Bohemian Rhapsody is now the highest-grossing music bio-pic of all time. [Towleroad]
Donald J. Baby Fists threatened to sue Saturday Night Live. [Pajiba]
Princess Victoria was pretty in pink at the Nobel ceremony. [Go Fug Yourself]
Shakira was charged with tax evasion in Spain.[Dlisted]
Matt Damon’s SNL episode was pretty good? [LaineyGossip]
Republican Congressmen don’t want to show up for work. [Jezebel]
Snooki is pregnant with a boy (this is her third kid). [Reality Tea]
Russia is capable of destroying American democracy, but they’re not capable of building a real robot. [The Blemish]
The Secret Service are investigating a reality star. [Starcasm]

On the Basis of Sex has been undercover this awards season, so much so that I keep forgetting that it’s a thing, and that there were actually some big hopes that it would be an Oscar contender. It hasn’t been nominated for anything big or small though – the Globes, the SAGs and all of the critics’ associations ignored the film. I wonder if the film would have gotten more hype with a different actress playing Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I like Felicity Jones a lot, and I think she’s incredibly talented, but man, this was bad casting:

She’s way too young to play the role, right? Yikes. Anyway, here are some photos from the New York screening last night. Justin Theroux didn’t even bother coming to this screening, so it was just Felicity and Armie Hammer. Felicity wore a beige-y dress from Dior, and Armie was showing off his new crew cut. They look like they have the sexual chemistry of two dishrags. I feel for Felicity – she tries to be a Fashion Girl sometimes, but ultimately, I don’t think she cares about styling or labels or whatever. Anyway, this is just a reminder: Armie and Felicity are both snoozes, and this film is going nowhere.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Cardi B broke up with Offset a couple of weeks ago. Afterwards he made it clear that missed her and wanted her back and has evidently turned getting her back into a crusade, stepping up his mission this weekend in the most public way. It started with this, on Friday:

…

Blake Shelton is co-executive producing a Hallmark movie with his mom called Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas. The title is based on a song he co-wrote with his mom in 2012, and I believe the plot is based on the book his mom wrote a year later. It stars Megan Park and Josh Henderson and premieres tomorrow. I would bet his mom is the Hallmark movie fan and that she got him into it. My mom is too! There’s something sweet about those movies and I’m looking forward to watching more Christmas romances with her over the break. (Thanks to those of you who recommended Lifetime movies as well. The Hallmark movies really lack diversity.) Blake was on the Today Show to promote the film, where they of course asked him about his relationship with Gwen Stefani. These two have been together for over three years and they haven’t gotten engaged yet, so naturally Natalie Morales asked Blake about it. He didn’t answer the question, but he did gush about Gwen.

While Shelton kept his cards close to his chest on [whether a proposal is imminent], he was quick to open up about how full his heart is because of Stefani.

“She’s everything you could hope a human being could be,” he said of his girlfriend of three years. “That’s what Gwen is.”

“Gwen and I aren’t just dating,” Shelton explained. “You know, this is something that I feel like is meant to be. I’ve learned more from Gwen Stefani, as a human being and how to grow as a human being, than I have from anybody ever in my life — anybody.”

“What I love about those [Hallmark] movies is, you know, the storylines — they hook you in immediately.”

[From Today]

I don’t believe in fate but I think you can have a great relationship that needs to be celebrated as unique and special. Sometimes relationships feel magical. It sounds kind of rude to say that Gwen has taught him more than anybody ever in his life though. He’s talking about his mom in this same interview! So a woman you’ve been with for three years has taught you more than the woman who raised you? NO. You don’t say that. However I love that he collaborated with his mom on this film and that he’s a dude who readily admits he likes Hallmark movies. You know what’s going to happen in Hallmark movies but they give you hope that things work out for the best. You too can meet a rugged but caring chef when you leave your big city ad exec position to help your widower dad run the family inn.

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@blakeshelton #youmakeitfeellikechristmasdeluxe gx ????

A post shared by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) on Dec 7, 2018 at 9:23am PST

Here’s Blake and Gwen’s Christmas song, “You Make It Feel Like Christmas.” This video came out last month. It’s cheesy and I’m not a fan of the song.

Embed from Getty Images

Ever since Angelina Jolie suddenly dropped divorce papers on Brad Pitt in 2016, we’ve been hearing various stories about how she’s hooking up with this guy or that random, unnamed British billionaire or an LA real estate broker or whatever. I’d be willing to bet that Angelina’s romantic life has been very quiet in the past two years. I could see her having discreet little hotel hookups with a man she trusts, but she’s not out there, looking for a new boyfriend or husband. I would think that after three divorces, she would have gotten all of that out of her system. I’m not saying she should close up shop romantically, just that I don’t think a relationship is any kind of priority for her. But, as I said, tabloids and gonna tabloid. Star Magazine (via Gossip Cop) claims that Jolie’s old Alexander costar Jared Leto has been sniffing around:

According to Star, Angelina Jolie has been leaning on her Girl, Interrupted and Alexander co-star, who she’s been wrongly linked to in the past. An alleged insider tells the magazine, “Jared reached out to Angie a few weeks ago about a movie he’s cowriting, which he’d like her to star in, and the pair started spending time together – initially as friends, but things turned romantic after Angie realized she had strong feelings.”

The supposed source further contends that Leto has been “supporting her emotionally, and she says it’s because of him that she’s not broken down.” The tipster adds, “Jared’s practically moved into Angie’s house, and he’s been staying there on and off for the last couple of months.”

The source says Jolie’s six kids have seen Leto around the house, but “they just think he’s a good friend” of their mom. The suspicious insider adds, “Angie doesn’t want to put anything else on their plates, but she’s hoping that as soon as the divorce is finalized, they can go public with their relationship.”

[From Gossip Cop]

Gossip Cop goes on to say they spoke to a “source close to Jolie” who denies the story and repeats the claim that she’s not looking to get involved with anyone right now. So why are we even talking about this? I have several reasons, actually. One, I love looking up vintage-y photos. Two, this Alexander-era of Angelina Jolie was one of her prettiest – she looked absolutely flawless circa 2003-04. Three, I love vintage gossip, and let me tell you… the gossip around the Alexander set was EXTREME. From what I remember, all of the dudes on that film were vying for Angelina’s attention, from Val Kilmer to Colin Farrell to Jared Leto to Oliver Stone. I remember reading that the pursuits were so strong, she had to change hotels to avoid some of the guys. I also remember this: she ended up developing a thing with… Colin Farrell. NOT Jared Leto. Colin and Angelina spent a lot of time together. Which brings me back to my initial thought – Angelina might be doing the discreet hotel hookups with men she’s known for a while. I’d be willing to bet that Farrell is a more likely candidate than Jared Leto.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.

The Times reported this weekend that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were invited for tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace last week to discuss Meghan’s first royal patronage. The Queen will be passing on one of her patronages to Royal Meghan and this is expected to be announced early in the new y…

Last Thursday, Kanye West started tweeting. And he didn’t stop for more than 24 hours. I’m not going to pretend to have followed the entire thing – I know it mostly involved his simmering beef with Drake, and Kanye’s mental health struggles, and something about Ariana Grande too. Most of his tweets are still up – you can see his feed here, if you’re interested. For years now, I’ve mostly considered Kanye to be his own worst enemy, and when Kanye gets going on one of his rants and tweet-storms, I think he’s only really a danger to himself. But that didn’t stop Drake from adding some extra security:

Drake isn’t taking any chances. A source tells PEOPLE that the 32-year-old Canadian rapper, who lives in the same gated community, Hidden Hills, as Kim Kardashian West and her husband Kanye West, had extra security outside of his home on Friday, amid his ongoing feud with West.

Although West and Drake’s beef is nothing new, the latest drama began on Thursday, when the Ye rapper took aim at Drake, tweeting over 125 times and claiming that the “In My Feelings” rapper threatened his family, targeted people suffering from mental illness and contacted his mother-in-law Kris Jenner behind his back.

Except for a Instagram Story post consisting of several crying-laughing face emojis on Thursday, Drake has yet to address West’s accusations.

[From People]

It’s a little bit crazy that Drake and Kanye both live in the same gated community in Calabasas. We knew that though – that was one of the pieces of evidence for the conspiracy theory that Drake and Kim Kardashian hooked up at some point. As for Drake needing the security… on one hand, I think this story perpetuates the false belief that people with mental health issues are “dangerous.” As I said, I think the biggest danger Kanye poses is to himself. That being said, neither Kanye nor Drake can control what other people do, and Drake is better safe than sorry when it comes to taking his security seriously.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

I was surprised at how popular the skincare post was on Friday. I’m a newbie when it comes to skincare and I learned a lot from your comments and suggestions. Last night I tried the microneedling device that I linked in that post. I cleaned my skin with Simple foaming cleanser and then exfoliated with the acure brightening facial scrub. (It does seem to work, but has a lot of grit that takes time to rinse off.) After microneedling my skin gently (directions are here), I cleaned the device with soap and water and then soaked it in alcohol as recommended. Then I rinsed my face with water and treated my skin with Bare Minerals serum. (It was just a sample I had.) My face is so smooth today and feels amazing! It’s a little tingly but it doesn’t hurt and it definitely made a difference. As long as you stick to around .25mm needles at home, I think microneedling is safe to try and shows results. Also I ordered the Costco K-Beauty skincare kit that Skyblue recommended. It was $100 which felt like a splurge but you get full size products and that’s cheaper than a facial.

So thanks for all your help and advice on that post. I may do a follow up in a day or two with what I’ve learned as I keep reading about skincare. Many celebrities have skincare lines including Salma Hayek, Christie Brinkley and Miranda Kerr. Jennifer Lopez is getting into this lucrative business with her own line, coming out next year. She already put out a makeup capsule collection earlier this year and of course she has perfume and clothing lines. Given how amazing she always looks at 49, this is a natural next step.

After years of being asked for her skin-care routine, Lopez revealed that she’s finally working on a new line. “I will be coming out with a skin-care line. I’ve been working on it for a long time because I don’t want to put [just] anything out,” she said during a speaking event in New York City, where she was promoting her new film Second Act. She told moderator Yari Blanco, who asked about her skin-care regimen, “I get that question a lot, especially as I get older. I want it to be something that encompasses all the things I’ve learned and all the secrets I have. And it doesn’t have anything to do with needles.”

As if that wasn’t enough exciting news for the crowd at co-working space The Wing, who cheered when she made the announcement, J.Lo said that the product will be effective, especially being that it’s a personal project. “It’s going to be something that works,” she said. “That’s what you can count on when my name is on something.”

And while Lopez didn’t give many details on the line — like the exact products or the name — we’re predicting that there will be a brightening moisturizer or serum included in the collection. Because when it comes to Lopez, everyone always wants to know how they can achieve that “J.Lo glow.” The one thing we do know is that the release is tentatively scheduled for late 2019, as Lopez announced at The Wing, and we’re marking our calendars.

[From Refinery 29 via People]

Normally I would think “oh that’s great that it doesn’t have any needles” but now that I’ve tried microneedling I’m a convert. I’m sure there are all sorts of other celebrity skincare treatments that I’m also missing out on, like mild acidic serums and treatments. Lopez told People in 2016 that she uses glycolic acid (here’s a high rated inexpensive brand) and night creams. Plus she possibly had laser resurfacing at some point, but I’m just guessing. I have to stop reading all about this stuff as I just end up spending money for problems I didn’t realize I had.

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#fridaynight ?

A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on Sep 7, 2018 at 7:46pm PDT

photos credit: WENN, Avalon.red and via Instagram/Jennifer Lopez

Ashley! Happy Birthday from Kate who requested for you the bromance of Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth as incentive for you to visit her in Australia…soon!

meghan markle at the fashion awards with rosamund pike and the british designer of the year, clare waight keller pic.twitter.com/oJNKMX7FLD

— best of meghan (@bestofmarkle) December 10, 2018

Richard Kay writes for the Daily Mail. Kay was one of Diana’s “favorite” journalists – she leaked information to him quite regularly, and she used Kay to get our her side of particular stories. He was always known as one of Diana’s favorites, which has given him some cachet as a “royal journalist in the know” in years since Diana’s passing. He’s generally thought to have good connections within the palaces, mostly among the courtiers and communications offices. So… Kay has written a big piece about the Duchess of Sussex, and how she’s Duchess Different (as opposed to Duchess Difficult), and that Meghan needs to do more to change so she can become more like a regular old royal. It’s basically an older white dude telling Meghan that she needs to stop having such a toxic family, and she needs to stop being so glamorous and popular. I’m sure it will work! You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

The boomerang social media photo Meghan did at the British Fashion Awards: The nature of traditional and mundane official visits by other members of the Royal Family in recent days underscores how flashy Meghan’s seem to be in comparison…But what is so curious about the arty black-and- white picture of Meghan is that no sooner was it posted on the British Fashion Council’s Instagram account than it was abruptly deleted. Some at the palace were not impressed by her posing for such an image. ‘There was something ostentatious in the way she posed holding her bump, plus she was wearing dark nail varnish that the Queen hates,’ says a source. ‘It wouldn’t be surprising if, aware of that, the duchess herself asked for it to be taken down.’

Meghan is a complete novice at royaling: An experienced hand at Hollywood, Meghan is a complete novice at the much more complicated business of British Royal Family public relations. Coming at a time when rumours have surfaced that all is not well between Meghan and her sister-in-law and Kensington Palace neighbour the Duchess of Cambridge, together with reports of tensions with staff, the removal of the fashion awards picture has stoked up suggestions that these are unsettling times for the former actress.

Kate got help, and Meghan needs to get help too: Kate, however, met the challenge by getting help. In the early days, the worldly Camilla took her under her wing and Kate, of course, throughout, had the sensible and practical support of her family, especially her mother Carole Middleton. Kate’s introduction to full-time royal life was gradual, cautious even, and to start with mostly as a support act to Prince William. However, Meghan has adopted a rather different approach.

Meghan actually works & wakes up early, gasp: Last month, it emerged that she sometimes sends emails to staff at 5am. Insiders say she likes to communicate using emojis in her missives. Friends point out that she rises early because of the eight-hour time difference with California where her mother lives, making it easier to reach friends and family on the phone. They also suggest that rising early might be connected to her pregnancy.

Monica & Chandler: Inside Buckingham Palace, waspish below-stairs staff jokily refer to Meghan and Harry as ‘Monica and Chandler’ after two of the characters in the long-running American sitcom Friends.

Where is Doria? Though Harry and Meghan will not stay long [at Sandringham], as it is thought they intend to spend time with the duchess’s mother Doria Ragland at their rented retreat in Oxfordshire. Ms Ragland is not due to visit Sandringham. Should she wish to go, I understand, room will be made available for yoga-loving Doria. The Queen is determined that the lessons of the past must be learned. ‘She simply will not allow Meghan to feel unwelcome,’ a courtier tells me. ‘Even at her great age she is putting a lot of effort in to ensure there is family harmony.’

The Queen’s pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday: Behind the scenes there will be some discreet clock-watching. Flunkeys will be checking to see how long the Sussexes spend at the festivities. Last year, they were among the last to arrive and the first to leave. For her part, the Queen is very understanding and Meghan is certainly not the first young royal to make a public misjudgment.

[From The Daily Mail]

This is all so friggin’ dumb. It pains me to see how much bullsh-t Meghan has to put up with for merely existing. Here are some random points I’d like to make, in general, after reading this piece. One, perhaps Meghan and Harry left the palace lunch early last year because that racist bitch Princess Michael was wearing a blackamoor brooch? Two, the royals are literally freaking out because… Meghan is glamorous, popular and a hard-worker. Three, calling them “Monica and Chandler” is the kind of dated cultural reference I would expect from palace courtiers. Four, people are really, really triggered when they see a black woman doing ANYTHING. “How dare she wear nail polish!” “How dare she touch her bump!” “How dare she wake up early!” “How dare she be organized!” What they’re trying to say is “how dare she be black!”

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.