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[This post contains video, click to play] Published by BANG Showbiz English Alicia Silverstone has revived her ‘Clueless’ character Cher for a new advert. The 46-year-old actress stepped back into the role of the fashion-loving California girl to film a commercial for Rakuten which is due to air during the 2023 Super Bowl and a teaser for the spot shows Alicia back in Cher’s iconic yellow checked skirt and blazer costume. She’s seen marching into a classroom with shopping bags held aloft before turning and addressing the students in the room, saying: “Don’t bug – your girl is back.” The advert is set to the sound of Supergrass’ hit track ‘Alright’ which famously featured in the 1995 film and is promoting a cash back scheme for the brand which Alicia says Cher would have loved. She told People.com: “Rakuten makes it easy to save while you shop, and working with them to revive ‘Clueless’ for the Super Bowl stage made sense with how much Cher loved shopping – no doubt she would have tons of Cash Back.” The full advert will be shown during the Super Bowl on February 12. Alicia previously revived Cher back in 2021 when she recreated a scene from the film with her son Bear for a video posted on TikTok. She later enlisted her former co-star Stacey Dash – who played Cher’s best friend Dionne – to film another recreated scene for the social media site before sharing a Cher montage last year to mark 27 years since ‘Clueless’ hit cinemas. Alicia captioned the clip: “27 years ago, a bad b**** was born … Happy anniversary, Cher! #Clueless #AsIf #90s.” View the full article

Published by The San Diego Union-Tribune Willie Nelson, The White Stripes, Missy Elliott and the late George Michael are among the eight first-time contenders on the list of 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees eligible for induction. The other four new nominees announced Wednesday morning are Cyndi Lauper, Sheryl Crow, Joy Division/New Order and the late Warren Zevon. They join repeat nominees Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Iron Maiden, The Spinners, A Tribe Called Quest and Soundgarden. Matt Cameron, the drummer in Soundgarden, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 as a member of Pearl Jam. Should Soundgard… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Rep. George Santos told fellow Republican lawmakers he will agree to not sit on any committees amid controversies over his serial lies about his background, education and finances. Santos made the pledge, which is unlikely to quiet rising demands for his resignation, at a closed door meeting of the Republican caucus. The embattled freshman Long Island lawmaker had been assigned to sit on the relatively low-profile science and small business committees. “He has asked to reserve his seats on both committees until he is properly cleared for both personal and campaign finance investigations,” said… Read More View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune Improbably, drag queens have become the latest glittery flashpoint in our ongoing culture wars with a new wave of legislative proposals designed to limit the freedom of these performers to do what they long have done. If certain popular social media channels and news sites are to be believed, America is divided between those who celebrate flamboyant performers putting on sexualized shows for elementary school students and those who see in those wigs and sequins the harbinger of the last days of the republic. There are those on both the right and left who have a vested interest in keeping this … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Benoit Nyemba and Sonia Rolley KINSHASA (Reuters) – LGBT+ activists in Democratic Republic of Congo are celebrating the arrival of Pope Francis, whose recent push for the decriminalisation of same-sex relations has given them hope of greater acceptance of their community across Africa. Same-sex relations are illegal or taboo in many socially conservative African countries, including in South Sudan which the pope will visit after Congo. Some influential African religious leaders preach against it as a corrupting force and LGBT+ people often face threats and exclusion. The Catholic Church teaches that while same-sex attraction is not a sin, same sex acts are. However, activists like Scaly Kep’na in Kinshasa have taken heart from the pope speaking out against the criminalisation of same-sex relations in a recent interview. “It is a beautiful message, which advocates inclusion and marks an evolution of the Church too,” said Kep’na, who set up youth organisation Jeunialissime to fight discrimination. In past years, Pope Francis has said he could not judge gay people, that they were “children of God” and the Catholic Church should apologise to gay people for the way they have been treated. Africa accounts for half of the world’s 64 countries that criminalise same-sex relations, according to the most recent data from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association World (ILGA World). “These declarations are a step forward for the future of Africa, the future of our country and especially the future of religious discourse in the world,” Kep’na told Reuters as the pope’s plane touched down in Kinshasa on Tuesday for the first papal visit since 1985. Even in African countries like Congo that do not explicitly outlaw same-sex activity, LGBT+ people often still face legal discrimination under public decency laws and other broader legislation. While it is unclear if the pope will speak on the topic during his visit to Congo and South Sudan that runs to Feb 5, his message will have been heard by the continent’s many Catholic faithful, said Julia Mukuala, 38, Congolese activist and member of the Pan-Africa ILGA Board. “We think it will change the perception of all the religious people in our countries who think that when you are homosexual, you are to be slaughtered, to be dehumanised, you are devils,” she said by phone. On Tuesday, her organisation put up a large banner in Kinshasa on behalf of the Congolese LGBT+ community, decorated with a rainbow flag and a welcoming message to Pope Francis. ‘SIGN OF MERCY’ Not everyone sees the pope as an LGBT+ ally. “The Holy Father is far far from being a supporter of homosexuality,” said Father Alain Difima, head of Kinshasa’s Catholic abbots, who interpreted the pope’s comments seeking decriminalisation as a sign of his mercy. The pope “simply wanted to show that a person who practices homosexuality is still capable of remaining in society,” he said by phone. “It’s his way of giving a chance to a homosexual person whom the world sees as a criminal.” Other Catholic clergy take a sterner view. Father Samuel Abe, Administrator of the Catholic Archdiocese in South Sudan’s capital Juba, said he hoped LGBT+ rights would not come up during the pope’s visit. In “our South Sudanese culture we don’t even practice or do this kind of thing,” Abe said by phone. “We don’t need to be debating what doesn’t affect us.” In Kinshasa on Wednesday as thousands queued for the pope’s open air mass, many declined to answer when asked what they thought about his stance on decriminalisation. For Bienvenue Lukokisa, who campaigns for the rights of military wives and children, the issue comes down to personal beliefs and culture. “People should do what they want, but for us we say we are rooted in and protectors … of African values.” (Additional reporting by Waakhe Simon Wudu in Juba and by Alessandra Prentice, Editing by Alexandra Hudson) View the full article

Published by Raw Story Republicans in Arkansas have been trying to pass a law that would classify any event featuring drag performances as an adult event, but one legal expert thinks their proposal as currently written might not even achieve its intended purpose. In an interview with Business Insider, UCLA School of Law professor Eugene Volokh argued that the GOP’s bill might not even apply to drag shows given how confusingly written it is. At issue, said Volokh, is a clause in the bill that tries to lump drag shows in with events that are of “prurient interest,” which he says has a very specific definition that may… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Gillian Anderson has urged women to share their sexual fantasies with her so she can compile them into a new book. ‘The X Files’ star read Nancy Friday’s 1973 tome ‘My Secret Garden: Women’s Sexual Fantasies’ – which shared female insight into arousal, dreams and desire – when she was preparing to play a therapist in Netflix show ‘Sex Education’ – and it inspired her to create her own version for the modern age. In a column for the Guardian, she explained the concept, writing: “Since ‘Sex Education’ was broadcast, friends and journalists started asking me if women sometimes felt compelled to share their sexual problems or fantasies with me. Well, they don’t. Which ultimately is what gave me the idea for a book – a My Secret Garden for the 21st century … “ She went on to ask women everywhere to share their “fantasies” and their “fetishes” so she can compile them into a new book delving into female sexuality. Gillian added: “I want women across the world, and all of you who identify intrinsically as women now – queer, heterosexual and bisexual, non-binary, transgender, polyamorous – all of you, old and young, whatever your religion, and married, single or other, to write to me and tell me what you think about when you think about sex.” She went on: “Whether it’s when you’re having it by yourself or with a partner, or with more than one. Tell me. Fantasies, frustrations, explorations, the forbidden, childhood, sounds, fetishes, guilt, insatiability … I’m hoping your voices from diverse nationalities and backgrounds will shed light on just how far we have come since 1973.” View the full article

Published by SI Swim By Cara O’Bleness The model made history with her rookie cover in 2021. Actress and model Leyna Bloom made history with her SI Swimsuit debut in 2021. When she landed the cover as a rookie that year, it marked the brand’s first-ever transgender cover model and the first trans person of color to appear in the SI Swimsuit Issue. An activist and advocate for underrepresented communities, Bloom was honored with the Gamechanger Award at the 2022 GLSEN Respect Awards last May for her LGBTQ advocacy work and activism for Black trans rights. For her photo shoot in ’21, Bloom traveled to Tampa, where p… Read More View the full article

Published by Miami Herald MIAMI — New York Congressman George Santos spent lots of time in Florida in 2021 and 2022, including multiple trips to South Florida, according to his campaign finance reports. There were hotel stays in West Palm Beach, some aligning with events Santos attended at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. There were meals at fancy restaurants like Miami’s Nusr-Et Steakhouse and stays at the high-end W South Beach around the time Santos held a fundraiser in Fort Lauderdale. All told, Santos reported more than $17,000 in campaign spending in the Sunshine State. It’s not clear if the reports are all accu… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online @CelebCandidly/ Snorlax / MEGA; MEGA Kanye West has forked over nearly $50k to former alt-right pal Milo Yiannopoulos for his consulting work after insiders claimed the Famous rapper was originally left blindsided by a $116k bill, RadarOnline.com has learned. FEC filings indicated that West paid $40k to Yiannopoulos to do “Campaign Wrap Up Services” for Kanye 2020, his seemingly still-active presidential committee. MEGA The cash went out last December, right around the time West and Yiannopoulos parted ways following their media blitz and several outings together. The filing showed Yiannopoulos received yet another payment of $9,955 in November for a “Domain Transfer.” It seems they must have worked out an agreement considering reports that a deal was never made in writing for the extremist to take on work as an advisor. An invoice, dated December 1, showed otherwise, charging West a whopping $116k. MEGA Ye’s friendship with Yiannopoulos stirred up chatter online when they were photographed spending time together in mid-November. Sources claimed Nick Fuentes was also working with the Yeezy fashion designer-turned-politician hopeful as a volunteer amid his oval office aspirations. The FEC docs showed that Fuentes was paid back by the campaign for some travel costs of around $14,720, according to TMZ. Ye was pushing the #Ye2024 hashtag in recent months but did not formally announce a campaign run. In December, Milo revealed to the Daily Beast that he and Ye had come to a “mutual conclusion” to go their separate ways. “Ye and I have come to the mutual conclusion that I should step away from his political team,” Yiannopoulos said. “I will continue to pray for Ye and all his endeavors.” Yiannopoulos also claimed he had “concerns about a potential new hire” but did not disclose who he was talking about. MEGA News of the massive bill came months after West put himself at the center of controversy with an antisemitic tweet. Ye lost his billionaire status in October after several high-end brands, including Adidas, dropped the Eazy hitmaker. As RadarOnline.com reported, West has other new expenses to consider. He finalized his divorce from ex Kim Kardashian, and as part of their settlement, Ye will be forking over $200k in child support on the first of every month to Kardashian for their four kids. View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA James Dean was claimed to be a mega-fan of fellow screen legend Marlon Brando before they allegedly engaged in an “S&M” relationship, so it may come as no surprise that other secret hookups in Hollywood may have been going on behind-the-scenes in the years to follow. Casting director Joel Thurm detailed his alleged sexual encounters with some of Tinseltown’s biggest names in a candid new memoir, RadarOnline.com has learned, pulling the veil back on his steamy meetups with Rock Hudson and Robert Reed. Thurm described one jam-packed industry party in the ’70s where he crossed paths with one of his childhood crushes — Hudson — as they gathered to watch porn flick Boys in the Sand. rock hudsonmega His bombshell claims come years after rumors ran rampant that Dean was in love with Brando and they allegedly had an illicit affair similar to a “cat-and-mouse game,” explored in a book authored by Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince. In his own memoir, Thurm wrote how Hudson allegedly gave him a signal to follow him into a bedroom, which he happily obliged. Because he was so star-struck, however, the casting director claimed he “couldn’t get it up” when the moment came to pass. Thurm, now 80, told Page Six about his embarrassment at the fact considering that was a “specialty of mine.” “I couldn’t do it because he was Rock Hudson! It intimidated me. Someone said, ‘Well, why didn’t you just b–w him?’ I said, ‘Because I was too …’ I couldn’t do anything,” Thurm added. Hudson was apparently unbothered as it had “happened to him before.” Thurm said his encounter with Reed, who notably portrayed Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch, went much smoother. He recalled being on-set while producing the 1976 movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, in which John Travolta was starring. rock hudson & rocky Marcianomega He wrote that Reed was annoyed at having to be in Travolta’s shadow for the project and because he had to have his hair kinked then unkinked twice in one day, so he went to the former’s dressing room to thank him for being so understanding. “I just started rubbing his back,” Thurm recalled. “I had no intention of anything more than that. But he seemed to respond.” According to Thurm, Reed later “went back to being the same p—k he was before.” robert reedcbs television entertainment Hudson died of AIDs in 1985 and Reed died from the same disease in 1992. Back in 2016, excerpts from the book James Dean: Tomorrow Never Comes were being splashed in the headlines, bringing forth wild claims about their own alleged sexscapades. james dean & marlon brandomega It was alleged the two Hollywood superstars would engage in master and servant style sex sessions where Dean asked to be burned with cigarettes and would wait outside Brando’s home with hopes of making it to the bedroom. It was claimed that Brando never loved Dean in the same way that he loved himself. In his memoir, Brando denied that such a relationship occurred. View the full article

Published by AFP Demonstrators protesting the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee Washington (AFP) – Memphis police said Monday a seventh officer has been suspended over the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, a young Black man whose death shocked the United States and has seen five officers fired and charged with murder. The city’s fire department also said it had terminated three firefighters who arrived at the scene but failed to provide adequate medical assistance to Nichols. “The Memphis Police Department began administrative investigations on officers involved in the death of Tyre Nichols on January 7, 2023. On January 8, seven officers including Officer Preston Hemphill were relieved of duty,” the Memphis Police Department said in a statement. Hemphill, who joined the force in 2018 and who is white, is suspended “pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation,” police spokeswoman Kim Elder said in a separate statement. The Memphis Fire Department issued a statement that three of its firefighters who had responded to the police call had also been dismissed after they “failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment” of Nichols at the scene of the assault. Memphis continues to probe the death of the 29-year-old Nichols, following a traffic stop near his home on January 7. Graphic video footage from the incident shows the five officers, who are all Black, repeatedly kicking and punching Nichols as he moans and calls out for his mother. Nichols died three days later in hospital. He is to be laid to rest on Wednesday in Memphis. Last week the five now former officers were charged with second-degree murder over the beating. According to a statement by Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, attorneys for Nichols’ family, Hemphill used a Taser against Nichols at the beginning of the confrontation. But Hemphill’s attorney told The Washington Post that he did not join the others at the scene of the beating. A statement from Nichols’ family said it was “extremely disappointing” that Hemphill has not been fired and charged in the case. “It certainly begs the question why the white officer involved in this brutal attack was shielded and protected from the public eye, and to date, from sufficient discipline and accountability,” they said. “The Memphis Police Department owes us all answers.” On Saturday the Memphis police disbanded the special unit, called the Scorpions, which the officers belonged to. The Scorpions were established in 2021 as a strike team to focus on high-crime areas of the southern city. The Memphis Police Department said in a statement it was “in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA Lisa Marie Presley is holding the Church of Scientology accountable even from beyond the grave. The late singer, who died at the age of 54 on Thursday, January 12, believed Scientology handlers forcibly pressured her into divorcing Michael Jackson in 1996, according to an unearthed 2015 interview with Tony Ortega. MEGA Lisa Marie “got in” with Scientology right after her father, Elvis Presley, died in 1977, and later tied the knot with the “Thriller” singer in 1994. After only two years together, the dynamic duo separated due to “irreconcilable differences” — or at least that’s what they publicly labeled the reason for their split. MEGA “DM facilitated my divorce with MJ,” Lisa Marie told the interviewer nearly eight years before her passing. The 62-year-old is the leader of the Church of Scientology — a religious movement some may refer to as a cult, while others label it a business entity. Lisa Marie claimed there was immense pressure coming from both David and Scientologist attorney John P. Coale to file for divorce from the King of Pop after Michael was “getting too much bad press” due to his infamous child molestation accusations in 1993. “I was calling Dave, asking, what do I do? He was a huge MJ fan. He was all over that,” the famed offspring explained in regards to the demise of her and Michael’s marriage. The late “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” singer vehemently shut down the serious allegations that the “Beat It” vocalist was accused of, doubling down on her stance in the 2015 interview with Ortega. MEGA “F**king around little boys? Dude, do you think I’d be with someone if I witnessed that?” Lisa Marie rhetorically questioned. “I was in love with Michael. I wanted to help him,” the mother-of-four explained at the time. “There was always someone here. Even when we did that ABC prime time interview, there was always a Scientology handler right there.” “I was in love with Michael, believe it or not. I didn’t want to leave him. He was in trouble and I wanted to help him. And they made sure that I left him,” Lisa Marie concluded of her second of four husbands she would have in her lifetime. Meanwhile, the Scientologist lawyer — who facilitated the legal aspect of her divorce from Michael — clapped back at Lisa Marie’s haunting claims after the interview was brought to light, telling Ortega, “first of all, I never told her to love or unlove Mr. Jackson. This is 30 years ago.” Ortega released his unearthed interview — named The Underground Bunker — with Lisa Marie on Monday, January 30. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA It looks like the “Material Girl” wanted a material ring. Vanilla Ice has spilled all of the dirty details behind his and Madonna‘s spicy eight-month romance in 1992, revealing the Queen of Pop was ready to say “I Do” despite the quick timeline. MEGA “She even proposed to me,” Vanilla Ice confessed to Jenny Hutt on the Tuesday, January 31, episode of the “Just Jenny” podcast. “I mean things were going so crazy and fast man.” “I was just like, ‘What? I thought the guy was supposed to do [that]… wait a minute this is too fast,'” the 55-year-old, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, explained of his shocked reaction. “I was just getting started here and I’m way too young for this,” Vanilla Ice continued in regard to his feelings at the time. “It was crazy.” In addition to discussing his rejection of Madonna’s proposal, the father-of-three revealed what ultimately caused the demise of his and the “Like a Virgin” singer’s relationship. MEGA In 1992, the same year in which the former flames got down and “dirty,” Madonna’s coffee table book, Sex, was released to the public and included private details about the pop star’s bedroom experiences with Vanilla Ice. “That’s what ruined things between me and her, because she put me in that book without my consent, without my knowledge, without anything,” he spilled. “I was dating her during that time so I had no idea about a Sex book. I [was] doing my own thing,” he continued. “That book came out and it was so sl**ty. I didn’t want to be a part of it. I said, ‘How could you do that to me and why did you do that to me?'” Vanilla Ice claimed he asked Madonna, 64. MEGA “I could have sued her, [but] I didn’t want to,” the “Ice Ice Baby” rapper added. “I didn’t need that controversy so I just let it go and I said, ‘You go your way, I go mine.'” “She’d call me all the time,” the That’s My Boy actor spilled of Madonna attempting to fix her mistakes. “She was not happy with it and upset. I’d have to hang up on her a few times and that was it.” Despite the dynamic duo’s irreparable relationship, Vanilla Ice still sees the best in Madonna to this day. “She’s great, she’s a legend, she’s the queen,” he concluded of the legendary artist. View the full article

Published by AlterNet A Pennsylvania principal drew criticism last week after telling a Bucks County school librarian to take down posters with a famous quote by Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize winning human rights activist, professor, and Holocaust survivor, just days before Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Central Bucks School District reportedly has ties to an organization that appears on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of anti-LGBTQ hate groups. Despite being under investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of Civil Rights after an ACLU complaint, the Central Bucks School District earlier thi… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story In a discussion about political violence, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace brought up the Republicans who either spread lies or mocked Paul Pelosi when he was hit in the head with a hammer by a right-wing activist who allegedly sought to kill his wife. For months, the right generated conspiracy theories about Mr. Pelosi being in some kind of gay relationship with the attacker and other bizarre comments that were ultimately discounted by the San Francisco Police after Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted them. When the body camera videos were revealed, Republicans that previously mocked the incident were si… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Brad Brooks (Reuters) – The legal director of a leading LGBTQ advocacy group on Monday said he is preparing a lawsuit to ask courts to block a new Utah law that prohibits nearly all gender-transition medical care for minors. “We’re working with the ACLU of Utah on putting a challenge together as soon as possible,” Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told Reuters. Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Saturday signed into law a bill that prohibits surgical procedures on minors and indefinitely bans hormonal treatments for new minor patients. It takes effect immediately. “More and more experts, states and countries around the world are pausing these permanent and life-altering treatments for new patients until more and better research can help determine the long-term consequences,” Cox said in a written statement. Minter called the Utah bill one of the most extreme of a range of measures now before over two dozen state legislatures. Four other states – Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas and Tennessee – have also passed laws that restrict gender-transition medical care for minors. Judges have temporarily blocked the laws in Alabama and Arkansas. Texas Governor Greg Abbott last year said medical care for transitions constituted child abuse and ordered a state agency to investigate parents of transgender youth who received treatment. Dozens of restrictive bills are now before Texas legislators. Gender-affirming care covers letting children adopt a name and dress that aligns with their gender identity, as well as psychological treatment, prescribing hormone blockers and, in some cases, surgery. Numerous medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, call such treatments potentially life saving. The number of gender clinics treating kids in the United States has gone from zero to more than 100 in the past 15 years, Reuters reporting has found, but strong evidence of the efficacy and possible long-term consequences of such treatment remains scant. Minter said the rash of Republican-backed anti-transition care bills now before state lawmakers amounted to “a kind of hysteria, a mob mentality.” “This involves a very small group of kids with a rare medical condition,” he said. “When kids get the treatment and support they need, they do really well.” (Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Donna Bryson and Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article

Published by St. Louis Post-Dispatch It’s unclear whether the recent move by Mars Wrigley candy to sideline its iconic M&Ms “spokescandies” is a genuine reaction to the silliest right-wing controversy yet, or is just a setup for a commercial stunt in the upcoming Super Bowl. Either way, we were hesitant to bite on this non-issue — except that what it says about the right-wing outrage machine is worth chewing over. For decades, M&Ms have been sold on TV and elsewhere by animated versions of the candies, with faces, arms and feet. The trouble began with their feet, or more accurately, their shoes. Last January, the company began ma… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story Adult film star Stormy Daniels on Tuesday took a victory lap after former President Donald Trump uncorked a tirade about being investigated for paying her hush money to keep quiet about their past sexual encounter. In a post on his Truth Social account earlier in the day, Trump dismissed his interactions with Daniels as “VERY OLD and happened a long time ago.” Trump then proceeded to blame his decision to pay off Daniels on former “fixer” Michael Cohen, who went to jail after pleading guilty to helping facilitate an illegal campaign contribution in the form of payments to Daniels. “I placed fu… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Tom Hals, Mike Spector and Dan Levine (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court upended Johnson & Johnson’s attempt to offload into bankruptcy tens of thousands of lawsuits over its talc products, ruling the healthcare conglomerate improperly placed a subsidiary into Chapter 11 proceedings even though it did not face financial distress. The decision by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia on Monday dismissed a Chapter 11 petition filed by a recently created J&J subsidiary in October to address more than 38,000 lawsuits from plaintiffs alleging the company’s baby powder and other talc products caused cancer. Before the bankruptcy, J&J faced costs from $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including one in which 22 women were eventually awarded a judgment of more than $2 billion, according to bankruptcy-court records. Several major companies, including J&J and 3M Co, have turned to bankruptcy court to manage their mass tort liabilities. Plaintiff attorneys have called the cases an improper manipulation of the bankruptcy system, while the companies say the Chapter 11 filings are aimed at compensating claimants fairly and equitably. J&J’s maneuver is known as a Texas two-step for a state law used to create a subsidiary that shoulders litigation and then declares bankruptcy. The Third Circuit’s opinion allows talc litigation to resume against the company. J&J said it would challenge the ruling and that its talc products are safe. Its shares fell more than 3% – the biggest one-day percentage decline in two years. The New Jersey-based company, valued at more than $400 billion, said its subsidiary’s bankruptcy was initiated in good faith and designed to equitably resolve talc claims for the benefit of all plaintiffs. J&J initially pledged $2 billion to the subsidiary to resolve talc claims and entered into an agreement to fund an eventual settlement approved by a bankruptcy judge. A three-judge panel on the appeals court rejected J&J’s argument, finding the company’s subsidiary, LTL Management, was created solely to access the bankruptcy system and not because it faced financial distress. “Good intentions – such as to protect the J&J brand or comprehensively resolve litigation – do not suffice alone,” the judges said in a 56-page opinion. The decision throws into doubt J&J’s long-planned strategy for disposing of talc litigation after it lost a bid to reverse a watershed verdict that eventually awarded more than $2 billion to 22 women who blamed their ovarian cancer on baby powder and other talc products. More than 1,500 talc lawsuits have been dismissed without J&J having to pay anything, and the majority of cases that have gone to trial have resulted in defense verdicts, mistrials or judgments for the company on appeal, according to the J&J subsidiary’s court filings. ‘PROJECT PLATO’ A December 2018 Reuters investigation revealed that the company knew for decades of tests showing its talc sometimes contained traces of carcinogenic asbestos but kept that information from regulators and the public. “As we have said from the beginning of this process, resolving this matter as quickly and efficiently as possible is in the best interests of claimants and all stakeholders,” J&J said in a statement. “We continue to stand behind the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder, which is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.” Facing unrelenting litigation, J&J enlisted law firm Jones Day, which had helped other companies execute Texas two-step bankruptcies to address asbestos lawsuits. J&J’s effort, which Reuters detailed last year, was internally dubbed “Project Plato”, and employees working on it signed confidentiality agreements warning them to tell no one, including their spouses, about the plan. The Texas two-step strategy has garnered criticism from Democratic lawmakers, and inspired legislation that would severely restrict the practice. Jones Day did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Critics contend the strategy is an improper use of the bankruptcy system by solvent corporations wishing to escape jury trials in state courts. Bankruptcy filings typically pause litigation, forcing plaintiffs into often time consuming settlement negotiations while leaving them unable to pursue their cases in the courts where they originally sued. “Bankruptcy courts are for honest companies in financial distress, not billionaire mega-corporations like J&J,” said Jon Ruckdeschel, a lawyer representing talc plaintiffs. Plaintiffs and other legal experts urged U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan last year to dismiss the J&J subsidiary’s bankruptcy, arguing it was filed in bad faith and risked becoming a blueprint for large corporations seeking to avoid undesirable litigation. Kaplan, though, denied the request, finding the J&J unit did face financial distress and that a bankruptcy court was a better forum for resolving the litigation then America’s tort system. (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Mike Spector in New York; and Dan Levine and San Francisco; Additional reporting by Dietrich Knauth and Chuck Mikolajczak in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine @jaafarjackson/instagram-jourdynn Jackson;mega Jaafar Jackson will represent his uncle’s honor in the upcoming biopic, Michael. The thrilling film — directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Oscar winner Graham Kingwill — will portray the life of Michael Jackson and credit his legendary contribution to the music industry. @jaafarjackson/instagram The King of Pop’s son Prince Jackson took to Instagram on Monday, January 30, to confirm his cousin’s role and extend his overwhelming support to Jaafar as he prepares to begin filming the highly anticipated motion picture. “My cousin @jaafarjackson is going to be playing my father in the upcoming biopic produced by @gkfilms and directed by @antoinefuqua! Truthfully I couldn’t be happier and prouder for him, he’s been working his ass off and I know he’s going to do an amazing job,” Prince, 25, admitted of Jaafar, 26. Prince Jacksonmega “Just being himself, he embodies so much of my dad and I’m confident we are all going to do our best to show the world a part of my father they’ve never seen and that they deserve to see,” the Daybreak producer expressed of his dad, who died in 2009 after he suffered cardiac arrest caused by a fatal combination of prescribed drugs. “To all of my family’s fans and supporters out there, thank you for your continued support and love. We all know my father and Jaafar’s uncle was such an incredible human being and everyone at @gkfilms is dedicated and excited to bring my father’s story to the big screen,” Prince, who is the eldest child of the “Beat It” singer, continued. The late artist additionally has a daughter, Paris Jackson, 24, and a younger son, Prince Michael Jackson II, 20. mega “This project means so much to me for many reasons, I’m really happy that my family and I can go on this journey together. @jaafarjackson i know you’re going to be great bro and again I couldn’t be prouder and happier for you cuz ,” the “Can’t Stop” singer concluded. Jaafar took to his own Instagram profile to reveal the heartwarming news. “I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life. To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon,” the short and sweet message read. Michael does not have a release date at this time, as it is still in the pre-production stages of filming. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday blocked New Jersey’s recently enacted bans on carrying guns at beaches or casinos, though she left in place other restrictions passed by the state in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year expanding gun rights nationwide. The order from U.S. District Judge Renee Marie Bumb in Camden, New Jersey, came in response to a lawsuit brought by seven people and the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs challenging parts of a law signed by Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in December. “This marks the beginning of the end for Governor Murphy’s blatantly unconstitutional new carry law, which is going down in flames,” said Scott Bach, executive director of the association, in a statement. “We look forward to being able to appeal the ruling and are confident that it will be reversed,” said Tyler Jones, a spokesperson for Murphy. Bumb three weeks ago blocked other parts of the law in a similar lawsuit brought by different plaintiffs. Those measures included bans on carrying guns in public libraries, museums, bars and restaurants and on private property without the owner’s explicit permission, as well as transporting loaded guns in vehicles. Other parts of the law, including measures tightening gun licensing requirements and handgun safety rules, remain in effect. The rulings in both cases are temporary restraining orders, which will prevent the bans from being enforced while the lawsuits go forward. They are not final judgments. Both lawsuits argue that the state’s new restrictions violate the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The law was passed in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in June that the U.S. Constitution protects individuals’ right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense, striking down a New York law governing gun licenses. The high court’s decision left open the possibility for states to restrict guns in “sensitive places” but said any restrictions must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of gun regulation. Bumb found that the challenged restrictions in both cases did not fit in that tradition. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Raw Story A Florida pastor vows to teach Black history at his church in defiance of the limits Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to place on classroom instruction. The Republican governor sparked backlash by rejecting an Advanced Placement course on African American studies as part of his high-profile campaign against teaching so-called “critical race theory” and forbidding teachers from discussing LGBTQ issues, and Pastor Andy Allen told CNN he would offer those courses at Allendale Methodist Church. “When I heard my governor say that this class was of little educational value, and that it was sending the messag… Read More View the full article