If you could stop propping up rapists and murderers that would be great @people https://t.co/VvFLKVUO3j

— celebitchy (@celebitchy) November 29, 2018

When I feel stressed at work I watch the Apple screensaver or nature videos with the sound off and chillwave in the background. I have an old computer with another monitor and focusing on beautiful scenery helps me not have a bowl of Half Baked for breakfast. I ate ice cream a lot last fall when the MeToo stories were breaking, although Kaiser was covering most of them.

Trigger warning
Thanks for listening to me complain about writing about celebrities for a living. Here’s Matt Lauer, crying into his tens of millions of dollars after he was outed as a serial rapist and after he forced more competent, less equitably paid coworkers out of their jobs for speaking out against him. NBC finally fired Lauer last year although his abuse was thought to be known to them for years. The “allegations” were damning and included the fact that Lauer raped a woman until she fell unconscious and that he had a button under his desk to lock the door so that he could more easily trap victims in his office. Sure though, let’s check in on how Lauer is doing, shall we?

A year after being fired from NBC over alleged sexual misconduct, Matt Lauer is living a quiet life away from the spotlight.

A source tells PEOPLE the disgraced news anchor has struggled to come to terms with his new normal.

“It has been hard for him. He went from being a super busy person to having nothing but time on his hands,” the source close to Lauer tells PEOPLE. “He is not doing well.”

The longtime news anchor, who was fired from the Today show in November 2017, “is not thinking about working again right now.”

“He doesn’t sit around thinking about a comeback,” adds a second source.

Instead, Lauer is focusing all his attention at home — with his children.

“He’s trying to get by putting all his energy into his kids,” says the source. “He is working on his relationship with his kids. They have a good relationship, but they’ve been through a lot.”

[From People]

Lauer should be in JAIL for the rest of his life for what he’s done. Instead he’s getting sympathetic pieces in People about how he’s doing. What about his victims, People? What about the women whose lives and careers he ruined? I shouldn’t be surprised People is doing this, they’re also running multiple stories a day about murderer Chris Watts who slaughtered his entire family. I’m sure true crime stories are popular and I deliberated for a moment about whether to call People out for this, but it’s despicable. They’re running his family photos as if he deserves publicity. This only teaches sociopaths and murderers that they too can become famous. Can we just call rapists and murderers what they are? There’s only so long I can get distracted by drone footage of the Golden Gate Bridge before I start wanting to scream and break things.

In case you’re wondering if things are better at NBC for women who work there, we have Hoda and Savannah killing it, but the culture is said to be just as bad. Linda Vester, a former NBC News correspondent who was assaulted by Lauer, told Variety that “The women who speak to me say the climate of fear is worse than ever, the silencing is worse than ever.”

Read the comments:

One year after being fired from the ‘Today’ show, Matt Lauer is looking for a fresh start. https://t.co/yUCHpe1kyU

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) November 29, 2018

NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS

“Inside Matt Lauer’s Life 1 Year After Sexual Misconduct Scandal (Exclusive)” pic.twitter.com/AozH3vtoVK

— Jenny Yang ?????? (@jennyyangtv) November 29, 2018

We don’t need an update on Matt Lauer. He’s rich. He sexually harassed women.
He’s doing better than his victims.

— Laurie Crosswell (@lauriecrosswell) November 29, 2018

Simply pathological—People magazine runs a long, how-is-he-coping?! sympathetic EXCLUSIVE on serial sexual harasser—and rich beyond all measure—Matt Lauer, talking all about HIS “struggle” and how HE “is not doing well.” pic.twitter.com/phwe7IdGCr

— Reed F. Richardson (@reedfrich) November 29, 2018

Camila Cabello is a big deal. Even though I’m old and I don’t know ALL of the “big deals” with the kids these days, I know Camila is happening. She grew her fanbase when she dumped Fifth Harmony and suddenly became close friends with Taylor Swift (she’s the opening act for Tay’s Reputation Tour). She’s had at least one major hit song. She’s big on social media. People just go crazy for her, and I tend to think corporations probably want to give her lots of sponsorships. The world is hers for the taking. And I think I’m fine with it? I’ve never really heard anything about her that made me go “Ugh, Camila is the worst.” If anything, I just don’t understand why the kids are SO crazy for her, given her somewhat limited portfolio. But whatever, here she is on the cover of Marie Claire’s Holiday Issue. This is one of the worst editorials I’ve ever seen – blurry photos, barely one clear, in-focus shot of her full face. Ugh. You can read the full Marie Claire piece here. Some highlights:

Her doctor ordered her to chill: “I realized if I don’t take days off, I will actually die. Or collapse, so I’m trying not to go too crazy for the rest of the tour.”It’s hard, though. I’m at this point in my life when I’m so happy—it’s hard to say no.”

Disney was huge for her as a kid: “My friends and I all wanted to be on the Disney Channel growing up. We all wanted to be singers.”

Her stage fright: In order to understand Cabello properly, you have to understand, first of all, that she is very shy—and also that she is a natural exhibitionist. Cabello loves nothing more than the idea of baring her soul, of sharing her deepest secrets with the world, but she also hates the idea of doing it in front of anyone she actually knows. “I had intense performance anxiety as a kid…I’m an introvert. I love any activity where I can observe and not necessarily be a part of it.”

The two sides of her personality: “Basically, there’s the me that I really am, on the inside, which is the nerdy one—the kind of introverted, shy one—and then there’s the sexy, overly confident one, doing great dance moves and being super sassy.”

On being vulnerable: “I’ve challenged myself to be vulnerable and to not have a script of what you’re going to say.”

On what the success of her debut single, Havana, taught her: “You just have to trust yourself. I’m never going to be like, ‘This is a huge song.’ But I really liked it, and that’s what matters.”

On her boyfriend, British relationship coach Matthew Hussey: “He’s so similar to me. In person, we’re just weird and silly and stupid together. He makes me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

On rumors she’s will star as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming West Side Story: “I don’t think so… I know exactly who I am, and I know what I want to do. I’m just not ready to give up that voice for something else right now.”

[From Marie Claire]

LOL imagine Steven Spielberg coming to you and offering you a role and you say “nah, I got other things on my plate.” Granted, I think a Spielberg-directed remake of West Side Story sounds unnecessary too, and I’m not wild about casting a Cuban-American woman in a role meant for a Puerto Rican woman (that’s, like, the whole f–king point of the musical). But if Spielberg offers you something, you still take it. HE IS STEVEN SPIELBERG. As for the rest of it… I actually didn’t know she was dating a “British relationship coach,” so… that’s interesting. And I think all of these Gen Zers love to label themselves with “introvert” or “exhibitionist” or whatever. They spend too much time labeling themselves. *shakes fist at labeled children*

Photos courtesy of Sofia Sanchez and Mauro Mongiello for Marie Claire, sent from promotional email.

Jen! Happy opening weekend! Congratulations on the release of your first animated feature! It’s been FOUR YEARS. But it happened. Because you showed the sh-t out of your work. Victoria is so proud of you. By request – some of the women who’ve been trying to open more doors, just like you will be: Av…

Trent Reznor is one the few ‘90s icons to retain his sense of hotness and anarchy, and it truly feels like he’s managed to get older (he’s 53) without turning into a massive douche, or a Republican. Over the past three years, Reznor has given a series of thoughtful interviews about subjects ranging from Donald Trump (“a complete f–king moron”) to Taylor Swift and the music industry at large. Trent hates the Republican Party with a deep and abiding passion, and he’s made that completely clear. But somehow, Ted “Zodiac Killer” Cruz didn’t get that memo. While Trent was performing a show in Irving, Texas, he mentioned that Ted Cruz had tried to get on the guest list for the show.

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor had two words for Sen. Ted Cruz when the GOPer apparently asked to be put on a guest list for a show in Texas this week.

“He was bugging to be put on the guest list and I told him to f–k off,” the 53-year-old musician told the crowd at a show in Irving on Tuesday, according to a video posted to Reddit.

Reznor claimed Cruz attended one of the industrial rock band’s concerts “several years ago.”

“He drank all the beer and was just a pain in the ass to be around,” Reznor said.

The staff at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory also turned up the lights for Reznor so he could check the crowd to see “who voted” for Cruz in the 2018 midterms.

“Raise your hand, guys, nothing to be ashamed of, all right, just checking,” he says in the video.

[From Page Six]

A lot of musicians/artists would never do this mid-concert, or name names in public whatsoever. Because “Republicans buy CDs too” or “Republicans buy concert tickets too” or whatever is said in the name of capitalism. It actually upsets me to think that Ted Cruz enjoys Nine Inch Nails. It’s likely that Cruz doesn’t understand any of it, but still… WHY? Trent Reznor’s deep emotional core is anti-establishment and Ted Cruz is the spineless establishment. Also: I laughed at the idea of Ted Cruz standing backstage, drinking all the beer and acting like a pain in the ass.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and WENN.

Dear Gossips,

There are four different “Entertainer of the Year” Entertainment Weekly covers: Cardi B and Darren Criss are featured; Kathleen posted about the women of Black Panther yesterday; and there’s also the women of Crazy Rich Asians. EW calls them “the queens of summer”. Look at them. Lo…

Unlike many celebrities, Kate Hudson is honest about the work it takes to lose baby weight. She doesn’t claim to effortlessly shed it or to eat whatever she wants, she admits to counting calories and she said that after her second pregnancy she worked out six hours a day to lose the weight. Kate welcomed her third child, daughter Rani Rose Hudson Fujikawa, almost two months ago. She also has sons Ryder, 14, and Bingham, 7.

In a post to Instagram Kate announced that she’s planning to lose 25 pounds by this spring to be fit for a film. She also promoted her lifestyle brand, named after her books, it’s called Pretty Happy. She wrote that she’ll post tips on that Instagram account. This is a clever cross promotion as she also has that (arguably sketchy) subscription clothing line, Fabletics, and can build another brand and associated products. Unlike other celebrities, I sort of buy what Kate is selling as long as I don’t have to prepay for it. Here’s what she posted with the photo above.

So…here we go! The routine with our baby is getting more familiar and I’m ready to start taking a little time in the day focusing on myself. For me that means my health. Why? Because I wanna be around a long time for these three kiddos of mine. I know that some are curious about what that means and for all you moms (wether [sic] working or not working moms) it is the most challenging thing in the world to balance kids and personal time. Let’s be honest, kids take the number one position and it’s haaaaard to make the time for yourself. I’ve been doing a lot of research and I’ve spent my life time trying all kinds of new things that are focused on health and wellness. Because I am on a mission right now to get back to my fighting weight and my strong body/mind back I want to bring you in on some of this journey. If you want to follow a more in-depth of my to-dos, @prettyhappyofficial will be posting all kinds of fun tidbits from exercises we are loving to foods/recipes we ?? and meditation practices I just can’t live without ???? MY GOAL: I will be shooting a film in the spring and I’m looking to shed 25lbs. I’d like to try new workouts and eat as healthy as I can. I wanna do all this and keep up milk production, raise my kids, work everyday, make time for my man, have girlfriend time and stay sane! ? I know that this sounds more like a new year resolution but after Thanksgiving and everyone thanking their health, I feel motivated to keep that up. Much love and hope everyone’s Having an amazing start to the holidays! ?

[From Instagram]

It’s perfectly reasonable to lose a couple pounds a week without being deprived. She could lose eight pounds a month and reach her goal in three to four months no problem. Kate knows the math and she’s not promoting a crash diet or an expensive “cleanse” that no one needs. I like this, especially because she’s being honest about it. (Although she’s not working 9 to 5 or longer outside the home and is lucky that way.) The Pretty Happy Instagram account has recently become more active and they have this very brief video post encouraging quick five minute workouts.

View this post on Instagram

So many of us make the excuse “I’m too busy to work out”, but science says that short bits of exercise throughout the day can add up to something big. Time to get moving between emails. ? ????

A post shared by Pretty Happy (@prettyhappyofficial) on Nov 29, 2018 at 4:50pm PST

I often think about the fact that movement adds up over the day. (I am pretty sure that Michelle Obama said this too, but I haven’t been able to find those quotes again.) Recently I’ve been sitting on an exercise ball at my desk. I have lower back problems and it helps stabilize my core, but it’s also an easy way to tone without a traditional workout. Working out doesn’t have to mean going to the gym for an hour. If you have enough space in front of your TV or computer you can exercise whenever it’s convenient for you. There are so many great workouts on Youtube for all fitness levels. I do PopSugar fitness, and BeFit has so much to choose from too. Of course I have the luxury of working from home. It’s a lot harder if you’re in a traditional office.

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Post Turkey Day my son comes into our bedroom, takes his sister in his arms and spent some solid early morning time loving her. I watched thinking… I’m Thankful for love. Unconditional love and that my children embody what it is when one feels loved. ?? Let’s all have an entire year where we stay grateful. Keep this party going @mr.ryderrobinson #Rani?

A post shared by Kate Hudson (@katehudson) on Nov 23, 2018 at 9:38am PST

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My other three babies ??

A post shared by Kate Hudson (@katehudson) on Nov 28, 2018 at 9:11pm PST

photos credit: Fabletics via Avalon.red and via Instagram

I have a lot of theories about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s impending move to Frogmore Cottage, and their refusal to live next to the Cambridges at Kensington Palace, and all of the drama that surrounds this news. My theory is still that this is mostly about William and Harry more than it’s about Kate and Meghan. My theory is that Harry wants to “protect” Meghan more than anything, and he thinks physically moving her away from London will help shield her from a lot of drama. I also think that Meghan and Harry will eventually move back to Kensington Palace, but only after a year or two at Frogmore. What’s interesting is that People Magazine seems to be hanging on to this idea that the move is mostly about Harry too – People Mag isn’t pushing any wild conspiracies about Meghan and Kate’s alleged war of attrition.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move away from the confines of Kensington Palace will be a welcome change for the couple as they prepare to welcome their first child this spring.

“Harry feels very imprisoned at Kensington Palace,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward, author of My Husband and I tells PEOPLE—and has told friends as much. “He can’t wait to get out.”

Although the changes have sparked rumors of tensions, insiders point to a natural evolution of the brothers’ dynamic now that they are both married with their own families. While William, 36, as the heir to the throne, must maintain a home base in London, Harry, 34, has more latitude to escape the pressure of the city for a more relaxed home environment. Frogmore Cottage—a fixer-upper that sits just north of the grander Frogmore House, where is where Meghan and Harry held their evening wedding reception in May and took their engagement portraits— offers a quiet setting for the new family.

Windsor has “more space for children” and holds a “special place in their hearts,” a royal source says.

[From People]

Ingrid Seward is a hack, but what if she’s right about this particular thing, that Harry – not Meg – feels “imprisoned”? I’ve always thought that the stories about Meghan preferring a more low-key, country lifestyle were just kind of make-believe. She was a grown-ass woman when she married Harry, and she had prepared herself for all that a public life entailed. I think if Harry had wanted to live in London, they would have done that and Meghan would have been quite happy. My point? Harry is the one pulling the strings at the moment.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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Jennifer Lopez is at the top of her game – and she knows it. After working her famous booty off for nearly 30 years, she’s not afraid to celebrate her success. She covers our December issue in @MaisonValentino couture. Read her full interview at the link in bio! I Photographed by @Anthony.Maule; Styled by @JuliePelipas

A post shared by instylemagazine (@instylemagazine) on Oct 31, 2018 at 5:00am PDT

Jennifer Lopez covers the December issue of InStyle to promote Second Act, the cute-looking comedy where a simple outer-borough girl ends up pretending to have an Ivy League education and she ends up in a high-powered Manhattan job. It’s like a Cinderella story, only it’s about a woman’s career. In this interview, Jennifer is sort of reflective of that other path, the road she would have taken if she had never left the Bronx and become a global superstar. She’s also feeling reflective because she turns 50 years old in the next year. Which is a big deal. You can read the full InStyle piece here, and here are some highlights:

The road not taken: “If I didn’t have certain ambitions, I might have gotten married after high school and had kids and decided to get a job at a bank in Castle Hill, like my aunt did. It’s just that I had dreams and ideas that were different.”

Time’s Up: “It has taken time,but I think we’re in a very powerful moment where women are going, ‘Wait a minute. We’re not afraid to say what we deserve.’”

The importance of being a multi-hyphenate: “I don’t understand why you can’t be an actress and a singer and dancer as well. Like, that’s how this whole business started. Entertainment! And why can’t you be funny and also be a dramatic actress? OK, some people can’t do both. But if they can, let them!”

She thinks the Bennifer days were worse than the tabloid media today: “It was actually worse then. It was just crazy. Now at least I can show you who I am a little bit. Back then you just believed anything you read on the cover of a tabloid. Many times it wasn’t true, or it was like a third of the truth.” She acknowledges that young actors now face a whole new set of selfie-driven anxieties, “but they didn’t live through the tabloid era. Now I sound like my mom. ‘I used to walk uphill to school, before there were cars!’?”

Her relationship with A-Rod: “When we met, we’d both already done a lot of work on ourselves. Everybody has flaws, and the people I want in my life are the people who recognize that and are willing to work on those flaws. It’s super-important: someone who’s willing to look at themselves and say, ‘OK, I’m not great here’ or ‘I could do better there.’?”

Whether she’s feeling her age: Failing memory, flagging energy? Nope and nope. But she does throw me a few bones. Lopez has noticed that she’s been squinting at her phone lately, so she might need reading glasses soon. The middle of her back hurts occasionally. And she’s introduced weight training to her fitness routine after realizing that she now loses muscle whenever she dances too much. But mostly, she credits her looks to the wholesome habits she’s maintained throughout adulthood: no caffeine, no alcohol, lots of sleep. “I’ve taken care of myself, and now it shows,” she says.

She’s still hood: “It’s what I still often wear to this day, the big hoops and, you know, gold jewelry. I always like to mix the glam with a bit of the hood.”

[From InStyle]

I think she sounds fine here? She’s such a pop culture icon, and yet… I feel like there is one small part of her which is “down to earth,” at least more down to earth than many iconic performers/actors. And it is legit crazy that she’s in such incredible shape right now – you would have thought that the wheels would have started to come off in her early or mid 40s, like the rest of us peasants. But no. The worst thing to happen to her is that she might need reading glasses. Crazy.

As for what she says about the tabloid landscape being different and worse than circa 2003 than it is now…. I sort of understand her point. I also think that back then, the gossip landscape was just more centralized, and those were the last days of actual big, iconic celebrities. Now everyone is equally famous online and all of that.

Cover courtesy of InStyle, additional photos courtesy of WENN.

Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen was in court yesterday to accept a plea deal on federal charges. Cohen has been working with New York state authorities and federal authorities for months now, basically ever since his home and office were raided. Cohen “flipped” with relative ease, because he knew that the state and federal authorities had him on dozens – if not hundreds – of crimes. Cohen also knew that he was never the endgame, and that he could tell the truth about his dealings with the Trump family and get a better deal, especially from special counsel Robert Mueller. So that’s what Cohen did. Throughout the day on Thursday, so many fun details started spilling out from Cohen’s plea deal. Some highlights:

The $50 million penthouse. From Buzzfeed’s exclusive: “President Donald Trump’s company planned to give a $50 million penthouse at Trump Tower Moscow to Russian President Vladimir Putin as the company negotiated the luxury real estate development during the 2016 campaign, according to four people, one of them the originator of the plan.”

Don Jr. and Ivanka. According to Vanity Fair, Don Jr. “has been telling people he’s very worried after today,” and that he believes he’ll be indicted soon. Ivanka is “being eyed” by Mueller and his team for her involvement in the Moscow Trump Tower deal too, because Cohen was copying Ivanka and Don Jr. on everything.

Putin’s Kompromat. Basically, Cohen connects a lot of dots that suggest (if not prove) that Putin has held compromising information on Trump and his family for YEARS.

The Perjury Trap. Personally, I don’t understand why people act like it’s only JUST NOW that Trump could be caught up in his scheme of lies. He’s been lying to everyone, about everything. But the story is that Mueller laid a trap for Trump by waiting until Trump turned in his written answers about his dealings with Russia, and now Cohen’s testimony will be the final nail in the perjury coffin. Or something.

We’ve been talking about all of this for so long, and it feels like the facts have gotten mixed up with the speculation and suppositions, but I’ll just say this: I’m hopeful. I feel like things are going to really start moving around in the final weeks of 2018, and then by January, it should be Indictments Gone Wild. Merry Christmas!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Selena Gomez has an interview with Elle to promote her new line with Puma. Like a lot of things Selena does lately, you get the impression that she would rather be somewhere else. Selena seems to want a break from the spotlight but she still has to do these interviews, likely on the direction of her team. When she gets talking she does say some good things about body positivity, being comfortable and athleisure wear. There isn’t lot that’s highly quotable here but she manages to sound interested in the topic. It’s like she took a little while to get warmed up though.

On the secret taglines in her clothes like “Strong from the Inside out”
I want to encourage women. I really would love to use my platform for good, and along the way have so much fun with movies and the music. I wouldn’t be able to do any of it if it weren’t for the people that supported me, and that kind of sounds like a cliché, but its true. So I think for me, I’ve always wanted to be a good example. Not because I’m not going to mess up—I fuck up all the time. It’s more just that I want to be honest with them. I’m going to say: I’m trying the best I can and that’s what you can do too—just try the best that you can, and it’s hard. And you’re not alone.

I think it’s important for girls to know the strength in everything, their identity and their soul, lies within themselves. And too much today you give that away so easily, from social media to school or relationships. And I think it’s important—I want to remind girls that they’re perfectly strong the way they are.

On if she’s inspired by friends or movie characters
I guess I’m so moody, so I’ll watch Almost Famous and then I’ll want to dress like Kate Hudson for the week, or I’ll watch Marilyn and I’ll see something that I want to wear that’s all ’50s style. I think that’s probably why I’m an actress, because I’m like…different personalities [laughs]. But it’s just fun. I love dressing up. I love being inspired by art, by music, by movies. I don’t really limit myself. I think I just like to do the things that make me feel good.

What do you wear when you need extra strength?
A turtleneck. Every time I have a turtleneck on with some high-waisted pants, I feel like I can dominate. I feel like I’m a woman. It’s funny how you can put something on and it can make you feel that way, but that’s the only thing that makes me feel that way.

On if she prepared for the shoot that day
No, most of the time I don’t really know what I’m doing that day. But I just really enjoy coming, and that’s how I live my life. I feel like if I knew everything that’s happening every single second of the day, it would really overwhelm me. Today I knew I had this, and I’m so excited and I’m just going to enjoy it and then leave. I don’t prepare for it, necessarily—I just get excited, and then you create something together when you’re on set.

[From Elle]

I could relate to what she said about watching movies and wanting to dress like the characters, I do that a lot. Plus I’ll see what celebrities are wearing and copy some of their ideas. Like Selena I love turtlenecks, especially thin black turtlenecks layered under dresses, but I feel powerful when I’m put together in general, not when I wear a specific thing.

Selena is 26 and she sounds like she’s still figuring everything out, which is understandable. I don’t feel too sorry for her but I’d like her to be able to take some time to herself if she needs that. She recently got out of treatment and she’s battling health issues. Plus her first love Bieber just got married and her more recent ex, The Weeknd, is back with his ex. She’s not like the rest of us dealing with news about our stupid exes, she can’t just unfollow them. I wonder what that social aspect of being famous is like, when the whole world is talking about your exes’ relationships and everyone is monitoring you to see how you’re taking it.

photos credit: Puma via WENN and Backgrid