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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

Published by Radar Online @neneleakes/instagram; @kingbrentt/instagram Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes addressed speculation about her son Brent‘s sexuality after he sent the rumor mill into overdrive by participating in a viral TikTok challenge. RadarOnline.com has learned the former Bravolebrity stopped by The Breakfast Club after Brent seemingly came out. @kingbrentt/instagram “If I miss, I’m gay,” Brent captioned the TikTok clip, showing himself throwing something at a basket and intentionally not making it inside. Leakes said she was out of town when she was flooded with messages asking if she had seen Brent’s TikTok and knew he was gay. “I was like, he is?” she said with a laugh while catching up with Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy. “Brent is not gay,” she told the co-hosts. “Not to my knowledge.” @kingbrentt/instagram Leakes said she would support him wholeheartedly either way and added that it’s 100 percent “ok” if he is, but they previously spoke on the phone and he told her, “I’m not gay, mom.” The Never Make the Same Mistake Twice author revealed several friends had reached out after seeing the TikTok as well. “What’s the big deal?” she questioned. Charlamagne suggested that she should have asked Brent, to which she explained why that was unnecessary. “What I like to say to people, your happiness is the most important thing, right?” Leakes said. “As far as my son is concerned, it doesn’t matter.” MEGA Brent’s TikTok came months after Madonna put her own spin on the trend. The Queen of Pop came out by attempting to throw a pair of neon pink panties into her trash can and purposely missing in the clip, similarly captioned, “If I miss, I’m gay.” As for Brent, the youngest son of Leakes, fans have been overjoyed to see his recovery in the months after he was hospitalized due to suffering from a stroke. The 23-year-old recently showed off his weight loss transformation in a carousel of photos he shared on January 15. “Focus on you until the focus is you. #100poundsdown,” it read. Meanwhile, Leakes has been going through her own troubles that she is working toward overcoming. MEGA RadarOnline.com exclusively learned earlier this month that she was accused of blowing off a photographer’s lawsuit over an alleged unpaid invoice. Leakes had claimed the photographer never worked for her or her lounge, which they disputed. The lawsuit drama came after she dismissed her lawsuit against Bravo and Andy Cohen. However, they are still battling privately in arbitration over alleged discrimination claims. View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Rock Hudson‘s sexuality was thrust back into the spotlight after a male casting director insisted he had an intimate encounter with the late Hollywood icon — however, RadarOnline.com can reveal that long-standing rumors about Hudson being gay have been whispered around Tinsel Town for years, with sources even insisting his marriage to Phyllis Gates was arranged as a cover story for the brewing scandal. In his book, Rock Hudson: Public and Private, Mark Bego, a best-selling author who highlighted the life stories of superstars like Madonna and Michael Jackson, described Hudson’s double life and a 1955 incident that almost wrecked the actor’s career. Rock Hudson & Rocky Marcianomega Rock played a brief part as himself in the film Four Girls in Town. The movie was about four starstruck girls in Hollywood with the male lead given to George Nader. At the time of the filming, Rock became friendly with George. Confidential magazine was one of the most controversial publications of the Fifties and was famous for printing stories about who was sleeping with whom in Hollywood. In 1955, the magazine discovered Rock was gay. Henry Willson, Rock’s agent and manager, was livid when he found out that Confidential was planning to print the story. Universal-International executives were shaken about the prospect of blowing the fortune they had invested in Rock’s all-American image. According to an article that appeared after Rock’s death: “The studio cut a deal that traded information on Rock for information about a lesser-known actor who was gay.” The actor was later identified as Nader, and his career in movies tanked. Interestingly enough, when Hudson’s will was disclosed, the bulk of his estate went to Nader. Hudson had narrowly escaped a brush with career disaster, but he wasn’t in the clear. mega His manager decided Hudson had to get married — immediately. All they needed was a bride. Gates was Willson’s secretary and the perfect age. On November 9, 1955, Hudson suddenly eloped with Phyllis. The best man was Rock’s boyhood friend, James Matteoni. “Roy (Hudson’s real name) called up at two in the morning and said, ‘I’ve made arrangements for you to be on a 6 o’clock flight. Keep it a secret,” James recalled. For a while, Rock played the happy married man for the press, but he soon grew to regret the marriage. Rock hudson & Kim Novakmega Trying to make the best of her situation, Phyllis reportedly attempted to seduce Rock by dressing in skimpy nightgowns, but Hudson was clearly not interested in her or their marriage. His former leading lady, Arlene Dahl, later confirmed that Rock’s close Hollywood friends knew “Phyllis was not the love of his life. It was an arrangement.” Also, actress Mamie Van Doren admitted she had gone on studio-arranged dates with Rock. “We all knew Rock was gay,” she claimed. “Rock did what was expected of him. RadarOnline.com can reveal that Hudson’s gay scandal has once again been rocked after casting director Joel Thurm declared they were close to having a bedroom romp in the ’70s in his newly released memoir, Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director. mega According to Thurm, Rock invited him into a bedroom but the casting director couldn’t perform when it came time. “I was embarrassed and mortified … getting it up was a specialty of mine,” Thurm, now 80, explained. “I couldn’t do it because he was Rock Hudson! It so intimidated me. Someone said, ‘Well, why didn’t you just b–w him?’ I said, ‘Because I was too …’ I couldn’t do anything.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News U.S. Rep. George Santos vowed Monday he would cooperate with a looming congressional ethics investigation into his lies about his background and major questions about his campaign finances. Emerging from a morning meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the newly minted New York Republican lawmaker claimed he would finally come clean about the unending string of fibs that have made him a walking political punch line. “I don’t have anything to hide,” Santos told reporters, who have staked him out on Capitol Hill since he was sworn in this month. McCarthy confirmed to reporters that he met wi… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Lisa Marie Presleywas accused of being a manipulative ex-wife who emotionally destroyed Michael Jackson years before her shocking death, RadarOnline.com has learned. In the blockbuster courtroom statement connected to the late King of Pop’s wrongful death suit, Jackson’s longtime makeup artist revealed that Lisa Marie begged Michael to work on their failing marriage and then stunned the unsuspecting superstar by slapping him with divorce papers. Sources said Lisa Marie’s ugly betrayal broke Michael’s heart. Mega “Michael trusted Lisa Marie more than anyone else in his life,” a Jackson family insider stated. “When she betrayed him, he was consumed with sadness and used drugs as an emotional escape.” Lisa Marie married Michael in May 1994, but sources said the union quickly unraveled over his controlling nature, the controversial religion Scientology and accusations that Michael was a child molester. During her dramatic court appearance, Michael’s ex-makeup artist Karen Faye described how a deceitful Lisa Marie manipulated the Thriller singer into thinking their marriage could be saved, and then pulled the rug out from under him by filing for divorce in January 1996. Mega “Lisa Marie Presley was calling Michael, begging him not to divorce her,” Faye testified. “They weren’t getting along. She said, ‘Let’s try to work this out.’ Michael kept saying, ‘No, I don’t think it’s going to work.’ She begged and begged, ‘Please don’t file, please don’t file.’ So he promised her he wouldn’t file for divorce. The next morning it was all over the press — she filed for divorce. “He was devastated. He had decided to really try again with her. Then she turned around and did that.” The couple’s bitter split had lasting effects on Michael. “Lisa Marie’s decision to go behind Michael’s back and file for divorce was definitely a well-planned strategy that left him emotionally and physically wounded,” Ian Halperin, who interviewed Fay for his unauthorized biography, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson. Mega “Michael was a fragile person who turned to prescription medication for emotional escape. That’s why Lisa Marie’s divorce betrayal was such a damaging turning point in his life.” Jackson passed away from a drug overdose at age 50 in June 2009. Lisa Marie’s family was always concerned about Michael’s agenda, especially her mom Priscilla Presley. The musician was a longtime fan of Elvis Presley and sources claimed that Jackson believed “there was no greater prize than marrying the King’s daughter.” Mega In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Priscilla said she was always “concerned and suspicious” of Jackson’s intentions, adding that she felt he had an “agenda.” “There’s something very calculating and manipulative about how he does things,” Priscilla said at the time. “He wanted children. And he wanted her children.” As RadarOnline.com reported, Lisa Marie died on January 12 hours after suffering cardiac arrest at her home. Priscilla is now trying to gain control of her late daughter’s estate. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jane Fonda is “worried” about the ‘Barbarella’ remake. The 85-year-old actress – who starred in the original 1968 adaptation of a French comic book series as an astronaut from the 41st century who had to stop an evil scientist named Duran Durand – admitted she has been trying “not to think” about the upcoming project, which will star Sydney Sweeney in the lead role. Asked what she thinks about the remake, which she has no involvement with, Jane told The Hollywood reporter: “I try not to. Because I worry about what it’s going to be. “I had an idea of how to do it that [original producer] Dino De Laurentiis, when he was still alive, wouldn’t listen to. “But it could have been a truly feminist movie.” The ’80 For Brady’ star admitted she has considered retiring from acting but has ultimately decided against it because she knows her high profile benefits her activism. She said: “One feeds the other. “I recently thought, ‘Maybe I do want to quit acting.’ I mean, I’m 85. But then I realised, my platform matters. It brings people in that might not come in normally.” Jane spent her 82nd birthday behind bars after getting arrested for a fifth time in a long-running climate change protest called Fire Drill Fridays. She said: “I was happy to turn 82 in jail. Because I knew it would get a lot of attention.” The ‘Grace and Frankie’ star isn’t “scared” of dying – but she’s worried she’ll have regrets at the end of her life. She said: “I’m not scared of dying. I think I’m telling the truth when I say that. “But I am really scared of getting to the end with a lot of regrets when it’s too late to do anything. And when you figure that out, it instructs the way you live between now and the end. “[My regrets] all have to do with children. I didn’t know how to be a parent. But it’s never too late. You can show up.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Claims a photo of Prince Andrew with his arm around Virginia Giuffre is a “fake” have been branded “ridiculous” by a photographer who handled the original image. Earlier this week, Ghislaine Maxwell- who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking and grooming underage girls for late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – again cast doubt on the authenticity of the picture, while the Duke of York also previously insisted he didn’t remember the photo being taken and declared he was “not one to hug” or “display affection” in public. Virginia – who sued the royal for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after being trafficked by Epstein before reaching an out-of-court settlement – insisted the photo was “authentic” and she had given the FBI the original in 2011. And now, Michael Thomas – who took 39 copies of the image before it was handed over to the FBI – has blasted conspiracy theories surrounding the photo. Virginia first showed the photo – which she claimed was taken the night she had sex with Andrew at the bidding of Maxwell and Epstein – to the photographer Mail on Sunday reporter Sharon Churcher in February 2011. As is standard practice when handling sensitive images, she allowed Michael to take photographs of the original print – the whereabouts of which is currently unknown – and he took dozens of the front and the back. He recalled to the Mail on Sunday: “She handed me the photograph and I put it on the table in the hotel room and I copied it. “I think I took more than 30 frames, which is overkill for copying one photo but I didn’t want to get it out of focus or get it wrong because I knew how important it was. “I was holding the original photo in my hand. It was a normal 6×4 inch print that you would have got from any developer at the time. “It looked like it was ten years old. It wasn’t crisp because it had been developed in 2001. She had held on to it for ten years by the time I saw it. For Ghislaine Maxwell to come out and say it was fake is ridiculous. I held the photo. It was a normal photograph. It was a physical print. It exists. I saw it and that’s what I photographed and that’s what you see now… “When they say it’s fake, they are saying that I’m involved. They are basically accusing someone of faking it and me being party to it. It’s not fake – and it never has been.” The back of the photo, which has never publicly been seen before, shows a stamp that reads “000 #15 13Mar01 Walgreens One Hour Photo.” The information means the picture was developed in a one-hour service on 13 March 2001 at a branch of Walgreens. Meanwhile, amid reports Andrew is planning to attempt to have his undisclosed settlement to Virginia overturned, Maxwell’s family have spoken out in support. While Virginia has alleged she and the disgraced duke had sex in the bath at Maxwell’s house in London, her relatives insisted that it was too small for them to have engaged in any sexual activity and even created a mock reconstruction – featuring two people approximately the size of the prince and his accuser – in the tub and shared its dimensions, 1,359mm by 380mm. Maxwell’s brother, Ian Maxwell, said: “If anything Andrew is a bit bigger, a bit broader than the man in the bath in the photo. You can see how small the bathroom is and how small the bath is. The idea that two people can get in there and she bats her eyes and takes her clothes off and has sex in the bath is impossible. “The only way you can start to change public perception around that is to provide incontrovertible visual evidence. People can now look at this photo in the bath and judge for themselves. I am putting it out, and if that helps Prince Andrew then so be it. If Prince Andrew wants to use it, we will make it available to him.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Steps’ Ian ‘H’ Watkins is close friends with his celebrity childhood crush. The ‘One For Sorrow’ hitmaker was obsessed with pop star and former ‘Neighbours’ star Jason Donovan, 54, when he was younger, so finds it “weird” to think the pair are good pals these days. He told Heat magazine: “Back in the day, I used to fancy Jason Donovan, which is a bit weird, because we’re now pretty good mates.” These days, the 46-year-old singer confessed he has the hots for Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard. Meanwhile, H recently admitted he constantly feels guilty when he’s on tour without his sons. The singer – who has six-year-old twins Macsen and Cybi with former partner Craig Ryder – loves being on the road with the band but feels bad that he can’t take the kids with him any more because they need to be at school. He said: “Although my Instagram and social channels will often show me having a great time on tour (which I am!) I can’t help but struggle with the guilt that the boys aren’t there with me, now they’re both at school. Oh, the joys of parental guilt!” The ‘Better Best Forgotten’ hitmaker admitted having twins is “absolutely exhausting” and thinks only parents who had multiples can truly understand the struggles. He added: “Being a twin parent is like nothing else. And no, it is not the same as having children close together, thank you very much! This is a whole different ball game; it’s messy, it’s fun, it’s hilarious but WOW…. It’s absolutely exhausting.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dame Olivia Newton-John’s grieving husband has recalled how every day with her was a “bit of magic”. John Easterling has described the ‘Grease’ actress, who died of cancer last August at the age of 73, as “the most courageous and compassionate woman” he had ever met as he reflected on the star’s legacy at the G’Day USA Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday (28.01.23). He told the audience, which included pop star Katy Perry and model Miranda Kerr: “We shared a love and a happiness on an order of magnitude that I didn’t even think was possible. “Olivia and I unexpectedly, madly, deeply, forever fell in love in the Amazon rainforest. “For the past 15 years, I’ve been blessed to share the depth and the passion of her being.” Easterling, the founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company, added: “Every day with Olivia was a bit of magic. Every day with Olivia was supernatural. “She was the most courageous and compassionate woman that I’ve ever known, with a calming capacity to genuinely care about other people.” John was married to the ‘Xanadu’ hitmaker from 2008 until her passing last year and remembered how his wife gave her name to cancer research centres in both Australia and the United States after she battled breast cancer three times. He said: “There’s an old adage that like attracts like, and Olivia knew that her voice and her huge profile of talents were a gift. Her legacy continues as a joyful, healing spirit who is continuously focused on moving things, in her words, ‘into the love and the light.’’ View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Don Lewis‘ former lawyer is questioning the validity of the business mogul’s signature on his will that gave wife Carole Baskin control of his $5 million estate over two decades ago. Lewis went missing in 1997 with no records that he’d gotten on a public flight or even paid for a ticket. His vehicle was later found abandoned at a private airfield near Baskin’s big cat sanctuary in Florida. There were no signs blood or other foul play, but his use of debit and credit cards completely stopped after his mysterious disappearance. mega Attorney Joe Fritz, who was also Lewis’ friend, claimed he’d been suspicious of the wording in his will that allegedly stated Baskin would be entitled to his fortune in the case of his “disability or disappearance.” “In my law office, we have lawyers with more than 100 years combined experience, and none of us has ever heard the word ‘disappearance’ used in a document like that,” he told an outlet. “Never. Not in one case. It leaves me to believe that a non-lawyer did that. Who the f**k thinks they’re going to disappear?” mega However, Baskin had an explanation for that in a 2020 post shared to her BigCatRescue.org website. Lewis, who was declared legally dead in 2002, had property in Costa Rica and according to the Tiger King star, he traveled there regularly and had often talked about moving permanently. “Don had told me about people going to Costa Rica and disappearing, and he was dealing with the mob down there, so I thought that seemed like a potential threat and included the word,” Baskin wrote at the time, referring to the odd wording in the legal document. “I also included disability because of Don’s increasingly strange behavior.” mega She alleged Lewis had been “loaning” money to an organization known as the Helicopter Brothers, which she stated had been a Costa Rican version of the mafia. But Fritz always had his own suspicions that his old pal’s signature had been faked. Later, two independent handwriting experts, as well as the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, reportedly agreed that it was likely a forgery. The handwriting experts, Willa Smith and Thomas Wastrick, claimed the signature looked like an exact copy of the one in his marriage certificate. True signatures will have commonalities but not be a stroke-for-stroke match. Fritz is also calling BS on the Homeland Security letter that allegedly confirmed Lewis was found alive in Costa Rica in the early 2000s. As OK! previously reported, he admitted the document likely “does exist” but that they are simply false. “It’s not like they have a picture or a thumbprint of him,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s just an old document from someone that worked for the federal government who thought he’d uncovered something when they hadn’t.” Fritz spoke with The Sun on his opinions on the validity of Lewis’ will. View the full article

Published by AFP A health worker prepares a Covid booster jab for an airport worker in Bali Geneva (AFP) – All countries remain “dangerously unprepared” for the next pandemic, the Red Cross warned on Monday, saying future health crises could also collide with increasingly likely climate-related disasters. Despite three “brutal” years of the Covid-19 pandemic, strong preparedness systems are “severely lacking”, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said. The world’s largest humanitarian network said building trust, equity and local action networks were vital to get ready for the next crisis. “All countries remain dangerously unprepared for future outbreaks,” the IFRC said, concluding that governments were no more ready now than in 2019. It said countries needed to be prepared for “multiple hazards, not just one”, saying societies only became truly resilient through planning for different types of disaster, as they can occur simultaneously. The IFRC cited the rise in climate-related disasters and waves of disease outbreaks this century, of which Covid-19 was just one. It said extreme weather events were growing more frequent and intense, “and our ability to merely respond to them is limited”. The IFRC issued two reports making recommendations on mitigating future tragedies on the scale of Covid-19, on the third anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the virus an international public health emergency. “The Covid-19 pandemic should be a wake-up call for the global community to prepare now for the next health crisis,” said IFRC secretary general Jagan Chapagain. “The next pandemic could be just around the corner; if the experience of Covid-19 won’t quicken our steps toward preparedness, what will?” The report said major hazards harm those who are already vulnerable the most, and leaving the poorest exposed was “self-defeating”, as a disease can return in a more dangerous form. Breakdown of trust The IFRC said if people trusted safety messages, they would be willing to comply with public health measures and accept vaccination. But the organisation said crisis responders “cannot wait until the next time to build trust”, urging consistent cultivation over time. The IFRC said if trust was fragile, public health became political and individualised — something which impaired the Covid response. It also said the coronavirus pandemic had thrived on and exacerbated inequalities, with poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of access to health and social services, and malnutrition creating conditions for diseases to thrive in. “The world must address inequitable health and socio-economic vulnerabilities far in advance of the next crisis,” it recommended. The organisation also said local communities should be leveraged to perform life-saving work, as that is where pandemics begin and end. The IFRC called for the development of pandemic response products that are cheaper, and easier to store and administer. By 2025, it said countries should increase domestic health finance by one percent of gross domestic product, and global health finance by at least $15 billion per year. The IFRC said its network had reached more than 1.1 billion people over the past three years to help keep them safe during the Covid pandemic. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Brendan Fraser needed spinal surgery and a partial knee replacement after spending years getting “banged up” while doing his own stunts. ‘The Mummy’ star, 54, has revealed he suffered numerous injuries during his time making action movies and faced a long recovery after doctors discovered he needed several operations to fix his problems. He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I got a little banged up from years of doing my own stunts and needed a surgical fix on the spine and the hinges. That took a lot out of me. I knew I would get better, but it took a long time.” Brendan went on to reveal he was already suffering by the time he made the third movie in ‘The Mummy’ series – 2008’s ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’. He said of his injuries: “I put myself together like a gladiator with muscle tape and ice packs, strapping on this Transformer-like exoskeleton just to get through the scene. There was self-loathing. I think on some level I felt I deserved a beating and wanted to be the one who got in the first punch.” Brendan is currently enjoying a career comeback after receiving his first ever Oscar nomination. He’s in the running for the Best Actor prize at the upcoming Academy Awards for his role in ‘The Whale’ and he admitted he felt “absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy” for the recognition. He added in a statement to People.com: “I wouldn’t have this nomination without [director] Darren Aronofsky, [writer] Samuel D. Hunter, A24 and the extraordinary cast and crew who gave me the gift of [this character] Charlie. “A gift I certainly didn’t see coming, but it’s one that has profoundly changed my life. THANK YOU!” Brendan is nominated alongside Austin Butler (‘Elvis’), Colin Farrell (‘The Banshees of Inisherin’), Paul Mescal (‘Aftersun’) and Bill Nighy (‘Living’). View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega New details have emerged as to what went down between Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo in Morocco. Both of the former Bravo stars stopped filming for Season 4 of Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip in Marrakech prior to production officially wrapping on Saturday, January 28, as it was widely reported a huge fight broke out between The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum and The Real Housewives of New Jersey OG. mega According to multiple insiders close to production, the feud allegedly began when Glanville tried kissing Manzo multiple times throughout the evening without her consent. “It was unwanted,” the source explained to an outlet. “And Caroline’s distress over the matter did not seem to stop Brandi. Things escalated and physical boundaries allegedly were crossed that Caroline felt were serious and uncomfortable.” Due to the severity of the situation, production decided to notify executives of the inappropriate interaction. The blonde star did make a formal apology to the Manzo’d with Children cast member, however, Glanville was asked to depart the vacation early. “Brandi’s behavior was inappropriate,” a third source noted, “so she was asked to leave.” mega Manzo later decided to fly back to the states before the end of the shoot to gather her feelings about the strange event. “She needed to process this outside of the reality TV environment,” the source dished. On Sunday, January 29, news broke of the two reality stars’ abrupt exit from the highly anticipated continuation of the Peacock series. “I’m hearing there was a MAJOR fight filming RHUGT4 in Morocco!” podcast host Zack Peter tweeted. mega “Apparently Brandi Glanville got sent home early and Caroline Manzo left early on her own accord,” he reported. An anonymous submission to DeuxMoi over the weekend also spilled about an “out of control ex Housewife [who] allegedly took things too far” with an “OG” of the franchise during filming, adding it “might result in some legal action.” Fans took notice on Saturday, January 28, that the former East Coast housewife was back home in New Jersey after she shared a photo to her Instagram Story of granddaughter Marchesa (a.k.a. Markie) at her cheerleading competition. Manzo was also tagged in a social media update having cocktails at a local restaurant with daughterLauren Manzo. Per the inside source, costars Vicki Gunvalson, Gretchen Rossi, Phaedra Parks, Eva Marcille, and Alex McCord were all supportive of Manzo and her choice to exit production early. People spoke to sources about the unwanted interactions between Glanville and Manzo. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – A sixth Memphis police officer has been dismissed from the force for his involvement in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, local media reported on Monday, days after video footage of the killing was released to the public. (Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago) View the full article