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Published by ScreenCrush Velma Dinkley is finally depicted as a lesbian in the upcoming film Trick Or Treat Scooby-Doo!. It’s something that other writers have attempted to show in a more direct way, but for one reason or another, has never panned out. In the case of the James Gunn Scooby-Doomovies from the early 2000s, it came down to studio interference. Tony Cervone, a supervising producer on Mystery Incorporated, also spoke a little bit about his own attempts at depicting the character as a lesbian (via Variety). While it might not necessarily be incredibly obvious if the viewer isn’t looking for it, the intention… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA Tiktok has repeatedly been criticised for its handling of comments and freedom of expression. Jens Kalaene/dpa TikTok is use word filters to suppress comments with certain words like “gay” and “LGBTQ” without users noticing, according to research carried out by German media. Comments featuring common drugs such as cannabis, crack, heroin, cocaine and LSD are also being suppressed on the video app, regardless of context, according research by broadcasters NDR and WDR and news service Tagesschau. The Chinese-owned video app, which has grown rapidly to rival the likes of Instagram and YouTube thanks to a highly addictive user experience, does not make it transparent to users if and why comments do not appear, according to the journalists, whose tests were carried out in Germany. Instead, the app is giving users the impression that their comments are public, a technique known as “shadowbanning”. TikTok users can therefore not be entirely sure whether their own comment is visible to other people. Among at least 20 words being blocked by TikTok in Germany are also “Nazi”, “slaves” and “gas” in what the researchers called a restriction on the freedom of speech. A TikTok spokeswoman admitted to the researchers that her company uses technology to “proactively” search for comments that violate TikTok guidelines or that constitute spam behaviour. They also try to prevent users from posting the same comment more than once. In the current instances, comments that did not violate the community guidelines had also been wrongly flagged as potentially harmful. “This should not have happened and we will continue to train our automated systems to ensure fair and consistent moderation,” the TikTok spokesperson said. The researchers had already reported last March that posts by users containing certain words were being suppressed on TikTok. Among the terms blocked at the time were the words “Auschwitz” and “National Socialism”, which are now apparently no longer blocked. View the full article

Published by DPA (L-R) Officials from the Swedish Academy of Sciences, Johan Aqvist, Hans Ellegren and Olof Ramstra–m, speak at a press conference where they announced the winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The trio from Denmark and the US Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K Barry Sharpless win the prize. Rob Schoenbaum/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Work on “an ingenious tool for building molecules” – click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry – yielded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for a trio from Denmark and the US, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday. The award will be shared jointly between Carolyn Bertozzi of Stanford University, Morten Meldal of the University of Copenhagen, and Barry Sharpless, of Scripps Research in California. The award honours their work in a field that allowed “molecular building blocks [to] snap together quickly and efficiently,” said the academy. Sharpless, 81, came up with the theory. Following that, he and Meldal, 68, independently came up with the chemical reaction that is critical to the process. Bertozzi, 56, then built on that work to create reactions that work on living organisms. Sharpless now holds two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry. His first was awarded in 2001. Sharpless and Frederick Sanger are the only two-time Chemistry laureates, and two of seven total individuals and organizations to have won a Nobel Prize twice. The Red Cross, for example, has been awarded three Nobel Peace prizes. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 “is about making difficult processes easier,” the Nobel Committee for Chemistry explained. In click chemistry, molecular building blocks snap together quickly and efficiently. Bertozzi took it to a new dimension and started utilising it in living organisms. Bertozzi’s “bioorthogonal reactions take place without disrupting the normal chemistry of the cell,” the academy says. The reaction pioneered here is very popular both in research and in industry because it makes it very easy to connect molecules. Although the process builds molecules unlike those found in nature, they often perform the required function. The theory developed by Bertozzi, Meldal and Sharpless can be used to explore cells, track biological processes and create better ways to target cancer, for example. This is already being tested in clinical trials. “This year’s Prize in Chemistry deals with not overcomplicating matters, instead working with what is easy and simple. Functional molecules can be built even by taking a straightforward route,” says Johan Åqvist, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. Professor Bertozzi could barely believe the news. “I’m absolutely stunned. I’m sitting here and can hardly breathe,” the US scientist said to Professor Hans Ellegren, who called her on the phone with the announcement. To Ellegren’s question of whether she was shocked by the news, Bertozzi responded, “that’s an understatement. I’m still not entirely positive that it’s real.” Bertozzi is the first woman among this year’s winners. The Nobel Prizes in medicine and physics went exclusively to men on Monday and Tuesday. She is also notably one of very few openly gay laureates of all time. Wilhelm Fuessl, director of the archive of the Deutsches Museum, holds a Nobel Prize medal. picture alliance / dpa View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tom Daley has been named Rimmel’s first ever male global ambassador. The Olympic gold medallist joins the ranks of fashion tour de forces like Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne becoming an international face of the drug store cosmetics giant and sharing how to “get the London look”. Of the news, the 28-year-old diver told GQ that the offer to work alongside faces like supermodel Adwoa Aboah “came as a total shock”. He continued: “I had to take a moment to sit down and really take in what the team had proposed to me. It’ll be interesting to see what the reaction to Rimmel having a man in their campaigns will be, but I really hope it’s a positive one.” Tom – who has four-year-old son Robert with his husband Dustin Lance Black, 48 – says his previous endorsement deals with brands such as Adidas are “nothing compared to how big this is. This is a global campaign that will be blasted onto everyone’s TVs.” The ‘1986’ founder – a knitting line created after he was seen doing needlework poolside at the Tokyo Olympics – is “hopeful” his role can show men that makeup is for them. Tom said: “I’m hopeful that the campaign, and myself as a man fronting it, can help men realise that make-up can be something they can incorporate into their everyday lives, without the fear that many of them have. It’s incredibly exciting to see that beauty is diversifying and becoming fully inclusive, no matter someone’s gender.” Rimmel – which is sold all over the world – believes Tom represents “a powerful role model” for his work in both sport and LGBT activism. Sarah Al Shohaib the beauty company’s senior vice president said: “Rimmel’s partnership with Tom Daley marks an exciting new era for the brand. We are proud of our mission to prioritise diversity and inclusion. As a world-class athlete and an advocate for mental health and LGBTQI+ rights, Tom is a powerful role model.” View the full article

Published by DPA Quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger speaks during an interview at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Vienna. Efforts in “pioneering quantum information science” netted the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for Frenchman Alain Aspect, American John F Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger. Hans Klaus Techt/APA/dpa Efforts in “pioneering quantum information science” netted the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for Frenchman Alain Aspect, American John F Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger. According to the Nobel Academy, their work focused on “entangled quantum states, where two particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated. Their results have cleared the way for new technology based upon quantum information.” Quantum science promises to open up whole areas of new applications for computers, in everything from enhanced encryption to the ability to crunch massive amounts of numbers faster than any modern computer. The work of the three scientists – who worked separately – advanced theories that had been pondered by scientists like Albert Einstein for decades. Aspect is a professor at the Université Paris-Saclay and École Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France. Clauser is a research physicist at JF Clauser and Associates. Zeilinger is a professor at the University of Vienna. Clauser, 79, has in the past described how when still at school he would spend time in the laboratory of his father, an aeronautical engineer. “I was supposed to be doing my homework, but most of the time I was just wandering around admiring the advanced equipment,” he said. With his father’s support – “a great teacher” – Clauser was destined for science, studying physics at the California Institute of Technology and going on to Columbia University in New York. He has also worked at the University of California in Berkeley and independently as consultant and inventor, publishing prolifically and receiving a number of awards, including the Wolf Prize in Physics along with Aspect and Zeilinger. Hobbies include racing yachts. Zeilinger, 77, was dumfounded on being told by phone of his award. “I’m still somehow shocked,” he said on Tuesday when he was connected to the official announcement in Stockholm after the Nobel Academy informed him more than an hour beforehand. “This prize is an encouragement for young people,” he said afterwards. Aspect, 75, is credited with refining Clauser’s experimental measurements, clearing away existing doubts about the theory. Quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger poses for a picture during an interview at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Vienna. Efforts in “pioneering quantum information science” netted the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for Frenchman Alain Aspect, American John F Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger. Hans Klaus Techt/APA/dpa View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Ex-President Donald Trump’s legal team was warned by the National Archives that a number of official White House documents were still missing, including a correspondence between Trump and Kim Jong-Un, RadarOnline.com can confirm. In a shocking development to come as Trump’s legal team continues to battle the Justice Department over the classified documents taken from Mar-a-Lago during the FBI’s raid on the property in August, a letter released by the Archives on Monday shows Trump’s team was warned about missing documents as early as May 2021. Mega According to the letter, National Archives and Records Administration general counsel Gary Stern informed Trump’s legal team that “roughly two dozen boxes of original Presidential records” had still not been returned to NARA as of May 6, 2021. Included in the missing records was an “original correspondence” between Trump and Kim Jong-Un from Trump’s tenure as president, as well as a letter former President Barack Obama left for Trump during the presidential transition in January 2017. Maggie Haberman, who interviewed Trump for her new biography of the former president, Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, claimed that Trump once boasted to her about the “great things” he obtained during his time as president – including the Kim Jong-Un letters. “No, I think…that’s in the archives, but most of it is in the Archives,” Trump reportedly told Haberman when asked specifically about his correspondence with the North Korean dictator. “But the Kim Jong Un letters, we have incredible things. I have incredible letters with other leaders.” Mega As RadarOnline.com previously reported, NARA was ultimately forced to visit Mar-a-Lago in January 2022 to recover the 24 boxes of White House material believed to still be in Trump’s possession – although NARA only successfully recovered a total of 15 boxes. “In mid-January 2022, NARA arranged for the transport from the Trump Mar-a-Lago property in Florida to the National Archives of 15 boxes that contained Presidential records, following discussions with President Trump’s representatives in 2021,” the Archives said in a statement at the time. “Former President Trump’s representatives have informed NARA that they are continuing to search for additional Presidential records that belong to the National Archives,” the statement added. The remaining missing records were subsequently referred to the Justice Department in May 2022, which resulted in the raid on Mar-a-Lago by the FBI on August 8. Mega The FBI ultimately recovered an additional 33 boxes of material and records, including more than 100 classified White House documents and 48 empty folders marked classified. A copy of the search warrant used to raid Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida home later revealed the former president is currently under federal investigation for the “removal or destruction of records, obstruction of an investigation, and violating the Espionage Act.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Paresh Dave and Nandita Bose (Reuters) -The White House on Tuesday proposed a non-binding Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bill of Rights that it said would help parents, patients and workers avert harm from the increasing use of automation in education, health care and employment. The Biden administration’s proposal joins hundreds of other guidelines and policy frameworks released by tech companies, industry associations and other government agencies over the past few years. Like the others, the White House version suggests numerous practices that developers and users of AI software should voluntarily follow to prevent the technology from unfairly disadvantaging people. In some cases, algorithms for administering healthcare have not prioritized the needs of Black patients, and facial recognition has been deployed for policing in schools despite its potential for underperforming on darker skin tones. “These technologies are causing real harms in the lives of Americans, harms that run counter to our core democratic values, including the fundamental right to privacy, freedom from discrimination and our basic dignity,” a senior administration official told reporters. Some companies have introduced ethical safeguards into practice. But administration officials said they were concerned that new problems with AI are emerging. The Biden administration’s move comes at a time when the European Union is moving toward regulating high-risk systems while the United States has not come close to a comprehensive law to regulate AI. The pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned that the non-binding proposal could hurt American businesses if they became rules. “There are some recommendations in the AI Blueprint that, if enacted into rules by policymakers, could handcuff America’s ability to compete on the global stage,” said the Chamber’s Jordan Crenshaw in a statement. Tuesday’s announcement did not include proposals for new laws. Instead, officials said regulators including the Federal Trade Commission would continue to apply existing rules to cutting-edge systems. The White House’s proposal says everyone in America should be protected from unsafe or ineffective systems, discrimination by algorithms and abusive data collection. They also should be entitled to notice and explanation concerning AI programs they encounter. The Bill of Rights also asks companies, government agencies and others adopting AI to conduct significant testing and oversight and publicize results, so stakeholders can understand what a “reasonable starting point is” for action on issues, senior administration officials said. (Reporting by Paresh Dave and Nandita Bose; Additional reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Leslie Adler and Nick Zieminski) View the full article

Published by AFP The satirical website The Onion has filed a brief with the US Supreme Court in support of an Ohio man who created a parody page of his local police department Washington (AFP) – It’s not often that the justices of the US Supreme Court receive a legal brief that is laugh-out-loud funny. But they haven’t received one from The Onion before. The popular satirical website filed an amicus brief on Monday in support of an Ohio man who was arrested for creating a parody page on Facebook of his hometown police department. “Americans can be put in jail for poking fun at the government?” the Onion asked in the filing in support of Anthony Novak of Parma, Ohio. “This was a surprise to America’s Finest News Source and an uncomfortable learning experience for its editorial team.” The 18-page filing is a mix of serious legal argument, jokes, hyperbole and a defense of the art of parody. Claiming a daily readership of “4.3 trillion,” the Onion described itself as the “single most powerful and influential organization in human history.” It said the facts of Novak’s case “managed to eclipse what The Onion’s staff could make up.” Novak was arrested after creating a spoof Facebook page in 2016 mocking the police department in Parma. Accused of disrupting public services and interfering with police functions, Novak was acquitted in a jury trial. He went on to sue the police department charging that his free speech rights had been violated. An appeals court backed the police, however, and Novak is now seeking to have the Supreme Court hear his case. That’s where the Onion entered the fray, filing what is known as a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Novak. “As the globe’s premier parodists, The Onion’s writers also have a self-serving interest in preventing political authorities from imprisoning humorists,” it said. “The Onion cannot stand idly by in the face of a ruling that threatens to disembowel a form of rhetoric that has existed for millennia, that is particularly potent in the realm of political debate, and that, purely incidentally, forms the basis of The Onion’s writers’ paychecks.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Sarah K. Burris The media industry’s Editor and Publisher magazine released its cover story Monday about the Fox News empire and their efforts to “deliver cheap, expedient, viscerally-agitating content instead of the journalism its viewers need and deserve.” The report began with Jim Small, an Arizona political reporter who has been on the beat for 20 years. Until recently he covered rallies at the Capitol and political events, but now he has to put his safety first. Someone decked out in extremist insignias came after one of his colleagues. “I know who you are, and I’m keeping my eye on yo… Read More View the full article

Published by Ultimate Classic Rock Singer Sinead O’Connor sparked outrage on Oct. 3, 1992, when she tore up a picture of the Pope during her musical performance on Saturday Night Live. In the lead-up to the episode, show creator Lorne Michaels had all of his attention on outspoken host Tim Robbins. The politically active actor had pitched a searing broadside against NBC parent company and infamous polluters General Electric, which Michaels had rejected for the show, claiming the piece to be more pointed than funny. (Robbins, perhaps anticipating that outcome, included a scene in his sly 1992 political satire Bob Roberts, in whi… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online RIP. Country star Loretta Lynn died at 90 years old on Tuesday, October 4. The singer was surrounded by family when she passed away at her Tennessee ranch and died from natural causes, RadarOnline.com has learned. As this outlet exclusively reported, Lynn had all the arrangements planned prior to her death. “Loretta wants to turn most of her physical holdings into cash so she doesn’t burden her kids and grandkids with having to sell off stuff when she’s gone,” a family friend spilled last week. “But even more, she wants to plan her own memorial service so the day will go EXACTLY as she wants!” Lynn wanted to be laid to rest next to her late husband, Mooney, in addition to her children, Jack Benny and Betty Sue, at the family cemetery. “And that’s where Loretta wants her memorial service to be,” the insider noted. “She wants all of her fans to be able to attend, and there’s plenty of room at the ranch. Loretta has already asked her performing children and grandchildren to take the stage at her farewell event. She also wants lifelong friends such as Dolly Parton to help send her off in style.” The Coal Miner’s Daughter songstress had previous health issues, as she suffered a stroke in 2017 and broke her hip one year later. TMZ was the first to report the news about Lynn’s death. View the full article

Published by PopCrush Lena Dunham is once again facing backlash on the internet. On Sunday (Oct. 2), she tweeted, “When I go, I want my casket to be driven through the NYC pride parade with a plaque that reads ‘she wasn’t for everyone, but she *was* for us’- who can arrange?” The reaction to the cringe tweet was probably not exactly what she expected. One person replied, “‘She died as she lived: in a ploy for attention that was as puzzling as it was desperate.’” Another person tweeted, “gonna start living my life with whatever amount of confidence lena dunham has that makes her think she’s an lgbtq+ icon.” As the p… Read More View the full article

Published by Loudwire An (oddly specific) study on why heterosexual male guitarists play extreme metal music points to these guys wanting to impress other heterosexual men. This American Psychological Association (APA) study was referenced by the twitter account of British TV show QI, or Quite Interesting, yesterday (Oct. 2.) “Research shows that heterosexual men who learn to play extreme metal guitar are mostly motivated to do so in order to impress other heterosexual men,” the show tweeted, sparking some 66 or so replies (at the time of this writing) that were mostly in good fun. The study, itself, called “Extrem… Read More View the full article

Published by PopCrush During Lil Nas X‘s trek across North America on his Long Live Montero Tour, he recently pleaded with his fans to refrain from doing poppers at his concerts. “Stop doing poppers at my concert!” he tweeted on Sept. 28. “U do not need ur a–hole relaxed to see me perform industry baby!” the tweet continued. The rapper’s fans flooded his Twitter replies with snarky comments following the tweet. “But what if we decide to get freaky after the concert?” one person asked, while another wrote, “You can’t stop me.” Popular in the LGBTQ+ community, “poppers are often packaged in small bottles similar to e… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane co-star in Universal Pictures's Los Angeles (AFP) – “Bros,” billed as the first gay rom-com from a major Hollywood studio, flopped at the box office because straight people “just didn’t show up,” its creator Billy Eichner said. Heavily marketed by Universal Pictures and costing $22 million to produce, the movie received mostly glowing reviews but took less than $5 million at North American theaters on its opening weekend. Despite opening in more than 3,000 theaters, it ranked only in fourth place at the domestic box office overall, behind Paramount’s mid-budget horror “Smile,” and two other films which debuted earlier last month. “That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately. Even with glowing reviews… straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros,” Eichner, who co-wrote and stars in the film, tweeted Sunday. “And that’s disappointing but it is what it is.” The movie follows Bobby, a successful New York-based podcaster who insists he is content being single even as his friends couple up, before his life is changed by an encounter with an equally commitment-phobic lawyer. Made with an entire cast of openly LGBTQ actors, it features several sex scenes, including one with four men engaged in group sex, and is rated R for “restricted.” At its world premiere at the Toronto film festival last month, Eichner told AFP it was “absurd and infuriating” that it had taken so long for a major Hollywood studio to release a film like “Bros.” “There should be tons of these movies by now. But still, I’m very grateful that Universal finally decided that it was time,” he said. Director Nicholas Stoller said he hoped the film would prevail at the box office in order to show “the studios that there is a big audience for this kind of story, and not just an LGBTQ audience, but a straight audience.” That now seems less certain, although box office analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research noted that the film’s first weekend figures represented “a fair opening by mainstream romantic comedy standards,” as the once wildly popular genre has been “under pressure for a number of years.” “There are no norms for gay film stories because there have been so few of them. Those few that came before generally featured funny gay shtick,” he wrote. In a series of tweets, Eichner said he had attended a “Bros” screening in liberal Los Angeles where the audience response was “truly magical,” but said an unnamed theater chain had threatened to not show the film’s trailer “because of the gay content.” “Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast!” he added. “And it is special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen, esp for queer folks who don’t get this opportunity often.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Krisztina Than and Gabriela Baczynska BUDAPEST/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Hungary’s parliament passed the first of a series of anti-corruption bills on Monday as Budapest seeks to avoid a loss of European Union funds at a time when its economy is headed into recession and the forint has plunged to record lows. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party passed an amendment to the criminal code to set up a procedure concerning criminal offences related to the management of public property, allowing a judicial review in case an investigation is closed without indictment or a crime report is dismissed. Parliament passed the bill with 136 members voting yes, while seven voted against it and 14 abstained. The legislation is one of 17 commitments Orban’s government made to the European Commission to stave off a suspension of billions of euros of EU money over breaches of democratic checks and balances including weak anti-corruption safeguards. For a full list of Budapest’s commitments, please see: Facing surging energy costs and inflation, a record weak forint and a slowing economy, Orban, long at odds with the EU, now looks willing to fulfil demands to create institutions that would cut corruption risks. The EU will have until Nov. 19 to assess Hungary’s actions and whether they curb the risk of misspending EU money. Otherwise, the bloc would be expected to approve cutting 7.5 billion euros ($7.36 billion) earmarked for Hungary, some 5% of its 2022 GDP estimate. EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn told European lawmakers on Monday evening that the 17 steps would reassure the bloc if they were correctly legislated and put in place. “As simple as it sounds – money talks,” Hahn said. “Now it’s our role to take Hungary at its word and help the authorities implement this. Important dates for the implementation of these proposals are still to be determined.” DEMOCRACY? Several EU lawmakers called on Hahn not to let Orban off the hook but scrutinise closely the reforms in Hungary, which the chamber has recently declared is no longer a full democracy but a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.” Orban denies that Hungary – an ex-communist country of some 10 million people – is any more corrupt than others in the EU. Hungary had irregularities in nearly 4% of EU funds spending in 2015-2019, according to the bloc’s anti-fraud body OLAF, by far the worst result among all the 27 EU countries. Reuters documented in 2018 how Orban channels EU development funds to his friends and family, a practice human rights organisations say has immensely enriched his inner circle and allowed the 59-year-old to entrench himself in power. In more than a decade in power, Orban tightened state control over media, courts, NGOs and academia, restricted the rights of women, gay people and migrants, and clashed increasingly with liberal Western Europe which sponsors EU handouts. A favourable decision on the funds later this year could ease pressure on the forint and Hungarian assets, which have sold off in past weeks as emerging markets were hammered due to the U.S. dollar’s surge, with Hungary’s vulnerabilities making its assets especially exposed to risk aversion. “We expect that by mid- to end-November Hungary will make progress towards … a deal for the recovery funds,” Bank of America said in a note on Monday. “The cash-strapped administration has no choice but to compromise with the EU.” ($1 = 1.0185 euro) (Reporting by Krisztina Than in Budapest and Gabriela Baczynska in BrusselsEditing by Susan Fenton and Matthew Lewis) View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Pakistan’s minorities are facing yet another attack from the right who have managed to rally up quite a number of people in support of their discriminatory politics. This time, it’s the transgender community that is being called into question and the resulting controversy can jeopardise years of progress. The historic Transgender Rights Act was passed in the national assembly in 2018 with both the opposition and ruling party unanimously voting in favour. This moment was marked as a monumental win for the transgender community, often indigenously referred to as Khwaja Siras. However, the bill i… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Matthew Chapman On MSNBC Monday, former Republican strategist Tara Setmayer uncorked a furious rant against Republican officials who sit by and take abuse from former President Donald Trump. She had particular venom for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), whom Trump attacked with an apparent death threat coupled with a racist attack on his wife days before — but who has not spoken up in any way to defend himself or his family. “Donald Trump also went after Mitch McConnell’s wife in an insane tweet over the weekend, with an ethnic slur that is completely unacceptable,” said Setmay… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By David Badash,The New Civil Rights Movement Christian Walker, the son of the Republican Party of Georgia’s nominee to be a U.S. Senator is out with a new video Tuesday morning blasting his father, Herschel Walker, and Republicans who he says knew about his philandering father’s past and suggesting they even called him telling him it’s important for the party that he win, despite the latest bombshell news. Monday evening The Daily Beast reported Herschel Walker, the former NFL star running for Senate as a “pro-life” candidate who supports zero exceptions for abortion, paid for an abortion for… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The FBI had a 270-page file on the late Aretha Franklin after spying on her for 40 years. The Queen of Soul – who died of cancer in August 2018, aged 76 – was reportedly the target of surveillance, subjected to false phone calls and had her inner-circle infiltrated by spies, according to documents obtained by Rolling Stone from the organisation. According to the outlet, the lengthy file – which is heavily redacted – is filled with phrases such as “Black extremists,” “pro-communist,” “hate America,” “radical,” “racial violence,” and “militant Black power” and was filled with suspicion about the singer, her work, and the activists and entertainers she spent time with. The FBI regularly tracked the ‘Respect’ singer’s addresses and phone numbers and seemed to be particularly interested in her civil rights work and association with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Angela Davis. Among the documents obtained by the publication – some of which are newly-declassified – is a 1968 report on the funeral plans for Martin Luther King Jr., which described it as a “racial situation”. It further noted: “Sammy Davis Jr., Aretha Franklin…of this group, some have supported militant Black power concept…[performance at MLK memorial by these prominent entertainers] would provide emotional spark which could ignite racial disturbance in this area.” The agency failed in attempts to connect the ‘Think’ hitmaker to the Black Liberation Army and other so-called “radical” groups, with one document detailing Aretha’s recording contract with Atlantic Records “just in case” her business dealings could be connected with the Black Panther Party. In addition to the surveillance reports, the file also contains letters and reports of death threats made against Aretha, though information about the suspects in a number of incidents – including a threat from a man to kill her and her family and a separate extortion attempt – was redacted. Aretha’s son, Kecalf Franklin, is unsure whether the singer knew she was under surveillance but thinks it was a “waste of time” to spent so many years following her “every move” after the bureau failed to link his mother to any type of extremist activity. He said: “I’m not really sure if my mother was aware that she was being targeted by the FBI and followed. I do know that she had absolutely nothing to hide though… “It does make me feel a certain way knowing the FBI had her targeted and wanted to know her every move. “But at the same time knowing my mother and the way she ran her business I know she had nothing to hide so they wouldn’t have found anything and were wasting their time. As you see…they found nothing at all.” Some documents indicated there may be additional materials in the FBI’s possession and Rolling Stone have asked them to make available any and all additional records. The FBI have yet to comment on the report. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sacheen Littlefeather has died aged 75. The actress passed away at her home in Novato, California on Sunday (02.10.22) just weeks after accepting an apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for abuse she suffered in the aftermath of her 1973 Oscars speech which she gave on behalf of Marlon Brando – making her the first Native American woman to step foot on stage at the glitzy event. News of her death was announced by the Academy in a post on Twitter, which read: “Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American civil rights activist who famously declined Marlon Brando’s 1973 Best Actor Academy Award, dies at 75.” No more details about her death have been released but Sacheen had previously revealed she was battling breast cancer which had metastasized. Brando won the Best Actor award for his role as Don Corleone in ‘ The Godfather’ but boycotted the awards show and Sacheen took to the stage to decline the statuette on his behalf. It was a protest over how Native Americans had been portrayed onscreen and the occupation of the South Dakota town of Wounded Knee by followers of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and Sacheen gave a moving speech explaining why Brando was turning down the prize. She told the audience: “[Brando] very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award … And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry … and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.” She was booed by some members of the crowd and faced a fierce backlash afterwards, with Academy bosses issuing an apology for her treatment earlier this year. In a letter penned back in June, then-AMPAS president David Rubin wrote: “The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified. The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.” A celebration was later held in her honour in late September. Speaking during the ‘An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather’ event at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, she said: “I am here accepting this apology. Not only for me alone, but as acknowledgement, knowing that it was not only for me but for all our nations that also need to hear and deserve this apology tonight.” She continued: “Now, I would like all the Indian people in this audience to stand. Look at our people, look at each other and be proud that we stand as survivors, all of us. “Please, when I’m gone, always be reminded that wherever you stand for your truth, you will be keeping my voice and the voices of our nations and our people alive. “I remain Sacheen Littlefeather. Thank you.” Sacheen was born in California and studied acting at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater before going on to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. She landed some TV and radio advert work, but previously insisted her looks worked against her, saying: “Americans liked the blonde Sandra Dee look … I got speaking parts in Italian films because they liked the exotic.” Sacheen met Brando several years before the Oscars and after the much-publicised speech, the actor appeared on ‘The Dick Cavett Show’ to express his dismay that few had listened to her message. He said: “[I] was embarrassed for Sacheen. She wasn’t able to say what she intended to say, and I was distressed that people booed and whistled and stomped even though perhaps it was directed at myself. They should have at least had the courtesy to listen to her.” In later years, she spoke openly about her experiences and participated in 2018 documentary ‘Sacheen: Breaking the Silence’. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English H.E.R. is “so excited” to play Belle in ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The 25-year-old singer will portray the beloved Disney princess in ABC’s forthcoming live action/ animated special ‘Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration’ and though she teased the programme will “stay true” to the original movie, she’s also keen to add a “fresh twist” to the character. She told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “Oh my gosh, I’m so excited! I’ve been in the studio, playing with the arrangements, of course staying true to the original but giving it a new fresh twist. It’s gonna be like H.E.R. but also Belle, you know? And I’m really excited.” The ‘Fight For You’ hitmaker is keen to show Belle’s “strength” in her performance. She added: “I think the world has never seen a Black and Filipino Belle and there’s a strength in Belle that I think we forget about sometimes, and I think people are gonna see that, musically, and just in the way that she is.” H.E.R.’s casting in the project – which will be directed by Hamish Hamilton and executive produced by Jon M. Chu – was first announced in July. ABC said she would be taking part “never-before-seen musical performances celebrating and paying homage to the beloved tale” in the two-hour special, which will be recorded in front of a live audience at Disney Studios and broadcast on 15 December. H.E.R. – who will serve as executive producer on the special – recently landed her first movie role in Blitz Bazawule’s adaptation of ‘The Color Purple’ Broadway musical, which itself was based on Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated 1985 film. H.E.R. will join Corey Hawkins in the project and will play the part of Squeak, who goes from a juke joint waitress to an aspiring singer in the musical, and was portrayed by Rae Dawn Chong in the original film. Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey – who made her feature acting debut in the original flick – will serve as producer on the movie, which is set to be released in 2023. The star has previously expressed her dream to become both a top musician and leading actress. She said: “There is so much I want to do. People don’t really get to see my comedic and fun side, except for when I’m impersonating my aunt. “But I definitely want to do a lot more voice-overs, and comedy, but also some serious roles. “I’m trying to do it all, I know. Whatever is it, one thing at a time. I’m gonna get there.” View the full article