This Dakota Johnson story kills me: she uses George Clooney’s name to get reservations, LOLOLOL. And when they met he confronted her about it… and was cool with it. Because that is exactly the kind of sh-t he would pull on someone. So if I’m Dakota, I would be expecting a prank-revenge. Also, can we…

My favourite true but not-cool-to-say observation about the inauguration last week was that it was kind of boring, in the most blissfully relieving way – and the exception that proved the rule was the instantaneous and universal reaction to poet laureate Amanda Gorman; everyone fell in love with her…

There’s a rumour going around that Cardi B and Channing Tatum will star in a remake of The Bodyguard. DeuxMoi posted it (via Dlisted) and according to their source, it’s “based on a real story of Cardi having to change security while on tour, due to gun laws and her main security being possibly felo…

Lindsay Lohan has gone viral before (remember the dance?) and she has again on TikTok. Here’s the recap: Lindsay got a request on Cameo from a woman named Alana, who was nervous about coming out to her parents so she wanted Lindsay to do it for her. Lindsay made a video for Alana, encouraging her to…

It’s quite a choice that PEOPLE Magazine has made for their cover story this week: What the Queen is REALLY like. And the image that was selected to front the issue – the Queen, not in regal monarch style but just about as casual as we’ll ever see her. Basically this is her version of athleisure, lo…

Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is one of the few big movies coming out in the next few months—it’s pretty much this and Godzilla vs Kong, kind of a “one for me, one for you” deal with parents and kids—and there is a new trailer showing off more of the film and its particular appeal to children. I…

January 2001 was a big month for Jennifer Lopez and she’s been commemorating her anniversary moments on social media. Last week it was the 20th anniversary of her second album, J.Lo, and a “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” throwback. She recreated the video, sort of: What is the significance of that video?…

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QAnon Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene supported executing Democratic elected officials in social media posts. [Towleroad]
Can you believe Miranda Lambert & WhatsHisGuts have been married for two years? I didn’t think it would last. [Just Jared]
The Republican Party is the party of white supremacy. [Pajiba]
Mossimo Giannulli was denied early release from prison. [Dlisted]
Heidi Klum wears white in Germany. [Go Fug Yourself]
I’m surprised that I like Katie Holmes’ coat as much as I do. [LaineyGossip]
Regina King looks fabulous. Perfection. [RCFA]
I really enjoyed Katie Porter’s Vanity Fair interview. [Jezebel]
President Biden absolutely needs to pack the courts. [Buzzfeed]
OMG, these face filter fails are amazing!! [OMG Blog]
Bronson Pinchot suggests that instead of endless remakes, we should just watch the original shows or movies. [Seriously OMG]

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It was one week ago exactly that America’s Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman had her “a star is born” moment. We haven’t seen one of those in years, where someone who is not in the public consciousness whatsoever comes out and delivers something – a performance, a book, a poem, a moment – in front of the world and everyone is like “WOW, who is that?!?” Amanda is only 22 years old and her poem “The Hill We Climb” stole the show at Joe Biden’s inauguration. The poem itself is beautiful and hopeful and I’m still crying whenever I think about the message, delivered two weeks after armed goons tried to overthrow democracy. She wore a pretty yellow Prada coat and jewelry gifted to her by Oprah Winfrey. And now Amanda might be looking to supplement her poetry and public speaking income with some modeling:

Amanda Gorman’s climb continues as the inaugural poet has signed with IMG Models. The 22-year-old Los Angeles native, who recited her original work “The Hill We Climb” on Jan. 20 and instantly became the breakout star of the inauguration ceremony as the world looked on, now has a team of reps that includes Writers House, WME and the law firm Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown and Passman. As Gorman’s partner in the fashion and beauty industries, IMG Models will focus on building her profile through brand endorsements and editorial opportunities.

About that profile: Following her turn at the podium, Gorman mingled and took photos with former first couples Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton. She received well wishes online from Oprah Winfrey and Lin-Manuel Miranda and made appearances on Good Morning America and on CNN with Anderson Cooper. Her upcoming books — The Hill We Climb and Other Poems and the children’s book Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem — shot to the top of Amazon’s best-seller charts ahead of September debuts.

It’s safe to say that all eyes are on Gorman to see what she does next. Meanwhile, she’s already got millions following those moves. Following Inauguration Day, her social media footprint skyrocketed and she went from 7,000 Twitter followers to 1.4 million. On Instagram, she racked up north of 3.1 million followers and counting. The fashion industry also took notice thanks to a look by Prada and accessories including a caged bird ring and earrings gifted to her by Winfrey. WWD dubbed Gorman “a new kind of style icon,” while Vogue reported that the red headband she wore is already sold out.

[From THR]

To be clear, I doubt Amanda will, like, walk the runways in Paris. But she’ll definitely be offered some sponsorships and brands will try to get her endorsement, especially on social media. I could definitely see her doing print ads for a jewelry line, something like that. This really will be about building her brand all around – designers will want to dress her for her book tour and media appearances, and she should absolutely find ways to commodify her newfound stardom. Most poets are not making a lot of money, you know? I’m all for the fashion, beauty and jewelry industry helping to supplement her income.

Oh, and this came out earlier today: Amanda will perform a new poem AT THE SUPER BOWL. For real!!!

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red, Backgrid.

There have been some announcements from former Trump administration fascists. Sarah Huckabee Sanders landed on her feet in Arkansas and plans to run for governor there. Kayleigh McEnany is already talking to Fox News, although that might get tricky. Sean Spicer is finding a home in alt-right conservative media. But what of all of the Trump loyalists who were with him to the bitter and violent end? What about all of the staffers who changed diapers, delivered cheeseburgers and Diet Cokes and helped Trump organize a violent insurrection in an attempted coup? Well, those people are having a tough time finding work! Donald Trump has not put any organization together, which has left former Trumpers largely adrift.

As Trump gingerly charts out next steps, he is doing so increasingly alone. Two of his most trusted confidantes, Johnny McEntee and Hope Hicks, declined to join him in Florida after spending years by his side on the campaign trail and in the West Wing.

Many other aides have left his side, eager to start anew far away from their former boss. White House aides and administration officials who once relished their West Wing perches have jetted off on remote getaways — cashing in on a mountain of unused vacation time. Others are frantically asking former colleagues for help finding work as they prioritize their own careers over whatever chapter Trump is planning for himself.

“There’s a lot of resumé passing and people just wanting to help people land on their feet,” said a former Trump White House official. It’s not been easy. Tainted by Trump’s reputation, several Trump aides described an increasingly bleak job market with virtually no chance of landing jobs in corporate America and some even having seen promising leads disappear after the rampage at the U.S. Capitol. A second former White House official said they knew of “people who got jobs rescinded because of Jan. 6.” A Republican strategist was blunter.

“They are really f—ed,” the strategist said, pointing to some top officials who stuck with Trump until the bitter end. “The Hill scramble, one of the few places where they’d be welcomed, already happened a month or so ago… They were told over and over to take their hand off the hot stove, and they didn’t want to listen.”

It’s not just the lower- and mid-level staffers getting pinched. Two people familiar with his thinking said Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who spent seven years in the House of Representatives before joining the White House, was even considering a position at the Trump Organization because of a lack of options.

It’s a far different reality from where Trump and his aides had envisioned they would be. A month ago, everything seemed crystal clear: He had lost the 2020 election but would soon launch a juggernaut campaign for the presidency in 2024, and his allies and inner circle would be there to help. Now, the former president’s team is scampering away — willing to leave Washington, in some cases for red states like Texas and Florida, to increase their job prospects — while his own second act is clouded by uncertainty. One former senior administration official noted that many inside the White House were waiting until after the Electoral College votes were counted to begin their job search in earnest, so as not to step on messaging about Trump’s efforts to challenge the election results. But then, the riots on Capitol Hill upended their plans.

“They looked to that [Jan. 6] as the end of the limbo state people were operating in so they could start moving on to the next thing” the former official said. “But the 6th put a shock to that.”

[From Politico]

Who would have thought that “organizing a deadly coup” and “subverting democracy” and “cheering for terrorists to murder elected officials and police officers” would look bad on a resume? Who would have thought that going full-throttle fascist with the dumbest guy on earth would have larger career repercussions? What’s particularly painful though is the thought that without the Jan. 6th insurrection, many of these douchebags probably would have been able to find jobs. The jobs wouldn’t have been great or anything, but it’s depressing to think that it literally took a domestic terrorist attack organized by the Trump White House to make these f–kers unhireable.

Oh, and now a liberal watchdog group is tracking former Trump aides in their quest to find work. Yes!! Make a spreadsheet and keep the pressure on!!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, social media.