NEWS FROM BBS: July 2015

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Royal fans gather for Princess Charlotte christening

London (AFP) - Crowds gathered outside Queen Elizabeth II's country residence on Sunday for the christening of Britain's baby Princess Charlotte, who it was announced will have five godparents.

Early risers, many wearing Union Jack-printed clothing, braved the wet conditions and set up camp outside Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, ahead of the 4:30pm (1530 GMT) service.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual head of the world's Anglicans, will perform the baptism, which involves pouring holy water from the River Jordan on two-month-old Charlotte's head.

The fourth-in-line to the throne is expected to wear a replica of the lace and satin christening gown made for queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841.

The low-key ceremony will take place in the Church of St Mary Magdalene, close to Anmer Hall, the secluded mansion where William and Kate are bringing up their two children away from the glare of the media.

Three future kings -- Charles, William and George -- will attend the ceremony, which will be performed using a font from Victoria's reign.

Other guests will include the 89-year-old queen and her husband Prince Philip, plus Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.

William and Kate announced early Sunday that Charlotte -- fourth in line to the throne -- would have five godparents, including William's cousin Laura Fellowes and Kate's cousin Adam Middleton.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have said they want their children to have relatively normal upbringings and have closely guarded their privacy.

The low-key christening is in sharp contrast to their lavish 2011 wedding, which was shown live across the world, and to the media frenzy surrounding the birth of their children.

Though the service was to be conducted behind closed doors, it will be documented by celebrity photographer Mario Testino, who was close to Diana and took some of the most famous shots of her in 1997.

Members of the public will be allowed to stand outside the church to see the royals going in and out.

This will be the second time the public will catch a glimpse of the new princess after she appeared with her parents on the steps of St Mary's Hospital in London after her birth on May 2.

News source : Yahoo

KStewart Channels Her Inner Kate Middleton In Flawless Wireless Set

KStewart performed at Wireless on Saturday, and it would seem she’d taken some style inspiration from none other than Kate Middleton.

Taking to the stage, the 20-year-old singer looked more like K-Middy than KStew, opting for the Duchess Of Cambridge’s second most iconic outfit of all time.

Well, she wasn’t going to don a full-blown wedding dress in this heat, was she?

No, the ‘Keeping You Up All Night’ singer donned a sheer paneled dress akin to that famously worn by Kate in a 2002 university charity fashion show.

Royal comparisons aside, KStewart (real name Kate - coincidence?!) wowed fans with an energetic and thoroughly on point performance proving that she is indeed one to watch over the upcoming months.

Last year, the singer scored her first top five single when she featured as lead vocals on Oliver Heldens’ ‘Last All Night (Koala)’.

Well from what we’ve seen today, it won’t be long before KStewart bothers the charts all by herself.

Watch some of KStewart’s set below:

News source : Yahoo

Obama speechwriter reveals secret same-sex marriage at White House

During a special presentation of the popular live storytelling podcast “The Moth Radio Hour” at this year’s Aspen Ideas festival, former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett shared a story about how, years before gay marriage would become legal nationwide, he secretly performed a same-sex marriage at the White House.

“I went into politics for the reasons most people do: ambition, self-righteousness, and a desire to help others,” Lovett said, according to a writeup in Saturday’s Playbook. If you’ve spent any time in Washington, you know that the desire to help others is optional, and for members of Congress, it’s frowned upon.”

Lovett, who also previously served as Hillary Clinton’s speechwriter during her time in the Senate as well as her first presidential campaign, worked for President Obama for three years before leaving Washington for Hollywood in 2011. He co-created the short-lived NBC comedy “1600 Penn,” became a producer on HBO’s “The Newsroom” and is currently working on a new politically minded series for Showtime.

“I remembered that I worked at the White House, and I could give tours any time I want,” Lovett recalled in Aspen. So he decided to use that privilege to carry out a supersecret operation: performing a first same-sex marriage at the White House.

“Steve and Justin and I walked through the double doors into the ground floor of the West Wing, past the Situation Room, down the hall past the offices of the [National Security Council], up the stairs by the Cabinet room and the Oval Office, through the doors of the Colonnade that connect the offices of the West Wing to the stately rooms of the residence, and we turned right down the stone path that jutted into the Rose Garden, and then I said, ‘Steve, do you take Justin to be your lawfully wedded husband? And Justin, do you take Steve?’”

“We were very nervous. They were nervous because they were getting married. I was nervous because I snuck into my boss’ house to perform a wedding against his wishes in his backyard,” he said. “You can say what you will about the first same-sex marriage at the White House, at the very least, it was quite rude.”

“They kissed modestly,” he continued. “And then I filed the paperwork — the only real evidence that this took place, because I had to list the address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”

News source : Yahoo

Taylor Swift And Calvin Harris' July 4th Weekend Photos Make Sparks Fly

The sparks flying between Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris might be all the fireworks you need this weekend.

The couple started Fourth of July celebrations early, partying it up with friends on Friday. Showing everyone was getting in the holiday spirit, Swift shared an adorable photo of her getting a piggyback ride from Harris with the caption, "Friendly relations between Scotland and America":

Harris also joined in on the fun, posting a cute pic of Swift showing off her grilling skills:

Gigi Hadid, the ladies of Haim, Victoria's Secret model Martha Hunt and "Empire" star Serayah were just a few of the gal pals who joined Swift at the party. At one point, they lifted off into the air with red and blue towels, which seems so patriotic that squad jumps should probably replace the national anthem at the start of baseball games:

Then they just chilled out in the water because being that patriotic is hard work:
Hadid even shared a photo with the caption, "star spangled blondies."

Swift has been all over the place lately, from rocking the stage at her 1989 tour to even taking boat rides with Harris and Joe Jonas, but the singer still makes sure she has time for her squad.