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“I’m quite consistent with my vibes” – Maya Jama |
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Email stories to us hello@popbitch.com
* Dolly’s lawyer love notes
* Farage’s five-day old farts
* PLUS: More from the medicine cabinet |
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| >> Heated debate << |
| A show of naked ambition |
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The ITV Leaders’ Debate on Tuesday was a fairly unedifying spectacle, but we should take solace in the fact that it could have been worse. Much, much worse.
The studio it was filmed in? HQ2 at Dock10, Salford Media City. The same one that’s usually home to Naked Attraction. |
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| Is Bradley Cooper a secret Queen fan? Neighbours have noticed him using the pseudonym “Mr Fahrenheit” recently. |
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| >> Age watch << |
| Nothing but a number |
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Leonardo di Caprio has famously consistent tastes when it comes to women, chucking his girlfriends the second they reach the ripe old age of 25.
It seems Rupert Murdoch has a weirdly similar penchant. We noted with interest that Rupert’s new wife – retired Russian biologist, Elena Zhukova – is 67.
The exact same age as his fortnight-long fiancée, Ann Lesley Smith. And as his ex-wife, Jerry Hall. |
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| Spotted at the Jane’s Addiction gig at Camden Roundhouse: Courtney Love, flouncing around the VIP bar wanting to be recognised – then getting stroppy when anyone did. |
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| >> Big Questions << |
| More from the medicine cabinet |
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Further to last week’s Big Question about the cabinet member with a fridge stocked with Ozempic: Which cabinet member was “borderline incapacitated” in the latter part of Parliament, lying on their office couch moaning – due to the side effects of Ozempic? |
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[Shop now at Rise & Fall] |
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| >> Nine to fax << |
| Dolly’s lawyer love notes |
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Hidden in W’s recent excellent interview with Miley Cyrus was a fabulous bit of pop trivia: Dolly Parton still uses a fax machine.
Dolly is Miley’s godmother and regularly sends faxes to her. Miley says she makes Dolly send the faxes to her lawyer’s office, as he’s the only person she knows who still has a fax machine. She then pops in to her lawyer every time Dolly says she’s sent one.
It’s usually worth the trip. The last fax Dolly sent to Miley? “How much do I love you? As much as my heart can hold and as far as my arms can reach.”
[Full interview] |
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| Dolly Parton’s Xmas present to Miley last year was a mannequin, made to Dolly’s proportions, wearing one of her outfits. |
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| >> Dishonorific << |
| Missed a mister |
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Trump’s conviction may not yet have cost him his freedom, but it’s cost him his title. A memo went around BBC newsdesks this week informing staff that, after being found guilty on 34 felony charges, he should no longer be referred to as “Mr Trump” in the body of their articles.
The BBC’s style guide prohibits the use of honorifics for convicted criminals, who should only be referred to by their surnames.
Along with ex-cons, this surname-only rule also extends to a rogues’ gallery of other professions, including: athletes, authors, actors, singers, artists – and journalists. |
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| John Bolton: closet Lauryn Hill fan? A NYT piece on KSA this week noted Trump’s former national security adviser was seen in the front row of her gig there this year. |
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| >> Lager top << |
| An extra fizzy pint |
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He might not be welcome at Wetherspoons in Clacton, but Nigel Farage still has one London local where his visits are appreciated. They even have a special glass that’s kept waiting just for him.
Staff at the pub in question stored an empty pint glass behind the bar in anticipation for Farage’s regularly scheduled visits, where all week they would prepare for his arrival by farting into it and covering it with a coaster for the next person.
The landlord didn’t want Farage to be banned outright, but knowing the staff hated him so much, he came up with the special glass as a workaround. They wouldn’t ban Farage from entering their establishment, but they were allowed to serve him up their five day old farts. |
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| Incredible stat in the Observer this week: the 5bn plays Despacito racked up on YouTube in 2018 used the same amount of energy it takes to heat 40,000 US homes for a year. |
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| >> Missing pieces << |
| Love for the Streets |
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Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver’s podcast Miss Me made the papers this week after Miquita fronted up to Lily about the time Lily hooked up with a pop star that Miquita confessed to having a crush on.
We’re not entirely sure why they’ve been so coy about the details though. The story is practically a matter of public record. Lily gave away most of the details in her 2018 autobiography (a mere 12 years after Popbitch first gave you them in July 2006).
To fill in the gaps: the pop star Miquita had “a crush on” was Mike Skinner (though the story used to be that she and he were an item). Lily flew out to Japan behind Miquita’s back to seduce him (at the Fuji Rock Festival). And then – according to Lily’s 2018 recollection – Mike ended up freaking out and ghosting her because he was worried his girlfriend would find out. |
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[Find out more here] |
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| >> Starmer’s stars << |
| Political pop-ulism |
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There’s been a definite Cool Britannia 2.0 feel to this election – and not just because of the prospect of a giant Labour landslide, or the revival of Things Can Only Get Better.
Labour has a few celebrity candidates standing, with Dave from Blur looking to take Mid Sussex, and Tom from Gomez hoping to nick Brighton Pavilion off the Greens.
But that’s not where the pop connections stop. Acting as special advisor to Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves… former Clean Bandit violinist, Neil Amin-Smith! |
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| Olly Murs’ dad was a toolmaker, just like Keir Starmer’s. |
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| >> Black/out << |
| Nonce upon a time |
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We had no idea Black Lace were held in such high esteem by so much of the press but reading this week’s obituaries to Colin Gibb (a.k.a. Colin Routh) it’s clear they must have been.
Back in the 80s, Col found himself up in court for having sex with an underage fan. He admitted to it, was handed a suspended sentence and fined £200. Yet almost every obit that ran this week neglected to mention that fairly noteworthy detail.
Normally the papers take any chance they can to remind us that 70s/80s pop culture was awash with sex offenders. They only ever gloss over accusations like that if you’re a credible rock star.
Guess we’ll have to re-evaluate Agadoo… |
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| Black Lace’s hit Superman was written by Claudio Simonetti, better known for soundtracking Suspiria, Dawn of The Dead – and a bunch of other horror movies from the 70s and 80s. |
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| >> Bad news << |
| Where there’s a Will… |
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Looks like history might be repeating for former News UK pariah Will Lewis – now that he’s CEO of the Washington Post.
The media company has been thrown into turmoil since he announced his plan to split the WaPo newsroom into three: news, opinion and a mysterious entity he’s calling “The Third Newsroom”. Current editor Sally Buzbee immediately quit and remaining staff are unhappy – a set-up Will’s former London colleagues will recognise all too well.
When he was at News UK, he created the concept of a “Fifth Newsroom”: something that was supposed to exist beyond the company’s four newsrooms (the Sun, News Of The World, Times and Sunday Times) to deal with “innovation”. Alas, nothing ever really came of it.
The Fifth Newsroom did end up with a physical, bricks-and-mortar space though. Given all the bad blood he generated by dobbing in a bunch of News UK journalists in the phone-hacking saga, Will couldn’t actually work safely in the News UK office. So had to work out of a separate office, across the river Thames.
FYI: Amusingly, the NYT is now reporting Buzbee’s resignation was partially due to… Will’s alleged role in the phone-hacking scandal. |
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| Thanks to: RL, CM, theimpishscribe, JH, RB, RS, AW, HH, deep_stoat, monstris, stoneage_romeo, TB, M, J |
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Old Jokes Home
My therapist says I have a preoccupation with vengeance.
We’ll see about that.
Still Bored?
Radio Popbitch: There’s an abundance of brilliant tracks made by off-beat pop girlies this summer. Here’s some of our office favourites…
[Quirky Girl-Pop Summer ’24] |
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