Harvey All Banger

David McCandless, probably the world’s greatest information designer, is back in the UK for an unmissable talk. David will use beautiful graphics and his own brand of performance journalism to reveal invisible but sometimes hilarious stories in the world around us. London SW1, Thurs 9th Nov, 6.45pm. Get 10% off all tickets with code POPBITCH.

[Book at How To Academy]

“I sat Eric down and said: ‘I’m going to teach you three very, very important letters for when you get your first girlfriend’ and I said: ‘It’s NDA'” – Simon Cowell

Free newsletter every Thursday subscribe

Email stories to us [email protected]

* Charles Harder rides again!

* Tom Hardy’s Kabulshit

* Charts: Sam Smith probably still No.1

>> Copy control <<

PRs vs Journos, pt 783

Celebrity copy approval has become a rather hot topic this week, thanks to the fallout from Clare Balding’s PR people supposedly trying to make changes to an interview in Saga magazine.
It’s definitely a problem (it’s actually a big part of the reason we started Popbitch back in 1999) but it seems that a lot of journalists have been very keen to lambast the PR side of the problem without doing much in the way of soul-searching about the wider issue. And, arguably, that’s the juicier story.
It’s a little too complicated to deal with properly in the mailout, so we’ve written up our more extensive thoughts on what else could possibly be desecrating the sacred art of celebrity interviews here…
[Read on Popbitch]

We told you the Olsen twins say “prunes” to look right in photos; in Alan Clark’s diaries he says he used to say “brush” for the same reason.

>> About Face <<

Interview reverse ferret

A propos of the Baldingate copy approval fiasco, the reverse happened at The Face in the 1980s. Nick Logan sent Fiona Russell Powell out to perform an unsisterly hatchet job on Paula Yates. Unfortunately for Nick, Fiona and Paula ended up getting on like a house on fire – and the resulting interview reflected that.
So Logan spiked it.

Tim Westwood is exactly 33 years older than the reunified Germany (3rd Oct 1957/1990).

>> Big Questions <<

Who’s asking what this week?

Football authorities are just about managing to bat down the flames of a scandalous story about somebody’s “inappropriate conduct” – but are they going to be able to keep on top of it if it emerges that the “conduct” in question was a threesome with two 17 year-olds?

MSNBC’s Stephanie Rule has clarified her position on the latest Trump story: “My source didn’t say Tillerson called Trump a ‘moron’. My source said he called Trump a ‘fucking moron’.”

>> Harvey all banger <<

Harder to the rescue again

Rumblings from across the pond suggest that movie supremo Harvey Weinstein is about to attract some rather unfavourable attention, as the New York Times has some ‘bombshell’ stories lined up about his sexual behaviour.
Harvey doesn’t appear to be taking any chances with this and has already retained America’s media lawyer of the moment, Charles Harder. Harder represented Hulk Hogan in his case against Gawker, Melania Trump in her case against the Daily Mail, and (perhaps most usefully for Harvey) Fox News’s Roger Ailes – a man who sexually assaulted so many people it practically killed him.
It’s a well-known adage in Hollywood that young starlets in Weinstein Productions “don’t go through Harvey; Harvey goes through them” – but what we’re most interested in is the detail that some of the women prepared to speak out about this are doing so on record.
In particular, we wonder if anyone’s put their name to the old story of the famous actress who was a big enough name to be able to refuse to shag Weinstein for a part, but still had to endure Weinstein tugging himself off onto her leg as a compromise?

Nominative Determinism of the week: The judge overseeing a legal case about a sexting barrister last week… Sir John Thomas!

>> Our tribute <<

Your weekly dose of Yentob

At the Royal Television Society awards a few years back, the RTS showed a “Tribute to Alan Yentob” video segment during the bash, which featured a number of the industry’s finest all eulogising about how great Alan Yentob is.
What those at the awards who watched it would not have been aware of is that the piece was produced by… Alan Yentob.

Looking for a weekend break? Record number of Brits have signed up for Irish passports, so go to Ireland and see what all the fuss is about. Travelzoo have brilliant deals right now including:

2-night holiday in Dublin from £79pp! [See offer]

2-night break in Donegal from £109 [More info]

3-night luxury trip to Dublin £159pp [Book here]

>> Kabulshit <<

Hardy’s gun control

Last week we told you that Tom Hardy is boasting to people that he’s been recruited by the SAS to help defend the country if shit ever seriously goes down (and who are we to argue?) – but if it is true, it seems he’s still got some critical training to complete.
Hardy was out in Kabul with a couple of ex-SAS guys to research for his part in the film Samarkand (he’s set to play a special forces soldier returning from a tour of Afghanistan).
The SAS lads were under one very strict instruction: at absolutely no point was Tom Hardy allowed to be left anywhere near the guns…

Christian Slater has started rehearsals for the West End revival of Glengarry Glen Ross. He brings his dog, Fish (a very nervous mongrel) everywhere he goes.

>> Cohen’s hotline <<

Presidential access

Danny Cohen, the ex-BBC controller, has been a consistent and vocal anti-Trump critic on Twitter, recently pointing out that if Trump had been running a public company the Board would have demanded his removal by now, saying that the chaos and incompetence would not be acceptable.
Rather than telling his Twitter followers though, maybe Danny should consider having this conversation with his boss at Access Industries, Len Blavatnik, instead.
Len is one of the handful of US billionaires bankrolling Trump’s legal defence fund against the FBI’s Russia investigation. And gave him $1m towards his inauguration.

Lose Weight Without Willpower: Popbitch readers have been loving Slimpod… “It’s as if something has reached in and turned down the volume on my appetite. It’s a much more natural way of losing weight than a diet. Simply life-changing!” The promo code GOPOPBITCH will get you 20% off any programme.

[Visit thinkingslimmer.com]

>> Bookmaker <<

Shipman’s solo logrolling

The Sunday Times’ Political Editor, Tim Shipman, had a byline on the front page of this past weekend’s edition; a story about how the Queen was furious about being ‘misled’ by Theresa May in the run-up to the Queen’s speech.Six paragraphs down, Tim wrote “Details of the chaotic post-election period are contained in a new book, Fall Out: A Year of Political Mayhem, serialised in The Sunday Times today”.
“A” new book, Tim? Come, come! No need to be so modest. We’re sure lot of hard work and effort went into writing it. So next time you attempt to plug it on the front page of the paper, be proud! Write “my” new book.

Noel Gallagher is touring with High Flying Birds. He STILL puts up a Man City flag in his dressing room.

>> Self-made in Chelsea <<

Working the red carpet

The new series of Made In Chelsea will feature a new character, Charlie Mills, brought in to ruffle a few feathers.One of the ways Charlie has improved his profile over the last few years is by attending film premieres, wandering up the barriers on the red carpet and taking a selfie with the crowds of strangers behind him – then captioning it with something along the lines of “Just hanging out with my fans!”
FYI: TV producers make much of the fact that his ancestors had a small bank. Less so that his family money has more to do with the invention of the magic mop.

Update on Paul Cattermole’s S Club e-bay listings – his Levi’s short sleeved shirt went for £9 this week.

>> House Odds <<

Bettor the devil you know

While the betting industry waits on the government’s delayed adjudication on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs), it’s lobbying hard. Their greatest friend in the house? Tory men’s rights freak, Philip Davies.
Davies is already under fire for taking £5k+ hospitality in the last year from Ladbrokes, Coral and William Hill. But industry figures say he’s got a much sweeter deal with Ladbrokes.
Davies is a big fan of each-way betting. The kind of bets where those with certain information can make rather tidy sums here and there.
Because of that, bookmakers are deeply suspicious of these types of gamblers. In fact, if you make a couple of sporadic but highly successful bets on E/W stakes, your account will get shut down pretty quickly.
Not Philip though. For some reason, he got to keep his.

Mat Ewins is at Soho Theatre with his Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated Indiana Jones inspired hour of supreme silliness. Exclusive discount for Popbitch readers – get £5 off with code CUPLATE

[Book at Soho Theatre]

>> Hmmms <<

Danan, McVey, Young Sheldon

Squeaky boy swallows a balloon piece

[See the video on NZ Herald]
Paul Danan’s in charge of the greatest supergroup ever

[Read on Metro]
Esther McVey is selling her house

[View on BFL]
Good review of Young Sheldon in the Rochester student paper…

[See on Twitter]
Local news of the week (with an excellent pun headline)

[Read on The Courier]
Returning to his childhood home town, Tom McRae adds a date to the end of his sell out tour in Stowmarket on 27th October at The John Peel Centre.

[Tickets at John Peel Centre]

Thanks to: JC, DJR, SW, scousenorm, SH, AW, AR, kerching, JG, AC, JS, shardster, SA, J, gentlemanthug, bobbifleckmann

Old Jokes Home:

Q/ What kind of bee can never be understood?

A/ A mumble-beeStill Bored?

Think America is on the verge of tightening its gun laws? Well, you can still book M4/Beretta shooting packages in Las Vegas for kids aged 10-17. So probably not.

[Machinegunsvegas.com]

Fancy Another?