At this time last year, the internet – and the world! – was abuzz with all of the paparazzi photos taken on at Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island mansion on the Fourth of July. Swifty had gone all out for the annual Independence Day/Taymerica party, inviting the squad, various squad-adjacent people and, of course, Tom Hiddleston. Tom wore the “I heart T.S.” t-shirt as he frollicked on the beach and the rest was Tiddles History. I was actually looking forward to a repeat of all of that this year, something hopefully involving poor Joe Alwyn looking like a hostage as Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne danced wholesomely around him. Alas, ‘twas not to be.
Last year, Taylor Swift‘s famed Fourth of July party at her Rhode Island mansion was the ultimate star-studded spectacle. Nearly every member of the Squad was in attendance, and Swift went very public with her romance with Tom Hiddleston, who sported a “I Heart T.S.” tank top as the lovebirds frolicked in the ocean. This year, the scene at Watch Hill was much quieter – and fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the “Bad Blood” singer and her new beau Joe Alwyn were left disappointed.
Though there was a large inflatable slide set up in the yard again this year, there were no signs of a party. Teenage fans camped out at a nearby lighthouse with “We Love You Taylor” signs were slightly rewarded when Swift’s father sent over 1989 guitar picks.
Last week, there were unconfirmed reports of Swift’s private plane leaving London and landing in Rhode Island with Swift and Alwyn aboard. However, the pair haven’t been spotted around town at any of Swift’s usual haunts.
“Taylor has been insanely private about her relationship with Joe,” a source previously told PEOPLE. “She wanted to get to know him without any chaos. She has learned from the past.”
E! News also confirms that there didn’t seem to be much happening at Taylor’s mansion, minus the big, inflatable slide. The models of the squad really are in France for Paris Fashion Week right now, but I would guess that Taylor was always going to do a more low-key celebration this year, regardless of whether the models could show up. She probably did have a few people over, plus her parents, plus Joe Alwyn. But no coordinated Instagram-drop and no professional photographer and no “I heart T.S.” t-shirts. Sad! I really mean that, it’s sad. Taylor’s Independence Day party is an annual tradition. She shouldn’t cancel it just because she went WAY overboard last year. #RIPTaymerica
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instagram.
i knew this was going to happen. I foresee some strategic leaks once she has something to sell.
THIS.
I don’t doubt she did this on purpose. In a way, trolling the media that “made her look bad” (you did that yourself, swift) last 4th by blowing up that giant TAYMERICA and then letting it sit there unused all day.
also, karlie’s new blonde/red lips look looks a lot like taylor’s aesthetic M.O.
who knows, maybe karlie is fooling around w/kendall now, making swifty mad. please taylor, when the lights go down and the little girls grow up, come out and be happy.
Trump stole Swift’s limelight.
Oh YEAH. What to do???
I can’t help feeling like yday was a sad day.
I agree. I felt no reason to celebrate. Sad indeed. This regime… it’s embarrassing. For starters.
I didn’t feel like celebrating either. I’m so profoundly sad about my country right now.
Yeah. It was kind of hard to feel patriotic yesterday tbh. Our formerly awesome country that I was generally pretty proud of has turned into a sh!tshow :/ I don’t know Taylor’s political feelings, but I personally just avoided the news and made hot dogs and watched Whitney Houston’s version of the national anthem to try to summon some kind of patriotism.
I was similarly sad
If only we could go back to the halcyon days of the Great Tiddlesbanging.
Everything has gone so wrong since then. If the flying Elvi don’t turn up soon, I might just give up the ghost.
We are in serious need of some Flying Elvi, puff pastry swans, and catapults.
Comic Con is coming soon. Perhaps Lord Dragonfly will show up and do something hilarious for us.
Something good needs to happen!
I will stand up and applaud him until my hands fall off if he has the guts to show up to Comic-Con in an “I heart TS” t-shirt, hahahahahaha.
If he did that, I’d never posh bash him again.
It was fun *sigh* this is a little something to keep you going until that glorious day when all the flying elvi join in the Duchess Sparkles procession to Westminster Abbey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X2DqyfYOs8
I’m rather partial to the big green one that looks a bit like a disco dancing bogey meself…the people in the background seem to be playing rounders….
Me likey!
I stumbled into the rabbit hole that is Love Island yesterday.
I’ve just stumbled into the rabbit hole of Elvis impersonators on You tube, some of them are really, hilariously crap – I’m clearly not alone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M6bsEZHC90
That’s the mascot for the Philadelphia Phillies.
I’ll have to check out Love Island. My summer’s guilty pleasure right now is Claws, which is trashy and violent and has Dean Norris, Carrie Preston, and Harold Perrineau (My Augustus Hill!) so I’m expecting great things.
Do not check out Love Island! It’s Blind Date plus sex. Nothing wrong with blind dates leading to sex, but do we have to commercialise and reality TV-ify EVERYTHING?
I am in search of a new guilty pleasure.
I haven’t seen Love Island but if it’s annoying Pierce Morgan it’s probably worth a watch…
Claws
I haven’t actually watched it either. I just got told about because a talk show was having a big argument over whether parents should ban their tweens/early teens from watching it. Was educated by my neighbour. Apparently everyone except weirdo hippies like me knows all about Love Island.
(Will check for Claws. I want more Idris doing fighting.)
lol omg I swear I wrote this exact same thing in a Taylor post a few months ago GMTA!
Celebrity gossip was a silly and fun respite. Now it feels we’re living in a never ending Trump fueled nightmare.
This ties nicely into the “she’s so private and why she broke up with Hiddles” narrative
Yeah, but Hiddles is also so private. The fans has no idea where in the world he currently is…
Hiddles will likely appear at D23 and SD’s ComicCon. Coming up fast.
Exactly. It is all about protecting that storyline she created. Because, you know, British guys are all about the 4th of July.
All Swift exes must go from Prince Charming to evil villain.
third ginger – you nailed it!
It does. All the foolishness last year was totally Tom’s idea. He made her throw that ridiculous party.
I would say Swifty is growing up, but I doubt it. She’s just rebranding. How exhausting must it be to be this image conscious.
Which she had been throwing for years and he knew just where to tell the paps to stand in the Watch Hill section of Westerly, Rhode Island.
And Tom insisted on wearing an I heart TS shirt as well! Oh yes – he had it specially made (even though this is a guy who literally has been wearing the same clothes for the past 5-10 years). Taylor understood the importance of being private – she warned him (that’s what her PR has been pushing in the tabloids since the breakup) but HE wanted to be very public and over the top in order to curry fame. Once she realized this she broke up with him – “she realized he was falling in love with her for the wrong reasons” – that comment has been repeated in HS coverage – not just when the breakup occurred but when the Joe Alwyn relationship was revealed. I really think this is partly her way of trying to push all the fault for Hiddleswift onto TH. It is kind of hard though considering all we have seen of Tom outside of KSI promo has been coffee runs and jogging pictures from the same 2 blocks of London outside his home.
I suspect originally blue is being sarcastic – it doesn’t always translate on a blog post.
@frisbee – I knew that @OriginallyBlue was being sarcastic. I was just agreeing with her.
Total sarcasm. And justme, even those runs and coffee outings have been few and far between.
@lightpurple – yep – recently there have even been very few twitter sightings. Probably has been filming IW at some times and certainly was recording for Early Man (a guy from Aardman confirmed that) and may have come to Atlanta for Thor reshoots yesterday. But for a fame hungry guy he lives a really really quiet life.
A question for the Americans: in general it seems to me that americans are pretty touchy about things they feel are offensive in regards to like the flag and patriotism and stuff. How is that whole taymerica not offensive? Like her making the whole independence celebration about herself? Would it be just as inoffensive if it was someone not white and preppy?
The ones who are touchy are also the ones with the least sense of protocol. So, if you’re proclaiming you JUST REALLY LOVE ‘MURICA, you can get away with pretty much anything.
Yup. Apparently the “true patriots” have no problem with flag desecration if you’re wearing it as a bikini… Or a poncho.
As long as you’re white, obviously.
As long as you have a ton of flags and say a lot of “patriotic” buzzwords, you’re considered a “real” American. Oh, and you have to be white. Basically you don’t have to know anything about democracy, patriotism or the ideas the country was founded on as long as you talk a good game. No seriously, -this actually happened:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/we-hold-these-alternative-truths-to-be-self-evident?utm_term=.tnNVk1Z5j#.fyYWrnJV7
That was trending all day and it was hilarious and frightening.
I attended a reading at Boston’s Old State House, where it was originally read in 1776 and then attended the Boston Oration, which as taken place since 1783 and has been handled by numerous congressmen, senators and a few presidents over the years. This year’s orator was actress Diane Guerrero, who gave a touching oration about being part of an immigrant family in Boston. When she started talking about the problems her parents had – they were deported to Colombia, Diane herself was born in the US – a group of “patriots” behind us got up and walked out.
ETA Sixer, the Old State House was a British government building. They read the Declaration on a balcony directly below the British lion and unicorn.
@ Light purple – was this before or after they did those terrible things to the tea?
Several years after we pitched the tea into the harbor. A few years ago, I attended a Robert Plant concert on the waterfront and mid-set, he inexplicably went into a rant about not being able to get a proper cup of tea in the states. Our whole row was wondering if he had any idea where he was standing in relation to the tea dumping.
It sounds like he was winding you all up – but then Brits only tease people we like, we totally ignore the ones we don’t.
@Frisbe, I think he genuinely was upset about tea. It really is difficult to get a good cup of tea here. I’ve ranted about it myself. I just don’t think he realized he was standing just a few feet from the very waters in which it was dumped.
When you go to most American restaurants and ask for tea, they bring you a pot of hot(ish) water and give you the choice of a teabag. So just imagine that you stick the teabag in your cup and then pour the rapidly cooling water over it. Yeah – yuck (and I say this as an American!) My sister once asked a waitress – could you put the teabag in the pot and then pour the boiling water over it? The waitress was totally floored by this request, which my sister politely retracted – she didn’t want to get the waitress in trouble. I love tea, but in the US it is safest to drink it at home – made by yourself!
I doubt there was a big party. Usually the paps can get something on the beach. I wouldn’t be surprised if Taylor decided to move the party someplace else. She made such big productions in the past they became pap magnets. A new location means Taylor could release exclusive details on her own.
It is kind of refreshing to see Taylor Swift keeping her personal life private for once in her life. I am glad she didn’t make a big party at her mansion by the sea. Perhaps she did throw a party but she chose to keep it from the media, good for her. Her parties are so predictable anyway. I say keep it up Taylor.
Color me shocked-I really didn’t think she had it in her to completely resist puking up another choreographed “Taymerica” spectacular. She really is pushing the “insanely private” story line, isn’t she?
I wonder how long she’ll hold out?
Until October or November 13th when her new album comes out.
Hahahahaahaha but I figured this was the deal when the squad was at PFW early and no signs of any of them leaving. Sad!
It’s hilarious isn’t it. I wonder if most of the squad politely declined due to being “busy” and then she decided not to hold a party? Pretending to be the new private Taylor when really no one wants the bad publicity… And that’s how toxic she is now, as most of her friends will do ANYTHING for publicity.
Good for them! That’s a major event for their livelihoods right there. What were they supposed to do, leave the runways of Paris for a stupid blow-up slide five year olds’ birthday party? Hahahahaha!
If you are Taylor’s friend you’d do that. Obviously friends are more important than everything else. /s
LOL are you kidding me? A friend who is over the age of thirteen would have no expectation of their friends bagging out on work to attend their party, and said friends would have the self-respect to say “I can’t come, I have a major career moment on that day and I’m not giving that away.” Self respect is what’s more important than everything else.
Hence the sarcasm.
Her family was definitely there. There are pictures of her parents with their relatives/friends, but no sign of her. So maybe she let her parents use her home, and she spent the holiday somewhere else?
Also, how cool is to be so rich that you have a beach mansion that you basically use it once in the year?
She couldn’t get her bigger acts to attend because sometimes they have their own lives. This would only leave d-listers like Ruby Rose, so of course she pulled it. Her “insanely private” ass and new relationship will conviently show up by fall to promote her new album.
😂👍
This.
I just came here to say this. None of her “friends” could show up (but I suspect that most of her former squad is really just distancing themselves) so she’s playing it like she chose to be private.
The fact she calls it ‘Taymerica’ like everyone else just doesn’t matter. Silly cow.
It’s so gross and aspirational. “Hi, I’m blonde and tall and bone-thin and was born rich and am now ultra-mega-rich – I’m America (and so can you)!”
Like, I have no love for the guy, but imagine if someone like Kanye did this. Kanye-merica for July 4th. He’d definitely be accused of co-opting the holiday for himself.
No offense to you, OK? but I really wish there were no references to animals when it comes to referring to stupid and silly people. Like pig, cow, the most often used ones. Pigs and cows are sentient beings, they provide meat, milk, leather, hairs, and make the livelihood in certain communities around the world.
TS is a silly girl.
…Is this better?
🐍🐍🐍
I hate to be all serious, but no. Snakes’ venom is used for live-saving anti-venom and in certain medications. And there are species that appeared long before humans and species will probably outlive us. Snakes have my respect.
This word policing is a bit much. Animals contribute in many ways, and I am grateful for it. Getting outraged on their behalf because someone used ‘cow’ or ‘snake’ in a negative way? Silly as the day is long.
Would you accept heifer as a point of compromise?
What about commercial turkeys? They’ve a reputation for being alarmingly stupid. Plus they taste terrible.
Their only virtue is the amount of stuffing that they can hold.
@Goats On The Roof
This so much!
I am not policing anyone and I am not silly. I don’t feel one iota of outrage about that issue.
Nota bene, I have never been called a cow to my face, and I wouldn’t care if someone did. But I know people who use it, and they are bullies – not that I accuse people here of bullying. Seemingly “innocent” words can be insulting as well, although there is nothing innocent about girls and women being called as stupid or as fat as a cow or a pig.
I think of Trump as a tick, bloated by sucking the blood of his people, leaving disease as his calling card.
Not to argue, but you were complaining that sentient beings that provide this, that, and the other were being used to describe people we may take issue with. And then you doubled-down in your snake comment. Don’t try to walk it back now.
Her brand now isn’t what it was last time. When you do something that has people who hate the Kardashians get on Kim’s side it’s bad. So she’s keeping a low profile until she finish her album to have a massive rollout full My new love pap strolls and interviews.
It doesn’t look the same without Ryan Reynolds praying for death.
Yup the lack of Ryan seeking an early demise from this mortal coil has just about ruined my day 🙂
😂😂😂 How could I almost forgot that he was there last year!?
Lol none of her squad would drop their obligations for her so she cancels her party and will put on the “I’m private” spin pretending that it was all intentional. Wasn’t her obnoxious slide up the day before and then got taken down? Maybe it was after every A-lister on the squad declined. Who knows, whatever. I’m just glad it didn’t happen. It’s all too extra and too over the top and the pics are so staged and fake, they could be a magazine shoot. Her entire persona is so stage managed, I don’t see how anyone can think she’s so wholesome and authentic. It just smacks of phony.
Because her fans are perpetually nine, in body and/or spirit. I seriously wonder though what her entire squad turning her down means for her. I’m honestly happy that they all seem to have gotten something out of the arrangement then, I guess? Or are they all leaning on each other for moral support by rejecting her as a group? Inquiring minds want to know!
I think it’s because she’s become bit of a PR problem for now and her collection of A-lister friends want nothing to do with that. They probably got advised by their PR teams to put some distance in between her and them, not cut off completely but leave the door slightly open in case she becomes big again. They’re all shallow when it comes to piggybacking for fame anyways. She uses them as much as they all use her.
I think the matching bathing suits just didn’t show up in time.
Sarcasm is extra special when it’s probably right. 🙂
I shall miss Ryan Reynolds.
There’s nothing worse than a group of models doing their best “ugly pretty faces” that you just know they practiced for hours.
People on here have said that her fans are so loyal/crazy, because she gives them the illusion of being a part of her life. So what happens if she keeps to the ‘I’m so private’-schtick?
Some of them seem be quite p*ssed off this morning. They thought she’d give them something – but not a whisper.
Thats an interestin thought. Fans generally feel entitled to a lot of stuff even with private celebs. For Taylor this cant be too good. But then again she really had to change up her image.
A picture of Paul McCartney surfaced riding a train with no bodyguards, not even anyone sitting next to him. Taylor still travel with up to 4 bodyguards?
Of course, she does. Her 13 years old fans might attack her.
I love him, he is so down to earth! I saw pictures of him and his wife at the airport and they just looked like normal people in regular clothes.
I am dissapointed. She really is sticking to her “oh so private” narrative. I did not expect that.
But by doing so, she is generating news.
After several straight years of having Taymerica with its formula of matching suits, Pap line ups on the beach, the squad, the inflatable slide, inflatable swans, new boyfriend rollouts, she needed to change things up in order to maintain public interest. So, she floats rumors of the new romance, inflates the slide, PR stories abound about past Taymericas and what to expect this year and how will this Taymerica top other Taymericas, followed by stories of who can’t attend, followed by stories about her parents being the only ones there, followed by stories wondering where she & the new beau are and the new, quieter Taylor. She is getting tons of PR out of this without doing a thing. And that was probably the plan
@Lightpurple — you NAILED it! Any party she threw would seem like a lesser thing after last year’s extravaganza (that could not be topped) so going completely quiet and “intensely private” is the perfect PR move.
Also I think she’s put on a few extra pounds, so posing in a swimsuit next to a supermodel would not be on the agenda!
Tree is doing plenty, L.P. She’s spinning like a top.
There really was no way she could top last year anyway.
I think most of the people she normally invites were busy so she didn’t have a party. Which is sort of normal right? You want to have a party but your friends can’t make it so you don’t have one. I think it would’ve been bad if she had still had a party and invited a bunch of random people so I think she went the smart route on this.
Question – why is everyone against giant inflatable slides? They’re fun…
I think its less about her relationship with Joe, and wanting to know him better or whatever. I think she’s still trying to save her image so that when she her album drops it will do well. She knows she was receiving backlash last year. I think she’s hoping that if she stays away and stays relatively quiet that people will forget or won’t find her so annoying or whatever. And if her album is a huge success and the world loves her again, Im sure you’ll see more pics of her boyfriend on instagram and you’ll see more paps shots of her leaving the gym or whatever.
Her team put it out there that she did not do the party and she is so private. Private people don’t advertise they are private. She is so fake.
Do you think Hiddleston regrets Tayamerica?
He got miffed when asked a question about the summer & regret asking “what exactly should he regret” or something like that. So no. He does not regret it. Tom has said his biggest fear is not doing something. So I think he feels regret when he let’s something pass by, regret after not giving a relationship a try, but not after doing something, even if it didn’t work out. Agree or disagree with that way of living, I think that’s how Tom lives his life. Interesting I read an article where the author interviewed the elderly and asked about regret. And people said their biggest regrets were not taking the risk, of not doing something, much more so than regretting doing something. So maybe he’s on to something.
Actually I think he does regret it. He became a laughingstock and knows it. He got pissy because that question hit close to the truth and he just gave a big interview where he faked being hurt over it for damage control. It’s not like he could say, “yeah I regret ever meeting that snake.”
“yeah I regret ever meeting that snake.” Well, we can both agree he would never put it that way. He’s not a complete asshole after all. But he has mastered the language quite well and could have used his skills to dance around the question. But he didn’t.
Her ‘squad’ lowkey is falling apart. I feel like Gigi is slowly slipping into irrelevancy, Selena is Weeknd obsessed, Cara & Kendall are bffs now, then hailee steinfeld & zendaya admitted they aren’t close to Taylor. All she has are her model friends like Lily & Karlie. Every since the 2016 grammys people have been slowly over Taylor.
When no one could come, she got busy mood-boarding her upcoming engagement to Joe Alwyn. You know, the one he has no idea is happening, but will when she buys herself the 10 carat ring.
I can totally see her running failed engagement story/songs. “She’s getting serious and want to settle down, but Joe is too young and don’t want to make a commitment yet.”