From CB: I bought that Henley button shirt we featured and I don’t like it! It fits ok, I sized up as recommended, but the buttons and ribbing don’t look as nice as they did in the photo. I’m returning it. I got the mask lanyards and you get so many for the price. They come in individual baggies, which is bad for the environment, but they work well and would make nice gifts. I mailed some to friends and family because I can’t use them all. The mesh produce bags are really high quality and you get a lot of them too! I’m going to bring them with me the next time I go shopping. Here are some more things Hecate and I are looking at. Also I have to say that I shop on Amazon to distract myself. It’s a way I cope with lockdown and I know it’s not the healthiest, but it gives me me something to look forward to.

A bluetooth add-on for your car with so many features, including a car locator

From CB: This little under $20 bluetooth car device by Anker plugs right into your car lighter. It would be a great gift for someone with an older car. It has two USB ports to charge your devices and it also has FM transmission to stream music along with a feature that locates your car for you! It’s only $17 and has over 4,000 ratings, 4.5 stars and a B on Fakespot. Reviewers call it a “swiss army knife” for your car and love how compact it is and how much it does. It’s said to be easy to set up and to use without the static of other devices. While I don’t need this because my car has bluetooth, I want it for the car location feature. Plus my son could connect his phone to it and we wouldn’t have to switch the main bluetooth in the car. “I’ve tried so many FM transmitters and to be honest, none of them worked well. They all somehow had white noises and interferences during driving. The ROAV F2 smart car charger is the first Bluetooth FM transmitter that makes FM connection and sound quality equal to Bluetooth.” “I feel like my car got a tech refresh, it’s that streamlined and convenient!” “The ROAV is awesome… no ear-splitting static when I start the car, it pairs automatically, and the sound quality is as solid as if it were plugged into an aux jack. I have yet to hear a single whisper of static so far using it.”

A peptide complex eye gel to reduce puffiness, dark circles and fine lines

While I am still not convinced that eye gels and creams are any different than regular face cream, Eva Naturals is a good brand and some people swear by this product. This is two ounces of firming eye gel with amino acids and a peptide complex. It’s only $15 and has over 3,700 reviews, 4.3 stars and a B on Fakespot. Women rave about how well it works and call it the best eye product they’ve ever used. “This is the best eye gel/cream I have ever used in my life. Huge size, the price is right, it took away my bags and brightened me up and it also helps my dry eye. I use it all over my face… I could write a book.” “I have extremely sensitive skin and my eyes are the worst part. I can put this on and have no trouble at all. It feels like silk. Best of all, it has taken away the wrinkly, crepey skin that had started under my eyes. I’m 58.”

A window bird feeder for a happy distraction

From CB: I got that squirrel proof bird feeder I mentioned a few weeks ago and it is truly a joy to watch the birds when I’m working. I see so many different types of birds and they’re pretty close to me. Now that they’re acclimated to coming near the window I wonder if I could get them to come even closer. This clear bird feeder by Nature’s Hangout attaches right to your window with suction cups. It has 4.6 stars, over 2,200 ratings and a B on Fakespot. People say that it’s easy to attach and to fill, and that it’s entertaining for people and pets. Some say it’s squirrel proof but not all reviewers agree. “I love that I can see them up close, and so does the cat, who sits inside under the feeder watching it like it’s the Food Network. Have had this several months and have never had to reattach or adjust the suction cups.” “Overall we are very pleased, it’s right at eye level for my kids and they get so excited to see birds so close up!”

A set of 18 makeup brushes including beauty blenders and a silicone cleaner for $15

From CB: I keep featuring makeup brushes, because I need new ones and can’t decide which to get. This is a set of 18 makeup brushes which includes four beauty blenders, two face mask brushes and a brush cleaner for under $15! These have over 1,100 ratings, 4.6 stars and a B on Fakespot. Women say these brushes are soft, that they don’t shed, and that they’re surprised how nice they are for the price. “I never expected to find a high quality set of makeup brushes on amazon. I know, brush snob but I always thought you had to pay big bucks in a fancy boutique to get decent makeup brushes. These are also easy to clean. The sponge blenders are soft and apply foundation evenly. Everything looks and feels like I bought them in a fancy boutique but the price tag says amazon!” “I was truly shocked at the quality of these brushes for the price.” “They are soft and blend well. My eye makeup has been flawless lately. I have owned a few pricey makeup brushes and these definitely compare.”

A microfiber fast-drying portable towel for camping, the beach, picnics and more

From CB: These microfiber towels by 4Monster come in six sizes and ten colors, all under $21. They come in a little portable case and would be great for camping, the beach or gym once we’re doing that again. You get one towel with each purchase, 4Monster is just their brand name. These have 4.6 stars, over 3,000 ratings and an A on Fakespot. People say they’re great for drying off while sweating, showering or swimming. “VERY HAPPY with the real 4Monster towel which feels very much like a thick, tacky car shammy. It reminds me of moleskin.. I have a small one for spin class and another for gym showering. They dry wicked fast, soak up sweat and water and are very well made. “ “All-in-all I was very happy how this towel performed and the room I ended up saving in my backpack because even though this was bigger than a facecloth it still took up less than 1/2 the room than a facecloth would had taken up.” “The towel is really soft and almost velvet like and, although it feels like it wouldn’t wipe up a single drop, it’s incredibly absorbent! I was shocked at how dry this towel left parts of me.”

Wide leg lounge pants to upgrade your stay at home comfort

From Hecate: Buzzfeed had a ton of great suggestions this weekend. Among them were these wide-legged pants that look so comfortable, I want a pair in each color. And since they are so well priced, I just might be able to do that. Many of the commenters said they are nice and thin, but not so thin they are see through and sturdy enough they don’t lose their shape. As I have mentioned, I am one of those weird people who can’t stay in pjs for too long after I get out of bed, so I need some comfortable midday outfits on those mornings I just want to hang out with a book and a cup of coffee. But these are so cute, They’d make perfect running errands wear too. They come in seven colors and sizes S-3XL. Amazon says the sizing runs true to fit and the reviews confirm that. They earned 4.3 stars from almost 200 reviews and Fakespot gives them an A. Like I said, customers rave about the pants keeping their shape, which is rare for thin fabric, “The knees don’t bump out after wearing all day! The pockets are wonderful! They don’t stick on the sides.” Another confirmed you can wear them as long as you want, “These have to be the softest sweatpants I’ve ever had. They’re more of a cool/thin sweat pant, but definitely not too thin to where you can see through them.” I honestly can’t decide which color to buy first!

At home mini ice cubes like at the movies

From Hecate: This is so wild, I totally needed these this past weekend and then they popped up on Buzzfeed on Monday. I did a modified movie night and wanted theater style ice cubes for my “concession stand” but my only option was to smash regular cubes in a ziplock. These trays make little conical ice cubes that would have been perfect. You get three trays for $20 normally but they are currently on sale for 3 for about $10, and being silicon, you can store them when you don’t need them so they won’t take up freezer space. They earned 4.3 stars from over 3,600 reviews and ReviewMeta only adjusted that to 4.2 stars. I feel silly because I saw these and thought “pretend movie theater!” but almost all the reviews mention these conventionally fit in water and soda bottles, “I have been searching for small ice cubes to put in water bottles and soda. This is perfect! Small bullet shaped ice cubes that are perfect sized.” Duh. Another also said they are good for snacking, “The ‘cubes’ are about the size of Dots candies. They freeze about as quickly as my regular sized ice trays which works just fine for me. I like to crunch on ice so I try to keep a supply on hand.” which, if you are a nervous chewer like me, this is actually useful knowledge.

A light mask for double masking

From Hecate: Dr. Fauci recommends we double mask as we continue to fight COVID. Living in a surge area, we’re heeding this advice because, you know – science. These light, washable, cotton masks make a good undermask to help protect us from the virus as we wait until our tier for vaccines comes up. You get 5 reusable masks for $17 but they are currently on sale for $13. Almost 9,000 Amazon customers gave the masks 4.1 stars and they earned an A on Fakespot. Most customers said they fit well, “The cotton mask is very soft and nicely fit. I wear it for a whole day in the office and feel quite comfortable” although a few men complained they were a little snug for the average male head. But you can always get one of the mask extenders CB recommended if you need it. Another said it is breathable but still effective, “They are also the easiest I have found to breathe through without being stupidly thin.”

Dear Gossips, The Screen Actors Guild will announce their nominations later today and while there may be a couple of surprises, it will not be the giant bowl of f-cksh-t that the Golden Globes served up yesterday. Like, I’m pretty sure we won’t be hearing Jared Leto’s name being called in the Suppor…

The royal commentary people are the boys who cried wolf, writ large. Over the years, they’ve freaked out over every single little thing, and turned minor incidents into huge controversies, and turned family disagreements into near abdication. One of the best examples of this is their collection hysteria over Prince Harry and Meghan “talking politics.” Last year, Harry made a pretty normal statement about how people should reject hate speech. It was barely notable, and I barely thought about it when I first heard it. But the royal commentary class spent WEEKS criticizing Harry for his “political” statement which, they said, was clearly part of some anti-Donald Trump agenda.

More than a week ago, Prince Harry’s interview with Fast Company came out. It was full of interesting comments about online life, developing better ethical standards for the digital world, and encouraging people to stop engaging with social media. At one point, Harry made a reference to the January 6th insurrection, which was a white supremacist terrorist attack against democratically elected leaders, all of which had largely been organized and incited online. The terrorists were largely radicalized online too. Harry said: “We have seen time and again what happens when the real-world cost of misinformation is disregarded. There is no way to downplay this. There was a literal attack on democracy in the United States, organised on social media, which is an issue of violent extremism.” When I read that, I thought “wow, I wonder if they’re going to ding him for being ‘political’ again.” Guess what?

Prince Harry should “drop all his titles” and become a US citizen if he wishes to have the “freedom” to voice political opinions, a royal expert has said. The Duke of Sussex spoke out against the Capitol riots in Washington, which took place just two weeks before Donald Trump conceded to Joe Biden. He called out for reforming social media after the deadly events and described the storming of “a literal attack on democracy.” The Royal added that there is “no way” to “downplay” organised “violent extremism” on social media.

Royal author Angela Levin said Prince Harry should “droll all his titles and take American citizenship” if he wishes to have the “sort of freedom” that allows him to speak on political matters. She told Express.co.uk : “If he wants this sort of freedom he should drop all his titles and take American citizenship. Of course having his titles has enabled him to do various lucrative deals but he can’t or shouldn’t have it both ways. I think Harry’s decision to lecture anyone on how to live, what to do and who to vote for is a misjudgement. And even more so in the United States.”

Ms Levin added that Prince Harry should especially not speak out as “a member of the Royal Family” who is still “using” his Royal titles.

[From The Daily Mirror]

“I think Harry’s decision to lecture anyone on how to live, what to do and who to vote for is a misjudgement…” Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has basically been saying “fascism is bad, hate speech is bad, violent extremism is bad and be aware enough to avoid being radicalized online.” And Angela Levin is other-siding him! Levin is like “you can’t tell violent terrorists how to live if you still have your title!!” That’s really how those fussy old bitties think. It feels like they’re starting to realize that they sound like a–holes, and that they made too many mountains out of molehills though – it’s just sad-sack Angela Levin saying this now. Piers Morgan and the other online fascists are screaming about other things.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

I keep seeing headlines about “Country music star Morgan Wallen” and I was like “who?” I still don’t know any of his songs, so I’ll just take it on faith that he’s some kind of well-known figure in the country music world and that he’s having a big year (his current album is #1 on the country charts or something). He’s 27 years old and he lives in Nashville. And, by the way, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. Let’s say that right away too, because this story involves a rowdy, drunken night on the town. Morgan Wallen and some friends were out and about in Nashville, getting f–king hammered during a pandemic on Sunday night. Wallen was stumbling home with those friends and they were being rowdy, maskless and loud in what was probably a pretty quiet Nashville neighborhood. So his neighbors opened their door to see what the hell was going on and what was causing the ruckus. One of his neighbors recorded what happened next:

So, from what anyone can tell, he wasn’t actually threatening his neighbor or anything, he was telling one friend to “take care of this p****-ass mother******” and then repeats it with a racist twist: “take care of this p****-ass n*****.” (That’s how TMZ wrote it.). TMZ got their hands on the video and Wallen immediately issued an apology: “I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better.”

Surprisingly, that dumbass apology was not the end of it. Even though I still don’t know who this dude is – besides a racist a–hole who casually sprinkles the n-word into his conversations – I know he’s a white guy in an insular, overwhelmingly white, sexist country music industry. Surely those good ol’ boys will look after their own, correct? Not so much. To my surprise, Morgan Wallen is facing some big repercussions. In the 24 hours since TMZ posted that video, every major country music radio chain has pulled his music from their playlists. He won’t be played on any radio station owned by Cumulus Media, iHeartRadio and Entercom. SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify and Apple Music have also removed him from all of their streaming services and playlists. CMT – the country music cable station – has pulled his videos from their line-up. His recording contract with Big Loud has been “suspended indefinitely.”

Of course, it’s not all “oh wow the consequences of his actions.” There’s a backlash to the backlash, with aggrieved white people crying about how “it’s okay when rappers use that word” and I’m sure somewhere in Nashville, a neckbeard bro-country dude is trying to figure out how to rhyme “reverse racism.” It’s also worth noting that Wallen apparently has tweeted and rapped/sung the n-word when he was a teenager, and those tweets were still up… before Wednesday, when he finally deleted them.

Maren Morris with a super-pointed observation. Good for her.

It actually IS representative of our town because this isn’t his first “scuffle” and he just demolished a huge streaming record last month regardless. We all know it wasn’t his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse.

— MAREN MORRIS (@MarenMorris) February 3, 2021

After learning of Morgan Wallen’s racial slur late last night, we are in the process of removing his appearances from all our platforms. We do not tolerate or condone words and actions that are in direct opposition to our core values that celebrate diversity, equity & inclusion.

— CMT (@CMT) February 3, 2021

Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid.

This year, more than most, the Golden Globes nominations were hard to predict. Professional critics and awards prognosticators were throwing up their hands and shrugging their shoulders. It didn’t help that the rules this year are very unclear as far as eligibility and release dates and all of that. Several films got nominated without ever appearing on a streaming service OR a movie theater. That being said, there were some TV shows and films which were on most critics’ short-lists for Globe nominations and then… the HFPA just ignored them. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has long had issues with recognizing racially diverse films and TV shows and not even a global pandemic and a global racial justice movement would change that. As it turns out, the most notable snubs were all films and shows starring Black people. Shocking.

The Golden Globe nominations 2021 have arrived, triggering a slew of shocking snubs and surprises. One of the most egregious snubs? A complete shutout in the best-drama category for Black-led films, including predicted nominees like Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, Regina King’s One Night in Miami…, George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah. All four films, particularly Lee and Wolfe’s star-studded dramas, have been awards-season front-runners for weeks, making their snubs all the more confusing.

Their snubs made way for surprises in this category, including nods for films like the family drama The Father and the rape-revenge thriller Promising Young Woman. Over in the musical-comedy category, Ryan Murphy’s The Prom earned a nomination, as predicted in spite of its middling reviews. But The Prom star James Corden also earned a best-actor nod, while his costar Meryl Streep (you’ve heard of her?) was snubbed.

Streep, who’s won several Globes over the course of her career and was predicted to be nominated for two more on Wednesday, was also snubbed for her bookish performance as a reluctant literary icon in Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk. The improvised drama was more of a long shot than Murphy’s attention-grabbing Netflix production, but…Streep is Streep! Usually that’s enough for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. She’s in good company, however, with Tom Hanks, who failed to land a nod for News of the World, and Da 5 Bloods star Delroy Lindo, whose searing portrayal of a Vietnam War veteran made him an early Oscar front-runner, with or without a Globes nod.

Over on the TV front, the Globes failed to issue a single nod for Michaela Coel’s brilliant I May Destroy You, widely regarded by critics as one of the best shows of 2020. Coel, a creative tour de force, wrote, codirected, and starred in the series, based on her own real-life experience with sexual assault. Though the show will likely (read: had better) clean up at the 2021 Emmys, the HFPA’s refusal to recognize her acclaimed series is a shocking oversight.

The Globes also glossed over crowd-pleasers like Starz’s ratings smash P-Valley and HBO’s Insecure, created by, written by, and starring Issa Rae. Just like the best-drama-film category, the HFPA was curiously lacking when it came to nominating Black-led projects.

[From Vanity Fair]

No Issa Rae, no Michaela Coel, no Delroy Lindo, no Spike Lee, no Tom Hanks and no Meryl Streep. What was the HFPA smoking? The only thing I’ll say in very minor defense of the Globes is that they *did* nominate Regina King for Best Director for One Night In Miami. She was one of three women nominated in the directing category. The HFPA has a history of ignoring female directors, so that felt pointed. But the exclusions of Black-led films and TV shows also feels pointed. It’s also worth noting that one of Netflix’s most popular and well-reviewed shows in 2020 was Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever, centered around a first-generation Indian-American girl. Never Have I Ever received zero nominations at the Emmys and now the Globes.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Golden Globes are known for making completely bonkers mistakes in who they nominate and snub, and they often become the cautionary tale which stabilizes the Oscar race and offers SAG and Oscar voters a chance to “correct” the race. My point is that by snubbing Delroy Lindo and Spike Lee and One Night in Miami, the HFPA inadvertently gives those people and films more attention and people want to make sure that Spike and Regina and Delroy are nominated for Oscars.

Photos courtesy of Netflix, IMDB, HBO.

Two upset customers sued Subway in Calofirnia last week accusing them of not putting tuna or any other kind of fish in their tuna subs. The lawsuit went wide with many outlets covering and joking about this story. I didn’t think the suit had legs and that Subway would be able to shut it down pretty quickly. But I guess the press did some damage, because Subway is assuring everyone they are serving up “100% real wild caught tuna” that is “100% delicious” to boot. To make their point, they have a popup on their website offering a 15% discount on any footlong tuna salad sub ordered online.

Last week, a lawsuit accused Subway of using fake fish in its tuna subs. Now, the popular chain is offering a deal on the menu item so customers can try it for themselves and (hopefully) discover that the restaurant’s tuna is the real deal.

A new pop-up on Subway’s website highlights the restaurant’s “100% real wild caught tuna” and touts it as “100% delicious.” It also tempts customers with a 15% discount on any tuna footlong sub ordered through the Subway app or website, as first reported by Delish.

The promotion doesn’t mention the lawsuit outright, but it certainly appeared to be a creative response to a lawsuit that Subway has vowed to fight. The company even provided customers with a cheeky promo code for the sale: “ITSREAL.”

Curious to know if the deal was inspired by the pending lawsuit, TODAY Food reached out to Subway, and a spokesperson for the company offered the following statement: “We are running a promotion that offers 15% off one of our delicious, wild-caught tuna footlong subs on the Subway app and online using the code ITSREAL. This promotion reinforces that the tuna our Franchisees serve to their guests every day is 100% real, cooked tuna.”

[From Today]

Whether you believe the fake fish claim or not, you have to acknowledge this is pretty clever marketing. Without admitting, denying, smearing or even acknowledging anything – technically – they’ve launched a nice little tuna campaign. And clearly, I am the kind of sucker this was designed for because this does sway me into thinking that they are serving real tuna. There’s no way they could have switched out that much product that quickly. Well, not totally designed for me because I still don’t like their tuna salad. But I wonder if this will work for other stuff? Hey – Ben & Jerry’s, I don’t think there’s a single cherry in your Cherry Garcia. Make a liar out of me! *holds out bowl*

And while we still don’t know what the lawsuit claims is actually in the tuna salad, social media – including Subway’s account – is having some fun with it at least:

Fantastic Beasts and where to find them – Subway Tuna Edition pic.twitter.com/g8J3wrdonA

— Plesiosaurus Spex (@aminosaurusrex) January 28, 2021

Ii’ve decided not have any more Subway tuna sandwiches until Marjorie Taylor Greene tells me what’s really in it.

— Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks) January 30, 2021

Subway Tuna, the other, other, white meat. https://t.co/Bnq4yWekWc

— Joshua Gale (@joshuafett75) January 28, 2021

We found out Subway tuna and the stock market aren’t real in the same week.

— Dan Wilbur (@DanWilbur) January 29, 2021

As always, however, when it comes to tuna, there is only one opinion that matters:

It’s OK @SUBWAY. It IS confusing. https://t.co/PGBLLnggFK

— Jessica Simpson (@JessicaSimpson) January 29, 2021

Photos via Subway on Instagram

I’m dating myself, but I absolutely have vivid memories of the Vogue editorial from Dita Von Teese and Marilyn Manson’s wedding. Dita wore a gorgeous Vivienne Westwood gown in rich purple. There was a lot of talk about her corsets. She was a stunning bride and that was arguably Manson’s last gasp of relevancy. About a year after their wedding, Dita left him. There was a cloud over their split, and it was widely theorized that Manson was cheating on Dita with Evan Rachel Wood, especially since he began stepping out with ERW about two seconds after his split with Dita. That was about fifteen years ago. Crash cut to this week – ERW named Manson as an abuser. Other women, including Ashley Walters, Sarah McNeilly, Ashley Morgan and several other women have come forward with their stories about Manson’s harassment, violence, abuse, and more. Manson issued a bullsh-t statement in his own defense, but he’s still losing all of his jobs and contracts. Now Dita is speaking up:

Dita Von Teese is addressing the accusations of sexual and emotional abuse against Marilyn Manson. Von Teese, 48, was in a relationship with Manson, 52, for several years, and the pair were married for about a year from 2005 to 2006.

The burlesque dancer shared a statement on Instagram Wednesday saying that while “the details made public do not match my personal experience” with Manson, she urges “those of you who have incurred abuse to take steps to heal.”

“I have been processing the news that broke Monday regarding Marilyn Manson. To those who have expressed your concerns of my well-being, I appreciate your kindness,” Von Teese said. “Please know that the details made public do not match my personal experience during our 7 years together as a couple… Had they, I would not have married him in December 2005. I left 12 months later due to infidelity and drug abuse,” she said. “Abuse of any kind has no place in any relationship. I urge those of you who have incurred abuse to take steps to heal and the strength to fully realize yourself.”

“This is my sole statement on this matter,” Von Teese concluded. “Thank you for respecting this request.”

[From People]

I think she struck the right note – no, he didn’t do that to me, but my thoughts are with the women who were hurt by him. The “infidelity and drug abuse” thing – yeah, he was cheating on her with, I believe, Evan Rachel. Then he manipulated and molded ERW into a version of Dita. Anyway, I’ve always liked Dita and I believe her when she says he wasn’t like that with her. There was *other* sh-t happening when he was with Dita.

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A post shared by ?Dita Von Teese (@ditavonteese)

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Samanatha Markle’s dumb book has been published, and it seems like the only people buying it are reporters on the royal beat. The Daily Mail has a piece about the book which… I won’t be using their summaries. Especially when an outlet like Newsweek got to the sh-t which actually matters, like Samantha fully admitting that she gleefully sold out her half-sister for money, and that Samantha set up the staged paparazzi photos of Thomas Markle.

Samantha on staging the photos of Thomas Markle: “I got a call from someone offering to connect me with a photographer friend by the name of Jeff [Rayner], who promised to discreetly take photographs of my father, putting him in an honest light, because other photographers had been so disparaging, intentionally. I received no money for the deal per my request, and the goal for my father was not money, because he had been turning down $50,000 interviews. It was just allowing the Royals and the world to see him in his proper light, because he was so horribly labeled and photographed. It was like watching vultures feast. The photographer said, ‘Don’t worry, I will take good care of your dad, and nobody will even see.’”

Everyone knew the photos were staged: Samantha Markle, who previously used the surname Grant, said she asked the photographer to stay 100 yards away and be “discreet” but her warning fell on deaf ears. Photographer Jeff Rayner, of agency Coleman-Rayner, and Thomas Markle were filmed on CCTV as they set up a photo shoot at the Omega internet cafe near his home in Rosarito, Mexico. The story broke in U.K. tabloid the Mail on Sunday shortly after Kensington Palace had issued a warning to journalists to respect his privacy.

Samantha on her big plan blowing up in her face: “When I saw some of the photographs, I was delighted, until I saw an article that said he ‘staged photographs.’ I nearly choked, when I saw photographs of the photographer walking 3 feet behind my father, as seen on an Internet Cafe surveillance camera. I was guaranteed that he would not be visible, and I’m sure he knew that the camera was there on the ceiling, so I felt as though I had been baited, and so had my father. I was guaranteed it would be discreet, and then he publicly allowed himself to be seen walking 3 feet behind my father with the long lens camera, and furthermore, bragged about it on his Facebook page the following day. I sent an email to the photographer, letting him know that I was horribly upset by what had occurred, and he said that he would arrange ‘something’ with my father that would make him happy, and that he would ‘fix the situation.’ The damage was done, and the thought of ‘fixing it’ was tragicomedy at best.”

Why she trashed Meghan in paid interviews: Samantha Markle writes that Queen Elizabeth II’s famous “never explain, never complain” approach was easier to adopt for those with privilege. She wrote: “It was a ‘Catch 22? situation, and as we all had bills to pay, and I am living with disability, I decided that when it was appropriate, and what I had to say seemed to have social utility, why should I not be compensated? The world was wanting to know about so many things, and I refused to lie helpless tied to train tracks bound and gagged. It was appalling to me, to think that anyone would assume that it was OK for media to make millions of dollars on us, while we struggled, and yet the interviewers took our time, and made exponentially more money than we ever could by using us as subjects. I believe in win-win situations, and I was adamant about the fact that, if they were going to make money, then so were we. I did not feel I had to apologize for that, because money allows us to survive. I knew that I could put some of that money towards adaptive equipment I needed in my home, so that I would be safer and be able to navigate my home.”

[From Newsweek]

On one side, Samantha is f–king trash, she’s an idiot, she’s wreckless and a con artist grifter. On the other side, the British media gleefully presented her as some kind of expert on Meghan, paying her to trash Meghan for years with increasingly absurd “exclusives.” They gave her the platform to be this trashy and disgusting, so who do you hate more? Samantha for being a piece of sh-t, or the press for elevating her?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

This story makes me warm all over. As we all know, Dr. Jill Biden and Ms. Michelle Obama enjoyed a warm and respectful relationship while the Obamas occupied the White House. Any time the two ladies get together, their friendship and mutual admiration is obvious. The other day, our new FLOTUS sent the former FLOTUS one of the most thoughtful gifts, it made me bubble up in the feels. Dr. Jill sent MObama a beautiful basket of healthy winter vegetables from the White House Kitchen Garden, one of Michelle’s passion projects while she lived there. Michelle posted the basket to her Instagram:

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A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama)

Michelle captioned the photo:

So thankful for this beautiful care package from our amazing @FLOTUS! These fresh veggies from the White House Kitchen Garden were such a wonderful — and delicious — surprise. Love you, Jill!

I am fairly committed to never giving the last administration credit for anything, but I am grateful to the groundskeeper who kept this garden going… and camouflaged it behind a bunch of mirrors so certain narcissists never looked any farther. Because the veggies do look great. That’s one amazing soup waiting to be made. I think I’ve told this story before but the church I used to attend dug up its lawn and planted a vegetable garden, sending its crop to local food banks. We sent a ton of hearty greens – a lot of chard and kale – in the beginning and the shelters had never seen it before. So the second load, we sent of bunch of recipes with them. Now they are greens experts. That’s a rutabaga on top of Michelle’s basket, isn’t it? Oh man, she could have had a nice little rutabaga, turnip mash with some of that purple tipped broccoli thrown in. She could get a root vegetable gratinée going, but I imagine that amount of butter and cream would defeat the purpose of that nice healthy basket of veggies.

The part that got me in the heart, though, was of all the little gestures Dr. Jill could have made, this would mean the most to Michelle. It reinforces how much Michelle matters and what an impression she left on all of us. A sign of respect that Michelle came before Jill and she hopes to be the kind of FLOTUS that Michelle was. It’s lovely and absolutely what I would expect from Dr. Jill. It was like her second day as FLOTUS when she passed out cookies to the National Guard in front of the White House to thank them. They were looking after her family, she’s a mom, she baked them some cookies. Only she didn’t, because she doesn’t bake, so she said the White House made them. But that was also important statement, because the Guardsmen were outside the White House that housed the President of the United States of America and this POTUS appreciates those who look after the country. Jill’s got this. Of course she does, she had a great mentor.

Photo credit: Avalon

It’s not that everything Chrissy Teigen does and says is terrible. Every now and then, she’ll say something interesting, or start a conversation worth having. Sometimes some genuinely heartbreaking stuff happens to Chrissy and I truly feel sorry for her. But… yeah, most of the time I find her annoying. She’s so attention-seeking, so desperate to be in the middle of everything, so “extremely online.” Yesterday, Chrissy posed this question to her Twitter followers: “what’s the most expensive thing you’ve eaten that you thought sucked?” A simple enough question, although asked at a weird moment when people are literally lining up for hours at food banks. Chrissy contributed her own story:

one time john and I were at a restaurant and the waiter recommended a nice Cabernet. We got the bill and it was 13,000 dollars. HOW DO U CASUALLY RECOMMEND THAT WINE. we didn’t even finish it and it had been cleared!!!

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 3, 2021

That’s when everyone started dunking on her. One criticism: she’s out of touch and not relatable at all, she’s just some rich woman who thinks “accidentally ordering $13,000 wine” makes her sound totally normal. The other criticism was more of a general mockery and applause for the waiter who successfully conned Chrissy and John. First she responded with this:

hey, not everything I say on my twitter is going to be relatable to you because it is my life and my twitter and my stories. I see your tweets, I get your jokes, you are so funny, yes, you really nailed me

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 3, 2021

There she is, eating up the attention, basking in it. So of course she kept going:

me, sharing story of getting screwed over by a waiter. shares story of rough week, baby would have been born. feeling anxious, sad. you: let’s fucking own this rich bitch for retweets

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 3, 2021

honestly, I will be that person for you. it is fun to gang up on me. I *see* the convos that bring you together in your owning of me. I make it easy. have fun.

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 3, 2021

worst nightmare pic.twitter.com/4Vw0JMyzOi

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 3, 2021

The more she dug in and performed this “how dare you!” act, the more people were like “no, how dare you.” And so it just went on and on. If you’re following Chrissy and you’re still falling for it, I can’t help you. For many people, Twitter is a fun place where people go to make jokes or talk politics or gossip or whatever. Chrissy just needs to be validated, constantly, daily. And if she gets well-deserved sh-t for being a tone-deaf rich woman, she will…keep doing this every f–king month.

Chrissy Teigen is always like “I will not apologize for sleeping on a bed of my servants. I’m a woman”

— J*ckie (@jackies_backie) February 3, 2021

When covid is over I want to shake the hand of the waiter that tricked chrissy teigen into buying a $13k bottle of wine

— ?elora? (@eeeeowa) February 3, 2021

chrissy teigen: one time in geneva, my husband john legend’s driver was parking our limo. he knocked over an ancient statue and we had to pay 90,000 euros to fix it! luckily we had it on us, in gold krugerrand.

regular people: omg she is so relatable.

— john (@johnsemley3000) February 3, 2021

This is still my favorite Chrissy Teigen moment pic.twitter.com/YPn5PP0Uao

— KnowNothing (@KnowNothingTV) February 3, 2021

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.