Guessing Game

Monday morning update: Maria Menounos, got married on New Year's Eve.

Original post:
What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:

The Miss America Scandal: The CEO and other board members resign, now former winners want to take control of the program
Pregnant Kardashians: I thought it was common knowledge that several of them are pregnant, but apparently it was "confirmed" over Christmas. Whatever
"Half Their Size": People sometimes does a weight loss issue in early January
Luann de Lesseps: Arrested. One of the "Real Housewives" of somewhere or other, now she says she's going into rehab
Meghan Markle's Relatives: Harry said that the royal family is the family Meghan never had, now her half-sister and brother are speaking out
Rose Marie: Dead Celebrity. With her death at age 94, the only adult cast member from the Dick Van Dyke show who's still alive is Dick Van Dyke himself.
Mystery Writer Sue Grafton: Died of cancer
Nathan Chen and/or other figure skaters: The U.S. figure skating championships are this week, the 2018 Winter Olympics start in 39 days
Dr. Phil: A controversy, did his show provide alcohol or drugs to people appearing on the show?

Do I Look Like Chewbacca?

A first: I got trolled on Twitter. It started with this:

On a scale of 1 to everything in her being, how much do you think Kate Middleton hates Meghan Markle?

— Jaclyn Swartz (@JaclynSwartz) December 25, 2017

Jaclyn seems to think that Kate resents the attention Meghan is getting. If true, I think that's unfortunate, so I responded with this: 

@1chicklette Wouldn't it be great if they could support and encourage each other? Women don't have to be enemies

— Kimberly Hanes (@WritingTheWorld) December 26, 2017

Some (unknown to me) tweet-troll person using the handle "1987kma" apparently didn't have anything better to do on Christmas Day than respond to me, saying "Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have bangs like Chewbacca?" Ha! Really, 1987kma? That's the best you can do? As "viciously unkind responses from total strangers on Twitter" go, yours is pretty lame. I look like Chewbacca? Really? 

I wanted to post the tweet from 1987kma but it's been deleted. Either 1987kma was overcome with an unfamiliar moment of holiday kindness or she's changed her mind and decided that I don't really look like Chewbacca. Either way, we all live on to Tweet another day. 

More Harry And Meghan

Issue dated January 8, 2018: Harry and Meghan


It's Harry and Meghan, again, and I think we can plan on "royal wedding" covers from now until May 19, and "American princess/royal baby" stories after that. At age 36, I'm assuming Meghan will be in the family way pretty promptly.

New Bachelor Arie also gets a shout-out, six days before his big season premiere. (Read the story here.)

Last year at this time: Issue dated January 9, 2017

First Leisl, Now Louisa

We Mourn the Loss of Heather Menzies-Urich... https://t.co/dpuHJBoBWD pic.twitter.com/V3YqfNSCO3

— The Sound of Music (@SoundofMusic) December 25, 2017

Charmian Carr, who played Leisl, died in September, 2016, now Heather Menzies, who played Louisa, is gone too. I feel old...

The Cover Story

I'm not sure why, exactly, I'm so obsessed with the cover of People magazine every week, but I am. I also like lists, so I decided we need a list of all the main cover stories in 2017. Voila:

January 2               Reese Witherspoon

January 9               George Michael

January 16             Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher

January 23             Oprah

January 30             Jeffrey McDonald

February 6             Katherine Heigel

February 13           Mary Tyler Moore

February 20           Chrissy Metz

February 27           A Duggar Pregnancy

March 6                 Christina El Moussa

March 13               Viola Davis

March 20               Hoda Kotb

March 27               Prince’s Ex-wife

April 3                  Richard Simmons

April 10                 The Property Brothers

April 17                 Barry Manilow

April 24                 Heath Ledger

May 1                   Julia Roberts/Most Beautiful Woman

May 8                   Former Bachelorettes

May 15                  Princess Charlotte

May 22                  Goldie Hawn

May 29                  The Obamas

June 5                   Princess Kate/Pippa’s Wedding

June 12                  Jennifer Garner

June 19                  Olivia Newton-John

June 26                  Michelle Carter (True Crime)

July 3                    Chip and Joanna Gaines

July 10                  JFK Jr. and Carolyn

July 17                  Maria Menounous

July 24                  Julianne Hough

July 31                  The Trumps

August 7               Princess Diana

August 14              Lauren Conrad

August 21              Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay

August 28              Audrey Hepburn

September 4           The Property Brothers

September 11         Leah Remini

September 18         Madonna

September 25         Angelina Jolie

October 2              Prince William

October 9              Ree Drummond

October 16             The Las Vegas Massacre

October 23             Chip and Joanna Gaines

October 30             Harvey Weinstein

November 6           Mandy Moore

November 13         Sherri Papini (True Crime)

November 20         Queen Elizabeth

November 27         Blake Shelton/Sexiest Man

December 4           The Property Brothers

December 11         Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

December 18         Meghan Markle     

December 25         John Stamos

(Apologies for the irregular spacing; I cut-and-pasted from a Word document and apparently blogspot/blogger doesn't recognize the tab stops.) 

What was People's favorite topic this year? The British Royal Family, with seven stories, followed by HGTV stars, with six. There were three cover stories about Dead Celebrities-current (George Michael, Debbie Reynolds/Carrie Fisher, and Mary Tyler Moore,) and five about Dead Celebrities-past (Prince, Heath Ledger, JFK Jr. and Carolyn, Audrey Hepburn and Princess Diana.) There were two political covers, one featuring the Obamas and one featuring the Trumps, and I continue to be surprised at how little attention People is paying to the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and his family. Will that change in 2018? Possibly, especially if any of the scandals heat up. 

What will be People's fave cover topic in 2018? My guess is Meghan Markle and all the hoopla surrounding her wedding, with occasional stories about Kate's third baby to spice things up. Check back here every Wednesday morning to see the new issue. 

Hugh Jackman

Issue dated January 1, 2018: Hugh Jackman

Nothing from the Guessing Game list made the cover this week, and the magazine skips doing any kind of "25 Most Intriguing" list. Last year at this time it was Reese Witherspoon:

Issue dated January 2, 2017

The Guessing Game

I'm not sure whether or not there will be a new issue of People this week, but just in case, I have a few thoughts about possible cover topics.

The 25 Most Intriguing People of 2017
Omarosa: Either got fired or submitted her resignation, depending on who you believe. Robin Roberts sent some shade with a snarky "Bye, Felicia," on Good Morning America
Meghan McCain and/or Joe Biden: A nice moment on The View, with the former VP, whose son Beau died of brain cancer, consoling Meghan, whose father, Senator John McCain, is suffering from the same disease. Neither our current POTUS or VPOTUS is capable of that kind of compassion, empathy and grace.
Track Palin: Arrested again
Mario Batali: Another man behaving badly
Matthew Petersen: Nominated to the federal bench, he choked big-time during his confirmation hearing, which was unfortunately caught on camera and quickly went viral. He has now withdrawn.
Duggars: Another pregnancy
Titanic: Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the movie's premiere

Palin Brawl 2.0

The lovely, elegant and gracious Palin family is at it again:

Track Palin, the 28-year-old son of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, was arrested on assault and burglary charges after he repeatedly hit his father, Todd Palin, at the family home in Wasilla on Saturday, charging documents say.

The charges mark his second domestic-violence arrest in not quite two years.

Wasilla police came to the Palin home Saturday after Sarah Palin called just after 8:30 p.m. to say her son was "freaking out and was on some type of medication," according to a sworn affidavit filed in court by Wasilla officer Adam LaPointe.

Track Palin came to the house to confront his father over a truck he wanted to pick up, according to the affidavit. Todd Palin told his son not to come because he'd been drinking and taking pain medication.

"Track told him he was (going to) come anyway to beat his ass," LaPointe wrote.

Todd Palin told the officer he got his pistol to "protect his family" and met his son with the gun when he came to the door, according to the affidavit.

Track Palin broke a window and came through it, and put his father on the ground, the report states. He began hitting him on the head. (From the Anchorage Daily News, read the rest of the story here.)

Given the toxic combination of alcohol, stupidity, violence and guns in this wretched family, it's a wonder no one has actually been shot yet. 

In other news, Matthew Spencer Petersen, the judicial nominee who made a fool of himself during questioning by a Republican senator last week, has withdrawn his nomination to be a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Read about it here. 

Still Tired, Still Overwhelmed & Still 71 Years Old

This is a real picture of the President of the United States, today. pic.twitter.com/l6fK5I2Cwa

— Daniel Kibblesmith ⛄️⚔️🦖 (@kibblesmith) December 17, 2017

In a blogpost on November 11 (read it here,) I said that POTUS doesn't look like he's having much fun as president, and yikes, in this picture from yesterday it's still true. I also said that he looks tired, overwhelmed and every day of his 71 years and double yikes, that's still true too.

Is it possible that there's something really wrong with the president?

John Stamos

Issue dated December 25, 2017: John Stamos


I don't care much about John Stamos (does anyone?) but I'm curious about Matt Lauer. Would you stay married to him?

Last year at this time it was the El Moussas: Issue dated December 26, 2016

Meghan Markle, Times Two

Wednesday update:
Last year at this time: Issue dated December 19, 2016

Original post:
Issue dated December 18, 2017: Meghan Again


Issue dated December 11, 2017: Harry and Meghan

It's official, Harry and Meghan are engaged, and it's big, big news, with two cover stories in a row. If you don't follow the royals as closely as I do, you may not be aware of how groundbreaking this engagement really is. First, consider the last time a 2nd royal son got engaged, back in April, 1986, when Prince Charles' younger brother Prince Andrew planned to marry Sarah Ferguson. Here's how People explained "an especially significant aspect of the engagement":

Thirty or 40 years ago this marriage would never have been allowed to happen. 

Fergie, as her friends and now the world know her, is a woman with a past. It isn't much of a past, actually, but she has lived with two men and openly enough so that it has been widely reported by the ever-diligent British press. At Buckingham Palace, where divorce is still enough to get a servant kicked out, Fergie might once have been blackballed for that. Three things have served to give the story a happier ending. The royal family, along with almost everybody else, has loosened up. Andrew (who almost certainly will become the Duke of York) stands a remote fourth in the line of succession, behind Charles and his two sons. And everybody likes Fergie, especially considering the alternatives. (The word "alternatives" is a cheeky reference to Andrew's previous, non-aristocratic girlfriends, including American Koo Stark, who was described as a soft-core porn star.)

Some number of years ago Harry's marriage to Meghan would also never have been allowed to happen. Why not? Because of one or more of the following, officially or not:

She's American. She's been married and divorced. At 36, she's three years older than Harry. She's an actress. She's bi-racial, with a white father and an African-American mother. Something about religion. (I've seen reports describing her as both Catholic and Jewish, although neither appears to be true. She attended Catholic schools, apparently, and her first husband was Jewish, but she is neither. It's been announced that she will be baptized into the Church of England.)

The royal family really has loosened up. Everyone from the Queen to Camilla to Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge has said they're delighted and the wedding will take place at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, with the Queen herself in attendance. (Will Harry's good friends the Obamas be invited? I hope so. Will the Trumps be invited? Almost certainly not.)

There will be a lot more to say about this and more blogging to come, I promise.

A Girl Can Dream...

From a Hollywood Reporter interview with Aaron Sorkin:

There's also a standing offer from [NBC] to reboot The West Wing, which Sorkin considers on occasion. When asked if he'd introduce a Trump-like figure in his fictional White House, he winces, arguing that the current president holds no appeal for him, fictional or otherwise. "Trump is exactly what he looks like: a really dumb guy with an observable psychiatric disorder," he says. Sorkin's preferred scenario, he tells me, would involve "Sterling K. Brown as the president, and there's some kind of jam, an emergency, a very delicate situation involving the threat of war or something, and [President] Bartlet [played by Martin Sheen], long since retired, is consulted in the way that Bill Clinton used to consult with Nixon." How he brings Allison Janney's C.J. Cregg or Bradley Whitford's Josh Lyman into the new scenario is where Sorkin gets stuck. 

“If I could think of a way of [reviving The West Wing] without it seeming like a Brady Bunch reunion, I would,” says Sorkin of his Emmy-drenched White House drama.

Read the article here. 

And one more thing (hint, hint, Aaron.) Brown is totally up for it. 

#AaronSorkin if you are serious, sir, I would be honored! 🇺🇸 https://t.co/7lZ3aocK95

— Sterling K Brown (@SterlingKBrown) November 29, 2017

The Guessing Game

What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:

Barron Trump: In the spotlight during the holidays, welcoming the White House Christmas tree and during the turkey pardoning
Jordan Fisher: Won Dancing With The Stars
Kate McClure: Raised over $365,000 for a homeless man who assisted her
Della Reese and/or David Cassidy: Dead Celebrities
Malia Obama: Pictured kissing a boyfriend and appearing to smoke a cigarette. Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump spoke out on her behalf
Meghan McCain: Married writer Ben Domenech
Meghan Markle: Very strong rumors from London that an engagement will be announced Tuesday morning. That's just after People's Monday night deadline. Will they do a "the royal engagement is coming" story?
Ashley Wagner: The three-time U.S. champion and Olympic hopeful pulled out of today's Skate America finals due to an ankle infection. Will she recover in time to compete at Nationals in January and make the Olympic team? Nathan Chen won the men's competition but didn't skate his best. The 2018 Winter Olympics are just 74 days away.
Ivanka Trump: Leaving for India to attend a conference. I keep putting the Trumps on my guessing game list, but other than the "Secrets and Lies" cover in July, People is ignoring them. (And for the record, I don't really think they'll do a story about Barron, either.)

This Day In History, 1963: The Kennedy Assassination

Life Magazine issue that was scrapped on 11/22/1963 & replaced by JFK memorial issue: pic.twitter.com/5LpzHFei4f

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) November 15, 2017

Drew Scott

Issue dated December 4, 2017: Drew Scott


Really, People? HGTV again? These covers must really sell well, because this is the *eighth* cover featuring either the Scott brothers, Chip and Joanna Gaines or the divorcing El Moussas in the past 13 months:

October 24, 2016 Chip and Joanna Gaines
December 26, 2016 The El Moussas
March 6, 2017 El Moussas again
April 10, 2017 The Property Brothers
July 3, 2017 Chip and Joanna again
September 4, 2017 Prop Bros again
October 23, 2017 Chip and Joanna again
December 4, 2017 Prop Bro Drew by himself

People frequently runs a Kennedy story in November but not this year, and nothing on this cover was on my guessing game list.

The Guessing Game

Last year at this time: Issue dated December 5, 2016

The Guessing Game

What will be on the cover of People this week? Just a few guesses, I'm still floating into and out of pop culture awareness. My guesses:

Della Reese: The beloved singer and actress died at age 86
Hasnat Khan: Princess Diana's last love is reportedly engaged
Meghan Markle: Reportedly quitting her TV job and moving to London. Is an engagement imminent?
Joe Biden: Today is his 75th birthday.
Kevin Spacey, Al Franken, Mark Halperin, etc. People did a cover about Harvey Weinstein a few weeks ago but the allegations of harassment and abuse just keep on coming
Senator Rand Paul: A weird confrontation with a neighbor. How exactly, and why, did his ribs get broken?
Charles Manson: Dies after four decades in prison

Happy Birthday, Joe!

Monday afternoon update: Bobby Kennedy was also born today, in 1925.

Original post:

ME:  Joe, about halfway through the speech, I’m gonna wish you a happy birth--
BIDEN:  IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!
ME:  Joe.

Happy birthday to @JoeBiden, my brother and the best vice president anybody could have. pic.twitter.com/sKbXjNiEjH

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 20, 2017

This Day In History, 1985: Windows 1.0

On November 20, 1985, Microsoft released Windows 1.0 pic.twitter.com/aXArlbsHqq

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) November 20, 2017

This Day In History, 1981: Luke And Laura Get Married

'I pronounce that they are husband & wife!'
— 'General Hospital,' November 17, 1981 pic.twitter.com/S34RF2AU01

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) November 17, 2017

This was a big, big deal back in 1981. 

This Day In History, 1973: "I Am Not A Crook"

On November 17, 1973, in the midst of the Watergate scandal, President Richard M. Nixon insisted to the nation that he was 'not a crook' pic.twitter.com/9X6pD6oqpq

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) November 17, 2017

Nixon would resign in disgrace nine months later.

This Day In History, 1959: Future President Kennedy In TV Guide

📺On November 14, 1959, an article written by Massachusetts senator & presidential candidate John F. Kennedy appeared in TV Guide pic.twitter.com/7lAwp6xwTe

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) November 15, 2017

I'm always fascinated by news stories about presidents before they were presidents. I wish we could read what Kennedy actually wrote; seven weeks later, on January 2, 1960, he announced he was running for president. 

Sexiest Man Alive: Blake Shelton

Monday afternoon update: I finally found a final version of the cover, with sidebar headlines about Jordin Sparks, Michelle Pfeiffer and a killer clown:



Original post:
Issue dated November 27, 2017: Blake Shelton


I didn't do a guessing game post this week and even in my head I had no idea who would get the title of Sexiest Man Alive this year. And note again, this may not be the final version of the cover. A couple of sidebar or topline headlines will be probably be added before publication.

Last year at this time: Issue dated November 28, 2016

The Hair

Saturday afternoon update: An interesting tweet from Washington Post reporter David Nakamura, who's been traveling with the president throughout the Asia trip. The picture reinforces my belief that Trump really isn't having much fun as president.

As Trump’s motorcade was leaving the Danang convention center, another motorcade rolled in, with Chinese license plates. Xi Jinping had arrived — to deliver the keynote address. https://t.co/WvnChrWSo3

— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) November 11, 2017

Original post:

US President Donald Trump’s hair blows in the wind as he boards Air Force One at Beijing Airport as he heads to Vietnam for the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. #trump #donaldtrump #apec

A post shared by Jim Watson (@jimwatsonafp) on Nov 10, 2017 at 4:11pm PST

We haven't had a fun "Trump's hair" picture in while. This is from Agence France-Presse photographer Jim Watson, during the president's recent visit to Beijing. I thought the hair looked mussed in several of the pictures that came out of the Asia trip, almost as if the president isn't fussing with his 'do as much as he used to. (Maybe he just opted for that extra 15 minutes of sleep in the morning. Every woman can relate.) I also think he looks tired, overwhelmed and every day of his 71 years in this picture. Clearly, one year after the election, being president isn't as easy as he thought it would be.

An Interesting Comment

“Burn Donald Trump to the ground if you ever want to win another vote from a woman, a black person or a Latino,” [Republican strategist Rick] Wilson said.

From a Washington Post article about Tuesday's election results. Read it here. 

The Queen's 70th Anniversary

Issue dated November 20, 2017: The Queen's 70th Anniversary


This time last year: Issue dated November 21, 2016

Next week is the annual Sexiest Man issue. Do you remember who "won" last year? Probably not, so I'll tell you. It was Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Can you name all the previous winners? Me neither, really, but I do keep a list: 

1985 Mel Gibson
1986 Mark Harmon
1987 Harry Hamlin
1988 John Kennedy, Jr.
1989 Sean Connery
1990 Tom Cruise
1991 Patrick Swayze
1992 Nick Nolte
1993 Sexiest Couple: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford
1995 Brad Pitt
1996 Denzel Washington
1997 George Clooney
1998 Harrison Ford
1999 Richard Gere
2000 Brad Pitt
2001 Pierce Brosnan
2002 Ben Affleck
2003 Johnny Depp
2004 Jude Law
2005 Matthew McConaughey
2006 George Clooney
2007 Matt Damon
2008 Hugh Jackman
2009 Johnny Depp
2010 Ryan Reynolds
2011 Bradley Cooper
2012 Channing Tatum
2013 Adam Levine
2014 Chris Hemsworth
2015 David Beckham
2016 Dwayne Johnson
2017 ???

Who will win this year? I have no idea. I've been a little removed from pop culture recently, as you can tell by my minimal blogging. Still, I'll post the new cover as soon as it's out. 

This Day In History, 1983: Martin Luther King Day

🇺🇸On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation establishing a federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pic.twitter.com/AmOQiVnJC3

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) November 2, 2017

Sherri Papini

Issue dated November 13, 2017: Sherri Papini


I didn't do a Guessing Game post this week, but if I had, none of these stories would have been on my list. People goes with a True Crime/(almost) Dead Blonde Woman, with a Celebrity Wedding as a sidebar. Next week's "last year at this time" will be the "Donald Trump is elected president" issue, the next issue after that should be the annual Sexiest Man Alive issue. Any guesses who might get the crown this year?

Last year at this time: Issue dated November 14, 2016

Dems In 2020

The Boston Globe is out with what they're calling their first ranking of the 2020 Democratic presidential field. Here's the intro:

Feel too early to think about an election that’s more than three years out? It’s not too early for President Trump, who has already begun a robust fund-raising schedule for his reelection bid, along with campaign rallies and even television ads. One should not assume that as the incumbent, he starts out as the Republican party’s presumptive nominee. He has advantages for sure, though a legitimate primary challenger might well be lurking out there.

But let’s get back to the Democrats and look at who among them is most likely to run. We compiled a list of the 10 candidates most likely to be the Democratic nominee, listed in order of their chances. By limiting the list to 10, we left off a number of potential candidates, including two Massachusetts politicians rumored to be looking at a bid: former governor Deval Patrick and Representative Seth Moulton. And since Hillary Clinton says she’s done with politics, we left her off the list, too.

So how did we determine who was No. 1? With the field wide open, we largely judged the candidates on three major factors: name recognition, fund-raising ability, and the capacity to amass a solid organization. Polling would typically factor in as well, but it’s too early for that.

(Read the article here.)

And here's the list: 

1. Bernie Sanders (Senator from Vermont)
2. Elizabeth Warren (Senator from Massachusetts)
3. Joe Biden (former Vice President)
4. Sherrod Brown (Senator from Ohio)
5. Kamala Harris (Senator from California)
6. Andrew Cuomo (Governor of New York)
7. Mark Zuckerberg (Founder of Facebook)
8. Cory Booker (Senator from New Jersey)
9. John Hickenlooper (Governor of Colorado)
10. Eric Garcetti (Mayor of Los Angeles)

Will one of these Democrats be standing on the Capitol steps on January 20, 2021 to take the oath of office? Stay tuned. The 2020 election is only 1100 days away.

Mandy Moore

Issue dated November 6, 2017: Mandy Moore


Nothing from this week's guessing game post made it to the cover, although I had This Is Us on the list four weeks ago.

The Guessing Game post

Last year at this time: Issue dated November 7, 2016:

Tweeting The Trump

Insults against the chairman of the foreign relations committee are usually more effective if you spell Tennessee correctly. pic.twitter.com/EG4Ui8nOwe

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) October 24, 2017

The Guessing Game

What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:

Sgt. La David Johnson: Killed in Niger, the president's call to his widow set off a week-long controversy. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and Chief of Staff John Kelly are also possibilities
Justin Bieber: That tattoo. Scary. And as someone pointed out on Twitter, imagine what he'll look like when he's 80
The Kennedy Assassination: Long-secret files to be released this week
Megyn Kelly: Her new morning show is not going well, ratings are atrocious
The Ex-Presidents: An historic gathering of 39, 41, 42, 43 and 44 to raise money for hurricane relief
Melania Trump: Donates her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian. People continues to ignore the first lady but I figure they'll feature her on the cover eventually. Another possibility is Herve Pierre, who designed the gown.
Whitney Bischoff: Bachelor Chris Soules' former fiancee got married Saturday
Dr. Phil: TMZ says he crashed his car and hit a skateboarder
Ewan McGregor: Splits from his wife, seen kissing another woman
Nathan Chen: American skater takes gold in competition in Russia, a favorite to win gold in the 2018 Winter Games. (And note, the Games are only 109 days away.)

The Ex-Presidents Club, Part 2

Mid-morning update: Another cool picture from the same event:

This picture is pretty great pic.twitter.com/X211WHbT9G

— Phil McCausland (@PhilMcCausland) October 22, 2017

Original post: 

Honored to cover the benefit concert tonight in Texas to raise money for hurricane victims with all five former Presidents. Here President Obama thanks President George H.W. Bush. At left is President Jimmy Carter with Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at right.

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on Oct 21, 2017 at 8:50pm PDT

None of these men is perfect; none of their presidencies were perfect. Still, what a contrast to the narcissistic sociopath who currently lives at the White House.

This Day In History, 1968: Jackie Marries Onassis

On October 20, 1968, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis pic.twitter.com/9MPTk40vVx

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) October 20, 2017

The Harvey Weinstein Scandal

Issue dated October 30, 2017: Harvey Weinstein


The Guessing Game post

Last year at this time: Issue dated October 31, 2016

The Guessing Game

What will be on the cover of People this week? I've been mostly off the grid for a few days and haven't been paying too much attention to pop culture. Right now my best guess is the expanding sexual harassment story. Kensington Palace just confirmed that Kate's baby is due in April, but it comes too late for this week's cover:

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to confirm they are expecting a baby in April 2018. pic.twitter.com/jOzB1TJMof

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 17, 2017

Tweeting The Trump

Or in this case, tweeting *about* Trump, by the former Speaker of the House, and yes, that's Newt's official account:

Drunk tweets from Newt Gingrich about Presideent Trtump 😂
#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/AbPlHLKN3y

— Cameron Grant (@coolcam101) October 16, 2017

Chip And Joanna Gaines

Issue dated October 23, 2017: Chip and Joanna Gaines, Again


Yes, I'm shocked. Chip and Joanna Gaines, again, exactly one year after their first People cover, and no sign of the Real Housewives of Trump Tower.



This could be due to the fact that Time magazine, published by the same company that publishes People, has an excerpt from Ivana's new book, which I saw yesterday afternoon. Or it could be what I've been saying for a few months now -- People is ignoring Melania and all the Trump women, at least on the cover. After Ivana and Melania started spitting at each other I thought their deliciously juicy catfight would at least get a sidebar headline. Nope.

Kim Cattrall and the Weinstein sexual harassment scandal were on my Guessing Game list. 

The Guessing Game post

Last year at this time: Issue dated October 24, 2016


Two of the other stories on this cover have also changed a lot in a year. Janet Jackson had her baby, but she also separated from her husband. And of course, the extremely unpleasant man in the bottom right corner was elected president 27 days after this cover was posted.

Tweeting The Trump

From the cyberbully-in-chief:

The Failing @nytimes set Liddle' Bob Corker up by recording his conversation. Was made to sound a fool, and that's what I am dealing with!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017

The Real Housewives Of Trump Tower

Tuesday morning update #2: It's not just Melania. In her new book, Ivana throws some shade at Marla, too:

“She actively participated in humiliating me in the media and indirectly put my kids at risk for months,” writes Ivana, who has three children with Trump: Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. “I went through hell, and then I was expected to be okay with her being around my children?”

“We all have deep scars from that period of our lives, in part due to her actions,” she adds.

Ivana also criticizes Maples’ stint last year as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, which Trump’s first wife called a “disgrace.”

“No class!” Ivana said, adding that she’s been asked to appear on the show “a hundred times — and offered a mint.”

“But I wouldn’t go on that show, dancing in those tiny dresses with the boobs and butt hanging out,” she added. (From an article at People, read it here.) 

Will we hear from Marla today? Probably. 

Tuesday morning update #1: I'll be surprised if Ivana and her book are not the main People cover story tomorrow. If so, did editors gleefully scramble to revise the planned headline to include yesterday's contretemps? Wouldn't you?

Original post:
Did Ivana Trump, first wife of The Donald, really go on Good Morning, America and say "I'm first lady?" Yes she did and now the fur is flying:

In one of the stranger sideshows to his presidency, President Donald Trump’s first and third wives, Ivana and Melania, respectively, on Monday had a very public war of words — and his second wife, Marla Maples, is getting some shade out of the spat, to boot.

Here’s a breakdown: To promote her new book, “Raising Trump,” about parenting Trump’s three eldest children, Ivana Trump gave a Monday interview to “Good Morning America” in which she made some comments sure to privately raise the hackles of the woman currently occupying the role of Wife of Donald.

“I’m basically first Trump wife. Okay?” Ivana Trump said. “I’m first lady.”

She offered faux sympathy for Melania Trump, saying  “I think for her to be in Washington must be terrible.” (She had less subtle insults for her ex’s second wife, Marla Maples. “A showgirl” was her epithet of choice.)

But instead of letting those slights ride, Melania Trump took a page out of her husband’s playbook, the one that famously decrees he hit back harder at anyone who takes a swing. Her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, dispatched a crisp response dismissing Ivana’s remarks as “attention seeking” from someone who just wants to sell books and making clear that Melania Trump does not, in fact, hate her Washington life.

“Mrs. Trump has made the White House a home for Barron and the President. She loves living in Washington, DC and is honored by her role as First Lady of the United States. She plans to use her title and role to help children, not sell books.”

And the coda is the real clap-back: “There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex, this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise.” (From an article at the Washington Post, read it here.)

Naturally, Twitter went nuts. First, from Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo and note that (I'm pretty sure) he means "Ivana":

the pool video of ivanka and melania is out there pic.twitter.com/hM7kzeIcYK

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 9, 2017

The real contribution of Ivana Trump is to provide a safe outlet for the expression of Melania’s feelings about Ivanka

— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 9, 2017

Ivana raised 3 kids while Trump was  was a cheating cad, sexually harassing women, & bragging about it to the tabs. I'd leave her be.

— Tim Miller (@Timodc) October 9, 2017

The president's current and former wife are fighting is a thing you can’t write very often

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) October 9, 2017