Lily Allen's rescue dog "ruined her life" and she gave her back

Lily Allen and a (not the dog in the story) Maltipoo. Image credit for Allen at base of article.

The news today on the celebrity circuit is that Lily Allen returned her rescue dog to the shelter from where she adopted her (which I believe was a Maltipoo) because he or she ate her passport and the passports of her children. The latest is that PETA has criticised her publicly for surrendering her dog to the shelter in an open letter. AND she said that she has received death threats on social media. It is pretty bad. She did wrong. There is no doubt about it but she does no deserve death threats. And she did adopt a rescue dog rather than buying a purebred. Anyway...

This caused her a huge amount of disruption and distress mainly because she was unable to take her children to see their dad in England for four or five months. 

In response to suffering that disruption to her life she said the following: "And because the father of my children lives in England, I couldn't take them back to see their dad for, like, four months, five months, because this f***king dog had eaten the passports. And I just couldn't look at her. I was like: 'You've ruined my life.'"

As a consequence of telling the world that she felt that she had to return her rescue dog to the shelter from where she adopted her, she received criticism on social media. She told the world about it on the podcast Miss Me? which she hosts with the TV presenter Miquita Oliver.

The singer explained: "We rescued our puppy Mary from a shelter in NY and we loved her very much, BUT she developed pretty severe separation anxiety and would act out in all manner of ways.

"She couldn't be left alone for more than 10 mins, she had 3 long walks a day 2 by us and 1 with a local dog walker and several other dogs, we worked with the shelter that we rescued her from and they referred us to a behavioural specialist and a professional trainer, it was a volunteer from the shelter who would come and dog sit her when we were away, and after many months and much deliberation everyone was in agreement that our home wasn't the best fit for Mary."

One X user wrote: “Lily Allen is all that’s wrong with the world, got a puppy, used it for likes on Instagram, and then sent it back to the home because it chewed up her family passports that she left within its reach.” - A lot of people would agree with this.

Update: this is a picture of Mary. A black dog! It is from her Instagram page. I am not sure that this dog is a Maltipoo. She looks like a mongrel (mixed breed) to me. 

Mary. Now returned to the shelter from where she was adopted. Image: Instagram.

Liliana lives in New York with her husband, the actor, David Harbour and her two children, Ethel Mary, 13, and Marnie Rose, 11. She added: "We actually did adopt a dog already, but then it ate my passport and so I took her back to the home. She ate all three of our passports and they had our visas in. And I can't tell you how much money it cost me to get everything replaced, because it was in Covid and so it was just an absolute logistical nightmare."

She didn't say which specific pet she was talking about but my research indicates that she was a Maltipoo, which looks like a little, fluffy white terrier-type dog. These are small dogs and small dogs are popular.

The dog was named Mary and she adopted Mary in 2021 from Animal Haven, a New York-based animal sanctuary. Mary had her own Instagram account.

Allen added in her frustration about this incident that "Passports weren't the only thing she ate. She was a very badly behaved dog and I really tried very hard with her, but it just didn't work out and the passports were the last straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak."

She said that she was keen to get another dog which the family had decided to name Jude Bellingham after the English footballer.

As mentioned some criticised the singer on X. For example, one user wrote the following: "That's her fault, not the poor dog's. She is clearly an idiot of the highest order for not keeping important documents away from animals."

Another added: "There are no badly behaved dogs only badly behaved owners. A dog did not ruin your life, you ruined your own life by not being responsible for your belongings."

My comment: these comments are essentially correct. And it's down to her as well to ensure that her dog is trained. This was a double whammy of arguably irresponsibility from Lily Allen in both failing to ensure that her documents were kept in a safe place and arguably in failing to ensure that her dog was properly trained before adopting her or training the dog after the adoption (but see below). 

I appears that the dog acted up due to separation anxiety. That points to the fact that she was not in a position to adopt the dog in the first place as she is away from home a lot it seems. I think that is the problem. She was not in a place to adopt a dog. It is said that dogs should not be left alone for more than 4 hours. Other people helped her keep Mary company but it did not work out.

I think that there is one good thing to say about Lily Allen regarding this incident: she had the courage to take the dog back to the shelter and admit her failings I presume at the shelter. She would have told the shelter that the dog was badly behaved but in doing so she was indirectly and by implication admitting that she had failed herself as well. I think that was quite courageous because some people don't have the courage to do that.

Lily Allen image credit: By Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA - Lily Allen 04/25/2018 #22, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79414080

Update: Lily Allen is angry at PETA. She claims that the organisation has 'added fuel to the fire'.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Celeb owners of celebri-dogs love them to be photographed for Vogue magazine

In line with the companion dog or cat firmly being an equal member of the family, high-profile celebrities such as Mariah Carey were overjoyed to have a Vogue photographer take their companion animal's photo. 

This was a chance for their dogs to become celebrities in their own right. Fame for 15 minutes on the cover of Vogue (renamed 'Dogue'). 

This was in complete contrast to the usual response from celebrities to requests for interviews and photos. Some refuse point blank while others demand that their pet (excuse the pun) project is promoted. The celebs add conditions but when it comes to having their dogs' photographed, there are no conditions and a great willingness to assist in the process.

Image: Vogue magazine. The dog is whippet.

Celebrities approached for photo-sessions by Vogue were Mariah Carey as mentioned, Demi Moore, Billie Ellish and Tim Walz. And others.

Vogue wanted to fill their magazine during the quiet summer months. The Vogue team hoped to photograph about 12 celebrity dogs but to their surprise every single one of the celebrity owners agreed to participate and apparently they did so with enthusiasm. Each was given a front cover of an online edition of the magazine renamed "Dogue".

The editor of Vogue.com, Chloe Malle, said: 

"I have never in 15 years of working with celebrity publicists seen such enthusiasm and high check-in rate about when a shoot would be going live. These dog parents were stage moms of the highest order, using treats and baby voices to get the best camera face from Pilaf, Tank and Brisket [belonging to Moore, Sidney Sweeney and Glenn Powell respectively]. I am now fully convinced that canine nepo-babies refers to those who success is perceived to be due to family connections."

Pilaf is a chihuahua living with Demi Moore. The dog's full name is Pilaf the Little Mouse Moore. Pilaf goes everywhere with Demi Moore from Broadway shows to the French Open. Mariah Carey said of her dogs: "They are not just my best friends but my protectors as well. They're like my bodyguards, following me everywhere I go."

Source: The Sunday Times - thanks.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Similar deaths of Mathew Perry and Michael Jackson

See base of page for credit. This is Mathew Perry in case you were unsure 😃

Mathew Perry was the famous star on the Friends American sitcom. He was an admitted drug and alcohol addict who fought his demons for a long time sought help. His cause of death was ketamine (high as the amount given during general anaesthesia, according to the medical examiner) and drowning. Other contributing factors were coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder.

Michael Jackson died at his Los Angeles mansion at age 50 of acute propofol intoxication. His physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for providing the drug.

A doctor has been arrested over Mathew Perry's death. Speculation: his doctor prescribed ketamine on Perry's request (mirroring Jackson who asked his doctor for more 'milk') but at a dose that was the same as if he was being put under a general anaesthetic.

"The levels of ketamine in his body were as high as the amount given during general anaesthesia, according to the medical examiner." - BBC

He died in his bath as a consequence. There are distinct similarities between the deaths of Mathew Perry and Michael Jackson and the thread that runs through them is their personal physician who prescribed powerful anaesthetic drugs I believe on their direct request. The problem is that the doctors overdid it (I am speculating about Perry' doctor).

"Matthew Perry 'froze up' after predatory doctor injected him with huge ketamine dose just two weeks before his death, prosecutors say" - Newspapers today 16th Aug. 2024.

And:

"Dr Salvador Plascencia had a license to prescribe and administer the powerful tranquilizer but needed help from another medic to keep pace with the vast amounts the Friends star was consuming in the weeks before he died in October last year."

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Below are some details about the similarities and differences of these similar drugs from ChatGPT. I can't vouch for the accuracy of this section but it looks good.

Propofol and ketamine are both used as anaesthetics, but they have distinct characteristics and mechanisms of action.

Similarities:

• Anesthetic Agents: Both propofol and ketamine are used to induce and maintain anaesthesia.
• Sedative Properties: Both drugs can cause sedation and are used in various medical procedures to achieve this effect.

Differences:

1. Mechanism of Action:

• Propofol: Acts primarily by enhancing the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) at the GABA_A receptor, leading to increased inhibitory neurotransmission and sedation.
• Ketamine: Works by blocking the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor, which is involved in excitatory neurotransmission. This results in dissociative anesthesia, where the patient may feel detached from their surroundings or experience altered perceptions.

1. Anesthetic Depth and Effects:

• Propofol: Provides a smooth induction and maintenance of anesthesia with rapid onset and recovery. It does not usually produce significant analgesia (pain relief) on its own.
• Ketamine: Induces a state of dissociative anesthesia, which includes pain relief, sedation, and amnesia, often with vivid dreams or hallucinations during emergence. It can cause a trance-like state where the patient may remain conscious but unaware of their surroundings.

1. Cardiovascular and Respiratory Effects:

• Propofol: Can cause significant cardiovascular depression, leading to lower blood pressure and respiratory depression, especially in higher doses.
• Ketamine: Typically preserves cardiovascular stability and can even increase heart rate and blood pressure, making it useful in patients who are at risk of hypotension. It also has a lower risk of respiratory depression compared to propofol.

1. Use Cases:

• Propofol: Commonly used for induction of anesthesia in surgeries, sedation for procedures like endoscopy, and maintenance of anesthesia in combination with other agents.
• Ketamine: Often used in emergency situations, for short procedures, and in patients with certain types of chronic pain or in those at risk for hypotension. It's also used in sub-anesthetic doses for its analgesic and antidepressant effects.

In summary, while both propofol and ketamine are used in anaesthetic practice, they have different mechanisms, effects, and clinical applications. Propofol is favoured for its smooth and predictable sedative effects, while ketamine is valued for its dissociative properties and cardiovascular stability.

Image credit: By Office of National Drug Control Policy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Matthew_Perry_Office_of_National_Drug_Control_Policy_The_White_House.theora.ogv, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139762070

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Ryan Reynolds jokes Taylor Swift sued him for using her cats in ‘Deadpool 2’

I have stolen the title from a website called NME. The story is a bit of fun. Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift are buddies I believe. So Ryan is taking the Mikey when he said that Taylor sued him for not asking her permission to put photos of her cats on his T-shirt. 

In a recent Sirius XM interview (July 19), Reynolds discussed featuring Swift's cats, Meredith and Olivia, on a T-shirt in his 2018 film. The sequel, Deadpool & Wolverine, is set to hit theatres this week (July 26).

“Yes, I had a T-shirt made. Yes, of [Swift’s cats] Meredith and Olivia on Wade’s shirt,” Reynolds explained during the interview. “Yeah, you know, just little details, that’s all.”

He was asked if he'd got permission and his jokey response was:

 "No, I was sued. I lost everything in that one. And getting sued by a friend is tough to swallow. Also, she has just a lot of very, very powerful lawyers. I found out later those are just the paralegals. The real lawyers didn’t even bother with it. But…I would never do such a thing." Meaning wear a T-shirt with Swift's cats on it."

Here is the video of the podcast (nice location) where the conversation took place.

Taylor's cats get everywhere. There's probably more gossip about her cats than about 90% of the celebrities in the US! 😉💕😃

Ryan Reynolds is a Canadian-American actor, producer, and businessman. He's renowned for his charismatic and often comedic roles, but he's also proven himself as a dramatic actor.

He gained widespread popularity for his portrayal of the irreverent superhero Deadpool in the eponymous film franchise. His witty and self-aware performance in the role solidified his status as a Hollywood A-lister.

Beyond Deadpool, Reynolds has starred in a variety of films, including romantic comedies like The Proposal, action flicks like Blade: Trinity, and even dramas like Buried. He's also known for his entrepreneurial ventures and sharp wit on social media.

Taylor Swift is a Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter known for her candid lyrics and evolving musical style. Rising to fame as a country artist, she's transitioned seamlessly into pop, showcasing her versatility and immense talent. Her dedicated fanbase, the "Swifties," is a testament to her global influence.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Halle Berry is a certified cat lady! Catwoman changed her.

The Internet is pleased to announce that Halle Berry is a "certified cat lady". And she became a certified cat lady because of the film Catwoman (2004) saying that the "experience changed me". She added that she "became a cat lover because of it" and she has been described in the past as a "self-proclaimed, lifelong dog person". I think we can describe her as an animal person actually which I love. The more celebrities who are animal people the better animal welfare will be.

And a beautiful aspect of Halle Barry's love of animals is that she rescues cats. She added that she had "just rescued four kitties I found in my yard three weeks ago".

Halle Berry is a certified cat lady by Michael Broad

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"I am a cat woman through and through, because of that experience and those relationships. That experience changed me."

She has an Instagram account and last month she shared a post on that social media platform showing us that she had adopted kittens from a family of stray cats that she discovered in her yard.

She introduced us to a couple of cats named Boots and Coco. She said that: "I found these two little fur babies in my yard along with their two siblings and their mom".

She ensured that the mother was spayed so that she could no longer procreate and create more homeless kittens and released her back into her yard where she is now an outdoor cat. She found forever homes for two of the babies and the remaining two "are our new lovies". She now has a "full house". Meaning of animals and I presume cats.

Halle Berry did exactly the right thing. She is a good woman beyond the world of cat rescue and animals in general. There is on doubt in my mind.

When she prepared for her role as Catwoman she was given a cat early on during the production as she didn't have one. His name was 'Playdough'. She said that she didn't have the responsibility of children and had plenty of time "to focus on this".

During the filming, apparently, she said that she was a "full-on cat, all the time. I'd crawl around my house, trying to jump on my counters, thinking 'If I were a cat, how what I get up there? I was in a 24/7.'"

Catwoman

Halle Berry played Patience Phillips, who becomes Catwoman, in the 2004 film "Catwoman." The movie itself wasn't a commercial success (I believe), but it did mark a milestone for superhero films as one of the first to be led by a woman of colour.

Here's a quick rundown:Movie Title: Catwoman

• Year Released: 2004
• Halle Berry's Character: Patience Phillips / Catwoman
• Genre: Superhero (loosely based on DC Comics character)
• Reception: Negative reviews, but notable for casting

While the film didn't win over critics, Halle Berry's performance was recognized with a few award nominations, including a BET Award for Best Actress.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

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I have taken it that the photos in the montage are in the public domain. Wrong? Please leave a comment and I'll respond promplty.

Cats are taking over Hollywood. Great.

It seems to me that Hollywood producers have finally and conclusively switched on to the fact that having a cat in their film enhances its appeal. They have been in films before as we know but it appears that they are more often in Hollywood films nowadays than in the past. 

Film star ginger tabby cat at the Oscars 💕😊. This is a fictional individual!

Here are some examples and a possible reason why cats are taking over Hollywood at the moment. My personal reason is that the Internet has changed people's perceptions about the domestic cat a lot.

Domestic cats are featured in billions of videos and still images. There's a lot of discussion about the cat breeds and cat behaviour. People are far more aware and in tune with feline behaviour and feline attributes. The same goes for dogs but perhaps in a slightly lesser way.

Cats are currently having a big Hollywood meow-ment, with top creatives increasingly casting them in dramatic roles for live-action projects. Let's explore why cats are stepping into the spotlight:

Maine Coon in "Ripley": In Steven Zaillian’s acclaimed Netflix limited series "Ripley", a Maine Coon named Lucio plays a significant role and has been dubbed “a main character.” Lucio's majestic presence adds depth to the show.

Lupita Nyong'o and Her Tuxedo Cat in "A Quiet Place: Day One": In Paramount’s upcoming film "A Quiet Place: Day One", Lupita Nyong'o portrays a woman trying to escape an alien invasion alongside her tuxedo cat, Frodo. The feline companion adds tension and emotional connection to the story.

Ginger Cat in "The Marvels": Last fall, Disney’s "The Marvels" featured a deadly super-powered ginger cat named Goose. This unusual casting choice highlights the growing trend of giving cats more substantial roles in live-action films.

Scottish Fold in "Argylle": In Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy "Argylle", Bryce Dallas Howard's character is on the run from assassins, accompanied by her Scottish Fold cat, Alfie. Despite initial reservations about using a cat, Alfie became a central character in the movie's marketing campaign.

Why Cats, and Why Now?

Why? While there’s no single reason, several factors contribute to this trend: Zeitgeist: Cats are currently in the cultural zeitgeist, capturing attention across various media platforms. Taylor Swift's cat, Benjamin Button, even graced the cover of Time magazine as “Person of the Year” .

Internet Love: The internet's fascination with cats, from memes to viral videos, has elevated their status and made them endearing to audiences worldwide.

In summary, cats are no longer just props; they're taking center stage in Hollywood, proving that even notoriously independent and unpredictable animals can shine in the spotlight. 🐱🎬.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Katie Price's bankruptcy may shatter her pet menagerie

As of now according to a search of the internet, Katie Price is the proud owner of seven dogs. Despite facing criticism due to a history of tragic pet deaths in her care, she recently added a new member to her furry family: a Labrador puppy1. Here’s a glimpse of her current canine companions:

• Captain
• Buddy
• Colin
• Batman
• Precious (French Bulldog)
• Tank (German Shepherd)
• The newest addition: a black Labrador puppy.

In addition to her dogs, Katie also cares for horses named Wallis and Emma, as well as some guinea pigs at her stable block in her home, playfully dubbed the "Mucky Mansion"3. 🐶🐾

And Yes, Katie Price does own a cat! Despite facing criticism and controversy over her pet ownership history, she recently welcomed a new addition to her family: a hairless Sphynx cat. This unique feline companion cost her £1,20012. It seems Katie’s love for animals knows no bounds, even amidst financial challenges and public scrutiny. 🐱❤️.

It isn't the pat menagerie which will come crashing down but her whole, scary and scatty life. It is so much on the edge. It can't last. It has got to crash.

Katie Price looking ridiculous again on Instagram.

Bankruptcy

The news tells us that Katie Price has been made bankrupt for a second time. On this occasion, she owes £761,994.05p to HM RC i.e. the Inland Revenue or the tax collector. The Daily Mail says that "The huge amount is made up of unpaid tax from self-assessment on her earnings from 2020 – 2022 as well as penalties and surcharges."

And apparently she owes this money because of a failure to pay tax on the folding of her company Jordan Trading Ltd. She's been chased by creditors for a £3.2 million payment over the failure of that company.

And as mentioned she lives in a mansion-like building which is described as being mucky i.e. badly kept.

And also, Katie Price has a history of losing pets on the road outside of our home and her most recent acquisition was a hairless cat. This despite the fact that she has a bad record in looking after pets.

To have so many pets indicates a love of animals which is great but the big question is is she in a position both financially and practically to successfully look after a menagerie of pet animals as she does?

The big problem now is how is she going to pay this approximate £750,000 debt to creditors including the Inland Revenue?

HMRC has threatened to seize her home and sell it in order to pay off this debt. This is the point. This is a big home with some grounds around it allowing her to keep these pets including horses.

If the house is sold to pay off debts and she is left with quite a small amount of money (if any money at all from the proceeds of sale), she may struggle to find a property suitable for herself and her pets. It may lead to the breakup of her pet menagerie as I have described it.

Katie Price has an alleged £3.25m debt including a mortgage on her approx. £2.5m (?) house. I'd bet that if her home was sold there'd be nothing left in terms of equity release.

And if other people agree with me, there is a concern, here, for the welfare of these companion animals, I would argue.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Each of Taylor Swift's cats worth £80 million each? True or false?

The Mirror newspaper tell us that Taylor Swift's cats which comprise one Ragdoll and two Scottish Fold cats are each worth £80 million in terms of their ability to earn revenue. The valuation comes from a website AllAboutCat.com. It's pure speculation actually. 

The valuations must be based upon their individual social media accounts and how much revenue they earn. They will certainly be good earners because they are associated with Taylor Swift who is the top social media star on the planet as far as I know.

A lot of cats don't like cameras and in Meredith's case it won't help her earnings potential! Image: Instagram (believed).

Taylor Swift is approaching a personal valuation of US$1 billion. It's no surprise that her cats have a good value as well in terms of their ability to earn money but it's simply a spin off from her. Her Ragdoll cat Benjamin Button would just be another Ragdoll cat in another home with no value other than their purchase price but for the fact that Taylor Swift looks after him, lives with him and promotes him on her social media webpages.

The conclusion is that we don't know for sure how much Swift's three cats are worth individually or jointly.

Anybody valuing them would do so subjectively because it's too difficult to quantify objectively. In case you aren't aware, Taylor Swift's three cats are Olivia Benson, Meredith Grey and as mentioned Benjamin button.

RELATED: Do cats hate cameras? Taylor Swift’s cat Meredith does!

My research indicates that it's unlikely that they generate a huge amount of income on their own to justify these valuations. Their value, as mentioned, mainly lies in the fact that they are cat companions to Taylor Swift.

Their earnings probably come from merchandise promotions using their image or appearances in media projects.

Their worth would be based on licensing agreement values, the amount they earn through endorsements and customer demand for products or media promotions featuring the cats.

Taylor Swift's enormous wealth is based on her talent as a musician and songwriter. Not on the presence or value of her cats. Although they probably polish up her image nicely. Did she adopt them for that purpose?

Separately, I don't think it's all a bed of roses for Taylor Swift and her cats. She tends to treat them as babies and I think that is incorrect - best to respect the cat. And she promotes the Scottish Fold which is a breed which should not be promoted because they are inherently unhealthy. In fact, it's a breed which should not exist if you are really concerned about animal welfare.

RELATED: Osteochondrodysplasia is seen in ALL Scottish Fold cats.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Main theme song for Cats the Musical 'Memory' WASN'T written by Andrew Lloyd Webber claims...

This may surprise a few people! A man from the Dominican Republic, a former dancer as I understand it, claims that he wrote the song Memory which is the theme song for Cats the Musical. He says that he recorded the song and it was overheard by one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's dancers at the Pineapple Dance Studios and that person then relayed the lyrics and the music to the Lloyd Webber who used it in Cats.

Andrew Lloyd Webber on the left and Philip Christian on the right. Images provided by the Daily Mail. Image: MikeB

The man is Philip Christian, 68. He was a dancer at the time or training to be a dancer. And he made a claim for breach of copyright against Andrew Lloyd Webber. He claimed damages and future earnings from the musical.

His case was thrown out by a British judge in the British courts because it appeared to be highly implausible partly because it relied upon this intermediary person remembering the entire lyric and music and then relaying it to Lloyd Webber accurately.

In addition, Mr Christian could and should have brought the claim 40 years ago when the musical was first aired.

The copyright is actually in the ownership of Lord Lloyd Webber and his partner at the time Sir Trevor Nunn and, as I understand it, the estate of TS Eliot as the song Memory was inspired by TS Eliot's Rhapsody on a Windy Night.

Comment: there has been a number of high-profile claims against pop stars for a share of revenue of their songs because they claimed that they wrote the songs and not the celebrity singer. In each case, that I have read about, the claimant has failed.

For example, Edward Christopher Sheeran MBE was sued and he cogently proved to the judge that he owned the copyright of his song and one argument he used was that there are only so many different versions of a song that you can make because there are a limited number of notes (12) available to a songwriter. This means there is bound to be some similarities in songs. A neat argument and one that tells me that it must be incredible hard to compose new and interesting music.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Jamie Lynn Spears blames Tesla cars for killing her cats!

NEWS AND COMMENT: This is hardly a story worth repeating but it is interesting in a way that Britney Spears's sister won't want to read about. Her name is Jamie Lynn Spears and she has accused Tesla EV cars in particular of killing her cats. Note that it is in the plural and therefore more than one cat of hers has been killed by a Tesla car.

Jamie Lynn Spears is a cat owner and she lets then go outside where more than one has been hit by EVs. Image credit: see base of page.

She is basically blaming Elon Musk who I am sure is totally disinterested in this.

Jamie Lynn, 32, claims that her beloved pets (note once again that it's in the plural) are being killed by Teslas because the cats can't hear the cars coming.

Tough but realistic comment: if you've lost one cat in a road traffic accident concerning a Tesla car, I don't think you should let your other cat outside or you should take some steps to protect your cat. It appears to me that she lives on a road which is not quiet and where there is a possibility that an outdoor cat can be hit by a car. You take measures to stop that happening which doesn't seem to be the case for Jamie Lynn.

I have read similar stories about cat owners complaining about road traffic killing their cats. The solution is in the hands of the owner. Don't blame cars or roads. Don't try and deflect the blame as it all comes back to the owner.

She wrote on social media:

"We have now lost — I don’t want to tell you how many cats — because they don’t hear the Tesla crank and unfortunate things happen and it’s really devastating and tragic for everyone involved. Elon Musk, let’s figure this out. You owe me a couple cats.”

I don't think the problem is with the quietness of EVs but with allowing cats to walk onto the road. Personally, I don't have a problem with the quietness of electric vehicles. They do in fact make a sound. And you have the sound of the tyres on the road which can be quite pronounced. There's no question that you can hear an electric vehicle coming.

Despite that, I'm told that as of 2020 regulations in America mean that electric vehicles have to emit sounds louder than a certain decibel level which is about the level of a washing machine. I don't know if that's true and if it is I think it's silly because one advantage of an EV is that it is quiet. Why take that away with some artificial sound box tucked underneath the dashboard? I just don't get that at all.

The bigger issue on electric vehicles is that the insurance on them is rising rapidly to unsustainable levels because, the insurance companies argue, that repair of electric vehicles is very expensive because the batteries are very expensive to replace. The cost of repairing electric vehicles is pushing up insurance policies across the board but particularly for EVs.

This will curtail the purchase of electric vehicles which, indirectly, will help Jamie Lynn because they'll be more diesels and petrol-engined cars on the road pretty soon if this electric vehicle crisis continues.

On the upside it is nice to know that Jamie Lynn likes cats. Shame she is an irresponsible cat owner.

Image credit: By NickRewind - Jamie Lynn Spears Talks NEW Zoey 102 Movie ☀️ #Shorts NickRewind, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=136214583

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Elon Musk places free speech above financial profit

Elon musk is brave. As you know he owns Twitter X. He is a great supporter of free speech. He says that unless you can accept someone you don't like saying something you don't like you don't have free speech. 

He is obviously anti-the cancel culture movement. And thank God for that. Indeed, free speech is more important than perhaps anything else and is protected by the American constitution. All democracies should have free speech but the woke movement and the cancel culture movement and, in this instance, financial profit curtailed it.

Elon Musk. Image credit see base of article.

But Elon Musk has reinstated a couple of Twitter users who were banned. One is Tommy Robinson who was suspended in 2018 and the other is Katie Hopkins who was banned in 2020. They both thanked him on Twitter and Musk explained their reinstatement in a post: "Why are their account handles on this platform? Free speech is allowed, provided laws are not broken."

He has continued to restore controversial accounts. But this is despite the fact that there was an exodus of advertisers from his platform because of...free speech leading to controversial tweets. This tells me that he places free speech above financial profit. Twitter X is struggling to make a profit.

Tom Robertson is a very controversial figure. He founded the English Defence League which is a far-right group. He stepped down from that in 2013. And Hopkins is also very controversial. She is also a right winger perhaps an extreme right-winger and very outspoken. She has compared migrants to cockroaches and in 2017 said on the platform that "we need a final solution" after the bombings in Manchester.

Perhaps Musk believes that in due course, over time, advertisers on Twitter X will come back as they realise that free speech is so important. It is very shortsighted of advertisers and very stereotypical of them to withhold their business from a platform that advocates free speech.

Image credit: By (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor cokley) - https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7132411/usafa-hosts-elon-musk, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134662229

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Barbra Streisand got Apple's chief executive Tim Cook to change Siri's pronunciation of her name

This is nothing to do with cats afraid but it's a nice little snippet of a news story which I've picked up today thanks to The Times. It concerns Barbra Streisand. A wonderful lady. But you know she says that she wasn't happy in her life and she craves happiness now. She had a difficult time and I suspect that she found comfort in her dogs. There is a picture of her in the newspaper of three gorgeous white dogs and she loves her children coming over to play with them. That is one way she can find happiness today.

The great Barbra Streisand with her dogs. The picture comes from the Daily Mail. I hope the photographer does not object to me using it. 

And she says that one perk of her fame is that she got Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, to change the way Siri pronounces her name. She must have been slightly miffed at least by the fact that Apple phones pronounced her name incorrectly with a Z. And she said that: "My name isn't spelt with a Z. It's Strei - sand, like sand on the beach. How simple can you get?"

She said that Tim Cook responded really nicely. She said, "Tim Cook was so lovely. We had Siri change the pronunciation. I guess that's one perk of fame!"

I've just read her compressed biography in The Times. She had a really tough childhood because after her father died through illness when she was 15 months old her mother's new husband was cold and uncaring towards her. He was a used car salesman and he never talked to her. He never asked her how she did at school or how she felt. And her mother didn't see her passion for wanting to be an actress.

Barbra Streisand got on that great ladder to fame when she entered a 1960s talent competition with a $50 prize and dinner. She won it. People saw a wonderful performer which is not surprising because her voice is extraordinary. And she's a great actress too.

She is one of the very few Egots, those who have one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. She sold 250 million records and won 10 Golden Globe awards, five Emmys, and two Oscars. I wish her well and happiness for the remainder of her life. She is currently 81 years of age.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Director of the film 'Argylle' sacked the professional cat actor and used his daughter's cat instead

You know that you can get professional animal actors. I'm talking about cats and dogs usually who are regarded as professional actors. Their owners can make, I guess, a decent amount of money by allowing film producers to use their animals as actors in a film. 

I believe that this is Mr Vaughn with his daughter's Scottish Fold, the non-professional feline actor who became a film star! Image: Fandom Wire.

Clearly, animal actors have to be well behaved, well trained and able to take directions of some sort! You would expect, animal actors to be particularly well-rounded individuals, calm and able to absorb without fuss all the commotion that occurs on a film set with strange people in strange places.

There is an up-and-coming new film due to be aired in 2024 called Argylle and it is directed by Matthew Vaughn. In The Times today he is reported to have told Empire that he had originally hired a professional feline actor.

He said that, "It was very expensive but it wasn't very cute and it was useless."

And so, Mr Vaughan fired the professional cat actor which may have been against union rukes but then I don't think cats are members of any film unions. Vaughn added that, "They don’t have any rights, thank God." Now that's another long discussion because cats do have rights under the law but not of the kind that Vaughn is referring to.

He decided to go up to his daughter's bedroom and he asked whether he could borrow her cat, Chip, for three months.

Chip turned out to be a really good actor. He is the star of the film! Mr Vaughn says, "He was always looking at the right place. I don't want to be rude about some actors I've worked with, but Chip was easier."

So, little Chip, the new feline acting star is now going to be featured in a book and merchandise is going to follow featuring the little fella.

This is partly because he is a cute-looking Scottish Fold. These are the new hot cats because Taylor Swift adopted one. What she touches turns to gold.

It is said that when non-child actors get a break in films because they are the offspring of celebrities and become stars they are described as "Nepo babies".

So, the question is according to Patrick Kidd, the Times journalist, whether "this is the dawn of the nepo kitty".

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P.S. please forgive any typos. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Flat-faced Persians bought for social media 'likes' are being abandoned

The title comes from The Telegraph which I can't read because you have to subscribe nowadays to this online newspaper. This, by the way, is a growing trend. The online newspapers simply aren't making enough money through advertising but I don't think people will subscribe to them in sufficient numbers.

Anyway, I digress because I know what The Telegraph is talking about even though I cannot read their article. It's a well-known phenomenon actually.

RSPCA campaign against the flat-faced Persian in which they tell the truth about the breed. Image: RSPCA.

The RSPCA can provide some information. They say that there has been a rise in Persian cats being abandoned to them between 2018 and 2022. 

On Facebook, the RSPCA state that: "Worryingly, there's been a 92% increase in Persian cats coming into our care in the last four years as the popularity of this flat-faced breed continues to rise. These cats are often seen as being cute because of their features, but in reality, they can suffer from: breathing difficulties, eye problems, difficulty sleeping."

They actually suffer from more problems than that such as PKD - polycystic kidney disease (35% of the Persian cats apparently suffer from this disease). And they have tear duct overflow which means the tear ducts are distorted and so tears do not drain away from the eyes but the liquid spills over down the front of the face where they face become stained.

It's a well-known problem that you have to clean the face of a Persian cat regularly. A number of celebrities in the UK have adopted Persian cats. Also, in India you will find that high-profile female celebrities like the Persian cat. In fact, in India, the Persian cat is perhaps the most popular cat breed together with the Siamese. These are very long-standing cat breeds and India has a young, emerging cat fancy and therefore they prefer the old breeds.

Punch-face Persian.

Indians living in India call the flat-based Persian a "punch-face Persian" in recognition of the fact that it looks as though somebody has punched in the face. It is an objectionable label sadly.

For example, in the UK, Kate Beckinsale, is obsessed with her Persian cats, Clive and Willow. They accompany her on her Instagram pages. Taylor Swift has not adopted a Persian cat.

In September 2012, Kim Kardashian adopted a Persian kitten. Although Taylor Swift has not adopted a Persian cat, preferring to select the Ragdoll and Scottish fold, she has promoted the concept of buying exotic domestic cat breeds which I think has encouraged others to do likewise to help create successful social media accounts such as on TikTok and Instagram.

Taylor Swift has, I believe, the highest number of followers on social media of anybody on the planet.

RELATED: Flat-faced Persian cat can’t eat conventionally because the food goes all over their face.

But when a person adopts a flat faced Persian in order to post pictures of them on social media, they will find out about the responsibility that they've taken on in looking after Persian cat which is at a slightly added level to normal. 

They will also find out that it is very hard to acquire lots of followers on social media and have a successful social media webpage. Nearly all of them fail.

So, when they have failed in their attempt to become social media stars, the Persian that they acquired no longer serves their purpose so they abandon the cat to the RSPCA. That, I believe, is the story. It is a great shame because the Persian cat is being used as a means to try and generate social media fame which a lot of people crave. It doesn't work actually unless you are Taylor Swift but then people follow her because of her love because of cats.

Separately, you will find that other well-known cat breeds are also used to try and generate fame for their owner, vicariously. The Maine Coon is a typical example. This is currently a very popular cat breed and because of their size they look very impressive in photographs. 

You will see many TikTok and Instagram accounts in which the account holder shows off her Maine Coon cat and how they develop from kittens to giants. The same objective is being followed for the owner of these cats: to achieve social media fame through their cat.

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Please forgive any typos. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I can't spend long on them as they are not seen by a lot of people nowadays! Sad but true.

How did Doja Cat make up her stage name?

Doja Cat complains about the behavior of her fans. Screenshot.

The creation of her stage name is a short story! But we have it from the woman herself. According to Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, her real name, she made up her stage name, Doja Cat, because she loves cats and cannabis! In her own words:

"I was heavily addicted to weed and weed culture, so when I began rapping, I thought of the word ‘doja’ and how it sounds like a girl’s name."

At the time she admits that she was "an alcoholic teen". I wonder if she has changed her thoughts about her name bearing in mind what I say below.

LinkedIn says:

In an interview with Genius, she revealed that "doja" is a slang term that means marijuana. She explained that the name was given to her as a tribute to the weed culture, which is prevalent in Los Angeles, where she grew up. As a teenager, Doja Cat was exposed to the weed culture and became fascinated by it.

That's the origin have her name and I have a follow-up story to it. 

Separately, Doja Cat has hit out at some of her fans. She's not happy with the way they are supporting her.

She took aim at her fans on the social media app Threads, which is a new Facebook Twitter-like social media platform.

Some of her fans use the nickname "Kittenz". It describes a fan community but, as mentioned, she doesn't like it. She said:

“My fans don’t get to name themselves s***. If you call yourself a ‘Kitten’ or f***ing ‘Kittenz’ that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house.”

Very strong words as you can see. She is obviously confident that she can retain fan support even if she criticises them heavily.

There is a Twitter tweet on the topic about her supporters calling themselves "Kittenz".

Doja Cat’s top fan pages are deactivating their accounts after she criticized supporters for calling themselves 'Kittenz'. pic.twitter.com/Zy54M3y2ZS

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 23, 2023

For those people who have not heard of Doja Cat, here is a very brief resume. She was born on October 21, 1995. She is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and she began making and releasing music on SoundCloud. She earned viral success as an Internet meme with her 2018 single-a novelty song-called "Mooo!".

Paddy Gower doesn't understand why it's wrong to cull feral cat in New Zealand

My take: feral cats are killing native birds, bats and even dolphins - so why are Kiwis so mad when we cull them? https://t.co/ZXbwp7b4GI

— Patrick Gower (@patrickgowernz) July 5, 2023

Patrick Gower is a New Zealand politician journalist and National Correspondent for Newshub. Incidentally, I cannot access the Newshub website on which there is a discussion about killing all feral cats in New Zealand because I am in Europe (crazy I say). 

Paddy Gower. Image: Stuff.co.nz.

But as you can see from the tweet by Paddy Gower, he doesn't understand why Kiwis (New Zealand citizens) are so mad when the authorities want to cull feral cats because they are killing native birds, bats and even dolphins he says.

The reference to dolphins by the way is this: Toxoplasma gondii oocysts are shed in cat faeces (once and for about 10 days) and they sometimes make their way to the oceans where they can infect marine wildlife. Although it is very, very rare and they have been very few reports of this happening.

It's a reflection of his bias against feral cats. Although I can understand what appears to be his hatred of feral cats. He is passionate about conserving New Zealand's native species as Australians are with their species.

I am going to try and explain to him why Kiwis are so mad at culling feral cats. Clearly these Kiwis are people who are sensitive to the sentience of feral cats. He isn't. He practices speciesism which means he favours one species over another.

He doesn't mind shooting feral cats which causes a lot of pain and distress. Therefore, he doesn't mind being cruel to feral cats. So one reason why it's wrong to shoot feral cats or poison them is because it is cruel.

Perhaps a more important reason is the fact that human beings through their carelessness put feral cats on the planet in the first place. If somebody is careless and creates a problem, they then owe a duty to others to solve the problem in a decent and humane way if that problem concerns animals.

That's logical. That is common sense. Simply shooting and poisoning feral cats is not dealing with a human problem humanely. That's another reason why it's wrong.

And thirdly, when you go out of your way to kill feral cats in large numbers you cannot do it in a way which is precise enough to ensure that you are not killing someone's pet domestic cat. At a distance you can't tell the difference between feral cats and domestic cats. 

And if you have devices which chuck poison gel onto passing animals you are going to kill feral cats certainly but you are also going to kill other animals including, possibly, someone else's pet cat.

And it seems to me you might also kill one of New Zealand's native species. Those are three good reasons why Kiwis are mad or should be mad about culling feral cats.

But I'm afraid Patrick Gower doesn't get it. This indicates to me that he is stupid or he is too biased to have an open mind to what's wrong with the proposal to kill all feral cats in New Zealand in any way possible and as expediently as possible.

If you want to kill feral cats kill them humanely and do the decent thing which can only mean euthanising them by veterinarian. That of course is nowhere near fast enough and it will be far too expensive and irritating to people like Patrick Gower to contemplate.

Gustav Klimt's masterpiece is the most expensive artwork ever auctioned in Europe and his studio cats destroyed his drawings!

Gustav Klimt had about eight cats in his studio destroying his drawings. He was a cat lover. No question about it. The picture below is of Klimt and his cat 'Katz' - a German surname from the German word "Katze." meaning cat.

Klimt and Katz. Credits: Far Out / WikiArt / Picryl)

He did not like to paint himself and preferred to paint women. His studio was a complete mess according to art critic Arthur Roessler, who visited the artist's studio. He was surprised perhaps shocked at the conditions under which Klimt worked.

The description is of a pile of drawings and papers together with up to 10 meowing and purring cats, play-fighting with each other. Roessler was surprised to see the cats which spoiled "hundreds of the most beautiful drawings".

Gustav Klimt appeared to be unconcerned. When the art critic queried what he was doing in allowing the cats to damage his artwork, he said that it doesn't matter even if they crumple and tear the papers because urine "makes the best fixing agent!"

But the fact is that apparently urine had damaged the drawings. Perhaps Gustav Klimt had got used to the smell of it. Domestic cat urine does not make a fixing agent by the way.

Gustav Klimt is in the news not because of his love of cats and allowing his cats to rummage around his studio which appears to have been in a complete mess, but because his works are being fully appreciated by the buying public as a painting of his, Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) is the most expensive artwork ever auctioned in Europe at $108 million. That price includes the commission to the auctioneer which is known as the buyer's premium.

The actual hammer price was £74 million (US$94.35 million). It exceeded the presale estimate of £65 million by a big margin. The previous European auction record was US$104.3 million (£65 million)

Suicidal social media influencer quits after death threats because she killed two cats as a child

You may remember this story. It is rather disturbing in several ways. The woman concerned is Emma Claiir. Her name is spelled correctly. The headline is: "Social media influencer quits and says that she was left suicidal after receiving death threats because of her admission that she killed two cats as a child."

She is an Australian. In April, she admitted to her 105,000 followers that she killed two cats when she was a child. Her admission occurred on an episode of her pod cast, Simply Chaotic. 

Emma Claiir. Image: Instagram.

It was a bizarre confession. Her co-host, Christy Jean, on the pod cast was stunned by it. She said that she didn't mean to kill the cats but that she was a child.

She said: "I was swinging my cat around. Like, I was thinking it was a stuffed toy. And I accidental let go of it."

She believes that the cat died from fright rather than because of injuries suffered as it was hurled across the room. During her confession, she giggled and explained that "this happened years and years and years [ago]". And she went on to explain that she also killed her best friend's cat by accident.

Her honest confession shattered her life. She received widespread criticism and she was dropped by makeup company MCoBeauty not long afterwards. Three more brands then cut ties with her. One of them is a vegan make up company that promotes how it does not test its products on animals. You can understand why they cut ties.

Social media influencers depend upon these sorts of arrangements to generate an income stream. So, she lost a lot of income. We don't know the precise amounts but it may be that she decided that it was no longer worth it being a social media influencer.

But it goes deeper and wider than that. She says that the story got taken out of proportion and that people started to witch-hunt her. She felt that they wanted to destroy her.

She said:

"I lost my job; my mental health was impacted massively and people were just having a laugh about it. I realised it was taking me away from my son and making me not present with him so I took a small break."

She added:

"Since my return after that people decided it was okay to spread cheating rumours, make up lies and try to continue to ruin the life of a new mother who was already pretty open about her mental health struggles in life. Not only did I have haters trying to ruin my life and spread hate and rumours but I also had close friends doing the same. Friends who I thought were there for me, friends who I trusted and friends who I thought would never stab me in the back."

She reached breaking point. She felt unsafe in her own bubble. She started to feel unsafe in her home. Her anxiety increased when she went out into public places. She felt violated. There were death threats. The lies and rumours mounted and became louder and oppressive.

She considered ending her life. Eventually her mental health "finally crumbled. I entered a very dark space that was extremely scary and unfamiliar".

She told herself that the only way to make the nightmare go away was to take her own life. She said:

"The only way to make the haters happy was if I disappeared for good and officially left this world. Maybe my son and my husband really would be better off without me and I should just let them go, maybe my friends and family will also be better off without me, so I should just let them go. These are thoughts no new mother should be having."

She left a very long post on social media in which she signed off from the role of social media influencer. It concludes like this:

"Now to end. I have and always will be a mental health advocate. It is something that is so close to my heart and something I witness every day in myself and my family. Working online I always wanted to be open about my struggles and help those who needed it, help those who needed to feel less alone or those who needed that little push to get the help they needed. I never would have gotten through what I went through if it wasn't for seeking help from professionals and those around me. Check in with your family, your friends and most importantly yourself. Take a step back and ask yourself if your actions could be damaging and dangerous to someone's mental health. And lastly always remember that the online space can be horrible, fake and harmful whether you have a following or not, so it's okay, strong and powerful to walk away when needed. With love, Emma Claiir."

Comment: I really, really think that she's much better off quitting being a social media influencer. That kind of role is indeed potentially and often actually very toxic. She made a mistake and she's paid the price. But I think there is a silver lining for her; to live a more normal life not a fake life on social media pretending to be somebody she probably isn't.

Holly Willoughby's self-indulgent "women-will-survive-in-a-man's-world" speech is a rip-off of Jennifer Aniston's

The whole Philip Schofield saga is a mountain out of a molehill story of gargantuan proportions. It is ridiculous as many commenters have said. What did he do? He lied. Everyone lies. He had a consensual affair with a person of the same sex. That happens a lot too. He did nothing illegal as far as we know. So, what is going on?

And Holly Willoughby's speech, for me, is sickening. It is so self-indulgent. The tone is screaming to me that women are suffering and bravely surviving in a rotten male-made world. "We will survive" is stamped all over that image of another presenter, Josie Gibson, holding her hand in support. She is playing the victim looking for sympathy. 

Willoughby would not have made this bizarre, crisis speech if her co-presenter had been a woman who'd had a same-sex affair and lied about it.

Image: MikeB

The 'girls' against the men.  They always like to refer to themselves as 'girls' when they are women. It makes them more vulnerable in this horrible male world. Men are monsters and the girls have to be brave to survive it.

She enhanced her message by dressing in pure white. The angel with an anti-man message.

That's the message I get and it is sickening. And as they are now saying Willoughby appears to have ripped off Aniston's speech when playing Alex Levy in the drama The Morning Show.

She starts: “And to you at home, I understand how you must be feeling because I and the whole team here at The Morning Show are feeling the same way.”

Willoughby starts with a modified version: "Firstly, are you okay?...I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions.

No, I am not shaken. I am fine, thank you. It's all fluff and stupid.

It is all so artificial and a load of puffed up, fluffed up nonsense.

It's not just me who's sickened by this performance. Carol Midgly writing in The Times todays described Willoughby's speech as "cynical pass-the-sickbag stuff". 

She says it was a "schmaltzy let's hug it out-athlon". Schofield was thrown into the dustbin which supports my view that this was an anti-male speech. It portrays men as the bad guys.

Ironic as Schofield seems to me to be a gentle soul. He comes across as nice. I think this is why the news media and some ITV colleagues have been so unnecessarily critical of him. He presented as the nice man. That was his public persona. But he is normal. He can lie and not be Mr Perfect. For that reason, he has been hammered.

Note: Sorry but this has nothing to do with cats. She even prefers dogs to cats and has a pet dog.

Two Ragdoll cats go missing INSIDE their home!

Yep, this is an example of how domestic cats can genuinely go missing even when they are full-time indoor cats and they have not escaped to the outside. It happened to me once. You're convinced that your cat has escaped the home and that you'll never see them again. You search frantically for what seems like ages and scratch your head to try and figure out where your cat or cats are.

You then finally find your cat or cats tucked away in a place that you never imagined they'd be. That happened to me when I fostered a little tabby kitten who grew up to became my best friend. He'd placed himself inside the double-bed storage area under the mattress.

Zara with her Ragdolls. Image: Instagram

In the case of Love Island's Zara McDermott, her cats were hidden inside an electrical cupboard in the basement with the door jammed shut!

Zara said: "I just had a near mental breakdown because I home and I couldn't find the cats anywhere, I spent 20 mins searching every room and cupboard for them and I couldn't see them.

"Anyway, long story short my brother calmed me down on the phone and I started searching every part of the house top to bottom, I found them inside an electrical cupboard in the basement...

Ragdolls cats go missing inside their home. Image: Instagram

My guess? The cats found a nice cosy cubby-hole to snooze away some hours while Zara was away and the door shut because the cats knocked the broom that was in there.

Zara was beside herself with anxiety believing that she had lost her beloved Ragdolls. I understand her feelings. It happened to me as mentioned but my cat - who's on my legs as I type this - is a humble moggie. Just as good though.