Yesterday, the Daily Mail claimed that Prince Harry had flown into Heathrow on Sunday and that he immediately parked himself at Nottingham Cottage for his five-day quarantine, which is apparently the standard for people flying into England. Then Harry’s spokesperson went around correcting the Mail’s version, saying that actually, Harry is staying at Frogmore Cottage, the Sussexes’ home in Windsor. Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank and baby August were supposedly living at Frogmore in the Sussexes’ absence, and now there’s mixed information about whether Harry is staying at Frogmore solo or if Eugenie and Jack are there too. Buzzfeed said he was staying there solo, but People Mag said E&J are there:

Prince Harry has returned to the U.K. for the first time in over a year to attend his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral this coming weekend — and he’s staying at a familiar place. Harry, who arrived in the U.K. from California on Sunday, is staying at his Frogmore Cottage home in Windsor, the house where he, wife Meghan Markle and son Archie lived before they left the U.K., PEOPLE has learned. Prince Harry is following COVID-19 protocols before joining his family at Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday.

Harry is staying with his cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, who moved into Frogmore Cottage after the arrival of their son August in February, PEOPLE confirms. Meghan and Harry gave the new parents use of their home in the U.K. A source tells PEOPLE that Jack will most likely not be attending the funeral to keep the number of attendees in check amid COVID-19 restrictions. It’s possible that several of Philip’s grandkids’ spouses will not be in attendance on Saturday for that reason.

[From People]

I bet that’s nice, Harry getting to spend some low-key time with one of his favorite cousins and her new baby. And it is HIS house. He paid for those fakakta renovations. Anyway, interesting about Jack. Especially given all of the bizarre energy around “why didn’t Meghan come to England?!?” Speaking of, the Daily Mail had this very weird story:

Meghan Markle stayed back in Montecito, California, while Prince Harry flew to London because she ‘doesn’t want to be the center of attention’ at Prince Philip’s funeral, her friends claim. Despite the pregnant Duchess declining to return to London with Harry to join his family in mourning for the late Duke of Edinburgh, friends say she and Prince Philip ‘had a special bond and she adored him.’

In addition to not wanting the spotlight, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously confirmed that Meghan ‘has been advised by her physician not to travel’ because she is around six months pregnant.

‘Meghan said her main concern right now is supporting Harry. She said she left it up to him as to whether or not she would attend the funeral,’ an insider with close ties to Meghan Markle tells DailyMail.com. ‘Meghan said it’s during these times when family should come together, put their differences aside and unite as one. She said this is what Prince Philip would want and that she’s willing to forgive and move forward,’ they said.

While it’s possible that Meghan could fly to the UK to join Harry before Saturday’s funeral, the insider added that her mother Doria is ‘adamant’ that she not travel while pregnant. ‘Doria insisted that Meghan stay behind and support Harry from afar. Like Harry, Doria is very protective of Meghan and doesn’t want to see her putting her own health at risk. Stress is the last thing Meghan needs right now. Meghan said attending or not attending Prince Philip’s funeral isn’t going to change her relationship with the Queen. She said the Queen understands her absence and would want her to stay safe and healthy for the baby. Meghan said this is the opportune time for Henry to mend his relationship with his brother and his dad. She doesn’t need to be there for that.’

[From The Daily Mail]

What in the sugary fan-fic is this crap? Meghan isn’t going to *avoid* a royal funeral simply because she doesn’t want attention, that makes no sense. She would have gotten a crazy amount of attention EITHER WAY. Like she is right now. Besides, Meg is massively pregnant. That’s enough of a reason, there’s no need to create this alternate theory based on a narrative which sounds like it was cooked up on some kind of keen fan page. Pippa hissed into the line, “I heard Meghan didn’t come to the UK because she didn’t want to distract from the real Queen, my mother!!”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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The Talk returned to CBS on Monday after a month-long hiatus pending an investigation into Sharon Osbourne. Sheryl Underwood addressed the painful all-too-common incident with Sharon in which a white woman who is being called out for doing racist sh*t gaslights, disrespects, and uses her white tears to avoid being confronted. Sharon was unable to be humble or to learn from her behavior which led to her being forced to leave The Talk. On Monday’s show, Sheryl and Elaine Welteroth explained why they felt they had to stay calm throughout that episode. They also said that Sharon was not blindsided as she has claimed. Sharon never attempted to call Sheryl to apologize and Sheryl felt it would be inappropriate to text Sharon back during the investigation. Below are some details from the episode via People:

The broadcast opened with a message from Underwood, 57, recorded backstage. “It’s time for an episode of The Talk that will be unlike any other we’ve had before,” she said. “As you may know, during our break, Sharon decided to leave The Talk. We need to process the events of that day and what happened since, so we can get to the healing.”

“Over the next hour, we will honestly discuss what occurred and explore some of our feelings. And we’ll also show you how anyone can become more comfortable discussing important issues and having difficult conversations,” she continued. “By the end of the hour, we want everyone to feel empowered and ready to move forward.”

Asked to reflect on the difficult conversation she had with Osbourne a month ago, Underwood said she hadn’t wanted “to escalate things” in the moment.

“I thought I was having a conversation with a friend, but also I knew I had to be an example,” she said, noting that she “didn’t want to be perceived as the angry Black woman.”

“I wanted to remain calm and remain focused, and it’s difficult to go back to that day because I just feel the trauma,” she said, going on to say she felt “trapped” during the conversation, during which Osbourne asked Underwood to “educate” her and warned her not to cry.

Welteroth, who was present during the exchange in question, also shared her thoughts. “When you go back and watch what happened in that episode, you will see two Black women walking the same tightrope that Black women are walking every single day in the workplace,” she said.

“We knew that we had to stay composed in that situation, even in the face of someone who was A, not listening, and B, who went off the rails into disrespect,” she continued.

Both women also took a moment to address the “false accusations” that have been lobbed against them, framing them as having “attacked a woman on air” as “part of some kind of conspiracy.” (Osbourne previously claimed CBS executives set up the conversation and “blindsided” her.)

“That is absolutely categorically false. And I think it’s really important that people hear that,” said Welteroth, 34.

[From People]

Let’s face it, Sharon also picked a fight with as many Black women as possible at CBS as she was crashing to ground. Coming after Gayle King then Sheryl Underwood again proved that Sharon is indeed racist. Sharon tried it but no one was buying it. Sharon’s brand of meanness is no longer popular and no one likes seeing people punch down. What was triggering about reading this was how Sheryl and Elaine felt that they had to remain calm despite being disrespected and how it felt like they were walking a tightrope. Being a Black woman I have been in this situation and I have witnessed other Black women and women of color having to walk this same tightrope. We ALL knew that Sharon was playing the victim despite being the aggressor, which is peak Karen behavior. Neither Sheryl, Elaine nor the audience should have been subjected to Sharon’s toxicity. And I truly believe that Sharon deserved to lose her job and we (Black women) didn’t deserve to be gaslighted for the last month by Sharon and her friends.

Many people believe that Sharon will bounce back but this isn’t the UK where public figures can do horrible things, lose their jobs, and walk into a new opportunity. Well at least, not anymore. I believe that Sharon crashed and burned her career. I am glad that everything was addressed and Sheryl and Elaine were able to put things to rest. I hope this will be the last time the public will have to see and listen to Sharon Osbourne. As I said before, America has enough Karens and Mrs. Annes, we do not need to import any from salty island.

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There have been two “incidents” involving Major Biden, the German Shepherd rescue living in the White House. Both of those incidents were initially reported as “Major bit someone,” although there’s a lot of contradictory reporting and it seems like national political reporters don’t know the difference between “biting” and “nipping.” As I’ve said, Major is a big, strong dog and if he wanted to bite someone and break the skin, he would. He has not. He nipped at two unfamiliar people and I’m still waiting to hear Major’s side of things, because I’m convinced that there is a vast conspiracy against good puppies who are just trying their best. Now it seems that Major is going to be sent to some kind of training camp to help him adjust to life in the White House.

President Joe Biden’s German shepherd, Major, will receive training after two biting incidents involving workers at the White House, according to first lady Jill Biden’s spokesman.

“Major, the Bidens’ younger dog, will undergo some additional training to help him adjust to life in the White House,” Jill Biden’s press secretary Michael LaRosa told CNN. “The off-site, private training will take place in the Washington, D.C. area, and it is expected to last a few weeks.”

Last month, Major had a biting incident with a Secret Service agent that required the victim be seen by the White House medical unit. Shortly afterward, Major, and the Biden’s older German shepherd, Champ, were removed from the White House and taken to the Bidens’ Wilmington, Delaware, home. At the time, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the removal of the dogs from the White House was “planned,” due to Jill Biden’s travel schedule.

“(Champ and Major) are still getting acclimated and accustomed to their surroundings and new people,” said Psaki. “Major was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual.”

In an interview with ABC News after the first incident with Major, who was adopted by the Bidens in 2018 from a Delaware animal shelter, the President called him a “sweet dog.”

“Eighty-five percent of the people there love him. He just — all he does is lick them and wag his tail,” Joe Biden said. “But … I realize some people, understandably, are afraid of dogs to begin with.” The President added: “Major was a rescue pup. Major did not bite someone and penetrate the skin.”

[From CNN]

I love how it’s so obvious that President Biden is Team Major. Joe is like “it’s barely a scratch, toughen up, he’s a good dog.” Did they call in Cesar Millan or something? Why is Major going off-site? Surely it would be better to train him in the White House, which is where Major is having all of these adjustment issues, that is if you believe the mainstream media. Personally, I just think Major will learn to chill out as he gets older and he’s not such a puppy. But sure, additional training could help. Still, I feel bad for Major. He just wants to hang out with mom, dad and big bro Champ. He wants to be a good guard dog and help his folks out. Poor puppy doesn’t even understand why he’s in trouble.

Photos courtesy of Instagram, Backgrid.

Last week, in an interview with Billy Bush, Piers Morgan claimed that he’s had “some messages communicated to me on behalf of several members of the Royal Family.” He said he wouldn’t name names – which was rich because he demanded that the Duchess of Sussex name names – but he said that the members of the Windsor clan who contacted him expressed “gratitude that somebody was standing up.” Notably, Buckingham Palace declined to comment one way or the other, and a day later, Piers posed outside of Kensington Palace, lending to the theory that Tweedlebald or Tweedlekeen sent him a message of support, a message of encouragement to continue stalking and harassing a pregnant woman and a victim of years of racist smears. Why the recap? Because Piers wrote this in his weekly column in the Daily Mail:

Not all Royal duchesses were as thrilled as Meghan ‘Pinocchio’ Markle to see me leave GMB.

‘People have said how much they miss your morning joy and humour,’ texted Sarah, Duchess of York, ‘get back out there!’

Perhaps we should start a new breakfast show together… ‘Morgy and Fergie in the Morning’, anyone?

[From The Daily Mail]

I saw some disbelief that Fergie would show any kind of support to Piers, but you’ve got to realize that Fergie has the moral center of a corpse fly. She’s a desperate wreck, clinging to whatever connection she has. Yes, she’s “friendly” with Harry and Meghan. But she’s also looking to forge alliances with anyone in the media, or anyone in general. So yeah, I believe Fergie probably contacted him and said something terrible. I also think it’s worth noting that Piers initially claimed that “several members” of the Windsor klan contacted him through intermediaries. Surely Fergie wasn’t the only one? She was just the expendable one, the one he could name freely while holding the Other Brother by the short hairs.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

In late March, Georgia governor Brian Kemp signed a huge voter suppression bill into law. The aim of the new law is to plainly suppress the Black vote in that state, and to make it harder for people in urban areas to vote. This came just five months after Georgia voters helped elect Joe Biden to the presidency, and just a few months after Georgians elected two Democrats for the senators in special run-off elections. The Republicans are beyond pissed.

What’s strange is that Georgia has spent years opening up the state to corporations and Hollywood studios with all kinds of tax incentives. Disney, Marvel, Netflix and Tyler Perry Studios always have productions filming in Georgia. A wide variety of films and TV shows base themselves in Georgia. The voter suppression law was widely condemned by Hollywood, and all of the major unions issued statements. And… that’s about it. Just a lot of words, no promises to move productions out of Georgia. The lack of action from H’wood was getting pretty noticeable. Well, finally, an actor and a director have actually done it – they’re moving their sh-t out of Georgia.

Will Smith and the director Antoine Fuqua said on Monday that they were pulling their upcoming film production “Emancipation” out of Georgia because of the state’s new voting law, which has been denounced by activists as an effort to make voting harder for the state’s Black population. The slavery-era drama, which is being produced and financed by Apple Studios, is the first major production to cite the law as a reason to leave the state, which offers generous tax incentives to Hollywood productions and has become a major hub for Marvel Studios, Netflix and other industry heavyweights.

“At this moment in time, the nation is coming to terms with its history and is attempting to eliminate vestiges of institutional racism to achieve true racial justice,” Mr. Smith and Mr. Fuqua said in a joint statement. “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access. The new Georgia voting laws are reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting. Regrettably, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.”

In the film, set to begin production this summer, Mr. Smith was set to play the real-life enslaved man named Peter, who emancipated himself from a Southern plantation and joined the Union Army. His story became famous after photographs of his back, scarred by whippings, appeared in the pages of Harper’s Weekly.

Whether or not this move will prompt other studios to reconsider productions in Georgia is not clear. Stacey Abrams, along with Tyler Perry, who owns his own studio in Atlanta, and others have urged Hollywood not to uproot productions despite outrage over the new law.

[From The NY Times]

Personally, I think Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith are merely acting on their consciences rather than making a larger call for studios to move out of Georgia or boycott the state. Some say boycotts work, some say no, boycotts don’t do sh-t. I think a boycott on its own won’t do much, especially if there are only a handful of artists and productions walking out of the state. Plus, it is notable that Stacey Abrams has asked Hollywood not to leave, and I’m sure there are a lot of powerful white Hollywood figures who will use that as cover. I think Will and Antoine are brave for what they’re doing and hopefully they’ll force a larger conversation within Hollywood and there can be a better plan beyond “issue a statement condemning the new voter suppression law and continue to pour money into Georgia.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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