Queen of Knives, Crappy Families, & Met Gala BS - it's time for Celebricate!

Celebricate: Celebrating Celebrities & the messes they make!

(Newsletter for the week of 5-6-24)

Well, I wasn’t planning on opening with such sad news, but we’ve learned today that legendary music producer Steve Albini has passed away at the age of 61. A lot of famous people get tagged with “legendary” and “iconic,” but Steve was truly both. His generosity and volunteerism knew no bounds. And he was freaking funny too! Watching him wander around the Tape Op conference in his custom “Ask Me About Nirvana!” t-shirt was… yep, iconic. He was interviewed by Conan O’Brien last year for his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, with Dave Grohl and Krist Noveselic, to chat about the complete mess that was the recording of In Utero (in which the record label famously threw Steve under the bus). I’m so glad he had a chance to voice what really happened before his untimely death. I highly recommend listening – such a lovely and informative episode. And fingers crossed that his estate eventually reprints his blog, Mario Batali Voice: What I Made Heather for Dinner. Truly some of the most hilarious and thoughtful food writing I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Steve will be missed in ways we can’t even comprehend yet.

Isla Fischer and Sacha Baron Cohen are getting divorced after fourteen years of marriage. Isla has retained the services of Baroness Fiona Sara Shackleton of Belgravia and I’m pretty sure that’s how you win at splitting up. (And in life. How do you get that name? Am I in an alternate universe of the Princess Diaries? I am obsessed.)

The first Monday in May has come and gone and you know what that means – the Met Gala has happened (aka the Super Bowl of fashion)! Many, many celebs were missing from the red carpet this year, in a wave of unattendance that has insiders asking, “Is the ball dead?” The answer is… maybe, not yet, and kind of. Gatekeeper Anna Wintour has been allowing more influencers to attend (starting with the Kardashian wave several years ago), and, as that has happened, several A-listers have been absent. Coincidence? One theory is that many celebs are off filming projects, now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has been resolved. But, like, all them? Eh… Of course, co-chair Zendaya ruled the roost again this year. So, we have that, and she is STUNNING. Our other favorite staple, Rihanna, stayed home this year, due to catching a last minute flu. Is it the popular “Bitch, please” strain that’s been going around? Stay tuned! (P.S. – I would like to note that the Met Gala is a fundraiser… for itself. This year is raised $26 million for the Costume Institute. But how much money does it need? It’s clothes, displayed on mannequins! Come on, Anna – the most fashionable thing you could do is put that money towards a real charity. This is just tacky.)

Speaking of tacky: I’ve been Jaxxed. Yep, Jax Taylor is back, for the first time since being fired from the long-running show, Vanderpump Rules. After sitting on the sidelines for the past several years, Bravo has brought Taylor back into the reality-TV fold with The Valley, which focuses on a group of friends (as well as their marriages and families), living in the outskirts of L.A. And damn it – it’s good. I was watching resignedly because I’ll never not watch Jax – but this is actually the next up & coming series that will be clogging your feeds with all its drama. It's set to eclipse the on-its-last-legs Vanderpump Rules in short order. Why is this celebratory? If you’ve been following Scandoval (when Tom Sandoval famously cheated on his long-time love, Ariana Madix) you know that the fall of Tom, the former “nice guy” of the bunch has been swift. Watching karma dole out his just desserts has been fascinating. It’s not often you get to see a narcissist get dealt real-life consequences that they can’t squirm out of, while his victims rise. (Ariana has netted numerous endorsement deals and even ended up with a role on Broadway, as Roxie Hart in Chicago!) And that Tom’s actions resulted in frenemy Jax returning to the small screen? Delicious irony. Trash pandas, dig in!

In exciting film news, I recently had the honor of getting to review Queen of Knives and what a ride that has been! I was a big fan of the prequel, King of Knives, and was thrilled to learn there was a sequel. Even more of a thrill when the PR company reached out and asked if I was available to review QOK. Um, how fast could I say yes?! That the publishing of the review has netted me an invite to meet with the director, Gene Pope, in L.A. for dinner, plus an Instagram shoutout from one of the lead actresses, and a lovely email from the costume designer has had me on a much-needed reaffirming cloud nine! While the goal in creating art is to nourish our own spirits, we all also love being seen – and I highly recommend you see both the King & Queen of Knives. This hilarious “crappy family” will stick with you, in heartache and laughter, much like our real-life relatives and friends. Thanks to the King of Knives crew for including me in all the fun! I’ve got my fingers crossed that this will be a trilogy.

That’s it for this week, my friends. A little overwhelmed with our news today, so this is short, sweet, and hopefully still a fun read. Hugs until next time! xo

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Meanwhile, I'm wishing you the confidence of: drug-fueled celebs partying on the bathroom floor of the Met Gala. Couture meets tile? Live bold, you filthy trend setters!