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Published by BANG Showbiz English YouTube will remove its “dislike” button on all videos. The video sharing platform has taken away the ability to leave a dislike on a video in order to try and protect creators from “dislike bombing” – in which innocent videos are disliked en masse by trolls – and to reduce “stress and embarrassment” caused by a video getting more dislikes than likes. The change has not been fully rolled out yet, and some creators are worried the move could be harmful to the site, as people won’t be able to dislike videos that are clickbait or are genuinely problematic. Chris Burton told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat: “You want to immediately know how good the video is, before you watch it. A lot of the time, you can’t trust the title or thumbnail. If you see a tutorial video and it’s got almost all dislikes, you know it’s not going to help you.” The 27-year-old content creator agreed it would “get rid of the bullying aspect” of dislike bombing, but added: “I don’t think that’s the way 99 percent of people use the dislike button. “It already auto-blocks a lot of hateful comments which is fantastic. It holds them for review, and they don’t go live unless I manually click them.” Fellow YouTube star Kenzo Jae also spoke about the change, and said he was keen to see dislikes gone from videos. He also told Newsbeat: “You might put your heart and soul into something and then it doesn’t come out the way you want it to with likes or dislikes – that can be disheartening. “On my Instagram account I’ve taken all likes off and it’s really helped with not caring about the amount of people liking it.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Ridley Scott had a “very good marriage” working with Lady Gaga on ‘House of Gucci’. The 83-year-old filmmaker was very impressed by the ‘Poker Face’ singer’s work ethic and thinks the 35-year-old star – who plays Patrizia Reggiani – has made a much better transition to working in movies than other people with her musical background have. He told Deadline: “I mean, I work like a f****** demon, but she and I were really very good for each other because she keeps up. She’s on everything. “It became more and more enjoyable because, singers can be a bit fragile. This is a big movie, and some singers have not made that transition. They make it in music, they do it quite well. “I’m not going to name singers, but when a singer goes onto film, they can evaporate. Somehow, they haven’t got the presence. Not her. She’s right there, and she knows the camera. She’s used to that, from being a performer on stage.” And Ridley thinks Gaga’s varied musical background has helped her as an actress. He continued: “Have you ever seen one of her shows? Well, you’d have to go to Las Vegas, but it’s like that. “And then there is the jazz show she does with Tony Bennett, who loves her like a dad. But this other show is from an entirely different universe, and the Las Vegas crowd flocks to see her. “So, she’s a multitalented, multifaceted producer, really, apart from being a performer. “My hat came off to her, because I could see she knows exactly what she’s doing. And I know exactly what I’m doing. It was a very good marriage. “She loved the fact we moved like lightning. We did the film in 42 days, and came in $5 million under budget.” Meanwhile, the director insisted ‘House of Gucci’ is a “satire”, not a thriller. He said: “I didn’t want to make it into a thriller drama because it’s not. I saw it more as a satire. Satires are frequently examples of the ‘like.’ This might be likened to Medici or Borgia. “So, suddenly I thought, you know what? This is a satirical view of a 20th century family that has gone into a self-destruct mode by…you want to put a simple word on it, but you can’t. I don’t think you can say it’s greed. I think from the Gucci point of view, they wanted to protect their name. “ View the full article

Published by Reuters VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Saturday thanked journalists for helping uncover the clerical sexual abuse scandals that the Roman Catholic Church initially tried to cover up. The pope praised what he called the “mission” of journalism and said it was vital for reporters to get out of their newsrooms and discover what was happening in the outside world to counter misinformation often found online. “(I) thank you for what you tell us about what is wrong in the Church, for helping us not to sweep it under the carpet, and for the voice you have given to the abuse victims,” the pope said. Francis was speaking at a ceremony to honour two veteran correspondents — Philip Pullella of Reuters and Valentina Alazraki of Mexico’s Noticieros Televisa — for their long careers spent covering the Vatican. The sexual abuse scandals hit the headlines in 2002, when U.S. daily The Boston Globe wrote a series of articles exposing a pattern of abuse of minors by clerics and a widespread culture of concealment within the Church. Since then, scandals have rocked the Church in myriad countries, most recently France where a major investigation found in October that French clerics had sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years. Critics accused Francis of responding too slowly to the scandals after he became Pontiff in 2013 and of believing the word of his fellow clergy over that of the abuse victims. But in 2018 he tried to address past mistakes, publicly admitting he was wrong about a case in Chile and vowing that the Church would never again seek to cover up such wrongdoing. In 2019 he called for an “all-out battle” against a crime that should be “erased from the face of the earth”. Francis on Saturday said journalists had a mission “to explain the world, to make it less obscure, to make those who live in it less fear it”. To do that, he said reporters needed to “escape the tyranny” of always being online. “Not everything can be told through email, the phone, or a screen,” he said. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -A Los Angeles judge on Friday ended the conservatorship that has controlled the life of pop star Britney Spears for 13 years. “Effective today, the conservatorship of the person and the estate of Britney Jean Spears is hereby terminated,” Judge Brenda Penny said after a hearing. She added that the current conservator would continue working to settle ongoing financial issues in the case. The 39-year-old “Piece of Me” singer had begged the court to terminate the legal arrangement that has governed her personal life and $60 million estate since 2008. She did not attend Friday’s hearing in Los Angeles. Fans outside erupted in cheers at the decision and broke into singing her hit “Stronger.” The conservatorship was set up and overseen by the singer’s father after she had a public breakdown and underwent treatment for undisclosed mental health issues. Since revealing years of private anguish in tearful testimony in June, Spears has received a groundswell of public support and hired a new lawyer who moved aggressively to end the restrictions. In June, she told the court she had been traumatized https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/britney-spears-gets-her-day-court-what-will-she-say-2021-06-23 and that she wanted her “life back” as soon as possible. None of those involved in the conservatorship on Friday had opposed the request to end it. A key question on Friday had been whether Judge Penny might require Spears to undergo a mental health evaluation, a step often taken before ending a conservatorship. She did not do so. Interest in the case was propelled in the past year by documentaries and the #FreeBritney movement of fans who questioned why the singer lived under restrictions while successfully touring around the world and earning millions of dollars. (Additional reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Matthew Lewis, Cynthia Osterman and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kal Penn only needs “10 minutes” from Cardi B to officiate his wedding. The ‘Designated Survivor’ star was delighted when the ‘WAP’ hitmaker recently offered to oversee his nuptials when he ties the knot with his partner Josh but he insisted nothing has been confirmed yet as the couple are still in the planning stages. Speaking on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’, Kal joked: “If we do have an Indian wedding, Indian weddings can be 10 days long, right? So I would imagine if she has time in her schedule, it’ll be the day she officiates and then nine days of aunties asking her about her lyrics.” But the former associate director of the White House Office of Public Liaison clarified Cardi wouldn’t be needed for the full 10 days. He added: “We need 10 minutes of her time.” Cardi reached out to Kal – who only recently came out as gay – after the 44-year-old star took to Twitter and explained spotting the ‘Up’ rapper on his flight to Los Angeles had influenced his dream. He tweeted: “Cardi B was on my flight to LA. I fell asleep and had a dream that she officiated our wedding on the plane and the three of us walked out of LAX holding hands.” Cardi replied: “First, why didn’t you say hi! Second, I’m licensed to do that sooo……..let me know.(sic)” Kal explained he didn’t want to be “disrespectful” and disturb his fellow passenger, but excitedly agreed to her wedding offer. He wrote: “You’re the best. Was gonna say hi but didn’t want to be disrespectful (your do not disturb light was on). But holy s*** let’s do it! We’re down if you’re down!(sic)” Cardi simply replied: “I’m down I’ll get my suit (sic)” The ‘Harold & Kumar’ star detailed his 11-year relationship with Josh in his new memoir, ‘You Can’t Be Serious’, but insisted he never made a conscious effort to conceal his sexuality, he was just aware that the important people in his life value their privacy. He said: “I’ve always been very public with everybody I’ve personally interacted with. Whether it’s somebody that I meet at a bar, if Josh and I are out or we’re talking to friends. “I’m really excited to share our relationship with readers. But Josh, my partner, my parents, and my brother, four people who I’m closest to in the family, are fairly quiet. “They don’t love attention and shy away from the limelight.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nathan Layne KENOSHA, Wis. (Reuters) – The judge in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse said on Friday he would instruct the jury they can consider the prosecution’s argument that the teenager provoked an encounter with one of two men he fatally shot during protests in Wisconsin last year. The ruling is a boost for prosecutors because it opens the door for them to argue that Rittenhouse was the aggressor, which would raise the bar for the teenager’s effort to convince the jury that he acted in self-defense. The decision comes after nearly two weeks of testimony that included considerable evidence supporting the teen’s argument that he fired after being attacked. Ahead of the trial, some legal experts told Reuters that prosecutors faced a formidable challenge https://www.reuters.com/world/us/prosecutors-face-tough-test-trial-us-teenage-protest-shooter-rittenhouse-2021-10-28 in bringing a successful prosecution. “Now it’s a fair fight,” said Patrick Cafferty, a criminal defense attorney in Wisconsin, referring to the lift the ruling would give the prosecution. “Without that instruction they would have zero chance.” Rittenhouse, 18, is charged in the killing of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, in Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020. The shootings took place during sometimes violent protests that followed the police shooting and wounding of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty. Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney James Kraus showed grainy drone video of the Rosenbaum shooting as he argued that Rittenhouse raised his AR-15-style rifle shortly before the encounter and pointed it at some people, including another man, Joshua Ziminski, who fired a gunshot in the air. “The simple argument is there’s plenty of evidence that the state has brought in that he raised his gun,” Kraus said. “We have evidence of provocation. Rittenhouse testified earlier this week that Ziminski pointed a gun at him as he approached the parking lot where the Rosenbaum shooting happened Kenosha County Judge Bruce Schroeder stepped down from the bench to watch the video on a TV with Rittenhouse standing close behind him leaning in and looking on. The judge agreed the issue should be up the jury to decide. “It’s the jury’s case and I think they should make the critical decisions,” Schroeder said. “My decision will be to submit the case to the jury with the provocation instruction and you can argue the strength or lack of strength of the evidence.” The shootings, which took place against a backdrop of days of rioting and arson, have divided the United States. Supporters of Rittenhouse saying he was justified in defending himself, while critics say he was a vigilante who illegally possessed a firearm and inserted himself into a violent situation. PROVOCATION Under Wisconsin law, if someone provokes a confrontation they are required to exhaust all other options before using deadly force in self-defense. So if the prosecution can argue Rittenhouse was the aggressor, it could raise the bar for the defense. But the defense can point to the evidence indicating that Rosenbaum was looking for trouble that night. Several witnesses told the court Rosenbaum was making death threats and that he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for his gun before the teen fired. Rittenhouse himself testified that Rosenbaum, the first man he shot, threatened his life and grabbed the barrel of his gun. Cafferty said the prosecution may try to argue that by provoking Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse also raised the bar for self-defense in the subsequent shootings of Huber and Grosskreutz, who prosecutors will say were trying to disarm the teenager. Rittenhouse is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Rosenbaum, first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Huber and attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting of Grosskreutz, who was holding a handgun when he was shot in the arm. Rittenhouse faces life in prison if convicted on those counts. Earlier, Schroeder had ruled against the prosecution’s request to allow the jury to consider a lesser charge in the killing of Rosenbaum, but he said he would allow the inclusion of two lesser charges in the killing of Huber, who was shot after swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse. He did not rule on a request for lesser charges regarding Grosskreutz. With Huber, Rittenhouse’s lawyers agreed to lesser charges as long as they did not include second-degree reckless homicide, because that charge does not require proof that the teen exhibited an “utter disregard” for human life. The defense wanted to retain that high hurdle for the prosecution, and the judge ruled in line with that wish. (Reporting By Nathan Layne; Editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – U.S. Justice Department said Friday that it has indicted Stephen Bannon on two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House of Representatives Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill attack. (Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article

Freddie Mercury The Final Act will be on BBC Published by BANG Showbiz English Freddie Mercury stopped taking the drugs that were keeping him alive two weeks before he passed away. The Queen frontman passed away from complications from AIDS in November 1991 aged 45 and his former personal assistant, Peter Freestone has told how he and friend Joe Fanelli cared for the ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ singer in his final days as he “slowly let go”. He said: “The only thing he would take would be painkillers, he slowly let go. “Joe called me at about 5.30am and Freddie had basically gone into a coma and we made Freddie sort of comfortable. You could see Freddie had moved a bit and then as we were changing his T-shirt we just looked and saw his chest had stopped moving.” And Anita Dobson, who is married to Queen guitarist Brian May, felt Freddie was preparing to die six months before he eventually passed away. She said: “I remember he said ‘When I can’t sing anymore darling, then I will die. I will drop dead’.” Before his diagnosis, Freddie had been worried about a mark on his hand but refused to take a call from his doctor with biopsy results. Speaking in upcoming documentary ‘Freddie Mercury: The Final Act’, Peter said: “We had all the excuses how he was in the bath, he was out, he was somewhere. He just did not want to talk to the doctor. So I have a very good idea he knew this was Kaposi sarcoma, which was one of the first indications of AIDS.” After being diagnosed with HIV in 1987, Freddie vowed to keep making music for as long as he could but was determined not to make his condition public. Brian recalled: “The first time we really knew was when we got together in Montreux. “Freddie just sat down and said ‘OK, you guys probably know what is going on with me. You know what I am dealing with. I don’t want to talk about it. “I don’t want to take any action apart from carrying on the way we are. I want to carry on making music for as long as f**king can. “We will not dwell on it and we will go on’. We all went ‘OK’ and that was it. There was a discussion about what we would say if we were questioned and we all agreed to deny it to protect Freddie. “We felt quite comfortable about that. When we were in the studio and the studio doors were closed we had fun. For Queen as a family it was fantastic. We were never closer. But then Freddie was suffering.” Freddie Mercury The Final Act on Towleroad U.S. Justice Department indicts Bannon for not complying with Jan. 6 subpoena More And Just Like Samantha, Kim Cattrall Gets Another Reboot Role As Queer-as-Folk’s Martini-Loving Southern Deb. SATC On Hold, Hopes. More Tom Ford: Cancel culture inhibits fashion More Auction House Sells $200 million+ On first Night of Fall Art Auctions, Led by a Basquiat Work At Peak of His Powers for $40 M More Ahmaud Arbery’s Murder Trial: Defendant’s Lawyer Doesn’t Want ‘Black Pastors’ At Hearing More Affirmative action opponents ask U.S. Supreme Court to take UNC, Harvard cases together More Apple’s iOS beta update will blur nude images on iMessages More Britney Spears & Sam Asghari Wear #FreeBritney T-Shirts Ahead Of Conservatorship Hearing More Taylor Swift Says It’s ‘Really Nice’ To Release ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ ‘And Not Be Sad’ & ‘Not Be Taking Breaks In Between Interviews To Cry’ More U.S. appeals court pauses release of Trump documents to House riot probe More Rosario Dawson Was ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ But At 5 Had To Learn She Was Not His Biological Daughter; Led Her to Adopt Older Child More Load More View the full article

=Buck SlipKim Catrall’s new role isn’t Delta Burke and Karen Walker’s debutante daughter. Not literally. —Kim Cattrall May serve some AbFab with our QAF. She’s also got a role in the new ‘All About Your Mother’ and the team at ‘And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot did not kill off the Samantha character and have let it be known that she’s welcome Season 2. –And the reboots continue. Remakes or Reboots on deck for the following, and others: ‘Bewitched’, ‘Northern Exposure’, ‘The Nanny’, ‘Rugrats’, ‘Frasier’, ‘Battlestar Galactica’, ‘ALF’, ‘Saved By The Bell’, ‘Thirtysomething’, ‘Boondocks’ and more. Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Cattrall has been cast in the ‘Queer as Folk’ reboot. The 65-year-old actress will be playing a recurring role in the Peacock-produced revamp of the show, which originally ran on Showtime between 2000 and 2005, and her character is described as “a martini-soaked, high-society southern debutante with trailer park roots.” The revamped show is based on the 1999 Channel 4 series – which was created by Russell T. Davies – which in turn inspired the North American version. Both have been lauded as groundbreaking television for LGBT representation as it explored gay life on both sides of the pond. The ‘Crossroads’ star’s new gig comes after she was also cast in ‘How I Met Your Mother’ spin-off, ‘How I Met Your Father’ as the future voice of the show’s star Hilary Duff’s character Sophie. Bob Saget did the honours for Josh Radnor’s Ted Mosby in the original. The news was met with glee by her co-star on social media. The 34-year-old ‘Younger’ star wrote on an old photo of the pair on Instagram: “When @kimcattrall said yes I screamed. Now can we please get a better pic than this one I dug from the deep web.(sic)” Kim hit the headlines after she opted out of the HBO Max show ‘And Just Like That…’, a revamp of ‘Sex and the City’, which will feature her former co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, 56, Cynthia Nixon, 55, and Kristin Davis, 56, who are reprising their beloved roles of Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York respectively. And the actress recently admitted she felt “lucky” to be in a position not to feel she had to step back into playing PR guru Samantha Jones again. She said: “I’m lucky enough to have a choice, not that I haven’t worked for it, but I have it. It’s something I feel very lucky to have and I’m very protective of it. I wouldn’t be any good doing something I really didn’t want to do.” Samantha Kim Cattrall Queer on Towleroad Tom Ford: Cancel culture inhibits fashion More Auction House Sells $200 million+ On first Night of Fall Art Auctions, Led by a Basquiat Work At Peak of His Powers for $40 M More Ahmaud Arbery’s Murder Trial: Defendant’s Lawyer Doesn’t Want ‘Black Pastors’ At Hearing More Affirmative action opponents ask U.S. Supreme Court to take UNC, Harvard cases together More Apple’s iOS beta update will blur nude images on iMessages More Britney Spears & Sam Asghari Wear #FreeBritney T-Shirts Ahead Of Conservatorship Hearing More Taylor Swift Says It’s ‘Really Nice’ To Release ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ ‘And Not Be Sad’ & ‘Not Be Taking Breaks In Between Interviews To Cry’ More U.S. appeals court pauses release of Trump documents to House riot probe More Rosario Dawson Was ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ But At 5 Had To Learn She Was Not His Biological Daughter; Led Her to Adopt Older Child More ‘The Only Thing You Can Feel Like You Know, Is If You’re In Love,’ Kristen Stewart Engaged; Shares Who Saw Met-Gala Nip Slip More Love Wins CMAs: ‘Younger me’ Live, ‘Best Vocal Duo’ Award Cap Osborne Brothers Gay Year; Acceptance, Emotions, A TJ Osborn Boyfriend Kiss More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tom Ford says cancel culture “inhibits design”. The 60-year-old fashion muse – behind the iconic eponymous label – says the fact “everything is now considered appropriation” is limiting fashion. Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, Ford said: “Cancel culture inhibits design because rather than feeling free, the tendency is to start locked into a set of rules. Everything is now considered appropriation. We used to be able to celebrate other cultures. Now you can’t do that.” The designer also blames social media for making style and beauty “increasingly cartoonish”. He explained: “The future of fashion is increasingly cartoonish. “Instagram has broken down the rules. People dress up to take pictures of themselves to post online, everything is exaggerated – especially the eyebrows.” Ford’s latest comments on the state of the industry come after he admitted he misses the time when celebrities didn’t have stylists because they took “bigger risks”. The former Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent creative director admitted many A-listers these days have agents and stylists dictating what they should wear on the red carpet, and Ford admitted it’s all become “a little bit homogenised”. He said: “Oh my god, my taste in celebrities? Well, I like celebrities in general because they’re unafraid of fashion. They need fashion. They need, when they walk down a red carpet, to get attention, so they’re not afraid. They’ll take much bigger risks. It’s great to see a celebrity wearing your clothes. Did you write down a question about stylists? To which the journalist replied: “Oh yes. The celebrity stylist is one of the most powerful people in Hollywood, at this point. I’m curious what you think about that phenomenon.” He responded: “I wish they were a little less powerful, I have to say. There was a time in the seventies, for example, if you look at old Oscar pictures, before celebrities had stylists, and my God, people took even more risks. There were great things going down the red carpet then. I think sometimes there becomes a little bit of homogenisation, because it isn’t even the stylist. Before these men and women hit a red carpet, their agents weigh in on what they’re doing, there’s a stylist who weighs in, and things can become a little bit homogenised. I guess, when you asked my favourite celebrity to dress—it’s the ones who really know themselves. And if they’re working with a stylist, they assert themselves, or the stylist is kind of running around finding things that they asked them to find. There are those celebrities who have their own sense of style.” Ford has dressed the biggest names in Hollywood from Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Anne Hathaway to Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, and Ryan Gosling. View the full article

Published by AFP The highlight of the auction was a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat that sold for $40 million New York (AFP) – Christie’s first in-person auction in New York since the pandemic began netted more than $200 million on Tuesday night, with paintings by Basquiat and Banksy going under the hammer. In a sign of the vitality of the current art market, all forty lots found a buyer in the ’21st Century’ sale at the Christie’s auction room in the Rockefeller Center, which was open to the public for the first time since March 2020. But it took place in a hybrid format, where it was possible to bid physically from New York or connected real-time bidding rooms in London and Hong Kong, as well as online. The auction’s total sales were $219 million, with bidders registered from 27 countries, Christie’s said. The most anticipated piece was “Guilt of Gold Teeth” by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a 1982 painting on a large-scale canvas that went for $40 million. The piece “depicts Baron Samedi, a spirit of Haitian Vodou and leader of the Gede” and was “created at the peak of the artist’s career,” the auction house said. “Flash in Naples”, another piece by the New York artist who died aged 27 in 1988, sold for over $19.8 million, exceeding its high estimate. Scotsman Peter Doig’s 1990 painting “Swamped” sold for more than $39.8 million, a record for the artist. Two paintings by British street artist Banksy, “Sunflowers from Petrol Station” and “Monkey Detonator”, sold for $14.5 million and $2.19 million respectively. “HUMAN ONE”, the first hybrid physical and digital work by American artist Beeple, the holder of the record sale of an NFT (non-fungible token), sold for over $28.9 million. Ten artists set new records for their top auction bids on Tuesday, while the sale of lots from 20th-century artists is slated for Thursday. View the full article

Published by Radar Online The lawyer for defendant William “Roddie” Bryan in Ahmaud Arbery‘s murder trial is claiming that he and his team aren’t comfortable having certain community members in court during the hearing. This comes after Al Sharpton attended the trial this week to “console” Arbery’s family. Kevin Gough, who represents Roddie, whined to the judge that bringing black pastors into the courtroom is “intimidating.” “I’ve got nothing personally against Mr. Sharpton,” the lawyer claimed. “If we’re going to start a precedent, starting yesterday, where we’re going to bring high-profile members of the African-American community into the courtroom to sit with the family during the trial in the presence of the jury, I believe that’s intimidating and it’s an attempt to pressure.” The defendant’s lawyer continued explaining his displeasure over the situation, saying, “If their pastor is Al Sharpton right now, that’s fine, but then that’s it” before he went on to add, “We don’t want any more black pastors coming in here.” Gough also namedropped famous minister Jesse Jackson, who he claims was in the courtroom “earlier this week sitting with the victim’s family trying to influence the jury in this case.” Although, he admitted that he wasn’t sure if it was actual Jesse. supplied; glyn county sherifs office According to reports, Jackson had never attended the trial. Still, the lawyer might have mistaken him with an African-American lawyer Ben Crump was in court earlier this week to represent Arbery’s father. In response to the lawyer’s statement, Sharpton fired back at Gough by calling him “arrogant.” “The arrogant insensitivity of attorney Kevin Gough in asking a judge to bar me or any minister of the family’s choice underscores the disregard for the value of the human life lost and the grieving of a family in need spiritual and community support,” he stressed. The minister also defended Arbery’s parents, saying, “they have the right to be consoled by anyone” before noting he does “respect the defense attorney doing his job,” however the comments were “insulting the family of the victim.” “Roddie” was one of the three men accused of killing Arbery, along with father and son duo Gregory and Travis McMichael. They were hit with multiple charges, including murder, concerning Arbery’s tragic death. The 25-year-old was jogging when he was chased and gunned down by the men who suspected him of burglary. On Thursday, the jury watched a surveillance video showing Arbery roaming a home that was under construction before running and meeting his tragic death. The three men have pled not guilty to the killing of Arbery, claiming they were trying to conduct a lawful citizen’s arrest. Meanwhile, Sharpton held a prayer vigil outside the Glynn County Courthouse on Wednesday for Arbery, stating, “What has happened in this case is a lynching in the 21st century.” William Roddie Bryanglyn county sherifs office View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) – Opponents of policies used to boost the number of Black and Hispanic students on American college campuses on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear two cases together that accuse Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill of discrimination. Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a group founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, in a petition asked the court to fast-track the UNC case and take it alongside a challenge to Harvard’s admissions policies. “If the Supreme Court decides, as it should, to reconsider racial preferences in college admissions, it should consider that question in the context of both a private school and a public school,” Blum said in a statement. Harvard declined to comment. UNC did not respond to requests for comment. Both call their admissions practices lawful. SFFA was already challenging an appellate court’s rejection of its claims that Harvard’s policies discriminate against Asian Americans, giving the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority a chance to end affirmative action on campuses. But last month a judge rejected SFFA’s allegations in a case filed in 2014 that said UNC’s consideration of race in its undergraduate admissions process discriminated against white and Asian American applicants. SFFA said the justices should take the UNC case with the Harvard one without going to an appellate court. The court in June asked the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to weigh in on whether it should hear the Harvard case. It has not yet. SFFA said that the U.S. Supreme Court nearly two decades ago did something similar when it took up two affirmative action cases involving the University of Michigan and bypassed an appellate court with one of them. The justices ultimately in 2003 preserved affirmative action on campuses in a ruling SFFA wants overturned. Harvard argues Title VI of the Civil Rights Act forbids federal funding recipients from using race in admissions. The UNC case contends that, for public schools, the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment compels the same conclusion. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Apple’s latest iOS beta gives the option for nude images to be blurred on iMessages. The latest beta for iOS 15.2 is set to add an Apple Communication Safety feature to the Messages app which is designed to protect children from potentially being sent harmful images. According to MacRumours, the feature will scan through incoming and outgoing pictures for “sexually explicit” material, and any images meeting this description are blurred. The person will also be warned about its contents and told it’s okay not to view it. The new feature will be completely optional, and people will have to switch it on in settings before their messages will be scanned. The feature, which ties into Apple’s existing Family Sharing system, is also designed to offer resources to affected children for them to get help. Apple previously announced the feature in August, but at the time it was claimed it would send notifications to parents if a child decided to view a sexually explicit image. This feature has not made it to the new beta test, after critics objected to it because it posed a risk of outing LGBTQ children to their parents before they’re ready. MacRumors also claimed that in its original form, the feature could have introduced safety issues when a parent is violent or abusive. Instead, the child themselves will have the choice of whether to alert someone they trust about a flagged photo, and that this choice is separate from the choice of whether to unblur and view the image. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine It’s a big day for Britney Spears! Ahead of her conservatorship hearing on Friday, November 12, which will determine whether or not the 13-year legal arrangement will be terminated, Spears and her fiancé Sam Asghari took to social media wearing #FreeBritney t-shirts. The 27-year-old posted a short video on Instagram where the blonde beauty wore a t-shirt reading “#FreeBritney It’s a human rights movement.” Asghari wore a black version of the same t-shirt. Spears’ song “Work B***h” played in the background. MEGA ‘I JUST WANT TO HELP’: CHRISTIAN SIRIANO, SARAH JESSICA PARKER, BETTE MIDLER REACT TO BRITNEY SPEARS’ CONSERVATORSHIP AFTER DOCUMENTARY MAKES WAVES “Loading…” the hunk captioned the post. Fans rushed to the comment section to send their well wishes. “She’s so excited!!!! We’re all so excited for her!!!!” one fan gushed. “This makes me so happy!!” another wrote. “#freebritney FREE OUR QUEEN NOW!” a third fan commented. MEGA BRITNEY SPEARS’ HUNKY BEAU SAM ASGHARI SHOWS OFF HIS ROCK-HARD BEACH BOD IN MAUI — PHOTOS Asghari also posted a photo of his dog wearing a white #FreeBritney t-shirt on his Instagram Story. Earlier this week, the “Lucky” singer shared that she has been praying ahead of the hearing. “This week is gonna be very interesting for me !!! I haven’t prayed for something more in my life !!!” she wrote on Instagram on Monday, November 8. Many anticipate that Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny will terminate the conservatorship or begin the process later today. Her father, Jamie Spears, was suspended from the conservatorship in September with John Zabel stepping in as temporary conservator of the pop star’s estate. Spears addressed the court in June and alleged that the conservatorship was “abusive.” She was placed in the conservatorship in 2008 following a mental health crisis. STRONGER THAN YESTERDAY! A DEFINITIVE TIMELINE OF EVENTS THAT LED TO BRITNEY SPEARS’ CONTROVERSIAL CONSERVATORSHIP: PHOTOS MEGA According toThe New York Times, the #FreeBritney movement first began in 2009 when a fan site raised concerns about the conservatorship. Over the years, the movement has surged in popularity with fellow celebs such as Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande even showing support. “#FreeBritney movement … I have no words … because of you guys and your constant resilience in freeing me from my conservatorship … my life is now in that direction !!!!!” the “Womanzier” singer wrote on Instagram last month. “I cried last night for two hours cause my fans are the best and I know it … I feel your hearts and you feel mine … that much I know is true !!!!!” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Taylor Swift has come a long way since she first released Red in 2012. Swift appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday, November 11, where she spoke about re-recording the album almost a decade after it first came out. The blonde beauty notably included a 10-minute version of “All Too Well” on Red (Taylor’s Version). Many fans suspect the song is about her brief romance with Jake Gyllenhaal. Swift never confirmed who the fan-favorite track is about. MEGA TAYLOR SWIFT SHADES SCOOTER BRAIN IN NEW AD FOR PAL RYAN REYNOLDS: WATCH! “I wonder if there are people who might think that they were the one you were singing about, if it’s easier or far, far worse for them 10 years later,” Meyers told the “I Almost Do” singer. “I haven’t thought about their experience, to be honest,” Swift replied. “I think that’s the biggest burn. I think there’s nothing they’d rather hear less,” the host quipped. According to Swift, releasing Red feels different this time. “It came out originally about a decade ago, and I was 22, and that release week was so stressful because nobody has heard any of the music,” she explained. “There are like 14 different genres on this album. It’s a real patchwork quilt of genre. I was really experimenting.” “But this time, I’ve got sunglasses on and a mojito, and it’s chill this time,” she continued. “It’s really nice to be able to put this album out and not be sad. Not be taking breaks in between interviews to cry. I’m telling you, it’s much better this way.” TAYLOR SWIFT DELIVERS SCATHING SPEECH ABOUT SCOOTER BRAUN ON THE EVE OF HER 30TH BIRTHDAY MEGA “You get some time passing. You’re reliving your experience from your 20s when you’re in your 30s—it’s really the way to do it,” she added. “It never would have been possible to go back & remake my previous work, uncovering lost art & forgotten gems along the way if you hadn’t emboldened me. Red is about to be mine again, but it has always been ours. Now we begin again. Red (my version) is out,” the “22” singer tweeted. Earlier this year, Swift released Fearless (Taylor’s Version). She announced in 2019 that she was re-recording her first six albums to regain artistic and financial control of the music. The albums include Taylor Swift, Speak Now, 1989 and Reputation. The songwriter got the green light to re-record her old music in November 2020. The saga began when Swift’s former record label Big Machine Label Group was bought by Scooter Braun‘s company, Ithaca Holdings. “For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in,” Swift claimed in 2019. Braun reportedly sold the masters of her first six albums to Shamrock Holdings for more than $300 million. TAYLOR SWIFT SHAKES OFF ‘NICE GIRL’ PERSONA IN TRAILER FOR DOCUMENTARY ‘MISS AMERICANA’ MEGA “I regret and it makes me sad that Taylor had that reaction to the deal,” Braun told Variety earlier this year. “All of what happened has been very confusing and not based on anything factual. I don’t know what story she was told. “I asked for her to sit down with me several times, but she refused. I offered to sell her the catalog back and went under NDA, but her team refused. It all seems very unfortunate,” he told the publication. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court on Thursday put off allowing congressional investigators access to former President Donald Trump’s White House records relating to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and scheduled a hearing on the matter for Nov. 30. Trump’s lawyers had asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to put Tuesday’s lower court ruling on hold pending an appeal, which they said could be fast-tracked for a quick ruling. The three judges on the appeals panel randomly assigned to the case were all appointed to the judiciary by either President Joe Biden or former President Barack Obama, both Democrats. The National Archives, a federal agency that holds Trump’s White House records, had been scheduled to give Congress hundreds of pages of documents on Friday. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s decision on Tuesday allowed the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the attack to access telephone records, visitor logs and other White House documents that Trump wants blocked. The committee has said it needs the requested materials to understand the role Trump may have played in fomenting the riot in which his supporters aimed to block lawmakers from certifying Biden’s presidential win. The Republican former president had argued that the materials requested by the committee were covered by a legal doctrine known as executive privilege https://www.reuters.com/world/us/can-trump-use-executive-privilege-block-jan-6-attack-probe-2021-09-09 that protects the confidentiality of some White House communications. But Chutkan rejected that argument in a clear win for congressional oversight powers. Four people died on Jan. 6, one shot dead by police and the other three of natural causes, and more than 100 police officers were injured in the attack. A Capitol Police officer who had been attacked by protesters died the next day, and four other police officers who defended the Capitol later died by suicide. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe, additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Rosario Dawson’s daughter has been called by the wrong name for years. The ‘Dopesick’ actress never announced the name of her child when she adopted her at age 12 in 2014, but it has always been reported as Lola – when she is actually called Isabella. Rosario said: “It’s so interesting. When I adopted her, I didn’t put her name out. It wasn’t like I did a press release or anything, and I don’t know where it came from, but somebody decided that her name was Lola and then everyone just kept running with it.” The 42-year-old star didn’t correct it at the time because it wasn’t something she felt “everybody” should know, but Isabella, now 18, is frustrated with constantly being called the wrong name when they’re out together. Speaking on Parents magazine’s ‘We Are Family’ podcast, she said: “I don’t need everybody to know my kid’s name. “Then as she got older, she was like, ‘Mom, we go out places and people are like, “Lola, Lola,” and I don’t like this.’ So I had to finally tell everyone. So her name is Isabella. It’s not that far off.” And the name Isabella – who goes by Isa – has family connections. Rosario explained: “She’s named after my grandmother, so my grandmother was Isabel. My mom’s Isabel Celeste, I’m Rosario Isabel.” The ‘Mandalorian’ star previously insisted it was never “a question” that she would adopt her daughter. She said: “With my daughter, I didn’t go to an adoption centre or anything like that. My family knew her biological mom, and when we found out she was in foster care, we looked for her. It wasn’t even a question; it was clearly meant to be — she’s my kid.” The ‘Sin City’ actress had vowed to adopt an older child when she was very young after learning her dad wasn’t her biological father. She recalled: “Around the age of five, I found out my dad wasn’t my biological father. “That was super shocking to me. I’m Daddy’s little girl. I don’t know my biological father. Apparently, he died in 2011, but I didn’t have a relationship with him. At five, it was a lot to take in, and I recall thinking, ‘What if my parents hadn’t met, and I was older, and no one wanted to marry my mom because she had an older kid?’ “I remember vividly back then saying that when I was older I was going to adopt an older child… It’s wild to think I manifested this when I was younger.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kristen Stewart suffered an embarrassing “nip-slip” while talking to Emma Raducanu at this year’s Met Gala. The ‘Spencer’ actress was on the same table as the 18-year-old tennis champ and ‘Gossip Girl’ reboot star Whitney Peak, also 18, at the fashion fundraiser in New York in September, and when she took off her bold thrilly Chanel jacket, she accidentally exposed her nipples to the teenagers. The 31-year-old star recalled to People: “There was a beautiful young tennis player [Emma Raducanu] and a young actress [Whitney Peak]. “I’m talking to them, saying, ‘Welcome, I’ve done this a couple times,’ and they look like I’m scaring them. I look down, and literally my [nipple] is in their faces. I was like, ‘Okay, sorry, I’ll put that away now.’ “They’re like, ‘Who is this crazy old actress at the Met Ball?’ This is going to be a story for them when they’re older.” Kristen is currently celebrating after getting engaged to Dylan Meyer. The ‘Twilight’ star announced her engagement to the screenwriter last week and couldn’t contain her delight during an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’. After Jimmy congratulated her, Kristen said: “Also, knocked it out of the park. No, I scored.” Kristen recently revealed that she is set to wed her partner of almost two years and praised the ‘Moxie’ writer for “nailing it” with her proposal. She confirmed: “We’re marrying, we’re totally gonna do it. I wanted to be proposed to, so I think I very distinctly carved out what I wanted and she nailed it. We’re marrying, it’s happening.” The star had previously admitted that she couldn’t “f***** wait” to propose to her girlfriend and even knew exactly how she’d pop the question. Speaking after they had been together for three months, she gushed: “I think good things happen fast. “I have a couple plans that are, like, just the coolest things to do. It’s pretty undeniable. “When you know, you know. You know what I mean? There is nothing like feeling sure about anything, because we don’t know anything. And that is the only thing you can feel like you know, is that if you’re in love with someone.” Kristen Stewart Engaged on Towleroad Love Wins CMAs: ‘Younger me’ Live, ‘Best Vocal Duo’ Award Cap Osborne Brothers Gay Year; Acceptance, Emotions, A TJ Osborn Boyfriend Kiss More Prosecutors seek four years’ jail for Qanon Shaman Sentence; Judge Gives 41 Months To Another Rioter For Assaulting Officer More In deadly pursuit, Black jogger Arbery knew he was trapped, jury hears More Puerto Rico Vaccination Rates Lead the United States. At 74%, Ahead Of Every Single State. Why? ‘Science and Solidarity” More Henry Cavill hopes to become the next James Bond More Lin-Manuel Miranda debuts ‘tick, tick… Boom!’, Tribute to ‘Rent’ writer Jonathan Larson and eyes new projects More Federal judge approves $626 million Flint, Michigan water settlement More Key moments in the U.S. murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse More U.S.-China climate deal lifts hopes as UN talks turn to dollars and cents More Andy Dick arrested More Dutch experts recommend western Europe’s first lockdown since summer More Load More View the full article

=Buck Slip“The younger me made it harder than it had to be”“I would watch this show. Year after year and i always though how incredible it would be, I Would dream of being up here on this stage. There were so many things…There were so many hurdles for me… and i always thought…truthfully felt like it would never be possible because of my sexuality to be here. And i just wish my younger me could see me now.” –– TJ Osborne before performing “Younger Me” at Country Music Awards. [This post contains video, click to play] Published by Taste of Country Brothers Osborne singer T.J. Osborne said that love won at the 2021 CMA Awards. After giving boyfriend Abi Ventura a quick kiss, the country star and his older brother took to the stage to accept the Vocal Duo of the Year award and start what turned out to be a very good night for them. Later, Brothers Osborne took the stage to sing “Younger Me,” a song from their CMA Award-nominated Skeletons album. T.J. Osborne has said he wrote this song about his experience coming to terms with his sexuality. He came out as gay in February of this year, and on Wednesday night (Nov. 10), became one of very … Read More Brothers Osborne are once again at the top of country music’s vocal duos, winning 2021’s CMA Awards Vocal Duo of the Year. The pair were crowned the category’s winners during Wednesday night’s (Nov. 10) 2021 CMA Awards ceremony, which took place in Nashville and aired live on ABC. Country’s favorite brothers were once again ecstatic and humbled to take the stage and collect their fourth Vocal Duo of the Year award (and fifth CMA Award overall). After sharing a big hug with Keith Urban, T.J. Osborne said it “never ceases to be extremely shocking” when the pair collect the prestigious hardware. … Read More and more pictures of attendees including Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and many, many more. Read More Younger Me Osborne Brothers Gay on Towleroad Prosecutors seek four years’ jail for Qanon Shaman Sentence; Judge Gives 41 Months To Another Rioter For Assaulting Officer More In deadly pursuit, Black jogger Arbery knew he was trapped, jury hears More Puerto Rico Vaccination Rates Lead the United States. At 74%, Ahead Of Every Single State. Why? ‘Science and Solidarity” More Henry Cavill hopes to become the next James Bond More Lin-Manuel Miranda debuts ‘tick, tick… Boom!’, Tribute to ‘Rent’ writer Jonathan Larson and eyes new projects More Federal judge approves $626 million Flint, Michigan water settlement More Key moments in the U.S. murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse More U.S.-China climate deal lifts hopes as UN talks turn to dollars and cents More Andy Dick arrested More Dutch experts recommend western Europe’s first lockdown since summer More South Africa’s last white president, FW de Klerk, dead at 85 More Load More View the full article

Published by AFP 'QAnon shaman' Jacob Chansley with other supporters of Donald Trump during the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 2021 Washington (AFP) – US prosecutors are demanding 51 months behind bars for the self-proclaimed “shaman” who joined the January 6 assault on the Capitol building wearing a horned buffalo headdress, court documents revealed. Jacob Chansley, whose painted face, bare chest and horned headgear made him an icon of the attack on the Capitol in a bid to stop the election results being validated, was arrested days after the storming of the seat of the US government. Facing as much as 20 years behind bars, Chansley, who became known as the “QAnon shaman” after a conspiracy-theory website popular on the far-right, pleaded guilty to unlawful trespassing and violent conduct in early September in federal court in Washington. His lawyer, citing his client’s “sincere remorse,” his psychological problems and the 317 days already spent in custody, appealed to the “court’s compassion” to impose a sentence “significantly below the range” set out in federal guidelines. Carrying a US flag fastened to a six-foot spear and sporting numerous tattoos on his bare torso, Chansley, from Phoenix, Arizona, participated in the invasion of Congress with thousands of supporters of then-president Donald Trump to prevent elected officials from validating the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election. Another assailant, Scott Fairlamb of New Jersey, was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison for his part in the attack and for assaulting a police officer, the most severe sentence so far against the some 660 people indicted for the attack. Fairlamb pleaded guilty in August. But to explain its case against Chansley, the prosecution said in documents released late Tuesday that long before the events of January 6, he had gone on social media “to spread the type of false information and hateful rhetoric that led thousands of rioters to descend on the US Capitol.” “The government cannot overstate the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct as a one of the most prominent figures of the historic riot on the Capitol on January 6, 2021,” the prosecution said. A total of 658 people have been charged to varying degrees for their participation in the deadly assault, according to the Program on Extremism research center at George Washington University. Five people died during or shortly after the attack, including a police officer and a female protester killed by an officer inside the building. In addition, two police officers committed suicide in the days and weeks that followed, without a direct link being established. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Allen BRUNSWICK, Ga. (Reuters) -One of the three white men on trial for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery told police that as they chased the Black man around their southern Georgia neighborhood Arbery realized “he was not going to get away,” a jury heard on Wednesday. “He was trapped like a rat,” Gregory McMichael, 65, told a Glynn County detective a few hours after the deadly pursuit of Arbery, according to an interview transcript read aloud in the county Superior Court. McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, 35, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, have pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges. They say they thought Arbery might have been fleeing a crime when he ran through Satilla Shores, a suburb of the small coastal city of Brunswick, on Feb. 23, 2020. Prosecutors say Arbery was an avid runner out for a Sunday afternoon jog. They pursued Arbery in pickup trucks before the younger McMichael pointed a shotgun and fired as Arbery ran toward him and reached at the weapon. Their lawyers say this was justified self defense. “I think he was wanting to flee and he realized that, you know, he was not going to get away,” the elder McMichael said in the interview with Roderic Nohilly, the county detective. Nohilly told the jury he had known McMichael for years: the defendant had previously worked at the local prosecutor’s office and would drop off paperwork at the police station. McMichael said he “had never laid eyes” on Arbery before he ran past his driveway, according to the interview transcript. Nohilly asked McMichael the reason for the chase: “Did this guy break into a house today?” “Well that’s just it, I don’t know,” McMichael replied. Prosecutors from the Cobb County district attorney’s office are seeking to undermine the defense that the three men were trying to make a citizen’s arrest under a state law that was subsequently repealed. They have drawn jurors’ attention to the sometimes sympathetic treatment the McMichaels and Bryan received from the officers and detectives on the scene, most of whom are also white. On the day of the shooting, Matthew Albenze, a Satilla Shores resident, was in his yard when he noticed Arbery standing outside a nearby house that was under construction. Albenze told the jury he grabbed his cellphone, put his handgun in his pocket and called the non-emergency number for the county police after seeing Arbery go inside the construction site. “I did not see an emergency,” Albenze said when asked by prosecutor Linda Dunikoski why he did not dial 911. He told the police operator he could see a suspicious Black man in a white T-shirt. “I just need to know what he was doing wrong,” the operator asked, according to a recording played in court. “He’s been caught on camera a bunch before, it’s kind of an ongoing thing out here,” Albenze told the operator, saying Arbery was now running off the property. The operator said police would head over, and Albenze went back home. A few minutes later, Albenze heard gunfire: three shots. (Reporting by Jonathan AllenEditing by Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by AFP People attend the first mass vaccination event to get inoculated with Johnson & Johnson at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan in March 2021 San Juan (AFP) – Puerto Rico has an underfunded health care system, high levels of poverty and its infrastructure remains devastated by a major hurricane that swept through the island in 2017. So how is the US territory leading the rest of the country in Covid vaccinations? Experts credit the surprising success to two major factors: a sense of solidarity forged from past brushes with disasters, and a public health response untainted by political polarization seen on the mainland. No fewer than 74 percent of the island’s 3.2 million people are now fully vaccinated — well above the US total of 58 percent — but also ahead of wealthy and liberal northeastern states such as Massachusetts and Vermont. “Everyone should get vaccinated,” Jose de Jesus, a retired government employee, told AFP. “You have to take care of yourself, you have to live life until you can,” added the 74-year-old, who happily got a Moderna booster shot last week. As a result of the high uptake, Puerto Rico is crushing its coronavirus curve, with daily cases currently running at three per 100,000 people compared to 22 for the country as a whole, and deaths at 0.1 per 100,000. The situation is the complete opposite of what was expected at the start of the pandemic, when the odds seemed stacked against the Caribbean archipelago. Puerto Rico’s poverty rate is 43 percent, more than double that of Mississippi, the poorest US state. Its government is facing an ongoing financial crisis: since 2005 it has lived under strict austerity imposed by successive governments to try to reduce its high debt. A hammer blow came in September 2017, when Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, leaving nearly 3,000 dead. Many of the victims perished from a lack of resources and poor post-disaster response. The storm struck the island less than a month after Hurricane Irma passed by, causing vast power outages. After that, protests in 2019 led to the resignation of a governor, Ricardo Rossello, and an earthquake destroyed nearly 8,000 homes in January 2020. Lessons learned “I couldn’t sleep, I kept thinking the pandemic would be handled as badly as the responses to Hurricane Irma and Maria,” Monica Feliu Mojer, spokesperson for the nonprofit Ciencia Puerto Rico organization that advocates for science in Puerto Rico, told AFP. Instead, though, the memory of these disasters has made “people do their part,” creating a critical wave of unity to respond to the challenge. The Puerto Rican government began vaccinating in December 2020, like the rest of the United States. And in just a few weeks, professional groups, hospitals, universities, private corporations and non-profit organizations joined the effort, collaborations key to the later Covid vaccination campaign. Paradoxically, the trauma of Hurricane Maria prepared Puerto Ricans to face the coronavirus. The work of the NGO VOCES, which has administered more than 378,000 doses since January, is an example of this. According to its founder, Lilliam Rodriguez, the organization began in 2013 to promote vaccinations against various diseases. After the hurricane destroyed vaccine dose stockpiles, the NGO’s mission changed. Instead of just advocating for immunization, it began receiving funding and vaccines, and its workers “went to the fields, to the neighborhoods, to administer them,” Rodriguez recalls. “That prepared us to develop skills of first responders in the area of public health and vaccination. What we’re doing now is not very different to what we did after Maria,” she adds. Sticking to the science Feliu Mojer points to another key to the success of the vaccination push. Unlike what happened in the rest of the United States, Puerto Rico “has not politicized” the response to the pandemic. “In the United States there is a relationship between people, their political party and their willingness to get vaccinated,” says the expert, something that does not exist in Puerto Rico. On the island, “the main parties are not organized around conservative or progressive ideologies, but status preferences” over the future of the island’s political relationship with the United States, she explains. That unity allowed the government to take tougher preventative measures over the summer, at the height of the global wave driven by the Delta variant. The government reimposed restrictions like masking and ordered vaccination or weekly negative PCR test for public employees, as well as for workers and customers of certain businesses like restaurants and gyms. Public response was largely favorable. The success “has been a combination of science and solidarity,” sums up Feliu Mojer. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Henry Cavill feels honoured to be spoken about as a potential James Bond. The 38-year-old actor has revealed he’d love to speak to the producers of the iconic film franchise about replacing Daniel Craig as 007. Asked about the prospect of playing Bond, Henry – who is best known for playing Superman – shared: “Look … I hate it when people start a sentence with, ‘Look …’ – it sounds like they’re lying about something. I think it would be very exciting to have a conversation with the producers. … In an ideal world, I’d never have to turn anything down. “Nothing is off the table. It’s an honour to even be part of that conversation.” Henry enjoys starring in action movies, and doesn’t have a particular desire to turn his focus towards other genres. The actor also enjoys the challenge of being in tip-top physical condition for so many of his on-screen roles. He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I’m very happy to keep doing movies that use action as a form of storytelling, and I have no particular desire to say, ‘I just want to do drama now.’ I enjoy being in the best shape of my life, year after year, despite the injuries. I want to be pushed so I can get better. I don’t want to sit down.” Henry has a packed work schedule for the next few months and he actually loves that he’s so busy. He said: “After 21 years of hard work, I have three jobs lined up. Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s my approach, maybe my value as a commodity increases being attached to things like ‘The Witcher’. Now I can really focus on the storytelling and grow from here.” View the full article

Published by AFP While Los Angeles (AFP) – Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Broadway sensation “Hamilton,” said Wednesday he had returned to his first love of cinema with his directorial debut “tick tick… Boom!” — but is itching to write musical theater again. The movie, which had its world premiere at AFI Fest in Los Angeles, pays tribute to Jonathan Larson, the writer of “Rent” who was Broadway’s wunderkind a generation before Miranda. “Film was my first love. I fell in love with movies, my grandfather owned a VHS video store when I was a kid — Miranda Video,” Miranda told AFP. “I spent my summers watching everything — very little of it appropriate to a child of seven or eight years of age, but I watched it all! “And so I feel like I’ve come all the way back around to my first love.” Miranda’s “tick tick… Boom!” is an adaptation of Larson’s stripped-down musical of the same name, which recounted his struggles to create art and his fear of growing old without success. Larson died aged just 35, never getting to see and enjoy the huge popularity, plethora of Tony Awards and Pulitzer Prize for drama that “Rent” would garner. “It’s the only movie I ever actually daydreamed about [making] as a movie before I even got the opportunity to direct,” said Miranda, who saw Larson’s musical while still at university. “It was the month after the terrorist attacks of September 11, when everyone was questioning, like, ‘what am I even doing with my life?’ “And the entire musical is about ‘what are you even doing with your life?’ “It felt like a personal attack and a call to action.” The film cuts between Larson — played by Andrew Garfield — performing the original rock monologue of “tick tick… Boom!” on stage in New York, and flashbacks to the life events that inspired it. “I brought the music I loved — hip hop music and Latin music — into my work the same way Jonathan took rock music into his,” said Miranda. “Sort of just advancing his thesis, I feel like a student of his.” “It’s worked out pretty well!” ‘Itching to write’ While “tick tick… Boom!” is Miranda’s first feature film as director, he has been in growing demand in Hollywood since the colossal success of “Hamilton.” Disney bought the streaming rights to a taped stage production of “Hamilton” — which tells the story of the United States’ founding fathers via hip-hop — for $75 million. Miranda also produced a film version of his first musical, “In The Heights,” and wrote the songs for Disney’s forthcoming Colombia-set magical realist fantasy “Encanto.” Former “The Amazing Spider-Man” star Garfield told AFP that Miranda had “set up an atmosphere of community that you only really get in theater, that you don’t often find in film.” Co-star and “Hamilton” alumnus Joshua Henry joked that while navigating his way as director, Miranda sometimes “would say cut when he meant action and vice versa.” “But seeing him come into his own was a really inspiring thing.” While delays due to the pandemic closing theaters for months have caused the releases of Miranda’s various big-screen efforts to coincide, he told AFP he is back “seeing as much theater as I can” on Broadway. “And I’m itching to write again too, once I’m on the other side of all of these movies that are all coming out the same week because of the pandemic. “I’m excited to clear my desk.” AFI Fest runs until Sunday. View the full article