VP Kamala Harris did two big media appearances on Tuesday: the Howard Stern show and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Both men, Colbert and Stern, despise Donald Trump and they were so lovely to VP Harris. Of course, Colbert would interview Trump if Trump agreed to go on The Late Show. That’s just the thing though – Trump prefers his echo chamber in right-wing media, and even those people are exhausted with him (I saw a clip of Laura Ingraham fact-checking his lies in real time the other night). Anyway, the Colbert interview was great. A lot of politicians are in stump-speech mode when they come on late-night shows, but VP Harris was funny, personable and chatty. Colbert’s audience chanted “Kamala, Kamala” when she walked on too. Colbert asked her about Hurricane Helene and Milton (which is making landfall in Florida right now), they talked about the debate, and Colbert asked her about the breaking-news from Bob Woodward’s new book, War.
My favorite part is in the third video, where Kamala passes the “would you want to have a beer with her” vibe check. Colbert gave her a Miller High Life, which is apparently what she requested. Kamala took one sip and she started taking sh-t about how Trump is a loser and how he incited an insurrection. Immaculate, no notes.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Harris’s IG and CBS.
Thomas Kingston passed away in February of this year. His passing came in the middle of a chaotic royal newscycle, including King Charles’s prostate procedure and then his cancer diagnosis and the Princess of Wales’s then-mysterious disappearance (and everything around that). Kingston died by “catastrophic wound to the head,” with a gun nearby. The initial inquest found that the most likely cause of death was self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Kingston was Lady Gabriella Windsor’s husband, and she has been deeply grieving ever since his passing. I kind of thought the inquest was all done and that everything had already been wrapped up, all nice and tidy and Windsor-approved. But no… they’re still investigating. Now they’re looking into what medications Kingston was taking just before his death.
The inquest into the death of Thomas Kingston, husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston, will look at whether his “state of mind was affected by medication”.
Kingston, 45, who married the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent in 2019, died in an outbuilding of his parents’ home in the Cotswolds with “catastrophic” head injuries and a gun left next to his body on February 25 this year. On Tuesday, in a pre-inquest review at Gloucestershire coroner’s court, Martin Porter KC said the family had been “advised that there could be a connection” between prescription medication he had taken and his state of mind.
Porter told the court: “The inquiry shouldn’t be limited to the final cause of death, which is clear and obvious.” He said it should include “Mr Kingston’s state of mind and whether that state of mind was affected by medication”.
Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said the “recent prescription … should be part of the scope”, adding: “I agree with Mr Porter, however I do caveat strongly that whether a causative link will be established is a very different matter.”
Porter said Kingston’s death was “unexpected” and “impulsive”, adding: “There was no pre-planning. On the contrary there was planning for the future.”
Kingston was a director of Devonport Capital, which provides finance for companies in “frontier economies”. No date was fixed for the inquest but all parties have been asked for availability in early December.
This is what strikes me as well: “There was no pre-planning. On the contrary there was planning for the future.” He had just had lunch with his parents and gone for a walk at his parents’ estate. His father reportedly found his son in an out-building on the estate. A lot of people who lost friends by suicide say that they had no idea they were depressed and it’s hard to make sense of it. Maybe it was the medication?
Prince Harry has repeatedly expressed his surprise that his ginger genes overpowered Meghan’s genes. Their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are both redheads, although we haven’t seen either kid in a while, and it’s likely that their hair color has changed as they both get older. Archie’s hair, once bright orange, looks like it’s getting darker with age. Lilibet might end up a strawberry-blonde. Why are we talking about Harry’s genes? Well, he brought it up! He talked about it with one of Hello’s editors when he was in London for the WellChild Awards:
The Duke of Sussex has shared a sweet tidbit about his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, revealing that the youngsters have been “blessed” with their mother Meghan Markle’s long, thick hair. In this week’s issue of HELLO!, chief content officer Sophie Vokes-Dudgeon writes about meeting Harry at last month’s WellChild Awards. Harry, 40, is patron of the children’s charity and has been attending the annual awards for years, while HELLO! is a long-time media partner.
“I knew that the WellChild Awards were special to Prince Harry, but it wasn’t until I had seen him in action that I was able to understand quite how much this special day means to the 40-year-old royal,” Sophie, who attended the ceremony, writes. “From the moment he arrived in the reception room, he had an infectious energy about him, and there were no airs and graces at all as he chatted animatedly about his own children ahead of the event.”
Sophie adds: “Archie and Lili have been blessed with their mother’s thick hair, he told us, self- effacingly, as he marvelled that it won’t be long until Lili can sit on hers.”
“He was enjoying being 40 and had been told by friends that it was the best decade, so he had high hopes for it. His wonderful wife Meghan was holding the fort, he said, her hands full with not only their two children but also their three dogs, which he joked were not quite house-trained. Not to mention the chickens!”
Sophie adds that the father-of-two was “in his element”. “The real joy for Harry is the time he spends with the children, parents and professionals being celebrated on the night. Our royal editor Emily Nash accompanies him each year and is genuinely moved each time as she observes the Duke down on his knees with the children, joking, laughing and raising smiles while he plays with the kids – something that has become even more profound for him since he became a father himself.”
“Archie and Lili have been blessed with their mother’s thick hair, he told us, self-effacingly, as he marvelled that it won’t be long until Lili can sit on hers.” OMG. Lili’s hair is so long! And you could tell from the photos of Archie several years ago that he has a full head of thick curls. Hopefully the Spencer and Windsor bald-ass genes don’t descend on Archie too early. As for the rest of it… it’s not like Hello is writing this through gritted teeth. They seem genuinely happy that Harry stopped into London for a good cause. If anything, there’s a tinge of regret, like… we wish he could be around more often. Too bad the left-behinds are psychos!
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Misan Harriman for the Sussexes, the Ellen Show.
The European leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour had two separate concert-residencies at Wembley Stadium in England. One residency was in June, then she ended the European leg by coming back to Wembley for five nights in August. The August concert dates came after she had to cancel her Austrian concerts at the last minute because of very serious terrorist threats. Taylor’s nerves were shot and she was incredibly concerned about her fans’ safety and her own safety. Which is why Taylor and her team apparently demanded police escorts throughout her concert series at Wembley. The police gave her the “VIP service” but now there’s some kind of investigation into why Taylor gets better police security than Prince Harry would have gotten.
Top Labour politicians have been accused of pressing police to give Taylor Swift a royalty-style blue-light escort to Wembley. Cops were reluctant to grant her the VVIP service — which comes at a huge expense to the taxpayer. Swift’s mum and manager, Andrea, is said to have threatened to axe the August shows unless a police convoy was provided. It followed a foiled suicide bomb plot in Austria the previous week.
Senior cops agreed to it after personal interventions by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. VVIP protection is usually for senior royalty and politicians. Even Prince Harry would not get the same treatment after losing a court case over the downgrading of his security.
The Special Escort Group of motorcyclists has a strict policy of not being used for private individuals. It is understood that chiefs opposed providing protection for billionaire Swift, 34, and her entourage.
Revelations over the security wrangle come after Labour politicians have been criticised for devouring freebies. PM Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Khan were among those who received free tickets for the Wembley gigs. Ex-Met commander John O’Connor insisted: “Police should be left alone to make operational decisions. This interference creates a perception there is no such thing as a free lunch or concert tickets. The Met is unable to provide security for Prince Harry but he must be in at least as much danger as Taylor Swift. The SEG is dedicated to the very serious business of protecting the Royal Family, senior government ministers and foreign heads of state. This is an abuse of an elite service.”
Three of Swift’s shows were axed in Vienna over fears of terrorism. An intelligence assessment was then carried out by UK police and MI5 but there was no information of a threat to the US star’s Wembley shows. But sources said her mum demanded a police escort for the journey to and from Wembley from a hotel.
One source said: “There was a great deal of concern about security in the Swift camp and they were threatening to call off the shows unless there was a police escort. The SEG has a specific role and do not provide security cover for any private individuals, no matter how important.”
After the SEG’s initial refusal, it’s understood the office of Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley intervened. Sources say Ms Cooper stressed to the Met that any cancellation would be economically damaging and embarrassing. But SEG controllers are said to have remained steadfast.
I’m not sure if we’re supposed to be scandalized that Taylor and her mom apparently “demanded” police escorts? Because I think their “demands” sound pretty reasonable overall. It actually seems typical of the British police to miss the forest for the trees – regardless of whether British intel had knowledge of specific threats against Taylor, she literally just had to cancel her Austrian concerts because of a planned terrorist attack. Taylor is also under a constant barrage of threats, which is why she also has tons of personal security. Why wasn’t this a conversation between Taylor’s private security and the police? I also think people underestimate how the 2017 terrorist attack at Ariana Grande’s Manchester concert shook the music industry and changed the way Taylor and other musical acts approach their stadium tours.
The whole “Taylor got better security than Prince Harry” thing is bizarre too – it’s like the police steadfastly refuse to look at the actual threats against certain people. Security should follow threat, not rank. “Who is this American woman demanding a police escort?” “Why should we protect the fifth in line to the throne?” Taylor AND Harry should be protected more than they are in the UK.
Something to keep your eye on: Jessica Simpson isn’t wearing her wedding ring and her husband has been missing from her socials for a while. [LaineyGossip]
Georgia’s Supreme Court reinstated the state’s deadly abortion ban. [Jezebel]
Rachel Sennott appeared on In Your Dreams. [OMG Blog]
Cissy Houston has passed away. [Hollywood Life]
Why are Republicans obsessed with raw milk these days? [Pajiba]
Sarah Paulson wore The Row. [RCFA]
Who’s your “hear me out” crush? [Buzzfeed]
Mega Millions is raising their ticket price next year.[JustJared]
Timothee Chalamet is filming all over New York. [Socialite Life]
Bob’s Big Boy got a Halloween makeover. [Seriously OMG]
Is Melania Trump’s book promotion getting wider attention outside of the conservative-media bubble? I think she is, although she absolutely would have gotten more attention if she released this stupid memoir months ago and not in the last weeks of an election where her unhinged husband is trying to end democracy. Speaking of, Melania includes a section about the 2020 election in her book. Would you believe that this Birther-conspiracy a–hole also believes that the 2020 election was “stolen” from her husband? Yeah, that sounds about right.
Melania Trump is fully on board with her husband’s 2020 election denial, her new memoir reveals. The famously taciturn wife of former President Donald Trump rarely opines about politics. But in her book, Melania, scheduled to be released Tuesday, the former first lady suggests the 2020 election was stolen.
Looking back on her husband’s last presidential campaign, Melania writes that she was optimistic about his chances, “but the media, Big Tech, and the deep state were all determined to prevent Donald’s re-election, by any means necessary. With all these enemies aligned, I worried the election would be unfair,” she recalls.
On election night, she writes, she and her son Barron watched returns roll in from her room in the White House. Her husband would pop in between phone calls. Things seemed to be going well—until Fox News projected that Joe Biden would win Arizona.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Melania writes. “How could they call it so early before all the votes were counted? It was another sign that this was not a normal election.”
That call enflamed the right, with Trump’s team insisting it was grossly premature. Fox expressed confidence in its projection, which turned out to be correct. But that wasn’t the only news that raised red flags for the first lady, according to her book, a copy of which was reviewed by the Daily Beast ahead of publication.
“Soon, the media reported that due to the way different states counted mail-in ballots and the various mail-in deadlines, the results would not be clear for several days,” she recounts. “At this point, everything was called into question for me.”
Her views expressed in the book are in line with the MAGA mantra that a combination of voter fraud, rigged voting machines and Democratic malfeasance stole a presidential term that was rightfully his. These claims have been repeatedly disproven. But not to Melania. She sides with Trump supporters who don’t buy that clear evidence.
“Many Americans still have doubts about the election to this day,” she writes. “I am not the only person who questions the results.” She recalls the tumultuous days after the election “with suspicious voting activity being reported all across the country.” While it’s true that there were some potential cases of voter fraud in battleground states, those numbered just a few hundred, according to an AP News review—too few to actually swing the election.
The most notable instances of voter fraud and election malfeasance came from MAGA Republicans like Arizonan Loraine Pellegrino (convicted in fake-elector scheme), Colorado county clerk Tina Peters (just sentenced to nine years in prison), and everyone involved in the catastrophe in Georgia, which is still being prosecuted and adjudicated. Not to mention, Melania’s husband incited a deadly insurrection to overturn the results of a free and fair election. This bitch is dumb as hell, as are all people crying about mail-in ballots.
We’re given such odd messages about how Prince William and Kate raise their children. On one side, we’re told that the Wales kids are being raised with middle-class “Middleton values” from Kate’s side of the family. On the other side, we can see how Prince George is already separated from his siblings and treated differently and in a much more elitist way. About a month ago, there was a report that George, who turned 11 years old this summer, has already begun flying lessons.
Prince George has continued a royal tradition of taking to the skies by starting flying lessons. The 11 year-old flew in a single-engine Piper PA-28 with dual controls, an aircraft specifically designed for flight training.
The Prince and Princess of Wales watched their son take off from White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead, Berks, and land around an hour later.
An onlooker told The Sun: “George is only 11 years old but it is the right time to start. The Royal family has a proud tradition of flying and it looks like George is next in line. His parents watched George take flight from the safety of the ground but he flew with an instructor and loved it.”
For what it’s worth, William technically has his pilot’s license, but when he worked as an Air Ambulance pilot, he was not allowed to pilot the helicopters by himself. He was always a “co-pilot.” I bring that up because… you know, William wants to act like he’s some big He-Man pilot and his eldest son is following in his footsteps. Anyway, I think George is way too young for this. But maybe scuba diving is more George’s flavor:
Prince George is making a splash with his new hobby, according to his father Prince William! During a visit to the Birtley Community Pool in Tyne and Wear, England, on Oct. 3, the Prince of Wales, 42, revealed that his 11-year-old son is excited by scuba diving.
“George loves scuba diving. He’s 11 years old. We took him under thinking he would freak out. He absolutely loves it. It’s just introducing him to the world of water,” Prince William said at the stop, Hello! reported.
The royal reportedly made the revelation while meeting with swimmers Adam Peaty and Tom Dean, who recently represented Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as did Paralympians Maisie Summers-Newton and Louise Fiddes, who were also at the table.
I think scuba diving lessons are fine for an 11-year-old? But again, why is George being singled out? Can Charlotte not get scuba lessons as well? Let me look it up… the general age range for kids getting scuba lessons or junior-certified is 10 years old. So maybe next year for Charlotte. The larger conversation is sort of… the future king is taking scuba lessons and pilot lessons while most of the UK lives in abject poverty.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, Cover Images and Kensington Palace.
Reboot alert! Because everything old is new again, The Princess Diaries is coming back for a third go-round. In a video posted to Instagram over the weekend, Anne Hathaway announced that she is set to return as Mia Thermopolis. So far, there’s no official word on whether or not Julie Andrews or Chris Pine will be reprising their roles as the Queen of Genova or Nicholas Devereaux, but in the past, both Sandra Oh and Mandy Moore have said they’d be game to return. The first two movies, which came out in 2001 and 2004, were directed by the late Garry Marshall. The third movie will be directed by Adele Lim, who previously directed Joy Ride and who’s writing credits include Disney’s delightful Raya and the Last Dragon and Crazy Rich Asians.
Adele Lim is returning to work with Disney as director of the third installment of its prized Princess Diaries franchise. It’s the second time Lim will be behind the camera after writing Disney’s animated 2021 movie, Raya and the Last Dragon. Lim made her directorial debut with the raunchy Lionsgate R-rated female Asian American comedy Joy Ride.
Debra Martin Chase is producing Princess Diaries 3. EPs include Lim’s producing partner Naia Cucukov and Melissa Stack. Flora Greeson is writing the screenplay.
Disney launched The Princess Diaries in 2001, catapulting Anne Hathaway into a marquee name at the box office. There was also a 2004 sequel, The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement. Both also starred Julie Andrews and were directed by the late Garry Marshall. Together both pics grossed $300M WW. The first movie followed Hathaway’s Mia Thermopolis, who learns she’s the heir apparent to the throne of Genovia. She takes her friends Lilly and Michael Moscovitz along for the ride as she tries to navigate through teenagedom.
Lim tells us: “As a diehard fan of the original Princess Diaries, I’m beyond excited to be a part of bringing the third iteration of this beloved franchise to life. We look forward to celebrating its core tenants of female power, joy and mentorship with audiences worldwide.”
Lim’s credits include being a writer-producer on such TV shows as One Tree Hill and Lethal Weapon, as well as being the co-showrunner on the CW series Star-Crossed.
She wrote Warner Bros.’ blockbuster Jon Chu-directed rom-com Crazy Rich Asians, which grossed $174M stateside and picked up nominations for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Producers Guild Awards and won the Critics Choice Award.
Last year Lim partnered with Naia Cucukov to form the production company 100 Tigers. Cucukov was a former Walden Media senior executive who’s credits include the Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club and Manhunt. The mission for the company is to “foster and empower artists and projects that share our passion for female-forward, cross-cultural stories with global appeal and a glossy edge.” 100 Tigers has several projects in development at various studios including Amazon/MGM, HBO Max and ABC.
Lim is repped by Paradigm and Ginsburg, Daniels, Kallis. Chase is repped by CAA and Del Shaw Moonves. Cucukov is repped by Paradigm and Sean Marks. Stack is represented by CAA and Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment. Greeson is repped by Kaplan/Perrone and UTA.
I admit, The Princess Diaries is one that never even pinged on my radar of movies they could bring back. It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s *only* been 20 years since the second movie came out in theaters. It feels like so much longer for some reason. I loved the first two movies back in the day, but I don’t know if we need another Princess Diaries movie. That said, I’m a big fan of a lot of Lim’s work and think she’s a great choice for this project. I’m curious to know more about it as it develops. (Right now, there’s a script, but no other details.) It sounds like Best Chris (Pine) is game to return, too. When asked about the possibility of ever coming back for a third movie, he told Entertainment Tonight last year, “I’m here for it. Give me — give me a phone call or an email.” If Best Chris is here for it, then let’s face it, I’m probably gonna be here for it too.
Photos credit: IFA Film/Avalon, kpa Publicity/Avalon, Getty, Dave Allocca/Starpix/INSTARimages, Image/RW/Avalon
The desperate rewrite continues, five years later. None of the royalists can bring themselves to admit some simple truths: Prince Harry and Meghan faced a torrent of abuse by the media and the palace; the palace could have stepped in to help them but didn’t; the Sussexes had every right to walk away from the catastrophe and make a new life for themselves; and finally, Meghan never wants to come back to her biggest abusers. The rewrite is that Meghan won’t come back to the UK “because she isn’t popular” and that Meghan up and decided that she didn’t want to do royal work because she’s such a diva. I’m sure there are many people over there that believe all of this.
Meghan Markle is a diva and didn’t like her wings being clipped, experts have blasted. Speaking at our first ever Royal Exclusive Live show, Arthur Edwards and Jennie Bond said Meghan couldn’t hack royal life like Kate.
Jennie said: “Meghan could have been such a credit – she is in independent, forthright woman. With her own career, her own thoughts, her own charities and causes. She could have been exactly what a modern monarchy needs. I think the monarchy didn’t act as carefully as they should have done. But Meghan is by all accounts a bit of a diva. She didn’t like what she saw and she didn’t like her wings being clipped.” Jennie added: “I think it’s a very sad combination of misjudgements really.”
Veteran royal correspondent Jennie said: “Meghan is not popular. She doesn’t want to come back and they are going their own ways, to some extent”.
The pair spoke on our first Royal Exclusive Live show, which you can watch in the player above and on our YouTube channel. The event was hosted on Friday in front of a live audience of more than 100 special guests.
Mr Edwards said: “I don’t think Meghan can come here much. I don’t think people think too much of her. I think she’s struggling in popularity in the UK and I think they seem to be doing things separately now. She’s got her programme and he’s got his. He comes into Britain now with no fuss. He’s come for the Invictus Games, in and out with no fuss, he came for his uncle’s funeral, no fuss.”
Jennie added: “The point is he doesn’t want to come back into the Royal Family, I think. He regarded it as a trap. He still thinks his father and his brother are trapped and he’s finding his own way. All credit to him. I think Meghan has her own independent style and way of life. Yes, it’s not in tune with the people in the UK. She’s not popular and I don’t think she wants to come back. Therefore they are going their own ways, to an extent. But I hope and believe that Harry is very happy in his life.”
The absolute begrudging admissions of “Harry is very happy in his life” and “the monarchy didn’t act as carefully as they should have done.” You don’t say! They’re so miserable that they can’t find a way to separate Harry and Meghan, to force them to divorce, to bring them both to heel in some way. And it’s just so bizarre that… this is still the conversation after five years. Minus a couple of layovers at Heathrow, Meghan has not stepped foot in the UK since QEII’s funeral. Even if she was a diva (she wasn’t), why does it matter at this point? She’s been gone from the UK twice as long as she lived there.
It feels like people forget that North America’s hurricane season really extends through October and November. We’ll keep getting stronger and stronger hurricanes later in the season too, because the water – especially in the Gulf – is so warm, so late into the year. Two and a half weeks ago, Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Florida panhandle and then ripped its way through Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. The issue with a weakened, slow-moving and massive hurricane making its way up the Appalachian Mountains is that Helene just dumped feet of water throughout multiple states and caused massive flooding. It wasn’t wind damage, it was the flooding.
Well, not even three weeks later, and another huge hurricane is about to make landfall. Hurricane Milton is churning its way through the Gulf of Mexico. It is likely a Category 5 making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula right now, and then it will hit the west coast of Florida as a Cat 3 on Wednesday. Meteorologists are using terms like “explosive” and “life-threatening surge” and “terrifying.” Florida officials have ordered mandatory evacuations for most coastal towns and areas. President Biden already declared a state of emergency, which frees up federal resources to get ready to move as soon as possible. It would not surprise me if the National Guard had to be called up. Apparently, President Biden did the emergency declaration without speaking to Florida’s Governor Ron “Pudding Fingers” DeSantis. DeSantis has been dodging President Biden and VP Kamala Harris’s calls for a while now:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not taking calls from Vice President Kamala Harris about storm recovery just over a week after Hurricane Helene hammered parts of his state. A source familiar with the situation said he was dodging the Democratic presidential nominee’s calls because they “seemed political,” according to a DeSantis aide.
“Kamala was trying to reach out, and we didn’t answer,” the DeSantis aide told NBC News.
The same person said “not to my knowledge” when asked if DeSantis had spoken to President Joe Biden.
Last week, DeSantis said Biden had called him, but he was flying at the time so could not take the call. Biden was in north Florida last week to survey storm damage, but DeSantis was holding a news press conference that had already been scheduled in another part of the state so they did not meet. A source familiar with the planning said that the Biden team had invited DeSantis to the event in north Florida. DeSantis has been in direct contact with Federal Emergency Management Director Deanne Criswell.
So it’s not like Ol’ Pudding Fingers is avoiding every federal official – he’s in contact with FEMA, and God knows, he wants all of the federal disaster relief funding and FEMA help he can get. But he’s too chickensh-t, too weak and too stupid to actually show a modicum of respect towards Pres. Biden and VP Harris. When White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about DeSantis’s childishness, she told reporters: “It’s up to him if he wants to respond to us or not.” Not only did DeSantis avoid speaking to Pres. Biden over the phone in recent days and weeks, Pudding Fingers also avoided Biden during Biden’s visit to Florida last week to view Helene’s damage.
Reporter: There are reports that DeSantis is ignoring your calls..
Kamala Harris: Playing political games at this moment…It’s utterly irresponsible and it is selfish and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do pic.twitter.com/lySDD98xO9
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 7, 2024