Sarah Pidgeon & Paul Anthony Kelly reunited for a SAG-AFTRA Foundation conversation about Love Story. They’re really campaigning for those Emmys! [JustJared]
Yet another “midnight rant” from “Donald Trump.” [Buzzfeed]
LMAO, does Mindy Kaling hate Gen Z? [Pajiba]
Why is Taylor Swift’s wedding guest list leaking? [LaineyGossip]
I didn’t even recognize Claire Foy here. [RCFA]
What to know about Lollapalooza 2026. [Hollywood Life]
Ted Cruz, aka Zodiac, is defending gay folks?? [Jezebel]
Andy Cohen has a new man? [Socialite Life]
Dunkin Donuts created a Barbie-themed menu. [Seriously OMG]
The Champagne Room sounds interesting. [OMG Blog]

YAY! The Duchess of Sussex posted two special portraits for Princess Lili Diana’s fifth birthday today. The message on Meghan’s Instagram: “Our dream girl. Happy 5th birthday, Lili.” In one photo, Lili is being held by Prince Harry as Meghan stands on her tippy-toes, with both parents absolutely glowing as they look at their daughter. The other photo is of Lili solo in what I presume is the Sussexes’ backyard in Montecito. Their little American princess!

Obviously, the British media and many royalists refuse to be normal about Lili in particular. Like, these people are super-obsessed with both Archie and Lili, but there’s something about Lili which makes them lose their tender grip on reality. Hello Magazine even ran a story about Lili’s birthday with the very real headline: “Meet Lilibet: the American-born Princess growing up away from her royal family.” HER royal family?? What’s funny as well is that I feel certain that Lili and Archie have spent more time with Harry’s uncle, the Earl of Spencer, than anyone from the Windsor clan. Additionally, Meghan’s spokesperson released a new statement about Meghan’s choice to release curated images of her children where their faces are never fully seen.

Meghan’s spokesperson told The Royalist: “The Duchess has always been clear that there is a distinction between sharing moments from her life and exposing her children to public scrutiny. By obscuring their faces, she is demonstrating the very principle she advocates for: giving children privacy, agency, and protection in an increasingly digital world.”

[From The Royalist Substack]

I don’t know how many times the royalists are going to throw hissy fits about Meghan posting family photos, but I guess they’re still going to be crying about it for years to come. They should try a different emotion – happiness that Meghan is giving glimpses into her family’s lives in California, because god knows, the British tabloids are way more invested in the Sussex children than any of the other royal kids.

Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.

Here are more photos of the Princess of Wales out on Tuesday evening. She attended an event for Cancer Research UK at St. James’s Palace, an event hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla. This was Kate’s first public outing since her two-day visit to Italy in mid-May, 20 days beforehand. So, yeah… even in a super-structured event where Kate just needed to wander around and make small talk, it’s clear from the photos that Kate wasn’t up to the task. Still, they’re trying to embiggen her and make it sound like she’s a capable adult woman of 44. Apparently, people kept referencing Kate’s husband and she said words:

Kate Middleton was feeling the love for Prince William at her latest engagement. On June 2, the Princess of Wales, 44, made a rare public comment about her love for her husband while attending a reception commemorating the 125th anniversary of the charity Cancer Research U.K. with King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Princess Kate said something sweet about her spouse while speaking to singer Ronan Keating and his wife Storm, who asked about William and sent their hellos. Storm praised the Prince of Wales as “such a gent,” and Ronan said, “We love him,” the Daily Mail reported.

In an adorable reply, Kate said, “So do I.”

The Princess of Wales shared another kind word about Prince William, 43, at the royal reception at St. James’s Palace in London on Wednesday, as she spoke to the widower of Dame Deborah James. James was a BBC podcast host who became nicknamed “Bowelbabe” for her advocacy in spreading awareness about cancer; she died in 2022 at age 40 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016.

James’ husband, Sebastien Bowen, expressed his gratitude for a conversation William had with their two children and Kate said, “He’s good like that.”

[From People]

Okay. Not to make a mountain out of a molehill, but do you think Kate is actually still in love with William? I think she was at the start of this nightmare. Like, circa 2001-2013, she actually cared about him and wanted to be with him and wanted to be his wife. But at some point, it feels like they both checked out of the marriage and they view each other as somewhat estranged coworkers. Kate is better at putting in the performance of a happy marriage though. Like, if someone had told William that they love his wife, he would have scoffed and said something nasty or rude.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

This week, celebrities, politicians and academics have been attending events within SXSW London. The original SXSW festival started in Texas, but it’s gone international. A few years back, the Duchess of Sussex took part in a SXSW panel at the OG festival in Texas. I’m sure that didn’t factor into this story whatsoever! On Wednesday, fresh from his visit to a London pub (I wish I was joking), Prince William made an appearance at SXSW London for an event around The Diana Award. As he met some Diana Award recipients, William was asked about period stigma and how he plans to talk about menstruation with Princess Charlotte. Everyone got to see period stigma in real time.

Prince William left one recipient of The Diana Legacy Award impressed by his honest answer to her question about menstrual health. The Prince of Wales, 43, took part in a discussion on young people’s issues as part of the SXSW London Festival on Wednesday, June 3, joining two Diana Award legacy winners for the panel.

One was Vivi Lin, the founder of the NGO “With Red” to tackle period stigma and help people understand menstrual issues, who asked the royal heir about how the topic would be handled in his own family.

“I took the courage to ask him a really important question: I asked him, ‘Are you ready to talk to your daughter about periods?’ and how he is preparing,” she tells PEOPLE, referring to William and Kate Middleton’s 11-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte.

“He answered genuinely and smiled and said, ‘This is a topic I am not familiar with,’ and it was really lovely,” continued Lin, 28. “But he said he knows it is going to be a conversation that he would need to have in the future. He said he will try to do so with the help of his wife.”

“He acknowledged there is still menstrual stigma across the world and a lot of people don’t know about it,” she added. “Coming from Prince William, that he knows he knows he needs to talk to his daughter — and he needs the help of his wife to talk to her about it — will be really important for a lot of dads with daughters because a lot of people are struggling and don’t know how to talk to their daughters about periods.”

The NGO works on “everything about periods, from education to policy,” and Lin says they work to ensure that, from a young age, women know how to use menstrual products and cope with the menstrual cycle.

Lin said the discussion with Prince William also touched on the disconnect in society.

“He mentioned the loss of human connection,” she explains. “We are pretty much online, all generations, and he was saying how important it was to restore that human-to-human connection and having people look at each other in the eyes and having that conversation in person.”

She says she was impressed by Prince William, including his support of how sports clubs in the U.K. are adapting new systems for female athletes to meet their needs. “We have very different biological cycles, and if we are using the same training schedules, that wouldn’t work,” she says. “He spoke about his passion for football and supporting female football players on this.”

[From People]

I’m really asking: how does Prince William, a man who has been married for fifteen years and who has lived with a woman for two decades, not know anything about menstruation? “This is a topic I am not familiar with…” Like, he’s not familiar with it at all? He wouldn’t have to get into the nitty-gritty of Kate’s menstrual cycle, but the jig is up – Kate is the mother of three, and she’s had a menstrual cycle the entire time she and William have been together. Heterosexual men being clueless dolts about a significant part of their partners’ lives is insane. And he basically said that he’s going to leave it to Kate to talk to Charlotte about her period. The part about women’s football is important too, because William is patron of England Football, and as such, he should be more than aware of the work being done by elite female athletes on period stigma AND their training.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

As it turns out, it’s not our hearing that’s going bad. According to a Vox interview with dialogue editor Austin Olivia Kendrick, modern-day technological improvements on microphones and TVs are the real culprits. There’s also a silver lining to using subtitles. They can help children learn to read. Here’s more from Upworthy:

Why modern mics actually made things worse:
They first explained that way back when movies were first moving from silent film to spoken dialogue, actors had to enunciate and project loudly while speaking directly into a large microphone. If they spoke and moved like actors do today, it would sound almost as if someone were giving a drive-by soliloquy while circling the block. You’d only hear every other sentence or two. But with today’s technology, microphones are so small they can be strapped just about anywhere on an actor. This allows the actor to move about the set freely and speak at a normal volume without worrying that their words won’t be picked up.

“A lot of people will ask, ‘Why don’t you just turn the dialogue up?’ Like, ‘Just turn it up.’ And…if only it were that simple,” Kendrick said before explaining, “If you have your dialogue that’s going to be at the same volume as an explosion that immediately follows it, the explosion is not going to feel as big. You need that contrast in volume in order to give your ear a sense of scale.”

So why does the music drown everything out?
Sure, you may be thinking, well that kinda explains it, but why do the music and other cinematic noises sound like they’re beating on your eardrum while the dialogue sounds like the actors are whispering every line? That doesn’t seem very balanced. There’s more to it, and again, it falls back onto technology.

In the video, they explain how our televisions are too thin to hold large speakers facing in the correct direction, and until this video, it didn’t dawn on me that the speakers to my television are indeed in the back. No wonder we can’t hear. The actors are quite literally talking to our walls.

Subtitles might actually be good for your kids:
[S]ome experts like the World Literacy Foundation note that watching television and movies with subtitles is especially beneficial for children. Research has suggested that putting on subtitles can help improve literacy for kids, and many actors support the practice. This is good news for those worried about the literacy crisis in America.

[From Upworthy]

While the speaker placement thing makes sense, I’ve never considered newer microphones being a problem. I always assumed that someone didn’t properly mix the dialogue and music. You would think that technology would keep up in that regard. Mr. Rosie bought a soundbar during a Prime Day sale several years ago. It helps, but it sucks that we needed new speakers just to hear the television. At least closed captioning technology has improved over the years. Companies like Netflix and Disney+ let viewers customize subtitle size and color. Upworthy also linked to a video with tips to help viewers hear dialogue better.

I love the hidden benefit of subtitles helping kids learn to read, though. My mom is a teacher, and when I was younger, she’d tape index cards to items with their names written on them. Subtitles are a life hack for the digital era.

Here’s the interview that Upworthy reported on:

Oh, this was not announced ahead of time! The Princess of Wales made a surprise trip to Manchester today to visit the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Ol’ girl disappeared off the face of the earth for nearly three full weeks, popped up last minute at a Tuesday reception at St. James’s Palace, and now she’s visiting with cancer patients? You know this is King Charles’ work. He has basically ordered her to do these events because he’s sick of everyone infantilizing her and her asinine busywork. During Kate’s visit, she spoke to a cancer patient about how cancer is tough on the family:

On June 4, Princess Kate spent the second day this week supporting the work of cancer organizations as she visited the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. The wasn’t a dry eye in the room when the Princess of Wales watched a patient ring the bell to signal the end of her chemotherapy treatments—and along with comforting 30-year-old Claire Lorente, Kate told Claire’s husband that his role was “just as hard.”

The Princess of Wales, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in 2024, met with patients at The Christie, including Claire, who was getting ready to ring her bell. In a video shared on X by the Sun’s royal editor, Matt Wilkinson, Kate hugged a tearful Claire, rubbing her arm as she heard more about the woman’s cancer journey.

“Well done!” Kate said to Lorente’s tearful husband, hugging him and saying, “I know. It’s just as hard for family.”

The princess then shared how tough it was for her family, including her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, when she was sick, telling Claire’s husband how she understood that he went “through it.”

After meeting Claire’s baby, Kate exclaimed, “Isn’t Mummy brave?” before watching Claire and her husband ring the bell together.

[From Marie Claire]

I’ll include the video below, you can’t really hear what she’s saying, but it’s a nice gesture and it’s a big deal to ring the bell and to be allowed to be part of that moment. I hope Claire was okay with Kate being there, I guess.

Fashion notes – Kate repeated a Eponine London coatdress which she wore in 2021, to the COP26 conference. I remember it well because Kate’s behavior was really outlandish at the time. Kate also wore a lapis lazuli necklace from Astley Clarke.

The Princess of Wales shares an emotional moment with Claire Lorente, 30, who rings the bell to signal the end of her cancer treatment, at The Christie centre in Manchester pic.twitter.com/Ycc3DaYWmB

— Matt Wilkinson (@MattSunRoyal) June 4, 2026

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Here are some photos of Queen Camilla on Wednesday, where she had several events. She attended the Big Lunch at the British Library to mark the National Year of Reading, and she hosted a special event at Clarence House. We rarely give Camilla credit for anything other than being a clomping marriage-wrecker and cartoonish villainess, but I’m always amazed by the intelligence of Camilla’s patronages. She works circles around the heir and his wigs-akimbo wife, but even more than that, Camilla takes on the exact sort of events which Prince William and Kate are too lazy and self-centered to do. One of the biggest examples is her patronages with Helen & Douglas House, Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and Dreams and Wishes. Camilla regularly organizes and hosts special events (in her home) for sick kids. That’s what the event was yesterday:

Queen Camilla opened the doors of her London home for a special tea party for seriously ill children. The Queen, 78, hosted a tea party and treasure hunt for children and parents supported by Dreams and Wishes at Clarence House, her and King Charles’ London home.

Dreams and Wishes is a volunteer-run charity working to support children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, and has granted over 2,000 wishes since its launch in 2011. The organization brings smiles to faces by coordinating parties, days out and events to create happy memories.

On June 3, a group of youngsters got the royal treatment. The children’s special day began with a horse-drawn carriage ride from The Royal Mews, the British royal family’s London stables, to Clarence House, traveling in royal style to the soiree.

They were greeted there by Grenadier Guards soldiers standing at attention in bearskin hats, before heading into the royal residence for an afternoon of fun. A buffet of sweet treats was laid out on a table for the tea, including cookies personalized with the children’s names in icing.

Rupert, 7, spontaneously brought along his Chief Scout’s Commendation for Meritorious Conduct medal, and Queen Camilla proudly pinned it on him, The Independent reported.

“He was really overwhelmed, and gradually, he has been getting more excited,” Rupert’s mother, Hannah Williams, said about the big day, according to the outlet. “He has been asking, ‘Does the Queen have a dragon in her castle?’ As a family, we have said this year is just about saying `yes to life.’ ”

Queen Camilla mingled with the young people and held hands with Maria, 6, who wore a purple princess dress and led the way during the treasure hunt. The kids were sent out on a prince and princess-themed quest to find treasure that they were told was stolen by an evil wizard, the outlet said. Each treasure hunter was later rewarded with a goodie bag and a large chocolate coin, with the Grenadier Guards (who call the Queen their Colonel) presenting the prizes.

[From People]

Again, William and Kate have never done anything like this whatsoever. They never host charity events in any of their forever homes. They never organize special carriage rides and treasure hunts or Make-a-Wish-style events for sick children. It would never even occur to them to work with this kind of patronage. Frankly, this is why Camilla continues to “win” every battle within the Windsors. While I’m sure Camilla wasn’t the one personally organizing this stuff, she at least thought to have her (competent, adult) staffers put it together. The Kensington Palace clowns are in shambles.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Where are all of those pattern-recognition royalists when you need them? Are they still obsessing over Prince William and the Duchess of Sussex both mentioning scones within a 24-hour period? That was big news last week. Weirdly, those royalists don’t think it’s particularly newsworthy or any kind of pattern when the Princess of Wales wore two California-based labels during her handful of events in the past month. When Kate was in Italy, she made a point of wearing Jenni Kayne, an LA-based label worn often by the Duchess of Sussex. Then this week, Kate wore a (terrible) dress by Rodarte, another California-based label. Huh, what gives?? Well, People Magazine thinks Kate is sending a signal. Not a signal that she wants to wear Meghan’s face as her own, but a signal that Kate is planning a trip to America.

Kate Middleton just had a set of style firsts, leading to speculation that she’s hinting at some upcoming travel plans.

On Tuesday, June 2, the Princess of Wales, 44, attended a reception commemorating the 125th anniversary of the charity Cancer Research U.K. alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family.

Not only was the royal reception notable as King Charles and Princess Kate’s first time stepping out together for a cancer-related event since sharing their own diagnoses in 2024, but it also marked a fashion first for the Princess of Wales. Kate wore a red silk twill midi dress with heart-shaped polka dots by Rodarte. It was the first time that the royal wore the American brand, founded in 2001 by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy.

Princess Kate rarely wears American brands, often opting to spotlight her favorite U.K. brands or, when traveling abroad, highlighting the work of local designers.

However, the Rodarte dress was actually the second time in recent weeks that Kate wore an American designer.

During the second day of her stay in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia in May, the princess wore a skirt by another L.A.-based designer, Jenni Kayne, marking another first.

Meghan Markle is also a fan of Jenni Kayne, and the Duchess of Sussex, 44, has even worn the same pleated skirt as her sister-in-law. During her 2025 appearance on “The Circuit” with Emily Chang, Meghan wore a yellow version of the piece, pairing it with a sweater in the same shade.

[From People]

I’m glad People Magazine mentioned that Meghan wore Jenni Kayne first. Meghan also wore two-tone flats first, only Meghan’s flats are Chanel and Kate wore some knock-off version (which looked a lot like Meghan’s). Now, I’ll be fair – Meghan has never worn Rodarte, nor would Meghan ever wear a puffy-shouldered Minnie Mouse dress with a parched wig. But it’s definitely weird as hell that Kate is now wearing so many California labels. Even with Natasha Archer out of Kate’s employ, it looks like Kate is maintaining all of her Meghan moodboards. Incidentally, I don’t think Kate is coming to the US this summer. Prince William isn’t even committed to coming… unless England makes it to the World Cup quarterfinals.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

In January of this year, Prince William drunkenly stumbled onto a new “cause.” William anointed himself the savior of British pubs, and he seems committed to drinking his way through every pub in the UK in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of pubs to British life. In January, he actually said the words “I grew up in pubs.” He did not. Neither Diana nor Charles was ever much of a drinker, and they certainly didn’t take William to the local pub, down the street from Kensington Palace (which is where William actually grew up). Well, William magically had time to stop by a pub on Wednesday and he once again told everyone that he loves pubs, he grew up in pubs and pubs are essential community hubs. Amongst all of this boozing, William tried and failed to look comfortable around Black folks while simultaneously trying to use Black people as diversity props.

The Prince of Wales has thrown his support behind saving British pubs, saying that we need to “protect” them. He said they are “so important” and “a place for the community to come together” during a trip to a pub in Peckham, south-east London, on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Prince of Peckham on Wednesday, Prince William pledged: “I love pubs. I want to do as much as I can to support pubs because I love the community. We need to protect our pubs.”

The 43-year-old said that Britain’s public houses acted as “the glue and fabric” in a community, adding: “It’s the people – the team – around a pub that make it.”

Speaking about Clem Ogbonnaya, the owner of the recently renovated pub, he said: “It’s a family business which is good, because that makes the pub.”

Landlords have said their public houses are on the brink because of rising costs, including business rate changes, the cost of the employers’ National Insurance increase, a rise in alcohol duty and the minimum wage, and a planned cut to the drink-driving limit. An estimated one pub a day closed permanently in England and Wales last year, and since 2000 some 15,000 pubs in the UK have closed their doors.

Prince William was visiting the Prince of Peckham as part of a drive to showcase local leadership and community hubs in east London. He surprised residents who were attending the pub’s weekly breakfast club, Chatty Patty. The meeting aims to tackle loneliness and offers free tea and community for locals. The Prince told the group that he “grew up in pubs” and has previously described them as “crucial” for human contact.

During the visit, he pulled a pint of Red Stripe with Mr Ogbonnaya, describing his own efforts as “really good” and receiving a round of applause. He joked Mr Ogbonnaya was “just as bad as me” and the pair laughed and bumped shoulders after their efforts.

Prince William also tried the jerk chicken with plantain, which he said “blew my mind”.

“I’m hoping they’ll Deliveroo this jerk chicken to Windsor,” he quipped.

[From The Telegraph]

He had his mind blown by seasoned food, my goodness. You know that bald head was SWEATING. And again with the “I grew up in pubs” line. Did the crisis manager feed him that line to be “relatable” or something? “Saying you grew up in pubs gives you an extra 5% in these emotional-support polls, sir, keep saying it!” As for pubs-as-a-cause… I get it from an economic standpoint, and I think it would probably look better for William to make that argument too. Pubs are local small businesses, the backbone of local economies and a place for people to socialize in real life in an era when too many people live online. That’s what William should say, you know? Instead, he sounds like a lush who is trying too hard to have the “common touch.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein made it to London in a hurry for the UK premiere of Office Romance. Netflix really financed a full promotional blitz for this film, right? They’re promoting it like it’s a Marvel movie. At the London premiere, Jennifer wore an absolutely insane Richard Quinn gown – it’s a fitted black sequined bodice, with a hot-pink satin skirt tacked on loosely, like she’s shimmying out of a pink gift bag. Like, I get what the atelier was going for, but it’s a miss for me. Incidentally, I agree with everyone that J.Lo got implants after her divorce from Ben Affleck. Her chest didn’t look like this three years ago. I mean… considering how traumatic the last divorce was for her, I think it’s great that she didn’t get more unnecessary cosmetic work.

Meanwhile, there’s been a lot of talk about Jennifer’s kids in recent weeks. Max and Emme graduated from high school, and there was a story about Emme going by a different name. No one has confirmed anything publicly so I’ll just leave it at that. Jennifer was recently asked about her kids and she said that they got into all of the colleges they applied to:

Jennifer Lopez is one proud mom. In a recent interview with Extra, the Office Romance star, 56, spoke about her twins, Max and Emme, 18, graduating from high school and their plans for the future. Asked what she’s most proud of as she watches her kids move on to the next stage of life, Lopez revealed that Max and Emme got into every college they applied to and received scholarships.

“I am so proud that they set goals for themselves,” she began. “They all got into all five colleges that they applied to. They both got a scholarship to each, you know, one scholarship to each. Each one got a scholarship to a school. And I just felt like they work so hard. ”

“I watched how hard they worked, from the time they were like… when school gets serious in the fifth grade, and they just worked hard,” she continued. “They have ADHD, and so they need to learn differently, and there were struggles and times, and I’m just so proud of them because they did what they said they were going to do, and they’re good people.”

Lopez, who shares her twins with ex-husband Marc Anthony, went on to share that her kids are “loving, good-hearted people.”

“And they always said that. I always say to them, ‘What do I say?’ And they say, ‘Doesn’t matter if we get good grades so long as we’re good people.’ And I was like, ‘That’s right.’ And they still sometimes will quote that back to me. So I’m very proud of both of them.”

[From People]

If you’re a long-time J.Lover, you know that Jennifer is still dealing with a lot of crap her own mother put her through, and Jennifer was determined to be a lot different than her mom. I think she’s succeeded at that, and she seems genuinely proud of her kids and who they are.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

I’m sure this story will get like three comments, but I found it fascinating. We all know that awards-seasons are a big business, and that studios can spend tens of millions of dollars on a certain film’s Oscar campaign. But did you know that there’s a growing “campaign” behind-the-scenes for honorary Oscars? In 2009, AMPAS decided that recipients of honorary Oscars – the lifetime achievement Oscars, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Irving B. Thalberg Academy Award for producers – deserved their own stand-alone awards show, so now the Governors Awards are one of the biggest (non-televised) events of the season, and everyone comes out to celebrate the handful of honorary Oscar recipients. In recent years, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Cruise, Dolly Parton, Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks and many more have received honorary Oscars. Well, there’s been a quiet campaign for certain celebrities and artists this year, and Variety had a story about all of the jostling behind-the-scenes.

It’s probably Harrison Ford’s year: “Please, God, give it to Harrison!” That’s what one decades-long Academy member exclaimed to Variety, regarding industry speculation that Hollywood legend Harrison Ford is a top candidate to receive an Honorary Award at this year’s Governors Awards. This member’s passion reflects the groundswell of support for the 83-year-old movie icon…Ford arrives as overdue as any potential honoree….Ford already has collected the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, holds an honorary Palme d’Or from Cannes and is the front-runner for his first Emmy for Apple TV’s “Shrinking.” His backers see “no reason the statue should wait” another year.

The campaigning: By mid-June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will settle on its honorary Oscar awardees. For weeks, studios, agents, publicists and any other Hollywood stakeholder have been lobbying Academy leaders and board members. Often a case is made over lunch or drinks at Chateau Marmont or through pointed phone calls. The presumptive honorees are mostly in the dark about what may be transpiring on their behalf.

How the honorary Oscar recipients are chosen: Hundreds of names, across all cinematic contributions, are submitted by the Academy’s 11,000 members. Aside from the Oscar winners themselves, the process remains one of the Academy’s most guarded (and successful) kept secrets. Now, the mandate has the Board doing what it does best: considering.

Other names are also seeing growing support. Powerhouse producer Jerry Bruckheimer, 82, among the most commercially successful figures in the medium’s history, has been floated, with one person suggesting he would be a strong pick for the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the producing kudo. Although bestowing it one year after Tom Cruise’s honorary Oscar would mean back-to-back salutes to the “Top Gun” axis. Not exactly a good look.

Other potential Thalberg recipients: Also floated for a Thalberg trophy are London-based producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, the co-chairmen of Working Title, which has backed hits like “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” The pair could be worth celebrating, following previously anointed duos like Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the James Bond films in 2024, and husband-and-wife power couple Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 2018.

Glenn Close, snubbed for honorary Oscars too: Many sources tell Variety that Glenn Close has been proposed at least four times in the past decade and was nearly selected one specific year, one source claims. She’s been submitted as either an honorary Oscar recipient for her body of work, which includes unforgettable films like “Fatal Attraction,” across her eight Oscar bids, or for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The case for the latter is sharpened by years of mental health advocacy with Bring Change to Mind, the nonprofit she founded in 2010. Close and the late Robin Williams were close friends after co-starring in “The World According to Garp” (1982), and to honor his memory, her foundation presents the Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award at its annual galas. The sting of Close’s loss for “The Wife” (2018) still lingers, and many would love to see it corrected.

Other names being thrown around: Another name mentioned in some circles is legendary performer Bette Midler, who has a long philanthropic resumé in addition to turns in classic films like “Beaches” and “The Rose.” An industry source points to “growing” support for Martin Short, the veteran comedian whose close friends include Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and “Only Murders in the Building” co-star and former Honorary Award recipient Steve Martin. That tribute reel would be as starry (and funny) as any in recent memory.

AMPAS wants to give awards to people before they die: Beneath the passion runs an uncomfortable calculation: How much time does a prospective honoree have left? Coming off a year marred by the passing of beloved talents like Rob Reiner and Catherine O’Hara, people giving extra attention and love to our most cherished living figures…Ridley Scott, the Oscar-less director of “Gladiator,” is 88, and his name has been circulated more than once. However, the Academy is averse to honoring anyone with a movie likely to be submitted as an Oscar hopeful. The English filmmaker has “The Dog Stars,” with Jacob Elordi, due out this year. That’s also why we’re not likely to see Mike Leigh on the list this time around, since he has a new film, “Tender Loving Care,” expected later in the season.

Other names in the mix: There wouldn’t be too many objections if the Board landed on any of the signature auteurs like the gothic horror and fantasy master Tim Burton, the “Queen of Romcoms,” Nancy Meyers, the hyper-stylized Michael Mann, or the poetic and ethereal Terrence Malick (though the famously reclusive Malick would be a likely no-show, and attendance is typically expected of honorees). And what about the cultural figures who have been a constant presence in our cinematic lives? As Variety was polling industry professionals, several beloved performers came as suggestions and potential choices, including Black, Latino and Asian multihyphenates such as Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda”) and Alfre Woodard (“Cross Creek”), John Leguizamo (“Carlito’s Way”) and Rosie Perez (“Fearless”), and James Hong (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor”).

[From Variety]

Oh, John Leguizamo would be an inspired choice for an honorary Oscar. And it’s a huge bummer that Glenn Close hasn’t received an honorary one – she’s been nominated EIGHT times with no wins. But I knew as soon as Harrison Ford won the SAG Lifetime Achievement and made that wonderful speech that he was going to be making the rounds of all of the biggest honorary awards. It is shameful that he’s never won an Oscar for a stand-alone performance. It’s also sort of crazy that Ridley Scott has never won?? Ridley has some misses in his CV, but he’s a legend for a reason and he’s an icon. I wouldn’t hate it if Martin Short won an honorary Oscar, but I feel like he has a better shot at a Lifetime Achievement Emmy.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

In the past year, two of the best films I’ve watched were international, subtitled films – Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent. Both films were exciting to me in different ways, but both had a similar vibe of “there are no rules.” You know what I mean? They didn’t feel formulaic or like a studio head was peering over the director’s shoulder, saying “you can’t do that!” Well, Quentin Tarantino finds post-pandemic films rather boring and terrible. I was going to dismiss this as “Tarantino being Tarantino,” but I actually think he has a point? True to form, he makes one good point and then swiftly ruins it though.

Quentin Tarantino is sharing his opinion on the new films coming out as of late, slamming them for the “just plain stupid s–t [that] usually torpedoes every new movie coming out of the flavorless sausage factory that used to call itself Hollywood.” The Pulp Fiction director penned a new op-ed for Sight and Sound magazine, where he explained that since the pandemic, he can’t seem to find a new movie that he doesn’t “pick to death.”

“Since the pandemic, for me anyway, it seems almost impossible for a new movie to come out that I don’t pick to death. Flaws, implausibilities, audience pandering, miscast performers or just plain stupid s–t usually torpedoes every new movie coming out of the flavorless sausage factory that used to call itself Hollywood,” he wrote. “These days, the entire concept of what is a movie is more inclined to inspire contempt in me than generosity. Which is fair enough, because by comparison the movies of the last six years make the 80s seem like the 30s.”

Tarantino cited a few films that he’s seen since the pandemic that he’s “liked,” still noting that none have really caught his eye — except for one.

“I’ve seen movies I’ve liked since then — West Side Story (2021); Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 & 2 (both 2024), a few others, but nothing that really held me in its grip and swept me away to the magical land of enjoyment that I used to visit and was the reason why I loved movies above all artforms,” Tarantino said. “These days I’d rather read a book.”

The “suspenseful new movie” that self-admittedly grabbed the Oscar winner “and held me for its entire duration” was Joe Carnahan’s The Rip for Netflix, which stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

“The film is an exciting cop thriller with a novel premise that manages to deliver the goods in really clever ways,” Tarantino wrote of The Rip. “The whole package worked for me: Carnahan’s direction, the splendid cast, the look of the film (courtesy of cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz) — but the real powerhouse component of this splendid collection is the sensational screenplay by Carnahan and Michael McGrale.”

[From THR]

The Rip was an okay action film but I wouldn’t put it on my list of “best post-pandemic films” or anything. The examples cited by Tarantino make no sense in general – West Side Story??? I couldn’t even get through that because guess what? Ansel Elgort was miscast. It’s also weird to me that Tarantino apparently doesn’t rate Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies, which are absolutely remarkable achievements and perfectly cast. I would also think that Tarantino would appreciate what Yorgos Lanthimos has been doing in the past three years. Basically… Tarantino ruined his own argument with the films he cited as the exceptions to the “flavorless sausage factory.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.