Last year at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Timothee Chalamet received the Rising Star Award for his work in Call Me By Your Name. This year he returned to Palm Springs for the Spotlight Award, recognising his performance in Beautiful Boy. He was introduced to the stage by Laura Dern,…

Over the holiday break my mom and I watched Dr. Pimple Popper on TLC together. We saw the on screen listing, were like “what the hell, we may as well” and then got alternately mesmerized and disgusted. I’d seen her YouTube videos but my mom had never heard of her. My mom even watched a few more episodes on her own! The best part is Dr. Sandra Lee’s easy rapport with her patients. She has a reassuring way of chatting that makes you think she’s the best doctor ever. For the uninitiated, Dr. Lee is a dermatologist who removes cysts, giant blackheads and massive pimples. She got famous with YouTube videos of extractions, which can be hard to watch and hard to stop watching. Dr. Lee doesn’t charge her patients if their insurance doesn’t cover it and they’re willing to be featured on video. (She doesn’t show their faces on YouTube in most cases.)

Rich Juzwiak from Jezebel got to interview her! He said she’s just as charming outside the office and he delightfully called her “humble as a curly fry.” I love that line! His piece was so fun to read. Dr. Lee has a new book she’s promoting called Put Your Best Face Forward: The Ultimate Guide to Skincare from Acne to Anti-Aging. She also has a skincare line and a line of extraction tools. (I got my teenager this extraction set off Amazon for much cheaper and they work well. You just have to remember to sterilize them. I learned about these extraction tools from Dr. Lee’s videos)

On her rapport with her patients
“That’s how I speak to my patients and I think that’s part of what’s endearing, that I don’t talk down to them,” said Dr. Lee. “I speak to them like I’m their girlfriend or their family member and that’s part of the trust I think that’s generated there.”

She was told her extractions are like watching horror movies
“I hate horror movies,” she responded. “I cannot watch any of them. My husband has been pissed at me before because he’ll rent a movie and it ends up being somewhat scary and I’m like, ‘Ah, I cannot watch it, we have to turn it off!’ Flowers in the Attic, that kind of thing, I feel like that could really happen. Someone could live up there and torment me. I don’t like to be scared.”

On if she considers her videos art
She told me early on as she was editing a video of “a gentleman who had [clogged pores] within the creases of his forehead and you just take them out and they’re lined up like little ants almost,” she found herself mesmerized and kept rewatching a certain sequence of frames. She finally concluded that what sucked her in was the very beauty of the human body, or that particular part of that particular body that she then effectively squeezed the beauty out of.

On if she makes the videos for shock value
“It’s people’s lives,” she said, refuting the notion that she’s out to shock. “If you have a cyst, that’s you’re life and a lot of us have it. I normalize it. People understand that it’s okay, that you’re a normal person with these sorts of things. The show has really made me… what has been so worthwhile about it is that it’s really shown me what kind of effect I can have on people. Maybe it’s the show being all fluffy, like, ‘She’s changed my life,’ but I don’t really see that. I just send people home. If they have sutures maybe they come back for like five minutes.”

[From Jezebel]

Dr. Lee clearly enjoys getting all the puss out, which is disgusting to explain like that, but it’s true. There are people who don’t mind gore and things some of us consider disgusting, but who hate being scared. Kaiser is like that! She is ok with those CSI and true crime type stories but hates horror movies. I’m the opposite. I’d rather be scared and see fake zombie or violence gore than real medical gore. I can still watch it, it just grosses me out. The main thing I learned from this interview is that Dr. Lee is the real deal and that she’s just as relatable and nice to journalists as she is to her patients. Also that she has a husband, a dermatologist who works with her at her practice. I haven’t seen him on the show or in her videos and it turns out that he’s camera shy and doesn’t even watch her videos at all. It’s probably a good thing that he’s not on the show as reality shows can really strain a relationship.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post about Pippa Middleton’s bounceback body, it looks like James Middleton has a new girlfriend. James Middleton is absolutely the Rob Kardashian of the Middletons – he doesn’t have a skill set, he’s not employable, and he wastes tons of money. I actually think James might be a tad worse than Rob, because I’m not aware of Rob blowing through millions of dollars in other people’s investment through bad management of a marshmallow company. As we learned last year, James likely shuttered Boomf after it lost (literally) millions of dollars/pounds/Euros. James now works as a tour guide/host at his brother-in-law’s Scottish estate. No, not Prince William. Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews gave James Middleton a job, and this was after TMW James invested in Boomf.

Honestly, I would be embarrassed to be such a leech on my in-law, but here’s James Middleton, bringing his new girlfriend on what was likely an all-expenses-paid vacation with the Matthews family. So who IS this new girlfriend, his first since the on-and-off drama with Donna Air? Well, thankfully, someone organized a big rollout for this woman.

Will Kate Middleton be attending another family wedding in the near future? James Middleton, the royal mom’s 31-year-old brother, brought along Alizee Thevenet, a French financial analyst based in London, to his family vacation to St. Barts. The pair were spotted enjoying the sunshine, with James wearing bright blue swim trucks while Thevenet sported a one-piece bathing suit with blue and white stripes.

“I had the chance to grew up in six different countries: Germany, Indonesia, Chile, France, Belgium and England,” Thevenet says on her LinkedIn profile, in which she describes herself as having a “multinational background.”

This isn’t the first time James, the CEO of personalized marshmallow business Boomf, and Thevenet have been out together. On Dec. 4, she accompanied Kate’s younger brother to the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund’s Christmas Carol Service at St. Luke’s Church. Thevenet hid her face from cameras as they exited the service, at which Meghan Markle gave a reading from the poem “Our Deepest Fear” by Marianne Williamson.

[From People]

“James, the CEO of personalized marshmallow business Boomf” sounds a lot better than “James, failed businessman who ran several businesses into the ground, who now works as a tour guide on his brother-in-law’s family estate.” I feel like Carole Middleton has worked her magic on Kate and Pippa and now Carole is trying to make James happen in a bigger way. Will Alizee get it done? With a more European lady on his arm, will James get paid to attend other international events for no reason? Will his appearance fee go up?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

I shouldn’t be surprised that in the year 2019, Hollywood is still giving awards and major nominations to extremely problematic films. Green Book was supposed to be the kind of film that Hollywood loves: a historical, somewhat biographical film centered on a childlike understanding on racism and race relations in the early 1960s. I thought that when Viggo Mortensen bungled the promotion so badly, that would be the end of the Oscar campaign. But no – apparently, Viggo saying the n-word wasn’t a dealbreaker for the National Board of Review, the Hollywood Foreign Press or the SAGs, all of whom gave awards or nominations to Green Book, Viggo and/or Mahershala Ali.

I saw Green Book over the holidays, because I had an aha-moment that Hollywood really is that dumb, and of course they would give a lot of awards to it. It is, to me, this year’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, in that it says really stupid sh-t about race and it’s utterly problematic. Add to that, the writer and director of Green Book had no problem using Don Shirley’s real name and life for their story about how a white racist dude is hero for being friendly with a famous jazz pianist. Don Shirley’s family took issue with the film’s portrayal of Shirley, and they were quite vocal about it in November and December. No one from the film said much about it then. But Viggo, Mahershala and director Peter Farrelly were in Palm Springs for the film festival, and woo, boy, did they have some sh-t to say.

“Green Book” star Viggo Mortensen has spoken out in defense of the film after family members of Dr. Don Shirley criticized its portrayal of the classical pianist.

“[Writer] Nick Vallelonga has shown admirable restraint in the face of some accusations and some claims – including from a couple of family members – that have been unjustified, uncorroborated and basically unfair, that have been countered by other people who knew Doc Shirley well,” Mortenson told Variety‘s Marc Malkin at the Palm Springs Film Festival awards gala Thursday. “There is evidence that there was not the connection that [the family members] claimed there was with him, and perhaps there’s some resentment.”

Previously, Dr. Shirley’s nephew, Edwin Shirley III, and brother, Maurice Shirley openly criticized the film in an interview with Shadow And Act, calling its portrayal of Dr. Don Shirley a “Symphony of Lies.” Additionally, the family members questioned the relationship between the film’s two main characters Tony Lip (Mortensen) and Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), calling it “an employer-employee relationship.”

On the carpet, director Peter Farrelly also defended the film, pointing to the importance of Dr. Don Shirley’s friends in the creation of the film.

“I’m very disappointed by that. I wish they were, and they have a right to their opinion, but when we went down that road, we looked into the heirs of Don Shirley, and unfortunately it wasn’t the family. The heirs were friends,” Farrelly told Variety. “When we found out about the family, we tried to embrace them, and they’re not having it right now, and it’s very disappointing.”

“I don’t think it would have changed the movie at all,” Farrelly continued, “This is a movie about a two month period in these men’s lives. It’s not about him and his family. It really isn’t.”

[From Variety]

What struck me about the film is that it would have worked so much better if they had just made Mahershala Ali play a fictionalized jazz pianist loosely based on Don Shirley – I think the trouble was that this is Don Shirley’s first portrayal in a Hollywood film, and it’s in a supporting role to the white, racist hero’s character arc. If they wanted to make a movie about how a white dude is redeemed by his friendship with a jazz musician, just fictionalize the story and don’t use real names. But yeah, these comments from Viggo and Peter Farrelly are NOT GOOD. They’re basically talking over Don Shirley’s relatives to say that they, the white guys, have a better understanding of Don Shirley’s life. SMH.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Green Book.

Dear Gossips,

Big weekend! It’s the Golden Globes on Sunday! The Golden Globes do not have a hosting problem. It’s the Oscars that have a hosting problem. Which is why the Oscar host dilemma is making headlines today, just two days before the Globes.

With only 7 weeks to go before the Oscars…

This post is a request by Donna on Twitter. I use easy systems for keeping my stuff organized and my house clean. As I always mention, Clutterbug changed my life. You can get organized, keep your stuff and not feel like you’re missing anything. (Take Clutterbug’s test if you’d like to learn what may work for you. I’m a ladybug! You also don’t have to take an entire day each week to keep your house clean. She has all sorts of hacks for cleaning a little here and there and also making your own cleaning products.) For reorganizing your stuff I highly recommend going to Dollar Tree to get drawer organizers and plastic and fabric bins and getting them before you start purging. You don’t have to know exactly what you want ahead of time. They’re all a dollar each, obviously, however in many cases you can get better products, or a more products in a bundle, on Amazon. (The photo above is a screenshot of Cas from Clutterbug.)

Work with your existing system with small organization solutions

I keep bills, post it notes, pens and miscellaneous stuff on top of my dishwasher. So I bought a small desk organizer for that area. It looks neat and attractive instead of being a pile of stuff. This is the same one I have! I know where to find pens and paper clips and my bills are ready to pay. (I only keep a few behind it and I also have a list of what is due when.) As a system I sort all my mail the minute I come in the house and I do it over the recycling bin and shredder, by the door, so junk mail is thrown out immediately. Here’s a list from Clutterbug of things around the house that usually require a designated place! A small organizer might be a good place to keep your keys too. You may want a charging station organizer as well, so you can keep your devices in one place.

Organize your junk drawer and bathroom drawers

My junk drawer used to be a total mess, but then I got a bunch of plastic bins like these, dumped it out and separated it into categories like batteries, rubber bands, paper clips and pens. There are so many YouTube videos of people doing this that can help you. I even have a junk drawer in my laundry room that is organized now. Here are more bins that can help sort hidden spaces. You can do this for the disaster areas under your kitchen or bathroom sink and there are containers for your pantry too. Do it on a Dime has advice for purging and organizing under your bathroom sink and Clutterbug has one too.

Get fabric bins for sheets, towels, and extra clothing

One of the main tips I learned from Clutterbug and Do it on a Dime was that your house looks so much more organized if you just put things in bins. Go to the Dollar Tree to get fabric bins if you’d mind them thin or you can get them a little pricier (just a few dollars) from Walmart, Dollar General or Amazon. I’m not really good at folding fitted sheets. I’ve watched the Martha Stewart demonstration video so many times, but it doesn’t matter how they’re folded if you put them in a bin. Slap a “Queen Sheets” label on there and your linen cabinet looks so nice.

Get a label maker to label bins and even shelves

Early last year I ordered the Epson LabelWorks LW-300 Labelmaker. However I paid less than $30 for it and it’s now over $100 so I can’t recommend it at that price. Here is an affordable alternative that is well reviewed, the Brother P-Touch. I use mine to label little plastic containers, bins and even the shelves in my fridge! My son likes to use it and it helps let us know what goes where. It’s old school with on screen choices and little icons you can use too and this one is the same. The replacement tape can be expensive, so I order it off eBay.

Organize kids’ stuff with easy to use and see bins

I had this exact organizer for my son’s room. I gave it to the Goodwill when he became a teenager and aged out of his toys. (Now I am thinking of the end of Toy Story 3 and getting choked up!) Clutterbug has a great video where she organizes kids’ toys in her sister’s house, right in the living room where the kids play. You see what kind of toys they have and then organize by subject like “Lego,” “Cars,” “Dolls” etc. This was just a catchall for us though and the best part was that my son could help put the toys away.

Make your fridge look organized with clear bins

My fridge is so clean-looking now thanks to clear plastic containers! I got mine from Dollar General but they stopped carrying them. If you get about 4-5 for little drinks, condiments and sundries you will spend less time digging around for stuff and guests will think you’re organized. I also have the clear egg holder and it looks so cool and is easier to see when you need to buy eggs. This set is a great price for what you get and is about what I paid. I used my label maker to label the shelves in my fridge too. There’s one for condiments, another for sauces, and another for drinks. At Home with Nikki has an aspirational example of fridge organization but she is so perfect I find her a little intimidating.

Get drawer organizers to sort your clothes

It’s incredible what a difference a simple drawer divider makes. I use expandable drawer separators for my workout clothes to sort by tops and bottoms. I also have a diamond drawer divider for my underwear and it’s a game changer. I don’t have to really fold my underwear and can just stuff them in. I use a little fabric divider for my bras. Ooh and something similar to this for my socks! The set above is the best reviewed and is #1 in drawer organizers.

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One of the reasons why – I believe – the Duchess of Cambridge was so unsettled by Meghan Markle’s entrance into the royal fold was because it happened so fast. Prince Harry fell head over heels for Meghan very quickly, and their engagement happened a lot sooner into their relationship than most royal relationships. After they were engaged, Meghan was fast-tracked into royal life in an unprecedented way. Kate was likely disturbed by it because Kate felt like she had put in the hard, keen work over the course of a decade to get the ring, and Kate’s was coddled and slow-walked into royal life over the course of years. Well, Us Weekly claims that Kate and Meghan hashed out some of their feelings over Christmas. I’m sure.

Hurt feelings mended on both sides. The royal drama that’s been brewing for months between Duchess Kate and sister-in-law Duchess Meghan was put to rest on Christmas Day after the two women aired their grievances with one another.

“Kate opened up about feeling like Meghan had used her to climb the royal ladder,” a source tells Us Weekly. Pregnant Meghan, 37, meanwhile, admitted that she had felt snubbed by the Duchess of Cambridge, 36. The two worked through their issues on Christmas Day, which they celebrated with the royal family at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England.

“Being under the same roof meant that they couldn’t avoid each other,” the source told Us.

[From Us Weekly]

I don’t understand how Meghan could have used Kate to “climb the royal ladder.” Kate didn’t introduce Meghan to Harry, Meghan and Kate weren’t friends beforehand, and if we learned anything during the smear campaign last month, it’s that Kate didn’t even want to spend time with Meghan during Meg and Harry’s courtship and engagement. So how exactly was Kate being used as a ladder? Or was it like I said in the opening – Kate felt like her courtship of William was being used as a cautionary tale for Meghan and Harry of how they didn’t want to do things?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

As we discussed yesterday, we’re entering into unprecedented territory for the Oscar-hosting job. Only once in recent Academy history has a host been named this late in the Oscar season. The Academy thought they had it last month – they did a rollout for Kevin Hart, and they were probably patting themselves on the back for choosing an African-American man who is one of the most popular comedians in America. The problem is that, like, no one in the Academy’s Board of Directors thought to do any opposition research on Hart, and within 24 hours, Hart was embroiled in a bummer controversy about his old homophobic tweets (not to mention his homophobic comedy routines). It could have been a teachable moment where Hart apologized and promised to do better in the future. It ended with Hart quitting the Oscar-hosting job in a fit of pique. And the Academy has spent the last month throwing names at the wall, trying to figure out who to hire to bring in younger viewers. Except… now Kevin Hart might come back? What?

Kevin Hart says he is still thinking about hosting the 2019 Oscars after fellow comedian Ellen DeGeneres told him she reached out to the Academy of Motion Pictures on his behalf and they said they still wanted him for the job. The comedian said he is “evaluating” retaking the hosting job during an episode of Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show that is set to air Friday — about a month after he suddenly quit the gig when some decade-old homophobic tweets he sent resurfaced online.

“I called the Academy today because I really want you to host the Oscars,” DeGeneres said.

“We want him to host, whatever we can do, we’d be thrilled,” DeGeneres said The Academy told her. “The Academy is saying what can we do to make this happen.”

He told DeGeneres that he was still angry about how the tweets were dredged up less than a day after he was formally given the hosting job in December. In one of the tweets, sent in 2011, Hart wrote: “Yo if my son comes home & try’s 2 play with my daughters doll house I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay.” After the tweets resurfaced, Hart said in an Instagram video that the Academy asked him to apologize and, instead, he stepped down from hosting. “I just got a call from the Academy and that call basically said, ‘Kevin, apologize for your tweets of old or we’re going to have to move on and find another host,’” Hart said in the December video. “I chose to pass on the apology.”

During his “Ellen” appearance, Hart said he refused to apologize because he had done so in the past and did not want to feed people who were criticizing him online. He said he didn’t have a “homophobic bone” in his body.

“This is stuff I have addressed,” Hart said. “I’m not going to pay it any mind because when you feed into that stuff you only add more fuel to the fire.”

But at the end of his appearance, Hart ultimately said he would consider taking the hosting job back.

“You have put a lot of things on my mind,” he said. “Leaving here, I’m promising you I’m evaluating this conversation … Let me assess, just sit in the space and really think.”

The Academy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[From Page Six]

This is something I fundamentally never understood about the Hart-Academy beef: he was mad at the Academy because… people online simply brought up his old, un-deleted tweets and comedy routines (which he had never substantively apologized for, regardless of what he says now). The Academy doesn’t control the internet! I guess he’s mad that the Academy didn’t have his back when the old tweets surfaced, but clearly, THEY DID. All they asked for was an apology and then they would have backed him completely. He was the one who had a f–king tantrum about it. Anyway, I know Ellen likes to think she speaks for all LGBTQ people, but I really don’t think anyone – especially not LGBTQ peeps – want to see Hart host the Oscars at this point.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

It was like a perfect storm of shenanigans keeping me from the gym over the past month – I had that awful respiratory virus which took a week and a half to really get over. The holidays were happening and the gym schedule always takes a hit. Plus, it was cold and rainy! I just wanted to stay inside, eating chocolate and doing some phlegmy coughing. Obviously, I don’t have Pippa Middleton’s willpower. Pippa’s postpartum bounce-back is remarkable, even for someone who was already pretty athletic to begin with. But did you know that she stayed super-active up until her labor, and that she even works out on vacation. *stares at the discounted Christmas chocolate I bought yesterday*

Pippa Middleton has proven herself a master of fast weight loss! Now, a source is giving Us Weekly her fitness plan and other slimming secrets.

“She worked out throughout her entire pregnancy,” the source tells Us. “When you’re that fit to begin with, your body snaps back even quicker. Pippa is an avid exerciser and athlete.”

To lose the baby weight in less than three months, Duchess Kate’s younger sister dedicated herself to a strict workout schedule. “Pippa hits the gym at least four times a week and worked out right until she gave birth,” reveals the source. Indeed, last summer she talked about her determination to stay fit while expecting, which led her to adopt low-impact barre-based classes. But the true secret of the star is maintaining an active lifestyle outside of the gym. Frequently walking around London to run errands on foot, Middleton is also an avid bike rider. She cycled around the city throughout her pregnancy, and was photographed peddling to the gym on December 15, two months postpartum.

She and her 43-year-old financier husband kept moving on their Caribbean holiday as well. “Even when they are on vacation, they are always active,” the source says of the pair, who got married in May 2017. “They are not a couple to just sit on the beach and relax. They always have to be doing something.”

Her efforts have clearly paid off. Says the source, “Pippa looks and feels great.”

[From Us Weekly]

Credit to Pippa, of course. As I said, her willpower is amazing. But… on the other side, this is her whole deal now – this is her brand (Fitness Pippa is like her third attempt at branding herself), and what else is she going to do? She’s marginally employed (and marginally employable), she married someone terribly moderately wealthy, got pregnant quickly and kept in shape throughout the pregnancy, and lost the pregnancy weight quickly. Rich women with tons of time and access to the best trainers, dietitians, exercise classes and surgeons always find a way to lose the weight. What I’m saying, dear reader, is it’s fine to be like “good for you, Pippa!” AND understand that what works for Pippa probably doesn’t work for most women.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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I don’t think I’ve ever written this much about a congresswoman-elect, who is now a freshman congresswoman. But Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is worthy of discussion for a lot of reasons. She’s the youngest woman to ever be elected to the House (she’s younger than me, damn), she’s beautiful, she’s a Latina, she’s Millennial, she’s a socialist, and her mere existence is driving right-wing men CRAZY. She’s like catnip for every knuckle-dragging Deplorable. These are some glorious photos of AOC’s first day as a congresswoman. She looked like she was having a ball.

There are so many men – and some women too – who simply cannot compute Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s whole existence in their tiny little pea-brains. Those men attack her without thought or reason for everything from being working class, to not being “working class enough” to living paycheck-to-paycheck, to… like, wearing nice clothes. So what has the dude-bros riled up this time? Did you know that AOC was a beautiful teenager who liked to do dance-homages to The Breakfast Club? This video initially got published and circulated on right-wing accounts, with one dude adding: “>Here is America’s favorite commie know-it-all acting like the clueless nitwit she is…High School video of “Sandy” Ocasio-Cortez.” That guy literally deleted his account. But the video lives on!

…High School video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – Congratulations New York! pic.twitter.com/VSKdUImhZj

— Dan Jordan (@realdanjordan) January 2, 2019

IMPEACH! I love that this is offered as proof that AOC is… like, a terrible person? Because she danced in a cute video. Because she was and is cool. Because she has great hair and great moves and a pretty smile? Lord, please let AOC keep doing her thing because by the end of the year, so many heads will have exploded.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.