Kourtney Kardashian in vintage D&G at the VF Oscar Party: truly awful?
Kourtney Kardashian continued her victory lap around her sisters after attending the actual Oscar ceremony
Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck’s divorce off: ‘a few weeks ago, things changed’
US Magazine has a new article on the sidebar this week letting us know about the state of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s relationship, because we really needed another update after the sidebar on the cover of People last week. Every day I wonder how they’re doing, if they’re still a couple, if Ben is off cavorting with random women on yachts in Canada or both because you know those two things are not mutually exclusive. Jen knows it too on some level, but she may have stuffed it deep down where she keeps her knowledge of fashionable shoes because US is reporting the divorce is now off. In fact, talk of divorce has ceased altogether, sources reveal in the new issue of Us Weekly. “Jen mentioned that the divorce was going through very soon, and then a few weeks ago, things changed,” says a source close to Garner. “It does not seem to be moving in that direction.” The Justice League actor, 43, and actress, 44, are cohabiting in their $17.5 million, five-bedroom mansion, albeit in separate bedrooms. Garner revealed in the March issue of Vanity Fair that she sleeps with their oldest daughter, Violet; Affleck bunks in the guest room, according to a close source. “Jen seems to still be in love with Ben but doesn’t allow her mind to go there,” says the Garner pal. “She just focuses on the kids.” The man down the hall is also having trouble letting go. “If it was up to Ben,” adds a second insider, “they would be together. He feels like he can’t live without Jen.” Still, an Affleck source insists lawyers are hammering out the details of their divorce privately. “They were never in a rush to file. This was always the plan… “They want their kids’ lives to go on as uninterrupted as possible,” says a source. [From US Magazine] Some people will say US is making this up, but this is consistent with People’s report last week, and as I usually mention, US had Garner’s side of the divorce along with exclusive details from their relationship and breakup vacation, where Garner figured out Affleck was sleeping with their kids’ nanny. (I would like to get an update from Ouzounian, but I bet she signed an ironclad NDA.) So Affleck wanted to get back with Garner and she’s letting him stick around until the next time he publicly embarrasses her. Maybe she figures if he keeps him on notice he’ll be faithful, at least by outside appearances. photos credit: WENN and FameFlynet. Garner is shown int he striped shirt outside church Sunday, which she attended with Affleck’s mom
Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck ‘making it work,’ not sure if they will divorce
When Ben Affleck gave his kind of slurry arguably drunk sports show interview, many of you noticed that he referred to Jennifer Garner as his “wife.” He was telling the same narrative we’ve heard from him before about how Jennifer Garner made his career possible by holding down the homefront, which is nice because it shows he doesn’t take that part of their relationship for granted. I didn’t put much stock in Affleck calling Garner his wife, but it may have meaning. ET Online has a pretty long story they’re billing as an exclusive, with quotes that they’re “making it work” and the detail that their source does not know if these two will ever file for divorce. It’s carefully worded, but it hints at a reconciliation. Three weeks ago we heard that Garner was “adamant” that she would divorce Affleck. Does this mean that he’s still holding out hope or are they back together? It’s been almost one year since Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announced their split, and Wednesday marks the 11th anniversary of their wedding. However, while the two are separated, they still remain legally married. “They still have not officially filed paperwork for a divorce,” a source tells ET, adding they “don’t know if that will ever happen…” Affleck also recently referred to Garner as “his wife” in an interview on HBO. They’re “making it work,” the source notes about the pair, and as the months have flown by, the estranged couple has settled into a new normal of co-parenting and “the year of wine,” as Garner put it in a February sit-down with Vanity Fair… Affleck didn’t travel too far following their separation. Reports swirled shortly after they pulled the plug on their longtime romance that the 43-year-old actor was still a presence at their family home. “He still lives on the property in Brentwood, California, but in separate living quarters,” another source tells ET. There are no boundaries between them when it comes to their kids. The proud parents have been seen out and about together as a family on countless occasions. So much so that it has sparked reconciliation rumors, especially after their family trip to Paris and London in May while Affleck filmed Justice League. But will it happen? A source close to Affleck tells ET, “They’re in a good place and co-parenting the best they can.” [From ET Online]] So are these two still telling the press every up and down in their relationship or did ET ask and get this kind of non-committal answer? ET had another story a couple of weeks ago saying that they were “fine.” Whatever is going on, The tipster who sent us this story also pointed to this story in the Daily Mail in which Affleck was seen visiting a “friend’s” place in LA over the weekend. (Those photos are below.) He has wet hair so he may have been going for personal training or a massage or something. People has a competing story that Ben doesn’t want the divorce but Jen is “adamant” about going through with it. It sounds just like their story from earlier in June. It was a year yesterday since they announced the divorce and then dealt with nannygate: A friend of Garner’s says that “Ben still doesn’t want the divorce” but that Garner has denied reconcilation rumors to pals. She “doesn’t seem to mind at all that [the divorce] is not finalized,” but “she seems adamant about going through with it,” the friend says. “She did have the best time in Europe with Ben and the kids,” says her friend. “She seemed to enjoy spending time with Ben again.” “They have a lot of admiration and respect for each other,” adds a source close to the couple. The couple are continuing to stay together at their family home when they’re both in L.A. as Affleck flies back and forth to London for filming. Another source close to the couple told PEOPLE recently that “nothing has changed” in the relationship: “They’re still all about putting the kids first.” [From People] So this seems to be the new normal for them. I mean this kind of tentative relationship along with competing stories in the press about whether they’re getting back together or not. As long as we’re talking about them, right? Radar reported that Jennifer’s mom and dad, who live in Charleston, WV where she grew up, have had their home destroyed by the devastating flooding there and are staying in a hotel. They state that Jen is planning a fundraiser to help, and she has also publicly asked for support for Save The Children, with whom she’s worked in the past and which is doing relief work on the ground. Incidentally, Radar claims to have an exclusive interview with Jen’s dad which “reveals how she won [Ben] back for good.” That’s what they write in the title, but all Mr. Garner says is that he is “awful proud” of Jen and “would prefer not to comment on her plans. Any news will come from her and not from us.” This is Jennifer Garner outside a business meeting. Like Ben, she also has wet hair. Credit: FameFlynet
Tom Hiddleston: ‘I’m here to tell you that my butt is not dangerous’
I still find Tom Hiddleston’s W Magazine editorial to be the funniest thing of the week. Now that I’ve had more time to process it, it’s actually even funnier to me. The thing is, I don’t doubt that Tom can be a sexy guy. But Tom needs the right conditions, and the right conditions don’t involve a brightly lit room, white boxer shorts and Zoolander poses. The editorial still seems like a satire of what a “sexy” dude photoshoot should be. Imagine Mike Meyers or Will Ferrell doing the same editorial and it would be JUST AS FUNNY. There’s been a lot of breast-beating amongst the true-blue Dragonflies and Hiddlestoners that W Magazine did Tom wrong, that this editorial was supposed to be part of a larger profile of up-and-coming TV stars or Emmy hopefuls, maybe. Perhaps that’s the case. But that still doesn’t explain why in God’s name Tom agreed to the photoshoot. Someone needs to be fired! The editorial is the visual equivalent of Tom’s trying-too-hard Graham Norton interview. And besides that, my guess is that someone on Tom’s team had to give the go-ahead to W Mag to run this piece as an “Introduction to Taylor Swift’s Boyfriend!” article. And if that’s the case, someone should be fired. I didn’t get around to discussing this new quote from the W piece either – Tom was asked about how AMC edited out his naked butt from the American airing of The Night Manager. Tom says: “I was surprised to hear that they cut my butt out. I’m here to tell you that my butt is not dangerous. And there are many, many more dangerous things that people are happy to broadcast. I don’t know what that says about the world we live in, but it probably says something.” [From W Magazine] I watched TNM as it aired on AMC and let me tell you, I felt that edit in my soul. It’s not that I was that hungry for Hiddlesbum, it’s that the edit made it seem like Jonathan Pine and Jed’s lovemaking lasted about 30 seconds, if that. Meanwhile, I have to say, I’ve been avoiding a lot of the “think pieces” on TIDDLES, because I do this for a living and it pains me a little bit when people write about Hiddleston or Taylor Swift without understanding their individual histories. If you’ve followed Taylor’s romantic history, nothing about TIDDLES is a surprise at all. If you’ve followed Tom’s romantic history, everything about TIDDLES is a surprise. Which brings me to this “think piece” at the NY Post – “Taylor Swift Is Dating Like A Dude.” The main argument is that Taylor: A) doesn’t apologize, B) is not afraid to air her dirty laundry and trash-talk exes, C) rolls with an entourage, and D) rebounds quickly. While I agree that Taylor is feeling herself these days, when I think of “women who date like dudes,” I think of women like Kate Hudson or even (dare I say) Gwyneth Paltrow. They own their sh-t. And most importantly, they don’t play the victim. We’re about one month away from Taylor crying to Vanity Fair that she’s being “slut shamed” because she staged photos of her romantic rendezvous with Hiddles. Photos courtesy of Mona Kuhn/W Magazine.
Duchess Kate repeats a red Catherine Walker ensemble: fab or drab?
RED HEELS!!!!!! Duchess Kate is wearing red heels! No wedges of doom. No nude pumps. No beige stilettos. She’s wearing honest-to-God red heels! And they’re good, aren’t they? I also have to say, I’ve always had a great deal of affection for Kate in red. She wears a lot of blue, probably because she A) thinks blue is her signature color and B) wants everything to match Big Blue, her sapphire engagement ring. But red looks amazing on her and she wears it too infrequently. These photos are from yesterday’s Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle, William and Kate’s fourth public outing in as many days. Kate’s Catherine Walker dress and coat were repeats, but I actually didn’t remember them. She wore this ensemble for the first time in 2011, during her first royal tour to Canada. She actually styled it differently this time too – she wore her hair back and she wore a rather fancy hat. She accessorized with the same diamond drop earrings that she wore for her wedding (purchased as a gift by her parents), a silver pendant (which she has been wearing a lot lately) and an Art Deco-ish bracelet, which we’ve seen before. I’m totally fine with the whole look. And I’ll say again: she should seriously consider adding more red pieces to her wardrobe. And just say no to nude heels! Meanwhile, Vanity Fair reports that William and Kate will be stopping by the Royal Ascot this week “much to the Queen’s delight.” After a spectacular turn out for the Queen’s 90th birthday over the weekend, the royals will be out in full force again this week to celebrate Royal Ascot. Royal Watch has learned that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will make their debut at the annual race meet/high-society outing in Berkshire, much to the Queen’s delight. In the past, William and Kate have always turned down offers to join the Queen and her guests in the Royal Enclosure, but this year they are turning out as a birthday surprise for the Queen, who has attended every Royal Meeting at the Ascot during her reign. “They know how much Ascot means to the Queen and they will be there for one day this week,” says a source about the event, which commences Tuesday. “They will enjoy an afternoon in the royal box with Her Majesty.” [From Vanity Fair] What’s interesting to me is that the Queen has requested their presence apparently multiple times over the past five years and they were always too “busy,” I suppose? I always imagined that when the Queen asks you to go somewhere, it’s not a request, it’s an order. However will William and Kate recuperate from this harried work schedule? I mean, they’ll be doing five events in one week! That’s a lot of keen-ness. Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.
VF: Duchess Kate runs Anmer Hall ‘with just a handful of domestic staff’
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.
Soko wears lace Chloe doily to Cannes photocall: interesting or terrible?
Here are some photos from the Cannes photocall for The Dancer, also being called La Danseuse (French for “the dancer”). The film is being called Lily-Rose Depp’s big entrance into acting, and she stars as Isadora Duncan. Soko – best known around here as Kristen Stewart’s melodramatic ex-girlfriend – plays Loie Fuller. I was expecting the fashion-story around this film to be centered around Lily-Rose, honestly. I wasn’t expecting Soko to bring it at all. But Soko brought it! And Lily-Rose just didn’t. Lily-Rose is wearing Chanel shorts and insouciance. Soko wore this lace Chloe dress which just looks like a gigantic doily to me. I was going to shade the sh-t out of this choice, but then I looked up Loie Fuller and I saw this amazing photo of her. My point? I think Soko is homage-ing the real Fuller with this look, and for that, I can’t shade her. I’ll also say this as gently as possible but… I didn’t realize that Soko is actually quite pretty? In paparazzi photos with K-Stew and on other red carpets, she’s looked sort of grungy and like she thought our notions of beauty were petty bourgeoisie nonsense. But she took a shower and applied some makeup and she looks nice. Also: there’s already some drama on the Kristen Stewart thing. Following their split a few weeks ago, Soko slammed Kristen (maybe) as a “f—king cheater.” Now they’re both in Cannes and attending the same Chanel party. They arrived separately and things were probably “tense.” Last thing: I didn’t realize that Gaspard Ulliel is in this film. Gaspard is MY FRENCH BAE. He’s mine! I love him and I don’t see enough of him. Those dimples kill me every time. Photos courtesy of WENN.