RadioRob

Published by AFP An aerial view on August 5, 2021 of a Staten Island ferry in the Hudson River in New York New York (AFP) – A retired, hulking ferry of the iconic line linking Staten Island and Manhattan has been purchased by a group of investors who include popular American comedians Pete Davidson and Colin Jost. The goal: turn it into an entertainment venue. The orange ferry John F. Kennedy, which was commissioned in 1965, was sold by New York City to Paul Italia, a real estate agent who owns a comedy club called “The Stand,” and other investors including Davidson and Jost, both cast members of the long-standing comedy show “Saturday Night Live,” Italia told AFP. The sale — through an auction that concluded this week — was first reported by The New York Times. Davidson is dating reality TV star Kim Kardashian and Jost is married to the actress Scarlett Johansson. Both men are natives of Staten Island, one of New York’s boroughs, and Davidson still lives there. The city says the ferry they have acquired is 85 meters (277 feet) long, weighs around 2,100 tons and was retired from the fleet last year when its engines broke down. These investors won the auction with a bid of $280,100. “The idea is to turn the space into a live entertainment event space with comedy, music, art, food, etc.,” Italia told AFP. It is not yet clear how they will move the broken down ferry from the Staten Island terminal where it is now docked as they prepare to overhaul it and seek a permanent home for the ship. Why buy one of these vessels that is a quintessential and free-of-charge part of life in New York? To keep the ship from being scrapped, for one. “The reality is that everyone who came together on this has a sincere motive to see the right thing happen, to restore a piece of New York,” Italia told the Times. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lupita Nyong’o thinks it’s “too soon to tell” whether Hollywood has changed for women since the #MeToo movement. The campaign began after disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual assault and rape in 2017, but the 38-year-old star has admitted Hollywood is still “very much in that moment”, so it’s hard to sum up how things are different. When asked if she thinks Hollywood has changed for women since the #MeToo movement, she replied: “Honestly, I think it’s too soon to tell. “I think the change we’re looking for is not just about a change in a trend. I think it’s a change in the normalcy of an industry. “We’ can’t assess that sort of normalcy just yet because #MeToo as a movement, if you will, is really just in our rear view and we’re still very much in that moment as well. “So I think only time will tell.” Lupita has recently been filming ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ – the second film in the franchise – but admitted the cast, which includes Letitia Wright and Martin Freeman, are currently on a hiatus and still have to go back to shoot more. She told OK! Magazine: “We haven’t wrapped. We’re in a hiatus. “We had been shooting for a few months. What do you want to know? Because you know I can’t tell you anything.” But the ‘Us’ actress did admit it has been tough not having the late Chadwick Boseman – who starred opposite Lupita in ‘Black Panther’, and died in August 2020 aged 43 – on the set of the sequel. She added: “It has been hard. Yep.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Silicone skin has been created for next-generation “companion robots.” A Russian company called Promobot are working with a lab based in Vladivostok to build the ‘Robo-C-2’ robot which will be able to exhibit human-like facial expressions, with the company using skin, hair and eyes to create an “attractive” companion, Petr Chegodayev, a sculptor and head of the lab told Russian media: “Our key task is to make anthropomorphic robots not just realistic but also attractive, to add a touch of aesthetic. We have all the necessary conditions for that here in Vladivostok, and I am sure that we will make a qualitative leap in the near future.” It comes after the news that Promobot are reportedly willing to pay individuals up to £150,000 ($203,000) to licence their facial identity and voice to them rather than construct fictional faces. In a statement, the company – who claim to be the biggest robotics firm in North and Eastern Europe – said: “Since 2019, we have been actively manufacturing and supplying humanoid robots to the market. Our new clients want to launch a large-scale project, and as for this, they need to license a new robot appearance to avoid legal delays. We can build a linguistic model based on popular phrases of a particular person – the robot will communicate and answer questions by analysing frequent expressions of the ‘original’ and using a certain context of knowledge of this person.” Oleg Kivokurtsev, Promobot co-founder, told Russian state news agency TASS that they are planning to create 10 of these robots per month “with any appearance, for home and professional use View the full article

Published by Reuters PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Constitutional Council on Friday approved – with conditions – the country’s new COVID-19 vaccine pass, which will require people aged 16 and above to show proof of vaccination to enter public places like bars, restaurants and cinemas. The new pass is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s drive to make life difficult enough for the small minority of unvaccinated people that they are compelled to get COVID shots. The Council’s ruling paves the way for the vaccine pass to take effect on Jan. 24, replacing a health pass that showed proof of vaccination, a recent negative test or past infection. The Council upheld the government’s wish that anyone over 16 be required to show a vaccine pass as well as a provision in the legislation allowing for bar and restaurant managers to check a person’s identification alongside the pass to curb the use of fakes or certificates belonging to a third party. But it overturned a requirement that the old health pass be required to attend political rallies. Coming less than three months before an election, the Council said such a provision would impinge on people’s freedom to share views and opinions. The vaccine pass has brought new momentum to weekly street protests against COVID-related restrictions on public life. Some people resisting the vaccine say they have been made to feel like second-class citizens by Macron. France reported more than 425,000 coronavirus infections on Thursday and hospitals says the large majority of COVID patients in intensive care are unvaccinated. (This story corrects to show Council overturned requirement a ‘health pass’, not ‘vaccine pass’, be required for political meetings) (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by GV De Clercq, Richard Lough and Hugh Lawson) View the full article

Published by Reuters By James Pearson (Reuters) -Thich Nhat Hanh, the Zen Buddhist monk, poet and peace activist who in the 1960s came to prominence as an opponent of the Vietnam War, died on Saturday aged 95 surrounded by his followers in the temple where his spiritual journey began. “The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announces that our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh passed away peacefully at Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95,” said his official Twitter account. His week-long funeral will be held at the temple in a quiet and peaceful manner, according to his followers. “Thich Nhat Hanh will be remembered as arguably one of the most influential and prominent religious leaders in the world,” Chargé d’Affaires Marie C. Damour of the U.S. Mission to Vietnam said in a statement. “Through his teachings and literary work, his legacy will remain for generations to come,” she said, adding that his teachings, in particular on bringing mindfulness into daily life, have enriched the lives of innumerable Americans. In a body of works and public appearances spanning decades, Thich Nhat Hanh spoke in gentle yet powerful tones of the need to “walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet”. He suffered a stroke in 2014 which left him unable to speak and returned to Vietnam to live out his final days in the central city of Hue, the ancient capital and his place of birth, after spending much of his adult life in exile. As a pioneer of Buddhism in the West, he formed the “Plum Village” monastery in France and spoke regularly on the practice of mindfulness – identifying and distancing oneself from certain thoughts without judgement – to the corporate world and his international followers. “You learn how to suffer. If you know how to suffer, you suffer much, much less. And then you know how to make good use of suffering to create joy and happiness,” he said in a 2013 lecture. “The art of happiness and the art of suffering always go together”. Born Nguyen Xuan Bao in 1926, Thich Nhat Hanh was ordained as a monk as modern Vietnam’s founding revolutionary Ho Chi Minh led efforts to liberate the Southeast Asian country from its French colonial rulers. Thich Nhat Hanh, who spoke seven languages, lectured at Princeton and Columbia universities in the United States in the early 1960s. He returned to Vietnam in 1963 to join a growing Buddhist opposition to the U.S.-Vietnam War, demonstrated by self-immolation protests by several monks. “I saw communists and anti-communists killing and destroying each other because each side believed they had a monopoly on the truth,” he wrote in 1975. “My voice was drowned out by the bombs, mortars and shouting”. “Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh lived a truly meaningful life. I have no doubt the best way we can pay tribute to him is to continue his work to promote peace in the world,” the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, said on Twitter. ‘LIKE A PINE TREE’ Towards the height of the Vietnam War in the 1960s he met civil rights leader Martin Luther King, whom he persuaded to speak out against the conflict. King called Thich Nhat Hanh “an apostle of peace and non-violence” and nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. “I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize than this gentle Buddhist monk from Vietnam,” King wrote in his nomination letter. While in the United States to meet King a year earlier, the South Vietnamese government banned Thich Nhat Hanh from returning home. Fellow monk Haenim Sunim, who once acted as Thich Nhat Hanh’s translator during a trip to South Korea, said the Zen master was calm, attentive and loving. “He was like a large pine tree, allowing many people to rest under his branches with his wonderful teaching of mindfulness and compassion,” Haemin Sunim told Reuters. “He was one of the most amazing people I have ever met.” Thich Nhat Hanh’s works and promotion of the idea of mindfulness and meditation have enjoyed a renewed popularity as the world reels from the effects of a coronavirus pandemic that has killed over a million people and upended daily life. “Hope is important, because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear,” Thich Nhat Hanh wrote. “If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today. “If you can refrain from hoping, you can bring yourself entirely into the present moment and discover the joy that is already here.” (Reporting by James Pearson; Additional reporting by Tom Heneghan in Paris and Diane Craft in New York; Editing by Nick Macfie, Jacqueline Wong and Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Adele is facing major backlash for canceling her Las Vegas shows with angry fans demanding the singer reimburse them for their hotels and plane tickets because she only gave them a 24-hours’ notice. According to Daily Mail, the 33-year-old Rolling in The Deep artist's irate fans are demanding refunds for not only their concert tickets but also for their Vegas stays and flights because she postponed her shows last minute. Many claim they flew in from not only other states, but also from places like Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. There are also reports that many of Adele’s excited fans were in mid-air when they found out about the cancelations, leaving them stranded in Sin City outraged and disappointed. MEGA “It's not great for Adele and I think she knows it,” PR expert Mark Borkowski told the outlet regarding Adele’s current situation. “Her response seemed very authentic. I guess it's down to whether the fans believe her word.” Others have also pointed out how ticket prices were anywhere from $85 to $12,000, but if the singer postpones the shows to a later date rather than cancel, these ticket holders may not be reimbursed. They'll have to rebook flights and hotel rooms a second time for whenever the new dates are announced. “I know I will not be able to get off of work to come back, I know I wouldn't be able to afford to come back,” a fan from South Carolina said about the likely postponement of the shows. “This trip has been a collection of Christmas and birthday gifts plus saving for myself.” MEGA “We lost a large sum of money on plane tickets and hotels to come see her for nothing, pretty unacceptable that a multi-million-dollar production team could pull the rug on the people who flew and risked getting Covid to see her because her 'show' wasn't ready,” another angry fan from Canada told the outlet. “She is known for her voice not for her performances, for all I care I would've just enjoyed her sitting on a bench singing. Absolutely unacceptable, they have not mentioned anything about compensation for the travel expenses we had.” As Radar previously reported, the Easy On Me singer broke down crying on camera on Thursday as she announced to her nearly 48 million followers and fans that she was canceling the debut weekend of her Las Vegas residency shows. “I'm so sorry but my show ain't ready,” she said, seemingly knowing how disappointed and upset her fans would be. “It's been impossible to finish the show. I can't give you what I have right now.” But while the singer claims the show had to be canceled due to COVID-19, and although that might be part of the reason, Radar has recently learned that she pulled the plug because she was being a diva and didn't know what she wanted creatively. “Adele postponed her residency due to 'COVID' which is true,” a source familiar with the situation recently spilled. “But really she just hates all the creative, also she keeps changing the run of the show.” “Crew is working literally 18 hours a day in Vegas. She just won't stop adding and taking things away.” @adele/Instagram View the full article

Published by AFP Between October to November 2021, unvaccinated people were around 50 times more likely to die from Covid than people who were vaccinated and boosted Washington (AFP) – Covid-19 vaccines and boosters continued to have very high efficacy against severe outcomes during the Omicron wave of the virus, a large real-world study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed Friday. The paper evaluated data from more than 300,000 visits to emergency departments, urgent care clinics, and hospitalizations across 10 states from August 26, 2021 to January 5, 2022. During the period when the Delta variant was dominant, vaccine efficacy against Covid-19 hospitalization was 90 percent between 14-179 days after dose two of a vaccine, fell to 81 percent more than 180 days after the second dose, and rose to 94 percent 14 days or more after dose three. After Omicron became dominant, the vaccine efficacy estimate against hospitalization between 14-179 days after dose two was 81 percent, 57 percent after more than 180 days from dose two, and 90 percent 14 or more days after dose three. A second CDC paper, based on data from 25 US state and local jurisdictions, found that vaccine efficacy against infection waned from 93 percent prior to Delta to around 80 percent when Delta became dominant, but protection against death remained stable and high at 94 percent. Vaccine efficacy against infection fell to 68 percent by the time Omicron emerged. The authors weren’t able to derive an estimate for vaccine efficacy against death during Omicron, because of a lag in reporting, but the broad scientific expectation is that it will remain very high. The paper also showed that while deaths among fully vaccinated people rose sharply during the Delta wave — totaling more than 20,000 people between July to November — unvaccinated people were still 16 times more likely to die during the same period. Protection was even greater for people who were boosted. Between October to November, unvaccinated people were around 50 times more likely to die from Covid than people who were vaccinated and boosted. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Maria Caspani NEW YORK (Reuters) -New coronavirus cases are falling in parts of the United States hit hardest by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, according to a Reuters analysis of public health data, offering an early indication the virus might once again be in retreat. COVID-19 infections have decreased in 19 states https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-OMICRON/zgvomadgmvd/USA-OMICRON.jpg plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, an analysis of the past week through Thursday compared with the prior week showed. In the Northeast, which saw some of the highest case loads during the latest surge, infections are down 40% week-over-week. “Certainly it bodes well for us in terms of the trajectory of Omicron,” said Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University in New York City. The drop was more modest at the national level https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/united-states, with new reported COVID-19 cases down 7% during the same time period, according to the Reuters tally, as Omicron surges in some other parts of the country. COVID-19 data often lag a few days behind the actual state of affairs. In the Midwest, cases climbed 11% over the past seven days compared with the previous week, and were up 2% in the South, although the increase has slowed considerably in recent weeks. Western states saw a 3% week-over-week drop in new infections, according to the tally. Nationally, new cases are averaging a still-high 738,000 a day, down from a peak of 805,000 on Jan. 15. Deaths, which usually lag new infections by about three weeks and are occurring primarily among the unvaccinated, are averaging more than 2,000 a day, up 50% from the start of the month. That is highest average number of COVID-19 deaths since the end of September, but lower than the record of 3,300 lives lost a day in January 2021. COVID hospitalizations, also a lagging indicator, set a record on Thursday at 152,746, according to the Reuters tally, but have been showing signs of stabilizing at around 150,000 over the past week. ‘NOT OUT OF THE WOODS’ “We have to be cognizant that we’re not out of the woods, that there’s a glimmer of hope, there is light at the end of the tunnel,” El-Sadr said. “That light is closer or further away based on who you are and where you happen to be.” Many hospital systems across the country are still struggling to cope with the Omicron-driven surge. Last week, the administration of President Joe Biden said it was sending military health workers https://www.reuters.com/world/us/more-us-medical-teams-bolster-states-omicron-surges-2022-01-13 to hospitals in six U.S. states to help fight the deluge of cases and staff shortages. The federal government also recently began providing Americans with access to free at-home COVID-19 tests and will soon make millions of N95 masks available after Biden incurred criticism that he was not devoting enough efforts beyond vaccines to fight the pandemic . The rapid spread of Omicron over the winter holidays forced many Americans to put the brakes on plans for a gradual return to normal life as the United States entered its third pandemic year. Classes were canceled or delayed in some school districts, the ranks of teachers and staff decimated by illness and safety requirements. Exhausted parents https://www.reuters.com/world/us/exhausted-parents-navigate-patchwork-us-school-covid-19-policies-2022-01-14 were left to navigate a patchwork of school COVID-19 policies while some students, feeling unsafe in school buildings, staged walkouts https://www.reuters.com/world/us/omicron-fuels-surge-us-students-stage-walkouts-protest-in-person-classes-2022-01-14 demanding a switch to remote learning. Businesses changed or postponed back-to-office plans, while the sweeping surge forced entertainment venues and understaffed restaurants to temporarily shut down. However, the recent drop in cases in first and hard-hit states like New York and New Jersey is not the only cause for optimism. El-Sadr, the epidemiology professor, pointed to positive developments in the current fight against the pandemic, including that Omicron has proven to be milder compared to previous versions of the coronavirus, the great protection of vaccines against severe illness and the potential for mRNA vaccines to be adapted quickly to new variants. (Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Alysia Yeoh in “Batgirl #45”Alysia Yeoh New images and video from the set of the forthcoming “Batgirl” film appear to show that Alysia Yeoh, DC Comics’ first major trans character, will be making the jump to the big screen. Multiple social media accounts following the film’s production shared images from the set showing actress Leslie Grace, who portrays Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl), and trans actress Ivory Aquino shooting scenes together. Aquino is identified in the updates as playing Yeoh in the film, though the production is yet to officially announce what role Aquino is playing in the film. Yeoh herself was a huge shift in trans representation in comics when she was introduced to fans as Barbara Gordon’s roommate in 2011. Created by Gail Simone, Yeoh holds an important place both because of her identity and how her portrayal ditched dehumanizing tropes and ambiguity that plagued previous trans characters such as Marvel’s Jessie Drake. She even got her own big gay wedding in the pages of “Batgirl,” with her crime-fighting bestie being her maid of honor. As “Batgirl” continues production, Aquino’s presence is sure to continue building excitement ahead of the film’s scheduled release in 2022. Batgirl: Previously on Towleroad “Batgirl” Film Likely Introduces DC Comics’ First Major Trans Character To Its Cinematic Universe Brian Bell January 21, 2022 Read More Wonder Woman’s 1st Trans Amazon; ‘Battlefield’s 1st Non-Binary Specialist; ‘Superman’ Colorist Quits Offended By New Motto. Brian Bell October 26, 2021 Read More Is It A Bird? Is It A Plane? No, It’s The First Bisexual Superman Towleroad October 11, 2021 Read More World of Batman Now Even More Queer; Longtime Robin Comes Out as Questioning in DC Comics Anthology Series Brian Bell August 11, 2021 Read More Pride Month Gay Comics Roundup: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Many Others Celebrate Their LGBTQ Characters, Creators Brian Bell June 16, 2021 Read More Brazil’s Largest Newspaper Publishes Massive ‘Avengers’ Gay Kiss in Defiance of Rio Mayor Andy Towle September 9, 2019 Read More Image courtesy of DC Comics View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Elliot Page has signed on as executive producer for an Italian documentary about a group of transgender friends and their gender transition journey. Directed by Italian filmmaker Nicolò Bassetti, “Nel Mio Nome” (“Into My Name”) is the coming-of-age story of four young friends — Nic, 33, Leo, 30, Andrea, 25, and Raff, 23 — who share important turning points in their lives and in their gender transitions, according to an IMDb synopsis. “What stands out to me about ‘Nel Mio Nome’ is the way it so artfully and intentionally presents all the different pieces that make up a person’s identity,” Page … Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Candace Bushnell almost experienced what would have been an epic full-circle moment. The writer whose column for The New York Observer that was adapted into the bestselling Sex and the City anthology – which later became the basis for the titular television series and two subsequent movies – was almost cast to play Carrie Preston (née Bradshaw) in the currently airing spinoff series, And Just Like That. Bushnell recently appeared on the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast, where she revealed that Sarah Jessica Parkerwas not sold on reprising her starring role after shooting the AJLT pilot. “SJP did not want to do it, right? So after she shot the pilot, she did not want to do it. And I remember that vaguely,” Bushnell recalled. “And I think at one point they were saying that I should have played the part. And now I’m like, ‘Yeah, I should’ve played the part!’ But then they convinced her to do it.” mega Given that Bushnell’s passions lie on blank pages and not in front of screens, it probably would not have worked out. “And, you know, I probably had stuff in my contract,” she noted, going on to add, “I don’t love being on TV sets … it’s not really where I want to spend the bulk of my day. I mean, that’s the thing that people don’t really think about is you’ve gotta be on that set, and it’s tedious. It’s tedious work, you know? The battery’s always running out, reshooting, the same thing over and over. It’s also a lot of the time, you know, it’s cold, it’s rainy and you’re sitting outside. Or you’re in a tiny little crowded room with everybody else.” As for what drew her to Parker in the first place, Bushnell recalled thinking the actress was “nice and cute” and that she also had “comic timing” and actually lived in New York, “so she got the ‘New York thing.'” “If you don’t live in New York and you’re from L.A., like, they never get it. It’s just a thing,” she added. “It’s like a flavoring.” Another key star that Bushnell said was not keen on making a return was Chris Noth, who plays Carrie’s complicated love-interest-turned-spouse-turned-late-husband, John James “Mr. Big” Preston. mega While she did not speak about the avalanche of sexual assault allegations that came to light after his character’s shocking death in Episode 1 of the spinoff, Bushnell did say Noth needed a bit of convincing to briefly portray Big 2.0. “He didn’t even particularly want to do it either, you know? I mean, he really only signed up to be a guest star,” she explained, noting that an update on his character felt important to the foundation of the story. “I think people tuned in to watch the show because it was really about, specifically, this new kind of woman, which is something that I outlined in the book,” said Bushnell. “A lot of people tuned in to see Chris Noth, you know, that’s another sort of like unknown factor.” When it comes to the unavoidable absence of one of Carrie’s closest friends, Samantha Jones, Bushnell said that was something she simply accepted with no alternate course of action. When asked who she would have considered casting in place of Kim Cattrall, the author replied, “I can’t even answer that question. I feel like those characters have kind of become so big that they’re like characters in Star Wars. … So I couldn’t even, I couldn’t even answer that.” mega View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared inclined to rule in favor of a Christian group that sued on free speech grounds over a refusal by Boston officials to fly a flag bearing the image of a cross at City Hall in a challenge backed by Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. The justices heard oral arguments in an appeal by the group, Camp Constitution, and its director, Harold Shurtleff, over Boston’s 2017 denial of their application to raise the Christian cross flag due to concerns that it could appear as an unconstitutional government endorsement of a particular religion. Lower courts sided with the city. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has taken an expansive view of religious rights and has been increasingly receptive to arguments that governments are acting with hostility toward religion. The dispute arose over Boston’s practice of allowing private groups to hold flag-raising events using one of three flagpoles on the plaza in front of City Hall to promote inclusion and the diversity of the city’s residents. From 2005 to 2017, Boston approved all 284 applications it received before rebuffing Camp Constitution. The vast majority of flags were those of foreign countries, but also one commemorating LGBT Pride in Boston. At issue is whether the flagpole became a public forum meriting free speech protections under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment to bar discrimination based on viewpoint, as the plaintiffs claimed, or whether it represented merely a conduit for government speech not warranting such protection, as Boston claimed. Liberal and conservative justices questioned the city’s stance. Liberal Justice Elena Kagan doubted that in this particular case the cross flag could violate the First Amendment’s so-called establishment clause prohibiting the government from establishing a state religion. “In the context of a system where flags go up, flags go down, different people have different kinds of flags, then it is a violation of the free speech part of the First Amendment and not an establishment clause violation – the end,” Kagan told a lawyer for Boston. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito noted that Boston’s policy appeared to exclude flags that were discriminatory, offensive or religious. “When you say anybody can speak by putting up a flag, with these few exceptions, are you not creating a forum for private speech rather than speaking your own mind?” Alito asked a lawyer for Boston. But liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor voiced concern about the potential for confusion by average observers, saying it is a “fiction” that people would think a raised flag outside City Hall relates to an event not sponsored by the city. “If you see a flag on the pole, you think it’s City Hall speaking,” Sotomayor said. Camp Constitution, whose mission is “to enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage” as well as “free enterprise,” sued in 2018 over its rejection. Among other topics, Camp Constitution’s website posts materials questioning the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, claiming that last year’s U.S. Capitol attack was actually a cover up for “massive” 2020 election fraud and calling Japan’s 1941 Pearl Harbor attack and al Qaeda’s Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States “carefully orchestrated false flags.” The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the city’s control of the flag-raising program made it government speech. Biden’s administration backed Camp Constitution in the case, arguing in court papers that because Boston treated the flagpole as a forum for private speech it cannot approve “private civic and social groups while excluding otherwise-similar groups with religious views.” Boston said that requiring it to open the pole to “all comers” could force it to raise flags promoting division or intolerance, such as a swastika, or a terrorist group. Given that risk, Boston last October halted applications to use the flagpole, at least while the case plays out. Biden’s administration and some justices said Boston could create and closely control a more limited flag-raising program going forward to avoid those concerns. (Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nikolaj Skydsgaard COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – The pandemic has blocked Novak Djokovic’s march to tennis history, so the 34-year-old may be pinning his hopes on a cure for COVID to get his hands on another glorious grand slam before time runs out. The Serbian superstar, who became a focus of the global vaccine debate over his failed attempt to enter Australia without being inoculated, holds a majority stake in a Danish biotech firm aiming to develop a treatment to counter COVID-19, the company’s CEO told Reuters. QuantBioRes boss Ivan Loncarevic, who described himself as an entrepreneur, said the tennis player’s acquisition of the 80% stake was made in June 2020 but declined to say how much it was. The company is developing a peptide, which inhibits the coronavirus from infecting the human cell, expects to launch clinical trials in Britain this summer, according to Loncarevic, who stressed the firm was working on a treatment, not a vaccine. The CEO said the company had about a dozen researchers working in Denmark, Australia and Slovenia. According to the Danish company register, Djokovic and his wife Jelena own 40.8% and 39.2% of the company, respectively. A spokesperson for Djokovic did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Djokovic has enjoyed phenomenal success – Forbes listed him in the world’s top-50 highest paid athletes for 2021. It calculated his on-court earnings at $4.5 million, dwarfed by the $30 million it said he earned off court. Yet time may not be on the world number one’s side in his quest to be viewed as the greatest player is history, as he advances deeper into his 30s. He had desperately hoped to play in Australian Open this month with his sights firmly set on netting a 21st grand slam title, which would move him above archrivals Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. Frustrated Djokovic now risks being frozen out of tennis, with rules on travellers who are unvaccinated tightening in the third year of the pandemic and some tournaments reconsidering exemptions. The most immediate concern is the next grand slam – the French Open in May where Nadal has already amassed a staggering 13 titles – after the country’s sports ministry said on Monday there would be no exemption from a new vaccine pass law. (Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard; Additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Ossian Shine; Editing by Alison Williams and Pravin Char) Djokovic biotech investment A Rippon Married on Towleroad Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will only feature advertisers championing gender equality More Olly Alexander wants ‘erotic superhero’ role More Biden starts second year with charm offensive — and bad polls More Jennifer Coolidge credits Ariana Grande’s impressions with her career revival More Cher leads tributes to Meat Loaf as Bat Out of Hell singer dies aged 74 More Sean Penn ‘frustrated’ with the world and is ‘glad’ he’s old More Modern Pop Music is Dull. Boy George, 60, Concern Trolling About ‘Big Choruses’, ‘Studio Trickery’, Pop Stars Who ‘Dial it In’ More Prince Andrew’s Childish Behavior Mocked, Known As ‘His Buffoon Highness,’ Demands ‘Room Temperature Water’ During Travels More Georgia prosecutor requests special grand jury in Trump election probe More What Timothée Chalamet’s success tells us about changing masculinity More Good Families and Good Country Music Need the Same Things; Shane McAnally + Michael Baum are One of ‘Country’s Greatest Love Stories’ More Mexican Football Federation to Ban Teams Whose Fans Use Homophobic Chants. 5 Year Stadium Bans! More Sia was Suicidal and Went to Rehab Following Music Backlash and Criticism Over Casting More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sports Illustrated Swimsuit will only allow advertisers who support gender equality in their annual swimsuit issue. The publication announced their new ‘Pay With Change’ initiative – only allowing brands to advertise in its pages if they work to ensure gender equality – on Thursday (20.01.22), which marked the 58th anniversary of the first swimsuit issue in 1964. In a statement, MJ Day – the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editor-in-chief – said: “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has been leading the charge in creating change in women’s lives for years, despite what some critics and naysayers would like you to believe. “However, in a world where women’s bodies are under attack and their value is continuously underestimated, we knew we needed to act in a bold, more responsible way. Pay With Change is not just a platform to us, it is our commitment to creating greater progress for women.” Examples of their work “leading the charge” include having Leyna Bloom and Valentina Sampaio as their first transgender models gracing the 2020 and 2021 issues, respectively. The magazine – which boasts Tyra Banks, Brooklyn Decker, Olivia Culpo and Cheryl Tiegs among its cover stars over the years – will gauge potential advertisers with their past, present and future commitments to gender parity before coming to their final conclusions in May regarding who will feature alongside their digital, print and social media content. Hillary Drezner, the publication’s general manager, said: “Pay With Change will be our new standard of business moving forward. It’s our proof of progress, proof of passion and proof of our belief that we must be the change we want to see. “Starting now, we’ll turn our advertising and activation space into a place to create change for women. We are committing to this initiative throughout all aspects of our business and are inviting all brands who are demonstrating progress to join us.” In addition, a percentage of each dollar gathered in advertising revenue will go towards the newly established Sports Illustrated Gender Equity Fund, which will support charities championing gender equality. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Olly Alexander wants to play an “erotic superhero”. The Years & Years singer was praised for his acting in the acclaimed TV series ‘It’s A Sin’ and admits that he wants to play a sexy character with superpowers in the future. Olly – who is openly gay – told NME magazine: “There’s a lot of good stuff that gets made but good stuff with gay characters that I could possibly play? Not so much. “For me to be interested in a role, it would have to be (someone) sexy with magic powers. I basically want to play some kind of erotic superhero.” The 31-year-old star worked with Russell T. Davies on ‘It’s A Sin’ and the former ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner said he would be prepared to direct a Marvel movie if the studio creates a homosexual superhero. Russell told BANG Showbiz: “If they want to make a gay superhero: properly gay, not just a nice little character in the background, I would be there. I could write it, I could write it like a demon.” The 58-year-old screenwriter – who also worked on ‘A Very English Scandal’ and ‘Torchwood’ – described Olly as an “amazing” talent and admits that it was comparable with the time he got to work with Kylie Minogue on the 2007 ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special. He shared: “It was like working with Kylie Minogue on ‘Doctor Who’, I was like, ‘Wow, extraordinary.’ I’ve been very lucky.” View the full article

Published by AFP US President Joe Biden touts the success of his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on the first anniversary of his presidency Washington (AFP) – The White House launched a charm offensive, complete with a Tom Hanks video, to mark Joe Biden’s first year as president Thursday, but dire new polls and a major congressional setback told another story. Biden, who was sworn in to replace Donald Trump at noon last January 20, marked the day by meeting with top cabinet members in charge of rolling out his signature infrastructure spending plan, a $1.2 trillion splurge he got passed in November with rare bipartisan support. “Our nation has never fully made this kind of investment,” Biden said, celebrating one of his biggest wins of last year — and a project that should keep delivering good news as bridges, roads and other large public works roll out. The previous evening, the 79-year-old Democrat held an epic press conference lasting an hour and 52 minutes, longer even than the famously rambling events Trump used to stage. Defending himself on his handling of the Covid pandemic and roaring inflation, Biden said he’d got “a lot done” in the face of unprecedented difficulties for a president. “He was having a good time,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. Despite the cheerful messaging, Biden begins his second year as president facing a slew of bad news, including failure in the Senate late Wednesday of his cherished push for election law reforms — something he has said is needed to safeguard US democracy from Trump supporters’ attempts at fixing the vote. The polls also seem to be getting only worse. According to new NBC and AP-NORC polls, 54 percent and 56 percent of Americans respectively disapprove of Biden’s performance. The numbers point ominously to what most analysts expect to be a heavy defeat for Democratic legislators in November midterm elections, leading to Republicans taking control of Congress. Asked about his sliding popularity, which is now in the area that Trump consistently inhabited, Biden just told the press conference Wednesday: “I don’t believe the polls.” Tom Hanks reassures America Biden likes to laugh off doomsayers, telling them to share his trademark sunny outlook. And his aides and allies did their best to spread the mood Thursday. In a two minute video, Hollywood legend Hanks recounted in his gravelly voice how the country’s economy is bouncing back from the pandemic. The video featured clips of ordinary people, like a UPS delivery driver declaring “the fear is gone.” “We are strong, we are courageous, we are resilient, we are America — the land of the brave,” Hanks said in the video, which ended with Biden pronouncing: “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future.” Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on CBS, ABC and NBC networks, while Chief of Staff Ron Klain spoke on MSNBC. A slew of cabinet secretaries gave interviews to media more off the beaten track, including women’s magazines and rural outlets, the White House said. Psaki went one step further, making a relatively rare appearance on Fox News, whose major stars outside of the news operation include conspiracy theory spreading, right-wing host Tucker Carlson. As for the second year, the White House seems to hope it can change gears, partly by getting Biden beyond the Washington bubble, meeting voters and spending more time with legislators in relaxed settings. At his press conference, Biden said his top goal was to “get out” and “connect with people.” Psaki said “he absolutely loves talking to people who agree with him, people that don’t agree with him.” “You’ll see him out on the road more,” she said. “You’ll see him probably bring members of Congress with him on Air Force One, as he’s done recently, and he’s really enjoyed the opportunity to be able to have those free ranging conversations with them.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Coolidge has credited Ariana Grande with revitalising her career. The 60-year-old actress has insisted the ‘7 Rings’ hitmaker’s impressions of her years ago on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ got the ball “rolling”. Appearing on the show on Thursday night (20.01.22), she told the host: “You should know, it was sort of the beginning of a lot of cool things that happened for me. “I was going through a dead zone, not much was going on. Then Ariana did this imitation on your show and you encouraged her. And then this ball got rolling.” The ‘White Lotus’ star admitted she initially didn’t want to send Ariana a message about the imitation because she was certain she wouldn’t get a reply. She added: “My friend who is her age, Theresa, she was like, ‘You should DM Ariana.’ “I thought it was such a good imitation and I was like, ‘No, she’s got like 260 million followers. Those are robots. The robots answer the DMs! We will never ever get to her.’ “And I did it anyway and then this response came back. Next thing you know, I was going to her house getting fit for wardrobe for [the video for Ariana’s 2018 single] ‘Thank U Next.’ That was all because of Jimmy Fallon.” Meanwhile, the ‘American Pie’ actress recently compared the COVID-19 lockdown to “an acid trip” as she said she feared for her life amid the pandemic. She explained: “Being locked up during COVID was sort of like an acid trip or something … I felt like I had taken some really weird drug because all of these scenes in my life were being played out. And I wasn’t taking any drugs, I was just eating a lot. “I wasn’t drinking alcohol. I just … I felt like each day was sort of like I was hallucinating because my mother’s death came up [in] all of these things. And I think it was just because, you know, I didn’t really think we were going to survive the COVID thing. “I mean, I really didn’t. I thought it was just a matter of time before it got all of us. And I felt like the moment was just lingering outside.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Cher has paid tribute to Meat Loaf after the singer’s death aged 74. The ‘Believe’ hitmaker has reflected on working with the late musician – whose death was confirmed on Friday morning (21.01.22) – on his 1981 track ‘Dead Ringer for Love’. She tweeted: “Had So Much Fun With Meatloaf When We Did “Dead Ringer”. Am Very Sorry For His Family,Friends,& Fans. “Am I imagining It, or Are Amazing Ppl In The Arts Dying every other Day!? (sic)” More stars have also paid tribute to the ‘Bat Out of Hell’ legend, with Piers Morgan hailing him as a “rebellious chameleon”. He wrote: “RIP Meat Loaf, 74. One of rock music’s all-time great characters whose seminal iconic album Bat Out Of Hell is one of the biggest-selling records in history. “A wondrously talented, flamboyant, funny, outrageous and rebellious chameleon. Sad news.” Actor Stephen Fry recalled his work with Meat Loaf on British comedy and music show ‘Saturday Live’. He said: “I hope paradise is as you remember it from the dashboard light, Meat Loaf. “Had a fun time performing a sketch with him on Saturday Live way back in the last century.” And music mogul Pete Waterman heaped praise on his “unique voice”. He added: “Meat Loaf was this larger than life character with a unique voice, that first album, Bat Out Of Hell was just amazing.” Meat Loaf – born Marvin Lee Aday before changing his name to Michael Lee Aday – passed away with his wife Deborah by his side. A statement on his official Facebook page read: “Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side. Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends have been with him throughout the last 24 hours. “His amazing career spanned 6 decades that saw him sell over 100 Million albums worldwide and star in over 65 movies, including “Fight Club”, “Focus”, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Wayne’s World.” “Bat Out of Hell” remains one of the top 10 selling albums of all time. “We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man. “We thank you for your understanding of our need for privacy at this time. From his heart to your souls…don’t ever stop rocking! (sic)” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sean Penn is “glad” he is old and won’t have to “deal with” where the world is heading in the near future. The 61-year-old actor admits he feels “frustrated” with how things are going in life, and believes one of the main issues around the globe is people are too quick to say things they don’t necessarily mean to make them look good. He said: “I’m a little frustrated with the world. I’m glad I’m old and won’t be having to deal with where this stuff is going. “We give too much of a s*** about what we are going to be accused of by people who want to be self-righteous because they can get a quick reward. “And they’re self-righteous hypocritically – they damn this, but don’t worry about why kids are being bombed in Yemen, because it’s not getting them into a club right away.” Sean’s latest directorial project has seen him helm movie ‘Flag Day’, which is based on Jennifer Vogel’s 2004 memoir ‘Flim-Flam Man : a true family history’ about her bank robber and conman father John Vogel. Penn portrays John in the motion picture, and he cast his daughter Dylan Penn, 30 – who he shares with ex-wife Robin Wright – as Jennifer, but admitted he pushed her quite hard “emotionally” at times during filming. He added to the i newspaper: “Very early on, it was her face that I was attaching to [the role]. “At one point, I almost felt I should be calling child protective services on myself for putting her through it emotionally.” In October, Sean’s wife Leila George filed for divorce just over a year after they married in July 2020. The news came after it was previously claimed Sean – who also has son Hopper, 28, with Robin – had to “win back” Leila after their romance began as an on/off relationship in 2016 and continued for several years until the last time they went their separate ways, which prompted the actor to “work hard” on fixing their bond. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Boy George thinks pop music has become “quite dull”. The 60-year-old pop singer – who shot to fame in the early 1980s – has claimed that modern-day musicians are boring compared to the stars of the past. He said: “I think it’s always hard to be interesting. I think pop music has got quite dull, I have to say. “My favourite type of music is sort of Missy Elliott, Bowie. That’s pop music.” The ‘Karma Chameleon’ hitmaker believes that modern-day pop stars lack “edge”. He also suggested that they’ve become too predictable, saying they “just kind of dial it in”. He told MailOnline: “Things that have got a bit of an edge to them. That’s what we’re looking for. We don’t want pop stars to just kind of dial it in and give us what we expect. I’m very objective about it. I’m a songwriter, that’s what I do.” The Culture Club singer – whose real name is George O’Dowd – previously claimed that “modern production” has ruined the pop scene. He hit out at “big choruses” and “studio trickery”. He said: “We grew up in that era where people wrote melodic songs. When I was a kid I was listening to stuff from the fifties and sixties and seventies. “A lot of modern production has big choruses now and studio trickery. When it comes on the radio I think, ‘This will be great when it finishes.'” Meanwhile, the pop icon previously revealed that he was too “engaged chemically” to take part in Live Aid. The singer was keen to help raise money to fight famine, but was in no “fit state” on the day of the fundraising initiative. He explained: “I messed it up. I was otherwise engaged chemically. “I mean, I think it was a stroke of luck that we didn’t do it because I wasn’t in a fit state to do it.” Boy George Modern Pop Music A Rippon Married on Towleroad Prince Andrew’s Childish Behavior Mocked, Known As ‘His Buffoon Highness,’ Demands ‘Room Temperature Water’ During Travels More Georgia prosecutor requests special grand jury in Trump election probe More What Timothée Chalamet’s success tells us about changing masculinity More Good Families and Good Country Music Need the Same Things; Shane McAnally + Michael Baum are One of ‘Country’s Greatest Love Stories’ More Mexican Football Federation to Ban Teams Whose Fans Use Homophobic Chants. 5 Year Stadium Bans! More Sia was Suicidal and Went to Rehab Following Music Backlash and Criticism Over Casting More Adam Rippon married fiancé in spontaneous wedding on New Year’s Eve; ‘Simple’ Ceremony With Jussi-Pekka Kajaala, 3 Years After Tinder Meet More Betty White Death: Los Angeles Zoo ‘Blown Away’ By $70,000 Worth Of Donations In Memory Of Late Comedian More Florida suspends health official who urged staff to get vaccinated More Amazon to open fashion store where algorithms suggest what to try on More Lady Gaga and Salma Hayek lovemaking scene axed from House of Gucci More Maxwell formally requests new trial after lawyers raise concern about juror More Analysis-How Omicron highlights fading hope of herd immunity from COVID More Load More View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Prince Andrew isn’t known for his pleasant attitude, especially when he’s on the road or fulfilling royal duties in the past. His alleged immature behavior and high demands have reportedly earned him the title of “His Buffoon Highness” by the people who have worked for him. The Mirror reported that Queen Elizabeth‘s second son was known for being “rude” and having “childish obsessions” when serving as the UK’s special representative for trade and investment. During one of his trips to the middle east, he demanded his water be strictly served at room temperature, and his valet be equipped with a huge ironing board to ensure his clothes were perfectly pressed. MEGA According to the former deputy head of mission in Bahrain, Simon Wilson, Andrew’s request to bring his entourage, including his equerries and private secretaries, among other demands, have left people in shock. Wilson also claimed the Duke was “boorish” and wasn’t well-liked. Andrew earned the nickname “buffoon” due to his “childish obsession with doing the exact opposite of what had been agreed.” Wilson added Andrew’s personal life would “willy-nilly, intrude into his public role” and that he could be “going off with Ghislaine Maxwell” when he’s off duty. The claims come after the embattled prince’s bizarre collection of teddy bears was exposed. According to reports, he would “shout and scream” if they were not organized correctly by palace servants. “It had about 50 or 60 stuffed toys positioned on the bed, and basically there was a card the inspector showed us in a drawer, and it was a picture of these bears all in situ,” an insider revealed. “The reason for the laminated picture was if those bears weren’t put back in the right order by the maids, he would shout and scream.” MEGA As Radar previously reported, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan denied Andrew’s request to dismiss his sexual assault accuser Virginia Giuffre‘s lawsuit. The judge ruled that the prince will have to stand trial, which will take place later this year. Giuffre has claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was only 17 years old but he has vehemently denied the accusations. In the wake of the civil lawsuit, the Queen hasstrippedAndrew of his military titles and royal patronages, forcing him to face the case as a “private citizen.” He will receive no help or aid from the royal family. MEGA View the full article