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Published by OK Magazine mega August Alsina has moved on from his former flame Jada Pinkett Smith — and filled her place in his heart with a new man’s “love that feels limitless.” During an episode of the VH1’s The Surreal Life reboot, the 30-year-old sat down in a confessional and openly discussed his new era of romance just two years after his infamous “entanglement” with Will Smith’s wife. mega “And then what do you know? Love showed up, but in a new way,” Alsina stated as he seemingly revealed his sexuality during the reality show’s Monday, November 21, episode. AUGUST ALSINA SEEMINGLY HINTS AT JADA PINKETT SMITH AFFAIR IN NEWLY RELEASED TRACK “I want to share that and really honor the person that I love and that loves me back and teaching me so much about love and healing,” the “Make It Home” singer continued. “I want to do that in front of the world because it defies all the constructs that one would say love is supposed to be or love should look like.” mega Alsina concluded his one-on-one interview by welcoming his new boyfriend to sit down beside him as they shared an intimate hug with one another. WHERE DO WILL & JADA PINKETT SMITH REALLY STAND MONTHS AFTER INFAMOUS OSCARS SLAP? Although he didn’t specifically clarify his sexuality, the musician alluded his recent realization as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Alsina appeared overjoyed about his new man and seemed to have fully moved past his rocky relationship with Pinkett Smith. The “No Love” singer sparked romance rumors with the 51-year-old actress as their friendship grew closer in 2015. The Red Table Talk host later confessed to the affair in 2020 when Smith joined her as a guest on the show, however, she emphasized the “estrangement” occurred while she was on a break with her current longtime husband. “We were over,” she said of her and the King Richard actor’s marriage at the time. mega “I was done with your a**,” Smith sarcastically chimed in. “We decided we were going to separate for a period of time and you go figure out how to make yourself happy and I’ll figure out how to make myself happy.” “I just wanted to feel good, it had been so long since I felt good,” Pinkett Smith continued to explain of her relationship with Alsina. “And it was really a joy to just help heal someone. I think that has a lot to do with my co-dependency.” The mother-of-two realized it wasn’t Alsina who she needed, but it was happiness she needed to find within herself. View the full article

Published by Al-Araby “We are human beings and have the same heart, the same feelings, and the same emotions that you have.” These are the words of Shahzadi Rai, who along with hundreds of transgender activists and supporters protested in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi to campaign for equal rights and raise awareness of discrimination against the community. The protest comes days after the local release of Joyland, a Pakistani movie about a married man’s affair with a transgender woman that has stirred up a lot of controversy in the country and was initially banned following complaints by Islamist groups. “The… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet Over the years, many critics of Fox News and its sister channel Fox Business have mocked the right-wing cable media outlets for claiming that liberals and progressives are carrying out a “War On Christmas.” It’s a claim that’s difficult to back up, as Christmas music, Christmas celebrations and Christmas decorations become ubiquitous in a long list of major U.S. cities that are overwhelmingly Democratic — from Boston and Philadelphia to Seattle to Chicago. Nonetheless, many Fox News and Fox Business hosts have insisted, year after year, that there is a movement among liberals, progressives and… Read More View the full article

Published by The Spun By Andrew Holleran Former Penn swimmer Lia Thomas is once again the topic of debate on sports twitter. Monday night, U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker featured one of Thomas’ past opponents, Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, in a campaign ad. “I was forced to compete against a biological male,” Gaines, who competed against Thomas at the NCAA Championships, said. The new campaign commercial is going viral on social media. Many sports fans don’t seem to be taking Gaines’ side, though. “Riley Gaines came in 5th place in that competition. I don’t think transgender athletes are her problem,” one f… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English JoJo Siwa doesn’t think she’ll “ever” talk to Candace Cameron Bure again. The 19-year-old star recently slammed Candace for her comments about “traditional marriage” as she highlighted the fact Christian conservative network Great American Family (GAF) – where she is chief content officer – won’t be featuring same-sex couples in their festive movies. Now, JoJo has told PEOPLE magazine: “We have not [talked], and I don’t think we ever will again.” She noted she wants “everybody to do what they want to do”, and she was angry with Candace for trying to exclude LGBTQ+ couples. She added: “That’s what’s f***** up. You not liking gay marriage, do your thing girl. You being religious, do your thing girl. “Of course, I would want everybody to do what they want to do. But to purposely exclude someone because of who they love, that’s s*****.” The 46-year-old ‘Full House’ star sparked backlash after explaining she left the Hallmark Channel to work with GAM, noting the latter – which was founded by ex-Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott – wanted to keep traditional marriage at the core”. JoJo shared a screenshot of Candace’s comment and wrote on Instagram: “Honestly, I can’t believe after everything that went down just a few months ago, that she would not only create a movie with intention of excluding LGBTQIA+, but then also talk about it in the press. “This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people.” JoJo – who came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community last year and is currently dating Avery Cyrus – received support from Candace’s ‘Fuller House’ co-star Jodie Sweetin. The actress commented on her friend’s post: “You know I love you [heart emojis] (sic)” During her interview with the Wall Street Journal, Candace was asked if the network would feature same-sex couples in its Christmas movies. She said: “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.” CEO Bill added about focusing on same-sex couples: “It’s certainly the year 2022, so we’re aware of the trends. There’s no whiteboard that says, ‘Yes, this’ or ‘No, we’ll never go here.’ “ View the full article

Published by Raw Story A CNN guest on Tuesday slammed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker for releasing an ad targeting teen transgender athletes hours after a gunman murdered five people at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs. After host Don Lemon played a clip of the Walker ad, he brought on Los Angeles Times columnist LZ Granderson to discuss its poor timing in the wake of a deadly attack on the LGBTQ community in Colorado. Granderson started out by noting that it was strange to see Walker spending time talking about transgender athletes when polls show voters are most concerned about issues such as the cost o… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Keith Coffman and Andrew Hay COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) -A decorated Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who had taken his family to support a drag show performer who was one of his daughter’s friends said his U.S. Army training took over when gunfire broke out at a Colorado LGBTQ club. “It’s the reflex,” Rich Fierro told reporters gathered on the snow-covered front yard of his suburban Colorado Springs home Monday evening. “Go. Go to the fire. Stop the action. Stop the activity. Don’t let no one get hurt.” Fierro described grabbing the suspect by the armor the gunman was wearing, dragging him down and using the shooter’s pistol to beat him late Saturday after five people were killed and at least 17 wounded. The dead included the boyfriend of Fierro’s daughter, identified by Colorado Springs police as Raymond Green Vance. At an earlier news conference, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers had identified Fierro as one of “two heroes,” along with Thomas James, who “saved a lot of lives” at Club Q in Colorado Springs. Fierro said many others deserved credit, including a young man who had been dancing with his daughter and dragged her to safety when the shooting started, and a drag performer who kicked the gunman with her high heels as Fierro held him down. “I’m not a hero,” Fierro said. “I’m just some dude.” Officials did not elaborate on the men’s actions, and Fierro’s comments provided details investigators have not spoken about. Fierro said he was detained for about an hour by police who found him with a pistol in his hand in the confused aftermath of the shooting. He mourned his daughter’s boyfriend, who he said he had known since his daughter was in high school. “He’s a good kid. And I loved him,” Fierro said. The wounded included a couple, close friends of Fierro who have two young children. “I wish I could have saved everybody in there,” Fierro said. “I wish I could have done more.” Fierro and his wife Jess Fierro own a Colorado Springs brewery. Their Atrevida Beer Company was closed on Monday as family members gathered at their home in a quiet Colorado Springs suburb to mourn. Jess Fierro had said earlier that her husband’s hands, knees and an ankle were injured in the struggle with the gunman. Speaking from her doorstep, Jess Fierro told Reuters the violence sparked her husband’s post traumatic stress disorder. Rich Fierro served 14 years in the military and was awarded the Bronze Star twice as he served as a field artillery officer during three tours of Iraq and a tour of Afghanistan, U.S. Army records show. (Reporting by Keith Coffman in Colorado Springs and Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Donna Bryson, Stephen Coates and Simon Cameron-Moore) View the full article

Published by Raw Story The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed on Monday that the Club Q shooting suspect was a member of their church. The shooter killed five people and injured nearly two dozen more at the LGBTQ club, which was celebrating Transgender Day of Remembrance — a day devoted to those lost in the trans community to violence. Colorado Springs is a conservative community that is home to groups such as Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, which have been labeled hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They’ve all been part of a decades-long crusade against the LGBT… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax (Reuters) – The attack at a Colorado LGBTQ nightclub by a suspected gunman who was arrested last year in connection with a bomb threat has renewed questions about “red flag” laws that are used irregularly and in vastly different ways across the United States. The laws, which allow courts to issue “extreme risk protection orders” (ERPO) removing firearms from individuals considered at risk of harming themselves or others, have been touted by gun safety advocates as crucial tools to prevent mass shootings such as the weekend attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs. However, data shows a significant discrepancy in employment of red flag laws across the 19 states that have implemented them, with Colorado seeing fewer petitions than in many other states. It is not clear whether utilizing the state’s law would have altered Saturday’s shooting, which left five people dead and 17 with gunshot wounds in what may have been a hate crime. Police have not yet said when or how the suspected shooter, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, may have acquired the guns found at the scene. But court records indicate that Aldrich did not face prosecution after his mother reported in June 2021 that he was threatening her with a bomb, ammunition and other weapons. The report prompted a standoff with law enforcement negotiators and the evacuation of neighboring homes. Authorities do not appear to have filed a petition seeking to confiscate any weapons Aldrich may have had at the time under the state’s red flag law. The sheriff’s office, which responded to the call, and the local district attorney’s office both did not respond to requests for comment about the 2021 case. ERPOs typically require police to remove weapons from the individual in question and prohibit the person from purchasing new guns. In Colorado, a judge can issue a temporary ERPO for up to two weeks until a court hearing is held to determine whether to extend the order up to a year. The state has seen relatively few petitions for extreme risk protection orders since it passed its law in January 2020. One study found 109 filings in the first year. Chris Knoepke, a University of Colorado professor who has studied the issue, said data from 2021 and 2022 show a slight increase in usage. By contrast, more than 9,000 petitions have been filed in Florida since the state passed its law in 2018 after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that killed 17 people. “It’s heartbreaking when you hear one of these stories, and you worry that an opportunity was missed to potentially do something about it,” said Knoepke, who is working with state officials on developing training on ERPOs for Colorado law enforcement. RED FLAG OPPOSITION The disparity partly reflects deep opposition to red flag laws among some of Colorado’s conservative sheriffs and local political officials. More than half of the state’s 64 counties have declared themselves “2nd Amendment sanctuaries” in opposition to the statute, based on the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of a right to bear arms. Those counties include El Paso, the home of Colorado Springs, where county commissioners unanimously approved a resolution in 2019 condemning the then-proposed legislation. While El Paso Sheriff Bill Elder has voiced skepticism about “sanctuary” declarations, he opposed the red flag law over due process concerns, according to local media reports in 2019. Following the bill’s passage, he issued a statement saying his office would follow the law if family members secured ERPOs but would not file its own petitions absent “exigent circumstances.” There were nearly 2,000 sanctuary counties across the United States as of late 2021, according to SanctuaryCounties.com, a pro-gun rights website. The National Rifle Association opposes red flag laws as unconstitutional infringements on law-abiding citizens. GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION In the wake of May’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Congress passed a bipartisan gun bill that includes $750 million in federal funding that is partly aimed at encouraging states to implement and improve red flag laws. Colorado will receive $4.6 million in the first tranche of that money, which can be used to fund training for first responders, family members and court staff on ERPO laws as well as research on their effectiveness. On the state level, Colorado’s Democratic legislature last year created a new office of gun violence prevention to coordinate efforts to combat shootings, including by raising awareness about the red flag law and training law enforcement on its use. Studies on the effectiveness of red flag laws are limited but suggest they can make a real difference. Two studies have found that one suicide was prevented for every 10 removals. Another study published last month examining ERPO petitions in six states found more than 650 cases from 2013 to 2020 that involved a mass shooting threat, though it is impossible to determine how many of those cases would have resulted in actual violence. “These laws were put on the books exactly to address the dangerous behaviors that are often precursors to larger violent events,” said Shannon Frattaroli, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and one of the study’s main authors. “Threatening to blow up your mother or the neighborhood most reasonable people would agree is a signal that some intervention is needed.” (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Elizabeth Debicki felt a “responsibility” when re-creating Princess Diana’s revenge dress on ‘The Crown.’ The 32-year-old actress stars as the late royal – who famously wore a short black dress to a dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens following her husband King Charles’ admission of adultery – in the biographical Netflix series and described the event as a “powerful sartorial” moment in fashion history. She said: “We all felt the responsibility of the revenge dress because it’s something that everybody wanted to see. It’s an incredibly powerful sartorial moment in the history of fashion. That dress is so emblematic of so many things because it’s so brave and beautiful, but it’s also so tinged with our understanding of what was going on in this person’s life. So the duality of that is really powerful, I think, and we really felt that we had to do it properly.” The ‘Great Gatsby’ star went on to describe the Christina Stambolian dress worn by Diana – who was killed in a car crash in 1997 at the age of 36 just one year after divorcing from the then-Prince Charles – as “powerful” and will “never forget” the day on set. She told E! News: “It’s a powerful dress. It’s a totally unique dress too—the structure of it, the shape of it, the look of it—and so I certainly won’t ever forget that day on set. We shot it in the same location that it actually happened, so there was this slightly deep layering of things going on that day.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sheila Dang and Helen Coster (Reuters) -Donald Trump on Saturday said he had no interest in returning to Twitter even as a slim majority voted in favor of reinstating the former U.S. President, who was banned from the social media service for inciting violence, in a poll organized by new owner Elon Musk. Slightly over 15 million Twitter users voted in the poll with 51.8% voting in favor of reinstatement. “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated,” Musk tweeted. Trump’s Twitter account, which had over 88 million followers before he was banned on Jan. 8, 2021, began accumulating followers and had nearly 100,000 followers by 10pm ET Saturday. Some users initially reported being unable to follow the reinstated account on Saturday evening. Trump had appeared less than keen earlier in the day. “I don’t see any reason for it,” the former president said via video when asked whether he planned to return to Twitter by a panel at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting. He said he would stick with his new platform Truth Social, the app developed by his Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) startup, which he said had better user engagement than Twitter and was doing “phenomenally well”. Twitter did not respond to a request for comment. Trump, who on Tuesday launched a bid to regain the White House in 2024, praised Musk and said he had always liked him. But Trump also said Twitter suffered from bots, fake accounts and that the problems it faced were “incredible”. Musk first said in May he planned to reverse the ban on Trump, and the timing of any return by Trump was closely watched – and feared – by many of Twitter’s advertisers. The billionaire has since sought to reassure users and advertisers that such a decision would be made with consideration by a content moderation council composed of people with “widely diverse viewpoints” and no account reinstatements would happen before the council convened. He also said Twitter would not reinstate any banned users until there was a “clear process for doing so.” But this week, Musk reinstated comedian Kathy Griffin, who had been banned for changing her profile name to “Elon Musk” which violated his new rule against impersonation without indicating it was a parody account. There has been no new information about process or the moderation council. NO REASON TO RETURN A no-show by Trump could reduce concerns among major advertisers, who are already rattled by Musk’s drastic reshaping of Twitter. He has halved the workforce and severely cut the company’s trust and safety team, which is responsible for preventing the spread of misinformation and harmful content. These actions and Musk’s tweeting have pushed major companies to halt advertising on the site as they monitor how the platform handles hate speech. On Saturday, Bloomberg reported Twitter could fire more employees in its sales and partnership divisions, citing unnamed sources, just days after a mass resignation of engineers. If Trump returned to Twitter, the move would raise questions about his commitment to Truth Social, which launched on Apple’s App Store in February and Google’s Play Store in October. Trump has some 4.57 million followers on Truth Social. Truth Social has been Trump’s main source of direct communication with his followers since he began posting on the app regularly in May. He has used Truth Social to promote his allies, criticize opponents and defend his reputation amid legal scrutiny from state, congressional and federal investigators. His agreement with the company, however, opens the door for Trump to engage extensively on other platforms. Trump is obligated to give Truth Social a six-hour exclusive on any post – but is free to post “political messaging, political fundraising or get-out-the vote efforts” on any site, at any time, according to a May SEC filing. (Reporting by Sheila Dang and Helen Coster; Additional reporting by Jim Oliphant; Writing by Shankar Ramakrishnan; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Christopher Cushing) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are launching a new production company. The ‘Good Will Hunting’ stars, along with Gerry Cardinale, have unveiled plans for Artists Equity, which will seek to create “entrepreneurial partnerships” with filmmakers and aims to empower creative vision and “broaden access to profit participation”. RedBird Capital Partners are making “a significant financial commitment in launching the company” and will be “providing strategic capital and operational expertise to accelerate its development and production pipeline”, an announcement confirmed. The two actors will lead the company and its first project will feature Ben as director and Matt as the star in a movie exploring the creation of the Air Jordan brand, which will be released in 2023, one of three projects planned for next year. Ben, who will be Chief Executive Officer of Artists Equity, said: “Artists Equity was conceived from Matt’s and my longtime passion for the art of storytelling and our shared desire to help creators deliver on their vision, as we have been fortunate to do throughout our careers. “The entertainment industry is defined by great partnerships – writers, directors, producers, crew, actors – and throughout my career I have learned that collaboration is what drives success. Our goal with Artists Equity is to build a creator-focused studio that can optimise the production process with shared participation in the commercial success of projects. “We are thrilled to partner with Gerry Cardinale and the RedBird team, who have a long track record of building notable scaled platform businesses around unique IP. Matt and I are looking forward to working together to empower the current and future creative minds in the entertainment industry.” And Matt, who will be Chief Content Officer, added: “Historically, the success of a film was based on its box office performance. Now, with the rise of streaming, the business behind filmmaking has intrinsically changed. “However, Ben and I know that the power will continue to be in the hands of the creators, no matter which direction the industry evolves. “Artists Equity enables these visionaries to take ownership of their creative power, providing a platform for both established and emerging filmmakers to streamline the development of their content. Ben and I are lucky to have worked with some of the best in the business, and our partnership with Gerry Cardinale and the team at RedBird continues us on that trajectory as we look to innovate and empower through the Artists Equity platform.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English A memorial service for Leslie Jordan has taken place in his hometown. The ‘Call Me Kat’ actor – who tragically died in a car accident in Los Angeles after seemingly suffering a medical emergency at the wheel last month – was remembered by hundreds of fans at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sunday (20.11.22), with the event featuring music, singing, comedy and audience participation, as requested by Leslie’s family. Tickets for the memorial cost $20 each, with proceeds donated to one of the late star’s favourite causes, CEMPA Community Care. Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly was among those who paid tribute to the ‘American Horror Story’ actor. He said: “If Leslie were here with us today, I would want to thank him for his contributions to our culture throughout his acting career, for getting us through the dark days of the pandemic with his wicked sense of humour, and for always inviting us into his heart and his world. “Leslie opened himself up to all of us and never stopped sharing the love and light he carried within.” Details of the memorial service had been posted on Leslie’s Instagram account alongside photos of him recently and as a child. The post was captioned: “We will never say goodbye. We will keep you alive in our memories and with your stories. Funeral and Memorial, 11/20/22 — Chattanooga, Tennessee.” Justin Long was among those to comment on the post, offering comfort to Leslie’s fans. He wrote: “If there is a way to access Instagram in the hereafter, I feel like Leslie is checking these messages and being ‘tickled’ by them. I remember once referring to people following him on here as “followers” and he corrected me, ‘I prefer to call them friends,’” he said. “When I got to hang out w him in Chattanooga, I witnessed him treating the fans who’d approach him with such kindness and humor – the way you would a friend. His mirth and joy of life will always remain with me – as will his one-of-a-kind voice when I say the words ‘well’ and ‘s***’ in order.(sic)” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kanye West has confirmed he’s planning to run for president again. The ‘Stronger’ hitmaker – who has legally changed his name to Ye – ran for office in 2020 but conceded his run after winning just 50,000 votes and failing to make the ballot in several states, but he’s now declared he’ll be throwing his hat into the ring for the 2024 elections and has enlisted the services of controversial far-right figure Milo Yiannopoulos to help with his campaign. In a video circulating on Twitter on Sunday (20.11.22), Kanye said: “This is Milo right here, working on the campaign.” He was then asked: “Is that an announcement?” Milo laughed and replied: “I guess it is. Thanks, I accept.” The cameraman then asked the 45-year-old rapper if he is “running” for president. Kanye confirmed: “Yes. It’s simple ’cause ain’t nobody can tell me, you know, ‘you should say this, you shouldn’t say that,’ you know? It’s just we’re moving towards the future.” The announcement comes after Kanye’s friend Akon recently speculated that his pal’s recent shocking antics – including a string of antisemitic remarks and the wearing of a ‘White Lives Matter’ t-shirt during Paris Fashion Week – were all part of a bid to win over voters that would otherwise back Donald Trump’s bid to return to office in 2024. Akon said: “I think Kanye is smarter than y’all think. This the brilliant side of him. What is his next plan? To run for office, right. I’m just sayin’! From our knowledge, his next plan is to run for office, right? Who was his main endorser? Trump. “In order for Kanye to have a shot, he needs to have a piece of that base. This is how he’s getting it. And he knows this!” The 49-year-old singer acknowledged Kanye has angered the Black community with his recent antics but thinks they are forgiving people and will ultimately support him. He added: “He knows he’s gonna make a lotta Black people angry. But, guess what? We’re forgiving people. We are. He knows that, too.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John’s husband “hopes” he continues to perform live. The ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer completed the US leg of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ concert series on Sunday (20.11.22) night at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium and while David Furnish – who is also his manager – stressed his spouse is definitely ploughing ahead with his plans to give up touring, he doesn’t think fans have seen the last of him. David told Billboard: “It’s really important to make a distinction between Elton retiring from touring but Elton not playing his very last public performance for the very last time. “Will Elton return as a live performer? I hope so! It’s in his blood… “I know for a fact he will not be touring in any capacity. What you’re going to see is the possibility of a special one-off or a small residency in one venue for a limited period of time.” But while many artists base themselves in Las Vegas if they stage a residency, David, 60, warned fans they’re unlikely to see Elton return to Sin City. He added: “I don’t think it will be Las Vegas. Elton feels he’s done the best he can in Las Vegas. He mounted two hugely successful residencies there. “When you’re an artist and something’s in your blood, you don’t want to shut the door completely.” And David insisted people shouldn’t take it for granted that the 75-year-old singer will return to the stage in some way as he also knows how important it is for his husband to spend more time with their sons Zachary, 11, and nine-year-old Elijah. He said: “Having said that, I know Elton, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t do any more live shows, either. He’s really looking forward to spending time with his family. That’s the number one priority in his life. “Any type of return to any type of touring is going to be a very well-considered situation, and definitely not a given, at all.” View the full article