As I’ve said before, I really like The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes. His royal coverage and royal analysis is usually pretty interesting, and his unnamed sources often provide the bitchiest quotes out there. Sykes did an analysis piece this week about Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, the royal press game and whether all of the signs are pointing towards an engagement sooner rather than later. Sykes analyzes the stupid press strategy around Harry and Meghan’s relationship, and calls out the younger royals for being so short-sighted with the press. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

How Poor Jason lied to the press about Harry’s visit to Toronto: The naked deception marks a new low in the contemptuous manner Kensington Palace sees fit to treat the British press…Harry and his youthful press team are playing a dangerous game in telling outright lies to the press. Not only does such behaviour eliminate all trust, it is immensely alienating to reporters, whose jobs (and mortgages) depend on getting accurate information to their readers. It was also, needless to say, an open goal; the Sun got the story that Harry was visiting Meghan anyway, and the story of Harry’s flagrant disregard for protocol and abuse of taxpayer funds is now leading news coverage. The story was the “most read” item on even the patriotic Daily Telegraph’s website on Wednesday. The scandal has entirely eclipsed the wonderful, positive PR for the monarchy that the gruelling two-week tour of the Caribbean had generated.

The arrogance of the royals: How could Harry, and his advisers, have been so stupid? Part of the answer lies in the unattractive arrogance that is becoming a defining characteristic of the young royals. Another part lies in the inexperience of Harry’s underpaid press team and their well-documented inability to say no to their masters. Some insiders say that the press operation has been chaotic since old timer Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton left two years ago. This summer Nick Loughran, a former police spokesman, left KP for PR firm Freuds after he split up with his former girlfriend, Kate Middleton’s aide Rebecca Deacon, and started going out with Harry’s assistant, Clara Madden.

Why the PR around Harry & Meghan seems so bungled: There are only really three explanations; 1) the press team at Kensington Palace have lost their minds, 2) Harry is on the point of proposing to Meghan, or, even more intriguingly, 3) he already has. In the case of 2) or 3), the stop in Toronto suddenly makes sense; Harry may have judged the long game was worth the short-term criticism and negative headlines.

Sykes thinks an engagement is coming soon: As the furor surrounding the Toronto stopover shows, taking planes to go on dates isn’t really practical for a high-profile royal. If they got engaged, and she was prepared to give up her career, there would be no reason why Markle shouldn’t move into KP immediately. Given that she has already stayed overnight there, there is unlikely to be any objection on protocol grounds form the queen. Markle cannot be given taxpayer-funded protection unless she and Harry are actually engaged. Matters may come to a head over the forthcoming holiday period. Rumors are rife that Harry and Meghan are planning a winter vacation, and an announcement of an engagement in the New Year would be a delightful—but not entirely surprising—development.

[From The Daily Beast]

So much shade! And this was what I was attempting to point out earlier this week. While Harry might be a lot better than William in many, many ways, they have one thing in common: “unattractive arrogance,” especially in how they deal with the media. It pains me to say that about Harry too, but the whole lying-to-the-press-about-flying-to-Toronto thing was bad. If William had done it, he would have been thoroughly slammed, for good reason. And yes, it does feel like the Kensington Palace press office doesn’t know what the hell they’re doing most of the time. Even if you go along with the theory that Harry and Meghan are already engaged or they’re on the engagement path, that still doesn’t explain the Wales’ brothers constant contempt for the press. The same press that (for the most part) benefits from building them up and adding to their popularity.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

Surprise! Congratulations are in order for Lake Bell and Scott Campbell.

The Secret Life of Pets star, 37, and her tattoo artist husband, 39, are expecting their second child. The Pride and Glory actress publicly announced her pregnancy by debuting her growing baby bump at the AG + Vanity Fair Opening of Saved in Los Angeles, Calif. on Thursday (December 8).

The expectant mama looked beautiful in a black sleeveless turtleneck maternity dress at the event.

The new addition will join 2-year-old big sister Nova.

The pair – who were wed in 2013 – met in 2011 on the set of HBO’s How To Make It In America, in which Bell starred and Campbell made a guest appearance.

Congratulations to the Bell-Campbell family!

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The 2017 Golden Globes nominations come out on Monday morning. Are you excited? I’m getting excited. What’s interesting is that, traditionally, people have looked at the Golden Globe film nominations as a way to figure out where the race is heading into the final months of the Oscar campaign. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (organizers of the Globes) do a good job of culling and figuring out who goes where. But in the lead up to this year’s nominations announcement, we already have a pretty good handle on who goes where, which races are competitive, and which categories are already in the bag. Note: this is just for film. The TV categories are wide open. So here are some my predictions!

Film categories:

Diversity. The HFPA is good at recognizing diverse talent, so I expect that they’ll once again want to “show up” the Academy Awards for the ongoing Oscars So White debacle. So I expect major nominations for Moonlight, Fences (directed by Denzel Washington, starring Denzel and Viola Davis) and even Lion (a nomination for Dev Patel, please). I’m really hoping Mahershala Ali gets nominated for Best Supporting Actor. And I’ve got my fingers crossed for Ruth Negga.

Actresses. Emma Stone is likely a shoo-in for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical for La La Land. Ruth Negga will absolutely be shortlisted in Drama. Natalie Portman is also actively campaigning for Jackie (she’ll be in the Drama category), and Michelle Williams wants to be nominated for Supporting Actress. I suspect Nicole Kidman will be nominated for Supporting for Lion. If Viola doesn’t even get a nomination for Fences, I will be mad. Here’s what I’ll be looking for: any nominations for Amy Adams. She could be nominated for Arrival OR Nocturnal Animals. I could also see Annette Benning making a late run for her lead role in 20th Century Women. And don’t forget Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins.

Actors. Casey Affleck might have Best Actor wrapped up… or maybe not. I feel like support for him might be getting soft, but that will only work if there’s someone deemed “worthy.” Who could it be? Denzel? Jake Gyllenhaal for Nocturnal Animals? Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic? Joel Edgerton in Loving? Tom Hanks in Sully? Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge OR Silence? I don’t know. Out of that list, I’m hoping for Joel and Jake. Also: I want Michael Shannon to get nominated for everything, please.

Television categories:

Miniseries/TV movies: Honestly, what excites me the most is the idea that Tom Hiddleston will get nominated for The Night Manager and he’ll bring his dragonfly realness to the Globes. PLEASE LET THIS HAPPEN. Please nominate The Night Manager for everything. (Also: do you think it’s possible that Hiddles would get a Musical Actor nomination for I Saw the Light?) Beyond that, we know what will likely sweep – People vs. OJ Simpson. Probably The Night Of.

Comedy: I expect the love-affair with Silicon Valley to continue, as well as the love affair with Modern Family and Veep. The HFPA is good at recognizing new shows too, so possibly some nominations for Atlanta and Insecure.

Drama. The drama categories will be jam-packed with an embarrassment of riches. Potential nominations will be coming for Game of Thrones, Westworld, Stranger Things, The Crown, This Is Us, Mr. Robot, possibly Outlander and Better Call Saul too. I predict Lena Headey will be one of the “breakout” nominations from GoT.

Photos courtesy of HBO, FX, AMC, WENN.

Two more fashion designers have come forward to say that they are open to dressing Melania Trump as First Lady. Carolina Herrera told Page Six, “Of course I will, as the first lady of this country I will. Of course. It is an honor to dress the first ladies of the country and it’s something to do for the United States. It’s not for myself. It’s for the public.” Which is sort of a bold way to think of fashion design, as a service to the country? Jean Paul Gautier also said words about how if Melania wanted him to dress her, he would, and how he thought Melania was “better dressed than Hillary.” I disagree, but whatever. I think the list of designers who refuse to work with the Trumps is longer than the Trump-fashion-appeasers list, but I expect that to change in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the normalization of the Trumps continues unabated. Us Weekly put Melania on their cover this week, and the story is all about her life in New York… the life that she’s not going to give up any time soon.

If Manhattan’s Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School is in session, then Melania Trump is going to be there to pick up or drop off Barron, the 10-year-old son she shares with President-elect Donald Trump. And, oh yes, she’s going to be looking good while she does it! The 46-year-old former model regularly rolls up to the school in a chauffeured Cadillac Escalade, security and all, and “comes in full hair and makeup,” sources said in the new issue of Us Weekly. Right now, Melania’s world revolves around Barron, which is why mother and son will remain at their home in Trump Tower in NYC at least until he can finish the school year — reportedly a decision that she made.

“Barron is the priority for now,” Melania told the magazine in January. “He needs me at this age.” Melania, who has said that she doesn’t employ a nanny, proclaims to be “very involved in [Barron’s] life.”

During the school day is the time for Melania to work on her own projects, such as the jewelry line she once designed for QVC. She also makes time to watch her favorite show, How to Get Away With Murder, and to call Donald, since the avid Twitter user doesn’t text or FaceTime, according to the story (!). Afternoons are filled with homework and after-school programs, while dinners, at least when Donald is home, are about a gourmet meal prepared by the family’s private chef.

“We love to catch up on our daily life and have dinner,” Melania said. “When you’re together and you have great conversation, it’s priceless.”

Melania is likely to stay home at night. Stylist Phillip Bloch, an acquaintance of the Trumps, said, “Melania’s not a big social girl.”

Still, people who know the native Slovenian expect her to excel at hosting dinners and other events in Washington, D.C.

“Melania is an incredible hostess,” a family friend told Us Weekly. “She does everything from orchestrating intimate dinners to bigger things.”

The magazine reports that an aide of former first lady Laura Bush is helping Mrs. Trump to find an experienced social secretary to help. However, she turned to another president’s wife for advice on raising a child in the White House: Michelle Obama.

[From Yahoo]

Why are we even talking about Melania’s White House staff when she’s not moving into the White House any time soon, if she ever does? My guess is that for much of the next year, Melania will barely even be in DC. So maybe we should be talking about the staff Ivanka will use when she’s the de facto FLOTUS.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, cover courtesy of Us Weekly.

Congratulations are in order for Savannah Guthrie and Michael Feldman.

The Today anchor, 44, and her public relations and communication consultant husband, 48, have welcomed their second child – son Charles Max Feldman – on Thursday (December 8), Today reports.

The newborn – who will be knows as “Charley” – weighed in at 9 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 21.5 inches long.

The baby boy is named after Savannah’s late father and Mike’s grandfather.

Charley joins 2-year-old big sister Vale.

While Today‘s Twitter shared several snapshots, the proud mama also posted on social media.

“We are so grateful. Blessings overflow. Along with tears of joy,” she Tweeted.

Baby Charley weighed in at 9 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 21.5 inches long. The proud parents are doing great! https://t.co/kIMNaaghXE pic.twitter.com/IF5IbnhpWo

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 9, 2016

We are so grateful. Blessings overflow. Along with tears of joy https://t.co/vTyDuCMEWT — Savannah Guthrie (@SavannahGuthrie) December 9, 2016

A few days ago, the second full-length trailer for Fifty Shades Darker was released. The first trailer came out in September, to widespread interest, surprisingly enough. Like, it was the most-watched trailer ever for a few months. I thought the first trailer was not great, but then again, I didn’t care for the first film. The first film – Fifty Shade of Grey – ended up making more than $550 million, and so of course the two sequels went into production right away (they filmed them back-to-back earlier this year). In case you’re interested, here’s trailer #2.

Yeah… this is our best look at Kim Basinger’s character, who (spoiler?) was Christian’s first relationship. She feels like she owns Christian to a certain extent, and Ana comes bumbling along and sort of makes it worse.

While FSOG was absolutely a terrible movie at every level, it did have a good soundtrack, and it ended up getting nominated for ONE Oscar, for Best Song. That was for The Weeknd’s “Earned It.” While The Weeknd didn’t win, it was a moment of prestige for the film and for Abel. So of course there was a lot of interest in which artists would come on board for Fifty Shades Darker’s soundtrack. And guess who they got? Taylor Swift. And Zayn Malik. Together. The song is called “I Don’t Want to Live Forever.” Which is not something you ever want to say to a billionaire sadist, because he’ll be like, “Oh, cool, then I have some ideas.” Here’s the teaser for the song:

ICYMI: @zaynmalik & @taylorswift13’s #IDontWannaLiveForever from the #FiftyShadesDarker soundtrack. Get it here: https://t.co/pQRCu2osuW pic.twitter.com/c52I4T6Oyz

— Fifty Shades Darker (@FiftyShades) December 9, 2016

I’m obviously not into this, although I think I would be into it if it was just Zayn. Like, Zayn’s “Pillowtalk” is one of the sexiest songs of the past few years. I know he can do sex-songs well. But adding Tay-Tay into the mix… ugh. But I’m sure the fandoms are happy.

Embed from Getty Images

Z | T | 50@fiftyshades #fiftyshadesdarker @itunes pic.twitter.com/m4meFS4F79

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 9, 2016

Photos courtesy of Getty, ‘Fifty Shades Darker’.

Congratulations are in order for Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant.

The NBA star, 38, and his wife, 34, welcomed their third child – a girl – TMZ reports.

No further information – including the baby’s weight or birth date – has been announced at this time.

The new addition joins big sisters Natalia, 13, and Gianna, 10.

In July, we spotted the Bryant family at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards in Westwood, Calif.

Over the summer, the couple announced their third pregnancy.

“Beyond blessed and excited to share that we are expecting our third baby girl!!! #Blessed #BabyMamba #Thankful,” Kobe announced their happy news on social media.

Congratulations to the Bryant family!

Leonardo DiCaprio is a big-time Democrat. He even supports Democratic tickets when the candidate isn’t all that cool (John Kerry). Leo made many public appearances with Obama administration people, and Leo endorsed Hillary Clinton and raised money for her. Leo’s big political issue has always been the environment and climate change, so it seems like a no-brainer that he would not support the candidate who publicly declared that “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” Well, long story short, the climate-change-is-a-Chinese-hoax candidate won. And yesterday, Leo met with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower.

Hilariously (or not so much), several media outlets painted the meeting as furtive, like it’s Leo’s dirty little secret, that he was seen “sneaking” into Trump Tower. In truth, Leo actually wasn’t ashamed of it at all. As it turns out, Leo is one of those politically active guys who thinks he can manipulate and educate Donald Trump into going to a less ideological place on a big issue. Does this make Leo an appeaser to fascism? Or does it make him naïve? Because Trump will say anything in a meeting with Leo D. Trump will say that climate change is a bigly priority and that of course Leo made him see the light and Leo, he’s such a great guy, love this guy, loved Titanic, love your style, who are you dating these days, Leo? I bet she’s bangable. I bet she would love to be grabbed by the p-ssy by the president-elect. And then Leo will walk out of the meeting thinking, “At least I tried.” And then Trump will still have Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, as head of the EPA.

Still, don’t say that Leo was hiding his meeting with Trump. The CEO for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Terry Tamminen, released a statement after the meeting, saying:

“The president-elect expressed his desire for a follow-up meeting in January, and we look forward to continuing the conversation with the incoming administration as we work to stop the dangerous march of climate change, while putting millions of people to work at the same time,” Tamminen said.

Tamminen told the Associated Press the celebrity not only gave a presentation to Trump and his team, but also to future first daughter Ivanka Trump.

“Our conversation focused on how [to] create millions of secure, American jobs in the construction and operation of commercial and residential clean, renewable energy generation,” said Tamminen. “These programs [are] attainable — and include energy efficiency upgrades that pay for themselves with savings, waste reduction projects that can turn every city into a source of new materials and fuels, and transportation projects that will support global trade while reducing traffic and air pollution and make America a leader in sustainable fuel and vehicle technologies,” Tamminen added.

[From The NY Post]

Bigly conversation, which I’m sure was in one ear and out the other for PEOTUS Trump. He was too busy quietly rating Leo’s ex-girlfriends on a scale of one to ten, ten being “the most bigly p-ssy grabbable.”

And why the hell does Ivanka keep sitting in all of these meetings? Does her father not know what to do if Ivanka isn’t there to burp him every five minutes?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Well, well. The Duchess of Cambridge finally stepped out for an event last night. Kate must have made conditions for her appearance: no public speaking, no interacting with children, and she must be allowed to borrow some jewelry closely associated with Princess Diana. The Queen might have had her own preconditions too: no flashing, wear an appropriate gown, wear your hair back and no manic smiling. Once everyone agreed, Kate showed up to the white-tie reception at Buckingham Palace for some-odd one thousand assembled diplomats. This is one of the biggest events of the year for Buckingham Palace, and I believe this is only the second time William and Kate have ever attended.

The above photo, which was released by Buckingham Palace to the press, is the first-ever formal photograph of these six royals posed together at this event. As the Daily Mail noted, “It is the first time a photographer has been allowed to photograph the Royal Family at an event normally shrouded in secrecy, for reasons that no-one in the royal household can quite remember.” LOL. It’s super-secret but no one knows why. Look at the gentlemen in their fancy britches! So that’s what white-tie-gala-wear looks like for the royals.

As for Kate’s white-tie-wear, she decided to NOT wear white, the color chosen by the Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen. Kate chose to re-wear the same red Jenny Packham gown which she wore to the Buckingham Palace reception for the Chinese president in 2015. That sort of pisses me off, because when I first saw last night’s photos, I thought people were just republishing the Chinese reception photos. Why repeat such a memorable gown to another reception at Buckingham Palace? And it’s not like Kate doesn’t have other (less memorable) gowns to repeat too. Plus, she shops so much, you know she’s got gowns in her closet which she’s never even worn. Why this particular repeat for this particular event?

As for the jewelry, Kate got to borrow the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara, which was given to Diana (by the Queen) as a wedding present in 1981. This is not the first time Kate has worn this particular tiara – she got to wear at last year’s diplomatic reception too. Kate also wore some loopy diamond earrings which look borrowed to me. The Queen wore her sapphire and diamond suite (with matching tiara), and Camilla wore her Boucheron tiara and one of her favorite pieces, a pearl choker. Something else to note about the header photo: Kate is the only one without any orders, medals or honors to wear. Just goes to show you: the Queen isn’t going to give her an honor for doing the bare minimum.

A beaming Catherine Duchess of Cambridge leaves a diplomatic reception #BuckinghamPalace #Royals #Tiara pic.twitter.com/3v6ANknd07

— Rookie (@royalfocus1) December 8, 2016

Photos courtesy of Press Association/Royal Family, Fame/Flynet and @royalfocus1 Twitter.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the winter finale of This is Us

Yesterday, I talked about how I loved This is Us, and not only because of Milo Ventimiglia’s tush. Well, the winter finale, with the foreboding title “Last Christmas,” definitely packed a gut punch. On the lighter side, Kevin played the role of boyfriend at Sloane’s Hanukkah dinner and decided to use his own money to help produce her play – with her as the star (instead of bitter Oiivia) and…well, that’s about it. Oh, and Miguel IS Clark Griswold when it comes to Christmas decor.

The other story lines weren’t quite as merry and bright. In flashback land, we find out that Dr. K, who delivered Kate and Kevin and was responsible for Randall’s adoption, is on the verge of death after a car accident (but survives), Rebecca comes reluctantly to the terms that she might be at least partially responsible for Kate’s relationship with food (and that there’s a lot about her daughter that she doesn’t know), Randall encounters a suicidal co-worker (and buys a boat, which is a fate worse than death, believe me), William is gay (who saw THAT coming?) and, most tragically, right after reconciling with Kate on Christmas Eve, Toby (not Toby!) collapses in a heap on the floor and is whisked to the hospital. And yes, this all happened in the span of 42 minutes. Merry Christmas!

Chris Sullivan, who plays Toby, talked to People about his character’s turn of events. When asked how he was feeling, he replied, “Oh, man. #PrayForToby.” He said he found out about his character’s heart attack earlier on in the shooting of the season, but asserted that no matter what happened to Toby, the show’s creative team will handle it skillfully, stating:

It is a bold and tricky storytelling move that only the writers’ room of This Is Us could handle. Any actor becomes concerned when the writing staff starts having them collapse over coffee tables, but I have faith in our creative team that they will tell the best version of the story that there is to tell.

[From People Magazine]

When asked if his character was dead or alive, Chris responded, “Well, I’d say he’s definitely one or the other. You know what I mean?” And, while Chris also didn’t give a definitive answer when asked whether or not he’s been filming scenes for upcoming episodes of the show, he recently tweeted this photo from the Paramount lot, where the show is filmed.

#Paramount #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/V7up3bA54o

— Chris Sullivan (@SullivanTweet) December 6, 2016

What a lovely photo…wait? Clouds? Is that supposed to represent heaven? Where Toby might be next season? Oh, I hope not.

Okay, let’s see what the Manny has to say about the cliffhanger. US Magazine spoke to Kevin, a/k/a the hunky Justin Hartley, who said he didn’t see the shocking twist coming, adding, “Every single episode is like that for me. I’m like, ‘Welp, didn’t see that coming!’ I don’t know if I’m stupid or what, but I’m always shocked by their storytelling. It blows my mind.” As for his character’s romantic future, it seems like signs are pointing at “Klone” and not “Olivin” (sorry, those names don’t lend themselves well to the couple name generator). On his character’s story act, Justin said,

Kevin is continuing down this path where he’s looking for love and all that kind of stuff, but then something happens, someone comes back into his life and he’s trying to figure out that situation, and then maybe someone else comes back into his life! I think Kevin realizes who it is that he’s longing for, and it’s one of those things that This Is Us kind of does where it’s like, man, that was right there the whole time, but you just didn’t see it. And you sort of experience it with Kevin, which is one of the things I love about our show, when the character is experiencing something, as an audience member you’re kind of going through it with them, and I kind of love that sort of team work of our storytelling.

[From US Magazine]

I hope the means he ends up with Sloane. They make a great couple. But so do Randall and Beth…and Kate and Toby…I hope! They just can’t kill off Toby. I love the relationship between him and Kate and I really want to see Kate happy, especially on the verge of her gastric bypass surgery and the (hopeful) start of a new life for her. And now we have to wait to find out what happens until the show comes back on January 10.

For the record, this “winter finale” stuff is complete BS. The time of year I have a little surplus time to watch TV and every one of my favorite shows goes on break. End rant. Oh, and thanks for the cliffhanger, This is Us! I feel like I just got coal in my stocking. #PrayForToby

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photo credit: Getty Images, WENN.com, NBC, Fame Flynet