Newsletter Thursday, April 19, 2018

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Thursday, April 19, 2018 [Intro for April 19, 2018]( [Shalom Harlow walks Alexander McQueen's RTW (pret a porter) Spring 1999 Runway collection](Dear Gossips, Savage Beauty, the McQueen exhibit, set attendance records in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011. I stood in line that summer for over an hour to get in and ended up fainting from the heat just before the exhibit entrance. I ended up going four years later instead, in 2015, at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, with my friend Lorella. That too was one of the museum’s most popular exhibitions and for the first time ever, the V&A stayed open 24 hours over the weekend to accommodate all of the people who wanted to come. A couple of years ago, it was announced that Jack O’Connell would play Lee Alexander McQueen in a biopic based on Andrew Wilson’s biography, Blood Beneath The Skin. Jack ended up dropping out of the project and it’s unclear whether or not it’s moving forward at all. However, a new documentary, McQueen, will screen at the Tribeca Film Festival next week before opening this summer. The film will feature interviews with McQueen’s friends and collaborators and archival footage of his designs and installations. The trailer was released yesterday. I can’t wait to revisit those collections, those runways that were so much more than fashion shows – they were protests and provocations, they were also meditations. Here’s how Ian Bonhote, the director, [explains the McQueen influence](: “I moved to London from Paris in the 90s much in part because of McQueen. His sense of style became synonymous with the city’s raw energy and edginess, and I know of no other contemporary designer to ignite such an immediate visceral response from an audience – it was so exhilarating.” Attached – Shalom Harlow and the white dress, one of the most memorable moments in fashion history. And… it’s a really, really great dress. I have always loved how the two belts look from the back. Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 1:47 PM [Meghan & Harry made the list]( [Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a reception for Women's Empowerment at the Royal Aeronautical Society in central London, on the fourth day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on April 19, 2018](As previously mentioned in the [Crazy Rich Asians post](, TIME released the TIME 100 list today and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are both on it, under the “Leaders” category, hilariously right next to Donald Trump. Elton John [wrote Harry’s piece]( and Priyanka Chopra [wrote Meghan’s piece]( and she really ran with the princess fairy tale theme, going so far as to call her a “princess for the people”. You know the association when the words “princess” and “people” are put together. You know who everyone immediately thinks about. [Harry]( and [Meghan]( were out together again at CHOGM today, turning it on pretty bright for the royal family. You’re probably going to see this photo a lot and everywhere. Again, [as noted yesterday](, the young royals have been assigned to do some serious work on Her Majesty’s behalf this week, especially as it is Prince Charles’s hope to take over the position of Head of the Commonwealth when the Queen isn’t around anymore. Harry and Meghan’s relationship is a major asset. Their relationship is an ambassador for The Firm. The upcoming wedding, exactly a month from today, is currently the family’s most valuable diplomat. Also… her outfit today is a big improvement on yesterday terrible over-the-shoulder jacket situation. Excellent wardrobe choice. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:59 PM [Crazy Rich…. TEASE!]( [Crazy Rich Asians teaser ](OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. I need to do that some more, stand by: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! If you’re a regular visitor of this site, you know I’ve been waiting, for months now, for the first Crazy Rich Asians trailer. Every day I wake up hoping and, until today, it hasn’t happened. Just two nights ago though, Sarah and I were texting, and wondering about when, when, whennnnnnn….and I mentioned to her that, maybe, they were holding it for Cinemacon, which is next week. And this is what [Constance Wu]( just posted on her social media accounts this afternoon! [A post shared by Constance Wu (@constancewu)]( on Apr 19, 2018 at 9:40am PDT MONDAY! Before we squeal about that teaser, let’s talk about Monday and Cinemacon. Every year at Cinemacon, the major studios prepare presentations to theatre owners about their upcoming features. The idea is to get them jacked up about the movies that they’ll be selling. Warner Bros is presenting on Tuesday – and so I’m hoping that the trailer, being timed for the day before, means that Warner Bros plans to include Crazy Rich Asians in their presentation. Because not only is it a vote of confidence for the movie, it’s also a vote of confidence for a movie featuring a predominantly Asian cast to go shoulder to shoulder on stage, next to some big bang summer blockbusters, and get equal play. That means… a lot. It also means that Warner Bros could be putting in some serious marketing behind the film. It means that they are truly invested in it, truly invested in setting it up for success. So. What are we seeing here in this teaser? We’re seeing Asians in a way we’re not used to seeing in mainstream North American media. Nobody’s sitting next to a computer, coding. Nobody’s wearing a lab coat or a stethoscope. Nobody’s meek, in a corner, the mute meek friend. These people are cool, impossibly well-dressed, impossibly gorgeous, maybe even a little goofy, and supportive of each other…and fun. In other words, they’re complicated and complete – which is not typically what Asians have been allowed to be in pop culture. Also… SEXY. [Henry Golding]( is, as the kids would say, a straight up SNACK. That shot of him getting out of the car!?!? And shirtless? Those are shots you’ve seen Tom Hardy or Chris Evans or Bradley Cooper do a million times. Those shots do not usually involve Asian men. But here’s Henry Golding, as Nick, being called the Asian Prince William….or Harry. COME ON! You know the shot that kills me the most though? The one that I am f-cking living for? It’s [Michelle Yeoh](, as Eleanor Young, the future mother-in-law. Doing an unmistakable mother-in-law once-over. You do not have to be Asian to relate to this mother-in-law once-over. No matter your background, you know that f-cking once-over. And on Monday we’re doing this all over again when the full trailer is released. Sarah and I are already fighting about who will be writing that post. One more thing? TIME released its annual TIME 100 List today – the 100 Most Influential People of 2018. Kevin Kwan, who wrote Crazy Rich Asians, [is on the list](, under the “Icon” category, alongside Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez. His entry was written by Constance Wu. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:07 PM [Smutty Social Media, April 19, 2018]( [Justin Bieber leaving church in LA, April 18, 2018](Are Ansel Elgort and Justin Theroux friends? They should totally hang. I fuckin hate LA and celebrity culture. — Ansel Elgort (@AnselElgort) [April 18, 2018]( These people are so fake I feel like I’m back in middle school. — Ansel Elgort (@AnselElgort) [April 18, 2018]( This is very true. A favourite has to be well-earned. know the difference between 'best' and 'favorite', — Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) [April 18, 2018]( Do you think Billy is shading someone? Because I do. (Also whenever The Departed is mentioned, it behooves me to remind everyone that this was Leo at his hottest. We are not fighting because I will not accept other opinions.) Ugh I'm so behind on helping my friends promote their films. Anyway, please go see The Departed. — billy eichner (@billyeichner) [April 19, 2018]( I guess I’m just doing daily Beckham updates now because I can’t stop. Yesterday, David posted this birthday wish for his friend. Below is what he posted for his wife. As many, many of the comments pointed out, he was more effusive towards his buddy. In fact, many people are commenting on all of their photos about how distant David seems. And they read the comments – of course they do. They are at least aware of them. And usually the Beckhams work to seal those cracks very quickly. The fact that he isn’t trying (she is – she constantly posts and tags him) is what is unnerving. He has never not at least tried to put a good public face on. [A post shared by David Beckham (@davidbeckham)]( on Apr 18, 2018 at 12:00pm PDT [A post shared by David Beckham (@davidbeckham)]( on Apr 17, 2018 at 6:46am PDT At the time of writing, this has over 4 million likes and 136 thousand comments. [A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)]( on Apr 18, 2018 at 7:21pm PDT Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham’s baby! His name is Jack (I had to Google it). Shortly after this photo was taken, he chloroformed his parents and hopped on a chopper to an ocean barge in the South Pacific, where he will activate a giant magnet that will change the rotation of the Earth. (This isn’t that hard to believe, [his dad fights sharks](. Prehistoric sharks!) [A post shared by Rosie HW (@rosiehw)]( on Apr 19, 2018 at 9:28am PDT Michelle Williams is engaged –Bobby Finger at Jezebel has all the details we need ([with a helpful graphic](). [A post shared by Michelle Williams (@michellewilliams)]( on Apr 17, 2018 at 2:36pm PDT Is Patrick Schwarzenegger the next Scott Eastwood? Let’s keep an eye on this. [A post shared by Patrick Schwarzenegger (@patrickschwarzenegger)]( on Apr 16, 2018 at 11:45am PDT Speaking of Thirsty Eastwood, he really wants to play Wolverine. Did he commission this? [A post shared by Scott Eastwood (@scotteastwood)]( on Apr 19, 2018 at 9:40am PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:29 PM [Letitia Wright: Infinity War’s MVP]( [Letitia Wright during an interview with Jimmy Fallon on April 18, 2018](If anyone was going to make me cry before 10am this morning, it was going to be Letitia Wright. Letitia Wright makes me emotional all the time. She had me the most in my feelings [the first time I saw Black Panther](. I teared up reading [Lainey’s post yesterday]( about how Shuri is the future of the Avengers franchise. A black girl nerd who loves science is the next Tony Stark. She’s smarter than nuclear physicist Bruce Banner and, as we see in a new clip from Avengers: Infinity War that Letitia Wright premiered on Good Morning America, Shuri is also an expert at throwing shade. The clip comes in at the 4:18 mark of the video below. “I’m sure you did your best.” What’s it called when you laugh and cry at the same time? You should really watch the above GMA interview in full because [Letitia]( is a DELIGHT but the highlights are the Infinity War sneak peek and the 2:27 mark when they cut to a whole section of little black girls and boys dressed up as Shuri and Black Panther. Later, two of the little girls get to stand up and ask questions to their hero and at this point, I needed someone to hold me. Someone greenlight a web series of black kids asking the Black Panther cast questions. Please and thank you. The Avengers: Infinity War press tour has relied heavily on Letitia Wright to keep the Black Panther momentum going and, in my humble opinion, to trick us into thinking Shuri and T’Challa will have more of a presence in Infinity War than they actually do. I mean, I know they’re in it but the trailers and teaser clips are very Wakanda heavy when I have a feeling that the whole movie is going to be Wakanda light. If that’s true, it’s a brilliant marketing strategy to let Letitia Wright charm the sh-t out of everyone throughout the press tour and hook the Black Panther fans who are looking for their next Dora Milaje fix. I already have my tickets. Even if Shuri has two scenes, my feelings and I will BE THERE. So, Letitia is a valuable player in the MCU for reppin’ Black Panther throughout this press tour but she’s the most valuable player because she can create viral moments like freestyling with Black Thought from The Roots on The Tonight Show. Freestyling on television is not easy. Even though we know that Letitia’s alter ego “MC Baby Underbite” can spit mad rhymes (remember [this]( it’s a whole other skill to be able to do that on late night TV with three random words. A lot of the time these late night bits feel over-rehearsed. You can tell that Letitia did not get these words ahead of time, especially when she’s trying to incorporate Benedict Cumberbatch into her flow. I know how hard this can be because many years (and weaves) ago I too had to freestyle on live TV and it did not go well. It haunts me to this day. Sometimes, I wake up in a cold sweat remembering the utter embarrassing mess of this moment. My part [comes in at 1:10](. I’m going to regret sharing this for months but I did it to prove that Letitia Wright is good at everything, even the really hard stuff, and that she can make awkward TV adorable. That’s why she’s this press tour’s MVP. You know who did rehearse his freestyle though? Jimmy Fallon, continuing his streak as the literal worst. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 5:50 PM [Knowing Dr Oxman]( [Dr Neri Oxman heads to class at MIT, April 18, 2018](Brad Pitt and Neri Oxman, artist, architect, academic, may or may not be dating. Over the last couple of weeks, “sources” connected to Brad haven’t done much to change the “may or may not” description of whatever is happening between them. And, remember, it’s not like celebrities aren’t familiar with the art of the firm denial. There’s not been a firm denial from Brad about Dr Oxman. Anything resembling a denial has been accompanied by a “but”. Example: “They’re just friends…but… he really admires her.” Or: “Brad and Dr Oxman are not dating…but he has such a great appreciation of her work”. So our interest in Dr Oxman keeps growing. Which is why she’s [getting papped now]( and she was papped again while heading to class yesterday at MIT. And now there’s a new interview with her at [CNN Style](. To me, this reads like an email interview, it doesn’t have the flow of a real conversation and the responses are obviously curated. Here’s her answer when asked about the places inspire her: Walden Pond, the Chauvet Cave, the local hospital, the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem, the market in the Old City, the Atacama Desert, old people's homes, my grandmother's garden (only by memory), the Wailing Wall, Taliesin West, my childhood home, an open sea, my mother's arms. Aaaaaaand [Brad Pitt]( just popped a boner. Here’s a tip for Brad, if he needs one, on what he can do to turn his “may or may not” situation, if that’s really what’s going on here, into a “definitely” - perhaps [Dr Oxman]( wouldn’t mind a little courting: I loathe categorization, I cherish my independence, and I treasure chivalry. I live just fine with ambiguity and I welcome a good quarrel about all things designed or grown—except for when men misnomer "confident" with "poised" and "passionate" with "feisty". I work hard. Looking forward to seeing Brad Pitt perform chivalry. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:53 PM [Deadpool’s final pitch]( [Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 2 final trailer](We’re getting into the final round of trailers for the first batch of summer movies—while STILL waiting on the first trailer for Crazy Rich Asians—and following Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s [final trailer]( is Deadpool 2’s final trailer. I’ll tell you what, I LOVE that Peter gag at the end. That is a GREAT joke. I also like the bit with the katanas and the bullets, a reference to a similar scene in X-Men: Origins – Wolverine, or however the f*ck that was punctuated, the movie where [Ryan Reynolds]( originated Deadpool to no one’s acclaim. That katana move—slicing bullets before they can wound—is exactly the kind of dumb movie logic that says “This makes no sense but looks cool”, but as Deadpool 2 points out, it doesn’t even really look that cool. It makes for a very stupid wide shot. And of course there are the Deadpool-signature fourth-wall-breaking references, calling Cable “Thanos”, as [Josh Brolin]( plays both and no, Lainey, you will not be confused because he is a giant raisin in Infinity War, and a reference to the Dark & Gritty™ DC movie-verse. Those jokes aren’t as good as “Peter”. And then there’s [TJ Miller](. The [first trailer]( went light on Miller, but with each successive look at the movie, we’ve seen more and more of him. So not only did Deadpool 2 not recast him, they have doubled down on Miller’s presence in the advertising. Miller is what you might call “embattled”, accused of [sexual assault]( and more recently arrested for calling in a [fake bomb threat](. I’m sure his presence in the Deadpool franchise will age really well and no one will have any questions about why they didn’t just replace him when they had the chance, especially as they were already doing [reshoots](. Especially since this movie, more than any other, could have gotten away with some kind of joke about replacing Miller with, say, a talking carrot. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:52 PM [Gwyneth on Broadway]( [Gwyneth Paltrow arrives on the red carpet for the Pre-Broadway Opening Engagement Of 'Head Over Heels' at the Curran Theatre on April 18, 2018 in San Francisco, California]([Gwyneth Paltrow]( was in San Francisco last night for the Pre-Broadway opening Head Over Heels. It’s a musical set to songs by The Go-Go’s about an aristocrat family in Elizabethan times. That totally sounds like her jam, right? Period pieces and 80s music. She is one of the producers and the show will be heading to Broadway this summer. That’s definitely a producer’s outfit she’s wearing – one of the most unremarkable outfits I’ve seen on her in a while. This was G’s first public appearance since her [engagement party last weekend](, hosted by Ryan Murphy which some thought was the wedding proper, especially considering the guest list. Are all those movie stars going to show up again for the actual wedding? Or is the actual wedding really just going to be a very small, intimate affair? When is the actual wedding? According to [Page Six]( the actual wedding will take place later this year in the Hamptons. For some reason though, something is still pinging my smutty senses about this, that there’s a missing piece to all of it – not a bad piece, nothing scandalous, nothing shady…just… some invisible bit of information that everything seems to be orbiting. Call it gossip instinct, whatever. I’m definitely feeling it here. You? [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:19 PM [Superbad reunion]( [Jonah Hill and Emma Stone in Maniac](Yesterday Netflix released [a batch of first-look photos]( of their new series, Maniac, which is a “psychological black comedy” and not another remake of the slasher classic of the same name. If you examine these photos closely, you will notice Maniac stars [Emma Stone]( and [Jonah Hill](, reuniting a decade after Superbad. Netflix is being hush-hush about it, but Maniac is adapted from a Norwegian comedy series, so we know it’s about patients trapped after a pharmaceutical trial goes awry. Judging from the photos, Stone and Hill are patients and I assume the machine they’re plugged into has to do with the haywire trial. Besides the Superbad reunion happening in front of the camera, the cast is STACKED. Stone and Hill are joined by Sally Field, Justin Theroux, Jemima Kirke, Sonoya Mizuno (the once and future Araminta Lee), and Julia Garner, lately of Waco and also Ozark. The women in Waco got short-changed—disturbingly so, as the series really soft-pedaled David Koresh’s habit of “marrying” underage girls—but Garner popped as the lone representative of his, er, “child brides”. It’s impossible to tell anymore what shows will or won’t catch the zeitgeist—Peak TV has killed the water cooler show—but I hope Maniac does at least well enough to give Mizuno and Garner a boost. They’re both on my list of Actresses That Should Be A Thing. I’ve given up on Juno Temple breaking out, but am still waiting on Bel Powley, and Gemma Chan is right [on the cusp](. Maniac will be the Stone and Hill show, but maybe it can propel Mizuno and Garner a little closer to center stage (especially Mizuno, who combines this appearance with Crazy Rich Asians later this summer). Another reason to get excited for Maniac is that it is directed by [Cary Fukunaga](. It’s his first directorial gig since Beasts of No Nation, and as he did with True Detective, Fukunaga directed all ten episodes of Maniac (the entire series script was written by Patrick Somerville). Cary Fukunaga is dangerously close to my “will watch anything, regardless” list, and indeed, my primary interest in Maniac is seeing what he does with such a high concept. Patients in a drug trial, trapped inside their minds when something goes wrong—that is a VERY high concept. Can Fukunaga make a show stranger than Legion, TV’s strangest show? We’ll see at some indeterminate date in the future, since Netflix offers no information about the release date. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:23 PM [April 19, 2018 – Smutty Shout-Outs]( [Sister of Mine by Laurie Petrou ](In 2016, [Laurie Petrou]( was the recipient of the inaugural Half The World Global Literi Award, a prize honouring “unpublished work that reflects the complexity of women’s lives”. Laurie’s book, Sister Of Mine, was released this week. Laurie, have a great time [at the party](! And congratulations again on everything. Mostly though…thank you for writing and, as you say below, sharing. Showing your work is also showing the work of others, which you do so gracefully all the time. [#CLBDebutChat]( A9: I think one of the most important things you can do is to become part of a community. The adage is 'share, share, share, ask'. I like sharing info about the books I'm reading & enjoying, and find it all comes back in the end. ❤️ — Laurie Petrou (@lauriepetrou) [April 18, 2018]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:02 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](