Not me being genuinely happy for a Kardashian! Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are expecting their first child together, and I am thrilled for them! Kourt and Travis got married in Italy in May 2022. I think Travis and Kourtney were trying to get pregnant even before the wedding, and Kourtney has spoken openly about how she wanted another child – with Travis – and that they were doing IVF for a while. In fact, during the third season premiere of The Kardashians, Kourtney said that they were done with IVF because nothing was happening. Well, it looks like something happened. Kourtney “broke the news” to Travis during a Blink-182 concert. She held up a sign, which is actually from the “All the Small Things” music video.

Kourtney Kardashian is pregnant! The Kardashians star, 44, is expecting her first child with husband Travis Barker, 47, she revealed on Friday with a handwritten sign held up during her husband’s Los Angeles concert with band Blink-182.

The couple confirmed the news when they both posted a video of the moment to Instagram the same evening. In the clip, a black-clad Kardashian smiled and jumped up and down in the crowd at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium as she held up a sign with large black letters that said: “Travis I’m Pregnant!”

The sweet video continued with Barker looking shocked on stage as one of his Blink-182 bandmates is heard saying, “Someone’s having a baby!” The surprised drummer then made his way into the audience to embrace his wife.

[From People]

It’s sweet. As I said, I’m genuinely happy for them. Personally, I don’t care that much about Kourtney, but I adore Travis and I want the world for him. I watched his reality show with Shanna Moakler and I always came away from it respecting him as a father and a husband. He clearly adores Kourtney and now they’re having a baby! Kourtney has three children with her ex, Scott Disick. Travis has two biological kids – Landon and Alabama – with Shanna, plus he’s still close to his stepdaughter Atiana de la Hoya from his marriage to Shanna.

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Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Aubrey Plaza covers Vanity Fair’s Awards Insider supplemental. This is basically supposed to be an Emmys preview, because Plaza got such great reviews for her turn in The White Lotus Season 2. I preferred Season 2 to Season 1, but it had little to do with Plaza and everything to do with those two magnificent Italian actresses, Simona Tobasco and Beatrice Grannò. Personally, I have never been an Aubrey Plaza “fan,” but I’m not a hater either – she’s fine, she has her monotone shtick and she does it well. Except that Plaza wants people to know that she’s more than just a monotone-voiced actress with a dark energy. That’s just acting, she claims. Some highlights from her VF interview:

Plaza hates streaming apps: “I get really angry. I was trying to watch Top Chef season 20. Couldn’t figure out how to f–king get Hulu + Live. I give up! I can’t. I just can’t. And so what I like to do is go on iTunes and buy movies that are old. Or I’ll go on iTunes and just, like, buy the whole Sopranos series, and then my husband will be like, ‘You literally can watch that for free on HBO Max.’”

The deadpan thing: “The deadpan thing wasn’t, like, my thing. I could do it, but it wasn’t like, ‘There goes the deadpan girl.’ I like to think that I’m such a good actor that people just thought that was literally me.”

Her deadpan persona is a defense mechanism: “You can see all the colors of my psychological state on display in any of these [late night] interviews. It’s a struggle for me every time. It’s a struggle to not quote-unquote ‘give people what they want,’ which is—I don’t even know what they want—and try to have fun for myself without coming off like an asshole. I think it all just stems from—I’m scared. I prefer to be a character. I mean, that’s literally what I am doing.”

Her parents: “They’re not in that billionaire world at all…but the idea of coming from nothing and, you know, working your way up—I think that’s why the [White Lotus] character felt very personal to me. I grew up navigating different worlds and different communities where I was like, Oh, now all of a sudden we’re living in a bigger house and a more fancy neighborhood.’ But I always felt like an outsider.”

Puerto Rican father, Irish-Scottish mom: “I feel very much like there’s some kind of ancestral, generational thing going on, just in my DNA. There are a lot of people in my family that are just so creative. It makes me wanna cry. And I got lucky. I have the means to somehow do it. It feels like a weight, almost. Not a bad weight, but like it was meant to be or something. I make so many of them so proud, and it feels personal, because they all had a hand in raising me. Nothing fazes me, I’m very malleable. I grew up around a lot of people pulling me in different directions, but there was an overarching theme of family on both sides. Doesn’t matter who f–ked up or what’s going on. So many crazy things were always happening, but we all have each other’s back at all times. And you know where you came from.”

New York comedy background: “All I was doing when I was living in Queens at that time was just scheming. I always wanted to do dramatic roles. Once I figured out, okay, I can do comedy, I’m funny, I was very calculated about my career. The people I admired most were people like Adam Sandler, who would do broad comedies and also go do Punch-Drunk Love.”

She’s introverted: “I’m way more socially, like, anxious and introverted than people would expect, I think. I’m just as insecure as anybody, and I’m probably way more shy than people think. But obviously the way I deal with that is, like, extreme behaviors… I try to maintain some authenticity, for better or for worse. That’s the goal. If all else fails, at least be authentic.”

When she & Jenna Ortega were called a “Moody, Deadpan Latinas.” “I loved that. That sh-t is important to me, because that’s my whole thing. Even with April Ludgate, it was like, Come on. Sofia Vergara is not the only Latina personality. There’s other ones! A lot of the characters I play, even with White Lotus—it’s important to normalize that there’s all kinds of different Latina people. I mean, all my Puerto Rican cousins are, like, morbid. Morbid sh-t is going on over there!”

[From Vanity Fair]

I think she’s good at the deadpan thing when she has a script, if that makes sense. When there’s purpose and she’s part of an ensemble. But when she’s solo, that persona just reads as someone who gets off on being awkward and unfunny, someone who makes people uncomfortable in the name of comedy. I think that’s why I was never really a fan. But it’s fine, people grow up and figure out different ways of existing and it sounds a lot like she went through a moody goth phase and now she’s looking to show people that she’s a well-adjusted, well-rounded woman.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and cover courtesy of VF.

Khloe Kardashian filed the paperwork to change her son’s name from Tatum Kardashian to Tatum Thompson. Yeah – Khloe & Tristan are still happening. [Just Jared]
Eva Longoria has been making the promotional rounds this week in NYC (she’s promoting her directorial effort, Flamin’ Hot). [Go Fug Yourself]
Velma got a second season! [Seriously OMG]
John Mellencamp admits he was a bad boyfriend to Meg Ryan. [Dlisted]
Tom Holland’s charming THR interview. [LaineyGossip]
Here’s the disgusting stuff YouTuber Colleen Ballinger was up to. [Pajiba]
Debbie Gibson is back with new music! [OMG Blog]
Conor McGregor has been accused of yet another violent crime against a woman. This is not the first time and it needs to be the last. [Jezebel]
Millie Bobby Brown puts her dogs in a stroller. [Egotastic]
Stories about how the children of the 1% live. [Buzzfeed]
Diane Kruger wore a Jason Wu coat – it’s June, people. [RCFA]
How shocking, Kentucky cops waved armed Klansman away without arresting them. You’d almost believe the cops and Klansman were the same. [Towleroad]

Many people weren’t paying attention when Prince William and Kate spent more than a year – spring 2021 through late summer 2022 – publicly appealing for Charles to give them a big royal property somewhere in Windsor or Berkshire. They hated living in London, and they were house-hunting for private properties in Berkshire, they were checking out all of the properties on the Royal Windsor estate. For a while, I really thought that they would end up in Fort Belvedere, which is part of the Royal Windsor estate. William and Kate probably thought they would end up there too, or at least they thought they would be given one of the larger properties.

By the very end of the summer of 2022, they finally moved into Adelaide Cottage, which is not one of the grander properties on the estate. It was definitely kind of an insult to W&K that they were given Adelaide, a four-bedroom without “servants’ quarters.” Even before QEII passed away, it was widely believed that Adelaide would be a temporary placement and that Will and Kate would be “getting” Windsor Castle soon enough. Then Charles became king and instead of allowing Will and Kate to move into Windsor Castle, he told them to just stay put in that cramped cottage. It’s hilarious. Now William is throwing weekly tantrums about how he desperately needs Royal Lodge, his uncle’s property. All of which brings me to this story – Will and Kate are “resigned” to living in the cramped Adelaide Cottage for the time being.

Prince William and Kate have resigned to living in “too small” Adelaide Cottage for the foreseeable future – despite reportedly eyeing up Andrew’s Royal Lodge. The couple have been living in the cottage on the Windsor Estate with children George, Charlotte and Louis since moving in less than a year ago from Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

But plans by King Charles to downsize the family’s property – and news Prince Andrew is being asked to leave his £30million mansion – has thrown things into question. While the Lodge was at one point reportedly earmarked for the young family of five, OK! reports they are now accepting that they’ll be staying at Adelaide despite it being too cramped for them.

A source has explained that despite the questions hovering around Royal Lodge and the costs needed to repair it, the Duke of York was provided for in Queen Elizabeth’s will and, as a result, has been able to come up with the money to make essential repairs.

“The Palace originally wanted Andrew out of Royal Lodge so that the property could be renovated and prepared for new lodgers,” the source said. “The Prince and Princess of Wales desperately want a larger property for their family in the Windsor area and discussions were originally focused on putting them in there. However, Andrew was having none of it and is adamant that he will see out the end of his lease at Royal Lodge.”

A Kensington Palace source added: “William and Kate love the cottage but it’s just too small for them. There are four bedrooms which just about fit them all in but there are other things that need to be considered. Staff and other elements need to be factored in. It is also meant to be a working residence and there isn’t room to facilitate an office or hold more than a few guests at a time. They were looking for a larger home but have now resigned themselves to the fact that they will be stuck in the cottage due to other properties not opening up for them.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

What’s genuinely bonkers is thinking about the extensive real estate holdings of the Duchy of Cornwall, and how William could simply move his family into any of the residential real estate holdings. Of course, I understand the idea that they want to be near the kids’ school, they want to be in the Windsor area and they want a certain level of security. But again, there are other homes within the Royal Windsor estate. It really feels like King Charles has just been refusing to allow W&K to move into any of the bigger, grander homes. Out of spite? Or something else? In any case, I love this – they thought they were so clever, they thought they would be moving into Windsor Castle within months of QEII’s passing. Not so much.

Note by CB: Get the top 8 stories about Will and Kate’s real estate drama when you sign up for our mailing list! I only send one email a day on weekdays.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a reported $20 million contract with Spotify. Other than the one-time-only Christmas/NYE special, the only podcast they produced was Meghan’s Archetypes pod last year, which was a huge success, hitting #1 on Spotify’s podcast charts and temporarily dethroning Spotify’s golden (anti-vaxx) goose Joe Rogan. Many of us have been hoping for the announcement of a second season of Archetypes, but it looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer, because Spotify and the Sussexes are quitting each other. This was first reported in the Wall Street Journal, so here’s that reporting:

Meghan Markle’s “Archetypes” Spotify podcast won’t be renewed for a second season, according to people familiar with the matter, a casualty of the audio company’s overhaul of its approach to podcasting. Producers of the show, which explored labels that hold women back, have been told that a second season won’t move forward, the people said, following discussions months ago about the possibility of one.

Markle’s podcast is the only project she and her husband, Prince Harry, completed for Spotify Technology after signing a roughly $20 million overall deal with the company in late 2020. The couple hasn’t met the productivity benchmarks required to receive the full payout from the deal, people familiar with the matter said.

The cancellation is a sign of the continuing correction in the podcast market, a format popular among listeners, but one that has proved hard to make profitable for Spotify and many of its rivals.

“The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform,” a spokeswoman for the couple’s Archewell Productions media company said.

Markle recently signed with talent agency WME. Conversations are ongoing for other homes for Archewell content, a person familiar with those discussions said.

Spotify last week laid off 200 people, including many audio engineers. The company announced a revamped approach to podcasting that includes making shows available on platforms outside Spotify and a shift to focus on offering creator tools to podcasters rather than making original content.

[From WSJ]

Deadline reported the news as “The Sussexes have separated from Spotify,” and describes the “talks” between Archewell and Spotify for a second season of Archetypes. Deadline makes it sound like the Sussexes “are rethinking their deals to find better homes and partnerships for content. There’s also a chance that Archetypes could wind up elsewhere, we hear.” This rethink is because of Meghan signing with WME. In any case, hours after WSJ’s exclusive report, the Sussexes issued a statement with Spotify:

A joint statement from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s production company Archewell Audio and Spotify said: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.”

A representative from WME, the talent agency that the Duchess of Sussex signed with earlier this year, told the Wall Street Journal, “The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.”

[From People]

My take on this whole thing is that Meghan and Harry did nothing wrong – they were victims of a podcasting downturn in general, and this is more about Spotify’s business model than whatever the Sussexes did or did not do. Now, I think it’s a stupid business decision from Spotify to not fight to keep them. While the Sussexes could have done more with Spotify, what Meghan did with Archetypes was great, and the second season would have been great too. Instead, Archetypes will probably move to Audible or Amazon or whatever. That’s my guess.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Archewell, Spotify.

Variety’s Actors on Actors series has been happening in recent weeks for Emmy season. It’s always a big thing about which actors get paired together for their on-camera conversation. Personally, I enjoyed the vibe between Claire Danes and Kieran Culkin a bit too much (he is so flirty in real life), but sometimes, the actors-pairing brings out the worst in each other. I’m not saying that’s what happened between Emily Blunt and Brian Cox, but I’m not sure they brought out the best in each other. I’ve come around to the idea that Brian Cox really is this grumpy old man who seems to be followed by a dark cloud wherever he goes. Meanwhile, I usually like Emily unless she’s talking about how much she dislikes being a naturalized American citizen and living in America. Some highlights from their Variety talk:

BRIAN COX: What’s so nice about English girls is they’re so direct, and they’re not full of nonsense. You’re just direct and straight to the humor. I love that about the English girls.

EMILY BLUNT: I miss that, living in America. I miss the directness and the irreverence and the attitude.

COX: They’re a bit Christian here. They do everything by the so-called Christian book, which I question. I think it’s a bit hypocritical, quite honestly.

BLUNT: I’ve found my little pocket of Brits in and around Brooklyn…. Do you love living in Brooklyn?

COX: Brooklyn is finally the place where I’ve felt at home. It’s taken me a long time to feel at home in this country. I used to live in Los Angeles, but as I say, I ran out of farmers markets. What am I going to do in Los Angeles? Everybody’s so miserable. They pretend they’re happy, but they’re deeply miserable.

*****

BLUNT: “The Devil Wears Prada”! It was just an extraordinary overnight shift in my life when that came out.

COX: I loved it. And to work with one of the greatest screen actresses of all time, I so envy you. One of my ambitions, before I snuff it, is to work with Meryl.

BLUNT: Oh, don’t say “snuff it”! You will. She’s amazing and was slightly terrifying on that film. She said it was one of the first times she’s tried Method acting. But it made her so miserable, playing Miranda.

COX: I met her once, and I said, “I never liked you.” And she went, “What?” I said, “I never liked you because I was jealous.” How can anybody be that good?

[From Variety]

Don’t you see, they both live in Brooklyn, which is the only place in America they’ve ever liked because they hate the puritanical, humorless, hypocritical, indirect Americans and their farmers markets? Don’t you just love it when two immigrants sit around, bitching about their adopted home? All of this time, I’ve never really understood why both of them feel the need to live in America if they’re going to look down the noses at everyone here. Succession is over – Cox can move back to Scotland. Blunt should insist that John Krasinski uproot himself and their kids to move to England. Enough already. Sidenote: I don’t find English people “direct” at all – they speak and write in these absurd riddles, talking around topics and using their little “codes.”

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Photos courtesy of Instar, Avalon Red, Instagram, Backgrid.

I still remember all of the pearl-clutching and otherizing about then-Meghan Markle’s feminism. This was back in 2017, during Meghan and Prince Harry’s courtship and eventual engagement. The British media screamed and cried about the fact that Meghan spoke about feminism and considered herself a feminist. They called her “too political” and worried that her “feminism” would not fit in well with the Windsors. Then, of course, they went on to claim that Queen Elizabeth was more of a feminist than Meghan. And of course Kate was a feminist too, just in a different, more acceptable way! Good times. Well, you know who else is a feminist? You guessed it, the same homewrecker who used to brief the British media about how her married lover’s wife was mentally unstable.

Discussing Queen Camilla’s Reading Room project, Jennie Bond told OK! that while this is one of her main areas of focus, Camilla is also deeply committed to women’s issues.

“The Queen is absolutely passionate about reading and saw huge success when she launched her Reading Room charity on Instagram,” Bond said. “She has read since she was young and loves nothing more than sitting quietly with King Charles and reading in separate corners of the same room. I think she has probably be surprised—and thrilled—by the success of this literary venture but she remains loyal to her other charities and causes, particularly domestic violence.

“The Queen is a fiercely modern feminist who has some radical and forward thinking ideas—Meghan was certainly not the first member of the family to claim this credential!”

[From Marie Claire]

I mean… we’re calling Camilla a bold feminist because she reads. Because she “has read since she was young.” Because she still loves to read. I enjoy reading as well, but given that I live in America, my literacy is not some bold feminist statement (as it would be in a country where girls’ education is in crisis). Besides all of that, Camilla’s life has not been spent in the pursuit of feminism or enhancing women’s lives. Camilla has always defined herself through men and Camilla is solely out for Camilla – she’s a throwback to another era, where a woman’s power was solely from her sexuality and from her connection to powerful men. She’s not a modern feminist in any way.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Lady Gaga is getting dragged for her Nurtec ad. [Dlisted]
It feels like every single day, photo agencies have new photos of Olivia Wilde leaving the gym. Is she the only celebrity going to this one gym? It’s so weird. Anyway, she now has bangs, and that’s the headline. [JustJared]
Greta Gerwig came out for the Asteroid City premiere too. [LaineyGossip]
Emily Blunt’s Prada looks like something Princess Kate would wear. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Should TV shows do away with the “cliffhanger” model? [Pajiba]
Phoebe Waller Bridge wore McQueen to the Indiana Jones premiere. [RCFA]
The AP Stylebook doesn’t think we should use “TERF” anymore. [Jezebel]
Who won the Stanley Cup? [GFY]
Taylor Swift isn’t your friend. [Buzzfeed]
Storage Wars’ Jarrod Schulz is a domestic abuser. [Starcasm]
NY Attorney General: Target shouldn’t remove Pride items. [Towleroad]

pic.twitter.com/L61VyjkVbz

— v (@ViralMaterialz) June 13, 2023

Jennifer Aniston has not been in a serious relationship, to our knowledge, since Justin Theroux. Jennifer and Justin broke up – although they claimed they were “divorcing” – in February 2018. I actually believe that Jennifer has dated random guys in the past five years and we just never learned about it, mostly because she never made anything official or did a big boyfriend rollout. It seemed like Aniston’s need to always be publicly associated with a man died after her fake marriage to Theroux ended. Which is fine with me and fine with Aniston’s fans. I think her life sounds amazing – she’s rich, she lives in mansions, she renovates these exclusive properties to her ‘70s aesthetic, she has dogs and lots of friends and a private chef. That’s the dream. But because she’s Jennifer Aniston, people always focus on her romantic life, even if there’s nothing going on there. Thus, this Us Weekly story:

In her glory days. Jennifer Aniston is still open to finding The One — but is perfectly happy embracing life on her own.

“[Jennifer] in a great place. She’s happy, healthy and fulfilled by her career, family and friends,” an insider shares in the newest edition of Us Weekly. “[She’s] been through a lot, but she feels blessed to be thriving personally and professionally.”

Since her divorce from Justin Theroux, Aniston has been happy rolling solo — and isn’t worried about when the next chapter of her love life will begin. “In her gut, Jen believes she’ll eventually meet the right person,” a second source tells Us. “But she’s not going to beat herself up if it doesn’t happen.”

The Emmy winner recently made headlines for her decision to embrace the aging process by showing off her gray hair – and feels “empowered looking at beauty from the inside out,” the second source tells Us. “Sure, she’s had subtle help here and there and occasional touch-up, but nothing too intense or over the top. She’s way more interested in natural, organic beauty methods.”

Part of feeling good is focusing on her health. Aniston tries to work out about five times a week, according to the insider, who notes that the California native “also meditates and loves hikes with her dogs.”

That doesn’t mean the We’re the Millers star doesn’t embrace balance — and letting loose when the moment calls for it. “Jen’s meals are rich in protein with a healthy amount of carbs and he also indulges in treats and cheat days,” the insider explains. “If she wants to enjoy a dirty martini or tequila, she’ll splurge. It’s no big deal.”

For Aniston, it’s about “being as healthy and happy as she can be,” the first source says. That includes involving herself in professional opportunities that she feels passionate about. “[She] still has goals when it comes to her acting career,” the insider shares, noting that the Break-Up actress would “love to get her hands on an Oscar-worthy script” but has a “go-with-the-flow attitude” about what comes next.

[From Us Weekly]

This bugs me – I did a better job of making Aniston’s life sound amazing than her publicist did. Like, Aniston is at her best when she’s in her lane of comedic TV actress and all-around girl-next-door and “friend.” That’s her brand. She’s 54 years old – the jig is up, and Jennifer is living the exact life she wants for herself, so why do we have to insinuate that she’s still waiting for The One, waiting for the Oscar-bait script, waiting for the next big thing? I don’t know, this article irritated me. I have to say, I’m actually grateful that we haven’t been inundated with this kind of stuff over the past five years. Aniston’s CAA team stopped casting her as Ms. Lonelyhearts, but every now and then, they go back to that well.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

As Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp promoted The Idol, we often got the impression that they were promoting two different shows. Lily-Rose seems to believe that she’s promoting a show where her character is going through a brave feminist journey of escaping the clasp of a cult leader, sort of. Abel seems to believe that he’s playing a sexy, charming psycho who can get women to do whatever he wants. Anyway, I’m still not watching this crap, but a lot of you are, and I’ve seen some of the “commentary” and jokes about the cheesy grossness of The Idol. Now that two episodes are out and everyone keeps talking about how Abel is a terrible, charisma-free actor, it’s time for Abel to come out and say, hahaha, no, I’m in on the joke, you guys. My character is supposed to be a cheeseball! My character is supposed to be a charisma-vacuum loser! Some highlights from Abel’s GQ interview this week:

How he feels about the response to The Idol: “I’m loving it. It’s definitely shaken up the culture for sure [laughs]. We knew we were making something dark and controversial but true to what we want to say.

He’s fine with the conversation: “I just think discussion is healthy, no matter what. To me it’s like, I’m just happy that there’s conversation. That’s important for anything I do, especially this new medium that I’m in.

Peeling back the layers of Tedros: “When I’m trying to explain who he is, it’s tough without revealing too much, without peeling away too much of the layers. You try to be as mysterious as possible about who the character is so that you can take [the audience] on this journey. But piece by piece, week by week, we’ll reveal who he is. But he’s what you see on screen. He’s definitely a challenge. He’s despicable, a psychopath—why sugarcoat it? But he’s somehow useful to this girl, and it’s unfortunate and we hate to see it.

But Tedros isn’t actually a layered, mysterious guy: “Yeah, [the vampire imagery is] all intentional to heighten the camp of it all. But the reality is, there’s nothing really mysterious or hypnotizing about him. And we did that on purpose with his look, his outfits, his hair—the guy’s a douchebag. You can tell he cares so much about what he looks like, and he thinks he looks good. But then you see these weird moments of him alone—he rehearses, he’s calculated. And he needs to do that, or he has nothing, he’s pathetic. Which is true of a lot of people who are a fish out of water, put into these scenarios.

Tedros is just a con artist: “You look at him, and this is a score—Jocelyn might be the biggest score he’s ever had. It’s very obvious. He’s over-indulging, he walks into this house looking around like, Goddamn, am I way over my head? This can be the biggest job I’ve ever done. Whatever it is that he’s doing. Even the sex, it’s so gluttonous [laughs]. Especially in episode 2. ‘Gluttony’ is the only word I can think of [to describe it]. He can’t believe he’s there. He comes off like such a loser. Those moments are the humanity that you find in a psychopath, the chink in his armor.

Those exploitative sex scenes aren’t supposed to be sexy: “There’s nothing sexy about it. When we use Basic Instinct as a reference, we’re using Verhoeven. Verhoeven is the king of ‘90s satire thriller—yes, there’s moments of “sexy” in his films but there are other moments that are very cheesy and hilarious. How ever you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: This guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.

[From GQ]

It’s actually hilarious to me that he’s now trying to play off all of the criticism as “you guys, we meant to do that” and “of course it’s supposed to be gross and awkward and awful, we were trying to do that!” Here’s the thing: even if you could successfully argue that Abel’s character Tedros was supposed to be telegraphing his lack of charisma, his loser energy… then why didn’t they make it realistic when it came to how Lily-Rose’s character reacts to him? This is the problem. Anyway… yeah, it’s so funny to me. “I meant to do that, you just couldn’t tell because I’m such a terrible actor!”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.