This year’s Oscars were a tipping point, it felt like. They were also incredibly boring and incredibly white. As soon as the 2015 Oscar nominations came out, #OscarsSoWhite began trending, mostly because there were notably snubs for Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo. For a month, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs (an African-American woman) had to defend the mostly white, mostly old, mostly male Academy members’ conservative tastes, to little avail.

Well, now Isaacs has released the list of new Academy members, and she seems to be trying to bring in some new demographics. Inch by inch, Ms. Isaacs. This year’s Academy invitees (as in, they are invited to join the Academy voter rolls) include a historic 322 new names. They’ve never invited so many new people all at once! And there are more people of color, more younger people and more women. Some highlighted names:

Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Kevin Hart, David Oyelowo, Common, Morten Tyldum, Emma Stone, Sergio Mendes, Elizabeth Banks, John Legend, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Rick Famuyiwa, Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Redmayne, J.K. Simmons, Martin Freeman, Heather Graham, Trent Reznor, Dev Patel, Chris Pine, Damien Chazelle, Daniel Radcliffe and Jason Segel.

The Wrap says that the Academy used to try to keep their membership around 6,000, but in 2013 they changed the rules to bring in some new blood and ever since, the Academy has been adding more and more people and now the membership is around 7,000. The percentage of women in the Academy hovers around 25-30%, with last year’s membership being on the low end (25%).

Also… TOM HARDY. God, I need him to become a member of the Academy of My Pants. I also love that the Academy invited Martin Freeman and Benedict at the same time. The Academy is all, “Alan Turing what? You’ll always be Holmes & Watson to us.”

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Kate Hudson and her brother, actor Oliver (Nashville, Rules of Engagement), were raised by their mother, Goldie Hawn, and Goldie’s longterm partner, Kurt Russell. Kate and Oliver’s biological father, Bill Hudson, was out of the picture early in their lives. Bill was married to Goldie from 1976 to 1980 and has repeatedly told the press that Goldie cheated on him, that she cut him out of their children’s lives, and that Goldie replaced him as a father figure with Kurt.

In fact Bill came out with a tell-all book about Goldie and his kids in 2011. During the press tour healso trashed Kate. Despite being estranged from his daughter for decades Bill claimed that “Kate was married to Chris Robinson and then divorced him to be with Owen Wilson.” I mean the timeline fits, but it’s unclear if that’s what happened exactly, or how Bill would know when he never talks to his kids anyway.

On Father’s Day Oliver, 38, tweeted the following message to his sister about their absentee bio dad.

Happy abandonment day… @katehudson

A photo posted by Oliver Hudson (@theoliverhudson) on Jun 21, 2015 at 6:18pm PDT

First of all, OMG they were cute kids! Next, I only know Oliver from Nashville, where he plays a manipulative fast-talking douchebag, so I have a hard time seeing him otherwise. I’ll just say there must be a lot of hurt and pain behind a famous person so publicly calling out their bio dad. Now that Bill Hudson has reacted, though, I really get it. Bill told The Daily Mail that Goldie “poisoned” the kids against him and that he had no chance to be in their lives once she made up her mind. He also said outright that he never wants to see them again.

In a searingly raw interview with The Mail on Sunday last night, Bill, veering between tears of sadness and flashes of anger, vowed to ‘break all ties’ with his eldest children.

‘I say to them now, ‘“I set you free,” he pronounced, his voice breaking. ‘I had five birth children but I now consider myself a father of three. I no longer recognise Oliver and Kate as my own.

‘I would ask them to stop using the Hudson name. They are no longer a part of my life. Oliver’s Instagram post was a malicious, vicious, premeditated attack. He is dead to me now. As is Kate. I am mourning their loss even though they are still walking this earth.’

‘When we split up, she never had a bad word to say about me,’ he says. ‘But when Kurt came on the scene, the narrative changed and I became the big, bad wolf. I would say to her “Goldie, why are you trashing me and saying I’m an absent father when it’s simply not the case?” and she’d laugh and go “Oh Bill, you know it makes for a better story”.’

Eventually, Bill says, the fiction became fact as first Kate, now 36, and then Oliver, 38, ‘drifted away’ from him and rejected his repeated pleas to remain part of their lives. He lays the blame at Goldie’s door. I believe the drip, drip, drip of poison which started when they were kids finally took hold,’ he says. ‘Goldie wanted to create this myth of a perfect family with Kurt and she wanted me out…

[Oliver’s post] ‘was like a dagger to the heart,’ says Bill as he sits in the sun-dappled courtyard of a hotel near his ranch home in Malibu, California. ‘It’s time for the truth to come out.’

He says Goldie used her increasing fame and financial superiority to ‘freeze’ him out.

‘I call it parental alienation. We had a custody arrangement but Goldie constantly flouted it. I’d turn up to see the kids and would discover Goldie had taken them on the private jet to her home in Colorado.

‘She gave interviews about her “wonderful” relationship with Kurt and how the kids called him “Pa”. She described me as an absent father. I’d call her and go “Goldie, how can you say that?” but she’d just reply:
“It’s a better story.” ‘

As Kate’s fame grew she, too, accused her father of being an absentee dad: ‘There was never a birthday card,’ she complained, to which Bill responds: ‘Rubbish! I sent birthday cards every year.

‘I ring her up every birthday, still do. The same with Oliver. I bumped into Oliver fairly recently in a supermarket in Malibu and he gave me a hug. I always thought Oliver could be the peacemaker, that somehow he would help bring our fractured family back together…’

Then, angrily, he adds: ‘She wants to be Kurt’s daughter? Well then, take his name, stop using mine…

‘If what he wanted was me out of their lives, then he’s succeeded. I don’t want to see either of my eldest children ever again. It’s over.’

[From The Daily Mail]

It’s hard for me to take this guy at his word when he says such nasty things about his children. He basically said they’re dead to him and that he never wants to see them ever again. Maybe this is twisted logic, but that kind of shows me that even if he’s telling the truth about Goldie cutting him out of Kate and Oliver’s lives, she may have had good reason.

Here are the posts that Kate and Oliver put up for the man who raised them, Kurt Russell. Have you ever heard Kurt Russell trashing anyone like this? Of course not.

Happy Father’s Day Pa… ???? #neworleans #felixs

A photo posted by Oliver Hudson (@theoliverhudson) on Jun 24, 2015 at 1:19pm PDT

Pa, just simply….. Thank you ???? Happy Fathers Day I love you to the moon and back. ? #HappyFathersDay

A photo posted by Kate Hudson (@katehudson) on Jun 21, 2015 at 9:40am PDT

View image | gettyimages.com

Photo credit: WENN.com, Getty Images

Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her 9-year-old son Moses met with Grammy Award-winning singer Taylor Swift.

“#taylorswift thanks for giving me and my little man our best date night ever. #hydepark ??,” Paltrow Instagrammed the image Monday.

The mother-son duo watched Swift perform at London’s Hyde Park on Saturday (June 27).

On Father’s Day, the actress, 42, shared a shot of ex-husband Chris Martin and their 11-year-old daughter Apple.

“Nothing like father/daughter love,” Paltrow captioned the image. “Happy Father’s Day to you, CAJM. Here is to all the engaged and present fathers, you create a backbone for society. We honor you all today.”

#taylorswift thanks for giving me and my little man our best date night ever. #hydepark ??

A photo posted by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow) on Jun 29, 2015 at 2:13am PDT

You might be tired of Taylor Swift’s friend-collecting but she’s not tired of showing you how many more friends she’s collected.

Taylor performed in London this weekend. And once again she had her model crew with her: Cara Delevingne, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, her best friend K…      

Here are some photos of Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm at Saturday’s LA premiere of Minions, the Despicable Me spin-off movie featuring a Minions-driven storyline. Sandy wore this Roksanda Illincic dress in black and yellow – the colors of the Minions – and she wore these absolutely AMAZING Minions-themed pumps by Rupert Sanderson. They are literally Minion-heels.

Sandy voices the character of Scarlet Overkill, the new villain in the Minions’ world. She basically admits that she agreed to voice the villain character because of her son, saying: “I wanted to do something that he could see, that I was in.” She also told the BBC that she loves that she’s voicing a villain because “As an actor, being a villain is a great thing. Everyone wants to be able to do that. And we’re human beings – we’re crabby – so to be able to be mean the entire time you’re working? It’s a great release.” Here are some additional quotes from Sandra on the red carpet:

A Minion state of mind: “I’m always in a Minion state of mind. It’s impossible for people to understand me. I’m constantly making odd sounds and things are always a disaster where I am. But somehow, I always get out alive. I’m basically a Minion.”

She’s a bitchy villain: “It’s a job I’m very proud to step up into. I think it’s appropriate. I am a bit of a bitchy villain. And I think it’s appropriate I was typecast. It’s perfect.”

She’s a funny villain: “They don’t write villain roles for women. But in this I was able to do the funny villain. And that made me feel really good. And Scarlet Overkill has a good reason to be like she is. It’s good to have a good reason.”

[From USA Today]

Super-cute. And no, no one believes that Sandy is secretly a bitchy villain in real life. She’s America’s Sweetheart! She really is, more than anyone else these days. Julia Roberts? Not so much. Jennifer Aniston? Eh. Sandy is the Sweetheart.

PS… I wouldn’t mind seeing Hamm and Bullock play opposite each other in a rom-com, you know? Their coloring is a little brother-sister, but I bet they would have chemistry together.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

After recently announcing her second pregnancy, Bristol Palin took to her blog Sunday, with a strong message to her critics.

“I made a mistake, but it’s not the mistake all these giddy a$$holes have loved to assume,” she wrote. “This pregnancy was actually planned. Everyone knows I wanted more kids, to have a bigger family. Believing I was heading that way, I got ahead of myself. Things didn’t go as planned, but life keeps going. Life moves on.”

The 24-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin was scheduled to marry Dakota Meyer over Memorial Day weekend, but the pair called off their wedding the week before.

“I do not regret this baby,” Bristol continued. “This baby is not a disappointment, and I cannot wait to be a mom times two. Tripp is going to make the best big brother!!”

“I’m not 17 anymore, I am 24,” she wrote. “I’ve been employed at the same doctor’s office for over six years now; I own a home; I have a well-rounded, beautiful son. When I realized I was pregnant, I knew I would be completely crucified. But I never even thought of aborting this child, NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCE. (Sorry to the ghouls at Gawker, who said this baby is an argument FOR abortion. Not happening.).”

Bristol ended her post by proudly saying she is pro-life.

“I am pregnant. This is not the ideal situation, but life is important even if it’s not in the most absolute ideal circumstance,” she said. “This is more confirmation on what I’ve always stood for. I’ve always been pro-life and I am standing for life now. Deal with it.”

In her initial post on June 25, the Dancing with the Stars alum wrote, “I’ve been trying my hardest to keep my chin up on this one. I know this has been, and will be, a huge disappointment to my family.”

“10 years from now we’ll still be on top”

Well it’s been 20. And Puff Daddy’s almost a billionaire, with a net worth of $735 million, making him the richest man in hip-hop, ahead of Dr Dre. (Source) Which is apparently why the athletics department at UCLA recruited his son. It’s all about the…      

We’re less than a week away from the christening of HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. I keep forgetting that William and Kate aren’t going to do the christening in London, which is where Prince George was christened. Charlotte is going to make her second public outing at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, which is close to Anmer Hall. It’s interesting to me that Will and Kate still insist on being full-time in Norfolk, even though they’ll drop everything to go to London to meet Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Charlotte will be christened on Sunday, and royal-watchers are expecting this to be the first time we see the full Cambridge family together, because Will and Kate are apparently going to bring Prince George out too. Kate’s family – Carole, Michael, Pippa and James – are expected to come out, as well as William’s dad Charles, the Queen and Prince Phillip. Prince Harry will not be in attendance because he’s already left for his African summer. Hopefully, we’ll have photos of everyone because the “paddock” next to the chapel is going to open to the public. A spokesperson for Will and Kate said that they are “delighted” that the public will get to see their children.

Which brings me to something interesting – I mentioned this in the royals-post on Friday, but it’s worth discussing again. PopSugar and some American sites bought the paparazzi photos of Carole Middleton out in Berkshire with Prince George. No British site or paper bought the photos – there was an “informal” embargo in the British press about the pics. Because, you see, even though most people are pretty sure that Carole Middleton arranged to be photographed with her grandson, William still throws massive tantrums about his children being photographed. Unless the Middletons arrange it, I guess.

Speaking of William… he apparently told a polo player that he’s already planning for Prince George’s future in polo.

Just last week the MoS reported that Prince George may have inherited his father’s left handedness after he was pictured playing with a polo mallet. And now I can reveal that Prince William has already lined up George’s future polo instructor. But just like his father, he will have to abandon his favoured left side.

The Duke has apparently had a chat with England polo player Jamie Morrison, to ask him to teach the little prince the sport once he’s old enough. Jamie – who runs the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club – has been a friend of Prince William’s for many years and sources say The Duke of Cambridge had an informal chat with Jamie a few weeks ago about George’s polo education.

‘Obviously George is far too young to be learning polo yet,’ said a source. ‘It won’t be for quite a few years, but George will have to learn to play with his right hand, as you can’t play polo with your left.’

[From Daily Mail]

I don’t find the polo stuff interesting at all – I mean, George is a prince, of course he’s going to play polo. It’s a non-issue. It’s like saying Charlotte is going to be into hats and eyeliner. It’s in their blood. What I do find interesting is that left-handed-ness seems to run in the royal family. It’s kind of cool! King George VI was a lefty who was “trained” (cruelly) to be a righty. William is a southpaw and now it seems like his son is too. I think the Queen and Prince Charles are righties.

EXCLUSIVE: Prince George spends a sweet day with his Grandma Carole! http://t.co/6wvPgTbuxV pic.twitter.com/KwdaqFsRBI

— POPSUGAR (@POPSUGAR) June 24, 2015

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here’s a hodge-podge of photos from the past few days of the Glastonbury festival. We’re starting off with Aaron and Sam Taylor Johnson, they of the May-December romance. He’s 25, she’s 48. He’s got goat scruff, she’s got pink hair. They both have wellies and love. Anyway, I’m sort of happy to see that some people still have some mixed feelings about this pairing, as evidenced by the comments on Friday’s post about Aaron’s Flaunt cover profile. It’s not that I am disbelieving in their love – I actually believe they love each other very much. But I wish they would find a better way of NOT reminding us that she seduced an impressionable 18-year-old and got pregnant in a hurry to further tie herself to him. Also: the pink hair just screams “Let’s please pretend I’m in my 20s!!!”

More photos from Glastonbury… ADELE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve missed her so much. She’s really good at disappearing, isn’t she? Adele was there with her husband (?) Simon. Adele keeps promising a new album, hopefully this is the year it happens. I like her hair that length, but I wish she would go back to bright red.

Here’s Alexa Chung – I didn’t see any photos of Alexander Skarsgard (HER BOYFRIEND) so I kind of think he didn’t come out to Glastonbury. Sad face. But, I’ll give her this: this is easily the best she’s ever looked. And everyone should wear wellies at Glastonbury.

Suki Waterhouse makes me think that Glastonbury is just a posher, muddier Coachella. Suki looks like she’s aping Vanessa Hudgens’ style.

Matt Smith and Lily James. Wait, did we know that they’re a couple? I think I knew and forgot because she’s kind of dumb.

Cressida Bonas in wellies and playsuit. Sure. How does one use the port-o-potty when one is drunk off one’s ass and wearing a romper?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

Kara! Happy Birthday with love from Lynn! From Seattle to Bangkok to NYC…and a bond that began over Twilight. We’ll see if you we can throw in some Twi-Hard crazy for you later today. For now, by request, here are Channing Tatum and Hugh Jackman.

“To our cool cool cool resident (non-flaily) d…