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BUTTONS.
I’ve said it before, and damn it, I’m going to say it again. The Duchess of Cambridge has a Button Problem to go along with her Raccoon McWaity problem. Bedhead just said, “Duchess of Buttons” so now I can’t get it out of my head. Raccoon McWaity, Duchess of Buttons. It really is like no button will ever be too big or too garish for Kate. Bless her heart.
As for the buttony ensemble, it’s Alexander McQueen. Or, Sarah Burton for McQueen. WTF is Sarah Burton doing to the label? She designed that Ralph Lauren-looking sailor outfit during Will and Kate’s Canadian tour too. Sarah Burton has become Kate’s Button Enabler.
William and Kate’s appearance yesterday in Birmingham was all part of the royal family reaching out to those affected by the London riots. People Mag has more:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge showed empathy and support Friday for those who had lost family members, seen their possessions snatched or worked 15-hour days to cope with traumatic events of a riot-torn area of Britain. The royal couple made the surprise trip to Birmingham on Friday and comforted the families of three men who died while defending shops from looters.
Like other visits by members of the royal family this week, it was unheralded in the media, so there were only a handful of well-wishers outside Summerfield Community Centre, at the heart of the Winson Green area, about 130 miles north west of London.
Inside, William and Kate first met representatives of the mourning families of Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31. Included in the group for the 15-minute meeting was Haroon’s father Tariq, who, amid his grief hours after his son’s death, had stood on the street and urged locals not to seek revenge.
There was a “very somber atmosphere” at the meeting, Insp. Cate Webb-Jones of West Midlands Police says. “They were very concerned about what the families had gone through and how they were coping with such a tragedy.”
William and Kate “showed a lot of respect” and offered the condolences to the families, he said. Later, aides said William and Kate were “full of admiration for the dignity” the families had shown in the face of their loss.
With Kate, 29, rarely away from his side, William, also 29, led the way as they spoke with members of community groups and emergency services who had dealt with the outbreak of street violence.
The Duchess revealed that the couple had watched in horror at home in Anglesey, Wales, as it unfolded on TV. “Looking at all the young people out and about on the streets, we couldn’t believe it was happening in Britain,” she told Supt. Sue Southern from West Midlands Police.
They also met the ambulance crew who were first on the scene when the three young men were hit by a car as they protected shops from looters. “They thanked us for all our work under pressure in those circumstances,” Darren Roberts said. “We told them we just wanted to carry on helping.”
Kate, meanwhile, exchanged praises with nurses at two of the city’s hospitals: “She said, ‘When you are doing your everyday job and then this on top, it must be very hard,’ ” nurse Lesley Clare says.
And her colleague, Mandy Sankey, nurse manager at the Children’s Hospital adds, “She’s a real ambassador. She conducted herself with real dignity. She’s extremely ladylike.”
Their visit followed that of Prince Harry to the Manchester area Thursday, and Prince Charles and wife’s tour of riot-hit parts of London Wednesday.
[From People]
“Like other visits by members of the royal family this week, it was unheralded in the media…”???? But we still got lots and lots of quality photos! I think there was actually one photographer taking photos, and the dude just sold the pics to several photo agencies.
But sure, I’m glad Kate and William spent some time with “the people”. It’s good for her to really begin to do royal appearances on a regular basis, and it’s good for her mingle amongst the commoners. Sometimes… ugh, should I say this? I’ll say it. Sometimes I get the feeling that William has more of a “common touch” than Kate, who was actually a commoner. Yes, she seems engaged with the people she’s talking to (as opposed to her usual habit of looking around for the camera and posing while people speak to her). She’s getting better at this stuff… but William just seems more natural.
Angelina Jolie in Croatia.
These are photos of Angelina Jolie in Croatia, where she stayed for about 48 hours on a whirlwind trip in which she met with Croatia’s president and took in a production of King Lear. Angelina brought her two oldest sons, Pax and Maddox, and there are even some blurry, low-quality pics of Angelina and Madd (below, at the end of the post). She went to the King Lear production at the invitation of actor Rade Serbedzija, the white-haired gentleman in these photos. He’s also been in about a million films, and one of the latest projects is In the Land of Blood and Honey, Angelina’s feature directorial debut (she previously directed a documentary, A Place In Time).
According to a reader of this site, Jolie “managed to say that she liked” the King Lear production, which featured “mostly pretty bad actors” (this is according to the Celebitchy reader!). Google Translator claims Angelina said, “This was an incredible experience. Brilliant performances that celebrate the remarkable way the theater. Otherwise I’m a big fan of Rade Serbedzija, I enjoyed working with him. I have no words for his work, and I hope to be with him one day and play with him.” I sure he would enjoy that very much! She also took a meeting with the president about land mines, apparently at HIS request. Pres. Ivo Josipovic asked Jolie to help with Croatia’s landmine problem:
Angelina Jolie met with the president of Croatia on Friday (19Aug11) to discuss how to tackle land mines in the country.
The actress, who is in Europe while her partner Brad Pitt films his new movie World War Z in various locations around the U.K., flew into Croatia as a guest of her friend and fellow actor Rade Serbedzija.
But Jolie, who serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, turned the trip into a charity mission as she used the opportunity to meet with President Ivo Josipovic.
The pair discussed the nation’s ongoing problem with land mines, which have remained since the country’s war of independence in the 1990s.
[From Contact Music]
After that meeting, Angelina and the boys went to the island of Brijuni and had some beach time – or not? I don’t know, I think I might be getting the timeline of event wrong. But the gist is the same – King Lear, meeting with the president, beach time.
Beyonce in the Latest cover of instyle.
Beyonce covers the September issue of InStyle Magazine, probably just to promote her album, 4, because Beyonce has literally covered every fashion magazine to promote this album. Maybe she should have spent less time posing and more time in the studio? Maybe she should have spent less time tweaking and more time writing hits? I’m just sayin’. Her latest music video has been described using the words “tweaked, David’s Bridal and tacky.” And that’s just the visual – the song sucks too.
Anyway, back to InStyle and Bey. Guess what she’s resorted to discussing to promote this album? BABIES! Beyonce and Jennifer Aniston are more alike then you think. Both feel the need to pay lip-service to “traditional” values, when really I think their lives are nothing like that. Aniston loves her tequila and likes getting laid (by the douchiest hipster she can find) and Beyonce just likes to WORK. She doesn’t have time to do anything but work her ass off – as is her right, but I wish she would stop talking about babies whenever she’s about to go on tour for two years straight.
What’s the current over-under on Beyonce and Jay-Z splitting up in the next year or so? I do get feelings about some couples, but I’m sometimes wrong. Beyonce’s BFF Gwyneth Paltrow has managed to hang on to Chris Martin for years longer than I thought she would, so obviously, my gossip sixth sense needs some fine-tuning. I wonder if Beyonce asks Gwyneth for marriage advice? Would you?
Here’s the behind-the-scenes video of Beyonce’s InStyle photo shoot:
In very sad, shocking news, Russell Armstrong, Taylor Armstrong from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ estranged husband, is dead in an apparent suicide. TMZ just covered the news that Russell was found hanged.
Recently Russell’s abusive past was uncovered when the news came out that two ex girlfriends had taken out restraining orders against him. Taylor has also accused him of physical abuse, with the National Enquirer reporting that he dislocated her jaw, punched her in the eye, and tried to keep her from going to the hospital afterwards for treatment.
Russell was also facing multiple lawsuits from bad business deals in which he was basically accused of running a ponzi scheme. He had also been convicted of felony tax evasion. So he had a lot of very serious personal issues. It’s very sad that he took his own life, especially for his five year-old daughter with Taylor, Kennedy.
Raccoon McPantless: “I quit acting, actually. I quit Gossip Girl.”
It’s been too long since we had a story about our beloved Raccoon McPantless. She’s still pantless, obviously, and she’s still applying her eye makeup with a shovel, of course. She’s also decided to officially end her acting career at the ripe old age of 17. She’s done all she can do, people! It’s now time for the Raccoon McPantless Music Moment. Raccoon has a new interview in Elle Mag where she discusses her old career, her new career, and how it’s hard out there for a raccoon:
Dressing for her first concert in Japan, in the summer: “Um…I don’t think we do anything differently. I wore a dress that’s made out of straps [laughs while pointing at her outfit]. I actually don’t know [where I got it], I found it at a little boutique in London. Honestly, most of my clothes I’ve had for a long time, or a lot of it is vintage and I modify it and change it. So I kind of wear the same things over and over, variations of them. Along the way [on tour I might] buy something cool; if not, I’ve got a plethora of versions of the same things.” Momsen also says she’s wearing “stripper boots.”
Beauty essentials for the road trips: “I tend not to bring a lot. [Just] a lot of black eyeshadow, and dry shampoo because a lot of the time you don’t have time to wash your hair or shower, it’s very chaotic. So black eyeshadow and dry shampoo and I’m good to go. I love the Bed Head black eyeshadow. If I can’t find it, whatever works, whatever is the blackest eyeshadow I can find.”
On what she loves more, writing, recording, or performing music: “I love it all. They’re all very different: Writing is a very tortuous process, but, you know, I would say one of the most rewarding at the end; I love recording, it’s a completely different mindset from being on tour. But anytime you have an opportunity to play music, whether it’s in the studio or on the road, it’s the best thing in the world.”
On her acting career: “I quit acting, actually. I quit Gossip Girl and now tour and am in a band and that’s pretty much all I want to do. Hopefully I’ll be able to only do that for the rest of my life.”
Raccoon didn’t sound so desperately try-hard in this interview, so I have some small hopes that she’s maturing now that she’s actually doing what she loves. Her withdrawal from the acting profession won’t be missed, I don’t think, and it’s obvious her heart and mind are with music now, so God bless. One thing, though: I don’t think she “quit” Gossip Girl. She was suspended indefinitely, and then fired. For cause.
Also: she likes “Bed Head” black eye shadow. I didn’t know Agent Bedhead had her own Raccoon brand! (JK).
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Over the weekend the news came out that Jennifer Aniston would guest star on soap staple Days of Our Lives. It wasn’t a bad idea actually, as Jennifer could help boost ratings for the show along with help out her dad, who plays long-running character Victor Kiriakis. Only that story isn’t true, according to her rep who comments on everything except for her major gaffes.
Sorry to say, America’s favorite Friend (or her evil twin) will not be dropping by Salem.
Aniston’s rep denied the rumor to E! News this morning, saying there was no truth to the rumors.
Too bad. Guess Victor Kiriakis is going to have to find another wedding planner.
And America’s housewives will have to make do with just one Aniston on the airwaves. The 78-year-old John has played the Greek conniver on the soap for more than 24 years, appearing in 1,199 episodes to date.
I watched Days off and on the past year or so, but kind of stopped once they replaced a character I really liked with an actress I found annoying. There was also a very ridiculous plotline about an evil twin guy that was created through plastic surgery to fool his wife while the real husband was kidnapped. I guess that’s par for the course when it comes to the dying art that is the soap opera. Spoilers potentially for Days It’s nice to hear that Jenn’s dad might be getting married on the show to Maggie, his maybe on-again girlfriend. They’re a cute couple. I have no idea if they’re engaged or even together at this point. That entire “wedding” angle could have been made up by that random British tabloid that falsely reported that Aniston was going to star.
Aniston should give her dad a call though and ask if he could find a guest role for her on the show. It would be a nice gesture and would earn her a lot of good will. Unlike actors like James Franco, she doesn’t really seem to be clamoring to expand her horizons, acting or otherwise. I know that sounds like an over generalization, but she is a creature of habit. Maybe her new man is helping her out in that department.
This photo is from 1995 of Jenn with her dad. Cute!
Photo credit: WENN and Fame
I’m pretty sure we already saw at least one of these photos of teen bride Courtney Stodden, who is “happily” married to character actor Doug Hutchison, 51, posing in a red bathing suit to look like Pamela Anderson in Baywatch circa when she was hot. Now there are more photos of Courtney trying to bring the sexy with comically contorted expressions, over-the-top poses and a bathing suit that is way too high cut. Courtney posted these on what appears to be her official Facebook. She tweeted about it too, writing “Just completed my session; Court does Pam! XO’s”
Some of her other tweets are so suggestive they make me cringe:
A soft sensation sweetly kisses my body as I prepare for a sexy hot photo shoot this afternoon. What a breathtaking morning it has been! 
Stepped my paws into a sexy wet cat-suit; Prowling mysteriously around the house while lickin’ my lips searchin’ for some nip! MEEEOWWW!
I assume that Doug wrote that ridiculous crap, not Courtney. It’s gross.
I don’t want to make fun of this girl since she’s so very young and clearly under the influence of a stage mother who groomed her to turn out this way and then convinced her that it was fine to marry a dude older than her dad. She’s only 16, and while I didn’t believe that at first some Facebook inquiries I made to people who grew up with her (and were commenting about her on Facebook well before this scandal came out) confirmed her age. E! News was also able to find her birth certificate, which lists her date of birth as August 29, 1994. At least she’ll be 17 in a couple of weeks, not that it made her legal before her mom and dad signed off on her marriage to a old guy they swear isn’t a creepy predator.
So this is Courtney, and she seems to have been raised to become this parody of a sex kitten. It’s funny but sad, and kind of a sad commentary on the state of the media too. This is just one example of the slippery slope of our reality show culture. It remains to be seen whether she’ll get even more mileage out of this marriage, and whether it’s “real” or a publicity stunt. I’m hoping for her sake that it’s all a put on, but I doubt that she’s that convincing of an actress.
Prince Harry dumped his girlfriend “Flee”, and he’s coming to Arizona
I haven’t done much, if any coverage of Prince Harry’s girlfriend of two months or so, Florence Brudenell-Bruce. You know why? Because I took one look at that chick and thought, “This too shall pass.” Sure, “Flee” (or whatever her nickname was) is pretty and blonde, and she had the right mix of trashy (lingerie pinup modeling shots) and classy (she lives a middle-class life, much like Kate Middleton used to), but it was pretty clear that the media and Harry’s family wanted Flee to happen more than Harry wanted it. To him, Flee was just another blonde, one of many that were interchangeable. Anyway, Harry and Flee broke up. Predictable.
Prince Harry and model Florence Brudenell-Bruce have gone their separate ways as he concentrates on his army career, according to Tuesday’s Daily Mirror.
The paper claims Harry, 26, doesn’t want to commit to any relationship while he’s in the midst of getting “combat ready” in his helicopter training – though he did enjoy spending time with Brudenell-Bruce, 25, this summer.
A source close to the royal family tells PEOPLE, “He is so focused on the army and seems intent of going back to the war zone.”
The prince and the lingerie model, whose nickname is Flee, have not been seen publicly together since they were first said to be dating in late June.
Two weeks ago, Harry visited Majorca with some friends and was on vacation in the U.K. before returning to his Army Air Corps base.
In the final stages of learning to pilot Apache attack helicopters, the prince is headed to Arizona, where he’ll remain until the Christmas holidays in order to train over the rocky, desert terrain.
I knew it didn’t look good for Flee when Harry went on that vacation without her. Poor girl – used and tossed aside by the Ginger Prince. Something tells me that Chelsy Davy is getting some drunk phone calls right about now… he’s probably proclaiming his undying love to her as we speak. What is Chelsy’s hold on him? I don’t get it.
But Harry’s coming to Arizona?!? Arizona sluts, get ready. Every girl in Arizona needs to go blonde! One of you (at least) needs to get Harry to forget about Chelsy. And then, nine months after his visit, lots of ginger babies are going to born in Arizona.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Gwyneth Paltrow thinks plastic surgery, Botox are “gimmicks” for peasants
I don’t know if Gwyneth Paltrow really said any of this stuff – this whole interview comes from a New Zealand media outlet’s translation of an interview with Gwyneth in the German edition of OK! Magazine. So, if OK! Germany got an interview with Goop, and if the translation is right, and if this whole thing wasn’t made up entirely, then Gwyneth is made of goopy lies. According to this web of gossip, Gwyneth claims that she would never NEVER deign to do “gimmicky” (re: “peasanty”) forms of plastic surgery, and she “refuses” to do Botox (haha, LIES). But! Gwyneth is pro-boob job. Amazing, if it’s true:
Gwyneth Paltrow believes cosmetic surgery is “pure vanity”. The Hollywood actress is famed for her stunning natural looks and slender frame and is regularly praised for her elegant style.
Paltrow insists she wouldn’t use any “gimmicky” forms of surgery, but wouldn’t rule out having her breasts enhanced. The 38-year-old beauty has kids Apple and Moses and says without surgery, her breasts will never be what they were before pregnancy.
“Before I didn’t care about it. And I still refuse to use silicone, Botox or other of those gimmicks out of pure vanity. But a breast correction after breast feeding — why not? There’s actually nothing else to restore the original condition, isn’t there?” she laughed in an interview with the German edition of OK! magazine.
Paltrow is known for her intensive exercise regimes, including yoga. Although there aren’t always enough hours in the day to complete her thorough workout, she tries to fit in at least a few minutes a day.
“I don’t have time to do real yoga sessions that last over 60 minutes,” she said. “But I meditate each day for at least five minutes.”
Paltrow claimed her intensive yoga session “ruined” her body for a period of time. The exercise diminished her curves, and her physique looked “boxy”.
“Yes that was strange. I somehow lost my waist because of intense yoga training and became almost boxy,” she explained. “But with stretching and Pilates exercises I hit form again.”
I like how she makes it seem like she hasn’t already jacked her face (remember this?), and like she hasn’t already gotten her boobs “perked up” with some kind of procedure (remember this?). To be fair, I don’t think Gwyneth has gotten a facelift, and she hasn’t gotten her eyes done or anything. But the goopy bitch is hitting the ‘Tox on the regular, and I personally believe that she’s already gotten her boobs done. How gimmicky. How gauche. How peasanty. How GOOP.
Photos courtesy of WENN & Fame.
Angelina Jolie wears a trash bag, takes her girls to the toy store again
Here are some photos of Angelina taking her two oldest girls to a store in Richmond – the same toy store they went to a few weeks ago. I guess the girls had some stuff on lay-away? Haha. Am I alone in having moments of lower-middle-class-ness and having a mother who would put stuff on lay-away? It’s funny to think Angelina could have been like, “Er, can you hold this for me for two weeks, I have to find some way to pay for it!”
Here’s the question of the day: WTF is with Angelina Jolie and the trash bag couture? It’s not like this is the first time she’s worn an outfit resembling a trash bag – remember this? She likes her clothes like she likes her Hefty bags – shiny, plastic and black. Perhaps trash bag style is easier to clean for all of her dominatrix duties? Mistress Hefty. Knowing Angelina, this is probably something new that she picked up and now she’s going to wear this shiny, fug camisole for the next two years in photo-ops. Sigh… I miss that fug black hippie dress that she used to wear all the time. I wonder wear that is? She probably left it France.
As for the girls – Zahara looks pissed off that she’s being photographed, as usual. Maybe she’s just mad that her mom put her toys on lay-away…? Maybe she’s mad that her mom is wearing a camisole made out of an old Hefty. Shiloh, meanwhile, continues to stick her tongue out at everyone. You know what I always look at on Shiloh? Her nose! Where did she get that nose? Is that Angelina’s or Brad’s? I always assumed Angelina got a nose job when she was teenager, but Shiloh’s nose looks a lot like Angelina’s current nose, so… (gasp)… is that Angelina’s original nose?
Photos courtesy of Fame & WENN.
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie take the twins out to a puppet show.
How cute are these photos? Yesterday, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took the Empress, Shiloh, and the twins to a puppet show in England. The show is called “The Puppet Theatre Barge” which takes place literally on a barge on the Thames. From the stuffed animals the kids are holding, my guess is that part of the puppet show involves dinosaurs, right?
Anyway, these are some of the first photos of Vivienne where I didn’t feel like she was on a cusp of a major hissy. I’ve always said that about Viv – she just has one of those faces where she always looks like she’s about to break out in an earth-shattering wail. But now she’s a big girl, and her mom even let her walk on her own, and she looks happier – Brad is carrying Knox, who definitely seems like the more easy-going twin. I think Knox looks a hell of a lot like Brad, don’t you? Although Knox’s hair looks like it’s got some ginger to it. I swear, Knox is going to end up looking like Michael Fassbender. And that’s going to be awesome.
Thoughts on Vivienne’s oufit? She seems to like more girlish ensembles – at her age, Shiloh was already dressing like a tomboy, so at least we’re going to be spared tabloid covers about how Vivienne is 3-year-old lesbian, because she wears dockers and likes to play rough with her brothers. I like Viv’s little Mary Janes! So cute.
The Empress! Such a face.
Hulk Hogan spent his 58th birthday looking at nude photos of his daughter
Hulk Hogan celebrated his 58th birthday last night by taking his 20-something blonde girlfriend to see his 20-something blonde daughter’s nude photo exhibit. You think I’m joking. I’m not. Ordinarily, I’d rather eat death than write about Hulk Hogan or anyone vaguely related to Hulk Hogan, but this was simply too ridiculous to pass up. Brooke Hogan had posed for a photo series called, I kid you not,”Women in cages”. It was sponsored by PETA, because… you know, animals are kept in cages, so how best illustrate that point than by getting Brooke to take off her clothes and pose inside a cage? For real. And her dad came out to see it, on his birthday! Because what father wouldn’t want that for his birthday?
And there’s all of the kissy-faces that Brooke always makes around her dad. Okay, surely someone is with me? This is gross, right? I’m not the most physical person, especially with my parents, so maybe that’s why this is so gross to me. But I cannot imagine being an adult woman and making kissy-faces at my father.
Riverwood to Holywood. 
