Earlier this year, a big fuss was made over the fact that Mercedes had hired Kate Upton for a 60 second Super Bowl commercial—despite the fact that she didn’t have a drivers license. Upton took to Twitter to correct the record, as she is in fact a legal driver. Apparently, she didn’t need to be. Today, we got a sneak peak of the ad. And Upton isn’t driving the car: she’s washing it. In slow motion. In kind of a dumpy outfit. Or is that just me? [Washington Post]
What do you think of this one?
By Kate Torgovnick
I would like to wish Kate Moss a very, very happy birthday. The supermodel—and one of patron saints of this website—turned 39 yesterday. How did she celebrate her birthday? With a trip to the pub with hubby Jamie Hince.
To Moss, the only woman who can work sequins and glitter at the same time. Love Kate, too? Check out Kate-book.com’s favorite of her 32 Vogue covers >>
The first official portrait of Kate Middleton was unveiled on Friday at the National Portrait Gallery. And, well the reactions haven’t been so good so far. Here are some samplings:
“How [has Kate Middleton] been transformed into something unpleasant from the Twilight franchise? The first thing that strikes you about Middleton’s visage as it looms from the sepulchral gloom of her first official portrait is the dead eyes: a vampiric, malevolent glare beneath heavy lids. Then there’s the mouth: a tightly pursed, mean little lip-clench (she is, presumably, sucking in her fangs). And god knows what is going on with the washed-out cheeks: she appears to be nurturing a gobbet of gum in her lower right cheek.” [The Guardian]
“WILLIAM and Kate expressed themselves ‘delighted’ with the Duchess’s first official portrait.Really? I thought it made her look decades older, painting non-existent wrinkles and shadows under the eyes. Our future queen was portrayed in a severe blue blouse with a pussycat bow. It may have been the height of chic for Margaret Thatcher back in 1984 but it made Kate appear to be somebody’s maiden aunt.” [The Sun]
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is only worth two, and neither of them is fit for polite conversation. At least he got her hair right. As one of my friends joked on Twitter, ‘So this whole Kate Middleton thing is a Picture of Dorian Gray scenario, right?’” [Washington Post]
”She’s the most vibrant, photogenic woman in Britain, winning over even the most cynical observers with her sense of style, her broad, open smile and common touch. So artist Paul Emsley has managed quite a feat making the future Queen look like a dowdy 45-year-old. This horrible, soft-lens style painting – which the Duchess emerges from in an almost ghostly way – robs her of any of the sparkle and life she is loved for.” [The Daily Mirror]
By Kate E. Stephenson
Amazon’s Hot 2012 Holiday Music Releases list is quite an eclectic mix of Christmas cheer. Appearing in the top 20 list twice, Welsh lyric mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins takes the title of Holiday Album Queen this year. Her albums This Christmas and My Christmas are collections of caroling classics.
My Christmas harkens to Midnight Mass with hauntingly beautiful interpretations of “O Holy Night”, “Silent Night”, “Hallelujah” and “Ave Maria”.
This Christmas offers a great mix of secular and religious notes. While most of the album is performed in Katherine’s amazing full-bodied operatic voice, Jenkins gets a little slinky in a version of “Santa Baby” that would make Eartha Kitt proud. The album also features my personal favorite “This Christmas (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”.
By Kate Torgovnick
Any day now, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton‘s portrait is set to be unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. And the Daily Mail is already poised to hate it. To stave off inevitable disappointment, the newspaper instead commissioned their own portraits of Kate, asking a variety of artists (and, well, a 4-year-old) to create their own Middleton likenesses.
The image above, created by Malcolm West is by far our favorite. Why? Because it is made of 5,000 jelly —in 20 different flavors. Pink grapefruit was apparently the artist’s favorite for capturing Middleton’s rosy visage. “It’s a fiddly, messy process,” West says of creating the portrait. “But I’m very pleased with the results.”
Us, too.
By Kate Torgovnick
As per usual, it looks like the Kates, Katies, Catherines, and Katys of the world have been mighty busy this week. Here, your weekly roundup of name-specific news.
Stop the presses! Kate Winslet is once again a married woman.
According to the Daily Mail, Winslet tied the knot with boyfriend Ned Rocknroll in a secret service in New York earlier this month. The ceremony was so hush-hush that her parents reportedly had no idea it was happening—apparently the only people to witness the nuptials were Winslet’s children and a handful of friends. Including one Leonardo DiCaprio, who gave Winslet away in the wedding ceremony.
This is Winslet’s third marriage. She said “I do” to Jim Threapleton in 1998. They had a daughter together—Mia—but divorced in 2001. In 2003, Winslet married director Sam Mendes, also in a secret ceremony. Sadly, the pair separated in 2010. They also had one child together, Joe.
Not too, too much is known about Ned Rocknroll. He is the nephew of Richard Branson, and works for his latest venture — Virgin Galactic, which will (maybe soon?) offer flights to space. Born Abel Smith, Rocknroll had just separated from wife Eliza Cowdray when he met Winslet, possibly on the Necker Island trip in which Winslet saved Branson’s mother from a house fire.
Winslet’s spokesperson has confirmed that Winslet is a married woman, and that she and Rocknroll have been engaged since the summer. We wish these two a very happy life together and are secretly hoping that she decides to take his last name. Even if it lacks some hyphens.
The dress may be gone, but your heart will go on, right? At a recent Hollywood auction, actress Kate Winslet‘s stunning black-and-red beaded dress sold for a whopping $330,000. The dress is featured in some of the most memorable scenes in Titanic, like the moment when star-crossed lovers Jack and Rose first meet. The dress, which was designed by costumer Deborah L Scott, supposedly took more than 1,000 hours to sew.
Other high-grossing auction items included Orlando Bloom’s “Legolas Bow” from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and an X-Wing model from the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope.
Kate Moss is very into leopard print on the beach. And she is also apparently very committed to the cause of finding the strangest beach ensemble ever. Last week, she amazed us by combining and neon yellow top and striped bathing suit bottoms with a leopard print belt. But over the weekend, she confused us even more with this retro leopard print bikini — possibly not coordinating — with a floral jacket. Why is she choosing these options for the beach? And what’s up the eyeliner? How does it sat on in the waves?
So, so many questions.
By Kate Torgovnick
It’s been a very busy two weeks. And while it meant that I wasn’t able to bring you the Week in Kate last week, I am making up for it with a special double edition today. It looks like the other Kates, Katies, Catherines and Katys of the world have been equally busy. Here, your roundup of name-specific news from the past two weeks.
By Kaitlin Marie
Kate Winslet is experiencing some reefer madness, and not in a fun way! The Oscar-winning Winslet appeared in a 17-second video clip promoting the film of her boyfriend’s cousin. The film, titled Breaking the Taboo, is a documentary exploring the failure of the current war on drugs and whether or not decriminalizing recreational drug use is a viable option to end it.
While not in the film itself, Winslet, along with a laundry list of celebrities including Sting and Yoko Ono, endorsed the documentary in a short video clip. She is now under fire for supposedly endorsing the legalisation of all drugs.
While it seems clear that Winslet’s involvement was mostly a favor to her boyfriend’s uncle and cousin, the 37-year-old actress’s endorsement of the film is being called “silly and irresponsible” by an anti-cannibas group.
By Kate Torgovnick
Kate Middleton is pregnant. No, for real this time.
St. James Palace announced the news earlier today, confirming that the Duchess of Cambridge is 8 weeks along. Tabloids have been buzzing for weeks that Middleton was pregnant, after her former roommate Jessica Hay claimed it to be true. However, it appears that Hay — who has also claimed to the press that she shared an intimate kiss with Duchess when they were teens — did not have any real insider info and was simply spreading rumors. After all, the tabloids have not been exactly trigger shy in proclaiming Middleton to be with child at the mildest of signs, from her refusing peanut butter to her tummy looking a millimeter away from flat.
So why is the royal family announcing this news before Middleton even crossed the 12 week mark? According to the Daily Mail, Middleton checked into King Edward VII Hospital last night, suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, an acute type of morning sickness. Middleton reportedly started feeling sick this weekend while at her parents’ house. When it became clear that she was severely dehydrated, she and Prince William drove to the hospital rather than call for an ambulance. Prince William stayed at her side while she received a drip to boosts fluids and nutrients.
Doctors at the hospital assure there is “no cause for alarm,” though sources are reporting that hyperemesis gravidarum can last for months. “As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter,” St. James Palace announced.
The royal family is reportedly “delighted with the news” that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are having a baby. Before the announcement was made, there was a mad dash to inform the family, with Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth receiving the news only hours before the world did.
Meanwhile British Prime Minister David Cameron has spilled how he heard about the pregnancy. “I was handed a note in a meeting,” he said. “And I have to say, it was difficult to keep it a secret.”
The Daily News reports that website Ladbrokes has started a betting pool for the baby’s name. Elizabeth is the 8-to-1 favorite if it’s a girl, while Diana has a 12-to-1 advantage. For boys names, many are betting that the couple will go with George or David. Here’s hoping they shock everyone and pick a crazy name. Let me suggest Squeak.
Got a Kate-
