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Trigger warning for this story

This ^^ is Bryan Fuller, the showrunner, writer and executive producer for Hannibal, the critically acclaimed (but not crazy-popular) NBC show based on the books of Thomas Harris (Harris created Hannibal Lector, Will Graham, etc). Fuller is said to be a good guy doing good work on a well-done network show (all of which are rarities these days). As it turns out, Fuller also has some pretty strong opinions about portrayals of rape and sexual assault in the medium of television. Fuller sat down with Entertainment Weekly to give a preview of Hannibal’s Season 3, and he ended up discussing why his show wouldn’t be portraying a certain fictional character’s most depraved acts (the rape of nearly dead or completely dead women). Fuller also ended up discussing the rape of Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones. You can read the full EW piece here, and here are the relevant comments (some SPOILERS for Game of Thrones).

Why he’s bothered by the portrayal of rape on other TV shows: “There are frequent examples of exploiting rape as low-hanging fruit to have a canvas of upset for the audience. The reason the rape well is so frequently used is because it’s a horrible thing that is real and that it happens. But because it’s so overexploited, it becomes callous. That’s something I can’t derive entertainment from as an audience member – and I’m the first person in the audience for Hannibal. My role, as a showrunner, is to want to watch the show we’re creating. And if something feels exploitative or unnecessary, I’ll try to avoid it.

Throws some shade on crime procedurals: “A character gets raped” is a very easy story to pitch for a drama. And it comes with a stable of tropes that are infrequently elevated dramatically, or emotionally. I find that it’s not necessarily thought through in the more common crime procedurals. You’re reduced to using shorthand, and I don’t think there can be a shorthand for that violation— it’s an incredibly personal and intimate betrayal of something that should be so positive and healthy. And it’s frequently so thinly explored because you don’t have the real estate in 42 minutes to dig deep into what it is to be a victim of rape. It appears over and over again in crime procedurals without upping the ante and without exploring everything that happens. All of the structural elements of how we tell stories on crime procedurals narrow the bandwidth for the efficacy of exploring what it is to go through that experience. And I’m saying this as somebody who can derive immense entertainment from cannibalism – there’s an irony to cannibalism that I find horrific and amusing. I can totally get behind cannibalism and have fun with it. But rape? Not so much.

The rape of Sansa Stark: “I thought it was handled tastefully, all things considered. You could have done that scene on broadcast. With Thrones, you’re telling a story based on a time where those sort of violations were common. And women did not have the stance in that world to effectively resist. And with Sansa Stark, and that particular attack, we know Ramsay Bolton as someone who is a horrible violator of all things human—what he did to Theon Greyjoy is part and parcel of his cruelty. So it felt organic to the world—not only what happened to Sansa, but Gilly. It feels like we’re in the Wild Wild West, and that’s part of how they’re choosing to explore the story. I see why they’ve made the choices they have in the stories they’ve told, so I can’t criticize them for using that tool.

Will Sansa overcome something? “In the case of Sansa Stark, it feels like they are building toward something for this woman to overcome, and some horrible lessons that she has to learn about the patriarchy that surrounds her—such as Littlefinger knowing what could happen to her and knowing it might force her into taking more drastic vengeance [against the Boltons] that could benefit him. If I was the showrunner of Game of Thrones would I make those choices? I have no idea. But in terms of me coming into a crime procedural story on Hannibal and seeing the things I don’t like about other crime procedurals, it’s easier for me to say I don’t want that aspect in the one I’m doing.

[From EW]

The points he makes about crime procedurals exploiting rape storylines are very interesting – I felt something similar when I decided to stop watching Law & Order: SVU. I watched that show for years and I genuinely enjoyed the stories for a while, but after a time, I started to go numb as a viewer. There was too little focus on telling the victim’s stories and yes, many of the “ripped from the headlines” stories felt extra exploitative. (Plus, I tapped out when they brought in Sharon Stone as The Drunk ADA for a character arc. She was AWFUL.)

As for Game of Thrones… as I’ve said, I have a wait-and-see approach with Sansa’s storyline. What’s happened to her thus far feels authentic within the GoT world, although CB reminded me that Jamie Lannister raping Cersei by the body of their dead son just felt… wrong. Inauthentic to the story, wrong for those two characters and unnecessarily exploitative generally speaking.

Photos courtesy of Getty, NBC/Hannibal, HBO/Game of Thrones and WENN.

Dear Gossips,

Winter is here… with Child White Walkers. OMG, Game Of Thrones, I thought #9 was when the crazy sh-t usually goes down…?! So how did you sleep last night? Because I went to bed reminiscing about how Joffrey seems so mild now compared to the juvenile delinquent members of the Dea…      

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Here is a photo of Prince William attending the FA Cup match in England over the weekend. He’s the president of the British Football Association, so attending the game actually counts as work for William. Will has actually stepped out several times following the birth of his second child – after being largely MIA for the first three months of the year, William seems to be trying to get his public-appearance numbers up, finally. Which brings up an interesting question, raised by one of the Daily Mail’s columnists: why didn’t William attend the State Opening of Parliament?

Few watching the Queen perform her duty at the State Opening of Parliament could fail to have been impressed by her dignity and stoicism. There she was in her 90th year, weighed down by the heavy Imperial State Crown and the burden of duty which she has carried without complaint her entire adult life. Prince Charles and Camilla were there to support the Queen, but one absence was noted: that of Prince William.

The Queen reportedly hoped her grandson would attend, not least because she considers the State Opening of Parliament to be the high point of her constitutional duties. Wouldn’t it, therefore, have been a wonderful tribute to his grandmother for William to have supported her on such an important day? What an emphatic symbol of the permanence of our monarchy, and the security of succession, it would have been to see the Queen backed up by both Charles and William.

Instead, Prince William was still enjoying his six-week paternity leave, helping wife Kate and bonding with their new daughter and young son. Which is all very well, but it’s not as if he can’t break away from Kate and the children for a few hours. After all, he’s off to watch his beloved Aston Villa play Arsenal in the FA Cup final at Wembley — where, as president of the Football Association, he will present the trophy to the winner. And he managed to find time this week to give a down-with-the-kids interview to Gary Lineker. Lineker asked William when he’d take Prince George to his first football match, and he replied: ‘I’ll have to pass that by the missus, see how I can get away with it.’ Oh dear, a new dad complete with estuary English.

The point is that William is a Prince and he should behave like one. He should stop modelling himself on David Beckham and start modelling himself on his grandmother. Above all, he should stop giving the impression that he is the most reluctant of royals, a prickly, pick-and-mix Prince who enjoys the trappings of royalty while shirking its duties.

Prince Charles first attended the State Opening when he was 20. William is nearly 33 and still hasn’t been. To see three generations of monarchs present and future at Westminster this week would have sent a powerful message to the nation — and, crucially, a loving one to his dear grandmother.

[From The Daily Mail]

Is this too harsh? I don’t think so, although I will allow for the idea that William didn’t attend because Prince Charles didn’t want him to, maybe. But if the Queen wanted William to attend, wouldn’t that supersede? One of the weirdest parts about covering William and Kate’s minimal public appearances is that they actually do get many of the fun assignments: they go to galas and premieres, they get to count football and tennis matches as royal events and their royal tours seem like half-vacations. They don’t seem “interested” in the boring stuff of royal work, the actual statesmanship and diplomacy and legacy-building for future generations. It would be great if William showed an interest. And yes, I do think William comes across as “the most reluctant of royals, a prickly, pick-and-mix Prince who enjoys the trappings of royalty while shirking its duties.” Word.

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Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty.

Late last week, Ian Somerhalder got into trouble with his fans. He and Nikki Reed were continuing their “steamy” honeymoon in Paris. Some fans gathered outside the hotel, and Ian decided he wouldn’t pose with them. Understandable. What’s funny is that Ian didn’t simply walk past the group. He stopped to lecture them, which took longer than if he simply posed for a few joint selfies. Ian said, “Hey guys, listen. Everybody stop. No no, listen. I love you guys, I’m not taking a single photo today. It’s MY day. Don’t follow us, please. I love you guys. You’re so good to us … Don’t follow us. It’s too much.” Then one of the fans started crying, perhaps because Ian’s awesomeness (or pretentiousness) affected her so much. Here’s the video from a Twitterer who labelled Ian as “Zac Efron” for some reason.

lol I just met @ZacEfron, he’s a d*ck. pic.twitter.com/OaYzeB1g6S

— ??zeusdaya (@VEGANSHADE20) May 28, 2015

Michael K. at DListed has offically declared May 28th to be International Ian Somerhalder Day. That’s amazing. I do see where Ian’s coming from. He simply wanted to be left alone, and no fan has a right to demand anything from a celebrity. The lecture did go overboard, especially since Ian and Nikki have both acted so thirsty since they got together. They publish romantic “human” wedding videos and share private moments on social media all the time. Now Ian’s behaving like he and Nikki must be the second coming of Brangelina, and their dual fame is so crippling.

Ian got the point and posted an apology to Instagram:

Looking at the world through my eyes and always trying to see it through yours. I see you. I see all of you and find great beauty in each set of eyes. Anyone who knows me understands that I spend a great deal of my life with our fans. Our audience. The people that make this show and ISF happen- all with hearts, minds bodies and souls. It blows my mind that a man who tried to love so much, a man asking for one day, just one day to have a quiet walk down the street is so upsetting to people. So much love to you all … Goodnight and thank you.

[From Ian Somerhalder on Instagram]

Well he tried to apologize and sounds sincere enough. The whole situation is still amusing. Ian still seems to believe he and Nikki are a power couple. The lecture was rude, but maybe next time Ian will leave out a back door if he truly craves privacy.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN

SPOILERS for last night’s episode of Game of Thrones, “Hardhome.”

There’s a problem with ending a GoT episode with twenty full minutes of insane, life-or-death drama, with packing so much horror/fantasy at such high costs into what was already a good episode full of worthy, dramatic moments: the viewer sort of forgets about everything else besides the high-drama. Even though what’s happening in Meereen is a worthy storyline, and even though we’re finally getting a major payoff on years of Cersei’s bitchery, it all seems mundane and unimportant after the events at Hardhome. So, here are some highlights.

Arya’s Training Continues. While everything in Westeros and Meereen seems to be moving very quickly, it seems like Arya’s story is moving at a glacial pace. It’s good to see her out of The House of Black & White and out in the Braavos world. She adopted the persona of Lana, an oyster lady. Jaqen H’ghar is going to get her to kill a gambling mafia type with poisoned oysters, I’m assuming. While I enjoyed this story, they need to speed it up!

Sansa & Reek. I liked that Sansa was waiting for Reek and that she seemed prepared to interrogate him. She got a new piece of information: her brothers Bran and Rickon are still alive (but where?!). Reek also told her that Ramsey had basically cut “pieces” off of him and Sansa was all, “Yep, you totally deserved that.” I like that she didn’t try to kill Reek with whatever weapon she stole from Ramsey. No, she should save that weapon for Ramsey.

Ramsey Wants to Fight Stannis. Ramsey and Roose are talking about their plans for the war with Stannis and Roose is all, “Stannis will never breach Winterfell, let’s just wait him out.” And Ramsey is all “Let’s be proactive!” So Ramsey wants 20 good men to go on what I’m assuming would be a guerrilla-style attack on Stannis and his troops.

Cersei in the jail cell. It kills me a little that she’s still so regal even after being in that jail cell for weeks (?). King Tommen isn’t taking his mother’s and his wife’s arrests too well – he’s not eating and he’s refusing to see visitors. Cersei’s uncle is coming back to King’s Landing to be The Hand of the King, and Uncle Kevin HATES Cersei. Cersei keeps getting whacked in the face with a spoon too. It was an emotional payoff, but I ended up feeling sorry for Cersei a little bit. Terrible, I know.

Jorah, Dany & Tyrion. Jorah & Tyrion standing before Queen Dany was a great scene, made better by Peter Dinklage’s superb acting all-around. Tyrion basically told Dany to spare Jorah’s life because even though Jorah didn’t follow Dany’s command, Jorah is loyal and he loves her and thus deserves to live. It was a moving scene made better by Iain Glenn’s dignified emotion. After that, Tyrion finally gets some wine (he’s been detoxing for weeks!!) and he and Dany make plans for the future. She quickly realizes his value as an advisor and Tyrion is… Tyrion. He’s at his best when he can talk to people, persuade people and find a way to tell people the truth (even if they don’t want to hear it). I feel like that scene was a preview of Varys coming back into the picture, right? Basically, I wouldn’t mind if they did an entire episode of Dany and Tyrion getting drunk together.

Hardhome. I really don’t have a lot to say about this other than the special effects were crazy, the action was insane and everything else in the GoT world just seems like fluff compared to what is happening and what will happen with the White Walkers. Kit Harington told EW that it took about a month to film 20 minutes of Hardhome and you could really tell that HBO spent some real money on those scenes. I’ve never really cared that much about Tormund (the big, ginger wildling), but he was great in this episode, as was Karsi (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen).

The Night’s King. The Night’s King is apparently the freak White Walker at the end, dressed in a fancy uniform, and able to raise the newly dead into silent zombies with a wave of his hand. Vanity Fair did an interesting breakdown of who the guy is and who he was. As in, he might be a former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Damn, bro. One question though: do the White Walkers not like water? Can they not swim? Because it seems like it would have been pretty easy for them to get to Jon Snow’s little boat.

On next week’s episode… Jamie in Dorne, Dany watching the fights and Jon Snow returns to the Wall with the Wildlings.

Photos courtesy of HBO/Game of Thrones.

Last week, we heard that Kelly Rutherford of Gossip Girl had been awarded temporary sole custody of her two children, who have lived in Monaco for three years with their German father, Daniel Giersch. Rutherford was given custody of son Hermes, 8, and daughter Helena, 5, until a hearing in California on June 15. Rutherford filed an emergency motion which resulted in the ruling after she was blocked by Giersch from returning to the US with the children. Giersch and his lawyer requested that Rutherford hand over the children’s US passports before the visit, as is said to be specified in the custody agreement. Rutherford refused to do this and got the ball rolling to get custody. She’s been fighting for more custody rights since 2012, and has used the press to try to further her case. Giersch has been relatively quiet until this latest incident.

After the ruling, People Magazine ran a very pro-Rutherford story analyzing her legal options and speculating on what the court might do if Giersch refused to let the children go with their mother, in violation of the court order. Rutherford’s friend, legal analyst Dan Abrams, was positive about her chances of regaining primary physical custody if Giersch decided to violate the court order. It seemed like Rutherford was hoping for this to happen so that she could turn the tables on Giersch.

Now that Giersch’s side has had time to respond, the court order granting Rutherford temporary custody was halted by a different LA county judge, Maren E. Nelson. (Nelson is not the original judge who granted Giersch custody.) Giersch’s side claims that Monaco now has jurisdiction over the case, and that Rutherford’s side misrepresented her rights when they obtained the temporary custody ruling.

A court order that granted actress Kelly Rutherford temporary custody of her children to allow her to bring them back to Los Angeles from Monaco was halted Thursday.

Judge Maren E. Nelson, who presides over family law courts in Los Angeles, halted a ruling by another judge who expressed concerns that Rutherford’s former husband violated terms of a 2013 custody order that allowed the children to live abroad.

Rutherford… has accused ex-husband Daniel Giersch of preventing her from seeing their children, which he denies. A summary of a hearing where Rutherford got custody last week didn’t specify how Giersch may have violated the 2013 order.

His lawyer, Fahi Takesh Hallin, filed documents showing that a Monaco court now has jurisdiction over the children and claimed that Rutherford “made fraudulent statements, and lied and made misrepresentations by omission” to gain temporary custody…

Nelson’s ruling prevents Rutherford from taking custody of her son and daughter until after judges in Monaco and Los Angeles confer about the case. That conversation is scheduled to take place June 11.

The way the case proceeds will be governed by rules that take effect when parents involved in a custody dispute live in different states or countries, said Steven Mindel, a Los Angeles divorce attorney who is not affiliated with the case.

Conferences between judges in two countries on custody issues are rare but occur once or twice a year, Mindel said. He said the California court may relinquish jurisdiction over the case since Rutherford has moved to New York and Giersch lives in Monaco…

Rutherford also has accused her ex-husband of trying to have a Monaco court change their citizenship. Giersch’s filing states that the Monaco court does not have the authority to do that, and no request to alter the children’s dual U.S.-German citizenship has been made.

[From Associated Press/Yahoo]

Thank you to those of you who commented with the PDF/Image file of Rutherford and Giersch’s original 2012 custody ruling. The ruling confirms that Rutherford’s lawyer got Giersch deported and that the judge heavily based her decision on this. The ruling also includes stipulations as to what a potential outcome might be if the jurisdiction of the case was taken over by a foreign court, namely France. (That’s on page 24-25 of the original document.) The judge basically states that if France was to take over the case she trusts that their court would uphold the rights of both parents. Maybe some of our legal experts can better explain this.

Regardless, Rutherford seems to have fudged the facts to obtain temporary custody, and we’ll find out on June 11, after both sides confer, what the outcome will be. She could have avoided all this and taken the children with her for the summer if she would have handed over their passports. This wasn’t about getting the children to come visit for the summer, it was about getting custody back permanently.

Header image is from 2007. Images of Giersch are from 2009. Rutherford is shown with Hermes in 2013. Credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet

Well, it happened. I’m actually surprised that all of those Keeping Up with the Kardashians plot lines were actually leading to something major this season. In a teaser for next week’s episode of KUWTK, Kim Kardashian confirmed her second pregnancy. Kim and Kanye are expecting again, after months (like, a year!) of fertility drama. Allegedly, Kim had undergone at least one surgery (I think she had two or three), plus fertility treatments and maybe even IVF.

Congrats! @KimKardashian reveals she’s pregnant with baby number two: http://t.co/DweUvDdkh5 #KUWTK pic.twitter.com/0YfSwqRL86

— Kardashians on E! (@KUWTK) June 1, 2015

You can see Kim tell Khloe “I just got the blood test back, and I am pregnant!” on the KUWTK promo here. I think it’s sort of sweet that Khloe was the first to hear the news, presumably after Kim told Kanye? We’ll have to tune in to find out, which is how they get you.

In any case, congrats to Kim and Kanye. For what it’s worth, I really do think they enjoy being parents and North is flat-out adored. I never believed the tabloid rumors that Kanye was “demanding” a son either – I think Kim and Yeezus will be perfectly happy if they get another girl this time around. My assumption is this announcement is probably coming out as Kim finishes out her first trimester too, but that’s just a guess.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Nicki Minaj covers the July issue of Cosmo to promote The Pinkprint and her tour. The shoot is typical Cosmo cheesecake. Nicki could have pulled these clothes out of her own wardrobe, so she’s an ideal cover girl for the mag. Nicki talks a little about her breakup with Safaree Samuels and how it influenced this album, which the critics say is “miles ahead in maturity“ than her previous music.

Since this is Cosmo, the focus of the interview is on the bedroom. Nicki talks about how she requires her man to make her climax every time they get down. She believes all women should be equally demanding. Nicki also feels sorry for ladies who haven’t felt the earth move even once in their lifetimes. So she sets up “orgasm interventions” to teach her friends how to make the most of their action. Really.

Women should talk about money: “Women are uncomfortable talking about money. I know it’s taboo to discuss it at work. Technically, you shouldn’t, but you need to know what people around you are making. Otherwise, you’re not going to know what you’re worth. You have to ask questions. ‘What is this person getting?’ Do your research. I’ve always been pretty competitive in terms of my pay.”

The Pinkprint is (sort of) about her breakup: “I didn’t [set out] to write a personal album, but The Pinkprint came at a very crucial time in my life. I realized that people can up and take off at any given moment. As women, we are vulnerable and emotional, and that’s okay. I had to learn quickly that if you don’t have a sense of self, you can be destroyed by a man. You can be destroyed by a relationship. I had to ask myself, ‘Who am I? Is this good enough?’ I had to approve of myself and my skills.”

Women should demand more orgasms: “I demand that I climax. I think women should demand that. I have a friend who’s never had an orgasm in her life. In her life! That hurts my heart. It’s cuckoo to me. We always have orgasm interventions where we, like, show her how to do stuff. We’ll straddle each other, saying, ‘You gotta get on him like that and do it like this.’ She says she’s a pleaser. I’m a pleaser, but it’s 50/50.”

[From Cosmopolitian]

Nicki talks more about how she wants to eventually quit music and be a full-time mother. She says it’s a 10-year goal to quit the entertainment biz and focus on family. I’m not sure that Nicki will be able to stay away forever because she’s so career driven. Maybe she’ll start curating her own lifestyle blog full of pink-makeup recommendations. Imagine a Goop-esque site filled with animal-print decor and clothing. Make it happen.

On all of Nicki’s orgasm talk, she may have turned up her usual vibe to indulge Cosmo’s audience. But I totally believe she gives her friends climax tips, and it’s fine that she admits being demanding in bed. Men usually don’t have trouble asking for what they want, so ladies shouldn’t feel bad about doing it too.

Photos courtesy of Matthias Vriens-McGrath/Cosmopolitan & WENN

Chris Pratt’s currently in Europe to promote Jurassic World. The film arrives in U.S. theaters in two weeks, so the press tour should start hitting hard soon. These are photos of Pratt arriving at the ITV studios in London on Friday. I’ve been a little rough on this guy lately, but I’m feeling these pictures because he struts so well. Pratt also posted a cute Memorial Day video of him teaching son Jack how to say the Pledge of Allegiance, which won me over.

Pratt stopped by The Graham Norton Show and told some very charming stories. Here’s a video clip about how he scored his first headshot as a 20-year-old, model-looking guy in West Hollywood. He sort of told this story last year (and called himself “Douchemaster McChest“) but elaborated more for Norton. The photographer asked Pratt to shower (which he admits needing).

Pratt also performed an excellent TOWIE accent. He says Anna Faris is an incredible fan of “garbage tv,” and they got hooked on this show.

Here are some photos of Pratt with Bryce Dallas Howard at the Paris premiere of Jurassic World. Pratt is wearing an Ermenegildo Zegna suit. Bryce’s dress is Ralph Lauren. It feels a little somber for a blockbuster premiere about CGI dinos, but she looks beautiful.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN

Here are some photos of Mindy Kaling at the 8th Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Jersey City, plus some photos of Mindy and BJ Novak at the 2015 BookExpo in NYC on Saturday. Mindy has short hair now! I think she legitimately cut her hair, as opposed to “just taking the extensions out,” which is how many celebrity women have “bobs” these days. I didn’t think a bob would look good on Mindy, but surprisingly enough, it does look pretty great. It compliments her face and makes her look very fresh for summer.

At the BookExpo (also called BookCon), Mindy chatted about her newest memoir/book of humorous essays, Why Not Me?. She also chatted about The Mindy Project’s move to Hulu and how the show will change a little bit. Some highlights:

TMP’s move to Hulu: “My TV show, which is the love of my life, has been through a lot of changes. … It’s like being in a really rocky relationship — it’s been more dramatic than any love life has been, this show that’s about romance and dating. The writers’ room is starting up on Monday!”

Future TMP storylines: “Can we just be all sex and drugs? Matt [Warburton] and I are both smart writers but also repressed people. We decided we want people who tuned into the show to tune in for two reasons: because we’re doing things we couldn’t do on network TV, but also not giving up what people love. … And so much of romance comes from restraint, and the things you don’t see. … I always have to remind myself that a little goes a long way. I think we are gonna push the envelope in ways we haven’t been able to, which is great.”

Focusing on female friendships: “It’s hard to make friends as an adult woman. … In L.A., the only people you meet are women in your spin class. And you have to wonder, if a woman seeks you out at spin class, you wonder what the motivations are! But you’re so desperate for friends. … It’s much harder to find someone you want to talk to than a man you want to sleep with. The only thing I want to do in the next five years is make a good friend.”

[From THR]

Aw, that makes me sad that she can’t find cool ladies to befriend in LA. She wrote a lot about her girlfriends in her first book, and I do think her closest friendships are ones that she made in college and in her first years living in NYC. Still, she seems like she would be a great friend. LA ladies: befriend Mindy!

Mindy and BJ Novak also chatted briefly about their upcoming book project – they’re going to be writing about their weird friendship – although it sounds like they haven’t even started. What else? When Mindy was approached to do voice work for Inside Out, she cried in the meeting when she heard the pitch. The director and producer told Vulture, “She said, ‘I think it’s great that you guys are making a film that shows that it’s difficult to grow up and that it’s okay to be sad about it.’ And we were like, ‘quick, write that down!’”

Photos courtesy of WENN.