Time Magazine is really delivering some spectacular covers this election season. Behold, this week’s Time cover, “Total Meltdown.” It’s meant to visually mimic their cover in August, which was simple “Meltdown.” Similar graphic, only now the orange face is melting. I actually sat here and read Time’s full cover story – go here to read – and I came out of the article really, really worried. Like, at this point, I really do believe that Hillary Clinton is going to win. That’s not the issue. The issue is how f—king awful it’s going to be in the lead up to Election Day, and the bloodbath within the GOP which will follow the election.

Meanwhile, Trump is probably mulling over a new slogan, from Make America Great Again to, perhaps, No P-ssy Left Ungrabbed. Yesterday, we discussed the five women who had told their stories Wednesday evening to various media outlets. One of those women is Natasha Stoynoff, a longtime journalist for People Magazine. Natasha’s story of being sexually assaulted and harassed by Trump was heartbreaking, creepy and scary. Natasha’s story also got a lot of attention yesterday, and Trump paid special attention to how he denied the allegations:

Speaking in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump argued that stories in the New York Times and People magazine were “pure fiction” and “outright lies” created to undermine his campaign. He also argued that he had “substantial evidence” to dispute them that he will make public later.

“These vicious claims about me of inappropriate conduct with women are totally and absolutely false. And the Clintons know it, and they know it very well,” he said. “These claims are all fabricated. They’re pure fiction, and they’re outright lies. These events never, ever happened.”

Reading off a Teleprompter at his Thursday rally, Trump barely contained his anger as his unleashed a series of allegations of his own, claiming that the media is coordinating with Hillary Clinton’s campaign in an attempt to ruin his candidacy. Trump responded to two allegations directly during his speech. Of Jessica Leeds, who told the Times that Trump grabbed her breasts on an airplane, Trump said: “Another ridiculous tale, no witnesses, no nothing.” And of People writer Natasha Stoynoff, who said Trump pushed her up against a wall and kissed her without her consent while she was writing a profile, Trump seemed to imply that her looks prove he would not have wanted to kiss her.

“Look at her, look at her words, you tell me what you think,” he said. “I don’t think so. I don’t think so. These people are horrible people. They’re horrible, horrible liars. And interestingly, it happens to appears 26 days before our very important election. Isn’t that amazing?”

Trump also claimed that the “invented account” has “already been debunked by eyewitnesses,” which isn’t true.

[From Time Magazine & Jezebel]

“Look at her, look at her words, you tell me what you think. I don’t think so.” Yeah, Donald Trump only sexually assaults the most beautiful, classy women in the world, people! What do you think he is, a savage? He’s not going to assault some *journalist* who works for People Magazine. This reminds me of what one of his sons said about sexual harassment in the work place, which is basically that affluent, educated women don’t get harassed. And to Donald Trump, the only women worth assaulting and harassing are the beautiful ones.

Not that it matters, but Natasha Stoynoff is beautiful. Look at her and you tell me what you think. Yeah.

– #Trump on Natasha Stoynoff: You look at her…I don’t think so”
Okay, #LookingAtHer : pic.twitter.com/MebIly1GVA

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) October 13, 2016

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I’ve been wondering for a while if Hillary Clinton might be better served if she merely goes on vacation to Margaritaville for the next three weeks and empowers her surrogates to fight on her behalf. Pres. Obama is a great surrogate, as is Joe Biden, as is Elizabeth Warren. But HRC’s best surrogate? Michelle Obama. You guys, when FLOTUS speaks, everyone stops and listens. Michelle hasn’t even been able to say Donald Trump’s name, which makes it even more powerful. Michelle f—king thrashed Trump every time she makes a speech these days and she does it all with heart, passion and love… and she never even bothers to say “Donald” or “Trump.” HRC should just let Michelle finish out the campaign.

So this is what happened yesterday and I want every one of you to watch this MULTIPLE TIMES. Watch how emotional she is. Watch how brilliantly she dissects a small man like Donald Trump.

I mean… Michelle said it all. When she says his comments “have shaken me to my core,” she means it and you can see it. You can read the full transcript of her speech here at Time Magazine, and I would also suggest you study the way she constructed her argument. This wasn’t simply “he is an awful man and his comments were disgusting,” although there’s a good dose of that too. No, she also talks about how it feels as a woman to hear the constant repetition of misogyny, the barrage of insults and violent rhetoric, the stomach-churning admissions of groping and assault. Michelle’s speech is worth your time, forever and always.

What was also amazing? Twitter blew up during and after her speech. Even seasoned journalists were like “FLOTUS IS FIRE!”

Here is the official transcript of the speech @FLOTUS just gave: ????????????????????????

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) October 13, 2016

The 2 best political speeches this year were delivered by the same person: Michelle Obama

— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) October 13, 2016

What the world needs now is love. And @FLOTUS Michelle Obama. https://t.co/Sy1X3zJ63i

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) October 13, 2016

I’d say the odds are against Melania stealing this Michelle Obama speech.

— Aaron Levie (@levie) October 13, 2016

Michelle Obama: “Strong men don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are strong lift others up” #BOOM

— Mark Warner (@MarkWarnerVA) October 13, 2016

Michelle Obama is preaching the Gospel of life right now. If you are missing it, please find a way to watch it later.

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) October 13, 2016

Michelle Obama is giving one of the most important speeches of the entire campaign.

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) October 13, 2016

This Michelle Obama speech will be remembered as a major moment in this 2016 campaign

— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) October 13, 2016

Fox News Channel is ignoring Michelle Obama’s sexual assault speech

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) October 13, 2016

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

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Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are set to celebrate their first year as an official couple next month. OMG – has it only been a year? Gwen and Blake took her three sons, Kingston, Zuma and Apollo, and her niece, Stella, to Disneyland on Wednesday (LA schools had Wednesday off, if that matters to anyone). You can see photos here – so, so many photos. Apparently this was Blake’s first trip so he received a Disneyland’s 1st Visit button, which he proudly wore. How has he never been to Disneyland?!? I’m sorry, I’m fine with every giggle of their relationship being documented but I have to judge him a little for not hitting up The Mouse’s House before now. Plus, I honestly thought he had been but then I remembered he was just on the phone throughout Gwen’s last visit.

Following D-Land, Gwen took Blake on a tour of Anaheim, including her childhood home and the Beacon Street house, which is where most of No Doubt lived and wrote their first couple of albums. Again, we know because the whole visit was recorded on Snapchat:

(Co-admin) #snapchatalert? #gwenstefani #blakeshelton #gwenandblake #stoppingbyheroldhouse? #beaconstreethouse #goingonatourtoshowhercowboy #ocgirlpride #anaheimhillbillies #sorad #memorylane #relationshipgoals #kingston #familytime Thank you @gwenstefani for sharing a little bit of your history via #snapchat? #weloveyou ?? #SHEFANI #weirdosandfreaks #fromallovertheworld??? ?? @gwenstefani @blakeshelton

A video posted by @gwenandblake on Oct 12, 2016 at 8:13pm PDT

I’m surprised at how giddy she was – has she never been back? Maybe I am misreading her and she is just really excited about Blake seeing it. I get that; showing off the hometown is pretty exciting. And The Beacon Street Collection is a great album, so the house is worthy.

People recently asked Gwen about her and Blake’s inaugural year of coupledom. Gwen was shocked at how quickly the time has flown by (for whom???). She again said that she is “so blessed” and that there were “so many beautiful memories.” Good companionship is a lovely thing to share so congrats to them for enjoying each other so much. I think we should start with a Ring Watch, though. When Ryan Seacrest asked her about an imminent engagement, Gwen stammered, “I don’t know! God, I don’t know. Everything is going so quickly. I’m in the moment and um…Look at me! You got me tongue-tied.” If she gets tongue-tied just being asked about a proposal, she might want to start practicing for the really thing. Maybe she can sing her answer.

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Photo credit: WENN Photos and Getty Images

Gabrielle Union covers the November issue of Essence to promote several different projects. She’s the lead in the TV show Being Mary Jane, but she’s also got a small but significant role in The Birth of a Nation. I’ve said before and I’ll say again: I feel sorry for Union and the many layers of creepiness she’s had to deal with during filming and afterwards. She seems to know it too, and in this interview she says outright that she’s totally fine if you don’t want to see the movie. She’s a rape survivor too, and she doesn’t want anyone to be triggered by it. Some highlights from the interview:

Her career at this point: “I’m at an age where my ego doesn’t live and die by how many lines I have. There’s more to life than line counting. I don’t just want to be a hired gun. I want to have a little bit more control over the narrative. The only way I can be empowered to do that is to be a producer. Now with as many projects that will have me, it’s part of the deal.”

Becoming a producer on Being Mary Jane. “For the first time in my whole career, I’ve actually been invited to the writer’s room. I walked in there as if I was meeting the Pope.”

Stepmother to her husband’s kids, Zaire, 14, Zion, 9, and Xavier, 2: “Teens get teen-y. It’s harder. I never understood that. ‘You won’t sleep.’ I always associated that phrase with babies. Crying, teething babies. No. Until they walk through the door, I’m terrified. Sometimes I just want to stay off my timeline, because it makes those waits until they walk through the door a thousand times worse. One of my biggest fears is them being a hashtag on some bulls—t.”

She’s fine if you don’t want to see The Birth of a Nation: “As a rape survivor and as an advocate, I cannot shy away from this responsibility because the conversation got difficult. I don’t want to put myself above anyone’s pain or triggers. Every victim or survivor, I believe you. I support you. I support you if you don’t want to see the film. I absolutely understand and respect that. I can’t sell the film. This movie has always been about more than one person, and for the outspoken feminist advocates and allies who risked a lot to be a part of this project—Aja Naomi King, Aunjanue Elllis, Penelope Ann Miller—we are okay if you have to sit this one out, and we’re okay if you don’t, and we understand.”

[From Essence & E! News]

“One of my biggest fears is them being a hashtag on some bulls—t.” I take that to mean that her biggest fear is that something will happen to one of her stepsons AND she’ll find out about it first through social media. Which is both a realistic fear and an insane fear. Realistic because that’s actually happening – social media has radically changed the way police-violence issues are seen and discussed in real time, independent of the news cycle. It’s an insane fear because I can’t believe this is the world we live in now, that one of the best “checks” on unaccountable police power is to tweet about it and post videos online.

As for what she says about the movie…she’s saying exactly the right thing. And I have to think that even if she’s proud of her performance in the film, she’s no longer proud of the film as a whole because of Nate Parker.

Photos courtesy of Essence.

Yesterday we covered excerpts from Bryan Cranston’s new memoir in which he admitted fantasizing in graphic detail about murdering an ex girlfriend he claims was stalking him. I asked if this was normal, because I have had similar thoughts about an ex but up until that point I never thought of actually admitting to them. It turns out that this wasn’t the first time Cranston had talked about murdering someone, presumably. In the 1970s, when he was traveling cross country with this brother and taking odd jobs, a coworker they both hated (whom everyone hated according to Cranston) turned up dead right after Cranston and his brother had moved on from that job. Cops asked if anyone wanted to do the man harm, the answer was that everyone did but that two people had just left right around the time the guy turned up dead – Cranston and his brother. He told this story on The Tonight Show and the video is below.

We took a two year motorcycle ride across the US in the mid 70s. We picked up jobs here and there… We were in Daytona Beach staying for a while trying to earn some money. We got a job [as waiters] at a polynesian restaurant called The Hawaiian Inn. The head chef was a guy named Peter Wong. Peter was a good chef and a horrible person, the first person I’ve ever met who I’ve realized ‘Oh my God, I hate this guy…’ Not a nice guy, miserable and mean.

So during the waiter meetings… we’d all talk about how each one of us would kill Peter Wong. So I said I would slice him up, nice tender slices. We’re joking around.

The season comes to an end, my brother and I hop on our motorcycles [and] take off again to go up north. Policemen come into the Hawaiian Inn… they said “Anybody ever talk about hurting or killing Peter Wong?”

“Yeah, all of us.”

“Anybody who’s no longer here who talked about killing Peter?”

“Well the Cranston brothers… left about a week ago.”

“That fits the timeline.”

Because Peter was murdered and they were looking for us. They put an APB out on our motorcycles.

[From The Tonight Show]

So how did he get out of it? That was an expert way to tell that story so that people will buy his book. Am I the only person who wondered whether Cranston did it? I’m sure he didn’t – it just crossed my mind because he was so convincing as cold blooded killer Walter White and because he’s such an incredible actor. If anyone could murder someone, convince the cops he was innocent and then use it as a personal anecdote on a talkshow it’s Bryan Cranston. Although it’s news to me, he did tell this story before, last year on Ellen. Cranston said “I didn’t murder him, though. I murdered someone else.” He needs to win an Oscar already. You know I couldn’t remember whether he won or not this year, because again I conflated his character in Trumbo with the actual man. That’s how good of an actor he is. Good enough to kill a man and convince cops he was innocent.

photos credit: WENN.com

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I will probably be the first and only writer not to make an “Enjoy the Silence” joke here, but Depeche Mode has Some Great Reward for their fans in the form of new music and live gigs.

The band, made up of singer Dave Gahan and keyboardists Martin Gore and Andrew Fletcher, announced the tour on Tuesday via a press conference streamed on their Facebook page. The Global Spirit Tour, as it has been dubbed, starts on May 5 inc Stockholm and will visit 32 cities, wrapping up its international leg on July 23 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. As for the accompanying studio album, Spirit, lead singer Dave Gahan said of its progress, “It’s all coming together really well. We’re really pleased with what we’re doing.” Spirit, their 14th studio album is set for release in 2017.

Of course, Depeche Mode isn’t forgetting about their stateside fans. Dave chatted with Matt Everett of BBC 6 Music about the tour and told him, “I think we’ve set the bar pretty high this time. We’ve decided to announce these shows in Europe – we’re going to shortly announce some North American shows and possible some down in South America too.”

When asked by Matt if the band would consider giving fans a “sneak peek” of the tour, perhaps in some “working mans’ clubs”, Dave teased, “We haven’t ruled that out. We’re kicking off in Sweden but you never know – we might end up doing something in that time or before the whole tour, even. There’s a possibility we’ll do something where we maybe play some new songs and a few old ones in some smaller places just to feel it out a bit.”

Collegiate Corey watched every bloody episode of 120 Minutes on MTV and lived for alternative music (and I still do), so imagine my excitement when I heard this news. I saw DM back in 2013, on their last tour behind their Delta Machine album, and I can’t wait to give them my money again. Please tell me I’m not the only one excited about this…who else will be dusting off their finest 90s-era goth gear and going to see them live?

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Photo credit: Getty Images, WENN.com

Expectant mama Geri Halliwell posted an updated baby bump photo via Instagram.

“In the studio,” the Spice Girls star, 44, captioned the black and white image.

Does this confirm that the Spice Girls are heading back on tour in celebration of their 20th anniversary? We can’t wait to hear the official announcement.

In the meantime, we’ll continue watching Ginger Spice’s growing bump.

On Monday, Halliwell teamed up with fellow Spice Girl, Emma Bunton, at the Attitude Awards 2016 in London, England.

Earlier that day, Ginger Spice announced her second pregnancy.

This will be her first child with Formula1 racing team boss husband Christian Horner, 42.

The baby will join 10-year-old big sister Bluebell Madonna, Halliwell’s daughter with ex-boyfriend, screenwriter Sacha Gervasi.

In the studio ??

A photo posted by Geri Horner (@therealgerihalliwell) on Oct 12, 2016 at 9:48am PDT

Hello, cutie!

New mom Lacey Chabert posted precious photos of 6-week-old daughter Julia via Instagram Thursday. “Love having conversations with this little lady #sixweeks,” the Mean Girls star, 34, captioned the images of her newborn.

In celebration of her 34th birthday last week, Chabert shared an adorable photo of her firstborn.

The Party of Five alum and husband David Nehdar welcomed their first child – daughter Julia Mimi Bella Nehdar – on Sept. 1, she announced via social media.

“And then my soul saw you and it kind of went, ‘Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.’” #TBT to the best day of my life. One week ago I became a mom to this precious angel. Julia Mimi Bella,” wrote the proud new mom. “Julia, you are my heart’s deepest dream come true. I love you more than I could ever say. Welcome to this big beautiful world sweet girl!”

In August, the actress shared a shot of her burgeoning baby bump.

Love having conversations with this little lady #sixweeks

A photo posted by Lacey Chabert (@thereallacey) on Oct 13, 2016 at 12:28pm PDT

Bon voyage!

Mom-of-two Jessica Simpson posted a photo of daughter Maxwell, 4, and son Ace, 3, via Instagram Thursday. “Up Up and Away #maxidrew #aceknute,” the singer-entrepreneur, 36, captioned the image of her children boarding a private jet.

Earlier this week, Simpson shared a sweet snapshot of her daughter.

“My daughter and I have the same mad face #maxidrew #donttellmetosmile,” she wrote.

In September the former reality star posted a funny photo of Maxi’s hair in a plastic bag.

“Maxwell found daddy’s scissors 9/6/16,” read the bag’s label.

The fashion guru raises her kids with husband, former NFL star Eric Johnson.

Up Up and Away #maxidrew #aceknute

A photo posted by Jessica Simpson (@jessicasimpson) on Oct 13, 2016 at 10:35am PDT

My daughter and I have the same mad face #maxidrew #donttellmetosmile

A photo posted by Jessica Simpson (@jessicasimpson) on Oct 8, 2016 at 6:27pm PDT

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A quick note about this week’s Sasha Answers podcast. We record the show at my place and both Jacek and I have been gross sick with the cold/flu which is why we didn’t want Sasha to come over to our germ home and get infected too. We’ll be back next week and we’ll try to supersize the session – s…