Newsletter Tuesday, July 05, 2016

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Tuesday, July 05, 2016 [Intro for July 5, 2016] Dear Gossips, The Opening Ceremony will take place exactly a month from now, August 5, at the Olympic Games in Rio where, despite the Zika controversy, superstars will be made and legends will be re-legended… can I make up that word? Greed really is the most powerful virus. And I’m the asshole who can’t look away. I love the Olympics. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you know I am addicted to athletic achievement. When someone is great at sport, it makes me feel lucky to be a witness. Michael Phelps qualified for his 5th Olympics at the US swimming trials last week in Omaha. Some consider MP to be the greatest Olympian of all time (although [others dispute that claim]) and since he already has so many medals, what happens in Rio won’t necessarily take away from what he’s accomplished. Simone Biles on the other hand… A week before it was confirmed that MP would be going to the Games, Simone Biles won her 4th straight US National Championship. She is the reigning 3-time all-round world champion, the first woman in history to win three CONSECUTIVE individual all-round world titles, and the first black woman to win the world championship in gymnastics when she did it the first time in 2013. Her teammate, Gabby Douglas, was the first black woman to win the all-round title at the Olympics in 2012. Simone is the overwhelming favourite going into Rio. They’re saying she could be the greatest of all time. But that Olympic gold, in a sport like gymnastics, a main event only once every four years, counts for a lot. This is why she’s been so hyped. And why that hype will continue to build and build and build until the Games. It’s a f-ckload of pressure, part of what makes sport so intoxicating, watching athletes deliver – or sometimes not – under all that pressure. There has already been a lot of writing about Simone Biles and we’re still a month out. The best article I’ve read so far on Simone was a [profile in The New Yorker] back in May. The piece documents Simone’s family history, her approach to training, her relationship with her coaches, but also the state of gymnastics today and how many people in the gymnastics community, particularly in Europe, have only grudgingly accepted Simone’s greatness. When she won her first world championship in 2013, an Italian gymnast, Carlotta Ferlito, told the media that, “next time we should paint our skin black, so we could win, too”. And a spokesperson for the Italian Federation tried to clarify Carlotta’s claims by race-splaining that, “the current trend in gymnastics, which is going toward a technique that opens up new chances to athletes of color, well known for power, while penalizing the elegance typical of Eastern Europeans”. They ended up apologising but… you know. You KNOW. Serena Williams has lived through the same sh-t. What also [gets me in the article] is how the smile of a female gymnast is judged too. Simone is, literally, doing moves in combination that no one has ever done before, but if she doesn’t smile at the end of flying like crazy through the air and sticking her landings, that’s a f-cking problem. Because it’s supposed to be “artistic”. I don’t know about you but a scowl, like a straight up stank face because goddamn you just owned the arena, is more art to me than a smile. But remember, these little girls are supposed to be nice. And nice girls always smile. Nice girls aren’t supposed to show how hard they work, how proud of themselves they are. Anyway, it’s a good read and if, like me, you’ll be mainlining the Games in a month, this is homework. By the way? Like Michael Phelps, Simone Biles was born in the Year of the Ox. I namechecked MP when I posted my Ma the Squawking Chicken’s [Year of the Ox 2016] analysis for Chinese New Year. The Ox is supposed to be one of the luckiest signs during this Year of the Monkey. We’ll see how that turns out for both MP and Simone. One of the unluckiest signs during the Year of the Monkey, as noted by my ma, is the Tiger. She herself is a Tiger. [During her Tiger analysis], Ma mentioned that during the Monkey, Tigers were advised to be “extra, extra cautious this year to avoid injury, blood loss, cuts, and crashes”. You know who’s a Tiger? Usain Bolt. He tore a hamstring during the Jamaican Olympic trials this past weekend and is trying to heal in time for the Games. You know who else is a Tiger? Amber Heard. Ma also noted that Tigers could be protected by those born under the Rat or the Dragon sign. You know who’s a Rat? Amanda de Cadenet. Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 2:04 PM [#Taymerica: the drop] [Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne, and Taylor Swift on Instagram ] Breaking… They’ve made the drop. Following the annual gathering at Camp Swift, the squad has released its annual photo share on social media. What’s different this year is that Taylor’s introduced the official hashtag of the annual event: #Taymerica. Which, bless her, makes it so much easier now to search on Instagram and Twitter and all of it. Here are some highlights. There’s the annual group bikini shot: [🎉 ™@taylorswift #taylorswift #TAYMERICA] A photo posted by hey guys | taylor updates (@wildswifties) on Jul 5, 2016 at 11:35am PDT And the annual catalogue photo: [🇺🇸] A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 5, 2016 at 11:24am PDT And an over the shoulder: [Taymerica 🇺🇸 @taylorswift] A photo posted by Abigail Anderson (@abigail_lauren) on Jul 5, 2016 at 10:18am PDT And wind on the beach, proposing a new filter called “nostalgia memory”: [🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 @gigihadid @taylorswift #GodBlessAmerica] A photo posted by Abigail Anderson (@abigail_lauren) on Jul 5, 2016 at 10:57am PDT Also the game. Look at the intensity on all their faces! IT’S TOTALLY AUTHENTIC. [Team 2 swag hard! #therealnumber1 #hiphipcharades #captaincara #taymerica] A photo posted by M A T T L U C I E R (@mattthephotographer) on Jul 5, 2016 at 10:56am PDT Authenticity can also be captured in a candid – and nothing says candid like a photo taken at the end of the waterslide. [Kennedy Rayé acaba de postar essa foto com a Taylor em seu Instagram! #4thOfJuly] A photo posted by Taylor Swift Brasil (@taylorswiftbr) on Jul 5, 2016 at 11:44am PDT If you need a full view of the waterslide though, [Ruby Rose] has graciously provided video: [Sweet form bro haha #4thofjuly] A video posted by Ruby Rose (@rubyrose) on Jul 5, 2016 at 9:43am PDT The most gracious, of course, is the host of #Taymerica, Taylor herself. Not only to her guests and to her fans, but also to the paps. There’s an advantage to them in when the drop is timed too. She’s given them a couple of days to make money off their shots of all of them frolicking in the water, of the Swoki Love tank top, of them kissing on the beach. You can appreciate how devalued the pap pictures would have been if she and her friends had provided their high quality, much more intimate images for free on social media, non? This way, everybody wins. Thank you, [Taylor Swift]. [Made in the USA™] A photo posted by @karliekloss on Jul 5, 2016 at 11:51am PDT [A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)] on Jul 5, 2016 at 12:24pm PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 7:41 PM [Smutty Tingles] On the [Sasha Answers podcast this week]: training for penetration and an ugly ass engagement ring. Snake vs Rat ([Dlisted]) Just a reminder that people are assholes and Shonda is amazing ([Just Jared]) Prince Harry’s new diet ([Cele|bitchy]) American celebrity patriotism ([TooFab]) Marrying the ex’s ex’s ex? ([Celeb Dirty Laundry]) Oh hiiiiii, Halle Berry! ([Pop Sugar]) Great colour on Demi Lovato ([Popoholic]) He doesn’t have proper swimwear? ([TMZ]) OMG this dress on Michelle Obama ([Go Fug Yourself]) [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:57 PM [Idris Elba hot in leather] [Idris Elba on the set of The Dark Tower in New York City, July 1, 2016] [Idris Elba] has been filming The Dark Tower in New York City, so here are some photos of Elba all decked out as a fantasy Western gunslinger. Back when I wrote about his casting, [I said] that “at the very, very least, he’ll look f*cking badass” in costume. And he does, because Idris Elba has the talent of looking f*cking badass all the time. I still don’t have a ton of interest in this project because the books are such a f*cking mess, but hopefully the movie can streamline the story and the charisma tornado of Elba and Matthew McConaughey can turn it into something watchable. Thor: Ragnarok just started shooting over the weekend—[Taika Waititi] has A+ [social media game]—but with Elba working on The Dark Tower at the same time, I wonder how much he’ll even be in that movie. Ragnarok will shoot until late fall, so depending on when Dark Tower wraps, there should be time for him to get to Australia and join up with Thor & Co. But Elba has never made it a secret that he kind of hates his Marvel contract, and Marvel, despite their draconian reputation, actually does try to accommodate people on other projects. It’s not always possible—like Jeremy Renner having to drop out of The Master because of The Avengers—but they do try. But given his overall dissatisfaction with his Marvel experience, I wonder if they push Idris Elba for anything more than a cameo. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:26 PM [Willow at Chanel] [Willow and Will Smith attend the Chanel 2016-2017 fall/winter Haute Couture collection fashion show on July 5, 2016 in Paris] [Willow Smith] was at the Chanel show today in Paris. Willow, as you know, is now a Chanel Ambassador. Because Willow Smith Style is… well… look. In this pantsuit. And those shoes. And the gloves. For Willow though, as she told the Telegraph today, it’s more than just fashion – it’s representation: “It’s not every day that a 15 year-old black girl with dreads gets elected to be the Chanel ambassador. I know a lot of girls that look like me feel that they’re not beautiful and feel like they don’t have a place in the media or a place in the world. I want them to know that’s not true, and if you’re confident and you love yourself then everything you see, your perception, will start to change and you’ll see things differently. I want to show those girls that might not think they’re beautiful but they are.” You know what I love about these photos? The way [Will Smith] is acting like the dad at the recital. I mean he’s Will Smith. But she is the star here. Like that’s where the focus is, on her, bringing the excitement, as directed by him, the head cheerleader. As for the collection, it’s exquisite, as Chanel always is…and also, maybe? A little tacky. Check it: But look at this back… Mostly, though, I’m obsessed with the hair that Karl sent down the runway. Can I try? [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 5:25 PM [Love Make The World Go Round] [Jennifer Lopez and Lin-Manuel Miranda in studio] [Lin-Manuel Miranda] cannot quit Twitter. So that’s where he posted yesterday morning that he would soon have music that “you don’t need tickets to hear”. Because he’s not busy enough and doesn’t have enough jobs. Turns out it’s a charity single with [JLo], Love Make The World Go Round, a party anthem that will [benefit #SomosOrlando], designed to “address the long-term needs for mental health services that are culturally competent and bilingual”, and acknowledges that care will be needed for months and years after the Orlando attack. Me and [@Lin_Manuel] working in studio on something very special... [#LMTWGR] [#LoveMakeTheWorldGoRound] [#happy4thofJuly] [pic.twitter.com/9WE7ato00o] — Jennifer Lopez (@JLo) [July 4, 2016] The clip of the song we get to hear starts off sounding like a bonus Hamilton track (note the ‘patiently wait’ giveaway as well as ‘malevolence’ a moment later) before sounding like a classic JLo tune on the chorus. I am not as devoted as I should be to Ms. Lopez so maybe I’ve missed a track here or there, but this sounds like a throwback to earlier, simpler times, when JLo ‘summer’ anthems took us all the way through February. “They’re not taking our pride away”. It’s not subtle, which is exactly what makes it great. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 4:52 PM [Swoki Karaoke] [Taylor Swift and friends at her house in Rhode Island on Independence Day ] It was a fun-filled Fourth of July at Camp Swift yesterday! Last year, I think I remember [Taylor] giving out star spangled banner onesies. This year, in the afternoon, she and several members of her squad were seen in red, white, and blue swimwear – in men’s trunk, women’s one piece, and bikini options. Because on Independence Day, Taylor thinks of EVERYTHING. We all must be in coordinated outfits while tumbling down the “Taymerica” giant waterslide. Taylor Swift and her squad celebrate [#FourthofJuly] with a giant 'Taymerica' patriotic slide [ [pic.twitter.com/EA1PpfTwqy] — People Magazine (@people) [July 4, 2016] See more photos of the waterslide etc [here]. [PEOPLE reports] that Taylor and her best friend [Karlie Kloss] held hands going down the slide. [Tom Hiddleston] did flips. And the reason they know this is because locals and fans and paps were camped outside the property, [watching it all]. That’s also how we know what happens at night at Camp Swift: Karaoke! Apparently you could hear it from a block away. Twitter proves this to be fact. On the karaoke playlist? Britney Spears. So it sounds like Ed Sheeran and Taylor are singing together in RI! (Via [@holysghost]) [pic.twitter.com/yS4SeVwkLZ] — Taylor Swift Updates (@1989TUpdates) [July 5, 2016] And Backstreet Boys. LISTEN TO TAYLOR OMFG [pic.twitter.com/22JvPw0cQ0] — Blair (@lizseely_swift) [July 5, 2016] How f-cking happy do you think Tom Hiddleston was last night? And how many people did he knock over in his rush to get to the mic? You know who he is. At karaoke there’s always one. The mic whore. The one knows every song and somehow, even though it’s not his turn, ends up with the mic in his hand harmonising to Hold On by Wilson Phillips. In our friend group that person is Duana. And Dan Levy. At Camp Swift, that person had to have been Tom Hiddleston, who’s never met a song or an imitation he could resist. And what’s so delightful is that he’s finally met someone who will clap for him in encouragement. She’s the matching double exclamation point to his triple exclamation point!!! Tom probably didn’t want to go to bed last night. Come on everyone! Let’s just sing one more! How about Queen? Bohemian Rhapsody! At Asian karaoke (the best kind of karaoke because of private rooms and snacks) the songs are played on cheesy montage videos of people walking on the beach and looking out at the oceans from windy balconies. Some people this week have compared the Swoki relationship [to a music video]. No. Not just a music video. An Asian karaoke music video, the French manicure of music videos. [Happy 4th from us ❤️] A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 4, 2016 at 6:14pm PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 4:25 PM [John Krasinski & Emily Blunt’s new daughter Violet] [Emily Blunt and John Krasinski ] She has arrived – John Krasinski tweeted: What better way to celebrate the 4th... than to announce our 4th family member!!! 2 weeks ago we met our beautiful daughter Violet [#Happy4th] — John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) [July 4, 2016] A sweet sentiment, right? It also makes his previous tweet, wishing ‘all fellow dads out there’ a Happy Father’s day, extra cute. But tying her announcement to the Fourth of July does seem a little offbeat, because ‘Violet’, especially when paired with older sister Hazel, feels very very British indeed. Which, given that the Krasinski/Blunt girls are going to be growing up largely in the US where their parents work, isn’t so strange. They have one British parent, so giving them names that are associated with another place is a pretty standard-issue way to roll…but I’m not going to lie, I would have stumped for something Britishier. Harriet or Cressida or Georgina or Petronella or something to up the ‘decorative’ factor a little bit. There’s nothing wrong with Violet, of course—pretty, wearable, popular—it’s just, I sort of hoped these two would unearth some underused gem. Do I ask too much? But Krasinski and Blunt have [proven before] that they don’t care whether their children’s names are popular or, more interestingly, whether they’re associated with other celebrities (in this case, Violet Affleck is the ‘known’ Violet but Dave Grohl also has a daughter Violet). So, either they don’t care what other people name their children or they don’t care about being ‘unique’ or they don’t actually think of themselves as celebrities. Somehow even these two choosing a name I don’t love results in realizing they’re ridiculously cool. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 3:30 PM [Celine: the new style (and stylist)] [Celine Dion attends the Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2016-2017 show with Law Roach as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 4, 2016 in Paris, France] [Celine Dion]’s been performing in Paris the last couple of weeks. And giving us a lot of style porn, as I’ve highlighted several times [here], and [here], and [here], and [here]. We were meant to notice too. Because Celine is working with a new stylist. And the reason she’s working with him is… Zendaya! Celine recently told [La Presse] (thanks to all of you who sent me this link!) that she was thinking of a style change for her European tour. So she started flipping through magazines. And was super into Zendaya’s steeze. And now she’s working with the “[architect]” of that steeze, Law Roach. You know how she’s been doing runway walks outside of her hotel almost every day? Law Roach is the one prepping her right before she approaches the doors. ([Source]) [According to Vogue.com], Celine is the “first celebrity to wear any new Balenciaga piece under Demna Gvasalia’s creative direction”. It’s the yellow dress here: [One of my favorite looks so far.... Jacket Saint Laurent, Dress Balenciaga, Boots Le Silla Bag Givenchy #celinedion #styledbyme #fLAWless] A photo posted by Law Roach (@luxurylaw) on Jun 29, 2016 at 9:06am PDT This week Celine’s attended the Dior and Giambattista Valli shows. And here’s what I have always loved about Celine: she can afford to buy her own sh-t …and she does. Can you imagine going shopping with her? Fitting with her? Does she lunge? Does she have a particular song that soars spontaneously out of her mouth when she loves a pair of pants? [I'm obsessed with this women....] A video posted by Law Roach (@luxurylaw) on Jul 4, 2016 at 8:40am PDT Celine Dion has been through it. It’s so good to see her come out the other side. Duana and I have had extensive conversations about Celine this year. We both agree – Celine will never love again. She’s probably the only person who can sing “I will never love again” and mean it. But that doesn’t mean she can’t be happy. And look good. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 3:13 PM [July 5, 2016 – Smutty Shout-Outs] [Happy Birthday, Anna! ] "To our ray of Caymanian sunshine, Anna, as she exits her first year of her new decade. You're ringing in this birthday in one of the three countries you can call home, and we hope that your return to England reminds you of the things it gave you (your humour, your poshness, your hatred of cold, your love of Shakespeare, etc). You have a lot to look forward to upon your return - not just getting your sleep schedule back on track, the renewal of Sunday morning tea & tv snaps, and the ocean, but also a visit to your other home country for TIFF, and hopefully the announcement that Josh and Diane will be "amicably going their separate ways". For your warmth, your wisdom, your wit, and your wonderful friendship, here is your number one with a bullet, Joshua, Alex (with bonus Ryan) who embodies our Henley and hair goals each week, Buffy and Angel now that you've learned the pleasure and pain of the Whedonverse, your fellow cat lover Ed, and Matthias-SWOON! Happy belated birthday Bella, we love you! Xoxoxo” Almost 15 years ago, my Ma, the Squawking Chicken, received a kidney transplant. She’d been on the waiting list for 3 years. One night the phone rang at 1am. There was what they called a “perfect match”. Ma had surgery the next morning. Afterwards she told people that her kidney came from an 18 year old girl who died suddenly. And that the girl must have liked pizza because she never ate pizza but suddenly she was eating pizza. We will never know for sure the identity of the donor. But we are forever grateful to this person and their family. As so many are grateful to Sarah Beth Therien and her family. Sarah Beth was Canada’s first DCD donor 10 years ago. Since then “1067 transplants have been performed in Ontario with organs from DCD donors – more than 1000 lives saved”. Please [click here] to learn more about Sarah Beth’s story and her gift as told by her parents, Beth and Emile. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 2:30 PM [Privacy Policy] - [Unsubscribe]