The Dragonflies will be so happy! Ben Affleck has decided to copy Tom Hiddleston (ha!) and take the “Live Below The Line” challenge. Hiddles did this two weeks ago – he lived on £1 a day (for food) to raise awareness of the hundreds of millions of people in the world living below the poverty line, the people who don’t know where their next meal will come from. Hiddles was posting photos of his “below the line” meals all week. I wonder if Ben will do the same?

Ben Affleck plans to live on $1.50 a day – and he wants you to join him.

While the Oscar winner could certainly afford much more, Affleck is joining other celebrities to shine a light on poverty through the Global Poverty Project’s Live Below the Line campaign. That figure represents the extreme poverty line in the U.S. as estimated by the World Bank.

Affleck Tweeted of his efforts: “1.4 billion people live on less the $1.50/day. I’m joining Live #BelowTheLine on behalf of @easterncongo. Will you?” He plans to feed himself on $1.50 for five days, following in the footsteps of other celebrities who have joined the cause to raise awareness of issues of inequality and poverty around the world.

Jonah Hill, Josh Groban, Sophia Bush and The Avengers actor Tom Hiddleston – who Tweeted earlier this month photos of his scant meals – are among the other celebrities who have said they are participating in the campaign.

Hugh Jackman, who sits on the Global Poverty Project’s board, kicked off the $1.50 day living challenge in 2011, appearing in public service announcements for the campaign. Others active in this year’s project drive are Cooking Channel chefs Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos.

More than 20,000 people are expected to participate this year, Time.com reported, noting that more than $3 million was raised for the project last year. The GPP, on its Facebook page, says currently 1.2 billion people around the world live in extreme poverty, down from 1.4 billion five years ago.

[From People]

I always forget that Ben Affleck has a Twitter. He doesn’t use for anything personal, he just uses it to promote his films and his advocacy work for the most part. I doubt Ben will be tweeting photos of what he’s eating, is what I’m saying. Anyway, as I said with Hiddleston… his heart is in the right place and when bigger celebrities do this, it does raise awareness. Hopefully they will raise money for their cause. And hopefully Jennifer Garner won’t be too put-out by having to figure out what Ben should eat, because you know she’s the one preparing his meals anyway. This would be the perfect time for her to shout, “You should go eat your mistress’s p—y, that sh-t is free!” Too much?

These are photos of Ben and his family in LA over the weekend. He can’t just stop being pap’d with them cold turkey, you know! That would be too obvious.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

If she’s not careful, Duchess Kate will just work her little fingers to the bone! Haha. No, just kidding. Kate did something nice for one of her (few) charities, and Kate’s press office dutifully pushed a press release about it. What was the “nice” thing? Kate “managed to donate a baby hamper” for a charity auction for EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices). It’s nice. It’s not, like, the most groundbreaking and amazing charitable gift anyone has ever offered, but that’s fine. My problem is not that Kate donated something nice for a charity. My problem is with how the press and the band of royal sycophants treats her nice deed.

Kate Middleton hasn’t had an easy pregnancy, but she knows other parents have it far worse. And as a mother-to-be herself, she wants to help.

After announcing on Dec. 3 that she and husband Prince William, both 30, were expecting their first child, the Duchess quietly reached out to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), a charity that offers assistance for the loved ones of young people with serious, life-threatening diseases. (Her Royal Highness became a patron of the organization in January 2011.)

Despite being hospitalized at the time with hyperemesis gravidarum — a rare condition that can cause severe morning sickness, weight loss, dehydration, and fainting — Middleton managed to donate a baby hamper for EACH’s annual charity auction. According to the foundation’s website, EACH needs to raise more than 5.75 million pounds in public donations to deliver its services.

“EACH is invaluable to hundreds of families. In the past year there has been an unprecedented amount of care and support delivered to children and young people with life-threatening illnesses, and their families,” the mom-to-be says in a statement on the auction’s page online.

“I have been fortunate enough to meet some of those who have been supported by EACH, and seen firsthand the positive impact this organization has on their lives,” she continues. “For both families accessing care, and those who have been bereaved, EACH is a lifeline at an unimaginably difficult time.”

The pregnant Duchess has her own lifelines in her husband and in the couple’s families, who supported her through her recent illness and hospitalization.

Since returning home in early December, the first-time mom-to-be has been taking it relatively easy. On Christmas day, she and William skipped Queen Elizabeth’s annual gathering at Sandringham in favor of a more low-key celebration with Middleton’s parents and siblings in Bucklebury. They later joined the royal family for the traditional Boxing Day festivities on Dec. 26.

[From Us Weekly]

I’m sure there will be a lot of bids and the hamper will probably bring in a lot of money, and more people will become aware of the charity auction, which is a great thing. This made me wonder though… I wonder how much baby stuff is being sent to Will & Kate these days? Kate has always made it a priority that she doesn’t accept freebies or discounts, but I do wonder if they aren’t making an exception for all of the free baby stuff they’re getting from companies who want the newborn prince or princess to be seen wearing their products. It would be interesting if Kate and Will decide to donate all of that stuff too.

Two more stories for you… one, The Mail says that the Queen is making it clear that Will and Kate will have their own little (“little”) cottage on her Sandringham estate – you can see photos of “the cottage” here. It looks very much like an eight-bedroom mansion to me, but sure, a “cottage”. The cottage is called Anmer Hall, and it’s part of the Queen’s extensive Sandringham estate, which means that Will and Kate will have absolutely no excuse to NOT come to Sandringham for future Christmases. So this will probably be one of Kate and Will’s many “country estates” outside of London. Word is that the Queen and/or Charles will be getting them a Scottish estate too.

And the other story – Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, are being criticized yet again for seeming to “profit” from their royal connection. The Middleton company, Party Pieces, is currently selling “Little Princess” and “Little Prince” birthday party supplies and kits. Eh. It doesn’t offend me because… Party Pieces has always sold tacky knickknacks which often have some kind of royal flair. The Middletons profit from their daughter’s marriage in many, many ways, and in this particular case, I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Let me say this at the very beginning: I am not trying to troll Christina Aguilera. My objective is not to be cruel towards her, nor am I trying to fake “concern” for the state of Christina. Obviously, I think she’s a hot mess, an orange-stained pile of clown makeup, booze and leggings stretched to their limit. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But I only wanted to point out the… oddness of this Christina news.

So, Christina was named “the voice” (eyeroll) of a new charity campaign for Yum! Brands World Hunger Relief. Christina Aguilera = World Hunger Relief. Is that an odd choice? I don’t really know. I do know that watching this behind-the-scenes video of Christina’s PSA shoot made me hungry. Was that the goal? Because I really want some Doritos right now. I blame Christina’s too-orange foundation issues.

We should praise her. It’s nice of her to do this. She doesn’t have to do this, you know? She would be fine just being a boozed-up hot mess, strutting around in hot pants and peeing a little while she sings. But she decided to give back. She answered the call! She answered the call and then had a double vodka on the rocks. For the children!

Christina outside of a taping for The Voice a few days ago:

Photos courtesy of PCN, Fame/Flynet.

Soon after Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kris Humphries after 72 days of marriage, everyone was like, “Um, is she going to return all of the wedding gifts or what?” Since Kim and Kris invited all of their C-list friends and they had such a big wedding registry, they received gifts in excess of $100,000. And many reports suggested that Kim was simply going to keep everything and call the whole thing “another win for Team Kat-Face.” Well, those reports were partially correct. Kim is keeping all of the gift, but she’s donated twice their worth to The Dream Foundation. Smart?

Kim Kardashian is making lemonade out of lemons. The reality star, 31, and husband Kris Humphries received about $100,000 worth of wedding gifts back in August, but they famously called it quits after just 72 days, with Kardashian filing for divorce Oct. 31.

But Kardashian wrote all of her wedding guests a thank-you note. As obtained by TMZ, the letter reads “I would like to thank you for your generous and thoughtful wedding gift. It has taken me some time to pull everything together but I wanted to let you know that the money for every gift received by me at my wedding has been donated to the Dream Foundation.”

A source confirms to Us that Kardashian wrote a check to the Dream Foundation worth double the value of her expensive gifts. (While Kardashian and Humphries, 26, kept the actual gifts, the source explains that the Dream Foundation, like most charities, could make far better use of the money versus high-priced vases and blenders.)

Similar to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Dream Foundation, founded in 1993, is a “wish-granting organization” for adults (from paying bills to creating happy memories to providing emotional support) with life-threatening illnesses.

“Our dreamers have received a life expectancy of one year or less, and lack the resources to achieve their dreams on their own,” the charity’s website explains. “While we cannot cure their diseases, we can dramatically impact the quality of their fragile lives with the joy experienced from a dream come true.”

[From Us Weekly]

CB was all “Meh, it’s a tax write-off for her,” which is true. But still… Kim didn’t have to donate to charity – the wedding gift controversy was over, forgotten. She could have just kept the gifts, not donated anything, and moved on to her next famewhorin’ project. So… I’ll give Kat-face some credit. Good job!

Also – CB pointed out this new interview with Kim where she claims that she’s “not dating.” What about Reggie? What about those Saudi princes? Oh, Kat-face.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

HIDE YO BUTTONS. Duchess Kate is comin’! At loooooong last, Duchess Kate has finally signed on for some charity work, otherwise known as a “job”. Kate is rather famous for her laziness when it comes to anything not involving “getting the ring.” Soon after the engagement, the Palace went into overdrive, trying to fluff up Kate’s meager CV to make it sound like she did more than wait around for a prince for nine years. The palace also claimed – once again, this was a year ago – that now that Kate was joining the royal family, she was “studying” and “researching” which charities she wanted to become involved with, and that she would announce her patronages when married. Then came the shifting goalposts and the “princess lessons” and of course, lots of shopping and hair appointments. So finally, we are upon the day when Kate finally gives us a list of patronages. She spent more than a year creating a list of five charitable organizations. FIVE. A YEAR.

The Duchess of Cambridge is ready to hit the new year running! The palace announced the good causes that will get the benefit of her super-hot publicity. Her choices will likely bring comparisons with husband William’s late mother Princess Diana as she adopts a group of children’s hospices and an addiction charity. And young Boy Scouts in North Wales are set for a surprise when the outdoor pursuits-loving royal pops in to volunteer.

A palace source says Kate – 30 on Monday – sifted through “a few hundred” requests in order to make her choice of four patronages and her volunteer position.

“She did her own research and chose these after approaches or because they reflected the areas she was already aware of, especially in the arts and outdoor activities,” says the source. And the announcement could herald Kate’s first public solo engagement soon – it is likely to take place when Royal Air Force helicopter pilot William is away in the Falkland Islands in February and March.

The organizations are:

1. Patron of Action on Addiction, which works in research, prevention, treatment, professional workforce development and support for families and children.

When she was doing her research, Kate came to realize that addiction “lay at the heart of many of the social issues she was looking at,” a palace source tells PEOPLE.

She has paid a private visit to one of the charity’s treatment centers and spoke to clients about their addiction and personal journeys to recovery, the charity says.

Chief Executive, Nick Barton, says Kate’s “support will enable us to keep the issue of addiction in the spotlight. Addiction is a consuming condition that results in a great deal of harm to individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. ”

2. Royal Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, which supports families and cares for children with life-threatening conditions in Cambridge, among other areas. As well as being a “moving issue,” this is one of the “leading charities in palliative care and there is also the Cambridge link,” the palace source explains.

3. Royal Patron of The Art Room, set up in 2002 to offer art as therapy to children aged between five and 16, using art to raise their self esteem, confidence and independence.

Kate made a private visit to a unit in North London during her research. The Art Room’s founder Juli Beattie said in a statement, “It is a fantastic endorsement of . . . the role that art and creativity can play in helping children and young people whose start in life has been difficult.”

4. Patron of the National Portrait Gallery. Kate visited the London gallery in September during her work to decide on the causes she wanted to patronize.

And the choice reflects her interest in arts (two of her “big hobbies” are “photography and painting, which she does privately,” the palace source says.) She did some pre-university study in the Italian city of Florence and read Art History at St. Andrew’s University – where she met William, 29.

5. Volunteering in the the Scout Association – specifically for cub scout packs and more junior “Beaver Scout Colonies.” Palace sources point out that Kate (and sister Pippa) was a Brownie herself and wants to “get stuck in” locally. “This role allows a level of flexibility for her to volunteer in North Wales or elsewhere,” the source says.

“She is a big hill-walker and does a lot of outdoor pursuits. So, she might teach them how to pack a rucksack, how to put a tent up, cooking in a camp situation,” Simon Carter, a spokesman for the Scouts Association, tells PEOPLE. “All those sorts of things are skills she might pass on as she’s an adult who’s got some expertise in that area.”

[From People]

I don’t hate any of these, and I appreciate the diversity in issues. I wouldn’t have thought Kate was brave enough or substantial enough to become a patroness to a charity dealing with addiction issues. Waity’s going to meet some sex addicts! And I think the whole “volunteering for the Scouts” is really cute, actually. I’m very happy that she finally signed on to some significant work, and my only complaint is still “She should have done this a long time ago.”

Of course, there’s always the issue of Kate being in over her head. A lot of people were talking about how “off” she seemed in this interview in November. I didn’t think she was as awful as other people claimed, but she just seems… nervous? Out of her depth? She doesn’t have William’s ease.

Photos courtesy of Fame, WENN.

The Daily Mail had one of the most ridiculous stories about Duchess Kate this weekend. Katie Nichol – the gossip columnist who always gets the good Duchess Kate scoop, so much so that I’m almost positive that Duchess Kate herself leaks information to Nichol – reports that the Duchess of Cambridge will definitely not be signing on as a goodwill ambassador for any United Nations program because Kate “has been told it is not appropriate for her to publicly support [a United Nations program] because of her close ties to the Queen – a head of state.”

Now, CB thinks there’s something to that rationale because the Queen likely has a big say in what Kate and Will get involved with. But the whole “a duchess from England can’t work with the UN because she’s a member of the royal family” makes absolutely no sense – go here to see an extensive list of all of the celebrities and members of many, many royal families who act as UN goodwill ambassadors. There are ACTUAL heads of state who act as goodwill ambassadors. A sampling of some royalty who work with the UN: Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak al Ketbi (United Arab Emirates), HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit (Norway), HM Queen Rania (Jordan), H.R.H. Princess Firyal of Jordan, H.R.H. the Grand Duchess María Teresa of Luxembourg, and H. R. H. Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco. There are many, many more. But Duchess Kate can’t join them because…?

The Duchess of Cambridge’s dream of following in the footsteps of the late Princess Diana by becoming a charity figurehead has hit a stumbling block. Kate has been in secret discussions with a number of causes and will make an announcement in January about which ones she will be supporting.

But I can reveal she has been told she will not be allowed to publicly support one close to her heart.

Sources say Kate, 29, was keen to work with the Blue Heart Campaign, which raises awareness about human trafficking.

She is close friends with Lady Natasha Rufus Issacs and Lavinia Brennan, whose ethical fashion label Beulah has close links with Blue Heart. Natasha is also an old pal of Prince William’s and attended the Royal Wedding in April.

However, Blue Heart is affiliated with the United Nations, a neutral organisation. That means Kate has been told it is not appropriate for her to publicly support it because of her close ties to the Queen – a head of state.

‘Natasha and Lavinia spent two months working with human trafficking victims in India and when Kate heard their tales she was completely behind the project,’ says one source. ‘But because of UN protocol it was not deemed appropriate for her to be too visible within the campaign.’

But Kate has found other ways to support the cause.

At the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Gala at Clarence House last week Kate wore a scarlet Beulah gown.

And insiders say she asked her cake-maker brother James, 24, to bake cupcakes for a recent fashion show in aid of Blue Heart. The cakes were embossed with images of a Kate lookalike wearing a Beulah garment.

Meanwhile, Kate has been having training to perform solo charitable tasks on behalf of the Queen while she is busy with her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

[From The Mail]

Because why sign on to be a patroness of a charity when she could just wear a dress and smile? Hasn’t anyone told Kate that wearing a dress and smiling is one of the main parts of being a charity’s patroness? Ugh. Look, if you want to make the argument that the Queen is in charge of everything, knock yourself out. But I think that the Queen and her advisors are slightly perturbed by how lazy Kate is. When Kate signed on to her first charity (her husband’s charity), the questions about Kate’s ability to actually WORK had already been raised, and “sources” within the palace already seemed like they were tired of trying to make it sound like Kate is keeping busy with her “princess training.” I mean, Kate can’t even be bothered to hand-write a note to a kid with cancer. And now she’s blaming the Queen because Kate can’t be bothered to sign on a charity that means so much to her? This is worrying.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

Lady Gaga was in Japan over the weekend, working her schtick and trying to claim that she had a hard knock life despite the fact that she went to an exclusive private high school. Gaga performed at an MTV Japan benefit relief concert, and she’s worked hard to raise money for tsunami victims. Soon after the tragedy in early March, she started selling bracelets she designed with the words “We Pray for Japan” on them. They cost $5 through her website, which pledges “All proceeds go directly to Japan relief efforts.” Only a new lawsuit alleges that’s not the case and that Gaga’s people aren’t donating all the money:

Just before she headlined Saturday night’s Japan disaster relief benefit concert, Lady Gaga was sued over the bracelets she’s been selling for the same cause.

According to the federal class action, the do-gooder pop star wasn’t exactly being honest when her Web site claimed all the proceeds from sales of her “We Pray for Japan” wristbands would go to help victims of the March earthquake and tsunami.

A Detroit-era legal network said in its complaint, filed Friday, that Gaga kept part of the $5 that every customer paid for a wristband and inflated shipping charges so she could pocket more. She then counted even the money she allegedly pocketed in her donation figures, artificially inflating donation numbers, in order to make more money, the suit charged.
Gaga’s deceptive advertising and personal profits from the bracelets violated federal racketeering laws and a slew of consumer protection laws, too, the suit claimed.

“When we tried to communicate with the defendants in this lawsuit, all we got was, ‘well, some of the money is being retained, but we don’t really know how much,’” said the 1-800-LAW-FIRM lawyer who sued, Alyson Oliver.

Lady Gaga hasn’t answered the law suit yet. Lately, with a packed tour schedule, she’s had bigger fish to fry—including Saturday’s MTV Video Music Aid Japan benefit show in Tokyo.

“The recent events here really affected me, not just because I have so many fans in Japan, but because it’s hard to watch a country struggle,” Gaga told Us Weekly.

[From NBC Chicago, tip via DethHammer]

I can’t believe I’m defending Gaga, but any lawsuit brought by “1-800-Law-Firm” is suspicious. I mean it could just be a bid for publicity. It’s also possible that Gaga has a team of people working on fulfilling sales and donating the money and that she has little control or knowledge of what’s actually going on. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if all the money isn’t going to charity. Look at what happened to Madonna’s Raising Malawi efforts, Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti and Bono’s RED. Charities run by celebrities don’t have the best track records.

Gaga is shown wearing the bracelet on 6/23/11 at a press conference in Tokyo for MTV Video Music Aid. Credit: WENN.com

Here are some photos of Lady Gaga in Japan over the weekend, where she performed at the MTV Video Music Aid Japan concert, which raised money for the Japanese Red Cross. Gaga has done a lot to raise money for Japanese relief and rebuilding funds in the wake of the March tsunami, which left so much of Japan devastated. Before we talk about how Gaga is a good person for focusing so much energy on Japanese relief funds, can we talk about her “eyes”? When I first saw the photos, I thought she had actually attached something ON TOP of her eyes to make them look like those big-eyed girls from anime and manga that the Japanese embrace. But Gaga achieved the look with makeup, I think. She just did the “big eye” look on her eyelids, and THEN SHE KEPT HER EYES SHUT. The entire time.

Gaga not only performed, she did a press conference (video below) where she discussed her struggles (although I think she’s still telling some lies about what it was like for her to grow up in Manhattan, but whatever), and she says that her own struggles made her understand that people should “Never give up on the dream of Japan; never give up on the dream of its people; and never give up on the dream of the future.” A lovely sentiment, which Gaga said WITH HER EYES CLOSED. She’s… crazy…? Or is she just trying too hard? Or should we give her credit for really believing in a look and working to pull it off? Eh.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

There are two stories in the National Enquirer this week about the Travoltas. The first is that Kelly Preston, who just “gave birth”* at the age of 48 to her third child in November, wants another baby supposedly. This story sounds like either a fabrication or wishful thinking. It’s hard for me to consider the Travoltas in any kind of normal context (i.e. they want another child like a regular couple) without thinking of the batsh*t comments that Kelly gave in an interview in January. She and John are Scientologists, and the nonsensical drivel she spouted on The Today Show kind of brought it home for me how brainwashed she is, and how there might be something to those rumors that she’s a beard for John. She just doesn’t seem all “there” which can happen when people are reprogrammed.

Anyway I do feel a lot of sympathy for the Travoltas after they lost their 16 year-old son, Jett, when he suffered a head injury following a seizure two years ago. They’ve been through so much, and John started a foundation in Jett’s honor following his death. According to public records the foundation has only raised a paltry $39,350 in donations in two years, and has only given out around $29,200 in grants. It sounds like Travolta started the foundation and forgot all about it, because he probably makes more than that for one appearance.

The Jett Travolta Foundation is getting flack for raising just $39,530 in the two years and three months since Jett’s heartbreaking death, the Eqnuirer was learned.

The Foundation was started after [Kelly and John's] 16 year-old son Jett died on January 2, 2009, following a seizure during a family getaway to Grand Bahama Island.

The actor reluctantly admitted the teen had been battling autism – even though that condition is not recognized by his Scientology church.

The Travoltas’ tax exempt organization in Jett’s honor is supposed to provide assistance to children in need. But shockingly, only $28,000 has been given in grants – plus a donation of $1,200 to a child described as having “medical needs.”

With all of the star’s wealthy friends, critics are wondering why more money hasn’t been raised.

“John can spend $40,000 on fuel for his private jet in a weekend or two,” a source told The Enquirer. “For the Jett Travolta Foundation to raise so little money in over two years is a complete joke.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, April 4, 2011]

As the Enquirer notes, Scientology doesn’t recognize autism at all and it took until Jett’s death for John to acknowledge his son’s medical condition. The Travoltas’ richest friends, like Tom Cruise, Lisa Marie Presley, and Kirstie Alley, are all Scientologists and they’re not about to give money to a foundation that could promote “psychiatry” in any way. (See this Wiki article for background.) Travolta is probably conflicted about helping this charity he founded as well, in that he wants to honor his son but has been taught by his cult that psychiatric medication and psychology are to be opposed at all costs. Scientologists believe that their quack methods are the only way to address any kind of “psychiatric” problem, and it’s unclear what they believe falls under that umbrella. John probably realizes that Scientology failed in his late son’s case and it may eat him up inside. He’s never going to talk about it, though.

Alternate explanations could be that the foundation is a front for Scientology, and that they plan to help and “support” kids by trying to indoctrinate them. It could also be the case that John funnels all his extra money into the cult and was told by higher ups not to donate to his own “psych-promoting” charity. (See the video in this post for the lengths Scientologists go to in order to oppose psychiatry. Around 1:45, head David Miscavige talks about breaking “the dark spell cast across earth by psychiatry.”)

*I put that in quotes about Kelly giving birth because there’s doubt surrounding whether she had the baby herself. I think she did give birth, as I explained in this post.

John Travolta is shown on 2/5/11 at the Goldene Kamera awards in Berlin. Why can’t he just ditch the weave already? Credit: WENN.com

Back in January, People Magazine had an unnamed source within Buckingham Palace who let it slip that Kate Middleton will be taking her sweet time getting involved in charity work. The phrasing used was “months or even years” for Kate to begin her charity portfolio. My take on that situation was that Kate is lazy, vapid and exhausted after nine long, hard years of being solely focused on landing herself a prince. It’s one of the things that’s pissed me off about Kate the most – she’s never before shown any interest in working for a charity. And don’t say that Starlight Children’s Foundation – the only thing she ever did for them was get dressed up and go to one dinner.

Anyway, Us Weekly’s palace sources are now saying that Kate is already spending some time working on her charity portfolio. No, that’s wrong. She’s working on putting a list together for a handful of charities she might want to patronize. Our Little Waity spend a whole WEEK doing research! No, that’s wrong. She broke up her grueling charitable research schedule by doing some shopping.

With Prince William away in New Zealand last week for work, it’s been up to Kate Middleton to hold down the fort in London. And while you might believe recent weeks have been all about cake-tasting and dress fittings, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sources tell UsMagazine.com that Kate, 29, spent a considerable amount of time last week planning her charitable works. I’m told that she met up with a leading children’s charity to discuss a future patronage.

“The plans that Kate’s involved in go far beyond the wedding,” a royal aide tells me. “One of her meetings was with Beatbullying, which is a charity she feels interested in working with.

“She’s hoping to begin her life of royal duty the second they are back from the honeymoon. Kate wants to do good and prove herself.” (No confirmation from St. James’ Palace yet, who say “Nothing has been confirmed” for Kate’s chosen charities.)

Also in the cards? A source reveals that Kate and William, 28, are hoping to plan a special one-off concert in London to benefit Japan disaster victims.

Kate was also lucky enough to get a second preview of her wedding music when she visited the Cadogan Hall in Knightsbridge on Friday.

A spokesman for the London Chamber Orchestra confirms that Kate spent time with conductor Christopher Warren-Green (who is also a friend of Prince Charles). “Kate came in to see a little of what she can expect,” adds an onlooker. “Everyone was very excited to see her at the rehearsals. It was totally out of the blue.”

Of course, there was also time for a little shopping. I’m told that Kate spent much of Thursday on the boutique-lined Kings Road, taking her time to browse around several stores (including L K Bennett and L’Occitane).

Catching her eye was a jacket in Joseph, which an assistant came back and purchased later in the day.

So much for British gossip rag reports of “stressed” Kate crumbling under the pressure. It looks like the young Middleton has it all under control.

As William joked to a fan in Belfast recently: “If something goes wrong in the Abbey… If somebody body faints, it’ll be me!”

[From Us Weekly]

Well, I’m glad that Kate realizes that it would be smarter to jump right in with charity work and royal duties/obligations post-honeymoon, because once the honeymoon is over, people were going to begin to ask what the hell Kate actually does during the day besides WAIT for William. Of course, while we’re now getting these reports about Kate maybe doing some charity work a few months from now, there are still no new reports of Kate getting her own staff. That truly worries me – the girl needs a press secretary/publicist and a secretary/assistant, at the very least. But William and Prince Charles don’t want Kate to have her own staff because they’re terrified she’ll overshadow them.

Photos courtesy of WENN.