Introduction: Minutes 0 to 6:00
I’ve been watching Encounters on Netflix! Chandra is watching a friend’s cat and it’s being naughty. You can listen below!

Royals: Minutes 6:00 to 19:45
The British press is making excuses for why Kate can’t go to Singapore for the Earthshot Awards. They’re saying that she’s a reluctant traveler, that she is focused on her kids and has to stay back because that’s the week George has some kind of qualifying test for school. Kate made sure to mention this at an event. We think this is just an excuse.

Robert Jobson reported in the Daily Express that Kate will increasingly “step out solo” and that William is “spreading his wings.” The press still writes about them like they’ve just graduated college.

Will and Kate did a couple of events together recently. They met with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Kensington Palace where they likely got free iPhones. They also went to Cardiff to do multiple events for Black History Month where they looked especially awkward. We got stories afterward about how hunky William is.

Kate visited a community center without bringing anything. You can get the top 10 stories about the Waleses showing up empty handed when you sign up for our mailing list. I play a segment from Zoom where we talk about Kate’s style. Zakia mentions that Kate may have lost some sensation in her face due to injections and be exaggerating her expressions for that reason. This makes sense because celebrity women have said that they weren’t able to smile after bad Botox. Ashley says how disrespectful it is that Kate repeated an outfit within a couple of days for an event with Black people.

Sophie Turner and Taylor Swift Minutes 19:45 to 28:30
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are divorcing. We talked about that in episode 157. Joe tried to push the narrative that Sophie is partying, which was a crap PR move but more than that he didn’t need that because the children have US residency. A lot of people don’t understand international child custody rules, which is that the children stay where they are habitual residents. The latest news is that they’re going to mediation to determine custody. I play a segment from Zoom where we talk about that. We think Sophie is getting bad advice after some of her recent public moves.

Taylor Swift is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. She’s been attending his football games and Swifties and the NFL are going crazy. She went to a game with his mom in Kansas City on September 24 and on Sunday October 1 she went to a game in New Jersey with Sophie, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

Comments of the Week: Minutes 28:30 to end
Chandra’s comment of the week is from Kreama on the post about Prince William being a royal hunk.

My comments of the week are from Steph and Susan Collins on the post about good boy Commander Biden being sent away.

Thanks for listening bitches!

It’s sort of fascinating to watch as the Princess of Wales’s fans begrudgingly admit that they hate her Meghan-copying and they really hate all of her pantsuits. Like, you know it’s bad when even I admit that her Victorian/Edwardian cosplay is missed. CB and I talked about this in the podcast, with CB arguing that Kate’s fundamental “style” really is that prim, Victorian look. I argued that Kate was actually copying QEII back then, but CB is sort of right – that’s Kate’s fundamental style and how she feels the most comfortable, wearing those prissy, button-covered coatdresses and doily fashion. That’s her “thing.” But now that she’s got a well-maintained Meghan Lookbook, there’s no going back. So the Daily Mail’s royal fashion experts are trying to put a bow on it, while also taking a swipe at Meghan for being “sexy.” Sorry your future queen is such a dry piece of bewigleted toast.

A royal designer has praised the Princess of Wales’s ‘subtle tributes’ to her late mother-in-law. Speaking on this week’s episode of Palace Confidential, Amanda Wakeley, known for her work with both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, gushed over how Kate gives stylistic nods to Prince William’s late mother.

‘The suit that she wore to the Trooping the Colour this summer, honestly that could have been out of Diana’s wardrobe,’ she told host Jo Elvin. The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English added that she doesn’t believe Kate, 41, intentionally models her look after Diana’s.

‘I don’t think they set out to be compared if those comparisons are made… it’s very flattering,’ she explained. ‘She obviously wears a lot of her jewellery so there’s always a tribute to her there in that way but I think she wears it… she wears it lightly. She doesn’t make a big point of it.’

‘She wears it as hers,’ Amanda agreed. ‘It’s not a pastiche of how Diana would’ve worn it. It’s very much she’s owning her look, which is a wonderful look.’

Rebecca also discussed the Princess of Wales’s style evolution, which she believes reached a stunning high earlier this year. ‘For me, there was a real – on a fashion level – stop in your tracks moment at the Coronation, when she got into Westminster Abbey. She just looked like a Queen in waiting to me. It was so elegant, so polished, so regal I thought “she’s got it”.’

Touching on the Duchess of Sussex’s fashion sense, both also noted Meghan Markle’s more confident style since moving to California, as Rebecca said: ‘The sexiness is creeping back into her looks. I don’t see that in a negative way. We all dress appropriate to our jobs and situation’.

[From The Daily Mail]

“The sexiness is creeping back into her looks… We all dress appropriate to our jobs and situation,” is a bitter-hag code for “Meghan is too pretty, sexy, free, stylish and she effortlessly overshadows the future queen.” Which has always been the problem, it’s been the problem (for them) since 2016. Instead of seeing a beautiful, stylish, charismatic American woman who would have been a tremendous asset, they saw how she made everyone else look dull in comparison. It was Diana all over. Speaking of, Kate consciously copies Diana all the time. Diana was one of her first lookbooks, and her Diana cosplay has always been just as creepy as her Meghan cosplay. Kate doesn’t do “subtle tributes.” She’s too stupid for subtlety, be real. These are not “tributes” either – she’s plainly copying more stylish and beautiful women as a blatant act of aggression (in Meghan’s case) or because she thinks she can be as loved, liked or respected as Diana simply by wearing a similar frock.

Note by CB: Get the Top 10 stories about Kate copying Meghan’s style when you sign up for our mailing list! I only send one email a day on weekdays.

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

Gigi Hadid has been the most random-ass person for the past year. It was around this time last year that things appeared to be “heating up” between Leo DiCaprio and Gigi. They kept showing up to the same places and partying together and maybe they were dating, but it seemed more like a situationship of convenience as Leo was trying to beat the allegations that his d-ck would crumble if he was around a woman over the age of 25 for more than ten minutes. What did Gigi get out of it? I don’t know, maybe a boost in her profile, maybe she wanted to signal that she was finally ready to move on after Zayn Malik.

At the end of the day, whatever happened between Gigi and Leo just fizzled out. Leo has moved on with Vittoria Ceretti (who is 25) and now Gigi is moving as well… with 48-year-old Bradley Cooper???

Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid are spending time together. The actor, 48, and supermodel, 28, were spotted exiting celebrity hotspot Via Carota in New York City’s West Village neighborhood on Thursday before getting into the same SUV, as seen in photos shared by the Daily Mail.

Both were dressed casually for their dinner outing, with Hadid in a white cropped top under a black leather jacket, paired with a tan miniskirt. Meanwhile, Cooper wore a striped jacket over a blue graphic tee, dark slacks and a two-toned baseball cap.

Reps for Hadid and Cooper did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

[From People]

First of all, it feels like New York is back, bitches! Celebrities are going out on the town and partying old-school at all of the hot spots. Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner were just eating and drinking at Via Carota a few weeks ago, and celebs like Jennifer Lawrence and Gwyneth have also been seen there. Anyway, about Gigi and Bradley… I don’t get it, but I’ve never understood B-Coop, if I’m being honest. He operates a lot like Leo, but he’s fine with dating women in their late 20s or 30s (just not past that). He seems intense and weird. What would he and Gigi even have to say to each other?

EXCLUSIVE: Gigi Hadid, 28, and Bradley Cooper, 48, step out for surprise dinner date in NYC – months after supermodel ended romance with actor’s BFF Leonardo DiCaprio, 48 https://t.co/ZrmlmIXYoO

— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) October 6, 2023

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

The only part of Ariana Grande’s chaotic and cockamamie PR I believe this year was the part where she claimed that she and Dalton Gomez had been on the rocks long before she started up with Ethan Slater. The scandalous part of Ariana and Ethan’s adultery was that Ethan’s wife Lilly Jay had no idea, and that Ari and Ethan were going around behind Lilly’s back. Dalton wasn’t around – Ariana had basically already left him, although I’ll also buy the idea that she kept giving him just enough emotional incentive to stick around in case she needed him. In any case, Dalton was also the most quiet of the four people in this toxic situation – he didn’t make a big stink, he didn’t pile on, he didn’t sell his story, he didn’t chat with Page Six. He and Ariana quietly worked through their sh-t, filed for divorce simultaneously, and Dalton is walking away with a seven-figure check for his trouble.

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez have made quick work out of their divorce, settling up just weeks after they filed to end their marriage. There weren’t a whole lot of contentious issues … there was a prenup, and, as we reported when we broke the story, Ariana cut Dalton a check … and according to the settlement Dalton will receive $1,250,000, tax-free. Dalton is getting the money upfront, so there will be no spousal support.

Dalton will also receive 1/2 of the net proceeds from the sale of their L.A. home. And, Ariana will pay up to $25,000 of Dalton’s attorney’s fees.

A source close to the situation tells us, “There is still a strong mutual love and respect between Ariana and Dalton and they wanted to make sure everything was done right in lockstep with one another.”

The settlement is standard operating procedure for Ariana’s lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, who tries — usually successfully — to quickly settle even the most contentious divorces. You’ll recall, she recently settled the bitter divorce between Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner.

The settlement has been filed with the court, and all that’s left is for the judge to sign and they will be single again. Ariana is in deep with her newest boo, “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater, and we’re told Dalton is dating as well. The date of separation on the divorce docs is February 20, but they didn’t file for divorce until last month.

[From TMZ]

It can be clean-cut like this when there are no kids involved and one spouse feels a bit guilty and wants to write a check so that her ex will be able to land on his feet. As I said before, I wonder who “managed” this for Ariana, because this was the only part of the drama which was handled correctly and efficiently. I guarantee Ari got an NDA attached to the settlement and Dalton would never break it. It’s good that he’s also getting half of the profit from the sale of their home – that will probably be more than his cash settlement, considering the real estate market in LA. I wish Dalton well and I’m sure Ari does too. And yes, she’s moved on. She moved on while she was still married.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.

Deacon Phillippe looks so much like his mother. [OMG Blog]
OMG, look at what they did to Christina Hendricks!! [Tom & Lorenzo]
Harry Styles is enjoying London life with his friends & his girlfriend. [LaineyGossip]
Should real people be used as fictional characters in books? [Pajiba]
Emerald Fennell got a bob & a menswear-style look. [Go Fug Yourself]
I’m so glad this woman is suing the hell out of her doctors. [Jezebel]
What in the world was this Miu Miu show? [RCFA]
Britney Spears’s father Jamie Spears has been hospitalized. [Just Jared]
It’s a Wonderful Knife looks somewhat clever. [Seriously OMG]
Vanessa Hudgens is already dressing up like Elvira? [Egotastic]
Some of these cheating stories… I would burn the place down. [Buzzfeed]

Florence Pugh was named “The British Icon” for the Elle UK Style Awards. I agree, Florence’s style is very… British. I’m actually fine with her style and her short hair and everything – she’s not a carbon copy of the traditional “ingénue,” and she’s very watchable on film and on red carpets. I’m always curious to see what she’s wearing even if I don’t always like it. Florence’s Elle UK cover interview was conducted by her friend Jodie Turner Smith and most of the piece is really just about fashion and body-image and how Pugh DGAF. Some highlights:

She keeps it real: “Having people that can take the p*ss out of me around me keeps me very real. It’s easy, in this industry, to go down the slippery slope of only being around people who compliment you. Knowing who I am – and who I’ve been from the very beginning – has allowed me to feel safe. There’s no grand reveal – it’s just me. Even in my style, I never wanted there to be a filter.

Her personal style: “My friends always laugh when I’m getting ready and I say, ‘I don’t know what to wear. I don’t have any clothes,’ because I have so many clothes. I think what I’m actually saying is, ‘Who do I want to be today?’ I have so many versions of myself that I want to show…And there’s been a big excitement to go all out recently. Red carpets haven’t been this crazy in a long time! Young designers, people like Harris Reed, are like, ‘Why don’t we just look amazing and ridiculous for a night?’ People were so excited to wear his hats.

Her style evolution: I think I’ve always been interested in wearing loud clothing. When I was a teenager, I would buy the most outrageous things and sew them together. I’ve always loved colour. I’ve always wanted to be bold and make a bit of a scene – I don’t think that’s gone away. When I first started doing red carpets, it was really tough. It takes ages to feel comfortable with 50 men all shouting, ‘Picture, over here!’ I’ve become more confident in the last few years, and I think that’s hugely linked to the clothes I’ve been wearing. The more you can enjoy it, the more [people] can see that you’re enjoying it.

Why she talks about her body & her faults: “I speak the way I do about my body because I’m not trying to hide the cellulite on my thigh or the squidge in between my arm and my boob: I would much rather lay it all out. I think the scariest thing for me are the instances where people have been upset that I’ve shown ‘too much’ of myself. When everything went down with the Valentino pink dress a year ago, my nipples were on display through a piece of fabric, and it really wound people up. It’s the freedom that people are scared of; the fact I’m comfortable and happy. Keeping women down by commenting on their bodies has worked for a very long time. I think we’re in this swing now where lots of people are saying, ‘I don’t give a sh-t.’ Unfortunately, we’ve become so terrified of the human body that we can’t even look at my two little cute nipples behind fabric in a way that isn’t sexual. We need to keep reminding everybody that there is more than one reason for women’s bodies [to exist].

[From Elle UK]

“It’s the freedom that people are scared of; the fact I’m comfortable and happy. Keeping women down by commenting on their bodies has worked for a very long time.” She’s right, actually. She’s also right that it’s so ingrained, culturally, that women’s bodies are for display, for objectification, for sexualization, that it’s startling when a woman says “I feel comfortable like this and I don’t give a f–k what anyone says or thinks.” That a woman can wear revealing clothing and it’s not a performance of her sexuality.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, and cover courtesy of Elle UK.

Mindy Kaling appeared on the Today Show this week. She’s not promoting struck work – she was there to talk about her new Amazon deal where she’s basically highlighting diverse writers, sort of like a book club but it’s more like “hey, Mindy Kaling recommends this book!” She’s also highlighting Lion Pose, the skincare company she recently invested in. Of course, Jenna Bush and Hoda Kotb drove the conversation into Mindy’s love life! Mindy actually said some really beautiful things about her two children and missing her own mother (who passed away several years ago).

Mindy Kaling is past her teenage boy-crazy phase, but that doesn’t mean she’s taken romance off the table. In conversation with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Monday’s episode of Today, the 44-year-old Never Have I Ever creator said her once boy-obsessed nature has “definitely” ended.

“I think when I was younger, I was so far away from anything close to attention from boys, so I just imagined it,” the actress said as she reflected on her teenage years. “I had this over-active imagination cause even then I was like a writer and a creative, so I used to love these stories about people falling in love and going to movies and seeing Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in romantic comedies and all that.” At the time, romance was like “science fiction” to Kaling. “It was so far away from anything that I was part of,” she told Kotb, 59, and Bush Hager, 41.

Now, The Mindy Project star has slightly more realistic expectations about love, but she’s still open to it.

“I’m still a romantic at heart and I write these stories about people finding love when they least expect it. So of course, I’m open to that and I believe in magic and timing.”

Kaling added that her father found love again after the death of her mother, and his second chance at romance gives her hope too. “He’s an Indian man and he was in his 60s and he moved to L.A. without knowing anyone and then they met in the same apartment building. And they are such an amazing couple. People find love in unexpected places. So I don’t know about it for me personally right now, but I’m always open to it.”

[From People]

Can we really talk about this? Because I have some thoughts! As I’ve said many times before, I’m overly invested in Mindy’s life. I don’t actually think she is “open” to love or a new relationship because she’s still so f–king hung up on BJ Novak. He’s still in her life, he’s godfather to her children (if not the actual father) and he takes up a huge amount of emotional space in her life. It also feels like he controls the relationship, that he’s dictating the terms and parameters of their “friendship.” I feel like most men steer clear because Mindy is so clearly still hung up on BJ and everyone can see their unhealthy dynamic from miles away. But the story about her dad was really nice.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Over the summer, there was sort of a Sussex drought, and the British media lunatics stepped into that void, convincing themselves and others that Prince Harry and Meghan were having marriage problems and that all was not well in Montecito. While 99% of that was clearly bullsh-t, there was one small thread which I thought could be something. That was Meghan (alone) signing up to be represented by WME, and the talk that she would be branching out with solo projects. The idea that this fall would be Meghan relaunching herself professionally has sort of stuck, and people are waiting to see what she’s got cooking. Well, Us Weekly claims that they have some tea:

Meghan Markle is dreaming big when it comes to her next project.

“[Prince] Harry and Meghan have been busy with Invictus Games recently, but Meghan is still planning her Hollywood reinvention,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Meghan has a new team around her, and they’ve been strategizing about what mediums will have the most impact.”

The insider adds that Meghan, 42, wants whatever she does next “to be rooted in giving back” and “philanthropy” and has been in talks with both documentary directors and fashion houses.

“There isn’t anything locked in yet, but the most promising [thing] for everyone seems to be Meghan and Harry highlighting important issues through docuseries and bringing attention and fundraising,” the source explains.

[From Us Weekly]

“There isn’t anything locked in yet” – I don’t believe that. I think WME came to the table with a plan and that’s why she signed up. Is it “reinvention” or merely an extension of what she’s already done for years? I don’t know. How much of this is wishful thinking on my part? Probably a lot. I definitely want to see more of Meghan and I want her to make some money! She’s left so much money on the table for years!! I know why, I know she was healing and planning her next steps, but she could have been a brand ambassador, she could have been on Instagram, she could have taken some modeling/print advertising jobs.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Public opinion and reporting around UFO/UAP sightings changed with the pentagon’s release, early in the pandemic, of three videos of Navy pilots encountering UFOs. Navy pilots and high ranking military officials have since gone on the record to recount ongoing encounters with aircraft that defied the laws of physics. There was finally a congressional hearing about UAPs earlier this year, with several navy pilots testifying and the existence of UAPs described as an open secret among commercial pilots.

There are so many stories of everyday UFO sightings and abductions and there are plenty of shows chronicling them. Some of them seem far fetched, Ancient Aliens has a whiff of truth until it veers into wild speculation almost every time. Some, like Unsolved Mysteries, both the original 90s series and the revival, are convincing. I’ve watched plenty and Encounters, a new docuseries on Netflix, has to be my favorite. I’ve only seen the first two episodes. So far I’m sold though and so many other people feel the same. USA today and Dexerto have a good overview and I’m including quotes from both.

Directed by Yon Motskin, each episode of the series produced by Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin Television, Boardwalk Pictures and Vice Studios explores a separate report of a mass sighting in a different part of the world.

Billed in Netflix press materials as a “detective story,” “Encounters” relies on both firsthand accounts and also the testimony of various scientists and military officials to delve into reports of suspected extraterrestrial phenomena. The four episodes feature accounts of strange lights in the sky in 2008 over small-town Texas; Cold War-era submersible crafts lurking near a coastal Welsh village; a non-human intelligence reportedly interfering in 2011 with the operations of a nuclear power plant in Japan; and an alien encounter in 1994 experienced by schoolchildren in Zimbabwe. – USA Today

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The stories, which span from mysterious sightings in Texas to an alien interference with a Japanese nuclear power plant, are cut between revelations from military whistleblowers and investigative experts.

With thousands of Netflix fans tuning in, many have shared their praises for the docu-series.

Reaction to Encounters has been strong, with one viewer writing on X/Twitter: “Encounters on Netflix is excellent. Prob the best UFO doco series I’ve seen.”

“Watch a four part documentary called Encounters. Just out on Netflix and directed by Steven Spielberg [sic]. Brilliantly done,” said another, while a third added: “This show Encounters on Netflix is tight.” – Dexerto

[From USA Today and Dexerto]

Just to clarify the last tweet in the quote above, the show is produced in part by Steven Spielberg’s production company. It’s directed by Yon Motskin, who says he believes in UFOs now but did not before making this series. So far I’ve watched the episodes about the 1994 Zimbabwe sighting and the 2008 Texas UFO sightings. Both were witnessed by handfuls of people, many of whom were interviewed both right after the events and for this show. The eyewitnesses are so convincing and you feel for them as they faced ridicule after going public. I’m excited to see the other two episodes!

Other shows that have really changed my opinion on UFOs and aliens are Unsolved Mysteries the revival (Volume 3, episode 2 “Something in the Sky,” Netflix), and Unsolved Mysteries the original (season 4, episode 1, on FreeVee/Amazon Prime and YouTube). The documentary Moment of Contact is also incredible (Tubi). I’m a little more skeptical about the abduction stories but the shows Alien Abduction: Travis Walton (Discovery Plus) and Alien Abduction: Barney and Betty Hill (Discovery Plus) are also very good.

In 1994, over 60 children at a Zimbabwe school claimed to have seen aliens. Years later, witnesses maintain their accounts. Hear their stories and more from around the world in Encounters — now streaming. pic.twitter.com/Av77jXj2ke

— Netflix (@netflix) September 30, 2023

Photos credit: Netflix

I’m not going to do a deeper dive on this and I’ll just boldly claim that Kensington Palace rushed out an announcement for some planned events next week for Prince William and Kate. KP rushed out the announcement because the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed to People Magazine yesterday that they would be in New York for their first in-person Archewell Foundation event to mark World Mental Health Day. I’ll be fair to Will and Kate (even though they don’t deserve it) – I’d be willing to bet that they already a Tuesday appearance booked well before the Sussexes made their announcement. It’s the rush to announce Will and Kate’s Tuesday event which is questionable.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to New York City is set to clash with an important date in the Prince and Princess of Wales’ diary.

The warring couples will both make appearances on Tuesday to mark World Mental Health Day – although they will be on opposite sides of the Atlantic. The announcement of Harry and Meghan returning to the city where they claim they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” in May, came hours after William and Kate revealed their plans.

On Tuesday, they will also mark World Mental Health Day with a forum for young people in Birmingham in conjunction with BBC Radio One. According to Kensington Palace, the event will bring together 100 youngsters to discuss how they manage their emotions and to talk about the mental health challenges their generation faces.

It will also mark the start of further engagements on Wednesday and Thursday of next week, which will highlight the importance of mental health with university students and emergency responders. Meanwhile, over in NYC, Harry and Meghan will host their first in-person Archewell Foundation event. The occasion will see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex provide a platform for parents to navigate mental health when it comes to the digital world.

[From The Daily Mirror]

Again, I’m not going to do a deeper dive and look for the receipts, and I’m not claiming that Will and Kate’s event itself was thrown together at the last minute in a bid to compete with the Sussexes. I’m merely saying that the announcement of the Wales’ event didn’t come chronologically until after the Sussexes, despite the Mirror’s reporting. It’s perfectly possible that Kensington Palace staffers had been organizing Peg and RepliKate’s schedule for weeks, but here’s the thing – these days, Will and Kate prefer to keep their schedules very quiet. There are exceptions – that stupid QEII death-anniversary trip to Wales, the Black History Month appearance this week – but usually, their events are a surprise to everyone outside the Rota. They announced this sh-t specifically to “compete” with the Sussexes, just as they suddenly had tons of events during the Invictus Games. Sad!

I’m also sure that William and Kate’s thing was intended as yet another weaksauce gaslighting event for an audience of two: Meghan and Harry. They were already going to take swipes about people who get too much therapy and suddenly don’t want to be the family scapegoat.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.