Ever since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left that dusty old island, there’s been an interesting subtext and (at times) just TEXT to the royal reporting. The subtext/text is that the Sussex-free Windsors are pretty dull, uninteresting and charisma-free. They’ve made it sound like that was the Queen’s petty master plan all along, because how dare anyone naturally outshine and upstage a 90-something woman and her permanent grumpface? We heard last December that the Queen actually prefers it this way, with her family being so dull and unglamorous. And of course, we’ve also heard that the Countess of Wessex has been pushed by many people as some kind of “replacement” for the Sussexes. Which brings me to this: with no one left in the Windsor clan with any kind of charisma or sparkle, the Windsors have little soft power with which to work. There’s no there there. So it’s kind of funny that 10 Downing Street had an idea about how to keep Scotland from voting for independence: they were thinking about sending Sophie and Edward.

Royals called Edward don’t always have the best reputation north of the border. Edward I earned the nickname Hammer of the Scots for his fondness for going to war against them, while his son Edward II was famously thrashed by the forces of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn. So would our present Prince Edward really be the man to send to Edinburgh to smooth modern-day tensions between the two countries?

The wheeze was dreamt up last year by Downing Street officials alarmed at the Scottish National Party surging in the polls amid growing calls for a new independence referendum. They wanted Edward and his wife the Countess of Wessex to relocate to Scotland in an effort to save the Union. It came as aides working for Boris Johnson considered how the Royal Family could help bolster ties between all four nations of the UK. One mooted idea was to make Edward and Sophie the public face of the royals in Scotland. The couple would have taken up full-time residence at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland, to lead efforts to increase the number of royal engagements there.

The UK Government is increasingly concerned about the threat to the Union as Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP appears to be on course for a landslide in may’s Scottish parliament elections. The First Minister has said that if the SNP wins a majority she will push forward with a referendum, regardless of whether Westminster gives her the go-ahead. Mr Johnson has repeatedly insisted he will not allow another vote, arguing that the 2014 vote was a once in a generation decision. But 20 consecutive opinion polls have now shown the Yes campaign ahead.

Edward and Sophie are known in Scotland as the Earl and Countess of Forfar, titles bestowed by the Queen two years ago to mark her youngest son’s 55th birthday.

The couple have lived at Bagshot Park, Surrey, since their 1999 wedding. Their two children are Lady Louise, 17, and James Viscount Severn, 13.

[From The Daily Mail]

I wonder why William and Kate’s names weren’t floated? After all, they seem to believe that their keenness can solve any problem. Imagine how many new tartan dresses Kate would have to buy, because she’s like a child with her literal dressing, Scotland = Tartan. Imagine how Kate could have The Wiglet That Saved The Union! And William would be bragging about that sh-t for the rest of his life. No, there’s a reason why Will and Kate’s names weren’t floated, and it’s because even the Tory government knows that the Keens can’t be trusted to NOT make asses out of themselves wherever they go. Sophie and Edward’s names were floated because they are so thoroughly boring and uncontroversial. And that’s why the scheme never went anywhere too – why send two unflavored bowls of oatmeal to Scotland when the point of the exercise is to charm and sparkle? Which brings me back to what I said at the start of this post: the fundamental Catch-22 of the Windsors is that that no one can be more glamorous or interesting that an dowdy, petty, jealous 90-something year old woman, and now their charisma-free clan has ruined the future of the monarchy.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles were one of the big and fun gossip stories to start the year. 2021 had barely started and they were holding hands at a wedding, and at the time, it was a fresh romance, for a few days there it all seemed pretty undramatic. Until, of course, sources close to Jason Sudeik…

I’m a Virgo. Beyonce is a Virgo. Prince Harry is a Virgo. Idris Elba is a Virgo. Keanu Reeves is a Virgo. Virgos are amazing people, but we are anal retentive, highly organized and very scheduled-routine-oriented. My stomach starts to hurt if I’m running late for an appointment. I work from home and I largely set my own schedule, and I stick to the same damn schedule because I love that routine. Parents of Virgo children can probably attest to that as well: Virgo children have their own internal clock, and they easily fall into routines and sleep schedules. That’s what Katy Perry has found out too. Her daughter Daisy was born on August 26th, which means the baby is a Virgo. And guess what? According to Katy Perry, little Daisy loves her routine.

Katy Perry’s baby girl is chained to the rhythm of a routine! Appearing on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Monday, alongside her American Idol cohorts Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, the “Not the End of the World” singer, 36, opened up about her working-mom schedule with daughter Daisy Dove, 5 months, whom she shares with fiancé Orlando Bloom.

She jokes that the baby’s astrological sign, Virgo, means she does best with a routine.

“Yeah, of course there’s a routine. My daughter is a Virgo and she thrives in routine,” Perry tells co-host Ryan Seacrest with a smile. “But I did start filming American Idol season 4 after I’d given birth, five weeks later. And I didn’t plan that. But it was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ It was so intense, you know? Giving birth, then going back to work and breastfeeding, like — holy crap! ‘This is what women do? Oh my God!’ ” she adds.

Co-host Kelly Ripa, a mom of three, agrees, “It’s kinda amazing. It’s like you can’t believe what your body is capable of, right?”

[From People]

If you watch the video, Katy isn’t joking. Daisy must already be a sleep schedule and feeding schedule and all hell probably breaks loose if you mess with the child’s schedule. You know who I feel sorry for? Daisy Bloom. Born to a Capricorn father and a Scorpio mother. Daisy will know no peace. Her daily routines are going to be yanked away from her regularly. No, in all seriousness, I think Katy got herself really ready psychologically for motherhood and I bet she’s a great mother. For a Scorpio.

Photos courtesy of Katy’s Instagram.

Zara Phillips-Tindall makes a lot of money. She’s a professional equestrian, an Olympic medalist, and she makes millions from her endorsements. Her husband Mike Tindall was a professional rugby player and he currently has some revenue streams like “paid speeches” and getting paid for commentary and such, I think. I’m actually not entirely clear about Mike’s finances, nor am I even sure that Zara and Mike even mingle their finances. The Sun is under the impression that Zara’s money is his, and that it’s a bad look for Mike to take “furlough money” from the government (for Americans, I assume this would be like Tindall taking a PPP loan).

Royal husband Mike Tindall has been claiming furlough cash for his business even though he is reportedly worth more than £15million. The ex-England rugby star, 42 — married to the Queen’s grand-daughter Zara — sought government aid for the firm which manages his speaking engagements after they dried up. Last year the England World Cup winner was named the globe’s fourth-richest rugby player — worth an estimated £15.7million — by Ruck magazine.

Accounts for his firm Kimble Trading Ltd, filed in December, state: “The outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent restrictions imposed have led to a number of events in 2020 being cancelled. The company has taken advantage of all available government aid in order to support the business and its employees through the crisis.”

According to the accounts, the company has only one member of staff — believed to be Tindall himself. It also appears on a government list of firms using the furlough scheme, which pays 80 per cent of a worker’s salary.

Tory MP Nigel Mills said: “It’s a bit rich for Mike Tindall to be taking money from the public purse.”

Tindall’s business accounts are published every year. Forensic accountant Steve Hale, of Perrys, examined them for The Sun. He said: “Under normal circumstances, Mike Tindall appears to make most of his money through share dividends and interest-free loans from his company. Over the years he has ‘borrowed’ nearly £330,000, and every year he adds to this ‘debt’. It’s a way of taking money out of the business while paying less tax in the short term. He will also pay himself a small salary — small enough that he won’t have to pay National Insurance on it, probably around £730 a month. The furlough scheme will pay 80 per cent of that salary, so he’s probably getting around £584 a month. What he’s done is not illegal and is similar to what many small businessmen have done during this pandemic. But I guess most of them don’t have the resources and connections he does.”

The furlough scheme, which will cost taxpayers at least £50billion, was designed to stop Covid-hit businesses from going bust — potentially leaving millions jobless. A spokeswoman for Tindall insisted he had not been personally furloughed but refused to answer any further questions.

[From The Sun]

I mean, of course it’s a bad look. It’s especially bad here in America when rich people exploit the PPP loan scheme and then spend the money in egregious ways rather than trying to keep their businesses afloat. That being said, if you want stricter controls on economic stimulus during a pandemic and an impending recession, it’s up to governments to change the rules. Mike is exploiting a well-worn system which is also being exploited by many rich people and businesses. And not to get too Tindall-defensive – I could care less most of the time – but the dude isn’t royal and he’s not married to a royal woman. He and Zara live at Gatcombe, which is Princess Anne’s property, but beyond that, both Zara and Mike operate like what they are: untitled commoners.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The Guardian published an article this weekend about how the Queen, back in the 1970s, “successfully lobbied the government to change a draft law in order to conceal her “embarrassing” private wealth from the public, according to documents”. Buckingham Palace has denied this, but their wording is in…

This isn’t how we should be celebrating the Super Bowl. It’s not safe or smart. It’s stupid. We’re going to take a very close look at this, and it may end up costing someone a lot more than 50 cent. @TMZhttps://t.co/Vrvg8fTdBB

— Rick Kriseman (@Kriseman) February 6, 2021

The SuperBowl hosted 25,000 fans and staff at the game this year. The number was far below capacity of what Raymond James stadium in Tampa can hold, but many of us still question the logic of having that many people gathered together for a sporting event when so many are still unvaccinated. I also question the parties hosted by countless performers and DJs throughout the Tampa region. Artists such as Steve Aoki, 50 Cent, Diplo, Tory Lanez, French Montana and Migos all either hosted or performed at crowded functions throughout the area, with no masks in sight. They brazenly posted about it on social media as if there wasn’t anything wrong with partying in that way. The Mayor of St. Petersburg has blasted these parties, and we know the governor of Florida isn’t going to do anything about it.

Mayor Rick Kriseman shared his reaction about 50 Cent’s party during Super Bowl weekend.

On Saturday, the St. Petersburg politician slammed the rapper for performing at a crowded Super Bowl LV party in a hangar at Albert Whitted Airport on Friday night.

“This isn’t how we should be celebrating the Super Bowl. It’s not safe or smart. It’s stupid. We’re going to take a very close look at this, and it may end up costing someone a lot more than 50 cent[s],” Kriseman said on Twitter, sharing a TMZ report that featured photos of 50 Cent’s event, where no one appeared to be wearing a mask despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office told the Tampa Bay Times that city officials are investigating the party. Further information will be released next week.

A rep for 50 Cent did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The event was supposed to be limited capacity with masks required, according to TMZ. However, photos from the event showed that was not the case.

Steve Aoki headlined a well-attended Friday night pool party at the WTR Pool & Grill at The Godfrey Hotel.

Other artists, including Diplo, French Montana and Migos, also performed at Super Bowl celebrations, despite many warnings from health officials against the gatherings.

50 Cent said he is also scheduled to host a Super Bowl LV watch party on Sunday at the Rox rooftop bar, according to his Instagram account.

[From People]

The videos coming out of these events are criminal. Many were posted by the artists themselves, which tells you everything you need to know about how responsible they feel. A few people on social media are trying to defend those who played the events, saying they were just the performers – give me a break. At this point, we all share a responsibility for these gatherings. I am all for the establishment losing their liquor licenses and whatever else is being doled out, but I think those headlining need to start sharing some part of the blame. It would be one thing if they were standing on stage telling folks to stay distanced and put their masks on, but these guys were pouring champagne directly in the crowds mouths, reaching off stage for the crowd, hyping the hell out of an unsafe event and brazenly bragging about wildly unsafe parties. I really do hope Kriseman and others do something about it. But all these investigations, fines and penalties aren’t going to mean squat to those who get sick from the super spreader and mini super spreader events. And I’m not even talking about the fools who showed up to these events, I’m talking about the ones these COVIDiots bring the virus home to. Not to mention, Dr. Fauci asked us repeatedly not to participate in any kind of gathering before we even went into the weekend. I guess all we can do in two weeks when there’s a Super Bowl Spike is say “we told you so.”

*COVID PARTY ALERT* Steve Aoki throws pre-Super Bowl COVID party in Tampa ahead of the big game tomorrow. No mask in sight. At one point, Steve poured champagne into several people’s mouths. Many more parties expected in Tampa in the lead up to the game on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/OLhJsgBQHV

— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) February 6, 2021

Photo credit: Twitter and Avalon

Over the weekend, Aaron Rodgers announced that he “got engaged” in the past year, and he made a reference to his “fiancee” while accepting an award. It was all very bizarre, especially considering that we had only learned days before that he and Shailene Woodley were quietly dating. No one knows when Aaron and Shailene started up and no one knows when Rodgers proposed. But it’s all being confirmed by People Mag. And by “it’s all,” I mean none of the important timeline details.

Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley are making it official! Two days after the Green Bay Packers quarterback, 37, announced that he was engaged, a source who knows the couple has confirmed to PEOPLE that Woodley is Rodgers’ bride-to-be.

“They are very happy together,” the source says. “It’s not surprising he proposed so fast. When you know, you know, right?”

While making a virtual appearance during the NFL Honors broadcast on Feb. 6, Rodgers gave his fiancée a shoutout as he accepted the NFL MVP award.

“It’s an honor to win this award for the third time. 2020 was definitely a crazy year filled with lots of change and growth, some amazing memorable moments. 180 straight days of having my nose hair scraped, playing for very little fans or no stands the entire season,” he said, before revealing the big news: “I got engaged.” Rodgers went on to thank his loved ones, including his future wife.

[From People]

There are rumors that Shailene and Aaron have perhaps been dealing with each other for longer than anyone realized. If that’s true, props to them for being so utterly quiet about it. I mean, Aaron and Danica Patrick broke up last July, and it wasn’t until LAST WEEK that we heard anything concrete about this couple (although there had been a rumor circulating on Deuxmoi several weeks before). There’s apparently a rumor that Aaron dumped Danica FOR Shailene. Perhaps, although I really have no idea. I feel like if Danica knew that he had a jumpoff/mistress, she would have made it into a big deal. So maybe she didn’t know, or maybe Aaron and Shailene just got together soon after his split from Danica. In any case, yeah, a very quick engagement.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s oldest child is North West. She’s seven years old, and she’ll be eight this June. While I haven’t paid much attention to the Kardashian-West kids in a while, I do think North is probably a lot like her dad in creativity and attitude. She seems like a good blend of both of her parents, actually, and it’s my hope that all of the kids got the best from both Kim and Kanye. It’s easy to forget it now because of Kanye’s perpetual MAGA state, but he was a sort of musical/artistic wunderkind, playing instruments and composing and producing music at a very young age. So now people wonder if North has inherited some artistry from her dad. Kim Kardashian posted this on her Instagram stories – allegedly a painting done by North.

When I first saw this, I was like everyone else in that I assumed Kim was lying. But then I was like “wait, how old is North? Is she at an age where she could paint this?” I think…maybe. It’s totally possible that Kim is lying but I have no idea why she would? It’s just too random for Kim to suddenly be like “here’s this beautiful painting that my seven-and-a-half year old daughter did.”

So, obviously, people had some thoughts and those thoughts involved the dearly departed Bob Ross, who used to do lovely painting tutorials on PBS.

Kim definitely put on a Bob Ross YouTube video for North ? https://t.co/Rf0KHP22G5

— Jenn (@oooofjenn) February 8, 2021

“The Starry Night” by North West (2021) inspired by her favorite artist, Bob Ross pic.twitter.com/DQJNj7H9Fk

— Reid (@ReidZura) February 9, 2021

If North West painted this then I singlehandedly produced My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. pic.twitter.com/O8zseJcW7G

— Dedee ? (@thoughtfulbae) February 9, 2021

i refuse to believe:
-the kardashians would not be exploiting their daughters baby genius art skills at some point before this random insta story
-that kim is in touch with reality enough to troll people like this

— lexi (@lexijawn) February 8, 2021

Photos courtesy of Kim’s IG, Backgrid.

Super Bowl Sunday is not just about the game. It is also about the hilarious commercials, the Halftime Show, and the new movie and show trailers throughout the night. Marvel and Disney+ took advantage of the estimated 100 million pairs of eyes to drop the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series trailer. Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be released on March 19th and will be the second TV series from the Marvelverse following WandaVision. Falcon will have 6 episodes and will chronicle a bad guy fighting partnership between Anthony Mackie’s Falcon (who received Captain America’s shield at the end of End Game) and Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier. The trailer shows the same screwball comradery between Bucky and Sam and looks as if it will have a lot of action sequences. Below is more about Falcon and the Winter Soldier from People:

In the trailer for the six-episode show set to connect the overarching Marvel movies, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan get comfortable as superhero costars on the small screen.

The trailer starts with Stan and Mackie’s characters (Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, respectively) being interviewed by a third person as someone asks, “Why does Sam aggravate you?”

Set to debut March 19, the trailer gives an inside look at some of the show’s action-packed scenes featuring the hero partners — and even a silly staring contest between the two.

The series was created by Malcolm Spellman and is directed by Kari Skogland. It’s set to take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

[From People]

I have been looking forward to all of the Marvelverse TV Shows especially after Agents of Shield went off the air. When I heard that I would be getting more Sebastian Stan on the small screen I was all in. So far I have been watching WandaVision and have been enjoying it. Especially all of the throwbacks to classic TV shows. WandaVision has been pretty solid.

I personally am not a big fan of Mackie but I do like him as Falcon and hope the show will have substance and less focus on pyrotechnics and action sequences. If they bring in Sebastian’s dry humor and Mackie’s goofiness, Falcon and the Winter Soldier may just be a hit. I am also looking forward to more of Tom Hiddleston as Loki in the Loki TV series that will be released in May and whatever Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige put together for the upcoming Wakandaverse series.

With the exception of M.A.R.V.E.L Agents of Shield, Marvel’s TV shows have fallen flat in the past, unlike the DCU which normally does better on the small screen verses the big. However, if any of the upcoming Marvel + Disney+ shows have the same grit as WandaVision, I think Marvel will finally be able to gain a foothold in television as well. The DCU may find itself competing against the bigger budgets of Disney+.

Here’s the trailer:

photos credit: Marvel and Entertainment Tonight and via Instagram and YouTube

Dear Gossips, Just three more sleeps until Lunar New Year and the Year of the Ox, beginning on Friday, February 12. My ma, the Chinese Squawking Chicken, will have some thoughts to share in the coming days. They won’t be as extensive as they were in years past, but if you’re interested, there are a …