Here are some photos of Queen Camilla opening the Dyson Cancer Centre this week in Bath, England. I’m shocked that she left Balmoral for this, but I assume she took a private jet back to Scotland immediately following this. It’s interesting that we’re getting this Camilla sighting this week, because she’s involved in a minor-ish controversy. Back in 2020, during the pandemic, Prince Harry filmed his wife reading a book to baby Archie. The video was around Archie’s first birthday, and it was the first time he had been seen in months. He looked like an especially happy baby, and the whole thing was done for charity (Save the Children). Well, that one video caused a flood of salty white tears from many deranged individuals. One notable hater: Emily Giffin, the author of Something Borrowed. Giffin had a vitriolic meltdown about Meghan and Archie online. Within days, Giffin faux-apologized and promised to be “more careful” about being such a nasty-ass Karen. Well, funny story – Camilla just sent her a personal thank-you letter.

Queen Camilla has penned a personal letter to bestselling American author Emily Giffin, who has previously made controversial comments about Meghan Markle. Giffin, known for her 2005 novel ‘Something Borrowed’, revealed on social media that she received the letter from Camilla in July, following their meeting at a literary event earlier this year.

Giffin had faced widespread backlash in 2020 after she criticised Meghan Markle in a series of Instagram posts. In response to a video of Meghan reading to her son, Archie, on his first birthday, Giffin labelled the Duchess of Sussex as “unmaternal” and “phoney”. These comments sparked outrage, leading Giffin to issue an apology, to which Meghan Markle never replied publicly.

Despite Giffin’s controversial past, Queen Camilla expressed her pleasure in meeting the author during the Queen’s Reading Room literary festival at Hampton Court Palace earlier this summer. In the letter, shared by Giffin on Instagram, Camilla wrote that she “much looked forward to reading [Giffin’s new novel] in the peace and quiet of Scotland,” and added, “It was a great pleasure to meet you”, hoping their paths would cross again soon.

The Queen’s correspondence with Giffin has raised eyebrows, as it is unclear whether Camilla was aware of Giffin’s previous remarks about Meghan Markle when she wrote the letter. When the intial backlash broke, Giffin posted on her social media: “To be clear, I absolutely loved that a biracial, American woman was marrying into the Royal Family. It seemed a wonderful, happy thing for everyone. I celebrated their wedding by hosting a gathering here at my home and posting many, many photos. Further, I was appalled by any signs of racism against her.”

[From The Daily Express]

Not only was Camilla well aware of Emily Giffin’s past comments, I’m absolutely sure that those comments were the whole reason why Giffin was invited to Camilla’s July event. Camilla has a nasty habit of doing this – she sends letters of support to anyone who harasses, belittles, denigrates and stalks Meghan. She’s shown an enormous amount of support for Jeremy Clarkson, Piers Morgan, etc. She’s not slick, nor is she oblivious to the history. She knows exactly what she’s doing and she’s sending a message, that she 100% approves of the attacks on the Sussexes. Which is one of the many reasons why the whole “Charles will never forgive Harry for what Harry said about Camilla” argument falls flat. Camilla is a whole-ass villain.

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Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Camilla Tominey went from “royal expert” to right-wing commentator at some point. She barely writes about the Windsors anymore, and she focuses instead on sulking about Labour. She was really mad about the British election and Keir Starmer. But she recently decided to dip her toe back into royal coverage. No, she’s not getting more briefings from Middleton Manor (those sources clammed up last year when the Middletons’ house of cards collapsed). Instead, Tominey has decided to mock the Duchess of Sussex for… investing in smaller, female-owned clothing and accessories brands like Cesta Collective. Meghan’s investment in Cesta made headlines last week when Meghan spoke to the New York Times about her new partnership. Tominey’s headline in the Telegraph: “Meghan wanted to change the world. Instead she’s changing your wardrobe; This latest revelation speaks to just how far the Sussexes have fallen.”

There are two types of women in this world: those who have “help” with their wardrobe and those who think having help with their wardrobe means receiving assistance in flat-pack assembly. The Duchess of Sussex has always been someone who has had the first kind, as evidenced by her many, many outfit changes in her pre-Harry career – and, now, by the four stylists who helped her into a red designer dress during filming of the formerly royal couple’s fly-on-the-wall Netflix documentary in which they opine on the horror of multimillion dollar lives.

Now, however, Meghan – ever the philanthropist – is giving back. According to the actress turned self-styled “feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity”, she is using her “global spotlight” to, er, sell clothes. Speaking to The New York Times, the 43-year-old said: “Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting. That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.” Wearing an earring is one of the most powerful things Meghan can do? Really?

Whatever happened to, as the couple once boasted on their now defunct sussex.com website: “Shaping the future through business and philanthropy”? Or even her short life as a member of the Royal family, apparently spent dedicated to public service?

Lest we forget, Meghan (“one of the most influential women in the world in rankings”) has seen her “advocacy work on resilience, equality, and compassion through action … recognised – alongside that of her husband, Prince Harry – with the NAACP President’s Award as well as the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award.”

Sadly, this latest revelation speaks to just how far the Sussexes have fallen. Meghan’s pretentions towards charity have been supplanted by more important concerns. Her new “advocacy work” is for herself and her famous friends. They wanted to change the world, instead they’re only changing your wardrobe.

[From The Telegraph]

You guys know why this upsets women like Tominey, right? Because they’ve spent the past thirteen years trying to convince everyone that Princess Kate’s button-covered cosplay is the height of aspirational fashion. When stylish, beautiful Meghan came into their lives, they spent years fighting off the growing realization that Kate is dull and her style is awful and no one under the age of 80 wants to wear buttony coatdresses or her Sister-Wife couture. Anyway, Tominey is now trying to make Meghan sound superficial, like “investing in female-owned businesses” isn’t part of a larger strategy, on Meghan’s part, to uplift and reinvest communities. Serena Williams created an entire VC fund to invest in Black-owned businesses and female-led companies for the same reason.

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Team JLO for life, I have to say. I can’t even explain it properly, but I will always root for Jennifer Lopez even if I acknowledge that she has terrible instincts when it comes to men and relationships. I’ll be fair to her – given the way Ben courted her back in 2021, I completely understand why she went back to him. I certainly didn’t predict that Ben would f–k it all up so soon, but here we are. We’re now two weeks past Jennifer filing for divorce. They did not have a prenup and there are reports of some negotiations happening behind the scenes, but who knows. People Mag has some new info:

Love don’t cost a thing, but Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s split could prove to be pricey. Their divorce “has the potential to get ugly,” according to a source who confirms the pair did not have a prenuptial agreement when they eloped in Las Vegas in 2022.

While Lopez, 55, and Affleck, 52, are currently in mediation with high-powered divorce attorney Laura Wasser (past clients include Kim Kardashian and Kevin Costner), according to the source, “there are some sticking points over financials.”

In Lopez’s Aug. 20 divorce petition — which she filed on the two-year anniversary of her and Affleck’s wedding celebration at his Savannah-area estate — she wrote that their assets were “unknown” to her when she filed. According to California state law, only the income Lopez and Affleck earned or the assets they acquired during their two-year union would be considered community property and subject to division. But it’s not a small sum: They bought a Beverly Hills mansion in 2023 (which they listed for $68 million in July), and each has reportedly made millions through films and endorsements like Dunkin’ commercials.

As Lopez and Affleck try to hash out monetary matters, sources have shared new details about the circumstances of their split, which insiders have said was due, in part, to their very different personalities.

In the divorce petition, Lopez, who has 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony, listed the date of separation as April 26, when she was in the New York area filming Kiss of the Spider Woman and Affleck was back in L.A.

“Ben began moving his things out of their shared home while Jennifer was in New York in April, effectively blindsiding her,” says the source, adding that when Lopez returned to L.A. in May “he wouldn’t answer texts or calls.” (A rep for Affleck has yet to respond to a request for comment.)

In recent months, Affleck has been spending time with 36-year-old actress Kick Kennedy (the daughter of former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.), according to sources. A rep for Affleck has denied they are romantically involved.

[From People]

“Ben began moving his things out of their shared home while Jennifer was in New York in April, effectively blindsiding her.” I’m sorry, but WTF happened in April? Did Ben just wake up one day and decide that he was over it? It also feels like Jennifer is in the dark about why Ben – rather suddenly – decided that the marriage was over and he had no interest in working on it. As for the financial stuff… yeah, they made millions in their brief time together. I’m not worried about the financial stuff – I feel like they’ll hash that out soon enough. Ben is a lot of things, but he’s never struck me as financially abusive or gross about money.

Meanwhile, Page Six’s sources say that Jennifer is still tight with her manager Benny Medina, but she’s also interested in bringing in some new voices to her team in the wake of her latest divorce. A source says: “She is open to listening to new voices of those around her. She needs advice from some new people to add a new layer and get some new suggestions.” Stop dating scrubs and moody a–holes! Find a nice guy close to your age who isn’t a user or a withholder. Easier said than done, but you’re J.Lo! Date a lawyer or someone in the political world. Elizabeth Taylor ended up marrying a senator, that could be you!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

The Paris Olympics were full of so much positivity, and I loved all of the stories of supportive partnerships and marriages within the Olympic community. There were so many boyfriends and husbands who were genuinely so proud of their Olympian partners, men who were not threatened by their partners competing in their fields and winning medals. But of course there are awful stories too, like what happened here to Ugandan distance-runner Rebecca Cheptegei. Rebecca competed at the Paris Olympics, then returned to her home in Kenya, where she lives and trains. Her (current or ex) boyfriend sneaked into her home while she was in church, then when she returned, he doused her in gasoline and set her on fire.

A Ugandan athlete who appeared in the 2024 Paris Olympics is in critical condition after reportedly being set on fire by her boyfriend in Kenya. Distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, suffered 75 percent burns on her body after her boyfriend allegedly doused her in gasoline and set her on fire at her home in Trans Nzoia County in western Kenya on Sunday, Sept. 1, police said, per the Associated Press, BBC News and ESPN.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander, Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday, per the outlets, that the attack happened during a dispute between Cheptegei and her boyfriend Dickson Ndiema.

“The couple were heard quarreling outside their house,” he told journalists, per BBC. “During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”

Ndiema also sustained serious burns in the fire. The pair were put out by neighbors and transported to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the nearby city of Eldoret for specialized treatment. In a report filed by the local police obtained by AP, the pair were described as having been heard arguing over the land the home was built on before the incident.

Kosiom told local outlet The Standard, “[Ndiema] is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday while the wife and the children were in Church. Upon returning, Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring it on Rebecca before he set her ablaze.”

He added to the outlet that items including “a five-liter jerrican” belonging to Dickson and “a burned mobile phone believed to be for Rebecca” were collected for forensic analysis. An investigation is ongoing, per multiple reports.

[From People]

“Ndiema also sustained serious burns in the fire.” I hope he does not survive his self-inflicted injuries. I hope Rebecca gets the best treatments available and that she survives. Jesus, this story is awful. Given this detail – “he is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday while the wife and the children were in Church” – I genuinely believe that Ndiema was not Rebecca’s current boyfriend. This is stalker-ex behavior. This was Ndiema punishing Rebecca for breaking up with him and for being an Olympian. Toxic masculinity.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Over the weekend, the Mail decided to push a narrative that Prince Harry is desperate to come back to royal life and he’s begging the Windsors to please let him come back (without Meghan) to do some ribbon-cuttings because he’s so bored with living in a Montecito mansion and banging his hot wife. As you can imagine, “sources close to Harry” shut down the story within 48 hours, insisting that of course Harry has no desire to return to the UK to live and work. People Mag also got calls from the Sussex camp, and they underlined that no, lol, Harry isn’t coming back, but again, he would love to visit every so often so he could do some work with his British charities.

Speculation has grown that the Duke of Sussex is seeking a return to royal life, following a Sept. 1 report by the Mail on Sunday. The report suggested that Harry, who stepped back from royal duties with Meghan Markle in 2020, has been asking former aides and friends to explore ways for a partial reintegration into the royal fold. However, sources who previously worked with Harry tell PEOPLE they were surprised by the claim.

Instead, the Duke of Sussex is happy with his life in California, focused on raising his young family with Meghan and continuing his work there, with an upcoming visit in New York City later this month, PEOPLE understands.

What is clear, as one ally noted, is that Harry is eager to visit friends in the U.K. and work directly, rather than through Zoom, with the charities he remains connected to in his homeland, including WellChild. He also wants to bring his family — Meghan, 43, and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3 — back to the U.K. for visits. However, he feels that his lack of automatic access to official security, which was lost after he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties, is a significant obstacle.

During his visit to the U.K. for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games in May, including a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Harry was said to have truly enjoyed reconnecting with the community and meeting old friends and supporters. Despite conflicting reports about why he chose not to stay at an offered royal residence, a royal source tells PEOPLE that the trip “went well,” noting that Harry was clearly uplifted by spending time with friends and family.

“Hopefully, he can find it increasingly easy in the future,” a family friend says.

[From People]

The security issue is fascinating to me because Harry has made it perfectly clear that this is the biggest obstacle. The Windsors always conveniently forget this until the Sussexes travel somewhere else where their security is guaranteed, then suddenly it’s “wHaT abOuT THe sECuriTy.”

Speaking of, from what I can tell, Harry’s visit to the UK last week was done so under-the-radar, he probably did not inform Buckingham Palace OR the Met Police about his visit. The “tell” is that his visit surprised everyone, as evidenced by their hysterical reporting over the course of five days. Harry is not flatly required to inform BP and the Met Police of his visits, he only has to give them 30 days notice if he wants temporary royal protection, which is judged on a case by case basis. It feels like Harry didn’t notify anyone but the Spencer family about his plans to attend Robert Fellowes’ funeral, and Harry reportedly stayed with his uncle, the Earl Spencer, at Althorp. This was too much for Sarah Vine to take. She pissed out this Mail column:

Far from signalling some form of rapprochement with his estranged family, Prince Harry’s visit to the UK last week (to attend a memorial service for his aunt Jane’s late husband, Lord Fellowes) seems to have only widened the abyss. Not only did he and his brother Prince William fail to exchange a single word in church, perhaps more tellingly it has now emerged that he stayed with his uncle, Charles Spencer, at the family’s stately home, Althorp, in Northamptonshire.

You may well ask, why shouldn’t Prince Harry stay with his uncle? After all, his mother is buried at Althorp, which means a part of him will always call it home. That’s true. But the way the information has come to light – via an American publication with established links to the Sussexes – is certainly intriguing.

Prince Harry could easily have been put up at one of the royal residences for this visit. The King has made it clear that his door is always open to his youngest son. But not only did Harry choose not to (in fact, he didn’t see his father at all on this trip, despite the fact that the King is still receiving treatment for cancer), he made a point of staying with Earl Spencer.

It’s fair to say there is no love lost between the monarch and the Earl. Anyone who remembers Earl Spencer’s coruscating speech at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 knows that. He has always held the King – and by extension the Royal Family – responsible for his sister’s agonies, and he’s not entirely wrong. Princess Diana was poorly treated by Charles in some respects; in others, though, she very much gave as good as she got.

Nonetheless, Harry clearly takes a more one-sided view, and has said as much in his various attacks on screen and in print against his father. In fact, many of the Duke’s difficulties, especially over the past few years, arguably stem from what he sees as the ultimate betrayal of his mother by his father. Not only does he need someone to blame for his loss – he also needs someone to punish. To begin with, it was just his father and, in private, Queen Camilla. But now Prince William is being punished, too (along with Kate) for their decision to put duty ahead of anything else.

This snub to his father and brother sends a clear, unequivocal message. Prince Harry is not offering any kind of olive branch; he’s doubling down.

[From The Daily Mail]

“Princess Diana was poorly treated by Charles in some respects; in others, though, she very much gave as good as she got.” She did not give as good as she got – the woman is dead and Charles is married to one of his many side chicks. They’re trying to say that Harry is absorbed in his mother’s grievances, when really, he’s a man who is simply close to his mother’s family. He wants to be able to freely visit with all sides of his family. As for “Harry should have stayed at a palace instead of Althorp” – the whole point was that he was in stealth-mode for security reasons. The second he informed his father of his plans or asked for a room, Charles would have gone on another briefing spree about how he hates Harry and never wants him to come back. Also: do not underestimate how many of these hissy fits are about Charles’s anger at the Spencers.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Angelina Jolie is currently riding a professional high. Maria is her first lead role in a mainstream film in many years, and the film premiered to widespread acclaim in Venice and Telluride. People are already talking about her potential Oscar campaign for Best Actress. Her personal life is going well these days too – her kids are happy and healthy (minus Pax’s recent accident) and everyone seems well-adjusted and engaged. None of the kids want anything to do with Brad Pitt, which is fine because he moved out of LA and he’s more focused on his fauxmance with Ines de Ramon. Brad and Ines made their big red-carpet debut in Venice just a few days after Angelina left town. Well, it looks like Brad is salty that Angelina is getting so much positive attention, because magically, look at People Mag’s cover story: “Can They Finally Move On?” Hey, People editors, you’re asking this about a man who abused his wife and children AND THEN SUED HER for legally selling her half of their shared property. Surely the better question is: can Brad move on?

The night before the[Wolfs] premiere, Pitt and de Ramon, who have been together in Europe while the actor shoots his racing film F1, joined Clooney and his wife, Amal, for dinner at Ristorante da Ivo, where they happily joked with fellow diners. As Clooney pretended to be a waiter, “his sidekick was Brad Pitt,” says a guest. “Who will ever believe us?”

Those well-orchestrated, separate presences at the festival could be seen as a master class in keeping the peace. Despite it being nearly eight years since Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on Sept. 20, 2016, the two, who were ruled legally single in 2019, have yet to finalize the details of their split as they’ve endured a contentious legal battle over finances and custody of their kids Maddox, 23, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and 16-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

In the past few years, a separate court fight over Château Miraval, the French villa and winery they bought in 2012 for an estimated $60 million, has opened a new public front in their war. The couple launched Miraval wines in 2013, and the first 6,000 bottles of rosé they produced sold out in five hours.

Now as the former couple rev up their careers with bold new films, a Pitt source insists “he’s not rooting against” Jolie, and a source close to her contends she finds the situation “incredibly sad.” Their events in Venice were “of course” spread out, festival artistic director Alberto Barbera told press, leaving “no way that they can cross each other.”

While the world waits for the exes’ split saga to finally conclude, those closest to them find it “shocking” that they still “can’t find a resolution and finalize the divorce,” says an insider. The focus for now remains on their kids and a desire to “at least resolve the matrimonial side of things while the Miraval case plays out,” another insider adds. “Hopefully they can both get on the same page.”

[From People]

Those closest to them find it “shocking” that they still “can’t find a resolution and finalize the divorce.” What I find shocking is every move Angelina has made to extract herself from Brad legally, financially, physically and emotionally has resulted in nothing but smears, lies, tantrums, financial abuse and lawsuits from Brad. Brad is “not rooting against” Angelina? That’s not what it looks like. It looks like Angelina’s toxic and abusive ex-husband is desperately trying to attach himself to her recent good press. And the more Brad’s side publicly pressures Angelina to “get on the same page,” the more convinced I am that Brad is the one holding up the divorce.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images. Cover courtesy of People.

Jose Andres is a chef and a humanitarian. He operates World Central Kitchen, where chefs go into warzones and natural disaster areas to provide meals to anyone and everyone. WCK has been in Haiti, Ukraine, Puerto Rico, Turkey and disaster areas within the US as well. Andres is regularly featured in Western media as an all-around great guy doing great work. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are particularly supportive of Andres and WCK, and Andres has said many supportive and lovely things about Harry and Meghan. Well, Andres has now joined the board of Earthshot, Prince William’s sad busywork scheme. This is now being called “humiliating” for… Harry and Meghan. Don’t you get it, William lives inside his own ass and he only understands the world through the prism of hatred and jealousy for his brother. You can’t tell me that William didn’t seek out Andres because Andres is close to the Sussexes. And isn’t that sad? Isn’t that humiliating for William? Still, the Daily Beast’s Royalist dutifully acted as stenographer to Kensington Palace’s talking points:

Picking a side in a divorce is always uncomfortable. Some people, of course, manage to stay friends with both parties. Now José Andrés is having a go at being allied with both Prince Harry and Prince William.For the legendary chef and founder of humanitarian food program World Central Kitchen (WCK) has joined the board of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize—despite having long been one of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s most prestigious associates.

His organisation has previously received funding from Archewell running to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the Sussexes have described him as a “longtime friend and partner.” He has gushingly described them in return as “dear friends” who “bring hope to each and every community you touch, always with a smile, always with empathy.”

Andrés, who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year, [said] in a statement on the Earthshot website: “I am thrilled to join the Earthshot Prize Council to help showcase the changemakers pushing the boundaries of innovation and ingenuity around the world. There is so much we can do to inspire the world to see food as a powerful tool for creativity and change, and Earthshot solutions are at the forefront of this movement.”

A British reputation management consultant who has previously worked with both William and Harry and the wider royal family told The Daily Beast: “José Andrés is a uniquely respected figure, and he was very much promoted by the Sussexes over the Covid years. The fact that William can just poach him for Earthshot is not just humiliating for Harry and Meghan, it is a very graphic illustration of the power differential between William and Harry. Faced with a choice, when it comes to advancing the goals of his organisation, Andrés has chosen to be allied with the future king of England, and Harry and Meghan will have to either accept it or cut ties with him themselves.”

[From The Daily Beast]

There are some royal stories which genuinely turn my stomach, and this is one of them. For William to so clearly go out of his way to “poach” Andres and then turn around and try to claim that the poach is “humiliating” for the Sussexes?? For William the charisma-vacuum to have so little going on that he stalks the people associated with Harry and Meghan? Besides which, William is showing his hand here, and showing that it’s all a game of one-upmanship with his brother. Harry and Meghan supported Andres and WCK because they believe in the work and they support Andres’ mission. The Sussexes genuinely care about getting food to people in terrible conditions. They care about the issue. But to William, it’s just moving chess pieces against the brother he’s insanely jealous of.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Andres’ IG.

While AI can seem like a fun version of Photoshop at times (like imagining what Katy Perry would have worn to the Met Gala), it can and has often been used to pernicious effect (like Trump imagining Taylor Swift “endorsing” him). I think management teams for celebs must all now be factoring in resources to track and stop illegal uses. Or, you have an actor who’s on the lookout himself. And so it is with American Treasure Tom Hanks, who took to his Instagram to warn his fans directly about a rush of fake ads in which an AI-generated replica of him shills “miracle cures.” No, AI. You don’t do that to Tom Hanks.

Tom Hanks is issuing a warning to his followers on social media to be wary of advertisements using his likeness that he says were created “fraudulently and through AI.”

“There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs,” Hanks wrote on his Instagram page Thursday. “These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI.”

He added that he has “nothing to do with these posts or the products and treatments, or the spokespeople touting these cures.”

Hanks, who has openly talked about living with type 2 diabetes, acknowledged that he only works “with my board certified doctor regarding my treatment.”

“Do not be fooled. Do not be swindled. Do not lose your hard earned money,” he wrote.

Hanks is among many celebrities, including Drake, The Weeknd and Taylor Swift, to name a few, whose name and likeness have been falsely used in AI-generated images, songs, political endorsements or advertisements posted online.

Several state and federal legislators have recently launched or pushed for expanded protections against the misuse of individual identities in the digital era.

The state of Tennessee recently enacted a law aimed at protecting people from unauthorized use of content that mimics their image or voice called The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, or ELVIS Act, which went into effect last month.

[From WQOW.com]

This is actually at least the second time I’m aware of that Hanks has had to rebut a medically-related, AI-created ad featuring his likeness. I don’t really understand why the sham medical industry has targeted Hanks to promote their products. Not that there’s anything he can’t play! The man is a thoughtful, empathic actor (and writer too!) who makes it seem effortless. He just doesn’t scream “doctor” to me, particularly. But more importantly, leave him alone, AI! I laughed uproariously this year when George Santos sued Jimmy Kimmel, saying Kimmel “took advantage of Santos’ gregarious personality.” You know what? I dare say that the “gregarious personality” defense is actually applicable here! To all nefarious actors out there, human and software alike: do not take advantage of Mr. Hanks’ amiable nature. He knows how to clap back when he needs to. And well done to Tennessee for not only passing that new law, but for working on the name until they got the acronym ELVIS Act.

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Photos credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images, UPPA/Starstock/Photoshot Photo, Look Press Agency/Look Press / Avalon

Everyone always jokes about how their devices are listening to them in order to give them target advertisements, and once again, we have confirmation that it actually happens. Cox Media Group, a conservative-leaning media, news, and entertainment company that counts Facebook, Amazon, and Google as its clients, admitted in one of its client pitch decks that it uses “Active Listening” software to listen to users thru their smartphones so they can send us ads accordingly. If you’ve ever made that “my phone is listening” joke, you can properly feel vindicated now.

In a pitch deck to prospective customers, one of Facebook’s alleged marketing partners explained how it listens to users’ smartphone microphones and advertises to them accordingly. As 404 Media reports based on documents leaked to its reporters, the TV and radio news giant Cox Media Group (CMG) claims that its so-called “Active Listening” software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations.”

“Advertisers can pair this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers,” the deck continues.

In the same slideshow, CMG counted Facebook, Google, and Amazon as clients of its “Active Listening” service. After 404 reached out to Google about its partnership, the tech giant removed the media group from the site for its “Partners Program,” which prompted Meta, the owner of Facebook, to admit that it is reviewing CMG to see if it violates any of its terms of service.

An Amazon spokesperson, meanwhile, told 404 that its Ads arm “has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so. The spox added, confusingly, that if one of its marketing partners violates its rules, the company will take action.

This latest leak marks the third time in a year that 404 has reported on CMG’s shady voice targeting service. Last December, the independent news site not only put a marketing company on blast for boasting about such creepy tech on its podcast, but also revealed the existence of CMG’s Active Listening feature.

Together with this latest update to the CMG saga, these stories bolster longstanding suspicions about advertisers using our phones to listen to us.

“We know what you’re thinking. Is this even legal?” a since-deleted Cox blog post from November 2023 noted. “It is legal for phones and devices to listen to you. When a new app download or update prompts consumers with a multi-page term of use agreement somewhere in the fine print, Active Listening is often included.”

Beyond taking a big game, CMG did not cop to how it acquires its alleged voice data, instead saying only that it can identify users who are “ready-to-buy” and create targeted ad lists based on their interests. For this service, the media group that specializes in hyperlocal news charges $100 per day to target folks in a 10-mile radius, and $200 per day to target those in a 20-mile radius.

In its own reporting on the leak, Gizmodo found that CMG had not yet responded to its email asking for more information about “Active Listening,” and Futurism has also not yet heard back from our own queries.

Given that the company boasted about it on its public — and still archived — website before anyone began paying attention, however, it seems like it would be pretty hard at this juncture to deny that it was charging for its eavesdropping.

[From Futurism]

This is gross but completely unsurprising. It is honestly kinda chilling that these companies can identify us as consumers in such detail. It is absolutely f-cking unacceptable that it’s legal for companies to have our phones and devices listen to us. I don’t care if it’s hidden within the fine print of some agreement. It should not be this easy to just sign away our rights to privacy. I swear, sometimes, these companies can read our minds as well as listen to our phones. I have been targeted-advertised things that I swear I have only thought of, not said out loud! I want to know how they do that trick.

PSA: I just turned off active listening on my iPhone. If you haven’t already done so, you can go into “Settings,” then into “Privacy & Security.” Tap the “Microphone” option and turn that puppy off on any apps that have no business having access to it.

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