Alexander Skarsgard is modeling for Calvin Klein again! [Socialite Life]
Will Robert Pattinson do a sequel to The Batman? [Pajiba]
Winona Ryder & Keanu Reeves still call each other husband & wife. [Just Jared]
Joaquin Phoenix is gonna babygirl his way out of controversy. [LaineyGossip]
Kate Winslet is promoting Lee yet again. [Go Fug Yourself]
Does Demi Moore remember her most famous lines? [OMG Blog]
Oh, Gemma Chan looks cute! [RCFA]
I didn’t even know that Paula Abdul was still touring. [Seriously OMG]
Getting to know Before the 90 Days’ Loren. [Starcasm]
The “Hawk Tuah” lady is launching a podcast. [Hollywood Life]
Jeopardy questions about movies. [Buzzfeed]

sleek and laidback. Alexander Skarsgård captures fall energy.

discover the new campaign. directed by Mert Alas. pic.twitter.com/eapc4ckVIj

— calvinklein (@CalvinKlein) September 4, 2024

LMAO, this is too good. Every year, Bill Clinton hosts the Clinton Global Initiative to coincide with the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. World leaders, philanthropists, activists and politicos are already in town for the UN, and many make their way to CGI’s meeting to attend speeches, Q&A sessions and forums. Many world leaders appear at both the UN and CGI. This year, one of those world leaders will be Prince Harry.

Prince Harry, actor Matt Damon, and World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andrés are set to speak at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Sept. 23 and 24, the Clinton Foundation announced Thursday.

The theme of this year’s gathering of political, business and philanthropic leaders is “What’s Working” – an effort to shine a spotlight on potential solutions and effective aid in a tumultuous period marked by war, increased income inequality and food insecurity.

Former President Bill Clinton said this year’s Clinton Global Initiative would “double down” on the progress made on the climate crisis, global health, gun violence, and other important issues.

“We started CGI because we wanted to have a meeting where people didn’t just talk about big problems, but where we could roll up our sleeves and get something done,” he said in a statement to The Associated Press. “It’s more important than ever to be optimistic and realize we all have the ability to make a difference.”

Since returning in 2022 after a six-year hiatus, CGI has tried to maintain an optimistic tone, while also developing new ways to help, including the launch last year of The CGI Ukraine Action Network, a collaboration between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine.

The Duke of Sussex plans to discuss the launch of The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Network, an initiative supporting parents whose children have suffered or died due to online harms. He also plans to address his nonprofit’s collaboration with the World Health Organization and others to end violence against children, an issue he and his wife Meghan outlined on a recent trip to Colombia.

Water.org co-founder and Oscar winner Damon is expected to discuss the status of the $1 billion plan he announced in 2022 to give 100 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America lasting access to water and sanitation.

[From CNY]

Harry is rolling with the Clintons, WHO, The HALO Trust, Save the Children, Travalyst, African Parks, and on and on. And all week, his brother has been throwing a very public tantrum, spreading lies about how Harry is desperate to return to the UK to do ribbon-cuttings. It’s just too good. What’s next, is Harry going to address the UN General Assembly? Will he do a Q&A session with Bill Clinton? Will he take actual meetings in the UN building? Also: now I’m kind of bummed that Meghan won’t be joining Harry on this trip, because that would really make Salt Islanders’ heads explode.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images and Backgrid.

I have a theory about gossip. My theory is that American presidential election years – and Summer Olympics years – are exceptionally bonkers when it comes to gossip. 2012, 2016 and 2020 were especially crazy years in celebrity gossip, royal gossip and political gossip. 2024 is the same. This year, it feels like whenever there’s a holiday weekend, things just go haywire too. It happened during the Independence Day holiday in July, and the Labor Day long weekend was full of political and royal drama. All of which to say, I’m still playing catch-up on all of the deranged royal stuff – in addition to lies about Prince Harry “plotting his return from exile” and freakouts about Harry’s sudden appearance at Robert Fellowes’ funeral, the haters are also doing too much around Harry’s 40th birthday on September 15th. It’s a big birthday, worthy of celebration. I assume Meghan will bake him a cake and he will spend the special day with his kids and people he loves. But Prince William and his media allies are determined to impose themselves on Harry. They’re insisting that Harry is having a “mid-life crisis.” Projection, thy name is Huevo. Some highlights from this Page Six piece, which is basically a continuation of that nasty piece in the Times of London a few weeks ago.

William won’t wish Harry a happy birthday!! Prince Harry is preparing to turn 40 on September 15 — but it is pretty safe to assume his brother, Prince William, the future King of England, won’t be wishing him a happy birthday. The renegade royal will enter his fifth decade with an A-list party organized by his wife Meghan Markle, 42, Page Six is told. But it will be in Montecito, California, 5,000 miles away from the father and brother he grew up with after the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 12 years old.

William does not want Harry at his coronation. “William is not speaking to Harry,” said one source. “Harry is not the issue here.” Another royal insider who has known them both said, “William is furious. I’m not sure what can ever be done to mend fences.”

Harry at 40: As Harry turns 40, sources say he has become “more comfortable” in California and within his life. “I think he has his convictions and he is determined, but I also think he’s more unburdened than before,” said a friend.

No more books: When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex originally signed a three-book deal with Random House as part of a rumored $20 million contract, announced in 2021, Page Six was told it included Harry’s memoir, a book which Harry and Markle were set to write together and a book from Markle herself. But we’re now told there are no plans for any more books.

Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard: The Sussexes are currently working with their Archewell Foundation and tied in a recent faux-royal tour of Columbia with plans to promote mental health for young people. As for the launch of Markle’s lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, sources say that’s still up in the air. “That is a whole other story,” said one Sussex source.

The Sussexes are fine: A Sussex pal in California said of the couple, “They are happy and enjoying their lives. You could see that from their trip to Columbia.” But one longtime friend told the Sunday Times recently that he may have an “enviable lifestyle,” on the surface but, “or the Harry I know, I can’t imagine that gilded exile in California is where he wanted to end up.”

[From Page Six]

You’d think that if Page Six puts “mid-life crisis” in the headline, the article would include some revelations about this alleged mid-life crisis. Instead, it’s full of quotes about how much William hates Harry. Makes you think, huh? Makes you wonder about which brother is having a midlife crisis. Is it the brother living in a mansion with his beautiful wife and children, doing fulfilling work and building something for himself, or is it the brother who spent 72 hours rage-shrieking about how much he hates Harry?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

In recent weeks, Brittany Mahomes has been doing a lot to show everyone that she’s a dumbass and a supporter of Donald Trump. She’s liked a few MAGA-themed posts and comments on Instagram, and she’s thrown a few tantrums about how she doesn’t give a f–k about the “haters.” While this could have been a story about a white supremacist a–hole married to a Black football player and choosing the politics of white nationalism and white privilege, the story has become more complicated. That’s because of Brittany and Patrick Mahomes’ friendship with Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Swift was late in coming to her political activism, but she supported the Biden-Harris ticket and her fans hope that she will endorse Harris for president. Travis’s politics are murkier and he might even be a swing voter, although I’d like to think that Travis, a longtime fan of Black women, is going to vote for Kamala Harris.

Given that the Mahomes fam and the Kelce-Swift fam socialize together and Taylor even invited them to her Rhode Island estate last month, it’s become a larger story. How do these two couples maintain their friendships? Do they just not talk about politics whatsoever? Will Taylor begin to roll back her friendship with Brittany if Brittany goes full MAGA? I don’t know. But I know that Donald Trump believes he has the full support of the Mahomes family. Trump posted this on Truth Social on Wednesday:

“I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me, and the fact that MAGA is the greatest and most powerful Political Movement in the History of our now Failing Country. With Crime and Illegal Immigration totally out of control, INFLATION Ravaging all Americans, and a World that is laughing at the stupidity of our hapless “leaders,” it is nice to see someone who loves our Country, and wants to save it from DOOM. What a great couple – See you both at the Super Bowl!”

[Trump’s post via Twitter]

From Trump’s perspective, he just clings to any celebrity, however minor, showing him any kind of support. Of course Trump has followed the Mahomes story in recent weeks, and I strongly suspect Trump and his people are worried about Taylor Swift and her potential endorsement too. From Brittany’s perspective though? How embarrassing. Like, if you get used/praised like this by an adjudicated rapist, a jingoist white nationalist and a senile piece of sh-t, how is it not your rock-bottom? How can you look at yourself in the mirror?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Over the weekend, the Mail on Sunday ran a huge front-page story about Prince Harry’s “desperation” to come back to the royal fold. Sources told the Mail that Harry wants to come back ALONE to do William’s work and be William’s scapegoat, and that Harry’s friends are begging the institution to give Harry a ribbon-cutting job. I feel strongly that this whole thing came from Kensington Palace and Prince William, likely because William, KP and the British media were all stunned that Harry quietly flew into England for Robert Fellowes’ funeral. The big “tell” that everything came from Huevo is that within the fantasist storyline, sources kept insisting that William was still furious with Harry and William would never allow Harry to come back. After the Mail got the ball rolling, “sources close to Harry” came out and said: that Mail story is bullsh-t and of course Harry has no interest in coming back to the royal fold. Well, now egg-sources have run to the Daily Beast’s Royalist to put a bow on William’s pathetic attempt to create this storyline.

The fragile ceasefire between Prince William and Prince Harry which allowed both brothers to attend their uncle’s funeral last week, collapsed in spectacular style Tuesday, as the brothers camps returned to slinging insults and demands at each other.

Prince William’s office declined to comment but allies of the prince told The Daily Beast that Harry was “a broken record” who was “pretending to not get the message that he is not wanted” after Harry’s camp told U.K. paper the Mirror that the exiled prince would be “prepared” to undertake some royal duties if he was asked to do so by the king, but only if he received an “apology” from Prince William.

The report in the Mirror said Harry remained happy with his decision to leave the royal family but would be “open” to taking up a temporary role within the family to “help out” if he was asked to do so by the king, and William apologized.

Prince William’s office declined to comment but a friend of Prince William told The Daily Beast: “Harry is a broken record at this stage. We all know he would love to be given a part-time royal role, but Queen Elizabeth was very clear that he couldn’t be half in and half out. Nothing has changed. Whoever is promulgating these ludicrous theories on Harry’s behalf is simply pretending to not get the message that he is not wanted. They are either very thick or pretending to be.”

[From The Daily Beast]

“Harry is a broken record at this stage. We all know he would love to be given a part-time royal role.” Harry’s broken record is that he’s repeatedly been asked if he wants to go back to do royal work and he’s repeatedly said no, he’s happy in California. Harry’s stated goals are more nuanced: he would actually like to be able to return to the UK for visits with family and to do some charity work within the UK. He wants to be able to see his cancer-stricken father without layers of horsey bureaucracy. William and the British media have interpreted Harry’s stated goals as “Harry is desperate to come back!” Anyway, I’m starting to get the feeling that William is doing too much to push these narratives because some sh-t is going down in other areas. Like… WTF is happening with Kate these days? Notice that no one is talking about that. Notice how this storyline has overshadowed all things Buttons.

“Whoever is promulgating these ludicrous theories on Harry’s behalf is simply pretending to not get the message that he is not wanted. They are either very thick or pretending to be.” What a self-own by William, the thick one who is promulgating these ludicrous stories.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

John McCain’s son Jimmy McCain has switched his party affiliation to “Democrat” and has now endorsed Kamala Harris. Jimmy McCain is disgusted specifically by Donald Trump’s violent Arlington stunt last week. [Pajiba]
Here’s a good summary of the Lee Daniels mess. [LaineyGossip]
Charli XCX confirms the end of brat summer. [OMG Blog]
Reese Witherspoon spent the summer with her new boyfriend? [Hollywood Life]
Donald Trump is pissing off the anti-choice people. [Jezebel]
I forgot that Nikki Hilton’s wedding gown was gorgeous. [Buzzfeed]
Leslie Manville is such an elegant woman. [RCFA]
So many celebs have come out for the US Open, including Ashley Park. [JustJared]
Jax Taylor has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. [Socialite Life]
LMAO, Madonna looks like Sabrina Carpenter. [Seriously OMG]

Here are some photos of Queen Camilla opening the Dyson Cancer Centre this week in Bath, England. I’m shocked that she left Balmoral for this, but I assume she took a private jet back to Scotland immediately following this. It’s interesting that we’re getting this Camilla sighting this week, because she’s involved in a minor-ish controversy. Back in 2020, during the pandemic, Prince Harry filmed his wife reading a book to baby Archie. The video was around Archie’s first birthday, and it was the first time he had been seen in months. He looked like an especially happy baby, and the whole thing was done for charity (Save the Children). Well, that one video caused a flood of salty white tears from many deranged individuals. One notable hater: Emily Giffin, the author of Something Borrowed. Giffin had a vitriolic meltdown about Meghan and Archie online. Within days, Giffin faux-apologized and promised to be “more careful” about being such a nasty-ass Karen. Well, funny story – Camilla just sent her a personal thank-you letter.

Queen Camilla has penned a personal letter to bestselling American author Emily Giffin, who has previously made controversial comments about Meghan Markle. Giffin, known for her 2005 novel ‘Something Borrowed’, revealed on social media that she received the letter from Camilla in July, following their meeting at a literary event earlier this year.

Giffin had faced widespread backlash in 2020 after she criticised Meghan Markle in a series of Instagram posts. In response to a video of Meghan reading to her son, Archie, on his first birthday, Giffin labelled the Duchess of Sussex as “unmaternal” and “phoney”. These comments sparked outrage, leading Giffin to issue an apology, to which Meghan Markle never replied publicly.

Despite Giffin’s controversial past, Queen Camilla expressed her pleasure in meeting the author during the Queen’s Reading Room literary festival at Hampton Court Palace earlier this summer. In the letter, shared by Giffin on Instagram, Camilla wrote that she “much looked forward to reading [Giffin’s new novel] in the peace and quiet of Scotland,” and added, “It was a great pleasure to meet you”, hoping their paths would cross again soon.

The Queen’s correspondence with Giffin has raised eyebrows, as it is unclear whether Camilla was aware of Giffin’s previous remarks about Meghan Markle when she wrote the letter. When the intial backlash broke, Giffin posted on her social media: “To be clear, I absolutely loved that a biracial, American woman was marrying into the Royal Family. It seemed a wonderful, happy thing for everyone. I celebrated their wedding by hosting a gathering here at my home and posting many, many photos. Further, I was appalled by any signs of racism against her.”

[From The Daily Express]

Not only was Camilla well aware of Emily Giffin’s past comments, I’m absolutely sure that those comments were the whole reason why Giffin was invited to Camilla’s July event. Camilla has a nasty habit of doing this – she sends letters of support to anyone who harasses, belittles, denigrates and stalks Meghan. She’s shown an enormous amount of support for Jeremy Clarkson, Piers Morgan, etc. She’s not slick, nor is she oblivious to the history. She knows exactly what she’s doing and she’s sending a message, that she 100% approves of the attacks on the Sussexes. Which is one of the many reasons why the whole “Charles will never forgive Harry for what Harry said about Camilla” argument falls flat. Camilla is a whole-ass villain.

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A post shared by Emily Giffin (@emilygiffinauthor)

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Camilla Tominey went from “royal expert” to right-wing commentator at some point. She barely writes about the Windsors anymore, and she focuses instead on sulking about Labour. She was really mad about the British election and Keir Starmer. But she recently decided to dip her toe back into royal coverage. No, she’s not getting more briefings from Middleton Manor (those sources clammed up last year when the Middletons’ house of cards collapsed). Instead, Tominey has decided to mock the Duchess of Sussex for… investing in smaller, female-owned clothing and accessories brands like Cesta Collective. Meghan’s investment in Cesta made headlines last week when Meghan spoke to the New York Times about her new partnership. Tominey’s headline in the Telegraph: “Meghan wanted to change the world. Instead she’s changing your wardrobe; This latest revelation speaks to just how far the Sussexes have fallen.”

There are two types of women in this world: those who have “help” with their wardrobe and those who think having help with their wardrobe means receiving assistance in flat-pack assembly. The Duchess of Sussex has always been someone who has had the first kind, as evidenced by her many, many outfit changes in her pre-Harry career – and, now, by the four stylists who helped her into a red designer dress during filming of the formerly royal couple’s fly-on-the-wall Netflix documentary in which they opine on the horror of multimillion dollar lives.

Now, however, Meghan – ever the philanthropist – is giving back. According to the actress turned self-styled “feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity”, she is using her “global spotlight” to, er, sell clothes. Speaking to The New York Times, the 43-year-old said: “Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting. That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.” Wearing an earring is one of the most powerful things Meghan can do? Really?

Whatever happened to, as the couple once boasted on their now defunct sussex.com website: “Shaping the future through business and philanthropy”? Or even her short life as a member of the Royal family, apparently spent dedicated to public service?

Lest we forget, Meghan (“one of the most influential women in the world in rankings”) has seen her “advocacy work on resilience, equality, and compassion through action … recognised – alongside that of her husband, Prince Harry – with the NAACP President’s Award as well as the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award.”

Sadly, this latest revelation speaks to just how far the Sussexes have fallen. Meghan’s pretentions towards charity have been supplanted by more important concerns. Her new “advocacy work” is for herself and her famous friends. They wanted to change the world, instead they’re only changing your wardrobe.

[From The Telegraph]

You guys know why this upsets women like Tominey, right? Because they’ve spent the past thirteen years trying to convince everyone that Princess Kate’s button-covered cosplay is the height of aspirational fashion. When stylish, beautiful Meghan came into their lives, they spent years fighting off the growing realization that Kate is dull and her style is awful and no one under the age of 80 wants to wear buttony coatdresses or her Sister-Wife couture. Anyway, Tominey is now trying to make Meghan sound superficial, like “investing in female-owned businesses” isn’t part of a larger strategy, on Meghan’s part, to uplift and reinvest communities. Serena Williams created an entire VC fund to invest in Black-owned businesses and female-led companies for the same reason.

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Team JLO for life, I have to say. I can’t even explain it properly, but I will always root for Jennifer Lopez even if I acknowledge that she has terrible instincts when it comes to men and relationships. I’ll be fair to her – given the way Ben courted her back in 2021, I completely understand why she went back to him. I certainly didn’t predict that Ben would f–k it all up so soon, but here we are. We’re now two weeks past Jennifer filing for divorce. They did not have a prenup and there are reports of some negotiations happening behind the scenes, but who knows. People Mag has some new info:

Love don’t cost a thing, but Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s split could prove to be pricey. Their divorce “has the potential to get ugly,” according to a source who confirms the pair did not have a prenuptial agreement when they eloped in Las Vegas in 2022.

While Lopez, 55, and Affleck, 52, are currently in mediation with high-powered divorce attorney Laura Wasser (past clients include Kim Kardashian and Kevin Costner), according to the source, “there are some sticking points over financials.”

In Lopez’s Aug. 20 divorce petition — which she filed on the two-year anniversary of her and Affleck’s wedding celebration at his Savannah-area estate — she wrote that their assets were “unknown” to her when she filed. According to California state law, only the income Lopez and Affleck earned or the assets they acquired during their two-year union would be considered community property and subject to division. But it’s not a small sum: They bought a Beverly Hills mansion in 2023 (which they listed for $68 million in July), and each has reportedly made millions through films and endorsements like Dunkin’ commercials.

As Lopez and Affleck try to hash out monetary matters, sources have shared new details about the circumstances of their split, which insiders have said was due, in part, to their very different personalities.

In the divorce petition, Lopez, who has 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony, listed the date of separation as April 26, when she was in the New York area filming Kiss of the Spider Woman and Affleck was back in L.A.

“Ben began moving his things out of their shared home while Jennifer was in New York in April, effectively blindsiding her,” says the source, adding that when Lopez returned to L.A. in May “he wouldn’t answer texts or calls.” (A rep for Affleck has yet to respond to a request for comment.)

In recent months, Affleck has been spending time with 36-year-old actress Kick Kennedy (the daughter of former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.), according to sources. A rep for Affleck has denied they are romantically involved.

[From People]

“Ben began moving his things out of their shared home while Jennifer was in New York in April, effectively blindsiding her.” I’m sorry, but WTF happened in April? Did Ben just wake up one day and decide that he was over it? It also feels like Jennifer is in the dark about why Ben – rather suddenly – decided that the marriage was over and he had no interest in working on it. As for the financial stuff… yeah, they made millions in their brief time together. I’m not worried about the financial stuff – I feel like they’ll hash that out soon enough. Ben is a lot of things, but he’s never struck me as financially abusive or gross about money.

Meanwhile, Page Six’s sources say that Jennifer is still tight with her manager Benny Medina, but she’s also interested in bringing in some new voices to her team in the wake of her latest divorce. A source says: “She is open to listening to new voices of those around her. She needs advice from some new people to add a new layer and get some new suggestions.” Stop dating scrubs and moody a–holes! Find a nice guy close to your age who isn’t a user or a withholder. Easier said than done, but you’re J.Lo! Date a lawyer or someone in the political world. Elizabeth Taylor ended up marrying a senator, that could be you!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

The Paris Olympics were full of so much positivity, and I loved all of the stories of supportive partnerships and marriages within the Olympic community. There were so many boyfriends and husbands who were genuinely so proud of their Olympian partners, men who were not threatened by their partners competing in their fields and winning medals. But of course there are awful stories too, like what happened here to Ugandan distance-runner Rebecca Cheptegei. Rebecca competed at the Paris Olympics, then returned to her home in Kenya, where she lives and trains. Her (current or ex) boyfriend sneaked into her home while she was in church, then when she returned, he doused her in gasoline and set her on fire.

A Ugandan athlete who appeared in the 2024 Paris Olympics is in critical condition after reportedly being set on fire by her boyfriend in Kenya. Distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, suffered 75 percent burns on her body after her boyfriend allegedly doused her in gasoline and set her on fire at her home in Trans Nzoia County in western Kenya on Sunday, Sept. 1, police said, per the Associated Press, BBC News and ESPN.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander, Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday, per the outlets, that the attack happened during a dispute between Cheptegei and her boyfriend Dickson Ndiema.

“The couple were heard quarreling outside their house,” he told journalists, per BBC. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”

Ndiema also sustained serious burns in the fire. The pair were put out by neighbors and transported to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the nearby city of Eldoret for specialized treatment. In a report filed by the local police obtained by AP, the pair were described as having been heard arguing over the land the home was built on before the incident.

Kosiom told local outlet The Standard, “[Ndiema] is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday while the wife and the children were in Church. Upon returning, Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring it on Rebecca before he set her ablaze.”

He added to the outlet that items including “a five-liter jerrican” belonging to Dickson and “a burned mobile phone believed to be for Rebecca” were collected for forensic analysis. An investigation is ongoing, per multiple reports.

[From People]

“Ndiema also sustained serious burns in the fire.” I hope he does not survive his self-inflicted injuries. I hope Rebecca gets the best treatments available and that she survives. Jesus, this story is awful. Given this detail – “he is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday while the wife and the children were in Church” – I genuinely believe that Ndiema was not Rebecca’s current boyfriend. This is stalker-ex behavior. This was Ndiema punishing Rebecca for breaking up with him and for being an Olympian. Toxic masculinity.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.