On Monday, we discussed Vivienne Jolie-Pitt dropping the “Pitt” from her surname in the playbill for The Outsiders. Vivienne worked as her mother’s assistant on the Broadway production, and Jolie stepped in as a producer as the musical moved to Broadway from an LA theater. Vivienne will soon turn 16 years old and “dropping ‘Pitt’ in a playbill credit” is not some huge legal issue. That being said, I was surprised by how many old-school Brad Pitt defenders came out of the woodwork to claim that this shows that Angelina Jolie “alienated” her children from Brad Pitt. Keep in mind, all six children were witnesses to and victims of Brad Pitt’s terror and abuse on the plane in 2016. As Jolie’s statements to the FBI indicated, Brad wasn’t just assaulting her, he pushed and punched one child and strangled another. None of those kids have wanted anything to do with Brad since then. They’re terrified of the man who abused them and hurt their mom. Speaking of, Shiloh just turned 18 years old. She celebrated by petitioning the court to drop “Pitt” from her name as well.

Brad Pitt’s daughter, Shiloh, apparently wants nothing to do with him — or at the very least, nothing to do with his last name … ’cause she’s dropping his surname officially.

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt — who just turned 18 a few days ago on May 27 — filed paperwork requesting a legal name change … specifically, dropping the “Pitt” from her last name and making her new name simply “Shiloh Jolie.”

Mind you … this doc was literally filed on Monday, which was on Memorial Day … and also happens to be her 18th birthday. So, it seems this was one of the first things she wanted to do as an adult.

Of course, it’s incredibly telling … it’s no secret Brad has had a strained relationship with some of his kids since he and Angelina filed for divorce in 2016 — an ugly split that has dragged on in court, even to this day.

Shiloh’s request for the name change has yet to be granted — but it’s only a matter of time before it becomes official. As you know, Shiloh is one of Brad and Angie’s three biological children … they have 3 other adopted children, including 19-year-old Zahara Jolie … who also doesn’t use Pitt in her name these days.

[From TMZ]

Last year, Zahara joined a sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha) and she introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie. I said at the time that I didn’t know if Zahara had legally changed her name. Given this Shiloh story, I think if Zahara dropped “Pitt” legally, we would have heard about it, right?? As for Shiloh Jolie… I’m happy for her. All of those kids have been given the space and time to do what they feel is right for themselves. Shiloh, Zahara, Pax and Maddox have all made it abundantly clear that they want nothing to do with Brad. Vivi doesn’t want his name either. Knox is a mystery!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Yesterday was a good day! Donald Trump was convicted of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with his affair with Stormy Daniels and paying her hush money. The internet, especially Twitter, had a field day. Time Magazine and the New Yorker put out special covers, which I’m including in this post. People are so pleased that a group of twelve regular New Yorkers listened to all of the evidence, deliberated for two days and found that terrorist monster guilty. And the jury came back with the verdict in time for a weekend! Good times. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg deserves a lot of credit too – out of all of Trump’s crimes, indictments and trials, few people put faith in Bragg’s ability to properly prosecute Trump and get a conviction. He proved a lot of people wrong.

Stormy Daniels testified in court against Trump, as did Michael Cohen (Trump’s former lawyer). Cohen and his lawyer were on MSNBC last night for an in-depth interview and reaction to the conviction. Cohen pointed out something interesting (to me), which is that Trump was the one leading his defense, as opposed to “Trump was listening to his lawyers and taking their advice.” Which was probably his undoing. Here’s that interview:

Yeah, I actually forgot that Cohen did go to prison and that he didn’t get some kind of sweetheart deal, like some of Trump’s cronies. Anyway, I’m just floating on air today – it’s almost as great as the day we learned that Trump had Covid.

The greatest city in the world. pic.twitter.com/PTKliDBFIl

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) May 30, 2024

This tweet age like a Bordeaux from ‘94. pic.twitter.com/E5wa5EYZua

— Renee (@PettyLupone) May 30, 2024

WHAT IS IT, THE BRAIDS?!? https://t.co/6bN2Es9rQX pic.twitter.com/HbnBjTALph

— AME Youngboy (@MelechThomas) May 30, 2024

Justice!! pic.twitter.com/rZvjVmjIkN

— E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) May 30, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images. Covers courtesy of Time and The New Yorker.

As you guys discussed in the comments, there’s apparently been another sighting of the Princess of Wales this week. We’re genuinely supposed to believe that Kate has been popping up in public in February, March and now May on a regular basis and no one thinks to snap photos or take a video? I guess so. Well, it looks like Prince William and Kate were seen in Holt, which is in Norfolk. Their kids have been out of school this week, so the family was reportedly in Norfolk this whole time. And Kate and William managed to go into town and pick up some chocolates without anyone photographing them:

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been spotted shopping at a Norfolk deli as the future Queen continues her cancer treatment. William and Kate paid a visit to the Bakers & Larners food hall in Holt on Tuesday.

An eyewitness who was in the shop at the time said “it was nice to see the couple shopping together” and noted that William had purchased some chocolate.

The food hall sells high-end, artisan products and features a chocolate counter where customers can select from a choice of luxury chocolates.

A spokeswoman from Bakers & Larners said: “We are always honoured to be visited by the Royal Family and Tuesday was no different- we look forward to seeing Their Royal Highnesses in Holt again soon.”

[From The Eastern Daily Press]

The last time we got a blitz of reporting about Kate’s mysterious reappearances, no one believed the stories and then TMZ and The Sun produced that janky video of “Kate” speed-walking out of the Windsor Farm Store. I’m just saying, if we throw enough skepticism at all of this reporting, we might get another janky video out of it, and at least that would be something. We have to give them a reason to do something crazy.

Meanwhile, just like March, the sudden “sightings” of Kate have led to a renewed conversation about whether or not Kate will be seen at Trooping the Colour or any public event. Back in March, the Ministry of Defense tried to announce that Kate would attend the Colonel’s Review of Trooping the Colour. Kensington Palace pushed back in a big way and basically made the MoD delete any reference to Kate, saying that only the palace would be confirming and announcing Kate’s appearances. Well, now MoD has officially confirmed this week that Kate will NOT attend the Colonel’s Review on June 8th. While it’s widely assumed that Kate will not attend Trooping, it’s worth noting that the palace hasn’t confirmed that yet.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Covers courtesy of The Sun & The Mail.

Here are some photos of Jennifer Lopez on May 24th – her Atlas promotion was over and she was back in the dance studio, preparing for her tour, one would assume. Her manager Benny Medina was with her. I have to say, I find it fascinating to see how Benny is handling the Bennifer drama. He’s really keeping calm and not panicking – he’s letting the split rumors hang around (there doesn’t seem to be anything he can do about that), but he’s not making it worse or making any big pronouncements about “it’s over” or “of course they’ll absolutely reconcile.” That’s the general vibe coming from J.Lo and Ben Affleck too – it’s like they’re giving each other time and space, and in that time and space, they’re not consumed with melodrama about their marriage. This seems to be the message coming from Jennifer’s camp:

Jennifer Lopez is keeping up her busy work schedule as rumors continue to surround her and Ben Affleck.

“They’re still living separately,” a source close to Lopez tells PEOPLE. “She’s back in L.A. for tour rehearsals. She seems okay. She’s very focused on work.”

Lopez, 54, and Affleck, 51, spent Mother’s Day apart and have been living under different roofs in Los Angeles. Lopez’s latest film Atlas debuted over Memorial Day weekend as the No. 1 movie on Netflix in 55 countries, according to the streaming service, adding that the sci-fi movie attracted 28.2 million views. On top of the new movie, Lopez is also preparing to embark on a North American summer tour that begins in Orlando on June 26.

[From People]

It feels possible, to me, that this is less about a permanent estrangement and more about Ben and Jen’s busy schedules this summer. Ben is still filming The Accountant 2, Jennifer is preparing to go on the road in a month. Hopefully, they’re too busy to get a divorce and after a summer apart, they’ll get back together and everything will be all good. This is me being a delusional Bennifer stan. Speaking of, Jennifer Garner also hopes for the best with Ben and J.Lo:

Jennifer Garner is hoping for the best for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. As Affleck, 51, and Lopez, 54, experience marriage troubles just under two years since tying the knot, a source tells PEOPLE that Garner “wants the best for” ex-husband Affleck.

“She wants him happy and healthy so he can be the best dad possible,” says the source. Garner, 52, and Affleck share three kids: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.

The source adds that Garner, who is dating chairman and CEO of Cali Group John Miller, “likes that [Lopez] lives a healthy lifestyle and supports Ben’s sobriety. Jen wants that for Ben.”

[From People]

Yeah, while I have never believed that Garner and Lopez get along, I think they appreciate each other. Lopez loves Garner’s kids, Garner loves that Lopez is sober and healthy. I don’t know, I don’t think there’s a lot of drama there.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Earlier this year Madonna was slapped with two lawsuits from concertgoers in New York and Washington DC, respectively, over shows on her Celebration Tour starting more than two hours late. Now West Coast fans are entering the legal fray, with plaintiff Justen Lipeles filing a class action lawsuit for himself and “all individuals in California who were deceived and lulled into purchasing expensive tickets for Madonna’s concert!” Ok, I added the exclamation point, but this CA case is really upping the ante. Not only are Lipeles & Co. suing over another late start, but they’re alleging Madonna roasted them by refusing to put the AC on, and exposed them to lewd and lascivious imagery on stage. Plus she lip-synced!! They cited all of these misdeeds as Madge’s “flippant disrespect for her fans.”

The charges: The plaintiff, Justen Lipeles, filed a class action lawsuit on his behalf and that of all individuals in California who were deceived and lulled into purchasing expensive tickets for Madonna’s concert. He slammed the music icon, her promoter Live Nation, and other organizations involved in her Celebration Tour for six crimes — breach of written contract, negligent misrepresentation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false advertising, negligence/negligent infliction of emotional distress, and unfair competition.

Hot & bothered: Lipeles claimed the defendants, specifically Madonna and Live Nation, “purposely and deceptively withheld informing ticket purchasers” about crucial issues while promoting her Celebration Tour. Because of this lack of information, he arrived at Kia Forum early on March 7, 2024, expecting the concert to start at 8:30 pm, as promised. Instead, the show started after 10:00pm, and things worsened inside the venue because Madonna allegedly demanded the air conditioning be turned off. Lipeles noted he and other fans were profusely sweating and eventually became physically ill due to the heat. According to the lawsuit, the heat became unbearable to the point where fans voiced their complaints about the uncomfortable atmosphere. However, Madonna cold-heartedly dismissed their discomfort and allegedly told them to take their clothes off.

Lip-synching & topless dancers & flippant disrespect, oh my! Lipeles noted that their fans’ woes didn’t end there, as the money they had spent to see Madonna perform live was wasted on her “apparent” lip-synching. Then, they were “forced to watch topless women on stage simulating sex acts. … Forcing consumers to wait hours in hot, uncomfortable arenas and subjecting them to pornography without warning is demonstrative of Madonna’s flippant disrespect for her fans,” Lipeles argued, noting that it felt like he was watching a pornographic film being made.

Warning – the concert you are purchasing a ticket for may not begin on time: Lipeles argued that Madonna and her tour promoters were aware of her habits; therefore, they should have informed fans about her possibly starting a concert late. He claimed they did so in 2019 at her Madame X Tour, where they gave consumers reasonable notice of a later start time.

Lipeles wants damages for himself and other ‘aggrieved’ fans: He stressed that they deserved compensatory damages for breach of written contract since the concert didn’t start at the agreed-upon time. Lipeles’ demands also included pre- and post-judgment interests, costs of the lawsuit, and reasonable attorney fees. The plaintiff asked for injunctive relief ordering the defendants’ “unfair business acts and practices” to cease and restitution in the amount he and other fans paid for tickets plus the disgorgement of the profits Madonna’s corner made from those transactions.

[From The Blast via Yahoo! Entertainment]

No AC at a densely-populated event?! That has to be a violation of some government code, surely, if not a crime against humanity. That’s a serious health risk for the audience (it’s been less than a year since a fan died at an overheated Taylor Swift concert), but also think of all her dancers working they’re patooties off. No wonder they’re topless! Madonna has everyone literally burning up for her! Just imagine how long the disclaimer is gonna be if this plaintiff is successful in forcing promoters to issue a warning to fans: “Please be advised, in purchasing a ticket to this performance you are acknowledging and consenting to a long, unpredictable wait time for the show to commence, uncomfortably verging on unhealthily hot conditions throughout, and being both exposed to and encouraged to take part in nudity. Music makes the people come together.”

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: J King/Dilson Silva/Backgrid, Getty

A couple of years ago ago, I was chilling outside on my deck at night. When I came in through the sliding glass door to my bedroom, I had things in my hands and I didn’t close it right away. Mr. Rosie was brushing his teeth and called out, “Make sure you close that door so bugs don’t get in!” I rolled my eyes and was like, “Yeah, yeah, let me put this stuff down and I’ll close it. The lights are off, it’s fine for 30 seconds.” Well, those were famous last words because within those 30 seconds, a bird flew into my bedroom. I was surprised to see it flapping around in there. It was clearly surprised to be there. Mr. Rosie was exclaiming, “I TOLD YOU TO CLOSE THE DOOR!” It was a whole scene. Thankfully, we managed to get it out pretty quickly by turning on the outside lights so it could have a beacon, but not before it sh-t on my wall. I kid you not. That was not very fun to clean up.

Poor Jimmy Kimmel had to deal with not one, but two birds inside his house last weekend. The first bird was a hawk that flew into his living room while he and his son Billy were playing video games during Billy’s recovery from his third open heart surgery. The second bird was a dead mourning dove that the hawk had brought in with him “as a little welcome home gift” and dropped on their dining room floor. Jimmy showed the video of him trying to coax the hawk outside on air during his May 29 show and shared a wild story, which gave the dead mourning dove some pretty crazy context.

Jimmy Kimmel and his family had a very eventful holiday weekend. The late-night host opened up about all that went on during Wednesday night’s monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live, noting that he spent much of the weekend at the Children’s Hospital for his 7-year-old son, Billy’s, third open heart surgery.

“He’s doing very well,” Kimmel noted as the audience cheered.

However, the family also had to contend with some chaos when they returned home on Monday. Kimmel said that an hour after they got home he was playing video games with Billy when the little boy noticed something was wrong.

“He said, ‘Dad, there are two birds in the house!’” Kimmel shared, showing footage of himself in the kitchen with a long broom, trying to coax a hawk out the window.

“It’s OK, Bill, Dad’s gonna get it out,” Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, is heard saying in the clip. But the hawk proves to be a stubborn unwanted guest, flying around the kitchen. Finally, after crashing into another part of the kitchen, sending feathers flying everywhere, the hawk flies out of the window.

Kimmel noted that there was another bird they found dead in the dining room, noting that it had a special connotation for the family.

“I don’t really believe in this kind of stuff, but on the day of Billy’s surgery, my wife saw a mourning dove on the ledge outside his bedroom,” Kimmel shared. “It’s apparently an omen of death, and she was very freaked out by it.”

However, he added, “We get home from the hospital and the hawk flies in and it kills the mourning dove, kills the omen of death!”

[From ET Online]

Oh my goodness, I have no idea what I’d do if an actual hawk brought a dead bird into my home and then refused to leave. I have a small retention pond in my backyard and we have a pair of nesting hawks that will sit on the trees or deck overlooking it in hopes of catching something. I’ve seen them catch and fly away with their meals in their mouths. That’s plenty of up-close “the circle of life” action for me, lol. That video of Jimmy trying to coax it out of his absolutely gorgeous kitchen is a classic. He and his wife, Molly, are both so calm in the face of a bird of prey inside their home, too. At one point, Billy says something that I can’t quite make out, but Molly just goes, ”That word’s not allowed, Billy,” lol.

However, that story that Jimmy tells about his wife seeing a mourning dove on as they were leaving for Billy’s surgery and thinking that it was a bad omen, only to then tie it back to the hawk killing a mourning dove, therefore destroying the bad omen? That is awesome! Great analogy and excellent application of symbolism. I love and totally believe in that stuff. May it truly be a good omen for Billy and their family. You can watch the clip of it in the video below. I cued it up, but just in case, the home video and story start at 51 seconds in.

Photos credit: Avalon.red and screenshots from YouTube

It felt too good to be true, every update from Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial was just bad news for Trump after bad news. It was amazing. Stormy Daniels took the stand and she did well. Michael Cohen was effective. The prosecution had their act together. Meanwhile, Trump was sleeping, farting and sh-tting himself in the courtroom for weeks on end. The jury wasn’t buying Trump’s fart-soaked nonsense. After two days of deliberations, the jury just came back with the verdict: guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Donald J. Trump has been convicted of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened his ascent to the White House in 2016, part of a scheme that prosecutors described as a fraud on the American people. He is the first American president to be declared a felon, a stain he will carry as he seeks to regain the presidency.

Mr. Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records by a jury of 12 New Yorkers, who deliberated over two days to reach a decision in a case rife with descriptions of secret deals, tabloid scandal and an Oval Office pact with echoes of Watergate. The jury found that Mr. Trump had faked records to conceal the purpose of money given to his onetime fixer, Michael D. Cohen. The false records disguised the payments as ordinary legal expenses when in truth, Mr. Trump was reimbursing Mr. Cohen for a $130,000 hush-money deal the fixer struck with the porn star Stormy Daniels to silence her account of a sexual liaison with Mr. Trump.

[From The NY Times]

Trump was released on his own recognizance pending sentencing. The prosecution wanted Felon Trump’s sentencing to be set for early or mid-July, and the judge scheduled it for July 11th… four days before the Republican convention. Trump “looked defeated” as he left the courtroom, per the NYT. He whined to the cameras, “This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt.” LMAO!!! Today is such a great day.

BREAKING: Donald Trump found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business documents in New York pic.twitter.com/Yq8LWihvRx

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 30, 2024

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

The cast for the third Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, is coming together and it’s going to be so good! Josh O’Connor, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny and Glenn Close have reportedly been cast to star alongside Daniel Craig. [LaineyGossip]
M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana is so pretty. [Socialite Life]
Zac Efron & Nicole Kidman are love interests in a new movie?? [Hollywood Life]
I genuinely loved everything about the New York-Dublin portal. [Jezebel]
Molly Ringwald was taken advantage of in her early days. [Pajiba]
Kim Kardashian recorded a phone call with Kourtney Kardashian and Kourtney did not want it put on air, but Kim did it anyway. [Buzzfeed]
The ladies of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans reunited. [JustJared]
Matt Rife had a medical emergency. [Seriously OMG]
Daisy Ridley wore Atsuko Kudo. [RCFA]
The Honest Trailer for X-Men ‘97. [OMG Blog]

Something I keep coming back to is that in March, just days and hours before the Princess of Wales’s cancer-announcement video, royal insiders were insisting that Kate would absolutely be seen on Easter Sunday, and Kensington Palace courtiers were seemingly planning for Kate’s big “return to work” to happen in April. This was around the same time that The Sun and TMZ ran photos and a video of “Kate” speed-walking out of the Windsor Farm Store, amid palace-authorized reports that Kate had been out and about a lot that month. As I said this week, it feels like the palace has regressed back to that clownery. Suddenly, royal insiders are back to insisting (far and wide) that Kate has been running errands and she’s totally out with her family and absolutely no one got photos. As of yet, there hasn’t even been one independently confirmed sighting of Kate whatsoever.

Add to all of that, KP seems to be sending out trial balloons about “when” Kate might be seen in public. The Mail’s royal sources say that it could be autumn. The Daily Beast’s sources say Kate could be completely absent from public life all year. Vanity Fair said the “missing throughout 2024” isn’t true. What we all know is that Kate definitely won’t be seen at any June events. No D-Day in Normandy, no appearance at the Duke of Westminster’s wedding, no Royal Ascot. And no Trooping the Colour. That “royal expert” Kinsey Schofield claims that Kate is unlikely to attend Trooping and that William and Charles are not “pressuring” her to do so.

Kate Middleton isn’t in a hurry to return to public duties as she prioritizes her health. Kinsey Schofield, host of the “To Di For Daily” podcast, told Fox News Digital the Princess of Wales, who is being treated for cancer, has two important men in her corner backing her decision.

“King Charles and Prince William have repeatedly stressed to the Princess of Wales that she should feel no pressure to return to public duty until she is ready,” Schofield told Fox News Digital.

“She has been spotted around town, looking upbeat,” said Schofield. “Neighbors and her children’s schoolmates’ families have been protective of her and do what they can to ensure that she is protected from prying eyes. The palace won’t officially give us any indication of a potential Catherine return. It is up to their doctors and ultimately Catherine’s choice.”

[From Fox News]

This has been largely indicated for months, but it feels like a lot of royalists are only realizing it now: oh, right, Kate won’t be seen until autumn at the earliest. She won’t be seen at any events in June. No Trooping for Kate. Here’s the bigger question though: will the two younger Wales children be seen at Trooping? For the past several Troopings, all three kids have been on the balcony. I don’t think that’s going to happen this year, and I’m curious what the conversation will be.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Sometimes, I’ll come across an old photo of Gregory Peck, Robert Redford or Paul Newman and I’ll quietly lament the fact that men like that really don’t exist anymore. It’s not solely about their looks – although a big chunk of it is about their looks and talent – but the whole idea of what it is to be a “real man” has changed so drastically in the past fifty years or so. Masculinity, as a concept and reality, has become fraught and fragile in equal measure. When we feel nostalgia for the olden days of masculine men like Peck, Newman and Redford, are we actually nostalgic for the more oppressive eras in which those men worked and thrived? Do we also feel nostalgic for a time when we knew less about “iconic men,” and when they could mistreat people in their personal lives and it was never revealed? I don’t have the answers. Neither does Jerry Seinfeld, but he’s still openly nostalgic for what he sees as the golden age of masculinity or something.

Jerry Seinfeld discussed his nostalgia for the 1960s, the decade of his childhood, and the setting of his directorial debut Unfrosted, in a new interview with Bari Weiss on her show Honestly.

“There’s another element there that I think is the key element [of the ‘60s], and that is an agreed-upon hierarchy, which I think is absolutely vaporized in today’s moment,” Seinfeld said. “I think that is why people lean on the horn and drive in the crazy way that they drive — because we have no sense of hierarchy and as humans we don’t really feel comfortable like that.”

The comedian also lamented modern masculinity.

“The other thing is as a man, I’ve always wanted to be a real man,” he said. “I never made it, but I really thought when I was in that era — again, it was JFK, it was Muhammad Ali, it was Sean Connery, Howard Cosell, you can go all the way down there — that’s a real man. I want to be like that someday.”

Seinfeld conceded that he never emulated those icons of manliness.

“I never really grew up,” he said. “You don’t want to, as a comedian, because it’s a childish pursuit. But I miss a dominant masculinity. Yeah, I get the toxic, I get it, I get it. But still, I like a real man.”

[From EW]

I’ll be slightly generous to Seinfeld – growing up in the 1960s, he had a completely different set of male icons to look up to and try to emulate. The idea that as a kid, he was in awe of Muhammad Ali – arguably one of the most high profile anti-war activists of the era – is very cool. That being said, it’s clear that Seinfeld is nostalgic for more than just “iconic ‘60s men.” He’s actually nostalgic for a time when men ruled everything, when men were solely the “dominant” force in culture and society, and a time when “real men” could do whatever they wanted with few repercussions.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.