Carrie Underwood – who I used to kinda sorta like – made some very stupid comments about the Rihanna/Chris Brown situation. Perhaps she wasn’t thinking before she spoke and didn’t realize the implications her comments could have. But they were insensitive and insulting nonetheless. Underwood told Us Weekly that the pair were fine when they left Clive Davis’ Grammy party. And then she urged everyone to withhold judgment.

Carrie Underwood saw Chris Brown and Rihanna at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala in Beverly Hills on Saturday – hours before Brown allegedly assaulted his girlfriend.

“They were fine at the Grammy party,” Underwood told Usmagazine.com Thursday at the American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

“I don’t think anybody actually knows what happened,” she added. “I have no advice because, thank goodness, I’ve never been in any kind of abusive situation.”

She told Us she wishes people “would stop” spreading rumors about what led to the incident.

“You hear a new one every five minutes, and some of them are getting kind of ridiculous,” she said. “I really hope everyone will lay off and just let everybody who’s involved figure out everything first.”

[From OMG]

Here’s the problematic statement: “I don’t think anybody actually knows what happened.” We do know the basic fact that Rihanna was beaten senseless. She was bitten multiple times. She was choked into unconsciousness. She has black eyes and a split lip. This was a violent, rage-filled act. We know that happened. What Underwood is saying is that we don’t know what happened prior to that, as though there could be an explanation that would justify it. There is absolutely nothing that could have happened that excuses or explains domestic assault. And it’s not Rihanna’s job – or any woman’s job – to live her life walking on eggshells so she doesn’t provoke a beating from her boyfriend.

People magazine is even reporting on what Rihanna will have to do to heal from this terrible experience. And People is extraordinarily careful with what they print – but even they’re not going to placate Chris Brown and act like this is anything other than what it is: hateful, evil, and criminal.

As Rihanna recovers from Sunday morning’s alleged beating by her boyfriend, Chris Brown, the singer will need to tend to more than her bruises. According to experts, a victim must surround herself with people who will not make her feel responsible for what happened. “Friends, family, people who will give you good and positive information and not ask questions like, ‘So, what were you doing?’ ” explains Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Adds Sheryl Cates, CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline: “I’d say to Rihanna, ‘You did not cause this.’ ”

As her physical wounds heal, Rihanna could still suffer sleeping problems, a change in eating patterns and a lack of concentration, says Smith. “She could also experience an exaggerated startle response,” says Smith. “Somebody raising their hand to say hi near her might bring a reaction.

“This is a normal response to being a victim of violence. Those things will lessen and go away, but they’ll be around for a while,” adds Smith. Joining a support group or speaking with a counselor involved in a domestic violence program can aid in healing, says Sue Else, president of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

“Feeling like there is safety net around you is going to help that,” says Else. “Feeling like you’re not in this alone – that you didn’t do anything to cause it.”

[From People]

This is good information for anyone who has been or is currently a victim of domestic violence. Rihanna is fortunate in that she is not financially dependent on Brown, so in that one respect it is easier for her to leave him. Many women are not so lucky. Hopefully she has good people around to support her – she’s certainly got the vast majority of the public support. Her career is just going to get better – whereas Chris Brown is going to learn a very powerful lesson. Hopefully he will learn it through the legal system – but if not he’ll learn a lesser one through the court of public opinion – and nonexistent CD sales.

If you are being abused, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or visit their website at www.ndvh.org.

Here’s Carrie Underwood at Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy Gala on February 7th. Images thanks to WENN.

The list of celebrities that Carrie Underwood doesn’t respect must be getting pretty long. Yesterday she told website Just Jared that she thinks celebs should keep their politics to themselves, and she doesn’t respect them if they publicly support a candidate.

Carrie Underwood has a message for Oprah, Diddy, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and even Heidi and Spencer: Don’t publicly back candidates for office.

“There is someone I do support, but I don’t support publicly,” she tells TV Guide, as excerpted by Just Jared. “I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate.

“It’s saying that the American public isn’t smart enough to make their own decisions,” she goes on. “I would never want anybody to vote for anything or anybody just because I told them to.

“Music is where you go to get away from all the BS,” adds Underwood, who recently apologized for saying ex Tony Romo still calls her. “Whether it’s from politics or just the world around you, music should be an escape.”

[From Us Weekly]

I think it’s fine to keep your political opinions to yourself, but it is just as okay to shout them from the roof. Music is no one thing. It shouldn’t just be an escape. That’s one of many things it can be. It can also be about a cause, about a change, and moving people towards action. That’s pretty much the opposite of an escape.

Underwood would probably have a big problem with Beyonce, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, and Diddy. All of them have shown up in Philadelphia encouraging people to vote for Obama.

“Everyone is excited and it’s time,” the singer tells PopEater. “I feel like we have grown so much as a nation and we will continue to grow because of Mr. Obama.”

Beyoncé’s admiration goes beyond just the Democratic candidate himself, and extends to his entire family. “I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Obama, his wife and his children, and they are the American dream,” she says. “They are so elegant, so classy, so intelligent and everything that I want to be. They make me really proud of my country.”

The Grammy winner’s husband Jay-Z has already been a strong supporter of the campaign, performing at Obama benefits and rallies across the country.

[From OK! Magazine]

Jay-Z and Diddy both talked about how important Pennsylvania is to Obama, and encouraged everyone to get out and vote today.

“John McCain desperately needs Philadelphia, but you can tell him ‘You cannot have Pennsylvania,’” said Jay-Z.

But McCain does have a chance to win Pennsylvania’s 21 electoral votes, if voter turnout is low in urban centers like Philadelphia.

The star-studded cast of this block rally is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.

They’re working hard to get new voters to the polls.

“It’s about the youth vote, it’s about the long lines and getting them prepared. The youth vote will decide the next president of the United States,” said Sean “Diddy” Combs. “They said we wouldn’t come out, they said we wouldn’t vote, but we’re going to shock the world tomorrow.”

[From ABC Local]

I remember actress Patricia Heaton complaining several years ago about how hard it is to be a conservative in Hollywood. Certainly they are in the minority, and I understand why a lot of people there would simply prefer to avoid political discussions completely. But I think Underwood’s assertion that celebs speaking about political issues that matter to them somehow makes them unworthy of respect is rather extreme. I seriously doubt many people who were going to vote for McCain will switch their vote around because Jay-Z and Beyonce like Obama.

Here’s Carrie at The American Idol Grand Finale 2008 in LA in May. Images thanks to Fame.

The very private Carrie Underwood gave Elle magazine a rather revealing interview in the December issue. Accompanied by a stunning pictorial, the American Idol alum and top selling country artist got right down to business and cleared up some misconceptions and rumors, beginning with her alleged date with Olympic champion Michael Phelps.

It’s even more awkward when rumors emerge that you’re dating people you’re not—like, say, a certain Olympic gold medalist in swimming, as happened after the Beijing Games in August. “I never met the guy!” Underwood exclaims. “I’m sure he’s lovely. I’m sure he’s a great guy. He made America proud!” She giggles. “But I never met him, I never mentioned him in an interview, I never mentioned him in that way to anybody that I know. The only conversation that ever came up was when we were watching the Olympics and somebody would be, like, ‘How about that Michael Phelps?’ And it’s, like, ‘Yeah, he’s doing great!’ That was one of those completely, totally, utterly fabricated lies that came out of nowhere. I’ve had people for the last three days texting me and calling me: ‘Do you know Michael Phelps?’ No!” She laughs again. “I swear on everything, on my job, my house, my dog.… That’s how serious I am. It’s all just a lie. Anytime any [media source] ever says ‘a friend said,’ or ‘a close’ whatever— no, they didn’t! It’s just made up. None of my friends would say anything. Ever. About anything!”

Underwood also admits that she made a mistake when she said that her ex-boyfriend, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, still calls her occasionally. The comment sent the Internet rumor mill into overdrive and had Romo’s current girlfriend Jessica Simpson on the offensive.

At the mere mention of Simpson’s name, Underwood begins biting her nails nervously. It’s clear she’d rather talk about anything else, but she submits, perhaps eager to set the record straight.

Why did Underwood ever say that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, with whom she was briefly associated, still calls her (a comment that Simpson, now dating Romo, “laughed at” and said was “definitely” not true)? “See, this is always a tricky thing,” Underwood answers. “I don’t think people realize that when you do an interview, the magazine comes out six months later. It was just something that was said in passing, and I would never mean to say anything to hurt anybody or to stir up anything, because I’m just not about drama. At all. I might be mad too,” Underwood adds, “if somebody said my boyfriend was calling some other girl. So I can definitely see where she would be coming from. But I haven’t talked to him since, like, May.”

[From Elle]

I’ve always liked Carrie since her days on American Idol. She’s talented, gorgeous, works her butt off and seems like a real person. She also admits her mistakes – something not many celebrities do. I think the best move for her romantically would be to get involved with a regular guy who’s not in the business.

Carrie Underwood claims that she has no beef with Jessica Simpson, who is currently dating her ex, football player Tony Romo. In June, Jessica wore a t-shirt which said “Real Girls Eat Meat.” It was thought to be a dig at vegetarian Underwood. Underwood then half claimed in an interview published in August that Tony still calls her, saying vaguely “The phone will ring and it’ll be him, and I’ll maybe not answer.” Then Jessica said in a radio interview that she checked Tony’s phone logs and he didn’t call Carrie. She also said that both she and Tony had a laugh at Carrie’s false claim that he still called her.

When asked by reporters about Simpson, who is dating Underwood’s ex-boyfriend Tony Romo, the country star brushed off rumors of a feud.

“I met her once and she seemed really nice so I don’t have a feud with anybody,” said Underwood.

People

Is anyone convinced? Carrie was at the time standing next to her new Madame Tussauds waxwork figure, which looked like Celine Dion in a cheap wig. She described it as being ‘so good, it’s almost kind of creepy looking at myself.’

Carrie also added that she likes country music crossovers, although she didn’t specifically mention Jessica Simpson, and talked about maintaining relationships with her ex boyfriends while in the spotlight.

“I think it’s great that country music just seems to be opening their arms to people that want to be a part of it,” she said. “They let me in when they didn’t have to and they’re doing the same thing for a lot of other people.”

Underwood also spoke about her thoughts about ex-boyfriends and the role the media plays in her relationships.

“I generally have been friends with ex-boyfriends. Sometimes the whole media thing adds, well not sometimes, every time it adds a little obstacle,” said the American Idol winner. “But before all this, everybody I had ever dated I was friends with.”

People

It’s a good thing that Carrie Underwood isn’t thinking about crossing over into acting, because I don’t think she actually convinced anyone with this. Or maybe she wasn’t trying to. Sometimes being fake nice is a much better attack than to call names.

The Daily Mail has a selection of pictures from the New York Madame Tussauds, which I am astounded the British version of the museum allows to trade under the same name. I’ve never been to New York, but I’ve seen the London museum of wax and it is excellent, but these look like shop mannequins in costume.

Carrie Underwood is shown posing with her wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Times Square on 10/21/08. Credit: WENN

OK! Magazine has a headline story online that reads “Carrie calls Jessica Fat!” and features a flattering photo of super thin Underwood. The accompanying story doesn’t have a lot of evidence that it’s true, though, and is just based on an insider quote. It has something moderately snarky that sounds like what we’d hear out of Carrie’s mouth. It’s not just “she’s fat,” but she’s “fatter”:

While Tony, 28, may be pleased with Jessica and her declarations of love, his ex, Carrie, has quite a different point of view.

“She finds Jessica’s love of putting her life on display pretty desperate,” a pal of the “Before He Cheats” singer tells OK!. “She laughed at the People cover, because it’s the same one Jess did about John Mayer — same smile, same look, except she’s a little fatter.”

[From OK!]

Amazing that Underwood has a photographic memory of a People cover – or even bothered to look it up. That sounds like something a seasoned media insider, not a jealous ex girlfriend, would say. They’re right, though, I looked up Simpson’s People cover for Mayer and here it is next to the one she did for Tony Romo.

It takes one to know one, Carrie, and you’re the one who said in a recent interview that “The phone will ring and it’ll be him, and I’ll maybe not answer.”

Whether Carrie actually said that Jessica was fatter or whatever is up to question. It’s not a direct quote and I wouldn’t put it past OK! to stir up some more female fights for the sake of selling copies.

Jessica Simpson is still repeating her talking points about how she wants a family and kids and how hurt she is by the media. She told Fox News’ Pop Tarts that if people only knew her, they wouldn’t talk about her so negatively:

“I am a very open person, but how the media is these days makes it hard. Unfortunately people want to believe bad stuff and I just don’t understand that — sometimes it is like a personal attack,” Jessica said sadly. “It’s a challenge for me to act like it’s just part of my career. If they knew your heart, they wouldn’t be talking about you like this.”

But something the singer was a little more excited to talk about was becoming an aunt (we’ve heard word she’ll have a niece) and her plans to follow in younger sis Ashlee’s footsteps in marriage (for the second time) and motherhood.

“I would love to be making records and making babies and hopefully I’m married in 10 years,” Simpson added. “I have the dreams of every normal person. I want to be a great aunt.”

[From Fox News]

Maybe that’s Simpson’s entire media strategy right there – lay bare her every relationship and open her life to such scrutiny because if people only really knew her, they would like her, damnit. It hasn’t worked in the five years since she first started Newlyweds, but she’s still working on it, oversharing and acting like the semi-talented slow to catch on girl next door, hoping we’ll be her friend. Meanwhile her rivals are using the personal information she shares to mock her.

Jessica Simpson is shown out at Beso on 9/2/08 with Ken Paves. Credit: WENN. Carrie Underwood is shown at the CMA Music Festival on 6/7/08. Credit: WENN

Country singer Carrie Underwood, 25, and world record-setting Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, 23, have been talking on the phone and texting back and forth. They haven’t met yet but they’re planning a date to take place in Nashville soon. Phelps is said to have heard that Underwood called him “cute” and that paved the way for the two to get in touch.

[Michael Phelps] is totally smitten with Carrie after her heard that she thought he was “cute,” say sources at the 2008 Olympics. They began texting and calling one another while Michael was still in Beijing and have already made plans to get together in Nashville, near where Carrie lives. Carrie suggested “a quiet dinner” as a first date, said the source.

“But Michael laughed and said, ‘I’m not so sure that you’d want to see me eat! It might not make a good first impression.’”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 9, 2008]

That’s cute that he said he doesn’t want her to see him eat. The Enquirer reminds us that Phelps has to consume 12,000 calories a day while he’s in training to keep up his energy. That’s more than a lot of people eat in a whole week.

I don’t really see how this guy is so attractive. He is an amazing and heroic athlete who demonstrates triumph of will and deserves to be lauded. He’s not a traditionally good looking guy when he puts a shirt on, though. I don’t see him lasting with Carrie or it going beyond a first date or two. She comes off as petty to me, and she’s clearly not over her failed relationship with Tony Romo given some of the things she’s said about him. Phelps just doesn’t seem like her type. That said, JayBird is single and open to giving the guy a chance despite his physical oddities.

Carrie Underwood is shown at the CMA Music Festival on 6/7/08. Credit: Judy Eddy / WENN. Michael Phelps is shown at an event to announce the “Visa grant for early swimming” on 8/28/08. Credit: L Gallo / WENN

Credit: Fame; WENN
It seemed pretty catty of Carrie Underwood to tell Allure Magazine that her ex boyfriend, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, still calls her. Romo is currently dating country singer and light-beer spokeswoman Jessica Simpson, and Underwood seemed to want her comments to get back to his new girlfriend. She didn’t exactly say that Romo is still calling her, and her comments are up to interpretation. She said “The phone will ring and it’ll be him, and I’ll maybe not answer.” Underwood could possibly have meant that in a scenario where Romo might call her, she might not answer.

Romo’s girlfriend seemed to take Underwood’s claims seriously and admits that she checked his phone records to see if he really was calling his ex. Simpson told a radio station in an interview yesterday that she ended up laughing with Romo at Underwood’s claim, even though she was first suspicious enough to check her boyfriend’s call log. Simpson also has a new interview in Elle in which she seems to be touting her desirability, and oversharing yet again about her relationship with Romo. This woman never learns:

Jessica Simpson insists her beau Tony Romo isn’t calling his ex Carrie Underwood.

“I looked at his call log,” she said Wednesday in an interview with a Nashville radio station.

Of Romo, Underwood tells September’s Allure: “The phone will ring and it’ll be him, and I’ll maybe not answer.”

“Tony and I both laughed at that,” Simpson said. “We got a chuckle out of it.”

Simpson and Romo seem to be going strong.

“Most of the guys I dated were captivated by my heart but they had different ways of trying to get to me,” Simpson says in September’s Elle. “Tony understands me.

“He appreciates my talent,” she adds. “He’s the first person I’ve spiritually connected with.”

Romo has been supporting Simpson while she works on her country album, Do You Know, due September 9.

“It’s the cutest thing,” she says.

[From US Weekly]

Maybe that was the extent of Simpson’s comments about her relationship and she struggled to not gush about Tony. Her stupid interview in the June issue of Glamour calling him her “future husband” and dishing the details of their first date is said to have led him to break up with her temporarily. She should probably learn not to talk about him and keep her feelings to herself. Simpson is just a singer and a spokesperson who represents stuff – it’s not like she has a lot to offer besides the details of her personal life. If she doesn’t give the specifics people might lose interest in her, not that she likely has any idea what she’s doing or is actually able to withhold information about herself.

You can tell that Romo has a type – blond, pretty and petty. He’s probably eating up all the attention.

People Magazine has advance details of country singer Carrie Underwood’s interview in Allure and she strikes me as a little catty. She says in a roundabout way that her ex boyfriend, quarterback Tony Romo, still calls her and that she doesn’t always answer the phone when she sees that it’s him. His new girlfriend Jessica Simpson has got to love hearing about that. Underwood, 25, also talks about how hard it is to judge people’s intentions when you’re famous.

The American Idol winner opens up in Allure’s September issue about dating Dallas Cowboys player Tony Romo, Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford and a boyfriend who cheated on her in college.

“We were both small-town people doing very big things, and we relied on each other, dealing with fame,” she says of Romo. “I don’t know. The phone will ring and it’ll be him, and I’ll maybe not answer.”

On her recent split with Crawford, she explains: “We didn’t have a fight. No one cheated. It plain didn’t work.”

One of her relationships from her days at Oklahoma’s Northeastern State University could have inspired her hit “Before He Cheats.”

“I don’t want to name names, even though he probably deserves it, but he fooled around,” she says. “Oh, yeah – And lied.”

Underwood says it’s difficult to find friends she can trust – and guys who like her for the right reasons.

“You never really know why somebody wants to be around you, or if they do genuinely like you,” she says. “I wish everyone had a label on their forehead so you could automatically tell their intentions. Sometimes you just wish that no one wanted anything from you.”

[From Us Weekly]

Maybe I’m getting interview burnout having just covered Jennifer Aniston’s interview with Hello, but Underwood bugs me here. Is she saying that Romo still calls her, or that some day in the future the phone will ring and it will be him and she won’t answer? Both US Weekly and People interpreted this as saying he still tries to get in touch, but it’s possible she’s just saying maybe he’ll call her and maybe she won’t answer. The actual statement she gave is pretty vague. Whether it’s true or not she knows it will get back to Jessica, who is now competing with her as a young country music singer. She’s got to annoyed with that.

The Grammy-award winning singer also says that she has doubts in her own ability to sustain her fame and wonders “what if I don’t earn any more next year? What if something awful happens?” Underwood could call up Kelly Clarkson and ask her for money advice. She seems to be handling her wealth well and is said to be saving it for a rainy day – or few decades.

Carrie Underwood is shown at the AI Final on 5/21/08. Credit: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures

Is Jessica Simpson delusional enough to think that she’s more talented than American Idol alum and current country chart-topper Carrie Underwood? Carrie is the top selling ‘Idol’ winner of all time, with both of her CDs going multi-platinum and earning three Grammy wins in the last two years. Meanwhile, Jessica’s “A Public Affair” album flopped, her movie career tanked, and she made a country album as a last resort. She’s even dating Carrie’s leftovers in the form of Dallas Cowboy Tony Romo. So when Jessica was photographed wearing a T-shirt that read “Real Girls Eat Meat”– it was perceived as an obvious dig at Underwood, who was just voted GoVeg.com’s “Sexiest Vegetarian.”

As you can see, Jessica Simpson was recently caught wearing a “Real Girls Eat Meat” T-shirt. Puhleeze!

For a gal who’s best known for her less-than-stellar brains (Chicken of the Sea, anyone?) and her ability to proportionately fill out daisy dukes, I’m gonna go on record saying that if anyone had to wear a ridiculous shirt like this, I’m glad it was Jessica—as people are more likely to follow the opposite of her lead … ya know, since she’s so well respected and all (yes, that was difficult to type without tossing in a hefty LOL). Maybe the meat-eaters of the world will be embarrassed to be categorized in the same field as Jessica Simpson.

[From the PETA Blog]

In Touch says that the rift between the two blond singers goes a little deeper. Apparently, Tony Romo was still e-mailing and texting Carrie even after he started seeing Jessica- and Simpson is still pissed about it.

“Jessica is worried that Tony still has feelings for Carrie,” an insider says. “She doesn’t want them talking.”

It also doesn’t help that the American Idol winner is her rival in the music business. “Carrie has the career that Jessica wants,” her pal explains.

But from the way things looked at the CMA Music Festival, Carrie, 25, is not a big fan of Jessica’s either. During the festival, which took place June 5-8, the two women seemed to avoid each other – even though event organizers were intent on getting them together. “They wanted Jess to introduce Carrie, or have them attend a charity event together, or maybe even do a duet to put the rumors to rest about the feud,” a CMA insider explains. “But everything that was thrown out there was rebuffed.”

[From In Touch Weekly print version, June 23, 2008]

I think it comes down to this: Jessica Simpson is a desperate fame whore who will do anything to stay relevant, even abandon her pop career and try country if she thinks people will pay attention to her. An artist like Carrie, who has been performing country music her entire life, even when appearing on the very mainstream pop ‘Idol,’ probably sees Jessica’s foray into country as an insult. As for the Tony Romo thing, any problems Jessica has in that relationship, she can thank her dad for- not Carrie Underwood. And finally, it always seems like Jessica is feuding with another girl who has the career she wants- remember how she ragged on Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera? Instead of taking digs at girls who have a better career, maybe Jessica should focus on her own sorry ass.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Jessica Simpson is shown in NY on 6/10/08 and at the CMA Music Festival on 6/6/08, thanks to WENN. You can see her in the asinine “Real Girls Eat Meat” shirt on Bauer Griffin Online.

Gorgeous American Idol winner (and also the most successful AI contestant to date) Carrie Underwood is playing the whole, “I don’t think I’m beautiful/glamorous/sexy” angle in an interview in the upcoming issue of Cosmo. Underwood claims she’s just an average girl, with some less-than-sexy tendencies.

Carrie Underwood may have won American Idol and a Grammy — but she hasn’t let it go to her head.

“I don’t consider myself sexy … I’m kind of a nervous person in general,” Underwood, 25, admits in the July issue of Cosmopolitan.

“I’m socially awkward,” she adds. “I’m not tall and sensuous. I usually wear sweats everywhere I go. Oh, and I burp a lot.”

Underwood, an Us Weight Winner, has dated her share of good-looking guys, including Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford and current Jessica Simpson beau Tony Romo.

[From Us Magazine]

Carrie also claims that she manages to scare guys off – but doesn’t really elaborate as to how. I almost – almost – feel badly for her. Okay not at all. Carrie Underwood has the best career, the most hits, the most talent, and is probably the most attractive – of any American Idol contestant. It’s hard to believe that she wouldn’t have been famous without the show.

Those articles about how normal/quasi-gross a celebrity can be are kind of cute, but after a while the novelty wears down. Yes, we get that you’re real people and you don’t jet around your home on a flying dragon or anything. But you’re still pretty damn lucky, and I’m guessing the whole down-to-earth thing only goes so far.

Here’s Carrie at a meet and greet with fans at the Nashville Convention Centre during Day 3 of the CMA Music Festival on June 7th. Images thanks to WENN.