When’s the last time somebody asked you, “Have you heard that new Gwen Stefani song?” Just like Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Mandy Moore (and perhaps Kelly Clarkson, depending on who you ask), we’re not really checking for new music, even though we still love following them as personalities. But surprising…

As we discussed yesterday, Us Weekly’s royal coverage has gotten pretty good. It feels truthy, and they’ve really done a good job capturing Prince William’s general pettiness and bully vibes. Reportedly, “William feels that Harry has gotten too big for his boots since moving to California — that success and Hollywood have gone to his head.” Baldemort is very upset that his brother is hot, successful, happy and free, and Other Brother is “insisting” that he and Harry meet before they unveil the Diana statue in Kensington gardens this summer. Us Weekly obviously wrote and published this story before Prince Philip’s passing, and it does feel like Philip’s death the big new reset for royal relations. Still, it’s worth talking about this:

Prince William made good on his promise to call his brother after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell CBS interview, but according to a source, the upcoming tribute to Princess Diana “was the only topic they discussed” during the tense chat.

“The conversation Harry and William had after the big interview didn’t end well. And yes, they agreed over the statue, but communication between them was sparse and over email and WhatsApp,” the source reveals exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly.

Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, made headlines last month after they detailed their time working for Queen Elizabeth II, alleging that they experienced racism, mental health struggles and more. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven’t seen William, 38, or any members of the monarchy since their final engagement as working royals in March 2020, Harry is expected to return to London to install a statue of his late mother, Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday in July.

“Harry has so much going on in his life work-wise and is busy planning for the arrival of their daughter that he’s trying not to overthink the consequences that may arise upon his return to the U.K.,” the source says, noting that William insists that the brothers meet before the public appearance. “All eyes will be on them at the unveiling, critics will be analyzing their every move and how they interact with each other. He doesn’t believe that it’s feasible for them to reunite in the public eye without showing signs of tension if they don’t thrash out their differences in advance.”

“The statue is to reflect on Diana’s legacy, not their feud, and William wants to keep it that way,” the source says. “But Harry is refusing to meet up with William and won’t be bossed around by his brother. His stubbornness is making a bad situation worse.”

[From Us Weekly]

This summarizes so much about the brothers’ relationship at this point: “Harry is refusing to meet up with William and won’t be bossed around by his brother. His stubbornness is making a bad situation worse.” Harry is being called “stubborn” because he refuses to be bullied and bossed around by his racist clownshow brother. That’s it in a nutshell. The Other Brother thinks he’s the “boss” of Harry and Harry is like “f–k that noise.” Anyway, I had been hoping that Harry would simply avoid the Bitter Island for the rest of the year – Meghan’s due date is coming up and why bother with all of these Baldingham machinations? But Philip’s death really changes that equation. It seems like Harry will absolutely have to see his family sooner than he was expecting when he will be expected to fly in for the funeral. Will Meghan go? Is she too far along in her pregnancy to fly, especially on a long-haul flight from California to London? Hm. But yeah… it’s going to a mess between the brothers, and it’s going to be a mess for the Sussexes in the British press.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN and Backgrid.

If you’re a vintage lover you should know about Bohème Goods. If you’re not a vintage lover then you should still know about Bohème Goods. Now, I’ll be honest, I’ve kind of been a selfish twat over the years because I’ve never really wanted to tell you about the site. It was my little secret. But th…

There’s a sliding scale for wives of terrible men. Is the wife complicit in her husband’s awful behavior? Is she a co-conspirator? Did she know something was up and just looked the other way? Or did she have no idea that she was married to a deeply disturbed man? I still don’t know where Elizabeth Chambers falls. I tend to believe that she had a pretty good idea of Armie Hammer’s affairs, especially in the last few years of their marriage, but she believed everything was consensual. What did she know beyond that? I have no idea. And Elizabeth isn’t spilling. She’s still in Grand Cayman with her children, staying with Armie’s family. She’s only posted three Instagrams in the past month, as everything devolved with her estranged husband, and his victims began coming out to tell their stories. She was asked about why she’s been relatively quiet online and her response was interesting:

Elizabeth Chambers is focused on “healing” as her estranged husband, Armie Hammer, faces a sexual assault investigation by the LAPD. The Bird Bakery founder told fans on Instagram that she’s been concentrating on herself and her family when asked why she’s been “quiet” on the platform.

“Focusing on healing, my babes and work,” Chambers wrote during an “Ask Me Anything” Q&A over a photo of her holding a heart-shaped crystal against a sunset. “A lot I’ve wanted to share, but hasn’t felt right ATM [at the moment].”

The LAPD confirmed to Page Six this month that its sexual crimes unit launched an investigation into the “Call Me by Your Name” actor after a woman named Effie came forward and claimed Hammer had “violently” raped her.

“He became increasingly more violent,” Effie claimed in a March press conference with attorney Gloria Allred. “I thought he was going to kill me.” Effie also claimed Hammer abused her “mentally, emotionally and sexually” during their four-year relationship, which allegedly started on Facebook in 2016 during his marriage to Chambers.

[From Page Six]

In retrospect, I’m a little bit surprised that Chambers didn’t give any kind of public comment when the LAPD opened an investigation into Armie, or when Effie gave that press conference with Gloria Allred. Then again, Elizabeth’s statement back in February was pretty thorough – she said, in part, “I am shocked, heartbroken, and devastated. Heartbreak aside, I am listening, and will continue to listen and educate myself on these delicate matters. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know…I support any victim of assault or abuse and urge anyone who has experienced this pain to seek the help she or he needs to heal.”

It reminds me of that comment near the end of the Vanity Fair story about Armie too, which is that Elizabeth needs to be careful and she needs to get away from his entire family. I hope she’s taking this time to talk to lawyers and protect herself and her kids legally, financially, physically and emotionally.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Aaron Rodgers is wrapping up the first week of his two week residency hosting Jeopardy today. This week he and fiancée Shailene Woodley went Instagram official. And here they are on the beach enjoying the sunset with their dog in Malibu. Coincidence or conspiracy?  So far Aaron’s performance on Jeop…

The BAFTAs are being held this weekend. Saturday night is for the “craft” awards, meaning the technical awards, and then Sunday night will be for the big awards (acting, directing, etc). Much like all of the Hollywood awards shows, the British Academy has needed to figure out a way to do some or all of their show virtually, especially for the nominees who don’t want to travel or show up on a red carpet. As we heard more than a week ago, BAFTA president Prince William decided not to attend this year’s awards ceremony as well, and the reporting around it was that he was too lazy and thin-skinned to attend in person. As it turns out, he is going to send in two videos though.

Prince William, who is president of BAFTA, will appear virtually at the award show’s ceremony on Sunday to deliver a speech celebrating the resilience of the film industry across the last year.

HRH The Duke of Cambridge will also appear at Saturday’s BAFTA event, when craft awards will be handed out, taking part in a video with three-time BAFTA award-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan and Makeup and Hair designer Sharon Martin about filming in lockdown.

BAFTA has also confirmed its musical acts and guest presenters for the dual events. On Saturday, Supporting Actor nominee Leslie Odom Jr. will appear from Los Angeles to sing Speak Now from One Night in Miami. On Sunday, Brit Award winner Celeste will perform “Hear My Voice” from Best Film nominee “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” while there will be a duet of “A Change is Gonna Come,” featured in “One Night in Miami,” to be performed by Leslie Odom Jr. with Corinne Bailey Rae in London.

Awards presenters at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday will include Asim Chaudhry, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sophie Cookson, Phoebe Dynevor, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Grant, Richard E. Grant, Tom Hiddleston, Felicity Jones, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, James McAvoy, David Oyelowo, Pedro Pascal and Jonathan Pryce. Appearing from LA will be Rose Byrne, Andra Day, Anna Kendrick and Renée Zellweger.

All nominees will be joining the show virtually. In the UK, BBC Two will host the Saturday eve at 20.00 BST, with BBC One hosting the Sunday ceremony at 19.00 BST.

[From Fox News]

So, presenters will be there in person and there will be some kind of red carpet and some kind of “show.” TOM HIDDLESTON will be there!! And Chiwetel! McAvoy! Pascal! They got all of the babes to show up as presenters. Please tell me there will be some kind of mask-themed cuteness with the boys? Anyway, it’s clear that BAFTA President Baldingham is too chickensh-t to actually show up in person. No, he saves his red carpet appearances for maskless strolls down a Pantoland red carpet for essential workers amid spiking infection rates! He would never actually show up to support the British film industry. (And yes, William and Kate consider themselves essential workers, which is why they went maskless on the Pantoland red carpet while surrounded by masked essential workers. Sorry, all of that still makes me engorged with rage.)

PS… I wrote up all of this before Philip passed away, obvs. Even if William had been scheduled to appear at the BAFTAs in person, he would have needed to cancel because of his grandfather’s passing. So, I guess it worked out that he had already done these videos.

Photos courtesy of WENN and Avalon Red.

Lady Gaga and Adam Driver have been in Rome working on House of Gucci for several weeks now. You’ve seen many of those photos. What’s new here (at least this is the first time I’m posting about it) is that they are now joined by Jared Leto who is playing Paolo Gucci.  As you can see, Paolo’s costume…

We’re getting a better idea of what Prince Philip’s funeral will look like, and what people can expect from the Queen and the rest of the Windsor clan. First off, let me say – I really do feel sorry for Elizabeth. She fell in love with Philip when she was just a girl, and she was in love with him for the rest of her life. Of course they had issues, and of course I felt sorry for him simply because he could not live his last year on this earth at Wood Farm, which is where he wanted to be. But even with all of their issues, I expect her grief will be quite profound. Apparently, there’s a formal “eight-day period of mourning.”

The Queen is expected to enter an eight-day period of mourning following the death of Prince Philip today aged 99. The monarch will not carry out any duties even in private under Covid restrictions, laws will not be given the Royal Assent and affairs of state will also be paused. Following these eight days, a further period of official Royal Mourning is expected to continue for 30 days.

Officials at Buckingham Palace are now preparing for a royal ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle in Berkshire in keeping with Philip’s wishes, with a military procession also expected in London – Covid laws permitting. A coffin with the Duke of Edinburgh’s body is expected to be moved at some point over the next few days to Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London.

This is also where Princess Diana lay for several days before her funeral in 1997. The public will not be allowed to view the body.

The Duke of Edinburgh is expected to then be buried in Frogmore Gardens, in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Following the Duke’s death, Union flags will fly at half-mast around Britain, but Philip will not lie in state and there will be no state funeral. The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the royal household, will be in charge of arrangements.

[From The Daily Mail]

It’s my understanding that there won’t be a state funeral because he was not the monarch? I guess the Queen Mum got a state funeral, but she was Queen Consort. Philip was never King Consort because… reasons. Still, this is something the family and the institution has prepared for. The Queen’s funeral plans are called London Bridge, and Philip’s plans are referred to as Forth Bridge. There are binders full of funeral plans and protocols. For years, though, Philip wanted a smaller funeral, and that was before the pandemic.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red and WENN.

It really wasn’t that long ago when “juicy gossip stories” regularly revolved around speculating about an actor’s sexuality, or openly discussing whether they would eventually come out of the closet. I still think about that with some celebrities too, even though we’re in a totally different age of LGBTQ+ acceptance, inclusion and education. It’s truly no one’s business if someone stays completely in the closet, or if a public figure stays in a glass closet, or if someone is out and doesn’t want to talk about it. I genuinely feel like we’ve gotten to the point in American/western culture where no one should be outed, but being out and proud LGBTQ+ is massively accepted in society. Enter Kate Winslet, and what is effectively a blind item about which of Kate’s friends are secretly gay.

Kate Winslet is opening up about a stigma in Hollywood that can create obstacles for gay actors. In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the Academy Award winner said she knows ‘at least four’ closeted actors who fear for their career if they come out.

“I cannot tell you the number of young actors I know — some well known, some starting out — who are terrified their sexuality will be revealed and that it will stand in the way of their being cast in straight roles,” she said. “Now that’s f***ed up. I’m telling you. A well-known actor has just got an American agent and the agent said, ‘I understand you are bisexual. I wouldn’t publicise that.’ I can think of at least four actors absolutely hiding their sexuality. It’s painful. Because they fear being found out. And that’s what they say. ‘I don’t want to be found out.’”

Winslet also noted that the stigma applies to “men more than anything.”

“It’s bad news,” she added, “Hollywood has to drop that dated crap of, ‘Can he play straight because, apparently, he’s gay?’ That should be almost illegal. You would not believe how widespread it is. And it can’t just be distilled to the question about gay actors playing gay parts. Because actors, in some cases, are choosing not to come out for personal reasons. And it’s nobody’s business. Perhaps privacy. Perhaps conditioning and shame.”

“We could have had a conversation about how I feel about playing a lesbian and possibly taking that role from somebody,” Winslet said. “But I’m done with not being honest about what my real opinions are, and I know the part was never offered to anybody else. In taking this part I had an opportunity to bring an LGBTQ story into living rooms.”

As for what’s necessary to bring about change, Winslet said, it will take “more people to speak the way I am. I don’t intend to browbeat or take on Hollywood. We’re just talking about young actors who might be considering joining this profession, and finding a way to make it more open. For there to be less judgment, discrimination and homophobia.”

[From People]

“We could have had a conversation about how I feel about playing a lesbian and possibly taking that role from somebody.” Ah, that’s why she’s talking about this. She’s played a lesbian in Ammonnite and she hasn’t shut up about it for months. Someone must have said something about how it’s actually not cool that a straight actress is playing a historical maybe-lesbian, and that’s why she’s overcompensating. I get it now. As for closeted actors still, to this day, being told that they can’t come out or shouldn’t come out… yeah, I believe it. As much as LGBTQ+ acceptance and inclusion has become mainstream, Hollywood is still Hollywood. There are too many powerful, white, straight men telling LGBTQ kids that they can’t do this or that, that it will be “bad for their image” or it will limit what parts they’re offered. Not everyone can be Matt Bomer and Neil Patrick Harris, although I’m sure both Bomer and NPH haven’t been considered for roles just because they’re gay/out.

I really do feel like Winslet was halfway giving us a blind item too, which is not cool! We’re not supposed to idly speculate about which actors she knows who are stuck in the closet. Especially because one of them is Leo DiCaprio, right?!?! No, I’m joking! I am looking through her IMDB page to check out her costars though.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Dear Gossips, Duana f-cked up one of our group chats last night. We were just minding our own business and suddenly she dropped a bombshell and it’s been all I’ve been thinking about since. I even dreamed about it. And obsessively googled tangents.  But we weren’t the only ones. Duana was sharing so…