One of the most intriguing movies coming up is Ex Machina, the directorial debut of sci-fi writer Alex Garland, who has written some of the better sci-fi movies of the last fifteen years, including Sunshine and Never Let Me Go. He wrote the screenplay for Ex Machina as well, and it looks like his…      

Blake Lively has a feature in the new issue of O Magazine, likely as some early promotion for her first film role in years, in The Age of Adeline. Have you seen the trailers for The Age of Adeline? I’m not impressed. But the costumes look cute. And that’s probably enough – plus the fact that she’s now part of the Motherhood Industrial Complex – to get Blake several major magazine covers for April and May. She didn’t score the cover of O Mag (only Oprah gets the cover!!), but O Mag did do a photoshoot with Blake. I don’t understand why her mouth is open? Do we have to make SexyFace even for OPRAH?!

Anyway, in the O Magazine interview, Blake talks about eating and knitting and how of course she loves to do some work on her motorcycle. She’s sort of like The Cool Girl’s cousin, The Cool Wife. All about food and child-rearing and letting her husband “teach” her how to do fun stuff that he likes to do. Some highlights:

Her stress-relievers: “I’ll knit or cook — or work on a motorcycle, a skill my husband is teaching me. One of my latest projects was painting nature-inspired throw pillows.”

How she spends a day off: “Walking through New York City. It’s constantly changing. I’ll go back to an area I visited four years ago, and it’s completely different. But that’s a good thing because it means there will always be new neighborhoods to eat my way through.”

On her best childhood memory: “My mom liked to infuse my life with a lot of magic. When she read my fortune cookies, the predictions were full of princesses and castles and jewels and pirates. When I got old enough to read them, I was shocked to find out how boring they really were!”

On her favorite quick recipe: “Hot fudge sundae. But forget the fake syrupy stuff; Melt down a bar of chocolate, mix it into some warmed up whipping cream, and put it on top of ice cream. Add some sprinkles, and you’ve got a delicious treat.”

[From O Magazine, via The Daily Mail]

Well… okay. I’m going to try to be less nitpicky about Blake, so I’ll give her this: I like how she consistently talks about enjoying all kinds of food. I’m sure she eats mostly healthy food, but I also get the feeling that all of her cupcakes/cookies/sundaes talk is for real, that she will sit down and eat buttery popcorn and top it off with a small ice cream sundae, because life’s too short. And I like that about her, really. I get tired of self-appointed health-monitoring celebrities trying to convince me that kale smoothies are the height of indulgence.

Last thing: painting nature-inspired throw pillows? She totally spoiled the next Preserve essay!!!!

Photos courtesy of Guy Aroch/O Magazine & Fame/Flynet.

Expectant mama Molly Sims stepped out with husband Scott Stuber in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Monday (March 16).

Looking every bit the supermodel, the mom-to-be, 41, rocked a patterned mini maternity dress while stopping by a hair salon.

On St. Patrick’s Day, the Las Vegas star shared a cute shot with 2-year-old son Brooks via Instagram.

The model-actress recently opened up about welcoming her daughter soon.

“I can tell you the things I stressed about with Brooks like breastfeeding—he was born with a tooth like a vampire!—I won’t stress about with her,” Molly shared.

She added: “I’m actually more worried about Brooks. The time we had with just him has been amazing. I’m so excited for our daughter to arrive, but at the same time I’m going to miss that alone time with him. It’s something I really cherished these past two and a half years.”

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Last week, we covered the controversy with Univision host Rodner Figueroa saying that Michelle Obama “looks like a character from Planet of the Apes.” He was fired from Univision immediately, but he’s issued a lengthy apology and explanation, trying to say that he didn’t mean it in any kind of racist way. Eh. Anyway, the ladies of The View discussed the controversy on yesterday’s episode with guest host Raven Symone. Raven has some interesting ideas about race, and she openly questioned whether Figueroa’s comment was really “racist-like.” Rosie Perez shut it down though.

Whoopi Goldberg introduced the topic to the audience and Rosie Perez kicked off the discussion by stating that his comment (which ultimately cost him his job) was racist.

“A lot of Latin people recognize the fact that we do have African blood in us. A lot of them do not want to recognize that fact, and that’s where this stems from. There is a secret in the Latin community, specifically the Caribbean, South American, Central American, Latin community, that they are very racist,” Perez began. “They never want to be in the same group as black people. And it’s sad. It’s very, very sad. And he did say Michelle Obama looks like a cast member of the Planet of the Apes.”

That’s when Raven chimed in and asked, “Was he saying it racist-like? Because he said that he voted for her later and I don’t think he was saying it racist.”

Perez wasn’t having it.

“That’s disrespect. I would like to tell you that it is racist, period. This is a problem in the Latin community, that we do not talk about that. We do not address, and it is real and it was revealed by this man’s statement. And you do not disrespect the first lady of our country.”

Raven continued, “Michelle, don’t fire me for this right now, but some people look like animals. Is that true?…I look like a bird. Can I be mad if somebody calls me Tucan Sam?”

[From E! News]

I think Raven is conflating the “some people do look like animals” thing with the completely racist history of comparing black people to animals, specifically monkeys, apes and gorillas. Some people look horses, some people look like cats, some people look like squirrels, and none of that has anything to do with the centuries of colonial history and slave history of treating dark-skinned people like animals. Raven got on Twitter and seemingly addressed the backlash to her comments:

Some comments are rude, some are disrespectful, and some are racist. Try to not exchange one for the other. My opinion/comments aren’t based off race, that doesn’t mean i’m trying to be a different race all together. I love OUR history, family…. We have Irish Culture, African Culture, Asian Culture, Indian Culture Many more running through the veins of AMERICA! Come on yung peeps

[From Raven’s Twitter]

Again, she’s conflating two separate things. No one is debating the fact that most Americans are racial mutts with lots of different ethnicities swimming around our DNA. But just because some random white dude happens to have 10% African DNA, doesn’t mean that said white dude gets to compare a black person to an ape. Same if the guy is Latino, or Asian or whatever. Just stop comparing black people to apes. Period. The end.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Nick Cannon was at the Apple store in New York the other day promoting his book Neon Aliens Ate My Homework. Last we heard, he’d been seen with Nicole Murphy. On the weekend, however, he was seen at a grocery store with another woman. Click here to see the photo. Page Six has identified her…      

Nick Cannon was at the Apple store in New York the other day promoting his book Neon Aliens Ate My Homework. Last we heard, he’d been seen with Nicole Murphy. On the weekend, however, he was seen at a grocery store with another woman. Click here to see the photo. Page Six has identified her…      

James Franco’s been extra quiet since The Interview mess. He’s still very active on Instagram but hasn’t pulled out any stuntqueening stops. It’s been two whole weeks since he posted a shirtless selfie, and his heart clearly wasn’t in that shot. Maybe we’re seeing a new, less attention-seeking James Franco? I wouldn’t bet on it. He’s still the same guy who picked up a 17-year-old girl on Instagram and faux-apologized by calling it “bad judgment.”

Franco interviewed himself for Dot 429. Straight James and Gay James go back and forth on the subject of his sexuality. James previously said he wishes he was gay. This discussion is a little obnoxious because the two Jameses recite poetry to each other and kiss at the end, but he talks out his gender identity with himself. Some excerpts:

Gay James on his movie-star facade: “I just hide behind my movies, and try to look cool, and don’t talk about anything of substance, and just give bland answers to everything like an athlete. ‘Yeah, we played with heart out there tonight. Really brought it.’”

Gay James on his sexuality: Well, I like to think that I’m gay in my art and straight in my life. Although, I’m also gay in my life up to the point of intercourse, and then you could say I’m straight. So I guess it depends on how you define gay. If it means whom you have sex with, I guess I’m straight. In the twenties and thirties, they used to define homosexuality by how you acted and not by whom you slept with. Sailors would f*** guys all the time, but as long as they behaved in masculine ways, they weren’t considered gay.”

Straight James elaborates: “I guess I mean that I like my queer public persona. I like that it’s so hard to define me and that people always have to guess about me. They don’t know what the hell is up with me, and that’s great. Not that I do what I do to confuse people, but as long as they are confused, I get time to play.”

Straight James on his antics: “If I’m so annoying, why do they write about me? If they were truly sick of my sh*t, they would just ignore me, but they don’t. I don’t do what I do for attention; I do it because I believe in what I do. Of course, some of it is tongue-in-cheek, but that’s just a tonal thing. It’s not like I call the paparazzi on myself or anything like that; I’m just having a conversation with the public. If you don’t want to be part of the convo, check out. If you do, cool.”

Straight James to those who say he appropriates gay culture: “I say f*** off, but I say it gently. This is such a fraught issue, and I am sensitive to all its aspects. But first of all, I was not the one who pulled my public persona into the gay world; that was the straight gossip press and the gay press speculating about me. I really don’t care what people think about my sexuality, and it’s also none of their business. So I really don’t choose to identify with my public persona. I am not interested in most straight male-bonding rituals, but I am also kept from being fully embraced by the gay community because I don’t think anyone truly believes I have gay sex.”

[From Dot 429]

James is correct about his sexuality being no one else’s business. Yet he’s making it everyone’s business by discussing it (with himself) in a magazine. I believe James when he says he doesn’t call the paps. He’s rarely spotted outside of film promotion duties. Dude doesn’t feel the need to get papped because he has Instagram to satisfy his narcissistic fix. Does Franco appropriate gay culture? That’s a tough question.

Photos courtesy of WENN

Congratulations are in order for Jude Law and Catherine Harding.

The Dom Hemingway star, 42, and his ex-girlfriend, 23, have welcomed a daughter, Daily Mail reports.

“I can confirm the arrival of Jude Law and Catherine Harding’s daughter,” the actor’s rep revealed in a statement. “Both are delighted and continue to ask that their privacy and that of their child be respected.”

The British actor has three children with ex-wife Sadie Frost – sons Rafferty, 18, and Rudy, 12, and daughter Iris, 14 – and another daughter, Sophia, 5, with model Samantha Burke.

Law confirmed that he was expecting a fifth child – his first with the aspiring singer-songwriter – in October.

“Whilst they are no longer in a relationship, they are both wholeheartedly committed to raising their child,” the actor’s rep added.

Reportedly, Harding – who also goes by the name Cat Cavelli – spent time with Law last summer when he was on location in the Czech Republic.

Royal mum-to-be Kate Middleton stepped out in style on Wednesday (March 18) at Brookhill Children’s Centre in London’s Woolwich.

At eight months pregnant, the Duchess of Cambridge, 33, looked radiant in a $63 polka-dot maternity dress from the online retailer ASOS. The Duchess accessorized the stylish shift with black pumps, silver jewelry, and a tiny black clutch.

The expectant mum was learning more about the Home-Start charity, which is one of the U.K.’s leading family support organizations that works with 29,000 families and more than 63,000 children each year.

Inside, the Duchess was treated to coffee while she chatted with some families. The official visit will be one of Kate’s last public appearances before she goes on maternity leave.

The day before, Kate and husband Prince William attended a St. Patrick’s Day ceremony in Aldershot.

On Friday, the Duke and Duchess were joined by other members of the royal family for a Service of Commemoration for troops who were stationed in Afghanistan.

Last Wednesday, the royal mum-to-be was seen visiting an art studio in Kent, and on Thursday, she toured the set of Downtown Abbey in West London.

The Duke and Duchess – who are already parents to 19-month-old son Prince George – expect their second child within weeks.

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With Sweden’s Prince Carl-Philip’s plans to marry in June, I think we can officially say that Prince Harry is the hottest royal bachelor in the world at this moment. Right? These are photos of Harry out and about today in London, announcing a new project with Walking with the Wounded (more on that in a second). Harry looks long and lean here, but I’ve always liked him in jeans and casual clothes. While he’ll never have the sparkle and debonair charm of someone like John F. Kennedy Jr., Harry still has something, you know? Hot bachelor is hot.

As for the new Walking with the Wounded Challenge, it sounds like a good one. They’re not going to some far-flung place to freeze their nards off. Harry and five wounded warriors are going to do a 1,000 mile walk/hike around Great Britain, from Balmoral (Scotland) to London. This will be going down August 22 to October 31). At the announcement event today, Harry also spoke about his choice to step down from his military post:

In a speech at London’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, he said that as he made his own transition to civilian life he was “determined to do all I can to help others”. Harry, 30, said: “The public’s support for our Armed Forces continues to be extraordinary. However, as the memory of our military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan fade, we must encourage people to continue supporting our servicemen and women; particularly those who are seeking to transition into civilian life. This process can be challenging, as it is for anyone seeking a new career. As I make this transition myself, I’m determined to do all I can to help others.”

Harry met the team and asked several questions about their injuries and care, even apologising for bombarding them with so many questions because he’s been “learning about it and how it all works”.

Harry said: “Walk of Britain will cover all parts of the country. Walking through the communities in which our service personnel and veterans grew up and now live. In doing so, Walk of Britain will give everyone the opportunity to meet these remarkable men and women. People up and down the country will get to see first-hand the determination and resolve of those who have served, and in particular those who have been injured or suffer hidden wounds. They will see that whatever their circumstances these men and women are looking to the future. They are looking to employers to give them the chance to keep making a contribution to our communities.”

[From Express]

Wow. God, he’s grown up to be such a lovely man, hasn’t he? And his “gap year” is filling up really, really quickly. Harry has been thinking about leaving his military post for a while, it seems, and has organized a busy schedule for the next few years. He’s going to complete his military service by spending a month with the Australian Defense Force (in April & May), then doing appearances with his dad in Australia and New Zealand. Then Harry is going to sub-Saharan Africa for the summer to volunteer. Then he’s doing the Walk of Britain. Then he’s going back to the Ministry of Defense on a voluntary basis, likely to organize the second Invictus Games. Busy, busy, busy.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.