Sarah Huckabee Sanders, she of the smoky eye, lies and fascism, is running for governor of Arkansas. Gross. [Jezebel]
President Biden fired Dr. Sean Conley, the White House doctor who lied about Donald Trump’s coronavirus condition last year. [Towleroad]
Gwyneth Paltrow wore a “nowhere” sweater. [Just Jared]
Should we watch Losing Alice on AppleTV? [Pajiba]
Armie Hammer denies “branding” an ex-girlfriend. [Dlisted]
Why isn’t Olivia Palermo’s coat collection a lot cuter? [Go Fug Yourself]
Boogie sounds like an interesting film. [LaineyGossip]
Yara Shahidi pulls this off but few people could! [RCFA]
The situation in Russia is getting very interesting. [Buzzfeed]
Anthony Hopkins thought The Silence of the Lambs would be a kids’ movie. [OMG Blog]
Rest in peace, Larry King. [Seriously OMG]

You might remember that I’m something of a longtime Kate Hudson apologist. It’s not even that I like her as an actress – meh – or I like the fact that she’ll get all dressed up to attend every award show every year for no reason. But I do like that Kate Hudson isn’t a whiner. She’s never “woe is me, my life is so hard.” I appreciate that. I also appreciate the fact that she’s pretty real about how motherhood is great except for all of those times when she wishes her kids would disappear so she could have some peace and quiet. Well, Kate chatted with Sunday Today about her life, her kids and her father (Bill Hudson) and the man who raised her (Kurt Russell).

On having three kids with three men: “I’ve got multiple dads, I’ve got kids all over the place! The only expectations I really have that are really high in my life is with my kids, and with family stuff. Other than that, it’s like, I just let it go… I work my ass off, and then I walk away, and I hope for the best.”

The COVID-19 pandemic. “I wanna be, like, ‘Yeah, it’s so great and we’re figuring out,’ but the reality is that there are days that are great and there are days that I have to remind myself to be grateful. I never thought in a million years that I’d spend a year in one place. When you have so many kids, sometimes you have those moments where you’re hiding in your bathroom going, ‘Please, please, get me out of here!’ I just remind myself there’s a lot of people out there who have lost their loved ones, and we just gotta stay in for a bit.”

On her estrangement from Bill Hudson: “I think that estrangement is unfortunately quite common. I think it’s important for people to talk about that. If they can’t reconnect or if it’s too challenging, that it’s OK, right? [It’s] a 41-year-old issue. I have a beautiful mother. I have a stepfather who stepped in and played a huge, huge part in sharing what it is to have a dependable father figure in our life. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that we didn’t know our dad. I think as I’ve sort of gone through that process…I kind of look at my dad and I’m, like, ‘You know, the love has never ever gone anywhere. It’s always been there, no matter what those complications have been.”

[From Glamour]

I’ve always been curious about her estrangement from Bill Hudson too, because Oliver (Kate’s brother) is deeply estranged from him as well, and Goldie left Bill when Oliver and Kate were just babies. CB pointed out that when Bill Hudson does speak about Kate and Oliver, it’s extremely negative, and in 2015, he even said Kate and Oliver are dead to him. I tend to think that Kate and Oliver just accepted Kurt Russell as their dad from the word go and never really bothered to really seek out any kind of reconciliation. Which is their right. As for Kate and her house full of kids, ranging in ages… did you know that Ryder Robinson just turned 17 years old? Jesus!! He seems like a good kid though. I love how sweet he is to his baby sister.

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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Instagram.

Olivia Rodrigo is currently atop the Billboard Hot 100 with her smash hit “Driver’s Licence.” If you don’t know the story of heartbreak behind the song, you can read my post from last week, but in short, it’s believed that Olivia wrote the song about a messy split with her High School Musical: The M…

I stopped watching The Mandalorian a couple episodes into season two so I didn’t realize Rosario Dawson is in it! She’s also promoting a talent show she’s judging on TBS called Go Big Show. Snoop Dogg is a judge too. It’s held in a huge auditorium, which is how they get around pandemic restrictions I guess. Rosario had an interview with Jimmy Fallon last week. She first talked to him on her own, then her boyfriend, NJ Senator Cory Booker, came on. They did a “Newlyweds” type game where Jimmy asked Rosario and Cory questions about each other while the other one was wearing headphones. I liked it more than I expected and wanted to talk about them.

These two moved in together after a couple years of dating, but they aren’t engaged that we know about. They’re super cute together and you can tell that they’re really into each other. They got most of the questions right about each other too! My favorite part was when Rosario said that Cory used to send her songs to listen to for almost a year when they first started dating. Now they have a love playlist!

Joe Biden talked up Cory Booker to her
Rosario: We met [Joe Biden] at the same time going into one of the debates. They were in competition with each other at that time. [Joe] walks over and pulls me aside to say the most wonderful things about Cory. He was very charming ‘I’m married up. I hope the same for him.’ Very sweet. It said a lot about him.

Cory’s weirdest habit
Rosario: He just started doing Wim Hof method so he’s been doing these cold showers.
Cory confirms: Most morning [I] will take contrast showers where you stand under ice cold water. It has a lot of health benefits.

Cory’s “smoothest move when they first started dating”
Rosario: For an entire year, when we were apart a lot, he would wake me up every day with a song. He would send me a song. We have this playlist, it’s almost 200 songs. It would initiate conversation every morning. We would talk about the song and what it meant to either of us and if it was a new song. It was wonderful and now we have a love playlist.
Cory confirms: I’m not the smoothest soul. She probably said I’m not smooth [she did]. I think I do things that are sweet at least. [Jimmy told him it was the love playlist].

[From two videos on The Tonight Show on YouTube]

We just talked about cold showers in Oya’s post about Hunter Schafer from Euphoria doing this. One of my friends goes swimming outside in Switzerland nearly every morning in the freezing cold! She says it’s addictive and that she does just kind of ease into the cold water, she doesn’t jump right in. As I said on the podcast this week, I don’t even like walking outside when it’s under 60 so I know this isn’t for me. I used to rinse my hair in cold water because that’s supposed to make it shiny but I know I don’t want to put my whole body under that.

How romantic is a “love playlist?” That’s like a mix tape except using current technology to share it over the internet. I miss mix tapes! I had a boyfriend in the late 90s who used to make me mix CDs and I still have some of them. I actually just Zoomed with him a couple of months ago, he was a decent boyfriend and kind of nerdy sweet like Cory Booker. I think Rosario Dawson is a bit odd and I’ve never quite warmed up to her, but I like her with Cory and want them to last! Any couple Joe Biden roots for is A-OK in my book.

They are so cute and matchy! This caption!

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Here’s that interview:

Photos credit: Avalon.red

How did everyone spend their first weekend of the Biden era? Out of habit, I was checking Twitter throughout the weekend and I came to sudden realization: oh, right, we don’t have to spend every Sunday with a doomscrolling knot in our stomach about whatever Donald Trump is up to anymore. President Biden spent his Sunday morning at church and then he and his team kept on working. Meanwhile, Donald Trump spent his first post-presidency weekend stewing in his own juices at Mar-a-Lago, getting mad about Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci, as we discussed, has been enjoying himself in press briefings and interviews. And nothing makes Trump madder than… a doctor being happy, or something.

Trump watched Fauci’s first briefing of the Biden administration: Trump “reacted in a fit of grievance, self-obsession, TV hate-watching that largely defined his presidency and now-defunct policy-making operations. Fauci’s re-emergence on prime-time television during the Biden era infuriated the exiled Trump, who began whining about how “incompetent” the doctor was, and how he probably should have fired Fauci when he had the chance, a source close to the former president and another individual familiar with the matter tell The Daily Beast. (Technically, Trump did not have the power to fire Fauci, a career federal employee.)

Trump doesn’t have Twitter either: On top of everything else that was stripped from him, he’s lost his primary emotional release valve, thanks to his post-Capitol riot banning from Twitter, just as his enemies—real and perceived—keep dancing atop his administration’s freshly dug grave. And it’s not just Fauci. Trump has also griped this weekend about not being able to tweet about the Biden team telling journalists that Trump and ex-officials had left them with a gigantic COVID mess to mop up, according to a person with direct knowledge of his recent ramblings. “He very much feels that a lot of people are working to downgrade his legacy out of hatred for him,” this source said.

[From The Daily Beast]

Trump *did* leave the Biden administration with a gigantic Covid mess. We knew it in real time, as Trump spent the entire transition spreading bonkers conspiracies about the election and sending Rudy Giuliani on the Angry Fart Tour and… going golfing. Trump completely abdicated his job responsibilities more than ever once he realized he lost. And not only that, he refused to engage with the Biden transition on the pandemic, a fact which is criminally negligent, and killed more people than the Capitol insurrection which Trump incited. Anyway, the f–king loser spent the weekend whining and wishing he could tweet. Makes sense.

Also, it seems like there’s been a mass exodus of Mar-a-Lago members. There are complaints about the food and sad atmosphere of treason and diaper changes. Plus, someone hired a plane to fly over the club with banners reading “Worst President Ever” and “Go Back to Moscow” and “Trump You Pathetic Loser.”

Another banner called him the “worst president ever.” https://t.co/BPK9Yg1WWc

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) January 25, 2021

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

A post shared by Gisele Bu?ndchen (@gisele)

Yesterday, we learned which teams would go to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is still happening, oddly enough, and it will see a match-up that I guess people wanted to see. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills, and the Bucs beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, which means that Tom Brady – who is 43 damn years old – will be quarterback for a team at the Super Bowl for the TENTH time in his career. As you can see, Tom’s wife Gisele Bundchen celebrated with the kids.

I was curious about what a Pandemic Super Bowl would look like, and it is going to be a forcibly lowkey attended event at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The NFL is putting a strict limit on who can come in person – just 22,000, which is a third of the capacity of the stadium. And if you ask me, that’s still too many people. It will also look different for those at home, with many companies choosing to pull their ads this year, or choosing to highlight vaccine information with their ad dollars.

For the first time since 1983, when Anheuser-Busch used all of its ad time to introduce a beer called Bud Light, the beer giant isn’t advertising its iconic Budweiser brand during the Super Bowl. Instead, it’s donating the money it would have spent on the ad to coronavirus vaccination awareness efforts.

Anheuser-Busch still has four minutes of advertising during the game for its other brands including Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer. Those are some of its hottest sellers, particularly among younger viewers. But the decision to not do an anthemic Budweiser ad — which over nearly four decades has made American icons of frogs chirping “Budweiser,” guys screaming “Whassup!”, and of course the Budweiser Clydesdales — showcases the caution with which some advertisers are approaching the first COVID-era Super Bowl.

The Anheuser-Busch move follows a similar announcement from PepsiCo., which won’t be advertising its biggest brand, Pepsi, in order to focus on its sponsorship of the the halftime show. (It will be advertising Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay products). Other veteran Super Bowl advertisers like Coke, Audi and Avocados from Mexico are sitting out the game altogether.

The pandemic has cut sharply into sales for many Super Bowl advertisers. With pricey ads costing an estimated $5.5 million for 30 seconds during the Feb. 7 broadcast on CBS, some may have decided it’s not worth it this year. Coca-Cola, for example, has been hard hit since half of its sales come from stadiums, movie theaters and other usually crowded places that have been closed during the pandemic. It announced layoffs in December, and said it said it wouldn’t advertise this year to ensure it’s “investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times.”

[From The Associated Press]

That’s interesting, that some companies are directing the ad money to PSAs, basically. It would be a good moment to do some more emotional and sad ads, like companies do for the Olympics (the number of Olympics ads which have made me cry, my God). Anyway, I’ll only tune in for the Halftime Show, like always. This year’s Halftime act is The Weeknd. Should be… something.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Instagram.

Is this your favourite rom-com of 2021? It’s definitely mine – and it’s playing out on Instagram. Rom-coms, like most films, have three acts. We are currently still in the first act of Michael B Jordan Loves Lori Harvey: An Instagram Love Story. Will we see the second act? When the initial intensity…

I didn’t realize it last week, but Champ Biden and Major Biden didn’t get to move into the White House on the day of the inauguration, or even the day after. They only got to move in on Sunday!! Who was looking after Champ and Major? My guess is that Ashley Biden or some of the grandkids were probably looking after the dogs. But now Champ and Major are getting some time with mom and dad and they’re exploring their new home. I wonder if they’ll be allowed in the Oval Office? Or will they just hang out in the residence or East Wing, with First Lady Jill?

The first dogs have entered the White House — the Bidens’ two German shepherds, Champ and Major, officially joined the first family in their new residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on Sunday.

“Champ and Major Biden joined the President and the First Lady at the White House on Sunday,” First Lady Jill Biden’s press secretary Michael LaRosa told CNN in a statement Monday. “The First Family wanted to get settled before bringing the dogs down to Washington from Delaware. Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace, and Major loved running around on the South Lawn.”

The new canine occupants of the White House mark a return to form. Though there is a long history of Presidential pets, former President Donald Trump and his family did not bring pets to the White House. CNN has previously reported the elder dog, Champ, joined the Biden family during the presidential transition in December 2008, weeks after Biden became vice president-elect. The family later fostered Major from the Delaware Humane Association and made his adoption official in November 2018.

[From CNN]

I’m happy for Jill and Joe because their puppies are finally with them, and I’m happy for Champ and Major that they get such a big house to explore and play in. Remember, Dr. Jill also said that if her husband won, she was going to get a cat. My guess is that she’ll wait for kitten season, which is the spring. From what I’ve heard, all the puppies and kittens are being adopted pretty quickly in the pandemic.

This CNN dude went off in a really petty way and I’m here for it.

Very important breaking news: Champ and Major Biden have moved into the White House pic.twitter.com/LiBh8c1qZ9

— Alli Hedges Maser (@AllisonLHedges) January 25, 2021

Look at these good White House dogs!!

Just in: The First Dogs arrived at the @WhiteHouse Sunday, including Major, the first rescue dog ever to live in the White House. According to @FLOTUS’ office, “Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace and Major loved running around on the South Lawn.” #firstdogs pic.twitter.com/WUdcKZTqXd

— Kenneth Moton (@KennethMoton) January 25, 2021

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Photos courtesy of Backgrid, social media.

Besides performing at the inauguration, Jennifer Lopez has been on a cringe-worthy moments tour the last week. Today, Jennifer launched the, “My Love Don’t Cost a Thing” challenge with this awkward post on Twitter and Instagram to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the song. JLo is also known for her very high profile (read very public) relationships and subsequent breakups and divorces. Who can forget when she married her back-up dancer Chris Judd? Or her extremely papped relationship with Ben Affleck? Or that blip of a situationship with Drake (did that relationship really happen) or when she dated that other backup dancer? Jennifer rarely lets the ink dries on the divorce papers or the headlines before she is in yet another relationship. I have always wondered why Jennifer spent the bulk of her life relationship hopping and she answers the question on the Youtube series Coach Conversations. Coach Conversations is a monthly series produced by accessories brand Coach. Jennifer is in the debut episode of the show where she talks about learning how to love herself, being ok with being alone, and observing her self talk. Below are a few excerpts from the episode via People. She spoke with author and purpose coach Jay Shetty.

The host noted that people don’t have classes for the heart or emotions as children, and Lopez said, “They should have a whole school for that.”

“I always say, why don’t they teach kids from a very young age to love themselves. Or a course, or something!” the mom to twins Maximillian and Emme, 12, added.

“I remember when I was going through therapy, in the beginning, kind of in my late 30s, and there was a lot of talk about loving yourself,” Lopez recalled.

The singer continued, “And I was like, ‘I love myself.’ But obviously, I was doing all these things like my personal relationships didn’t seem like I was loving myself.”

Lopez was previously married to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd and Marc Anthony, with whom she shares Maximillian and Emme. She also had several high-profile relationships with Diddy, Ben Affleck and more before she got engaged to Alex Rodriguez.

“I didn’t even understand the concept of [self-love],” she admitted. “It took time and it’s a journey and it’s still a journey for me.”

“And the most important thing is you have to listen to yourself, and the words that you tell yourself,” Lopez said. “What you say and what you think — and I tell this to my kids all the time — becomes your reality.”

“One of my biggest fears growing up was being alone,” she admitted. “I did get into relationships, sometimes the wrong ones for the wrong reasons because I didn’t like being alone.”

Lopez continued, “Now that [fear] is gone, and I’m okay on my own. That was a big journey for me.”

[From People]

Jenny from the Block is peak Leo energy. She is rabid about her image and being alone to her (like most Leos I know) is like being marooned on a deserted island away from her throng of fawning fans. I mean how else would she know that she is loved? I am glad that JenJen has gotten clarity around her fear of being alone because many of the men that she dated and married were not it. As much as I personally don’t like JLo because she is problematic AF, I always felt like she was settling in her relationships. I like how she said that there should be a course that teaches children to love themselves. I truly believe in this. I’ve come to discover most of our negative self talk is implanted in us when we are children by adults who are also wounded. I think healing our familial trauma must start if possible before bringing children into this world. At least we should try to heal our wounds while we are raising our children (not me I didn’t won’t children, I had a lot of sh*t to unpack) so that we don’t pass our wounds on to them. Whatever the case, it seems that Jenny’s children are quite grounded (and talented) and I am sure it is because of the personal work that JLo has put in over the years. I am also sure that by having a good relationship with Marc Anthony, JLo is leading by example and creating a stable environment for her children. I also like how JLo said that this year she hopes to empower and inspire people with her performances.

I’m glad Jenny from the Block is learning to love herself and being ok with being alone (it’s easy to say this when you have been booed-up for four years). Hopefully, her relationship with A-Rod works out so she won’t have to actually put that declaration to the test. I personally don’t want to see Jenny struggling to NOT be in a relationship if she and A-Rod were to breakup.

Here is the full interview:

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A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo)

There’s also this:

? TRIVIA: What well known celebrity used to frequent casinos with her former fellow celeb husband — and when her generous ex would pull out cash to tip the workers serving them — she’d look them straight in the eye, snatch it up, and put it in her pocket like it was nothing? pic.twitter.com/05Fub7CNaj

— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) January 25, 2021

Photos via Instagram and credit: Avalon.red

I don’t know much about JoJo Siwa apart from the fact that she used to be on Dance Moms and now she’s a wildly popular YouTube star with a very young demo. Besides her 12 million subscribers on YouTube, she’s got another 31 million followers on TikTok and 10 million on Instagram and a half a million…