Sydney Sweeney promoted Reality (the movie about Reality Winner) this week. Her dress is Schiaparelli & she wasn’t wearing her engagement ring? [LaineyGossip]
Chris D’Elia is a gross predator and abuser. [Dlisted]
Photos from the Mexico City Fast X premiere. [GFY]
Pom Klementieff wore Versace in Cannes. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Are we into Melissa McCarthy as Ursuala in The Little Mermaid? [OMG Blog]
Tom Hanks’ book is apparently boring? [Pajiba]
I hate what Ted Lasso has done to Keeley, full-stop. [Jezebel]
Hailey Bieber looked great in this silver-grey dress. [JustJared]
People always mispronounce my name and I usually just issue one correction. If they can’t get it right after that, it’s on them. [Buzzfeed]
Hillsong’s scandals are being exposed. [Towleroad]
More photos of the Duchess of Sussex at the Ms. Foundation event. [RCFA]

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Unsurprisingly, a cottage industry of “Sussex doubters” cropped up within minutes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s statement about the New York paparazzi chase on Tuesday night. The doubters screamed that it was all a set-up, that Harry and Meghan are desperate for attention, that they were lying about everything from the two-hour ordeal to the number of paparazzi involved. The fact that these internet-doubters are rabid royalists is not surprising. What is surprising is that even the American tabloid media (including the New York Post) is backing up the Sussexes’ story completely. From TMZ:

A source tells TMZ the chase started around 10 PM, after the award ceremony, and the pursuit was at its most intense on the FDR Drive … a highway on the east side of Manhattan. We’re told Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s SUV got up to about 80 mph as they tried to shake the paparazzi.

We’re also told it ended around midnight … so, that 2-hour time span Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson mentioned is accurate.

At some point during the chase, the SUV pulled over and the trio jumped in a New York taxi and beat a hasty retreat. It looks like the cops tried to outwit the paps by driving in a different direction than the cab. Sources say the paparazzi were in a half-dozen blacked-out vehicles, claiming the traffic violations included driving on the sidewalk, running red lights and driving the wrong way on a one-way street.

[From Page Six]

For some reason, the “switched cars and took a taxi” part has broken people’s brains. I mean, we weren’t there, we don’t know why the police and their security people made that decision. I would think that leaving their SUV and taking a chance with a cab would add to their problems, but again, we don’t know the specifics of the situation and it’s more than possible the switch was meant to cause confusion among the paps. It certainly caused a lot of confusion among the rabid haters and delusional royalists. Meanwhile, Page Six mustered up a surprising amount of sympathetic coverage:

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are “extremely upset and shaken” after being involved in a “near-catastrophic” two-hour paparazzi chase in New York City on Tuesday night. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were traveling with Markle’s mom, Doria Ragland, were pursued by photographers after leaving the Ziegfeld Theater — where the former actress was honored by Gloria Steinem at the Women of Vision Awards — in Manhattan.

The trio left the event in an SUV around 10 p.m., and were immediately followed by around 12 paparazzi, we’re told. They eventually decided to ditch their original vehicle and jump into a yellow cab in hopes of evading photogs, a source claims. The insider alleges that one cameraman hit a car while another almost ran over an NYPD officer during the “near-fatal” chase.

“It started off with 12 paparazzi, then ended up with four chasing [Meghan, Harry and Doria],” the insider tells us. “Their security tried their best to lose [photographers].” Once in the taxi, Harry used his cellphone to record the ensuing melee. We’re told security was also recording to gather evidence.

Paparazzi were confronted by uniformed police officers, but ignored warnings and continued chasing the trio, we hear. Our source calls the incident “absolutely shocking” and says Ragland, who is 66 years old, was particularly “terrified” by the ordeal.

“Everyone is still upset, to say the least. It was horrific,” the source tells us.

[From Page Six]

It sounds horrific and terrifying. Going back to TMZ’s story, “Sources say the paparazzi were in a half-dozen blacked-out vehicles.” I’ve also heard (but it has not been verified in any reporting) that the paparazzi had covered up their license plates. Even if you believe that everyone involved in this pursuit was an unarmed paparazzo, how would the Sussexes even know that? All they knew, in real time, was that there were multiple vehicles driving recklessly and the vehicles appeared to be part of an organized operation. While I would guess that Harry was triggered by memories of what happened to his mother, I would also think that his military training jumped out and he understood that there was something really “off” about the situation.

A member of the Sussexes’ security – a former Secret Service agent – named Chris Sanchez also spoke to CNN:

Exclusive: Member of Prince Harry and Meghan’s security detail tells @MaxFosterCNN there were about a dozen vehicles pursuing the couple after last night’s event in NYC.

“The public were in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal.” pic.twitter.com/BqF3V0ZvWC

— CNN International PR (@cnnipr) May 17, 2023

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

My mother was a big Princess Diana fan. Mom was devastated when Diana died in 1997. Back then, Diana’s hatred of the paparazzi was well-known, but that summer, it did feel like something different was happening. Diana had been divorced for a year, she was coming out of her shell, she was planning a future beyond the Windsors. She saw herself getting remarried, perhaps even moving out of the UK. Everything about Diana that summer radiated a fresh start, a new era, Diana publicly telegraphing that she was done with the soggy royal life. After Diana’s death in Paris, many blamed the paparazzi who chased her and many blamed the Windsors, especially when they showed absolutely zero remorse or care in the days afterwards.

The story I believed at the time was that Charles would never do that to the mother of his children, that even though Charles was and is demonstrably a terrible man, he would not do that, he would not order that. Nearly 26 years after Diana’s death, I don’t believe that any longer. Charles had everything to gain from eliminating Diana, most significantly, Diana’s death effectively cleared the path for him to marry Camilla and force everyone to call her “queen.” Now that Charles got everything he wanted – Camilla, Queen Camilla and Harry at his coronation – Charles has no use for Diana’s younger son. No remorse, no care.

In the hours after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their statement about the dangerous and chaotic scene in New York on Tuesday night, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace had zero comment. Not even a “we’re glad they’re safe.” Nary a palace source saying “of course the king is relieved that his darling boy is unharmed.” People Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, every media outlet went to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment, only to be told that the palaces were not commenting.

These photos are from May 17, around the same time that the Sussexes were making their statement that they survived what amounted to a coordinated assault, if not a coordinated attempt on their lives. Charles and Camilla were out in London, looking… conspiratorial. Y’all know they made an effort to ensure they would be photographed in and around their car too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The Windsors love to attach themselves to the Sussexes’ timeline no matter what. Remember when the Duchess of Sussex said that Kensington Palace aides took her driver’s license and her movements were controlled and the next day, Kate was sent out to do a stunt for the paparazzi? Kate was suddenly photographed behind the wheel of a car, as if by magic. Well, yesterday, around the same time as the Sussexes were releasing their statement about the horrific paparazzi chase, King Charles and Queen Camilla did their first joint event since coronation weekend. They made sure to be photographed in and around their car. For real.

Well, I knew it was coming and here we are – magically, the Princess of Wales had an event today in London. She made sure to be photographed walking around freely, no paparazzi swarm, all safe and hysterical-smiling and laughing, as if she just heard the funniest joke about how Harry and Meghan were involved in a huge security issue.

Kate’s event was a visit to the Anna Freud Centre in London. She wore a green Suzannah London. I feel like this is a repeat, although maybe I’m confusing it with one of the other green dresses she has, all of them with this exact same design. Her earrings are from Accessorize and they retail for £11. Guess Camilla really isn’t letting Kate wear Royal Collection stuff, huh? At least Kate had time to get a fresh blowout.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

I can’t even imagine how many media outlets contacted Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, after news of the Sussexes’ paparazzi chase came out mid-day. BP and Kensington Palace have full communications teams, and for the past 24 hours, those teams were being paid to say “no comment” to everyone. My point is that King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales absolutely knew what the Sussexes had been through. Not only did the Windsors refuse to publicly condemn the dangerous paparazzi chase, they also refuse to speak to Harry and Meghan. No one in this mafia family even checked in with the Sussexes. It’s giving “we wish they were dead.”

The British royal family has not checked in on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following their “near-fatal” paparazzi chase in New York City, Page Six can confirm.

A source tells us neither King Charles III and Queen Camilla, nor Prince William and Kate Middleton have contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex regarding the incident, which occurred on Tuesday night.

Spokespeople for the senior royals did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

[From Page Six]

I have no idea who Page Six’s source is, but Omid Scobie has gone on record on ABC News that his sources say the same thing: that no one in the royal mafia family contacted Harry and Meghan. Given the seeming level of coordination among “paparazzi” and given the fact that American paps tend not to behave so egregiously, all roads point to this being an entirely British operation between the Windsors and the British media. It’s heartbreaking.

You know which narratives end here? “Kate the peacemaker,” “William the diplomat,” “Charles the loving father.” None of them can show a bare-bones concern. They have the PR instincts of broccoli.

.@scobie tells @KaynaWhitworth he was “really shocked” to hear from sources “that neither Harry nor Meghan had heard from any members of the royal family” regarding what their spox called a “near catastrophic car chase.” https://t.co/hTp2Rt3B6X pic.twitter.com/0qJGXhfsyQ

— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) May 17, 2023

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Timothee Chalamet & Kylie Jenner are still a thing? [LaineyGossip]
RuPaul shows off the mansion built by drag and fracking! [Dlisted]
Rita Moreno is a flirt! [Seriously OMG]
Bo Burnham & Phoebe Bridgers are happening. [Pajiba]
Katie Holmes’s street style is still… offbeat. [Go Fug Yourself]
Nicole Richie’s daughter Harlow is already 15 years old?! [Just Jared]
For the love of god, Dianne Feinstein needs to retire. [Jezebel]
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looks great. [Egotastic]
Funny photos. That’s it! [Buzzfeed]
This Chanel was much better on Brie Larson. [RCFA]
A Seeking Sister Wife family is celebrating. [Starcasm]
Chicago bars are dropping Bud Light. [Towleroad]

Holy crap. After Doria Ragland and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the Ms. Foundation gala in New York, their car was apparently chased by aggressive “paparazzi” for two hours. The Sussexes released a statement and I suspect they know more than they’re saying, because when I hear “six blacked-out vehicles” and “relentless pursuit,” I’m not thinking of a ring of paparazzi, I’m thinking of a team of operatives attached to a government. Here’s their statement, from Omid Scobie:

Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Doria Ragland were involved in a terrifying paparazzi car chase involving six blacked out vehicles in a chase that could have been fatal.

A spokesperson for the couple confirms: pic.twitter.com/kSJssz9RNs

— Omid Scobie (@scobie) May 17, 2023

Despite being confronted by uniformed police multiple times, the paparazzi’s cars continued their pursuit in trying to follow the Sussexes and Doria to the private residence they were staying at.

Traffic violations by the drivers include driving on a sidewalk, going through red…

— Omid Scobie (@scobie) May 17, 2023

This sends a chill down my spine, and I’m sure it was especially triggering for Harry, given what happened to his mother in Paris. The fact is, Harry and Meghan had already given the paparazzi what they wanted at the Ms. Foundation event earlier: they posed on the red carpet, they didn’t hide when they were entering or exiting the venue, and dozens of photographers and photo agencies had already gotten the good photos. What this paparazzi “ring” was looking for was a way to put the Sussexes in danger, to make them afraid, and to get photos of them looking distressed. Poor Harry, Meghan and Doria.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

This story came out last week but I just saw it, so I apologize for my tardiness. Jennifer Lopez appeared on Live with Kelly and Mark to discuss her large, blended family. Although Jen and husband Ben Affleck are enjoying a big, happy family vibe, the fact is, when they united their two fronts, they ended up with a whole house full of teenagers. Of all of the things you want doubled when you merge households, teens are likely not your first choice. Jen told Kelly and Mark that it was kind of a shock to go from babies, who tend to listen to their parents, to these pre-teens and teens who “start challenging you.” I imagine if you multiple that by five, yeah, that would be “tough.”

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have their hands full.

During a new guest appearance on Live With Kelly and Mark, the “Let’s Get Loud” singer opened up about her and her husband’s blended family. Between them, the couple share five children in total, four of whom are teenagers.

“That’s almost five teenagers. The youngest is 11, so he’s not quite [a teen], but preteen,” Lopez told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. “He’s an angel.”

She added, “The teenage years are tough. They start challenging you and everything. You have this baby for a while and then it’s like your best little friend who loves being with you all the time, and all of a sudden they’re like, ‘Get out of my room.’”

Consuelos—who shares three children with Ripa—offered a few words of comfort to the multi-hyphenate: “But, you know they come back when they’re in their 20s.”

“Twenties?!” Lopez replied. “Jesus Christ! I’m so depressed.”

“It’s crazy, I feel like I had them yesterday. They were just babies a little while ago,” Lopez continued. “It’s the time when they are individuating and they are challenging everything you say and everything you do and everything you are. And that’s what it is. And you have to kind of just ride the waves. I feel like it’s like surfing. I’m just riding the waves—whoops, just got knocked over. Now, I’m back! I’m back!”

She also described the struggles of being a mother of teenagers.

“I think it’s particularly hard on moms a little bit. Because they always kind of love Dad,” she said. “They are always kind of like, ‘Dad’s the best.’ And I was like that with my dad too. My mom told me—and I’ll say it to you right now on TV in front of everybody—I understand you so much more now.”

[From Yahoo!]

Jen and Ben’s problem is numbers. Once they got five, it became mob rule. I’m kidding. Five teens sounds overwhelming to me and so far, teenagerdom is my favorite phase. Maybe because mine challenged me from the start, the little brats. No! Again, I’m kidding – kind of. I don’t know how to communicate with younger kids. I tend to approach things through discussion and four-year-olds don’t really have many counter arguments I can relate to. So once my kids brought their own viewpoints into the picture, our relationship took on a larger dimension. It’s just different for everyone, I think. But again, I have two and there are two adults. We’re not outnumbered.

I love Jen likening raising kids to surfing and getting knocked over by the waves of challenges. It’s an apt description. I also related to Jen telling her mom how much she understood her own mother now. I call my mom all the time and apologize for stuff I did as a kid as a result of having to deal with my own offspring doing it. What comes around goes around. I so get it now.

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Photo credit: Cover Images and Instagram

Here are more photos from the Princess of Wales’s surprise visit to Bath on Tuesday. Kate visited Dame Kelly Holmes’s youth program and participated in some kind of round-table conversation. As I noted yesterday, it did not look like the youths were excited to see or spend time with Kate. The youths know a photo-op when they see one. Still, Kelly Holmes got some good exposure for her charitable work, and she happily briefed the media about what was said by Kate and others. Some highlights of what Kate said (via secondary sources, of course):

Holmes on the differences between Kate’s children: “I asked her, ‘You’ve got three children — do you see different traits in them?’ And she said, ‘Oh yes!’ She said that’s the thing — learning how to handle the different traits and different needs and abilities even with three young children.”

Holmes asked Kate about being a royal and whether it was something she’d wanted. “She said she ‘had to learn and she’s still learning every day,’ ” Holmes tells PEOPLE, adding that Princess Kate cited public speaking. “Doing public speaking isn’t a natural thing for lots of people, and she said she’s still working that out, how to project. She humanized everything to show not everyone’s perfect. It doesn’t matter what you’ve got or perceived to have as an individual, you’re still going to have those insecurities and need those learning tools that happen over life.”

Kate’s still learning about her royal role “every day.” “She said she ‘had to learn and she’s still learning every day,’ ” Holmes tells PEOPLE. “It’s a struggle to know you can be accepted and fit in.” Holmes praised Princess Kate as “lovely because she was just willing to be asked questions. That was really nice because it showed somebody of her stature and status is human as well.”

[From People Magazine]

Kate spent ten-plus years doing nothing but waity around for a ring, and then once she got the ring, she did f–k all with her role for six years. It wasn’t until 2017, when Kate got “competition” that Kate finally “learned” how to do things, like wear professional-looking modern separates, and give short speeches and try to copy someone else’s charisma. Don’t get me wrong, I do think Kate is “still learning,” i.e., she’s not a finished product yet. Which makes Kate’s unhinged PR so disgusting – Kate’s people run around trying to convince everyone that she’s the most perfect princess who ever copykeened the sister-in-law she bullied, meanwhile Kate accidentally has a moment of honesty and admits that she’s unfinished, that she still doesn’t know how to princess.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Here are some photos from last night’s Cannes Film Festival Opening Night. Remember, the opening night premiere was Madame du Barry, a film starring Johnny Depp. Also remember that many celebrities are contractually obligated to appear at Cannes, especially on opening night. So, Helen Mirren is obligated to go to Cannes as part of her L’Oreal contract, and she has fun dressing up and doing different things for the carpet. This year, she dyed her hair purple and wore a matching Del Core gown. She carried a fan which read #WorthIt. L’Oreal’s tagline is “because you’re worth it.” So… all L’Oreal spon-con, correct? Well, Tom & Lorenzo believe that Mirren was subtly signaling her support for Amber Heard, because Heard’s supporters encourage each other to wear purple for Amber and #WorthIt is one of the hashtags they use. I don’t know? I think it’s most likely just L’Oreal spon-con.

Brie Larson is on the Cannes jury, and she wore this terrible Chanel look. Usually, Cannes invites at least one “fashion girl” to be on the jury so that there will be one person serving couture at every premiere. Brie’s look is not a serve.

Elle Fanning in Alexander McQueen. Gorgeous. The prettiest princess.

Uma Thurman in Dior. I’m okay with this although the red coat (or whatever it is) makes me wish that her dress had been a bold color too. The dress is just a shade too flesh-toned.

Naomi Campbell in Celine. Perfect. Beautiful. She’s been doing this for three decades.

Fan Bingbing in Christopher Bu. Honestly, my favorite look of opening night? I’m glad Fan is allowed to leave China too (she had some tax/legal issues in China and was basically put in a prison for A-listers)

Catherine Zeta-Jones wore Elie Saab Couture to walk the carpet with her husband Michael Douglas and their daughter Carys. CZJ looks good? She also sort of looks Real Housewife-y to me.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.