One year ago, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Ukrainians refused to surrender, supplicate or capitulate. They fought back, they dug in, they went to war and sought allies. The EU is on Ukraine’s side. NATO is on Ukraine’s side. President Biden is on Ukraine’s side. On Monday, Presidents Day, Joe Biden turned up in Kyiv and did a series of photo-ops with President Zelenskyy, including a walk outside as air-raid sirens blared.

So, I actually believed that Dark Brandon and the Secret Service had found a way to land Air Force One in or around Kyiv, but it turns out that Dark Brandon actually took a nine-and-a-half-hour train ride into Ukraine’s capital. That’s so… Joe Biden. The man LOVES his trains. Apparently, this is the first time a sitting president has visited a war zone not controlled by American troops. Biden and his team planned this for months, even though his security was telling him not to go. But he saw other world leaders making the journey and that man said “it’s happening, kiddo.” Apparently, Vladimir Putin and his people were super-salty about it. Biden humiliated them by managing to get into Kyiv to do this.

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If you ask me, it’s going to be a while until the Princess of Wales lives down her terrible appearance at Sunday night’s BAFTAs. She’s worn stupid clothes before, and she’s shown that she has a consistently bad eye for styling, but her BAFTA ensemble was a whole new level of style f–kery. Maybe that was the point, though? She wanted attention. So she threw a roll of toilet paper across her shoulder, donned her opera gloves and the cheapest-looking Zara earrings she could find and she got herself some attention. While I definitely think that’s part of it, I also just think… Kate is terrible at styling herself, and she hires stylists who don’t know what they’re doing. It’s a matter of taste, and in Kate’s case, it’s a matter of class. She’s too middle-class to understand that she shouldn’t be dripping in diamonds and pearls at funerals and Remembrance Day wreath-layings. She’s too tasteless to understand that the BAFTAs is the event for which she should bring out her bling. Plus, she knows that everyone will fall all over themselves to praise her, no matter what she’s wearing. Speaking of:

The Princess of Wales, 41, attended the BAFTA Awards alongside Prince William on Sunday wearing perhaps her most daring red carpet look to date — including a dramatic pair of full-length opera gloves. Princess Kate refashioned a white Grecian-inspired Alexander McQueen dress (her wedding gown designer!), which she wore to the same event in 2019, by swapping the corsage detail on the shoulder to a flowing sweep of white chiffon, making the look instantly feel more fashion-forward. But it was her bold choice of accessories for the star-studded event — in particular, the contrasting full-length black velvet opera gloves — which stole the show.

“Opera gloves are transformative; they have enormous leverage,” Genevieve James, creative director at royal glove supplier Cornelia James, tells PEOPLE. “They turn any event into an occasion and a dress into a statement.”

James, whose independent family business has been supplying gloves to the royal family for over 70 years, is unable to confirm that Kate is wearing her design (their identical “Melissa” black velvet style retails for $216). But Kate does have several styles from the brand, which she most recently wore in Boston in December.

Exuding old-school Hollywood glamour, the elegant accessory gave a nostalgic nod to red carpet events of the past when the likes of Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth rarely attended an event without their immaculately fitted gloves, often in silk or sometimes bejeweled.

“Imagine Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s without the gloves — it’s just another little black dress. With the gloves, it becomes iconic and emblematic of our age — always relevant, always contemporary,” says James, who supplied the late Queen Elizabeth II with her signature white gloves for decades.

Kate also went bold (and budget-friendly!) in her choice of earrings for the event, which was attended by celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis and Julianne Moore and held for the first time at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre. The rose gold effect, oversized floral earrings from Zara cost just $28. Featuring rhinestone appliqué, the statement earrings are — of course — sold out.

[From People]

The cheapness of the Zara earrings is perhaps Kate’s f–k you to the event, correct? Kate looks for excuses to raid the Royal Collection or the Diana archives, but on the rare occasion when she’s supposed to circulate with A-list celebrities wearing their finest frocks and jewels, suddenly Kate TPs herself and wears cheap Zara earrings. It’s just so bizarre. As for this glove-maker crowing about the importance of gloves… lol, no. I mean, the thing about Audrey Hepburn wearing gloves is that her gloves always looked chic and appropriately styled for the outfit. Kate just threw on a pair of opera gloves with no connection to her dress.

As for the butt-touching thing… she really did graze William’s ass, and the British tabloids have been calling all of their “body language experts” to spread the good word that Kate is sassy and she has so much chemistry with William. It’s weird how none of the body-language experts suggest that Kate is perhaps giving the audience a subtle confirmation to William’s oft-rumored sexual needs.

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I am completely a cat person and believe they truly should be the ones who occupy dogs’ exalted place in our society. And when I find out someone else is also a cat person, it makes me like them more. So as if I didn’t like Lil Nas X enough, he’s now a cat dad since he adopted two kittens: Desani and Zephard. Both look to be tabbies, one orange and one gray, and both are completely adorable.

Lil Nas X is expanding his family.

The “That’s What I Want” singer, 23, announced he adopted two cats on social media by sharing photos of their adorable photo shoot and tweeting, “i’m not their step father, im the father who stepped up!”

In the photos, the two-time Grammy winner posed in a brown striped single-breasted blazer with matching trousers from Moschino’s pre-fall 2023 collection and accessorized the look with a large brown striped turban. The two cats were also dressed in matching brown outfits with large white lace collars.

The rapper holds up the cats in various images, showing them to the camera, and even shared a shot of one of the cats placing a paw on his nose and scratching him — with his reaction afterward. He teased the photo on Instagram, writing, “swipe to watch one of my cats scratch tf out of my nose.”

The cats — named Desani and Zephard — have opposite colorings, with one having dark gray fur with tufts of orange, white and light gray and the other orange and white fur.

Lil Nas X also uploaded a cute closeup of the two felines napping in a car side-by-side on his Instagram Story, though he didn’t give any information on how he came across the felines and adopted them.

[From People]

I love that he did a cute little photo shoot with his children. Though I do wonder how long those little lace collars lasted before those two little cats tore them to shreds. Anyway, I’m glad Lil Nas X got cats! They’re great companions and I always feel terrible that they seem to be a lot harder to home and are adopted at a much lower rate than dogs. It’s also great that he got two so they can keep each other company when he’s traveling. Although, some cats do have the disposition for travel. My cat is pretty easygoing about new places and since the pandemic/remote work she prefers to travel with me rather than staying behind. Maybe these little guys will be the same. And it is definitely a lot easier to travel with pets when you have celeb resources. Lil Nas X expressed some lukewarm views on cats in the past, but it appears he’s changed and I think he’ll be a great pet parent.

i’m not their step father, im@the father who stepped up! pic.twitter.com/eEnidj8NBW

— i am reading all that (@LilNasX) February 16, 2023

until you become a mother like me you’ll never understand

— i am reading all that (@LilNasX) February 16, 2023

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Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski have an interesting interview in Wired to promote John Wick 4, which opens in March. I love Keanu and Chad’s story because Chad was Keanu’s stunt double for The Matrix and then went on to direct Keanu in the John Wick series. I learned about them when Chad, who was also Brandon Lee’s stunt double, said he did the John Wick gun blasts in post-production for safety’s sake. And while they lean heavily on special effects for gunfire, Keanu and Chad are not that wild about AI taking over. Keanu is fine working with it, but not letting AI dictate how a scene or script will look. He also doesn’t want to be surprised by what is done with his image in post-production, so much so that he had a clause put into his contract that says they can’t manipulate his image without his consent.

He has final say over his image: I don’t mind if someone takes a blink out during an edit. But early on, in the early 2000s, or it might have been the ’90s, I had a performance changed. [He won’t say which.] They added a tear to my face, and I was just like, “Huh?!” It was like, I don’t even have to be here.

Why deepfake scares him: What’s frustrating about that is you lose your agency. When you give a performance in a film, you know you’re going to be edited, but you’re participating in that. If you go into deepfake land, it has none of your points of view. That’s scary. It’s going to be interesting to see how humans deal with these technologies. They’re having such cultural, sociological impacts, and the species is being studied. There’s so much “data” on behaviors now. Technologies are finding places in our education, in our medicine, in our entertainment, in our politics, and how we war and how we work.

AI can be used in conjunction with art: Which is cool, because that’s what artists do, right? We take our influences and we synthesize them. But what’s the intention behind that synthesis?

On being the internet’s boyfriend: It’s nice when it’s nice, but I’m sure it’s super horrible when it’s horrible.

People made mods to have sex with his character in Cyberpunk 2077: Getting it on with Johnny Silverhand?! I hope it was good. I’m sure Johnny tried hard.

He doesn’t have a favorite Keanu meme: I don’t seek them out. Once in a while people show ’em to me when they’re fun.

[From Wired]

It’s interesting to hear subjects from different perspectives. My husband who teaches with much of this technology is fascinated by deepfakes and AI. But nobody is threatening to put his face in a performance he didn’t turn in. Actors make choices with their performances along with following a director’s orders. I understand why an unscripted tear would upset Keanu. It breaks the unspoken contract. To add an element like that would be like someone painting a dog into a portrait without the artist knowing until the unveiling. It’s a fascinating feature if you’re involved. But having a little cyber-Keanu being manipulated by someone else would be scary as all get out. Just look what they’re doing with poor Johnny Silverhand.

I like Keanu’s point about the intent behind the synthesis. This is where I fall on AI as well. It’s a tool and can be a valuable one. But why it’s being used and who is using it are important details to using it. Keanu and Chad talk a lot more about AI through the interview and how it could take over. The interviewer seems a little more worried than Keanu or Chad, but they recognize it’s getting good enough that their work will get manipulated. I think it’s smart for people like Keanu to be embrace that the technology is here but to remain skeptical enough to keep an eye on it.

Photo credit: Yuri Murakami/Fotoarena/Avalon and Cover Images

Rest in peace, Richard Belzer. Det. Munch has passed away at the age of 78. [Dlisted]
Review of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. [Pajiba]
The latest dumbf–kery from Elon Musk. [Buzzfeed]
Rebel Wilson is engaged! [Seriously OMG]
Will fans of the book enjoy Amazon’s Daisy Jones and the Six? [LaineyGossip]
I really love that Drag Race is an international franchise. [OMG Blog]
Tadashi Shoji’s collection looks so… mall style. [Go Fug Yourself]
How did I completely miss this awful look on Maya Rudolph? [RCFA]
Mariska Hargitay’s statement on the death of her friend Richard Belzer. [Just Jared]
Don Lemon is a huge sexist, right? [Jezebel]
Demi Lovato did a single for the new Scream movie. [Egotastic]
A preview of Netflix’s Next in Fashion. [Starcasm]
President Jimmy Carter is receiving hospice care. [Towleroad]

Richard Belzer was one of the most kindest and welcoming actors when I guested on two episodes of Law and Order: SVU. His passing is truly a loss for Hollywood and I will miss him dearly. RIP Richard Belzer. pic.twitter.com/oI4PzLr04I

— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) February 19, 2023

It’s pretty late in the awards season for so many categories to be so unsettled. Most people believed that the Best Actress race would be the biggest question mark, but Cate Blanchett keeps picking up all of these awards for Tar. Is there a consensus on Best Picture or Best Director? I don’t think so, although the Directors Guild Awards seemed to clarify some things. The DGAs were also held this weekend in LA. The big winners: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, directors of Everything Everywhere All at Once. But… most of the talk at the event was about Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans and Top Gun: Maverick. I could totally see the Daniels feeling like the consensus pick for the directing Oscar, but then Spielberg ends up picking up his millionth Oscar. I really don’t know!

So, I’m including some photos from the DGAs. Lots of celebrities avoided the trip to London for the BAFTAs and just went to the DGAs. I’m including photos of Michelle Williams, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Bateman (and his wife Amanda), James Marsden, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, Anna Kendrick, Christina Ricci and the Daniels. It wasn’t a huge night for fashion – Michelle’s dress is meh (that is one sad peplum) and I thought Anna and Christina looked the most pulled-together.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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Selena Gomez must get body-shamed a lot because she seems to feel that she constantly has to justify and explain her weight/appearance, which really sucks. She recently posted a TikTok where she talked about how her medication causes her to gain weight and retain water weight. Alongside her explanation, Selena had an encouraging message for fans that they shouldn’t feel shame about their bodies, but rather feel healthy and take care of themselves.

Selena Gomez is opening up about how lupus medication affects her body.

In a clip from a recent TikTok livestream that’s since been shared on Twitter, the 30-year-old singer and actress told fans that her taking the medication often causes her to gain weight and vice versa.

“[When I’m taking it, I] tend to hold a lot of water weight, and that happens very normally. When I’m off of it, I tend to lose weight,” said Gomez on the video-sharing platform. “I just wanted to say and encourage anyone out there who feels any sort of shame for exactly what they’re going through, and no one knows the real story.”

The Only Murders in the Building star continued, “I just want people to know that you’re beautiful, and you’re wonderful. Yeah, we have days where maybe we feel like s—, but I would rather be healthy and take care of myself. My medications are important, and I believe that they’re what helps me.”

Gomez then spoke further about her experience with body image. “Not a model, never will be. And I think they’re awesome, mind you. I’m just definitely not that,” she added. “I just wanted to tell you I love you guys, and thanks for supporting me and understanding. And if not, go away, ’cause honestly I don’t believe in shaming people for [their bodies] or anything.”

[From People]

Selena definitely gets unfair body-shaming criticism like many female celebrities do, and she clearly feels very self-conscious about it because she gives it a lot of oxygen when she makes videos like this. It sucks that she’s being criticized and made to feel bad about normal body fluctuations. But while Selena has an explanation for it — the medication she takes for her lupus or bipolar disorder — weight gain/loss/fluctuations are completely normal and that’s where I feel her message is a little bit off. Yes, her medications are important and necessary and help her physically and emotionally and that goes with her whole “My Mind & Me” messaging, but the whole “I gained weight because of my meds, thanks for understanding” just irks a bit. Her holiday indulgence comment last month was better. She doesn’t have to justify or explain her weight gain at all, but I think the message should just be a blanket “don’t body shame people or talk about their weights at all.” I think that would be the kinder message, and isn’t her whole thing about being kind?

Selena Gomez opens up about weight gain side effects from her Lupus medication on TikTok Live due to body-shaming comments.

pic.twitter.com/1LbdrOJTam

— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 16, 2023

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Whenever there’s a big royal event, the Windsors ask Adele to sing. She always refuses them. I think she’s something of a low-key republican, especially as she gets older and especially as she lives full-time in America now. But Ed Sheeran? He seems somewhat cozy with the Windsors, and last year, he performed at the Jubbly concert. Well, apparently Ed and Adele were both asked to perform at King Charles’s coronation concert. They both turned him down. Hilarious.

King Charles’s Coronation concert has been dealt a huge blow after both Adele and Ed Sheeran turned down invitations to take part. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the pair were asked to perform after the monarch discussed with organisers his hopes that they would appear. But both Sheeran and Adele have said they were busy and unable to play at the Windsor Castle event on May 7, the day after the King is crowned at Westminster Abbey.

A source involved with the project said: ‘The King has suggested a number of people he would like to perform and Adele and Ed were on that list. He was very keen that they were part of the concert. There is a team set up to get the talent signed up so they approached the two of them, but got replies saying that they were unavailable, which was a massive disappointment. They are titans of the showbiz industry and are quintessentially British but also known across the globe. It’s such a shame.’

Shape Of You star Sheeran, 32, is scheduled to appear at a show in Texas the day before the Coronation gig. While this would make it difficult for him to get to the Windsor show, insiders say it would be possible to make the nine-hour journey in time by private jet. He has previously used this method of transport.

Sheeran closed the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant last June with his hit Perfect, which was chosen as a tribute to the then monarch and her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Adele, 34, has nothing publicly listed for May 7 – or, indeed, after March 25 when her Las Vegas residency concerts come to an end. It is not yet known if Harry Styles will be part of the line-up, although it is understood the King wants him to take part. Meanwhile, Lionel Richie is close to agreeing, as are the Spice Girls, although the organisers have yet to confirm whether Victoria Beckham will appear. She has vowed never to sing in public again after suffering years of ridicule over her voice.

[From The Daily Mail]

Oof, the Mail is looking through Adele’s schedule and trying to determine what diary constraints she might have – because they don’t want to admit that Adele simply doesn’t want to sing at the Chubbly. Sheeran at least has an okay excuse, although it’s funny that the Mail is like “well, he should fly to London by private jet because the king demands it!” These people are not at Charles’s beck and call, for the love of God. I hope Harry Styles turns them down too, but who knows. I don’t have a good enough read on Styles to say whether he would participate in this mess.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Lily James is a British actress who plays Americans so well you can’t really tell where she’s from. Like if you told me she was American and just really good at accents I would believe you. There’s something so carefree about her that she gives an American, specifically Californian, vibe. She was at the BAFTAs in a cool looking white Tamara Ralph gown with a cage bodice made of pearls. I’ve seen so many gowns at this point in my career that I’m impressed with a novel detail that isn’t horribly fug. This dress doesn’t need the giant bow at the back, that’s too much, but the split neckline with the nautical cage is theatrical and awesome. Props to the designer. It also fits her like a glove. She looks great with dark hair too.

Julianne Moore was in a black strapless Saint Laurent gown with a white feather shrug. I follow her on Instagram and she posted on her stories that she had her hair done but did her own makeup with Hourglass cosmetics! She’s a brand ambassador. I checked and that’s way out of my price range but she looks amazing. I also like this take on the black and white trend. It’s much better than a white dress with black gloves for instance. Her jewelry is Bvlgari! She’s 62 and I’ll have what she’s having.

Nominee Jamie Lee Curtis was also in Saint Laurent, and she’s having fun this awards season. I hope she ups her style at the Oscars. This looks like someone threw a velvet jacket over a white dress as an afterthought. At least make it fitted.

Hong Chau was also nominated in Curtis’s category, Best Supporting Actress (that went to Kerry Condon). She did the black and white trend expertly in this incredible Erdem gown with one of the coolest prints I’ve ever seen. I’m assuming that’s digitally printed and I love how it merges thin geometric lines with large floral details. This is a thoughtful cool looking gown that’s a work of art.

Hayley Atwell was a miss for me in Cong Tri. Maybe this would work without the threaded top. It’s like some junior designers had a brainstorming session for new ideas. “What if we took tassel trim and made a shirt out of it?”

Photos credit: Julie Edwards/Avalon

Michelle Yeoh didn’t win a BAFTA, because Cate Blanchett keeps picking up all of the Best Actress awards. While I loved Tar, it would have been nice to see Yeoh pick up some awards too. In any case, we’ve entered the phase of the awards season where women are grabbing tuxedos and suits because they don’t want to wear one more f–king piece of shapewear. Yeoh wore this fantastic Dior suit to the BAFTAs, which was taken to the next level by Michelle’s insane drip, as the youths would say. Look at her incredible jewelry – her rings, her bracelet, her earrings. She borrowed pieces from Moussaieff – a natural Burma pink sapphire ring, diamond earrings and a pink sapphire and diamond bangle.

Danielle Deadwyler was snubbed for an Oscar nomination, but she came out to the BAFTAs looking amazing in this rich-looking Armani. Stunning.

Carey Mulligan in Dior. I get that Carey is a “real actress” and not a fashionista, but jeez, this is such a snooze. Maybe Dior gave their best look to Yeoh.

Emma Thompson in a white suit and sneakers. She looks like a gangster (compliment).

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.