Shortly after George W. Bush won reelection in 2004, his advisor Karl Rove spoke to a reporter about the sort of alternate reality the administration believed in. Rove said, “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities…” The idea of “we create our own reality” has been an article of faith for the American fascists in the Republican party ever since. I bring this up because the British media believes the same thing. When something is happening that they don’t like, they simply create a different “reality” for their readers. Say, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are successful, instead of acknowledging those successes, the British media simply creates the narrative of “everyone hates them, the Sussexes are failing, they can’t do anything right.” Even when there’s empirical evidence of Harry and Meghan’s successes, you can find the British media executing their Alternate Reality strategy. No one seems to realize that information is global now? It’s weird.

All of which brings me to a lil’ column written by Camilla Tominey in the Telegraph. Tominey was the first person to falsely report on the Duchess of Cambridge’s “tears” at the bridesmaid’s dress fitting just before the Sussexes’ wedding. That’s who Tominey is, someone who gets leaks from Middleton Manor. In the face of the overwhelming success of Meghan’s Archetypes podcast, Tominey wrote a column called “The more Meghan Markle speaks, the less anyone wants to listen.” Archetypes was #1 in seven countries within 48 hours of the surprise release of the first episode.

If the Sussexes really wanted to be helpful, they would surely abandon Prince Harry’s autobiography and write a textbook on economics instead. In these testing times for household budgets, the couple could prove invaluable as the perfect case study for both the theory of inverse proportionality and the law of diminishing returns.

What better way to teach school children these most basic of mathematical principles than by studying the post-Megxit era?

Inverse proportionality might be defined by the dictionary as “related so that as one becomes larger the other becomes smaller”. But I think it is probably more easily explained by juxtaposing a graph showing the growing frequency with which Harry and Meghan have criticised the Royal family with their approval rating.

Look children, the more the couple have slagged off the Windsors, the less popular they have become!

Meghan’s latest podcast couldn’t be a better archetype, pardon the pun, of the law of diminishing returns, either. It is a theory in economics that predicts that, after some optimal level of capacity is reached, adding an additional factor of production will actually result in smaller increases in output.

But isn’t there a simpler way to put it? The more the Sussexes speak, the less likely we are to listen. That’s something even a primary pupil can understand.

I appreciate that there are a multi-million reasons why they keep on coming up with this stuff. Meghan’s 60-minute me-fest is currently top of the Spotify charts. But the trouble with word salad is that it does tend to give most people indigestion.

[From The Telegraph]

Keep in mind that Tominey is a regular on the British chat show circuit and a regular on week royal roundtable discussions, plus she obviously writes exclusively about the royals for the Telegraph. Her whole business model is talking about the royals and reporting on the royals and analyzing the royals. But for Meghan to… have a successful podcast, which is #1 in multiple countries, that’s suddenly a bridge too far for Tominey? “The more the couple have slagged off the Windsors, the less popular they have become!” – O RLY? Because I’m pretty sure that their Oprah interview was one of the most-watched interviews of the last decade. I’m pretty sure that Archetypes dethroning The Joe Rogan Experience is a big f–king deal. I’m pretty sure that Tominey wouldn’t be writing snitty little columns about Meghan unless the Royal Rota was completely terrified that the alternative reality they created and nurtured was coming crashing down on them.

Photos courtesy of Spotify, Instar.

Shia LaBeouf had already planned to come out of hiding late last week. He gave an interview about how he has converted to Catholicism, he’s speaking about his sobriety (he’s been sober/dry for the better part two years), he credits FKA Twigs’ lawsuit as a wakeup call to get help and he claims to be committed to making things right with all of the people he’s wronged. You can choose to believe what you want of all of that – I find it all very convenient and manipulative, but I hope for the sake of his infant daughter that he’s no longer the abusive monster FKA Twigs described.

So all of that was part of Shia’s planned redemption arc. Then Olivia Wilde addressed the fact that Shia left/was fired from Don’t Worry Darling just before the production began. Olivia told Variety that she fired Shia because “his process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions” and that he requires “a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances.” She said, repeatedly, that it was her responsibility to “protect” Florence and support her, so that’s why Olivia fired Shia. Except Olivia Wilde was lying her ass off. You can believe what you want about Shia’s redemption or his new manipulation, but honey, that man came with receipts. Shia provided those receipts to Variety, and he also provided them with a copy of an email he sent to Olivia right after her Variety cover dropped.

Shia LaBeouf has come forward to dispute the assertion that he was fired from “Don’t Worry Darling” by director Olivia Wilde just as production was starting in 2020. LaBeouf asserts that he chose to leave the production because he didn’t feel the actors were given adequate time to rehearse. In the Aug. 24 cover story with Variety, Wilde opened up for the first time about LaBeouf’s departure from her film.

LaBeouf’s representatives declined Variety‘s request for comment on the matter when contacted prior to the story’s publication. But in email messages sent to Variety on Thursday, LaBeouf denied he was fired, instead claiming he “quit the film due to lack of rehearsal time” on Aug. 17, 2020. The actor forwarded two emails he claims to have sent to Wilde on Wednesday and Thursday after the Variety cover story was published. In the emails, LaBeouf wrote, “You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse.”

LaBeouf sent Variety screenshots of text messages he sent to Wilde in August 2020, where he told Wilde he’d have to back out of “Don’t Worry Darling.” According to the texts, LaBeouf and Wilde met in person in Los Angeles to discuss his exit from the film on Aug. 16, 2020. Later that night, Wilde texted him, “Thanks for letting me in on your thought process. I know that isn’t fun. Doesn’t feel good to say no to someone, and I respect your honesty. I’m honored you were willing to go there with me, for me to tell a story with you. I’m gutted because it could have been something special. I want to make clear how much it means to me that you trust me. That’s a gift I’ll take with me.”

Variety has learned that the texts were sent before the production learned what Shia’s immersive method entailed. LaBeouf claims he “officially” quit “Don’t Worry Darling” the next day on Aug. 17, 2020, according to the email he sent to Wilde on Thursday morning.

In his email to Variety, he included a video that Wilde allegedly sent him on Aug. 19, 2020, two days after he claimed he quit. In the video, Wilde is driving a car and says she is “not ready to give up on this yet.” She also alludes to tension between LaBeouf and Florence Pugh, who stars in the film as Alice, the wife of LaBeouf and Styles’ character Jack.

“I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out,” she says in the video. “You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us. If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace — and I respect your point of view, I respect hers — but if you guys can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?”

In another message sent at an unspecified time between Aug. 16 and Aug. 20, Wilde texted LaBeouf, “You don’t have to be in my movies but don’t ever doubt me. We pinky promised. That means something in my house.”

[From Variety]

You can read Shia’s full email in all of its passive aggressive glory over at Variety – I will say again, I have no doubt that Shia is still a piece of sh-t, and his woe-is-me tone combined with his passive-aggression leaves me cold. But again, he kept the receipts and they prove his side of things. In this narrow issue, Shia has credibility and he outed Olivia as a complete f–king liar. It was an ongoing conversation for a week between Olivia and Shia about rehearsing and his method and I believe it was clear to everyone that Shia was not a good fit. But the video message Olivia sent him after he quit is… shocking. The reference to “Miss Flo” needing a “wake-up call” and the reference to the idea that Shia and Florence Pugh had already fallen out? And Olivia suggesting that Florence isn’t really “committed”? Oh, NO. Worry, Darling. And for Olivia to f–king lie so blatantly to a trade paper? Wow.

she wanted florence to make peace with an abuser you cannot make this up pic.twitter.com/T51dAYcElD

— kay (@harrymotif) August 26, 2022

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, cover courtesy of Variety.

Earlier this month, Page Six got the ball rolling, reporting on the “beef” between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh. Rumors of a beef had been circulating on social media for a while, as Florence’s fans kept noting that Pugh was not lifting a finger to promote Don’t Worry Darling, which Wilde directed and Pugh stars in. Pugh didn’t even bother “liking” any of the official social media posts when the trailers started coming out, nor did she repost anything. Page Six’s sources claimed that Florence didn’t like the messy way Olivia dumped Jason Sudeikis and started up an affair with Harry Styles on the set of Don’t Worry Darling. “Sources” later told Page Six that it wasn’t like Olivia and Harry flaunted their relationship anyway (which I doubt). Then Florence’s Harper’s Bazaar cover story came out and she barely talked about the film and she didn’t say one word about Olivia. I already felt like the beef rumors were probably true. Then Shia LaBeouf dropped his receipts on Friday and all hell broke loose. Olivia lied about firing Shia. Not only did she lie, she was still trying to get Shia to come back to the production (which he quit) with this video:

she wanted florence to make peace with an abuser you cannot make this up pic.twitter.com/T51dAYcElD

— kay (@harrymotif) August 26, 2022

“I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us. If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace…” Some sh-t went down and Florence didn’t want to work with Shia and instead of having Florence’s back, Olivia tried to get Shia to come back. “Miss Flo” needs to “really commit” huh? Yeah, this is a f–king disaster. The icing on the cake is that Florence Pugh has now told the studio that she will barely promote this f–king disaster now.

Florence Pugh has severely limited her promotional press for the upcoming feminist thriller “Don’t Worry Darling,” fueling speculation that she and director and co-star Olivia Wilde have fallen out.

TheWrap spoke to three executives connected to the film, as well as an individual with knowledge of Pugh’s involvement, who all declined to confirm any further press plans for the actress beyond attending the Venice Film Festival for the film’s premiere and red carpet, flying in from the set of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.”

Pugh has been in Budapest filming “Dune: Part Two” and filming Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” prior to that. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, she will be in Venice for the premiere direct from a night shoot in Budapest, and returning to filming afterwards. But the Venice Film Festival red carpet and press conference are expected to be the extent of Pugh’s traditional press duties on the film. “She’ll be doing greetings for us from the set of ‘Dune’ because she’s not doing press,” a studio executive said.

According to the exec, the studio knew that Pugh’s availability for the press tour on “Don’t Worry Darling” would be limited, considering “Dune 2” is also a Warner Bros. project, and planned for such. But the unusual lack of participation in promoting the film by its lead actor suggests there might be validity to speculation on a fallout between Pugh and the film’s director Olivia Wilde over Wilde’s relationship with co-star Harry Styles and an alleged affair on set.

[From The Wrap]

I have a theory about all of this and I hope you guys want to hear it. I think Florence signed on to DWD and was committed to doing chemistry tests to find her leading man. She didn’t gel with Shia or some sh-t went down between them, and Florence was basically like “no, this won’t work.” Olivia then went behind Miss Flo’s back and tried to get Shia to come back. When that didn’t work, Olivia hired Harry Styles. Florence had to do all of these intimate scenes, directed by Olivia, with Harry, all while Olivia was throwing herself at Harry. While I’m sure Florence didn’t like the whole “Olivia dumped Jason Sudeikis for Harry” thing, what really bugged Florence was how unprofessional and messy everything was on set. You think Olivia didn’t wield her power to ingratiate herself with Harry, at the expense of Florence’s work? Come on. So after DWD wrapped, Florence just disengaged from the mess and decided that she wouldn’t let Olivia hang the disaster around her neck. That’s my take. And I honestly don’t blame Florence at all for just pretending that this movie doesn’t exist.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, cover courtesy of Variety, promotional images courtesy of Warner Bros.

August 31 will mark the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death in Paris. In years past, Diana’s sons have marked the day in different ways, and I suspect that Prince Harry will likely send flowers to Althorp (where his mother is buried) and do some charitable work in her memory on the day. William will likely mark the day in some way, probably privately. But what of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth? They always make themselves scarce around the anniversary of Diana’s passing. In fact, Charles has leaked stuff before about how “hurt” he was that Harry and William did a joint interview to mark the 20th anniversary. Well, the Daily Beast has a story about how the Windsors have zero plans to mark the 25th anniversary. Diana, it seems, is still a sore spot for these people.

She is one of the most famous women who has ever lived. She is also a woman who changed how the British royals were understood around the world. Incredibly, however, the royal family has no plans to formally commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana on Wednesday next week—illustrating, some would say, just how threatened they still are by her, even in death.

While her sons are widely expected to issue, at a minimum, online tributes, Prince Charles, who conducted an affair with his second wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, both before and throughout much of his marriage to Diana, which Diana publicly blamed for the collapse of their relationship, is likely to maintain radio silence.

“Charles can’t win,” an old friend told the Daily Beast. “Not saying anything makes him look unfeeling, but if he did say anything he would be accused of being a hypocrite. He’ll do what he always does and lie low.”

Charles’ office declined to comment in response to a question about whether or how the prince would be marking the day. However he has never before made a public statement on any anniversary of her death, and it seems unlikely he will change course now.

For Queen Elizabeth, paying tribute to Diana should be less controversial. After all, Diana is the mother of her grandchildren, one of whom, William, will one day take over the queen’s role as monarch. Had Diana lived, she would have continued to have an important constitutional and ceremonial role by virtue of that simple fact. However, a palace source told The Daily Beast it was “unlikely” there would be any commemoration of Diana’s death by the queen.

Jon Conway, the author of the controversial play Truth, Lies and Diana, which dramatized the inquest into Diana’s death, told The Daily Beast: “The reason there will be nothing said or done to mark the anniversary of her death is the same reason that there is almost nothing in London to mark her life. As a character says in my play, they want her ‘airbrushed out of history.’ It’s quite surreal when you consider she is one of the three most significant royal figures of the last 200 years: you have Queen Victoria, you have Elizabeth II and you have Diana. The establishment simply do not want any more focus on Diana.”

Conway believes that for the institution of royalty, not acknowledging Diana’s death is a strategic as well as moral error. “This is a woman who did untold good in her life, and whatever difficulties she caused for the family it is unthinkable to not commemorate her. I am a supporter of Charles and Camilla, theirs is a remarkable love story, but their behavior around Diana inflicted a lot of pain on Diana and the country. At some point they will need to acknowledge that and do penance for the way he treated her.”

[From The Daily Beast]

It is shocking, when you think about it. That Charles couldn’t even find some way to pay tribute to the mother of his sons. That the Queen can’t make some simple gestures in memory of the woman who rocked the monarchy. It legitimately does leave the impression that the monarchy is still scared of her and scared of her supporters. Plus, these are the same people who have tried to appropriate Diana for their own purposes and turn her into some kind of conservative monarchist at heart, willing to do anything for the continuation of the crown. Incidentally, whenever there’s a significant anniversary involving Diana or her tragic story is revived in pop culture, I’m reminded of the fact that Charles and Camilla’s careful, expensive, multi-decade rehabilitation campaign is just a mile wide and an inch deep.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

TGIF with Idris Elba looking fine. [Go Fug Yourself]
Here’s the full trailer for the live-action Pinocchio movie. [Dlisted]
Oh God the VMAs are this Sunday? Yikes. [LaineyGossip]
Heidi Klum’s tan problem! [Jezebel]
The history of Pell Grants. [Gawker]
Ryan Reynolds shared some personal photos of Blake Lively. [Just Jared]
What’s the appeal of Netflix’s Purple Hearts? [Pajiba]
Herschel Walker’s Senate run speaks volumes about the modern GOP. [Towleroad]
A compilation of Graphic Design Fails. [Buzzfeed]
This Erdem is trying to do too much on Jenna Coleman. [RCFA]
Ayesha Curry shows off her bikini body. [Egotastic]

Heather Morris is probably best known for her work on Glee, but before Glee, Morris worked as a professional dancer and a backup dancer to some very big musical acts. She’s probably auditioned for most of the major touring pop stars over the years, including… Jennifer Lopez. Well, Heather recently appeared on a podcast and she had a completely bonkers story about auditioning for J.Lo. Heather didn’t make the cut, but it had nothing to do with her dancing and everything to do with her astrological sign. OMG. The fact this story comes during Virgo Szn…

“Glee” alum Heather Morris, who worked as a professional dancer for many years, claims Jennifer Lopez once cut dancers from auditions for one of her tours over their astrological sign.

The actress, 35, alleged on the “Just Sayin’ with Justin Martindale” podcast that the pop star, 53, walked into the room after a long day of auditions and said, “Thank you so much, you guys have worked so hard. By a show of hands, if there are any Virgos in the room, can you just raise your hand?”

Morris claimed Lopez then whispered something to her assistant and told the dancers who were Virgos, “Thank you so much for coming,” revealing they “had to leave after a full day of auditioning for Jennifer Lopez.”

When host Justin Martindale asked if the story was true, the “Dancing With the Stars” alum joked the whole thing was “hearsay.”

Earlier in the clip, Morris explained just how daunting a dance audition could be to further drive home why Lopez’s alleged reason for cutting people was cringe-worthy.

“You’re not getting paid, you’ve been there since 10 a.m. and you’re auditioning until 6 p.m.,” she said. “You’re not getting any money. People judging you the whole time.”

Reps for Lopez did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

It is unclear why the “Hustlers” star, who is a Leo, is seemingly not a fan of Virgos. However, her ex-husband Marc Anthony – whom she was married to from 2004 to 2014 and shares two kids with – is a Virgo.

[From Page Six]

I’m a Virgo and… um, let’s just say that I completely understand why a Leo (a PEAK Leo) like Jennifer Lopez wouldn’t want Virgo energy around her. Virgos are logical, analytical, rational. J.Lo does not have that vibe at all. Virgos tend not to react emotionally in personal or professional settings. We’re also not great “followers.” We’re fine with not being the center of attention, yet we’d rather do our own thing than have to play “backup dancer” to some Leo’s stunt queenery. I should also say: Virgos generally don’t f–k with Leos. We find them too attention-seeking and needy. All of this adds a fascinating new layer to J.Lo and Marc Anthony’s marriage though.

(All that being said, if Heather’s story is true, I’m sure this is considered astrological discrimination! You can’t just refuse to hire people because of their astrological sign! Unless they’re Geminis.)

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Meghan McCain is a columnist for the Daily Mail, and I try to never read her crap. I’m aware that she wrote something bonkers about the Duchess of Sussex’s Archetypes podcast, but I’d just like to avoid it completely? Like, Meghan McCain is awful, don’t make me read that sh-t. However, I did end up reading Jan Moir’s column this week, also in the Mail. It seems like the Mail activated all of their columnists this week to pontificate on Archetypes. Moir – who is white, old and terrible – latches on to Meghan’s story about the fire in Archie’s South African nursery and Moir makes the kind of unhinged leap you can never see coming. Moir’s argument highlights an undercurrent in the coverage about Meghan’s story too, which is that Meghan should have been grateful, uncomplaining and eager to be used as an inclusivity prop by the crown, even as her own child was under mortal threat. Oh, and if you read the first highlighted excerpt carefully, Moir refers to Meghan as a “mutt.” Some truly appalling highlights from Moir’s column:

On the Sussexes adopting a beagle: Oh dear. It is charming that the duchess believes herself to be a no-introduction-needed, one-name ultra-celebrity in the same league as Oprah, Adele, Beyonce and Kermit, but the truth is that for many Americans, she stubbornly remains anonymous rather than mononymous. Still, how lovely to open up her home to another dumb mutt with barking issues. Just imagine poor Mamma Mia, whimpering around the Montecito mansion, paws over her silky ears, as Meghan recounts one more bloody time how she wrote to Procter & Gamble about its sexist washing-up advert.

Archetypes is the #1 podcast in at least six countries: After the podcast was launched, the Duchess could have been forgiven for thinking: ‘Why do I bother?’ All she got for her efforts was a giant raspberry and a torrent of abuse from reviewers who called her podcast everything from ‘preposterous’ to ‘a parade of banalities’.

No fire: Even unofficial royal sources discreetly weighed in, insisting that, although recollections may vary, they did not recall a nursery actually being on fire. Wait, what? There was a nursery on fire?! Meghan told Serena the terrifying tale of ‘a fire in the baby’s room’ during their South African tour in 2019, and how appalled she was at having to carry on with their royal schedule instead of cancelling everything in order to comfort Archie, who wasn’t in the room that may not have been on fire anyway. Yes, there was an incident. Perhaps someone left their smalls out to dry on a radiator and a bit of a singe ensued? This left Meghan not with a smoking gun but with a smoking sock instead, although one can understand her initial fear and reaction.

How dare a new mother be upset about a deadly threat to her child: Yet her horror at being expected to keep calm and carry on when no emergency occurred perfectly illustrates how Meghan fatally confused being royal with being famous. If you are a rock star or a film star, you are very much the sun in your own orbit; everything revolves around you. Being a royal is almost the exact opposite. You represent the monarchy, not yourself. You are a cipher, an emissary of the crown, serving your country and not your own needs. You facilitate diplomatic and trade links while fostering investment opportunities. You also comfort the oppressed and recognise their suffering at every opportunity — because that is what duchesses do.

Meghan should be grateful she’s not the victim of Apartheid: If Meghan had got her way, the Sussexes’ trip to Cape Town’s historic District Six neighbourhood would have been axed following the fire scare. The couple went to meet people who were forcibly relocated from there to the townships during the Apartheid era — black South Africans who were stripped of their land and homes, then dumped in racially segregated developments far from the city. Many still live in these areas, in houses made of corrugated tin and cardboard. Imagine these people, who had lost and suffered so much, waiting with dignity in the afternoon heat for this long-planned meeting with the royal couple — only to be told at short notice that they weren’t coming after all because Meghan needed some post-stress me-time.

[From The Daily Mail]

The Apartheid conversation was what shocked me the most, because these racist a–holes literally have no idea what they’re really saying, nor have they absorbed what Meghan was saying. Meghan and Serena’s conversation was about ambition, of course, but it was also about how they were dehumanized as Black women. They were talking about the lack of care, the lack of understanding, the lack of grace they have been given in life and in motherhood. Meghan was saying: my child could have died and I was expected to just carry on like nothing happened, no acknowledgement for the baby, or me or Harry. At the same time, Moir is saying, look, here are Black people who have been dehumanized for decades, why are you complaining? Moir is saying blatantly that this “mutt” should have been grateful to be used as a prop by the crown. In South Africa. The fact that Moir flatly calls her a mutt too… holy f–k. These people are repulsive.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Instar.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will probably be in the UK for about three full days in September. They will be in Manchester on September 5th, then in London on September 8th. One could argue that they’ll stop in Windsor on September 7th and maybe stay the night at Frogmore Cottage after their one-day trip to Germany for an Invictus Games event. This visit has already received a great deal of coverage in the British media, because while Salt Island likes to scream about how the Sussexes are “over,” those same people are obsessing over every little detail about the Ones Who Got Away. Salt Island is the spurned lover in this scenario, constantly cyber-stalking the Sussexes and trying not to sound jealous and contemptuous of how thoroughly the Sussexes have moved on. Take, for example, the Mail Plus’s Palace Confidential round-table, where the usual royal reporters sat around and seethed about the upcoming visit.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip to Europe next month will be about ‘having their cake and eating it’, believes Sarah Vine. The Mail columnist told our royal talkshow Palace Confidential that the trip will be a chance for the pair to fulfil their dream of picking and choosing their duties.

‘The working royals are on quite a punishing schedule of day-to-day stuff, most of which doesn’t get any coverage, most of which isn’t very glamorous, most of which doesn’t involve wearing very expensive earrings and necklaces and saying very meaningful things about poor people, which is what Meghan likes to do,’ she tells the programme.

‘They don’t have to do that any more: They can come in, sweep in, get lots of coverage and then they can go home.’Royal correspondent and author Victoria Murphy says it marks a step on the road to the new life that they have planned. ‘Despite the criticism that they get, they have kind of achieved what they want, because they are now doing the things they want to do in the way that they want to do them and they have that control,’ she says. ‘And because of their past roles and their links to the Royal Family they will always be relevant.’

This week social media has been awash with rumours that the Sussexes will renew their vows as part of a new Netflix reality show. Charlotte Griffiths, The Mail on Sunday’s editor at large, says it’s so outlandish that it just might be true.‘It sounds so unrealistic, but the truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to these two,’ she says.

‘They probably have a lot of resentment around the wedding time, because of course there were all these dramas going on backstage, plus they need some interesting Netflix content, because footage of them at the WellChild awards is all very well, but they’ve got to have that Kardashian thing, that set-piece.’

[From The Mail Plus]

I hadn’t even heard the “vow renewal” story but it sounds very much like a rumor started by Derangers and picked up by the Royal Rota. Anyway, it’s nice to have faves who are happily married to the point where they would conceivably be up for a vow renewal. I’ve heard that a different royal duchess doesn’t even live with her duke? I wonder if these hens will cover that rumor? As for “having their cake” and “achieving what they want,” as I said… seething. How dare Meghan wear nice jewelry and do charity work and get wall-to-wall coverage for her charity work? Doesn’t she know that royals are supposed to be boring and unmemorable? I seem to remember a different duchess wearing a sh-tload of expensive jewelry when she deigns to do a handful of charity appearances every year too, almost like that other duchess has to be BRIBED with jewelry, horse-hair wiglets and button-slathered coatdresses to do any work at all.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Top Gun: Maverick is now the sixth highest-grossing film in history. It crossed the $1.4 billion mark recently & it’s still in theaters! [LaineyGossip]
Look Both Ways is Sliding Doors for Gen Z. [Pajiba]
As someone who follows tennis, I think OMG Blog would enjoy looking at photos of Borna Coric, Matteo Berrettini and Stefanos Tsistipas. [OMG Blog]
I truly want to pretend that LOTR: The Rings of Power doesn’t exist. [GFY]
Succession Season 4 casting news! [JustJared]
Pink sauce is being mass-produced. *hork* [Dlisted]
Dua Lipa plays with falcons for YSL. [Egotastic]
Love During Lockup update: someone’s back in lockup. [Starcasm]
Is this Moschino coat too busy? I can’t decide. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Florida voters ousted two anti-abortion judges. [Buzzfeed]
Russia is committing war crimes against Ukraine. [Towleroad]

As we discussed on Tuesday, in the Duchess of Sussex’s Archetypes podcast, she told a story about Archie. Serena Williams had told Meghan a story about her daughter Olympia falling out of the high chair when she was just a baby and breaking her wrist. Then Meghan shared the story about Archie in South Africa, and the fire in his nursery. Archie was supposed to go down for a nap but his nanny had taken him to the kitchen for a snack when a fire broke out in the nursery. Meghan’s exact wording was, “the heater in the nursery caught on fire. There was no smoke detector. Someone happened to just smell smoke down the hallway went in, fire extinguished.” Meghan said that she and Harry were told to simply continue on to the next event, which they did. Meghan asked the team to tell people that something happened with Archie but they didn’t because the optics were too important. Well, obviously, Salt Island would like everyone to know that there was no fire. There was just…smoke.

Archie, then four months old, was not in the room in Cape Town when a heater started to smoke – but the incident left the Duchess of Sussex ‘shaken’ and ‘in tears’, she told tennis star Serena Williams in her new podcast. Others are understood to recall the incident which took place on September 23, 2019 – and while they do not remember there actually being a fire, the heater was certainly smoking and was unplugged and dealt with.

Despite the upset, Meghan said in the Spotify podcast released yesterday that she was obliged to continue with official engagements, accusing those running the tour of concentrating on ‘how it looks, instead of how it feels’.

And sources have defended the Duchess over the incident, saying it would have understandably caused concern to any parent. The Sussexes were subsequently moved to different accommodation as the tour continued. There would undoubtedly have been an expectation for Harry and Meghan to go on with their engagements after months of planning on the ground – but as senior royals, the couple would have had the final say on continuing.

And one source told the Daily Telegraph that any announcement about Archie being at risk of fire – or having to cancel an event where they spoke to people about Apartheid – would have overshadowed the couple’s work.

[From The Daily Mail]

Palace aides were sent out to the Daily Mail to nitpick Meghan’s story. I can’t believe the palace wants to play this game, and play it so badly. Anything to discredit Meghan, even claiming that a heater was smoking but that doesn’t mean there was a FIRE! Archie was five months old, for the love of God. Keep in mind that this was the fall of 2019 – it had been one full year of the most deranged, most obvious and most vile smear campaign I’ve ever seen waged against one person. Meghan felt under siege, for good reason. She was under siege. Of course she was super-emotional about her child’s nursery catching fire. Oh, pardon me, smoking!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgird.