Newsletter Tuesday, September 06, 2016

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Tuesday, September 06, 2016 [Intro for September 6, 2016] [Vince Vaughn, Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Mel Gibson, Hugo Weaving, Luke Bracey at the 73rd Venice Film Festival Hacksaw Ridge premiere, September 4, 2016] Dear Gossips, Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge received a 10 minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival this weekend. Some are calling the film Mel’s “act of atonement”. As you know, Mel’s been accused of being several kinds of “-ists”. And an “-er” too. So here’s another man who’s been given the opportunity for redemption through art. I read most of the Hacksaw Ridge reviews from the top critics: [The Guardian], [Variety], [the Evening Standard], [Entertainment Weekly], [The Hollywood Reporter], all of them pretty much jizzing over the film, although Alfonso Duralde at The Wrap, while praising the work, also made a point of mentioning that a story about pacifism makes war look spectacularly awesome. Of the top critics that I’ve read though, Jessica Kiang at [The Playlist] seems to be one of the few who had problems with Hacksaw Ridge, giving it only a “C” score and calling it “ethically worrisome”, and not because of Mel Gibson’s controversial past but because “this tale of real-life heroism seems less a celebration of humanist convictions than a glorification of religious intransigence and a declaration of the moral superiority of the faithful over the faithless”. When Alejandro G Inarritu’s The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio, The Struggler, opened last year, in my experience, the film played stronger for men than it did for women. I’m curious to see if Hacksaw Ridge will be the same. Still, Venice was a major victory for Mel Gibson. And that momentum is expected to carry as we get deeper into award season. You know who Academy voters are and you know those old white guys love this kind of movie. So. Mel Gibson. On his way back up. Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 2:02 PM [Minka & Wilmer 201] [Minka Kelly and Wilmer Valderrama are seen out for a night stroll in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on September 3, 2016] They're in Mexico together. They're back together? [Minka Kelly] and [Wilmer Valderrama] dated in 2012 during one of his off phases with Demi Lovato. Now that he and Demi seem to be done for good, he and Minka are trying it out again. Interestingly, he and Minka's best friend, Mandy Moore, dated for a couple of years in 2002 and they're still friends. Maybe it was Mandy who made this happen. This isn't the first second chance romance for Minka. You'll recall, she and Chris Evans were a thing for a while, then broke up, then became a thing again. Another example of how small the Hollywood circle can be. From a Hollywood level match perspective though, these two make a lot of sense. They occupy exactly the same space. I'm thinking this time will work out? [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 7:35 PM [Marky Mark & BAYHEM] [Mark Wahlberg on the set of Transformers: The Last Knight in London, September 5, 2016] “[Remember when Mark Wahlberg was a violent racist bully]” is the title of a Defamer article that I feel like we should check in with now and again. You’ll recall, Marky Mark asked for a pardon for his teenage f-cksh-t. Because it’s not enough that he’s gone on to become a Hollywood movie mogul, he feels entitled to have his mistakes legally erased from the record. Isn’t the point of accountability? That you acknowledge you were an asshole and accept the consequences of it? Remember when Mark Wahlberg didn’t want to be in Brokeback Mountain because he “[got a little creeped out]” by the “graphic, descriptive” love scene between Jack and Ennis? He fingered Reese Witherspoon [on a ferris wheel]! He was in Boogie Nights! Tell me then, what’s the difference between those love and porn scenes and what went down on Brokeback? Mark made those comments over 10 years ago, before Twitter, before social media could draw attention to ignorance. And so he never really got called out for it. Not the way people get called out now. And especially not in his case because he looks good in underwear. So we go on celebrating the masculinity of Mark Wahlberg, seen here on the set of Transformers: The Last Knight in London directed by Michael Bay, another paragon of real man masculinity. Michael has been using a new camera specifically designed for him by RED Camera called the BAYHEM. No, seriously, that’s what it’s called. And, [as the Independent] quite rightly reported yesterday, the BAYHEM is for bombs and boobs while he shoots Transformers and whatever it is you want to call his work for Victoria’s Secret. As Michael explains on Instagram, he wanted it to be “f-cking green” because HELL YEAH, CHEST THUMPS, M-A-N, M-A-N… BAYHEM, motherf-ckers. [RED - made me a custom camera. It incorporated some of my thoughts into making the most advanced, best hand held motion picture camera in the business. We first worked with it at the Paris Opera House on my latest Victoria Secrets Campaign. @redcamerausers] A video posted by Michael Bay (@michaelbay) on Aug 26, 2016 at 12:40am PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 7:20 PM [Smutty Social Media, September 6, 2016] Maks doesn’t make sense – why would something with a lot of drama not be a compelling read? Is he saying that tabloids aren’t compelling? Maybe don’t promote your cover then, bro. [Not the most...compelling read, but so much drama!!! LOL @dancingabc #theyshoulddoashowaboutthisshow] A photo posted by @maksimc on Sep 5, 2016 at 10:56pm PDT Gwen and Blake made it through summer, and many other couples have not. I think it bodes well for a wedding. Maybe New Year’s Eve. [Hi Gx] A photo posted by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) on Sep 4, 2016 at 7:34pm PDT There are a lot of celebs (like Katy Perry and Adrien Brody) at Burning Man this year. Do the regulars get pissed that it’s being Coachella-fied? [Ran into this burner in the desert 😘 @caradelevingne] A photo posted by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Sep 6, 2016 at 7:37am PDT Justin Theroux in a leopard cape on set for The Leftovers in Australia. Will Jen be making it down for a visit? I always remember a story about her not visiting Brad when he filmed Troy because she doesn’t like long-haul flights. [This handsome devil!!!! @justintheroux Australia 6:30 am in his leopard hair cape. The best co star in the world !! I love my job. #theleftovers @hbo 🎥 the leftovers season 3] A photo posted by Liv Tyler (@misslivalittle) on Sep 5, 2016 at 6:57pm PDT You could show me a Frozen-branded enema and it would be no surprise. [You have a problem with my Frozen themed sun block, bro?] A photo posted by Billy Eichner (@billyeichner) on Sep 5, 2016 at 1:00pm PDT I see Kate Beckinsale’s point but there’s no helping testicles. (Also if I had a clinic that gave pep talks I’d obviously call myself the Vagina Whisperer.) What's a 3 minute rejuvenation? Glitter? A bulldog clip? A pep talk? WHERE ARE THE TESTICLE REJUVENATION BILLBOARDS? [pic.twitter.com/ZtX4lJnXYv] — Kate Beckinsale (@KateBeckinsale) [September 2, 2016] BJ and Mindy – I know they are always off and on. But are they currently on? Labor Day is the weekend you spend with someone you are hooking up with, right? [A photo posted by Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling)] on Sep 5, 2016 at 1:57pm PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:58 PM [The pre-Oscar class photo?] [Janelle Monae attends the Telluride Film Festival 2016 on September 3, 2016 in Telluride, Colorado] Take a look at this low key, chilled out group picture with some of the most buzzworthy stars and filmmakers of 2016, all together, sitting on the ground. And check out [Amy Adams]’s beaming smile. Pure joy… and stamina. This edition of the [#Telluride] group photo is a who's who of cinema... [pic.twitter.com/NFggj5MVtt] — erickohn (@erickohn) [September 5, 2016] Last week, Lainey wrote about her one-two punch of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival and Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals in Venice that will likely have her back in the [Oscar conversation once again]. And in Telluride? The critics and pundits appear to agree about Arrival. Awards Daily’s Sasha Stone said it was her favourite of the fest. Arrival still no 1 if I had to pick. [ — Sasha Stone (@AwardsDaily) [September 5, 2016] But, how different will this class photo look in five months, when the Oscar nominees all pose together at the annual Academy luncheon in February? Will these marquee names look just as relaxed then, when more is on the line? There’s still so much to see (Collateral Beauty, Hidden Figures, Jackie (my queen, Natalie), 20th Century Women (Annette Bening)) and The Girl on the Train) so right now it feels like it’s a wide open race, but let's speculate about what could be developing starting with who is standing next to whom. First, there’s already a sisterhood forming: Amy, [Emma Stone] and [Rooney Mara] (Una) are all hanging near the bottom left. Rooney has her classic “aloof” resting face on, while Emma seems to be soaking up her Best Actress frontrunner buzz that Lainey [wrote about earlier]. These are all former nominees, and they’re all hoping, again, that this could be their year. Then, there’s the Moonlight crew, which runs deep. Naomie Harris, Andre Holland and [Janelle Monae] all stand side-by-side just left of centre — behind Tom Hanks — while Mahershala Ali and Trevante Rhodes hold court on the right side. Moonlight made quite an impact at Telluride – and when I saw it in Toronto last week at a pre-TIFF press screening, I felt the exact same way. It’s completely arresting, gorgeous, and so deliberately restrained in the way it shows the complexities of black masculinity and homosexuality. I’ve been thinking about it all weekend. (We’ll have the review for you during TIFF.) If enough people, or critics, see it in Toronto, it could be the movie that launches a thousand think pieces. Janelle Monae is a real star, and finally, after a stalled run for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Naomie could finally receive the recognition she deserves[for her scenestealing ways]. The Moonlight squad is in it for the long haul, and they’re in it together. And then there’s this factoid – Moonlight could become Plan B’s fourth straight Best Picture nominee after 12 Years a Slave, Selma and The Big Short. Lainey wrote about this [a little while ago], about how Brad Pitt might be the most “woke” man in Hollywood, and how he’s quietly shepherded diverse stories to make sure they receive the love they deserve from critics. David Oyelowo also routinely [gives him props in interviews], too. Beyond Moonlight’s power and awards potential, there’s some other friendships and alliances brewing that we could be seeing a lot more of. Laura Linney sits next to her You Can Count on Me director and Manchester by the Sea helmer Kenny Lonergan, while the film’s star, Casey Affleck put in the schmoozing time and was photographed with his Ain’t Them Bodies Saints co-star, Rooney. Who would you want to see Rooney work with again? Amy Adams or Casey Affleck [pic.twitter.com/gOqD0Elw4j] — Rooney Mara fan (@RooneyMaraSlay) [September 5, 2016] Sally Hawkins is also receiving buzz for her work as a tortured Canadian artist in Maudie, as is Aaron Eckhart for his two roles in Sully and Bleed for This. And then there’s Miles Teller – who is also earning some love for the latter film… yet another boxing movie. My favourite gossip photo, though, has to be this airport sighting of Emma and Miles caught in a “just like us” moment while on their way out of Telluride. It’s a great shot of “what could have been,” since Miles was originally set to star in La La Land as a follow-up to Whiplash, and Emma came on board early as the female lead when another Emma, Emma Watson, could not commit to the film: Just like us: Emma Stone and Miles Teller also waiting for the Montrose Airport to get its act together. [pic.twitter.com/SMsHGwKMOZ] — Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) [September 6, 2016] If you’re looking for Miles in the class photo? He’s in the back left – behind film critic Leonard Maltin. More importantly though, how similar will what happened in Colorado look to what will happen at the Dolby Theatre on Feb. 26, 2017? [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:40 PM [Emma Stone, early frontrunner] [Emma Stone attends the Telluride Film Festival 2016, September 2-4, 2016 in Telluride, Colorado] After premiering La La Land in Venice last week, [Emma Stone] spent the weekend screening the film at Telluride. The film was very positively received at both festivals. Several of my etalk colleagues have seen it pre-TIFF and they’re obsessed with it. Which is why [Awards Daily] is now comparing it to Spotlight and The Artist, two films that went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, similar in that La La Land “is the film almost everyone can agree upon. And it’s the film no one hates”. Even Tom Hanks, who was in Telluride to support Sully, was talking high on La La Land, basically imploring audiences to see it while he was there to promote his own movie. So, even though we’re early, way early, La La Land is not only a contender, right now it’s the frontrunner. Right now every other film has to catch up. Which also means that the film’s lead actress, Emma Stone, who’s been carrying most of the press for it so far while [Ryan Gosling] is tied up with Blade Runner is also, currently, the frontrunner for Best Actress. Like I said, it’s early. And if Denzel Washington’s Fences, co-starring [Viola Davis], is watchable, I can’t imagine that Viola won’t be the favourite. A nomination for Emma, though, and it would be her second, seems inevitable. And… well… if Hacksaw Ridge is representing too, Emma and [Andrew Garfield] could both be at the Oscars. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:07 PM [TIFF 2016: The Tiffening] [Casey Affleck attends the Telluride Film Festival 2016 on September 3, 2016 in Telluride, Colorado] TIFF kicks off this week, and I’ll be filing reviews along with Joanna and Kathleen. It’s a little bit of a weird year, The Birth of a Nation and [Nate Parker] dominating so much of the pre-festival conversation, but Venice got underway last week, and Telluride went down over the long weekend in the US, and we now have some other movies to talk about. Chiefly, La La Land, which wowed everyone who saw it—in a year of controversy, a dreamy movie about love might be such a welcome antidote that it goes the distance to Oscar. Another movie that hit at Venice was Arrival, which I selfishly took to review even though Joanna loves Amy Adams. (Sorry Joanna!) When Leonardo DiCaprio won his Oscar, there was a lot of conversation about how much he “deserved it”—as if life hasn’t already anointed him a winner a hundred million times over—and how it was “his time”. Well what about Amy Adams? When is it her time? She’s one of the most reliably excellent actresses working, and she’s put up with a raft of sh*t (see also: Russell, David O.) and not once complained publicly about it. When is it her f*cking time? Can it be now? She has two chances this year, Arrival and Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, and she’s supposedly great in both. #OscarForAmy! Back at Sundance, The Birth of a Nation seemed like a slam dunk Oscar favorite, but Nate Parker’s controversy has tainted it for many people, seriously damaging its prospects. I’m going to be reviewing Nation, because I’ve already reviewed Woody Allen’s Café Society, but we did look through the TIFF schedule for films you can support if Nation is off the table. Films such as Moonlight, about the growth of a young LBGTQ black man in three stages, which got rave reviews at Telluride. Also Jeff Nichols’ Loving, about the landmark Supreme Court case that eradicated miscegenation laws and made interracial marriage legal in all states. Ruth Negga is supposed to be great, and could be an early contender for Best Actress. There’s also Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom, and Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, and Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women. Dev Patel’s Lion, about an Indian man journeying to connect with his birth family, is Harvey Weinstein’s favorite for “[eight or nine]” Oscars. And Rooney Mara is earning a lot of praise for her portrayal of a sexual assault survivor in Una, based on David Harrower’s play Blackbird. Might be interesting to see Una and Nation celebrated at the same Oscars. But it’s not all Oscar bait. Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Magnificent Seven opens the festival, looking more like a Hollywood blockbuster than anything, and there’s a Blair Witch soft reboot, too. I can feel you rolling your eyes, but it’s from Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett, the guys behind You’re Next and The Guest. If anyone can salvage the Blair Witch, it’s them. And then there’s the dark horse, Ewan McGregor’s American Pastoral. It’s his directorial debut, and I’ve heard good things, but that could just be industry hype. I’m very curious to see not only how the novel translates to screen, but what McGregor has to offer as a director. The movie that feels like “the big one”, though, is Manchester by the Sea. Its premiere at Sundance got muted by The Birth of a Nation, but it just went over like gangbusters at Telluride, and as I mentioned before, it [benefits most] from Nation’s controversial status. It’ll be interesting to see if [Casey Affleck]’s past [sexual harassment lawsuits] come into play, but so far they haven’t. In fact, Affleck was an honoree at Telluride, so I’m curious to see how this plays out. Attached - Casey Affleck at Telluride on the weekend. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 5:51 PM [Bridget by Emma: a solid start] [Emma Thompson arrives for the World premiere of 'Bridget Jones's Baby' at Odeon Leicester Square on September 5, 2016 in London, England] Bridget Jones’s Baby premiered in London this weekend. So far, the reviews [have been pretty decent] with several top critics giving it a solid recommendation score, including [Catherine Bray at Variety] who writes that “Bridget Jones’s Baby is not a comedy for the ages, but it’s interesting to see a rom-com starring a middle-aged woman grappling with irrelevance in the workplace”. There. I mean I was going to see it anyway but that’s the line that’s now hooked me. THIS is where I’m excited to find the heart in the movie. And I realised only recently that that should have been obvious because… [Emma Thompson]. Emma came to The Social for an interview [a couple of weeks ago]. She is the F-CKING BEST. She was candid. She was fun. She was wild. She was the F-CKING BEST. And she spoke proudly about being a feminist, about demanding equal pay, about why she’s not afraid to speak up. Emma worked on the screenplay for Bridget Jones’s Baby and so my point is, it’s hard to imagine she would add her words and put a name to a project that undermined her position. Check her out, looking amazing in her red pantsuit (cuffed hem!) with her daughter last night, being the party, as usual. Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. She IS the party. I wish you could have seen her backstage at The Social after our segment and how she reacted when she saw Tristan Thompson and his boys. Kathleen and I were beside ourselves with joy. Emma basically entered herself into their green room and turned it into a photo shoot while her daughter Gaia, 16, took pictures. Part of the amazingness was watching Gaia watch her mother do her thing like she was the parent, half amused, half over it, and all proud. They have a lovely, lovely bond that’s evident even to those who meet them for the first time. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 5:10 PM [Meanwhile, Lena Dunham] [Lena Dunham] A couple weeks ago I wrote about Amy Schumer, [again], and how she keeps tripping over problems with other women. And now, after a controversial interview/conversation included in last Friday’s Lenny Letter, the conversation is swinging back to [Lena Dunham] and her recurring issues with race. The interview, which has been edited since Dunham started catching heat on social media, is posted below if you want to read the whole thing, but I want to focus on one passage in particular, in which Dunham relates an anecdote from the night of the Met Gala. Dunham says: “I was sitting next to Odell Beckham Jr., and it was so amazing because it was like he looked at me and he determined I was not the shape of a woman by his standards. He was like, ‘That’s a marshmallow. That’s a child. That’s a dog.’ It wasn’t mean—he just seemed confused. The vibe was very much like, ‘Do I want to fuck it? Is it wearing a…yep, it’s wearing a tuxedo. I’m going to go back to my cell phone.’ It was like we were forced to be together, and he literally was scrolling Instagram rather than have to look at a woman in a bow tie. I was like, ‘This should be called the Metropolitan Museum of Getting Rejected by Athletes.’” In case you’re not aware, Odell Beckham, Jr. is a professional football player. It is impossible to know, because we are not Odell Beckham, Jr., whether or not he knew who Lena Dunham was on the night of the Met Gala. Maybe he dismissed her because he didn’t want to f*ck her, but it’s equally—probably ENTIRELY—possible that he was in an awkward social situation, sitting at table with someone he doesn’t know at a very public function, and so he just ignored the stranger seated nearby. I ignore people I don’t know at events regardless of whether or not I want to f*ck them, so I give Beckham the benefit of the doubt. Which is not what Dunham gave him. Dunham projected her own insecurities onto Beckham, an innocent bystander to her social awkwardness, and she did so with no regard to the complicated history of white women sexualizing black men. She has since [admitted her ignorance] and apologized, but Dunham is thirty f*cking years old, and she’s had issues with race before. How has she not picked up some awareness of these issues? Why does it always take people yelling at her for Lena Dunham to learn a lesson? Maybe because she’s “[opting out]” of the internet outrage machine, [not unlike Tina Fey], who doesn’t want to participate in the “culture of demanding apologies”. In a tweet to Schumer, Dunham dismisses the scores of people calling out the dumb sh*t she said: Glad the outrage machine roars on though, right [@amyschumer]? — Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) [September 2, 2016] It isn’t privilege that makes a person problematic, it’s using privilege to insulate yourself from the truths of others that does, and it’s the ultimate privilege to say, “I don’t have to listen to you.” People do a lot of yelling on the internet, and most of it is just noise, but the “outrage machine” assumes that all criticism comes in bad faith, and that no one could ever say anything worth hearing. Opting out doesn’t eliminate criticism, but it does make it more of a one-way street. Lainey asked me why we don’t get “more mad” at Tina Fey, like we do at Lena Dunham. I think it’s because when we do get mad at Fey, there’s nowhere for it to go. There’s no dialogue to be had—she’s not available and she’s not interested in talking about progress (which is what this is, the messy and sometimes combative march toward better understanding). So all we can do is write our [thinkpieces], which then disappear into the internet void. But Lena Dunham is on social media. She engages. Which means the yelling can go on and on, but it also means that learning and understanding can take place, which is what seems to have happened in the case of Odell Beckham, Jr. A black filmmaker, [Xavier Burgin], got ahold of Dunham and seems to have gotten through. (Shout out to a fellow Trojan!) And maybe, after all this, Dunham gets a little better about her blind spots. (Lainey: unlike Tina who continues to “opt out” of them.) It’s not about demanding perfection—that’s the first step to undermining someone. Lainey has discussed it before, in regards to [Amber Heard], how not being a “[perfect victim]” made it that much harder for her to prove her case again Johnny Depp. You can see it in the US election, how Hillary Clinton not being a Perfect Candidate is helping infected wound Donald Trump seem like a viable alternative. And you can see it with Amy Schumer not being a Perfect Feminist and struggling with the expectations of her audience. (Thought: “Feminist comedian” is a label we applied to Schumer and she ran with it because she recognized it as a platform to mainstream success, but the actual Feminist Comedian is Inside Amy Schumer head writer Jessi Klein.) It’s okay if you don’t know everything. But half the battle is admitting you don’t know everything, and listening when someone else can fill you in. Dunham has been rewarded and celebrated for HER voice, but now we’ve progressed to the point of intersectionality, which is about recognizing that different people have different struggles, and that while all women face certain challenges, some women face more and greater challenges than others. Lena Dunham became a success because she found a platform, but maybe it’s time to let someone else talk for a while. [Source] [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 4:29 PM [Kit & Rose are still together] [Kit Harington and Rose Leslie hold hands in New York, September 1, 2016] Or, as I call them, Jon and Gidget … because I can never remember that character’s name! Here are [Kit Harington] and [Rose Leslie] out for a walk in New York the other day holding hands. He’s there shooting The Life And Death Of John F Donovan, Xavier Dolan’s first English language film. Production on John F Donovan started in Montreal earlier this summer. Interestingly, production on Season 7 of Game Of Thrones [started last week] in Northern Ireland about 6 weeks after they normally begin shooting. Peter Dinklage was [seen arriving in Belfast]. Obviously Kit hasn’t reported back to GOT yet and he’s been nominated along with the show for an Emmy (September 18) so he’ll likely go back to back between the movie and the series. OK but now can we talk about how cute they are? SO cute, right? [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 3:54 PM [Gabrielle Union stands up] On Friday, [the LA Times] released an op-ed written by [Gabrielle Union]. Its headline: 'Birth of a Nation' actress Gabrielle Union: I cannot take Nate Parker rape allegations lightly. When I first saw this headline, I literally gasped out loud. What follows the headline is a stirring, emotional and must-read essay by an actress who could have easily chosen to stay silent. Instead, she chose to speak. She chose to stand up in an industry that usually favours those who stay seated. Gabrielle Union is a rape survivor. She tells us this in the first sentence of her piece. She’s also been open about being a survivor [for her entire career]. If someone was giving Gabrielle career advice, they might have advised her not to add more fuel to the blaze of controversy The Birth of a Nation is embroiled in. You know, since she stars in it and still has months left of press to do while standing beside her boss, co-star and alleged rapist [Nate Parker]. But according to Gabrielle, speaking up was not a choice. “My compassion for victims of sexual violence is something that I cannot control. It spills out of me like an instinct rather than a choice. It pushes me to speak when I want to run away from the platform. When I am scared. Confused. Ashamed.” Scared, confused and ashamed are three emotions victims of sexual assault are well acquainted with. They are emotions that prevent victims from using their voices. And for this reason Gabrielle Union says she, “must reach out to anyone who will listen — other survivors, or even potential perpetrators.” She then goes on to talk about Parker’s case specifically. Gabrielle writes, “… silence certainly does not equal “yes.” Although it’s often difficult to read and understand body language, the fact that some individuals interpret the absence of a “no” as a “yes” is problematic at least, criminal at worst.” This is when I started nodding vigorously at my computer screen like it was a person or something. It’s just so, so on point and I can’t imagine how long it took Gabrielle to build up the courage or find the words to be so on point about an exasperating controversy. I have been writing about Nate Parker’s rape allegations for over a month now. I’ve written about how so many people [were rooting for him], how he’s since [lost my support] and how I hoped The Birth of a Nation’s entire press tour would be an ongoing conversation about consent. With this essay, Gabrielle Union is continuing that uncomfortable but necessary dialogue. While we have all been struggling week after week to process this story, Gabrielle Union has been “in a state of stomach-churning confusion.” My stomach was all tangled up just reading her essay. We’ve established that this story is confusing for black women. Think of how difficult it has been for a black woman who actually stars in the movie? In an [interview with Vulture] in January, Gabrielle Union said the following about Nate Parker: “Watching Nate come on — don’t tell my husband — I’ve never been more proud of anyone in my life. In my life. When it said "Nate Parker wrote, Nate Parker directed. Nate Parker produced!" I just had so much pride. So much f-cking pride, and it’s so important.” If anyone was rooting for Nate Parker, it was Gabrielle Union. She found out about her beloved director/writer/producer’s rape allegations at the same time most of us did. AFTER she had already shot The Birth of a Nation and transformed herself into a character who doesn’t speak a single word but whose rape is a pivotal moment in the film. “I took this role because I related to the experience. I also wanted to give a voice to my character, who remains silent throughout the film. In her silence, she represents countless black women who have been and continue to be violated. Women without a voice, without power. Women in general. But black women in particular. I knew I could walk out of our movie and speak to the audience about what it feels like to be a survivor.” This essay has made us painfully aware of the cruel irony that Gabrielle Union, a rape survivor, took this role so that she could speak on sexual assault and the man who gave her that role is allegedly a rapist. It’s so f-cked up. I want you to really get how f-cked up it is before I get to the part where it seems like Gabrielle still wants us to go see the film. Of course, she still wants us to go see it. It’s her work. It’s her time, effort and performance. It’s a film she chose for other victims of sexual violence. But like I’ve said before, if this film succeeds, it’s a win for Nate Parker. He will reap the benefits of its success. On Twitter, Gabrielle has been supportive of people who tweet that they’ve decided not to see the film. To me, she’s doing everything she possibly can short of boycotting the movie and it’s understandable why she isn’t doing that. SHE’S IN THE MOVIE. Again, she chose the film because she wanted to help victims of rape. She’s in an impossible position. Variety confirmed that Gabrielle will be at TIFF and is set to attend a press conference with Nate Parker. In her essay Gabrielle wrote that she hoped to use this film, “to play an active role in creating a ripple that will change the ingrained misogyny that permeates our culture.” Last time I wrote about Nate Parker, I hoped he would have to keep talking about his alleged rape and the meaning of consent. At every press stop. In every interview. I hoped that he wouldn’t think his [interview with Ebony] was enough. Gabrielle Union just made it even more impossible for this topic to be avoided at TIFF. [Click here] to read the entire op-ed. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 3:35 PM [Soul Train Bey Day] [Beyoncé celebrates 35th birthday with guests including Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Chance the Rapper, Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys, Diddy, Solange, Jourdan Dunn, The Dream, Janelle Monáe, La La Anthony and Carmelo Anthony in New York City] Bey weekend, actually. As you know, some people treat [Beyoncé]’s birthday like it’s a holiday. I’m not sure any other celebrity birthday is acknowledged the way hers is. But, then again, as we saw at the VMAs last week, Beyoncé is singular. So she spent some time with [Michelle Obama] at [Camp David on Saturday], then on Sunday, her birthday proper, she was in Philadelphia with [Jay Z] for the Made In America festival where several acts shouted out Bey Day during their sets. And then last night the Soul Train themed party with a throwback to Foxy Cleopatra and a lot of famous friends including: Chance the Rapper [Beyoncé x Chance the Rapper] A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beylite) on Sep 6, 2016 at 1:12am PDT Usher [Beyoncé's #SoulTrain themed birthday party tonight.] A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beylite) on Sep 5, 2016 at 8:39pm PDT And Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys, Serena Williams, and Kendrick Lamar – see attached. The VIP guest, however, was the Blue Ivy Carter who also came in costume and wished her mother a Happy Birthday: [Blue wishing Beyoncé a happy birthday 💙💙💙 Blue tasting the cake 😩😂] A video posted by Beyoncé (@beylite) on Sep 5, 2016 at 9:33pm PDT Blue also showed off her moves: [#Beyonce & Blue dancing to #WorkItOut last night] A video posted by Beyoncé (@beylite) on Sep 6, 2016 at 5:52am PDT Then her dad made the moves on her ma: [Beyoncé x Jay Z dancing #SoulTrainThemedBDayParty] A video posted by Beyoncé (@beylite) on Sep 6, 2016 at 1:13am PDT Beyoncé was supposed to take Formation to New Jersey tomorrow but has postponed the show to October 7 on doctor’s order to rest her vocal chords. She already sounded hoarse to me during her acceptance speeches at the VMAs and also at her party when she was on the mic thanking people for coming. The show on Saturday in St Louis is scheduled to go ahead as planned. Then her tour heads to LA. And the Emmys. Conveniently it’s an off night for her. Lemonade is up for 4 Emmys. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 3:01 PM [September 6, 2016 – Smutty Shout-Outs] [Sophia for Katya] Katya! Happy Belated 31st Birthday! I’m sorry we missed this last week. Please know that your best friend Claire was on it though. She misses you so much. By request, here’s Sophia who should be side-eying my stank eye for this delay. Apologies once again and wishing you the very, very, very best year! [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 2:30 PM [Privacy Policy] - [Unsubscribe]