Colin Farrell got philosophical about God, judgment and modern culture while he was in Venice to promote The Banshees of Inisherin. [Towleroad]
There are other angles on the “did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine” thing. [JustJared]
This is kind of a cool concept for a video game? [OMG Blog]
Jameela Jamil inserts herself into the “Lea Michele can’t read” debate. [Dlisted]
Some cool news from the Creative Arts Emmys. [LaineyGossip]
John Boyega honored in Versace. [Tom & Lorenzo]
The trailer for The English, starring Emily Blunt. [Pajiba]
Aimee Lou Wood wore something which I’m sure is in Duchess Kate’s closet. [GFY]
Gen Z said “we love unions!” [Buzzfeed]
Sydney Sweeney got another job! [Egotastic]
Did Sister Wives’ Meri Brown write a book? [Starcasm]
Thoughts on women and who gets to define “a woman.” [Gawker]

So much happened during Monday’s Venice Film Festival press conference and premiere of Don’t Worry Darling that I have to split everything up into individual posts. It’s been a while since we’ve had this much behind-the-scenes drama and premiere drama for a film. Like, maybe Mad Max: Fury Road? But the premieres were nowhere near this awkward. So, this post is about Harry Styles and a little bit about Chris Pine too. Harry was kept apart from Olivia Wilde at the presser and on the red carpet. As I predicted, Chris Pine was tasked with acting as buffer for the whole situation, so was Gemma Chan. Incidentally, Harry wore Gucci on the red carpet.

Chris looked like he was dissociating during the presser and some of the media he had to do with Harry. I’m including some funny stuff below. Harry seemed like he was in a good mood though – he especially enjoyed being around Nick Kroll, and Harry kissed Nick at the premiere. But the moment which has caught everyone by surprise is where Harry was going to his seat next to Pine and it appears as if Harry SPAT on Chris.

#HarryStyles appears to spit on Chris Pine i won’t sleep until i know the truth pic.twitter.com/wLXjIHTYgU

— JZMaclin (@Mac70J) September 6, 2022

First couple of times I watched this, I didn’t see anything but “awkward.” But now? I totally think Harry spat on Chris’s sunglasses or pants. Chris saw it and that’s why he stopped clapping. It’s so random and gross. DON’T SPIT ON COWORKERS.

somebody get chris pine outta there #Venezia79 pic.twitter.com/zmYxmvpbka

— bethany (@fiImgal) September 5, 2022

you can almost see the screams catching in his throat pic.twitter.com/AXtiPAd4zx

— anna (@romansgerri) September 5, 2022

chris pine at the don’t worry darling press conference pic.twitter.com/qdLzOmEAZm

— franklin (@leohoratio) September 5, 2022

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

On Monday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left Frogmore Cottage by car, where they were taken to the train station. They caught a train to Manchester for the One Young World Summit, where Meghan was the keynote speaker. She brought a change of clothes too – she traveled to Manchester in a beige-y Brandon Maxwell ensemble (wide-cut trousers and a short-sleeved top), then she changed in Manchester, I guess. After the appearance, I think they hopped on a plane to Germany, because they’re due to make an appearance at the Invictus Games “one year away” event during the day in Dusseldorf.

For the One Young World appearance, Meghan wore a red Another Tomorrow ensemble with matching Aquazzura heels and some gold jewelry I haven’t seen before. The jewelry is from Tabayer, a Miami-based jewelry company. She looked nice, but it was kind of a retro look, which is actually on trend. It’s very… 1970s drama teacher. She did a sleek ponytail and her hair is so long now. Harry seemed proud of her and they held hands and looked loved up at various points of the summit.

As for her speech, would it surprise you to learn that the British media is widely criticizing it? They can’t believe that Meghan would dare talk about herself, doesn’t she know that it’s their job to talk about her and lie about her? How dare she act as if her story might be inspirational to young people, that young people can imagine themselves in predominantly white spaces because of Meghan!

Oh, man, people were BIG MAD that she said it was “very nice to be back in the UK.” Like, from the first sentence, haters were already crying, screaming and throwing up. I actually thought the speech worked on a few different levels – it was telling the youth leaders in the room to believe in themselves, to expect a seat at the table and to play it forward. It was also a f–k you to the British media for always lying about what she does and doesn’t do. She was like: here’s my history with One Young World, take my name out of your mouth. Anyway, Meghan was fine. Harry was fine.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Imagine the royal commentators still complaining about the “cost” of the Frogmore Cottage renovation in September 2022. The Sussexes were given Frogmore Cottage when it was a dilapidated shack. It needed tons of work – including a new roof – just to be habitable. Yes, the work was expensive. Yes, the Sussexes “paid back” the cost of the renovation, and they’re also still paid up on the lease for Frogmore. Unlike Prince Andrew’s 99-year lease on Royal Lodge (a huge mansion), the Sussexes’ lease on Frogmore is only for one or two years at a time. I bring this up because the Sun, Ingrid Seward and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are trying to compare-and-contrast Frogmore Cottage and Adelaide Cottage. Keep in mind, Adelaide is the Cambridges’ fourth home.

Kate Middleton was today spotted going for a drive near her family’s new home in Windsor. The Duchess of Cambridge looked relaxed behind the wheel during her first weekend at “no-frills” Adelaide Cottage. Kate, Wills and their three children this week swapped Apartment 1A Kensington Palace in London for the rural four-bed abode.

The family-of-five are said to have “travelled light”, without expensive new furniture and fittings, or demanding a mass refurbishment. They have brought their black cocker spaniel Orla but will have no live-in staff or nanny for the children and have asked for nothing other than a “lick of paint”, The Sun understands.

Kate and Wills’ low-key move compares to a £2.4million saga when Prince Harry and Meghan moved nearby when they were gifted Frogmore Cottage by the Queen as a wedding present in April 2018. Walls were knocked down to turn it into a ten-bed home and the entire property needed fresh plumbing, rewiring and decoration. It was then given a celebrity-style makeover complete with a trendy copper bathtub. The Sussexes moved out after only six months when they quit royal duty to live in America and now have an £11million nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom mansion in Montecito, California.

Last night Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: “This will be the first weekend Kate and William have spent at Adelaide Cottage as a family. It’s a lovely moment for them all. They had to have moved in this weekend, because the children have to start at their new school next week. The renovation is no-frills, by royal standards — and is certainly in stark contrast to the £2.4million work Harry and Meghan had done on Frogmore Cottage. It will have been a builder’s finish.”

Kate and William spent around a year searching for a home in Windsor so the children could go to school together. They settled on Adelaide Cottage, as first revealed by The Sun, because they believed it needed no major renovations. They decided to go with existing furniture and fittings but had a fresh coat of paint to make it feel like home for the children.

They are keeping Anmer Hall in Norfolk, where they enjoy spending school holidays and Christmas. Apart from some treasured possessions, clothes and toys, most of their possessions have stayed at Anmer. Kensington Palace will largely be used for staff and as an office.

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did not want to comment.

[From The Sun]

Suddenly, Frogmore Cottage is being reimagined as some kind of glamorous 10-bedroom palace, when really doesn’t it only have like three or four bedrooms? It’s a pretty modest – by royal standards – family home, and one which the Sussexes paid for themselves. The Cambridges’ move to Adelaide just screams “temporary housing” to me, and the fact that they waited until the very last moment to “move into Adelaide” strikes me as exceptionally fishy. Granted, I don’t think they did major renovations to Adelaide either. But I think that’s because A) the Windsors seem fine with shuffling Kate and the kids into this smallish separation house and B) the Cambridges clearly believe they’ll be moving again at some point in the next year. As in, moving into Windsor Castle within days after the Queen’s passing.

Ten bucks says that Kate was maniacally circling Frogmore Cottage as soon as she heard that the Sussexes had arrived.

Kate Middleton spotted driving in Windsor after ‘no frills move’ https://t.co/NzH6jS76pV pic.twitter.com/lrcd68VgVv

— Woman Magazine (@WomanMagazine) September 5, 2022

On tomorrow’s front page: William and Kate half a mile from Harry and Meghan but have ‘no plans to meet until bombshell memoir is released’https://t.co/yRKz0GQYyB pic.twitter.com/M803rRFKOR

— The Sun (@TheSun) September 4, 2022

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

This was Abel’s first stop with two nights back to back so it’s understandable that his voice is strained and lost :/ I hope he recovers quickly, he sounds devastated

pic.twitter.com/ouCYnHdAXF

— denji’s groove (@98WKND) September 4, 2022

The Weeknd lost his voice in the middle of a show! [Seriously OMG]
Remembering Regis Philbin’s Free McDonald’s For Life card. [Dlisted]
Chris Evans looks attractive in Miami. [LaineyGossip]
Patricia Clarkson wore Alberta Ferretti in Venice. [RCFA]
Fox News called Maren Morris a “lunatic country music person.” [Jezebel]
Jodie Turner-Smith, this is not the look. [Go Fug Yourself]
A lovely piece on Serena Williams. [Gawker]
Mindy Kaling’s son Spencer says hi to his shadow. [Just Jared]
Recap of She-Hulk Episode 3. [Pajiba]
A poll about “quiet quitting,” which still makes no sense to me. [Buzzfeed]
This library exhibit is so cool! [Towleroad]
Avril Lavigne got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [Egotastic]

Roya Nikkah at the Sunday Times did a lengthy piece about the return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the “royal reaction” to everything that has been happening in recent weeks. I’m left with the distinct impression that the Windsors are obsessed with everything Meghan and Harry do, everything they say and everything they’re involved with. Instead of simply shrugging off Harry and Meghan’s charitable visit and flatly ignoring the “wayward couple,” the Windsors can’t help but telegraph their own creepy, intense interest with all things Sussex. The Windsors have to complain and explain why Harry and Meghan are bad, why they’re hurting the poor Queen, why Charles is beside himself, how William is (as always) full of rage. At some point, you’d think the Windsors would instruct their communications people to strike an ambivalent tone regarding the Sussexes. But they can’t – the Windsors know that the Sussexes sell papers, and the British media is constantly demanding their pound of flesh, so here we are.

The Sussexes are breaking the terms of the Sandringham Summit! A royal source says: “It is hard to see how what they’re doing would equate to the values of the Queen, who has never encouraged people to discuss deeply personal family relationships in public.” The monarch soldiers on, but as a source who knows her well says: “She doesn’t want to be on tenterhooks all the time, waiting to see what the next nuclear bomb will be — that will take its toll.”

Charles finds this all dreadfully painful: Charles’s friends say the jibes continue to be “painful” for him, particularly after spending time with Harry, Meghan and his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, during the Platinum Jubilee in June, which Charles saw as a “minor act of reparation”, according to one friend, after the Sussexes’ explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey last year. The friend says: “For two years, there has been a steady stream of really challenging things said about a man who cannot [publicly] defend himself by a couple he obviously loves and misses. That is incredibly difficult on a personal level. He is completely bewildered by why his son, whom he loves deeply, feels this is the way to go about managing family relationships.”

The Windsors genuinely thought Harry & Meghan would never speak: A royal source, who was involved in the negotiations around the couple’s departure, says the current direction of travel is frustrating: “Everyone hoped they would go off to be financially independent, pursue their philanthropic endeavours and be happy — and that in going their own way, they might no longer feel the need to rail against the system as much as they still do. But then the star power of them requires an association with the royal family, and the fuel on those flames is the family discord.”

No removal of titles: There is no appetite from the Queen to remove the titles conferred on the couple when they married. She has already forbidden them from using their HRH styling and the word “royal” in commercial ventures. As a well-placed source says of the family’s thinking: “You can never un-royal a royal. You can take the HRH away, you could take the ‘duke’ away, but Harry is still the son of the future king.”

The palace strategy: The Palace’s strategy is not to comment on every outburst, but to hammer home the distinction between official working members of the royal family, who represent the Queen, and the Sussexes as “private citizens”. In turn, the Sussexes continue to remind the world of their royal status. In her recent interview, Meghan mused on being a royal role model: “It’s important to be thoughtful about it because even with the Oprah interview, I was conscious of the fact that there are little girls that I meet and they’re just like, ‘Oh my God, it’s a real-life princess.” As a source who knows the Sussexes says, they “need to remind everyone they’re royal” because it carries a “higher status”.

The Sussexes are ruining the Windsor Brand! The plummeting of royal stock down under will ring alarm bells for the monarchy. There are fears the Sussexes’ antics will fuel the growing republican movement in Australia, which is expected to reappraise its status as a realm when Charles becomes King.

Meghan’s humble-brag comparison to Nelson Mandela: Meghan’s comments sent eyebrows skywards in royal circles. “The whole thing is just staggering,” said a royal source. “Nelson Mandela? Who’s next, Gandhi? There are simply no words for the delusion and tragedy of it all.”

William is not incandescent these days: The Duke of Cambridge is now acclimatised to the Sussexes’ gripes, which no longer raise his hackles as much as they once did. “He’s not really spending much time thinking about it,” says a source close to Prince William, though friends concede he does not relish the prospect of Harry’s book. The Cambridges are now happily ensconced in Adelaide Cottage, their new Windsor home.

The courtiers don’t understand the Sussexes’ strategy: Courtiers are bemused by the Sussexes’ determination to rage against the past. As Davis observed of Meghan in her article: “She has taken a hardship and turned it into content.” A source who knows the Sussexes questions why Meghan “is constantly looking back at how awful it was to briefly be a royal. What does success look like, is it a number in the bank? Is it that they’ve killed off the monarchy?” Another Palace source says: “Ultimately they are bashing the institution that has put them in the position they’re in, the longevity of that strategy is not sustainable.”

[From The Times]

“The Palace’s strategy is not to comment on every outburst” – imagine the courtiers briefing Nikkah with that and keeping a straight face. Whenever Harry and Meghan do ANYTHING, the courtiers from every royal court run straight to the media to whine and cry. As much as the Windsors criticize and obsess over all things Sussex, surely they have to admit that Harry and Meghan have actually been quite conservative in what they’ve said so far. There was even a palpable sense of relief post-Oprah interview that Harry & Meghan didn’t get into the nitty-gritty of who said what and who was responsible for the torrent of racist abuse.

Nevermind the fact that – AGAIN – if the Windsors felt so strongly about keeping the Sussexes silenced and compliant, all the Queen would have had to do is accept the Sussexes’ offer of being half-in. It would have been that simple.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, WENN.

Here are photos of Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine and Harry Styles arriving separately in Venice on Sunday. They’re in town for the film festival’s premiere of Don’t Worry Darling, which happens later today. We’ll have premiere photos tomorrow, trust! I cannot wait to see the body language, staging and group shots from the premiere. My guess is that Chris Pine will be tasked with being a buffer between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde. While Olivia, Chris and Harry are obviously going to do media at the Venice Film Festival, it turns out that Florence is opting out completely. Previously, immediately following the “Miss Flo” video (which Olivia sent Shia LaBeouf), we heard that Florence would be “severely limiting her press” for DWD, although she would fulfill her obligations and attend the Venice premiere. Well, that’s still the plan although Florence is now not going to do any media whatsoever in Venice.

Although Florence Pugh will be attending the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of “Don’t Worry Darling,” the star is limiting her promotional activities at the festival.

After arriving in Venice by private jet, Pugh will attend Monday’s red carpet premiere of “Don’t Worry Darling.” However, the actress will not be participating in the press conference for the film, which is set to take place earlier that same day. Pugh’s flight arrives in Italy after the presser. The actress’ plans for Venice were confirmed to Variety by festival representatives.

Pugh leads “Don’t Worry Darling” alongside an ensemble that includes Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Kiki Layne, Nick Kroll and Olivia Wilde, who also directs the thriller. Wilde and Styles reportedly arrived in Venice on Sunday, one day ahead of the premiere.

The news of Pugh’s truncated festival plans comes amid reports that the actress will be limiting her promotional activities for the thriller. The actress has stayed quite busy recent months, filming for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” before moving to the ongoing production of “Dune: Part Two” in Budapest. With a tight schedule, Pugh will return to filming the sci-fi sequel shortly after the Venice premiere.

[From Variety]

Again, the studio (Warner Bros) is fine with this – they produced DWD and Dune, so they’re being pretty understanding towards Florence and her priorities and their shared priorities. I honestly think the studio is being exceptionally cool about it, and I can only imagine that Florence simply said to various Warner Bros executives that “this is Olivia’s mess and it’s her responsibility to clean it up.” Is Florence grey-rocking Olivia?

Some updates from the Venice press conference:

Yep, the press was prevented from asking Olivia Wilde about Shia LaBeouf’s leaked texts and videos about his departure from the film. “It’s on the internet.” https://t.co/vCyWMDIsS6

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) September 5, 2022

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Weirdly, the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on British shores was used as an opportunity for Clarence House to spread a number of stories in the media. I fully expected the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to latch onto the Sussexes’ visit to embiggen themselves (and they are), but I didn’t think we would get like five major stories about Prince Charles and his many feelings about Harry and Meghan. Clarence House even leaked the news that Prince Charles extended an invitation to the Sussexes to come and stay with him in Scotland during their visit. They turned him down?

Prince Charles has extended an open invitation to Prince Harry despite the Duchess of Sussex saying their relationship was “lost”. The couple are “always welcome” to stay with the Prince of Wales, royal sources have revealed ahead of Harry and Meghan’s trip to the UK this week.

A close friend last night described how Charles has once again tried to bring his son back into the fold.

The insider said: “He hasn’t wavered, despite the attacks, which seem to be coming with increased vigour. The Prince of Wales reiterated his invitation for Harry and Meghan, and the whole family if they wished, to come and stay with him this summer while he is at his home on the Balmoral estate. He thought it might be a good opportunity for everyone to take stock and relax, but the invitation was declined.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

Back in July, the Sun reported that the Queen had personally extended an invitation to the Sussexes to visit her at Balmoral. Then a day later, Buckingham Palace courtiers sniffed at the idea that the Sussexes were invited, and sources claimed that Harry and Meghan turned down the offer anyway (which makes me suspect that the Queen did invite them, probably during the Jubbly). As for Charles and his “standing invite,” sure, whatever. It’s perfectly clear that the Sussexes fashioned a simple visit focused on their charities and causes and the Windsors are desperate to insert themselves into the Sussexes’ narrative. Which is pretty pathetic and funny. Like, how desperate is this entire family?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

In case anyone is wondering about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s schedule, literally every British outlet is obsessively covering every little detail of their movements, complete with a hysterical addendum in every story, “this comes amidst the Duchess’s The Cut profile, where she slapped the Queen!” It’s… a lot. Anyway, Meghan and Harry will be in Manchester today and Meghan is due to give the keynote speech at One Young World at around 6 pm GMT, meaning 1 pm EST. I would imagine that Meghan and Harry will be seen in Manchester well before her speech, although I also expect security around them to be tight. Apparently, the One Young World organizers have brought in private security, and I’ve seen reports that Harry also hired some private security, or the Sussexes are simply bringing their own (unarmed) security.

Youth charities have implemented the strictest of security measures to allow the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to visit safely on Monday, with the couple expected to miss seeing their own family in favour of a post-royal tour.

Organisers of the One Young World conference in Manchester and the WellChild Awards in London are operating under a “ring of steel” as the Sussexes attend, amid a row about the couple’s personal security arrangements.

The Duke, who has successfully applied for a judicial review of a decision to provide Met Police security for his family only on a case-by-case basis, was previously said to have been chased by photographers following a Covid-secure version of the children’s charity awards in 2021. While they have not suggested any blame on the part of organisers or guests, the incident has been used to argue that the Duke and his family should receive permanent royal protection when they visit Britain.

This year, event organisers are operating under the strictest levels of secrecy, with venue details released only to accredited guests and confirmed photographers. At the One Young World conference, which takes place in the 2,300-seat Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, staff will clear the surrounding area 90 minutes before the opening ceremony takes place, ejecting any unauthorised bystanders.

[From The Telegraph]

If the Sussexes were at Frogmore Cottage Saturday and Sunday, that means they probably did have royal protection while inside the Royal Windsor compound. Then their private security picks up the slack in Manchester and beyond. Anyway, gotta love how much the British media loves gaslighting Harry and Meghan about the very real security issues they face everywhere.

The Sun has photos of the Sussexes leaving Windsor – go here to see.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red, Instar.

While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due in Manchester on Monday, they reportedly arrived in England on Saturday morning, then went straight to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. That’s surprising, but I guess they took the overnight flight to Heathrow on Friday and they wanted to rest up a little before the appearance on Monday at One Young World. According to the British outlets, they flew commercial and the kids are not with them. The Mail did a big piece about how Prince William and Kate will not try to meet up with them, even though the Cambridges have now moved into Adelaide Cottage, just a short distance from Frogmore.

There are ‘no plans’ for them to meet with William and Kate despite staying just a few hundred feet away from them. They had been expected to arrive as soon as today and and use their Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage, as a base, but their arrival date and time had not been confirmed.

Following the breakdown of relationships between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, it is understood that there are ‘no plans’ for them to make the short 380ft trip to Adelaide Cottage for the brothers to reunite. Royal sources suggest there are fears the couple may bring a film crew along to the UK as part of their rumoured $100million Netflix deal.

‘Trust, particularly at the moment, is a big issue,’ a well-placed source said. Another said: ‘I really can’t see any progress [in repairing their relationship] until the documentary and book have come out and they see what he has to say. The family have everything to lose and nothing to gain. William is deeply hurt and believes his brother has crossed a line.’

They will head to Manchester on Monday for the One Young World summit, an event which brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries. Meghan, a counsellor for the organisation, will give the keynote address at the opening ceremony.

There are no public plans for the couple on Wednesday, meaning any potential meeting with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could be held on that day. William and Kate will be at Windsor all week as George, Charlotte and Louis attend their new school after the family moved into Adelaide Cottage this week. The family will live on the Queen’s Berkshire estate during term-time.

[From The Daily Mail]

Harry and Meghan have literally made no moves to speak to or see the Cambridges, so it’s pretty rich for William and Kate to act like they’re dictating the estrangement. They are not. Harry said “space” and he meant that sh-t. That being said, I definitely wonder if Keen Peacemaker Kate will try something. She’s probably desperate to see Harry.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid and Avalon Red.