We still don’t know when Prince Harry arrived in the UK, where he stayed once he got there, or when he left. I was shocked by the lack of information on his movements yesterday, which (as I said) just shows you how well Harry goes into stealth-mode. There’s some gossip that he was perhaps staying in Windsor Castle, or somewhere on the Royal Windsor estate. He could have easily spent a night or two in one of the private suites at the castle. The castle itself is bigger and roomier than most hotels. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Harry was “allowed” to stay at Frogmore Cottage again. In any case, if he was staying in Windsor, that means he was most likely in communication with his father or his father’s people ahead of this visit. Adding to that, we know for sure that Harry was in Windsor this morning and he visited St. George’s Chapel on the anniversary of his grandmother’s passing.

Prince Harry has made a shock and secret visit to the Windsor church where the Queen was laid to rest to mark the first anniversary of her death, MailOnline can reveal today. The Duke of Sussex, who has made a solo whirlwind trip to the UK without seeing any of his immediate family, was spotted leaving St George’s Chapel after attending the WellChild Awards last night.

Harry was photographed by a tourist just as his brother William and sister-in-law Kate were arriving in St Davids, Wales – 230 miles from Windsor, where they live. Around an hour earlier his father King Charles attended a memorial service to say private prayers at Balmoral’s parish church with his wife Queen Camilla.

Wearing a white shirt and smart trousers, Harry looked serious as he left a side entrance of the church where he married Meghan in 2018 as family, Britain and the world again mourned the Queen’s passing. It is not known if the fifth in the line to the throne went to Her Majesty’s grave in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which sits within the walls of the church.

Harry, who jets off to Germany for the Invictus Games tomorrow, was seen by the public leaving the church where his grandparents are both buried at around Midday. An executive Range Rover was waiting for him with his former Met police bodyguard waiting to open the door.

A number of members of the Royal Family are understood to have visited the chapel today. Harry remains close to his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie but it is not yet known if they and others paid their respects together. MailOnline has asked Buckingham Palace and a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex to comment.

[From The Daily Mail]

Harry visited the church privately and discreetly, but he also wasn’t hiding. My guess is that he simply didn’t care if he was seen and he feels (correctly) that he has every right to visit his grandparents’ graves/crypts. Anyway, all of these moves are fascinating to me because they imply a private conversation/relationship between Charles and Harry, and they imply that Charles signed off on Harry’s trip, his stay in Windsor (if that’s what happened) and his visit to the chapel. William is going to be incandescent with rage when he figures out that Charles is not-so-subtly making it clear that he’s fine with Harry.

Prince Harry has made a visit to the Windsor Church on the first anniversary of her death. https://t.co/2YP4bQD8Uf

— Metro (@MetroUK) September 8, 2023

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Part of People Magazine’s cover story about QEII’s death-anniversary is about King Charles and how he’s dealing with one of the biggest issues facing his reign: his lack of control over his charismatic son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The only similarity between Charles and his mother is their habitual ostrich-syndrome. Charles’s is worse though, because he dithers and he can’t even decide how to approach the Sussex issue. Instead of choosing the path of a loving father, he seems to be trying to convince everyone (and himself) that the Sussexes are merely a minor inconvenience, one which he can ignore forever. Even People Magazine’s “sources” can’t decide on a path of action for discussing Charles’s dogsh-t behavior towards his son.

King Charles’ fractured relationship with his son Prince Harry is certainly on his mind one year after Queen Elizabeth’s death. As the late monarch often brought her family together, Prince Harry’s rift with the royals seems wider than ever. Fissures within the family came to the fore when King Charles’ younger son and his wife, Meghan Markle, left the U.K. for the U.S. in 2020, and relations have remained strained since.

“I’m sure [the King] misses him. Harry is entertaining, warm and very loving as well. And they had a great relationship,” a source close to the royal household tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story. King Charles “leans toward the compassionate rather than the disciplinarian style of family leadership,” adds royal biographer and Queen of Our Times author Robert Hardman, implying hope for the future.

If he’s looking for a way forward, the King, 74, could examine the way his mother negotiated public scandals, political upheavals and family drama during her history-making 70-year reign.

“[The Queen] managed to navigate these choppy waters, and that’s why she was always admired and loved — because she got the family through,” says the source close to the royal household. “[Charles] will have to show that he can do that.”

Queen Elizabeth was “especially important [to Harry],” a friend tells PEOPLE, and the anniversary of her death will surely be top of mind on Friday.

In matters both personal and professional, “there is an enormous loss,” says a source close to the royal household, “as [the Queen] played a very important part in all of their lives. But I’m impressed at how smoothly things are moving forward given all the little hiccups that there are in the background.”

The biggest “hiccup” of all, of course, has been the ongoing estrangement of Harry and Meghan from the rest of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth — despite being someone with whom Harry had “his own rapport,” as Hardman puts it — was tough with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when she felt she had to be, ruling they couldn’t be half in, half out of the royal family as they’d hoped. When it comes to the royal way of doing things, “There’s no [hemming] and hawing,” Hardman tells PEOPLE. “It’s like, ‘Here are your options, and can we have an answer by Friday?’ ”

[From People]

QEII “managed to navigate these choppy waters, and that’s why she was always admired and loved — because she got the family through… [Charles] will have to show that he can do that.” Because Charles hasn’t shown that he can navigate his way out of a wet paper bag. Charles can’t negotiate intra-family disputes and that alone speaks volumes about his sh-tty leadership skills in a larger sense. Any “top CEO,” any skilled manager worth a damn, would have found a way to cauterize this PR bleed after three and a half years. It’s not even about fully reconciling with Harry and Meghan (although Charles should at least try to do that) – it’s about taking a public position (as QEII did) that the Sussexes are much-loved family members, that they are always welcome in the UK, that Charles would love to see his grandchildren. Instead, he evicted them from their UK home out of spite and he openly briefs against them still. You can’t be a skilled manager AND an open sadist.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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One of my more unusual quirks is that I devolve into heaps of laughter when watching horror stories. My best friend made the mistake of inviting me to see 2018’s Hereditary at the theater, and I ended up howling the whole time. We have not seen a horror film together in public since. Does this fall under the category of defense mechanisms? I’m not really embarrassed by it, but as a courtesy to other fright-seekers I make efforts to reserve my horror viewing for at home (where I only bother my dog). Which is good, because as if my finding hilarity in horror weren’t enough on its own, master of the genre Stephen King has just given me a new reason to chuckle inappropriately. He’s out promoting his latest novel, Holly, and revealed that he used to listen to “Mambo No. 5” — as background music while writing — so much that his wife threatened divorce. “Mambo No. 5” is now ALL I will be thinking about when reading or watching a Stephen King work. More from Stephen:

Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5,” a 1999 smash that topped the pop charts in most global territories, is one of the most love-it-or-hate-it songs of all time — Stephen King’s wife definitely falls in the latter camp. The author recently spoke to Rolling Stone to promote his latest novel, “Holly,” and revealed his wife once threatened to divorce him due to his love of the infamous track.

“Oh, yeah. Big time,” King said when asked if the rumors about his love for “Mambo No. 5” are true. “My wife threatened to divorce me. I played that a lot.”

“I had the dance mix,” the author continued. “I loved those extended play things and I played both sides of it. And one of them was just total instrumental. And I played that thing until my wife just said, ‘One more time, and I’m going to f—ing leave you.’”

King must’ve stopped, as he’s been happily married to Tabitha King since 1971. The couple has three children together, including the writers Joe Hill and Owen King. The author said his wife’s ultimatum arrived while he was writing “11/22/63,” his 2011 novel about a time traveller who tries to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

“Mambo No. 5,” recorded by Bega, a German singer, was rooted in a 1949 instrumental single by Dámaso Pérez Prado that Bega sampled for his rewritten vocal rendition, which called out women’s names (“A little bit of Monica…”). It was the performer’s only significant hit, peaking at No. 3 in the U.S. while going all the way to No. 1 in the U.K., Canada, Italy, France and more than 20 other countries.

King detailed more of his daily listening in the interview. “When I write, there are things that I can listen to a lot,” he said. “And a lot of it is techno stuff or disco stuff, but techno in particular. There’s this group called LCD Soundsystem, and I love that. Fatboy Slim is somebody else. I can just listen to that stuff. If you tried to write and listen to Leonard Cohen, how the f— would you do that? Because you’d have to listen to the words and you’d have to listen to what he’s saying. But with some of the techno stuff, or KC and the Sunshine Band, Gloria Gaynor, it’s all good.”

[From Yahoo! Entertainment]

Someone who’s read 11/22/63, please enlighten me: does “Mambo No. 5” make any kind of appearance in the book? If not, that’s a missed opportunity, Stephen! I don’t even care that his comments are probably dissing disco (it came off a little like he was suggesting the music is dumb enough not to throw off his concentration). I’m just giddy as I mentally assemble a playlist for the next thriller I watch. There’ll be a slash and in my head I’ll hear Gloria croon “I never can say goodbye, oh no, I never can say goodbye!” Someone’s head gets chopped off, and I’ll be like “That’s the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh uh-huh!”

But I do have one serious question for Stephen King: do you not have a pair of headphones? Your marriage may depend on it one day.

My wife and I were married 50 years ago today. It’s been a hell of a good run.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 2, 2021

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

This has been a long-running story in the UK – some British media outlets got a tip that a group of active police officers had a WhatsApp group where they made racist and offensive jokes about the Windsors, immigrants, Pakistanis, Chinese people and more. One of the biggest headlines was that there were many twisted and racist “jokes” about Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. While these particular cops were not royal protection officers, they were part of the Met Police’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection branch. Meaning, they were guarding Tory officials and diplomats. It also absolutely speaks to Meghan’s lack of safety when she was in Britain, just as it speaks to the institutional racism she faced at every level. In any case, the police officers involved in this WhatsApp group were all fired and they’ve all pleaded guilty to their hate crimes.

A group of retired British police officers admitted to sending racist and offensive messages about Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and others Thursday.

Robert Lewis, Peter Booth, Anthony Elsom, Alan Hall and Trevor Lewton — all in their 60s — allegedly posted messages in a closed WhatsApp group about Meghan, her husband, Prince Harry; Prince William and his wife, Kate; Queen Elizabeth II; and Prince Philip, The Associated Press reported. Their arrest followed a BBC investigation last year, which resulted in an internal police inquiry.

The five London Metropolitan Police retirees pleaded guilty in a London court to sending grossly offensive racist messages by public communication. They all also spent time as part of the Metropolitan Police’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection branch, which guards politicians and diplomats, the AP said.

The Duchess of Sussex and her husband stepped away from royal duties in 2020, saying they faced racism and harassment at the hands of the British media.

[From The Hill]

I read somewhere that the cops were making memes where Kate was “saying” racist sh-t about Meghan. I mean, it speaks to the prevalent attitude in the UK, but it also speaks to Kate’s existence in the cultural zeitgeist as a symbol of white supremacy, of being “perfect” simply because of her whiteness. Once again, I’m so glad that Meghan, Harry and their children are far, far away from these people and that they have their own dedicated private security. Between this and all of the bullsh-t we’ve learned about Ravec (the committee which determines and oversees royal protection), it’s clear that in Britain, Harry and Meghan were never going to be safe.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

This week, on the day that Joe Jonas filed for divorce from Sophie Turner, he organized a little paparazzi photo-op with his two daughters and some unknown woman, probably a nanny. They were having breakfast at Sweet Butter Kitchen. So… he’s already trying to flood the public with images of “Joe Jonas, the doting single father who cares for his children while their unfit mother works in a different country.” As I’ve said before, I really hope Sophie is watching what he’s doing and figuring out her plan of action. She should not expect him to “play fair” – he has literally spent the whole week smearing her and telling the world that he spies on her. It doesn’t matter if nothing Joe has said has landed – Sophie needs to be prepared for when he finds something that does land. Meanwhile, the misogynists at TMZ actually had a story which is seemingly negative about Joe Jonas?

Sophie Turner was struggling after the birth of her second child, and Joe Jonas was “less than supportive,” so claims several sources who were around Joe after the birth.

Our sources say, after their youngest child was born a year ago July, Sophie didn’t want to leave their home … she didn’t want to be photographed or go to events. Nevertheless, she attended several events with Joe, but at one specific event, several people who were there said Sophie made it clear she was uncomfortable and didn’t want to be there.

Shortly after that event, there was another in which Joe attended but Sophie didn’t. Our sources say Joe complained Sophie was MIA and felt she needed to get out more. It was clear to the people who were there and heard Joe … there was a strain in the relationship.

What’s interesting … as we reported, over the last 6 months it seemed the tables had turned for Joe … he was complaining she was too into partying. Sources connected to Joe acknowledge “challenges in the relationship,” but say Joe was supportive of Sophie getting the London acting gig.

[From TMZ]

So, a woman who had been open about her years of mental health struggles found it difficult to bounce back into public life after giving birth to her second child, and instead of being supportive and listening to what Sophie was going through, Joe demanded that she doll herself up and be his plus-one to events. Then, after she made a postpartum recovery and started to gain some independence away from Joe, suddenly he had BIG problems with his tradwife going outside. “Go outside! No, not like that.” Just what every young mother wants to hear. Like, I was never a Joe Jonas fan (Nick is the only JoBro I would f–k with), but I didn’t actively hate him until this week.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

The Daily Mail was full of Windsor Woe on Thursday. You see, Prince Harry looked rich, handsome and charismatic during a breezy visit to London for the WellChild Awards, and the Mail was SEETHING. The Mail and the Windsors decided to attach themselves to Harry’s visit in any way possible, which is honestly what they’ve been trying to do since his visit was announced. Suddenly, the Kensington Palace clownshow sent out Prince William to make an ass out of himself, doing his first event in two months just hours before the WellChild Awards. Rebecca English dutifully wept about how William would never, ever meet with Harry (Harry didn’t ask) and that William is so terribly incandescent with rage towards his brother. “On the anniversary of the Queen’s death, her warring grandsons are still 100 miles apart” – by design, because William would likely assault Harry once again. Meanwhile, Eden Confidential decided to portray King Charles as right to “snub” Harry during this visit.

King Charles is well within his rights to decide he ‘has no time in his diary’ to meet Prince Harry tomorrow on his brief return to Britain. That’s the view of Daily Mail Diary Editor Richard Eden, in his latest Palace Confidential newsletter.

Many had expected a family reunion at Balmoral for the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death on Friday, September 8. But as Mail on Sunday Assistant Editor Kate Mansey revealed last week, it’s unlikely Harry will be there. Instead, the King and Queen Camilla will spend the day privately at Balmoral, where Elizabeth died, while Prince William and Catherine are expected to lead the tributes as they carry out a public engagement at St David’s Cathedral in Wales.

Some have been upset by the apparent snub and say that Charles should take the opportunity to mend fences with his younger son, who will attend a charity awards ceremony in London this evening.

‘I disagree,’ writes Eden. ‘The California-based couple showed scant regard for Harry’s grandparents when they gave an explosive, appalling interview to Oprah Winfrey when Prince Philip was being treated in hospital for his final illness. And, while the frail Queen was in worsening health, they added to her worries by announcing that Harry would be publishing a tell-all memoir and appearing in a Netflix series with more criticism of her family. Who can blame the King if he doesn’t want to see the son and daughter-in-law who caused his dying mother such heartache?’

[From The Daily Mail]

If we’re using the cudgel of “this royal added to QEII’s stresses in her final years,” why do we never talk about Prince Andrew? In her final year of life, QEII’s favorite son was being sued for rape and human trafficking, and he had to beg his mother for the money to settle with Virginia Giuffre, lest he be dragged into American court and his whole web of lies around Jeffrey Epstein fall apart. Why do we never talk about Charles’s decades-long quest for his mother’s blessing to call Camilla “queen,” and how Charles (in essence) forged his mother’s signature on a statement assuring that “Queen Camilla” exists? I mean, if we’re talking about stress on QEII, those should be added into the mix as well. Surely we should also discuss the chaotic situation around the HMS Bubble which saw an apparently cancer-ridden monarch get a heavy case of Covid just seven months before her death. Y’all want to talk about stress, let’s f–king talk about stress.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing and King Charles’s accession to the throne. King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped out this morning in Scotland, making sure that they were photographed going into the small church at Balmoral. The king also released a statement and several portraits of his mother, including “one of his favorite portraits” of QEII, a 1968 Cecil Beaton portrait taken of the queen in all of her Garter regalia. You can hear/read Charles’s statement below.

In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty’s death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during… pic.twitter.com/NfM6LDWTA0

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 7, 2023

Meanwhile, Project Embiggening Charles continues unabated. There’s been a flurry of “one year of Charles’s reign” pieces throughout the week, and Valentine Low’s piece in the Times included a hilarious comment about how Charles perked up as soon as his mom kicked the royal bucket.

A source who knows the King well said: “Before he acceded the throne, there was obviously a lot of nervousness around what would happen to the country following the demise of the Queen. And there was certainly nervousness around how people would accept him in those first few days.”

However, within a day of her death, when the King made his first address to the nation, in which he spoke of his “profound sorrow” at the loss of his “darling mama”, that nervousness began to dissipate.

“Immediately, things began to steady themselves,” said the source. Since then, the source argues, the King has shown himself to be sure-footed, and has enabled the public to refocus on the causes he champions, including the environment.

That much would seem to be borne out by opinion polls. A recent survey by YouGov found that 59 per cent of people thought the King was doing a good job. As for Charles, who became monarch a year ago on Friday, he seems to be thriving: “Someone who knows him well said to me, ‘He looks ten years younger and he has got a real sense of purpose about him,’” said the source.

[From The Times]

“He looks ten years younger and he has got a real sense of purpose about him” – I actually think it’s true, and it’s funny that it’s true. The man turns 75 years old in two months and he could totally pass for a man of 65. He’s truly never been happier than he has been in the past year. Which is why all of the mourning/grief setpieces kind of fell flat – no one really bought the new king’s fake mourning.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

I always forget that the WellChild Awards are scheduled for the late afternoon/early evening, mostly because it’s an event for kids. Plus, I think they pad the schedule because their royal patron Prince Harry likes to spend as much time as he can one-on-one with the children and the parents. Prince Harry arrived at Thursday’s WellChild Awards and immediately began his one-on-one sessions with the kids and families, so everyone got some face-time. Apparently, one family flew in from Ireland just to see Harry in person. Harry looked happy, healthy, buffed, polished and charming. He looked delighted to spend time with those kids after having to cancel on last year’s awards when his grandmother passed away. Speaking of, Harry referenced his late grandmother during his speech:

Harry took the stage at the event to present the award for Inspirational Child (aged 4 to 6), making Violet Seymour the youngest honoree of the night. He knelt down to take a photo with her. He also gave a speech, where he spoke about his late grandmother. Queen Elizabeth died one year ago on Sept. 8 at age 96.

“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away,” he told the audience. “As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her. And that’s precisely why I know, exactly one year on, she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we’re together continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.”

Prince Harry is expected to spend the anniversary of his grandmother’s death privately. A representative for the couple tells PEOPLE, “The Duke, the Duchess and their family will privately acknowledge and honor the Queen on the anniversary of her passing.”

While Prince Harry attended the Wellchild ceremony solo, he told one family that his wife was “very upset that she couldn’t be here,” Hello! magazine reported.

[From People]

I wonder what Harry and Meghan will do (separately) today, QEII’s death-anniversary. Meghan is probably at home in Montecito with their children, and Harry is on his way to Dusseldorf, if he’s not there already. It’s notable that Harry, Meghan, King Charles and the extended family all made plans to be quiet and reflective on the anniversary… meanwhile, William and Kate are making asses out of themselves.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

At the end of May of this year, Danny Masterson was finally convicted of two out of three rape charges. This was the second trial, after the first one ended in mistrial last year. Masterson’s predatory and disturbing behavior dates back years, but he was only outed as a serial rapist during the Me Too movement, when his victims began telling their stories to the LAPD. Masterson’s conviction is one of the few times a high-profile predator – and a Scientologist to boot – has been convicted in a court of law. Anyway, Masterson was sentenced this week. I was shocked by the number of years.

That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson was sentenced Thursday to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women more than two decades ago at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson, 47, displayed no visible emotion after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo threw the book at him.

“Mr. Masterson, I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you,” Olmedo said just before dispatching Masterson to prison. “But Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here.”

Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, a model and actress who was a constant presence at her husband’s trials, quickly donned a pair of sunglasses after Olmedo announced the sentence and left the Los Angeles courtroom without a word.

Masterson was hit with the staggering sentence four months after he was convicted on two of the three rape counts he faced at his retrial in Los Angeles. He had been charged with raping three women — identified at trial as Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2 and Jane Doe #3 — between 2001 to 2003. A once popular sitcom star, Masterson did not take the stand at either of his trials and has, via his lawyers, repeatedly denied sexually assaulting the women. Nor did Masterson make any statement at his sentencing. Instead, the actor sat silently as the two women he was convicted of raping, and a former girlfriend he was acquitted of sexually assaulting, took turns urging the judge to hit him with a harsh punishment.

“When you raped me, you stole from me,” Jane Doe #2 told the court. “That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit. You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent. The world is better off with you in prison.”

Jane Doe #1 said Masterson “has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused. I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with. I am so sorry, and I’m so upset. I wish I’d reported him sooner to the police.”

Jane Doe #3 said Masterson’s actions sentenced her to “viewing my body as a crime scene my entire life.”

[From NBC News]

I’m so glad that all three women were allowed to speak at sentencing, even though he was only technically convicted of raping two of the Jane Does. I’m glad they were heard and that their stories weighed on the judge and jury. I’m glad that the judge didn’t play the “well, he seems like a fine, upstanding man, let’s let him go with a slap on the wrist” thing.

Meanwhile, I wonder if his wife Bijou Phillips will still be ride-or-die for him after 30 years in prison. When he was convicted in May, her side told People Mag that she had no plans to leave him and she was by his side until the bitter end. Welcome to the bitter end.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

I think, by now, most of us have seen Barbie or are at least familiar with the impact it’s having on pop culture, popularizing new catchwords like “Kenough” and “Kenerg,” a phrase which we first heard from Gosling in a 2022 ET interview. If you haven’t watched Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” music video yet, I highly recommend it. It’s so delightful.

“I’m Just Ken” was written and produced by Mark Ronson (of Mark Ronson fame) and Andrew Wyatt, who is the frontman of the Swedish electronic pop band Miike Snow. Ronson and Wyatt were also co-composers of “Shallow” from Lady Gaga’s version of A Star is Born. The “Ken” catchwords along with the sentiment behind “I’m Just Ken” have become such a cultural phenomenon that experts are now weighing in on how it’s sparking discussion about a new model of masculinity.

“I think ‘Kenergy’ is about claiming your basic space, meaning the right to feel reasonably good about you as you exist within the confines of your own body,” Andrew Wyatt says of Gosling’s Ken. “It’s a simple appreciation that being you is ‘Kenough.’”

Since seeing the film, audiences have found catharsis in Ken’s journey, using terms like “Kenergy” and “Kenough” to help define what masculinity can look like. Nicholas Balaisis, a psychotherapist in Toronto who wrote about the terms for Psychology Today after seeing Gosling’s performance, says “I’m Just Ken” strikes a chord on the “various crises of masculinity in the culture right now,” which is evident in lyrics like:

“Wanna know what it’s like to love, to be the real thing
Is it a crime?
Am I not hot when I’m in my feelings
And is my moment finally here, or am I dreaming?
I’m no dreamer.”

“Most men know that the older models of masculinity are no longer available or desirable,” Balaisis tells Yahoo Entertainment, “but there is now a new model ready-made to step into.”

That’s where Ken steps in, explains Sally Spencer-Thomas, a suicide-prevention advocate and co-founder of the campaign Man Therapy, who says the dance sequence featuring the various Kens in the film, choreographed by Jennifer White and Lisa Welham, offers a compelling exploration of societal norms.

“The choreography acts as a portal to an alternate realm, and the dance transcends mere physical movement; it escalates into an emotional catharsis,” she tells Yahoo Entertainment. “The very essence of the dance aims to liberate the Kens from the constricting boundaries of traditional masculinity. It’s a profound notion that these individuals, previously embroiled in emotional turmoil and frustrated by their own masculinity, find their emancipation through the language of dance.”

The song’s bigger theme, say Balaisis and Spencer-Thomas, is the freedom of expression, which is articulated through Gosling’s unapologetic performance as well as the song’s lyrics. Indeed, Balaisis adds, being unafraid of “letting go” is a gift Wyatt, Ronson and Gosling may have unknowingly bestowed on younger generations of men.

“Men often experience really high levels of shame in relation to their personal appearances of feeling judged and scrutinized on their looks or for standing out,” he says. “The capacity to risk expression in fashion or clothing can be a sign of inner esteem, of being ‘Kenough,’ and thus able to withstand the judging glares we perceive from others.”

[From Yahoo]

I like this analysis and the explanation of a new model of masculinity. Margot Robbie said in an interview that she considers Kenergy to be a play on BDE and Kate McKinnon interpreted it as “a recognition of the ways in which masculinity under patriarchy is limiting.” I agree with both of them! If Barbie can have so much impact that it leads to more men feeling comfortable to release their inner Kenergy, then LFG. Let’s embrace that the traditional expectations of masculinity no longer apply. Embrace that Kenergy!

Photos credit: Avalon.red, Cover Images and via YouTube