The American political landscape is a hellhole, a nightmare, a complete and utter catastrophe. But hey, at least Nigel Farage isn’t one of *our* homegrown dumbf–ks. Farage is British, he loves Donald Trump, and he’s a racist, Islamophobic, sexist horse’s ass. Farage has been flitting in and out of British and EU politics for decades, and his current title is leader of Reform UK Party, and he also won an MP seat in last year’s election. That is why he was invited to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday evening – it was a welcome reception for 300 new MPs, hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla. Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, were also in attendance. Apparently, Farage spoke to Sophie and Edward separately, then he made some comments to the Mail about how the Edinburghs work hard. And then he made a crack about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who left that island five years ago.

Reform leader Nigel Farage sarcastically dismissed Harry and Meghan as ‘wonderboy and wondergirl’ for quitting royal duties and moving America while at a Buckingham Palace reception today. He was invited to the royal residence along with more than 300 new MPs and peers for a ‘welcome’ reception.

He did not speak to the King or Queen because he has met them multiple times before and said he wanted to let other MPs make the most of the occasion. He joked: ‘Also if I see him I know some of the exchanges will be interesting because we have disagreed in the past over a few things.’ Laughing, he went on to explain that he was the only person not to give the King a standing ovation after he gave a speech at the European Parliament. ‘We’ve had a laugh about it ever since. It’s not nasty,’ he said.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh spoke to Mr Farage separately, however, and when Edward introduced himself, he said: ‘I had a very very good chat with your wife.’

‘Oh right,’ the King’s brother responded before the politician told him: ‘You are working jolly hard.’

Speaking afterwards, the Reform politician – who attended a similar reception when he was first elected as an MEP in 1999 – heaped praise on the Edinburghs for doing so many royal engagements.

‘They are charming, they do a lot of heavy lifting because there’s one or two gaps out there. It’s been a difficult few years,’ he said. ‘Wonderboy and wondergirl disappear off to America, the Queen dies, the King’s not been well, Andrew’s not in the public eye, Princess Anne is 74, so they are doing a lot of the heavy lifting and I think doing it very well,’ he said in typically unabashed style.

[From The Daily Mail]

There are so many funny parts to this, including Farage blanking completely on the existence of the heir to the throne and his wife. Why were Prince William and Kate not included in Farage’s summary of the sad state of Windsor affairs? I actually appreciate how Farage frames it too, almost like Harry and Meghan’s Sussexit was the start of all of the Windsors’ problems, like that was what cursed the family for three generations, how they treated H&M. It’s the “Heartbreaking: Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point” meme come to life. As for Farage referring to the Sussexes as “Wonderboy and wondergirl” – I know he was aiming for sly, bitchy nicknames, but it comes across as irrationally bitter. Even Boris Johnson said (very recently) that Harry and Meghan were “brilliant” and a “national asset.” Five years later, and MPs are still this unbelievably salty that Harry & Meg got the f–k out of Dodge and now Britain is stuck with the left-behinds.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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The headline at the bottom of the screen on MSNBC the other day was “Trump’s first moves in office mirror Project 2025,” and I just wanted to scream. If only the Democratic Party had shouted from the rooftops that this is what Trump and his handlers would do — oh wait, that’s exactly what they did. But here we are in the dumbest timeline; thanks MAGAts for bringing us all down with you. The one bit of optimism I’ve clung to is Trump’s dependable incompetency. He doesn’t understand government beyond a fourth grade level (not to insult fourth graders), so when he initiated the federal funding freeze this week, I truly believe he did not know the breadth of programs he was handicapping. Luckily, Democratic state governors and attorneys general were ready to rebut, suing the Trump administration and obtaining a stay. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and (the man who should be our current vice president) Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz each spoke out on the illegal freeze. From Pritzker:

“What the President is trying to do is illegal,” Pritzker said. “I know these are challenging times, and the Trump administration is trying to confuse the American people. That’s why it’s so important that we speak plainly.”

…A massive outage in Medicaid portal systems on Tuesday left officials in all 50 states unable to access programs required for reimbursement for payments into the system, and while the Trump administration said the funding freeze did not impact those payments, Pritzker expressed doubt about their denials.

“Their intention was not to pull it back online today,” he said. “You think it was an accident the memo came out last night, and today our state agencies couldn’t access those systems? It’s not. The intention is to disrupt.”

The governor said there was “no communication” with states about what programs would be targeted and which would be spared by the funding freeze, leading to a mad scramble of activity as agencies and organizations tried to figure out whether they would be impacted.

“When our agencies reached out to the federal agencies, we literally were informed that they are not to speak with us,” he said.

[From NBC Chicago]

And here’s what Walz had to say:

State leaders in Minnesota, including Gov. Tim Walz, addressed President Trump’s federal funding freeze Tuesday afternoon, calling the move “unprecedented” and “illegal.”

…“While he was out golfing, he threw the country into crisis,” Walz said at a press conference at the St. Paul YMCA on Tuesday. “This is not bold, it’s not leadership. It’s stupid, buffoonish, childish.”

…Minnesota as a state pays more into the federal government than it receives, Walz said.

“Those are our dollars that he is stealing, unconstitutionally,” he added. “Congress as I served, as Attorney General Ellison served, appropriates the dollars. This is so far beyond the pale to try to pull these dollars back.”

Nearly two dozen Democratic attorneys general, including Ellison, are filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop him from instituting the freeze. Ellison said Trump’s actions usurp the power of Congress, and the administration doesn’t have the power to stop funding to the state.

Late Tuesday, just as the directive was set to go into place, a federal judge issued a stay against the spending freeze until at least Monday at 5 p.m. to allow for further litigation.

Meanwhile, Walz said that agencies are “prepared to implement” because “unlike Donald Trump we follow the law.”

[From CBS News Minnesota]

I’ve been watching Rachel Maddow’s show since she’s back every night for the first 100 days — which kind of feels like a reward (more Rachel) for bad behavior (“electing” Trump), but I’ll take it — and saw her interview with Walz. It was such a punch to the gut. The poor man somehow looked energetic yet soul-weary at the same time. He warned us that this is exactly what would happen in another Trump term. The amount of time and work and agita that’s gonna have to be expended now over and over and over again to counteract every move Trump makes, is exhausting. And why? Because eggs being too expensive was more important than… every single other thing that’s at stake? To quote a line from Oppenheimer: “Excuse me, gentlemen, if I become stirred, but I am.” And I know the Trump administration rescinded the mass funding freeze yesterday, but given this clown show (not to insult clowns), I’m fully expecting a rescinding of the rescindment.

Walz: It’s on. The resistance is strong. You felt it. Americans, lo and behold, like democracy and feeding their children. So they’re going to fight for these things.

[image or embed]

— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 10:18 PM

Let me say this in no uncertain terms: the President’s actions today are illegal.
 
Cutting off people from healthcare, childcare, and other services is cruel.

The State of Illinois will fight this unlawful order with everything we have.

[image or embed]

— Governor JB Pritzker (@govpritzker.illinois.gov) January 28, 2025 at 7:42 PM

A few weeks ago, some girlfriends and I were talking about how we were the last group to have grown up for a period of time without the Internet. My son starts middle school later this year and when we were touring it, we learned that public schools in our county don’t use lockers anymore. Part of it is a safety thing (don’t get me started) but a big reason is that students apparently really don’t use textbooks anymore. Everything is done through their school-issued computer. My son was actually in kindergarten when the lockdowns happened and all students were issued laptops. Those kids are probably the last group to ever started a school year without laptops being the norm. Sometimes, I think about how much things change like that.

I bring all of this up because while the majority of people adapt and learn how to navigate new technology, there are always going to be holdouts. Try to contain your shock, but Christopher Walken is one of these types of people. While promoting season 2 of Severance, Christopher, who is 81, told The Wall Street Journal that he’s so old school that not only does he still just watch satellite TV, he’s also never used email or Twitter and doesn’t even have a cell phone.

“I don’t have technology. I only have a satellite dish on my house. So I’ve seen Severance on DVDs that they’re good enough to send me,” Walken told the outlet. “I don’t have a cell phone. I’ve never emailed or, what do you call it, Twittered.”

His lack of technology helps him fall in line with Severance co-executive producer and director Ben Stiller’s “no phones” rule on set. The actor and comedian, 59, shared on Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast that he enacted the rule to help “protect that environment for the actors,” per Variety.

“Crew have to use phones sometimes to communicate, but, for me, I like no phones anywhere near the eyeshot of the actors,” Stiller said, per the outlet. “My least favorite thing is to see a dolly grip guy hunched down while an actor is acting their brains out, and he’s scrolling or whatever. It drives me crazy.”

“You also have to be respectful of the crew,” he added. “… These people are actually working really hard, and you have to figure out how to motivate them to want to be on the team. They haven’t been with the script that you’ve been writing for five years. They just came on last week. So, it’s on you as a director to figure out a way to get everybody on board.”

Walken previously shared his lack of modern technology to watch the popular Apple TV+ series during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live on Jan. 17, alongside Stiller and castmates including Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette.

When asked if he has watched the episodes he’s in, he responded, “Not all of them. I can’t. I don’t have the equipment. So, they’re good enough to send me DVDs.”

Host Andy Cohen followed up with, “Oh, they do? Okay. Do you have an Apple TV+ subscription?” — to which Walken replied, “I don’t have anything.” Cohen then noted, “Right. You don’t. Okay. I love you for that.”

[From People via AOL]

This doesn’t surprise me at all. In fact, if this were a trivia question, Walken would be on my short list of actors who have nothing to do with technology. Still, some of his claims are wild. I totally get someone not having any of the streaming channels and I am envious of anyone who has never been on Twitter, but he doesn’t even have a cell phone? They’ve been big for over 25 years now. Walken was still in his 50s and asking for more cowbell on SNL when cell phones became widespread. That is unbelievable.

Also, if you need a chuckle today, reread Christopher’s quote about not having technology again: “I don’t have a cell phone. I’ve never emailed or, what do you call it, Twittered.” You couldn’t not read it in his voice, right? All I can hear is him saying, “Twittered” in my head and it’s making me giggle.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com, Dave Allocca/Starpix/INSTARimages, Getty

Glenn Close is in Ryan Murphy’s new series All’s Fair, about an all-women law firm. You know who else is in it? Kim Kardashian. I cannot wait to see their scenes together; Glenn will either raise Kim up with her or expose Kim’s lack of… let’s go with “experience,” and either way it will be camp perfection. Anyway, All’s Fair is still filming, but Glenn was granted leave to attend the Sundance Film Festival. She doesn’t have anything premiering this year, she just wanted to be on hand to celebrate Sundance Institute executive Michelle Satter at a fundraising gala on Friday. While on the red carpet for that event, Glenn spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about a trifecta of crises leaving her struggling “to keep my equilibrium.” They are the new administration, the LA wildfires, and AI.

“I’m very lucky to have a job. There were so many people impacted in L.A. already, and then now with the fires. I was astounded at how few jobs there are in our profession. I’m a big reader of history and unfortunately, I think not enough people in this country understand the history and what we’ve just gotten ourselves into. That’s very dangerous,” Close explained. “On top of that is [artificial intelligence]. What is going to be truth? What is true is going to be a big question.”

Close said she’s just finished reading Yuval Noah Harari’s book Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the Stone Age to AI, which she found “incredible” and “more terrifying than anything I’ve read.” AI has also become something of a hot-button issue in Hollywood, and THR asked Close for her take.

“Depends on how it’s handled,” she said. “I don’t want my image or my voice to be reconstructed. I mean, people need jobs. It’s a sad dilemma. Is it progress that less people will work because of it? I don’t know. I think we’re losing one thing that a place like Sundance and what Michelle [Satter] has done is so important — stories about what it means to be a human being. We have to cling to that. We have to keep coming back and be inspired by things that teach us, that help us with our emotions to know what it means to be human and [to always] to look into somebody else’s eyes — not a screen — but another human being’s eyes. If we lose that, it’ll be a very slippery slope, I’m afraid.”

Asked how she keeps up the momentum or fixes her focus back on positivity, Close looked up. “The sun comes up every day. We’re very lucky about that,” she said. “I also am learning. I wean myself off spending a lot of time on the phone. You can fall into that Instagram hole and all of a sudden two hours, three hours have gone by and you think, what have I done with my life? It’s also really bad for your brain.”

[From THR]

I mean, of course Glenn Close is reading a tome called Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the Stone Age to AI. After all, this is the woman who enjoys brushing up on geography and geopolitics in her downtime! As for her comments on AI, first of all, she needs to put it down in writing that she does not want AI to build an ersatz Glenn if/when she’s no longer with us (yes, I said “if!”). Her wishes would legally be upheld at least in California, where they passed a bill requiring consent for AI replicas of deceased artists. And then yes, her larger point about AI taking away human jobs is salient. For one thing, AI has so far proven itself to have major faulty wiring when it comes to fact checking. May I remind you of the Megaflopolis trailer ascribing fake quotes to real critics, or the Elphaba & Glinda Barbie boxes directing kids & parents to visit a pr0n site instead of the Wicked movie site? Adult supervision is still required. So which is more expensive: investing fortunes in getting this technology to operate nearly as well as a working human, or paying decent living wages to actual humans? Wait wait, don’t tell me which one the millionaire tech bros favor.

Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, IMAGO/Jennifer Bloc/Avalon, Nicky Nelson/Wenn/Avalon,

Jessica Biel and her lethal bob turned out at the PFW Armani show. [Just Jared]
Benedict Cumberbatch has been telling that kidnapping story for so many years, which is why I didn’t cover it again. [Socialite Life]
More pics from Paris Fashion Week. [LaineyGossip]
Selena Gomez clapped back. [Buzzfeed]
More thoughts on The Night Agent. [Pajiba]
IMO, this Dior collection is all over the place. [Go Fug Yourself]
Trixie & Katya discuss Emilia Perez. [OMG Blog]
Taylor Russell in vintage Galliano. [RCFA]
Tom Welling was arrested for suspicion of a DUI. [Seriously OMG]
Southern Charm star inspires band nerds. [Starcasm]
Getting to know the new cast of Love Is Blind. [Hollywood Life]

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

This week has already been a ball of malevolent chaos, and I don’t blame people for not knowing how to react or whether they should already be in a full blown panic. This week, Donald Trump froze federal funding of everything from SNAP (food stamps), Pell Grants, Head Start, federal student loans and more. Additionally, agencies began being locked out of the federal Payment Management Services portal. Sh-t hit the fan yesterday when dozens of states reported that they had been locked out of the Medicaid portal, setting off widespread panic in the healthcare industry. What followed were a lot of lies from the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers, and Democratic-controlled states rushed to court to sue the Trump administration. The panic over Medicaid specifically led to a late backtrack by the Trumpers, and it appears that the Medicare portals are in the process of being reopened. Around the same time, a federal judge hit pause on Trump’s federal funding freeze:

A federal district judge on Tuesday granted an administrative stay in a case challenging the Trump administration’s planned freeze of federal aid, pausing the plan for a week and setting a hearing for further arguments next Monday morning.

The order only applies to the pause of disbursements in open grants, Judge Loren AliKhan said. And it doesn’t get into the legality of the freeze, instead just giving the judge time to hear more fleshed-out arguments from a coalition of nonprofits about why she should issue a temporary restraining order that could block the freeze for an addition two weeks. That hearing will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday.

The stay was issued only minutes before the freeze was scheduled to begin Tuesday at 5 p.m.

[From NBC News]

I’m already done with the conspiracies about “Trump is doing this and this to hide this other terrible thing” and “Trump wants us to panic” and “this is all the Democrats’ fault!” Enough. Not everything is a conspiracy – some things are as they seem, and this is exactly what it seems. Donald Trump and his Nazi cronies were given all three branches of the federal government, and they’re dismantling it and driving us into a national/global Depression. The moment to “do something” about any of this was last year, when every Democrat and every Democratic Party voter was telling everyone that this would happen if they let Trump anywhere near power again.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Right after the election, this conversation started: is Prince Harry genuinely at risk of deportation during the second Trump administration? Many people shrugged off the conversation, citing the Biden-era rulings which effectively closed the case. The Heritage Foundation had been pursuing this nuisance case for nearly two years when Trump “won” the election, and Heritage had been shut down in several different ways by judges and by Biden’s Department of Homeland Security. Heritage’s “case” was always bullsh-t – their argument was that they needed to see Harry’s visa application to check IF he lied about his drug use, and then IF he lied, then his visa COULD be revoked. They had zero evidence that Harry lied at any point, and this was all part of the larger, high-level campaign to destroy Harry’s life in America. Anyway, now mass deportations are happening in Trump’s America, and Heritage still wants to pursue this Harry situation.

A lawsuit to make Prince Harry’s secret visa records public is set to have its first court hearing since Donald Trump’s inauguration. The Heritage Foundation has reopened its case to have the duke’s immigration papers released. The American think tank has raised questions about how he was able to gain entry to the US in 2020 with his wife Meghan having admitted in his 2023 book Spare to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms.

Heritage has made accusations Harry had either lied on his papers about his drug use or has been given special treatment by the Joe Biden administration in order to emigrate to the country. Lawyers for the think tank and Harry have now been ordered by Judge Carl J Nichols to meet at a federal court in Washington DC next Wednesday, February 5, according to a ruling seen by Newsweek.

Heritage lost a previous case in September when it brought a lawsuit against the Department for Homeland Security after a Freedom of Information request for Harry’s documents to be released was rejected. In his first ruling Judge Nichols said they should remain private.

The case was brought because visa applicants must by law declare whether they have taken drugs. Failure to do so can lead to deportation, and Heritage wanted the US Government to release the records to see what Harry said about drug usage.

Trump previously suggested Harry may be deported from the US under his leadership if the Duke is found to have falsified information on his visa form – even though his wife is American and his children are dual citizens. Trump was urged this week by Heritage to release Harry’s immigration files. Now that the Duke of Sussex no longer has support from the Biden administration, lawyers and fellows at the Heritage Foundation are hoping the newly elected president will override the court’s decision to keep the files secret.

‘I’ll be urging the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records and the president does have that legal authority to do that,’ Nile Gardiner, director of Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom told the New York Post. ‘Donald Trump is ushering in a new era of strict border control enforcement, and you know, Prince Harry should be held fully to account as he has admitted to extensive illegal drug use. My firm expectation is that action will be taken’.

[From The Daily Mail]

“Lawyers for the think tank and Harry have now been ordered by Judge Carl J Nichols to meet at a federal court in Washington DC next Wednesday, February 5.” In all of Heritage’s previous nuisance lawsuits/whatever, it was never Heritage vs. Harry’s lawyers, it was always Heritage pursuing action from DHS to release Harry’s visa records. Are they saying that DHS isn’t sending lawyers to court? What even is this bullsh-t? Heritage’s people are pretty much running the Trump administration by proxy right now, why don’t they just install someone at DHS and release Harry’s visa records themselves? It’s not like American laws or DHS regulations have any meaning anymore.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Netflix.

Prince William was surprisingly out and about on Tuesday, making a visit to one of the farms owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, Slumlord Willy’s web of real estate. Before I get into his visit, let’s talk about some superficial stuff. Some of you were pointing out that William has trimmed his beard in a weird way – he’s shaved all of his “beard hair” under his chin, and someone seemingly tried to give him a more angular, chiseled jawline with the trim. It’s weird because… William already has a pretty defined jawline, especially given his noticeable weight loss in the past year. It also confirms my theory that William is likely trimming his beard down so that it looks this scuzzy and fleshy, rather than letting it grow in properly. It’s a very strange facial hair look, and I’m saying that as someone who enjoys fuzzy men. Another superficial comment: he looks like he’s in farmer cosplay, and I can’t believe they let him pose on some of those expensive machines.

As for the substance of William’s visit… I was going to just talk more about how William is a dilettante slumlord who knows nothing of the struggles of the farmers who lease duchy-owned farms, but then I read this People Magazine piece, and several of the farmers insinuate as much. Some highlights:

Laughing at his own dumb jokes: Down on the farm, Prince William cups some organic material on his hands, sniffing its sweet cidery smell, and asks what it’s called. “Bokashi,” he’s told by farmer Heather Gorringe. “Sounds like sushi,” William laughs. There’s a reason for that. The word is Japanese, and the concoction in his hands is fermented from bran and molasses and is one of many ways that the farm on William’s Duchy of Cornwall estate creates healthy soil nutrients for the land they manage.

William is not his father: “It’s a new generation,” Heather Gorringe, who with her husband Phil has been a Duchy tenant farmer since 2000, tells PEOPLE of the change she’s noticed. “We went to the handover between King Charles and the prince at St. James’s Palace, and it struck me that they were different in the sense that, for King Charles, farming is in his blood. He is a farmer. But, having met Prince William on the farm today, I can see how important the Duchy is to him, and also that he is committed to a sustainable future.”

They must have paid this woman to say this: “He’s such a nice guy, isn’t he?” she adds. “He seems really down to earth — and miles taller than I ever imagined. And he loved the worms, so that was really great.”

The feudal landlord talks about tough times for farmers: Inside one of the barns, William was talked through the Ridge to River project in which 16 farms, including Lower Blakemere, unite to collaborate over how to maintain the landscape and increase its resilience amid environmental and climate challenges. He appreciated that it was a big ask for farmers who also find themselves at the forefront of cost of living pressures and falling prices for their produce. “Does it feel like stepping into the unknown?” he asked the gathering of some of the local farmers. Prince William added that it also had another benefit — uniting sometimes isolated farmers. “Do you think it’s good to bring you together from a mental health point of view?” he said. “Does this feel like a real unique moment where you can pool your collective experience and feel there is a team here?”

William is just keen to learn at 42: Phil Gorringe tells PEOPLE, “This business is not without stress — talking to each other helps no end, and having a mutually beneficial project to work on is hugely beneficial.” He adds, “I can see how much he’s learned since I first met him. His knowledge of the farm, the industry and the Duchy estate has increased immeasurably. He’s interested, he’s engaged and it’s a real privilege to be able to welcome him.”

[From People]

Once again, these people held Charles in high esteem, probably because he didn’t waltz in once a year with photographers and ask to play on their machinery for a photo-op. Charles was and is a feudal landlord too, but he really gives a sh-t about farming and agriculture, and basically all of the duchy’s agricultural innovations stem from Charles. William “appreciated that it was a big ask for farmers who also find themselves at the forefront of cost of living pressures and falling prices for their produce” – considering William/the duchy owns the f–king land and generates tens of millions of pounds in profit every year, perhaps William could decide to take some of the financial burden off these poor f–king farmers? Jesus.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Over the weekend, the Mail reported that Anna Wintour has apparently offered a Vogue cover to the Princess of Wales. I was meh on the story – it sounded somewhat believable to me, and I think it sounds reasonable that Wintour has wanted Kate on an American Vogue cover for a while. I also think it’s believable that Wintour has wanted the Duchess of Sussex for an American Vogue cover too, for what it’s worth. Well, Celia Walden – aka Piers Morgan’s wife – has written about Kate’s big Vogue offer in the Telegraph: “Americans adore Kate – but she needs to play the Vogue offers right.”

The wording of a Sunday news piece – “Kate Middleton offered to appear on Vogue covers to showcase role as a ‘global fashion icon’” – amused not just me, but many of those commenting “below the line”.

The Princess of Wales might be one of the only people in the world who only has to pick up the phone if she wants to be on the cover of Vogue. And it’s pretty hard to imagine Anna Wintour – the magazine’s redoubtable editor-in-chief – saying: “Actually, we’re a bit booked up, but we’ll certainly bear you in mind if anyone falls through.”

The point, however, is that eight years after appearing on the cover of British Vogue to mark the magazine’s 100th anniversary, the Princess is said to have been contacted by Wintour personally and “invited”, let’s say, to grace the global covers of Vogue.

It’s clear how much of a draw this would be – particularly in the US. Americans have a fixation with Kate that borders on the eerie. At any one time, she will feature on the cover of half a dozen US gossip magazines, and whether it’s Uber drivers, waiters, shop assistants, manicurists or indeed casual personal acquaintances, the first thing anyone out there will now ask me is: “How’s Kate doing?” (They all seem to think the UK is the size of a suburban cul-de-sac, and when I explain that the Princess of Wales isn’t, in fact, a close friend, faces crumple).

I’m guessing the Princess will agree to the “offer” – whether now or in the not-too-distant future. Wintour is said to be incredibly persuasive, no one is immune to the allure of a Vogue cover, and if she feels the time is right it could be the perfect way to herald a return to her public duties. It could also be a straightforwardly joyful experience of the kind she should be relishing, given what she’s been through.

All I would say to her – and this is as a journalist and an interviewer who knows exactly what the line of questioning will be – is that when it comes to her health, she should feel under no obligation to share more than she already has. Nobody has “a duty” to share those intimate details with the world, we don’t all have to subscribe to the current “better out than in” thinking, and I find any narrative suggesting the Princess of Wales “owes it” to other cancer sufferers to reveal all sickeningly disingenuous. She has already done a great deal for others. She will do more. Right now, the only person she owes anything to is herself.

[From The Telegraph]

It’s funny that Walden’s mind went to the same place mine went when I read the original Mail story – “what about the interview?” While Wintour would probably love Kate on the cover, I definitely think the cover would be contingent on Kate agreeing to some kind of interview, however basic. Only Beyonce gets away with “agreeing to magazine covers but eschewing interviews” and even Beyonce has backed down from that at times, agreeing to email interviews for various magazines. Walden gives up the game – they’re terrified every time Kate opens her mouth because they have no idea what could come flying out. They can “manage” and massage her rare public statements in the UK, where the royalists have a stranglehold on reporting around Kate. But if Kate says the wrong thing to an American magazine, it will be a global story which they cannot control.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of British Vogue.

Renee Zellweger wore Saint Laurent to the Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy premiere in Paris on Monday. Hugh Grant was there too. [RCFA]
Megan Thee Stallion giggled with Derek Blasberg, front row at the Giambattista Valli show. Next she’ll be chumming it up with Gwyneth Paltrow, just wait. [JustJared]
This is a great photo of Benedict Cumberbatch at Sundance. [LaineyGossip]
Dr. Phil joined the ICE raids? Jesus. [Socialite Life]
Donald Trump brought back the global gag rule on abortion. [Jezebel]
I disliked the first episode of Severance’s second season, but the second episode was fantastic and yes, Helena Eagan is a fascinating monster. [Pajiba]
Trendspotting: people are naming their babies after weapons?? [Buzzfeed]
Why did Travis Kelce & Kayla Nicole break up? [Hollywood Life]
Free wings? But only six? [Seriously OMG]
A music video from Chris Cool. [OMG Blog]