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Published by BANG Showbiz English Nicolas Cage plays a “pop-art” Dracula in ‘Renfield’. The 58-year-old actor stars as the vampire in Chris McKay’s upcoming horror-comedy film and revealed that he drew inspiration from the iconic artist Andy Warhol for his performance. Nicolas told Empire magazine: “When I got a sense of where McKay wanted to go, I realised the movie has a comedic, pop art attitude. “So I thought: ‘This will be a pop-art Dracula.’ Warhol did a great black-on-black Dracula. This is in that Warhol vein.” Cage explained how he watched the classic vampire film ‘Nosferatu’ to help him bring Count Dracula to life in the new movie, which also stars Nicholas Hoult and Awkwafina and is slated for release in April 2023. The ‘Face/Off’ actor explained: “I noticed all these little gestures that are, by today’s standards, ‘over the top’. “When Max Schreck does that (snaps his wrist and extends his fingers) and puffs into smoke, I was like, ‘What is that? Is it dance? What is he conveying there?’ “I said to Chris McKay that I really wanted to find a place to put that in ‘Renfield’. I haven’t seen the movie so I don’t know if they kept it, but I tried.” Nicolas added: “It’s a largely studio picture so I wanted to play with: ‘What can I get away with here?’ If you’re playing Dracula, you have a lot of latitude.” Hoult plays the title role of Dracula’s servant in the film and says that working together with Cage was one of his most enjoyable experiences as an actor. He said: “Being in the same room with Nic Cage, I mean that’s a trip. “But being in the same room as Nic Cage whilst he’s dressed as Dracula and tormenting you as Dracula and you’re his servant is really some of the most fun I’ve ever had onscreen whilst being tortured. It’s really brilliant.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dolly Parton credits her “warped sense of humour” with keeping her marriage going for 56 years. The ‘9 to 5’ hitmaker has been married to husband Carl Dean for well over five decades, and she has revealed that being able to laugh is the key to their long lasting love. She told ET Canada: “We both have a warped sense of humour. And I think humour, honestly, is one of the best things when you’re married like that. “Even if you have a problem, if you have a great sense of humour, if you say something you can’t take back [you] usually have some crazy way of getting out of it.” Although a relationship will always have ups and downs, Dolly insisted they’ve never had any terrible rows where they need to “take back” what they’ve said. She added: “We’ve never had, you know, serious arguments to say bad things to each other we have to take back.” Dolly also pointed to being able to not be “in each other’s faces all the time” and strike a balance in a relationship. She explained: “I like it when people say, ‘How did it last so long?’ I say, ‘I stay going.’ “You know, there’s a lot to be said about that. So we’re not in each other’s face all the time. “He’s not in the business, so we have different interests, but yet we have the things we love to do together. So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and and vice versa.” The 76-year-old star surprised Carl Dean on his 79th birthday in July 2021 when she recreated her 1978 Playboy cover and donned the famous white tie and strapless black bunny outfit, much to his delight. Earlier this year, she said: “I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just go surprise my husband and just cook breakfast for him in my bunny suit.’ He got a kick out of it, and evidently a few other people did, too!” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Kellyanne Conway has spoken out to clarify her and Andrew Cuomo’s late-night dinner date together earlier this week was “not romantic,” RadarOnline.com has learned. Conway, who previously served as ex-President Donald Trump’s campaign manager-turned-political advisor from 2016 to 2020, spoke out on Tuesday to quell the rumors she and Cuomo had a romantic meal together on Monday night at a famous Upper East Side Italian restaurant. Mega “Italians prefer eating to Zoom. We could have invited his brother, Christopher, but it’s unclear that he eats carbs,” she told the New York Post. “Nothing romantic. I’ve known the [Cuomo] family for decades.” Conway also indicated she and the disgraced former New York governor discussed their respective podcasts – which are produced by the same company, Quake Media – and a series of political issues in which she, a Republican, and Cuomo, a Democrat, could “find common ground.” “My policy portfolio included nonpartisan issues like veterans and the drug crisis, now worse than ever,” Conway explained to the Post on Tuesday. “Looking to re-engage on that and it requires working across the aisle.” “Sharing a meal with Gov. Christie next week on same,” she added, referring to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Mega As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Conway and Cuomo’s dinner together earlier this week caused a stir after it was revealed Conway’s husband, Trump-critic George Conway, was not in attendance. But one witness also at the Italian restaurant, Il Postino, on Monday night backed Conway’s claim the dinner date was “not romantic.” According to the witness, the pair were “not affectionate” towards one another and spent the night together “drinking wine and talking.” Cuomo’s sister, Madeline, also spoke out on Tuesday and raged over the rumors her 65-year-old brother and Conway, 55, had met for a romantic dinner together. “The idea that Andrew’s meeting with Kellyanne Conway has caused this much of a stir is frankly really sad, but speaks volumes about where we are as a people,” Madeline Cuomo fumed. Mega “The level of vitriol and animosity has risen to new heights and people no longer understand what it is they’re disagreeing about in the first place,” she continued. “No one talks about issues, but rather adopts the position of `their chosen leader’ and sticks to it, because that’s what they’re supposed to believe.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The congressional panel probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol wraps up its work on Wednesday with a final report outlining its case that former President Donald Trump should face criminal charges of inciting the deadly riot. The report, to be issued online, is expected to be more than 1,000 pages long, based on nearly 1,200 interviews over 18 months and hundreds of thousands of documents, as well as the rulings of more than 60 federal and state courts. The report lists 17 specific findings, discusses the legal implications of actions by Trump and some of his associates and includes criminal referrals to the Justice Department of Trump and other individuals. It also identifies legislative recommendations to help avert another such attack. The report’s release comes two days after the committee asked federal prosecutors to charge the former Republican president with four crimes, including obstruction and insurrection, for efforts to overturn results of the November 2020 election and sparking the attack on the seat of government. “Rather than honor his constitutional obligation to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed,’ President Trump instead plotted to overturn the election outcome,” the Democratic-led House of Representatives select committee said in a 160-page summary of the report released on Monday. Trump gave a fiery speech to his supporters near the White House the morning of Jan. 6, and publicly chastised his vice president, Mike Pence, for not going along with his scheme to reject ballots cast for Democrat Joe Biden. Trump then waited hours to make a public statement as thousands of his supporters raged through the Capitol, assaulting police and threatening to hang Pence. ‘UNCHARTED WATERS’ With Trump’s fellow Republicans taking control of the House on Jan. 3, the Democratic-led select committee must wrap up its work, and it ended with a bang. Monday marked the first time in U.S. history that a congressional committee referred a former president for criminal charges. “This committee is nearing the end of its work. But as a country we remain in strange and uncharted waters. We’ve never had a president of the United States stir up a violent attempt to block the transfer of power,” Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, who chairs the Jan. 6 committee, said on Monday. The committee’s request that Trump be charged does not compel federal prosecutors to act, but comes as a special counsel is overseeing two other federal probes of Trump related to his attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat by Biden and the removal of classified files from the White House. Trump has dismissed the investigations as politically motivated. On Monday, he said any prosecution would mean he was improperly being charged twice, after he was impeached last year for a second time but then acquitted in the Senate. In another congressional inquiry related to Trump, a House of Representatives committee voted on Tuesday to release partially redacted tax filings from Trump and said tax authorities had failed to properly scrutinize his returns while he was in office. The Ways and Means Committee action includes returns between 2015 and 2021, the years Trump was running for president and serving in the White House, panel members said. Trump paid $1.1 million in federal income taxes in his frist three years as president and paid no taxes in 2020, as his income dwindled and losses mounted, according to data released by the committee, the New York Times reported. Trump had fought against releaseing his returns. There was no immediate reaction from Trump or his representatives on the panel’s report. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Scott Malone, Cynthia Osterman and Alison Williams) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English A toilet will play music and set mood lighting while you go. The Kohler Numi 2.0, a smart bog, will set you back a cool £9,400 but it will make answering nature’s call a bit more techy and fun with many features such as a built-in Alexa, super smart cleaning features and mood boosting properties. The porcelain throne was developed by a Wisconsin-based company and made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas way back in 2019 but has now gone on sale to the general public. It boasts features such as a heated seat, auto flush ability and hands-free experience opening and closing the lid. There is also a n air-dryer for your derriere. Surround sound is also available when users connect to Bluetooth, which can be controlled with a clicker. The fitted bidet feature can be amended for temperature, position and pressure. All appears to be created to make you as clean as can be, like the UV lights and auto mist that wipes away any gross residue. Kohler says the loo gives a “spa-like environment” to your bathroom . View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Ready to make amends? Months after Britney Spears and mom Lynne Spears got into a public squabble on social media, the princess of pop appears to be waving the white flag. Despite rejecting her estranged mom’s apology earlier this year for her role in her conservatorship, going so far as to tell Lynne to “go f**k yourself,” Britney invited her to sit down for a much-needed one-on-one chat. @britneyspears/ Instagram Britney offered her mom a sit down via the caption of yet another confusing Instagram post that featured her smirking at the camera while black eyeliner surrounds her eyes. The photo was taken from her bare shoulders up, though it appears that she was pushing her breasts together without a top or bra on — a pose that has become one of her favorites as of late. ‘GO F**K YOURSELF’: BRITNEY SPEARS SLAMS MOM LYNNE’S APOLOGY, TELLS HER DOCTORS TO ‘BURN IN HELL’ “Instagram doesn’t like posts of people revealing their bodies anymore so here’s a selfie of me in Mexico !!!” she began her caption, before addressing dad Jamie Spears and Lynne. “Mom and Dad … I crossed the border and I made it !!!” mega Seemingly referring to the near 14-years she spent in the conservatorship, with her dad serving as the conservator of her estate until he was suspended in September 2021, Britney continued, “After no coffee for 15 years … Mom we can go have coffee together now !!! I’m treated as an equal … let’s have coffee and talk about it !!!” Britney has savagely gone after her family for the alleged abuse she endured in her conservatorship ever since her bombshell testimony in June 2021. Aside from accusing her dad of treating her like a dog, trying to kill her, spying on her and forcing her to take the mood stabilizing drug lithium against her will, Britney has gone after her mom for abandoning her in her time of need. LYNNE SPEARS CLAPS BACK AT BRITNEY SPEARS’ ACCUSATIONS AFTER SINGER SHARES TEXT MESSAGE EXCHANGE FROM 2019 FACILITY The “Toxic” songstress claimed Lynne could have helped her get a lawyer to free her from the legal bind if she really wanted, insisting the matriarch was actually “the one who gave [Jamie] the idea” for the conservatorship all those years ago. Meanwhile, Lynne has claimed Britney was the one rejecting her and that they should talk face-to-face rather than go back and forth on social media. However, Britney wasn’t having it with her mom’s stance. After the controversial mother figure apologized to her daughter in October for all of the “pain” she has been through, Britney told her to go “f**k” herself. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield KABUL (Reuters) – Female university students in Afghanistan were turned away from campuses on Wednesday after the Taliban-run administration said women would be suspended from tertiary education. The decision to bar women was announced on Tuesday evening in a letter to universities from the higher education ministry, drawing condemnation from foreign governments and the United Nations. “We went to university, the Taliban were at the gate and told us ‘you are not allowed to enter the university until further notice’ … everyone was crying,” said Shaista, a business studies student at a private university in Kabul. Students and Reuters witnesses said that the presence of security forces outside universities was higher than usual and female students were told to leave by armed Taliban forces, even if they were going to complete administrative tasks. The bar on women students is likely to complicate the Taliban administration’s efforts to gain international recognition and to get rid of sanctions that are severely hampering the economy. The U.N.’s mission in Afghanistan asked the Taliban-run administration to “immediately” revoke the decision. It also urged the authorities to reopen girls’ schools beyond the sixth grade and “end all measures preventing women and girls from participating fully in daily public life”. Hasti, a third-year political studies student, was preparing for her final exam scheduled for Wednesday when she heard the news, and spent the evening crying in front of her study materials instead. “I have done my best to study, it is very hard for me, because right now I have to stop my studying and my goals are not achievable…. if the situation continues like this for women, it means women and girls are being buried alive,” she said. MORE SANCTIONS POSSIBLE A student at Kabul University said she initially managed to convince guards to allow her inside to collect her diploma as she had finished her final exams and qualified for her degree. But while inside security forces entered and told all women to leave, including those in the middle of exams, meaning she left empty handed. At Nangahar University, in eastern Afghanistan, male medical students sitting an exam walked out in solidarity with their female classmates, shown in videos posted on social media and confirmed to Reuters by one of the male students. Several male professors at tertiary institutes around the country said on local television and Twitter that they were resigning. According to the late Tuesday announcement, the decision was made by the Taliban administration’s cabinet. Several Taliban officials, including the deputy foreign minister and administration spokesperson, have spoken out in favour of female education in recent months. The Taliban’s supreme spiritual leader, based in the southern city of Kandahar, has the final say on major decisions. Diplomatic and Taliban official sources have told Reuters the issue had been under discussion by the leadership. “This decision had been anticipated for weeks, prompting some Western officials to start talking about additional sanctions and further economic restrictions,” said Graeme Smith, senior consultant at International Crisis Group. “But the flood of outrage from the West will strengthen the resolve of the Taliban leadership, which defines itself as a bulwark against the outside world.” Taliban leadership have said they want peaceful relations with the international community but that foreigners should not interfere in domestic affairs. Most girls are unable to go to school beyond primary classes. The Taliban administration has said it was working on a plan for girls’ secondary education but has not given a time frame. The administration made a surprise U-Turn on signals it would open all high-schools for girls in March. (Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Robert Birsel, Toby Chopra and Alex Richardson) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump paid no income tax during the final full year of his presidency as he reported a loss from his sprawling business interests, according to tax figures released by a congressional panel. The records, released late on Tuesday by the Democratic-led House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee after a years-long fight, show that Trump’s income, and his tax liability, fluctuated dramatically during his four years in the White House. The records cut against the Republican ex-president’s long-cultivated image as a successful businessman as he mounts another bid for the White House. Trump and his wife, Melania, paid some form of tax during all four years, the documents showed, but were able to minimize their income taxes in several years as income from Trump’s businesses was more than offset by deductions and losses. The committee questioned the legitimacy of some of those deductions, including one for $916 million, and members said on Tuesday the tax returns were short on details. The panel is expected to release redacted versions of his full returns in coming days. Trump refused to make his tax returns public during his two presidential bids and his campaign for office, even though all other major-party presidential candidates have done so for decades. The committee obtained the records after a years-long fight and voted on Tuesday to make them public. A Trump spokesman said the release of the documents was politically motivated. “If this injustice can happen to President Trump, it can happen to all Americans without cause,” Trump Organization spokesman Steven Cheung said on Wednesday. Democrats on the panel said their review found that tax authorities did not properly scrutinize Trump’s complex tax returns to ensure accuracy. Though the U.S. Internal Revenue Service is supposed to audit presidents’ tax returns each year, it did not do so until Democrats pressed for action in 2019. The IRS assigned only one agent to the audit most of the time, the panel found, and did not examine some of the deductions claimed by Trump. The IRS declined to comment. Prior to taking office, Trump reported heavy losses for many years from his business to offset hundreds of millions of dollars in income, according to media reports and trial testimony about his finances. The documents released by the committee showed that pattern continued during his time in the White House. During that time Trump and his wife were liable for self-employment and household employment taxes. As a result, they paid a total of $3 million in taxes over those four years. But deductions enabled them to minimize their income tax liability in several years. In 2017, Trump and his wife reported adjusted gross income of negative $12.9 million, leading to a net income tax of $750, the records showed. They reported adjusted gross income of $24.3 million in 2018 and paid a net tax of $1 million, while in 2019 they reported $4.4 million of income in 2019 and paid $134,000 in taxes. In 2020, they reported a loss of $4.8 million and paid no net income tax. (Reporting by Andy Sullivan in WashingtonAdditional reporting by Doina Chiacu in WashingtonEditing by Scott Malone and Matthew Lewis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lily Allen believes she deserves “none” of her success. The 37-year-old singer is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen and took to Twitter on Tuesday (20.12.22) in the wake of New York magazine’s “Year of the Nepo Baby” cover story to rant about how “nepo babies” who make it in the professional world are more of a “worry” than those who go on to a career in the entertainment industry because of family connections. She tweeted: “The nepo babies y’all should be worrying about are the ones working for legal firms,the ones working for banks,and the ones working in politics, If we’re talking about real world consequences and robbing people of opportunity. BUT that’s none of my business. And before you come at me for being a nepo baby myself, I will be the first to tell you that I literally deserve nothing! “ The ‘Smile’ hitmaker – who is also the sister of ‘Game of Thrones’ star Alfie Allen – went on to add that she is not “rooting” for an industry made up of people who grew up in privilege but urged her five million followers to acknowledge that “nepo babies have feelings” before adding that it is “important” to disclose her upbringing after receiving backlash. She wrote: “I promise you I’m not rooting for an industry full of people that had childhoods that looked like mine.I just really think that we can’t get to a real solution without identifying the real problem, as fun as it is to laugh at the kids of famous people. Nepo babies have feelings. “I do feel that nepo babies are being somewhat scapegoated here though, there is a wider, societal conversation to be had about wealth inequality, about lack of programs and funding, and I guess that was the point I was trying to make, maybe badly. Look, I seem to have riled people up with my comments about nepo babies. I am nearly 40 years of age and am more than happy, in fact I think it’s important to disclose what a privileged upbringing I’ve had and how that has created so many opportunities for me.” View the full article

Published by Tribune News Service Dear Anna, So this’ll be our first holiday season where me (38F) and my husband (42M) both have serious partners. I don’t have a specific question but am curious how to handle the holidays in general, but especially in regards to gifts, family dinners, etc.? I realize every situation is different, but a guideline would be helpful! — Pleased to Oblige Lovers’ Yardsticks Dear POLY, Holidays are stressful for everyone, what with accommodating family members, cooking elaborate meals, buying overpriced plane tickets, researching bath bombs for that co-worker you don’t even like and spending your pr… Read More View the full article

Published by BOOM Live By The Conversation After a month of football, the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar has concluded with Argentina beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after drawing 3-3. Record numbers of fans were expected to watch the nail-biting final match at the Lusail Stadium just outside of the Qatari capital Doha. The tournament featured a highly competitive group stage, increased global representation in the knockout rounds, dramatic upsets and outstanding individual performances — highlighted by Argentina’s great Lionel Messi and emerging superstar Kylian Mbappé of France. From the moment FIFA a… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – The upstate New York city of Buffalo on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in state court accusing major gun manufacturers of fueling violence through irresponsible marketing and sales practices. Defendants in the lawsuit include Smith & Wesson Brands Inc, Beretta USA Corp, Bushmaster Firearms Industries Inc, Colt’s Manufacturing Co LLC and Glock Inc. The city is seeking an unspecified money award to combat gun violence. Bushmaster said in a statement that it had not fully reviewed the complaint but that “at first blush” it appeared “false.” The other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The case appeared to be the first time a city has sued major gun companies under a 2021 New York law that allows lawsuits against gun makers and sellers for creating a “public nuisance” through their business practices. Buffalo claims that the gun companies created such a nuisance by marketing practices that emphasize the high capacity and ease of concealing their products, appealing to people with criminal intent; deliberately supplying more guns than needed in the legitimate market; and failing to take steps to stop illegal sales. “Defendants’ actions have created, maintained, or contributed to a condition in Buffalo that impacts the health and well being of us all,” the lawsuit said. Buffalo was the site of a racially motivated mass shooting in May that killed 10 Black people at a grocery store. The shooter used a Bushmaster rifle. New York City is currently pursuing a lawsuit against distributors under the state public nuisance law seeking to halt sales of so-called ghost guns, kits of components that allow buyers to construct finished guns without serial numbers of background checks. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by David Gregorio) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) -Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday he will step down as chief executive of Twitter Inc once he finds a replacement, but will still run some key divisions of the social media platform. “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software & servers teams,” Musk wrote on Twitter. Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter in October has been marked by chaos and controversy, with some investors questioning if he is too distracted to also properly run his electric vehicle automaker Tesla Inc , in which he is personally involved in production and engineering. This is the first time Musk has mentioned stepping down as chief of the social media platform, after Twitter users voted for him to resign in a poll, which the billionaire launched on Sunday evening. In the poll, 57.5% of around 17.5 million people voted “yes.” Musk had said on Sunday he would abide by the results. He has not provided a time frame for when he will step down and no successor has been named. The poll results capped a whirlwind week that included changes to Twitter’s privacy policy and the suspension – and reinstatement – of journalists’ accounts that drew condemnation from news organizations, advocacy groups and officials across Europe. Wall Street calls for Musk to step down had been growing for weeks and recently even Tesla bulls have questioned his focus on the social media platform and how it might distract him from running the EV maker. Musk has himself said he had too much on his plate, and that he would look for a Twitter CEO. He said on Sunday, though, that there was no successor and that “no one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive.” (Reporting by Ann Maria Shibu and Juby Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler, Anne Marie Roantree and) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Mega Though King Charles III reportedly refused to pay for security for his son and daughter-in-law, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, it seems the newly-minted monarch is supposedly fine with paying for private protection for his brother, disgraced royal Prince Andrew. Andrew, who was stripped of his royal patronages and military titles by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, earlier this year due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, will no longer be protected by London’s Metropolitan Police. Mega As a result, it seems like the King will fund private security for his sibling, a service that totals roughly $3 million per year. KING CHARLES III REFUSED TO GIVE PRINCE HARRY HIS BLESSING TO MARRY MEGHAN MARKLE, BELIEVED SHE WASN’T ‘WORTHY OF THEIR FAMILY’: SOURCE Despite refusing to pay for Harry and Meghan’s security while footing the bill for his brother’s, it seems Charles is still open to having his son and daughter-in-law in his life, even allegedly inviting the pair to his coronation next May. Mega “Harry is his son and His Majesty will always love him,” an insider close with the monarch spilled earlier this week, adding that he reportedly already extended an invitation to Harry and Meghan for the event next spring. KING CHARLES III WILL INVITE PRINCE HARRY & MEGHAN MARKLE TO MAY CORONATION DESPITE TENSION: ‘THE DOOR WILL ALWAYS BE LEFT AJAR,’ SAYS SOURCE “While things are difficult at the moment, the door will always be left ajar,” the source elaborated of their famously tense relationship. Despite Charles’ purported willingness, it seems Harry’s older brother, Prince William, may have a different perspective on the matter, according to royal expert Angela Levin. “It’s an important occasion and it can’t just be all about them [Harry and Meghan] — and if they do come it will be all about them. I think William will say, ‘Absolutely not you can not come,'” she explained, “He is the most annoyed about all of this and today once again they dragged him through the mud.” The Telegraph previously reported on the purported payment for Andrew’s security. View the full article

Published by AlterNet The MAGA movement suffered a long list of disappointments in the 2022 midterms, which found Donald Trump-backed candidates losing statewide gubernatorial or U.S. Senate races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia and other swing states. But one MAGA candidate who performed extremely well in the midterms was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and he did it without Trump campaigning for him. DeSantis ran a far-right reelection campaign, defeating Democratic nominee Charlie Crist (a former Republican and ex-Florida governor) by 19 percent. Florida, in fact, is the one place where Republi… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Rosie O’Donnell’s son Blake is engaged. The 60-year-old comedienne took to Instagram on Sunday (19.12.22) to reveal that her `adopted son Blake, 23, had popped the question to his girlfriend Teresa Garofalow Westervelt after attending a performance of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ at the Majestic Theatre in New York in front of the audience and politician Hilary Clinton. Alongside a snap of the big moment, Rosie wrote on Instagram: “Last night—my son blake asked his gf teresa to marry him—and she said yes. The crowd clapped—and hillary clinton was there too—i cried all through phantom of the opera—wishing my mom was here to see it all #love #family.” The former talk show host – who also has adopted children Parker, 27, Chelsea, 25 Vivienne, 19, and nine-year-old Dakota -was inundated with comments from fellow famous faces upon sharing the happy news, with Broadway star Audra McDonald writing: “Congrats Ro!!!! I remember when you first brought him home. So beautiful!”(sic) while ‘White Lotus’ actor Abrey Plaza said: “”GO BLAKEYYYYYY GOOOO” and ‘Will and Grace’ actress Debra Messing wrote: “Congratulations!” Blake took to social media himself to quip that he “liked it so he put a ring on it”, in a nod to the lyrics Beyonce hit ‘Single Ladies.’ He said: “I liked it so I (finally) put a ring on it. I can’t wait to start the next chapter in our lives together, and I’m so grateful to be doing it with my ride or die.” Last month, Rosie explained that she thinks for someone to give up their child at birth is the “biggest act of generosity” a person can show She said: “I think about the birth mothers every day. “I think about the generosity of human spirit that allows someone who knows they’re not able at the moment to be a mom to this baby, give that baby all [they] deserve. To place that child in the loving arms of a stranger. “It’s the biggest act of generosity I think that humans can do. And I’ve been the benefactor of their selflessness and it made my life worth everything. “Nothing in my life ever compares to the five kids and nothing, no reward you ever win, no amount of money you ever get, can replace the love of family, and of a parent and a child.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine @madonna/Instagram Madonna kicked off the holiday season with a fancy Hanukkah dinner and celebration. In photos and videos shared to her Instagram Story on Monday, December 19, the Queen of Pop, 64, danced around and banged on her dining room walls with her daughter Mercy James, 16, twins Estere and Stelle Ciccone, 10, and her son David Banda, 17— who wore a kippah to the occasion. @madonna/Instagram Madonna’s eldest children — Lourdes Leon, 26, and Rocco Ritchie, 22 — appeared to miss out on the exciting evening. FANS APPALLED AFTER ‘QUEEN OF PHOTOSHOP’ MADONNA HOLDS BREASTS & FLAUNTS FIGURE IN LATEST SNAPS: ‘WHAT’S WRONG WITH HER?’ The “Material Girl” singer wished her followers a very “Happy Hanukkah” as she shared highlights of the family lighting the menorah and twirling around to festive songs. @madonna/Instagram While Madonna was born and raised a Catholic, she has dabbled in Kabbalah, also known as Jewish mysticism, throughout the years and has previously spoken out about her relationship with religion. In 2007, Madonna joined other celebrity Kabbalah worshippers for a conference on Jewish mysticism in Tel Aviv, Israel, where they additionally celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, as OK! reported. At the time, she raised a toast with former Israeli President Shimon Peres and declared herself an “ambassador for Judaism.” In 2015, Madonna conducted an interview with The Independent and declared she does not identify as Jewish, or any specific religion, for that matter. “No, I don’t affiliate myself with any specific religious group,” she explained at the time. “I connect to different ritualistic aspects of different belief systems, and I see the connecting thread between all religious beliefs.” MADONNA BARELY COVERS NIPPLES IN LATEST STRIPPED DOWN SNAP: ‘EXPRESS YOURSELF DON’T REPRESS YOURSELF’ Madonna went on to confirm she had previously studied Kabbalah, occasionally observed Shabbat and even had a bar mitzvah for her son David, but has not specifically converted to Judaism. @madonna/Instagram “This appears like I’m Jewish, but these rituals are connected to what I describe as the Tree of Life consciousness and have more to do with the idea of being an Israelite, not Jewish,” she continued to explain to the Irish media outlet. “The tribes of Israel existed before the religion of Judaism existed, so you have to do your history,” Madonna quipped. “So, am I Jewish? I mean, some people would say, well, you do a lot of things that Jews do, but I would say I do a lot of things that people did before Judaism existed. And I believe what I practice has to do with something deeper than religion, that it embodies all religions, including Judaism. And Christianity. And Islam.” View the full article

Published by Global Voices Feature image created using Canva Pro elements. Have LGBTQ+ rights advanced in the Caribbean this year? Has the situation changed significantly since 2016, when Belizean gay rights activist Caleb Orozco won his legal challenge to a section of his country’s Criminal Code? Well, yes and no. In a landmark judgement on December 12, 2022, the Supreme Court of Barbados issued an oral ruling that struck down colonial-era laws criminalising consensual same-sex relations. The Court deemed Sections 9 and 12 of the Sexual Offences Act.pdf?vs=4355), which criminalise buggery and serious indecency, null an… Read More View the full article

Published by PopCrush The Olympics will be more inclusive for transgender athletes. What does this mean for the competitions? The IOC (International Olympic Committee) made the big announcement this weekend where they officially set new guidelines in place in an attempt to “preserve” a “level playing field” for female sports. Transgender people in sports have become a hot topic with United States swimmer Lia Thomas, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard and British cyclist Emily Bridges competing as transgender female athletes in their respective sports. The debate has caused controversies among officials in an a… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet The New York Times over the weekend published its complex Sunday crossword puzzle like it always does. But the reliably tough clues were not what caught people’s attention. Instead, it was the pattern within the blackened squares that stirred up a frenzy on social media. The grid appears to form a swastika, and it was published right before the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah began at Sunday sundown. As can be expected, Twitter exploded with questions about how the word maze – entitled Some Theme’s Missing – made it through final editorial approval. READ MORE: Anti-LGBTQ slurs on Twitter up over 80… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet George Santos, the first out gay non-incumbent Republican to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, calls himself the “full embodiment of the American dream,” but he appears to have a fraudulent résumé. The New York Times‘ Monday morning bombshell, however, includes some facts that have been previously reported, including in a press release published by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in August, well before Election Day, that apparently was largely ignored. Santos, endorsed by House GOP Caucus Chair, Rep. Elise Stefanik, also of New York, is a far-right MAGA Re… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet George Santos, the subject of a bombshell New York Times investigation that alleges he appears to have made up large parts of his resume, is responding to the paper of record’s report – through his attorney – in a statement that blames “the Left” for apparent false claims about his work history, colleges attended, and even co-workers who he claimed died during the Pulse nightclub hate crime mass shooting. Santos, the first out gay Republican to be elected to Congress, is a MAGA supporter who was endorsed by House GOP Caucus chair Elise Stefanik. The Southern Poverty Law Center earlier this mon… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story A protest at an all-ages drag show in Texas turned into a confrontation between neo-Nazis and left-wing gun groups this Saturday, The Dallas Morning News reported. The protest at the Texas Trust CU Theatre was organized by Protect Texas Kids in response to a holiday-themed show featuring performances by cast members of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” TV show. Protect Texas Kids is a group trying to ban children from viewing such shows that has staged similar protests outside all-ages drag shows around the country. As The Morning News points out, the Christian nationalist New Columbia Movement and the… Read More View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune I’m of two minds about “The Whale.” I don’t like it; that’s one mind. Yet I love what it has done for its star, Brendan Fraser, a highly likely Oscar nominee come early 2023 and — as he has been since the early 1990s — a wonderful actor. He’s best known, still, I suppose, for saving the “Mummy” franchise (alongside Rachel Weisz) from lousiness. That was a long time ago. Fraser, a big, graceful screen presence, did excellent work before the “Mummy” movies and after. Eventually, he fell out of favor and, forcibly, laid low for a lot of reasons. He’d gone public, without fanfare, with his account… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Monday used a Hanukkah celebration to call on Americans to get off the sidelines and join the fight against rising anti-Semitism in the United States. “Today, we must all say clearly and forcefully that anti-Semitism and all forms of hate and violence in this country have no safe harbor in America. Period,” Biden said. He also said that “silence is complicity.” Biden delivered the remarks during a Hanukkah reception that included adding the first-ever official White House menorah. It is the first Jewish artifact to be added to the White House archives. “The White House has never had its own menorah, until now. It is now a cherished piece of this home, your home, tonight,” first lady Jill Biden told the crowd gathered at the White House. The Democratic president’s move comes as reports of anti-Semitism have increased nationwide. Last week, Biden launched a new effort to develop a national strategy to counter anti-Semitism. The issue has drawn headlines in recent weeks after Republican former President Donald Trump hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes and the musician formerly known as Kanye West at his private club in Florida. Last year saw the largest number of anti-Semitic incidents, including murder, physical assaults, harassment and vandalism, since the Anti-Defamation League began collecting records 40 years ago, the racism watchdog said in its most recent annual audit. According to FBI data released earlier this month, more than 7,200 hate crimes were reported in 2021 in the United States. Over 60% of the reported incidents were based on race, ancestry or ethnicity, while about one in six were classified as sexual orientation-bias crimes and one in seven as religion-bias crimes. (Reporting by Steve Holland in Washington and Jarrett Renshaw in PhiladelphiaEditing by Jonathan Oatis and Matthew Lewis) View the full article