Conversely, her sister-in-law, 36-year-old Kate Middleton, had an upper-class British upbringing with ties to the aristocracy and brings many of those values and traditions to her role as the future queen. She is elegant, posh, and polished. Basically, she is everything the monarchy can hope for in a picturesque princess. The mother of three is quite a classy lady.

Another difference between Kate and Meghan that is often discussed is their height. However, it can be difficult to ascertain what that difference actually is. Since Meghan has been tossed into the spotlight, her wardrobe, style, and habits have been scrutinized and applauded, often in equal measure. However, it has been hard for royal pundits to discern her actual height because of her choice in footwear. Why is it important? Well, how tall is Kate Middleton? The royal brothers are quite tall themselves, and Kate Middleton’s height is a statuesque 5’9”, which is enviable by even towering supermodel standards!

Meghan Markle’s Height is a very popular Google search query

It may sound crazy, but “Meghan Markle height” has become one of the most researched facts on the internet since her May wedding to the younger prince. She is certainly not short at what has been estimated at about 5’6” or 5’7”, but in comparison to her new family members, she does appear tiny. While the heels that she wears with pretty much every outfit do help the situation, the fact that Kate, who towers over her, also appreciates a good stiletto, doesn’t really do her any favors. That said, in this picture, where Markle and the Duchess of Cambridge are seen sporting similarly sized heels, you can clearly see that they have a height difference of approximately two inches. Kate’s height has been officially recorded as 5’9” in many fashion rags, such as popsugar.com.

The Royal’s height difference is quite complimentary

It is kind of strange, and maybe it was meant to be, but Meghan and Harry have an approximate height difference of six inches, as do William and Kate. The sisters-in-law are spaced about two inches apart as are the brothers! How cute is that? It also makes for very attractive photos since the couples are complimentary.

In matters where the height discrepancies between the spouses appear a bit too jarring in photos, professional photographers like Glen Gratton of Glamour magazine know how to minimize the difference. Placing both princesses in sky-high footwear can help, but wardrobe choices are also important. Stylists for both women have stated on record that they dress their clients in pieces that create the illusion that they are actually taller than they really are. For example, the shapes of some dresses and skirts work well to trick the brain optically so the women seem to gain height.

Who weighs more between Meghan and Kate?

Another difference between Meghan and Kate that has been dissected by the media is their weight discrepancy. That same CV lists Meghan’s weight as a petite 113 pounds. She is slender and fit. On the other hand, Kate, who does not really disclose her weight to the media, has been estimated to be a healthier 121 pounds, which is still very trim and fit, but a tad curvier and fuller.

Kate’s weight loss secret isn’t much of a secret at all

It is actually amazing how Kate has maintained her shape after a staggering three pregnancies in just over five years. Kate has been lauded and praised for her amazing ability to return to her pre-baby weight in record time. Many women around the world wanted to know her secrets, but really the trick to Kate’s weight loss was quite simple. On a 2016 trip to New Delhi, India for the Queen’s 90th birthday party, fellow guest and friend Professor Bulbul Dhar-James asked the then two-time mother what her weight loss secret was. She replied simply, “I am [always] running after my kids!”

The monarch did not participate in any juice cleanses, rigorous fitness routines, or fad diets. Simply running after her then toddler and attending to her new baby resulted in her amazing weight loss. Louise Parker, a British fitness guru that is reported to have worked with Kate following Prince George’s birth in 2013, says that dedication to a specific lifestyle is the key to rapid, yet permanent, weight loss. While exercise is key, long, high-impact workouts are not necessary. Consistency is the most important element when you want long-term results.

In conclusion, each woman may have their own shape and size, but both are certainly gorgeous!

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The pivotal opening scene

It wasn’t filmed at Wembley Stadium! That’s because it no longer exists. The filmmakers had to recreate it on an airfield in London. Everything in this opening sequence was meticulously crafted to be as authentic as possible, from the band members’ looks and gestures right down to the little details. Anyone interested can find a plethora of YouTube videos like this, with side by side comparisons.

Even those Pepsi cups on Freddie’s piano weren’t a product placement!

It was part of this strict adherence to detail, which included the air kiss Freddie sent to his mother, during the performance. Speaking of trying to replicate this legendary performance Malek has said:

“That’s something we tried to get move for move, even just gesture for gesture perfectly. It felt like I had it in my bones and I didn’t want to keep going back to it. It felt like sometimes you would lose a little bit of the authenticity if you tried to nail it so perfectly.

Things won’t exactly always match up, there might be a hint of something that’s off, but I think that kept it feeling really alive and in the moment and it was better to sacrifice it that way, but yeah, I was watching it non-stop.”

Commitment to the character

Rami Malek was so devoted to understanding & portraying Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” that he flew to London to begin researching the rock star’s life and career before the movie even secured funding to go into production. He was obsessive in his study of interviews and performances of the rock legend, claiming he’s watched Queens 1985 Live Aid performance over 1,500 times. It was important for Malek to “understand the [different] sides of him,” from his brash entertainer persona to his more “reclusive” side behind closed doors.

“It was a challenge just to correlate who this person was,” Malek said, someone who had grown up in Zanzibar and got shipped off to school in Bombay, and upon his return to Zanzibar, fled a revolution with his family and went to London. That type of childhood is emblematic of someone who is starving for identity.”

Malek’s movement coach, the London-based coach and choreographer Polly Bennett, spoke to Billboard about the complex process that she and Malek went through for the film. “Freddie was a long-distance runner at school and a boxer,” Bennett explained, referring to Mercury’s kinetic stage presence. “This gives us a reason why Freddie ran across the stage and punched the air, and allows me to explain to Rami, This is why that character moves the way that he does. It’s interesting that Freddie only did solo sports, rather than football or rugby or any sort of team sport. In itself, that creates a physical attitude.”

Some of the details were changed to suit the storyline

For instance, in the movie, the members weren’t sure about performing in LiveAid, because they were estranged and hadn’t performed together in a long time. The time in between their work didn’t last for more than a year. They released The Works in February 1984 and then completed a major tour. They’d had some difficulties and disagreements in the past, but they weren’t unprepared. Playing such a short set, during daylight, without a regular warm-up and opening however was a whole, new challenge, to which they rose majestically.

Also, Queen didn’t actually break their contract with EMI / Elektra, though they did indeed have to push to get Bohemian Rhapsody played on the air, and Freddie did appear on the Kenny Everett show in order to get the ball rolling. Queen stayed with EMI and in fact recorded eleven more albums with the label.

Rami was initially as terrified of the costumes as he was of performing as Freddie!

“There was one thing I was concerned wearing, and that was the leotard. There’s a harlequin one, but the one I was worried about the most was the sequin one because it really leaves nothing to the imagination. Not only are you walking out there basically naked, but then you have to strut on stage with the utmost confidence.”

He was probably happy there were no scenes featuring that black lightning bolt costume!

Malek dove in, embracing the flamboyant expression the role required. “At one point, you just have to say, ‘Well, you gotta do it. If you’re going to emulate him, there is no fear on stage.” By the end of shooting Malek had formed such a connection to the stage fashions that he asked the costume department to make him a copy of the sequin leotard in red. (We know what Rami is wearing to next year’s Halloween parties!) He also had his Freddie teeth cast in gold, saying he thinks Mercury would’ve been amused.

Some of the singing was recorded by Marc Martel

While some of the concert scenes were recorded with a blend of Rami’s and Freddie’s voices for an authentic feel, Marc was heavily featured. He’d sent recordings of his covers to Brian Mary and Roger Taylor and they were impressed enough that he performed in a tribute, The Queen Extravaganza in 2012. They hired me to do some of the singing in the movie and give the audience an immersive experience and not be able to tell where the singing is coming from. It is the make the audience believe they are really watching Freddie Mercury sing.”

Marc laid down his vocals at the Abbey Road studio before Malek started working on the film. The music was prepared before shooting so that it could dictate the action.

Mike Myers makes a full-circle appearance

Unrecognizable with curly hair, sunglasses and a beard, Myers cameos as a EMI Executive Ray Foster. “No-one is going to be head-banging in the car to Bohemian Rhapsody,” he’s dead pans. Myers already listened to, and sang, Bohemian Rhapsody in character, in opening of the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World. Wayne and his friends head-banged to the tune in their flame decorated AMC Pacer. This pivotal and hilarious scene reintroduced the iconic track to a whole new generation. The song returned to the chart at number two in 1992 and Queen’s music experienced a resurgence in general.

Queen guitarist Brian May revealed that while filming Wayne’s World, Mike Myers contacted the band to see if they could get approval on the “Bohemian Rhapsody” sequence from Freddie himself. According to May: “I didn’t know Mike Myers, but he rang me up out of the blue and said, ‘We’ve done this amazing sequence in our new film—can we have your approval?’ I took it around to Freddie, who was not in a good state at that time. He was confined to his bed, but I took it around and played it to him and he loved it. Strangely enough, the humor in it was quite close to our own. Because we did that kind of thing in the car, bouncing up and down to our own tracks!” Mercury died three months before the movie was released, but he did see and approve of the scene.

The film had more than one director.

Bryan Singer (img) was initially hired and worked on it almost from the beginning to weeks before production was set to wrap. 20th Century Fox fired him over reported clashes with Rami Malek and others involved in the movie, as well as sudden press attention to some problematic legal issues with Singer in the US. Dexter Fletcher finished the biopic, though Singer received sole director credit.

Even if the critics were less than initially kind, the movie has done quite well at the box office & with some critics

Time Magazine critic Stephanie Zacharek is one of the first major critics to name her favorite films of 2018, and Bohemian Rhapsody is on the list. “It may be a bit of a mess,” Zacharek writes of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “but it’s a glorious one, a polychrome anthem about what it means to live for love and sex, rock ’n’ roll and beauty—the very opposite of sticking to an agenda.”

The immense popularity of this film has begun to carry over to awards season glory. It’s scored two Golden Globe nominations, one for best motion picture drama, and another for best performance by an actor in a motion picture drama. Malek has said he was aware in the beginning that playing an idol of so many could be a make or break proposition, and now he’s ready to celebrate. “It’s great to be recognized in this way. It’s been so many years in the process and to have it culminate in not only myself but the film being recognized is such a tremendous honor and speaks to the level of work that everyone who was a part of this film brought to it. It was a troop of people who were dedicated and committed on such a high level. I’m so proud of all of them.

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A Star is Born is already riding high, on word of mouth accolades from critics and fans, as well as awards show buzz. The film has been described as being “heartfelt, well-paced, and gutwrenchingly tragic”, and the music as “gorgeous”. While much of the attention is focused on the established musical talents of Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper is getting his share of recognition. He plays Jackson Maine, the Garth Brooks/Willie Nelson/Bruce Springsteen mashup who meets the shy, under-confident Ally Maine, played by Lady Gaga.

The Preparation

Cooper reportedly spent three years preparing on the role, depending on your source. Even if his performances are mostly montages of clever editing and well-rehearsed and over-dubbed guitar riffs, he manages to convince us that he is a male rock god. Six months before filming, the study got intense, with voice, guitar and piano study happening five days a week, for a full six months. He even hung out with Eddie Vedder, from Pearl Jam, just to get an idea of what the life of a rock star is like.

The scenes where Cooper is seen performing in Glastonbury were filmed in the middle of Kris Kristofferson’s 2017 set, when Cooper made a guest appearance, stepping out on stage before 300,000 spectators. This decision was partly pragmatic, as the budget was a relatively modest 30 to 40 million, and it would’ve cost a ton of money to hire that many extras. But talk about a way to prepare for “getting into it” as a touring musician! The guests in these scenes were not paid, and that makes a huge difference in authenticity. Bradley talks about the feeling of “comfort” once he’d actually stepped on that stage, as being very different from the road that came before it.

It happened so fast! Cooper said. He also got on stage at a Willie Nelson concert, and that was about eight minutes. He had only five at Glastonbury. What if people started booing you? asked Jimmy Fallon. That’d be a problem…. Laughter!

Yes, Bradley Cooper is a fine singer, perhaps not as polished as someone like Keith Urban, but the Oscar nominee can croon country with a soul-stirring ache lodged in his voice. He can even handle a guitar, thank you very much. You can see his joy in performing, so it’s fairly obvious these subjects resonate with the man, whether or not he sees himself purely “in character” when performing. And of course, there would be no slacking in his directorial debut.

Besides the raw heat of the performances, let’s talk about his look! His hair is shaggy and thus “right”. The clothes are right. He’s masculine. He’s virile. He knows how to wield his guitar.

If Lady Gaga believes he can sing…

She’s already proven her singer-songwriter versatility via becoming a pop sensation before the age of 25, performing in one outrageous costume after another, to duets with Tony Bennet and singing American musical standards at the Oscars. And yes, Gaga is a bonafide actress, having already won a Golden Globe for her vamping on AMC’s “American Horror Story: Hotel”.

When they started working together she had no idea he could sing, and she stopped playing the piano in shock, describing the moment later as “magical”. Oh my God, Bradley! You have a tremendous voice. This is coming from a woman whose love of pageantry and spectacle can sometimes obscure her level of real, musical talent.

The Genre

I wasn’t aware there were three other versions of the movie already! First, there were Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in 1937. After that, Judy Garland and James Mason had a go in 1954. I’d only remembered Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in 1976.

In Bradley’s version, the age difference is minimized. Jackson is about 40 and Ally appears at least 30. Also, Jackson’s addiction problems are not a new thing – the direct result of waning fame – but a lifelong problem. Thus the movie assumes a different slant, one that is more about doomed, stubborn love than a protege relationship gone bad. It is a parable about how fame can warp you and ruin you, and about how it’s still the only dream worth having — Hollywood’s favorite story about itself.

The film came out a year after the New York Times published its opening expose of Harvey Weinstein, thus launching the #metoo era. And this is a story rooted in some of the most cliched, well-worn Hollywood stereotypes of patriarchal predation. Whether or not you think it’s the right time for a fourth version of the tale, the chemical and musical fission between the two stars is undeniable.

What does the Music Coach Think?

Lukas Nelson, son of Willie Nelson and guitar coach on the movie, gives Bradley a rating of “5 out of 10”, on the guitar. It is, in fact, Lukas we hear, dubbed over Bradley’s playing in the movie. But he does describe Brad as being a “natural musician” who just hadn’t had a chance to tap into that previously, and says he has “an ear”. I remember thinking you were always a musician. All I gotta do is tell you to practice! The two worked together to come up with the music and the riffs with Bradly singing how he heard his Neil Young inspired riffs and Lukas translating the tune to guitar.

Bradley Cooper, in A Star is Born, is convincing as an actor, director and a musician. While he laughs when asked if we can expect a non-soundtrack album from him any time soon, I have no doubt we will be seeing him directing and appearing in more, excellent films.

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