On Sunday, I followed the BAFTA ceremony on the BAFTAs social media account, where they were posting videos and updates. After the In Memoriam section aired during the telecast, there was a sudden kerfuffle in the Twitter comments – people were outraged that Matthew Perry had been left out of the tributes for artists who had passed away in the past year. The poor BAFTA social media person kept posting the same explanation to everyone complaining, which was that Perry would be memorialized during the upcoming BAFTA Television Awards. People were NOT happy.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has responded to online backlash over Matthew Perry’s absence from the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards’ In Memoriam segment on Sunday. After Perry, who died last October at age 54, did not appear during the tribute — set to a special arrangement of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” performed by Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham — social media users were quick to criticize the decision.

On X (formerly Twitter), users called out BAFTA for the perceived omission, which one dubbed “bad form” alongside a GIF of Perry’s Friends character, Chandler Bing, saying, “You can’t make this stuff up.”

Some were perplexed by Perry’s absence, calling it “shockingly bad” and a “shocking omission.”

Others simply sought an explanation, writing, “Why wasn’t [Matthew Perry] included in the memorial sequence???”

Responding to Perry’s absence from the tribute, a spokesperson for BAFTA tells PEOPLE, “I can confirm Matthew Perry will be remembered in our forthcoming BAFTA Television Awards.”

On X, BAFTA echoed this statement, writing, “Matthew Perry will be remembered in this year’s TV Awards ceremony,” and shared the link to the academy’s online tribute to the actor.

[From People]

As I said, I felt bad for the social media person, because they were really under siege from people who outraged by BAFTA’s decision. I even sort of thought that the social media person probably disagreed with the decision, given they made a point of responding to several critics (thus probably making it into a bigger deal). It was such a stupid call by the BAFTAs, to gatekeep which deceased actors were “worthy” of the BAFTA Film memorial. While Perry was absolutely more famous for his television work, he appeared in fourteen films, including The Whole Nine Yards (an expected hit). His loss was devastating to the acting community entirely, regardless of whether he was “film actor” or “television actor.” This whole thing is so utterly snobby.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images, Instagram.

As we discussed, Prince William was a horse’s ass at the BAFTAs, wandering around, telling people that he’d barely seen any movies and blaming that on Kate’s health issues. While I get that he’s “busy” on the fakakta school run, he’s also the BAFTA president and, as many have pointed out, it would be pretty easy for him to get some screeners. While he fully admitted that he hadn’t seen most of the BAFTA-nominated films, he also tried to improvise when he met with Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Sophie Wilde and Mia McKenna Bruce. Mia starred in the film How to Have Sex, which I have not seen and neither has William. He still remarked that she looked like she “had a lot of fun” making the film. Y’all, her character is raped in the film.

Prince William appears to have made a gaffe talking to an actress who won a BAFTA for her film – which ends with her character being raped after saying the movie looked like it was ‘a lot of fun’, despite not having seen it.

The Prince of Wales made the remark as he mingled backstage last night with nominees at the Royal Festival Hall in London – including Rising Star winner Mia McKenna-Bruce, who was hailed for her role in the drama How To Have Sex. McKenna-Bruce, 26, won the prize after her performance as Tara, a virgin who goes on holiday with friends to Greek island Malia where she is raped by a fellow tourist.

The actress said she hoped the film would improve society’s ‘conversation we’ve been having around consent’ and help ‘people talk about situations they’ve been through’. William had greeted the Rising Star nominees on Sunday night by telling her: ‘I haven’t yet watched your film – I think it looked like you had a lot of fun all the way through.’

The father-of-three, 41, shook hands with Mia and her fellow nominees – The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri, Phoebe Dynevor and Sophie Wilde – while admitting he had not watched any of their movies.

[From The Daily Mail]

It is a bad gaffe and one which could have been easily avoided if William wasn’t trying to perv out on young, attractive actresses. He heard the word “sex” and he was trying to be sexy or flirtatious towards Mia and instead he was awful and awkward. And offensive. Even if the film had been “sexy,” he still would have come across as a dirty old man with bad teeth and an ugly combover.

What else? He did say that he watched Oppenheimer, but he still hasn’t seen Barbie. Like, did Charlotte not want to see Barbie? William probably thinks it’s a “girl movie.” When talking about how few films he’s seen in the past year, he apparently said: “I’ve done the fewest I’ve ever done before. With my wife it’s been a bit [hand motion] — but hopefully we’ll catch up, I’ll make my list tonight.” If I was on bed rest after surgery, I would want to watch movies & TV shows, but who knows what kind of state Kate is in.

Anyway, another successful outing for the heir! He really can’t leave the house these days without making an ass out of himself.

This will get scrubbed soon, but my god this man is a danger. pic.twitter.com/T3Cc2TTTE0

— Jennifer (@MamaSassington) February 19, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Kristen Stewart was in Germany for the Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival) over the weekend. She’s promoting Love Lies Bleeding, and she wore Chanel to the premiere (and I think that’s a Chanel outfit at the photocall too). I’m fine with all of this except her hair – her hair is getting worse and worse every time I see her. In general though, the premiere look was very buttoned-up for Kristen, especially given that she recently covered Rolling Stone in a jock strap. The RS cover was “risque,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, although I must have missed the outrage about it. Were people actually in their feelings about it? Anyway, Kristen talked about the RS cover and more during her Berlinale press conference:

Kristen Stewart has defended her risque’ photo shoot for the March Rolling Stone magazine cover that went viral and divided audiences on social media platforms.

“The existence of a female body thrusting any type of sexuality at you that’s not designed for exclusively straight males is something people are not super comfy with and so I’m really happy with it,” Stewart told a press conference on Sunday at the Berlin Film Festival for her latest movie, Love Lies Bleeding.

Stewart, who is bisexual, said she enjoyed breaking with traditional stereotypes about what it means to be feminine. “It’s okay to take different pictures and mix them up in a way that people aren’t used to and want to go and that’s okay, too,” she added. Stewart insisted the androgynous images taken by Collier Schorr for Rolling Stone should not be that big of a deal. “In fact, it’s pervasive and it’s everywhere and it’s being denied and it’s crazy that there aren’t more pictures like that. I loved the opportunity,” she added.

Stewart talked about making lesbian-themed films like Loves Lies Bleeding for mainstream audiences, rather than in and for an echo chamber. “We can’t keep doing that thing where we tell everyone how to feel, and where we sort of pat each other on the back and receive brownie points for providing space for marginalized voices and only in the capacity that they are allowed to speak about that alone,” Stewart told the Berlinale presser .

“The era of queer films, being so pointedly only that, is over. It’s done. Maybe they’ll happen, but I think things develop and move on. It’s just so inherent to how we’re all moving forward,” she added. Stewart pointed to Happiest Season, her LGBTQ+ Christmas romcom that was entirely commercially-driven, and yet sparked in her an interest in bringing to wider audiences other movies with diverse voices and issues. “It’s not making (movies) about the reasons that they’re sidelined, but peoples’ actual experiences, what they love, what their desires are, where they come from, where they want to go and, yeah, not feeling like you always have to stand on a f–ing soapbox and be everyone’s spokesperson.”

[From THR]

“Stewart insisted the androgynous images taken by Collier Schorr for Rolling Stone should not be that big of a deal” – they weren’t a big deal! They were just cool androgynous pics, plenty of people have done similar photos. I’m not negating how important it is for young LGBTQ kids to see someone like Kristen on the cover of Rolling Stone, but let’s not act as if the wheel has been reinvented. As for what Kristen said about the kinds of “queer films” she’d like to make… I agree, what she’s seeking is desperately needed. Not endless “coming out” films or films where the character’s sexuality is their defining (or sole) characteristic. The “gay best friend” trope needs to be over too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

America Ferrera is having a great year. Her powerful speech in Barbie earned its place in cinematic history as a major cultural moment and she was just nominated for her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. I’m a huge fan of America, so I’m thrilled that she’s getting the recognition she deserves. (I know I say this often but if you’re looking for a new sitcom to binge, go watch Superstore!)

Last week, America appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to talk about the movie, her Oscar nomination, and her different experiences at Oscar events. At one point, she shared that she met Martin Scorsese at an Oscar event and was starstruck saying hi to him, prompting Seth to ask her if that happens often. America responded by telling a story about the time she met Leonardo DiCaprio and cried.

Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Friday, the 39-year-old Barbie star explained that being starstruck will “sneak up on you” at industry events, before she detailed one celebrity encounter in particular that left her “weeping.”

As she explained, it usually happens when she meets someone she had a “childhood connection” to, such as when she met DiCaprio, now 49, at the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards, where she won an award for her performance in Ugly Betty.

“I watched Titanic in the movie theaters seven times. [I was] 13, 14 [years old], prime time to be in love with Leonardo DiCaprio, right? OK, so first time I went to the SAG Awards, and I had won for Ugly Betty, I had been onstage and the whole thing,” she recalled. “I was feeling kind of like, ‘I belong here, this is cool.’ ”

At the awards show, she ended up saying “hello” to DiCaprio. “And I promptly departed [from] him, went around the corner and just started weeping,” Ferrera said.

“And my husband, then-boyfriend, was with me and he was like, ‘I am so embarrassed right now.’ ”

Ferrera’s spouse, Ryan Piers Williams, whom she wed in 2011, then encouraged Ferrera to “stop crying.”

“I hope Leonardo DiCaprio never sees this,” Ferrera told Meyers, who joked that he “probably won’t.”

[From People]

That is SO funny. I’ve been trying to think of which celebrity I’d be so starstruck that I’d cry if I met them and I don’t know! Honestly, I think it would be Judy Blume. There are celebrities that I’ve admired or would love to meet, but Judy’s books meant so much to me when I was growing up that I could see myself becoming emotional if I ever met her. I would also love to sit in on a Fiona Apple recording session and see how her genius works. Oh, and Gillian Anderson would definitely inspire a lot of feels. I wouldn’t have cried meeting Leo, though. I was more of a Devon Sawa girl growing up. Those five minutes he’s on screen during Casper…

You can watch America’s entire segment with Seth below. They tell more funny stories, including Seth joking about which famous person he met that made him cry (at least, I think he was joking!) and which Full House star she was thrilled to have met. She also talks about meeting Tom Hanks and trying to hold it together as he said nice things to her. It’s a fun interview and she comes across as a really nice, down-to-earth person.

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photos credit: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon and Getty

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Tom Hiddleston attended the People’s Choice Awards & gave a shout-out to his partner/fiancee Zawe Ashton (who wasn’t there). [People]
Megan Fox had pink hair at the People’s Choice Awards. [Just Jared]
Orville Peck would “risk it all” for one night with Brad Pitt. Gross. [Socialite Life]
Travis Kelce’s first executive-producer credit. [LaineyGossip]
Kelly Rowland has an issue with Today’s dressing rooms. [Seriously OMG]
Another review of spectacularly bad Madame Web. [Pajiba]
Tom Hiddleston & Zawe Ashton attended a BFI event last week! [Go Fug Yourself]
Lara Croft’s latest redesign. [OMG Blog]
More dudes at the BAFTAs. [RCFA]
90 Day Fiance: an Indonesian wedding? [Starcasm]
All about Jennifer Lopez’s new documentary. [Hollywood Life]
Gen Z has some ideas about what constitutes middle class. [Buzzfeed]

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Here are more photos of Prince William, backstage at last night’s BAFTAs. He went solo, was seated next to Cate Blanchett during the ceremony, then he was taken around to meet of the beautiful young actresses, because that wasn’t obvious at all! Remember how often, in 2023, William was being branded as a “hunk” and a “hot single dad”? It kept happening, over and over in palace-approved stories. As you can see, he spent some time last night trying to chat up Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Sophie Wilde and Mia McKenna Bruce. As you can see, William was not very successful. Ayo’s face in particular betrays just how badly this went. Still, the Mail hilariously tried to tell everyone that Hot Single Dad William really won over these starlets!

Prince William won over BAFTA winners last night as he met with rising star nominees and other people who had picked up gongs at the award show. Making a dapper appearance at the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Prince of Wales, who made a last-minute solo appearance while his wife Kate remains at home recovering from abdominal surgery, chatted with the nominees for the Rising Star award – plus winner Mia McKenna-Bruce.

The father-of-three, 41, shook hands with the star-struck actresses, who also included The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri, Phoebe Dynevor and Sophie Wilde, before revealing he had not seen any of the films they had starred in.

Earlier in the night he apologised for confirming his attendance to the ceremony late in the day, and for also not watching many of the films – noting that, understandably, he has ‘other things’ on his mind.

However, ever the entertainer, William kept things light despite a difficult few months for the royal family and told Mia McKenna Bruce, who stars in How to Have Sex, that she looked like she had ‘a lot of fun’ making the film.

As William walked into the green room following the award ceremony, he smiled as he greeted the three young actresses.

‘It was very close between all of you,’ he told the talents, before turning to Mia to congratulate her. He then told her: ‘I haven’t yet watched your film. I think it looked like you had a lot of fun all the way through’.

After revealing he hasn’t had time to ‘get through’ many of the nominated films, William said: ‘It is a very very strong year for categories.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“The father-of-three, 41, shook hands with the star-struck actresses” – they were not star-struck, they looked disturbed by his behavior and mannerisms. These photos went viral last night (along with my tweet with the Michael Sheen photo) and it was yet another moment where non-royal-watchers were talking about William’s awkwardness, weirdness and how he always manages to fall flat whenever he’s trying to impress women. It was also funny to watch all of the behind-the-scenes videos of no one in the BAFTA auditorium clapping for him or acknowledging him at all. How embarrassing.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

This weekend was full of royalists screaming into the echo chamber they made for themselves, mostly about the Times report about Prince Harry offering to “temporarily return” to royal work while his father has cancer. That story came, in my opinion, straight from Buckingham Palace. I’ve developed a theory that Queen Camilla has her own side operation and she ends up briefing all kinds of bullsh-t, mostly about her stepsons. Well, I also believe this new Sun exclusive came from Camilla’s operation, because she’s still pissed that her husband met with Prince Harry one-on-one two weeks ago and she was kicked out of the room. Now she wants people to know that Harry was “blocked” from meeting his father in Sandringham.

Prince Harry was stopped from joining the King at Sandringham after flying to the UK because Palace aides feared “they’d never get rid of him”. The Duke of Sussex was told to get a hotel instead of staying with the cancer-stricken King. The Sun on Sunday can reveal Harry, 39, planned for a long heart-to-heart with his dad. He had even hoped to join the King — recuperating from cancer treatment — for a few days at Sandringham.

But instead he was instructed to visit Clarence House, his dad’s London home, for a short managed face-to-face meeting — and then told to get himself a hotel for the night.

It was understood Buckingham Palace accepted his quick visit to Britain as a kind “gesture” and “cause for optimism”. But it was not believed to have led to a major thawing in relations. When Charles rang his younger son to reveal his shock cancer diagnosis, Harry “took it upon himself” to fly to London. But after landing at Heathrow on February 6 he was told not to set off for Norfolk, where the King, 75, was planning to spend time with Queen Camilla, 76.

As Charles delayed his departure for Sandringham, Harry was directed to go to Clarence House. He spent 45 minutes inside, but only around half an hour with his father. An insider revealed: “Harry came over to see his father, expecting to go to Sandringham. But instead he was asked to be at Clarence House and was restricted to 30 minutes. The fear was that if he went to Sandringham they would never get rid of him.”

Just six minutes after Harry left the meeting with his father, the King and Queen made their way by Bentley to a helicopter in the Buckingham Palace gardens before flying to Sandringham. Harry later stayed in a hotel in London, although it has not been reported which one.

[From The Sun]

Someone suggested that Harry’s flight was delayed because of the huge storms hitting California in that 48-period when Harry was trying to get to England. Which I believe – I would guess that the original plan was to have a longer visit between father and son, but Harry arrived too late and Charles was probably pretty tired from his first cancer treatment that day. The fact that Harry had a police escort from Heathrow tells you all you need to know about Charles agreeing to Harry’s visit and how much Charles wanted to see his younger son. This whole “Harry was PUNISHED by not being allowed to go to Sandringham” thing is so dumb – my guess is that Harry asked “where should I meet you” and Charles thought Clarence House would be better and so that’s what happened. It also sounds like everybody Over There is still salty about the fact that Harry breezed into town, saw his dad, met with his lawyer, dipped in 25 hours and made it back to America in time to present an award at the NFL Honors.

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Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Getty.

This is the March cover of British Vogue, Edward Enninful’s last issue as editor-in-chief. Enninful managed to put together forty “legends” together for the cover. This is not CGI or AI, these are actual women who all showed up at the same place and time for a cover shoot. The cover includes: Simone Ashley, Oprah, Selma Blair, Naomi Campbell, Adwoa Aboah, Iman, Jameela Jamil, Karlie Kloss, Kaia Gerber, Salma Hayek, Cara Delevingne, Jane Fonda, Karen Elson, Gigi Hadid, Dua Lipa, Amber Valletta, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kate Moss, Irian Shayk, Anya Taylor Joy, Ariana DeBose, Gemma Chan, Jourdan Dunn, Serena Williams, Anok Yai, Jodie Comer, Cindy Crawford, Laverne Cox, Christy Turlington, Cynthia Erivo, Linda Evangelista and many more. So, obviously, the story is “why didn’t Edward Enninful include the Duchess of Sussex?” I sh-t you not.

Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss and Gigi Hadid were among 40 British Vogue stars that came together to shoot the cover for Edward Enninful’s final edition. But for royals fans, Meghan Markle, 42, was noticeably absent from the impressive line-up – which also included Salma Hayek, Naomi Campbell and Miley Cyrus.

The Duchess of Sussex was once close friends with the outgoing editor-in-chief after guest editing an issue of British Vogue in 2019. But she was nowhere to be found on Mr Enninful’s final cover, which featured Meghan’s pals Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, and Jameela Jamil. Eagle-eyed royal fans questioned the Duchess’ lack of appearance, with one writing: ‘Now why did Meghan Markle deny us a Vogue cover because I know that guy called her.’

Another person asked Endgame author Omid Scobie on X, formerly Twitter, ‘was your bestie #MeghanMarkIe busy that day?’ after he shared the cover.

It’s unclear if the Duchess of Sussex was contacted to appear on the magazine cover.

Meghan’s ‘Forces for Change’ issue in September 2019 put inspirational women including actresses Gemma Chan and Jane Fonda, and former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern on the front cover. When it was published, it was the fastest selling issue in the magazine’s 104-year history, selling out in less than 10 days.

The following year, Mr Enninful spoke to Sky News about criticism Meghan received when she joined the royal family, arguing that he didn’t believe it was solely down to racism. Describing the Duchess as a ‘brave woman’, he said: ‘Parts of it were probably racism, but it was more of an institution.’ He added that while criticism was ‘harsh’, he ‘wouldn’t just blame it on racism’, saying: ‘She walked into an institution and everyone expected her to know the rules. And I think sometimes it takes a minute to understand the rules.’

However, Mr Enniful, who has previously praised King Charles as a monarch who can ‘evolve with the times’ and is an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, continued to say he believed the treatment of her was ‘very unfair’.

[From The Daily Mail]

As Enninful writes in his letter from the editor, the photoshoot took place in New York in December. It would not surprise me if he asked Meghan and she said no, just as it would not surprise me that several other high-profile women said no or had some kind of scheduling conflict. It’s wild to assume that Meghan would be willing to fly to New York just for Enninful’s last cover as EIC, especially since many have wondered if they had a falling out in the years since she guest-edited the magazine. Enninful was never really loyal to her, and he made sure to supplicate to the left-behind royals.

The larger question – one which we’ll probably never get an answer to – is how many magazine covers has Meghan turned down over the past four years? I’d be willing to bet she’s been offered Vanity Fair, American Vogue, Elle, Allure, Forbes, everything.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid. Covers courtesy of British Vogue.

Last week, there were photos of Pippa Middleton on vacation in St. Barts with her husband and children. Some people questioned whether the photos were actually taken last week, as if the Mail and the paparazzo would purposefully hold photos for weeks or even months. That’s just not what happens the majority of the time. Maybe – a very big maybe – an outlet like the Mail will hold some salacious or interesting photos for a few days, tops. But the Pippa photos were just as the Mail reported – Pippa was vacationing with her family last week during her kids’ school holiday.

As you can see in the tweets below, Pippa was photographed in recent days, still in St. Barts, still wearing bikinis and enjoying herself. I still say that Pippa wouldn’t be larking about in a bikini in St. Barts if her sister’s condition was really that dire. King Charles and Queen Camilla’s actions and behavior have emphasized that too – whatever is going on with Kate, it’s not the gloomiest, most devastating thing ever. It still begs the question, or several questions, actually: what happened with Kate, where are Kate’s parents, was Kate ever actually in the London Clinic, and was she ever “home” in Adelaide Cottage?

Bikini-clad Pippa Middleton flaunts fit figure during beach day with husband and 3 kids https://t.co/EmVxi47KZ3 pic.twitter.com/JV22qeF5JW

— Page Six (@PageSix) February 18, 2024

Her Royal Hotness! Pippa Middleton, 40, looks sensational in a £232 Vix bikini as she enjoys the sun in St Barts with her husband and young children https://t.co/VLlZPsnPL7 pic.twitter.com/Be0ZaGbTZS

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 17, 2024

Pippa Middleton’s sun-soaked half-term getaway at the glitzy Eden Rock hotel in St Barts – owned by her husband’s family – continues https://t.co/LkYYgoGOR4 pic.twitter.com/QosIIVfy6o

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 18, 2024

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Emma Stone won the Best Actress BAFTA last night. For Poor Things, Emma has now won the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics Choice and at least a dozen critics awards. Everyone said Lily Gladstone was the Best Actress frontrunner, that she would sweep all of the awards… and it’s not actually happening. Emma caught fire at just the right moment during the awards season and I really believe that she’s going to win her second Best Actress Oscar. Sort of hilariously, Emma is not dressing like she’s the frontrunner or like she expects to win. She’s a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton and LV has given her some of the most hideous looks for months. Her BAFTA ensemble was, in my opinion, the worst look yet. This peachy monstrosity looks like someone reworked a bridesmaid’s dress from 1986.

Sandra Hüller also wore custom Louis Vuitton and she’s also being screwed over by Emma’s momentum. Huller is SO GOOD in Anatomy of a Fall, it’s one of the biggest f–king injustices that she’s not a bigger Best Actress contender this year. At least her LV is better than Emma’s.

Also in Louis Vuitton: Cate Blanchett. Cate has been doing some kind of one-woman sustainability challenge, rewearing so many of her old gowns to various red carpets for several years now. This gown is new and it’s not great, although I do like the color.

The last of the LV girls was Phoebe Dynevor. She honestly got the best dress and that’s crazy! Louis Vuitton dressed two of the Best Actress nominees and they gave the cutest look to Phoebe!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.