Kate is still looking for a new, full-time nanny

Tags

Jessie Webb, Kate Middleton, Kensington Palace, Nanny, Prince George, Prince William, Royal Duties

I’ve been debating whether to comment on this latest article about Kate looking for a new nanny, because I thought we had already known that.  This is kind of a throwaway post, but the Kate news has been light after the flurry of stuff a few weeks ago, so why not?  Also, there are interesting bits in the article.

So, basics, I guess Kate and William are still looking for a new nanny for George now that Jessie Webb is leaving.  It’s been a month and a half since that news broke, but whatever.  They had planned to go it alone and not have a nanny at all ( 😉 ), but then they hired Jessie Webb on a part-time basis to help when they had royal duties (except that Jessie Webb was chilling with Kate while driving back to KP in Sept.).  Now Jessie Webb is leaving and their royal duties are ramping up (except not really), so they now want a full-time nanny.

I laughed at the line, “but the demands of royal duties seem to be taking their toll.”  What royal duties?  Kate’s done three appearances this year.  She did only about 20 appearances last year after George was born–from July to Dec. so that’s 20 appearances in 6 months, so that’s an average of about 3-4 per month.  It’s not like her “royal duties” are really that heavy or getting in the way of anything–except her shopping and vacations.  But whatever, if they want a nanny, have one.  Just don’t lie about it. I suppose I should take into account that this position is because of the tour in April. They will need a full-time nanny for George while they are in Oz. At least they aren’t taking Carole with them, and getting her trip paid for by the public by calling her the nanny.

Something interesting from the article is that one nanny agency was named, Nannies of St James.  A partner at the company, Rosemary Newton, even talked to the paper.  She didn’t talk about the Cambs, but she did chat to the paper about nanny-ing.

What’s even more interesting is what Kensington Palace had to say:  “We do not discuss personal arrangements, but we are not using Nannies of St James at present, nor do we plan to.”  That’s interesting.  Usually they don’t comment at all, so why are they randomly making a definitive comment about this particular agency? I would think that the nanny agency called the paper to give themselves some PR, except the article doesn’t gloss over their financial struggle in 2008 and overall doesn’t talk them up.  So is KP doth protesting too much, and they are using that agency but they are still shilling the “no nanny” line, or they really aren’t using that agency and the agency is using them for PR and KP wants to shut it down?  But then if they shut down that rumor, which is inconsequential in the long run, why not shut down other more substantial rumors?  Seems a bit weird that they would comment after they said–in the same sentence–that they don’t comment. Things that make you go “Hm…”

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Princess Madeleine named her baby Princess Leonore

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Chris O'Neill, Duchess of Gotland, Princess Leonore, Princess Leonore Lilian Maria, Princess Madeleine, Royal Baby, Swedish Royal Family

The Swedish Royal Baby has a name!  Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill have named their daughter Princess Leonore Lilian Maria, Duchess of Gotland.

She is so beautiful! I like Leonore as a name, it’s pretty. And unique. I haven’t heard of a lot of Leonores.

Photos from the Swedish royal website.  I love that they let the media and bloggers use their photos for free, by the way.  Thanks, Swedish royals!

Pippa talks about her bum in a speech, hires a new PR firm

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Appearances, Carole Middleton, Kate Middleton, New PR Firm, Pippa Middleton, PR, Speech

Pippa Middleton made an appearance at the Women in Advertising and Communications dinner Monday night.  Pips was the keynote speaker, I guess.  She talked about how nervous she was before Will and Kate’s wedding in 2011, and how her dress “fitted a little too well”—she forgot to mention she was probably wearing butt pads, though.  She also talked about the downsides of fame and how the accusations of her famewhoring and cashing in on her royal connection by writing a book and everything else really hurt, and that the negative response to her book has been “difficult”.

The amount of negative press she got for her book would hurt anyone, and I don’t blame her for having a difficult time dealing with it.  The problem is, and where my sympathies end, is that she clearly put so little effort into the book that she should have known she was going to get lambasted for it.  If she had actually spent enough time writing a great book, it would have shut the critics up.  Yes, they still would have said she was cashing in, but they wouldn’t have been able to say her book was terrible if she had actually written it well.

Pips wore a £1,000 black Catherine Deane ‘Simone’ lace panel jersey evening gown.  It’s cute enough, and is appropriate for the event.  Carole accompanied Pips to the dinner.  On one hand, I understand why Pips would want her mother there for moral support, because it was her first public speech.  But on the other hand I just have to roll my eyes that Carole was there, too.  Of course she was, you know.

You know who else was at the dinner with Pips?  Her new PR man, Simon Kelner.  Pippa was dropped by her American publisher, Viking Press, after her book only sold 18,000 copies.  And now she’s hired a new PR firm.  There are two reasons one hires a PR firm, to keep their name in the press, or to keep their name out of the press.  Guess which one Pips is probably looking for?  What Pips really needs is to find a steady job and stop flitting around trying to make a writing career happen.

One guest at the dinner said of Pippa:  “It was the first time she’s made a speech of this kind but you wouldn’t have known it, she was so relaxed. It was unbelievable how open she was – I don’t think anyone was expecting that.  She talked about the royal wedding and her career since. She came across as really grateful for the opportunities but also talked about the pitfalls of her position.”

You know, I would believe that.  I think Pippa is much more confident than Kate and Pippa would probably be a good public speaker.  From the little bit I saw of her speaking to a reporter when she was promoting her book, she seemed natural when speaking.  She used a lot of “ums” and whatnot, but she didn’t come off as stilted or anything.  Kate could definitely take a lesson from Pippa in that area.

Photo from Twitter.

Zara Phillips sold first photos of Mia Tindall to Hello! for £150,000

Tags

Hello Magazine, Mia Grace Tindall, Mia Tindall, Mike Tindall, Peter Phillips, Royal Baby, Scandal, Zara Phillips

I guess now we know why we didn’t get a photo of Mia Tindall a month ago when they said they were going to release one…. Zara chose to sell her baby’s first photo to Hello mag instead. She reportedly sold them for £150,000, or about a quarter of a million dollars.

Zara’s publicist denied they would use Mia’s birth to make money, and then they sold the first photos to Hello. Apparently the Palace was not aware of the deal prior to it and the Palace spokesperson refused to comment on it. That’s interesting. Zara’s brother Peter sold his wedding photos to Hello, including a photo featuring the Queen, for £500,000. Apparently the Queen was deeply unhappy with that decision and other Senior Royals said they felt “betrayed” by it. So I’m guessing the Queen won’t like Zara’s decision. A source close to Zara insisted “she and Mike had agreed to the deal as ‘international sporting figures’ rather than members of the Royal Family.” Here’s the thing, Zara IS a member of the Royal Family (whether the Palace’s press officers want to acknowledge that or not). She may not be an HRH, but she is the Queen’s granddaughter and 15th in line to the throne. If she wasn’t, Hello mag wouldn’t have bought the photos in the first place. Yes, Zara is an Olympian, and Mike is a rugby player, but I highly doubt they would have landed a cover and a paycheck if they were not members of the RF. Surely they would not have gotten the same coverage, the public wouldn’t care as much.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I understand it, because a lot of celebs sell their baby’s first photos to a mag, but on the other hand it kind of diminishes my view of Zara and Mike that they went that route. I would have thought, since they’re so “low key”, that they would have posted a photo on social media. Or done an official press release to release the photo that way. It kind of makes me think they really wanted the attention having a mag cover gets them, you know. And the money doesn’t hurt. And I’m pretty sure they’re keeping the money. A source close to Zara said: “I think Zara understands there will be a level of criticism directed at her but she clearly felt this was the best way to approach the level of interest in Mia and, of course, provide for her future. [emphasis KMR]” Yeah, they’re totally keeping the money. I’m sure there will be people who think Zara and Mike should donate the money they got to charity, but I can’t really begrudge them if they keep it. If they put it in a trust or some type of savings account for Mia’s college or something, then I’m cool with that. By the way, and I’m not trying to be rude here, how much of an interest in Mia was there outside of the royal watching circle? Was there some huge interest that warranted selling the photos to a mag? I don’t know, like I said, I don’t think they would have gotten the cover/paycheck if she wasn’t a royal.

What this action does, though, is prove that Zara wants attention, and that she isn’t as “low key” as she wanted us to think. She may have had an NHS birth and may not have a full time nanny, but she likes having her picture taken. The Mail has a list of all the times Zara and the Phillips’ have appeared in Hello. It’s quite a few. I don’t think it’s as “tawdry” as some royal reporters were saying, but it definitely makes me rethink my view of Zara and Mike.

Some tidbits that came out with the picture: *Zara used an epidural. I’m glad she came out and said that. There are so many celeb women who claim they didn’t use one, and then throw it in the faces of women that do, and that’s total BS. Good for Zara for not being ashamed of admitting it. If a women wants an epidural, she can damn well have an epidural and there is no shame in it, and it doesn’t somehow make her “less than” for having it. *They hired a maternity nurse for the first few days before they got the hang of parenting. Again, good for them for admitting it. There is no shame in wanting a nurse to help (if you can afford it and clearly they can, what with the £150,000 😉 ), just don’t lie about it–side eye to Kate Middleton.

Do we want to actually talk about the photo? I would have liked to see her hold the baby. I’m sure there are better pictures in the 13 page spread, but whoever chose the cover photo didn’t chose wisely, in my opinion.

Photo from Twitter.

Princess Madeleine leaves the hospital + Princess Estelle’s second b-day

Tags

Chris O'Neill, Princess Estelle, Princess Madeleine, Royal Baby

Princess Madeleine and her little girl have left the hospital.  Still no name yet, but that should be announced shortly.  King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited Madeleine and the baby in New York, and Victoria and Daniel are going to go visit soon.  Here are some photos posted to Madeleine’s Facebook and the video of the press conference Chris O’Neill gave after the birth.  Also, yesterday was Princess Estelle’s 2nd birthday.  She is so adorable.  Estelle and her little cousin have birthdays only a few days apart.  I’m wondering if that’s cute or not.  I think it’s sweet, but then I could see why the children might not like having birthdays so close as they get older. Anyway, enjoy the adorableness.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden gave birth to a girl!

Tags

Birth, Chris O'Neill, Daughter, Princess Madeleine, Royal Baby, Swedish Royal Family

Congratulations are in order for Princess Madeleine of Sweden and husband Chris O’Neill.  They welcomed a daughter on Thursday, February 20 at 10:41 pm EST.  She was born in New York at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.  Chris was there during the delivery.  Mother and child are doing well.

This is excellent news.  Congratulations to Madeleine and Chris!  I can’t wait to hear the name.  I’m always interested in the name.  I hope we get some pictures, too.

By the way, Madeleine’s baby girl might not be in the line of succession.  I didn’t know any of this prior to reading this article, so I’m going to quote directly:

According to the rules of succession, a king or queen in Sweden must be a descendant of Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, be raised in the kingdom, be protestant, and is not allowed to marry without the king’s and government’s approval.

O’Neill, who was born in London, maintained his US citizenship following his marriage to Princes Madeleine. If their child only takes US citizenship, she cannot be included in the line of succession.

Their child would also be barred from ascending to the Swedish throne if she doesn’t grow up in Sweden or if she is raised Catholic, the religion of her father.

Madeleine’s daughter would be quite far down in the line of succession anyway, behind Victoria and all of her children, and Carl Philip and all of his children, so I don’t think it will really matter all that much, but it is still interesting facts that I didn’t know.

Anyway, congratulations again to Madeleine and Chris!

Edward and Sophie took a private jet on holiday: scandal or no big deal?

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Countess of Wessex, Earl of Wessex, James, Kate Middleton, Lady Louise Windsor, Middletons, Pippa Middleton, Prince Edward, Prince William, Private Jet, Skiing, Sophie, Switzerland, Vacation, Viscount Severn

Call Olivia Pope, y’all, it’s the Edward and Sophie private plane SCANDAL!  Lol, just kidding.  But this article is trying to make it a big deal.  It even compares Edward and Sophie to William and Kate and says how great Will and Kate are because they took a budget airline the last time they went skiing and Edward and Sophie hired a private jet to take their family on vacation to Switzerland.

I was thinking about this, and if it were Will and Kate, we’d all probably be pissed at them for wasting money and blah blah blah.  Yet with Edward and Sophie, I’m kind of just meh about the situation.  So either I should chill when it comes to the Cambridges or I need to be more upset when it comes to the Wessexes (grammatically, is that how I pluralize Wessex?).  I don’t want to be a hypocrite like William.  So here it goes… how dare you Wessexes for taking a private jet to fly your family on vacation!  *Shakes fist in the air*

In all seriousness, I wonder who pays for their private jet and security.  I don’t think the public pays for their security.  Wasn’t it taken away from them and the Yorks and others a while back?  I guess someone pays out of pocket for that.  They get money from the Queen to fund their offices for their charity work and royal duties—the Queen’s money she pays them with comes from the Duchy of Lancaster, which technically is owned by the state and the Queen is paid from the revenue profits.  I guess the Queen pays for them to live and work.  It’s not like they have any other income.

You know, I know that Edward’s venture into TV production didn’t work out (and he apparently caused a scandal involving Will and Charles got mad) and Sophie had a scandal regarding her work in PR a number of years ago (before they both quit their jobs to focus on royal duties), but at least Sophie had a proper job before she married Edward and at least Edward tried to have a career apart from living off of his mother.  Edward gets made fun of for failing in his career venture, but at least he tried.  I respect that.  Because you know what, yes the royals take on charity work, but the Queen’s children are basically 50+ years old and living off of their mother (except Charles because he has the income from the Duchy of Cornwall)—she pays for their offices, she gives them houses, she must pay for their staff and living expenses because they don’t have any other income (I guess Anne has her horses, but I’m not sure how much they make her versus how much she spends on them, and of course she must have been given the money to buy them in the first place).  They may work hard for their charities, but they really have it pretty darn cushy.  It’s not like they are even working the same amount that a normal person works—they aren’t putting in a full 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, with 2 weeks vacation, you know.

This may not be the popular opinion, but I respect Edward having a genuine interest in something and pursuing it and trying to make something of himself apart from his family.  One could argue he used his royal connections to get ahead, and if it were the Middletons I’d be saying something nasty about it, but even with the Middleton’s grasping, famewhoring ways, everyone uses connections to get ahead in business; it’s not the worst crime in the world.  And while the Middleton’s trading on their royal connection is seen as tacky, I bet almost everyone would have done the same thing.  Hell, I said at the time (on a different blog) Pippa published her book that I would have taken the deal she did if it were handed to me—I would have written a much better book than her but that’s beside the point.  I’m not excusing Edward’s current status of living off of his mother and not working half as hard as the average worker, but at least he tried, you know.  Not everyone does.  Even the average public doesn’t always go out on that limb and try something like that.  Hell, Edward tried harder to make something of himself than Kate did.  And Sophie had a good career going before she married Edward—and shiz hit the fan.  Kate never had a career at all.  Hell, Pippa tried harder to make a career for herself than Kate did, but that’s not the point here.

Sorry this post devolved into me ranting about… I don’t even know.  I didn’t start out intending to go there.  I guess I went on the Edward and Sophie’s careers rant because the Mail article was kind of making fun of them for trying to have careers outside of the Family—and many other articles and comments have made fun of them for it—and I think it’s stupid to make fun of them for trying and failing.  It doesn’t matter that they failed, it matters that they tried.  Not everyone is willing to try.  Without meaning to get self-help-y:  Trying and failing is better than not trying at all.  I may sound like a Wessex apologist, and maybe I am, but I don’t see anything wrong with trying.

I’ll end my rant-filled post by saying it’s nice to see James out and about.  We never get to see him.  I guess the Queen doesn’t like children being around unless they can behave themselves properly, so James doesn’t go to church at Christmas or to the balcony for Trooping of the Color or anything like that.

Kate accompanies the Queen to meet stars at reception for RADA

Tags

Alexander McQueen, Celebrity Appearances, Fashion, Fashion Repeat, Helen Mirren, Jewelry, Kate Middleton, Prince Michael of Kent, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Royal Duties, Steve McQueen, The Queen

Kate attended a reception held by the Queen at Buckingham Palace for actors, directors, producers, and other members of the entertainment industry and RADA in honor of the Queen’s 60 years as patron of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.  Prince Michael of Kent also attended.  They meet the guests and watched a few short performances.

There were a number high profile guests including Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve McQueen, Ralph Fiennes, John Hurt, Uma Thurman, among many (250) others.

Some notable absences were Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch.  Cate was reported as going prior to the event but didn’t attend—she attended Sunday’s BAFTAs though.  Benedict was in New York.  He was supposed to be at this event and at the BAFTAs but the weather is terrible in NY right now and couldn’t make it.  I had a nice quip all planned out in my head about how Kate supporters always claim detractors are “just jealous” (even though they mean “envious”) and how that is never really the case, but it is in this one instance since Kate got to meet Benedict Cumberbatch.  But that doesn’t work now because she didn’t meet him.

The Queen has an honorary BAFTA and apparently keeps it on her TV.  She was talking to Steve McQueen (the director of 12 Years a Slave) about his BAFTA wins and the Queen said she was looking at hers while watching the show because she keeps it on the TV.  ITV has a video of the encounter.  They won’t let me embed the video so go here to see it.  It is a cute exchange.

Kate met Helen Mirren.  Apparently Mirren said, “Your husband called me granny last night.”  And Kate giggled a response of, “I know.”  The word giggle was used by the reporters.  I’m not sure what to make of this.  The giggling is something people harp on with Kate since she does it a lot and it makes her seem childish.  But from the video it wasn’t really a girlish giggle so much as it was a laugh.  Laughing at a joke is fine.  She does need to stop touching her hair though.

I bet Kate loved meeting all those famous people. That should be a dig, because the only events Kate really seems to like are the ones where she gets to meet famous people, but to be honest, I would love to meet a lot of those famous people, too. Kate probably got to meet more people than William. Granted William was at an event with bigger stars, but did he get to meet and chat with all of them? Probably not. So I guess Kate wins this round of “who got the best ‘famous people’ event”. William got to act like a celeb and spent a ton of time walking the red carpet, but Kate got more face time with the celebs themselves. Kate wins.

Kate wore a red bespoke Alexander McQueen dress that she previously wore during the Diamond Jubilee Flotilla in 2012.  The dress in its original form cost $2,045, but Kate had it altered so the true cost of Kate’s dress would be much higher.  Kate accessorized with Cassandra Goad earrings which she previously wore to an event in 2012 (~$2,280), a black bespoke clutch she’s carried a few times (~$750), and black Prada pumps she’s worn a lot.

Not going to lie, I really like this dress… for the most part.  I hate the flaps at her hips.  I hate the peplum trend in general, but these flaps especially look weird.  But that’s something to be taken up with Sarah Burton who designed it, and not Kate.  I’m actually glad Kate took my advice (lol) and wore a vibrant color.  She looks great in red.  The reason I said Kate looks good in red before is because of this dress.  This is one that sticks out in my mind and I remember it clearly from 2012 (she had a really cute tartan scarf that day, too).  I’m glad she brought it back.

Here’s a random thing, Kate wore a band-aid on her left thumb.  I wonder what that was about.  Theories?  George bit her…  Lupo bit her…  She jammed it while trying to lock William in his room to keep him away from Jecca…  Hm…

Is it me or does Kate look a bit manic in this photo?

Why does Kate tilt her head so much when talking to people?

Good lord, her expression!?!

Kate becomes a godmother to university friend’s son (updated)

Tags

Baptism, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Godmother, Hair Problem, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Prince William

This post is dedicated to some Kate tidbits before I get to the reception with the Queen.  I didn’t want to make one super long post.

Apparently Kate has been asked by a friend from university to be one of the godmothers to her son.  Kate, William, and George went to the baptism in Essex Sunday morning where Kate became a godmother.  There were no pictures.  The source is the man who performed the baptism.  The article did not give a name of the friend or the child.

My first thought was, Kate has a friend?  And not just a friend, but one close enough to be asked to be the godmother of their child.  But then I thought, of course the person asked Kate to be godmother, now her child has a royal godmother, you know.  Kate was one of four godparents, so it’s not like Kate will be the one saddled with the “spiritual guidance” part.  Phew, right.

According to the Reverend, William was actually there to accompany Kate.  Is that surprising?  I think it kind of is.  Unless William was good friends with the person, too, then I could see him attending.  I don’t think William would care enough to attend an event just to support Kate.

They took George to the baptism.  He was reportedly well-behaved.  Maybe he’s grown out of his constant crying phase?

There are no photos, at least not yet.  Maybe some will surface.  I don’t know what to make of this.  It almost seems too good to be true, you know, what with Kate having a friend, William being there to support his wife, and George not crying.  But you never know.  I want pictures.  Congrats to Kate, and good for everyone involved, I guess.

UPDATE: The friends are Oliver and Mel Baker. Kate is godmother of their son, Henry. Oliver is one of the godfather’s of Prince George. Oliver has been friends with Will and Kate since university. So I guess we now know why Will was there, because it was his friend, too. And they probably brought George so Oliver could see his godson. Eh, sure. /UPDATE

Now with this next story, take it with a grain of salt.  It is about how Camilla thinks Kate’s hair is too long, and too dark (?), and should be cut, and lightened.  The original source is the Daily Star.  That publication is a low-tiered tabloid, right?  One where we probably shouldn’t believe most of what it says.  The article’s source is a “royal source” so who knows if it is right, or even real.  The odd thing is it says Camilla thinks Kate should go shorter and lighter with her hair.  The shorter bit I get, it’s the lighter bit that I don’t understand.  How is Kate’s hair color a problem?  Eh, whatever.  I thought I’d mention it.  I would believe that Camilla thinks Kate should trim her hair, or wear it up for royal duties (because if we’ve been harping on it for so long, you know the royals and courtiers are, too), but I don’t necessarily believe this particular article.  The “go lighter” bit is throwing me off.  Also, if a royal source wanted to leak this info, why go to such a low-tiered tabloid?  Clearly the Express is willing to publish the story.  Eh, whatever.

Is Prince William getting a little Hitler-ish with his desire to destroy all ivory art in the royal collection?

Tags

Historical Art, Hitleresque, Illegal Poaching, Ivory Artwork, Moron, Prince William, Royal Collection

I was going to stick this onto the end of the BAFTA post, but it got so long that I decided to give it it’s own post.

Prince William is a dumbass who thinks destroying 1,200 pieces of historical art will stop illegal poaching.  He wants to destroy the Palace’s collection of ivory art, and hopes other heads of state will do the same with their ivory art, and that it will send a message to the poachers about how serious he is about ending illegal poaching.  Yeah, the poachers aren’t going to give a sh-t whether the Brits destroy their art.  All that act will do is destroy 1,200 pieces of historical art.  Nothing will come of it except the loss of the art.

Some dumb-ss Conservative MP (Zac Goldsmith) thinks it’s a great idea: “It’s difficult to imagine a stronger symbol of the horrors of ivory than Buckingham Palace publicly destroying its own.  Good for Prince William for pushing this.”

The art world isn’t having it, though.  Brian Sewell, an art critic and elephant-protection supporter, said: “We have to recognise that [these items] exist.  Ivory was a treasured material that was worked on by craftsmen of the highest order during the Renaissance… It’s pointless.  I can’t see the connection between saving elephants and destroying works of art made centuries ago.”

Look, I’m all for protecting endangered species, but the art made from ivory was made at a time when elephants were not endangered, hundreds of years ago—or even a thousand in some cases.  That is priceless historical artwork that William would have destroyed all to prove how serious he is about ending illegal poaching.  So basically he wants all art that doesn’t fit his ideals to be destroyed. Who does he think he is, Hitler?  Seriously, Hitler thought it was okay to destroy all the art he didn’t think was important or didn’t like.  That is what William’s claim reminds me of.

As a historian, I cannot stand this.  I hope the Queen, Charles, and the British government who actually owns the Royal Collection sees reason and shuts this stupid idea of William’s down.  A KP spokesperson declined to comment, because they never comment on anything. Someone needs to sit William down and explain what an idiot (and a tyrant) he would be if he destroyed all that art. No wonder William switched his major from Art History to Geography, clearly he doesn’t give a sh-t about art.