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Pres. Obama wasn’t offended when Larry Wilmore called him the n-word

Embed from Getty Images As we discussed on Sunday, President Obama attended his last White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night in Washington. Pres. Obama always brings the house down with his speeches, and this year was no different. As is often the case, Obama ended up being funnier than the actual comedian keynote speaker at the event. This year’s comedian was Larry Wilmore, who took over the 11:30 time slot on Comedy Central following Stephen Colbert’s move to CBS. Wilmore does a lot of racial humor, and his WHCD speech was no different. Considering he was speaking to a largely white audience, there were a lot of uncomfortable moments during Wilmore’s speech, and most critics claimed that Wilmore “bombed.” But the most uncomfortable moment came at the end, when Wilmore was reflecting on how much America has changed in his lifetime. He said: “All jokes aside, let me just say how much it means for me to be here tonight. I’ve always joked that I voted for the president because he’s black. But behind that joke is the humble appreciation for the historical implications for what your presidency means. When I was a kid, I lived in a country where people couldn’t accept a black quarterback. Now think about that. A black man was thought by his mere color not good enough to lead a football team. And now to live in your time, Mr. President, when a black man can lead the entire free world. Words alone do me no justice. So, Mr. President, if I’m going to keep it 100. Yo, Barry, you did it, my n-gga!” I thought it was an uncomfortable moment, but I noted that Obama took it in stride, laughing and embracing Wilmore as Wilmore left the podium. Other people were obviously knee-jerky about it, claiming that Wilmore never should have used any variation of the n-word. Al Sharpton said Wilmore’s use of the word was “in poor taste” and Piers Morgan (eye-roll) devoted some column space to his hot take. The outcry got so bad that the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest had to answer questions about it at the White House briefing on Monday. According to Earnest: Pres. Obama “appreciated the spirit of the sentiments that Mr. Wilmore expressed…Any reading of his comments made clear that he was not using the president as a butt of a joke. I take Mr. Wilmore at this words that he found that to be a powerful transformation just in his lifetime and something he seemed to be pretty obviously proud of.” [From People] I get that. I don’t 100% agree with it, but I get it. Wilmore gets it too. He spent some time talking about the kerfuffle on his show on Monday, saying: “I completely understand why people would be upset. It’s a very charged word – I get it.” But, Wilmore pointed out the difference between ending the n-word with an “a” versus an “er,” the difference being that one is a term of endearment (according to Wilmore) amongst black folks and the other is denigrating. Also, Pres. Obama used the n-word in an interview last year and people freaked out. The context in which he used the word was important, just as I think the context of Wilmore’s usage of the word is important. Embed from Getty Images Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Prince William’s ‘Marie Antoinette-style utterances’ distance him from the public

It’s a big day for the Cambridges! Prince William and Duchess Kate will be hosting the Obamas at Kensington Palace this evening. Prince Harry will be there to save the dinner, because let’s be honest: the Obamas love Harry. This dinner was added to the Cambridges’ schedule shortly after Will and Kate returned from their “whirlwind” and poorly-received India-Bhutan tour, likely in the hopes of making Will and Kate look “busy” and “not workshy.” Because those headlines still exist, especially following William’s prickly interview with the BBC this week. The Daily Mail reported that William’s office specifically left the door open for journalist Nicholas Witchell to ask the “workshy” questions. A source said: “After recent criticism, William’s team took a calculated decision to promote his image. That’s why the ducking royal duties question was allowed. Before, it would have been off limits.” The problem, perhaps, is that if you’re going to open yourself up to that line of questioning, you better have better answers than “pity poor me, I want to spend time with my family!” One of the Guardian’s columnists was openly mocking William, calling him “Darth Workshy” and mocking his “three-hours a week” gig as a pilot. The Daily Mail’s Jan Moir also picked apart William’s interview in a piece called “Wills must work much harder to win our love.” Some highlights: William needed to check his privilege: “For, surely, life is much harder for those with no future? With uncertain prospects, zero-hour contacts, minimum wage jobs and unable to afford the security of a home of their own. There are millions of people who can only dream of having a role in life they could ‘develop into’. Any role at all would do.” William’s deflection about being a new father: “What loving, young father, in the whole of this country, would not love the opportunity to spend more time with their children? Commuting dads who spend hours each day on trains; dads doing double shifts; dads who never have the opportunity to put their children to bed or cook their breakfast pancakes; dads who have to make do with precious hours of family time snatched together at weekends. Giving endless quality time to the kids is a luxury beyond the means of most parents, who must work to support their children and family life. William might mean well, but Marie Antoinette-style utterances such as these only further distance him from the public.” All privilege and no responsibility: “The Duke and Duchess can’t have all the privilege of royal life with scant few of the concomitant responsibilities. Whereas latchkey kids and working parents just have to get on with it, he faffs about in Norfolk, being lord of the manor and putting in the occasional stint with the East Anglian Air Ambulance….Ordinary dads — whose taxes contribute towards the royal lifestyle — must find it a bit insulting that William luxuriates in the home life they can never have themselves. And while he might mean well, if William wants to earn the respect and affection of the British public, he is going to have to work a lot harder. In more ways than one.” [From The Daily Mail] Boom. I mean, Moir’s piece reads like our comment section, but it’s just further proof (in what is becoming a mountain of evidence) that the tide has really turned with William… and perhaps to a lesser degree, Kate. It does feel like William is getting the brunt of it, which is as it should be. He’s the one who is convinced he’s some sort of PR genius. He’s the one scheming away for ways to avoid work. He’s the one who comes across as “arrogant” and “spoiled.” Last thing – Us Weekly had an extremely unfortunate write-up about how William and Kate were able to have an in-hotel “spa day” during their tour of India. They apparently spent several hours getting royally pampered, complete with soothing wraps and massages. I’m so glad they were able to have a little mini-vacation within their taxpayer-funded vacation, you guys. Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet, PCN.

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Donald Trump is fine with letting trans people use whichever bathroom they want

I keep losing track of Donald Trump’s various wars on media outlets, but I guess he’s okay with NBC this week, because he appeared on Thursday morning’s Today Show for an exclusive interview/town hall which is getting wide coverage, mostly because Trump answered some questions about LGBTQ issues and more specifically, the North Carolina “bathroom law.” North Carolina passed their own draconian “religious freedom” law last month, which basically entitles every anti-gay bigot the “right” to discriminate against LGBTQ people, and even more specifically, it says that trans individuals can only use the public bathrooms which correspond to the gender on their birth certificate. The whole thing is a clusterwhoops, and North Carolina is losing millions of dollars as major businesses and artists boycott the state. The GOP platform is basically that these kinds of “religious freedom” laws are great and every state should have them. But Trump disagreed, saying: “Well look North Carolina did something that was very strong and they’re paying a big price and there’s a lot of problems. And one of the best answers I heard was from a commentator yesterday saying, ‘Leave it the way it is right now, there have been very few problems, leave it the way it is.’ There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate, there has been so little trouble.” Today show co-host Matt Lauer then asked Trump, “Do you have any transgender people working in your organization?” “I don’t know, I really don’t know,” Trump told Lauer. “I probably do, I really don’t know.” “So if Caitlyn Jenner were to walk into Trump Tower and want to use the bathroom, you would be fine with her using any bathroom she chooses?” Lauer asked. “That is correct,” Trump responded. [From E! News] Ted Cruz is already bashing Trump for his comments, but I have to think that Trump is already maneuvering into a general-election position, which… I don’t know, is actually pretty smart? I’m not saying I’m suddenly a Trump supporter, I’m just saying A) he’s smart to begin maneuvering his public positions to a more centrist platform and B) Trump’s words about the “bathroom issue” are actually not problematic at all. Of course, the Trump giveth and the Trump taketh away. No sooner did he say something relatively enlightened about LGBTQ people than he declared that taking Andrew Jackson off of the $20 bill was “pure political correctness.” Jackson is being replaced with Harriet Tubman, which is great and it’s what activists wanted. The original plan was to replace Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill, but Lin-Manuel Miranda saved Hamilton for everybody. So now we’re getting $20 Tubman and Trump is acting as an apologist for Andrew Jackson… who engineered a genocide. Or as Trump said, “he was someone very important to this country.” Trump’s solution? Put Tubman on the $2 bill. Oh, Trump. Here’s the $20 bill part. And here’s the LGBTQ part. Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.

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LeAnn Rimes called a ‘has-been’ with a ‘Kardasian attitude’ by country radio host

Holding each other up this morning. Grateful to have him with me. #airportlife #earlymorning #tour #lrlive2016 #undertheinfluence #texas #blondie #hubbylove #happytuesday #musician A photo posted by LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (@leannrimes) on Apr 5, 2016 at 8:15am PDT As you can see from this Instagram and her excessive use of hashtags, LeAnn Rimes was recently in Texas for her “tour.” Yes, LeAnn still “tours,” even though her fanbase has dwindled down to barely nothing. I would love to see the cost-benefit analysis of LeAnn’s tours, because I suspect that any money she makes from touring and live performances at this point is negligible. But she was in Texas late last week and she did a show at Billy Bob’s Texas, “the world’s largest honky tonk.” A local songwriter/country musician/radio personality named Bill Mack came out to wish her well. Billy Mack knows country music. He’s seen country artists come and go. And he was not impressed with LeAnn. Incidentally, Mack wrote “Blue,” LeAnn’s biggest single. First, Mack tweeted this: So funny @leannrimes had the lowest attendance @BillyBobsTexas and still acts like a Diva. What a shame. Go back to LA.#Sellout #Hasbeen — Billy Mack (@BillyMackRadio) April 9, 2016 Major OUCH, right? Totally. But then Billy Mack went one step further and explained his tweet in a Facebook post that’s getting a lot of attention: Almost comical, My dad and I go to Billy Bob’s Texas (Which is a whole other story) to see a LeAnn Rimes and wish her the best (which by the way the lowest attendance I’ve seen there in a long time) No need to wonder why she is a has been in this industry. Her lack of humility, to her fans, my dad, Curb Records, or anyone else who has ever been in her corner in the early part of her career is hard, but a lil cute to watch. Sometimes it’s best to stay in LA. Don’t crawl back to Texas with a Kardashian attitude, expecting a Texas size applause. I wish her the best, but you can’t fool the fans. I speak only for me, and nobody else on this matter. [From Billy Mack’s Facebook] Just how rude was LeAnn Rimes to this guy’s dad, for the love of God? I feel like this was more than just average LeAnn obliviousness. This seems like she went out of her way to be a total diva and a—hole. Anyway, just goes to show you – LeAnn is a legend in her own mind, even if her reality doesn’t back it up. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and Instagram.

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How much money is Duchess Kate spending on clothes for her 6-day tour?

In this post, I’m using photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from their last big overseas trip, the Australian and New Zealand tour in 2014. I’m doing that because we’re going to talk about clothes, more specifically the clothes Kate will be wearing for the India-Bhutan tour, which doesn’t start until April 10. We still don’t know which designers Kate will be using for the tour, but several outlets are running previews and I guess we should start to get excited about Kate-in-a-sari. Do you think that will even happen? I would love to see her in a sari, but I think it’s far more likely that she would wear a British Indian designer, something with Indian flavor but very much a formal gown. You never know though, maybe Kate will whip out a sari. The Telegraph did a big story on what Kate will wear, but there isn’t much new info here. She’ll take 12-15 outfits for six days, she’ll have “daytime dresses and evening gowns” and hopefully at least one pair of jeggings, I’m assuming. Kate’s team – including her secretary Rebecca Deacon – did a “rehearsal trip” to India to scout locations, take photos and prepare the color story of what Kate will be wearing. Still, a royal source insists: “She is in charge of it herself and takes an interest in paying tribute to the host country with nods to their culture and local style on at least a few of the engagements. The important factor on this tour is the heat, so that’s an issue that plays a big part in the choice of outfits.” She’s likely “commissioned” some special pieces as well as looking for some stuff online. She will be traveling with Natasha Archer – who acts as her stylist (very poorly, I might add) – and Amanda Cook Tucker, who is her hairstylist/wiglet tamer. No one has any idea how much Kate is spending on clothes for this tour, but I think we can assumed that she’s easily spending $40,000 or more. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail’s gossip girl (The Girl About Town) had this interesting piece of news: The Duchess of Cambridge is to cement her title as the Queen of Norfolk by hosting a £10,000-a-head ultra-exclusive party for 80 members of the county’s high society. The lavish gala will be held at Houghton Hall, Palladian stately home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, and a short drive from Kate and Wills’ Anmer Hall. Kate’s name features on the invitation and the party is in aid of the East Anglia Children’s Hospice, the charity of which Kate became a patron in 2012. Tickets start at £6,000 per head and those who pay £10,000 are invited to stay at Houghton with the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley after the party on June 22, ten days after the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. The ball will include a champagne reception, a lecture by writer Anthony Horowitz, live jazz, a magician, and food by top chefs including Tom Kerridge. The event is another sign that Kate will host more charitable events after Her Majesty turns 90 and will be good practice for Kate the working Royal, with an impressive list of grandees attending the proceedings in Houghton’s marble-clad Stone Hall. [From The Daily Mail] Since I’m an Anglophile, I know that “Cholmondeley” is pronounced “chumly” for British reasons. While I always applaud the very idea of Kate going to work and raising money for charity, of course the only way they’re getting Kate out of the house is by getting her to attend a fancy party full of posh people. I understand that is the definition of modern charitable fundraising, so why is it like pulling teeth to get Kate to attend/co-host charity fundraisers? Also – will Kate and William ever open up Anmer Hall for a fundraiser? Why must the Marchioness of Cholmondeley open her home for Kate’s fundraiser? Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

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Tom Hiddleston came to Vegas for the ACM Awards: would you hit it?

I’m pretty sure the Dragonflies knew/suspected this: Tom Hiddleston made an appearance at last night’s Academy of Country Music Awards. He’s still shilling for I Saw the Light, so he went to pay homage to country music and Hank Williams and all of that. I think Tom looked really nice – his hair didn’t look shellacked, and it almost looks like he spent the day doing dirty things in a Las Vegas hotel room (the ACM Awards were held in Vegas). In other Hiddles news, his full Daily Beast interview was released over the weekend – you can read the full piece here. He has a lot to say about music in general, how much he loves Radiohead and Nirvana and Amy Winehouse and more. I’m including some other photos of some of the “hot guys” at the ACM Awards. Mostly because… you guys, I’m developing a thing for Luke Bryan. I used to think he was a boring country douche-bro, but as time goes on… I think I like him. Sort of. At the very least, I find him attractive. Those sexy beanpoles get me every damn time. Luke was the co-host of the ACM Awards along with Dierks Bentley. The reviews of their performance were… mixed. Here’s Scotty McCreery. I’m not into him, but some of you might be. And here’s Sam Hunt, one of the few highlights from this year’s Grammys. He needs different hair and some lessons on how to pose on the carpet, but otherwise… he looks good. Final guy: Dierks Bentley, the other co-host. My mom thinks he’s good-looking. I’m not feeling it. Embed from Getty Images Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.

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Susan Sarandon & Debra Messing are Twitter-beefing about Bernie Sanders

Susan Sarandon and Debra Messing are in a Twitter war. Those are words I never thought I would write. The whole thing started when Sarandon did an interview on Chris Hayes’ MSNBC show, All In. Here’s the exchange that got the controversy-ball rolling: SARANDON: I think Bernie would probably encourage people to [support Hillary if he loses] because he doesn’t have any ego in this thing. But I think a lot of people are, ‘sorry, I just can’t bring myself to [vote for Hillary].’ HAYES: How about you personally? SARANDON: I don’t know. I’m going to see what happens. HAYES: Really? SARANDON: Really. It’s dangerous to think we can continue the way we are with the militarized police force, with the death penalty and the low minimum wage and threats to women’s rights and think you can’t do something huge to turn that around. The country is not in good shape if you’re in the middle class. It’s disappearing. [From Salon] A lot of people took Sarandon’s words in the proper context and assumed that she was coming close to advocating for Democrats, liberals and progressives to stay home if Hillary Clinton gets the nomination. Sarandon was widely criticized for her “blind privilege” and more. She was even criticized by Hollywood actresses like Jamie Lee Curtis and Debra Messing. I respect but disagree with @SusanSarandon. A possible support of Trump over @HillaryClinton is dangerous 2 women, minorities & immigrants. — Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) March 29, 2016 Of course I would never support Trump for any reason. If you watch the interview you'll see that's not what I said. https://t.co/wQk0cMmeyp — Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) March 29, 2016 Susan Sarandon muses tht Trump prezcy wud b better 4 the country thn Hillary.Wonder if she'd say that if she were poor,gay,Muslim or immgrnt — Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) March 30, 2016 2- the idea that Susan Sarandon wud say that NOT supporting Hillary in a HRC/Trump race is a legitimate choice for Democrats, is insane. — Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) March 30, 2016 Then why didn't you say that? Please make that clear in the future. For women's sake if for no one else. https://t.co/gzB55L43qj — Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) March 30, 2016 After that, there was a flurry of tweets, retweets, replies, etc. For those you not following it, you can see Susan’s Twitter feed here and Debra’s feed here. Be careful of Debra’s Twitter, she’s talking to everybody and there are literally hundreds of tweets and re-tweets from the past few days. The basic gist seems to be that Susan left the door open for either voting for Trump (because he would start a revolution?) or staying home if Hillary Clinton got the nomination. Debra was being sort of pedantic about what Susan actually said and did not say during the interview, but the fact of the matter is that Susan is not advocating voting for anyone other than Bernie Sanders, even if Clinton gets the nomination. And considering the very real possibility of Donald Trump or Ted Cruz getting the GOP nomination, I do think that’s a privileged stance to take. Photos courtesy of WENN.