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Sheryl Crow and Elvira have each recently made playful videos showing off the sale of their Teslas. They were little acts of protest against Tesla owner President Elon Musk, and I enjoyed them so much that I wished for the trend to continue. And the universe has granted my wish! (I could be a little petty and quibble over why she?s listening to this request, as opposed to one I made, say, in November? that?s all.) So who just celebrated selling off their Tesla? Democratic Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, who posted two videos over the weekend, one in which he bids his Tesla a very fond f?k off, and a second where he welcomes his union-made-in-America Chevy. No, the senator didn?t really tell the Tesla to f?k off. What he actually said was, ?I don?t want to be driving a car built and designed by an a?hole.? Words to live by.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) touted his new vehicle on Sunday after he announced last week he would ditch his Tesla amid an ongoing back-and-forth with Elon Musk, the CEO of the electric vehicle company.

In a video posted Sunday to the social platform X, which Musk owns, Kelly showed off what he called his ?new ride? while standing next to a Chevy Tahoe SUV in Washington.

?Got one of these in Tucson as well. This one was made by union labor, United Auto Workers in Arlington, Texas. Always good to buy union cars, incredibly reliable,? Kelly said in the video. ?And I?m looking forward to driving this for many, many years.?

It came just two days after he said he would look for a new ride since his Tesla was ?built and designed by an a?hole.?

?Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country,? he said in a video last Friday.

?Talking about slashing Social Security, cutting health care benefits for poor people, for seniors. It?s one bad thing after the next,? he said, in reference to Musk?s leadership of Trump?s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts.

Kelly, a former U.S. Navy combat pilot, said Musk is also firing veterans.

?I?m a veteran. So, I have a really hard time driving around in this thing,? he said of his Tesla last week. ?I think it?s time for an upgrade today.?

?Elon Musk kind of turned out to be an a?hole, and I don?t want to be driving a car built and designed by an a?hole. So, looking forward to my new ride,? he added.

Earlier this week, Musk called Kelly a ?traitor? on social media in response to the Senate Democrat?s trip to Ukraine earlier this month.

Kelly slapped back at Musk, writing on social media, ?Elon, if you don?t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.?

He later told MSNBC?s ?Rachel Maddow Show? that ?the only oath I can think of that maybe Elon has sworn is an oath to his own checking account, to his pocketbook.?

[From The Hill]

Kudos to Senator Kelly for doing the right thing in ditching his Tesla, and for using the moment to tout American union auto workers. Elvira still gets extra points for style in my book, both for the term ?Elon Sux Mobile,? and for the fact that it was printed on her car with Twitter/X?s logo. But it?s not a competition. I?m curious about what we think of Kelly posting his videos to Twitter/X, though? Is it trolling Musk on his turf, or not sticking the landing on Kelly?s part? To be fair he did post them on Bluesky too. And I could be a little incredulous and quibble over Kelly?s timeline of only feeling yucky about his Tesla over the last 60 days, as opposed to, say, the past 6+ months of Musk pouring his millions into backing Trump? that?s all. The important thing is, Tesla stock is still taking a nosedive upwards of 50%, even after they mounted that pop-up showroom on the White House lawn.

I bought a Tesla because it was fast like a rocket ship. But now every time I drive it, I feel like a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people. So Tesla, you?re fired!

New ride coming soon.

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? Captain Mark Kelly (@captmarkkelly.bsky.social) March 14, 2025 at 11:48 AM

New ride is here. Built by union labor here in America thanks to @uaw.org!

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? Captain Mark Kelly (@captmarkkelly.bsky.social) March 16, 2025 at 1:39 PM

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Something I?ve always believed is that Queen Camilla kept her eye on her stepsons? love lives, and she still keeps abreast of all of the gossip about Prince William and Harry. Hell, I believe Camilla is probably behind half of the gossip storylines about both of her stepsons. I think it?s abundantly clear that Camilla knows all about William?s extracurricular activities, and her photos with Rose Hanbury last year were very significant. Remember the story about Rose ?blossoming in the court of Queen Camilla?? Yeah. Camilla keeps up with ALL of the gossip. She always has, which is why I believe this story too ? that Camilla never wanted Prince William to marry Kate.

Queen Camilla reportedly ?wasn?t keen? on Princess Kate when the pair first met, an expert has claimed. Prince William met Kate while the pair were studying at the University of St Andrews in 2001. They began dating in 2003, and even shared a house together with roommates while studying.

While Kate has now become a key part of The Firm, polling as the most popular member, there was some hesitation when William first introduced her to his family. According to Royal expert Tom Quinn, Camilla was particularly unsure about her potential daughter-in-law.

On Channel 5?s ?The Middleton?s: Modern Royal-in-laws?, Quinn revealed: ?I?d heard that Camilla wasn?t very keen on Catherine. She didn?t shoot, she?s not into horses particularly, there was too much of a gap and William would feel it. But I think it?s true to say that Camilla later warmed to Caterine and recognised her solid virtues.?

[From The Daily Express]

?I think it?s true to say that Camilla later warmed to Caterine and recognised her solid virtues? ? I?m not so sure, especially since Camilla has seemingly banned Kate from tiara-wearing events, forced Kate to wear a glittery DIY headpiece at the damn coronation and has barely been photographed with Kate in the past two years. I will also accept the idea that Camilla was simply going to be jealous of and petty towards any girlfriend, any young, attractive woman who would get more attention than her. Camilla and Charles are both united in their paranoia that another ?Diana? is right around the corner, coming to steal their nonexistent thunder.

As for the rumor about why Camilla thought Kate was all wrong for William? I mean, I can actually understand her perspective. It wasn?t that Kate was a commoner with a ghastly mother, it?s that Kate didn?t actually fit into William?s world and she still doesn?t. While Camilla was ?common? too, she actually grew up in the royal-adjacent world and obviously, she always circulated among titled toffs and royalty. Kate was always outside that world and that?s why most of William?s family and friends saw the Middletons as desperate social climbers.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Cover Images.

Since the start of 2024, there?s been a real dearth of random embiggening articles about the Princess of Wales. There?s all of this energy towards screaming hysterically over every single thing the Duchess of Sussex says or does, and yet not even a fraction of that energy is brought to analyzing Kate?s hair, makeup, work, events or fashion. Well, the Daily Mail finally gave us something: analysis of Kate?s new aesthetic, which is actually a pretty big change. For the past year, Kate has been wearing a lot of darker colors, muddy browns, navy, greys and black. When she does a ?pop of color,? it?s usually red nowadays. She?s also been repeating a lot of older coats. Notably, Kate and her staff threw a weird hissy fit this year about how information about Kate?s fashion would no longer be released via official channels. There?s been a real shift, and the Mail is finally talking about it: ?The wardrobe changes that signal the start of Kate 2.0 as Princess of Wales enters her ?invisible fashion? era.?

A new style strategy for the Princess of Wales? This is the start of Kate 2.0 for the queen-in-waiting as she enters her ?invisible fashion? era. Kate?s wardrobe has always been a subject of fascination, but as she resumes her royal duties in 2025, it?s clear that her style has undergone a significant transformation in her comeback wardrobe.

Gone are the pastel dresses and statement coats of previous years. In their place is a more muted, sophisticated and understated wardrobe that signals a new era for the Princess of Wales.

This shift in style, which we are calling ?invisible fashion?, demonstrates that Kate is choosing to let her work take centre stage rather than her wardrobe. Following the announcement from Kensington Palace regarding the focus needing to shift from her clothes to her work, we are now seeing a new style for the Princess of Wales, one where her fashion choices blend into the background.

British designer Amanda Wakeley, host of the podcast Style DNA, believes Kate has always understood the power of fashion as a communicator, and her more muted wardrobe for 2025 reflects a considered shift in how she wishes to be perceived. She says: ?This approach speaks to her discipline and dedication, using fashion as a quiet amplifier rather than a distraction.?

Over the years, Catherine has often been celebrated for her fashion sense, but her latest choices suggest a more purposeful approach to dressing. As she steps into an increasingly prominent royal role, Kate appears to be embracing a more neutral and refined aesthetic, allowing her presence, rather than her outfit, to make the statement. Her recent wardrobe overhaul has seen a shift towards beige, camel, deep burgundies, and rich browns, tones that are elegant, timeless, and, crucially, unassuming. The days of fit and flare dresses and skinny jeans seem to be firmly behind her. Instead, Kate is championing classic tailoring, favouring wide-leg trousers, structured midi skirts, and well-cut blazers.

By choosing neutral hues and timeless cuts, Kate is embracing a style that aligns with her growing role within the monarchy, where her presence is required to carry weight beyond just a photo opportunity. It?s a stark contrast to the late Queen Elizabeth, who was famous for her use of bright colours to ensure she stood out in a crowd. Kate?s approach, however, is all about subtlety and quiet power.

[From The Daily Mail]

A big chunk of this shift/change is obviously Kate copying the Duchess of Sussex?s aesthetic ? how many articles have been written about Meghan?s love of neutrals, sad beiges and California creams? But that?s only part of it. I genuinely think Kate, a woman who is now 43 years old, is actually tired of her old doily dresses, button-collecting and school-girl aesthetic. After all of this time, she?s discovered? work-wear. She?s finally learned that she can just do midi-skirts, turtlenecks and well-cut coats and that works fine. Also: I have to admit, her hair has been looking much improved this year. She?s no longer plopping hairpieces on top of her head and expecting no one to notice.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Amy Poehler has a new podcast called Good Hang with Amy Poehler. Of course, Amy?s ?wife? Tina Fey was one of her first guests, and I can only hope that Tina will be a regular guest. There?s something magical about Tina and Amy?s friendship and their comedic energy when they?re together. They have been dear friends for what? Almost three decades? Something like that. Well, obviously, Tina made some comments which are getting a lot of play. Tina and Amy start talking about celebrity side-hustles and how Tina doesn?t really respect rich people who dabble in money-making schemes on the side.

Tina Fey revealed she will never have a side hustle and admitted she judges fellow celebrities who do.

?I have a problem with rich people having a side hustle,? the ?Mean Girls? star shared on Tuesday?s episode of the ?Good Hang with Amy Poehler? podcast. ?If you already have like $200 million ? I judge it,? she added.

Poehler, 53, encouraged Fey, 54, to change her viewpoint, saying the latter should ?learn from Gen Z? and not ?judge it.?

The pals got on the topic of side hustles when the ?Parks and Recreation? star complemented Fey on her ?incredible hair.?

?I feel like you should have a hair campaign,? Poehler said. ?[I?m] always pushing you to have a glasses line. Why do you not have a glass [line]??

Fey started to detail why she hadn?t invested in a glasses line before Poehler interrupted, saying, ?You hate money??

?I do kind of hate money,? the ?Date Night? star chimed in, explaining that she is ?terrible with money.?

?No, I?m not terrible. I don?t waste money, but I don?t get excited about money,? she clarified. The ?30 Rock? alum shared she only needs enough funds to feel ?safe? and live.

[From Page Six]

Page Six missed one of the funniest parts, which is when Tina said that she judges side-hustles and Amy says ?you mean like a podcast or something?? LMAO. The thing to understand about Tina?s perspective ? and this is why Amy brings up Gen Z ? is that Tina is Gen X. Gen Xers and Xennials did not grow up in ?hustle culture.? That was not part of our cultural experience ? when we were growing up, we were told to look down on ?sellouts? who ?did things for money.? There was a whole period of time when people looked down on new designer clothing and everyone prioritized vintage everything and flea-markets and Goodwills. Actors just ACTED, they didn?t have their own wine labels. Musicians didn?t have a list of sponsors. That absolutely shifted in the past twenty years, but Tina is still clinging to her Gen X belief system.

?i have a problem with rich people having a side hustle? shes literally so important to the culture pic.twitter.com/ndUCn18oBB

? m (@bigIttIeIies) March 18, 2025

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

My new favorite celebrity couple is Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin. I know they?ve been together since 2017, but it?s only been over the past few months that they?ve really opened up and let us get to know them as a couple. ICYMI, they did a big spread for Cosmopolitan in February. Brenda is currently co-starring in the new Netflix series, Running Point with Kate Hudson, so she?s been doing the talk show circuit. On The Jennifer Hudson Show she talked about being a working mother, how she?s a die-hard LA Lakers fan, and her relationship, including the times that she attempted to teach the world?s most famous child star how to drive and do his own laundry.

Brenda Song revealed her fianc?, 44, still doesn?t know how to drive a car and didn?t know how to do laundry when they first met.

?I always say Mac is a very unique human being the most famous child actor in the world,? Song said during her Thursday appearance on ?The Jennifer Hudson Show.? ?He still doesn?t know how to drive! I took him out to drive in our neighborhood. I was terrified, let me tell you.?

The ?Suite Life on Deck? star, 36, joked she has to ?hire someone? to teach the former child star to do that specific task.

As for the laundry, Song explained that Culkin?s unique childhood is to blame.

?He lived and grew up in hotels, he had just never really done laundry, and I was shooketh?,? she told Hudson.

?I?ve been doing laundry since I was 10 helping my mom,? Song added. ?It?s funny, teaching him how to do laundry.?

Song and Culkin have kept a relatively low profile throughout their relationship. Though, Song has shared more details of their personal lives in recent months while promoting her latest projects ? ?The Last Showgirl? and the Netflix series ?Running Point.? The parents, who share 3-year-old son Dakota and 2-year-old son Carson, gave fans the first glimpse at their kids when they attended Culkin?s Walk of Fame ceremony in December 2023.

[From Page Six]

There?s a famous scene in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody where Phil Lewis? character, Mr. Moseby, is trying to teach Brenda?s character, London Tipton, how to drive, and she refers to the gear shift as ?the PRINDL.? It sounds like there was a case of life imitating art here. I think that the older you get, the harder it is to learn how to drive. It?s similar to how it?s tougher to learn a new language as you get older. Mac is rich enough to be able to call a driver and he could have gotten lessons at any other point in his life before now, so I?m sure he doesn?t really feel like he?s missing out. Still, the imagery of him trying to practice left-hand turns in an empty parking lot is sending me. As for the laundry, it makes sense that he never had to learn due to growing up in hotels. It?s also not surprising. Some couples split up household chores and literally never learn how to do the one that isn?t their responsibility.

JHud was stanning Mac pretty hard throughout, so Brenda also talked about how she made her beau watch Home Alone for the first time in over a decade when they first got together. He kept telling her behind-the-scenes trivia and she had to tell him to knock it off because he was ?ruining it? for her. Hahaha, amazing. As it turns out, Jennifer is such a fan that she actually tried to buy the Home Alone house when it went up for sale last year! I think that is so cool. Apparently, the people who ended up buying it did so anonymously, but this makes me wonder how many other celebrities also tried to buy it.

Here?s Brenda?s appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show. I queued it up to start when she comes on, but just in case, she shows up at 26:54:

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Photos credit: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, Katrina Marcinowski/Netflix 2024, Getty Images for Netflix

Spoilers for The White Lotus.

Generally, I avoid writing too much about Severance and The White Lotus because most discussions involve so many spoilers, and I want people to be able to genuinely enjoy the experience of watching these shows in their own time. I?m really enjoying this season of TWL ? I?m rooting for two characters to make it, Aimee Lou Woods? character Chelsea and Natasha Rothwell?s character Belinda. Almost everyone else can choke! No, I actually like some of them, including Walton Goggins? man of mystery, who is apparently hunting down the guy who killed his father. Goggins? character, Rick, has flown to Bangkok to hunt down this guy, and Rick ended up calling an old friend for some help.

In the most recent episode, we finally got to meet Rick?s friend, who was played by Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell. Rockwell?s guest role ? it?s more than a cameo, he?s in next week?s episode too ? has quickly become one of the most bonkers moments in TWL?s history. Rockwell delivered a truly insane monologue which I will not even describe, you just have to watch it. So many people thought Rockwell?s partner Leslie Bibb somehow got Rockwell the role, or that Rockwell might have been hanging out on set with Bibb, because she?s one of the major characters this season. As it turns out, not so much. Bibb spoke to Entertainment Weekly about how Sam dropped into Thailand for eight days and did his thing.

Leslie Bibb tells Entertainment Weekly that she actually had nothing to do with Sam Rockwell?s casting.

?No, they came to me and they were like, ?We?re going to offer this to Sam,’? Bibb tells EW. ?I was on the treadmill and [producer] Dave Bernad came to me. But I was like, ?Sam is wild as a buck. Listen, I don?t know what he?s going to do. He?s doing a movie in South Africa, he likes time to prep.? And he was very nervous about that prep time.?

?That was a big arc to do that quickly,? Bibb says of [Rockwell?s] character?s debut. ?And [Rockwell] literally went from one [project] to the next, so I said [to producers], ?You can?t get mad at me if he says no. What if he says no?? I was so scared! Then [creator] Mike [White] was like, ?No, no, no, we won?t get mad at you.’?

Bibb laughed as she remembered telling the showrunner, ?I was like, ?That jet plane?s going to fly, I can?t ground him.? But then it was really sweet ? I think Walton really, because they?re very good friends, wanted to have that experience with him.?

And getting her real-life partner to come join her on the set of The White Lotus was a treat, even if Rockwell got a truncated experience. ?It was really fun,? she says. ?We don?t have any scenes together, and he did all of his stuff in eight days. We were there for six months, Sam was there for eight days ? Sam did not [have] the same experience in eight days. He got The White Lotus light. But it?s nice to be able to have a context to share, and I think he?s a great actor, and we?re lucky to have him, and I think he chewed up that character. Mike was really happy to have him too.?

Bibb did get a bit jealous when she first saw some of Rockwell?s scenes, however. ?I saw some stills from them on the boat in Bangkok, and I was like, ?We?re sweating our faces off, and they were like, hair blowing in the wind,’? she added with a laugh. ?Look how cool they look. This is like To Live and Die in L.A., but it was like To Live and Die in Bangkok. It was so cool.?

[From EW]

What?s even wilder about this is that Sam still hasn?t said anything? He just dropped into TWL, delivered the craziest monologue in the history of the show, dipped after a few days and he?s done absolutely nothing to promote it or talk about it. An actor?s life is so wild though, I bet Sam enjoyed the hell out of the guest role and being able to work with his friend Walton Goggins. What I also liked was that Rockwell?s appearance felt completely organic within the show. It wasn?t like ?oh, look, a movie star just showed up!? You actually felt like those two guys had some history and once you see the scene, you realize that Sam didn?t do this for the glamour.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

I really have to thank Lady Gaga for timing the release of Mayhem to line up perfectly with my already-scheduled vacation. Thanks, Mother! I listened to the album all the way through, on repeat, for the duration of the flight, and the music set the scene for a blissful week away from the worst timeline we?re all living through. Having also listened to Gaga on the Las Culturistas podcast, it seems that was always her intention with Mayhem ? to make people smile, and to let the acknowledgment of our own chaos serve as a pathway to healing. Right from the get-go, it?s abundantly clear that hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers are stoked and perhaps more prepared for a guest than they?ve ever been before, being dedicated little monsters themselves. And the fangirling reached its emotional peak about an hour in when Bowen shared that the release of ?Born This Way? helped him come out after he?d gone to conversion therapy. Naturally, Gaga was very moved by the revelation:

Bowen Yang has made it clear that he is indeed a little monster, the moniker that supporters of Grammy-winning artist Lady Gaga have claimed.

Yang had his chance to tell Gaga just how meaningful her music and her advocacy is for the LGBTQ+ community ? which he is a part of ? when she appeared on a recent episode of his and Matt Rogers? podcast ?Las Culturistas.?

During the episode, the ?Wicked? and ?Saturday Night Live? star spoke about how important one Lady Gaga song in particular has been to him in his own journey.

?I think I had come out of the closet again when ?Born This Way? came out, because I went to conversion therapy, (which) obviously did not work out,? Yang said.

He went on to recount the day the 2011 track was first released as a single, while he and Rogers were en route to a comedy festival in New York State.

?We were just blasting that song for 48 straight hours,? he added, before Rogers chimed in saying that Yang ?felt emboldened to come out that weekend.?

Clearly moved, Lady Gaga said, ?That?s really, really special.?

?You?re so important to a huge swath of people who only want the best things for you and for each other,? Yang gushed to Lady Gaga. ?But also, those people need leadership and you?ve always been that leader culturally, artistically, in so many ways.?

Gaga, who released her seventh studio album ?Mayhem? earlier this month, said she was appreciative of that sentiment but that it?s more important to her to just ?do my part.?

?I believe that we will continue to show people that are filled with hatred and ignorance that they should be looking up to the queer community and following and learning about love, and learning about grace, learning about kindness,? Lady Gaga said.

?I really believe that,? she said, ?and I?m not giving up.?

[From CNN]

I said it last week, and I?ll say again that I?ve found Mayhem to be a really emotional listen. All of us little monsters have been on this journey with Gaga, too (albeit from the cheap seats), and it?s cathartic to hear how she?s found a way to put all the pieces together into a creation that is uniquely her. During the podcast, Bowen and Matt are clearly ready to heap similar adoration on Gaga, but I was so impressed with how she took in the praise. She?d accept it graciously, if briefly, and always redirect to bring it back to her fans. When they ask her their signature question of when she knew she was part of the culture, she said she had few friends in high school, but the ones who did welcome her were gay, and she remembered that when the same community emerged as her biggest fans. She embraced them immediately, saying (I?m paraphrasing): ?You were there for me then, I?m here for you now.? She also several times notes that she firmly believes her career and artistry are built on the stories fans and collaborators continually share with her, stories like Bowen?s.

If only she?d quit with that god-awful wig!! I could even take the bleached eyebrows, but the wig must be burned, along with most of her look for recording the pod: all black clothing, including leather gloves (they?re inside), a furry jacket, and a knit cap. It?s like she came dressed as Boris AND Natasha.

Photos credit: Backgrid, Avalon.red and via YouTube/SNL

Carrie Coon entered the Criterion Closet & raved about one of my favorite movies of all time, Crossing Delancey (Amy Irving is amazing in it!). [OMG Blog]
Bad Bunny strips down for Calvin Klein. [Socialite Life]
Taylor Swift skipped the iHeartRadio Awards but she sent in a video because they gave her the ?tour of the century? award. [JustJared]
Monica Barbaro & Andrew Garfield went grocery shopping. [LaineyGossip]
Spoiler for The White Lotus: Sam Rockwell?s guest appearance was completely bonkers and Walton Goggins? acting in that scene was incredible. [Jezebel]
Yeah, millions of people voted for this. [Buzzfeed]
Forever 21 is closing? [Hollywood Life]
Is the Saw franchise officially over? [Seriously OMG]
Doechii wore Miu Miu to the iHeartRadio Awards. [RCFA]

It?s so crazy that we spent years not hearing anything from Justine Bateman, to the point where most people forgot she existed, and now suddenly she?s styled herself into a right-wing commentator who pops up once a month to hate on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. My guess is that Justine learned the same thing that Piers Morgan, Jeremy Clarkson & all of the British loons learned years ago: that ?hating on the Sussexes? got them more attention than they?d ever had before. Back in January, Justine threw a tantrum because Meghan, who was born & raised in LA, volunteered at various charities during the Southern California wildfires. Justine called the Sussexes ?disaster tourists? for? volunteering in Meghan?s hometown. Justine got so much attention for that. So now she?s written a whole-ass Substack about Meghan and the ?Victim Olympics Road.?

Justine Bateman feels like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have turned playing the ?victims? into an Olympic sport. The ?Family Ties? alum slammed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a new post shared to Substack over the weekend, which she titled, ?The Problem With Meghan Markle: It?s Not What She?s Doing, It?s the Victim Olympics Road She Took to Get There.?

?The problem with Meghan Markle (and her husband, Harry) is that every opportunity they have explored or exploited over the past few years has been due to their very aggressive Victim Olympics campaign,? Bateman wrote. Bateman, 59, argued that there is an ?immense? difference in acting that way ?two years ago and doing it now? ? years after they left the UK and stepped down as working members of the royal family.

?It?s 2025, and no one wants to see victims anymore,? she wrote. ?No one wants to watch someone playact at something they didn?t earn. No one wants to go along with another?s ?narrative? anymore.?

Bateman, who even created a custom gold medal with ?Victim Olympics? written on the ribbon, went over some of the accusations Meghan and Harry have made about the royals ?? including that someone allegedly questioned their son?s skin color and that they were ?not being protected? from media narratives.

?Meghan and Harry has the luck of societal timing with their cries of abuse at the hands of others. 2020-2024 was truly the Victim Olympics Era,? she quipped. The ?Violet? author wrote that the ?gold medals? they won include their $100 million deal with Netflix, a reported $20 million four-book deal with Penguin Random House and Markle?s now-defunct $20 million deal with Spotify.

?The book deal was not because Harry is an incredible writer, the Spotify deal was not because either of them are beautiful orators or fascinating interviewers, and the Netflix deal was not because they are notable showrunners or producers,? she claimed. ?These were simply the spoils of them crying out to anyone who would listen about the ?injuries? they had sustained.?

However, Bateman cautioned the couple that they now have to ?earn [their] spot,? because it?s been five years since people began listening to their story. The public doesn?t want to listen to people who bemoaned their lack of privacy, and yet take every opportunity to be extremely public with whatever they?re doing. They are tired of seeing a couple who hated the Royal Family so much that they burned the bridge between them to ashes, only to ferociously cling to the titles they had as former members of that Royal Family.?

Bateman summarized her post by arguing that Markle, 43, and Harry, 40, have been ?riding the fumes of a past Victim Era, in a new era now where victimhood has fallen far out of favor.?

?I believe everyone has a basket of skills and talents. I don?t believe either Meghan or Harry has taken the time to discover what is in their baskets,? she concluded. ?If they were to take some time away, to enrich themselves and discover who they truly are, I think some interesting things could emerge from them.?

[From Page Six]

Before With Love, Meghan even came out, I expressed my surprise that the Windsors and their media handlers were crashing out so badly in advance of a little Netflix show about cooking and entertaining. It?s even worse now that WLM is out and it?s a success. Again, take a step back and think about this: Spare, which was released in January 2023, was the last time Harry said one ?negative? word about his family. Meghan hasn?t said one word about her husband?s family since 2022. They were and are perfectly entitled to tell their stories about the Windsors and the violent hate machine which is still churning against them, but they haven?t said anything in over two years. Meghan HAS moved on, she?s doing this sweet little show where she cooks for her friends and these people are still screaming, crying and throwing up about it. As for Justine? this bitch needs a hobby. Writing this piece is such jobless behavior.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images and Fox News.

I?m not a regular listener/watcher of The Pivot Podcast, but the men behind it get some good exclusives and their interviews often make headlines. Simone Biles? husband Jonathan Owens made his terrible comments about men and marriage on the Pivot Podcast in late 2023, and I think the Pivot hosts have a real knack for getting famous men to admit some weirdly toxic thoughts and beliefs. Speaking of, Anthony Mackie was a recent guest on the pod, and his comments about men and masculinity are getting a lot of attention. Just FYI: Mackie has four sons with his ex-wife Sheletta Chapital. His sons? ages are between 15 and 8.

On raising four sons: ?I keep my boys humble. Like my boys have never had a pair of Jordans. My boys don?t do all that internet fly sh-t. I could be the biggest star in the world. Do not let me catch you being stupid?. My oldest gets it, my 15-year-old. He tell the other ones, he?s like, ?Yo, don?t make dad mad.? Once you get one that?s right, he?s going to straighten the other ones out.?

The death of the American male: ?So, it is just that thing of? in the past 20 years, we?ve been living through the death of the American male. They have literally killed masculinity in our homes, in our communities for one reason or another. But I raise my boys to be young men. And however you feel about that, you feel about that. But my boys will always be respectful, they will always say ?yes sir? and ?yes ma?am?? they will always say ?thank you.? They will always open the door for a lady. They will always make sure that their mother is provided for. They will always be men.?

The oldest is the man of the house: ?Every time I left for a job, I tell my 15-year-old, ?You?re the man of the house. You make sure these doors are locked. Every night this alarm is on. You text me or you call me every night before you go to bed and you wake up.? I love that because we?re men.? Mackie believes all the ?money? and ?celebrity? in the world ?means nothing? if he?s ?not there to protect? his family.

On European men: ?So, for me, it?s always that idea of American masculinity is very different. You feel it when you go to Europe, you see these [motherf?kers] and you?re like ?I could bust your ass, boy.? You go to Europe and [they?re wearing] those tight-ass pants. Boy, you better lotion your ankles.?

[From THR & my transcription]

I?m including the video below and I have it cued up to this section on American masculinity. Let me say that I think it?s a much more loaded conversation when a Black man is talking about masculinity, and there?s obviously a much deeper history which intersects with racism in America, the legacy of physical and financial oppression and the waxing and waning of respectability politics in modern America. I think if Mackie was speaking solely about how he enforces his own ideals of respectability and masculinity on his sons, it would be less of a conversation. But Mackie is, like, consciously tying that conversation to ?the death of American masculinity.? Which is something of a talking point in right-wing circles, that no one will ?let? men be men, that masculinity is in crisis because women have rights or something. The sh-t about European men is so weird too. There are some moments here where Mackie comes across as somewhat toxic.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.