Dear Gossips,

I read an article at the New York Times yesterday that enraged me. So, like any good friend, I passed my rage onto Duana right before bedtime and then promptly fell asleep. Didn’t help. When I woke up I was still pissed.
The article is about the Best Rock Performance category …

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I feel like these Melania Trump posts are pretty popular, mostly because people want something a bit lighter/dumber to discuss and yet they still want something politics-adjacent. Well, Melania flew to Palm Beach over the weekend to meet her husband and attend a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. I assume Melania has already returned to New York because she’s all about motherhood and being “there” for Barron (nevermind that flying back and forth New York-Florida over the weekend is probably enough to throw most children off-kilter). As for Melania’s plans to eventually reside in the White House… who knows?

In an interview with the New York Times, Melania’s advisers assured the paper she’ll definitely be doing First Lady things — she’s just moving at her own pace.

“It has only been a short time since the inauguration, and the First Lady is going to go about her role in a pragmatic and thoughtful way that is unique and authentic to her,” said Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former Vogue staffer and her newly hired chief strategist. Lindsay Reynolds, her chief of staff, added that the First Lady’s office is “working to ensure that the White House Visitors Office is fully staffed and operational” before dealing with the thousands of White House–tour requests that have reportedly piled up since Michelle Obama’s departure. (The First Lady’s office traditionally handles tours.)

It’s pretty normal for first ladies to be staffed up and ready to dive in on day one. Myra Gutin, a professor at Rider University who specializes in first ladies, said Trump is “far behind the curve compared to where modern first ladies have been by the time their husbands are inaugurated, in a quite unprecedented way.” But according to the Times, she’s hired an interior decorator — Tham Kannalikham — to overhaul the presidential living space, and she’s set to announce the hiring of Natalie Jones as her social secretary. “I am putting together a professional and highly experienced team, which will take time to do properly,” Trump said in a statement.

Anita McBride, who was Laura Bush’s chief of staff, said Melania’s ostensible absence might just be her hallmark: “Everybody has expectations of what they think it should be, but the reality is it’s really for the First Lady to determine how she can fulfill the role that’s true to her.” Oh, and according to Wolkoff, Melania is definitely moving to Washington.

[From NY Mag]

LOL, the “Melania Trump Signature” will be her total f–king absence. While it’s true that there is no hard-and-fast protocol for First Ladies, it’s been decades since we’ve had a First Lady who has no desire to do anything, not even move into the White House.

Meanwhile, Melania has filed another lawsuit against the Daily Mail for their reporting/claims last year that Melania allegedly worked as an escort. The lawsuit took a weird turn in a new filing though – apparently, Melania is saying that the escort claims have hampered her ability to profit from her position as FLOTUS.

A lawyer for first lady Melania Trump argued in a lawsuit filed Monday that an article falsely alleging she once worked for an escort service hurt her chance to establish “multimillion dollar business relationships” during the years in which she would be “one of the most photographed women in the world.”

The suit, filed Monday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan against Mail Media, the owner of the Daily Mail, said the article published by the Daily Mail and its online division last August caused Trump’s brand, Melania, to lose “significant value” as well as “major business opportunities that were otherwise available to her.” The suit noted that the article had damaged Trump’s “unique, once in a lifetime opportunity” to “launch a broad-based commercial brand.”

“These product categories would have included, among other things, apparel accessories, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, hair care, skin care and fragrance,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Trump’s behalf by California attorney Charles Harder.

[From Washington Post]

Poor Melania. SHE HAD PLANS. If not for those dastardly escort claims, she could have grifted her way to a global beauty-fashion empire!! Remember when our biggest worry was that Sarah Palin and her grifter family got the RNC to pay for a bunch of fancy clothes??

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

A-listers Kim Kardashian and Kanye West stepped out with their two children – daughter North, 3, and son Saint, 14 months – on Sunday (February 5).

The famous family were seen arriving at Kanye’s manager’s house for a Super Bowl party in Los Angeles, Calif.

Last week, we spotted Kim and the kids in New York City.

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, 36, took to her website Monday to explain the choice of their first book club selection — Embraced by the Light by Betty J. Eadie — which she will read alongside pals Jen Atkin and Chrissy Teigen.

“When I was in high school my dad used to try to get me to read this book but I was always too busy,” she said her late father, Robert Kardashian. “He said that it’s a fascinating story about a woman who dies during surgery, goes to heaven and remembers her whole experience and came back to life to share all of her experiences.”

“I read it sometime soon after his passing and it really helped me cope and get through life knowing my dad was in a better place,” Kim continued.

“I read it again after having kids and after the life experiences that I’ve had more recently and now the book means something different to me,” she revealed. “It just gives me tools on how to live a better life here and live life to its potential and just be more spiritual and one with God.”

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Here are some photos of the Duchess of Cornwall at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home last week. Camilla is the new royal patron for the animal-shelter charity, which means that she gets to hang out with other patrons like… David Gandy! I would love it David Gandy and Camilla started hanging out regularly. Why not? Anyway, I’m writing this story for two reasons. One, I’m not sure Camilla had ever held a cat before this visit, because that poor black kitty is like “why is this leather-glove clad lady choking me????” Two, I wanted you to know that Camilla was a wine-drinking child.

It’s no secret that the Duchess of Cornwall is a wine connoisseur, but as it turns out, the royal’s love for vino goes back to her early days. Though Camilla was born in London, the president of the UK’s Vineyard Association recently admitted that when it comes to drinking, she was raised like the French.

“People always ask me how I became involved in it all, well first of all I love wine, but secondly, my father was in the wine business, so I was brought up as a child drinking wine and water rather like the French,” the 69-year-old said on January 25 at a reception celebrating the association’s 50th anniversary. She further revealed, “My grandfather also wrote about wine as did my great-grandfather, so I think it’s very much in my blood and it’s so exciting to see British wine taking off.”

While at the event held at Clarence House, Prince William’s stepmother discussed how global warming is positively affecting British wine. She said, “We don’t exactly have the climate, or we didn’t then, but I expect with global warming it’s going to get better and better, we’re going to get better and better wine.”

The royal also offered her two-cents on the organization’s proposed named of British Fizz for the country’s sparkling wine. “I just feel champagne is such a good name and we don’t want to let the French beat us with a better name, so I think everybody ought to get back to having another little think about it,” Prince Charles’s wife said. The Duchess added, “I do quite often think I’ve got a really good name, and then I wake up in the morning and I’ve forgotten it.”

[From Hello Magazine]

I doubt Charles is going to be too happy about Camilla’s “well global warming is bringing us good English wine!” talk. That being said, she’s not wrong – global warming has dramatically changed the climate around Europe and around the world, and it’s affecting wine production too. As for Camilla being raised to drink wine from childhood… this explains so much! No, I jest. I suspect she means that she was raised in the continental-European way, which is to not stigmatize alcohol consumption and instead treat it like any other beverage.

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.

Like mother, like daughters.

Supermodel Christie Brinkley, 63, is joined by her daughters, Alexa Ray Joel, 31, and Sailor Brinkley Cook, 18, in the upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine.

Donning sexy bikinis, the mother and daughters wear coordinating black swimsuits, including a cutout mesh one-piece on Brinkley, as they stand on a Turks & Caicos beach.

Christie shared the photo via Instagram Monday.

“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!” she wrote.

Alexa Ray also posted the photo on her Instagram page.

“Alas… the family that stays together, poses together! {And lifts The Mamacita up so she can walk on water, of course.}~ ? #LoveAndLetLove #AFamilyAffair #FamilyFirst #EveryShapeAndSizeIsPerfect #LoveAndCelebrateYourself #YouDeserveIt,” she wrote.

And Sailor also shared the snapshot on 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!!!!!!!!” she wrote.

Christie welcomed Alexa Ray with ex-husband, legendary musician Billy Joel. And she shares Sailor with ex-husband, Peter Cook.

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

In this current global news/gossip cycle, we have to find the small pleasures wherever we can. Personally, I love how there are conspiracies on top of conspiracies when it comes to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. I even believe some of the conspiracies, but overall, I just have to say: they are together. They are in love. They are clicking along and many royal reporters believe that an engagement will come sooner rather than later. I sort of believe it too: I think by May, Harry and Meghan will either be broken up or engaged. Here’s what I do not believe: weird British-tabloid fan-fiction about Harry bringing Meghan to Pippa Middleton’s wedding.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have kept their relationship relatively low-key so far. But the new couple are expected to make their first official public outing together for a special family occasion – Pippa Middleton’s wedding. Kate Middleton’s brother-in-law is expected to bring his American girlfriend as his plus one when Pippa marries James Matthews on May 20.

“Harry and Meghan are madly in love and he no longer wants to hide that from the world,” a source told the Daily Star . “He is close to Pippa and has been invited to her wedding and has obviously been given a plus one. Harry is adamant that he wants to take Meghan with him.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

For one, there is no guarantee that Pippa will invite Harry to her wedding. Harry and Pippa are likely social friends, but not close friends. But his brother is married to her sister, so I could see an invitation being offered, especially since Pippa’s wedding sounds like The Carole Show and Carole wants as many aristocrats and royals in attendance as possible. So, an invitation: possible, perhaps probable. But if you were Prince Harry, would you go all the way to Berkshire to see your sister-in-law’s sister marry Terribly Rich James Matthews? No. Probably not. And Harry would absolutely know (by now) that the Middletons don’t play well with other women, so even if he did go, he wouldn’t bring Meghan. Carole has her eye on Meghan Markle, absolutely, because Carole knows that if Meghan marries Harry, all hell will break loose with the royal reporting around William, Kate and Harry. Harry wants to shelter Meghan from that kind of drama.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

During the election last year, there was often so much bad news that I would just jam everything into one political post with bullet points for each individual Baby Fists-related catastrophe. I might need to go back to that, because there is so much, you guys. Many believe that this is “the Trump strategy,” meaning that our president behaves like a temperamental toddler on a sugar high, someone who can’t concentrate on one thing for more than a few minutes, which is why there are like 20 different disasters at any given time. If it’s a concerted PR strategy, I get it – we can’t “concentrate” on one disaster at a time, and the whole vibe of “these people are absolutely bonkers” can’t be pinned down to one particular f–kup. So here are some stories making the rounds right now.

Baby Fists hates Sean Spicer & Melissa McCarthy. Apparently, Trump watches Spicer’s daily briefings and then calls Spicer in to critique him personally. Trump also is still watching SNL, and Trump hated that Melissa McCarthy played Spicer. Politico reports: “More than being lampooned as a press secretary who makes up facts, it was Spicer’s portrayal by a woman that was most problematic in the president’s eyes, according to sources close to him.” Why is that a big deal? One donor says, “Trump doesn’t like his people to look weak.” Because a woman in Spicer-drag = weak. Now Rosie O’Donnell says she’s up for playing Spicer for SNL in case Melissa doesn’t want to do it anymore.

Our allies hate Emperor Baby Fists. This is not shocking. I’m just surprised by how long it took for America’s allies to turn away from this orange fascist. Australia is over it, a leading German newspaper has called on Europe to actively work against Trump, Canada keeps poking at us and now the British Parliament has banned Baby Fists from speaking there if and when he visits.

The Bowling Green Massacre. Kellyanne Conway made the “Bowling Green Massacre” reference last week on Hardball, and she was soundly mocked online for it. She later said she made a slip of the tongue and she meant to say “Bowling Green terrorists.” Interestingly enough though, Conway made the same “slip” when speaking to Cosmopolitan days before the Hardball appearance, when she said the same words: “Bowling Green Massacre.” It’s not a slip. It’s this administration’s Alt-History of Terrorism.

The next attack. If and when there is a terrorist attack against Americans, Donald Trump already knows who to blame: the judge who temporarily banned his Muslim Ban. The NY Mag had a good piece about the dangerous blame game Trump is pre-emptively playing.

Impeachment. The word is cropping up more and more among congressmen, journalists and print media. Time Magazine has a piece about the case of impeachment. Rep. Maxine Waters is saying it now too. Come on, let’s do it. Let’s make February the month we impeach a fascist! It can be the Valentine’s Day gift to ourselves. Please???

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

Meet baby Seewald!

Proud parents Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald introduced their newborn son via Instagram Monday.

“#BabySeewald2 is here and we couldn’t be more in love!” Jessa captioned the image of her baby boy.

The 19 Kids and Counting star, 24, and her husband welcomed their second child – whose name has yet to be announced – on Monday, Feb. 6.

“We are so happy to announce the arrival of our sweet second son,” the couple shared.

The statement continued:“He was born at 4:26 a.m. this morning, weighing 8 lbs. and 11 oz. and measuring 21 3/4 in. long. Mom and baby are both doing well. We are so thankful to God for this precious new gift of life and are excited to be a family of four! Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes!”

The Counting On stars are already parents to 1-year-old son Spurgeon.

Counting On airs Mondays (9 p.m. ET) on TLC.

:LINK IN BIO: #BabySeewald2 is here and we couldn’t be more in love!

A photo posted by Jessa Seewald (@jessaseewald) on Feb 6, 2017 at 8:03pm PST

One of the more controversial commercials at the Superbowl was for 84 Lumber. It featured an Hispanic mom and her daughter making the treacherous journey to the US and included swelling music, lots of shots of their anguished faces, and a promise of a new life at the end. Only the end of the original commercial, which showed the two at a large border wall, was deemed too controversial for TV and had to be cut. You can watch the entire commercial above. [Spoiler] At the end the mom and daughter find a door built into the enormous border wall, presumably from 84 Lumber, and walk out into the sunny US. There’s text that says “The will to succeed is always welcome here.” (It also shows that the little girl was making a US flag with the scraps she was collecting along the way, I wondered about that.) Deplorables are calling for a boycott of 84 lumber, like they’ve also called for boycotts of AirBnB and Budweiser for daring to tell immigrants and foreigners’ stories n their commercials. In response to this, the CEO of 84 Lumber says she voted for Trump, that she thinks his border wall represents security and that’s what she included it (it actually represents stupidity and wastefulness like most everything else he does) and that the commercial is open to interpretation. What?

Maggie Hardy Magerko, who took over ownership of her family’s $2.86 billion company in 1992, says she is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and believes that a border wall – which featured prominently in the TV spot – “is a need.”

“We need to keep America safe,” the 51-year-old executive tells PEOPLE. “America needs to be safe so you and I can have the liberty to talk… The wall, I think it represents, to me, security. I like security.”

Hardy Magerko says she personally helped develop the commercial and its striking imagery, but her personal beliefs don’t play into the commercial.

“This came from the heart and I didn’t do it for personal gain,” she says. “It’s not about me or my beliefs or the wall, it’s about individuals… treating people with dignity and respect.”

She adds: “My intent was to show, through the mother and daughter, that through struggles we will do anything we possibly can to make [the world] a better place for our children. If I thought the wall was negative, I wouldn’t have had the wall.”

“There were many interpretations, but the message is in the eyes of the beholder,” adds Hardy Magerko, who took over Pittsburgh-based 84 Lumber from her father, now 94. “So, depending on what struggles and what you’re going through… it’s all in [the viewers’] interpretation.”

Instead, Hardy Magerko says the advertisement, at its core, was meant to attract new, young employees for her growing business and to drum up new customers while “stimulating the housing market.”

“I believe in youth and being contemporary,” she explains. “We need to surround ourselves with people who will continue to build America and build 84 Lumber.”

[From People]

Is this the “some of my best friends are conservative” argument? Also does she really believe this or is she talking out of both sides of her mouth so as not to 1. lose customers or 2. lose government contracts? (Thanks Kaiser for helping me think of that.) How could anyone believe that this is the American dream and still support Trump? Or are we misinterpreting this ad? Some people are saying that you can read a tacit approval of Trump’s wall into the ad, especially when viewed in its entirety, and that it shows that only the best people can get through.

Seriously guys: @84LumberNews ad really isn’t as welcoming as you all think. Trump wall with a door imagery. #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/cHOd9qb7zn

— Latino Rebels (@latinorebels) February 6, 2017

Magerko has an interview with the NY Times in which she clarified that it’s all about getting the right (read: cheap) employees for her company.

Ms. Magerko, who said she voted for Mr. Trump, said the ad was meant to recruit employees in their 20s “who really believe in American dreams.” She expressed concern about the labor shortage her company is facing. She said she had a welcoming attitude toward certain immigrants, while providing the caveat that she had faith in elected officials to “make the decisions to make us safe.”

“I am all about those people who are willing to fight and go that extra yard to make a difference and then if they have to, you know, climb higher, go under, do whatever it takes to become a citizen. I am all for that 110 percent,” she said. “But do I want cartels? Hell, no.”

[From The NY Times]

So there are wealthy conservatives who are relying on Trump to lower their taxes and lift regulations on their industries all while hoping their cheap labor supply doesn’t dry up as President Gas attempts to bans entire countries from the US. Good luck with that. People like Magerko are going to be insulated from the worst that’s to come but they’re still going to feel the pinch. The deplorables calling for boycotts of this company aren’t smart enough to see that she’s “with” them, all they see is brown people who speak another language and they freak out. There’s no subtlety in Trump’s policies and conservatives who see nuance and compromise aren’t welcome either.

Britney Spears has opened up about her niece Maddie’s ATV accident on Sunday.

“Need all the wishes and prayers for my niece,” the pop superstar, 35, Instagrammed an image of the 8-year-old girl smiling next to her dog.

Reportedly, the Toxic hitmaker has rushed to her family’s side in Louisiana.

According to PEOPLE, Maddie is in “critical but stable” condition after being involved in an ATV accident shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday.

According to police, the crash occurred on family property in full view of her mother Jamie Lynn, 25, and stepfather Jamie Watson, who tried to rescue Maddie “to no avail.”

After steering the vehicle to avoid running over a nearby drainage ditch, Maddie took a hard right and “overcorrected, causing the ATV to enter the pond. The ATV and child were instantly submerged in the water right before their eyes.”

“Within seconds the child’s mother, stepfather and other family members reached the pond, dove in and attempted to rescue the child to no avail,” the report continues. “The child was trapped and secured by the seatbelt and the ATV’s safety netting. Within two minutes, Acadian Ambulance Services arrived and assisted in freeing the child from the cold waters.”

“This is an extremely tragic accident. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking you to keep this family in your constant prayers as they try to cope with this horrible incident. We ask that you respect their privacy during this time of need,” the report states.

Our thoughts are with the Spears-Aldridge family.

?Need all the wishes and prayers for my niece ?

A photo posted by Britney Spears (@britneyspears) on Feb 6, 2017 at 2:14pm PST