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Day 6 of the British media’s howling tantrum about the Duchess of Sussex attending the LA Children’s Hospital gala last Saturday. I skipped Day 5’s coverage because all the Mail could summon was Amanda Platell squealing about how Meghan shouldn’t “emasculate” her husband by being smart, beautiful and sexy in a red dress. Too late!! Poor emasculated Harry, so terribly in love with his hot, sexy, intelligent wife. Well, the latest is Richard Eden’s new column, in which he laments how terrible it was for Meghan to not be treated like a “working royal” at a… hospital gala in LA?

One of the most awkward and revealing episodes since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit royal duties in 2020 to ‘find freedom’ – and a fortune – came on a red carpet in Los Angeles almost a year ago. Unaccompanied by Prince Harry, Meghan couldn’t have looked less regal as she walked down the carpet at the Power Of Women event and waited to be interviewed by a reporter for Variety magazine, like [any other] celebrity. King Charles’s daughter-in-law posed for photographers like the wannabe starlet she once was. And, in the most undignified moment of all, was then rushed along impatiently by another guest.

Last weekend, Meghan was alone again, on another red carpet in her home city, competing for attention with some of those guests at the LA Children’s Hospital Gala. This time, however, she had to suffer further mortification, with fellow guests feeling free to voice their criticism of her. ‘There wasn’t a great deal of warmth from people when she arrived,’ Lizzie Cundy, a British socialite and television presenter, later told me. ‘She wasn’t there long – she seemed to be there for the photographs.’

When Meghan was still a working royal she would never have been subjected to such a reception or criticism. Having been appointed patron of the National Theatre by the late Queen Elizabeth, in a move designed to make the former actress feel welcome in Britain, Meghan would be guest of honour at stage events. She would enter a theatre after others had taken their seats and distinguished individuals would line up to meet her afterwards.

And while the duchess was receiving this allegedly chilly reception in LA, her husband was treated as warmly as ever at an awards ceremony for WellChild, one of the few charity patronages he was able to cling onto after leaving Britain. He remained patron of WellChild because it wasn’t a royal patronage handed out by the Monarch.

An old friend of Harry’s I spoke to this week said Meghan’s solo outing in LA emphasises how much they have lost by abandoning royal life. ‘Imagine the difference if they were still working royals,’ the friend said. ‘They would be the centre of attention wherever they went. They would be patrons of organisations and charities, not just guests turning up. I think Harry’s work over recent weeks with WellChild and Sentebale [the charity he helped set up in 2006 for African orphans, including those living with HIV/AIDS] will have brought home to him how much he has lost by moving to the States.’

[From The Daily Mail]

A quick reminder of how Meghan was actually treated when she lived in the UK: she was always being told to humble herself, to not be showy, to make herself smaller, less noticeable, that she shouldn’t wear bright colors. If she did get attention or positive press, the family became incandescent with rage and they furiously briefed against her. They screamed about how much her clothes cost. They screamed about her hair. They screamed about her family. They screamed about her avocado toast. Then they shoved her in the back at royal events and whenever she did work, the other Windsors rushed to step on her newscycle or spread lies about how she was secretly making everyone cry behind-the-scenes. This is Eden trying to “sweeten the pot” and, in his plodding, idiotic way, try to convince the Sussexes that they would be better off if only they came crawling back. He’s also trying to convince his domestic audience that no one should be fooled by Meghan looking vivacious, healthy and glowing at the gala – they she was absolutely being snubbed, he promises, just don’t even pay attention to the fact that Meghan was a guest of the hospital’s CEO and that she sat at the same table with Jimmy Kimmel. Snubbed! Embarrassed! Awkward! Trust him!

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As a general rule of thumb, wild animals should be left alone by humans (note to RFK Jr: that still stands even if the animal is no longer alive). They may be cute woodland creatures or majestic beasts, and yes there can be exceptions where a particular critter forms a bond with an individual. But overall our intervening more often than not affects them adversely, if they become too expectant/dependent on humans providing them meals. And, you know, they are still wild, and have the potential to act at any moment with instinctual ferocity. Or you could have this bizarre scenario play out in your front yard: a woman in Washington State has been feeding neighborhood raccoons for 35 years. It was a manageable task for her, akin to leaving food out for stray cats. Until last week, when she called the police because 100 raccoons had shown up on her property. Even the police were startled upon arriving on the scene, though thankfully for us, they captured excellent video and photography to share with the world.

According to NBC News, the woman — who has not been named — was forced to call the police after her yard was swarmed by about 100 raccoons.

Per the outlet, police told NBC affiliate KUSA on Monday, Oct. 7 that the woman from Poulsbo, Wash. began feeding local raccoons 35 years ago, but had never experienced any issues until recently.

“Somehow the word got out in raccoon land and they all showed up to her house expecting a meal,” said Kitsap County Sheriff spokesperson Kevin McCarty.

On Thursday, Oct. 3 the woman called 911 after the animals prevented her from entering her home.

McCarty said that police “were shocked” by the site.

“They had never seen that many raccoons in one place,” the spokesperson said. “Nobody ever remembers being surrounded by a swarm of raccoons. This was a first.”

On Monday, the Kitsap County Sheriff shared a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) featuring the brace of raccoons waiting to be fed.

“On Patrol: Raccoon Invasion,” the police department’s caption read.

In the video, a large group of raccoons can be seen in a woodland area.

Per the report in the video, the woman had to escape the creatures by running away in her car.

The woman said that the sudden increase in raccoons happened “six weeks ago,” adding that the animals surround her during the day and at night for food.

According to the report, she’s albo been quoted prices as high as $500 per raccoon for the entrapment and relocation of the animals.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has been contacted by deputies to help find a solution for the raccoons.

[From People]

Well, for anyone who’s ever wondered, “What would Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ be like with raccoons instead?” — this is your preview! I’m fairly confident that the only person who is surprised that a sh-t ton of raccoons finally descended to demand more food… is the woman who’s been giving them food for 35 years. In the video clip, you hear a police officer asking when their numbers started blowing up, and she replies, “Six weeks ago!” But she says it with such indignation! I had to chuckle, even though I would be freaked the f–k out if 100 raccoons showed up at my home (who am I kidding, I live in NYC, there are probably twice that many working the trash cans at night). But the difference is that I wouldn’t be feeding those rascals in the first place!

So how does everyone move forward from this stalemate in Kitsap County, Washington? Mathing it out, $500/raccoon X 100 raccoons = a full college tuition (one year or the whole degree, depending on the school). I can understand the homeowner feeling scared and despondent with those numbers. On the other hand, the raccoons are clearly just coming to collect on the social contract that she initiated. I mean sure, it’s a little dramatic of them to wait it out a few decades, build out their families, and then randomly appear en masse to take charge of the situation. But just look at their fanciful tails and high-contrast eye makeup — of course they’re going to be drama queens! Anyway, best of luck to all involved in the future peace negotiations (and fingers crossed that doesn’t include raccoon-genocide advocate Ana Navarro).

Photos credit Ennif Pendahl on Pexels and Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department via Instagram/Facebook

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Has anyone been following this drama between Cards Against Humanity and Elon Musk? A few weeks ago, CAH declared war on the Muskrat by suing him for $15 million dollars, alleging that SpaceX trespassed on land owned by CAH near the US/Mexico border and left equipment and dumped waste on it. They made a post on Twitter that included pictures of the site in question with SpaceX crap all over it. CAH bought this land in 2017 to help stop our 45th president from being able to build his stupid border wall on it.

It should not surprise anyone, but CAH is not done with Elno just yet. I think they’ve now made it their mission to troll him at every turn, and honestly, I am here for it. As you know, Elon showed up at Trump’s rally in Butler, PA last weekend to go full Dark MAGA (insert eyeroll). At the same time, Elon’s PAC started a petition called “Free Speech and the Right to Bear Arms.” The PAC announced that they would give $47 to any person who was able to get a voter in a swing state (NC, PA, GA, NV, NM, AZ, MI, and WI) to sign the petition. The Cards Against Humanity crew, however, responded by offering “America’s bluest non-voters” up to $100 to Tweet an apology for not voting in 2020, as well as the message, “Donald Trump is a human toilet.”

The popular gag-gift card game “Cards Against Humanity” has pledged to pay people to tweet that Donald Trump is a “human toilet” after Elon Musk announced that he would pay people to get swing state voters to sign a petition.

The announcement came in a subscriber email titled “Cards Against Humanity Pays You to Give a S***” where the game company shared that they would be paying “America’s bluest non-voters up to $100” to apologize for not voting in 2020, create a voting plan and tweet “Donald Trump is a human toilet,” as reported by Idobi.

Cards Against Humanity wrote in the email, “We’re trying to pay tens of thousands of swing-state non-voters to do this—enough that it could actually swing the election. So help us raise cash to un-f*** America by getting our all-new 2024 Election Pack, featuring 30 fresh cards about this batshit election. 100% of profits fund apologies.”

This news comes after the owner of X (formerly Twitter) Elon Musk posted to the social media platform that every person who was able to get a voter in a swing state to sign a petition supporting “Free Speech and the Right to Bear Arms” would receive $47.

The upcoming November election will decide the 47th president of the United States.

The petition created by Musk’s American PAC appears to just be interested in those in swing states as after signing, users are redirected to a page for voter registration links in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, even if the signee is from a different state, as reported by CNBC.

[From LA Times]

I love this and think it’s very funny that CAH is countering Phony Stark’s disingenuous and sensationalist proposition. You know that seeing this will make Trump big mad as he clenches his tiny fists. That said, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge how sad it is that some Americans need to be paid to do sh-t like this. I bet many of them don’t end up voting anyway, but will still be some of the loudest voices to complain about the US. The last decade of American politics has made me that cynical.

Elon’s proposal is also stupid. Whether or not you voted (not who you voted for) is public record, so that’s easy enough to verify, but…yeah, how do they verify who referred them other than the honor system?. Elon’s basically just paying people $47 in exchange for selling their personal data for much, much more. It’s wild that a bunch of people who are so suspicious of the government that they won’t do something in their best interest like get a vaccine or call FEMA for help are going to willingly sign their names to a petition for less than $50. Anyway, CAH remains the best. I’m dying for the Cards Against Humanity: Space Karen expansion pack. The things they could come up with would be so, so funny.

Elon at tonight’s Trump rally pic.twitter.com/qvM9EoiaT2

— Daniel (@TheDancuso) October 6, 2024

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The Wendy’s Krabby Patty Kollab meal has begun! ICYMI, SpongeBob SquarePants turns 25 this year, and to celebrate their quarter-century birthday, Nickelodeon and Paramount teamed up with several different restaurants to present to fans the “Krabby Patty Kollab.” The brand crossover brings a bunch of SpongeBob-themed foods into the real world, including the famous Krabby Patty and the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty. This crossover has been highly anticipated everywhere (most specifically in my own household), and now the reviews are in! And they say…that the Krabby Patty is fairly underwhelming while the Frosty is quite tasty. Dannica from Buzzfeed did a fun review of her experience:

A “regular schmegular wrapper:I know it’s probably wild to nitpick at a fast-food place’s packaging, but if having standards is a crime, arrest me! As someone who loved watching SpongeBob as a child (and revisited my Bikini Bottom era sometime in my college years), I feel like some creative opportunities were missed. I wish there had been a different burger wrapper acknowledging that this was a collab burger — a Krabby Patty, at that. There could’ve been some type of flower cloud pattern, as seen in the show, or even something as simple as bubbles. Even the fries carton could’ve been something that nodded to the kelp fries sold at the Krusty Krab.

How it compares to Krusty Krab Krabby Patty: Wendy’s version consists of a quarter-pound beef patty, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, two slices of American cheese, and pickles. What differs, however, is that Wendy’s Krabby Patty includes a “top secret” Krusty Kollab sauce. OK, hear me out — it’s a good burger! This doesn’t surprise me because I think Wendy’s burgers are tasty in general, but the one thing that I was a bit unsure of at first was the sauce. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t taste bad at all! I think I went in thinking it was going to be some wild, unique sauce but was instead taken aback by how familiar it was.

Similar to a Big Mac? Wendy’s Krabby Kollab sauce is tangy and slightly sweet, much like other iconic fast food burger sauces. In fact, one of my sisters initially said that Wendy’s Krabby Patty “tastes like a Big Mac.” However, I do disagree! Even though Wendy’s Krabby sauce is similar in the pickle-y and sweet department, it packs more of a punch to me. The sauce is more savory than sweet, almost leaning toward a more peppery flavor, which I thought was nice! Even though I almost wish Wendy’s went a little riskier with the sauce (and I know they can because I tried ALL of their saucy nuggets), I honestly just wish the burger had more of it and was creamier.

An overall burger review: As for the burger as a whole, if you take away the Krusty sauce, you basically have a Dave’s Single. And honestly? I’m not complaining. The lettuce was crisp, the tomatoes were juicy, the onions had a nice crunch, the cheese was melty perfection, the pickles were pickling, the patty was JUICY, and the bun was toasted and buttery. What more could I truly ask for (aside from more Krabby sauce)?

The real star of the show is… Now, even though the Krabby Patty is supposed to be the star of the whole meal, I admit that I was most excited to try the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty! Taking the iconic Wendy’s dessert, this chocolate or vanilla Frosty comes swirled with a Pineapple Mango-flavored puree. Though this Frosty comes with the meal, you can also order it by itself for $3.69 (prices may vary by location). All I can say is WOWWW. Despite the puree vanishing from plain sight, the pineapple and mango flavors stuck around and did the dang thing. First of all, a pineapple and mango combo is always going to hit, and it especially did paired with the Vanilla Frosty. I was a little worried that the pineapple would give a very tart and punchy flavor, but instead, it was sweet — but not in an overbearing or artificial-tasting way. Granted, it might not be overbearing because the puree itself had a more syrupy texture, so there wasn’t much to pick up on anyway. I had to give the Frosty a good mix between bites, but I thought the flavor was tropical, light, and delish.

Overall: I enjoyed the Krabby Patty meal! It’s a fun and tasty collaboration, but it did lack in creativity. Considering this meal was released in celebration of SpongeBob SquarePants — and it’s the first time there’s ever been a “real life” Krabby Patty — there could have been so much more. Mostly, I wish there was more of an effort to push the theme and include elements of the Krusty Krab or anything about Bikini Bottom in the meal’s presentation.

Her favorite part: To no one’s surprise, my favorite part about this meal was the Frosty, and I certainly think the meal is worth trying at least once — especially if you’re a longtime SpongeBob fan and want the experience of ordering a Krabby Patty in real life! But don’t wait too long, as this collaboration is only for a limited time!

[From Buzzfeed]

Has anyone tried the Krusty Patty Kollab? My family and I were actually planning on visiting Wendy’s this weekend to check out this promotion. I cannot believe that they missed the opportunity to use SpongeBob/Krusty Krab packaging! That’s going to get so many kids into it all. If you have built-in marketing and brand name recognition, you should be using that sh-t as much as you can. That said, it’s kind of a bummer that they reportedly didn’t do anything special in stores to celebrate the crossover. That’s how you extend your brand. Create a sauce that will be different enough to bring people back! Other reviewers have also praised how good the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty is, though, so I guess we’re going to make sure that we try that, too.

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— Wendy’s (@Wendys) October 2, 2024

Remember Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa? She’s the one who Blake Lively and Parker Posey were extremely rude to during an interview back in 2016. Well, on her YouTube channel, called Flaawsome Talk, Kjersti uploads her celebrity interviews and gives commentary on them. That’s how the whole Blake thing came to light, because she shared the video there. The latest star to make headlines thanks to Kjersti’s channel is Anne Hathaway. In 2012, Kjersti interviewed Anne while she was doing press for Les Miserables. Kjersti starts the interview off with a joke about Anne singing her answers back to her, which Kjersti had done successfully with Anne’s other Les Mis costars including Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried. Anne laughs politely but then responds with a very blunt, (paraphrasing), “Yeah, I’m not doing that.”

Kjersti then cuts to two other clips from the interview, both of her asking Anne a question, only to be met with a very short, “No” as a response. She also shared that she’d met and interviewed Anne several times after that one interview and noted that she was lovely on every occasion since. Kjersti also posted the video to her TikTok, and somehow, Anne ended up seeing it. Rather than go on the defensive or just ignore its existence, Anne did the grown-up thing and sent Kjersti an email to apologize for how snippy she was during the first interview, something that Kjersti then shared via YouTube and TikTok.

“I have to say, I was pretty shocked. I had not expected her to reach out to me at all. I thought she was never going to even see that video, but she did and she did something pretty amazing,” Flaa said, revealing that Hathaway sent her a “long email” explaining what she was going through at the time and apologizing “for giving [Flaa] an awful interview.”

In the original clip of their brief interaction, which took place as Hathaway was promoting “Lès Miserables,” Flaa started off her interview by jokingly asking Hathaway to answer the first question through song.

“I was going to sing the question to you and you can sing back the answer,” Flaa said while laughing in the clip. Hathaway, however, didn’t like the idea. “Well I won’t be doing that, but you’re more than welcome to sing,” she responded.

Flaa went on with the interview by asking Hathaway questions like, “Do you remember your first crush?” and whether she believed “love was more passionate” during the period of time the film took place. Following both questions, Hathaway simply answered, “No.”

At the time, Flaa told her followers that “things didn’t go as planned” as she pushed them to watch the rest of the “cringe” clip on her YouTube channel.

In her Tuesday TikTok, Flaa further said, “[Hathaway’s apology] was so touching to me. Just talking about it makes me almost teary eyed. I was just so grateful that she did that.”

“It was a very personal note and we decided that I wouldn’t share exactly what was in the email, but I just wanted to share with you guys what she did because I thought that was just so amazing.”

Though she didn’t share the specific details of Hathaway’s email, the reporter said she responded to the Oscar winner’s email, expressing her gratitude for the apology and offering to sit down with her for another chat.

“I said, ‘If you ever want to sit down and talk about it, I’m here.’ and she invited me to interview her for her next movie that’s coming out in May,” Flaa announced to her followers.

“I have so much respect for people who own up to their mistakes and say they’re sorry. Sorry is such a powerful word,” Flaa added, likely referencing her previous ordeal with Lively who she claims never apologized for her “little bump” comment.

She finished addressing the incident by saying, “It was a long time ago now, I have no hard feelings about it.”

[From Page Six]

Honestly, while the whole “I won’t be doing that” thing came off as snippy, I really didn’t think the two “No” answers were that bad. Were they answers that an actor who is trying to sell their movie should give? No, but to me, she just looked exhausted. I’ll admit it: Even when everyone was giving her a hard time about her open Oscars campaign, I’ve always liked Anne and given her the benefit of the doubt. I know she took a break from the spotlight and came back refreshed, like she was Anne 2.0. It was really sweet of her to send an apology email. It sounds like it wasn’t just a generic response, either, but an actual email written from the heart after a decade of self-reflection.

But…yeah. Let’s talk about Kjersti real quick. Is she becoming someone that actors need to be worried about in terms of her calling out their bad behavior? She reminds me of someone who would have absolutely been the source of a blind item back in the day, only now, she’s just doing it out in the open and bringing video receipts. I’m all for as-holes being held accountable, but all it takes is one misleading clip to cause a pile-on, you know? Anyway, I do wonder if this is going to start a trend of more journalists going through their archives and calling out those who were rude to them. Are we entering a new gossip era?

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Well, this is a surprise! The Princess of Wales made an appearance today, just a short time ago. Kate and Prince William were in Southport to meet with some of the families from the Southport stabbing tragedy over the summer. After the stabbings of those poor little girls, there were widespread white nationalist riots across England. It was awful, and the Windsors said and did little about the riots. King Charles did make a solo visit to Southport several weeks after the stabbings. This is William and Kate doing a royal follow-up:

The Princess of Wales has made an emotional pilgrimage with her husband to Southport to comfort the families of the three girls who lost their lives in July’s knife attack tragedy.

In her most significant public engagement to date this year, Catherine, 42, joined Prince William to meet with the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.

They also spent time with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, who was seriously injured as she shielded youngsters as they were attacked by a knifeman during a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday class. Afterwards the couple spoke to emergency responders who attended and helped on the day.

Prince William had promised the families and local community he would visit as soon as possible and his visit has long been scheduled in for today.

[From The Daily Mail]

We’ll have more on this tomorrow, but I wanted to get these photos up asap. I’m genuinely glad that Kate is out and about and feeling well enough to travel and do some public events. Many people, myself included, assumed that we would only see her next at Remembrance events in November. My one funny/mean comment is that Kate doesn’t look like she’s a fan of her husband’s scuzzy beard.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

On Wednesday, Prince William visited BAFTA headquarters to announce something to do with the Prince William Bursary Fund, in association with the Royal African Society. The photos were bad, as all of William’s bearded photos are these days. But the visit wasn’t controversial, from what I saw – it just lacked pizzazz. Even though several celebrities gathered at BAFTA HQ to hear the heir speak, William’s charisma-vacuum quality sucks all of the fun and excitement out of the room. The man has all of the rizz of a muffled fart. He apparently begged Paul Greengrass to make another Jason Bourne film:

The Prince of Wales has discovered that even being heir to the throne is not enough to get what you want out of Hollywood. During a meeting at an event hosted by Bafta and the Royal African Society, William revealed that he was a fan of the Bourne film franchise starring Matt Damon. Speaking to Paul Greengrass, 69, the British film-maker who directed three of the five spy thrillers in the series, William, 42, said: “Another Bourne, please?” However, Greengrass laughed and shook his head.

The Prince of Wales, president of Bafta, was at the London headquarters of the arts charity for the screen industries to meet recipients of the Prince William Bafta Bursary fund. It provides grants of up to £2,000 to help young people from underrepresented groups develop their careers in film, games and television. One student said that they had used the money to pay for driving lessons to travel to film shoots and auditions. The student asked William how many times he had taken his driving test. “Thankfully, I passed first time,” he replied.

Speaking to another student, Erik Scott, William said that there was now so much to watch on television that his three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, were “always wrestling over the remote” at home.

[From The Times]

I also enjoy the Bourne films, although I’m realizing just now that I never saw Matt Damon’s last go-round in the 2016 film called, easily enough, Jason Bourne. How did I skip that entirely? The original trilogy is great though, and I even liked the one-off they did with Jeremy Renner. As for William regaling the BAFTA people with stories about his kids fighting over the remote… I’m sure he thinks these stories are relatable to the peasants, but I’m always left with so many questions. It also seems like William has an abundance of time to keep up with lots of television shows (but not BAFTA-nominated movies).

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

A few days ago, the Telegraph published another royal-adjacent “My Saturday” column. Tom Parker Bowles recently did the same column, and he was “oily” in his flattery towards his stepfather, King Charles. This new one is from James Middleton, the Princess of Wales’s brother. James, like Tom Parker Bowles, is promoting a book and openly trading on his royal connections. The British media has not breathed a word of criticism about Tom or James. Not even when James sort of lets the cat out of the bag about how much time Kate has spent at Middleton Manor in the past year:

We tend to skip lunch, so as not to break up the day and feel sluggish afterwards. I found my 20s really challenging. I’ve only figured out who I am after going through depression. I wish I hadn’t had to go through it to find it. But if you don’t have hard times you can’t appreciate the good ones. There was an added pressure when Catherine and William started dating. I’m famous by default; the association has never been my choice.

There are certain things I’ve learnt, like not to wear drag to a Hallowe’en party because you’ll find yourself in the papers as a “cross-dressing brother”. But I can’t look back thinking, “How would I have done things differently.” The peace of the countryside helps maintain our mental wellbeing; it was part of our reason for moving out of London after 11 years. It sounds like a joke, but we try to live like our dogs. They’re not worrying about tomorrow or yesterday.

We’ll often stop at my parents’ house for tea or supper. My sisters and I are all within 30 minutes’ drive, so there is often an aunt or a cousin passing through, too. The cousins all play their role in looking after Inigo – there’s seven of them altogether at the moment. I think they’re all impressed at how much of a mess Inigo can make. But there’s lots of laughter and giggles about. Even when I had my depression I recognised the importance of family, and rather than one person being burdened with it all, it’s shared. I think any challenge that a family goes through is one that brings them together.

[From The Telegraph]

James’s son Inigo was born in September 2023. Kate reportedly had abdominal surgery in January of this year, then she was reportedly diagnosed with cancer in late February. We were told, this whole time, that Kate was recovering at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor and Anmer Hall in Norfolk. I’ve believed for some time that Kate was barely in Windsor this year, and that she was pretty much living in Norfolk and Bucklebury with her parents. This seems to be a confirmation of that, right? Every story James Middleton has told about his family, it’s like “oh, of course Kate and the kids were in Bucklebury, of course the Wales kids spend a lot of time with my infant son.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Hurricane Helene ravaged Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee two weeks ago, and so many communities are still digging out of that catastrophe. Dolly Parton pledged $1 million to Helene relief, and many country stars are pulling together a benefit concert. Then on Wednesday, as Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, Taylor Swift decided to once again pony up a huge sum from her personal fortune: $5 million to Feeding America and other hurricane relief efforts.

Taylor Swift has donated a large sum in effort to lend a hand to those recovering from the impact of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Feeding America shared a statement on Instagram thanking the star for her generous contribution.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift for her generous $5 million donation to Hurricane Helene and Milton relief efforts. This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms,” Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, the CEO of Feeding America wrote in a statement.

The statement continued, “Together, we can make a real impact in supporting families as they navigate the challenges ahead. Thank you, Taylor, for standing with us in the movement to end hunger and for helping communities in need.”

In the caption section, Feeding American thanked Swift, 34, “for standing with us and the movement to end hunger and helping communities in need in the wake of #HurricaneHelene and #HurricaneMilton. Together, we can make a real impact in supporting families as they navigate the challenges ahead.” They also encouraged readers to “join Taylor if you’re able to” and donate.

[From People]

People always talk about Taylor’s capitalism and it’s true, she’s a red-blooded American capitalist. But people rarely talk about how she pays her people fairly and gives huge, six-figure bonuses to everyone involved in Swift Inc. They also don’t talk about this kind of charitable giving as much as they should – in a country where so many CEOs behave recklessly, where so many rich, privileged people close their wallets in national disasters, Taylor is usually one of the first ones to make these kinds of huge donations. Also notable: Taylor was supposed to restart her Eras Tour in Florida next week, in Miami. I kind of wonder if she will have to reschedule, given the devastation from Hurricane Milton.

You can go to Feeding America’s donation page here, and the American Red Cross’s disaster relief resource page here.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

Last week, Garth Brooks was sued in a California state court for sexual assault, battery and harassment. The woman who sued him used to work for him – as an independent contractor/hair stylist and MUA – and she claims that he exposed himself to her, harassed her in person and electronically and assaulted her at a hotel. Brooks pushed back on her claims, saying that the woman had “hassled” him with “threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.” Brooks also noted that he filed an anonymous suit in September to stop the attempted extortion and defamation. Now Garth Brooks has filed two complaints in Mississippi. Sidenote: why all of the jurisdictional drama? The woman apparently lives in Mississippi, Garth and Trisha live in Tennessee, so why did the woman initially file suit in California?

Garth Brooks is taking legal action in response to a lawsuit filed by a former hairstylist and makeup artist of his that accused him of sexual assault and battery last week. The “Friends in Low Places” singer, 62, filed a pair of complaints in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on Tuesday, Oct. 8, denying the allegations the woman — whom he names in one of the documents — made against him and claiming that he was the “victim of a shakedown.”

In one of the complaints obtained by PEOPLE, Brooks used the pseudonym “John Doe” and noted that he would “re-file his complaint without pseudonyms” against “Jane Doe,” since the woman’s attorneys “disclosed” his identity to the press. In that filing, he also claimed that he was seeking to “defend himself against extortion.”

In his second complaint, Brooks asked for a trial by jury in order to “obtain relief” from the woman who he claimed was also attempting “defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress” on him. The musician alleged that the woman “devised a malicious scheme to blackmail” him into paying her “millions of dollars” after he “rejected her request for salaried employment and medical benefits.” He also claimed that she “threatened” to “publicly disclose false claims” about him that would “imperil his business and reputation.”

He further claimed in his court filing that she had worked as an “independent contractor” for him for 15 years before relocating from Tennessee to Mississippi. He said following her move, she “encountered financial difficulties” and asked him for assistance, which he claims he offered. Brooks claims the woman eventually asked for “salaried employment and medical benefits,” but when he denied her request, she “responded with false and outrageous allegations of sexual misconduct she claims occurred years ago.” The allegations, which included sexual “grooming,” “unwanted sexual touching and sexual assault” among others, were allegedly submitted in a “demand letter” to Brooks and “others” whom he worked with on July 17, 2024.

“The July 17 demand letter was the first time Plaintiff learned of these allegations, none of which has any basis in fact,” the complaint alleged. He claimed the woman then “threatened” to “publicly file” the letter — which he called “false and defamatory” — in a “draft civil complaint” against him unless he agreed to pay her “millions of dollars.” He said in the filing that she threatened that if he “failed to meet this demand” for payment, he “would face exposure of many millions of dollars ‘based on [his] net worth.’ ”

In addition to a trial, Brooks requested a “declaratory judgment” from the court that her allegations “against him of sexual misconduct are untrue” and compensatory and punitive damages, along with attorney’s fees.

[From People]

In the previous post, I said that “believe women” should still apply, and I hope this woman is given a fair hearing. If she has evidence to back up her claims, the court and the lawyers will hopefully be able to figure something out. We’ve gotten so used to accused predators huffing and puffing about how they’re going to fight the charges, and then some of the time, those guys settle out of court quickly once their lawyers tell them “hey, this evidence doesn’t look good for you” or “this could do huge reputational damage if any of this comes out.” So keep your eye on that, although the way Garth is going after this woman in court, my gut is telling me that he’s not going to settle.

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