For decades, the United Kingdom has presented itself as a model of democratic maturity. Procedural. Measured. Governance by pragmatic norms rather than overblown theatrics. Even its scandals arrive packaged and presented with a polite veneer.  However, now that reputation functions less as an admirable virtue than as subterfuge and camouflage. The UK has become a case study in how a liberal democracy can fracture silently, outsource devastating cruelty to the mostly tabloid press, and erode minority protections while smugly congratulating itself on restraint. It is a mistake to view Brexit as merely a referendum outcome. It was a cataclysmic structural event that rewired British politics, possibly forever. It normalized grievance as a governing force, degraded public trust in expertise, and created an unyielding state of cultural agitation. The economic damage is no mystery. It has unfolded exactly as the critics predicted: reduced growth, trade friction, labor shortages, and a con...

Welcome, music sloots to another edition of Manor Music Monday, today by way of a San Francisco gal with incredible talent and understated class, a combo we don't see much in performers these days of any ilk, if at all. Better still, she's still truckin' at age 86. And though it's wintertime, her music will bring back summer. Just listen and you'll feel the heat, the light humidity, a chill band and her freshly reviving voice. Also, San Francisco must have something in the water, because so many terrific jazz vocalists seem to hail from there. It can't be a coincidence. Case in point, Mary Stallings, born in 1939 in the city, the middle child of 11 siblings. Get this: she's also the niece of saxophonist Orlando Stallings, who introduced her to jazz when she was just a wee one after overhearing her scatting to Dizzy Gillespie's "Oop-Bop-Sh'bam." She performed briefly with Uncle Orlando's band and with her church, and while she was still...

  Naya Rivera - American actress, singer and model - (1987-2020) Nathan Gamble - American actor - 28 Zayn Malik - British singer - 33 Georgia May Jagger - British model and designer - 34 Pixie Lott - English singer-songwriter, actress and former ballet dancer - 35 Andrew Lawrence - American actor, singer, podcaster and filmmaker - 38 Deena Nicole Cortese - American media personality - 39 Issa Rae - American actress, writer and producer - 41 Sam Richardson - American actor, comedian, writer and producer - 42 Shawn Desman - Canadian singer-songwriter, dancer and choreographer - 44 Amerie - American singer-songwriter - 46 Jeremy Camp - American singer-songwriter - 48 Hannah Gadsby - Australian comedian, writer and actor - 48 Melanie C - English singer-songwriter and DJ - 52 Raekwon - American rapper - 56 Rachael Harris - American actress and comedian - 58 Raf Simons - Belgian fashion designer - 58 Vendela Thomessen - Norwegian-Swedish model, tv host and actress - 59 Alexandra ...

Loud logo overload and aggressive “dupe” flexing, turning people into ambulatory billboards for sweatshop fast fashion that trashes the planet while pretending it’s ironic Endless Y2K necromancy: ultra low-rise jeans, visible thongs, unbuttoned pants, micro shorts — dragged back from the dead despite most bodies, climates, and basic dignity declining the invitation.  TikTok stunt cycles that gamify injury, poisoning, and arrest (NyQuil chicken, aerosol inhaling, car theft) and then act shocked when hospitals get involved “Blackout” and Benadryl challenges, where teens choke or overdose for clout, rebranding actual danger as engagement Cold plunges, IV drips, bone broth bars, and hyper-aesthetic wellness clubs mutating into luxury status symbols that cost more than actual medical care  Colostrum powders and animal-derived “liquid gold” supplements marketed as gut and skin miracles, with a marketing budget vastly outpacing the science Wellness influencers hawking extreme biohack...

  Denny Greene - American singer, member of Sha Na Na - (1949-2015) Cody Simpson - Australian singer, actor and swimmer - 29 Lil Twist - American rapper - 33 Jason Wahler - American tv personality - 39 Rachel Riley - British tv presenter - 40 Aja Naomi King - American actress - 41 Jamelia - British singer, actor and tv personality - 45 Devin Ratray - American actor - 49 Nadia Turner - American singer-songwriter, actress and media personality - 49 Rockmond Dunbar - American actor - 53 Amanda Peet - American actress - 54 Marc Blucas - American actor - 54 Mary J. Blige - American singer-songwriter and actress - 55 Tom Rowlands - English musician, member of The Chemical Brothers - 55 Kyle Richards - American actress, socialite and tv personality - 57 Tom Dumont - American musician and producer - 58 Kim Coles - American actress and comedian - 64 Vicki Peterson - American musician and songwriter - 68 Robert Earl Keen - American singer-songwriter and entertainer - 70 Phyllis Logan...

Credit: NBC via Getty images Our first Shitbag of December is Quentin Tarantino. The foot-lovin' director sure put his foot in his mouth earlier this month when he decided to rag on Paul Dano for seemingly no reason. Tarantino was interviewed on Bret Easton Ellis's podcast where he shared his top 20 films of the 21st century. He discussed Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood , whereby he said that the film was ruined by Paul Dano's performance in the role of Eli Sunday. The director said that Dano is "the weakest male actor in SAG" and "the limpest dick in the world." Yeesh! Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard also caught strays, with Tarantino saying that he "doesn't care for" them. Many celebrities came out to defend Dano, including Ben Stiller, Colleen Foy, Joh Gad and even Alec Baldwin. Tarantino has not made any further comments. Credit: Jimmy Fontaine/New York Times Next up is Judi Dench. The 91-year old actress recently did an ...

Source: Bettmann We've all had moments when our clothing has betrayed us: a skirt tucked into our underwear, a nasty breeze hitting us at the worst possible time. But not all wardrobe mishaps are equal. Have you ever had a particularly embarrassing malfunction? Or seen someone else have one? Expose yours below!

  Michael Schenker - German guitarist, leader of MSG - 71 Abbey Clancy - English model and tv personality - 40 Keyshia Ka’Oir - Jamaican musical artist - 41 Alex Meraz - American actor and martial artist - 41 Valerie June - American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist - 44 Janelle Pierzina - American reality tv personality - 46 Sarah Shahi - American actress - 46 Cash Warren - American film producer - 47 Brent Smith - American singer-songwriter, member of Shinedown - 48 Jemaine Clement - New-Zealander actor, comedian, musician and filmmaker - 52 Ana Bárbara - Mexican singer - 55 Trini Alvarado - American actress - 59 Julie Moran - American journalist, tv host and sportscaster - 64 Evan Handler - American actor - 65 Gurinder Chadha - Kenyan-born Indo-British film director - 66 Shawn Colvin - American singer-songwriter and musician - 70 Pat Benatar - American singer-songwriter - 73 Bobby Rahal - American race car driver - 73 Scott Thurston - American guitarist and keybo...

1920

  Paolo Nutini - Scottish singer-songwriter and musician - 39 Lottie Moss - English fashion model - 28 Nicola Peltz - American actress - 31 Nina Dobrev - Canadian actress - 37 Nicola Coughlan - Irish actress - 39 Kate Middleton - British, member of The Firm, Princess of Wales - 44 Chad Johnson - American former football player - 48 A.J. McLean - American singer, dancer, actor and founding member of Backstreet Boys - 48 Maggie Rizer - American model and AIDS related causes and Operation Smile activist - 48 Omari Hardwick - American actor - 52 Angela Bettis - American actress, film producer and director - 53 Julie Chrisley - American tv personality - 53 Sean Paul - Jamaican rapper and singer - 53 Angie Martinez - American radio personality, podcaster, entrepreneur, former rapper, actress - 55 Tommy The Clown - American dancer - 57 Joey Lauren Adams - American actress and director - 58 Dave Matthews - American musician, singer-songwriter, record producer - 59 Haddaway - Trinidad...

 

  David Bowie - English singer-songwriter, musician actor and visual artist - (1947-2016) Gia Giudice - American tv personality - 25 Noah Cyrus - American singer and actress - 26 Ryan Destiny - American actress, singer and songwriter - 31 Allison Harvard - American model, artist, actress and internet personality - 38 Cynthia Erivo - English actress and singer - 39 Daphne Joy - Filipina model, actor, host and entrepreneur - 39 Freddie Stroma - British actor - 39 Peng Shuai - Chinese former professional tennis player - 40 Gaby Hoffmann - American actress - 44 Genevieve Padalecki - American actress - 45 Rachel Nichols - American actress and model - 46 Sam Riley - English actor and singer - 46 Sarah Polley - Canadian filmmaker, writer and retired actress - 47 Amber Benson - American actress, writer, director and producer - 49 Jenny Lewis - American singer-songwriter, musician and actress - 50 Josh Meyers - American actor and comedian - 50 Jeremy Spencer Heyde - American musician -...

   ► Long forgotten C-list Disney actress and wannabe singer, Ashley Tisdale (40) is causing quite the ruckus with an essay she wrote for The Cut. In it she torched a toxic Hollywood mom group she was part of. Ashley joined the waspy den back in 2021 after the birth of her first spawn. Internet sleuths suspect Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, and Meghan Trainor as some of the celeb moms in the group. Um, being part of group with Meghan Trainor is a big NOPE. Meghan has boasted her bathroom has his & her toilets next to each other so she can feel closer her husband. Or some nonsense like that. I wrote about that a while back.  At first, things were going swell with the group. I imagine a Hollywood mom group pawns off the kids to nannies so they can enjoy an afternoon of drinking mimosas and compare plastic surgeries. Things started to go south for Ashley when the moms began to exclude her and posting photos of their outings. She said she felt "frozen out".  Ashley w...

That was a TRAVESTY! And Jerry Lewis as emcee? He was even worse than Bob Hope usually is . Oh well, no point in crying over spilled half and half.  C'mon, hop inside my parents' new 1956 Mercury (it's painted in "2-Tone" colors!) and we can swing by the drive-thru and get a couple chocolate malts and split an order of onion rings while we watch Ed Sullivan. The Five Satins are going to be on, and we can watch and chat and laugh about whatever's going on in our lives at school or at work, just like an Open Post or something! Photo Credit: AK