View image | gettyimages.com

I don’t know how many of you will care about this, but it’s potentially devastating to me. Harry Shearer just tweeted that he’s leaving The Simpsons. Shearer’s contract negotiation talks reportedly broke down, and he’s said to have wanted a larger percentage of merchandising revenue. Shearer is an integral and irreplaceable part of The Simpsons, the longest running sitcom in the US. The Simpsons will air its 27th season starting this fall and it’s unclear how it will go on without Shearer. He’s the voice of Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Smithers, Principal Skinner, Lenny, Dr. Hibbert, Reverend Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Rainier Wolfcastle and Otto among many others. I really hope this is just some kind of negotiation tactic, because if it’s true I don’t know how my family’s favorite show will continue. Here’s what Shearer tweeted.

from James L. Brooks’ lawyer: “show will go on, Harry will not be part of it, wish him the best.”. (1/2)

— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) May 14, 2015

This because I wanted what we’ve always had: the freedom to do other work.
Of course, I wish him the very best. (2/2)

— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) May 14, 2015

Thanks, Simpsons fans, for your support.

— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) May 14, 2015

This wouldn’t be the first time The Simpsons have lost a cast member in contract negotiations. In 2000 they killed off Maude Flanders when voice actress Maggie Roswell asked for a raise to cover her travel costs to LA. Roswell eventually reached an agreement with producers that she could work from home and she returned to the show in 2002. She’s the voice of Luann Van Houten, Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover and Maude Flanders (in flashbacks and dream sequences). The Simpsons also sadly lost Marcia Wallace, the voice of Edna Krabappel, when she passed away from complications from cancer in late 2013.

I’m hoping that Fox is just playing hardball with Shearer and that they’ll work out some sort of agreement with him to stay on. If he’s off the show, it definitely won’t be the same. They’re not going to be able to write off all those characters and I doubt they’ll be able to replace him convincingly. It would be a huge relief to hear that this announcement was premature and that Shearer and Fox have worked out a deal. Otherwise I have to tell my son about it and I’m dreading that.

View image | gettyimages.com

Dear Gossips,

If I was in Cannes, one of the films I’d be queuing for this weekend is the Amy Winehouse documentary directed by Asif Kapadia. Have you seen Senna? One of the best sports documentaries of all time. Obviously more enjoyable if you were a fan of Ayrton Senna but still riveting if…      

Kit Harington has a nice feature in the new edition of Mr. Porter. Such a permanent sad face. Bless his heart. Some have complained about the sudden abundance of new Kit interviews, to which I can only say… he’s promoting a movie. It’s called Spooks: The Greater Good. And even though he’s promoting that movie, he ends up spending most interviews talking about Game of Thrones. Which is fine. You can read the full Mr. Porter piece here. Some highlights:

When he realized GoT changed his life: “I think the moment I realised it could be a life-changer personally was going to Comic-Con for the first time. I’d splashed out on a drop-top Mustang in LA, and I drove with my girlfriend at the time to San Diego. I got out of the car and… flashbulbs!”

Jon Snow lives in his head: “He’s incredibly introverted. It’s like if anyone in Game of Thrones didn’t want to be on the show Game of Thrones, it’d be Jon Snow. If he could see the cameras, he wouldn’t want them there. He lives in his head.”

Jon Snow is not demanding: “No. It’s very physically demanding, but I think Jon is quite straightforward. I find I get in a certain mood that maybe can be a bit dour. But I’m nowhere near being a Method actor.”

Finding success so early in his career: “There’s that saying about never find success too early. And there are moments when I think maybe I would find it easier not to take this for granted if I’d toiled a bit more first. But I’d be stupid to say that I regret it. I’d be stabbed by many unemployed actors, quite rightly. This has opened so many doors to me and it’s my job now to do as much as I can with my career.”

Fame: “It can make you feel like a nutcase some of the time. It has turned people I know mad. But you just surround yourself with people who don’t kiss your arse, who don’t put up with any kind of arrogance that might be seeping through.”

His GoT contract: “I can’t speak for how other actors’ contracts work, but I understand the show will run for somewhere between seven and eight seasons.” Meaning a further two or three years, “if I’m in it”.

What if Jon Snow died in Season 6: “I would miss it sorely. I would be very sad to leave. But it would open me up to new things. There’s lots I haven’t been able to do that I would be able to do. So I think I’d be all right with it. Look, I’ve landed a role of a lifetime and it has happened during my twenties and that’s great. Hopefully there’ll be another role of a lifetime down the line but for the moment I can use my thirties, whenever I’m free from this, to go and look for loads of different strange and incredible work.”

[From Mr. Porter]

The girlfriend at his first Comic-Con… I wonder if it was Rose Leslie/Ygritte? Hm. As for the rest of it… Kit just seems like such a serious person. I don’t know if it’s the permanent sad-face or if he really is this guy who takes everything a little bit too seriously.

Kit also says that when he was a kid, he saw Ben Whishaw play Hamlet, and that Whishaw “literally was the reason I wanted to act.” Kit says he’s met Ben twice since then and he was “tongue-tied” both times. Which is adorable. Ben Whishaw is amazing! Kit chose a great actor to admire.

Photos courtesy of Jo Metson Scott/Mr. Porter.

I’ll never understand why some ladies choose the Cannes Film Festival to go dark and goth with their style. These are photos from the Cannes photocall for Mad Max: Fury Road. Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy (UNF) and Nicholas Hoult were in attendance. Charlize did the photocall in this black, fringed Valentino look which… doesn’t really go with the South of France vibe. I mean, she’s got a model’s figure and look so she can pull off nearly anything. But I was expecting a simple sundress or something light. Maybe I just have a gut-check aversion to anything that combines fringe, lace, leather and a high neck. Seriously though… what the hell is this dress?

As for Tom Hardy… these photos made me think of that old Michael Fassbender photoshoot where Fassy is damp and looking like he would do absolutely filthy things. Maybe that’s just where my mind goes whenever I see Tom Hardy, but does he not look… filthy? Good filthy. Filthy like dirty yacht sex in the South of France. But there’s one thing destroying my fantasy of Tom Hardy yacht sex: his high heels. Those are…bad. Like, Tom Cruise Lifts ™. I guess Tom wanted to look tallish knowing that he was going to have to stand next to Charlize? Still… don’t think about his lifts. Just think about how sexy and blokey he looks.

Meanwhile, did you know that some of those MRAs (men’s rights activists) and misogynists are butthurt about this movie? Apparently, there is some crying and whining over the strength of Charlize’s character and how the film has a feminist message. Shocking.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here are some photos from today’s photocall for Tale of Tales, the new film by Matteo Garrone. The film is like… weird fairy tales? And Salma Hayek eats a sea monster’s heart? Sure. Why not? You can read more about the film here. I just wanted to cover these photos because OMG Vincent Cassel. That man… his face is perfect. Did you know he’s 48 years old? Salma is the same age. God, they are lovely. Salma is wearing the Alexander McQueen AW15 silk rose jacquard dress.

Meanwhile, I sort of missed this Salma interview with Elle Magazine. She wasn’t promoting this movie, she was promoting her skincare and beauty line, Nuance. When she spoke to Elle (the interview was released last week), Salma claimed that she doesn’t do Botox (sure), nor does she get chemical peels or fillers. Do you believe her? This is what she said:

“I use an ingredient called Tepezcohuite that’s used in Mexico for burn victims because it completely regenerates the skin, and there’s no one in the States who is using this ingredient except for us. Some of the ingredients, when I took them to the American labs, they were like ‘Oh my god! How come nobody is using this?’ This is why I have no Botox, no peels, no fillings. I’m 48. I will be 49 this year and I only use my creams.”

[From Elle]

I feel like slathering yourself in burn cream is probably not something you should brag about? But everyone has their little beauty secrets. Some people use hemorrhoid cream on their eye bags, some people use burn cream to regenerate their face. When I look at Salma… sure, I’ll believe that she’s not Botoxed or “filled”. But I bet she tries all of the non-invasive skin treatments like chemical peels and such.

In the rest of the Elle Mag piece – which you can read here – she talks about her daily routines and other beauty secrets. She drinks coffee, she’ll occasionally eat egg yolk, she eats a lot of quinoa, and she (gasp!) will sometimes fly business-class or even coach. So relatable, right? Most relatable billionaire’s wife EVER! She also think Bradley Cooper is “the catch of the year.” Side-eye.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The Cannes Film Festival had its opening night premiere last night and so many fashion girls walked the carpet! Some were there – like Natalie Portman – because they have films which will be shown in or out of competition. Some were there – like Lupita Nyong’o – because they have high-profile beauty contracts and “walking the Cannes red carpet” is one of the ways they fulfill their contracts.

So, let’s talk fashion. Lupita went bold with this bright green Gucci with a plunging V-neck, floral appliques, and a full skirt. On anyone else, I might think this was sort of tacky and costumey. On Lupita, it’s sort of perfect. It’s perfect for Cannes too, because you can veer into that kind of tacky, showgirl-style and it really works at Cannes.

If I have one complaint about Naomi Watts’ style, it’s that she relies too heavily on neutrals and pale colors when she should really go bolder. I don’t really have a problem with this feathered, beaded grey Elie Saab though – it’s dark enough where she doesn’t look washed out. And I love that big necklace. Bring on the jewelry p0rn!

Julianne Moore in Armani Privé. I feel like the feathers are close to overwhelming her, but… it’s not a terrible look for her. I prefer her in cleaner, sleeker looks, but she’s having fun and why not? I like the sparkle of green with her emerald earrings too.

And finally, Bar Refaeli with Fawaz Gruosi. Gruosi is De Grisogono Jewelry, so he probably hired Bar to wear the jewelry on the red carpet.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

More photos from last night’s Cannes Film Festival Opening Night festivities. So many fashion girls! So little time. Let’s start with Natalie Portman in this utterly boring Dior. Natalie is going to premiere her directorial debut film at Cannes (out of competition), so perhaps she’s saving a really show-stopping look for her own premiere. Or maybe she really is THIS boring. I mean, I understand the desire to wear red. Most women can find a shade of red that works for them, and it’s a big red carpet so why not go bright? But think of how much this would have popped if the Dior was more of a burgundy? Right? Natalie’s husband Benjamin doesn’t look well either – I blame the bad haircut.

Karlie Kloss in Versace. It looked like a dress from the back, but from the front… it’s just a mess. Random belts and buckles, bandeau bikini top and one pant leg. Is this fashion-forward or just stupid?

Doutzen Kroes wore Versace as well. I love her so much, so obviously, I like this dress. It’s sexy and va-va-voom, although Doutzen could be sexy in a burlap bag.

Sienna Miller in Lanvin for the opening night. I feel like this was really safe – I mean, a Lanvin in navy and black? And she borrowed Laura Bush’s hairstylist too. It’s like she’s really trying to do a “conservative makeunder.”

Fan Bingbing in Ralph & Russo. I really like this. I know it’s very “fancy” and princessy, but I still like it.

Liya Kebede in Louis Vuitton. Liya always does minidresses in Cannes. I don’t really get it. I hate this dress too. THE SLEEVES. Ugh.

Isabella Rossellini in Stella McCartney. THIS is how you do a cape. And of all the women deserving of a cape, Isabella is SO WORTHY.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet and WENN.

View image | gettyimages.com

Kelly Rutherford Skyped in to TMZ live yesterday to talk about her White House petition urging President Obama to step in and issue an executive order in her custody case. You can read the background on this case here, but the gist is that Kelly got her ex husband kicked out of the country and that a judge ruled in 2012 that their children, now aged 8 and 5, could live with him overseas. Kelly’s ex, Daniel Giersch, pays for her to fly back and forth to see their kids and they get to stay with Kelly all summer in New York.

After her case was dismissed on the federal level, with the court ruling that “the children have not been deported” and that “it would plainly be improper for the federal courts to assume jurisdiction over the case,” Kelly and her lawyer started the White House Petition. Kelly’s lawyer made multiple references to the fact that this was somehow a political problem for Obama and a “very embarrassing situation” for him. Kelly is the only one who should be embarrassed, and she’s clearly not. She got the required 100,000 signatures on her petition after Kim Kardashian, who is so well known for being a devoted mother, retweeted it. On TMZ live, Kelly and her lawyer explained why the Obama administration should send her kids to live with her in the US, and it’s about the fact that Monaco has now taken jurisdiction over her custody case.

What do you expect Obama to do in an individual custody fight?
The thing is, it’s not about… custody, it’s about my children’s Constitutional rights as US citizen and they’ve been violated. They were sent to a foreign country with an unenforceable order in that country so Monaco has taken jurisdiction. Now my husband has… filed to take all my rights away and that is set for June 20th or 22nd in Monaco and we are just shocked by this. He has no interest in co-parenting or in being a father who has his kids’ best interest at heart.

Ideally what would you like to see happen next?
I think it would be wonderful for somehow to show how much they appreciate US citizens. I think whoever brings my kids home is going to be pretty much a hero. I mean they’re going to be doing the right thing for children, for citizens of America. It’s a very pro-America thing to do. If something went wrong, we’re not saying it’s their fault, we’re saying we really need some help here.

Suppose Obama issues an executive order. You can’t send the Marshals over to France and pick the kids up and put them on a plane
Lawyer: I think we’re going to have the state department officials on our side and persuade Monaco officials to do the right thing. Prince Albert is a very influential guy over there… we’re really hopeful because we’ve reached out to him.

[From video on TMZ]

Harvey Levin cracked me up in that video because he was so obviously skeptical of Kelly’s whole argument. Now that I’ve heard her side of the story yet again, I sort-of understand why she’s getting this manic and vocal about it. I don’t think that the State Department or Prince Albert should get involved, and I doubt they will, but I understand why she’s doing this. Her ex has taken this to court in Monaco, and she’s facing the possibility that Monaco may strip of her parental rights. There may be something she can do about that through other legal channels. I can’t help but think that she could have avoided all this if she was more willing to work with her children’s dad. Kelly has been fighting her ex every step of the way and she’s shown that she’s the one who isn’t willing to coparent. Maybe Giersch is impossible to work with, it’s hard to tell, but she’s clearly difficult and she thought she could just get him kicked out of the country. How did she expect the kids would visit him in that scenario?

Here’s the interview with Kelly and her lawyer on TMZ.

These are photos of Kelly at a benefit for her Children’s Justice Campaign on 5-12-15. She got a lot of celebrities to come, including Kris Jenner, Melanie Griffith, Frances Fischer, Cheryl Tiegs, Selma Blair, Natasha Henstridge and Marcia Cross.

Brown lips … ????

A photo posted by Kylizzle (@kyliejenner) on Apr 25, 2015 at 11:09am PDT

Kylie Jenner is still only 17 years old, but she’s undergone a drastic makeover in the past year. A lot of it comes down to the lip injections, but Kylie also does a lot of plucking, overdrawing, and contouring. She spends hours preening on a daily basis, and her face looks so much different now. Much of this transformation is Kylie wanting to look more mature than her age. To me, it seems glaringly obvious that Kylie views Kim as a role model. She does her makeup like Kim does, and posts belfies just like Kim.

Kylie may be in denial of how much she looks up to Kim. The Mail has a deleted clip from this week’s episode of KUWTK. You can see the clip here. It shows Kylie complaining (to Kourtney) about how Kim won’t stop copying everything she does:

Enough was enough for Kylie Jenner, who vented about her frustrations with 34-year-old half-sibling Kim Kardashian’s copy cat fashion antics in a new deleted scene from Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

“She wants to do everything that I’m doing. I really feel that Kim is cramping my style,” Kylie admitted. “I feel like style wise we take things from each other.”

One example was there similar desert style photo shoots that were both aired on Sunday’s episode. “I did this desert photo shoot and she did a desert photo shoot. And she takes everything and does it way cooler,” the youngest daughter of Bruce Jenner added.

Kylie – who confessed to injecting temporary lip fillers – landed the cover of Teen Vogue and took part in a Mad Max themed shoot. Kim also had trekked to the desert, but she was snapping exclusive content for her new website.

Big sister Kourtney tried to advise Kylie to speak up about her issues with Kim saying: “Why don’t you tell her that she’s bothering you?” But [Kylie] detailed another instance of replication. “And now she has short hair, I have short hair with a weave right now,” Kylie said. “I don’t know maybe she just wants to do everything that I’m doing.”

To put a positive spin on things, the mother-of-three proposed a different perspective. “Or maybe she doesn’t have any cool ideas so you should be flattered because she thinks that you are so cool. She definitely does,” Kourtney explained.

[From Daily Mail]

I can’t tell if this is one of those fake, scripted conflicts that was conjured up by the show’s producers, or if Kylie truly feels like Kim’s the one copying her. Nothing about this family feels real. I can see Kim feeling jealous over Kylie’s youth, but Kylie is the one who most often copies her sisters’ style and makeup game.

Yesterday, I talked about how the Kardashians are starting to rethink the Kylie-Tyga relationship, but Kylie apparently has different feelings. Kylie is reportedly looking forward to a massive engagement ring. Hollywood Life says Kylie even wants to top Kim’s 15-carat ring. Considering how flat-out broke Tyga is right now, Kylie may be waiting awhile to top Kim in the jewelry department. Hopefully, she won’t go buy herself an engagement ring or get engaged to Tyga at all!

Here’s an update Tyga and his custody battle with Blac Chyna. TMZ reports that Tyga thinks Chyna is only jealous of his relationship with Kylie: “Tyga believes any attempt to wrestle custody away from him is simply because he chose KJ over BC.” He’s tired of Chyna trying to cause trouble, and Tyga insists, “no one can legitimately question his parenting skills.” Especially not someone who allegedly “cares more about twerking than raising their son.”

Daydreaming with @pacsun

A photo posted by Kylizzle (@kyliejenner) on May 13, 2015 at 2:50pm PDT

Photos courtesy of Kylie Jenner on Instagram, Fame/Flynet & WENN

Leighton Meester has been married to Adam Brody since last February after a low-key engagement. She leads a drama-free public existence. But since Leighton’s making the move from acting to music, some of her lyrics will inevitably reflect life. She hasn’t pulled a full-on Taylor Swift, but Leighton previously admitted to Us Weekly that her album (Heartstrings) was inspired by a “stupid breakup.”

Leighton recorded the album after a few years had passed, which gave her perspective. Whereas at the time, she felt like “Screw you, I don’t care about you anymore, and it’s not going to happen! Joker.” That little detail at the end makes me believe Leighton was talking about Sebastian Stan. They hooked up during Gossip Girl, and Seb is known to be very obsessed with Jack Nicholson and The Joker. When these two broke up, the gossip genie spread the word that Leighton did the dumping. In a new interview with Vanessa Bayer (SNL), Leighton reveals that she has always been the dumper, never the dumpee:

When it comes to love, Leighton Meester has never been given the ax.

While chatting with Vanessa Bayer in a funny edition of Sound Advice, the former Gossip Girl star shared the not-so-shocking dating tidbit.

“I’ve never really been dumped, I guess, but I’ve been hurt,” she tells outlandish media coach Janessa Slater, played by Bayer. “Not really, but the more heartbreaking thing is I’ve just stuck it out for a really long time.”

However, Slater hasn’t had the same luck when it comes to dating men.

“People have pulled on my heartstrings and I know what that’s like and it’s just hard for me to believe people have ever pulled on yours,” Slater suggested. “I tend to think that women who are naturally beautiful don’t experience life.”

[From Page Six

I don’t really “get” Bayer/Slater’s interview style (it seems so awkward, not funny as intended). You can watch the interview here though. Do you buy that Leighton has never been dumped? It’s pretty important to experience both the dumper and dumpee perspectives in life. But if no one ever dumps you, it’s hard to get the ball rolling in that direction. Yes, it is a little humblebraggy to talk about never being dumped.

Leighton does recognize that she’s stayed in certain relationships too long, past the point of happiness. Is that worse than getting dumped? I think it’s tragic to keep wasting time when you know a coupling isn’t working. Leighton seems really happy with Adam Brody now, but I’m still a Sebastian fangirl. Any excuse to post photos of him will do.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of WENN