Oh My...

⚠ ATTENTION ⚠ @joyosity took @bravetart's herringbone lattice method and applied it to bacon. This is not a drill. We now have herringbone bacon to top quiches, Thanksgiving turkeys and more. The possibilities are truly endless. Thank you, Joy.

A post shared by Serious Eats (@seriouseats) on Sep 30, 2017 at 9:30am PDT

The Ex-Presidents Club

Saturday afternoon update: More proof that the bromance is still on:

photo credit: Mark Blinch/Reuters

Original post:
Our current president is having a very bad week. Three of our former presidents, on the other hand, are having a great time. First, Bill, George and Barack got together for a golf outing:

When you can take a selfie with three US Presidents, you do it!! pic.twitter.com/E3pNlZ07gs

— Tim Mickelson (@goodwalkspoiled) September 28, 2017

Then Obama continued on to Canada, along with BFF Joe Biden and his wife Jill, to cheer on the Americans competing in the Invictus Games (and meet up with old friend Prince Harry.)

A quick pre-match photo with @BarackObama @DrBiden @JoeBiden and the USA wheelchair basketball team at the @InvictusToronto pic.twitter.com/mWICFb6F9i

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 29, 2017

Another ex-president, Jimmy Carter, turns 93 tomorrow, and George HW Bush is also 93.

If You Can't Treat Someone With Dignity And Respect, Then Get Out

My new hero, Lt. General Jay Silveria, superintendent of the Air Force Academy. I have two family members (and one ex-husband) who are USAFA graduates, along with one cousin who is currently a cadet, and I love this:

This Day In History, 1998: Google Signs On

On this day in 1998: Google launches pic.twitter.com/krqTWb6ZJk

— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) September 27, 2017

Ree Drummond

Issue dated October 9, 2017: Ree Drummond

The Food Network gets the cover story this week featuring "Pioneer Woman" Ree Drummond. HGTV star Chip Gaines gets a topline story, and as predicted in the Guessing Game post, Kylie and Meghan & Harry get sidebar stories. News broke this morning that Khloe Kardashian is also in the family way, so "Kardashian Baby Boom" is currently my top guess for next week's cover.

Last year at this time: Issue dated October 10, 2016

Living Color

Last year I did a This Day In History post about the first Kennedy-Nixon debate, featuring a tweet from historian Michael Beschloss with a black-and-white picture. (See it here)

Yesterday Beschloss tweeted out a rare color picture from the same event:

Kennedy vs. Nixon:  First televised debate between US Presidential nominees, Chicago, tomorrow night 1960:                   #Getty pic.twitter.com/zBuozcylB6

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 25, 2017

HGTV

If you thought you detected a bit of snark in my recent People Cover post about the Property Brothers and all things HGTV, you're right. (Read it here.) Is HGTV really that big of a deal? According to a new article at Vulture, yes. Oh, yes:

HGTV was the third-most-popular network on cable television in 2016, a 24/7 testament to the powers of Target chic, the open-plan kitchen, and social conservatism. It unspools with the same bland cheerfulness as Leave It to Beaver, and its heart is in the same place. Many viewers — in red states and blue cities, in rent-controlled studio apartments and 6,000-square-foot McMansions — confess it’s a bedtime ritual, prelude to a night spent dreaming of ceramic-tile backsplashes and double-sink vanities. Over the past two years, it has become such a ratings and advertising sensation that it is largely responsible for the recent sale, this summer, of its parent company, Scripps Networks Interactive, to Discovery Communications for $11.9 billion.

Wow, who knew? Read the Vulture article here. 

The Guessing Game

Monday afternoon, update #2: Harry and Meghan break the rules and sit together. Is an engagement imminent? I say yes.

I'm here for all the Prince Harry and Meghan Merkle stans https://t.co/X3weKzACbP

— Clare Palo (@clarepalo) September 25, 2017

Monday morning, update #1: Anthony Weiner, sentenced to 21 months in prison for sexting with a teen-age girl.

Original post:
It's back to the Guessing Game this week! What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:

Kylie Jenner: Her pregnancy at age 20 is currently the biggest story in pop culture. I'll be surprised if she doesn't get the main cover slot this week, possibly tied to the 10th anniversary of the debut of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. (As one pop culture commentator pointed out, is it just a coincidence that news of the pregnancy went public two days before the E! 10th Anniversary special, which airs tonight?)
Harry and Meghan: Harry's Invictus Games are underway in Toronto and Meghan is watching it all from the stands.
Melania Trump: Went to Toronto for the Games, was introduced to Harry and sat next to him at the opening ceremony. (Meghan was a few rows away, in line with royal protocol, which apparently says that if you're not officially engaged to a prince, you can't sit next to him at a public event.) I've had Melania on the guessing game list several times in the 10 months since the election but so far People continues to ignore her.    
Will & Grace: The reboot premiers Thursday night
This Is Us: Season two also starts this week
Megyn Kelly: Her new show, "Megyn Kelly Today," debuts tomorrow in the third hour of the Today show.
Arie Luyendyk: Usually the newly-announced Bachelor gets a sidebar headline but so far there's been no sign of Arie. Filming for his season is already underway, and earlier today Mike Fleiss teased a big announcement, coming tomorrow:

I will be making a life-changing, historic announcement regarding #TheBachelor tomorrow!!!

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 24, 2017

When Erin Met Jago...

@fleissmeister @chrisbharrison BIP, 80s edition?! I'm getting both Donald Trump and Robby vibes with that hair! 😂💜#BachelorInParadise #BIP pic.twitter.com/s7ZLnugUj2

— Whitney Nadolny (@WhitneyNadolny) September 16, 2017

From Goodreads:

Erin tried to bury her heart in her work.

When British author Erin Page went to Florida to interview Jago Miles, star of a TV soap opera, she expected to meet a vain celebrity. Instead, Jago intrigued her.

In spite of his generous salary the bland actor didn't own a car or a house. Wednesdays he disappeared, no one knew where. And from the beginning he declared parts of his life ''off limits'' to Erin's questions.

As she uncovered the truth, Erin was irresistibly attracted to Jago. But, she told herself, emotional involvement would jeopardize her work--and her heart.

"bachelor in paradise" was first published on July 11, 1986. 

This Day In History, 1998: Will And Grace

Where there’s a Will there’s a Grace. The NBC comedy #WillAndGrace premiered 19 years ago today in 1998. @giphy

A post shared by Hollywood Reporter (@hollywoodreporter) on Sep 21, 2017 at 8:13pm PDT

Actually, the show premiered on September 21, but I didn't see this Insta post until this morning. TV Guide gave Will & Grace a good review 19 years ago, designating it a "Fall Preview Favorite" and calling it a buddy comedy with a post-Ellen twist: "This looks to be the best of NBC's new comedies, with appealing stars, snappy writing and polished direction from the masterful James Burrows. Yet there's a strange double standard at work here. While it's refreshing to see a gay character like Will who doesn't wear his sexuality as a banner, his good friend (Hayes) is a flamboyant queen who makes entrances with a birdcage and a hatbox, seeming to reinforce the stereotype that Will quietly shatters. Still, Hayes is screamingly funny and so is Mullally as a scatterbrained socialite who works with Grace."  

Will the reboot, premiering September 28, work? It gets a "Matt's Pick" in the 2017 TV Guide Fall Preview issue, with a quote from co-creator/producer Max Mutchnick: "We are doing our best to bring back the characters that work for our stories."

Will it work? Call me skeptical. Eric McCormack is now 54, Debra Messing is 49. Sean Hayes is 47 and Megan Mullally turns 59 in November. That alone makes me think the silliness may not work this time around, not to mention the fact that things have changed a lot in 19 years. A show with gay characters is much less revolutionary in 2017. For what it's worth, The Daily Beast media critic Kevin Fallon, who's gay himself, says the show is "more political than expected, gayer than expected and just as funny and nostalgic as we hoped it would be." (Read it here.)

Will & Grace 2.0, Thursday, 8 p.m. central time. I'll be watching.

Prince William

Issue dated October 2, 2017: Prince William


I've been on vacation this week and didn't do a Guessing Game post. If I had, Selena Gomez's transplant and the Fergie/Josh break-up would probably have been my best guesses. I wasn't expecting a cover focusing on William; right now Harry and Meghan are getting the most press. On the other hand, royal baby #3 didn't get the full cover treatment, maybe this is a slightly redirected make-up for that.  

Last year at this time: Issue dated October 3, 2016


This cover had just been finalized when the Brangelina break-up news broke last year at this time, and Michael Strahan's "untold story" got swallowed up in the coverage. I wrote about it here and here.

This Day In History, 1851: The First Edition Of The New York Times

Happy Birthday to The New York Times which first published 166 years ago today. https://t.co/yCoLLwEvju pic.twitter.com/QBFwca7BQG

— NYT Archives (@NYTArchives) September 18, 2017

Grimm's Fairy Tales?

Michael Grimm for Congress appears to be really happening, per NY1 https://t.co/0XNPgsamoV

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) September 17, 2017

Is our old friend Michael Grimm back among us? Could be. If you've forgotten, former Congressman Grimm became infamous when he threatened to throw a reporter over a balcony after a State Of The Union speech. He later went to prison for various tax issues. You can refresh your memory here:

A Grimm Good-Bye
From One Disgraced Pol To Another

Tweeting The Trump

That is a Navy plane at the beginning of your video, sir. https://t.co/Q06ghkNblt

— Dan Zak (@MrDanZak) September 16, 2017

And here's the tweet Dan is referring to:

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY to the @USAirForce! The American people are eternally grateful. Thank you for keeping America PROUD, STRONG and FREE! pic.twitter.com/DYxkh3gj0R

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017

This Day In History, 1984: Prince Harry Is Born

A very Happy Birthday to everyone's favorite cheeky prince...HRH Prince Harry turns 33 today. pic.twitter.com/59wiVnmeHR

— Victoria Arbiter (@victoriaarbiter) September 15, 2017

Harry, that deliciously charming rascal, is now 33, older than his father was when he married Lady Diana Spencer. Harry isn't a future king, of course, but still. At some point you've just got to get on with it. Will Harry propose to Meghan Markle? Probably.

This Day In History, 1962: We Choose To Go To The Moon...

JFK today 1962: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy but because they are hard": pic.twitter.com/L1T8SLAwPy

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 12, 2017

The Guessing Game

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

Hillary Clinton: What Happened, Clinton's memoir about the 2016 campaign, comes out Tuesday
Meghan Markle: The Vanity Fair interview, she'll be attending the Invictus Games with Harry, is an engagement imminent?
Prince George: The first day of school, Mum Kate was home sick
Arie Luyendyk, Jr.: The newly announced Bachelor usually gets a sidebar headline, this time was definitively the most dramatic announcement ever
Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx: After five years of secrecy, they take their relationship public
Duggars: Another wedding
Troy Gentry: Country singer killed in a helicopter crash
Eric Chase Bolling: The son of the fired Fox reporter dies at 19
Mindy Kaling: Pregnant with a girl
Sharleen Joynt and/or Britt Nilsson: Two Bachelor Nation brides got married over the week-end (not to each other.) Nick Viall and Chris Soules were guests at Sharleen's Friday night wedding
Kim Kardashian: A third child via surrogate
Tatiana Schlossberg: Caroline Kennedy's younger daughter gets married
Miss America: A new one will be crowned tonight, if she's controversial or in any way historic, People could do a sidebar headline

I was going to put the new Dancing With The Stars cast on the list, then I saw that there's a whole Special Edition celebrating 25 seasons of Dancing:

Not A Fan

Saturday morning, update #3: I had intended to get away from all things Bachelor for a while, but it's just too juicy to ignore. Emily Maynard's former fiance, and (apparently former) friend of Arie, Jef Holm, has weighed in on the next Bach:

Holm, 33, and Luyendyk Jr., 35, made it to the final two on Emily Maynard‘s season of The Bachelorette in 2012. Maynard ultimately chose Holm, though they broke off their engagement months later.

Holm and Luyendyk Jr. maintained a strong friendship, though it appeared to have fizzled in recent years — and now, it’s evident that the two men had some sort of falling out.

After ABC officially announced Luyendyk Jr. as the next Bachelor on Thursday, Holm voiced his displeasure via Twitter.

“Oh the stories I could tell…” he wrote, adding that he would “rather see a double bachelor” in response to a tweet from franchise creator Mike Fleiss claiming this was “by far the most positive reaction” they’ve ever had in announcing the show’s new lead.

In a follow-up tweet, Holm added that he “stopped being friends with [Luyendyk Jr.] years ago because he’s disgusting.” (From an article at People.com, read it here.) 

None of the distinguished gentlemen who make up the fraternity of ex-Bachelor contestants are choirboys; in fact word on the street is that many of them have gleefully leveraged their reality TV fame to  hook up with as many pretty young women as possible. Rumors about Jef and Arie have been out there for years. Did Bach producers know before casting Arie? Do they care? Arie turns 36 in a couple of weeks, the same age as Nick. What will his contestant pool look like? Nick's cast included women as young as 23; the oldest was Rachel, who was 31. (And, at 31, Rachel chose the oldest man on her season. Bryan is 37.) Will Arie's cast also skew young? Will a broken-hearted/pissed-off ex-girlfriend show up to torment our Bachelor, similar to the woman who claimed to have been DeMario's ex? Will all of this play out in the tabloids, as predicted by Reality Steve as soon as Arie's name was announced? Probably to all of the above. As I said, it's juicy.

Friday afternoon, update #2: More info about how we got to this point of Arie yes, Peter no, at least for now. From People.com; read the article here.

“Peter was absolutely in discussion. He sort of alluded to that as well. I think at this point in his life, the breakup with Rachel was still very raw. Sometimes you move on very quickly, sometimes you don’t. I think that, for him, there were still residual feelings there, and it was a very real breakup,” Robert Mills, ABC’s Senior Vice President of Alternative Series, Specials & Late-Night Programming, told Entertainment Tonight.

…“I think the finale, when that aired and everything after that was also hard on Peter. I think he just didn’t know. I think Peter probably would have done it and been an amazing Bachelor, but I also don’t know if he, himself, knew if this was the time when he was ready to really do this 100 percent,” added Mills, who said Kraus wasn’t “100 percent ready.”

Still, like Luyendyk Jr., it’s possible that the Wisconsin native, who runs a personal training company in Madison, Wisconsin, could have his second shot at finding happily ever after on an ABC reality series down the road.

“I think we’ll always be in touch with Peter, and there might be a time. … It might be a year from now, when it’s better for him,” said Mills. “It was all about timing. If Arie wasn’t ready, we would have looked at him, but we want it to feel right. Peter was an incredible fan favorite, which I think was great, but I also think the double-edged sword with that is, if it’s not the season that the fans want, which, you know, might have been if Peter might not have been ready to commit 100 percent, that’s also disappointing, and it would have been disappointing for Peter too.”

Following his appearance on The Bachelorette, Kraus thought he would be cast for the role of Bachelor “up until early this week,” a source close to the situation told PEOPLE

“Peter got an indication yesterday that a new Bachelor was going to be announced and that it wasn’t him,” the source said Kraus. “But he had no idea who it was or that it was specifically Arie.”

Kraus essentially turned down the opportunity a few weeks ago “because he was conflicted,” the source added.

Thursday afternoon, update #1: It's been a wild day in Bachelor Nation. Now Peter has released a statement on Instagram:

#tbt to the most incredible journey of this life time that has now officially come to an end today. As I sit here writing this, I struggle to hold back the tears as I am overcome with emotion one last time. First and foremost.. @therachlindsay , there are so very many things that I've wished I could say to you since the day we parted ways in Spain, but for everyone's sake, I'll keep it short... You gave me a chance and all that I can say is thank you. I have a heart filled with love for you now and always and wish you nothing but the best in your life and love ahead. ABC, you saw something in me, but something held me back. You treated me with such love and kindness and showed me glimpses of a life I never once dreamed that I could have. I will be forever humbled and grateful and will always look back at these last 6 months with an ear to ear smile, knowing that this has truly been a very special life indeed. Upon leaving the @bacheloretteabc I was asked, "what did you learn, about yourself during this process?" And at the time I naively said "nothing that I can think of." Now... looking back... I realize I learned one of the single greatest teachings of my life; When you let uncertainty or fear guide your decisions, you risk missing out on what could potentially be the greatest opportunity of a life time.  So live dangerously, live without the fear of the unknown, and continue to live and love with a heart that is truly open to anything. #thankyou #lovealways

A post shared by Peter J Kraus (@peterkrauswi) on Sep 7, 2017 at 2:08pm PDT

Original post:
I've been pondering the fact that Reality Steve has been wrong about Peter three times. He initially claimed that Peter "won" Rachel's season and was engaged to her, before clawing that back and admitting that Bryan was the winner. (Steve said his sources led him astray...) In mid-August he claimed Peter had turned down the Bachelor job, then on August 30 he reversed again and said that Peter was the Bachelor (again, according to his sources.)  We may never know for sure what really happened with Peter, but after all the drama Arie Luyendyk, Jr. has been officially announced as the next Bachelor and Steve is not a fan:

You're being sold a load of crap with Arie. The biggest dog they've ever cast as lead in Bachelor history. Good luck. He's gonna need it.

— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) September 7, 2017

They're definitely gonna get the tabloid coverage they want this season, that's for sure. You should see my inbox already. Holy crap.

— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) September 7, 2017

It's Arie! (Yikes...)

Friday morning, update #4: After his big day in the spotlight, Arie is up to 114,000 Instagram followers. He apparently deleted the post I pasted below, here is his most recent post, with over 1,000 comments.

Thank you everyone for all the kind words today! Excited to start this journey 🌹

A post shared by Arie 🏁 (@ariejr) on Sep 7, 2017 at 1:42pm PDT

Update #3: Some juicy dish from Variety about how Arie got the Bachelor gig:

Luyendyk has been away from the spotlight since losing to Jef Holm on Maynard’s season of “The Bachelorette,” and since, he’s been rumored to someday return as “The Bachelor” and was in talks to star in the series a few years back, before ABC chose Chris Soules instead.

… [Peter] Kraus from the most recent season, along with Eric Bigger and Dean Unglert, were also in the running with Kraus emerging as the front runner and in serious contention for quite some time. However, an insider says that Unglert’s young age was a factor in him not being chosen, despite being a fan-favorite. As for Kraus, a source in “The Bachelor” casting says that most women trying out for the upcoming season said they would be most excited about vying for Kraus’ heart, but in the end, ABC wanted to select the right suitor who is “there for the right reasons,” in comparison to the majority of recent cast-offs who have all benefitted from the franchise with endorsement deals and lucrative product placement posts on Instagram.

Wow. As I've said here before, pretty much everyone who goes on this show now, either as a lead or as a contestant, is there to build a brand, gain Instagram followers and generally cash-in on reality TV fame. In order to get cast in the first place, however, they've got to convincingly *pretend* that such unseemly thoughts never entered their pretty little heads. They've got to be able to convince producers that they're really there to find love. You know, they're there for the right reasons. Luke Pell couldn't do it last year and apparently Peter couldn't pull it off this year. Fascinating.

Update #2: I was wrong below, Arie does have a personal Instagram account, with (currently) 80,700 followers. Here's his most recent post:

🌹

A post shared by Arie 🏁 (@ariejr) on Sep 7, 2017 at 6:03am PDT

Update #1: This is cool.

Don't know @ariejr? We're putting his season of #TheBachelorette online and @juliacunningham and I will be recapping it Tuesdays on @EWlive

— Robert Mills (@Millsy11374) September 7, 2017

Original post:

Arie Luyendyk Jr. is the next #Bachelor! 🌹
https://t.co/DxxNVdXOaH

— People (@people) September 7, 2017

This is big, big news in Bachelor Nation and I admit I'd love to know the backstory, i.e., what really happened with Peter. I'm sure that in a perfect world, Bach producers would prefer not to pick someone who hasn't been seen on a franchise show since 2012. (Arie was the runner up on Emily Maynard's season in 2012.) Word on the street is that Arie came very close to being the Bachelor in 2013 before producers made a last minute change to Chris Soules:

“They actually told Arie he was gonna be the Bachelor,” [former Bachelor Sean] Lowe said. “They flew [him] down, had a camera crew, filmed him telling his family he was gonna be the next Bachelor – then pulled the rug out from underneath him and made Chris the Bachelor.”

But now, it’s Luyendyk Jr.’s turn!

Although things didn’t work out with Maynard, one thing’s for sure: “Not only is Arie a gorgeous man, but he has a heart of gold and he’s a great kisser! Does it get any better than that,” Maynard wrote in her blog for PEOPLE in 2012. (From an article at people.com; read it here.) 

So many questions this morning, rosebuds, it's going to be a crazy day here in Bach Nation! I'll try to keep up with the juicy details as they trickle out. In particular, Peter has *lots* of fans and they are not going to be happy about this. (His most recent Instagram post has 332 comments, I'll check back later to see how his 554,000 followers are reacting.) What about Arie's Instagram? As of this morning I could only find a professional Insta for him, one that promotes his real estate business. Followers? 978. Here's his most recent post, from yesterday:

Showed this beautiful 8.5mil house in Silverleaf today. My clients are the best, hopefully we can work a deal 😇 Check out the story to see more.

A post shared by Arie Luyendyk Jr. (@realtorarie) on Sep 6, 2017 at 11:18am PDT

Is Peter The Next Bachelor?, Part 3

Thursday morning, update #2: Things got crazy in Bachelor Nation over the last few hours:

I've been told tonight it's Peter. & Eric. & Jared. & Roberto. & Ben H. & Arie. & Ben Z. So there's a giant misinformation camp right now.

— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) September 7, 2017

My final prediction before it's announced tomorrow: Arie.

— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) September 7, 2017

Fasten your seatbelts, #BachelorNation !!! #vroom

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 7, 2017

Wait til you hear his heartbreaking story on GMA this morning... #TheBachelor

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 7, 2017

Based on these tweets, I'd guess that Arie Luyendyk is the new Bachelor. Reality Steve appears to think so, and Fleiss gives a clue as well with that "#vroom," an apparent reference to Arie's previous career as a racecar driver. Will it be announced on GMA today? Apparently:

Do you have any guesses who the next Bachelor will be? Tweet us!

Find out this morning LIVE on @GMA! pic.twitter.com/lCvnLwEEeH

— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 7, 2017

Wednesday afternoon, update #1: The plot thickens. This is currently the lead story at People.com: "The Bachelor in Chaos: Producers 'Panic' as They Struggle to Name a Suitor, Source Says."

The article describes the back-and-forth between Peter and producers, then finishes with this:

“They have nowhere to turn now,” the source says, pointing to Fleiss’ previous tweet that no one from JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette would become the new suitor; furthermore, Luke Pell “hasn’t been contacted,” Robby Hayes’ reputation took a dive during Bachelor in Paradise, Wells Adams “isn’t leading man caliber,” and Eric Bigger “doesn’t have the charisma and attitude you need.” (Last week, Bigger confirmed to PEOPLE Now he hadn’t been approached.)

“Honestly, at this point, don’t be surprised if they start begging some single B-list actors,” the source says. “This could be a throwback to the Charlie O’Donnell and Jesse Palmer seasons, all over again.” (Read the article here.) 

Original post:
To recap, on August 17, Bachelor Exec Producer Mike Fleiss sent out a tweet implying that Peter wouldn't be the Bachelor. People.com followed with a story saying Bach producers were angry with Peter and "no way" would he get the job. (You can read "Is Peter the next Bachelor, part 1," here.) 

On August 30, Reality Steve reported via tweet that "sources" were telling him that Peter was, in fact, the next Bachelor and it would be announced "soon." 59 minutes later Fleiss tweeted that we should "stand by for shocking news regarding #thebachelor." (Read "Is Peter the next Bachelor, part 2," here.) 

On Thursday night, August 31, Good Morning, America tweeted that the new Bachelor would be announced on GMA in the morning. That tweet was deleted after a few minutes and there was no mention of The Bachelor on GMA Friday morning. 

Since then, Fleiss has been teasing Bachelor Nation with a series of tweets about who might be, and who definitely isn't, the next Bachelor: 

We are very close to being able to finally announce #TheBachelor ... You will be shocked!!!

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 3, 2017

Nick is NOT the next #TheBachelor

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 3, 2017

Top vote-getters so far to be #TheBachelor  

1. Peter
2. Wells
3. Fleissmeister
4. Dean
5. Chase

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 3, 2017

First Big Clue... #TheBachelor will not be from Jojo's season.

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 5, 2017

Note: this rules out Wells, Robby, Luke and Chase. 

Dean will not be #TheBachelor this year,  at least...

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 5, 2017

Working out final details for the shocking announcement regarding #TheBachelor. Might succumb to pressure and let GMA do it. Might not...

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 6, 2017

Wells is not #TheBachelor ... But you're getting warmer!

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 6, 2017

In the midst of this tweetstorm Reality Steve has held steady, insisting that Fleiss is just messing with Bach Nation's collective heads and that Peter as the Bachelor is a done deal. Then, today, there's this: 

Unfortunately, Peter probably will not be #TheBachelor ...

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 6, 2017

So who's left? Newly single Ben Higgins? Eric Bigger, from Rachel's season? Ben Z or Jared, from Kaitlyn's season? Arie Luyendyk, Jr.? (Who? He was the runner up on Emily's season in 2012.) Note that Fleiss's latest tweet says Peter "probably" isn't the Bachelor, which isn't the same thing as definitively saying he isn't. I think it's a pretty good bet that it is Peter and all this noise is just Fleiss messing with Bach Nation for sport. Stay tuned, Rosebuds, we'll know... eventually. 

This Day In History, 1997: Princess Diana's Funeral

photo credit: NY Daily News

Madonna

Issue dated September 18, 2017: Madonna


Madonna gets the cover this week, along with her four adopted children. As expected, People squeezes in a Royal Baby headline, although at this point, "All The Details" will probably be a pretty short article. I had "Countess" Luann and her divorce on the guessing game list three weeks ago; I'm happy to report that the latest Duggar pregnancy is completely ignored on this cover.

The other big royal news, which is that Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle is the cover story on the October issue of Vanity Fair, along with a "Yes, we're in love" interview, broke too late for this week's issue of People. For now there's a "10 Biggest Revelations" article at people.com. Here's the Vanity Fair cover:

 

Last year at this time: Issue dated September 19, 2016

Labor Day

In 2014, I contributed several posts to a blog called "Blog To Work."  On August 31, 2014, I wrote about Labor Day; here is that post:

Do you know the history of Labor Day? As we celebrate this “end of summer” holiday I thought it would be interesting to do a little research to learn more about Labor Day and how it came to be a national holiday. I found the following Q & As on the website of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Q: What’s the history of Labor Day? How did it all begin?

A: The Labor Day holiday is interesting because it evolved over a period of years. In 19th century America, there was already a tradition of having parades, picnics and various other celebrations in support of labor issues, such as shorter hours or to rally strikers. But most historians emphasize one specific event in the development of today’s modern Labor Day. That pivotal event was the parade of unions and a massive picnic that took place in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882.

After that major event in New York City, other localities began to pick up the idea for a fall festival of parades and picnics celebrating workers.

Q: When did it become a national holiday and why?

A: Labor Day as a national, legal holiday had an interesting evolution. The legalized celebration of Labor Day began as individual state celebrations. In 1887, New York, New Jersey and Colorado were among the first states to approve state legal holidays. Then other states joined in to create their own state Labor Days. Finally, in response to a groundswell of support for a national holiday celebrating the nation’s workers, Sen. James Henderson Kyle of South Dakota introduced S. 730 to the 53rd Congress to make Labor Day a legal holiday on the first Monday of September each year. It was approved on June 28, 1894. 

You can read more about the history of Labor Day at the Department of Labor’s website, http://www.dol.gov/laborday.

You can see all of my Blog To Work posts here.

This Day In History, 1951: The First Coast-to-Coast TV Broadcast

WATCH: Today in 1951, the first coast-to-coast TV broadcast:

Pres. Truman speaks at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/YbNg9w77tT

— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) September 4, 2017

Tweeting The Trump: He Meant "HEROES"

Monday morning update: Unlike previous tweets with typos, this one hasn't been fixed. It's still out there in all its sloppy "heroic" glory.

Original post:

So much SPIRIT in LA! Thank you to all of our HEREOS who saved many lives. An honor to spend time w/ @NationalGuard, #LEOs & the #CajunNavy! pic.twitter.com/7PEtSL6RKF

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

The Guessing Game

Monday morning update: William and Kate have announced that they are expecting their third child. Normally this would call for the full "Royal Baby Joy" cover treatment, but with today being a holiday and the magazine closing tonight, can People scramble fast enough to put together a story for this week's issue? My guess is that we'll see a small sidebar headline on the cover and a short story inside.

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

Hurricane Harvey: Heroes and survivors, stars who've donated millions of dollars
JJ Watt: The Houston Texans player started with a goal of $200,000 for Harvey relief, his fund is now up to $17,000,000
Joel Osteen: Controversy when he initially didn't open his megachurch in Houston
Ronda Rousy: Married
Michael Phelps: Expecting 2nd child
Mark Zuckerberg: His 2nd daughter was born, is the head of Facebook getting ready to run for president?
Corinne Olympios: Gave a couple of interviews, what's next?
Kim Kardashian: A controversial "Jackie O" photo shoot
Joy-Anna Duggar: Pregnant 
Melania Trump: 5-inch stilettos, out-of-touch fashion statement or no big deal?
William, Kate and Harry: Commemorating the 20th anniversary of Diana's death
Gracie Gold: Figure skater takes time off 5 months before the 2018 Winter Olympics
Serena Williams: Gives birth to her first child
Simone Askew: The first black woman to serve as First Cadet, the top leadership position in the cadet chain of command at West Point
Peggy Whitson: American astronaut returns from the Space Station. Her total of 665 days in space is the most of any American and the most of any woman in the world

Texas Is Heeling...

Update: Once again Trump deleted the original tweet and sent out a corrected version. Occasionally Trump supporters claim that his various misspellings are no big deal, that they're little things that don't matter, but I disagree. They make him look stupid, sloppy and/or uneducated and they contribute to the "Trump incompetence" narrative. (They're also little things that are ridiculously easy to get right.) Plus, he always corrects them, which says the mistakes do matter. See his first attempt to tweet the word "heal" here.

Texas is healing fast thanks to all of the great men & women who have been working so hard. But still so much to do. Will be back tomorrow!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2017

Original post:

Texas is heeling fast thanks to all of the great men & women who have been working so hard. But still, so much to do. Will be back tomorrow!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2017