Newsletter Thursday, July 28, 2016

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Thursday, July 28, 2016 [Intro for July 28, 2016] [Prince] Dear Gossips, Yesterday was Prince Day marking the 32nd anniversary of the theatrical release of Purple Rain, and the first since the passing of the Purple One. Can you believe it’s already been 3 months of life without Prince? I spent last night in between DNC speeches reading all kinds of articles celebrating his genius and his cultural influence. My favourite piece is about Prince’s love of basketball and, specifically, Prince’s love of women’s basketball. It’s the story of [Prince and the Minnesota Lynx]. He was their biggest fan. And when they won their third championship last fall, he surprised them, not only with his Presence, but with a Party at Paisley Park, all of it organised in super stealth signature Prince style. Prince made those female athletes feel important, just as important as their male counterparts. He made them feel like their accomplishments were just as worthy of adulation and glory. “Prince often challenged the notion that women aren’t meant for certain (musical; athletic) spaces and recognized them whenever he could.” If you haven’t already and you have the time to savour some of the best writing on Prince, The Undefeated posted a [curation of essential Prince reading]. It’s a great way to spend the day. Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 1:32 PM [Kristen Stewart’s changes] [Kristen Stewart] covers [the new issue of ELLE UK] as what they call an “icon of change”. And they’re right. She has changed. She’s changed in the way many of us do when we move away from our early 20s. I remember, Keira Knightley was like this too. Remember? It was all existential drama and dark t-shirts. And then, as you do, she got over it. Kristen seems to have gotten over it. “I went through so much stress and periods of strife. I would have panic attacks…I literally always had a stomach ache. And I was a control freak and I couldn't anticipate what was going to happen in a given situation, so I'd be like, 'Maybe I'm going to get sick'... It's kind of remarkable. I just grew out of it, but that's not to say I don't get worried.” But the difference is obvious, non? I’ve written about it too – how much more relaxed she appears to be at events and even when she’s not on the clock, with her girlfriend, in her personal life. That’s also changed, the way she handling the interest in it. And what she’s willing to reveal about it: “I think also right now I'm just really in love with my girlfriend. We've broken up a couple of times and gotten back together, and this time I was like, 'Finally, I can feel again.” It used to be that Kristen, when she was with Robert Pattinson, was one of the dumpster divers, like Leonardo DiCaprio, booking it towards any escape to avoid being seen whether or not it was a trash can or a tunnel. With both Alicia Cargile and Soko – it became much more obvious with Soko – Kristen’s been a lot less precious, particularly in the last year. As she explains: “When I was dating a guy I was hiding everything that I did because everything personal felt like it was immediately trivialised, so I didn't like it. We were turned into these characters and placed into this ridiculous comic book, and I was like, 'That's mine. You're making my relationship something that it's not.' I didn't like that. But then it changed when I started dating a girl. I was like, 'Actually, to hide this provides the implication that I'm not down with it or I'm ashamed of it, so I had to alter how I approached being in public. It opened my life up and I'm so much happier.” You can tell, can’t you? Look how much happier Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin seems to be now that she’s not taking off down the street any time anyone was paying attention. Kristen’s figured it out how to make it work for her. It seems, actually, to be working for everyone, with the exception, of course, of the Robster truthers. [Click here for the article] and to see more photos of Kristen in ELLE UK. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 7:56 PM [Winona Ryder in Stranger Things] [Stranger Things promotional poster] Set in 1983 in Hawkins, Indiana, a sleepy little town next to a mysterious government facility, Netflix’s latest original show, Stranger Things, centers on the disappearance of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). When Will doesn’t make it home after playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends Mike, Dustin, and Lucas—in the biggest divergence from the actual 1980s in the show, Dungeons & Dragons isn’t demonized as part of Will’s disappearance—his friends begin a campaign to find and save their friend, despite everyone except Will’s mom believing he’s dead. What happens next involves MKUltra, monsters, inept town cops, bullies, a girl called Eleven, and Christmas lights. It’s difficult to explain without spoiling some aspect of the mystery, but Stranger Things is a perfect mix of Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, and Unsolved Mysteries. Stranger Things is steeped in its 1980s setting down to the smallest details, like the nap on thick-pile carpets, and anyone with actual memories of the 80s will be caught in an odd vertigo—you KNOW this is fake, and yet it feels completely real, like it was actually made in 1983. And it’s not just the aesthetics. Stranger Things taps into three of the biggest 1980s fears in America: Single mothers, disappearing children, and Russians. Disappearing children is the main plot engine, but the Cold War paranoia and the tacit abhorrence of single mothers is so closely woven into the fabric of Stranger Things that they inform everything from what assumptions characters make to how they speak to one another. The creators of the show, Matt and Ross Duffer (Hidden), capture both the “simpler times” feel of a bygone era, but also the grim reality of that time, with the perpetual threat of war and the way heinous crimes were so often swept under the rug. Will’s disappearance sparks a town-wide manhunt and media coverage, but when a second child vanishes, it’s dismissed as a teenage runaway. The cops in Hawkins aren’t bad people, they’re just small town and inexperienced, and maybe a little lazy, and Stranger Things subtly highlights how huge mistakes can be made in those conditions (see also: Ramsey, JonBenet). But as the chief of police, Hopper (David Harbour), a former big city detective, goes through the motions of an investigation, his alcoholic haze dissipates and he starts making connections his less experienced officers are unwilling to see. The first glimpse of the Byers home reveals a house at the edge of squalor. The Byers are clearly poor, and we quickly learn that they’re a single-mother household, and the state of the house isn’t due to slovenliness but overwork—mother Joyce simply doesn’t have time to pick up after her sons. Joyce is tired and stretched thin, and there’s an air of fragility around her, aided by the “[Winona Eyes]”. [Winona Ryder] is wonderful as Joyce, convincing in both her ferocious motherliness and sensitivity—it makes perfect sense that Joyce is the first person to begin to suspect the strange and unexplained is behind her son’s disappearance. One of the best things about Stranger Things is that very few characters are all bad. Hopper at first seems like your stereotypical macho asshole cop, but he turns out to be devastated by personal loss. The popular high school guy, Steve (Joe Keery), is neither Steff nor Blane but a realistic combination of the two. And the children are simply wonderful. These are the most authentic movie/TV kids in a long time. The trio of Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) form the nucleus, with Mike’s older sister, Nancy (Natalia Dyer, who looks eerily like Mia Sara circa Ferris Bueller), and Will’s older brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), rounding out the crew. The way the kids talk to one another, the way they hassle and tease, is the best part of the show. Once the mysterious Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, who is EXTRAORDINARY) shows up, the fault lines and fractures that form between Mike, Dustin, and Lucas inform the storytelling as much as Will’s disappearance. Stranger Things perfectly captures the moment between childhood and adolescence, when new friends and interests—and interest in new friends—can either make or break lifelong friendships. The only real problem with Stranger Things is that the show’s slavish dedication to the 1980s often overwhelms the story. It can be scary at times, but it doesn’t get much more emotional than that, since nostalgia resides where the story’s heart should be. Too often scenes elicit an “I remember that!” response than an actual feeling. Stranger Things is, ultimately, more interested in evoking memory than emotion, and that keeps it from being the kind of transcendent experience it’s honoring, like E.T. and Alien and Stand By Me. But it’s still a very fun watch, and at just eight episodes, totally binge-able. The soundtrack is amazing—and [coming soon!]— and the pacing clips along, integrating expository flashbacks smoothly so that Eleven’s past unwinds alongside the current mystery of Will’s disappearance. And the internet loves Nancy’s dorky friend [Barb], but I would argue that Nancy and Mike’s dad is the best character on Stranger Things. He’s an A+ Useless TV Dad. There are so many references and homages that nerds will get plenty of satisfaction just from trying to find them all, and even casual viewers are sure to spot some of the more famous moments being referenced. Stranger Things is a creepy, fun trip down memory lane. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 7:09 PM [Smutty Tingles] I want the “Squirty” ([Dlisted]) Matt & Ben got cancelled ([Just Jared]) Prince Harry talks about talking about Princess Diana ([Cele|bitchy]) Tara Reid's latest meltdown ([TooFab]) The Outlander couple is the new Swoki, what? ([Celeb Dirty Laundry]) Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk kissing in Italy ([Pop Sugar]) Lindsay Lohan smoking on a yacht ([The Superficial]) Hailee Steinfeld’s denim romper ([Popoholic]) The latest celebrity divorce ([TMZ]) [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:37 PM [OK Swoki] [Taylor Swift heads to the gym in Hollywood, July 27, 2016] In my post yesterday on Swoki I mentioned that [Tom Hiddleston] flew back to LA from NYC and that [Taylor]’s private plane was seen arriving back from Nashville around the same time. Aviation information was indeed an indication of their status because both were papped working out in LA yesterday and then they went out for dinner. [PEOPLE reports] that Tom drove, they were on the second floor, seemed to be having a great time, and sat across from each other. [Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift were spotted together at a restaurant in Santa Monica this evening. #tomhiddleston #taylorswift #hiddleswift] A photo posted by FANdemonium Network (@fandemoniumnet) on Jul 27, 2016 at 9:04pm PDT Is it OK to say I’m relieved? Not that they’re together – of course that too – but that they don’t sit on top of each other at dinner? You ever see couples do that? Like their legs are linked? They can’t bear to be even an inch apart? I mean he’s running around the beach wearing a t-shirt with her initials on it and posing for sepia stained pictures on porches while gazing into each other’s eyes. I’m just saying they could have been those people. Attached - Taylor heading to the gym in Hollywood yesterday and shots of Tom out for a run [are here]. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:13 PM [Cara's prank at #Taymerica] [Cara Delevingne is seen at JFK on July 28, 2016 in New York City] [Cara Delevingne] is currently promoting Suicide Squad. During an interview with James Corden she talked about #Taymerica. Yes, please. Apparently Cara, [Uzo Aduba], and [Ruby Rose] decided to pull a ghost prank on some of the other #Taymerica celebrities. Here's how she tells the story: I'm glad this came up. Both Cara and Uzo Aduba. Because they are two of my reasons for believing that Swoki isn't a publicity stunt. They're enjoying the publicity but that doesn't mean they're not real. A couple of months ago I wrote a post about [Taylor Swift] and linked to a [Slate article about bralets] written by Heather Schwedel. Heather and I spoke recently about Taylor and Gossip Christmas. And when she asked me why I think Swoki is legit, for me it comes down to the circle of containment. If Swoki was a fraud, that circle would have to be huge. And it would have to include the Caras and the Uzos. Why would Uzo have to participate in that? Also, if you know Cara Delevingne, who isn’t exactly predictable, could you see her being on that kind of f-cksh-t? [Click here] to read more from my conversation with Heather at Slate. Attached – Cara at JFK this morning. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 5:10 PM [James McAvoy’s personalities] [Trailer stills for Split] Sarah messaged me yesterday about the new trailer for M Night Shyamalan’s Split starring [James McAvoy], commenting that James looks amazing in the movie. I immediately told her that I wanted to write the article because I love James McAvoy, especially if he “looks amazing”. My version of “looks amazing” and Sarah’s version of “looks amazing” are clearly very different. What she meant was that he’s playing a man who has 24 personalities. This is not what I thought she meant. And now that I’ve seen the trailer and am properly terrified by it, she probably should have taken over this post. Because, yes, James does indeed look amazing. As in his acting is amazing. Very amazing. James is quite capable giving us all kinds of different characters with his one singular body. Unfortunately I don’t want to kiss any of them, although that doesn’t take away my admiration for his skill as an actor. Because even though this movie won’t make me want to make out with James McAvoy, there’s a bonus to that. [Leonardo DiCaprio] is supposed to be [working on a movie] (a true story) in which he plays a man who also had 24 different personalities and used that as a murder defence. Split is coming out in January. And if James delivers on the potential of this performance, he will be the standard against which Leo’s performance will be measured. Can you imagine? THE GREAT LEONARDO DICAPRIO having to answer to someone else’s benchmark? [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 4:14 PM [Stephen Colbert is coming on strong] Last month I wrote about [Stephen Colbert]’s [struggle to adapt] to the mainstream on The Late Show, and at that time I said, “Colbert is SO talented, and there’s no question he can hold down The Late Show—if The Late Show will just let him be Stephen Colbert.” Well, that’s exactly what they’ve done. CBS has let Colbert pivot The Late Show to be more politically focused, especially with the political conventions occurring over the last couple weeks, and it’s working. His ratings are on the rise—although milquetoast apolitical Jimmy Fallon continues to rule the late night roost—and he’s producing the [viral] [content] late night hosts are now expected to produce. Colbert brought back his blowhard alter ego “Stephen Colbert” and the popular “[Word]” segment from his old show—then had to kill “Stephen Colbert” because of an IP conflict with Comedy Central. So now he’s introduced “Stephen Colbert’s” identical twin cousin also named ““Stephen Colbert””, and has “The Werd”, so he’s not going to give up on bringing political satire back into his show. He’s also leaning on old friends, including Jon Stewart, who used Colbert’s platform to [remind us] that we really miss and NEED Jon Stewart. We’ll have to see if Comedy Central and their parent company, Viacom, will let Colbert have “The Werd”, but even if they don’t, Colbert is clearly shifting his show to a more satirical style. He’s had some great bits over the last two weeks—“[Condiment] [Cam]” is genius surreal comedy—and he has a palpable energy as he feeds off all the convention crazy. The question is whether or not he can sustain this after the convention ends this week. Stephen Colbert has four months to see if this new direction will be the answer to his late night woes. [Source] [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 3:31 PM [John Cho’s “beacon”] [John Cho leaves his New York hotel, July 28, 2016] I’m excited. [John Cho] has never been the first post since I started this blog a long time ago. But here’s John Cho in New York yesterday continuing to promote Star Trek Beyond. He’s been in every one of the (new) Star Trek movies. But he was never tasked with doing much press to promote them. That John is representing the film on the conventional press circuit is, to me, some progress. And he addressed the importance of this during his interviews. Like Leslie Jones, who said on The View that watching Whoopi Goldberg on television as a kid [changed her perspective] about who was allowed to be on television, John Cho had a similar experience watching George Takei. "I just didn't see anyone on TV who looked like me, and then I saw George Takei being cool and piloting the spaceship on television and I thought that, wow, there’s a beacon for me.” This is exactly why diversity is critical. Because when someone like John talks about how George Takei was a “beacon”, it means that George’s example gave John reason to believe that he could be included, that his decisions would not be limited to boundaries that were decided by other people. It means that my cousin Cat’s two Asian sons perhaps won’t have to feel limited to boundaries decided by other people. When they turn on Seth Meyers and see John Cho on late night dubsmashing, it’s a world that one day could be open to them too. Me and [@sethmeyers] want you to free your mind! Cc:[@LateNightSeth] [#LNSM] [pic.twitter.com/zAhDpY84ZM] — John Cho (@JohnTheCho) [July 27, 2016] [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 2:12 PM [Privacy Policy] - [Unsubscribe]