Prince Harry has written the foreword to a children’s book called Hospital by the Hill by Chris Connaughton. The book is for kids who have lost a parent during the pandemic, and it’s the story of a “young person coming to terms with the loss of their mother who was a frontline worker at a hospital.” The book will be released for Britain’s National Day of Reflection, which is March 23rd and it will be “free of charge to any child or young person in the country who has been affected by the loss of loved ones to COVID-19.” I mean…best to just make it free of charge to every kid so you don’t get children sobbing in bookstores and having to tell a book store employee that they lost a parent to Covid? You can read more about the project of creating the book here. And here’s Harry’s foreword:

If you are reading this book, it’s because you’ve lost your parent or a loved one, and while I wish I was able to hug you right now, I hope this story is able to provide you comfort in knowing that you’re not alone.

When I was a young boy I lost my mum. At the time I didn’t want to believe it or accept it, and it left a huge hole inside of me. I know how you feel, and I want to assure you that over time that hole will be filled with so much love and support. We all cope with loss in a different way, but when a parent goes to heaven, I was told their spirit, their love.

Now, I never met them, but I know this person was special to you, and they were someone incredibly kind, caring and loving because of where they chose to work. Helping others is one of the most important jobs anyone can ever do.

You may feel alone, you may feel sad, you may feel angry, you may feel bad. This feeling will pass. And I will make a promise to you – you will feel better and stronger once you are ready to talk about how it makes you feel.

I hope this book helps remind you of just how special your parent or loved one was. And how special you are too.

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

There were some tweets going around recently, with some personal stories from people in or around some of the mental health, bereavement and grief charities which are associated with Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The stories were basically like: Harry is the only one who actually gave a sh-t whenever he visited. He was the one connecting with people and emotionally present. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, because that’s how Diana was too. There was a rawness to her emotional availability and vulnerability. That’s why she had such a high level of emotional intelligence, just like Harry. Anyway, what a nice project for Harry to be involved with.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

A lot of people in the US and UK have late June/early July marked on their calendars as the start of “getting back to normal” in some kind of post-pandemic world. Will the pandemic actually be OVER at that point? No. But that’s when we’ll have a tipping-point amount of vaccinated people and that’s when many restrictions may begin to be lifted. Still, it’s best not to get too far ahead of ourselves, which is why Queen Elizabeth’s annual birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, has already been cancelled in its traditional form. Last year, the Queen still wanted a mini-parade, so she ordered one to happen at Windsor Castle, just for herself, as she sat there maskless. It’s possible the same thing could happen this year:

Queen Elizabeth’s traditional parade, Trooping the Colour, has been canceled for the second year in a row due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Plans are being explored for a scaled-down celebration likely to take place in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, like last year, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.

In a statement, the palace said, “Following consultation with Government and other relevant parties it has been agreed that The Queen’s Official Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, will not go ahead this year in its traditional form in central London. Options for an alternative Parade, in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, are being considered.”

The statement added that the annual Garter service that usually takes place at St. George’s Chapel on the Monday after Trooping the Colour, will also not be taking place.

Although vaccinations are continuing successfully and rates of COVID-19 illnesses are falling steadily in the U.K., restrictions around large public gatherings are not likely to be eased for months. Trooping the Colour usually brings thousands of people onto the streets of central London to view the procession of horseback-riding royals and carriages.

[From People]

I mean… maybe they should just do away with Trooping all together? I guess the reason to do it is to encourage tourism? Do tons of tourists come specifically for Trooping? Or is it more like British people coming into London for their own “theme park” experience? As for cancelling it this year ahead of time… I think that’s actually pretty smart, and it shows that they actually learned to take better precautions FINALLY.

Meanwhile, did you know that the Queen wants it to be known that she isn’t actually full of hate for Prince Harry and Meghan?

Queen Elizabeth II is reportedly “sad” not “angry” by Prince Harry’s bombshell TV interview with Oprah Winfrey — but has privately pledged to stand by her grandson. Harry and Meghan Markle made a series of stunning allegations during their sit-down with Oprah, including that an unspecified member of the royal family had raised “concerns” over how dark their unborn son Archie’s skin would be. The 94-year-old monarch ordered a private family investigation into the claims as she took personal control of healing the bitter divide that was laid bare in the tell-all, according to The Sun.

“She is not angry, she is just sad,” an insider told the news outlet about the Queen, who is privately said not to be livid with the Sussexes, whom she has described as “much loved family members.”

“They have always worried about him (Harry) and the Queen feels very protective about him,” the source told The Sun. “They always tried to support him when Meghan came along. They all worried less about him when Meghan was on the scene as he seemed so happy.”

[From Page Six]

I think it’s possible that the Queen is genuinely sad about the turn of events, although that doesn’t explain why she refused to allow Harry’s wreath to be laid at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day last year, but whatever. I also think it’s interesting that there were such high hopes that Harry would fly back to the UK in June for Trooping the Colour and his grandfather’s birthday (not to mention the stupid Diana-statue unveiling) but sh-t keeps getting cancelled. Oh well.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

We recently learned that Skeet Ulrich and Lucy Hale are dating. It’s notable for a few reasons, mostly about their age difference and life/romance experience. I never realized before now that Ulrich, who is 51 years old, is sort of a serial monogamist who has spent the past thirty years cycling out of major relationships, including one eight-year marriage, one three-year marriage and one broken engagement. Dude likes to propose. Meanwhile, Lucy is 31 years old and she has never been married, but she’s dated around and been in some Hollywood relationships. As for the age difference, apparently Lucy and Skeet don’t think it’s an issue.

Age is just a number! Lucy Hale and Skeet Ulrich have “both fallen pretty hard for each other,” a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly.

“Lucy and Skeet have been dating for a little over a month now,” the insider says. “While it’s very new, they spend a lot of time together.” The Pretty Little Liars alum, 31, and the Jericho alum, 51, “try to see each other as much as possible,” the source explains, adding, “it’s clear they’re very into each other.”

The new couple met thanks to their “mutual friends through the Archie universe,” the insider notes. Ulrich starred on Riverdale for five seasons while Hale was the lead on spinoff Katy Keene, which ran for one season on The CW.

The Life Sentence alum and the Craft actor may have friends in common, but their age difference — Hale is 20 years younger than Ulrich —has still raised a few eyebrows among some fans. The source tells Us, however, that although the duo does “have a huge age gap, it doesn’t bother them.” They’ve instead connected over their similar interests. “They are both kind and have a funny, but dark sense of humor,” the insider adds.

The Truth or Dare actress was first linked to Ulrich last month when the duo were spotted kissing on February 21 while out in Los Angeles. They were seen holding hands across the table before Hale kissed her man’s hand.

Ulrich shares 19-year-old twins, Jakob and Naiia, with ex-wife Georgina Cates, whom he split from in 2005 after eight years of marriage. He was then married to Amelia Jackson-Gray from 2012 to 2015 and engaged to Rose Costa from 2016 to 2017. Hale, for her part, was most recently linked to Colton Underwood in July 2020, after his split from Cassie Randolph. She’s also dated actors David Henrie, Chris Zylka and Ryan Rottman.

[From Us Weekly]

Honestly, when I was 31 years old, a man twenty years older than me wasn’t a dealbreaker either. There are some nice-looking and lovely dudes in their 50s! Would I have married one of them? Eh. Probably not, but different strokes for different folks (and no one says Lucy and Skeet will get married either). I would totally feel differently about this is she was 20 and he was 40 though – I think the fact that Lucy is in her 30s, she’s worked in the industry for a while and she’s not some naif (romantically or professionally) is what makes this story not all that scandalous. She knows what she’s doing, he’s not taking advantage of her, etc. All that being said, I do hate the “age is just a number” thing.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

George Clooney is one of W Magazine’s March covers, all for their annual Best Performances issue. George had a new movie out recently called The Midnight Sky – he starred in it and directed it. He’s been giving a ton of interviews to support it, and honestly, this might be my favorite version of George? He’s almost 60, he’s got a bad back, he survived a terrible motorcycle crash, he’s got twins and he’s putting all of his years of self-sufficiency to good use during the pandemic. He just seems pretty chill these days. You can read read the full W Magazine piece here. Some highlights:

Deciding to take the role in The Midnight Sky: “I haven’t been acting very much lately. But this was a part that, the minute I read it, I felt like I was probably the right guy to play it. When we got hit with that first blast of 70 mph, 40 degrees below zero weather [in Iceland], I questioned everything I’ve ever done in my life. There was a moment when I thought, I volunteered to do this?! But nobody said I’m smart. I loved that there was a dreamlike quality to the film. You can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. He might be losing his mind. Or he might be sane. Originally, the narrative was about regret and seeking redemption. But as the pandemic took over, the film became about our inability to be home and hug the people we love.

Watching The Ides of March for the first time in years: “When we did The Ides of March, I knew that we were going to talk about how we elect our officials. But I also knew that if we just did that, then it would be preachy. So that’s why I made him [Governor Mike Morris] the bad guy along the way… He wants to get elected, but he’s also having sex with an 18-year-old intern. It’s funny, Amal and I actually saw the movie recently. We were just flipping through the channels, and it was on. We watched the last half of it. And I tell you, the first thing that comes to your mind is, I really miss Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was such a powerhouse and so much fun to work with. I miss him.

What originally looked like a disaster but turned out to be a great thing: “Batman & Robin. It’s a terrible movie, I’m terrible in it. I get it and I always make fun of it. But the truth was, the next film I did was Out of Sight, which is a great film. Up until then, I had just been an actor getting jobs. When somebody says, “You want to play Batman?” you’re like, “Yeah, man, I’ll play Batman!” So after that, I realized I was going to be held responsible for the movies that got made, and what the film was, not just my performance. I thought, I’ve got to focus on screenplays. The next three films I did were Out of Sight, Three Kings, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? It really taught me a quick lesson in what to look for and how to look at your career.

Pandemic hobbies: “I’ll tell you what I’ve taken on as a hobby: two or three loads of laundry a day, dishes all fucking day, because these kids are all slobs. Apparently, you have to wash your children every once in a while. I cut [my son’s] hair, and I cut my own hair too, but I’ve always cut my own hair. My hair is like straw. I haven’t cut my daughter’s hair. I’d get in trouble if I did. If I screw up my son’s hair, he’ll grow out of it. But my wife would kill me if I touched my daughter’s hair.

The best piece of advice he’s ever received: “My aunt Rosemary [Clooney, the actor and jazz singer] told me, “Never mix grain and grape.” No wine and tequila. Or vodka and champagne. I was 7. We learned early in Kentucky.”

[From W Magazine]

I wish I knew “never mix grain and grape” when I was in college, that would have saved me a lot of puking and hangovers. The one lesson I did get during that time was never drink liquor after beer, but liquor before beer is fine (there’s a rhyme about it too). Add another one to the booze lessons though – no grain and grape mixing. Anyway, what else is there to say? I miss Phillip Seymour Hoffman all the time and I still can’t believe he’s gone. I also think Out of Sight is probably George’s best film? It’s the Clooney film which holds up to a ridiculous degree, and a huge chunk of it is George and Jennifer Lopez’s amazing chemistry. Sigh.

Cover courtesy of W Magazine.

Is it OK if I don’t want to be an expert in whatever the f-ck is happening with Armie Hammer because every update is worse than the one before and man, Elizabeth Chambers, I hope she had a really great support system because this is such a nightmare for her and their children. (Pajiba)   It’s not th…

Pour one out for Iker Casillas and Sara Carbonero. If you’ve been visiting this site over the last decade or so, you know they were once an obsession of mine. Their split was confirmed last week and then I got distracted by the Grammys and there have been other priorities this week so I haven’t give…

Like her mom, Kate Hudson is known to throw a great party (her Halloween bashes are a highlight every year). If I had to choose one celebrity birthday to attend, I think it would be hers. The guest list would be amazing and she would have lots of drinks and snacks, plus good music.   This woman is “…

I typically like to test products out before I write about them but I couldn’t help myself this time because I feel like I need to put Satya Organic on your radar STAT. I came across this proudly Indigenous-owned company a few weeks ago and after analysing all the reviews, I feel pretty confident th…

Lana Condor asks people to check in on their Asian friends. [Buzzfeed]
Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez are allegedly still engaged but “taking things slowly.” I bet that changes within the next week! [LaineyGossip]
Ellen DeGeneres signed a multi-year deal with Discovery & Discovery+. [Dlisted]
Trailer for Four Good Days, an opioid drama starring Mila Kunis. [Just Jared]
Ryan Reynolds live-tweeted his first time watching Green Lantern. [Pajiba]
Trans youth sports debate dominates discussion of the Equality Act. [Towleroad]
Dove Cameron, in a mask, doing stunt training. [Egotastic]
A Chanel collection inspired by the late Stella Tennant. [Go Fug Yourself]
Teen Vogue’s editor-in-chief Alexi McCammond steps down after only a few weeks on the job. Her racist & homophobic tweets came back to haunt her. [Jezebel]
Rosamund Pike’s peekaboo elbows. She’s so delightfully weird. [RCFA]
Kris Jenner breaks down her iconic looks. [OMG Blog]
Love After Lockup’s Clint Brady is out of jail. [Starcasm]

Wake up… your Asian friends and family are deeply scared, horrified, sick to their stomachs and wildly angry. Please please please check in on us, please please please stand with us. Please. Your Asian friend needs you, even if they aren’t publicly grieving on social media. x

— Lana Condor (@lanacondor) March 17, 2021

Here we have what appears to be the first sighting of Ryan Gosling on the set of The Gray Man – and he looks GOOD. He’s behind a mask but you can tell, already, that at this stage for his character, he’ll be clean-shaven, hair properly styled, like Crazy Stupid Love vibes.  By the way, that movie ce…