Yesterday, Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, all to do with paying hush money to Stormy Daniels and colluding with David Pecker to shut down speculation about his affairs. It was always going to be a terrible day for Donald Trump, but hilariously, it was already pretty awful for him before the jury came back. Hours earlier, Slate published a first-person account from Bill Pruitt, who was a producer on The Apprentice for the first two seasons. Pruitt signed a strict NDA with a $5 million fine attached if he ever spoke about what he witnessed from Trump. The NDA just expired, and Pruitt told a lengthy story about how, during the first season, Trump used the n-word on-camera. He said it about one of the finalists that season, Kwame Jackson, and he used the word to suggest that America didn’t want to see a Black man win the game show.

We lay out the virtues and deficiencies of each finalist to Trump in a fair and balanced way, but sensing the moment at hand, Kepcher sort of comes out of herself. She expresses how she observed [Kwame] Jackson at the casino overcoming more obstacles than [Bill] Rancic, particularly with the way he managed the troublesome Omarosa. Jackson, Kepcher maintains, handled the calamity with grace.

“I think Kwame would be a great addition to the organization,” Kepcher says to Trump, who winces while his head bobs around in reaction to what he is hearing and clearly resisting.

“Why didn’t he just fire her?” Trump asks, referring to Omarosa. It’s a reasonable question. Given that this the first time we’ve ever been in this situation, none of this is something we expected.

“That’s not his job,” Bienstock says to Trump. “That’s yours.” Trump’s head continues to bob.

“I don’t think he knew he had the ability to do that,” Kepcher says. Trump winces again.

“Yeah,” he says to no one in particular, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?”

Kepcher’s pale skin goes bright red. I turn my gaze toward Trump. He continues to wince. He is serious, and he is adamant about not hiring Jackson.

Bienstock does a half cough, half laugh, and swiftly changes the topic or throws to Ross for his assessment. What happens next I don’t entirely recall. I am still processing what I have just heard. We all are. Only Bienstock knows well enough to keep the train moving. None of us thinks to walk out the door and never return. I still wish I had. (Bienstock and Kepcher didn’t respond to requests for comment.)

[From Slate]

Yes, of course he said it. Of course he’s said that word in many other circumstances too, and he’s said the word a million different times over the years. Of course NBC has all of those tapes of Trump saying the word on camera. They also have tapes of him saying horribly misogynistic crap and sh-t about eugenics and antisemitic sh-t too. We’ve known that all along, that a lot of people have spent a lot of time, money and effort to cover up Trump’s most despicable statements and activities. And even with all of those cover-ups, it still comes spilling out all the time. I get that this guy had an NDA and it’s better late than never, but Jesus, news at seven, Trump is a racist piece of sh-t.

Trump’s former assistant Omarosa: I have heard the tape of Donald Trump calling a Black man the N-word. It was clear as day. Donald Trump is a con. When he talked the way he did on that tape it confirmed he is truly a racist pic.twitter.com/A3VgVo3m3G

— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) May 30, 2024

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

As we discussed, it was confirmed on Thursday that the Princess of Wales would miss a pre-Trooping the Colour event called the Colonel’s Review. The Colonel’s Review was set (and is set) to take place on June 8th, and since Kate is the Colonel In Chief of the Irish Guards, she was supposed to do the “review” in London. Kate took over the Irish Guards patronage from her husband, because as Prince of Wales, he had to take an honorary position with the Welsh Guards. That transfer happened last year. Since Kate has been Colonel In Chief of the Irish Guards, she’s missed the St. Patrick’s Day parade and now she’ll miss this review.

The palace is now confirming Kate’s absence during a week in which the palace is also running around, trying to convince British and American outlets that Kate has been running errands and seen out in public with her family. Royal insiders swear that Kate’s treatment has turned a corner and that she’s out and about with some regularity, despite a complete lack of witnesses, photos or videos. I’m still at a loss to explain wtf is actually happening here or why it feels like a regression to early March of this year, with chaotic clownery around the palace messaging on Kate’s health. Back then, royal sources insisted that Kate was likely to rise like Wiglet Jesus at church on Easter Sunday. We know what happened there. Now royal sources are insisting that Kate is considering making an appearance on the balcony for Trooping the Colour.

The Princess of Wales is considering making an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the Trooping the Colour ceremony, it was claimed today.

Royal officials confirmed yesterday that Kate will not attend the Colonel’s Review on June 8 – which is the traditional rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, held on June 15.

But the Daily Mirror reported that the Princess is understood to be considering walking onto the famous balcony in a fortnight’s time if she is feeling well enough.

Kate, 42, who is also undergoing cancer treatment, would have been due to take the salute on June 8 in normal circumstances in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards. But she continues to stay away from public royal duties during her chemotherapy while resting at home, and will only return when doctors give her the all-clear.

Lieutenant General James Bucknall, former commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, will be the inspecting officer on Kate’s behalf for the Colonel’s Review.

Buckingham Palace also revealed yesterday that King Charles III will travel in a carriage with Queen Camilla on June 15 and will not be on horseback.

MailOnline understands the attendance of other Royal Family members at Trooping the Colour events will be confirmed nearer the time of each one.

[From The Daily Mail]

It would be a huge moment if Kate came out on the balcony just shy of six months since her last verifiable public appearance. Like, beyond the conspiracies and absolute weirdness of the past six months, I genuinely hope that Kate is conscious and able to walk onto a balcony and wave at people. It would be huge international news. That being said… everything around royal comms is shambolic right now and I just don’t believe any of the sh-t they’re saying.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

For a week and a half, the Windsors have desperately tried to figure a way out a trap they built themselves. Last week, Prince William’s cousins joined him for a soggy palace garden party and this became a larger conversation about why those cousins cannot simply “pitch in” and take on some royal work given the fact that King Charles and the Princess of Wales have cancer. The cousins can’t do “royal work” because the Windsors have spent the past four-plus years ranting and raving about how the Sussexes are no longer working royals and they should never be allowed the honor of royal busywork! They did all of that to snub the first Black duchess, and it boomeranged right back on to the left-behinds.

Speaking of, the Windsors have also spent the better part of five years ranting about how the Sussexes are “not allowed” on the fakakta balcony, one of the most idiotic and racist punishments designed by this cadre of morons. Now that the Princess of Wales is likely to be missing for much of the year and no one is saying much about the Wales kids, the Trooping the Colour balcony will absolutely be pretty sparse. Especially if they’re only doing “working royals.” Enter Richard Eden at the Mail, who thinks he has a brilliant idea: perhaps the balcony should just be for the whole family? Gee, why didn’t anyone think of that years ago???

With both King Charles and his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, undergoing treatment for cancer, this has been a tough year for the Royal Family. Rarely has there been more need for an uplifting royal occasion – the sort of thing that Trooping the Colour might provide in a fortnight’s time.

Traditionally, Trooping has also been an opportunity to toast the extended Royal Family on the monarch’s official birthday. Inviting minor royals to join her on the Buckingham Palace balcony had been the late Queen Elizabeth’s way of thanking relatives for their support. Meanwhile, the public enjoyed a glimpse into what was, in part, a private family occasion. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed seeing the younger royals and how they’d changed in the past 12 months. They added a dash of colour, youthful appeal and even glamour.

When Trooping the Colour returned in 2022, it was a double celebration as the nation also marked the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – 70 years of her record-breaking reign. Although all members of her family were invited to join the party, including Prince Harry and Meghan, as well as Prince Andrew, only ‘working royals’ were invited to appear on the balcony. This meant that the Queen avoided offending either the Sussexes, who had quit royal duties, or Andrew, who had been stripped of them. Yet it also ended decades of tradition. The minor royals were now banished from view.

For me, there was something slightly sad about the sparsely populated balcony that remained – and still remains, as King Charles has decided to stick with this rather radical change after coming to the throne in 2022. Once again, we saw only the ‘working royals’ and their families on the balcony last June. This included the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Princess Anne and her husband Sir Tim Laurence as well as Prince Edward, Sophie and their two children. We also saw the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who have stepped into the breach in recent months, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra. In my opinion, this year should mark a return to the former tradition.

The King should invite all members of the extended Royal Family to join him and Queen Camilla when they step outside to acknowledge the crowds. What about Zara and Mike Tindall for example, who are so popular with the public? Or, the Duke of Kent’s children, such as Lady Helen Taylor, or even the duke’s glamorous granddaughters, Lady Amelia Windsor and her sister Lady Marina?

All, that is, except for Prince Andrew, whose presence would be an embarrassment. And the Sussexes, whose inclusion would be an insult to the Royal Family and its millions of supporters.

A full balcony would cheer the nation. It would be a fillip to the monarchy at a difficult time. It would be a powerful display of unity and strength.

[From The Daily Mail]

They twisted themselves in knots to explain why the Black duchess wasn’t allowed on their precious all-white balcony and now they’re not even keeping up the We’re Very Much Not A Racist Family appearances. “The balcony should be for the whole family, except Harry and Meghan!” Despite Eden giving the greenlight to the Windsors to throw caution and “working royal” pretzel logic to the wind, we’re once again confronted with the simple fact that Charles and Camilla are extremely worried that someone will steal their thunder. That, too, is why the balcony remains pale and stale.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Back in January and February, Robert Hardman was promoting his royal book, Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story. Hardman clearly had authorized sources in Charles’s camp, and Hardman was tasked with abusing the Sussexes. One of the big storylines was that QEII was incandescent with rage over Harry and Meghan naming their daughter Lilibet. The story landed so badly and the palace’s lies were so obvious, Hardman quickly had to come out and refute his own book. Even funnier is the fact that Hardman was also tasked with taking Prince William down a few pegs, but Hardman made William sound like an illiterate moron AND an atheist. Anyway, Hardman recently attended the Hay Festival and he had a lot of new tea, straight from his Buckingham Palace sources. This always kills me – Charles authorizes all of these hatchetmen to write all of these biographies, and then every book ends up focused on the Sussexes and how badly Charles has bungled one of the most significant moments of his reign. As it turns out, that’s mostly what Hardman’s Hay Festival appearance was about too.

Speaking at Hay Festival, Robert Hardman suggested that Prince Harry’s explosive memoir Spare is still casting a long shadow over family relations. “The problem that exists is, at the moment, there is still a trust issue. People are still very wounded, particularly Prince William, that these intimate private childhood family moments all spilled out in Harry’s book. It’s not what Harry said, it’s the fact that he said it, and he gave away so many secrets. And he was, effectively, at the time of the Queen’s death, you know, he was taking notes.”

Hardman also suggested that Harry hadn’t told the full story – but there might be a cynical reason for that. “If you do read that book, and as I said it’s amazing, but if you get to the bit about his wedding to Meghan, it boils down really to about four or five pages. Now, as an author, that says to me one thing and one thing only: part two might be on its way.”

Asked how the row was affecting King Charles as a parent, Hardman said that “he definitely finds it unsettling, it makes him unhappy. There he is, he’s got two sons, one he hardly sees, and two grandchildren he’s barely ever seen, and yes, I think he would like some sort of modus vivendi. Clearly they can’t come back to royal life, I don’t think they want to. And, after all that’s happened, it wouldn’t work,” the biographer said.

Hardman, who has authored numerous royal books, including 2022’s bestselling Queen of Our Times, said the first step to repairing the relationship would be “normalising” it.

“I thought it was telling that when the cancer diagnosis came through back in February, Prince Harry came straight over. People said why didn’t he stay longer, why didn’t he talk to his father? I mean, there is so much to be worked through, but this was absolutely not the moment to have some sort of summit with Harry about all of Harry’s grievances. But I think the fact he came was important, the fact he was received was important, I think what encouraged people at the palace and encouraged the king was the fact that afterwards, we didn’t then read about it or hear about it. It remained private.”

The author suggested a first step to “normalising” things would be if Harry could “come over with Meghan, with the children, privately, for a few days maybe in the summer. Once that happens it’s not such big news when it happens again. Then you start to get somewhere.”

[From The Independent]

A few things. First of all, I genuinely hope that Harry does write a second memoir and God knows that enough sh-t has gone down in the past two years to make it a must-read. He can call it And Another Thing. As for “he was, effectively, at the time of the Queen’s death, you know, he was taking notes,” Harry was not taking notes – he was being abused by his family on the global stage. He had already wrapped up on Spare, but following QEII’s death, Harry basically just added a chapter at the end. “It’s not what Harry said, it’s the fact that he said it, and he gave away so many secrets.” Ah, yes, how dare Harry reveal the Very Important Secrets of “being neglected after his mother’s death” and “being assaulted by his psycho brother.” Doesn’t Harry know that the biggest Windsor crime is publicly revealing how horribly they treat each other?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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