A few years ago, people rediscovered Jude Law when they became obsessed with the miniseries The Young Pope. Jude Law starred as the erstwhile “young pope” who is basically young (for a pope) and hot (for a pope) and is billed as, like, the James Dean of popes. But in reality, he just had the same kind of old-school conservatism as every other pope. The Young Pope, despite the jokes, ended up being a mediation on power and PR and religion. Anyway, the series ended with (spoiler) the young pope going into a coma. So it’s time for a new miniseries/second season: The New Pope. With John Malkovich taking over the pope-ing and Jude Law’s young pope chilling out in a coma, having vivid dreams about girls in bikinis:

Paolo Sorrentino spoke to Variety ahead of The New Pope’s premiere in Venice, talking about the concept for the second season:

The concept is simple. The basic idea is to latch on to the end of the first season. The pope, played by Jude Law, goes into a coma that, from a scientific standpoint, is considered irreversible and can only end up in death. So the church has to resort to a new pope, who is played by John Malkovich. But since we are in a territory where reason is overtaken by spiritual mysteries and by God, Jude Law’s coma may not be so irreversible. It may have some unexpected novelties, so that two popes can co-exist in the episodes that follow.

[From Variety]

If two popes coexist as popes, is there really a Catholic Church? Who knows. It’s like the 25th amendment, but make it pope. Mostly, I can’t believe John Malkovich gave up his role in Billions for this mess! He was SO GOOD in Billions. He did a terrible Russian accent and helped protect Asia Kate Dillion’s character. I miss him. But now he’s a grizzled pope.

And yes, I just wanted to reuse these photos of Jude in his Papal Speedo.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

When people tell me they hear my voice in my stories because they listen to our podcast it blows me away. I consider it a great compliment, and there are a handful of celebrities for whom I always do that. Oprah is definitely one. Can you NOT hear Oprah’s voice when you’re reading one of her interviews? Busy Philipps is another one. Busy is poised to be the Oprah for Millenials, I’m convinced. Her E! Show got canceled but that network in no way deserved her. I’m waiting for her next big move because she is amazing, she wears her heart on her sleeve and she is fearlessly herself.

Bustle Magazine has a bunch of interviews with women they’re calling Rule Breakers. They have Jameela Jamil on the cover, Quimby covered that, but they also profile Busy Philipps and Stacey Abrams, the rightful governor of Georgia. Stacey is on to better things too! Busy talked about being loud, being herself and standing up for what she believes in. It’s kind of reassuring to hear that it’s not always easy for her, but that she just makes it look that way. Like when Busy testified in front of Congress by sharing the story of her abortion it was hard for her. She looked so cool and collected and she expertly handled the idiocy of the Republican questioning her, so I couldn’t tell.

On opening up about her abortion
“Talking about my abortion on my show was a decision that I made because I’m aware of how people think of me. I’m just a normal woman — I’m their best friend! — and I wanted to say: Like one in four American women, I had an abortion. And I’m so over holding all of the shame.”

On being herself
“I’ve always been too much. I’ve always been too big, too much, too loud, too … something.”

On testifying before Congress
“Testifying at Congress was bonkers… a week-long panic attack. I had to sit across from a congressman who has been elected to government, and he was talking about pre-conception souls, and I was like, ‘Are we in the same country? We’re not having the same conversation, is the problem.’”

On changing “hearts and minds”
“I think that one of the tenets of being an artist is imbuing your work with ideas. That is what cultures respond to and get shaped around, and I would just encourage the people working in the entertainment industry to put out more thoughtful sh*t You change people’s hearts and minds by telling them stories about another way to be, and we have stopped doing that to a large portion of our country.”

On why she speaks out about important issues
“All I want is for my daughters to not have any of the f*cking bullsh*t holding them down. If that means I have to be loud about it in all ways, all around, I’ve decided that I can handle that.”

[From Bustle, headers changed]

I wanted to talk “changing hearts and minds,” although that quote seems incomplete. In the full piece there isn’t much more context. So many artists: writers, actors, directors, and producers, are working on stories that champion progressive and diverse ideas. We’re seeing more of those thanks to streaming services, but there are still too many old, white male gatekeepers to getting those shows made and distributed. Plus there’s a segment of the population which is absolutely beyond reach. There are people who are quite miserably content in their racist, sexist bubbles for whom there is no convincing of anything. As Busy mentioned, they’re not even having the same conversation and no amount of storytelling will fix that.

Photos credit: Brooke Nipar/Bustle received via promotional e-mail

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Found a mirror in an alley and you know I love a #mirrorselfie.??

A post shared by Busy Philipps (@busyphilipps) on Aug 28, 2019 at 2:39pm PDT

Meryl Streep is receiving the TIFF Tribute Actor Award at this year’s film festival, to go along with the North American premiere of her new film, The Laundromat, directed by Steven Soderbergh. I’m not going to lie, when I first heard Soderbergh made a movie starring Meryl Streep called The Laundrom…

Meryl Streep is receiving the TIFF Tribute Actor Award at this year’s film festival, to go along with the North American premiere of her new film, The Laundromat, directed by Steven Soderbergh. I’m not going to lie, when I first heard Soderbergh made a movie starring Meryl Streep called The Laundrom…

Even though a lot of people complain about “nepotism models,” I get the feeling that people within the fashion industry don’t have the same kind of judgment. Or rather, they do judge certain nepotism models, but they’ll definitely accept and welcome certain second-generation celebrity models if they get their start “the right way” and work hard. Kaia Gerber is a good example of that – I don’t think much of her modeling skills or her “look” (she still looks too much like a child for me to take her seriously as a model), but Kaia’s entrance into the fashion industry was done the “right way.” Meaning, Cindy Crawford worked all of her contacts and for years, Cindy would do magazine covers and photo shoots with Kaia. It was like Kaia was being endorsed by one of the biggest models to ever exist.

I bring this up because I think other famous moms are trying to do it the Cindy Crawford Way. They’re pushing their daughters into Hollywood or the fashion industry by basically co-sponsoring their first moves, their first magazine covers, their first contracts. Catherine Zeta-Jones has been doing this with her daughter Carys. Last year, Carys and Catherine got their first cover together for Town & Country – Carys was only 15 years old and she told T&C sh-t like “I think what bothers me the most is that people think I don’t work hard for it, that I don’t need to work hard for it. That anything I do gets handed to me. When, honestly, I feel like it’s the opposite. I feel I need to constantly prove myself to people – that I am not just my parents’ daughter.” FOR REAL. That little girl actually said that.

So, it’s time for mommy & daughter’s second cover. They’re on the September issue of Vogue Spain. Page Six had something about how Carys is Zeta’s “lookalike,” which is funny because Carys really takes after the Douglas side of the family, right? Carys is 16 years old now and Zeta is still trying to nepotize her into some kind of career. Zeta told VF Spain: “She is a wonderful singer, dancer and performer. I support her in everything she wants to do.” Yeah but what if she wanted to – gasp – go to college and not be a celebrity? LOL.

Este miércoles llega a los quioscos el número de septiembre de Vanity Fair con Catherine Zeta-Jones y Carys Douglas como protagonistas. Estos son algunos de los best hits de nuestro ‘september issue’.https://t.co/xX4BeybFOE

— Vanity Fair España (@VanityFairSpain) August 20, 2019

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Photos and cover courtesy of Vanity Fair Espana.

Kirsten Dunst covers the latest issue of Porter-Edit Magazine to promote her new show, On Becoming a God in Central Florida. I’ve said this before, but it’s worth noting again: this is the happiest Kirsten has ever been. For years, she wanted to settle down and get married and have a baby. Garrett Hedlund didn’t want that. Jesse Plemons wanted that. While they’re not married yet, they’re a little family unit with their baby Ennis, and Kirsten is just…happy. Her recent interviews reflect that – she’s so chilled out and content, it’s really nice to see. You can read the full Porter Edit interview here. Some highlights:

She’s not vain about how she looks while she’s working: “I don’t really look in the mirror and see Kirsten when I’m working. I have to set a look for a part and just forget about it. I don’t care how I look.”

Back to work five month after giving birth to Ennis: “I cried to my mother-in-law in the second week [of the job]. It was the hardest job I’ve ever taken, right after five months off with a baby. I was so tired. I would bring home a tuna sandwich from the craft services table. I would take a bath, and then eat my sandwich in bed while I read the pages and learned lines for the next day.”

But it was a job she knew she needed to do: “I had read a lot of TV shows for women – and I just didn’t want to be crying every day. You know what I mean? I didn’t want to be doing something to a man, only reacting to a male character, or having a man do something to me. This woman is her own character. She is doing her own thing.”

Falling for Jesse Plemons: When they met, she “knew he was going to be a soulmate. He’s my favorite actor – the best I’ve ever worked with. I just knew he would be in my life forever. I didn’t know what capacity that would be at the time. When the show was over, I just missed him terribly. We didn’t get together until a year later. We were both smart enough that we were wondering if the connection was just because we were working together. But it was real.”

Still engaged, not married. “But we’re about as married as you can get. We have a kid together. My mom was like, ‘But when are you guys getting married?’ And I said, ‘Mom, I’m not going to get married when I’m pregnant. I want to have fun and have a drink. I mean, we’re paying for this wedding. I’m paying for the bar! I want to enjoy it.’ [My mom is] kind of old-school in that way. I thought I would have a hard time getting pregnant, but it was a surprise. If I hadn’t met Jesse, I would have frozen my eggs. [But] it feels like I lucked out.”

Whether she & Jesse would allow Ennis to be a child actor: “If you have a kid who’s very cute, I get why people do it. Do a Gap ad and you can make your college money. It’s the first time I kind of understand it. Ennis is so adorable, with two big dimples. He is such a happy baby, and I see why I might want that memento of him at this age, but we will probably just encourage him to do school plays.”

She’s not worried about her post-baby body: “The benefit of growing up with [celebrity], is that I have a very healthy perspective of being an actress. I haven’t worked out once since I had my baby. I’m not one of those people who says [affects a funny voice], ‘Ohhh I have to get my abs back.’ I feel like I’ve established myself as an actress. I have a healthy amount of vanity that hasn’t tipped into something really destructive. I want to find parts where I don’t have to be that person, and I have plenty of role models. Look at Patricia Arquette.”

She sold her old pre-baby clothes: “I want to look nice for how I look now. There was a time when I was like, ‘S***! I don’t fit into anything anymore.’ I just bought clothes in the size I am now. I don’t care. I sold all this stuff on The RealReal. And there was some really good stuff in there!”

[From Porter-Edit]

Apparently, she’s a producer on On Becoming too, and she had a big say in the casting choices. She recommended Alexander Skarsgard for one of the bigger roles, and that’s because they worked together on Melancholia, and she had adored him ever since. Nicole Kidman sort of said the same thing, that it was a complete joy to work with Skarsgard on Big Little Lies. I think Alex just enjoys working with women (some men don’t). As for the rest of it… she just sounds happy and fulfilled and like she can’t even believe how well everything turned out. She got pregnant as soon as she wanted to, she’s in love with her soulmate and they’re not stressing about the wedding, and she has a healthy, dimply baby.

Photos courtesy of WENN, cover courtesy of net-a-porter.com.

Brad Pitt has been in Venice all week ahead of tonight’s big premiere for Ad Astra. I am still unmoved by the description of the film and the various trailers, but I’m interested in reading some of the reviews out of Venice. Meanwhile, Brad has been happily posing for photos wherever he goes. He’s done two mini-photocalls by the boats/gondolas yesterday and today. I know the Pitt stans don’t want to hear this, but… I think he’s still wearing lifts? He wore lifts to at least one OUATIH premiere and I just have to ask…why? Why is so important to Brad right at this moment? Why does he want to look taller? Anyway, Brad said words about masculinity at the press conference:

Brad Pitt, the star and producer of James Gray’s sci-fi drama “Ad Astra,” which world premieres at Venice on Thursday, said that the film was a personal one and to some extent dealt with the modern concept of “masculinity.”

“In retrospect, what (Gray and he) were digging at was that definition of masculinity,” Pitt said at a news conference, alongside Gray and co-star Liv Tyler. “We’ve both grown up in an era where we were asked to be strong… and there is a value in that, but (it has also created a) barrier because you’re hiding some those things you feel ashamed of. We all hide and carry individual pain and wounds.”

“We were asking the questions — ‘Is there a better definition (of masculinity) for us… a better relationship with loved ones, with your kids and with ourselves.” The actor said he and Gray didn’t have a “normal male relationship” because they are “open about sharing feelings, perceived failures or missteps.”

Pitt said one of the most challenging things of the film was to portray a lack of connection with someone who is on his own. The actor producer said he was inspired by the character’s journey “as a man, as a father and as a son.”

Pitt said he and Gray also share a love for “great films of the 70’s. “In these films, the characters are not all good or bad but humans. These are the stories Im drawn to… more complex than a black and white image of the world.”

Asked if he hoped to end up at the Oscars, Pitt said he was eager to see the film “get out there”and “curious to see where it lands” because “it has something to say about who we are… our purpose…Every year, I see amazing talent getting acknowledged, and amazing talent not getting acknowledged… When your name comes up it’s great and when it doesn’t, it’s a usually a friend, so I’m happy too,” said Pitt.

[From Variety]

I asked this before, but how many movies do we need about “what is masculinity?” It feels like those are most of the films being made these days, and yes, I’m even including those superhero movies. What’s weird is that this isn’t even the most recent SPACE movie about masculinity – these exact same talking points were used ad nauseum for Damien Chazelle’s First Man too. As for the Oscar discussion… Brad wants an Oscar. He wants an Oscar for acting. He’s going to campaign for Once Upon a Time, and probably not Ad Astra.

Here are some additional photos from the whole Venice “pose by the boats” thing. Liv Tyler wore trousers, which is the only thing women should do if they’re getting in and out of gondolas. My nemesis Laura “Renata” Dern wore a fugly striped dress and flats. Adam Driver will always be better in motion than in photos. And finally, Kate Upton looks like a catalogue model in 1988.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Today in Holy Sh-t, Sign Me Up news, the University of Texas at Austin announced that Matthew McConaughey has been appointed as a professor and will teach a class this fall in the Department of Radio-Television-Film. He is teaching a “script to screen” film class based on curriculum he developed him…

Today in Holy Sh-t, Sign Me Up news, the University of Texas at Austin announced that Matthew McConaughey has been appointed as a professor and will teach a class this fall in the Department of Radio-Television-Film. He is teaching a “script to screen” film class based on curriculum he developed him…

Hilary Duff and had her second child, her daughter Banks, last year. I can’t believe Banks is almost one. But I know this because Hilary is marking the anniversary by celebrating another accomplishment – shedding her pregnancy weight. According to the Instagram Story Hilary posted the other day, she’d given herself a year to work off the baby weight after her daughter was born. And she did it with the help of a trainer and a diet coach. Hilary posted a shot of herself looking amazing to announce she’d achieved her goal.

Duff, 31, celebrated her health milestone with a selfie on her Instagram Story.

“I have been working really hard to get back to my pre-baby body before Banksy turned a year! It was my goal…and I did it!” she wrote.

The mom of two thanked her dietitian and workout coach for getting her to her goal.

“I have been working closely with Erik @theflexible.dieting.coach (whom I confess all my sins to lol) and training hard @novobodyofficial and getting all my strength back! You guys have kept me focused and made it fun!”

Duff also thanked her fiancé, musician Matthew Koma, for whipping up her meals.

“It would be impossible without these guys and my home chef @matthewkoma,” she said. “Thanks boys…”

The Younger star is certainly feeling better than she did in July. Midway through the month, Duff was frustrated with her body progress.

“Sitting here thinking…gotta keep working on this body that was Banks’ apartment. A while ago…,” she said on her Instagram Story. “Give me my abs back. Are they in there? Hellllllo come back.”

[From People]

To clarify, Banks has not turned one yet, she’s 10 months old, so Hilary did not overshadow Banks’ special day with her weight loss news. I do like that People labeled this as a health milestone, rather than an aesthetic milestone. This also means that Hilary actually beat her goal, since it didn’t take the full year to get there. Hilary is 31. She’s also motivated for her career, being a working actress in Hollywood. She had the time and resources to hire a trainer and diet coach. It took me six full years to hit my weight goal after my second child, just FYI. I do appreciate People calling it a “health goal” rather than focusing on any body ideal. I wish more people used this language rather than making goals like trying to get back into pre-something jeans or such. Although I get a goal is a goal and that I’m just really grouchy today. Hilary looks amazing and she was attacked online for daring to have cellulite, so I’ll bet posting that shot felt incredible. I don’t want to take that away from her.

Also, I’m sure many of you want to discuss the Lizzie McGuire reboot announced at D23, but I know nothing about the show and given its fans reverence for it, I fear I would do the write up an injustice. I know that Hilary will play a 30-year-old Lizzie and she hinted that many of the fan favorite characters would return, including cartoon Lizzie. I also know Hilary’s son Luca finally thinks his mom is cool because of it and that Jamie Lynn Spears had a funny response to the news. And the only other thing I know about it is that I’m glad that Hilary has another show I can watch because they de-stroyed Younger and all of its storylines!

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