Yesterday Netflix released a video promoting their 2021 films and it’s the video equivalent of screaming, “I am a golden god!” and diving into a pool from the roof of a three-story house. Netflix is taking a victory lap before anyone else even lined up for the race. Lainey emailed me the video and s…

Last night, the House voted to compel Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. The vote went ahead even though Pence sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi ahead of the vote, wherein he wrote that he did not feel it was within his constitutional authority to invoke the 25th with only eight days left in Trump’s term. He called the House’s vote “political games” and claimed that invoking the 25th at this moment would “set a terrible precedent.” You can see the full letter from Pence to Speaker Pelosi here. Still, the House still voted and it passed and today the House will vote on impeachment. All of which leads me to this remarkable article in the NY Times about Pence’s relationship with Trump, which included some really astounding moments:

Trump called Pence a p-ssy ahead of the election ratification: Mr. Trump was enraged that Mr. Pence was refusing to try to overturn the election. In a series of meetings, the president had pressed relentlessly, alternately cajoling and browbeating him. Finally, just before Mr. Pence headed to the Capitol to oversee the electoral vote count last Wednesday, Mr. Trump called the vice president’s residence to push one last time. “You can either go down in history as a patriot,” Mr. Trump told him, according to two people briefed on the conversation, “or you can go down in history as a p-ssy.”

During the Capitol siege, Pence stayed in the basement: Evacuated to the basement, Mr. Pence huddled for hours while Mr. Trump tweeted out an attack on him rather than call to check on his safety. “He set Mike Pence up that day by putting it on his shoulders,” said Ryan Streeter, an adviser to Mr. Pence when he was the governor of Indiana. “That’s a pretty unprecedented thing in American politics. For a president to throw his own vice president under the bus like that and to encourage his supporters to take him on is something just unconscionable in my mind.” When the mob burst into the building, Secret Service agents evacuated him and his wife and children, first to his office off the floor and later to the basement. His agents urged him to leave the building, but he refused to abandon the Capitol. From there, he spoke with congressional leaders, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — but not the president.

Don’t give Pence credit for Not Doing Fascism: “I’m glad he didn’t break the law, but it’s kind of hard to call somebody courageous for choosing not to help overthrow our democratic system of government,” said Representative Tom Malinowski, Democrat of New Jersey. “He’s got to understand that the man he’s been working for and defending loyally is almost single-handedly responsible for creating a movement in this country that wants to hang Mike Pence.”

Pence & Trump’s meeting came five days after the attempted coup: The official description of the hourlong conversation was “good”; the unofficial description was “nonsubstantive” and “stilted.”

Trump fundamentally believed that Pence could overthrow the election: Mr. Trump was told, incorrectly, that the vice president could stop the final validation of the election of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. in his role as president of the Senate presiding over the Electoral College count. Mr. Pence’s counsel, Greg Jacob, researched the matter and concluded the vice president had no such authority. Prodded by Rudolph W. Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, two of his lawyers, Mr. Trump kept pressing.

[From The NY Times]

The Times details the weeks of conversations between Pence and Trump, where Trump’s batsh-t legal advisors (like Rudy Giuliani) were insisting over and over that Pence could overthrow the election results and install pro-Trump electors. Trump just couldn’t get it, he didn’t want to get it – he thought Pence was so loyal that Pence would help him do the coup. The fact that Pence actually sought legal advice from outside advisors is both disturbing and yet… smart. I guess. And the fact that Trump called Pence a “p-ssy” to his face is pretty extraordinary, but not as extraordinary as the fact that Trump literally sent a violent mob to the Capitol to murder Pence and Speaker Pelosi, the next two people in the line of succession.

The other point of the Times story is that Pence feels/knows that he probably kneecapped his own presidential ambitions by, you know, not doing the coup. The fact that Team Pence is largely leaking all of this sh-t tells me that Pence is actually very seriously positioning himself to be MAGA-adjacent and yet an old-school Bush-era Republican.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

2020 will be remembered as the year without blockbusters, but the way things are looking, 2021 is going to be more of the same. Earlier this week, Morbius delayed its release date, again, from March 19 to October 8 (honestly, October is a much friendlier month for a vampire-themed superhero movie), …

Facebook has radicalized white supremacists, they’ve helped spread harmful conspiracies, anti-masking and anti-vaccination misinformation and lies. Facebook is complicit in genocide, hate and violence. They value keeping people on their platform above the common good of human rights, facts and reality frankly. It’s despicable and I think Mark Zuckerberg should be in federal court answering for it, not just testifying in front of Congress occasionally with his bullsh-t “aw shucks” act.

I do feel somewhat sorry for Facebook employees, particularly the people who spoke out, sounded the alarm, tried to make change within the company and who went on strike. Facebook finally banned Trump from their platform last week, after he incited murder and terrorism. Mark Zuckerberg realized that the optics were bad and his bottom line might be affected. Trump cannot make more posts, but unlike Twitter they left all his old posts and his account up. Now Facebook employees are in danger because they could be targets of violent magas. The company sent out an internal message warning them not to wear Facebook branded clothing. They didn’t say outright that magas might target employees, but that was the subtext.

Business Insider reports that the message, obtained by The Information, was included in an internal memo sent out to Facebook staff on Monday.

“In light of recent events, and to err on the side of caution, global security is encouraging everyone to avoid wearing or carrying Facebook-branded items at this time,” read the memo, according to Business Insider.

Facebook announced Thursday in a post by founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg that Trump, 74, would be banned “indefinitely” from its platforms, including Instagram, following the rioting at the U.S. Capitol that the president incited on Wednesday.

[From People]

So after giving these terrorists a home and a platform to organize, for years, Facebook has finally meekly stood up to their leader and now they’re understandably afraid of these same people turning on them. That’s what happens when you value profit and growth over people. I do feel somewhat bad for the employees, this isn’t like Lindsey Graham getting stormed at the airport. Employees don’t necessarily cosign these harmful policies. Most of these Facebook workers will surely be fine though, as long as they don’t make it obvious they work there. It’s doubtful much will change with that platform long term unless more regulations and consequences are meted out. We cannot rely on these big corporations to police themselves. They’re standing up to Republicans now more than a Republican-lead government is however. Hopefully that’s all about to change.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

photos credit: Avalon.red and Getty

As we learned this week, Ivanka Trump apparently floated the idea of attending Joe Biden’s inauguration, an event for which she has not been invited. I imagine that Ivanka waltzed around the White House, post-coup, baby-whispering to anyone who would listen that she thinks it would look good to attend Biden’s inaugural. According to Vanity Fair, even post-coup, Ivanka is still holding on to her political ambitions, and she still thinks that she could run for president in 2024. Maybe her daddy yelled at his favorite child and she left in a baby-whispered huff, because she turned up in New York yesterday:

Ivanka Trump has been spotted out and about in New York City, one day after her brother Donald Jr returned to the Big Apple, amid reports she wants to attend Biden’s inauguration ceremony despite her father’s outrage. The First Daughter, 39, was seen leaving a hair salon in Midtown Manhattan Tuesday evening in an all black ensemble featuring dark trousers, a sweater, heeled boots and a tuxedo jacket.

She emerged in New York amid reports that she’s defying her father’s wishes and plans on attending Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony on Capitol Hill on January 20, in a bid to ‘save her reputation’. But President Trump is up in arms about Ivanka’s decision, slamming it as ‘the worst decision she could ever make.’

A White House insider shared with DailyMail.com: ‘Ivanka is worried that her promising political career is in jeopardy and she’s doing whatever she can to save her reputation.’

Ivanka was convinced that by attending Biden’s inauguration she would come across as ‘being a good sport and will gain future supporters,’ the source says. ‘She said she has to protect her own political aspirations and isn’t about to muck it all up by attending her dad’s 2024 campaign kick-off which is set for the same day. She’s leaving that for her dad and Don Jr.’

However, another White House source has denied that she plans to attend the inauguration.

It’s not clear why Ivanka visited the Big Apple on Tuesday, escaping the chaos of DC in the wake of last week’s Capitol siege that left five people dead. In her visit she was seen at a hair salon on Tuesday before heading back to her apartment.

[From The Daily Mail]

I mean, none of this matters because Ivanka’s political life is dead in the water and will be for a very long time. I think the Trump large adult children are going to be shocked to learn how they can’t “get away” with the same things their father has gotten away with. That being said, it’s interesting that Ivanka and Don Jr have both abandoned their father in the last days of his presidency. This is a moment where Trump is said to be even more isolated, even more unhinged. And now Ivanka can’t say that she rode in and saved the day – she f–ked off to New York to get her hair done. Besides, I thought New Yorkers weren’t going to let Ivanka creep back into NY society? Why did the New York salon allow her to enter? They should have kicked her out.

Photos courtesy of social media, Avalon Red, Backgrid.

If you’re a regular visitor here, you know I have a thing with dates. A year ago today, on January 13, 2020, Prince Harry went to meet the Queen at Sandringham; they were later joined by Prince Charles and Prince William. This gathering is now known as the Sandringham Summit, when Harry negotiated a…

Is there anyone more spineless than Mitch McConnell? The now-Senate Minority Leader is fully throwing Donald Trump under the bus. This comes after four years of Moscow Mitch getting everything he wanted out of Trump, including two Supreme Court justices, hundreds of conservative federal court appointments and massive tax breaks. Mitch used Trump and Trumpism to screw over Democrats at every opportunity. Even just after the election, in November, Mitch was still screwing over Democrats and playing games with the democratic process, refusing to acknowledge Biden’s victory and encouraging Trump’s Kraken lawsuits. Then Mitch had a come-to-Jesus moment as his Senate caucus tried to Do A Fascism last week. Suddenly he was Mitch McConnell, protector of the republic. He did his part to ratify Biden’s victory as Republican terrorists laid siege to the Capitol. And now Mitch is going to vote for impeachment:

There’s a better than 50-50 chance that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would vote to convict President Trump in an impeachment trial, sources tell Axios.

What they’re saying: “The Senate institutional loyalists are fomenting a counterrevolution” to Trump, said a top Republican close to McConnell.

Why it matters: This would represent one of the most shocking and damning votes in the history of American politics, by the most powerful Republican in Congress. McConnell’s vote would open the door to the possibility that Trump could be convicted and prohibited from running for president again.

[From Axios]

I wonder if Moscow Mitch would feel the same way if Trump hadn’t lost him the Senate Majority. There’s no question in my mind – if the GOP held on to the majority in the Senate, however slim, Mitch would not be pro-impeachment. But it’s a brave new world and sources tell the Times that Mitch is ready to purge Trump and Trumpers from the party:

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, has told associates that he believes President Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him, believing that it will make it easier to purge him from the party, according to people familiar with his thinking. The House is voting on Wednesday to formally charge Mr. Trump with inciting violence against the country.

At the same time, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader and one of Mr. Trump’s most steadfast allies in Congress, has asked other Republicans whether he should call on Mr. Trump to resign in the aftermath of the riot at the Capitol last week, according to three Republican officials briefed on the conversations.

While Mr. McCarthy has said he is personally opposed to impeachment, he and other party leaders have decided not to formally lobby Republicans to vote “no,” and an aide to Mr. McCarthy said he was open to a measure censuring Mr. Trump for his conduct. In private, Mr. McCarthy reached out to a leading House Democrat to see if the chamber would be willing to pursue a censure vote, though Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ruled it out.

Taken together, the stances of Congress’s two top Republicans — neither of whom has said publicly that Mr. Trump should resign or be impeached — reflected the politically challenging and fast-moving nature of the crisis that the party faces after the assault by a pro-Trump mob during a session to formalize President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s electoral victory.

[From The NY Times]

I get that McConnell is actually trying to screw over Democrats yet again – he’s arguing that, actually, Democrats are doing something which will benefit the GOP in coming years by purging Trump. But here’s the thing: no matter what, the Republican Party is going to be split on Trump for years, perhaps even decades. What Trump has sown – with the help of the Republican caucus in the Senate and House – will tear apart the party for a very long time.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Last year Netflix had some really incredible movies that I would have gladly paid $10 to see in the theater. These included The Old Guard, Project Power, Jingle Jangle, The Love Birds and even Vampires vs. The Bronx (it was cheesy but it made me happy). I looked through a few “best of” Netflix lists to remember these and there are so many movies I missed and still need to see. I’m not even considering the series and non-Netflix films. That’s the power of Netflix, there’s just so much to watch. Plus we have content on all the other services like HBO Max, Amazon and Hulu. Netflix wants us to forget about their competition and the fact that the theaters are still closed and we’re just biding our time to get vaccinated. They just announced that they’re releasing a new movie every week this week. The video announcement is full of stars and got me so excited to sit at home on the couch like I do every night. Here’s part of People’s writeup on this and the video announcement is below. Just watch it!

The streaming giant announced Tuesday (with a little help from some of its biggest stars!) that it would be releasing one a movie a week this year, giving previews of 27 such offerings.

Beginning with a hilarious exchange among Red Notice stars Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the nearly 3-minute preview also features the likes of Regina King, Halle Berry, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Hemsworth, Octavia Spencer and more.

“What I love about movies is that they can make you feel every emotion,” King, 49, says during the segment for her Western The Harder They Fall, co-starring Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz and Lakeith Stanfield.

“I love showing people what a superhero can look like,” says Spencer, 50, before an empowering shot from her Thunder Force film with Melissa McCarthy plays across the screen.

[From People]

The Harder They Fall with Regina King and Jonathan Majors from Lovecraft Country, yes please! That Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer superhero movie looks funny and cool too. I remember when they were doing press for it early in the pandemic. They’ve actually known each other for years and are close friends. The description is “In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after one devises a treatment that gives them powers to protect their city.” I’m also looking forward to The Rock’s action movie, Red Notice, with Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. I don’t care about Reynolds or Gadot but I will watch any action movie with The Rock. He elevates that material somehow.

There’s no release date yet for any of the films I mentioned. I have to admit that I paused this video a few times trying to get to the part where Halle Berry is talking. I was confused by her space and then I realized that she’s in a trailer because she’s at work. Bruised is Halle’s directorial debut and she also stars as a boxer. There’s so much more coming out and The Verge has a full list along with release dates for some movies coming out this month. Malcom & Marie with Zendaya and John David Washington is coming on February 5th.

Now that we know all the great movies coming to Netflix I want to hear when they’re all being released! Netflix is likely still working all that out. It’s not like I’m doing much else or that I’m ever going to cancel my Netflix subscription. They have us hooked and they’re giving us the good stuff.

Whaaaaaaaat is happening, why wasn’t I informed, and how can I make it happen forever? pic.twitter.com/Ogxz9dzVja

— Matt Wallace (@MattFnWallace) October 25, 2019

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Malcolm & Marie February 5th on Netflix pic.twitter.com/7tcf9cUpKs

— Zendaya (@Zendaya) January 8, 2021

photos via Instagram and credit Dominic Miller/Netflix

Dear Gossips, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced yesterday that Satchel and Jackson Lee are the 2021 Golden Globe Awards Ambassadors. Their father is Spike Lee. It is the first time that two siblings of colour have been named the show’s ambassadors and in their roles, they will also b…

I’m pleased to see that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s ridiculous and dangerous Covid Choo Choo Tour is still making headlines. The tour happened about five weeks ago, just before the UK went through another round of strict lockdown protocols. Which isn’t to disregard the protocols which were already in place during the planning of the tour and the tour itself – William and Kate chose to ride the Royal Train into Scotland even though Scotland was in a much stricter lockdown than England. It was this stop in Scotland by the Keens which has caused the most controversy and consternation. At the time, Nicola Sturgeon let her displeasure be known, and now we’ve learned that Scottish government figures were warning Kensington Palace to postpone their asinine tour. So what do Will and Kate have to say for themselves? Well…

Prince William and Duchess Kate’s royal train tour to thank frontline workers across the United Kingdom may have been executed with good intentions, but emails released by the Scottish government today reveal that aides working for the royal couple ignored requests to postpone travel during nationwide restrictions. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s three-day trip covered 1,250 miles across multiple stops in Britain, but it was their visits to Wales and Scotland that were heavily criticized by politicians due to restrictions permitting only “essential” travel at the time.

Kensington Palace tells BAZAAR.com that the working visit adhered to all rules and “was planned in consultation with the U.K., Scottish and Welsh governments.” However, a Freedom of Information request made by Scottish newspaper The National revealed that Scottish government officials had emailed the royal household on a number of occasions to warn of the “major impact” the tour would have during such a sensitive time.

A spokesperson for the Cambridges responded to the new reports in a statement to BAZAAR. “The same guidance we gave last month [before the tour] still stands,” it reads, before reiterating their comments given during the trip last December. “The Duke and Duchess were travelling for work purposes and all rules were fully adhered to. The trip was planned in consultation with the U.K., Scottish and Welsh governments.”

Cases and deaths in the U.K. have recently hit new highs, as hospitals are currently at breaking point. More than 80,000 deaths have been recorded in the country—the worst death toll in Europe and the fifth worst in the world.

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

If you go to the story, you can see the full comments from John Somers, the principal private secretary to Nicola Sturgeon who warned W&K of the ongoing travel restrictions and then urged them strongly to postpone. James Hynd, head of cabinet, parliament, and governance also contacted Kensington Palace to warn them away from visiting Scotland given the restrictions on travel. And Kensington Palace is STILL insisting – after they got two very high-level warnings from Scottish political figures – that they coordinated their tour with Scottish, Welsh and English governments and they adhered to the “rules.” There’s this thing, it’s called “adhering to the letter, but not the spirit of the law.” That’s what W&K are doing – because they didn’t *technically* break any rule and because they were not explicitly banned from going on this asinine tour, they think they’re in the right. The spirit of the pandemic protocols is TO STOP INFECTIONS. Don’t travel when it’s unnecessary, wear a mask even if you’re outdoors, and for God’s sake, stop breathing on children.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.