In yesterday’s post about Gigi Hadid’s alleged (or not so much) mocking of Asian people generally and the Buddha specifically, some of you mentioned this Vogue Italia shoot with Gigi. I’m not sure why this shoot suddenly re-entered the discussion over the past week, especially considering the original shoot was done back in 2015. I think Vogue Italia re-published some of the photos, maybe? And suddenly people were like “yikes, easy cultural appropriation” and “if Vogue wants to do a photoshoot with an afro’d model, perhaps they should actually hire a black model.” So this is just a reminder: Gigi has been part of conversations about race, racism and cultural appropriation before.

Call out @vogue_italia for putting @GiGiHadid, who is not a woman of color, in an afro wig and blackface. pic.twitter.com/s0jKf2TfjY

— Derek Sherry (@RealDerekSherry) February 7, 2017

Anyway, back to the Buddha uproar. Many of the people yelling about Gigi’s racism were huge Zayn Malik fans. They are the kinds of fans who want to see Gigi and Zayn break up. So some of them tweeted at Zayn – who is British-Pakistani – asking him what he thinks, as an British-Asian man, about his girlfriend mocking Asian people. This is what happened on his Twitter:

@KristopherRod trust me.. she likes asians ??

— zayn (@zaynmalik) February 7, 2017

People’s nerve to call me ignorant, when any chance they get I’m a terrorist!! to be a racist goes against my very existence..

— zayn (@zaynmalik) February 7, 2017

So please don’t try to educate me ??

— zayn (@zaynmalik) February 7, 2017

If you actually go to Zayn’s Twitter and read the comments on those tweets, you might get a good laugh. Like, there are SO MANY TWEETS by unhinged fangirls who are trying to “educate” Zayn on why he should be offended and why (of course) he needs to break up with Gigi (and presumably date someone else, like them).

I said yesterday that I thought Gigi’s mimicry of the Buddha cookie was racist, but I also think it’s one of those teachable moments – she’s a young woman and she really hasn’t been exposed to a lot of racial politics. I’m not canceling her – I just hope she does better in the future. And please, no more editorials with afro wigs.

Cover courtesy of Vogue Italia, photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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Tuesday was yet another awful day in Baby Fists’ America. Despite being utterly unqualified, Betsy DeVos was confirmed by a margin of one vote (VP Pence’s tiebreaking vote) to be the new Secretary of Education. The White House released a list of terrorist attacks which they claimed had received little-to-no attention, except they “forgot” to include terrorist attacks committed by white people. Kellyanne Conway went on CNN and got into it with Jake Tapper, and I’m more convinced than ever that CNN should just stop interviewing her altogether. And a federal court heard oral arguments on Trump’s Muslim Ban.

So, everything sucks and America is in pain. What we need now is a brutal confirmation fight over appointing a white supremacist to be the nation’s top lawyer, right? The confirmation for Jeff Sessions’ appointment to be Attorney General started yesterday. Senator Elizabeth Warren is one of many Democratic senators who want no part of Jeff Sessions. Sen. Warren tried to make a speech in which she quoted Ted Kennedy and read a letter from Coretta Scott King, all about Sessions’ history of voter disenfranchisement and racism. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shut it down and the Senate (voting on party lines) formally rebuked her. They literally took a vote to get Liz Warren to STFU.

Senate Republicans passed a party-line rebuke Tuesday night of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for a speech opposing attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions, striking down her words for impugning the Alabama senator’s character. In an extraordinarily rare move, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) interrupted Warren’s speech, in a near-empty chamber as debate on Sessions’s nomination heads toward a Wednesday evening vote, and said that she had breached Senate rules by reading past statements against Sessions from figures such as the late senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and the late Coretta Scott King.

“The senator has impugned the motives and conduct of our colleague from Alabama,” McConnell said, then setting up a series of roll-call votes on Warren’s conduct.

In setting up the votes to rebuke Warren, McConnell specifically cited portions of a letter that King, the widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to Sessions’s 1986 nomination to be a federal judge.

“Mr. Sessions has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens,” King wrote, referencing controversial prosecutions at the time that Sessions served as the U.S. attorney for Alabama. Earlier, Warren read from the 1986 statement of Kennedy, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee who led the opposition then against Sessions, including the Massachusetts Democrat’s concluding line: “He is, I believe, a disgrace to the Justice Department and he should withdraw his nomination and resign his position.”

The Senate voted, 49 to 43, strictly on party lines, to uphold the ruling that Warren violated Rule 19 of the Senate that says senators are not allowed to “directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.” Pursuant to that rule, Warren was ordered to sit down and forbidden from speaking during the remainder of the debate on the nomination of Sessions.

“I am surprised that the words of Coretta Scott King are not suitable for debate in the United States Senate,” Warren said after McConnell’s motion.

[From WaPo]

As you can imagine, this is not going over very well. #LetLizSpeak trended on Twitter all night, and it’s still trending this morning. This is literally a bunch of old white guys telling a woman to sit down and shut up. And they did it when she was trying to read a letter from Coretta Scott King, one of the most admired women in the history of our country!!!

A US Senator isn’t allowed to read a letter by a civil rights icon but our President is allowed to attack one. #LetLizSpeak. #StopSessions pic.twitter.com/Up4H4NWDII

— Tracy Wehringer (@twehringer) February 8, 2017

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

Naomie Harris covers the latest issue of New York Magazine. It’s a completely charming interview from someone who knows she’s not going to win an Oscar this year. Naomie even says in the interview that she’s sure Viola Davis is going to win, and Naomie seems fine with it. While I liked Naomie in Moonlight, I would actually be a little bit disappointed if she was a major contender, just because I didn’t exactly think she was the strongest part of the film? Anyway, I decided to cover this because Naomie actually talks about how her “over it” expression went viral at the Golden Globes, when she seemed to really not GAF about Tom Hiddleston’s “aid workers love me!” speech. Naomie tries to be professional and understanding of Tom, but it’s still funny. Some highlights:

She never drinks: “I’m so Miss Control Freak. I could never imagine being drunk or losing control like that. That’s my worst nightmare.”

The diverse nominees & #OscarsSoWhite: “I know that everyone thinks this year is a response to that whole campaign,. When, in fact, these films were in production or preproduction for years before all of this. So they aren’t actually a response to that whole argument. So I don’t like the way that they’re used as a response to that. And people are saying, you know, ‘Isn’t it amazing in a year how things have changed as a result of that campaign?’?”

She’s worried about the anti-immigrant movement in the UK & America: “Because the whole foundation of these countries — America in particular — is based on immigration. Britain wouldn’t be the country it is without immigration. So it’s madness. It just seems so retrograde to talk about these ideas now, at a time when the world is just becoming smaller and more interconnected. And now, to want to take a step backward, almost to the dark ages, where, you know, ‘We want monocultures and mono-races,’ it just seems really … yeah, regressive. And very sad.”

Her own experiences with racism: “The only time I’ve ever experienced racism — I’m talking about blatant racism — was in France when I was called a ‘n-gger’ by a bunch of kids and hit on the head.” She was 16 and on a student exchange. “It was really shocking. I had never heard that word. I mean, I had heard it, but not used against me … I just thought, What idiots. I didn’t even feel afraid.”

Her chances on Oscar night: “It’s not going to happen. It’s Viola [Davis]’s year, you know?”

On her unimpressed face during Tom Hiddleston’s Globes speech: “I really sympathize with Tom because I think it’s so easy, under the pressure of those moments … to find yourself going down the path of telling a story and as you’re telling it, think, This is not what I want to say, it’s not how I mean it to go, but you’re kind of trapped on that train and you can’t stop … And then ridiculing a person for that … I just think it’s so mean!”

[From NY Mag]

Is it mean though? Granted, I get the feeling Naomie is an incredibly nice person who always tries to do the right and proper thing. But for Hiddles, this wasn’t a one-time occurrence. He has a consistent problem with being an overzealous famewhore, a LOOK-AT-ME-I’M-A-DANCING-BEAR whenever he’s around a live microphone. Personally, I think Hiddles deserved Naomie’s “unimpressed” face. As for what Naomie says about immigration and regressive politics… yep. Welcome to fascist democracy!

Naomie Harris’ face listening to Tom Hiddleston is all of us pic.twitter.com/oorxtNFkyF

— Sarah (@Cinesnark) January 9, 2017

Photos courtesy of WENN, cover courtesy of NY Mag.

Here are some photos of Tom Brady during the big Super Bowl parade in Boston on Tuesday. It looked really cold and snowy in Boston yesterday. Meanwhile, it was almost 70 degrees here in Virginia. Just thought I’d throw that around! Anyway, Tom Brady, Super Bowl, greatest quarterback of all time, etc, etc. Tom is 39 years old right now, which is pretty old for football players in general and old for quarterbacks in particular. According to the information I just googled, the average age for QBs is generally “late 20s,” although many believe that the number will go down in the next few years as a new generation starts to take over from the older guys. This victory for the Patriots would be the perfect way for Brady to “go out on top,” before he’s pushed out for being an old man. But Brady says no, he’s not going to retire.

After watching his fifth Super Bowl win on Sunday, Gisele Bündchen is hoping her hubby Tom Brady will put his football days behind him. Yes, the supermodel is asking the New England Patriots quarterback to retire…but what are his thoughts? Brady, 39, joined SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday and got to talking with host Jim Miller about his future in the sport as well as his plans for retirement.

“If it was up to my wife she would have me retire today,” the football GOAT laughed. “She told me that last night three times.”

“I said, ‘Too bad, babe, I’m having too much fun right now,’” he explained, adding, “You know, I feel like I can still do it, and if you love what you do and you’re capable of doing it then, I mean, I’d be so bored if I wasn’t going out there, knowing that I could still do it. So I’m going to work hard to be ready to go and I still plan on playing for a long time.”
Brady says his age has only helped him on the field.

“In some ways, being more experienced and having your family life settled does allow you to focus a little bit more, too, because there’s less B.S. in your life,” he explains. “You know, you have your family and you can go to work and focus on your job. And you expect your teammates to do the same.”

[From Yahoo & E! News]

In 2015, Brady said he could see himself playing for another decade, to which I say… a 48-year-old quarterback??? Probably not. But it’s worth noting that there definitely seems to be a trend amongst elite athletes, in that they’re finding new and improved ways to extend their prime. It seems insane that a 39-year-old quarterback won his fifth Super Bowl ring and cemented his status as the #GOAT. Just as it seemed absurd that Roger Federer, at the age of 35, won his 18th Slam in Australia last month. Just as it seemed absurd that Serena Williams, also 35, just picked up her 23rd Slam and that she’s back to being #1 in the world, and she’s looking to win another Wimbledon title this year. Trendspotting: older athletes showing the youngsters how it’s done.

Now, all that being said, I wonder why Gisele was so insistent that Tom retire now? Methinks that she’s sort of done with Boston. And she doesn’t want to see Tom hang on to this and overstay his welcome.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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There were many feelings about and around the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl win this year. Some people said that watching the Patriots win in a stunning fourth-quarter comeback felt a lot like watching Donald Trump win the presidency on Election Night. The Pats’ win was especially politically-charged because Tom Brady was and is a Trump supporter, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick wrote a letter of support to Donald Trump shortly before Election Day. While it’s not shocking to learn that two white, super-privileged dudes would be Trump supporters, the Trump-association did taint everything about the Patriots in the lead-up to the Super Bowl and beyond. It’s also a problem when Trump’s Nazi champions, like Richard “Nazi Who Got Punched In the Face” Spencer was openly reveling in the Patriots’ win by saying it was a “victory for the AltRight” and calling Tom Brady an “Aryan Avatar.”

Now, all that being said, of course we know that many Patriots fans are big ol’ liberals and progressives. Hell, many within the Patriots organization are big ol’ liberals and progressives. Two of Tom Brady’s teammates have apparently chosen to NOT make the trip to the White House this year following their Super Bowl win. It’s tradition that the Super Bowl winners get to visit the White House, regardless of the president’s party and regardless of the political affiliations of the players/owners/coaches/fans. George W. Bush had Democratic athletes to the White House, and Barack Obama had Republican athletes to the White House. But two Patriots are like “nope” on Emperor Baby Fists.

It’s tradition for the team that wins the Super Bowl to visit the White House after their victory. But at least two members of the New England Patriots are turning down the invitation this year because of President Donald Trump.

“I’m not going to the White House,” the Patriots’ Devin McCourty told Time in a text message Monday. “Basic reason for me is I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won’t.”

McCourty joined tight end Martellus Bennett, who confirmed on Sunday that he also would not make the White House trip, after first announcing his decision to skip it the week prior.

“It is what it is,” Bennett said after the Patriots’ victory, according to the Dallas Morning News. “People know how I feel about it.” Bennett has previously told reporters, “I don’t support the guy in the [White House].”

Bennett and McCourty’s decision to refuse an invite from the president diverges sharply from their organization’s most prominent white members. Quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft are all good friends with the Trump. In late 2015, Brady was filmed with Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” in his locker.

Bennet and McCourty — both of whom are black — have engaged in political demonstrations before. They made headlines in October when they expressed solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was protesting police violence against black people at the time by kneeling during the national anthem before games. The two Patriots players raised their fists in support during the song.

[From Mic.com]

Good for them. If it was a more traditional Republican administration, I might believe that this kind of boycott is little more than a symbolic gesture. But in the Brave New World of Baby Fists’ Fascist America, this needs to happen. It’s not enough to merely acknowledge that Donald Trump is an ignorant racist and a deplorable fascist – people need to also take pains to not engage with his bullsh-t. To engage with it is to normalize it.

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

Day 1!!!!!!!! Lets do this @msjeanettejenkins (week 6 post baby and I haven’t lost ANY WEIGHT YET!!!!) yaye me!!!!! I’m normal! ????

A photo posted by P!NK (@pink) on Feb 6, 2017 at 11:03am PST

The above photo is an Instagram Pink posted with celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins. (I know of Jenkins because she was rumored to have been Queen Latifah’s partner a few years ago but that was never confirmed, and Jenkins has denied it.) If you’re not familiar with Jenkins and you’re into kickboxing like me, check out this workout she did for PopSugar Fitness, it’s killer. Some days I can only do about half of it. I digress, this story is about Pink, 37, and how she’s back kicking butt in the gym after she had her baby, Jameson (I still can’t with that name). Pink writes that it’s been six weeks, she hasn’t lost any weight and she’s ready to get back in shape basically. This is cute and I like how honest she is. Look at her sunglasses! I want to know where I can get a pair like that but I also know I probably can’t afford them.

It’s Pink’s job to be in shape and she’s getting back to work. Doctors recommend waiting about six to eight weeks before starting exercise again so she waited and she’s back at it. Many of you schooled me on this rule in our earlier story about Peta Murgatroyd doing heavy ab work just two weeks after having a baby. Commenters also mentioned that Peta could potentially damage her pelvic floor by doing situps that soon after baby.

Speaking of Pink’s job she knows that people are comparing Lady Gaga to her, because Pink does that amazing acrobatic act where she hangs and twirls from the ceiling using straps and harnesses. Lady Gaga often cribs from other artists, but Pink wants us to know that she doesn’t think Gaga did that to her by descending from the ceiling during her Superbowl act. In fact Pink writes that many other artists hung from the ceiling first and that we should focus on what matters, the fact that the country is going to hell basically (my words). She also praised Gaga’s performance. It strikes me that Pink knows firsthand about the work required to pull something like that off.

#womensupportingwomen #happymonday #letsnotgetdistracted

A photo posted by P!NK (@pink) on Feb 6, 2017 at 1:34pm PST

I cosign her ending statement. Incidentally, have you guys heard about the Women’s Strike on March 8th? We’re going to strike here on that day too and won’t be publishing stories, so that’s just a heads up and you can plan your protests accordingly.

Let’s check out a cute photo of Pink’s baby!

Happy Monday

A photo posted by P!NK (@pink) on Feb 6, 2017 at 9:25am PST

A photo posted by P!NK (@pink) on Jan 24, 2017 at 4:48pm PST

We march together

A photo posted by P!NK (@pink) on Jan 21, 2017 at 12:12pm PST

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Christie Brinkley is back in a bikini (and she’s brought two very special guests)! https://t.co/ODeeuhXCms pic.twitter.com/8v2v1Wwfy3

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 7, 2017

Christie Brinkley is one of potentially three cover models for the SI Swimsuit Issue. To that I say – ooh-rah, let’s hear it for us older broads (because Christie and I look so much alike). But Christie is gracing the cover with her two daughters, Alexa Joel and Sailor Cook. I like the concept of a mother posing with her daughters and the shot released is beautiful. But the message the three would like to convey is one of self confidence and body positivity. So remember that as you look at this picture, it’s supposed to make you feel better about yourself. Sailor, Brinkley’s 18 year-old daughter (from her fourth marriage, to Peter Cook), posted the following to Instagram:

I’ve had issues with my body image since before I can even remember. I grew up not loving how I looked and felt held back because of it. I don’t know why I always felt that way, sure I had baby fat and definitely went through a plethora of awkward phases, but I had a family that loved me i had friends who made me laugh etc. But for some reason I still looked in the mirror and always somehow found something to pick on. I went from being “too fat” to “too thin” to “too muscular” and I never felt satisfied. My body and I have been through it all. But recently I have been liberated. I am healthy, i treat myself well, and for that i’m happy. I’ve looked in the mirror and been able to LOVE the things about my body that beauty norms deem ‘undesirable’. I now have grown to know that my body is worthy of so many great things. I don’t need to be a size 0 to believe in myself. My body carries me each and every day, it loves the people i love, it holds what makes me healthy and strong, it bends it shakes it runs and it CHANGES. That is okay and that is beautiful. I could not be more grateful to the beautiful and strong @mj_day for including me in this years Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue ??? This is more than a magazine to me and always has been. As a growing young woman SI showed me all bodies are different and all bodies are worthy of celebrating. Thank you thank you @si_swimsuit for celebrating my beautiful mama, my beautiful sister, I, and ALL WOMEN!! How lucky am i?! ??? i think I’m dreaming. ??? thank you!!!!!!! ? (Also, thank you @hayleythorpeholla and @v_beast and everyone at @dogpound for changing my life ??) More to come!!!!!!!!

A photo posted by Sailor Brinkley Cook (@sailorbrinkleycook) on Feb 6, 2017 at 7:25pm PST

I want to say, unequivocally, that I support messages of body confidence. And this echoes the same message Sailor gave back in December after the Victoria Secret fashion show, don’t measure yourself by what the media shows you. Of these ‘messages’ Sailor’s was the best framed.

But then we get to Alexa, 31, who also looks amazing. But her post is much harder to reconcile:

Let’s STOP degrading and START celebrating ourselves and others, from both the inside AND out. ???There’s far too much degradation, competition, insecurity, and unhealthy standards associated with women and their bodies- particularly on social-media. As a conscious society, it’s up to us to flip this negativity on its head. I don’t have a completely flat tummy, or cellulite-free thighs… nor am I a model’s height or shape. Neither are hundreds of millions of other beautiful women out there. SO WHAT? Does it really matter, in the end? All that matters is how YOU feel about yourself. Set your own standards of beauty; both internally and externally. All of those unrealistic-looking, photoshopped images are nothing more than white noise, playing off of your own insecurities in order to make a buck. Don’t let them affect you. DO YOU! We are all perfect, just as we are. Please know that. Thank you @si_swimsuit for showcasing all heights, shapes, and sizes. For within our distinctions, our quirks, and our self-perceived ‘flaws’… therein lies the beauty. {Capture Credit: @si_swimsuit #BehindTheScenes Thank you for the honor of shooting me with my Precious & Golden Sunshines: Mamacita & Sailorina.}

A photo posted by Alexa Ray Joel? (@alexarayjoel) on Feb 6, 2017 at 8:04pm PST

How is that not a flat stomach?!? I don’t care if Photoshop was employed, she posted it like this. And it’s hard for me to hear about body empowerment from somebody who (allegedly) reconstructed theirs. I have no problem with plastic surgery but admit that’s where your “confidence” comes from, at least. Her next post was a bit more approachable. She thanked SI for the honor and says it did wonders for her ego. This I am fine with.

~’Twas a most humbling and rewarding HONOR to be a part of your February issue!??? Thank you @si_swimsuit & @mj_day for making me feel so at home. This was a lesson in learning to let go, take the plunge, and embrace myself from both the inside AND out- which is something I struggle with each and every day. My purpose is to now pass along this lesson of unconditional self-love and self-respect to every woman who’s willing to listen. Once again, from the bottom of my heart… Thank You.~

A photo posted by Alexa Ray Joel? (@alexarayjoel) on Feb 6, 2017 at 9:56pm PST

Christie rounded out the trio of “yay perfect bodies” cheerleading squad. I do think it’s great that SI has maintained a relationship with her. Jay-sus, she is a beautiful woman:

Yes! I am excited to announce that I am back in @si_swimsuit ..I figured with my gorgeous daughters @alexarayjoel and @sailorbrinkleycook by my side whose going to be looking at me! Oh and My kids think I walk on water, so let’s not mention the apple box concealed just under the surface. For a preview check out @people.com ..and thank you Sports Illustrated for sending the powerful message that good things come in packages of every size and we do not come with an expiration date! ??psI can’t wait to see everyone at VIBES on Feb 17th and 18th in Houston! #proudmomhere!

A photo posted by Christie Brinkley (@christiebrinkley) on Feb 6, 2017 at 6:22pm PST

Yeah, I think they’ll notice you, Christie. You’re the six-foot blonde standing on the water, above your daughters, dead center in the picture – I wouldn’t worry about focus-pulling. I don’t have a problem with what she’s saying and it’s nice she’s trying to say it but I feel like CB did when Christie talked about body image in 2015 – consider the source. I think the reference to the apple crate under the water supposed to be an analogy about public perception vs. reality. Actually, I don’t think that’s what she meant but I like the analogy so I am putting it in there anyway.

Why does it bug me so much that Christie is not only facing away from Alexa and toward Sailor but is holding her hand? I know that’s not Christie’s call but I feel like it’s sending the wrong message considering Sailor is a carbon copy of her.

Photo credit: Twitter, Instagram and WENN Photos

Two weeks ago, the Daily Mail and a few other British media outlets broke the story that Madonna was in Malawi and trying to adopt two more children. Madonna has already adopted two kids from Malawi – David Banda and Mercy. The news that she wanted to adopt two more kids was unsurprising, and yet some people didn’t believe it. Madonna’s team quickly worked to deny the story to various outlets but there was, in my mind, still a question mark. Turns out, Madonna really did make an application to the Malawi courts to adopt two kids. She has just adopted twin sisters.

Madonna has adopted twin girls from Malawi, according to government officials. The singer, who had previously denied she was visiting the country with a view to adopting more children, was given permission by the Malawian high court on Tuesday to adopt the four-year-olds Stella and Esther. Mlenga Mvula, a judicial spokesman, said: “I can confirm that Madonna has been granted an adoption order for two children.”

Madonna has previously adopted two children from Malawi, David Banda in 2006 and Mercy James in 2009. The twins are being adopted from the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji, near the western border with Zambia, where David Banda once lived. But many in Malawi have accused the government of giving the singer a special exception to laws that prevent non-residents from adopting children to take abroad. With Madonna and the girls’ birth father present in the courtroom in Lilongwe, a judge ruled in her favour. But the adoption is conditional on Madonna proving she will provide a suitable home.

Dominic Misomale, a government-appointed guardian, will travel with Madonna, Stella and Esther to the US and observe how she looks after them, before reporting back to the government.

Titus Mvalo, a lawyer for Madonna in Malawi, told Reuters: “Madonna has demonstrated over the years that she has passion for Malawi and her children, and therefore the court was satisfied and could not stop the adoption of the twins.”

[From The Guardian]

Isn’t “Esther” Madonna’s own Hebrew/Kabbalah name? Yes, it is. More than a decade ago, Madonna announced that her new Hebrew name was Esther and she had converted to Judaism/Kabbalah, sort of. Incidentally, Madonna reportedly chose the name Esther because it’s the Hebrew word for star? You know what other name means star? Stella. So many coincidences! Anyway, 59-year-old Madonna is now mother to two four-year-old girls. Lord help us, lord help them and lord help Madonna. And lord help Lourdes too, because I suspect Lourdes is going to be called in help with the new kids, Duggar-sibling-style.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

Super Bowl 51 may be in the books, but it’s still a popular conversation topic. The game itself made records, although it wasn’t as big of a ratings hit as expected, the commercials were mostly lackluster with a few exceptions, and Lady Gaga nailed her halftime performance. 117.5 million viewers worldwide saw the 30-year-old singer perform a medley of some of her greatest hits, after seemingly leaping into the center of Houston’s NRG Stadium from the structure’s roof. Well, it has come to light that a little Hollywood magic was used to create the breathtaking entrance.

The opening of Gaga’s performance utilized 300 drones, creating a patriotic backdrop as she sang excerpts of “God Bless America” and “This Land is Your Land.” After that, Gaga took a leap into the stadium (which has a retractable ceiling) and launched into her repertoire of hits. According to Intel’s Natalie Cheung, the woman responsible for choreographing the drones’ performance, the segment was pre-recorded on January 30th, and there’s a valid reason for that:

“So there’s a lot of weather and environment (issues),” Cheung said. “In February, you don’t know what it will be like during Super Bowl day. We’d hate to plan all this and, if the wind speeds are too high or if it’s raining and the roof is closed, no one can see this spectacular show. So our creative team as well as the Super Bowl creative team felt this would be best to be filmed. Lady Gaga also was on the roof when this was filmed, and from a logistics and creative perspective, it’s a bit hard for her to go from the roof all the way down to the floor of the stadium.”

[From USA Today]

Video taken from the crowd perspective showed the pre-taped segment and Gaga coming down from pretty high up in the stadium. Note that the retractable roof on the stadium is closed.

LADY. GAGA.#SuperBowl #LadyGaga #PepsiHalftime pic.twitter.com/VKwvCIZpu5

— NFL Brasil (@NFLBrasil) February 6, 2017

Hey, she was pretty high up there. It’s admirable that she had the guts to do it, as I sure wouldn’t. Of course, haters were quick to accuse Gaga of stealing Pink’s act. And, proving she’s still a class act, Pink took to Instagram to give props to Gaga for her performance. In her post, she said, “Who cares if I flew first? Cause I didn’t! Cirque and Peter Pan been in the air for years!”

Love you, Pink. My only complaint is if she was able to pre-record the jump, why did she look so awkward doing it? I guess I wouldn’t want to do a second take either, and hey, if nothing else, the moment made for some hilarious memes.

Since the NFL spared no expense in putting together this extravaganza, you can only assume that Gaga wasn’t staying at the Motel 6 in Houston during the rehearsals and festivities. Quite the contrary. The singer chilled at a lavish $20 million mansion located a few miles from the stadium. The five bedroom, 10,000 square foot home, called Villa Encantado, boasts amenities fit for a celebrity, including a gym, sauna, movie theater, indoor game room, bocce court, pool and jacuzzi. If you want to live like Gaga, you can rent the home through Airbnb for a mere $10,000 per night (with a seven night stay minimum).

Thank you @airbnb for the gorgeous home in Houston for #SB51

A photo posted by xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) on Feb 6, 2017 at 7:01am PST

It may be just my opinion, but Gaga deserved the royal treatment, her performance was spectacular and managed to have a positive message. Although she had been told by the NFL to leave politics out of her performance, Gaga assured her fans during a pre-game press conference that she would remain true to her values:

“The only statements that I’ll be making during the halftime show are the ones that I’ve been consistently making throughout my career. I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality, and that the spirit of this country is one of love and compassion and kindness. My performance will uphold those philosophies.”

[From Huffington Post]

Being a woman of her word, Gaga delivered on her promise, including a message of tolerance and acceptance for the LBGTQ community with the lyrics from her hit “Born This Way.” She used her moment in the worldwide spotlight to sing, “No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lesbian, transgendered life / I’m on the right track baby / I was born to survive.” Well played, Gaga. Well played. It was sure a great way to promote her upcoming Joanne tour, which kicks off on August 1 in Vancouver.

And now for the most important Gaga news – for me, at least – it’s official, Mama Monster will be the special guest judge on the Super Bowl for drag performers, RuPaul’s Drag Race! Gaga has had a long relationship with RuPaul and her girls, filming the lyric video for 2013’s “Applause” at a famed West Hollywood drag bar. The video featured Drag Race faves Raven, Detox, Shangela, Shannel and Morgan McMichaels. Gaga’s always wanted to be a judge and when she asked Ru if she could be a part of the show, Ru naturally responded “Yes!”

YES! RT: @ladygaga: Can I PLEASE be a judge on drag race! @RuPaul I started out in these club, these women taught me how to serve! pic.twitter.com/qEm3RbH6Bn

— RuPaul (@RuPaul) February 7, 2017

Gaga will lend her ability to judge the queens’ charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent on the season 9 premiere of the show, coming later in 2017. She shared the news on Twitter on Tuesday, with a short clip and the announcement, “The time has come! I’m joining the girls on the season premiere of @RuPaulsDragRace! #DontBeADrag #JustBeAQueen.”

The time has come! I’m joining the girls on the season premiere of @RuPaulsDragRace! #DontBeADrag #JustBeAQueen ? pic.twitter.com/XzKcKapsgw

— xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) February 7, 2017

I am beyond excited about this. Ru’s had some great judges, but this is going to be epic. 2017 is already proving to be quite the banner year for Gaga and I’m excited to see what’s next for her.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photo credit: WENN.com, Getty Images

It’s Kelsey Gabriel Elias Grammer!

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer stepped out with wife Kayte Walsh and their older kids – daughter Faith, 4, and 2-year-old son Gabriel – on Monday (February 6). The group were all smiles while running errands in West Hollywood, Calif.

The Cheers alum, 61, and his wife, 35, welcomed their third child together and Grammer’s seventh total – son Auden James Ellis Grammer – on Nov. 14, 2016.

The newborn weighed in at 7 lbs. and measured 21 inches in length.

“Both mother and son are doing great,” their rep said at the time. “The name was chosen to honor the great poet W.H. Auden, and James is after another great poet and singer James Taylor — two of our favorites.”

The Storks star is also dad to daughters Spencer, 33, Greer, 24, and Mason, 15, and son Jude, 12.

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