it. Speak up. We have a 42% suicide attempt rate, six times the national average on suicide. We need our role models and there’s no greater role model than the world’s greatest athlete. What’s the big deal? Many feel that Jenner is pitching a reality show and using this buildup to gain more momentum and get paid to do an interview. They don’t like it because this is a civil rights battle. This is not about selling TV show. This is about saving lives.

“Harvey Milk said that it was really important for gays and lesbians to come out to their families, to their friends and coworkers because that’s how we’re going to gain acceptance. With the transgender community we’re about 30 years behind the gay and lesbian community. We need our role models. This is a public health crisis. So Bruce, come out. How much money do you need?”

[From video on TMZ]

That was very articulate and well said. Tur certainly helped me understand why this could be viewed negatively by transgender people. With the Kardashians, it’s hard to take them seriously when everything is so orchestrated for cash and ratings. A source tells TMZ however that Jenner is carefully timing the announcement to make sure his daughters are old enough to deal with the fallout, and that it’s not about the upcoming reality series. “He’s still going through the motions and wants to take his time to help his youngest daughters cope. It’s not about a TV show or announcement.”

People magazine has a more positive outlook on Jenner’s change. They interviewed transgender author Jennifer Finney Boylan, who wrote She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders. Boylan discussed her own journey and how her over 25 year marriage changed and evolved. She also wished Jenner well. “I wish Jenner strength and love on this journey, and I hope whatever Jenner goes through not only helps Jenner but all of the rest of us.”

Speaking of skepticism of the Kardashian narrative, TMZ has a follow up story about the claim that Kris was blindsided by Bruce’s announcement to her and the family. They say that she knew for years he was transitioning and tried to keep it under wraps. I can see that. I can also see her blanching at Bruce’s insistence that he’s going to go public and cut her out of the production of his show.

In terms of the fatal car crash that Jenner was involved with on Saturday, TMZ has the news that he has hired a lawyer. It’s been speculated that he was driving too closely to the car he rear-ended, the driver of whom was subsequently hit by a larger vehicle and killed, but it’s unlikely he’ll be prosecuted for vehicular manslaughter. Law enforcement has possession of the four cars involved in the accident and a forensics team will use each car’s computer “black box” data to try to reconstruct the accident. Apparently these black boxes “gauge what the driver was doing for the 5 seconds before impact. In one-second intervals, the boxes show speed, braking, the position of the accelerator, etc.” Production of the reality show has not been affected by Jenner’s accident.

Photo credit: FameFlynet and Getty Images

Here is Angelina Jolie on the cover of Ms. Magazine. She’s profiled in the magazine as part of her role as executive producer on the film Difret, which is based on the true story of an Ethiopian girl who was abducted and forced into marriage with a captor. There’s a larger article about the prevelance of child-brides and the “cultural practice” in some countries and communities of abducting girls barely in their teens for rape and forced marriage. In the film Difret, the abducted child bride ends up killing her captor/husband and she’s put on trial for murder. Once again, it’s a true story. Angelina told Ms. Magazine:

“When I first saw this film, I was moved to tears by the story. I couldn’t believe what I was watching – what these young girls have been subjected to. But those tears of sadness became tears of joy as I watched how they fought back and in turn what they have done for countless other women.”

[From Ms. Magazine, print edition]

The film was made with Ethiopian actors and very little of the dialogue is in English, so they’re hoping that Angelina’s involvement – she came in as an executive producer after the film was already made – will get the film a wider release and more attention.

Meanwhile, Angelina was apparently just in England for a two-day interfaith meeting on behalf of Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Archbishop of Canterbury was there, as was Angelina’s BFF William Hague. Here’s part of what Jolie spoke about:

Archbishop Welby held his head in his hands as Mrs Jolie-Pitt, special envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees who has just returned from northern Iraq, described the suffering of a young girl there who had been tortured with an electric drill.

“Our most powerful assets are not our armies,” she said. “They are our values. As faith leaders you are advocates for the values of compassion, tolerance, justice and reconciliation.”

She asked faith leaders to help lift the stigma attached to rape and sexual assault; to raise awareness of the issue of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war; to confront those who seek to use religion to justify sexual violence; and to demand justice for victims.

[From The Tablet]

Word. I love that she’s meeting with faith leaders to move the conversation around. Too few religious leaders discuss sexual violence, much less condemn it.

Meanwhile, there are two stupid tabloid rumors floating around about Angelina. One, there’s a rumor that Marvel wants Angelina to direct their female-lead superheroine film Captain Marvel. But I seriously doubt Marvel wants her for that, and I doubt Angelina would consider it even if they did want her. Second story and this one is persistent, for some reason: “sources” keep claiming that Brad and Angelina have adopted a Syrian orphan. They haven’t. Only believe it if it comes from People Magazine, the Associated Press or the New York Times.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

EXCLUSIVE: Go inside Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s private island wedding ceremony http://t.co/jA3dQgij5X pic.twitter.com/FKXjX91HJi

— People magazine (@peoplemag) February 9, 2015

Here’s a photo from People magazine’s photo spread of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s island wedding wedding. This shindig followed last week’s home ceremony and well-placed shade. You can see the photos here. CB, Kaiser, and I were checking them out and concluded they must be drone pictures. Isn’t that terrifying? Someone plugged in the coordinates to Johnny’s Bahamas island, Little Hall’s Pond Cay, and a little robot flew around snapping images of the Scarfmonster.

The pictures are blurry, but we can see a glimpse of Amber’s dress. The gown is rumored to be a Stella McCartney design, so it’s a good thing we can’t see too much detail. Johnny’s wearing white, and there aren’t many people witnessing the vows. A few dozen people, perhaps? The ceremony looks lovely, and here are some details:

“Johnny’s private island is a tropical paradise. Wedding guests were treated to an amazing weekend that ended with a romantic beach ceremony,” a source tells People. “Guests relaxed on the beaches, had fun snorkeling and enjoyed food cooked by private chefs. Everyone seemed to have the best time. It was a very celebratory vibe.”

Heard, 28, wore a traditional long-sleeved white wedding gown and a floor-length veil, while the actor, 51, donned a white tuxedo jacket and black pants.

The actress was flanked by several bridesmaids, including her sister, and Depp’s 12-year-old son Jack stood by dad in matching attire.

“The weather was perfect and the beach setting was gorgeous,” the source says. “The ceremony was beach casual and intimate, yet very romantic.”.

[From People]

People’s source adds that Johnny is “madly in love.” Well of course! Amber’s the only one (in two decades) who stuck around long enough to marry him. You know, everyone keeps writing about Johnny’s endless string of engagements. The assumption is that Johnny ditched these women, but I’m not so sure. Maybe all of these other women didn’t want to put up with him. Amber’s gorgeous and hustles a good game, but Johnny seems like the one who was desperate to marry. And … Amber’s okay with it too.

P.S. The Mail has more pics. They say Amber did her own hair and makeup, and she and Johnny have been “glowing” since their first wedding.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN

These are photos of Bill Murray supporting Wes Anderson at the Director’s Guild Awards on Saturday. Every time I write about Bill Murray, I get the urge to gush. Bill’s an unabashed speaker of hard Hollywood truths, and he loves a good party. Bill’s enjoyed this awards season immensely, mostly because it involves bars and parties. Everyone’s always impressed with Bill everywhere he goes. TIFF even held a Bill Murray Day last fall.

One person may not be so impressed. French goddess Catherine Deneuve’s in town. Kaiser talked about how Catherine attended the LA Louis Vuitton event on Friday. After that Denueve ended up at the Sunset Tower Hotel bar. Page Six says Bill was there, and he “did his best to flirt” with Catherine, who didn’t seem impressed. He “went over and flirted with her .?.?. She looks amazing. She smoked about 50 times during her dinner, so everyone got to admire her beauty each time she [went] out on the terrace.” There aren’t any further details on whether Murray was able to seal a deal, but it sounds like he struck out.

Since I spend my spare time devouring Murray interviews, this story reminded me of his visit to Howard Stern last year. Stern pressed Bill on why he never remarried after two divorces. Bill said, “I don’t think I’m lonely. It would be nice to go to some of these things and have a date … I don’t have a problem connecting with people. [I’m not] connecting with myself. If I am not really committing myself to that, then it’s better that I don’t have a different person.” He’s a wise man. This is why Bill Murray has had only two divorces. That’s a low number for Hollywood! Look at Gary Oldman and his four ex-wives.

I’d let Bill Murray chat me up, but he had plenty of chat buddies this weekend. Enter January Jones and Bradley Cooper.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of Getty & WENN

During last year’s awards season, Emma Thompson kept bringing her teenage daughter Gaia as her date to various events. That’s why we have so many current-ish photos of Gaia. Gaia is currently 15 years old and she looks SO much like her mom. But I also see some of her dad, Greg Wise, in there too. Anyway, I always assumed that Gaia was and is as clever and cool as Emma, because how could she not be? Emma and Greg raised Gaia in England, and Gaia has been educated at private schools (or as the Brits call it, public schools). But no more. Greg announced a few days ago that they were taking Gaia out of private school and she’s going to be homeschooled from now on. Ruh roh.

Emma Thompson’s daughter has been withdrawn from her £6,000-a-term school so she can be taught in her back garden after deciding main-stream learning ‘wasn’t for her’. Fifteen-year-old Gaia is being educated at home, her father, the actor Greg Wise, revealed today. Wise said she made the decision just before she started her GCSEs, leading them to build a classroom in the garden of their West Hampstead home.

‘School isn’t for everyone,’ he told The Times Magazine. ‘She loves learning and she’s terribly focused and hardworking, but she didn’t like the sausage factory of formal education.’

Wise said he would not be teaching Gaia – but pointed out as many as 60 per cent of today’s youngsters would end up doing jobs which were yet to be invented.

‘So what are we teaching them?’ he wondered. ‘I think really we should just teach Latin and free-form dance.’

Thompson has previously revealed she hoped her daughter would do her A-levels at Camden School for Girls, the state secondary where she herself was taught.

[From The Daily Mail]

Do I think this is going to be the same kind of “homeschooling” that Kendall and Kylie Jenner received? Absolutely not. But it does make me nervous. I’m the daughter of a public school teacher, and I had a great public school education myself (I still can’t spell worth a damn, but that’s not my school’s fault). I believe that kids should go to a real school because I believe in the process. I think Gaia’s private homeschooling will probably be thorough and Greg and Emma can obviously afford it, but it bugs me. Every teenager is disaffected and distracted, and it feels like the answer of “Eh, they’ll grow out of it” doesn’t apply to some special snowflakes.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The Real Housewives of Miami star has been known to struggle with fertility issues, but she’s not letting that get in her way. Instead, she’s officially going to be a mommy – via surrogacy.

Lisa Hochstein revealed to US Weekly that her and her husband Lenny Hochstein are expecting via surrogate and they couldn’t be more excited:

“It did not feel real, almost unbelievable! Although I was beyond excited and overjoyed, we did not want to get our hopes up too high until we passed the first trimester.”

Lisa has had three miscarriages in the past and four failed IVF attempts. Fans of The Real Housewives of Miami know that Lisa has had quite the struggle when it comes to getting pregnant. Lisa goes on to explain that surrogacy was practically their last resort:

“We felt that we tried almost every option available to us except surrogacy. Adoption was a consideration if this didn’t work.”

Read the rest of the interview here.

Kelly Clarkson, 32, didn’t attend the 2015 Grammy Awards last night, but she definitely had a fun time tweeting about them on Twitter!

Kelly Clarkson stole the night, but she wasn’t even at the Grammy Awards! Instead, she tweeted some of the funniest tweets we’ve seen from a celebrity in quite some time. Jokingly, Clarkson even tweeted about arranging a marriage for her daughter with Wiz Khalifa’s son, Sebastian:

“So @wizkhalifa your son is adorable beyond words!! I’m thinking arranged marriage with our little nugget ha!”

Kelly’s commentary started off with some red carpet critiques and she didn’t stop until the 20115 Grammy Awards came to a close.

Musician Wes Cage opened up in a new interview with People, and he talks about how his child was able to save his life.

Seven months ago, Wes Cage and his wife, Danielle Cage, brought their son Lucian Cage into the world. Wes credits his son and family in general for being able to get him on the right track:

“It got to the point where people thought I was digging my grave. Lucian’s saved both of our lives, and we are very blessed to have him. It’s just a very joyous time right now.”

Wes, son of Nicolas Cage, goes on to talk about how he’s making sure his son gets early exposure to music:

“I want him to know what real guitar playing is, so I play Spanish music for him. We just spend skin-to-skin contact time and listen to flamenco music … he loves it.”

Read the interview in its entirety over at People.

Mom-to-be Keira Knightley radiated the red carpet at the EE BAFTA British Academy Film Awards in London, England on Sunday (February 8).

Joined by husband James Righton, The Imitation Game actress, 29, looked stunning in a strapless black and white Giambattista Valli tulle gown.

In a recent interview with ELLE, Knightley dished on her maternity style.

“People do wear tight things when they’re pregnant. I don’t really go for that,” she shared. “Does it [being pregnant] make it harder? It just means that you’re not going to wear anything tight. Actually, the waist has disappeared, so I can’t do that.”

She went on to recall a funny story about her unique moniker.

“I was meant to be named ‘Kiera’, after a Russian ice skater who was on the TV one day,” she shared. “My dad fancied her and nicked her name for me. But it was my mum who went to register my birth, and she accidentally spelled ‘ei’ instead of ‘ie’ because my mum’s crap at spelling. Apparently, when she came back he said: ‘What the f*ck? You’ve spelt her name wrong!’ What were they going to do, though? Once it’s on the piece of paper, it’s on the piece of paper. And that’s me. A spelling error.”

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