I usually do a Super Bowl commercials post, but it’s a lot of work and I’m in my toad era. We have coverage today of Beyonce’s Verizon commercial and Ben Affleck’s Dunkin commercial. You can see a more comprehensive list of the commercials here. I wanted to talk about Cardi B’s commercial for NYX’s Duck Plump lip gloss. It was originally a one minute commercial with the first half featuring Cardi and some dancers and the second half a joke about dudes putting the lip gloss on their d*cks while women experts tell them that’s dumb. The people at CBS decided the second half was too suggestive and so NYX cut it down to 30 seconds with a QR code to access the full ad. I’m embedding the full version below and here’s a link to the ad that aired live. Here’s more, from NPR:

When I spoke with Shayne Millington about the cheeky Super Bowl ad she was planning with Cardi B., the advertising executive was excited about the prospect of tweaking male sports fans in a way Big Game ads often don’t do.

But the NFL threw some cold water on her plans Sunday, preventing makeup brand NYX from airing part of their ad suggesting that men may have mistook the name of their Duck Plump lip gloss and used it in a certain private area. Instead, they aired 30 seconds featuring Cardi B and displayed a QR code viewers could use to access the full ad.

Millington, the Chief Creative Officer at McCann New York, told me before the game that the ad was an attempt to turn the tables on traditional Super Bowl advertising.

“You have to really look at how women have been portrayed in Super Bowl ads and in the past, and it’s not great,” she added. “So, on a platform as big as the Super Bowl where men have [traditionally] had the upper hand with humor…[this time] women will have the last laugh with Cardi B.”

Turns out, Millington’s ad was among the sauciest in a Super Bowl where brands played it safe even more than usual, perhaps due to the mammoth, $7-milion-per-30-seconds fee for airtime.

[From NPR]

Of course this ad was cut. They can’t offend their target audience. It was a fun, memorable ad and it should have been aired in full. I don’t consider it too racy for the Super Bowl, but I guess I don’t have little kids or whatever excuse they’re using. I remember some of the sexist ads the Super Bowl has aired in the past, and I’m glad we’re moving away from that. NYX is an excellent brand, I own a lot of their products, and I hope they end up getting more publicity after this. Duck Plump retails for $13, it’s vegan, and NYX is giving free shipping when you order it through their site.

Incidentally, Uber Eats also edited their intended ad after backlash from allergy awareness groups. The ad focused on people forgetting things, including Jelly Roll forgetting his face tattoos and Jennifer Aniston forgetting David Schwimmer. The original version featured a man allergic to peanuts eating peanut butter, but it’s not funny to make fun of people’s allergies and Uber wisely took that out.

Ben Affleck is the brand ambassador for Dunkin Donuts. It’s been happening for more than a year, after Ben repeatedly went viral for all of his Dunkin Donuts stops and deliveries. Ben has turned the brand ambassadorship into something cute, directing his ads and roping his wife and his friends into appearing in the ads. Last year’s Super Bowl commercial was very cute, showing Ben “working” the Dunkin drive-thru, then Jennifer Lopez surprises him. For this year’s Super Bowl ad, Ben went even bigger, bringing in Jack Harlow, Tom Brady, Matt Damon, Fat Joe and of course J.Lo.

I mean… it’s cute and cringe at the same time. Jennifer Lopez supporting her husband’s Dunkin Donuts brand ambassadorship will always be funny to me, and if you look closely, they added a sneaky little promo for “This Is Me… Now,” her new album and Amazon Prime film. Ben finding a way to bring in Tom Brady, Jack Harlow and Matt Damon though? I’m curious if those guys are getting paid the big bucks for a Super Bowl ad or if they’re just doing it because they’re friendly with Ben. This certainly beats Matt’s last appearance in a Super Bowl ad, when he tried to convince bros to invest in crypto. Remember, Tom Brady also did a Super Bowl ad for FTX a few years ago too. Good times. Dunkin is a much safer bet.

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Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

During last year’s Dusseldorf Invictus Games, the Windsors and their media handlers pouted, cried, lied, screamed and tried to pretend that Prince William and Kate’s sad events were in direct competition to the global headlines the Sussexes were getting. The Windsors also refused to acknowledge Invictus entirely, and they blanked the entire British Invictus team. No tweets of support, no well-wishes from the king, nothing. There were even a few pieces about how the British Invictus team thought the Windsors were being petty and mean-spirited (true story). The whole thing became even funnier when NATO Joint Force Commander General Guglielmo Miglietta turned up in Dusseldorf and he brought a NATO delegation of 1100 personnel, military family members and students. The Sussexes did a photo-op with General Miglietta and the NATO group, and you can guess who was incandescent with rage about all of that.

Interestingly enough, the UK’s Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer did turn up in Germany halfway through the games. He even sat with Harry and Meghan for the volleyball final, and Mercer and Harry were seen deep in conversation several times. Mercer also went on the record about how Invictus is “genuinely life changing” and “You can’t underestimate or underplay the huge impact [Harry has] had on veterans’ care in the UK over many years. As a veteran myself, I’m incredibly grateful, but I know that the nation is incredibly grateful for everything he’s done so far.” Mercer didn’t even play both sides for the domestic audience – he said Harry is doing amazing work and Invictus is wonderful. I bring up Johnny Mercer because I think he’s largely behind a new effort to bring the 2027 Invictus Games to Britain. Oh, and Harry will attend an Invictus event in London in May.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to return to Britain in May for a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games. The milestone has prompted an effort by the government to bring Prince Harry’s sporting competition for wounded servicemen and women back to Britain. A multimillion-pound government bid, backed by private finance, has been made to host the event in Birmingham in 2027.

The team at the Cabinet Office who are behind the plan hope to finance a four-year programme, which would improve rehabilitation prospects and sporting opportunities for veterans and civilians. The scheme has won the support of the Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion. Leading the bid is Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans’ affairs, who was flown to Birmingham for treatment after being medically evacuated from Afghanistan.

He said: “It feels like the right time and the right place. The biggest power of recovery has always been in sport, has always been in Invictus and the Duke of Sussex led the way when he set these Games up ten years ago. It feels like a natural rounding of the circle to come back to the UK and we’re going to do everything we can to win the bid.”

Mercer will host a symposium at the NEC in Birmingham on March 21 to discuss the plan with potential donors. Among those speaking at the event will be JJ Chalmers, the television presenter and Invictus Games medallist who was injured in a bomb blast while serving with the Royal Marines in Afghanistan in 2011.

Harry, who this week made a 25-hour trip to Britain to see his father after the King’s cancer diagnosis, is expected to announce the winning city for the 2027 Games later this year.

A source close to the project said: “Harry has indicated that he is comfortable coming back for a British-based Invictus Games and we understand that the Games have always had the support of the rest of the royal family.”

Others hope that Britain hosting the Games could help to soothe tensions between the duke and his family. A supporter of Birmingham’s bid said: “I and many others very much hope that this could provide a timeline for a way in which the duke and the rest of the royal family might find a way to come together in support of a worthwhile cause.”

If Birmingham beats its US rival bidder of Washington, it will bring Harry and Meghan back to the UK together for the first time since the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022.

[From The Times]

So it’s between Birmingham and Washington? Didn’t New Zealand plan to make a bid as well? In any case, I absolutely hope that Harry rejects any and all efforts to bring Invictus back to the UK. This is so obviously a trap – the press, the government and the royals are all salivating at the idea of three years of “what will happen when the Sussexes come in 2027” storylines. Harry would be giving them too much lead time to plan out how they could hurt Meghan and everyone else. It’s fascinating though, to watch as the British government openly longs for the Sussex sparkle. Remember how all of those royal reporters and photographers ran to Dusseldorf to cover them? Yeah. As for the Invictus service in May… it would be funny if Meghan skips it. God, the tantrums, I can hear them now.

PS… I was trying to do the math on the games, traditionally the games are 14-16 months apart – wouldn’t the next games, after Vancouver (Feb. 2025), be held in the late summer of 2026?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Roya Nikkhah at the Sunday Times must have gotten full briefings from Kensington Palace AND Buckingham Palace after a particularly chaotic week. Last Monday, BP announced that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer. On Tuesday, Prince Harry arrived and had a 45-minute meeting with his father. On Wednesday, Prince William stepped out for the first time in weeks and appeared visibly under the influence. KP also briefed the media that William would not be stepping up or stepping out much in the coming months, and he would likely be out through Easter too, just like Kate. Throughout the week, there was an open briefing war between the royal courts as Camilla and William both screamed and raged about Harry and Charles’s meeting. It was a lot. Currently, we’re to believe that Charles and Camilla are staying at Sandringham and now the Waleses are staying at Anmer Hall (on the Sandringham estate). So, that’s the backdrop for this fascinating piece from the Times. Some highlights:

Charles will wave from cars: Charles, 75, will divide his time between Sandringham and Highgrove, and travel privately to London every week for his cancer treatment. Those close to him say “he is keen to be seen”, and will be driven in the state Bentley with its large windows wherever possible when he is in town. He may also release photos and video clips of his weekly audiences with Rishi Sunak, which will take place at Buckingham Palace and which he hopes to continue in person.

William refuses to be deputized: William remains determined to continue to put his family first, with aides making it clear he will not “deputise” for the King, who is fully supportive of his oldest son’s commitment to his family. The official palace line is that “the Prince of Wales may step in for His Majesty, nothing is scheduled currently, Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace are in constant communication and should the need arise, appropriate arrangements will be made”. But in such radically changed circumstances, will the heir to the throne realistically be able to maintain that stance? The coming weeks and months will test William’s resolve and his “unwavering commitment to duty” that aides often speak of.

Bewilderment in the royal court: Palace sources stress there is “no sense he is being pressurised” to increase his workload, and it is understood Charles has not asked William to pick up a raft of his cancelled engagements. In some royal circles, however, there is a slight sense of bewilderment at William’s determination to so fiercely protect his boundaries when it comes to his diary.

William is frozen with shock: Those close to him say that he is still digesting the shock of his father’s diagnosis so soon after his wife of almost 13 years — his partner since they were both students at the University of St Andrews — having major surgery, while also contemplating what the shifting sands mean for his role and his family’s future. A royal source says: “At times like this, it is a reminder that as well as being the future head of state, he is also a human being. He is processing the news of his father having cancer as a human being. Given the seriousness with which he takes his role, of course it is something he will be thinking about.”

Charles & William will meet in Norfolk: Time in Norfolk will give him space to think and talk things through with the King. It helps that a father and son relationship that was previously tricky, particularly when Charles controlled William’s purse strings for his household which is funded by the Duchy of Cornwall income, has matured in the right direction in recent years. Those who see them together say that the occasional petulance on both sides, though not gone completely, has shifted, and they are much more aligned “on what needs doing and what doesn’t”.

Who will go to the Commonwealth service? The first big set piece where the new royal order will swing into action and things will look different is the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 11, which is usually led by the monarch. Charles broke with tradition last year and read out his Commonwealth message at the abbey (the late Queen used to issue a written statement). Camilla, who is expected to attend as the most senior royal, will represent the King and lead the royal family in the procession. Still under discussion is whether Charles will remotely record his Commonwealth message or whether William might read it aloud.

William isn’t skipping a memorial service for his godfather: William is also expected to attend a memorial service later this month in London for his late godfather and the King’s great friend, King Constantine of Greece, though if Camilla decides to attend, once again, she would be officially representing Charles.

Oh, now William expects to go back to work in late February? After the week-long holiday, William will be back to his regular diary of engagements, though his attendance at the Baftas on the final night of his children’s half-term — February 18 — will depend on how things are at home. “After spending half-term with the children, you can expect to see the Prince of Wales return to work in a more normal way, in the knowledge that he will still be supporting his wife and still be doing the school run and pick-ups,” a royal source said.

William doesn’t want to overshadow his father: He is also mindful of not being seen to step prematurely into Charles’s shoes, an issue he and Catherine have long been conscious of, particularly with their media coverage which historically, before Charles and Camilla were King and Queen, tended to be more positive, an issue that Charles has long been sensitive about. A friend of William’s said: “He’s very attuned to the fact that he doesn’t want to tread on any toes — the King is still the King.”

All evidence to the contrary: While a close friend of William’s has said he is “fully accepting of doing his duty and fulfilling what the public expect of him, without paying too much attention to what he would like to have done in another world,” he has never been a hurry on the path to kingship.

[From The Times]

There are several mentions of William resisting “being swallowed whole by duty,” as if asking him to do three events a week while his dad has cancer is the most disgusting and crass thing anyone would have suggested. Like, everyone is well aware that William is deeply lazy, incapable and unprepared. From the look of it, Charles wants his heir nowhere near state business or anything important. Instead of just leaning into his severe limitations and just doing a handful of bread-and-butter events a week, William is now paralyzed with a well-earned sense of imposter syndrome. He isn’t even trying to play catch up or working behind-the-scenes to become more prepared, should the worst happen. All he’s doing is hiding and day-drinking (by the looks of it). Also: William skipped his godfather’s Athens funeral and it would be bonkers if he skipped the London memorial for King Constantine. But no BAFTAs! LOL.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

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Many Halftime performers prerecord their vocals and mostly lip sync through their Halftime performances. Not Usher – he was singing live, Alicia Keys was singing live, and it definitely felt like Ludacris and Lil Jon were doing it live. The one exception was probably H.E.R., who came out with her electric guitar for “Bad Girl” – that was prerecorded, I’m sure. In any case, we knew ahead of time that Alicia would come out with Usher, but Ludacris, H.E.R., Lil Jon, Will.i.am and Jermaine Dupri were surprises, or at least they were not announced ahead of time.

Usher was given more time than previous Halftime acts and he used it well, showcasing his decades-long catalog and putting on a real show – colorful, full of dancing, roller skating, stripper poles, costume changes and so much energy. Here’s the video:

Random, but I loved Usher’s first outfit, the white and silver ensemble which he gradually removed. The black-and-blue ensemble was really cool too, especially since he got Luda and Lil Jon to coordinate. Honestly, this whole thing was Usher reminding everyone that he’s a Beyonce-level entertainer – the live vocals, the dancing, the catalog, the setpieces. It was all really well done and so much fun. My one complaint is that I wish we heard more of “My Boo” and “Bad Girl,” but seeing the whole show, I understand how he wanted to organize the flow. Also: the Alicia Keys tweets were so funny – her voice broke on the very first note!

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.

Introduction: Minutes 0 to 5:45
I cut my finger and needed stitches. I saw the movie Chandra recommended in our last episode, Anatomy of a Fall, and loved it. May December was OK. I really liked Nyad and it inspired me to work out. We’re looking forward to seeing Poor Things and American Fiction. You can listen below!

Royals: Minutes 5:45 to 24:00
While we were off, Kate was hospitalized for abdominal surgery. We heard that the surgery was successful and she would need months of recovery. Right after the news broke about Kate’s surgery, we heard that Charles was scheduled for treatment for an enlarged prostate. Kate’s medical condition is unclear.

We heard that William’s focus was on his family, that he was visiting Kate and taking care of his kids. However he was only seen at the London clinic where Kate was recovering once. We didn’t hear about the Middletons or Kate’s children visiting her. Charles’ prostate procedure was at the same hospital, and Camilla was seen visiting several times. There was a story that photographers were only allowed outside the hospital for a day during Kate’s hospitalization but Camilla showed that wasn’t true. We heard that Charles visited Kate when they were in the same hospital, but not that William visited Charles.

Camilla was happy to be representing the royal family and did a few events when Charles was hospitalized. There were stories about how she’s the power behind the throne and the last one standing.

William reportedly picked Kate up from the hospital on Monday January 29th at 11 am. She is said to be recovering at home. There weren’t any photos of William at the hospital. Just a few hours later Camilla picked up Charles from the same hospital and they were photographed walking out together.

On Monday February 5th in the afternoon our time we heard that Prince Charles has cancer! At that point he had known for a week. So Camilla’s appearances after his diagnosis and before the announcement to the public looked cold, especially considering the messaging around that.

Stories in the Spanish press claimed Kate’s condition was dire despite the reporting that she was fine and recovering. Palace sources denied that she had been in a coma. The Spanish reporter who broke that story, Concha Calleja, said in an interview after that she trusts her sources and stands by her reporting.

Starting around the time of the King’s prostate procedure, the rota was griping “where’s Harry?” Right after the announcement of Charles’ cancer diagnosis, it was reported that Harry would travel to England. Harry arrived in London on Tuesday, and he went straight to Clarence house. He only met with Charles for 45 minutes, tops, at Clarence House. They met alone, and Camilla was not there. Charles left in a helicopter for Sandringham afterwards. Harry stayed at a hotel Tuesday night and left Wednesday morning.

There’s been a steady chorus of “Harry should come back, and maybe Meghan too” They’re trashing Harry for visiting his dad and making it very clear what they’ll do to the Sussexes.

We know that Harry didn’t see William because we heard that William refused to meet with him and doesn’t trust him. Of course there were stories attacking Harry for daring to come to the UK to see his father.

William stood in for Charles at an investiture service on Wednesday. He did not look sober. That night William went to an air ambulance charity event. A reporter asked a question and he said “We really appreciate everyone’s kind messages.” A source told the Daily Mail that’s about all the work we can expect from William for a while. William does not seem willing to do the work to be king and Charles does not want to cede any power to him. Here are links to the stories criticizing William from Hardman’s book. William is so focused on hating Harry.

Comments of the Week: Minutes 24:00 to end
Chandra’s COTW is from Harper on the post about Prince William not wanting to take on extra responsibilities.

My COTW is from Jais on the post about Tracy Chapman’s performance at the Grammys. Thanks for listening bitches!

Photos credit: Avalon.red, Cover Images

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Prince Harry attended the 2022 Super Bowl with his cousin Princess Eugenie. That year, the Super Bowl was held in LA, so it wasn’t a huge journey for them. They looked like they had a great time, and Harry was even invited into the Rams’ locker room AND he posed with the Vince Lombardi trophy. Classic Harry! Well, given Harry’s presence at the NFL Honors on Thursday, people have been gossiping about the Sussexes’ possible attendance at the Super Bowl later today. Please, let’s allow the Daily Mail to go full-tilt royalist about it with this headline: “Harry and Meghan ‘WILL attend the Super Bowl’: Duke of Sussex set to stay in Las Vegas after making no mention of cancer-stricken King Charles in gag-filled speech at NFL awards which followed 24-hour whistlestop trip to visit his father in the UK.” You have to try to say it all without taking a breath, in a rushed, panicked and hysterical voice. Try to make your voice crack when you say “cancer-stricken King Charles.”

Anyway, I do think/hope that Harry and Meghan will attend the Super Bowl. The 49ers are playing, and Harry has connections in San Francisco, and BetterUp might have gotten a VIP suite, so who knows. Harry and Meghan have so many powerful connections, it would make perfect sense if they ended up in, like, Netflix’s VIP suite or Amazon’s VIP suite or Paramount’s VIP suite. As for the British media’s hysteria over the fact that Harry turned up the NFL Honors a day after he flew back to the US after his quickie trip to England… yes, they’re mad about it. Big mad. Enraged.

Prince Harry flew to London to avoid being seen for the first time since his father’s cancer diagnosis at ‘glitzy Super Bowl festivities’ in Las Vegas, royal observers have claimed. The Duke of Sussex, 39, flew more than 5,000 miles from his home in California to London on Tuesday for what ended up being a 30-minute meeting with his father. But he jetted back to his Montecito home after just one day in the UK – after it is believed he spent the night in a luxury hotel rather than a royal residence.

Royal commentator Robert Jobson previously told Mail+ that Prince Harry’s trip was unplanned and ‘unbidden’, with critics now questioning whether it was a purposeful decision to be seen to have rushed to the King’s side.

Questions are now being asked over whether his sudden rush to the UK was fuelled by the knowledge he would be seen to be ‘enjoying’ the glitzy festivities at the Las Vegas event just 24 hours later. One critic posted on X: ‘If Prince Harry hadn’t jetted to London for that 30 minutes with his father, then the first images of him after the King’s cancer diagnosis would have been of him enjoying glitzy Super Bowl festivities.’

Harry was not expected to be seen again until he travels with Meghan to Canada next week for an Invictus Games event, but shocked royal fans by appearing to hand out the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who scooped the award, was just as surprised to see him, hugging the duke, before he exclaimed: ‘Prince freakin Harry, I’m just shocked, that’s Prince Harry’. The Duke gave a very British speech poking fun at the differences between rugby and American football – such as the fact the NFL season is only 18 weeks long and that players get a ‘break every 15 seconds’. But there was no mention of his father, his trip to London or the rest of his family.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’m cry-laughing at “But there was no mention of his father, his trip to London or the rest of his family.” The audacity!! The Mail cannot believe that Prince Harry went to the NFL Honors and didn’t spend the whole time talking about his father! Y’all know that if Harry had mentioned Charles at any point, these same people would be screaming about that too. As always, they want to be able to say that Harry “only” has his family connections and that’s the only reason anyone in America pays attention to him. Harry subverts that talking point by going places and not talking about his family constantly.

As for the “criticism” that Harry’s trip to the UK was performative… pick a lane, haters. First it was the most significant olive branch ever, then it was a childish stunt aimed solely at William, then it was blah blah blah. Now it was all part of a scheme to ensure that Harry could carry on with his planned events without the British media wailing “he hasn’t even checked in on his father!” For the record, I think Harry’s trip was partially about cutting off the media talking points too. But I also think he just wanted to see his cancer-stricken father.

PS… Page Six says the Sussexes will NOT attend the Super Bowl. Boooo. Page Six’s sources (who knows) say that the Sussexes are preparing for their trip to Canada this coming week, so that’s why they’re skipping the Super Bowl. Sources also say that Harry turned up at the NFL Honors because NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell personally asked Harry. That’s actually very cool?

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

Call me dumb, but I really didn’t know that football players playing in the Super Bowl had to buy tickets for their friends and family. Surely there’s a certain number of “comped” tickets allotted to each team for their friends and family? I guess it’s different when the players want their families to sit in a VIP box. By the same token, shouldn’t the NFL comp Travis Kelce (one of their biggest stars) for a VIP box for his extremely famous girlfriend? At the very least, Trav should get a discount! But apparently not – sources tell TMZ that Travis spent a huge amount of money for a VIP box for his family and Taylor Swift’s family.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s families are getting super close … taking in Sunday’s big game from a suite together TMZ has learned — and, like a gentleman, Travis is paying.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Taylor’s mom, Andrea, dad Scott, brother Austin and his girlfriend Sydney are going to sit with Travis’ mom Donna, dad Ed, brother Jason and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce while watching Travis compete for his third Super Bowl ring.

Taylor’s gonna be there of course, and we’re told some of her friends are tagging along … though we don’t know if any of her famous entourage will join the two families.

Allegiant Stadium sources tell us the suite costs well over $1 million … and we’re told that Travis is covering all of it because he just wants everyone to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday together. 87 sorta said this was the case on his “New Heights” podcast earlier this week when he joked he was “just counting how much money I’m spending on this damn Super Bowl for family and friends to come.”

[From TMZ]

Again, it’s crazy to me that the Chiefs or NFL won’t comp that box, especially given the “Taylor Swift bump” for the NFL and the team. Millions of new people – especially in the coveted “women and girls under 30” demographic – are watching football because of Travis and Taylor’s love story. Advertisers are spending millions hoping to get their commercials positioned around Taylor Swift cutaways. It’s bonkers. That being said, Travis is really doing the most to impress Taylor AND her family. Someone said that Scott Swift (Tay’s dad) is probably gagged that Travis is spending this kind of money. Trav really wants people to know that he’s a keeper. We’ll see, Trav!

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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Getty.

Last Friday, we learned that Mirror Group and Prince Harry had settled the rest of the outstanding hacking claims and illegal newsgathering claims. Harry won his limited case last December, but there were more than a hundred hacking claims (just from Harry) left to be adjudicated. Harry publicly promised to see the case through to the end, to continue testifying against the Mirror, unless the Mirror agreed to his terms. The Mirror’s lawyers put up a minor fight for a month or so, then capitulated. We only know that the Mirror has to pay what is essentially a down payment on the settlement, with an immediate payment of £400K.

Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, was in court on Friday for all of the paperwork, and to inform the court that a settlement had been reached. Inside and outside of the court, Sherborne delivered Harry’s statement, in which Harry not only called out the illegality of the Mirror’s editors and journalists, but name-checked Piers Morgan specifically. Harry said (through Sherborne): “We call again for the authorities to uphold the rule of law and to prove that no one is above it. That includes Mr Morgan, who as editor, knew perfectly well what was going on, as the Judge held. Even his own employer realized it simply could not call him as a witness of truth. His contempt for the Court’s ruling and his continued attacks ever since demonstrate why it was so important to obtain a clear and detailed judgment.” After being name-checked once again by Harry, Piers Morgan promptly wet himself and threw a shaky tantrum:

“I think that invading the privacy of the royal family is utterly reprehensible and on that I share Prince Harry’s opinion. I just wish he’d stop doing it.” Piers literally hacked and blagged the Windsors for years and now he’s some moral agent when it comes to privacy?? I guess this is all he has though – “Harry is invading his own privacy!!” GTFO.

Also: Deadline points out that around the same time as the settlement, the NY Post published a piece by Piers in which he was crying about Harry’s quick visit to the UK last week. Piers wrote that Prince William “would rather shoot himself than be in the same room as someone he now views as a despicable traitor.” Well… that’s a vivid image.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Piers’ social media.

While I didn’t really like or enjoy Saltburn or The Banshees of Inisherin, I enjoy Barry Keoghan and I want the world for him. Barry is not an actor trying to hide a posh upbringing behind a cheesy or false backstory – Barry’s background really was tragic. No father around, his mother turned to drugs and died when he was quite young. He went into foster care for years and eventually lived with his grandmother. He was born and raised in Dublin but he had stars in his eyes and always dreamed of working in Hollywood. He went from a small-time boxer to a character actor and he’s spent thirteen years working his way up the ladder. Barry covers the February issue of GQ and this piece is extraordinary. Some highlights:

He lives in London but loves his time in LA: “Just takin’ it all in, man. There’s a gorgeous feelin’ here. This mystic kind of haze. This subtle thing I feel here—it’s like a romance I hold with it. I’m in love with it.”

His energy with Jacob Elordi: “I’m really flirtin’. We were constantly close. It ain’t just for the cameras and the premiere[s]. Me and Jacob—he’s like a brother to me, honestly. I think when you’re comfortable with someone, you can be as close as you want, you know what I mean? It’s not like, ‘Oh, don’t come near me’—it’s like, I’m comfortable. When I’m comfortable around people, I’m comfy….I’m comfortable with Jacob. Messin’ about. Havin’ a laugh. We’re bein’ lads. We’ve just done a movie where we had to kiss, man. Look at the scenes we’ve done. You have to be comfortable with yourself.”

He feels like ‘Saltburn’ is the first time he hasn’t been seen as the freak: “It’s nice, man. It’s nice not just being looked at as the weird-looking guy, the unique feckin’ freaky little freak man-child, freak child-man, whatever you want to call it. It’s nice to see people kind of look at you in that way. I’ll be honest. It is nice. My prettiness didn’t get me this far,” he says, but he’s conscious that being someone audiences want to look at “opens up other lanes for me—it’s part of the leading man thing.”

He enjoys where he is but he still makes his hotel bed: “You can get caught up in it, and it’s kind of dangerous in that sense,” he says. This is why he makes his hotel bed every morning, even though he knows the staff will come around and change it themselves. “It’s just to start your day good, to kind of bring you back to gravity. At least I’ve made it. It’s small, simple stuff like that, keeps you from floating away.”

He dreamed of all of this: “It’s crazy when I think of it. I was saying to my friend last night—I was just looking out at the [Hollywood] sign and, y’know, I wanted this as a kid. I dunno why I wanted it, but I wanted it. It brings back memories, in a weird way—it’s hard to have memories of a place you’ve not been in, but I watched all those old movies, and was fascinated by Old Hollywood. This was stuff I dreamt of, as a kid.”

The loneliness of an actor’s life: “There’s a loneliness as well, that comes with this. A massive loneliness. It’s hard not to talk about that, or to pretend that’s not there.” It caught up with him in November when he walked the red carpet in Prada at the Saltburn premiere in New York. “One of the noisiest, busiest cities in the world, but for me it was like, I’m in that place on my own—the only person in New York, at some points.” Who do you think about, when you’re alone like that? “When I’m isolated? Obviously, my mother. My mother, always. She’s many years passed now, but I always think about her anyway. It’s always just in and around achievements that it’s really prominent—’cause you’d like to celebrate that wit’ ’er, y’know?”

He had necrotizing fasciitis just before The Banshees of Inisherin started shooting. One in five cases are fatal; amputation, he says, was on the table. He remembers saying to the doctors, But I’m not gonna die, right? and the doctors saying, Well, we don’t know.

He named his son Brando. He was born right in the middle of shooting on Saltburn; Keoghan managed to get away for that one day. “They gave me a day off. Good on them! Day off, and straight on to night shoots and night feedings—boom! It was probably the best time of my life, to be quite fair. Havin’ a baby boy, and leadin’ a movie. It was the best time of my life, I must say—yeah.”

On Brando’s mother, his ex Alyson Sandro: “She’s done a great job and she’s an incredible mother.”

[From GQ]

There’s so much sadness layered into this profile but there’s something else too – joy, pleasure, wish-fulfillment. It’s nice to hear a non-American actor talk about how much he loves LA, how he still enjoys the promotional grind and he still has some Hollywood dreams. Most actors – especially Brits, but not so much Irish actors – can’t stop sh-t talking LA. To Barry, he’s happy as a clam in LA. And the fact that he had flesh-eating bacteria and almost got his arm amputated? Right before filming Banshees?? That’s insane.

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Cover & IG courtesy of GQ.