Younger people don?t seem to realize that the past nine years of ?Trumpism? has broken every political and cultural norm in American politics. All political conventional wisdom needs to be thrown out. There is no past or future, only our bitter, horrible present. People aren?t going to give a baseline respect to Donald Trump just because of the office of presidency. People aren?t going to show up just because it?s an inauguration. That?s how I feel about Michelle Obama skipping the inauguration or Kamala Harris refusing to invite the Vances to the Naval Observatory ? it?s fine because everything was already broken by Donald Trump. Still, in Michelle?s case, her absence from both Jimmy Carter?s funeral and the upcoming inauguration has caused some other gossip to fester ? rumors about the state of her marriage, health rumors and more. So a ?source close to Michelle Obama? told People Magazine that, basically, MO is skipping these events simply because of Trump.

Shortly after Michelle Obama announced her plan to stay home during Donald Trump?s inauguration, a source familiar with her thinking tells PEOPLE that the former first lady would not want to fake a smile for someone whom she still considers a threat to American democracy.

?There?s no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She?s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol?s sake,? the source says. ?Michelle doesn?t do anything because it?s expected or it?s protocol or it?s tradition.?

The source notes that Trump?s history of attacking the Obama family and making disparaging comments about people of color have also contributed to Michelle?s opinion of him, adding that she would be expected to swallow her feelings in the spotlight if she attended his second inauguration.

?She served in the public eye and did all the public good that she could for eight years as first lady,? the source says of her fulfilling her official responsibilities in 2017. ?You?ll see her when she has a project or cause to promote but she doesn?t feel the need to be a public figure anymore.?

[From People]

To be fair, her absence could still indicate a rift between Michelle and her husband. There have been times where she showed up for events just because Barack had to attend, or he asked her to attend. She clearly doesn?t feel like doing anything for her husband?s sake. Of course, it?s also possible that Barack is totally fine with Michelle skipping, and he may have even encouraged her to do so to protect her peace. ?There?s no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She?s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol?s sake.? Yeah, I?m including the photos of the 2017 inauguration in this post ? Michelle looked like she needed a stiff drink that whole day. Her husband has more of a pokerface.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Prince William stepped out in Birmingham for his first day of work this year, and his first public appearance since Christmas Day. Yes, he was missing for twenty days, one day longer than his wife, who did a photo-op at a London hospital on Tuesday. William?s event in Birmingham was sort of a snooze ? he was named the new patron for the College of Paramedics, and he gave a speech at the inaugural Emergency and Critical Care Conference. I won?t really criticize him for that ? the bar is in hell, but hey, we?re always saying that he should do these kinds of no-drama events. Unfortunately, William couldn?t get through a few hours of ?work? without drinking and football. Apparently, he organized a pub-gathering for Aston Villa fans in Birmingham and they watched a match and drank after his event.

Prince William joined fellow Aston Villa fans for a surprise pub meetup, raising a glass after wrapping up his royal engagement. On Jan. 15, the Prince of Wales was announced as the new patron of the College of Paramedics and stepped out in Birmingham, England, for its inaugural Emergency and Critical Care Conference. It marked his first royal duty of the year, and came the day after his wife Kate Middleton announced that she is in remission from cancer.

Following the stop at the conference, where William met with paramedics, sat in on learning sessions and gave a speech about his commitment to supporting first responders in his new role, he made a pit stop at a local pub. The Prince of Wales, 42, organized a meetup of Aston Villa fans to coincide with his time in Birmingham (the Premier League team?s home city) and bought them a round of drinks at Wetherspoons before the soccer team?s game later that day.

Wetherspoon?s is a U.K. chain with several outposts in Birmingham, and the meetup happened at the Birmingham New Street train station location.

?Prince William surprised pub-goers when he popped into a Wetherspoons at the train station in Birmingham today. He arranged a meet-up with a group of @AVFCOfficial regulars while he was in the city to speak at the College of Paramedics conference and bought them a round,? Rebecca English of the Daily Mail wrote on X.

?You?ve got to be British, I think, to understand the cultural significance of a future king in the ?spoons!? she added in another message.

The Daily Mail reported that Prince William had a pint of Bulmers cider at the pub before taking the train back to London, and he seemed to be at ease in the company of his fellow Aston Villa fans in a video that English shared to X, where he posed for photos and even smiled for a selfie.

[From People]

When I was in my late teens and early 20s, my social life was well-lubricated by alcohol and [redacted]. I think that?s probably true of a lot of young people, and god knows, the whole ?wine mom? and ?wine book club? things exist to help people in their 30s and 40s socialize-while-lubricated. But I still say that it feels odd that William?s events so often involve alcohol, or worse yet, his events don?t involve alcohol and yet he looks and acts plastered. I wonder if he slept it off on the train? Or maybe he just kept drinking on the train.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

As we discussed this week, Drake decided to withdraw his legal petitions against UMG (Universal Music Group) and Spotify. He sent the notices last fall, basically accusing UMG and Spotify of artificially inflating Kendrick Lamar?s numbers for Kendrick?s diss songs against Drake in the spring of 2024. Drake?s argument was convoluted ? he basically argued that UMG and Spotify ?helped? Kendrick game the system, and ?Not Like Us? wouldn?t have been an organic song of the year on its own, it needed UMG and Spotify to push the song down people?s throats. Which wasn?t the way it actually went down, at all. In any case, Drake and Spotify walked away from that, but UMG was basically like? let?s see what this dumbass does next. They didn?t have to wait very long ? Drake has now sued UMG for defamation for ALLOWING Kendrick to talk sh-t in ?Not Like Us.?

Drake is not backing down in the war against his own label, in fact he?s now upped the ante by suing Universal Music Group for spreading the ?false and malicious narrative? he?s a pedophile ? TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Drake filed the defamation case Wednesday morning in federal court in NYC ? ripping UMG for releasing and promoting Kendrick Lamar?s vicious diss track, ?Not Like Us.? In the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Drake says UMG knew full well Kendrick?s lyrics, and images in the music video, referring to Drake as a pedophile were false and dangerous. In the suit he calls Kendrick?s hit ? filled with ?inflammatory and shocking allegations?? was a ?gold mine? for UMG ? and he says they had an ulterior financial motive in promoting it.

Drake claims his label was doing everything it could to pump up ?Not Like Us? because it knew it would devalue his music and brand ? and, therefore, give UMG leverage in future contract negotiations with Drake. Keep in mind, Drake?s last UMG contract, signed in 2022, was a blockbuster deal worth a reported $400 million!

Drake says he?s got bot receipts to show just how far the label went to turn Kendrick?s song into an anthem. According to the suit, UMG paid a third party to use bots to increase the song?s streams by at least 30 million ? and engaged in a ?pay for play? scheme with at least one radio promoter. He claims UMG attached the label ?chart-topper? to ?Not Like Us,? despite knowing that title was based on fraudulent data.

It?s also clear Drake?s very mindful of what?s going down in New Orleans next month ? in the suit, he claims UMG was in on getting Kendrick the Super Bowl Halftime gig ? so, the song could be performed on that massive stage, which he calls ?one of the most significant (and viewed) cultural events of the year.? Ya gotta wonder ? will the NFL and FOX, which is airing the Super Bowl, allow Kendrick to use the pedophile lyrics when he performs??

Interestingly, Drake isn?t going directly after Kendrick in the suit ? in fact, he says, ?This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ?Not Like Us.? It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize? the song which it knew contained false claims.

A spokesperson for Universal Music Group tells TMZ ? ?Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist ? let alone Drake ? is illogical. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success. Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ?rap battles? to express his feelings about other artists. He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist?s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist?s music.

?We have not and do not engage in defamation ? against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more that write a song.?

[From TMZ]

If I?m being honest, I think there?s a small sliver of truth to the idea that UMG wasn?t mad that Drake was being taken down a few pegs because that meant Drake couldn?t negotiate another hugely lucrative deal. But that?s the only part of Drake?s lawsuit which has any grounding in reality ? the rest of it is Drake?s delusional cope. This is one of the most important parts of UMG?s response: ?Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ?rap battles?? He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist?s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist?s music.? That?s it in a nutshell ? Drake wants to play victim and act like UMG should have been judicious in how they disseminated Kendrick?s songs, and yet UMG did the right thing by simply letting the beef play out without censoring anyone.

As for defamation? Drake said that Kendrick?s partner Whitney was cheating on him and that Kendrick?s son Enoch wasn?t biologically his. Drake said that Kendrick physically abused Whitney. Drake also said that Kendrick was molested. All of those lyrics were lies, and UMG ?allowed? Drake to release that music too. Kendrick hasn?t gone around, suing people over it. Kendrick just churned out some of the best disses ever in response to Drake?s lies.

There?s so much stuff in Drake?s lawsuit, but something which is getting a lot of attention is that he name-checked a lot of YouTube reactor channels. Before last year, I never watched music reactors, but I got into several YouTubers because of the Drake-Kendrick beef. Those people are just doing it because they love the music, the gossip and the drama. They weren?t being PAID to promote Kendrick. Most of those people were Drake fans! I wanted to post No Life Shaq?s reaction to being name-checked in Drake?s lawsuit because I was laughing my ass off, especially when he brought his son out to call Drake a snitch. NSFW for language. Everything he says here is the truth. I think I?ll also include a reaction compilation for ?Not Like Us.?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Drake?s IG.

The Duchess of Sussex has been seen in LA again, supporting wildfire relief AND supporting girls. A group of teenage girls created Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery Group, in which people can donate clothes, beauty supplies, haircare items and more, specifically for girls affected by the Southern California fires. They basically rented out a warehouse and anyone can stop by and pick up whatever they need, like a CVS without a cash register. Of course Meghan stopped by and dropped off some supplies, and the girls included Meghan in a couple of their IG reels.

Meghan Markle made a low-key visit to a new relief group working to restore a sense of normalcy for teenagers affected by the Eaton Fire, one in the series of wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area. PEOPLE understands that the Duchess of Sussex lent her support to the Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery group on Jan. 13, an organization she and Prince Harry have contributed to through their Archewell Foundation.

The Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery organization was launched by 14-year-old Avery Colvert from Pasadena last week to gather beauty products, haircare items, clothes and other personal supplies for teen girls displaced or affected by the Eaton Fire, the Los Angeles Times reports. The blaze that began on Jan. 7 is over 14,000 acres in size and was 45% contained as of Jan. 15, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Meghan arrived with new clothing, beauty products and lunch for the volunteers. Meghan directly engaged with families as they visited, helping the girls with shopping, sharing conversations and providing much-needed support throughout the visit.

The Duchess of Sussex was spotted in a reel that the group shared to Instagram on Jan. 15, which showed volunteers at work in a warehouse full of products. It rolled to show footage of Meghan having a chat with someone one-on-one, where she wore a black Los Angeles baseball cap and held two full tote bags on her arms.

?And thank you to everyone who showed up on Monday, which was such a special day! We love you!? Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery captioned the clip on Instagram.

The footage, which was captured by the charity?s organizers, offered a peek into Meghan?s efforts on the ground, and followed her outing with Prince Harry to Pasadena Convention Center on Jan. 10. There, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex helped distribute food and supplies to victims of the Eaton Fire, where they arrived without fanfare to directly lend a hand. Prince Harry and Meghan take a discreet approach to their site visits, prioritizing meaningful. Contrary to some reports, the Duke and Duchess do not bring videographers or photographers along, instead focusing on directly supporting communities and the ongoing relief efforts.

[From People]

I kind of hate that People Magazine/Archewell has to be so proactive in dispelling the ?rumors? (deranger lies) that Meghan and Harry are ?bringing photographers and videographers to document their volunteerism.? Even if the Sussexes were doing that, who cares? It would bring attention to the charities and fire relief. The young ladies working on the Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery Group didn?t even use photos or videos of Meghan as their IG thumbnails or anything ? it?s a blink-and-you?ll-miss-it appearance. But the girls gave Archewell a shout-out in an announcement that they were now accepting donations directly. My guess is that the Archewell team gave the girls advice about how to set up their 501(c)(3). One of the girls also responded to a comment about Meghan: ?Even just meeting her is life-changing! Having her support is unreal.?

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan visited Altadena Girls. A charity started by a 14 year old girl to aid those affected by the #EatonFire.

Harry and Meghan?s Archewell Foundation donated to Altadena Girls.#HarryandMeghan #lafires pic.twitter.com/LqeRRXSthC

? ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) January 15, 2025

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cole Sternberg (@colesternberg)

Screencaps courtesy of Fox affiliate, Sky News.

Timothee Chalamet really is waging a smart Oscar campaign for A Complete Unknown. It might even work, you never know. [LaineyGossip]
Monica Barbaro wore Schiaparelli to the London ACU premiere. [RCFA]
Americans are getting into Rednote and finding new Chinese friends. It?s actually pretty cool? Like, a true cultural exchange. [Just Jared]
It?s so funny that the Village People will play Donald Trump?s inauguration. [Socialite Life]
Neil Gaiman made a statement. [Pajiba]
Oh, I love a lot of these Reem Acra fabrics! [Go Fug Yourself]
Pamela Anderson called The Last Showgirl ?the best payback.? [OMG Blog]
You have to buy something if you want to hang out at Starbucks. [Seriously OMG]
Pete Hegseth?s pod-bro days are coming back to haunt him. [Jezebel]
What?s going on with Today?s Sheinelle Jones? [Hollywood Life]
Recap of Severance Season 1, ahead of Season 2 this week. [Buzzfeed]

Last week, Michelle Obama skipped Jimmy Carter?s state funeral in Washington. All of the other former presidents and first ladies attended, but not MO. Because the seating arrangements at these state events have a million layers of protocol, it?s likely that if Michelle attended, she would have been seated next to Donald Trump. Which is reason enough to skip. Reportedly, she cited a ?scheduling conflict? but people said that she was still on vacation in Hawaii. Well, I think MO decided to extend her holiday, because her office confirmed that she will not attend the inauguration next week.

Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the second time in two weeks that she is not attending a gathering of former U.S. leaders and their spouses, but former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will be there.

Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join their husbands for the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, representatives said.

?Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,? said a statement from the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama that was shared with The Associated Press.

No explanation was given for why Michelle Obama was skipping Trump?s inauguration. She also did not attend former President Jimmy Carter?s state funeral in Washington last week. Former Presidents Trump, Obama, Bush and Clinton and their spouses attended ? except for her.

Bill Clinton will attend Trump?s swearing-in ceremony, a person familiar with the former president?s schedule confirmed for the AP. Hillary Clinton will also attend, a spokesperson said.

[From The AP]

Michelle is either in her IDGAF Era or something else is going on. Or both? I think it?s quite likely that Michelle feels the same way as many Black American women feel after the election: y?all have fun, but I?m not engaging with this nonsense anymore. These ladies are protecting their peace and they?re not going to show up in any way for this fascist lunatic. I feel similarly ? I?m going to give all of this as little energy as possible. I?m actually a little bit surprised that Hillary hasn?t found some way to excuse herself too. It?s also a tad funny to think about how much the Bushes hate Trump as well ? the Clintons and Bushes probably made a ?if you show up, I?ll show up? pact.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

It?s fascinating to watch, in real time, as the Princess of Wales bungled her message and the British media rushed to clean it up. Kate?s visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital?s cancer ward on Tuesday was full of quotes from Kate about how she recognized the sound of various beeps, how she felt like being outside in the sun while receiving chemotherapy, and how she got ?so attached? to her chemotherapy port. Kate then announced that she is in remission from cancer? after her office spent months telling reporters to not quote her when she said she was ?cancer free.? The cleanup included this piece by Becky English at the Mail, in which palace insiders maintain that Kate is still not expected to go back to work at all, but she just had to make this hospital appearance (in what was an attempt to hijack Meghan?s Netflix show).

From her moving video statement last March to September?s extraordinarily intimate family video, the Princess of Wales has shown admirable determination to speak about the devastating challenges of her ?cancer journey? on her own terms. I can reveal that today?s visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in West London ? where she announced she is in remission ? was the next stage in a carefully calibrated plan to manage her recovery and measured return to official duties ? and one that is being decided by Catherine herself, rather than palace courtiers, at every stage.

It is another example of the quiet, unhurried conviction that the instinctively-shy boarding school girl from Berkshire has shown since marrying into the Royal Family more than a decade ago, particularly as regards her own royal duties and the upbringing of her children. And it is one that she has always been determined should not be buffeted by knee-jerk reactions to public (or media) opinion, or even that of other family members, no mean feat in today?s instantly-reactive, social media-dominated world.

Earlier this month I revealed that people should not expect Catherine or her team to press a sudden ?reset? button in January after the last 12 months, during which the princess has largely been absent from the public gaze. For the time being she would continue to put her family, not the family, first. That was confirmed to me again by a senior royal aide just a few hours ago when discussing the princess? upcoming engagement. They stressed that Kensington Palace?s guidance about her return to public facing duties hadn?t changed, and that it would very much continue to be slow and gradual over many months to come.

?Today was about visiting the Marsden to reflect on her own personal journey,? they emphasised. Her decision has, of course, the full backing of her husband, Prince William, who last week issued an extraordinary and unprecedented tribute to his adored wife on her 43rd birthday, praising her strength and making clear his and the children?s pride in her.

Listening to her talk to cancer patients today ? some actually undergoing chemotherapy treatment while they spoke ? it was clear that Catherine, typically, wanted to focus on them, not herself. When one couple complimented her on how ?amazingly well? she and William had managed the situation with their children, she replied coyly, ?oh that?s kind? and moved on to ask about how the impact had been on them. My understanding is that this will continue to be her approach over the coming weeks and months. If and when she is ready to tell us more, she will. And until then she will continue to use her voice to amplify the experiences of those who can?t. And always in the way she ? and nobody else ? thinks is right.

[From The Daily Mail]

Nothing like being dictated to and ordered to not ask any questions. Kate is going what she thinks is right! Kate is the one calling the shots, not the courtiers briefing about how she?s calling the shots! William is proud of her, despite all evidence to the contrary! Putting aside the strange communications on Kate?s medical issues, I feel like this English piece is an admission that Kate agreed to Tuesday?s activities as a one-time deal, specifically timed to interfere with what would have been the release of Meghan?s show. As in, everything they said about Kate?s limited schedule still holds and no one should expect to see much of her this year, but yeah, she absolutely agreed to do this appearance as an attempt to steal Meghan?s thunder.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

This is a story which came out last year, but it?s gotten new life because of a new interview and new information. Someone ? or some people ? posed as Brad Pitt and scammed a French woman out of $800K in some kind of awful catfish scheme. The scammer created AI/poorly Photoshopped pics of ?Brad Pitt? and claimed that he (Pitt) needed surgery, and once he had the surgery, they could be together. This woman divorced her husband and gave the scammer $800K. Catfishing is a cottage industry these days.

A French woman was swindled out of over $800,000 by scammers posing as Brad Pitt who made her believe she was dating him and that he needed help paying for medical care. U.K. paper The Times and French outlets AFP and BFM TV reported that the woman, identified only as Anne, spoke to French television outlet TF1, which has since removed the interview from its website after a flood of online ridicule sparked by the report.

Anne reportedly told the French station that she was first contacted online by someone claiming to be Pitt?s mother saying, ?It?s a woman like you that my son needs,? The Times reported. Despite expressing skepticism, the woman kept in contact before being messaged by someone posing as the actor.

?At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it?s ridiculous,? Anne told TF1, according to BFM TV. ?But I?m not used to social media and I didn?t really understand what was happening to me.?

The woman first sent nearly ?10,000 when the fake account said it needed her to pay customs tariffs so she could receive gifts he claimed to have sent her, according to the reported interview with the woman.

?There are so few men who write you this kind of thing,? Anne said, according to the report from BFM TV. ?I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, it was always very well done.?

After reportedly telling the scammer that she had recently divorced her husband, Anne sent almost all of her ?775,000 divorce settlement ? about $798,000 ? after the fake Pitt said he had developed kidney cancer and needed a loan because his bank accounts were locked as a result of his ongoing divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie. BFM TV reported that the woman was sent AI-generated images of Pitt?s face over men in hospital beds.

When Anne read that Pitt was in a relationship with Ines De Ramon, the scammers reportedly sent something denying the reports. Eventually, The Times reported, Anne told TF1 that she read more about Pitt and De Ramon and accepted that she had been scammed. Anne has since filed a lawsuit and a police inquiry has been opened, the outlets reported. TF1 has since removed the interview, with The Times reporting that the outlet did so to protect her from a ?wave of harassment? she has received online.

[From People]

The part at the end about the interview being removed is true ? Anne has been widely mocked, and there?s a lot of drama in France over the interview and how gullible this woman was. You might say, hey, people are being so mean, it?s cruel to mock someone who got scammed out of her money. That?s true. But wait until you see the ?AI images? sent to her. I feel so bad for this woman, truly. My God. Also: this is why people should read gossip blogs, we keep up with celebrities and their relationships.

A scammer pretended to be Brad Pitt to dupe a woman into divorcing her husband and giving him ?700,000 to pay for his cancer treatment.
He said he couldn’t access his money because of his ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie.
These are the pics he sent to prove he was genuine?. pic.twitter.com/3fwB1Icu89

? Lorraine King (@lorrainemking) January 14, 2025

A woman in France was scammed out of ?830,000 after believing she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt.

These are the photos she received, allegedly from Brad Pitt, that convinced her. pic.twitter.com/DHZklWbUDj

? The Oscar Race (@TheOscarRace) January 13, 2025

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Last year, Drake decided to solidify his loser status across the board. Kendrick Lamar definitively won the rap battle with the one-two punch (on the same weekend) of ?Meet the Grahams? and ?Not Like Us.? NLU was a certified banger and one of the songs of the summer, with more than a billion streams and 240 million views for the now iconic music video (directed by Kendrick and Dave Free). NLU received five Grammy nominations too, and people really hope that Kendrick performs the song at the Grammys AND the Super Bowl. Well, instead of Drake suing Kendrick over the accusations lodged in Kendrick?s songs, Drake and his lawyers decided to send legal notices to UMG (Universal) and Spotify over Kendrick?s songs. Basically, Drake accused UMG of supporting Kendrick more than him, and he also accused UMG of gaming the system and paying people/bots to support Kendrick and NLU. The consensus was that Drake was going out sad, but Drake fans insisted that he had a strong case and that he was going to change the industry. LMAO, Drake just backed down.

Drake has withdrawn his petition against Spotify and Universal Music Group after accusing the entities of launching an illegal ?scheme? to boost numbers for Kendrick Lamar?s hit diss track ?Not Like Us.?

In a New York filing on Tuesday reviewed by Variety, Drake and his Frozen Moments company withdrew its order to show cause seeking pre-action disclosure and preservation of certain documents and communications from both companies. The court document explains that Drake met with representatives on Tuesday and Spotify, which had filed an opposition, had no objection to the withdrawal and discontinuance, while UMG, which hadn?t filed an opposition, reserved its position.

Drake made waves in Nov. 2024 when he first accused UMG ? which distributes both his and Lamar?s music ? of using bots and payola to juice the numbers for ?Not Like Us,? a track that accuses Drake of pedophilia and cultural appropriation. The petition, which was not a full lawsuit but rather a ?pre-action? move, claimed that UMG ?engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of ?Not Like Us??including by licensing the song at drastically reduced rates to Spotify and using ?bots? to generate the false impression that the song was more popular than it was in reality.?

UMG shared a statement with Variety at the time, denouncing Drake?s accusations. ?The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,? read the statement. ?We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.?

[From Variety]

Hahahaha. What a loser. He didn?t have the bars, so he ran to his lawyers and now he?s backing down from that too! Some people theorized that all of this stuff from Drake was an attempt to apply pressure on Kendrick (through third parties) to not perform ?Not Like Us? on the biggest stages, the Grammys and the Super Bowl Halftime Show. I actually think there?s something to that, that Drake was attempting to make everything around NLU so toxic and legally questionable that UMG would advise Kendrick not to perform it. The thing is, by backing down, Drake hasn?t made anything murky. He?s solidified Kendrick?s victory and brought even more interest to Kendrick?s performances. Also: Kendrick?s GNX is largely him sh-ttalking Drake and doing a victory lap, which might have garnered some sympathy for Drake if Drake wasn?t hellbent on being such a loser in public.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Drake?s IG, Michael Rubin?s IG, screencaps from ?NLU?.

Just so we?re 100% clear, Kensington Palace and the Princess of Wales organized Tuesday?s visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital specifically because they believed that they would be stealing the Duchess of Sussex?s thunder, correct? Meghan?s Netflix trailer dropped on New Year?s Day, with the release date for the show confirmed for January 15th. That gave Kate and her handlers two weeks to prepare. Think of how With Love, Meghan would have played out 24 hours after Kate?s big, keen cancer ward visit and her confirmation that this was the hospital which treated her last year. No BS ? it would have been a good play from Kensington Palace and Kate. They didn?t count on the Southern California wildfires, and they didn?t count on Meghan delaying the release of the series.

If you ask me, they expected Kate?s big hospital event to land well, and for everyone to rally around brilliant, keen, cancer-free Kate. Instead, the top stories in all of the British papers? royal sections are all about Meghan, the wildfires, the Netflix show, etc. Which is sort of a blessing, because they really don?t want people to ask too many questions about Kate?s wording around her medical situation.

To recap, Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis last March, after a months-long absence full of PR disasters. She claimed that cancer cells had been present when she had abdominal surgery in January 2024. Then, in September, Kate made a very weird video in which she told the world that she was done with chemotherapy, saying in part: ?Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.? Her office then released guidance to the press to not quote Kate or refer to her as ?cancer-free.? There was even an odd report that Kate had not been diagnosed with cancer, but rather ?pre-cancerous cells? were present at some point. That report was later changed. Well, almost one year exactly after her mysterious disappearance and equally mysterious abdominal surgery, and now Kate is announcing that she is in remission.

I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year.

My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything.

We couldn?t have asked for more. The care and advice we have received throughout my time as a patient has been exceptional.

In my new role as Joint Patron of The Royal Marsden, my hope is, that by supporting groundbreaking research and clinical excellence, as well as promoting patient and family wellbeing, we might save many more lives, and transform the experience of all those impacted by cancer.

It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focussed on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. C

[From Kensington Royal]

I found the messaging around this confusing, especially with the September video. Apparently you can be cancer free when your tests come back negative for cancer and you?re later considered in remission when there is no recurrence for some time. (Although doctors differ about which terms they use.) It feels like everyone has been playing a bit fast and loose with how they describe Kate?s situation for a while as well.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.