Oh, right. It’s summer movie season soon. Which is why there are so many trailers. I just haven’t been in that mindset because I’ve spent over a year in lockdown so the usual markers of time aren’t a thing for me anymore. But here we are, approaching summer 2021 as studios are now rolling out promot…

Jimmy Fallon brought the Black TikTik-dance creators on the Tonight Show following all of the drama with his Addison Rae segment. [Dlisted]
Milo Ventimiglia has thicc thighs. [OMG Blog]
The trailer for Mainstream, where Andrew Garfield plays a YouTube star. [Just Jared]
Melissa McCarthy is absolutely an underrated actress! [Pajiba]
Bella Hadid looks pretty on the beach. [Egotastic]
I hope wide-leg trousers are coming back into style. [Go Fug Yourself]
I definitely think Olivia Rodrigo is the next big thing. [LaineyGossip]
Now every adult will be eligible to get a Covid vaccine by April 19th. [Jezebel]
I don’t want to hear about a “second pandemic summer.” [Buzzfeed]
Harvey Weinstein files an appeal. [Towleroad]
Malcolm Jamal-Warner is so hot, my God. [Seriously OMG]

Andrew Garfield’s last movie was 2018’s Under the Silver Lake, a deliberately confounding film that some people love and some people hate. His new movie is Mainstream, a film that appears, on the surface, aimed at the YouTube generation of creators and performers and in it, Garfield is giving anothe…

It was announced yesterday as part of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new deal with Netflix that the first series to be released out of Archewell Productions will be Heart of Invictus, co-produced with Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara who won an Oscar for The White Helmets in 2016. These…

Caitlyn Jenner has always been a Republican. Maybe we can call her a “California Republican,” which seems to be a bit different than the national GOP. But I remember watching E!’s I Am Cait and being startled to realize that part of Caitlyn’s trans journey was NOT a political education on which political party accepts her right to exist as a transgender woman. During the Trump years, Caitlyn tried to talk politics and people just told her to STFU, basically. In fairness, her political statements were always pretty dumb. But now that Californians are “mad” at Gov. Gavin Newsom, suddenly Caitlyn thinks she’s the lady who can take down the California Democrats.

Former reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner is talking with political consultants as she actively explores a run for governor of California, three sources with direct knowledge of her deliberations tell Axios. Why it matters: Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, is facing a recall election. A challenge from Jenner, a high-profile Republican and previous Trump supporter, would draw heightened attention to the race to lead the nation’s most populous state.

Jenner is being assisted in her consideration by Caroline Wren, a longtime GOP fundraiser. Wren initially met Jenner through her work with the American Unity Fund, a GOP nonprofit focused on LGBT issues. Wren previously worked at Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee for President Trump’s 2020 campaign, and also helped organize the rally he addressed immediately before the U.S. Capitol assault on Jan. 6. A spokesman for Jenner declined to comment. Wren also declined to comment.

Republicans have launched a recall campaign against Newsom, angry about his immigration and tax policies. The effort gained momentum amid added criticism of the governor’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

[From Axios]

I haven’t actually been following the recall drama in California but I assume a chunk of it is just disgruntled Californians mad at Newsom about the pandemic? I mean, California did seem to have a disorganized response to the pandemic, but… so did a lot of other states. I don’t know enough about internal CA politics to make a judgment call on Newsom or the recall efforts. But I do know that Caitlyn Jenner and her asinine, deep-as-a-puddle Republicanism AND barely-there trans-activism are not welcome on the national political stage. Republicans have never wanted her! She makes them uncomfortable. What makes ME uncomfortable is the fact that she’s already working with someone adjacent to the insurrection. I have no idea who Caroline Wren is, but I’m sure she’s a co-conspirator to sedition and insurrection.

Plus, Caitlyn would actually be a terrible governor! She just wants to golf and spend time with her 20-something girlfriend.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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Millie Bobby Brown is one of the stars of the Godzilla vs. Kong movie that opened over the weekend. She and her Madison Russell character repped Team Godzilla, having survived the earlier film, Godzilla: King of Monsters with her dad, Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler). Millie is arguably best known to everyone as Eleven on Stranger Things, a role in which she has grown up on our TV screens. Now that she is almost a legal adult, Millie admits her transition from childhood to young adult hasn’t been that easy. Not so much for her, but for us, because we aren’t ready to accept Eleven is now 17.

Millie Bobby Brown has done a lot of growing up in the public eye, and there’re some people out there who still aren’t ready to accept that she’s almost an adult.

The actor opened up about how her fans have been having a hard time seeing her grow up in the wake of playing Jane “Eleven” Ives on Stranger Things since she was a preteen.

“I’m only 17, but at the end of the day, I’m learning to be a woman. I’m learning to be a young woman,” she told MTV News. “So being a young girl, people watch you grow up, right? And they’ve almost become invested in your growth and your journey. But they aren’t ready to accept the fact that you’re growing up.”

Brown wishes that her fans would accept the person she’s becoming because she won’t be a kid forever.

“They’re not accepting it and I’ve completely accepted it,” she said. “You know, I’m ready. I’m like, ‘It’s been a while. Let me wear a high heel!’”

[From Buzzfeed]

You can watch her full interview with Josh Horowitz here. I love Josh’s interviews because he either knows the person or does his research so they feel more like conversations at a cocktail party. Plus he can be familiar without getting creepy. Millie is quite fun and relaxed in this interview, very well composed for a 17-year-old. I understand where she’s coming from on public perception. There’s a difference between a child actor who makes one film and reappears years later grown vs. an actor who grows up in front of the audience. It’s harder to accept the latter. It’s like your own kids or nieces/nephews – because you spend more time with them, you are more attached to them. Remembering them as little kids is so easily accessible and in some ways, becomes our default. Plus, CB put it so well when she wrote of Millie, “she’s always been so self-possessed and confident in interviews and on the red carpet,” she comes across mature, regardless of what she’s wearing. I’m fine letting Millie grow up and wear what she wants. She’s earned the right to grow into her next stage in life, regardless if we’re prepared for it. I do, however hope she’s been able to get out of her “friendship” with Drake.

SPOILERS FOR GODZILLA VS KONG: Millie and Kyle lived to cheer Team Zilla for Round Two. I have no idea if there will be a round two. I was hoping for a post credit seen with Mothra chewing on a Swisher Sweet in a leather jacket and Doc Martens sloshing through a swamp. I guess Millie was good? I didn’t see Godzilla: KoftM and while I liked her trio of conspiracists that made up Team Zilla, their story was lost on me.

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It was no secret that Kim Kardashian was and is insanely jealous of her half-sister Kylie Jenner. Kylie built a massively successful business (Kylie Cosmetics) out of her childhood room, and at Kris Jenner’s kitchen table. Kylie Cosmetics has grown into a billion-dollar business because Kylie was just doing something somewhat organic to her (lip kits) and she ended up finding a hole in the cosmetics market. Kylie also had so little overhead for the entire business. So, yeah, Kim was jealous. She was dying to create her own billion-dollar business but for the longest time, Kim’s businesses were only “moderately” successful. In that, she made millions, but not billions. Then SKIMS happened. Kim wanted to revolutionize the industry of shapewear and she absolutely did. SKIMS, more than anything else, is Kim’s billion-dollar business. But the other stuff helps, which is why Kim is now officially a “billionaire” according to Forbes:

When Kim Kardashian West was first mentioned in the pages of Forbes in 2011, it was simply a tally of her Twitter followers: 6.6 million, just below Barack Obama and just above Ashton Kutcher. Five years later, she graced the cover of Forbes thanks to her booming mobile game, which helped her earn $51 million that year. Now, she officially joins the World’s Billionaires list for the first time.

Forbes estimates that Kardashian West is now worth $1 billion, up from $780 million in October, thanks to two lucrative businesses—KKW Beauty and Skims—as well as cash from reality television and endorsement deals, and a number of smaller investments.

Kardashian West founded KKW Beauty in 2017, following the success of her half-sister Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics. She borrowed from Kylie’s playbook, using a similar direct-to-consumer model that relies heavily on social media marketing. Her first launch, 300,000 contour kits, sold out within two hours. By 2018, the business had expanded into eyeshadows, concealers, lipsticks and fragrances, and was bringing in about $100 million in revenue.

“It’s the first time I’ve moved away from having licensing deals and transitioned into being an owner,” Kardashian West told Forbes in 2017, when she announced her cosmetics line.

She cashed in on that ownership last year when she sold 20% of KKW Beauty to cosmetics conglomerate Coty for $200 million, a deal that valued the company at $1 billion. While Forbes estimates that figure is a little bloated—Coty, which also bought 51% of Kylie Cosmetics in 2020, is known for overpaying—her remaining 72% stake is still worth about $500 million, by our count.

Then there’s Skims, the shapewear line Kardashian West launched in 2019. She raised money from fashion insiders like Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massane and Theory’s Andrew Rosen, and capitalized on her massive social media following to shill the brand. (She now has 69.6 million Twitter followers and 213 million followers on Instagram.) Skims has been quick on its feet: During the pandemic, when consumers became more interested in comfy clothes for the couch than in smoothing their stomachs under evening gowns, she swiftly started turning the focus to loungewear.

Kardashian West owns a majority stake in closely-held Skims, which hasn’t disclosed its revenues. A source familiar with Skims told Forbes about a transaction that values the shapewear company north of $500 million. As a result, Forbes estimates her Skims stake is worth a conservative $225 million, enough to lift her fortune to $1 billion.

The rest of Kardashian West’s fortune sits in cash and investments, including real estate. Every year since 2012, she has earned at least $10 million pretax, by Forbes’ count, thanks to paychecks from Keeping Up With the Kardashians, endorsement deals and endeavors like the aforementioned mobile game and her now-defunct Kimoji app. She’s also got three properties in Calabasas, northwest of Los Angeles, and a portfolio of blue-chip investments, including shares of Disney, Amazon, Netflix and Adidas that her soon-to-be ex-husband Kanye West gifted her for Christmas in 2017.

[From Forbes]

Yeah, I agree with Forbes? I think their math is correct, unlike their faulty reporting around Kylie Jenner’s empire. If anything, Forbes might be undervaluing some of Kim’s businesses. I do appreciate that they acknowledge that Kim was just blatantly copying Kylie with her KKW Beauty line, because it’s true. KKW Beauty is just the Kmart version of Kylie Cosmetics, and Kim is very much stepping on Kylie’s empire. But whatever. SKIMS is where it’s at. And I didn’t know the Kimoji app was defunct! Damn. Hire people to fix the app!

Photos courtesy of Kim’s Instagram.

Yesterday marked three years since Cardi B released her debut album, Invasion of Privacy. I still love that title, especially for a debut. The album made history when she became the first solo female hip-hop artist to win Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards and Invasion also launched two Billbo…

There were so many surprising moments within the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Oprah interview, people barely had the time to point out what wasn’t in the interview. For instance, Oprah did not ask them any questions specifically about Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. There was some conversation about how Meghan and Harry were and are friends with Princess Eugenie and it also sounded like Fergie and Meghan are somewhat friendly. When you really think about it, it *is* strange that Oprah didn’t mention Andrew once, although it’s probably less strange that Meghan and Harry didn’t bring him up. So what’s up with that? Anna Pasternak – famously the author of Tatler’s Catherine the Great article – has some thoughts.

One royal expert believes there’s a good reason why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didn’t bring up Prince Andrew during their bombshell tell-all with Oprah Winfrey. When the network first announced the special on Feb. 15, it revealed that nothing would be off-limits during the wide-ranging interview. However, Winfrey never asked the couple about the Duke of York, 61.

“I supposed it could be said that he wasn’t relevant,” royal author Anna Pasternak told Fox News. “It could also be out of loyalty and respect for his daughter, Princess Eugenie, who is close to both Harry and Meghan. And if that’s the reason, I think that’s rather charming because I think Eugenie has been a very good friend to both of them. It’s believed that [Eugenie] is probably the only member of the royal family who is the closest to them and has kept in touch. We don’t know the reason, but one can only suspect that maybe out of respect for her, they didn’t want to go into her father.”

In the interview, Markle, 39, confirmed that she and Eugenie, 31, knew each other before the former American actress met Harry, 36. Prosecutors in New York have wanted to speak with Andrew for several months as part of their allegations, made by several women, that some of Jeffrey Epstein’s staff and his girlfriend helped recruit him underage sex partners.

Pasternak is aware that some critics believe Andrew hasn’t faced the same media backlash as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after the couple spoke out.

“I think [those people] have a very short memory if they think that because Andrew gave his own interview and the backlash against him was intense,” she said. “He’s become a sort of a royal pariah, a non-person.”

[From Fox News]

“It could be said that he wasn’t relevant…” I mean… Andrew has always been an irrelevant person in the larger scheme of things, and he was specifically irrelevant to the larger story Meghan and Harry were trying to tell. That being said, the timeline of Jeffrey Epstein’s death and the Queen’s very public shows of support for Andrew definitely would have emphasized one of the points that Harry and Meghan were making. Namely, that the institution was perfectly capable of protecting and coddling certain (white) family members while they threw Meghan and Harry to the wolves and actively sabotaged them. The story of the institution smearing the Sussexes throughout 2019 cannot be told without the story of how the same institution did the most to help Andrew. That being said, I do think H&M probably avoided speaking directly about Andrew because A) they weren’t asked and B) they’re tight with Eugenie.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red, CBS.

Many of you know that I have a “thing” for Diplo. It’s not even that I like his personality or anything, and I’m sure he’s pretty scummy to women, which definitely kills my lady-boner. But yeah, I’m attracted to him. I don’t want to speak to him or hang out with him or share feelings with him. I just want to bang him and leave and never tell anyone. Is my girl Angelina Jolie the same way? Does she also have a thing for dirtbag douchebags? Lord, Angie, I hope not. DeuxMoi posted this screen-cap from Diplo’s IG Stories, where it definitely looks like Angelina and Diplo were at the same backyard BBQ:

The look on her face, you guys. That’s a face that says “why am I here again?” That’s not the face of someone who is willingly hanging out with Diplo because they’re banging. Even though the idea of Angelina & Diplo enjoying a quickie one sultry spring night is fun, I doubt it. I just… hope not. But even if she did, she’s like me – she would never tell a soul.

Apparently Diplo and Jolie are neighbors or something? And maybe her kids are into Diplo? Eh. Also: he name-checked her in 2013!!

im the angelina jolie of EDM

— diplo (@diplo) October 9, 2013

Angelina Jolie lives in the same neighborhood as Diplo. This alone is why if I were Angelina I wouldn’t live in LA. Too much overlap with losers. pic.twitter.com/wJSXPoGNbt

— kittybswift (@kswiftthegreat) April 6, 2021

Photos courtesy of Diplo’s Instagram & Avalon Red.