Over the summer, Queen Elizabeth pretended like the UK wasn’t in the middle of a deadly pandemic, and she forced her staff and her husband to travel to Scotland for their annual Balmoral holiday like usual. There was a lot of grumbling from the Balmoral staff too, because they had to be under a strict “HMS Bubble” isolation protocol, and even with all of that, it was apparently the worst Balmoral summer ever because all of the activities were cancelled because… you know, the pandemic. Even Prince Philip hated the entire trip and so they left Balmoral early and spent some time at Wood Farm, then they returned to Windsor Castle, which is where the Queen has been isolating since March.

Soon after the Balmoral debacle was over, the conversation began about the Queen’s Christmas plans. There was a scheme to allow the Queen to go to Sandringham like always for Christmas, but that scheme would have involved her staff isolating for four weeks at a time, which would have meant that dozens of staffers would not have been able to see THEIR families for Christmas. The staff was in revolt, and the Queen was said to be “furious.” Since then, there’s been a lot of talk about what will and will not be allowed and who the Queen will see over the holiday. Now there’s a confirmation as to the Queen’s Christmas plans: she and Philip will stay at Windsor Castle.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will spend a quiet Christmas at Windsor Castle due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is the first time in 32 years that the couple will not be at Sandringham for the festive period. The Queen usually remains at her estate in Norfolk until after the anniversary of her father’s death. George VI died at Sandringham on 6 February 1952.

Christmas Day is normally marked by a procession of royals walking from Sandringham House to nearby St Mary Magdalene church to attend the morning service, watched by members of the public allowed into the estate grounds. This year the Queen will not attend a Christmas Day service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, to avoid attracting crowds.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Having considered all the appropriate advice, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have decided that this year they will spend Christmas quietly in Windsor.”

A source said: “The Queen and the duke are fortunate to spend Christmas with their family every year. They understand that their family will have competing demands over the Christmas period and are content to have a quiet festive season this year. Like everyone they hope things will get back to normal in 2021.”

With the couple likely to be alone on Christmas Day, it is understood they will see some family members over the festive break, though whether that will be inside the castle or outside in the grounds is not clear. It is not known which family members the couple are in a bubble with.

The Prince of Wales, 72, and Duchess of Cornwall, 73, will spend Christmas Day at their Highgrove home in Gloucestershire. They are expected to see the Queen, 94, and Philip, 99, at some point. The duchess also plans to see her family over the festive period.

Prince Andrew, 60, and Princess Eugenie, 30, who both live at Windsor, may also be candidates to visit.

[From The Guardian]

So much for the Boxing Day hunt at Sandringham! Too bad. It sounds like Liz’s staff finally got through to her that she couldn’t just keep carrying on like normal during the pandemic, that she had to be reasonable, especially about what she was demanding from her staff. Plus, she might actually ENJOY a looser, less German Christmas. There won’t be so many costume changes and day-drinking and she’ll probably get to spend time with her faves – Prince Andrew and the Countess of Wessex – anyway. Charles and Camilla will probably enjoy having a rare Christmas at Highgrove too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Buckingham Palace.

The word of the week is “pardons,” as Donald Trump considers pardoning Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Don Jr, plus Rudy Giuliani. Those are the people who have been (nominally) “loyal” to Mob Boss Bigly, but we shouldn’t discount the idea that pardons will be issued for reasons other than loyalty and concern for his favorite children. The breaking news last night was that the Department of Justice has been investigating a web of crimes involved with a “pay-to-pardon” scheme.

The Justice Department is investigating a potential crime related to funneling money to the White House or related political committee in exchange for a presidential pardon, according to court records unsealed Tuesday in federal court.

The disclosure is in 20 pages of partially redacted documents made public by the DC District Court on Tuesday afternoon. The records show Chief Judge Beryl Howell’s review in August of a request from prosecutors to access documents obtained in a search as part of a bribery-for-pardon investigation. The filings don’t reveal a timeline of the alleged scheme, or any names of people potentially involved, except that communications between people including at least one lawyer were seized from an office that was raided sometime before the end of this summer.

No one appears to have been publicly charged with a related crime to date. A Justice Department official told CNN that “no government official was or is currently a subject or target of the investigation disclosed in this filing.”

According to the court records, at the end of this summer, a filter team, used to make sure prosecutors don’t receive tainted evidence that should have been kept from them because it was privileged, had more than 50 digital devices including iPhones, iPads, laptops, thumb drives and computer drives after investigators raided the unidentified offices.

[From CNN]

Lawyer Twitter was running through the redacted filing and there’s some evidence to suggest that the person seeking a pardon A) is already serving time or in custody and B) has a surname ending in “S”.

Gates, Hicks, Sessions, Priebus, DeVos…and Nunes.

— Greg Olear (@gregolear) December 2, 2020

Someone also floated the name Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently sitting in a detention center in Brooklyn, awaiting trial. That… makes a lot of sense. Maxwell has a lot of money and she can hire people who have access to the Trumps. Plus, we still don’t know how much incriminating evidence she’s sitting on, and just who will be implicated in the cache of Jeffrey Epstein files she has. Everyone assumes that Epstein had files on/videos with Donald Trump too.

Anyway, this is the worst/most disgusting blind item ever, but who was trying to bribe Trump for a pardon? I really can’t figure it out.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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Most of us know that Katy Perry was raised in conservative, evangelical household. Her parents, Mary and Keith, are Pentecostal pastors. They were born again Christians atoning for a wild youth so they went off the deep end, calling Deviled Eggs “Angeled Eggs” and not allowing anything but gospel music in the home. Katy has discussed her struggles with her parents’ beliefs but still maintains a close enough relationship with them that they pop up in her concert footage and on American Idol, etc. Another subject on which they disagree is politics, Katy’s folks being strong Trump supporters, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been paying attention. Following the election, Katy was one of the first celebrities to start talking about “reaching across the aisle,” starting with our own families. On November 8, she posted this:

the first thing I did when the presidency was called is text and call my family members who do not agree and tell them I love them and am here for them. #FamilyFirst. Call your family today. Happy Sunday. ??

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 8, 2020

I hadn’t seen this tweet before now. I saw a lot of tweets from random people urging non-Trump voters to remember what it felt like four years ago when they lost or to have compassion for the Right, and I simply didn’t have the time for any of it. I’ve voted in plenty of elections in which my candidate didn’t win and the other side never owed me anything. My larger argument is that we, the pro-democracy set, have been forced to watch as crimes, atrocities, injustices, and scandals were committed in front of us every day for four years and we were just told we’d been granted a reprieve. If I had any Trump-voting family member I spoke to, their comfort would be the furthest thing from my mind.

I guess Katy meant it, though, because she recently promoted her father’s new clothing line, Nothing But American t-shirts and hoodies. The idea that Keith is promoting is that he’s tired of our political beliefs dividing us as a nation and we if we all put on these cool new shirts, declaring ourselves an American (symbolized by the flag) and not by our political party, then the country will heal, peace will ring out across the land and Coors Light will once again flow from the Rockies:

A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry)

DListed graciously transcribed the video already:

“Hey everyone, I’m Keith, and I want to ask you a question. Are you tired of the division that is destroying our country? Are you sick of losing your family and friends because they just don’t agree with your political views? Well, I am. And I know there’s a lot of other people out there that have the same feeling… and no matter what you believe at the end of the day, we are all Americans. And I designed this t-shirt because I want people to know that even though you may have a different religion or political view than I do, I still will be there for you and I still will consider you my friend, my neighbor and my fellow American.”

I’m curious where this cry for unity and repair was when the GOP had all the power.

If you go on to the website, Nothing But American Store dot com, there are four items to choose from, two designs available in either a t-shirt or hoodie (no mention of where the product is made). Republican is listed first on both designs, just fyi. Katy was very active during the election, asking people to vote, reminding people of mail-in cut off dates and telling folks to check their information online. So she wasn’t ambivalent to the outcome of the election. But in her caption to the IG above, she said she and her dad haven’t always see eye to eye. Katy is an LGBTQ ally and her parents’ religion believes homosexuality goes against God. Katy was taught “to pray the gay away” at Jesus camp growing up. If her parents voted for Trump, then they supported his comments about white supremacists being very fine people. They voted for his decision to separate children from their parents and have them locked in cages. They supported the dismantling of healthcare for hundreds of thousands of Americans and the stripping away of affordable and safe healthcare. Are those the issues that Katy is referring to when she used cute emojis to say she and her father don’t see eye to eye? Because it would be hard to cover those things up with a cheap t-shirt.

To try and see Katy’s side, she did just have her first baby and she probably very much wants her whole family around her in this moment. So conciliatory efforts are probably important to her. But they are her efforts, with her family and I wish she’d recognize that. Because the things that Trump stood aren’t a matter of not seeing eye to eye and I will not reach out to anyone who doesn’t acknowledge the pain and suffering they’ve caused by supporting him.

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Photo credit: Instagram and Getty

To me, the whole “preemptive pardons shouldn’t be a thing” argument falls flat, because of what Gerald Ford did for Richard Nixon. Nixon was also up to his eyes in criminality (and ratf–king), but he wasn’t under indictment or charged with any crime when he resigned from office. Then President Ford pardoned him preemptively. So the precedent was set long ago. Expect Donald Trump – who is a million times worse, dumber and more criminal than Nixon – to issue a slate of “preemptive pardons.” Apparently, Rudy Giuliani has already discussed it with Trump. And “advisors” are heavily encouraging Trump to preemptively pardon his children too:

President Trump has discussed with advisers whether to grant pre-emptive pardons to his children, to his son-in-law and to his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, and talked with Mr. Giuliani about pardoning him as recently as last week, according to two people briefed on the matter. Mr. Trump has told others that he is concerned that a Biden Justice Department might seek retribution against the president by targeting the oldest three of his five children — Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump — as well as Ms. Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, a White House senior adviser.

Donald Trump Jr. had been under investigation by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, for contacts that the younger Mr. Trump had had with Russians offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign, but he was never charged. Mr. Kushner provided false information to federal authorities about his contacts with foreigners for his security clearance, but was given one anyway by the president.

The nature of Mr. Trump’s concern about any potential criminal exposure of Eric Trump or Ivanka Trump is unclear, although an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into the Trump Organization has expanded to include tax write-offs on millions of dollars in consulting fees by the company, some of which appear to have gone to Ms. Trump.

[From The NY Times]

Personally, I don’t think Bigly is all that concerned about Don Jr. or Eric being charged with any crimes. But I bet he’s definitely interested in protecting Ivanka and Jared, and I could absolutely see him giving preemptive pardons to Javanka and none of his other kids. Apparently, Trump’s advisers are really pushing for pardons for the whole family because, I sh-t you not, “The kids have been through enough.” Exactly what have they been “through”? Cocaine and crimes? Fascism whispers and incompetence? Financial and election fraud? Sources also tell ABC News that “Trump has not to this point embraced the idea of preemptive pardons, with some aides concerned that a preemptive pardon could be seen as an admission of guilt of some kind.” YA THINK?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Donald Trump issued a pardon for Mike Flynn, who absolutely is a traitor and a liar. The thing is, I actually forgot that Trump had not already pardoned Flynn? Did anyone else feel like that story was deja vu? But no, Trump only pardoned Flynn last week. It was as predictable as they come, literally everyone knew Trump would do it. So who else will Trump pardon? Himself? His ratf–king henchmen? What about Rudy Giuliani, who is up to his eyeballs in lies, fraud, financial misdeeds and treasonous international conspiracies.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s lawyer who has led the most extensive efforts to damage his client’s political rivals and undermine the election results, discussed with the president as recently as last week the possibility of receiving a pre-emptive pardon before Mr. Trump leaves office, according to two people told of the discussion.

It was not clear who raised the topic. The men have also talked previously about a pardon for Mr. Giuliani, according to the people. Mr. Trump has not indicated what he will do, one of the people said. Mr. Giuliani’s potential criminal exposure is unclear. He was under investigation as recently as last summer by federal prosecutors in Manhattan for his business dealings in Ukraine and his role in ousting the American ambassador there, a plot that was at the heart of the impeachment of Mr. Trump.

Mr. Giuliani did not respond to a message seeking comment. Christianne Allen, his spokeswoman, said, “Mayor Giuliani cannot comment on any discussions that he has with his client.”

Mr. Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello, said, “He’s not concerned about this investigation, because he didn’t do anything wrong and that’s been our position from Day 1.”

[From The NY Times]

Yeah, over the next month, I’m sure a lot of us are going to become self-styled pardon experts. The truth is that Trump probably *could* do a preemptive pardon for Rudy and anyone else. Presidential pardon powers are broad and pretty untested in the court system. Now, would that mean that Rudy is in the clear for everything if Trump does in fact pardon him? No. Because much like Mike Flynn, a pardon takes away a person’s right to plead the fifth. Giuliani and Flynn could be hauled before Congress to testify, or subpoenaed by a federal prosecutor to give testimony under oath, and if they get caught in a lie, that’s a brand new crime not covered by the pardon. Plus, you know, state charges. I’m 100% certain that Rudy has committed a slew of state crimes.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

As we discussed, Prince Harry had a Zoom conversation with the CEO of WaterBear, a “platform offering free documentaries and live, original content from more than 80 NGOs across the world.” He did the Zoom call to highlight the work, and the visibility of the work around conservation and environmentalism. In a preview of the conversation, he threw a little shade at people who are all talk and no action about the environment. Well, I was looking around to see if there were any more good quotes from the Zoom and I came across this Daily Mail coverage and I can’t stop laughing:

Prince Harry has urged people to be more ‘like raindrops’ in the fight against climate change, in an impassioned speech to mark the launch of a new Netflix-style platform for environmental and conservation documentaries.

Peppering his speech with both woke and whimsical references, the Duke of Sussex, 36, who currently resides in a $15million mansion in California said: ‘Every single raindrop that falls from the sky relieves the parched ground. What if every single one of us was a raindrop, and if every single one of us cared? At the end of the day, nature is our life source… But you can’t uplift, educate and inspire unless there is a form of action that follows.’

And the Duke, who has previously been criticised for his use of private jets, hit out at those who don’t take real action on the environment, saying: ‘For me it’s putting in the dos behind the says. There’s a lot of people that say, but this is about action.’

[From The Daily Mail]

The downright SEETHING!!! I’m laughing so hard. The URL shows that the original headline was “Prince Harry gets airy-fairy…” It’s only airy-fairy when Harry does it, never when Charles or William talk about the environment. I mean… imagine if the Daily Mail (or any British media outlet) had covered Prince William’s big Earthshot Prize launch this way. “Work-shy Prince William, who lives in a taxpayer-funded palace which was renovated at the cost of $20 million only for it to sit idle for years, thinks it’s important to be keen about the environment, so he screamed at his staff until they made him a project called Earthshot…William launched Earthshot as he headed off to his tenth vacation from his minor busy work, and again using a borrowed private jet from the Duke of Westminster…”

Anyway, Harry had more to say:

Speaking about his son Archie, now 19 months, Harry said: ‘Being in nature is the most healing part of life, I truly believe that’s one reason why it’s there. But the moment you become a father, everything really does change because then you start to realise, well, what is the point in bringing a new person into this world when they get to your age and it’s on fire? We can’t steal their future, that’s not the job we’re here for. I’ve always believed that hopefully we can leave the world a better place than when we’ve found it, so I really think we need to take a moment and think well how can we get what we need and have our desire fulfilled without taking from our children and generations to come?’

Harry reflected on the ‘universally tough year’ that everyone has experienced, adding that he has found solace in nature, which he believes is the ‘most healing part of life Someone said to me right at the start of the pandemic, “It’s almost as though Mother Nature has sent us to our rooms for bad behaviour”,’ he observed.

[From The Daily Mail]

Both Harry and William make similar arguments about conservation and the environment, which is that fatherhood made them understand that they don’t want to hand their kids a world on fire, a world without tigers and elephants and lions. I get that people need to hear those kinds of personal stories and hear about “what kind of world are we leaving to the youths,” but… I don’t know. People have been saying that for decades now and everyone keeps f–king up the earth anyway. It’s really difficult to NOT get frustrated with all of these conversations and all of the lack of action.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The artist formerly known as Ellen Page has come out as a transgender non-binary person. His name is now Elliot Page. Elliot is 33-years-old and an Oscar-nominated actor, currently starring in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. He issued a statement on social media (via Variety) with the announcement:

“Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life. I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey. I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self. I’ve been endlessly inspired by so many in the trans community. Thank you for your courage, your generosity and ceaselessly working to make this world a more inclusive and compassionate place. I will offer whatever support I can and continue to strive for a more loving and equal society.”

“I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive. To all the trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse, and the threat of violence every day: I see you, I love you, and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.”

[From Variety]

By saying his pronouns are “he/they,” Elliot means that he’s fine with being called “he” or the non-binary they/them, which are the pronouns used by celebrities like Asia Kate Dillon and Sam Smith. I had to consult GLAAD’s style guide for accuracy, and here’s what they write about the he/they distinction: “DO describe Elliot Page as a non-binary, transgender person. Both transgender and non-binary are umbrella terms that describe many different types of experiences. In Page’s case, it can be used like this: ‘Elliot Page describes themself as transgender and non-binary, meaning that their gender identity is neither man nor woman.’” The GLAAD style guide also says that anyone writing or speaking about Elliot can use he/him or they/them pronouns, because Page himself says he’s fine with either.

Elliott has been married to Emma Portney since January 2018, and Emma is completely supportive of Elliot revealing his authentic self. Emma reposted Elliot’s statement with the comment that she’s “so proud…Trans, queer and non-binary people are a gift to this world. I also ask for patience & privacy but that you join me in the fervent support of trans life every single day. Elliot’s existence is a gift in and of itself. Shine on sweet E. Love you so much.”

I’m so happy for Elliot!

pic.twitter.com/kwti60bZLw

— Elliot Page (@TheElliotPage) December 1, 2020

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

A post shared by Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (@millionairetv)

Celebrity Chef David Chang became the first celebrity to ever win the million dollars on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The celebrity contestants always play for charity and this year it’s benefiting frontline workers. Chang gave his million dollar winnings to the Southern Smoke Foundation. Southern Smoke provides crisis relief to hospitality workers and organizations and has distributed $5.8 million both directly to people via their Emergency Relief Fund and to industry organizations since 2015. Jimmy Kimmel stated before Chang answered the million dollar question that every celebrity has walked away before risking it all by this point in the game. Chang decided to take the risk and answered the question, “Who was the first president to have electricity in the White House?” Chang called his friend, ESPN journalist Mina Kimes, for the answer. Here are a few excerpts via CNN:

Chang jumped from his chair when he heard the sound of screams, as writer and director Alan Yang presented a gigantic check on stage. Chang had won.

“Always wanted to hold a giant check on television,” Yang wrote on Twitter, with a photo of him, Chang, Kimmel and the check. “Thanks @MillionaireTV! Asian trivia dream team ftw.”

Chang had always intended on donating the money to the Southern Smoke Foundation, a crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry. If Chang had decided not to answer the question, he would have walked away with roughly $500,000. Instead, he decided to risk it all for the sake of doubling that donation.

“Having a million dollars right now in this moment, is a game changer for many, many families,” Chang says in the video clip of the episode. “And yes, half a million is as well — and I want to say ‘No, just take the money!’ — but I’m not.”

While restaurants and bars were classified by states as essential businesses that could operate on takeout and delivery, many still had to close down during stay-at-home orders. Some businesses found it hard, or economically unfeasible to adopt that model, or had other public health concerns.

“Since the government won’t help out restaurant workers…we have to do what we can to help out,” Chang tweeted on Sunday in a thread about winning on the show.

[From CNN]

I would have lost all my money. I don’t think I have any friends who know such intimate details of American history. I know I don’t. I like the fact that this season was all about social responsibility. The show didn’t have a live studio audience and only allowed the contestant, the host and celebrity guest on the stage to comply with Covid regulations. I really like that they highlighted charities that focus on frontline workers who have been hit the hardest in the pandemic, especially those working in the hospitality industries.

I’ve never watched Millionaire but I love a great trivia show so I may just check it out because the nerd in me demands it. Hopefully the million dollars will go a long way to help hospitality workers who have suffered due to the pandemic. If we flip the Senate in January, Biden and Harris can address the financial strain on American families rather swiftly when they first take office. In the meantime, here’s hoping that we pull through the next few months and our economy rebounds at some point.

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Amanda Seyfried has a new project on Netflix that comes out Friday called Mank. She both produced and co-stars in it opposite Gary Oldman who plays the titular character, Herman “Mank” Mankiewicz. Amanda was pregnant while filming the project, we know now because she surprised us all by announcing the birth of her second child, a son, in September. Amanda and husband Thomas Sadoski also have a three-year-old daughter and they all live on a farm in upstate New York with Amanda’s mom. Amanda has called her mom a “third parent” and praised her help. With the pandemic, and her mom’s help, Amanda was able not only to tend to her farm but pick up a few new hobbies. That is, until baby two arrived and now Amanda doesn’t have time for anything that isn’t kid related.

On Life on her New York farm: I am unable to stand by and do nothing. During my pregnancy, I discovered new passions. I learned crochet, embroidery, sewing … I even got into the quilting technique to make quilts. On the other hand since our second baby is here, I don’t have a second of my own. Being a mom has changed all of my priorities.

On life with two young kids: There are magical moments between them. Everyone warned me, but having two kids has nothing to do with one (laughs). It’s great being a mother, but I’m just starting to learn the art of juggling with two toddlers. Living on a farm also has advantages like nature and anonymity, but with two children everything changes. Before, I took care of the morning chores with the animals. There, it is much more complicated with two young children. And you have to watch the chickens and ducks, that they are not too close to them (laughs). I expected the responsibilities of becoming a mother, but added to that are the lives of the animals that need us.

[From The Times Hub]

I’ve said this before, but I feel so much for parents of young kids during this pandemic. I don’t know how they’re doing it. I’m stuck at home with kids, but they’re teenagers who are perfectly capable of feeding and entertaining themselves. Heck, they chip in with chores and cooking and such. If I had a toddler looking to me to entertain it 10 hours a day, man, I’d be a basket case. I imagine between the farm, her daughter and a baby, Amanda is having trouble finding a few moments for herself. Now she has work to promote on top of it, but it could be nice to discuss something other than diapers, who’s hungry and “how did that mess get there?” The imagery of her last few sentences made me giggle, though. I’m picturing what was supposed to be a bucolic farm scene of children and poultry in harmony but ended up erupting into the Fowl-Toddler Hungry Games.

As for the skills Amanda acquired before her time evaporated – brava. I already know how to sew, and I don’t know if I’ve so much as threaded a needle during the pandemic. She mastered quilting? Good lord! Amanda ran a farm, finished producing a film, learned quilting techniques, embroidery and crocheting, raised a three-year-old and grew and birthed a baby all during quarantine. Huh. Once this is over, and the topic of conversation is “How did you spend quarantine?”, I’m starting to worry that “I watched crap TV and ate my body weight in M & M’s” isn’t going play that well.

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Tina Turner is marking her 81st birthday with the release of her new book, Happiness Becomes You. In the book, Tina talks about how her relationship with her husband Erwin Bach has changed her life for the better. Tina and Erwin, who is 16 years Tina’s junior, met in 1986, when Erwin was sent by Tina’s music label to pick her up from the airport in Germany. Their meeting happened almost a decade after Tina ended her abusive marriage with her first husband Ike Turner. In her marriage to Ike, Tina had to manage Ike’s jealousy over her success and insecurities while sustaining physical and mental abuse. However, her relationship with Erwin couldn’t be further from her first. Tina says that Erwin has taught her that true love doesn’t require her to dim her light so that he can shine. Below are a few excerpts via People:

In her new book, Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good, out Tuesday, the music legend credits her husband of seven years Erwin Bach, whom she lives with in Zürich, for teaching her how “to love without giving up who I am.”

“We grant each other freedom and space to be individuals at the same time we are a couple,” Turner writes in the book. “Erwin, who is a force of nature in his own right, has never been the least bit intimidated by my career, my talents, or my fame. He shows me that true love doesn’t require the dimming of my light so that he can shine. On the contrary, we are the light of each other’s lives, and we want to shine as bright as we can, together.”

“Falling in love with my husband, Erwin, was another exercise in leaving my comfort zone, of being open to the unexpected gifts that life has to offer,” she writes. “The day I first met Erwin, at an airport in Germany, I should have been too tired from my flight, too preoccupied with thoughts of my concert tour, and in too much of a hurry to get to my hotel to pay much attention to the young music executive who came from my record company to welcome me.”

“But I did notice him, and I instantly felt an emotional connection,” she continues. “Even then, I could have ignored what I felt — I could have listened to the ghost voices in my head telling me that I didn’t look good that day, or that I shouldn’t be thinking about romance because it never ends well. Instead, I listened to my heart. I left my comfort zone and made it a priority to get to know Erwin. That simple first meeting led to a long, beautiful relationship — and my one true marriage.”

[From People]

Tina Turner’s life has always been inspiring to me. Every since I was a kid I used to sing “What’s Love Got To do with It?” and “Private Dancer” around my grandmother’s house. As someone who has witnessed domestic violence through family and friends, Tina’s journey from a relationship with Ike who was selfish and extremely abusive to one with a man who loved her so much that he gave her one of his kidneys is awe-inspiring to me. Tina truly sets the example that we never know where life will lead us, but if we are open, life will give us so many blessings. I look forward to reading her book because I know there will be a lot of amazing nuggets in it.

I know I am not the only one who was standing up and applauding Angela Bassett as Tina towards the end of What’s Love Got To Do With It when she took down Ike. Besides her music and movie roles, the fictionalized version of Tina’s life really endeared her to me. I now get my Tina fix by listening to her meditation chants on Youtube.

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