I first saw this story over at Lainey Gossip, because People Magazine is harder to read after their redesign and the new stories get buried fast, right? They changed their format and I have better luck just reading their Twitter feed. People has an interview with Kiefer Sutherland, which they parceled out over a few days. He’s promoting his country album and his new ABC show, Designated Survivor. Kiefer’s character, the US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is the lone survivor and President after an explosion kills the President and all his cabinet during the State of the Union Address. The show is doing incredibly well in the ratings and it’s getting decent reviews as well. My mom watches it and while she’s not enthusiastic about it she says that it’s decent, if you like Kiefer Sutherland.

In Kiefer’s interview he discusses his well known drinking problem. (Recap: this, this, this or this.) He knows that alcohol causes most of his problems but he insists that he doesn’t “drown his sorrows” and says he’s not giving it up. In another part of the interview, which People published later, Kiefer said that he gave up riding a motorcycle when a cop said something to him one time. Makes sense. Kiefer wrote this song, “Can’t Stay Away,” about alcohol, not a woman, and it’s quite revealing as People’s Jess Cagle points out.

On alcohol
It’s something I’ve always enjoyed. I was never the guy, if something was wrong in my life or something wasn’t right, I didn’t go drown my sorrows. One of the things I love to do is go out with my friends and tell stories and have a bunch of drinks. That’s true. Having said that, I can also look back on my life and tell you very squarely that the only bad things that have ever happened to me in my life have been because I like to go to bars and have drinks with my friends. I would be lying if I told you that there weren’t moments where I felt I let it get away from me. So it’s kind of been a push and pull through my life. One of the nice things about writing was that was a nice way to confront that for me… I want to be a certain person too and I have found at times I have let [alcohol] stop me from being that person. So it’s a battle.

Cagle: Clearly you’re very high functioning. If it’s hard to manage why not just get rid of it?
[I] enjoy the times too much, and the memories. I have, at times, for stretches of time. But at some point, I’ve made a decision, right or wrong, for myself that I would rather work really hard so I could still have some of those times. Than to just simply stop. That’s a choice I’ve made and I live with that choice.

Cagle’s Prompt: “I think I’m really bad at…”
Not a great motorcycle rider. I do [like to ride and] go on long trips. I was riding a motorcycle in San Francisco and the cop pulled up next to me, looked over and said, ‘Looks like that bike’s riding you,’ and I said ‘Yeah, it’s pretty big isn’t it?’ I remember ‘I should probably get rid of this.’ And I did.

[From two articles on People]

So Kiefer has multiple publicized incidents in which he’s so drunk he’s tackling a Christmas tree, headbutting a guy, going shirtless (which isn’t that bad but still) and generally getting into trouble but he’s not about to quit. One day, he’s out riding his motorcycle and a cop tells him he’s not riding properly and he gives it up. As someone who used to drink and still rides a motorcycle – it’s a lot easier to ride when you’re not hungover AF from the night before. Plus, it sounds like his bike was just too big for him. Those large heavy bikes can be really hard to maneuver so maybe he just needs something that’s easier and more responsive. I get it though motorcycle riding is dangerous and booze is too but it’s harder to give up. Plus drinking is fun until it’s not and some people can drink moderately. I don’t think Kiefer is one of those people, but we haven’t heard about him having an incident in a while so maybe it’s working for him.

photos credit: FameFlynet

Emily Blunt covers the November issue of InStyle. It’s a pretty good interview, actually. Did you know that she had a serious stutter when she was kid? I didn’t know that. I also didn’t know that she’s actually wearing prosthetics on her face for The Girl on the Train – she’s basically wearing fake cheeks so she will look more bloated and alcoholic-puffy. But I already know what the big quote is from this InStyle piece: she says no one in New York can make a proper cup of tea!!! True or false?!

She wore prosthetics on her face to look puffy & alcoholic: “The prosthetic people created these molds that clipped onto my teeth to make my face seem puffy. When we were filming, we were very specific about where she was during the day: how drunk she was, whether or not she was hungover. Kyra [the makeup artist] is so talented. She used gray eye shadow under my eyes to bring out the circles and a little brush to paint spider veins all over my face.”

She’s always hungry: “I’m still breast-feeding, so I am hungry all the time.”

Her personal style: “I love a high-waist slouchy trouser. I’m off jeans at the moment. For the red carpet, I like formfitting clothes. I’m not so good with the sort of ethereal, girlie, whimsical things. I tend to go for dresses that have bold cuts and strong colors.”

How she chose her daughter’s names, Hazel and Violet: They chose them because they liked their “antique” British vibe. “They sound like two little old ladies. They should be playing bridge or something.”

Life with a newborn: “After we got home from the hospital, I didn’t shower for a week, and then John and I were like, ‘Let’s go out for dinner.’ I could last only about an hour because my boobs were exploding. When the milk first comes in, it’s like a tsunami. But we went, just to prove to ourselves that we could feel normal for a second.”

She used to have a stutter: “I think whatever you have to overcome in life ultimately paves the way [for whom you become as an adult]. I got teased a lot, and to this day, I hate unkindness in people and bullies… Names are always tricky because you can’t substitute a different word and there’s so much pressure attached to it. Even nowadays, when I’m tired or I feel put on the spot, I still sometimes struggle to get the words out. When I make a phone call—especially if I’m calling someone I don’t know—I have to mentally prepare myself. There’s always a big pause between when they ask ‘Who’s calling?’ and when I say ‘Emily Blunt.’ ”

Life in Brooklyn: “Most people who live in Brooklyn are very respectful of our privacy, so I feel protected here. You don’t get screamed at in the street. If anything, people are like, ‘Oh, I love your movie,’ and that’s it.”

Life in LA: “Famous people are everywhere, so there’s a more cavalier attitude toward celebrities. There’s an expectation. ‘You’re going to take a picture with me’ is a phrase I’d hear a lot.”

No one in NYC can make tea: “Nobody in this town knows how to make a proper tea,” she jokes, ripping open the tiny sealed pouch and dunking her tea bag into the cup of lukewarm water in front of her.

[From InStyle]

I do think the tea thing is quite common when you go to any restaurant in America which is, you know, run and operated by Americans. They’ll just give you a mug of warm water and a tea bag. The exceptions to that in America are the Chinese restaurants: if you order tea, they’ll usually give a full pot of steaming, proper tea. So I’m sorry British people that we don’t know how to serve tea properly. We mostly drink coffee. I bet our coffee is better than your coffee.

Photos courtesy of InStyle, WENN.

Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe stepped out with son Kaius, 2, on Thursday (October 6).

While walking hand-in-hand, the mother-son duo stopped for a treat before hitting the doctor’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The fashion guru, 45, recently shared a cute clip of her toddler’s dance moves.

“Totally normal dance party in the office with my angel boy #kaiusjagger #mommymoments #workingmom #blueeyedboy #moveslikejagger XoRZ,” The Rachel Zoe Project star Instagrammed the video.

On Monday, we saw The Zoe Report star and her sons — including 5-year-old Skyler — at Coldwater Canyon Park in Beverly Hills.

Last month, we spotted the fashion guru and her husband Rodger Berman enjoying the Malibu Chili Cook-Off with their two sons.

Totally normal dance party in the office with my angel boy #kaiusjagger #mommymoments #workingmom #blueeyedboy #moveslikejagger XoRZ

A video posted by Rachel Zoe (@rachelzoe) on Oct 5, 2016 at 1:53pm PDT

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Joanna Lumley is probably best known at Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous. She was also a famous model in the 1960s, which she then parlayed into a successful theater, film and television acting career. If you’re doing the math, she’s 70 years old now. And like many 70-year-olds, Joanna Lumley thinks the younger kids have gone soft. She thinks that younger women especially have gotten too sensitive about one thing in particular: catcalling/wolf-whistling/street harassment. Lumley is all for a good wolf-whistle and she thinks every woman should be fine with it too.

“How can wolf whistling be offensive to women? It’s a compliment,” says velvet-voiced Joanna Lumley, stoutly. The morning we speak there’s a report in the news about the pet names and casual sexism which offend women. And Joanna’s having none of it. “They’re saying ‘Cor you look all right, darlin.’ What’s wrong with that?”

One-time model, presenter, campaigner, actress – most recently reprising Ab Fab’s fabulous Patsy Stone for the big-screen – Joanna, OBE, is far from a saccharine “sweetie darling”. This is a practical, no-nonsense lady who sugar-coats nothing. In the 60s, when she was a young model, people were made of sterner stuff, she insists.

“We were tougher in those days. You knew someone would whistle in the street and you weren’t insulted. We have become more sensitive flowers nowadays, people are very offended by everything. When I was modelling photographers were much ruder, they’d say ‘You look frightful, what’s the matter with you?’ ‘You look podgy, you look fat as a pig’. It was good-natured banter, you kind of got on with it, it didn’t upset you.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

Again, remember that she’s 70 years old! She’s hip in a lot of ways, but women who have lived through decades of entrenched, institutional sexism do tend to have something resembling Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to casual sexual harassment. That being said, I’ve never been jazzed about the idea that women need to come together and fight some major battle against catcalling when there are much more vital concerns. Now, some of it – perhaps much of it – is legitimately harassment, especially when it’s men following women on the street or men physically moving into your personal space. That’s wrong and you’re not being a “sensitive flower” for feeling unsafe, victimized or creeped out. But if you’re walking down the street and some construction dude whistles at you? That’s not the same thing. Is it wrong that I feel that way? Men sometimes honk at me and I take it as a compliment, not harassment (then again, they’re not following me home). ¯_(?)_/¯

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Victoria Beckham is featured as The Edit’s/Net-a-Porter’s cover story this week. Victoria is promoting her makeup line with Estée Lauder and all the clothes she’s wearing are from her Autumn line (because Vicks is too romantic to have a “Fall” line, of course). I love this collection. It has stripes everywhere. Growing up as a child in the 70s, I am all about stripes. Plus her silhouettes are so clean and tailored.

As you can imagine, with a fashion designer discussing make-up, the interview is all beauty regime. As Vicks said during the interview, she loves to share what she’s learned and since I think she always looks amazing, I’m listening.

Being camera ready: “I’d be getting on a plane from London, then 11 hours later, getting up, walking out of the airport terminal and being bombarded by so many paparazzi, so I wanted something that I could put on to make me look fresh. That was my starting point, actually; when I began working with Estée Lauder, I said I really want to create a product that does exactly that. And the thing is, everybody is in that position now, because everyone has a camera phone. Whoever you are, everybody has to be ready now!”

Diet fixed her skin problems: “I don’t think you realize how important [a healthy lifestyle is] until you get older. You realize how vital it is to wear sunscreen; to drink lots of water; to cleanse, tone, moisturize; take vitamins; make sure you’re eating the right food. I eat lots of good fats, in avocados, nuts, seeds, salmon… I see a dermatologist in LA, called Dr Harold Lancer, who is incredible – he sorted my skin out. I used to have really problematic skin and he said to me, “You have to eat salmon every single day.” ‘I said, “Really, every day?” And he said, “Yes; breakfast, lunch or dinner, you have to eat it every single day.”‘

Sharing the good news: “There are two types of women out there: there’s the kind of woman who finds something nice and likes to keep it to herself, and then there’s the other type, which is me, who wants to share. I have worked with the best makeup artists, hairdressers and stylists, and I’ve learned so much. I haven’t always got it right, but when I’ve got it wrong, I’ve actually learned an enormous amount from that, too. And I want to share everything I know.”

Her fashion mistakes: “I have made so many fashion mistakes but I actually don’t look at them as mistakes. I celebrate those things, I laugh occasionally but I’m not ashamed of any of that. At some point I thought it was OK to wear a PVC cat suit. When I was pregnant with Romeo, I walked around Disneyland in Christian Louboutin heels, literally at nine months’ pregnant!”

Looking out for each other: “I have no time for women who don’t support other women. It’s the ultimate compliment when a woman tells you that you look good.”

[From Net-A-Porter]

One tip from a makeup artist she shares is to line your waterline with a light color to open the eye and look well rested. My eyes are a problem because they are really small. I was once told a swipe of light/cream eyeshadow right below your brow will also open the eye. That worked wonders so I am giving her light pencil tip a go.

I know you guys have discussed how much diet affects the skin. I loathe salmon so I’ll substitute that with avocados. I realize it won’t work, but I’ll use any excuse to eat an avocado. Of course, Vicky lives on a different plane than most of us. A lot of her tips include dermatologists, makeup artists, nutritionists and other “ists” few of us can afford but at least she’s passing on their advice for free. Her Estée Lauder line is not cheap but I like that she is explaining the idea behind the product. For example, in her first answer about being camera-ready, she suggests her Morning Aura Illuminating Creme. She explained that “dewy” makes you look refreshed so even if you can’t shell out $95 for her product, you can still benefit from her suggestion. Victoria also thinks a beauty routine should be for you, that, “you have to [empower] yourself, rather than rely on other people to do that. It’s great to get a compliment from your husband, or your kids, or another woman, but you also have to make yourself feel good.” And I agree with her.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photo credit: Tom Craig/Net-A-Porter, Fame/Flynet Photos and Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Just like Madonna in the 80s, Lady Gaga has proven herself to be the queen of reinvention. She’s already introduced the world to her male alter ego, Jo Calderone, flexed her acting chops on American Horror Story and recorded an album of duets with Tony Bennett. The 30-year-old singer, who was also recently tapped to perform at the half time show for the 2017 Super Bowl, debuted songs from her new album at a Nashville dive bar, proving she’s truly a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.

Mama Monster is on a 3-city “Dive Bar” tour, sponsored by Bud Light. On Wednesday, she performed at East Nashville bar The 5 Spot in front of 100 fans, who lined up for hours to see her. During the short set, Gaga performed songs from her upcoming album Joanne. The album is named after her aunt, who passed away from Lupus at the age of 19. Gaga wowed the crowd with the first (and incessantly catchy) single off of the album, “Perfect Illusion” as well as “Sinner’s Prayer,” “A-Yo,” and her latest single, the country-twinged “Million Reasons,” which she performed with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Hillary Lindsey, who co-wrote the tune and also wrote “Girl Crush” for Little Big Town. Gaga singing country? I recently got into country music and I can say I really like this song. Give it a listen, I promise it is 100% better than Gwen Stefani’s recent country music experiment.

Gaga’s dive bar performance was streamed live on Bud Light’s Facebook page, where you’ll also be able to catch live streams of her upcoming bar shows on October 20 and 27. You can see the whole performance here as well.

The new album also features collaborations with Beck and Florence Welch from Florence + the Machine, who Gaga refers to as, “if not the best, one of the greatest vocalists in the world. She’s incredible.” Joanne drops on October 21 and Gaga intends to share the album on streaming services. Yep, I hear this just as I was about to give up my paid Spotify account. She told Digital Spy, “I just want my music to be available everywhere, for everyone. So that as many people as possible can hear it.”

I do love me some Lady Gaga, and from the first two singles alone, I know this album is going to be added to my collection. I also love the fact that she’s taking her music “to the people” by streaming it and playing it in such intimate venues. How about a nationwide dive bar tour? I’d shell out some bucks for that.

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Photo credit: WENN.com, Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson welcomed her first baby, a daughter named River, back in June 2014. Then in April of this year, she gave birth to her second child, son Remington Alexander. Just the idea of two babies in the span of two years is enough to make me crazy, so the reality is probably pretty overwhelming. Add to that the fact that everyone felt the need to talk sh-t about Kelly’s body during and after her pregnancies, it’s enough to make me sick. So, Kelly had been out and about in the past week to talk about her new children’s book, and she was an absolute delight everywhere she went. I mean, we already knew that about Kelly, right? She’s a ray of sunshine, she’s funny, she’s positive, and she’s not going to tell hippie-dippy stories about how parenthood and pregnancy is all a basket of kittens. Apparently, she’s so certain that she never wants another baby that she got her tubes tied AND she made her husband get a vasectomy.

After her difficult pregnancies with her children River Rose and Remington Alexander, Kelly Clarkson is totally and completely done having kids. The 34-year-old singer joined Jenny McCarthy on Sirius XM Entertainment Thursday and revealed that not only did she get her tubes tied after Remi’s birth in April, but she made her husband, Brandon Blackstock, get a vasectomy, too.

“I was literally pregnant with Remi, and I was like, ‘You are getting fixed. This will never happen to me again,’” she revealed. “If something happens, it’s a miracle of God. I literally told my OBGYN on the table while open, ‘If I get pregnant again, I will find you!’”

As she’s revealed in the past, Clarkson struggled through her pregnancies, suffering from terrible morning sickness and nausea.

“It’s horrible. Nothing is beautiful, nothing is magical,” she said of being pregnant. “Whatever, you’re that person that gets that pregnancy, good for you. But I will remind my children every day of their lives what I [went through]. I was like hospitalized both pregnancies. And then I thought, I wanted another little buddy [for River]. I didn’t want a kid to just be an odd man out because I felt like that a lot. I wanted her to have somebody her age, like when we’re traveling. And so I thought, ‘OK, we’ll just do it again.’ I was like, ‘There’s no way it can happen again,’ but it was worse. Remi’s pregnancy was worse than River’s.”

[From E! News]

That’s totally… amazing. To be so hellbent on never having another child that you close down both avenues. It’s not like, “Oh, I need an IUD after this pregnancy.” No. Kelly was like “shut this down on my end and his end too.” Two babies and DONE. Jessica Simpson felt the same way after her back-to-back pregnancies, although I don’t think Jessica had her tubes tied and forced her husband to have a vasectomy.

Kelly was also delightful on Late Night with Seth Meyers. She told an amazing story about meeting then-Senator Obama for the first time, and I swear, I laughed every time she made a “baby senator” joke.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Clarkson shared a video of daughter River Rose, 2, via Instagram Thursday.

“River hamming it up with @harryconnickjr #riverroseandthemagicallullaby,” the American Idol winner, 34, captioned the cute clip.

During a Thursday appearance on The Jenny McCarthy Show, Clarkson revealed she got her tubes tied after son Remington‘s April birth. In addition, she admitted to forcing her husband, Brandon Blackstock, to get a vasectomy as well.

“I was literally pregnant with Remi, and I was like, ‘You are getting fixed. This will never happen to me again,’” Clarkson said. “If something happens, it’s a miracle of God. I literally told my OBGYN on the table while open, ‘If I get pregnant again, I will find you!’”

The Piece by Piece hitmaker went on to talk about her difficult pregnancies.

“It’s horrible. Nothing is beautiful, nothing is magical,” she said. “Whatever, you’re that person that gets that pregnancy, good for you. But I will remind my children every day of their lives what I [went through].”

She added: “I was, like, hospitalized both pregnancies. And then I thought, I wanted another little buddy [for River]. I didn’t want a kid to just be an odd man out because I felt like that a lot. I wanted her to have somebody her age, like when we’re traveling. And so I thought, ‘OK, we’ll just do it again.’ I was like, ‘There’s no way it can happen again,’ but it was worse. Remi’s pregnancy was worse than River’s.”

River hamming it up with @harryconnickjr #riverroseandthemagicallullaby

A video posted by Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) on Oct 6, 2016 at 2:15pm PDT

She’s got that glow!

Expectant mama Danielle Jonas posted an updated baby bump photo via Instagram Wednesday.

“Loving the maternity styles @Macys and am happy that they are allowing me and all other mamas-to-be to feel stylish and comfortable. #collaboration #sponsored #MacysMaternity,” the mom-to-be, 30, captioned the image.

In celebration of her second daughter on the way, Danielle was recently surprised with a baby shower/birthday bash.

“Iam so thankful for my two sisters! Thank you for the surprise yesterday sprinkle/birthday. Iam so blessed to have you both and Iam so excited Alena will have a sister and have what we have. I love you both! Also thank you to all my friends who came you made it so special and the lovely gifts that I can’t wait to put the new baby girl in love you guys. #ifeelspecial #numbertwo #onlyacoupleweeksleft,” she wrote.

In June, Danielle and her husband, Jonas Brothers star Kevin Jonas, revealed their baby’s gender.

The couple – who were wed in Dec. 2009 – are expecting their second daughter this winter.

Danielle and Kevin – who are already parents to 2-year-old daughter Alena – announced their pregnancy news in April.

Loving the maternity styles @Macys and am happy that they are allowing me and all other mamas-to-be to feel stylish and comfortable. #collaboration #sponsored #MacysMaternity

A photo posted by Danielle (@daniellejonas) on Oct 5, 2016 at 2:17pm PDT

Iam so thankful for my two sisters! Thank you for the surprise yesterday sprinkle/birthday. Iam so blessed to have you both and Iam so excited Alena will have a sister and have what we have. I love you both! Also thank you to all my friends who came you made it so special and the lovely gifts that I can’t wait to put the new baby girl in love you guys. #ifeelspecial #numbertwo #onlyacoupleweeksleft A photo posted by Danielle (@daniellejonas) on Oct 1, 2016 at 7:54am PDT

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If only this debate was televised.

@IvankaTrump in a city of 8 million – we meet face 2 face – i thank u 4 listening – mother 2 mother – on this new years week – my best 2 u
— Rosie (@Rosie) October 6, 2016

Judge Judy does not suffer fools.

I’ve been judged. #TODAYshow htt…