Newsletter Wednesday, May 10, 2017

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Wednesday, May 10, 2017 [Intro for May 10, 2017]( [The platform sandal is back]( Dear Gossips, I have a checklist of sites I go to every night. Teen Vogue is near the top of that list. Duana and I talked about Teen Vogue on one of the early episodes of [Show Your Work](, how Teen Vogue has become a voice of resistance and activism, led in part by Lauren Duca, [whose piece last week]( on The New York Times hiring of Bret Stephens is an excellent reminder of journalistic purpose – and a thorough criticism of how the Times isn’t meeting it. Teen Vogue actively acknowledges that young women can be interested in politics, and informed on social issues, while caring about style and beauty and dating. Young women also, apparently, will be bringing back a [90s footwear trend this summer](: it’s the platform flipflop. Remember when we all wore platform flipflops? And wanted to be Spice Girls? Rocket Dog has a new collection and they’ve worked with celebrity stylist Elizabeth Saltzman to design the line. Elizabeth [spoke to Teen Vogue]( about her career and the return of the platform sandal. Elizabeth Saltzman, does that sound familiar? She’s Gwyneth Paltrow’s stylist. And here’s a throwback to G from 1997, wearing the platform sandal: And an even better throwback – G and Winona Ryder [twin-dressing]( in platform sandals, jeans, and white tanks. So how long before G re-embraces the platform sandal, as another [“homage” to herself]( Like an opportunity to show the new jacks that they’re doing what she did 20 years ago? Are you down with the updated platform sandal? Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:32 PM [Meghan at the wedding]( [Meghan Markle]( After all that talk about “no ring no bring” a few weeks ago, it’s now being widely reported that [Meghan Markle]( will attend [Pippa Middleton](’s wedding with [Prince Harry](. According to [E! News](, Meghan will be at the ceremony, the reception, and the after-party; in other words, she’s invited to all parts of the wedding, not just the reception as was initially suggested. E! News is also reporting that Meghan’s had two fittings in Toronto for the event. We’ll get back to Meghan and Harry in a minute but first, remember when, before it was bought out by American Media Inc (publisher of the Enquirer and Star Magazine, etc), US Weekly was the one getting the best exclusives about Meghan and Harry? As I mentioned, following the purchase, most – if not all – of US Weekly’s best connected reporters left the magazine. You can see now the results of that and track where the information is being placed. Keep an eye on PEOPLE’s upcoming royal coverage too. They were being out-played by US Weekly for a while but now that US Weekly has changed management, they could benefit too from the fallout. So Meghan and Harry at Pippa’s wedding – if Meghan’s not just restricted to the reception and is welcome at the ceremony and the more intimate after-party as well, it might speak to the fact that there’s actually less drama to the situation than you’d think. Or Pippa, at least, wants to give the appearance of zero drama and magnanimity. Like, I’m not petty, I’m not worried that Meghan will steal my shine, I’m happy as long as Harry is happy. Sure. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other complications. I mean, if you’re Meghan Markle, what’s your approach to your wedding outfit? If I’m Meghan Markle, I’m thinking about what Princess Kate is wearing. Presumably everyone is going to wear different outfits at the ceremony and at the reception. Does Meghan Markle pick her wedding wardrobe based on whatever she wants to wear, whatever she looks spectacular in? Or does she pick her wedding wardrobe with consideration about just how spectacular she will look in relation to others? What happens if Meghan Markle is better dressed at a Middleton family event than Catherine Cambridge, the future Queen of England? She’ll already be a major focus at this wedding. On someone else’s wedding day. So the best play here might be to stay as low key as possible. Because you don’t want to risk killing it on the fashion and then the headlines in the British papers the next day blazing, “MEGHAN MARKLE BEST DRESSED AT PIPPA’s WEDDING!” and “MEGHAN MARKLE STEALS THE SHOW FROM PIPPA!” Which then leads to more headlines the day after that all like, “MEGHAN MARKLE WAS AN ATTENTION WHORE AT PIPPA’S WEDDING”. And no one wants to be the girl who’s called a famewhore at someone else’s wedding. Especially when… ummmmm… we’re all waiting to see if she’s heading towards her own wedding…? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:47 PM [Smutty Tingles]( Anderson Cooper joins Patti LuPone and Jessica Chastain [at the shade game today]( (Dlisted) [Princess Kate doesn’t like being photographed](. Which I buy. I don’t buy that she’s not into clothes. Come on now. (Cele|bitchy) [This dress does look terrible on Annabelle Wallis](. But I feel like on someone else it could be greatly improved. Imagine it on Gabrielle Union. See? (Go Fug Yourself) [Miley Cyrus will perform at the Billboard Music Awards next weekend]( (Just Jared) Have you seen the [photos from the set of this series](1632218)? It’s CRAZY how much Edgar Ramirez has been made to look like Gianni Versace (TooFab) [What The Weeknd has in common with Justin Bieber]( besides Selena Gomez and Canada (Celeb Dirty Laundry) [Kate Upton’s Sports Illustrated outtakes]( (Popoholic) [When Harry Styles cut his hair]( (Pop Sugar) I just found out about this last week. For serious, [I want this to be an Olympic sport](. (Hollywood Tuna) [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:02 PM [Jessica Chastain double-rolls Johnny Depp]( [Jessica Chastain rolls her eyes at Johnny Depp ]( [Jessica Chastain]( is promoting the UK release of Miss Sloane, and was asked by a BBC reporter if she had heard about [Johnny Depp and his ear pieces](, through which he is fed lines on set, and Chastain’s response is a thing of beauty. Behold: Jessica Chastain's reaction to this Johnny Depp question was everything 🙄😂 [pic.twitter.com/x2n5v4PUpl]( — BBC News Ents Team (@BBCNewsEnts) [May 10, 2017]( Let’s break this eye-roll down. First, there is the slight tightening of her lips, like she is suppressing an expression—perhaps a sneer? Or that kind of giddy, “can you believe it” pre-gossip smile? But her disdain cannot be contained. Her lip twitches, her eyes roll deeply, and then they roll AGAIN. It’s a DOUBLE EYE-ROLL! Jessica Chastain double-rolled [Johnny Depp](! The point of bringing up Depp is to ask Chastain how she handles line memorization, a foundational aspect of her job. And Chastain, a consummate professional, brings it back to work after delivering the double-roll. She considers memorization part of her work, and she prepares herself accordingly. “I guess my technique is working hard,” she says, “…before I go into my work week I memorize. I will spend my entire day working on the script.” PREMIUM SHADE. This is the deep, dense shade of a thousand-year-old giant sequoia. This is Shade Level: Winter Solstice. Chastain is not complaining about how hard her job of playing pretend is, she is saying that memorizing her lines is her work, and to do good work, she must work hard at memorization. The defense of Depp using an ear piece to be fed lines is that pretending to be a drunk pirate is hard work, and he needs help to get through it. Jessica Chastain’s response is that memorizing lines requires that she work hard so that she can be the best at her job. Hard work vs. Work hard. Privilege vs. Commitment. Of course, as Lainey pointed out, there may be situations in which an actor legit needs a boost. Actors of a certain vintage, for instance, needing a little prompting to get through a Broadway show. But film is not Broadway. Movies are shot in minute increments, and sometimes your whole day’s work—especially on a blockbuster like Pirates of the Caribbean—might only be a few pages, perhaps the equivalent of five minutes of screen time. Of course you have to remember blocking, but there’s tape on the ground to point you in the right direction. Mostly you just have to remember lines. Perhaps one day, when she is a seasoned actress, Chastain may use a prompter, and by then she will have earned it. She will have decades of work and accomplishment behind her, and the prompter then is not about lacking commitment, but maintaining a standard she set through years of dedication and delivery. But for actors in their prime? With no excuse of impairment? With a glorious double-roll and a metric ton of shade delivered, Jessica Chastain frames the ear piece as the crutch of the uncommitted. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:34 PM [The Disappearance of Taylor Swift]( [Taylor Swift covers US Weekly ]( New issue of [US Weekly](, [Taylor Swift]( is on the cover. As you know, Taylor’s been very, very undercover this entire year. Does she still have bangs? Does she still wear red lipstick? We haven’t seen her in months. Maybe she shaved her head? How do you know she hasn’t? Taylor’s ability to live low for an extended period of time speaks to the fact that when she wants to? She can actually disappear. So when she’s kissing her boyfriend by the sea in Rhode Island, well, you know, just in case there was any doubt about how that works, if there are still people out there who think paps intrude at will and celebrities have nothing to do with it. Anyway, according to US Weekly, Taylor’s been hiding away working on new music for a new album she’s planning on releasing in the fall. Which you don’t need a source to tell you. Everyone at this point is anticipating a fall 2017 Taylor Swift album drop. US Weekly’s “sources” are saying she’s not recording in Nashville, LA, NY, or London though. That she’s booked time at an “out of the way” spot. Sure. But what sources? US Weekly is now officially under American Media Inc ownership, a sister publication to The National Enquirer and Star Magazine and Radar Online and OK!, with a seriously reduced staff. And I can tell you for sure that many of US Weekly’s top reporters, with the best connections to celebrities, have left the magazine (more on this later today). So… What sources? Taylor Swift sources? Any legitimate Taylor Swift sources would know the inside baseball of gossip. They are well aware of the shift in the gossip reporting/tabloid landscape. They’re not talking to US Weekly anymore. But US Weekly is capitalising on the great Taylor Swift mystery. Where has Taylor Swift been? What is she doing? Which Taylor certainly doesn’t mind us asking, doesn’t mind that people miss her. So while this might not be a story that was sourced through bonafide Taylor connections, it is certainly an appeal to them, and to Taylor, that the new US Weekly wants to be on her side, that they’re willing, for now, to tell any story that’s on her side. What we’re seeing is a courtship between new US Weekly and celebrities. If you’re into the inside baseball of gossip, you’re interested in how this plays out. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:03 PM [President The Rock]( [The Rock covers GQ ]( I hope I am healthy. I have a bad habit of constantly wondering if I’m not healthy even though I feel healthy. And I know I need to stop. But today, on top of all the regular reasons any person would want to be healthy, I have realised one more: I need to stay healthy so that I’m around if – or WHEN – [Dwayne The Rock Johnson]( becomes president of the United States. The Rock is on the cover of the new issue of GQ to promote the upcoming Baywatch movie. Last week, we were talking about Brad Pitt’s GQ cover(s) and the accompanying interview which was published in “interview” style, question followed by direct answer. As Duana and I discussed on this week’s episode of [Show Your Work](, it was a soft environment, the writer clearly affectionate towards his subject. We also wondered though how that piece would be different say if Taffy Brodesser-Akner or Caity Weaver, who both write for GQ, had been given the assignment. Caity’s assignment, it turns out, was to deliver [this profile of The Rock](. And it’s not that she’s not affectionate towards him. You’ll recall, she was also affectionate towards Justin Bieber in her [profile of JB last year](, not unlike Taffy’s affection for Tom Hiddleston [earlier this year](. The difference between Caity and Taffy’s profiles and the one of Brad Pitt is that they can maintain their affection while getting at the truth. In Justin Bieber’s case the truth was that while Caity liked him, she was also worried about him. In Tom Hiddleston’s case, while Taffy liked him, she also saw that he wanted to be liked too much. This is why I love reading Caity and Taffy’s writing – they’re hilarious, first and foremost, but also because you can hear them consciously processing their subjects’ answers back through their theses. That’s what a great profile should be and it’s basic sh-t we learned in school – an essay, with a point of a view, that is either supported or discredited by the information in the middle. To me, what Caity Weaver is asking here – of The Rock, of herself, and of the reader – is the question: is he for real? Few people are as famous as The Rock and as well-liked. What, then, is the secret to that popularity? Caity has done her job, giving us details of her time spent with The Rock (IN THE GYM, for Christ’s sake, which to me is already an act of courage, and also at rehearsal for the Oscars), observing how he interacts with her, with the people around him, and telling us how he responds to questions about politics, about Donald Trump, and about his own possible run for office one day. She has, reliably, shown her work. The Rock shows his work by, well, constantly working. It’s literally part of his brand: the hardest working man in the business. He might not be the best actor, he may not be the funniest actor, but no one is going to argue that he works harder than Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Sandler. But that part is obvious. What The Rock doesn’t get enough credit for is the subtlety. The fact that he listens to the Dixie Chicks while riding around in his monster truck on the way to his hardcore gym is presented to us in the first paragraph. Later on, The Rock is “diplomatic” while assessing Trump’s performance in the White House so far. But that little detail about his musical tastes serves to round out where The Rock might fall on ideology. And certainly his subsequent perspective on immigration and inclusion would support the theory that he’d be a moderate legislator – but again, it’s not obvious enough to set off alarm bells for the right. In fact, there’s enough here to direct appeal to their particular interests – without seeming hypocritical or contradictory. And as good as he is at the charm and the charisma, at being “natural”, there is technique to this, there is skill. That’s what makes it even more impressive. And that too is what Caity Weaver shows us. Sure, there’s a running joke about being his best friend, how he’s so warm that she can’t help but feel like she’s definitely his best part, but part of that is also recognition for how convincing he is at making her feel that way. The Rock is a big f-cking deal. He doesn’t need to be liked anymore. But he’s so great at what he does that you can help it. Not only do you like him, you WANT to like him. [Click here]( to read Caity Weaver’s full piece in GQ. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:51 PM [Cars 3: Important Lessons About Time And Death]( [Cars 3 movie poster]( The talking cars that populate a post-apocalyptic wasteland devoid of human life are back for Cars 3, a movie in which beloved racing champ Lightning McQueen is aged and borderline decrepit, and irreparably injured in a terrifying crash. Bested by the faster, younger newcomer Jackson Storm—why do all these car names sound like meteorologists?—Lightning has to retreat to recover, and train to make his comeback against a new generation of tech-savvy cars. He struggles with the new-fangled inventions and contraptions, eventually rejecting them in favor of driving up and down a beach. (Who is building all this sh*t? Cars don’t have hands, so who is building and maintaining their world? Robot slaves, right? Somewhere they’ve got Wall-E chained to an assembly line.) The message of Cars 3 is clear, and it is a brutal but necessary truth children must learn: Eventually, everyone you love grows old and dies, and also, you are here to replace your parents, whom you will soon outstrip, growing up in a world of technology and augmented/virtual reality they will not comprehend. YOU are the future, your parents: The past. Leave them behind, children, for they are slow and uncomprehending. Send them to the beach—or an ice floe—and ascend to your rightful place atop the evolutionary chart. At least until you have kids, who will in turn replace you, as you, yourself, will one day wither and die, too. Parents often look to these movies for relief, a two-hour diversion in which their kids are quiet (I have been to Pixar screenings—I debate their definition of “quiet”). And sure, for a couple of hours, your kids are relatively still and “quiet”, transfixed by whatever charming thing Pixar is beaming into their eyeballs. But what about the existential nightmares they have later? Where’s the relief from that? Also it’s weird that a computer animation movie studio made a movie with an apparently anti-technology message. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:52 PM [Diva on Diva crime]( [Patti LuPone attends Meet the 2017 Tony Award Nominees Reception held at the Sofitel, May 3, 2017]( An excellent way to start the day – Girl Sh-t! [Patti LuPone]( was on Watch What Happens Live this week. And [Andy Cohen]( teed up a phone call from an audience member asking Patti about [Madonna](. First, a note here to those unfamiliar with Patti LuPone – she’s a f-cking standard, her qualifications are unimpeachable. With that in mind, let’s proceed – video below: “Movie killer!!!!” I mean, it’s not like Patti isn’t precise. There’s no doubt about how she feels. Still, I don’t blame you if you want to watch that back again. Go for it. If you are on Team Madge and you feel like stretching today, I suppose you could point to Patti’s story about Madonna’s dick swinging when they met, turning the occasion into a tall-off as if were an ability and shortness was some kind of work deficiency. I can totally imagine Madonna doing that too, throwing out an irreverent comment in the presence of an established legend. Irreverence was always Madonna’s style. When she was younger, she was a smartass about people who came before her. Now that she’s older, she’s a smartass about those who’ve come after. The thing about Madonna though is that sometimes, she acts like she’s the only one who’s allowed to be a smartass. Andy Cohen is such a f-cking sh-t disturber though, isn’t it? He LIVES for bringing divas on his show to talk sh-t about other divas. Mimi and JLO. Naomi Campbell and Rihanna. Now Patti LuPone and Madonna. It’s the Real Housewives approach as applied to real celebrities. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:11 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](