Where Stonewall Uprising began 50 years ago, early on June 28, 1969: pic.twitter.com/8rT6DOeJ9C— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) June 28, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
This Day In History, 1969: The Stonewall Riots Began
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Jada Pinkett Smith
Issue dated July 8, 2019: Jada Pinkett Smith, her mom and her daughter
Another surprise cover this week, featuring Jada Pinkett Smith, her mother and her daughter. Although Jada's husband Will Smith is one of the world's biggest stars, I like the fact that this cover is focused on the women, with not even a tiny picture of Will. Blake Shelton is in the top right corner, talking about life with Gwen, just like last year (see below,) and the third headline is about Missing Attractive White Woman Jennifer Dulos.
I struck out on the Guessing Game list, although Jada Pinkett Smith is tangentially connected to the current Kardashian scandal, having hosted Jordyn Woods on her Red Table Talk show. (Read more here and here.)
Last year at this time: Issue dated July 9, 2018
Another surprise cover this week, featuring Jada Pinkett Smith, her mother and her daughter. Although Jada's husband Will Smith is one of the world's biggest stars, I like the fact that this cover is focused on the women, with not even a tiny picture of Will. Blake Shelton is in the top right corner, talking about life with Gwen, just like last year (see below,) and the third headline is about Missing Attractive White Woman Jennifer Dulos.
I struck out on the Guessing Game list, although Jada Pinkett Smith is tangentially connected to the current Kardashian scandal, having hosted Jordyn Woods on her Red Table Talk show. (Read more here and here.)
Last year at this time: Issue dated July 9, 2018
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
This Day In History, 2009: Michael Jackson (And Farrah Fawcett) Died
On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 pic.twitter.com/ayavu0b8qn— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) June 25, 2019
Michael Jackson's death sucked all of the oxygen out of the media universe, overshadowing Farrah Fawcett''s death earlier that day:
On June 25, 2009, Farrah Fawcett died at the age of 62 pic.twitter.com/mHmV5n7jgd— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) June 25, 2019
Ten years ago, in the early days of the blog, I wrote a post titled "Thoughts About Farrah Fawcett," you can read it here.
Other things that happened on June 25th include the debut album of Huey Lewis and the News, in 1980:
🎶@HueyLewisNews released their debut studio album 39 years ago today, June 25, 1980 pic.twitter.com/1xeBclpw28— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) June 25, 2019
... the premiere of Sleepless in Seattle in 1993:
🎬Nora Ephron’s ‘Sleepless In Seattle' premiered in theaters 26 years ago today, June 25, 1993 pic.twitter.com/b9QzqOE6SV— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) June 25, 2019
... and Jay Z's debut studio album in 1996:
🎶Jay-Z released his debut studio album 'Reasonable Doubt' 23 years ago today, June 25, 1996 pic.twitter.com/ESGx5WkaiH— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) June 25, 2019
Monday, June 24, 2019
The Guessing Game - Updated
What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:
The Obamas: Vacationing in Europe, visiting George Clooney, hanging out with Bono, dinner with Prince Albert in Monaco
Prince William: Turned 37
Meryl Davis: The Olympic gold medalist and DWTS champion got married in Italy
The Plane Crash in Hawaii: A skydiving plane crash in Hawaii, 11 people died
Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones: Their tour is back on, the first show was Friday night in Chicago
Norah O'Donnell: She'll be anchoring the CBS evening news starting July 15
Judith Krantz: The author of Scruples and Princess Daisy died at age 91
Steve Harvey: His talk show is ending this week
Khloé Kardashian: Somebody either did or did not cheat with somebody else, everyone's mad at everyone (I know, this really isn't news...)
Nik and Jilana Willenda: A very scary wirewalk 25 stories above Times Square
Hunter Biden: Just a couple of weeks after his quickie marriage became public, a women in Arkansas clams he is the father of her 10-month-old baby. I wrote about it here
Princess Diana: Next Monday, July 1, would have been her 58th birthday
JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: The 20th anniversary of the plane crash is July 16th, I assume People will do a cover story at some point in the next few weeks. Here are some of the previous covers:
Issue dated July 10, 2017
Issue dated August 1, 2016
Issue dated August 18, 2014
Issue dated July 24, 2000
Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.
Update: Nothing on the list made the cover this week; in particular I'm surprised there hasn't been anything about JFK Jr. and Carolyn, 20 years after their deaths. See the new cover, featuring Jada Pinkett Smith, here.
The Obamas: Vacationing in Europe, visiting George Clooney, hanging out with Bono, dinner with Prince Albert in Monaco
Prince William: Turned 37
Meryl Davis: The Olympic gold medalist and DWTS champion got married in Italy
The Plane Crash in Hawaii: A skydiving plane crash in Hawaii, 11 people died
Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones: Their tour is back on, the first show was Friday night in Chicago
Norah O'Donnell: She'll be anchoring the CBS evening news starting July 15
Judith Krantz: The author of Scruples and Princess Daisy died at age 91
Steve Harvey: His talk show is ending this week
Khloé Kardashian: Somebody either did or did not cheat with somebody else, everyone's mad at everyone (I know, this really isn't news...)
Nik and Jilana Willenda: A very scary wirewalk 25 stories above Times Square
Hunter Biden: Just a couple of weeks after his quickie marriage became public, a women in Arkansas clams he is the father of her 10-month-old baby. I wrote about it here
Princess Diana: Next Monday, July 1, would have been her 58th birthday
JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: The 20th anniversary of the plane crash is July 16th, I assume People will do a cover story at some point in the next few weeks. Here are some of the previous covers:
Issue dated July 10, 2017
Issue dated August 1, 2016
Issue dated August 18, 2014
Issue dated July 24, 2000
Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.
Update: Nothing on the list made the cover this week; in particular I'm surprised there hasn't been anything about JFK Jr. and Carolyn, 20 years after their deaths. See the new cover, featuring Jada Pinkett Smith, here.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Jussie Could Still Be Prosecuted? Yikes
There's news today in the Jussie Smollett case, although it's probably getting more attention locally in Chicagoland than nationally. I'm not surprised that the judge approved a special prosecutor but look at the second tweet. "If reasonable grounds exist," Jussie could still be prosecuted. That's unexpected.
A Cook County judge on Friday ruled that a special prosecutor should further investigate the Jussie Smollett case and how Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and her office handled the decision to drop charges against the “Empire” actor.
In a stinging critique of Foxx’s office, Judge Michael Toomin wrote in his 21-page order that “the unprecedented irregularities identified in this case warrants the appointment of independent counsel to restore the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system.”
Toomin’s order gives the special prosecutor a wide-ranging mandate, including further prosecution of Smollett, if warranted, as well as any other crimes that were “committed in the course of the Smollett matter.”
Toomin ruled that Foxx should have requested a special prosecutor when she decided to recuse herself from Smollett’s case in February, shortly before the actor was charged with making a false report to police.
Toomin said Foxx had no power to recuse herself and then assign decision making in the case to her top deputy, Joseph Magats.
“There was no duly elected state’s attorney when Jussie Smollett was arrested. Ms. Foxx had already effected her recusal,” Toomin said, nor was there any legally appointed prosecutor when Smollett was charged, or the charges dismissed.
Toomin expressed concerned about Foxx’s decision to delegate case to Magats.
“There isn’t an office of ‘acting state’s attorney.’ It existed only . . . in the imagination of Ms. Foxx,” Toomin said. (Read the entire article here.)
And one more thing: Someone on Twitter pointed out that today is Jussie's birthday. He's turning 37, meaning he was born on the same day as Prince William. Just a little celebrity trivia.
BREAKING: Special prosecutor approved in Jussie Smollett case. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/pD7oPMo1sN— Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) June 21, 2019
Judge Toomin on approval of special prosecutor.— Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) June 21, 2019
“If reasonable grounds exist to further prosecute Smollett, in the interest of justice the Special Prosecutor may take such action as may be appropriate to effectuate that result.”@cbschicago pic.twitter.com/RTpVVf72vt
We stand firmly behind the work of detectives in investigating the fabricated incident reported by Jussie Smollett & #ChicagoPolice will fully cooperate with the court appointed special prosecutor. pic.twitter.com/bCDF0NYfzP— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) June 21, 2019
Here's how the Chicago Sun-Times is covering the story:
In a stinging critique of Foxx’s office, Judge Michael Toomin wrote in his 21-page order that “the unprecedented irregularities identified in this case warrants the appointment of independent counsel to restore the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system.”
Toomin’s order gives the special prosecutor a wide-ranging mandate, including further prosecution of Smollett, if warranted, as well as any other crimes that were “committed in the course of the Smollett matter.”
Toomin ruled that Foxx should have requested a special prosecutor when she decided to recuse herself from Smollett’s case in February, shortly before the actor was charged with making a false report to police.
Toomin said Foxx had no power to recuse herself and then assign decision making in the case to her top deputy, Joseph Magats.
“There was no duly elected state’s attorney when Jussie Smollett was arrested. Ms. Foxx had already effected her recusal,” Toomin said, nor was there any legally appointed prosecutor when Smollett was charged, or the charges dismissed.
Toomin expressed concerned about Foxx’s decision to delegate case to Magats.
“There isn’t an office of ‘acting state’s attorney.’ It existed only . . . in the imagination of Ms. Foxx,” Toomin said. (Read the entire article here.)
And one more thing: Someone on Twitter pointed out that today is Jussie's birthday. He's turning 37, meaning he was born on the same day as Prince William. Just a little celebrity trivia.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
More Trouble For Hunter Biden - Updated
It's now been a week since Hunter's quickie marriage became public and the bride and groom have been staying out of the spotlight. I've googled them a couple of times, out of curiosity, wondering, for example, where will they live? Is there a picture of them together? Has Melissa met Joe and Jill yet? There's been no info on any of that, but things might be getting more complicated for Hunter. The following was posted by Page Six a couple of hours ago, under a headline that says "Hunter Biden accused of fathering child with Arkansas woman:"
An Arkansas woman claims Hunter Biden is the father of her child — and she’s suing to prove it.
Lunden Alexis Roberts, 28, filed a petition for paternity and child support against Joe Biden’s lawyer son, saying she gave birth to his kid, “Baby Doe,” in August 2018, according to court papers.
The two-page suit was filed in Independence County, Arkansas, on May 28 — nearly two weeks after Hunter tied the knot with a South African woman named Melissa Cohen.
Roberts wants a court to establish that the 49-year-old father of three is her baby’s biological dad. She is also seeking child support and for him to provide health insurance for the now-10-month-old infant. All out-of-pocket expenses would be split between the two parents, the filing said.
The petition does not say how Roberts and Hunter met or how long they were together.
But the birth of the child came while Hunter was in a relationship with Hallie Biden, his late brother Beau’s wife. The former in-laws started dating in 2017 and split in April, Page Six exclusively reported.
Roberts’ attorney Clint Lancaster said his client “values her privacy.”
“She really does not want this to be a media spectacle. She does not want this to affect Joe Biden’s campaign,” Lancaster told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “She just wants this baby to get financial support from the baby’s father.”
The lawyer said they haven’t been able to serve Hunter with the legal papers so far.
“We have been in contact with Hunter Biden’s attorney. We have attempted to work with Hunter and his attorney to settle this issue but that has not been successful,” Lancaster said. “We are attempting to serve Mr. Biden.”
Hunter could not be immediately reached. (This is the article in its entirety.)
Sounds like Hunter Biden has a DNA test in his future. Can this story be true? Maybe. A posting at the website of a newspaper called the Arkansas Democrat Gazette has more details, read it here. You can read my post about Hunter's recent marriage here.
Update: I admit I had been wondering if Hunter Biden had really had a relationship with a woman living in Arkansas. Then I saw an article titled "Lunden Roberts: Five Fast Facts You Need To Know," which included this:
Roberts was living in Washington D.C. two years ago studying crime scene investigation in graduate school and working with the FBI, according to a family member’s Facebook post. It is not clear what school she was attending to get her master’s degree. Public records show she was living in D.C. and Virginia from 2015 to 2018. (Read the article here.)
An Arkansas woman claims Hunter Biden is the father of her child — and she’s suing to prove it.
Lunden Alexis Roberts, 28, filed a petition for paternity and child support against Joe Biden’s lawyer son, saying she gave birth to his kid, “Baby Doe,” in August 2018, according to court papers.
The two-page suit was filed in Independence County, Arkansas, on May 28 — nearly two weeks after Hunter tied the knot with a South African woman named Melissa Cohen.
Roberts wants a court to establish that the 49-year-old father of three is her baby’s biological dad. She is also seeking child support and for him to provide health insurance for the now-10-month-old infant. All out-of-pocket expenses would be split between the two parents, the filing said.
The petition does not say how Roberts and Hunter met or how long they were together.
But the birth of the child came while Hunter was in a relationship with Hallie Biden, his late brother Beau’s wife. The former in-laws started dating in 2017 and split in April, Page Six exclusively reported.
Roberts’ attorney Clint Lancaster said his client “values her privacy.”
“She really does not want this to be a media spectacle. She does not want this to affect Joe Biden’s campaign,” Lancaster told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “She just wants this baby to get financial support from the baby’s father.”
The lawyer said they haven’t been able to serve Hunter with the legal papers so far.
“We have been in contact with Hunter Biden’s attorney. We have attempted to work with Hunter and his attorney to settle this issue but that has not been successful,” Lancaster said. “We are attempting to serve Mr. Biden.”
Hunter could not be immediately reached. (This is the article in its entirety.)
Sounds like Hunter Biden has a DNA test in his future. Can this story be true? Maybe. A posting at the website of a newspaper called the Arkansas Democrat Gazette has more details, read it here. You can read my post about Hunter's recent marriage here.
Update: I admit I had been wondering if Hunter Biden had really had a relationship with a woman living in Arkansas. Then I saw an article titled "Lunden Roberts: Five Fast Facts You Need To Know," which included this:
Roberts was living in Washington D.C. two years ago studying crime scene investigation in graduate school and working with the FBI, according to a family member’s Facebook post. It is not clear what school she was attending to get her master’s degree. Public records show she was living in D.C. and Virginia from 2015 to 2018. (Read the article here.)
The petition for paternity and child support includes an August, 2018 birth date for the baby, meaning conception happened sometime in November-December, 2017, when Roberts was living in the D.C./Virginia area, which also happens to be where Hunter Biden lives. Now things look a bit clearer. In an article last week reporting on Hunter's secret May marriage, the Washington Post referred to his "messy personal life." Things just got a lot messier.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Donald's Campaign Kick-Off
Here's political scientist Jonathan Bernstein's take on Donald's campaign kick-off last night:
Let's get one thing out of the way: There's nothing wrong with President Donald Trump designating Tuesday night's rally as his “official” campaign kickoff. Trump is unusual in that he formally launched his re-election campaign at the beginning of his presidency, and in holding an endless series of political rallies. But the only difference here between Trump and other first-term presidents is one of strategy. They're all running for re-election from day one, and many (okay, practically all) of their public appearances are staged with that in mind.
That’s mostly a good thing. Presidents should work hard to be re-elected in their first term. It introduces healthy incentives: Smart presidents will lead with an eye toward winning over new voters and thus strive to govern responsibly. So there's nothing wrong with Trump overtly campaigning from day one, or with arbitrarily designating one of his rallies as the beginning of a new phase of that campaign.
No, the question is what Trump has accomplished with all of his non-stop electioneering. And the answer to that is pretty simple: Bupkis. Nada. Nothing.
All the available data suggests that Trump is an unusually unpopular president who matches up badly against Democrats in hypothetical elections (with the usual caveats about early polling). This despite having a number of “fundamentals” on his side, including relative peace and prosperity.
It's possible that he'd be in even worse shape if it wasn't for all his campaigning. But I think the opposite is more likely true. The fundamental strategy Trump has pursued since his election has been to pitch virtually everything he does to his strongest supporters and depend on rank partisanship to keep other Republicans with him. He has hardly even attempted to reach out to those who opposed him in 2016.
Even for presidents who were elected by a wide margin, that's a foolish strategy. It deliberately squanders the powerful symbolic asset of the Oval Office. That’s why normal presidents wait until late in their terms to begin overt electioneering: It gives them more time to act as the leader of the entire nation, and thereby encourage new voters to think of them someone they can root for. It's an obvious way to win votes beyond their strongest supporters. And it's something Trump has never even tried to do.
That’s all the more insensible because Trump won without a plurality, depending on an unusual vote distribution that may prove impossible to duplicate. In other words, no president in at least a century has had a greater need to win over new voters, and yet no president has had so little apparent interest in doing so.
Perhaps he'll win anyway. Campaign strategy and tactics are overrated in presidential elections, after all, and even if Trump’s plan is counterproductive it might not be decisive. But it's very hard to see any political benefit from what he's done, and quite possible to see it hurting his chances in 2020. (Nothing to link to, this is the entire column.)
Let's get one thing out of the way: There's nothing wrong with President Donald Trump designating Tuesday night's rally as his “official” campaign kickoff. Trump is unusual in that he formally launched his re-election campaign at the beginning of his presidency, and in holding an endless series of political rallies. But the only difference here between Trump and other first-term presidents is one of strategy. They're all running for re-election from day one, and many (okay, practically all) of their public appearances are staged with that in mind.
That’s mostly a good thing. Presidents should work hard to be re-elected in their first term. It introduces healthy incentives: Smart presidents will lead with an eye toward winning over new voters and thus strive to govern responsibly. So there's nothing wrong with Trump overtly campaigning from day one, or with arbitrarily designating one of his rallies as the beginning of a new phase of that campaign.
No, the question is what Trump has accomplished with all of his non-stop electioneering. And the answer to that is pretty simple: Bupkis. Nada. Nothing.
All the available data suggests that Trump is an unusually unpopular president who matches up badly against Democrats in hypothetical elections (with the usual caveats about early polling). This despite having a number of “fundamentals” on his side, including relative peace and prosperity.
It's possible that he'd be in even worse shape if it wasn't for all his campaigning. But I think the opposite is more likely true. The fundamental strategy Trump has pursued since his election has been to pitch virtually everything he does to his strongest supporters and depend on rank partisanship to keep other Republicans with him. He has hardly even attempted to reach out to those who opposed him in 2016.
Even for presidents who were elected by a wide margin, that's a foolish strategy. It deliberately squanders the powerful symbolic asset of the Oval Office. That’s why normal presidents wait until late in their terms to begin overt electioneering: It gives them more time to act as the leader of the entire nation, and thereby encourage new voters to think of them someone they can root for. It's an obvious way to win votes beyond their strongest supporters. And it's something Trump has never even tried to do.
That’s all the more insensible because Trump won without a plurality, depending on an unusual vote distribution that may prove impossible to duplicate. In other words, no president in at least a century has had a greater need to win over new voters, and yet no president has had so little apparent interest in doing so.
Perhaps he'll win anyway. Campaign strategy and tactics are overrated in presidential elections, after all, and even if Trump’s plan is counterproductive it might not be decisive. But it's very hard to see any political benefit from what he's done, and quite possible to see it hurting his chances in 2020. (Nothing to link to, this is the entire column.)
Carrie Underwood
Issue dated July 1, 2019: Carrie Underwood
It's a boring cover this week. Carrie Underwood got a small "Baby Joy" headline in February (below) when her baby was born; now she get the main cover story. I had Jennifer Aniston on the Guessing Game list for her upcoming Netfix show; the magazine chose to focus on her so-called happy single life, which feels like a headline we've seen many times before. Kate's wild week? I'll just say that it's all relative. Last year Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were one of the 100 reasons to love America.
Issue dated February 11, 2019
Last year at this time: Issue dated July 2, 2018
It's a boring cover this week. Carrie Underwood got a small "Baby Joy" headline in February (below) when her baby was born; now she get the main cover story. I had Jennifer Aniston on the Guessing Game list for her upcoming Netfix show; the magazine chose to focus on her so-called happy single life, which feels like a headline we've seen many times before. Kate's wild week? I'll just say that it's all relative. Last year Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were one of the 100 reasons to love America.
Issue dated February 11, 2019
Last year at this time: Issue dated July 2, 2018
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
The Guessing Game - Updated
What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:
Matt Lauer: His divorce was finalized
Hunter Biden: The former VP's son married a woman he's known for 10 days. I wrote about it here
Jessica Biel: A vaccination controversy
Cuba Gooding Jr.: Arrested for "forcibly touching" a woman
Sarah Sanders: The White House press secretary is leaving her job
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler: Their Netflix movie, titled Murder Mystery, had the biggest opening week-end ever on Netflix
Kate Gosselin: A new reality show about dating
Bachelor Nation: Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson: The couple, who got engaged last summer on Bachelor in Paradise, got married over the week-end; the wedding will be shown on BIP this season. Lauren Bushnell, who got engaged to Ben Higgins at the end of his season, is now engaged to country singer Chris Lane. Jed Wyatt, a front-runner on Hannah's season, apparently had a girlfriend right up until he left for filming (it's currently the lead story at People.com, read about it here.) Finally, there are rumors that Demi Burnett, who was on Colton's season and is now filming Bachelor In Paradise, is about to come out as bi-sexual. Yikes. A lot happening in Bach Nation
Gloria Vanderbilt: Died at age 95
Kyle Kashuv: A survivor of the Parkland shooting, his admission to Harvard was rescinded because of racist comments he made a couple of years ago
100 Reasons to love America: For the last couple of years, the issue dated the week of the 4th of July has included this headline
Stories that appear on the cover of the new issue will be highlighted in green.
Update: Click here to see the new cover, featuring Carrie Underwood.
Matt Lauer: His divorce was finalized
Hunter Biden: The former VP's son married a woman he's known for 10 days. I wrote about it here
Jessica Biel: A vaccination controversy
Cuba Gooding Jr.: Arrested for "forcibly touching" a woman
Sarah Sanders: The White House press secretary is leaving her job
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler: Their Netflix movie, titled Murder Mystery, had the biggest opening week-end ever on Netflix
Kate Gosselin: A new reality show about dating
Bachelor Nation: Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson: The couple, who got engaged last summer on Bachelor in Paradise, got married over the week-end; the wedding will be shown on BIP this season. Lauren Bushnell, who got engaged to Ben Higgins at the end of his season, is now engaged to country singer Chris Lane. Jed Wyatt, a front-runner on Hannah's season, apparently had a girlfriend right up until he left for filming (it's currently the lead story at People.com, read about it here.) Finally, there are rumors that Demi Burnett, who was on Colton's season and is now filming Bachelor In Paradise, is about to come out as bi-sexual. Yikes. A lot happening in Bach Nation
Gloria Vanderbilt: Died at age 95
Kyle Kashuv: A survivor of the Parkland shooting, his admission to Harvard was rescinded because of racist comments he made a couple of years ago
100 Reasons to love America: For the last couple of years, the issue dated the week of the 4th of July has included this headline
Stories that appear on the cover of the new issue will be highlighted in green.
Update: Click here to see the new cover, featuring Carrie Underwood.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Flag Day?
Isn't there anyone in the White House who has the smarts to know and the stature to explain why they shouldn't use this picture to commemorate Flag Day? This isn't a parody, it's the official White House account:
And look at the way Donald's suit jacket is straining across his back:
Isn't there anyone in the White House (looking at you, Ivanka,) who can explain to Donald that he really would look better if his clothes were the right size?
See previous "Donald's clothes don't fit" posts here and here.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 14, 2019
And look at the way Donald's suit jacket is straining across his back:
President Trump lashes out about being down in internal polls.— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 15, 2019
"I don't believe those polls. There's no way [former Vice President Joe Biden] beats me in Texas," he tells ABC News' @GStephanopoulos in an exclusive interview: https://t.co/xfCFSWSy3J
Isn't there anyone in the White House (looking at you, Ivanka,) who can explain to Donald that he really would look better if his clothes were the right size?
See previous "Donald's clothes don't fit" posts here and here.
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Hunter Biden's Messy Personal Life - Updated
When I watched the funeral of then-Vice President Joe Biden's first born son, Beau, in 2015, I found myself feeling some sympathy for second son Hunter. Beau was eulogized, by President Obama and others, as a paragon among men, probably the next governor of Delaware and possibly a future president. I remember thinking that it couldn't be easy to be the younger brother of such a man, especially when Hunter's life had been far less successful than Beau's.
For example, in a particularly public screw-up, Hunter was given an "administrative" discharge from the Naval Reserves in 2013 after testing positive for cocaine. I remember reading about it at the time but given that his father was the VP, the story didn't get as much news coverage as I would have expected. This is how CNN covered it:
The Navy Reserve discharged Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter this year after he tested positive for cocaine, U.S. officials confirmed.
The discharge of Biden, a 44-year-old lawyer and managing partner at an investment firm, was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. He confirmed the report in a statement to CNN.
"It was the honor of my life to serve in the U.S. Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge. I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward," he said. (Read more here.)
Hunter Biden has split from Hallie Biden — the widow of his late brother, Beau — Page Six has exclusively learned. The breakup comes two years after we first reported that the former in-laws were dating in 2017.
The son of presidential candidate Joe Biden, Hunter found love with Hallie following Beau’s tragic death from brain cancer at age 46 in 2015. However, it is believed they have now broken up. When contacted, Hallie told us, “No comment.” A source close to the family said it’s a private matter. It’s unclear why the pair parted ways, but sources further told us that the situation is “amicable.” (From Page Six in an article dated April 30, 2019, read it here.)
Presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son Hunter recently married a Los Angeles woman, according to the bride’s mother. Hunter’s surprise marriage to Melissa Cohen, who has South African roots, once again landed him in gossip columns and reinforced his reputation as an unpredictable character in father’s political narrative.
TMZ and Page Six on Wednesday revealed the unexpected nuptials of 49-year-old Hunter, whose love life has previously been the subject of tabloid-worthy drama: In 2017 he divorced his wife of more than 20 years, Kathleen Biden, after a messy split in which she accused him of blowing money on drugs and strip clubs.
Hunter had long lived in the shadow of his older brother, Beau, who was attorney general of Delaware, a military veteran and encouraged to run for higher office. Hunter, an attorney, was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after failing a drug test.
Following a battle with brain cancer, Beau died in 2015 at age 46 — leaving his family devastated. His grieving father wrestled with whether to run for president in 2016, ultimately deciding to wait out the race. The former vice president has cited Beau as an inspiration for his 2020 bid.
At the same time, Hunter’s tumultuous personal life has played out in public. Following his divorce from Kathleen, with whom he has three daughters, the Biden family acknowledged he was dating Hallie Biden, Beau’s widow and mother of Hunter’s niece and nephew.
Joe and Jill Biden maintained a unified front with Hunter in light of questions about the unusual romance, releasing a supportive statement to Page Six in 2017: “We are all lucky that Hunter and Hallie found each other as they were putting their lives together again after such sadness. They have mine and Jill’s full and complete support and we are happy for them.” (Read the story here.)
For example, in a particularly public screw-up, Hunter was given an "administrative" discharge from the Naval Reserves in 2013 after testing positive for cocaine. I remember reading about it at the time but given that his father was the VP, the story didn't get as much news coverage as I would have expected. This is how CNN covered it:
The Navy Reserve discharged Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter this year after he tested positive for cocaine, U.S. officials confirmed.
The discharge of Biden, a 44-year-old lawyer and managing partner at an investment firm, was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. He confirmed the report in a statement to CNN.
"It was the honor of my life to serve in the U.S. Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge. I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward," he said. (Read more here.)
Then the funeral was over and I didn't think about Hunter for a couple of years, until I saw a news report saying that he was going through a contentious divorce and oh, by-the-way, he was now romantically involved with his former sister-in-law, Beau's widow Hallie. (I wonder what a good shrink would have said about that.) That was in 2017 and apparently Hunter and Hallie were together until just a few weeks ago:
The son of presidential candidate Joe Biden, Hunter found love with Hallie following Beau’s tragic death from brain cancer at age 46 in 2015. However, it is believed they have now broken up. When contacted, Hallie told us, “No comment.” A source close to the family said it’s a private matter. It’s unclear why the pair parted ways, but sources further told us that the situation is “amicable.” (From Page Six in an article dated April 30, 2019, read it here.)
Now Hunter is back in the news again, having tied the knot with a women he barely knows. (Page Six says they knew each other for 10 days before getting married, read that here.) In a story headlined "Hunter Biden's messy personal lie is back in the news. Will it cause political headaches for his dad?" and dated yesterday, the Washington Post said this:
TMZ and Page Six on Wednesday revealed the unexpected nuptials of 49-year-old Hunter, whose love life has previously been the subject of tabloid-worthy drama: In 2017 he divorced his wife of more than 20 years, Kathleen Biden, after a messy split in which she accused him of blowing money on drugs and strip clubs.
Hunter had long lived in the shadow of his older brother, Beau, who was attorney general of Delaware, a military veteran and encouraged to run for higher office. Hunter, an attorney, was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after failing a drug test.
Following a battle with brain cancer, Beau died in 2015 at age 46 — leaving his family devastated. His grieving father wrestled with whether to run for president in 2016, ultimately deciding to wait out the race. The former vice president has cited Beau as an inspiration for his 2020 bid.
At the same time, Hunter’s tumultuous personal life has played out in public. Following his divorce from Kathleen, with whom he has three daughters, the Biden family acknowledged he was dating Hallie Biden, Beau’s widow and mother of Hunter’s niece and nephew.
Joe and Jill Biden maintained a unified front with Hunter in light of questions about the unusual romance, releasing a supportive statement to Page Six in 2017: “We are all lucky that Hunter and Hallie found each other as they were putting their lives together again after such sadness. They have mine and Jill’s full and complete support and we are happy for them.” (Read the story here.)
TMZ says the wedding took place on May 16, read that story here. Hunter's youngest daughter Maisy graduated from high school Sunday, there was no sign of the new Mrs. Biden in pictures posted by Jill Biden the next day:
Did Hunter's parents know, when these pictures were taken, that their son was newly married? Did his daughters know?
Hunter Biden is a private citizen and he can do whatever he wants. From a common sense point of view, however, marrying a woman you've known for approximately two weeks, very shortly after breaking up with your previous partner, who just happened to be your brother's widow, is almost certainly not a recipe for marital stability.
When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West got married in 2014 I gave it two years. I've now been proven wrong about that. Five years later Kimye is still a thing. Will Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen be together in 2024? Almost certainly not. I give it two years.
Update: Hunter's not the only one whose personal life is messy. Page Six just posted an article that starts with this:
Pals of Melissa Cohen were stunned that she married Hunter Biden — because they said she was in a long-term relationship with someone else just weeks earlier.
We’re told that South African beauty started dating Malibu real estate developer Rob Mendez on July 4, 2017, and that they were living together until April of this year. After they split, the pair continued to “hang out” into May.
So when the news about her wedding to Biden broke, there was a flurry of emails between friends of the former couple, sharing the story. “Wow,” said one, “She just broke up with Rob!” They added, “So I’m quite shocked by this being so sudden after their breakup.”
Biden — the son of 2020 Democrat frontrunning, [sic] Joe Biden — was, until recently, dating his brother Beau’s widow, Hallie. Cohen was also previously married in 2011.
Cohen and Hunter married on May 16 after knowing each other for 10 days. (Read the article here.)
Did Hunter's parents know, when these pictures were taken, that their son was newly married? Did his daughters know?
Hunter Biden is a private citizen and he can do whatever he wants. From a common sense point of view, however, marrying a woman you've known for approximately two weeks, very shortly after breaking up with your previous partner, who just happened to be your brother's widow, is almost certainly not a recipe for marital stability.
When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West got married in 2014 I gave it two years. I've now been proven wrong about that. Five years later Kimye is still a thing. Will Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen be together in 2024? Almost certainly not. I give it two years.
Update: Hunter's not the only one whose personal life is messy. Page Six just posted an article that starts with this:
Pals of Melissa Cohen were stunned that she married Hunter Biden — because they said she was in a long-term relationship with someone else just weeks earlier.
We’re told that South African beauty started dating Malibu real estate developer Rob Mendez on July 4, 2017, and that they were living together until April of this year. After they split, the pair continued to “hang out” into May.
So when the news about her wedding to Biden broke, there was a flurry of emails between friends of the former couple, sharing the story. “Wow,” said one, “She just broke up with Rob!” They added, “So I’m quite shocked by this being so sudden after their breakup.”
Biden — the son of 2020 Democrat frontrunning, [sic] Joe Biden — was, until recently, dating his brother Beau’s widow, Hallie. Cohen was also previously married in 2011.
Cohen and Hunter married on May 16 after knowing each other for 10 days. (Read the article here.)
This story is getting stranger by the minute. The more I learn the more convinced I am that happily ever after is not in the cards for Hunter and Melissa.
Update #2 on Friday morning. Hunter Biden's new father-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law, a.k.a. the bride's father, mother and brother, have all commented positively about the marriage. (Read about it here and here.) On the other hand, other than one word, "yes," from Joe Biden in answer to the obvious question (see video below,) there's been no comment from anyone in the Biden family. No good wishes, nothing warm and pleasant about their new daughter-in-law, no "we can't wait to meet her," etc. Is it possible Joe and Jill are not thrilled about Hunter's quickie marriage? My guess? Yes.
Update #3 on Saturday morning. Confession: I'm still thinking about Hunter Biden and his strange, secret marriage. I tried to be tactful when I wrote the original post above; here's what I really think: Marrying a woman you've known for two weeks is a really stupid thing to do, signaling a lack of emotional maturity and extremely poor judgment. (It's also a clear example of bad decision-making by an addict, which by his own admission, Hunter Biden is.) In addition, at the age of 32, the bride is 17 years younger than the groom and only 8 years older than his oldest daughter. A 17-year age gap isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but in this situation I'd say it's a red flag.
I can't help wondering, what was the rush? Why not just date for a while? (If I was in a position to talk to someone considering getting married after two weeks, this is what I'd say: "What are you afraid of? What do you think will happen if you don't get married right away?") I'm also struck by the on-going silence from the Biden family. I'm now convinced of two things. One, there's more to this story, and two, the marriage won't last. I said above that I give it two years, but that was probably too optimistic. Frankly, I'd be surprised if Hunter and Melissa are still together at Christmas.
Update #2 on Friday morning. Hunter Biden's new father-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law, a.k.a. the bride's father, mother and brother, have all commented positively about the marriage. (Read about it here and here.) On the other hand, other than one word, "yes," from Joe Biden in answer to the obvious question (see video below,) there's been no comment from anyone in the Biden family. No good wishes, nothing warm and pleasant about their new daughter-in-law, no "we can't wait to meet her," etc. Is it possible Joe and Jill are not thrilled about Hunter's quickie marriage? My guess? Yes.
Here's the brief video of Joe Biden on his son Hunter being married recently. pic.twitter.com/kixOZEid7b— Adam Brewster (@adam_brew) June 13, 2019
Update #3 on Saturday morning. Confession: I'm still thinking about Hunter Biden and his strange, secret marriage. I tried to be tactful when I wrote the original post above; here's what I really think: Marrying a woman you've known for two weeks is a really stupid thing to do, signaling a lack of emotional maturity and extremely poor judgment. (It's also a clear example of bad decision-making by an addict, which by his own admission, Hunter Biden is.) In addition, at the age of 32, the bride is 17 years younger than the groom and only 8 years older than his oldest daughter. A 17-year age gap isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but in this situation I'd say it's a red flag.
I can't help wondering, what was the rush? Why not just date for a while? (If I was in a position to talk to someone considering getting married after two weeks, this is what I'd say: "What are you afraid of? What do you think will happen if you don't get married right away?") I'm also struck by the on-going silence from the Biden family. I'm now convinced of two things. One, there's more to this story, and two, the marriage won't last. I said above that I give it two years, but that was probably too optimistic. Frankly, I'd be surprised if Hunter and Melissa are still together at Christmas.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
This Day In History, 1994: The Simpson Murders
25 years ago:
This is what I wrote five years ago on the 20th anniversary:
There's been quite a bit of retrospective "where are they now?" coverage of the Simpson anniversary, and the trial itself has been credited with, or blamed for, giving birth to everything from reality television to the Kardashians. (Robert Kardashian, father of Kim, Kourtney, Khloé and Rob, and ex-husband of Kris, was one of O.J.'s best friends and served as a member of the "Dream" defense team. It was from his house that O.J. disappeared on the day of the Bronco chase.) If the Kardashian name hadn't become well known during the trial, would the E network have been willing to take a chance on a reality show about the family? No way to know, and anyway, I digress.
People who are old enough say that they'll "always remember where they were" when they first heard of JFK's assassination, the Challenger explosion and the events of 9/11. The white Bronco chase is sometimes included in that category, which tells you how big of a deal, or at least how surreal, it was at the time. The television networks all cut away from regular programming to show it live, presumably not wanting to miss the excitement if O.J. blew his brains out, which he apparently was threatening to do. Eventually he came home and surrendered to police, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Twenty years later the world is different in all kinds of ways. Robert Kardashian's children rule the reality TV universe. We have a black family in the White House, not something that would have been predictable given the polarizing racial divisions the O.J. case exposed, and his attorneys exploited. And of course, O.J. is rotting in jail, although for a separate crime. A fitting outcome to a very strange story. (Note that this post was written on June 17, 2014, the 20th anniversary of the Bronco chase. Read the entire post here.)
On this date June 12 in 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered by O.J. Simpson. Photo credit: AP. pic.twitter.com/mMcrJiAquH— Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) June 12, 2019
This is what I wrote five years ago on the 20th anniversary:
There's been quite a bit of retrospective "where are they now?" coverage of the Simpson anniversary, and the trial itself has been credited with, or blamed for, giving birth to everything from reality television to the Kardashians. (Robert Kardashian, father of Kim, Kourtney, Khloé and Rob, and ex-husband of Kris, was one of O.J.'s best friends and served as a member of the "Dream" defense team. It was from his house that O.J. disappeared on the day of the Bronco chase.) If the Kardashian name hadn't become well known during the trial, would the E network have been willing to take a chance on a reality show about the family? No way to know, and anyway, I digress.
People who are old enough say that they'll "always remember where they were" when they first heard of JFK's assassination, the Challenger explosion and the events of 9/11. The white Bronco chase is sometimes included in that category, which tells you how big of a deal, or at least how surreal, it was at the time. The television networks all cut away from regular programming to show it live, presumably not wanting to miss the excitement if O.J. blew his brains out, which he apparently was threatening to do. Eventually he came home and surrendered to police, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Twenty years later the world is different in all kinds of ways. Robert Kardashian's children rule the reality TV universe. We have a black family in the White House, not something that would have been predictable given the polarizing racial divisions the O.J. case exposed, and his attorneys exploited. And of course, O.J. is rotting in jail, although for a separate crime. A fitting outcome to a very strange story. (Note that this post was written on June 17, 2014, the 20th anniversary of the Bronco chase. Read the entire post here.)
Mariska Hargitay And Peter Hermann
Issue dated June 24, 2019: Mariska Hargitay & Peter Hermann
For the second time in just over a year, People features Mariska Hargitay on the cover, this time with her husband Peter Hermann. His hit show, by the way, is Younger, which airs on TV Land. I had literally never heard of it until yesterday, when one of the other stars, Sutton Foster, was on Good Morning America. Now it's everywhere. Although Hargitay is the much bigger star, the teaser story at people.com doesn't mention anything specific about her, no new movie, no memoir, so maybe Hermann is actually the one being featured, as part of a publicity push for season 6 of his show, which starts tonight. On his own he wouldn't rate a main cover story; if the show's PR team team did pitch the story, the magazine may have said OK, we'll feature him, but only if Mariska agrees to be featured too. That team may be a bit miffed this morning (Wait a minute, the story was supposed to be about him,) but if you squint and look closely at the tiny headline right under the letter P, it does feature the names of both of their shows: "Hargitay, star of Law & Order SVU, and Hermann, star of Younger, photographed for People."
Click here and here to read more about Younger.
Bradley Cooper, the Pratt/Schwarzenegger wedding and Meghan were all on the Guessing Game list.
Mariska's previous cover:
Issue dated April 9, 2018
Last year at this time: Issue dated June 25, 2018
For the second time in just over a year, People features Mariska Hargitay on the cover, this time with her husband Peter Hermann. His hit show, by the way, is Younger, which airs on TV Land. I had literally never heard of it until yesterday, when one of the other stars, Sutton Foster, was on Good Morning America. Now it's everywhere. Although Hargitay is the much bigger star, the teaser story at people.com doesn't mention anything specific about her, no new movie, no memoir, so maybe Hermann is actually the one being featured, as part of a publicity push for season 6 of his show, which starts tonight. On his own he wouldn't rate a main cover story; if the show's PR team team did pitch the story, the magazine may have said OK, we'll feature him, but only if Mariska agrees to be featured too. That team may be a bit miffed this morning (Wait a minute, the story was supposed to be about him,) but if you squint and look closely at the tiny headline right under the letter P, it does feature the names of both of their shows: "Hargitay, star of Law & Order SVU, and Hermann, star of Younger, photographed for People."
Click here and here to read more about Younger.
Bradley Cooper, the Pratt/Schwarzenegger wedding and Meghan were all on the Guessing Game list.
Mariska's previous cover:
Issue dated April 9, 2018
Last year at this time: Issue dated June 25, 2018
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
"Beyond Embarrassed": What Lee Daniels Thinks Now - Updated
Last week, for a moment, it looked as if Jussie Smollett would be returning to Empire for the second half of the final season. Series co-creator Lee Daniels shot that down in a hurry:
When I saw that tweet, especially with the word NOT in all caps, I thought "Lee Daniels is so done with Jussie Smollett." Now New York magazine has a long interview with Daniels that provides some nuance. Note that the interviewer has some trouble with double negatives in a couple of the questions, but clearly, he believes (as I do, obviously,) that Smollett made the whole thing up:
The reporting that's emerged about the Jussie Smollett case suggests that he faked a racist, homophobic mugging in order to get paid more money on Empire. You initially supported his story. Are you embarrassed?
I'm beyond embarrassed. I think that when it happened, I had a flash of me running from bullies. I had a flash of my whole life, of my childhood, my youth, getting beaten.
Knowing Jussie, would you have suspected this from him, or did this come out of the blue?
Blue. Blue.
It's got to feel like a huge betrayal.
If it turned out that he did it, was guilty, and all of it's accurate.
Wait, there's really doubt in your mind that he didn't make the whole thing up?
Of course there's some doubt. I'm telling you that because I love him so much. That's the torture that I'm in right now, because it's literally if it were to happen to your son and your child, how would you feel? You would feel, Please, God, please let there be that glimmer of hope that there is some truth in this story. That's why it's been so painful. It was a flood of pain.
Did you read the Chicago Tribune's coverage of it?
I didn't read any of it. I was too busy putting out fires.
Because to me, the Tribune's reporting didn't leave much in the way of doubt about its being anything other than a hoax. What would the scenario look like of him telling the truth?
We weren't there. I can't judge him. That's only for the fucking lady or man with that black robe and God. I had to detach myself and stop calling him, because it was taking away the time I have for my kids, the time I have for my partner. It was affecting my spirit and other shows, everything.
You are a showman and a provocateur. A friend of mine remarked that she'd never heard of Smollett and all of a sudden he was the most famous guy in America.
What do you make of that? Think about it. If he didn't do it, he'd be Martin Luther King right now. He'd be some kind of god.
You mean if he'd gotten away with it? I wondered if any part of you, as a showman, thought, Hats off to this guy for making himself a household name.
Yeah. Kudos. Yeah. (Read the full interview here.)
@Variety @JoeOtterson This is not factual. Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire. -LD— lee daniels (@leedanielsent) June 4, 2019
The reporting that's emerged about the Jussie Smollett case suggests that he faked a racist, homophobic mugging in order to get paid more money on Empire. You initially supported his story. Are you embarrassed?
I'm beyond embarrassed. I think that when it happened, I had a flash of me running from bullies. I had a flash of my whole life, of my childhood, my youth, getting beaten.
Knowing Jussie, would you have suspected this from him, or did this come out of the blue?
Blue. Blue.
It's got to feel like a huge betrayal.
If it turned out that he did it, was guilty, and all of it's accurate.
Wait, there's really doubt in your mind that he didn't make the whole thing up?
Of course there's some doubt. I'm telling you that because I love him so much. That's the torture that I'm in right now, because it's literally if it were to happen to your son and your child, how would you feel? You would feel, Please, God, please let there be that glimmer of hope that there is some truth in this story. That's why it's been so painful. It was a flood of pain.
Did you read the Chicago Tribune's coverage of it?
I didn't read any of it. I was too busy putting out fires.
Because to me, the Tribune's reporting didn't leave much in the way of doubt about its being anything other than a hoax. What would the scenario look like of him telling the truth?
We weren't there. I can't judge him. That's only for the fucking lady or man with that black robe and God. I had to detach myself and stop calling him, because it was taking away the time I have for my kids, the time I have for my partner. It was affecting my spirit and other shows, everything.
You are a showman and a provocateur. A friend of mine remarked that she'd never heard of Smollett and all of a sudden he was the most famous guy in America.
What do you make of that? Think about it. If he didn't do it, he'd be Martin Luther King right now. He'd be some kind of god.
You mean if he'd gotten away with it? I wondered if any part of you, as a showman, thought, Hats off to this guy for making himself a household name.
Yeah. Kudos. Yeah. (Read the full interview here.)
Although the Smollett stuff is just one part of a very long interview, that's what's getting the headlines:
People magazine: Empire Creator Lee Daniels Says He's 'Beyond Embarrassed' by the Jussie Smollett Scandal
Entertainment Weekly: Empire creator Lee Daniels 'beyond embarrassed' by Jussie Smollett scandal
Just when you think things can't get any worse for him, I think it's safe to say that once again, Jussie is having a very bad day.
Click here to read previous posts about Jussie Smollett.
Update on Wednesday morning. A couple more headlines:
USA Today: Jussie Smollett scandal left 'Empire' co-creator Lee Daniels feeling 'beyond embarrassed'
CNN: 'Empire' creator says he had to cut off communications with Jussie Smollett after scandal
Click here to read previous posts about Jussie Smollett.
Update on Wednesday morning. A couple more headlines:
USA Today: Jussie Smollett scandal left 'Empire' co-creator Lee Daniels feeling 'beyond embarrassed'
CNN: 'Empire' creator says he had to cut off communications with Jussie Smollett after scandal
The Guessing Game - Updated
What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses:
David Ortiz: The baseball star was shot Sunday in the Dominican Republic, he's now been flown back to Boston for treatment
Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger: Maria and Arnold's daughter got married
OJ Simpson: Tomorrow (June 12) is the 25th anniversary of the murders; ABC News has a "Where are they now" feature, read it here
John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette: The 20th anniversary of their deaths is July 16; I'm expecting increasing coverage as that date approaches. Randy Taborelli's new book about the 3rd generation, titled The Kennedy Heirs, come out today
James Holzhauer: His reign on Jeopardy has ended, he didn't break Ken Jennings' records
Granger Smith: His son died in a pool accident at home
Bradley Cooper: He and his girlfriend have broken up, will he and Lady Gaga get together?
Meghan Markle: Her first official appearance since Archie was born
Marie Osmond: Daughter Jessica got married in a same-sex ceremony
Ali Stroker: The Broadway star won a Tony for her role in Oklahoma, the first performer in a wheelchair to win
Kevin Durant: He's hurt again, should he have been playing at all last night?
Michael Jackson and/or Farrah Fawcett: It's been 10 years since they both died on June 25, 2009
Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.
Update on Wednesday morning: Click here to see the new cover, featuring Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann.
David Ortiz: The baseball star was shot Sunday in the Dominican Republic, he's now been flown back to Boston for treatment
Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger: Maria and Arnold's daughter got married
OJ Simpson: Tomorrow (June 12) is the 25th anniversary of the murders; ABC News has a "Where are they now" feature, read it here
John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette: The 20th anniversary of their deaths is July 16; I'm expecting increasing coverage as that date approaches. Randy Taborelli's new book about the 3rd generation, titled The Kennedy Heirs, come out today
James Holzhauer: His reign on Jeopardy has ended, he didn't break Ken Jennings' records
Granger Smith: His son died in a pool accident at home
Bradley Cooper: He and his girlfriend have broken up, will he and Lady Gaga get together?
Meghan Markle: Her first official appearance since Archie was born
Marie Osmond: Daughter Jessica got married in a same-sex ceremony
Ali Stroker: The Broadway star won a Tony for her role in Oklahoma, the first performer in a wheelchair to win
Kevin Durant: He's hurt again, should he have been playing at all last night?
Michael Jackson and/or Farrah Fawcett: It's been 10 years since they both died on June 25, 2009
Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.
Update on Wednesday morning: Click here to see the new cover, featuring Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann.
Monday, June 10, 2019
This Day In History, 1921: Prince Philip Was Born
The Queen's husband turns 98 today, which is just remarkable. Usually it's the women in the House of Windsor who have the longevity genes, with Queens Victoria, Alexandra and Mary living into their 80s, the current Queen going strong at 93 and her mother, the Queen Mother, having lived to be 101. This bodes well for Prince Charles, who is now 70 and may have to wait several more years to become King. With longevity genes from both of his parents, he might still have a reign of 15-20 years.
Warmest birthday wishes to Prince Philip!
Friday, June 7, 2019
Chip Gaines
Issue dated June 17, 2019: Chip Gaines
It's another HGTV cover this week and you know how I feel about that. Chip Gaines. Really? Needless to say he was not on the Guessing Game list. I had the various Trumps on the list, thinking they might get a cover mention for the state visit. Kate gets the nod instead, with a small picture of her at the state dinner wearing the Lover's Knot tiara, which was also worn several times by Princess Diana:
photo credit: Getty Images
Amanda Eller, the "hiker in Hawaii," was on the list last week.
Last year at this time: Issue dated June 18, 2018
It's another HGTV cover this week and you know how I feel about that. Chip Gaines. Really? Needless to say he was not on the Guessing Game list. I had the various Trumps on the list, thinking they might get a cover mention for the state visit. Kate gets the nod instead, with a small picture of her at the state dinner wearing the Lover's Knot tiara, which was also worn several times by Princess Diana:
photo credit: Getty Images
Amanda Eller, the "hiker in Hawaii," was on the list last week.
Last year at this time: Issue dated June 18, 2018
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
More From London - Updated
It's now Wednesday morning and I'm still intrigued by what's coming out of the U.K. Below is another picture from the dinner at Winfield House last night, featuring Melania, Camilla and the ambassador's wife, Suzanne Ircha.
When I saw this picture I had to laugh. The women look great and everyone's behaving themselves but I wonder. Are the royals getting tired of having to socialize with the Trumps? Notice that Camilla is the only one who apparently feels the need for a bracing glass of wine. Donald doesn't drink alcohol and it's possible that Melania doesn't either, but I assume she would have been offered a glass of sparkling water or something similar. Fascinating.
Suzanne Ircha was born the daughter of a first-generation Ukrainian immigrant father and a second-generation Ukrainian-American mother and grew up in Manhattan's Little Ukraine in the East Village. Her father was an electrical engineer and builder, and her mother was a housewife. She attended Cornell University, where she first majored in engineering, later switching to business. She graduated in 1985 and worked on Wall Street where she was a stocks specialist and made her first million at age 26. (Check out Suzanne's IMDB page here.)
Correction: Suzanne Ircha was born in the U.S.; her father and maternal grandparents immigrated from Ukraine. As I proofed this post I noticed that the newspaper article and the IMDB blurb use the exact same language, which I've highlighted in blue. I don't see any citations so I'm not sure who wrote it first and who cut-and-pasted.
Update on Thursday morning. In an article titled "Trump's catastrophic fashion choices in England were not just a sign of bad taste," Robin Givhan, fashion reporter at the Washington Post, weighs in on Donald and Melania's attire during the visit. No surprise, she's firmly in the "What was he thinking?" camp concerning Donald's white tie:
Fashion is diplomacy, and so what did this wardrobe say?
For any man to bungle white-tie dress — something so regimented, so steeped in tradition, so well-documented — he must be a man who doesn’t bother with the details, who doesn’t avail himself of ready expertise, who refuses to be a student of history or even of Google. White-tie attire is more science than art. The fit of the tailcoat is just so. Great flapping yards of the white waistcoat are not meant to hang below the jacket. The sleeves should not stretch to the base of the thumb. The jacket is not to be buttoned. And so on. White tie is fact-based. One cannot fudge it. One does not make white-tie decisions based on one’s gut, lest one end up with the gut overly exposed.
The president’s iteration of white tie at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace was, in a word, a mess. The waistcoat was too long and too tight. The tailcoat did not fit. The trousers were voluminous. And the man himself looked so ill at ease in the whole unfortunate kit that his awkwardness loomed over him like Pig-Pen’s dust cloud.
The first lady, in contrast, was a zealous student of propriety and occasion throughout the England visit. She tried mightily to make a picture-perfect impression and whether one feels that her choices lacked subtlety or simply were not one’s taste, each ensemble reflected the formality of the situation, acknowledged tradition and yet remained true to the personal sensibility that she has displayed these past few years.
When I saw this picture I had to laugh. The women look great and everyone's behaving themselves but I wonder. Are the royals getting tired of having to socialize with the Trumps? Notice that Camilla is the only one who apparently feels the need for a bracing glass of wine. Donald doesn't drink alcohol and it's possible that Melania doesn't either, but I assume she would have been offered a glass of sparkling water or something similar. Fascinating.
photo from CNN.com
And what about the ambassador's wife? She and the First Lady have similar life stories. Both are eastern European immigrants, now serving as trophy wives to men decades older than themselves. More interestingly, it turns out this is a reunion of sorts. Suzanne and Melania have been BFF's for years, as reported by the Belfast Telegraph in an article dated July 13, 2018:
Ever since Suzanne, born Suzanne Ircha, and Melania sat at the apex of New York society, when even the idea of Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office was still (very) far-fetched, their star-crossed Louboutins seemed destined to align.
Suzanne describes Woody Johnson as a 'Prince Charming', but both women are proud hard-grafters plucked by billionaires from semi-obscurity.
Suzanne was born the daughter of a first-generation Ukrainian immigrant father and a second-generation Ukrainian-American mother and grew up in Manhattan's Little Ukraine in the East Village. A former equity sales manager and actress, her TV credits include an appearance as an extra in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series.
Melania Knauss, meanwhile, moved to Manhattan from Slovenia in 1996, taking modelling jobs around the city and meeting Trump, then a real-estate mogul, two years later at a New York Fashion Week party.
Both wives are much younger than their husbands: there's a 20-year age difference between Johnson (70) and Suzanne (50), while Trump is 72 and Melania 48.
Their other halves have been friends for more than 30 years and it was their respective marriages that brought their wives together (Trump's third, Johnson's second). (Read the article here.)
And what about the ambassador's wife? She and the First Lady have similar life stories. Both are eastern European immigrants, now serving as trophy wives to men decades older than themselves. More interestingly, it turns out this is a reunion of sorts. Suzanne and Melania have been BFF's for years, as reported by the Belfast Telegraph in an article dated July 13, 2018:
Ever since Suzanne, born Suzanne Ircha, and Melania sat at the apex of New York society, when even the idea of Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office was still (very) far-fetched, their star-crossed Louboutins seemed destined to align.
Suzanne describes Woody Johnson as a 'Prince Charming', but both women are proud hard-grafters plucked by billionaires from semi-obscurity.
Suzanne was born the daughter of a first-generation Ukrainian immigrant father and a second-generation Ukrainian-American mother and grew up in Manhattan's Little Ukraine in the East Village. A former equity sales manager and actress, her TV credits include an appearance as an extra in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series.
Melania Knauss, meanwhile, moved to Manhattan from Slovenia in 1996, taking modelling jobs around the city and meeting Trump, then a real-estate mogul, two years later at a New York Fashion Week party.
Both wives are much younger than their husbands: there's a 20-year age difference between Johnson (70) and Suzanne (50), while Trump is 72 and Melania 48.
Their other halves have been friends for more than 30 years and it was their respective marriages that brought their wives together (Trump's third, Johnson's second). (Read the article here.)
Here's how IMDB describes the former actress:
Correction: Suzanne Ircha was born in the U.S.; her father and maternal grandparents immigrated from Ukraine. As I proofed this post I noticed that the newspaper article and the IMDB blurb use the exact same language, which I've highlighted in blue. I don't see any citations so I'm not sure who wrote it first and who cut-and-pasted.
Update on Thursday morning. In an article titled "Trump's catastrophic fashion choices in England were not just a sign of bad taste," Robin Givhan, fashion reporter at the Washington Post, weighs in on Donald and Melania's attire during the visit. No surprise, she's firmly in the "What was he thinking?" camp concerning Donald's white tie:
Fashion is diplomacy, and so what did this wardrobe say?
For any man to bungle white-tie dress — something so regimented, so steeped in tradition, so well-documented — he must be a man who doesn’t bother with the details, who doesn’t avail himself of ready expertise, who refuses to be a student of history or even of Google. White-tie attire is more science than art. The fit of the tailcoat is just so. Great flapping yards of the white waistcoat are not meant to hang below the jacket. The sleeves should not stretch to the base of the thumb. The jacket is not to be buttoned. And so on. White tie is fact-based. One cannot fudge it. One does not make white-tie decisions based on one’s gut, lest one end up with the gut overly exposed.
photo credit: Doug Mills/AFP/Getty Images
Melania gets higher marks:
photo credit: Toby Melville/Reuters
Read the entire article here.
Update #2 on Friday morning. They're back and wow, Melania in a babushka is a look we haven't seen before:
Update #2 on Friday morning. They're back and wow, Melania in a babushka is a look we haven't seen before:
when you wake up and you just don't want to deal with your hair pic.twitter.com/gNkMWuSCNt— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) June 7, 2019
We have seen that look somewhere else:
Maybe the Trumps really are trying to brand themselves as American royalty.
Update #2. Kate Bennett had the same thought:
Correction on Saturday morning: The picture of Melania in a headscarf was taken as they arrived in Ireland, not upon arrival back in Washington.
Update #3 on Friday afternoon. More about branding and the Trumps trying to position themselves as royalty, from Molly Jong-Fast writing at The Bulwark.com. This is the article in its entirety and note that Molly is Erika Jong's daughter:
This week the Trump kids went royal in the hopes of laundering their brand and enjoying some of the fruits of their father’s high office. We should have known that the president who made up a fake coat of arms would be all too happy to bring along his four adult children to hobnob with what he considers to be their British counterparts.
But as royal families go, the Trumps aren’t the Windsors. Or the Bushes. Or the Kennedys. Or the Kardashians, even. The Trumps are more like the Habsburgs [sic]—at least where their facial structure is concerned.
And while it might be normal to bring teenage children on state visits—the Obamas did it occasionally—bringing four adult children, two of whom run the president’s completely separate business (wink wink), on the taxpayers’ dime is a different story. Many of us were puzzled as to what assistance Eric Trump was offering in the way of international diplomacy.
Fortunately, we had Chris Ruddy to explain it all for us.
“This is a president that loves brands,” Ruddy told the BBC. “The Queen has the greatest brand in the world, doesn’t she? I think he is just super impressed by that.” It’s amazing to think that there are people in the world who think of the Queen of England as a “brand.” Though perhaps not more amazing to think that a man like Ruddy could be friends with the president of the United States.
But on the other hand, Ruddy is almost certainly correct. Trump does love brands. Even more than he loves “young, beautiful pieces of ass.” (Probably.) So, it would make sense that he and his progeny would want to get themselves in on the “royal brand.”
The great irony here, of course, is that the royals themselves are trying to modernize their “brand” and skew a little less Marie Antoinette for obvious reasons. But let’s leave that to the side for a moment.
As the New York Times reported “unlike the royals, who wage an endless battle to keep Britain’s voracious tabloids at arm’s length, the Trump children shared behind-the-scenes photographs and tweets of their trip.”
In a way, you have to feel sorry for the British royals. Here they are trying to move away from the public image of being feckless dilettantes and in come the four Trump kids (and their spouses!) snapping away with their phones, tweeting and Instagramming and generally making sure that the world knows that they are totes living their best lives.
#Blessed!
Yet while it’s not normal for American presidents to bring their adult children on state visits, Town & Country helpfully pointed out that the presidents of Columbia and Mexico brought their adult children on state visits to the United Kingdom before.
How wonderful it is to realize that Trump was merely following the example set by . . . Mexico.
As someone who has benefited from the elderly, toothless prostitute that is nepotism, I understand people’s disdain towards it.
After all America is supposed to be a democracy where everyone from tech billionaires with blood boys to tech billionaires with blood girls has an equal chance to make it. But President Trump takes a less egalitarian approach.
Almost his entire fortune was transferred to him, wholesale, by his father. (Despite making all the best deals, Trump would have more money today if he had simply plopped his father’s money in an index fund.) And now, the president wants to set his kids up to take over: In an interview with the Sun, he said he hoped that his kids could hold a “next generation” meeting with Princes William and Harry.
If you think about it, though, it’s actually surprising that it took more than two years for Princess Ivanka and Prince junior to make their move on the British royal family. It only seems natural. After all, the British royals are just national figureheads while the Trump kids are both brand ambassadors and high-ranking members of the American government. The royal family couldn’t even touch the Brexit debate in public. But the Trump kids are going to help reelect the 45th president of the United States!
The real question, then, isn’t whether or not Trump wants one of his children to be the 46th president, but which one he’ll end up tapping for the job. Because unlike with the British royalty, he’s not bound to give the throne to Don Jr. Maybe it’ll be Ivanka, because she’s so strong with women! Maybe it’ll be Tiffany, because her dad kind of owes her!
Maybe it’ll be Eric, because that would be amazing.
Whatever happens five years from now, I like to imagine that when the Queen was introduced to the Trump family, she thought to herself, When America sends its people, they’re not sending their best, are they?
Maybe the Trumps really are trying to brand themselves as American royalty.
Update #2. Kate Bennett had the same thought:
Goes to Buckingham Palace once. pic.twitter.com/fQMIaD3WOn— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) June 7, 2019
Correction on Saturday morning: The picture of Melania in a headscarf was taken as they arrived in Ireland, not upon arrival back in Washington.
Update #3 on Friday afternoon. More about branding and the Trumps trying to position themselves as royalty, from Molly Jong-Fast writing at The Bulwark.com. This is the article in its entirety and note that Molly is Erika Jong's daughter:
This week the Trump kids went royal in the hopes of laundering their brand and enjoying some of the fruits of their father’s high office. We should have known that the president who made up a fake coat of arms would be all too happy to bring along his four adult children to hobnob with what he considers to be their British counterparts.
But as royal families go, the Trumps aren’t the Windsors. Or the Bushes. Or the Kennedys. Or the Kardashians, even. The Trumps are more like the Habsburgs [sic]—at least where their facial structure is concerned.
And while it might be normal to bring teenage children on state visits—the Obamas did it occasionally—bringing four adult children, two of whom run the president’s completely separate business (wink wink), on the taxpayers’ dime is a different story. Many of us were puzzled as to what assistance Eric Trump was offering in the way of international diplomacy.
Fortunately, we had Chris Ruddy to explain it all for us.
“This is a president that loves brands,” Ruddy told the BBC. “The Queen has the greatest brand in the world, doesn’t she? I think he is just super impressed by that.” It’s amazing to think that there are people in the world who think of the Queen of England as a “brand.” Though perhaps not more amazing to think that a man like Ruddy could be friends with the president of the United States.
But on the other hand, Ruddy is almost certainly correct. Trump does love brands. Even more than he loves “young, beautiful pieces of ass.” (Probably.) So, it would make sense that he and his progeny would want to get themselves in on the “royal brand.”
The great irony here, of course, is that the royals themselves are trying to modernize their “brand” and skew a little less Marie Antoinette for obvious reasons. But let’s leave that to the side for a moment.
As the New York Times reported “unlike the royals, who wage an endless battle to keep Britain’s voracious tabloids at arm’s length, the Trump children shared behind-the-scenes photographs and tweets of their trip.”
In a way, you have to feel sorry for the British royals. Here they are trying to move away from the public image of being feckless dilettantes and in come the four Trump kids (and their spouses!) snapping away with their phones, tweeting and Instagramming and generally making sure that the world knows that they are totes living their best lives.
#Blessed!
Yet while it’s not normal for American presidents to bring their adult children on state visits, Town & Country helpfully pointed out that the presidents of Columbia and Mexico brought their adult children on state visits to the United Kingdom before.
How wonderful it is to realize that Trump was merely following the example set by . . . Mexico.
As someone who has benefited from the elderly, toothless prostitute that is nepotism, I understand people’s disdain towards it.
After all America is supposed to be a democracy where everyone from tech billionaires with blood boys to tech billionaires with blood girls has an equal chance to make it. But President Trump takes a less egalitarian approach.
Almost his entire fortune was transferred to him, wholesale, by his father. (Despite making all the best deals, Trump would have more money today if he had simply plopped his father’s money in an index fund.) And now, the president wants to set his kids up to take over: In an interview with the Sun, he said he hoped that his kids could hold a “next generation” meeting with Princes William and Harry.
If you think about it, though, it’s actually surprising that it took more than two years for Princess Ivanka and Prince junior to make their move on the British royal family. It only seems natural. After all, the British royals are just national figureheads while the Trump kids are both brand ambassadors and high-ranking members of the American government. The royal family couldn’t even touch the Brexit debate in public. But the Trump kids are going to help reelect the 45th president of the United States!
The real question, then, isn’t whether or not Trump wants one of his children to be the 46th president, but which one he’ll end up tapping for the job. Because unlike with the British royalty, he’s not bound to give the throne to Don Jr. Maybe it’ll be Ivanka, because she’s so strong with women! Maybe it’ll be Tiffany, because her dad kind of owes her!
Maybe it’ll be Eric, because that would be amazing.
Whatever happens five years from now, I like to imagine that when the Queen was introduced to the Trump family, she thought to herself, When America sends its people, they’re not sending their best, are they?
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