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Stacey Dash: Jesse Williams is a ‘perfect example of a Hollywood plantation slave’

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Just know, I was looking to avoid covering this, but it’s the Friday before a long holiday weekend and there isn’t much else going on. I’d actually like some commenter-thoughts on this one: in the future, is it smarter to simply avoid Stacey Dash stories completely, no matter how hard she’s trolling? Or should we cover those stories because we need to say (repeatedly) that Stacey Dash is a terrible person filled with terrible ideas? The BET Awards were held last Sunday, and one of the best moments from the show was Jesse Williams receiving an award for his humanitarian work, and his work with Black Lives Matter and the Advancement Project. Here’s his speech again: @iJesseWilliams full speech. P R E A C H!!!https://t.co/CESmMrtmWA — 100% (@goafgang) June 27, 2016 It was a powerful speech that touched on many issues, from police brutality to the exclusion of black women from the narrative of civil rights movements, from savage inequalities in education to the systemic appropriation of black art and talent. Many were moved to tears by Williams. But not Stacey Dash, master troll and Fox News idiot. Dash got on her Patheos blog to complain about Jesse’s speech and insult him for daring to be a black man at an awards show recognizing diversity in the arts and making a speech about the racial problems we still have in this country. How dare he, right? Here’s part of what Dash wrote (I’m leaving her typos): You’ve just seen the perfect example of a HOLLYWOOD plantation slave! Sorry, Mr Williams. But the fact that you were standing on that stage at THOSE awards tells people you really don’t know what your talking about. Just spewing hate and anger. Because you my man are just like everyone else hustling to get money. But your cognitive dissidents has you getting it from THAT BYSTANDER whom YOU DONT NEED. Yes. BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION is WHITE OWNED. GET over yourself and get on with it! That chip on the shoulders of people like you will weigh you down and keep you from flying free. But true freedom is never free. You have to know how to fly. If anyone is making you feel this way its you. Living in a psychological prison of your own making. If anyone is GHETTO-IZING anyone, it’s people like you letting the BETs and other media outlets portray us in stereotypes. [From Dash’s Patheos blog] A few points. You’re not your. Cognitive dissonance not cognitive dissidents. As for the rest of it… I don’t even want to waste my energy trying to figure out the pretzel of logic she uses to claim that Jesse William is the one ghettoizing people and stereotyping people. How is Jesse Williams a “plantation slave” for working with black activists and making a speech about how much work is left to be done? Who can tell anymore? A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Duchess Kate wears a $2900 zig-zag Missoni coat at WWI memorial

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Embed from Getty Images On Thursday evening, Prince Harry, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge arrived at Thiepval memorial to the Missing in France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Somme during World War I. Tributes were also held in London, with the Queen, Prince Philip and David Cameron all attending a service at Westminster Abbey. The younger royals got sent to France though, which is how it should be. I’ve come to expect Harry at these kind of somber military events, but the Cambridges usually don’t pull this kind of duty. I think Kate looks nice here. She wore this Missoni coat which probably retails for something like $2900, although she’s likely had it significantly altered. But I like that it’s memorial-appropriate but it’s not just solid-black. She managed to stand out but not be disrespectful. And hey, at least she wasn’t wearing hot pink. She gets bonus points from me for wearing her hair back, wearing a fascinator that didn’t look like an undercooked cinnamon bun, and for keeping her accessories very simple. She might not look like Barbie Duchess, but she looked respectful of the event. What else? Prince William made a speech and as I was skimming the text, I was like “whoa, politics!” Take a gander: “One hundred years ago tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. the British army attacked German lines across these fields. To the young men eager to fight it was known as the ‘Big Push.’ The joint British and French offensive intended to put unbearable pressure on the German army and hasten an end to the war. Most of those who went over the top that day were wartime volunteers. Some as young as 16. Some had already seen action. For others the Somme was their first experience of battle. By the end of the 1st of July the British Army had sustained almost 60,00 casualties, of whom nearly one third had died. We lost the flower of a generation. And in the years to come it sometimes seemed that with them a sense of vital optimism had disappeared forever from British life. It was, in many ways, the saddest day in the long story of our nation. “Tonight we think of them as they nerved themselves for what lay ahead. We acknowledge the failures of European governments, including our own, to prevent the catastrophe of World War. We offer our humblest respects to each man who fought in the Battle of the Somme from every corner of the British Isles and from across the Commonwealth. We honor those whose names are recorded on this memorial. More than 72,000 who have no know grave. And to those who lie buried in Commonwealth war cemeteries. And tonight we stand here with a promise to those men. We will remember you. The gift you gave your country is treasured by every one of us this day. The sacrifice you made will never, ever, be forgotten.” [From People] “We acknowledge the failures of European governments, including our own, to prevent the catastrophe of World War…” That felt pointed, right? Props to William for acknowledging the lack of leadership that caused so many young men to die in that dreadful battle. And if people want to believe he’s just making a reference to the lack of leadership 100 years ago, so be it. But maybe he’s talking about a lack of leadership today. Bregrexit! Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Photos courtesy of Getty.

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Michelle Obama in a $1950 Delpozo dress in Madrid: overpriced, fug or cute?

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Since yesterday’s Michelle Obama fashion post was so popular, I thought you guys might enjoy another one. As I said yesterday, MObama arrived in Spain this week with her mom and her two daughters. The ladies were on a tour to support the Let Girls Learn initiative. They got a great reception in Spain, and Spain’s Queen Letizia came out to support Let Girls Learn and the Obamas. After Letizia and Michelle both made speeches, they did a photo-op stroll at Zarzuela Palace, where they were having lunch. It was a nice moment, especially because Letizia is a fashion-plate like Michelle, and because Letizia seems looser and more comfortable around FLOTUS. Letizia often comes across as rather pinched, you know? But she seemed relaxed around Michelle. I imagine most people feel relaxed around Michelle, she just seems like a nice person. Even Queen Elizabeth felt comfortable enough to put her arm around MObama. But we need to talk about the fashion! Because Michelle’s dress is bad. And overpriced. Why can’t I stop comparing Michelle to the Middleton women? Earlier this week, Michelle almost had a Middleton-esque Marilyn Moment coming off the plane. And now Michelle is acting Middleton-esque by spending WAY too much on ugly dresses. Many of you though Pippa Middleton’s little summer dress should have cost $60 instead of $1800. So what do you think about Michelle terrible Delpozo dress, which costs $1950? WAY TOO MUCH. First off, it’s just not a good dress. It makes Michelle look thick-waisted, which she isn’t at all. The empire waist is just awkward, the “wings” at the back are terrible and basically this doesn’t look like it should cost more than $100-150. If that. That being said, Delpozo is a Spanish label, and I’m sure Michelle was just trying to honor her host country. Letizia’s dress was Nina Ricci by the way. It’s a really simple and flattering look, I think. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and Pacific Coast News.

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Tom Hiddleston & Taylor Swift spent all of Thursday with her parents

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I hope I’m not overselling this, but HUZZAH, finally some paparazzi wandered down to Nashville to get some photos of Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift. I’ve actually been waiting for this for a week and a half! While the original Tiddles photo-op in Rhode Island was super-obvious, it was also pretty obviously exclusive to one paparazzo, in that Taylor totally staged the photos. But her usual M.O. with her boyfriend-rollouts is to go somewhere public, populated and pap-friendly with her new boyfriend so that everyone can get shots. And that’s what we have now! After Tiddles spent Tuesday night at a Selena Gomez concert and spent Wednesday night having an “intimate dinner” at a steakhouse, what was on deck for Thursday? A whole day spent with Taylor’s family, it seems. Tom and Taylor were photographed out and about in Nashville with her parents and some other people, maybe Taylor’s brother? They visited the Country Music Hall Of Fame, then went to lunch and did some shopping. Then Taylor took Tom for dinner at Adele’s restaurant with some of her girlfriends. The photos are pretty amazing, right? They certainly seem… something. Well-connected, maybe? Especially since they’ve only been together for a few weeks? Also, there’s been a lot of commenting on Taylor’s bust in all of these photo-ops. Swifty had a boob job several years back, and some have been wondering if she treated herself to a size upgrade, perhaps after her split with Calvin Harris. While I do think she’s looking “fuller,” I don’t think the timeline makes sense as far as post-surgical healing. So did she get a bolt-on upgrade or is she just wearing hugely padded bras? And there’s one theory I’ve always had about Tom: he’s a boob man. Many of his exes are quite busty. Hm… Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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Rick Astley never gave us up – and tops the British charts once again

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In “What year is this?” news, Rick Astley has a number one album – in his home country of England. The singer, now 50, just hit the charts with his comeback album, titled 50. Well, naming your album after your current age worked for Adele. Apparently, this tactic also proved successful for Rick. You young whippersnappers may only know Rick from the internet phenomenon known as “Rickrolling,” where pranksters would tempt you to click a link only to be taken to a video for Rick’s 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” (still a damn catchy tune if you ask me). The prank garnered Rick over 70 million views of the song’s video on YouTube and led to a surprise appearance at the 2008 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. England’s Telegraph complied some fun facts about Rick that are worth a read. He was kind of a big deal. The singer retired in 1993 to raise his daughter and now, 23 years later, Rick is back with a vengeance. The new album beat out Paul McCartney and popular British singer Tom Odell to take the top spot. The first single off of the album, “Keep Singing”, shows off Rick’s still soulful pipes, and the singer still has the youthful looks he rocked back in the 80s. Yes, I admit, I fangirled out a little when I saw this video. He’s still a cutie. Rick, who thought the whole Rickrolling thing was “hilarious” is slightly surprised about the success of his comeback album. He recently told the Daily Mail, “It’s all a bit bonkers. I am not allowing myself to believe that it is all happening. This time last year, I would have laughed at the thought of being number one again. And I almost didn’t care whether it hit the top or not. Because it is just fantastic to be here.” Sadly, we US Rick fans will have to wait until October 7th to download the album, which is available for pre-order on iTunes. I think it’s awesome that Rick is back. I always thought he was a great singer. I do like “You Move Me” better than “Give You Up,” but he was part of the soundtrack of my college years and I’m glad to see him again. With 80s classics like Ghostbusters coming back to the big screen – along with rumored remakes of Overboard, War Games and Police Academy, it’s kind of inevitable that we’re ready to welcome some of the decade’s more memorable voices back to the airwaves (or streaming services – I’m not that old). Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Photo credit: Getty Images, WENN.com

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Duchess Kate in blue Roland Mouret at the SportsAid gala: lovely or boring?

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I happened to be on Twitter as the @KensingtonRoyal account was live-tweeting the Duchess of Cambridge’s “arrival” at the SportsAid event last night. What was absolutely hilarious to me was that Kate’s official Twitter was making such a big deal about her “arrival”… at Kensington Palace. Literally, she “arrived” at her home. She walked outside to what is basically her backyard. This was also Kate’s first work event since she and William attended the Queen’s garden party on May 24th. Because she’s so keen to work, you guys! At least Kate gave us a new gown to examine, which is nice. I was getting tired of the repeats, mostly because she was repeating some of the worst pieces in her closet and styling those looks in the same old way. Her gown for this SportsAid reception was by Roland Mouret. She’s worn Mouret’s gowns before, to decent results. I like this gown for the most part. I have an issue with the bust though. Mouret is known for beautiful structure, and many of his gowns have an almost origami-like feel which needs proper tailoring. So is it the tailoring that’s off, or does Kate need a different bra? Am I the only one seeing that? The reception also involved a dinner (of beef, asparagus and pudding) and a speech by Kate, the video of which will probably be hidden away in some vault with all of Kate’s extra wiglets. Kensington Palace only released a transcript. Here is the speech in full: Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It is an absolute pleasure to be here with you to celebrate SportsAid’s 40th anniversary. Some of you may know that I love sport. I love cheering on teams and athletes that I am passionate about. I love the physical challenge sport presents and the mental strength it gives us all. And I love the way it so often brings people together to work as part of a team. I suspect many of you in this room may feel the same. The brilliance of SportsAid is in really understanding just how much athletic competition gives to our country as a whole. By investing in young sporting talent, they ensure that there is a strong pipeline of inspirational heroes. These athletes then serve as motivators to everyone in the UK to get involved, get active, and embrace the power of sport to make us happier and healthier. With little over 50 days to go until the Games begin in Rio; the next Olympiad is almost here. As we did in London in 2012, we will see a new generation of sporting stars emerge into the spotlight. We cannot wait to meet the next SportsAid champions – the next Chris Hoys and Katherine Graingers who will remind us all of the magic and the power of sport. So thank you all for supporting the incredible work of SportsAid. I am immensely proud to be their Patron and I can’t wait to cheer on our team competing in Rio. I do hope you enjoy tonight’s very special occasion. Thank you. [From Royal.uk] I was going to write some republican diatribe, but I’ll save it for another day. This is your future queen, Great Britain. I hope you can picture the hair tosses when you read the words “I love cheering on teams and athletes that I am passionate about.” People Magazine also had a lengthy write-up about this event, complete with sugary quotes from some of the people in attendance about how wonderful it is that Kate is so “curious about sport” and how amazing it was that she asked the young athletes if they were nervous. The CEO of SportsAid also made sure to mention that Kate is very “keen.” Yes, very keen. Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.

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VF: Duchess Kate runs Anmer Hall ‘with just a handful of domestic staff’

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In the new issue of Vanity Fair – the one with the Queen and her corgis on the cover – Katie Nicholl has an exclusive new story on the Cambridges. Nicholl is long-believed to have sources deep within the Middleton family and within William and Kate’s group of friends. Nicholl often writes pro-royal propaganda, although she has, at times, written pieces critical of both William and Kate. Basically, I believe that she has legit sources close to Will and Kate but I often think she’s just using pro-Cambridge sources with an agenda. So, caveats in place, this story is a pretty good read. Good as in I eye-rolled throughout with the glowing, sycophantic prose and sympathetic quotes. You can read the full piece here, and here’s the new stuff. William has the Queen & Charles’ blessings to live like a country squire. “It’s no secret that William doesn’t like the media intrusion into his life, and in the country he can escape,” says a family friend. “The Queen and the Prince of Wales have given their blessing for William to live this life, and William is very grateful. It’s enabling him and Kate to raise their family in a way that’s as close to ordinary as they can get.” Says another royal source, “William doesn’t want George and Charlotte going through some of the experiences he went through growing up. Everything he does regarding his family is very deliberate.” Life at Anmer Hall. They have crazy security measures, a swimming pool, a tennis court, police cars patrolling the perimeter and more. Nicholl writes: “Kate runs the 10-bedroom house with just a handful of domestic staff, including full-time nanny Maria Borallo and a housekeeper. Aides insist there is no in-house chef—Kate loves to cook, and she has been spotted buying local produce at Back to the Garden. Occasionally, she sends the family’s bodyguards out to do the grocery shopping at the local shops. Mealtimes are hectic family occasions with pots of food served straight to the table. (Like most little boys, George prefers French fries to vegetables.) Kate and William take turns giving the children their baths and putting them to bed.” Kate is happy at Anmer. Privately, Kate has told friends she is delighted to have left London. “They love the countryside and that’s where they are happiest,” says one family friend. They want another baby. There are rumors among the Cambridges’ set of friends that the couple won’t wait too long before trying for another baby. Says a source, “They want at least three kids and for them to be close in age.” The pressure to carry out more work. “William says there is no negotiation when it comes to his family,” says one royal source. It is this worry, say friends, which lies behind the Cambridges’ controversial decision to hide away from the public gaze in Norfolk. At Anmer, William says, they are “a family unit. We are a normal family… Right now it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment.” William’s job as a pilot. Friends say that he is determined not to be in the same waiting role his father has occupied for decades, and that he loves being a pilot. “Often he comes home physically and emotionally shattered and he just flops in front of the TV,” says one of the Duke’s closest friends. “But there’s no doubt he loves the job. It gives him a sense of purpose and normality.” But they will have to work more, and soon. “I do think we are going to see things change this year,” says one well-placed source. “The Queen is 90 and there’s talk that more responsibility is going to be handed down to the younger royals, which is right. I expect this will come at a time when it’s necessary for William, Kate, and Harry to do more to support the Queen and Prince Charles.” [From Vanity Fair] I’ve long believed that Kate is the one who wants a third child and William couldn’t care less, so we’ll see how that plays out. I suspect that if Kate is really going to have a third child, she will get pregnant this year so the kids will be close in age (like Kate and her siblings). There’s a lot of other stuff in Nicholl’s story, about how Will and Kate are all about their family and they’re very hands-on parents, etc. But after that quote about how William is so exhausted from working as a pilot a few days a week (with extensive, month-long holidays throughout the year), I’m not sure I even believe that Will and Kate are spending that much time being hands-on parents. Maybe Kate is, but William? I have literally no idea how he spends his days. Oh, and I would LOVE to know how many household staffers Kate and William really employ. Because it is absolutely more than two. Plus her mother. Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.