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| | Times: Andrew Windsor might not have to move into Marsh Farm after all | | Added 5 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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About a week ago, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was seen in Norfolk, checking out his new digs on the Sandringham Estate. King Charles has reportedly earmarked Marsh Farm for Andrew, following Andrew?s unroyaling and general disgrace. As I?ve said, the photos of Marsh Farm make it look quite charming, like an ideal little English country cottage for a retired man. Well, when Andrew visited Marsh Farm last week, he was apparently quite distraught. He thinks it?s undignified that he?s being made to downsize this much, and he simply does not like the state of Marsh Farm. Meanwhile, Charles is personally financing a major renovation and overall of the property, but it?s still not good enough for this depraved ahole. Well, the Times has a new piece about the sorry state of Andrew just ahead of his 66th birthday. Some highlights:
Andrew might not get much money out of the Crown Estate: Stripped of his royal and heraldic titles, he is preparing to move out of his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor as a damage assessment works to ascertain what, if anything, he will receive back from his original 8.5 million downpayment on the property. The Times understands that the Royal Collection Trust has removed priceless artwork from the walls of Royal Lodge, transferring them to a bonded warehouse in London for storage while they await a new home.
Marsh Farm & Wood Farm: The King has earmarked Marsh Farm at Sandringham for him and, to speed up the process, has made it clear that Andrew will have an ?interim house? while it is being restored. This could be Wood Farm, a secluded, five-bedroom home on the estate, that was used as Prince Philip?s private home after his retirement in 2017. Despite extensive work beginning on Marsh Farm, however, it is understood that even this is now in doubt. A huge security overhaul is required to make it safe for Andrew. Builders have been working to install secure gates and alarm systems, but the former duke is understood to be unhappy with the arrangement, and others have questioned how appropriate the accommodation is for such a high-profile figure. Meanwhile, pest control officers were seen at the house amid reports of a mole problem within the grounds. It means that the King may be forced to relent and find another property for his brother at Sandringham.
Andrew still has supporters: He has a few loyal friends and some sources close to the royal family suspect that Charles?s steely approach may have been too tough. Andrew?s other siblings, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Royal, have stayed in touch with Andrew even when communication lines have been cut with the King. While the Prince and Princess of Wales have supported the King in stripping Andrew of his titles and home, it is understood that they have both shown their concern in private regarding Andrew?s wellbeing.
Andrew & Fergie should have left Royal Lodge a year ago: There are those close to the process who feel it might all have been simpler, smoother and far less public if Andrew had agreed to a low-profile departure a year ago. Originally Andrew and Sarah were offered Frogmore Cottage, the former home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, tastefully decorated to the highest standards by the former tenants before their departure to the US. As well as some newer decor, it had the benefit of lying within the security cordon of Windsor Great Park.
Sarah still doesn?t know where she?ll go: With no new permanent place to stay, a source close to Ferguson has indicated that she would prefer to remain in the Windsor area. Even if suitable accommodation can be found for Andrew, one thing is clear: she will not be moving in with him.
Andrew?s relationship with his daughters: While it is not thought that they have cut him off entirely, it is understood that Eugenie has not spoken to her father for some time. Relations are warmer between Ferguson and the couple?s daughters, however no offer of permanent accommodation has been extended to their mother.
[From The Times]
This situation just feels so perfectly typical of both Andrew and Charles. Charles dithers for years, goes back and forth, briefs against his brother, gets forced into making a command decision, finally does the thing he should have done in the first place, and now he?s backtracking and second-guessing his decision and dithering over what to do next. Meanwhile, Arrogant Andrew has chosen to lie, deflect, threaten and then he just pretends like nothing happened and he has no idea why he?s being punished so harshly, so he?s throwing tantrums about not wanting to move into that peasant shack, and don?t you know, the king?s brother deserves better accommodations. This situation has showcased the deep character flaws of both men.
As for the idea that Andrew might not end up living in Marsh Farm, and that he might be able to weasel his way into permanent accommodations in his late father?s retirement home? it wouldn?t surprise me at all if this happens. Still, I hope Charles puts up some fight, you know?
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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| | Teyana Taylor covers Vanity Fair: 'I?m in my business and I drink my water' | | Added 5 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Teyana Taylor is the moment! Teyana covers the latest issue of Vanity Fair, looking like Lady Liberty, if Liberty had a sick body. Teyana is obviously campaigning for her supporting actress Oscar, and she?s leaning into the process even if she doesn?t want to jinx it by talking about it. Teyana really is a multi-hyphenate singer, dancer, choreographer, director, and award-winning actress. And she?s a mom with two young children. And she?s Oscar Isaac?s new bestie. And a million other things. In Vanity Fair, she touches on some of this, plus her divorce and her thoughts on the conversation about Perfidia Beverly Hills. Some highlights:
Her career began at 15. ?I was one of them busybody kids. I did everything. I was in a choir and had my own Bible study class. I was running track. I was choreographing.?
Retiring from music five years ago: ?Maybe it?s the Sag in me,? she says, referring to her astrological sign, Sagittarius. ?We?re gonna pivot. We?re going to do whatever we put our hearts to. And I never had one thing. I was the dreamer that wanted to make my dreams a reality.?
The Oscar talk: ?It?s so crazy, because I don?t like to jinx it. I get so shy when everybody starts talking about award season and stuff. Being with Sarah Paulson and Glenn Close and Naomi Watts and Niecy Nash and Kim Kardashian??almost all of whom have portfolios full of nominations for their work??it?s like, they?re all in my ear. Like, ?You better get ready, you gotta get ready.? I?m like, oh my God. I try not to get my head too wrapped around me, just trying to stay grounded and not getting to a place where I?m obsessed with the outcome.?
Answered prayers: ?I remember when there was a time where I had nothing to balance. I couldn?t secure a movie role. I was shelved.? Faith has a strong place in Taylor?s life, and she describes waiting and praying that her dreams would come to fruition. ?Every single prayer you?ve ever prayed has been answered. Here?s the answer. I told you, this was always yours. You just needed to do the work to get there and you needed to be patient,? she remembers saying to herself during those years when she felt her career stalling.
Her OBAA character Perfidia Beverly Hills: ?I think one thing that everybody will be able to agree on is that she?s a badass. And she?s unapologetically herself. And when you see this woman??who, after living a high-octane life of staging high-risk attacks targeting political figures and enterprises, is at home with her baby??even the things you don?t agree with, you?ll still empathize?.It will never be a moment of judgment, because a lot of her mistakes have come from her being in survival mode dealing with postpartum depression and the title of being a strong woman?a strong Black woman. We don?t get the same amount of compassion as everybody else. We don?t get the same amount of grace as everybody else. Everybody just assumes we?re okay? I think with Perfidia, you see the results of people overlooking postpartum depression. You see how that makes her react. And you see this woman that still wants to shoot guns and still wants to be a revolutionary and she wants all of the things.?
Whether she thinks the script fetishizes Perfidia: Taylor tiptoes around the topic a bit, careful to not overgeneralize. ?I think we don?t enjoy seeing the harsh reality, but this is what?s happening,? she says, avoiding getting too specific about what exactly is happening. ?Another person interviewed me and mentioned something about Perfidia and how people felt like she was overly horny. And I?m like, do you realize the first thing we see of Perfidia is her having a gun to a guy?s head and he calls her sweet thing? Are you?are we watching the same film?? Taylor seems to see her One Battle After Another character as using her sexuality to her advantage rather than getting taken advantage of. Penn?s Lockjaw ultimately falls into her ploy, finding himself submissive to her sexuality.
On her longtime professional relationship with Kanye West: ?I don?t have to agree with everything that he do or say, but I?m not going to, like, abandon him and be like, ?Yeah, eff that motherfker.? My brothers do sh-t that I don?t agree with. I don?t get into none of that. If you want a real answer, you ask me. So if he asks me something, he knows he?s gonna get a real answer.? She continues on, speaking more philosophically about how she balances her authenticity and loyalties with the high-wire demands of fame. ?I do my shit behind the scenes and do what I need to do to help. I?m in my business and I drink my water.?
Divorcing Iman Shumpert in 2023: ?Divorce, to me, is you?re grieving the death of a living being. I think once children are involved, you understand the importance of really still having to show up for each other. At least for the next 18 years, and being the best co-parents that we can be.? But she maintains that she doesnt ?want people to start feeling scared of marriage, because marriage is a beautiful thing. One thing I don?t do is rewrite history. When I love, my love is real. So whatever you?ve seen was a real display of love until there was no more. And that?s okay.?
[From Vanity Fair]
I plan on using this in my own life: ?I?m in my business and I drink my water.? Put it on a t-shirt! That?s a mantra, baby. She doesn?t condemn Kanye nor does she defend him. She makes it clear that she has some thoughts about his stupid ass but she?d rather say all of that sh-t to his face.
As for the conversations about Perfidia and the sexualization or fetishization of the character? in my opinion, Lockjaw fetishizes Perfidia (he also falls in love with her in a way) but the script does not fetishize Teyana or Perfidia. She?s playing a character who uses all of the tools at her disposal, including her sexuality. Perfidia is actually playing a femme fatale with Lockjaw, while Bob gets to see ?the real Perfidia.? It?s remarkable how much nuance Teyana infused in that character in, what? Twenty minutes of screen time or something like that.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and cover courtesy of Vanity Fair.
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| | Jason Segel: I do secret performances of the Dracula puppet musical | | Added 5 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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The third season of Shrinking started on Jan. 28. I started watching it midway through the first season because of Harrison Ford. I was intrigued by the premise, but when I got to the scene where Derek tells Pam to ?eat a d-ck? (IYKYK), I was all in. It?s a good show, but Shrinking?s strength is in its incredible ensemble and the enormous amounts of chemistry they have while dealing with some pretty heavy topics.
Jason Segel did an interview with Variety recently. Much of it focused on how Jason has matured as both a person and an actor, but there are a few gems in regard to some of his older roles, including some of his memorable moments from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and How I Met Your Mother.
On Jeff Daniels playing his dad in Shrinking season 4: ?That was the most brilliant casting for my dad. Because, we?re doing very similar stuff. There were moments where in my head I was gonna try to mimic his movements. So I was kind of spying on him during scenes, and I realized we?re already doing the same thing? He?s one of those guys like Peter Sellers, who can?t really be put into a box. You can do drama, you can do comedy. And guys like Jeff Daniels kind of broke my brain open about not letting yourself be limited about the kind of material you can do.?
Growing as an actor: ?I really thought my 20s were my prime ? And then in my 30s, I had a little sense of mourning, like, the best part happened. And then my 40s have arrived, and I?m like a grown adult who?s learned all the lessons from his 20s ? and now, all of a sudden, the parts are richer. They?re like man parts of people who have life experience. On ?Shrinking,? [his character, Jimmy] has gone through the biggest tragedy you can go through. And I?m like, ?Oh, my 20s were rehearsal. And now I get to play parts where you get to really express something.?
Learning from Harrison Ford: ?[Harrison Ford?s speech in the season 2 finale is] the best acting I?ve ever seen, certainly in person, sitting there watching him give this monologue. It was sort of the bullseye of my ethos about what art is, which is somebody performing an act of self exploration for an audience. Everything he?s saying in that speech is a 1:1 ratio for what I?m sure you?re thinking about at 83 years old, at the end of any career. ?I don?t know how much longer I get to do this, what an honor it is to get to do it with all of you. How much this career has meant to me? and all that. You?re watching him just say these words, and we?re all crying disproportionate to the occasion ? like it?s not totally right for the scene ? but it works.?
Learning from his heroes: ?[In my 30s,] I was trying to figure out how I wanted to do the rest of this job. I was looking ahead like, ?Man, you have 50 years left of this, if you?re lucky. What are you going to do with it? And I realized that surrounding myself, just getting near people I admired who seemed to have a better idea about why we?re doing this stuff than I do, and asking them a ton of questions, was going to be like the mentorship of a lifetime. Like, I have a chance to be an apprentice over and over again with people I admire.?
He still performs with the Dracula puppet from Sarah Marshall: ?I perform it every once in a while, I do secret performances of the Dracula puppet musical around town. I did one at Hotel Cafe last year. I would like to do one soon at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.?
Would he do a HIMYM reunion? ?That show changed my life, I would do anything they asked me to do. I think they did so many flash forwards on that show, though. I always loved that Marshall was kind of an enigma, because he could become a Supreme Court justice, but he also could lose a tuna sandwich and spend an episode just like looking for a sandwich.?
[From Variety]
I haven?t seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall in probably 15 years. I don?t know if it still holds up, but I remember the Dracula puppet musical, A Taste for Love, being cringey and hysterical. Theres actually a whole story/lure behind it that goes beyond the movie. Can you imagine going to see a random Dracula puppet show at an LA theater and later learning that it was Jason Segel himself? I love when actors decide to not take themselves so seriously and do sh-t like this.
Clearly, Jason does take himself and his career seriously, puppets and all. I like that he woke up one day, midway through his career, and decided that he wanted to use his remaining time and connections to get better as an actor. It?s not really any different than those of us normies that decide to go back to school to better ourselves and our career. Jeff Daniels is also a great choice to play Jimmy?s dad. Not only do they have similar physical features, they have similar mannerisms and on-screen personas. I can totally buy it and can?t wait to see how it plays out this season.
Here are Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Bill Hader on Total Request Live in 2008:
Embed from Getty Images
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| | There are rumors about Brooklyn Beckham writing a Spare-esque memoir | | Added 7 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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The Beckham family has been openly feuding for nearly a year, with Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz on one side, and David and Victoria Beckham on the other. What?s slightly interesting to me is that David and Victoria?s professional lives haven?t been affected whatsoever. It?s almost as if they?ve been dealing with conflict, scandal and gossip for decades and they thrive even harder when they?re in the middle of a controversy. David was recently knighted by King Charles; Victoria was just knighted in France; Victoria and David?s many businesses are going well, especially David?s ownership stake in Inter Miami. The Mail reports that David just signed a new 20-year deal with Interparfums to create more fragrances under his brand. I imagine that?s super-lucrative too, just add it all onto the big pile of money.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn and Nicola seem content to simply get their side of the story out there, and to continue to explain why they?ve gone no-contact with Brooklyn?s parents. Now would be a good time for both of them to announce some new projects or contracts too, but maybe they don?t have anything to announce at the moment. When Brooklyn made his big statement and posted it on his Instagram Stories for free, many noted that Brooklyn could have sold his story or sat down with Oprah or something. Well, now there?s a rumor that Brooklyn plans to write a Spare-esque memoir too. Not only that, but Nicola and Brooklyn are apparently vacationing at one of Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan?s favorite hotels.
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and his wife Nicola have been seen together as they enjoy a relaxing break at Prince Harry and Meghans favourite hotel. The couple, who are at the centre of a rift with Brooklyns parents David and Victoria Beckham, were seen strolling in the grounds of the historic San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California.
The luxury hotel, which has bungalow rooms priced from 2,245 to 9,069 a night, has been previously used by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as a venue to give tell-all interviews.
The fact that social media chef Brooklyn, 26, and actress Nicola, 31, are staying there once again illustrates parallels between the two couples who have both fallen out with relatives. Harry, 41, famously used the grounds of the hotel as a backdrop for his bombshell CNN interview with Anderson Cooper before the release of his book Spare in January 2023. Meghan, 44, was also interviewed by Variety and posed for a photoshoot for the magazine at the hotel in October 2022 when she spoke of how she shared a warmth with the late Queen.
The presence of Brooklyn and Nicola at the ranch will inevitably lead to speculation about major similarities between him and Harry who is all but estranged from the Royal Family. Both were raised with incredible privilege, went on to marry strong-minded actresses in Meghan Markle and Nicola Peltz, and quit the UK to live in California. They have now also both very publicly bemoaned the control and restrictions of growing up in their respective families.
Brooklyns visit to the spot used by Harry to promote his ghostwritten memoir has also fuelled suggestions that the England football legends son is considering writing his own book. Sources have revealed that Brooklyn now has a deal firmly in play to write a book in the style of Harrys Spare, revealing the difficulties of growing up as part of the Beckham brand and his fall out with his celebrity parents. He is said to have noted how Spare sold more than 3.2million copies worldwide and became the fastest selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began.
A source said: Hes seen how well the book did for Harry? Same publisher. Same idea of finally telling your truth. Thats not a coincidence.
[From The Daily Mail]
I mean? Brooklyn is already a published author. As many probably remember, Brooklyn published a coffee table book full of his ?photography? and ?musings.? It was universally panned. If he writes a memoir (or one is ghostwritten for him), there would be some interest, depending on what he spilled. But I don?t think he?s going to write a memoir or anything like that. I could see a tell-all interview on American television, perhaps. But I just doubt that he?ll go Full Spare. Now, all that being said, Brooklyn and Nicola really seem to be encouraging the comparisons with Harry and Meghan. The British tabloids are eating it up.
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| | Emerald Fennell defends her 'whitewashing' Heathcliff casting of Jacob Elordi | | Added 7 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Emerald Fennell?s adaptation of Wuthering Heights has been controversial from the word go. It began with the casting choices for Cathy and Heathcliff: Margot Robbie is simply wrong for Cathy, and critics argued that casting Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff was and is ?whitewashing.? There were early screenings for the film last year and reportedly they did not go well. The early ?reviews? of WH online this week are mostly positive, but I don?t know if A) those reviews are bought and B) Fennell possibly re-edited the film to make it more of a bodice-ripper. Well, at the LA premiere this week, Fennell spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about casting controversies and adaptation controversies.
Emerald Fennell?s highly anticipated adaptation of Wuthering Heights made its debut in Hollywood on Wednesday ? and don?t be expecting an exact retelling of Emily Bront?s classic novel. The 1847 book follows the intense love affair between Heathcliff (played by Jacob Elordi) and Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie) in 18th-century England; Fennell?s version, which is being stylized with quotation marks as ?Wuthering Heights,? features some key casting changes, addition of numerous sex scenes and a soundtrack courtesy of Charli XCX.
?The thing is that it?s my favorite book in the world,? the filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet. ?Like many people who love this book, I?m kind of fanatical about it, so I knew right from the get-go I couldn?t ever hope to make anything that could even encompass the greatness of this book. All I could do was make a movie that made me feel the way the book made me feel, and therefore it just felt right to say it?s Wuthering Heights, and it isn?t.?
One of the most talked-about changes comes with Elordi?s casting as Heathcliff, who is described as dark-skinned in the book. Of the decision to cast a white actor in the role, Fennell explained, ?I think the thing is everyone who loves this book has such a personal connection to it, and so you can only ever make the movie that you sort of imagined yourself when you read it. I don?t know, I think I was focusing on the pseudo-masochistic elements of it.?
?The great thing about this movie is that it could be made every year and it would still be so moving and so interesting,? she continued. ?There are so many different takes. I think every year we should have a new one.?
Elordi said himself of the changes to the iconic story, ?There are inverted commas for a reason. This is Emerald?s vision and these are the images that came to her head at 14 years old; somebody else?s interpretation of a great piece of art is what I?m interested in ? new images, fresh images, original thoughts.?
[From THR]
From what Fennell, Robbie and Elordi have said about this adaptation, I?m getting a sense of not only the film, but what those three really think about it. It feels like Elordi was actually trying to balance a faithfulness to the character in the book AND in the script (which has little to do with the book). Margot, on the other hand, just went all-in on Emerald?s vision and didn?t care about the source material. And Emerald just wanted to make her fan-fic version of WH, where Cathy and Heathcliff bone a lot and then (spoiler?) Cathy dies. As for what Emerald says about the whitewashing controversy? it?s very British. Like, I can tell that a posh British woman is making that argument.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Wuthering Heights screencap & poster courtesy of Warner Bros.
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| | ?MAGA Barbie' Sydney Sweeney: 'I?ve never been here to talk about politics' | | Added 7 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Sydney Sweeney has had a terrible 12 months. This time last year, she was being widely praised and hyped as the next big thing and a great new producer. Then her dumb American Eagle ?good jeans? campaign hit last summer, and that was the beginning of the end. Suddenly, Sweeney leaned into the MAGA Princess/eugenics advocate brand for months. By the end of 2025, her career seemingly in real danger, she finally tried to walk back the pro-eugenics ad campaign and all of the undercover MAGA sh-t. Now Sydney covers the latest issue of Cosmopolitan and this cover is TERRIBLE. I cannot believe Cosmo?s team used this image, and I can?t believe Sydney?s people signed off on this. But it brings up something I?ve been wondering about for the past year: does Sydney have a good team around her? It feels like she?s gotten some horrible PR/branding advice in the past year, my god. Anyway, Sydney is currently promoting her lingerie line, SYRN, and she?s still talking out of both sides of her MAGA mouth. Some highlights from Cosmo:
She?s communicating via lingerie: ?This can be how I communicate to my audience. I want to show women that we can take back our power and fully free ourselves. I want SYRN to stand for the power of choice.?
On the American Eagle eugenics controversy: ?Those aren?t my values, but I feel like I?ve never needed to correct people who don?t know who I am.?
On the criticism that she only appeals to men: People will say, ?Oh, she?s doing this for guys? or ?Oh, she?s a guy?s girl.? But I?m like, ?What is more girl?s girl than owning your body and doing it for yourself?? I want it to be their choice?the choice of the wearer?whether this is for them, for somebody else, or for a camera lens.
She swears she hasn?t had work done: ?I see photos comparing me to my child self all the time. I?m like, ?I was 14 in that image. I?m 28 now. Of course I look different?I grew up.? I feel bad when I see accounts that are like, ?Oh, she?s done X and Y to her face.? It?s not true. I?ve never gotten any work done. I wish there was something in place on social media to restrict things that aren?t true, because there are girls who will look at me and say, ?I need to do these things to feel pretty.? It makes me sad.
On being called MAGA Barbie: ?I?ve never been here to talk about politics. I?ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of. And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it?s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can?t control that. I haven?t figured [out how to correct it]. I?m not a hateful person. If I say, ?That?s not true,? they?ll come at me like, ?You?re just saying that to look better.? There?s no winning. There?s never any winning. I just have to continue being who I am, because I know who I am. I can?t make everyone love me. I know what I stand for.
Her values: ?I?ve always led with love. I?ve always believed that love is love in every single form. You should be kind to whoever you meet. I remember on the set of Once Upon a Timein Hollywood, I watched Brad Pitt sit and hang out with the transpo department. I absolutely loved that, and I was like, ?Yeah, you have to respect everybody in your life.?
Whether she?ll ever talk about her politics: ?No. I?m not a political person. I?m in the arts. I?m not here to speak on politics. That?s not an area I?ve ever even imagined getting into. It?s not why I became who I am. I became an actor because I like to tell stories, but I don?t believe in hate in any form. I believe we should all love each other and have respect and understanding for one another.
She?s afraid of being alone: ?I struggle with being alone. My mom, my friends are all like, ?Sydney, you need to learn to love to be alone.? I have a huge fear of being alone for the rest of my life, so I look for someone who will be my best friend, who I can hang out with, talk to all the time, dream up things with, and work with.
[From Cosmopolitan]
I?m going to be bold and say that the reason why Sydney hasn?t come out and said ?come on, guys, I?m not MAGA? is because she is, in fact, very MAGA. Think about how a normal, anti-Trump person would feel about worldwide accusations that you?re playing footsie with thugs and fascists? Every single one of us would immediately say ?what the fk, of course those are not my politics, of course I feel sick about what that man and his cult are doing to this country.? Sydney can?t say that because she simply doesn?t feel that way. It?s grotesque when you think about it.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Cosmopolitan.
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| | Amazon is going to spend $100 million overall on Melania Trump's documentary | | Added 7 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Here are some pathetic photos from last night?s premiere of Melania Trump?s documentary. The premiere was held in Washington, DC, at the former Kennedy Center, which has been renamed by Melania?s demented husband. Apparently, the Trumps banned several media outlets from the black carpet. Nicki Minaj came out for the premiere as well, alongside a who?s who of fascists, nutjobs, racists, rapists and con artists.
As we discussed this week, Amazon paid $40 million for this documentary, and something like $28 million went to Melania directly. Even after paying that kind of cash-for-access, Jeff Bezos really should have said ?we?re putting this on streaming and we?ll bury the viewership numbers.? Instead, everyone insisted on a theatrical run for this documentary, and it?s blowing up in their ugly orange faces. The ticket presales are in the toilet, other countries are banning it because it?s dumb propaganda. Still, the British theater chains accepted the documentary, and there?s a feeling from the incisive British coverage that they just did it so their film critics and entertainment reporters could absolutely destroy this ugly vanity project. From the Guardian:
Films generally require around two-and-a-half times their production budget in global theatrical revenue to break even. This means Melania needs to make $100m to recoup costs. For comparison, that number has recently been achieved by Marty Supreme, the Timothe Chalamet film up for nine Oscars, and which has become A24?s highest-grossing film ever. Other hits currently in cinemas ? such as Hamnet and 28 Years Later: Bone Temple ? are both on around $42m.
?Everything about the numbers reported for Melania is surreal and certainly unprecedented,? says Steven Gaydos, a veteran entertainment journalist and former vice president and executive editor of Variety. ?A documentary based upon a subject of such little popular interest expending such astounding sums and going into theatres where it will vaporise instantly like spit on a griddle. Its cost is so out of proportion to the audience for this project.?
The film?s wide rollout (documentaries in the UK cap their release at about 25 locations), as well as dauntingly early or late start times have given rise to suspicions in the industry that distributors Amazon may be paying cinemas to play the film. Amazon did not reply to requests for comment.
Were this the case in Sittingbourne, Amazon would be paying about 4,080 over the week and recouping just over 100 (all tickets are 3 this Saturday). Representatives for the Light ? a chain of 14 premises with an emphasis on community programming and inclusive events ? as well Odeon and Vue have not replied to requests for comment. Amazon previously declared: ?We licensed the film for one reason and one reason only ? because we think customers are going to love it.?
On Thursday, an unverified Craiglist ad offered free tickets to the film this weekend in Boston, plus $50 expenses to those who agree to stay until the final credits. Were this a genuine offer being made by Amazon, and the four-walling strategy verified, it would mean the company is forking out four times for Melania: first for the movie rights, then to ensure cinemas show it, then to make people watch it ? and for the tickets themselves.
?These empty theatres and catastrophic box office numbers are going to be a huge embarrassment that must be anticipated,? said Gaydos. ?I guess no one involved cares, because it?s impossible for anyone to be surprised.?
[From The Guardian]
The financial aspect of this on Amazon?s side makes zero sense unless you believe that Jeff Bezos simply believes that this is the cost of doing business with the Trump administration. Amazon will pay $100 million to make and distribute Melania?s ridiculous documentary, pay theaters to screen it, then pay people to watch it. And in exchange, Bezos? other companies will be ensured lucrative government contracts? But it doesn?t stop with the documentary Bezos has also twisted the Washington Post around to suit Trump and his deranged agenda too.
Well done to all of the people drawing Hitler mustaches on Mel?s posters. Well done to all of the people keeping track of the pitiful ticket sales too.
Melania Trump movie posters defaced with the Hitler 'stache have been placed across L.A. https://t.co/cUzKo49zYz pic.twitter.com/dqmK7L6nnW
TMZ (@TMZ) January 29, 2026
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| | Spencer Pratt was surprised that Gayle King called him a 'douche canoe' on the air | | Added 10 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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When we last checked in with Spencer Pratt, he and Heidi Montag were busy plugging Heidi?s music to raise money after their Palisades home burnt down. Since then, Spencer has spent the better part of the last year criticizing California governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass. Speaking of, Spencer?s latest grift is running for Mayor of Los Angeles. He?s still a registered Republican, but he?s running as an Independent.
Spencer has also being making the rounds to promote his other new hustle, a memoir titled, The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain. During another book stop on CBS Mornings on Monday, Spencer sat down with Gayle King. When talking about his time on The Hills, Gayle made a comment about his persona that surprised Spencer so much that he told Page Six Radio that he suspected it was a ?bait and switch.?
?You know, I?ve been called everything at this point [but] I haven?t been called that,? Pratt, 42, shared on SiriusXM?s Page Six Radio on Jan. 28. ?But my reaction [to] being called everything is pretty good.?
The Hills alum, who is currently running for Mayor of Los Angeles, shared that King?s comment did catch him off-guard after a very different pre-show interview.
?She threw me off because we had a 30-min pre [interview] and she had notes, my whole book, all these quotes,? he shared. ?So I don?t know if she did it to get me soft, you know? If it was a bait and switch, like she?s like a pro or once she gets in front of the camera? But I was expecting to get gassed up and just be like, ?Oh, this book is like Robert Frost, it?s so poetic,? and then she was like, ?You?re a douche canoe!? ?
Ultimately, Pratt wasn?t bothered by the comment, noting, ?I?m very humble these days. I?m grateful to be sitting with lights in a studio and not just filming myself. You can get away with calling me anything with good lighting.?
During the interview, King began by talking about The Hills, saying, ?Spencer, there were so many times where really you were just a douche canoe on that show. And you just seemed to amp it up, amp it up, amp it up. Was there ever a time when you got home, and you?d go, ?I can?t believe I just did that or just said that?? Or were you aware of how you were coming across at the time??
?Oh, I was well aware. If anything, I probably should have been a bigger douche canoe,? Pratt quipped in response. ?I think the rest of the cast should have all tried to be bigger douche canoes.?
[From People]
As I side-eye that declaration of newfound humility, I?m not sure why Spencer?s making such a big deal out of a line of questioning that he?s probably gotten a hundred times before. I mean, Gayle didn?t really say anything out of line here. No lies were spoken, no retractions need to be issued. Spencer himself has played into his d-bag villain reputation and admitted that he played it up on The Hills. He should be honored that Gayle King called him a ?douche canoe? and not a less playful description. It sounds like his first fundraising email/text blast just got written for him.
As for the mayor?s race?I know the right is perfectly fine backing an inexperienced grifter as long as he?s their grifter, but I doubt Spencer seriously intends on running and winning. He?ll take the social media engagement paychecks and the clout from right-wing media appearances, but I bet that?s as far as he?ll go. But if by some wild turn of events, he does get into Getty House, I suspect it won?t be long before he turns running California?s most populated city into a reality TV show, too.
?I probably should?ve been a bigger douche canoe?: Spencer Pratt says playing a villain type on ?The Hills? helped him get bonuses and keep the show running, further incentivizing playing that role.
Pratt writes about his time on the popular MTV series and his life before and? pic.twitter.com/gLH0cgbz0u
CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 26, 2026
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| | Kylie Jenner wore Maison Margiela to 'The Moment' premiere: cute or unfinished' | | Added 10 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Brat Summer became Brat 2025, and now we?re in the Brat Winter of Our Discontent. Charli XCX actually made a point of transitioning the Brat Era into something else. She?s now getting much more involved with moviemaking and films she did the music for Emerald Fennell?s Wuthering Heights, and Charli now stars in The Moment, a mockumentary where she plays a version of herself (a pop star preparing her headlining tour). Alexander Skarsgard has a big role in it, and Kylie Jenner is making her film/acting debut in it. Last night, Kylie came to the LA premiere and she had a lot of fun posing with Charli.
Kylie?s ensemble here is Maison Margielas spring 2026. Thoughts? I kind of appreciate that Kylie takes some genuine style swings and I also think it?s cool that she wears a lot of different designers. We?ve gotten so used to celebrities getting locked into constrictive brand ambassadorships and always showing up in the same designer. It?s refreshing that Kylie wears whatever the hell she wants. What I don?t like about this Maison Margiela ensemble is that the skirt looks unfinished, like they didn?t have time to figure out the waist. The top is cool though.
Meanwhile, Us Weekly is pushing another rumor about Kylie and Timothee Chalamet. A source claims: ?They are very serious and have talked about getting engaged this year.? They?re also saying that Kylie jokes that Timmy is ?already her husband.? Eh.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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| | Nicki Minaj held Donald Trump's gnarled hand & called herself Trump's #1 fan | | Added 21 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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When did you first know that Nicki Minaj was trash? Was it when she spread lies and anti-vaxx bullsh-t during the pandemic? Was it when she claimed that her cousin had a dangerous case of swoleballs? Was it when she married a convicted rapist who has to register his whereabouts through Megan?s Law? Was it when her ex credibly accused her of stabbing him? Was it when Cardi B read her for filth repeatedly, and called Nicki out for marrying someone who keeps her plied with drugs and lies? The point is, almost all of us have known what Nicki Minaj is for years now. Her fanbase has been falling away in a steady clip, so Nicki has leaned into the same thing many has-beens have done before: cozying up to Donald Trump and MAGAville. Nicki Minaj is truly the Scott Baio of rap. On Wednesday, Minaj appeared alongside Donald Trump at an event. She also praised him to journalists and called herself Trump?s #1 fan. Pitiful.
Nicki Minaj is calling herself President Trump?s biggest fan, saying her support for him won?t waiver despite the ?hate? from critics.
?I will say that I am probably the president?s No. 1 fan,? the ?Starships? rapper told the crowd Wednesday at a Treasury Department-hosted summit in Washington to launch ?Trump Accounts? for newborn babies.
?And that?s not going to change,? the 43-year-old performer continued. ?The hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more, and it?s going to motivate all of us to support him more,? said Minaj, who was born Onika Maraj.
?We?re not going to let them get away with bullying him and the smear campaigns. It?s not going to work, OK? He has a lot of force behind him, and God is protecting him,? she said ahead of remarks by Trump at the event.
While in 2020 Minaj said she wouldn?t ?jump on the Donald Trump bandwagon,? in recent years she?s become a vocal supporter of the president.
Last month, the entertainer made a surprise appearance at Turning Point USA?s annual conference.
?I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president,? Minaj said at the time.
[From The Hill]
Just FYI: Minaj is not an American citizen. She doesn?t vote in American elections and Trump is not her president, nor does she have any business describing him as ?our president.? In fact, there are thousands of immigrants, residents and foreign nationals living in America right now who are being terrorized, threatened and harassed by Trump and his ugly goons. The fact that an immigrant like Minaj would let herself be used by this man and his people is sick Even more grotesque: he handed her a Trump gold card and she claimed that now she is well on her way to American citizenship. Trump brought her on stage too, and they held hands. One of the most bonkers things I?ve ever seen in my life. I hope all of this woman?s ?fans? abandon her.
Embed from Getty Images
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| | Margot Robbie wore Schiaparelli & a famous necklace to the 'Wuthering' premiere | | Added 21 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Last night, Wuthering Heights premiered in LA. This is Emerald Fennell?s adaptation, and it?s beyond clear that this is not a faithful adaptation of the novel. It?s also beyond obvious that the casting for Cathy and Heathcliff is? not great. But I?m sure a lot of women will see it and enjoy it, and that?s nice. I?m trying to balance ?it?s nice for filmmakers to make movies for a specifically female audience? versus ?wow, this movie looks like a pile of garbage.?
Margot Robbie wore a rather spectacular Schiaparelli gown for the premiere this is a big statement dress, and while it?s not what I would have chosen for her, it?s going to get so much attention from the fashion blogs. What was even more interesting than the dress was Margot?s choice in jewelry. She borrowed pieces from Lorainne Schwartz and Fred Leighton. She also got to borrow an extremely special necklace from Elizabeth Taylor?s estate. This is the Cartier Taj Mahal necklace given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton for her 40th birthday. It?s featured in Taylor?s incredible coffee table book, My Love Affair with Jewelry. It was one of her favorite pieces.
Charli XCX did the music for the film, and she?s been involved in the promotion too. She wore a custom Vivienne Westwood dress to the premiere she loves Westwood, and I feel like she?s more ?on theme? than Margot.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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| | Everyone hated working on Melania Trump's floptastic documentary | | Added 21 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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When Melania Trump?s documentary (Melania: Twenty Days To History) was announced, I sort of assumed that it would appear on Amazon Prime streaming, given that Jeff Bezos is so bizarrely invested in it. It only occurred to me this week that the doc is getting a theatrical run. That?s why Melania?s husband has been using his platform to beg people to see Mel?s big dumb documentary. They don?t want this to be a theatrical flop. Too late! The advance ticket sales are in the toilet, and it looks like the global audience for this documentary is nowhere to be found. They?re literally selling ones of tickets in the UK. And it?s not much better stateside. The Fauxlania Flop Tour, coming to theaters near you! Anyway, in addition to all of this flop energy, it turns out that the people who worked on the documentary had a terrible time. From Rolling Stone:
A little over a year ago, Melania sparked a bidding war among Hollywood studios eager to curry favor with the incoming Trump administration. Amazon MGM Studios ended up beating out both Disney (which had just donated $15 million to Trump?s future presidential library to settle a dubious defamation claim the soon-to-be president had levied against its subsidiary ABC) and Paramount, which was seeking good relations with the White House ahead of a blockbuster merger that would be subject to FCC approval.
A few weeks before Amazon MGM Studios offered an eye-watering $40 million for the film rights ? the most the streamer had ever paid for any piece of content ? Amazon founder Jeff Bezos dined with President Donald Trump and his wife at Mar-a-Lago. According to The Wall Street Journal, the first lady kept roughly 70 percent of the licensing fee, $28 million, herself. And, technically, there is nothing illegal about that.
Amazon?s purchase of Melania set off a frantic scramble to get as much footage as possible of the first lady in the weeks leading up to the inauguration. It was a chaotic process that involved hiring and coordinating three separate production crews working in Florida, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Each had its own heavyweight cinematographer: Jeff Cronenweth, best known for his collaborations with David Fincher; Michael Mann?s go-to cameraman Dante Spinotti; and Barry Peterson, cinematographer most recently of the infamous Colleen Hoover adaptation It Ends With Us. Each shot portions of the film.
?People were worked really hard. Really long hours, highly disorganized, very chaotic,? one person who worked on the set said. ?It wasn?t easy money,? another added. ?It was very difficult because of the chaos that was around everything.? Usually [for a documentary] it?s like, ?Oh, follow the subject.? Well, it?s Melania Trump. With the first lady and Secret Service, you can?t just do things you usually do.?
One person familiar with the production estimated that some two-thirds of the crew members who worked on the film in New York had requested not to have their names formally credited on the documentary. A separate person who will be credited on the film said that, after experiencing the first year of Trump?s second term, they now wish they had not put their name on it. ?I?m much more alarmed now than I was a year ago,? that person said.
People who worked on the film said they had fewer problems working with Melania Trump herself, who was described as friendly and very engaged in the process, than they did with the director, Brett Ratner. (?She was totally nice,? one person said. ?She was the opposite of Brett Ratner.?)
Melania is the first movie Ratner ? who is known for directing the Rush Hour movies and X-Men: The Last Stand ? has made since he was publicly accused of sexual harassment and assault by six women in 2017.
?I feel a little bit uncomfortable with the propaganda element of this,? one member of the production team said. ?But Brett Ratner was the worst part of working on this project.? That person said they weren?t aware of Ratner?s involvement until just days before filming began, and they would not have accepted the job if they?d known. Another confirmed: ?There was more talk about Brett being slimy than there was about Melania.?
[From Rolling Stone]
So? Melania pocketed $28 million, hired Jeffrey Epstein-associate and credibly accused sexual predator Brett Ratner to ?direct? and everyone on the project absolutely hated the experience. So much so that many asked for their names to be removed from the credits. I mean? I don?t blame the below-the-line people as much as I?m just horrified and revolted by everything about this. Hopefully, this will be an audacious flop to the point where there?s even more backlash on how and why this arrangement even came about (because Jeff Bezos wanted government contracts).
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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| | Kim Kardashian explains what really happened with the Sussexes & 'Photogate' | | Added 21 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Last November, on the eve of Remembrance Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were out and about in LA. They attended the Baby2Baby gala, where Serena Williams was honored (H&M are tight with Serena). Afterwards, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan did what many of the gala attendees did: they went straight to Kris Jenner?s 70th birthday party, which was held at Jeff Bezos? enormous mansion. The photos of Harry and Meghan walking in and out of the party, hand in hand, landed in the UK on the morning of Remembrance Sunday. As you can imagine, royalists were FURIOUS! Furious about everything, especially the fact that the Sussexes are invited to those high-profile Hollywood parties.
The next day, Monday, the Kardashian-Jenners posted photos to Instagram from Kris?s party, and Kris and Kim Kardashian both included photos of Harry and Meghan. Another round of fury, only the story was extended because Kim and Kris quickly removed the Sussex photos without explanation. What followed was WEEKS of speculation about who said what and why and the Kardashians are furious at Harry & Meghan, and the Sussexes are mad that the Kardashians posted the photos to social media in the first place and all of this just proves that Hollywood hates the Sussexes! The Mail was literally still screaming and crying about that over Christmas. Well, this week, Kim appeared on Khloe?s podcast, and they ended up talking about what really went down.
Soon after Kris and Kim posted the Sussexes? photos, the photos were deleted. At the time, rumors abounded about what happened, from reports that Harry and Meghan ?declined photo-sharing consent? (per People) to another report declaring that ?there were no consent forms? at the November 8 bash. On the January 28 episode of Khlo Kardashian?s podcast ?Khlo in Wonderland,? Kim set the record straight about what really happened at the party?and why the photos were deleted.
?The Photogate,? Khlo teed up. ?The Photogate from mom?s 70th.? To this, Kim responded, ?It was really innocent, which is so crazy. Mom and Meghan have been friends for some years now. And they have a really sweet relationship. We took a photo? And then I think we were all going through them. We?re all communicating about what we?re going to post. We?re never ones to post without permission. We are, like?it?s not who we are.?
?We?re very respectful,? Khlo interjected.
Kim continued, ?We have the craziest, funnest photos from that night, you know, but we were posting just, like, fun photos,? to which Khlo added, ?Dignified photos.?
?And so we were totally, you know?we were told that it was totally cool to post,? Kim said. ?And then after it was posted, I think they realized it was Remembrance Day, and they didn?t want to be seen at a party, even though it?s already up, you know, and then taken down. And then I think they realized, like, oh, this was so silly.?
Khlo then mentioned that Harry and Meghan ?did Baby2Baby right before,? referring to the Baby2Baby Gala the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended before heading over to Jenner?s party. The gala is an annual fundraiser for mothers and children living in poverty, and Meghan?s longtime friend Serena Williams was chosen as the honoree at last November?s event.
?Well, it?s like a charity event,? Kim added of the gala. ?So, like, that was fine, but maybe not partying and dancing on the dance floor or whatever. So we took them down to respect Remembrance Day. And then, like, you got to laugh at, like, the situation sometimes and just, like, lighten it up and be if everyone?s taking it the wrong way, like, lean in. I was like, ?We should do a full Skims campaign.? Take the photo?even just us, like, I?ll shoot you at mom, you know, post it and then delete it, like, 30 minutes later. And then say, ?Oh, sorry, I didn?t have permission to post those photos for the campaign.??
?You should do that,? Khlo said, to which Kim responded, ?That?s what I was like?that would have hit, so funny.?
?If we just made it light and made it funny, you know, I think it would have been, like, received differently, but I hated how that was received for everyone,? Kim continued of the controversy. ?That sucks.? She added, ?It was just made into something that was so crazy and ridiculous that just didn?t have to be.?
[From InStyle]
Yeah, I suspected it was something like this, where Harry and Meghan or their team requested the takedown but it wasn?t some huge issue, nor were the Kardashians furious with the Sussexes. I think Kim is correct that H&M realized too late that asking for the photo removal would turn into a huge controversy. Which just shows something about how the Sussexes operate, I think. Like, they can still be kind of naive about the bigger picture and they have issues thinking a few steps ahead when it comes to these kinds of situations (another example: the Elle profile where Meghan was announced by her title in a nearly-empty house). They didn?t stop and think that ?asking the Kardashians to remove a few photos? would immediately turn into a days/weeks/months-long controversy. Kim?s solution, to make a joke about it and keep it light, would have been fine. The better solution would have been just? not asking for the photos to be removed in the first place. People already knew that Harry and Meghan attended the party on Saturday, there were tons of photos of them outside the party, photos which landed on Remembrance Sunday. Just own it. There still would have been a controversy, but whatever.
Photos courtesy of Kim?s IG, Kris?s IG and Backgrid.
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| | King Charles had a splashy Windsor Castle premiere for his new Prime documentary | | Added 21 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Something interesting about King Charles is that he?s always been pretty open to bringing in documentary cameras to give greater focus to his work and his life. I?ve watched a few of Charles?s documentaries over the years, and I have to admit, I was charmed by him. He?s good on camera rosy-cheeked, fat-fingered, eccentric and weird, but you can also see that he has an artistic temperament and that he really is a man of many passions. Well, Charles has done a new documentary called Finding Harmony: A King?s Vision. It begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video next week, and last night was the star-studded premiere event at Windsor Castle. I thought? steaming shows and movies were ?not royal.? I thought attending premieres and walking red carpets was gauche and forbidden? Is that only when Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan do it?
As for the premiere, Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie were there. Rod Stewart, Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci were there. Kate Winslet attended, and she narrates the doc (methinks she wants a knighthood, because she?s been sucking up to the Windsors a lot lately). Interestingly, the Duchess of Edinburgh was there as well. Speaking of suck-ups.
As you can see, Charles and Camilla gamely posed by the big sign and wall of leaves. Camilla wore a green velvet Anna Valentine dress. Her brooch was made by ?embroidery graduates from the King?s nature and sustainability charity The King?s Foundation.? Charles genuinely loves to support British arts and crafts and specialized artisans.
Ahead of the premiere, Charles spoke to the Times about what he hopes this latest documentary will achieve. In typical King Eeyore fashion, Charles said he hopes to improve the planet ?before I shuffle off this mortal coil.? He also said: ?It all boils down to the fact that we are actually nature ourselves, we are a part of it, not apart from it, which is really how things are being presented for so long. Maybe, by the time I shuffle off this mortal coil, there might be a little more awareness ? of the need to bring things back together again.?
Embed from Getty Images
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| | Why did Prince William & Kate skip King Charles's big Windsor Castle premiere' | | Added 21 hours ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Prince William was out and about in London yesterday, visiting a hub for BBC Children In Needs We Move FWD program. It was a pretty simple and uneventful engagement for William, and he barely got any attention. Most of the British newspapers and tabloids didn?t even cover the event or publish any photos. Overall, it felt like everyone ignored the guy who is supposed to be one of the most popular royals (according to the emotional-support polls bought and paid for by guess who).
Well, interestingly enough, this event was William?s only public appearance on Wednesday. He skipped his father?s big, splashy Windsor Castle premiere event last night. Charles had a huge premiere for his latest documentary, which will stream on Amazon Prime next week. Kate Winslet, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rod Stewart and the Duchess of Edinburgh were all in attendance. But William and Kate skipped it, even though they live just a few miles away from the castle and even though the documentary is about Charles?s environmentalism and his pioneering work in organic farming. From Tom Sykes? latest Royalist Substack, ?William Shuns Charles? Big Day.?
If William had cared to stamp out whispers that the relationship between King Charles and himself has curdled, then attending the Windsor Castle premiere of the King?s new film, Finding Harmony: A King?s Vision would have been an easy way to do it.
But he wasn?t there and the empty chairs where the Prince and Princess of Wales might have sat Wednesday night reinforce the sense of a family that can?t help advertising its own fractures.
The explanation, I guarantee you, will be about not ?overshadowing? the King. True, the Waleses do command a lot of attention simply by turning up, but in this case, the messaging would have been amazing: the heir at the King?s side, a statement of support, a visible endorsement of a cause Charles has made his life?s work and William is continuing with Earthshot.
It matters because this documentary is being sold, by Buckingham Palace itself, as a ?deeply personal exploration of ideas that have shaped His Majesty?s life and work.? In other words, it is an attempt to turn Charles? longest-running passion?environmentalism, sustainability, and a kind of spiritualized belief in the natural world which to be fair appeals to many?into the defining idea of his reign.
Which is why William?s no-show is more than a scheduling quirk. It reads as a refusal to be in the King?s story at a moment when Charles is explicitly asking the country?and the family (Sophie was there)?to see his mission as the monarchy?s mission.
?A monarchy is never only about the person speaking. It is also about who is standing next in line. William has his own environmental brand in Earthshot, and it has been pitched as the heir?s signature project: modern, pragmatic, pitched to a younger audience and bringing VC energy to dreary old do-goodery. The palace could have had a neat narrative of continuity: the King as the spiritual architect, the Prince of Wales as the heir, the institution united around a defining cause. Instead, the audience is left to wonder why the heir didn?t want to be in the room as his father tried to frame the meaning of his reign.
This is where Harry comes back into the story. Palace insiders have long told me that the deepest fault line between Charles and William is not the environment, or strategy, or staff. It is Harry.
[From The Royalist Substack]
Sykes went on to beat the dead horse of how William despises Harry, and William will scream, cry and throw up if daddy ever talks to brother again. You get the idea. Personally, I don?t believe that William skipped Charles?s premiere because of Harry specifically. William and Kate skipped because they?re fundamentally lazy, self-centered people who do not want to show up to support a family member?s thing. ?We have our own projects and we barely show up for them, so take that? is probably their rationale. But yeah, it?s pretty notable that William skipped. I honestly think that he?s been fuming ever since Charles announced (last December) that his health was improving. William had to stop with the ?I?m going to be king soon? briefings.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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