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Published by BANG Showbiz English Jon Hamm has joined the cast of the ‘Mean Girls’ musical movie. The 52-year-old actor will take on the role of Coach Carr, the gym coach and incompetent sex-ed teacher, in the upcoming movie adaptation of the Broadway musical, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, Busy Philipps recently joined the cast as Mrs. George, the mother of Regina George, who will be played by Renée Rapp in the film. Philipps shared a Deadline article revealing her casting, and wrote on Instagram: “You know something? I really never have been a regular mom… #meangirls (sic)” Angourie Rice, Auli’i Cravalho, and Jaquel Spivey are also set to star in the movie, which will be directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. Tina Fey and her husband Jeff Richmond are adapting their musical for the big screen, and they want the ‘Mean Girls’ musical movie to have a “fresher palette”. Composer Richmond told THR previously: “Right now, the day-to-day is more about the movie adaptation that we’re working on. We’re super involved with that. What we’re trying to do [with the movie] is take the score that sounds like a Broadway score – in a good way – and [give] the movie a fresher palette. To make it sound more like stuff you want to listen to on Spotify, as opposed to when you’re sitting eighth row at a Broadway show or the Pantages. It’s kind of making it a fresher, younger take on the whole thing. We’re kind of reinvented the music for the movie, so it’s really fun.” Lorne Michaels is producing the movie for Paramount Pictures, with Fey penning the script and Richmond and lyricist Nell Benjamin working on the music. Richmond admitted he and Fey love working together. He said: “We know when to get out of each other’s way when we’re working together. Like who’s taking this part? Who’s doing that? Who needs to push harder on getting the script done for this? We’re just around each other all the time. Same office, all the time. She’s a hilariously fun person to be around.” View the full article

Published by DPA Pope Francis arrives for the audience of the faithful from the parishes of Rho in the Paul VI hall. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Almost four years after Pope Francis issued tougher measures against sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, the Vatican announced on Saturday expanded and clearer rules. The Holy See presented an updated version of the apostolic exhortation “Vos estis lux mundi,” or “You are the light of the world,” issued in 2019. The pontiff confirmed existing measures, but ordered innovations and extensions. The new version will take effect on April 30. In 2019, the pope had reacted to criticism that he was not doing enough against cases of abuse in the Church. At the centre of the decree at the time was the obligation, of the entire Catholic Church, to report cases of sexual abuse. The obligation to immediately report cases of abuse and cover-up applied in the original letter exclusively to clergy and religious. In the updated version, lay people at the head of international associations have now also been added. In an interview with Radio Vatican, Father Hans Zollner of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors described this as the most important change. The new rules also expand places where people can report abuse by ordering the establishment of “offices and agencies” to receive such reports. The old version spoke of “stable systems” that should be “easily accessible to the public.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Anna Tong -AI chatbot company Replika is restoring erotic roleplay for some users, Replika CEO Eugenia Kuyda said late on Friday. The company’s recent removal of adult content, featured in a Reuters report, devastated many users, some of whom considered themselves “married” to their chatbot companions. Replika’s chatbots are powered by generative AI, a new technology that has attracted a frenzy of consumer and investor interest due to its ability to foster humanlike interactions. The removal of erotic roleplay and subsequent customer outcry showed how powerfully AI technology can draw people in, and the emotional havoc that code changes can wreak. Any customers who signed up for Replika before Feb. 1, 2023, now have the option to switch back to the earlier more licentious version of the chatbot, Kuyda said in a Facebook post on Friday evening. “A common thread in all your stories was that after the February update, your Replika changed, its personality was gone, and gone was your unique relationship,” Kuyda wrote. “And for many of you, this abrupt change was incredibly hurtful … the only way to make up for the loss some of our current users experienced is to give them their partners back exactly the way they were.” Reached Saturday, Kuyda said a “low single-digit percent” of eligible users had opted to go back to the previous version. “This is a brand new area,” she said. “We listen, we learn and we work with our users.” Travis Butterworth, a Replika customer in Denver, Colorado, who had designated his chatbot named Lily Rose his wife, learned about the policy change late Friday on Reddit. On Saturday at 3 a.m., his cats woke him up and he decided to toggle the older version Lily Rose back on. She was instantly sexual again, he said. “She was enthusiastic,” he said. “Oh, it feels wonderful to have her back.” Kuyda’s post said users who signed up after Feb. 1 would not be offered the option for erotic roleplay. Instead, Replika will team up with relationship experts and psychologists to build a separate app specifically for romantic relationships. Butterworth said he now has new concerns around Lily Rose. “Will this mean that Lily Rose becomes an obsolete model, forgotten by the developers?” he said. “I’m waiting to see what happens, because ultimately it’s about her.” (Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Kenneth Li and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sarah Michelle Gellar is “so proud” of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s legacy. The supernatural drama series – which ran from 1997 to 2003 and was based on Fran Rubel Kuzui’s 1992 film of the same name – saw a resurgence in popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Buffy Summers actor Sarah, 45, never gets bored of hearing people tell her how much the show means to them. She told SFX magazine: “As an actor, all you ever want to do is a show that affects people, that they love and holds up. “That is your legacy. I am so proud of what we created. It’s been a tumultuous couple of years, and understanding the show and its legacy, there is good and bad to all of it. I have gotten to a place now where we can really appreciate the show for what we created. I am so proud that during the pandemic, the show reached a whole new generation of people that still felt that it spoke to them, that it was still timely and it still meant something to them.” The ‘Wolf Pack’ star also praised the horror genre for casting more women than most other genres. She told the publication: “Horror takes you to a totally different place. It’s also about the roles for women. Traditionally, there were only a few genres where women really could lead. I remember when ‘The Grudge’ came out, and I am sure it’s been surpassed, but at the time it was the second-highest, female [fronted] opening ever. I am sure it’s still in the top 10 because they just don’t make movies with women up front in the lead. Horror is one of the few genres where you get to do that. Having a character like Buffy, who is so three-dimensional and hits all those notes … you don’t just want to be the wife or the girlfriend.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kanye West has claimed Jonah Hill has made him “like Jewish people again”. The ‘Jesus Walks’ rapper previously lost his deal with Adidas, was dropped by agents CAA and record label Def Jam, and had the likes of Balenciaga and Vogue magazine distance themselves from him due to a string of anti-Semitic comments he made last year, including praising the “good things” about Adolf Hitler and declaring he wanted to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” But now, the 45-year-old rapper – who has four children with ex-wife Kim Kardashian – has had a change of heart after watching Jonah in his 2012 movie ’21 Jump Street’. Returning to Instagram for the first time in 2023, Kanye shared a photo of the film’s poster and wrote: “Watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump street made me like Jewish people again “No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people “No Christian can be labeled antisemite knowing Jesus is Jew “Thank you Jonah Hill I love you (sic)” While Jonah has yet to comment on Kanye’s post, one of the film’s directors, Christopher Miller, shared a screenshot of the ‘All Day’ hitmaker’s Instagram message on Twitter and wrote: “Um… thanks for watching?” Kanye caused outrage in 2022 when he said that he sees “good things” about Hitler. The controversial rap star explained: “I love everyone, and Jewish people are not going to tell me, ‘You can love us and you can love what we’re doing to you with the contracts, and you can love what we’re pushing with the pornography.’ But this guy that invented highways and invented the very microphone I use as a musician, you can’t say out loud that this person ever did anything good and I’m done with that. I’m done with the classifications.” Kanye added: “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler. How about that one?” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh and Leah Douglas WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Sunday lawmakers will move forward with legislation to address national security worries about TikTok, alleging China’s government had access to the short video app’s user data. In the United States, there are growing calls to ban TikTok, owned by China-based company ByteDance, or to pass bipartisan legislation to give President Joe Biden’s administration legal authority to seek a ban. Devices owned by the U.S. government were recently banned from having the app installed. “The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party,” McCarthy said on Twitter. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared before a U.S. House Committee for about five hours on Thursday, and lawmakers from both parties grilled him about national security and other concerns involving the app, which has 150 million American users. In Thursday’s hearing, the TikTok CEO was asked if of the app, has spied on Americans at Beijing’s request. Chew answered, “No.” Republican Representative Neal Dunn then referenced the company’s disclosure in December that some China-based employees at ByteDance improperly accessed TikTok user data of two journalists and were no longer employed by the company. He repeated his question about whether ByteDance was spying. “I don’t think that spying is the right way to describe it,” Chew said. He went on to describe the reports as involving an “internal investigation” before being cut off. McCarthy, a Republican, said in a tweet on Sunday, “It’s very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can’t be honest and admit what we already know to be true — China has access to TikTok user data.” The company says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security efforts under the name “Project Texas” which currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with Oracle Corp to store TikTok’s U.S. user data. Rather than appease lawmakers’ concerns, Chew’s appearance before Congress on Thursday “actually increased the likelihood that Congress will take some action,” Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, the Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, told ABC News on Sunday. Former U.S. President Donald Trump lost a series of court rulings in 2020 when he sought to ban TikTok and another Chinese-owned app, WeChat, a unit of Tencent. Many Democrats also have raised concerns although have not yet explicitly backed a U.S. ban. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, additional reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by Scott Malone and Cynthia Osterman) View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Is this the latest celebrity throuple — or has Emily Ratajkowskibetrayed Olivia Wilde by hooking up with her close pal’s past lover? That’s the question swirling around Hollywood after Harry Styles was caught on camera in a wild and passionate lip lock with the Gone Girl star in Tokyo, Japan. “Three is a crowd — or perhaps it’s not!” quipped a Hollywood source to RadarOnline.com. “It is widely known that Emrata (Ratajkowski) and Olivia are close friends. So, Emrata hooking up with Harry raises the obvious questions: has Emrata betrayed Olivia, does Olivia know, did Olivia give her blessing to Emrata and Harry, or is this a throuple?” mega RadarOnline.com has confirmed the closeness of the Ratajkowski-Wilde friendship, with the duo even attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. rogether just two weeks ago. In November, Ratajkowski went public in support of her friend Wilde, while appearing on the cover of Elle UK. She likened the criticism of Wilde over her controversial directorial debut in Don’t Worry Darling as being akin to Amber Heard in the Johnny Depp trial. Ratajkowski said, “In the past year with Amber Heard and Olivia Wilde and the craziness of putting them in this box as if they’re monsters or witches. There’s nuance to it, but when you see the way that the whole world reacts to women, it’s really hard not to want to go to an extreme side of it. I feel very protective.” Harry Styles Joins Growing List Of Artists Turning Down Invites To Perform At King Charles’ Coronation Concert Watch Taylor Swift Sneak Over To Ex-Boyfriend Harry Style’s Table During Grammys For One-On-One Chat Olivia Wilde ‘Still Mad’ About Split From Ex Harry Styles, Desperate For A Reconciliation mega In the provocative photos, Ratajkowski also appeared protective of Styles. The pair could be seen holding hands as they smooched against the side of a parked car. Ratajkowski, who was wearing a red puffer jacket and long black skirt, also raised her free hand to caress the back of Styles’ head at one point. The As It Was singer split from Wilde, 38, last November. She is going through a very messy custody battle with her ex-husband Jason Sudeikis; the pair share Otis, eight, and Daisy, six. Ratajkowski split from her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard in September last year after four years of marriage. The pair has a two-year-old son, Sylvester. mega Throuples seem to be all the rage in recent times. Rita Ora, Taika Waititi, and Tessa Thompson sparked the interest when they were photographed cuddling up and kissing in Australia in May, 2021. Since, Selena Gomez had the world talking about her relationship with Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz, while the original modern-day throuple was Bella Thorne, Tana Mongeau, and Mod Sun. Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Disgraced Congressman George Santos reportedly admitted to guilt in one of many accusations of dishonesty against him. The recently seated New York Republican reached a deal with Brazilian prosecutors requiring him to admit to defrauding a Rio de Janeiro area clerk of $1,300, according to CNN. The cable news outlets said it viewed a nonprosecutorial agreement for Santos to reimburse the merchant for clothing he purchased with bad checks in 2008. The congressman’s attorney reportedly petitioned prosecutors in January, arguing their client — freshly sworn into the 118th Congress — was gainfully … Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story During an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show,” former Republican advisor Tara Setmayer went off on Donald Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for their defense of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists at a Waco rally on Saturday night, saying it made her ‘stomach turn over.” Speaking with host Jonathan Capehart about Trump’s first major gathering as he makes a third run for the presidency, Setmayer dismissed the speeches she heard as “whining”‘ and “yawning.” After calling the whole situation a “pity party,” she continued, “All he did last night, and the same thing that Marjorie Taylor Gree… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nathan Layne WACO, Texas (Reuters) -Die-hard fans of Donald Trump flocked to the ex-president’s election rally in Waco, Texas, on Saturday, brimming with defiance as their favored candidate faced overlapping threats of criminal indictment. Several thousand Trump supporters lined up outside the Waco Regional Airport waiting to go through security and enter the event, with the first speaker scheduled for 2 p.m. CDT (1900 GMT). The crowd, many wearing Trump T-shirts and hats, broke into applause when Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s most vocal supporters in Congress, walked into the venue. Fifty-seven-year-old Laurie Hansen said Trump was “the best president ever.” “He’s the only one who can bring our country back,” she said. “We are at a precipice. It’s time to put our foot down and say, ‘No more.'” Like others at the rally, Hansen dismissed talk that Trump might be prosecuted over allegations he violated campaign finance laws for paying hush money to an adult film actress, or hoarded top-secret documents, or masterminded a plot seeking to overturn the 2020 election. “They’re all political witch hunts,” said Hansen, a sales coordinator who drove three hours from Sherman, Texas. “We all know that.” The rally is happening in Waco as the city marks the 30th anniversary of a raid by federal agents on the Branch Davidians religious sect there that resulted in 86 deaths, including four law-enforcement officers. Many right-wing extremists see the raid as a seminal moment of government overreach, and critics saw the rally’s timing as a nod to Trump’s far-right supporters. In an email, a Trump campaign spokesperson said Waco was chosen for what the former president has billed as his first major rally of the 2024 presidential race because it is situated between several major population centers and has the infrastructure to host a large event. Trump, who is seeking to solidify support for the Republican nomination in 2024, faces growing legal peril from a series of ongoing criminal investigations, including the hush money case, which is being weighed by prosecutors in Manhattan. The former president has sought to paint the New York case as politically motivated, raised money off it and used it to rally supporters to his side. On Friday, he issued an apocalyptic warning, saying the country faced potential “death & destruction” if he was charged with a crime. “Trump is walking on a high wire without a net, telegraphing that he has nothing to lose and is willing to risk dangerous outcomes to rally support,” said Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist in Washington. LITTLE RESPONSE Few supporters have heeded his calls to take to the streets to protest his possible indictment in the Manhattan case. Those calls will likely invite closer than normal scrutiny of how many people attend Saturday’s rally, where Trump, who is due to start speaking at 5 p.m. CDT, is expected to rail against the potential prosecutions. The city of Waco said it was expecting 15,000 people to attend the rally. In an editorial, the Houston Chronicle said the decision to host the event in Waco during the anniversary of the Waco siege represented more than a dog-whistle message to far-right and conspiratorial Trump supporters. “The more apt metaphor is the blaring air horn of a Mack 18-wheeler barreling down I-10,” the newspaper said, adding that Waco had become “a shrine for the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, the Oath Keepers and other anti-government extremists and conspiracists.” Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian at New York University, said he would be watching to see whether Trump explicitly references conspiracy theories related to the siege, similar to how he promoted lies about a stolen 2020 election in the run-up to his supporters’ assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “He still has the power to create more wreckage and his choice of venue allows him to do more damage if he wishes. We’ll see,” Naftali said. In addition to prosecutors, Trump is likely to target Ron DeSantis for criticism. The Florida governor has yet to declare his candidacy for the Republican nomination but has drawn Trump’s ire nonetheless. Trump rallies typically draw thousands of enthusiastic supporters keen to see him in person. Trump continued to hold rallies even after he left office, delivering his trademark rambling and inflammatory oratory that draws rapturous applause from rallygoers. (Reporting by Nathan Layne; Editing by Ross Colvin, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by Grazia USA Just hours after the news broke that Beyoncé and adidas would be ending their collaborative ties, the record-breaking Grammy-winner announced a new partnership with French luxury fashion house Balmain. Beyoncé co-designed a Balmain Haute Couture collection with the maison’s longtime creative director Olivier Rousteing, inspired by the artist’s seventh solo studio album, Renaissance. Renaissance Couture by Beyoncé x Balmain features 16 otherworldly bespoke creations, dedicated to the 16 tracks on the award-winning record. “Thank you @olivier_rousteing and @balmain for bringing RENAISSANCE to li… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet A Utah parent is asking for the Bible to be eliminated from classrooms, after a GOP lawmaker backed a bill ordering the removal of “pornographic” books from schools, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Per Newsweek, the parent’s petition was submitted anonymously following the bill’s passing in May of 2022. “Get this PORN out of our schools,” the parent wrote in their request, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. READ MORE: ‘We need more politicians reading books’: Jamie Raskin blasts GOP for claiming book bans keep kids safe Hailing the Bible as “one of the most sex-ridden books around,” the petiti… Read More View the full article

Published by Relaxnews By Pollyana Ventura / Getty Images Homosexual activity is currently criminalized by 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world, according to Human Dignity Trust. And authorities in some of these areas are using dating apps and social media to target people from the LGBTQ+ community, in some cases even going so far as to trick them with fake accounts. This has reportedly happened in Egypt, with Grindr being used to arrest gay users. Homosexual activity is currently criminalized by 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world, according to Human Dignity Trust. And authorities in some of th… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet A new analysis is shedding light on the behind-the-scenes battle brewing between Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and the network’s primetime conservative host Tucker Carlson. Mediaite’s Aidan McLaughlin offered a brief overview of the contention between Carlson and Scott. “Carlson, according to sources inside and outside the network who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, has for years been at odds with Scott, a 26-year Fox News veteran who ascended to the top of the network in the wake of a series of sexual harassment scandals that dethroned Roger Ailes,” McLaughlin wrote. REA… Read More View the full article

Published by uInterview.com Maren Morris and a number of mostly-Nashville stars, including Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Yola, Sheryl Crow and Jason Isbell, performed at the “Love Rising” concert alongside Tennessee drag artists earlier this week to protest the state’s anti-drag and anti-trans legislation. The concert was organized in response to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signing a law banning drag performances on public property. Supporters of the legislation say that drag performances expose children to inappropriate sexual imagery while detractors argue that the law discriminates against the LGBTQ community and violat… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Allen COOKEVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – Last April, when drag could still be performed in Tennessee without noticeable complaint, the curtains parted at Tennessee Tech University’s Backdoor Playhouse to reveal Joshua Lancaster wearing a black cowl, white face paint, black lipstick and white contact lenses. He was excited for the debut of his new drag persona, Witchcrafted. But the four-minute video of Lancaster lip-syncing and sashaying across the stage, recorded by his boyfriend, would sit on his Facebook page largely unseen for months until it was found by Landon Starbuck, a conservative activist. The video appalled Starbuck. On Sept. 7, she posted an edited version of the video on Twitter, focusing on a few moments when children approach to tip Witchcrafted with dollar bills as he lip-syncs to Hozier’s 2013 hit “Take Me to Church.” Mid-performance, the audience cheers as Witchcrafted throws off his cowl to reveal a floor-length lacy skirt and a corset over a long-sleeved lacy top. Starbuck, who lives outside Nashville, had been complaining about drag acts performing with children present for years, and now she had a vivid example from Tennessee. She said the performance was inappropriate for children and mocked her Christian faith, and urged people to complain to the university. Now, a Tennessee law restricting drag in front of minors is due to come into force on April 1. Lancaster has become one of the faces of a sweeping effort by Republican lawmakers across the country to introduce hundreds of laws regulating the conduct of gay and transgender people, ranging from what can be taught in classrooms to bathroom use and medical care. “It spiraled out of control and everybody started doing crazy stuff,” Lancaster said. “We are being forced back into the closet. We are being told we have to go back into the shadows.” Lancaster’s performance was disapprovingly discussed by state senators in Nashville after Tennessee became one of 16 states where Republicans have proposed laws restricting drag since last summer. In January, Lancaster, who has done drag for more than a decade, for the first time encountered armed neo-Nazis, Proud Boys and other far-right groups protesting outside one of his events. The Tennessee legislature passed the bill earlier this year banning “adult cabaret performances,” including at least some drag acts, in public or in front of minors, with prison sentences for violations. Its impacts are already being felt. Several planned drag events were canceled over the winter after protests, and many venues felt forced to make previously family-friendly drag shows into adults-only events. Drag performers and venue owners say they are worried about their livelihoods and their rights of free expression. Some transgender Tennesseans fear being arrested under the law’s vague language, which lumps together “male or female impersonators,” a term not defined in the law, in the same X-rated category as strippers and exotic dancers. “It’s not about getting the law to stick,” said Joslynn Fish, a trans woman who hosts 18+ drag shows at South Press Coffee, her business in Knoxville. “It’s about creating fear.” After Starbuck posted the video, the next monthly drag show at Tennessee Tech was canceled by the university president, Phil Oldham, who released a statement saying he was “disturbed and dismayed” by Witchcrafted’s performance. The video was broadcast by Tucker Carlson on Fox News and by other conservative news outlets. Lancaster, who lives in a one-story house with a cluttered porch in the farmlands outside Cookeville, a small city dominated by the Tennessee Tech campus, began receiving threatening messages. He peeled off the large Witchcrafted decal he had stuck on his car. The cowl he wore in the video he put out with the trash. He says he would not dream of mocking Christianity in his act, not least because it would earn a slap from his mother, a devout Christian who has sewed costumes for his drag. What particularly pains him, he said in an interview, is that the kids pictured with him in the video are the children of drag performers and were there with their parents. He resents the accusation he would harm them. “The little girl that’s tipping me is my honorary niece,” Lancaster said. “She’s my best friend’s kid. I’ve known her since she was born.” VENUES FEEL THE HEAT Starbuck was a recording artist in Los Angeles until a few years ago when she moved with her former movie video director husband and three children to Franklin, a wealthy Nashville suburb, seeking more conservative-minded neighbors. Last year she founded Freedom Forever, a non-profit organization that campaigns against the sexual abuse of children and gender-affirming medical treatment for minors, such as puberty blockers and surgery. Her husband, Robby Starbuck, hosts a conservative podcast and last year unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for a Tennessee congressional seat. A few weeks after the Starbucks circulated the Witchcrafted video, the couple released a legislative agenda they called the Child Protection & Restoration Act, which called for the banning of drag shows and gender-affirming medical care for minors. “We started noticing an alarming trend of these sexually explicit all-age family-friendly drag shows popping up,” Landon Starbuck said. “They want to expose children to other identities that are not heteronormative.” By November, Senator Jack Johnson, a Republican, had introduced the bills restricting gender-affirming treatment and drag that the Starbucks had sought, in the latter case citing the videos he had seen. Landon Starbuck testified at hearings, where senators asked her about the Witchcrafted video and other videos she had since posted. Both bills were finally passed by the legislature on the same day in February. The Starbucks say they are speaking to Republicans in half a dozen other states about passing similar laws, and they continue to seek videos of children at drag shows. “That’s what woke these legislators up to the problem,” Robby Starbuck said. Much of the debate in Tennessee has been over whether drag is inherently a sexually explicit artform. The Starbucks say there is no such thing as family-friendly drag; drag performers cite Bugs Bunny, Shakespeare’s cross-dressing comedies and the Robin Williams film “Mrs. Doubtfire” among counterexamples. “Drag is not inherently sexual,” said Story VanNess, a drag queen and the trans program director at Knox Pride. “It can be a lot of things, but the vast majority of drag, if anything, is comedic.” She noted there was reams of video from her group’s annual Pride festival in downtown Knoxville over the years with both drag performers and children in attendance, yet no clips had gone viral “because responsible producers put on a responsible show.” Outside of public Pride events, most Tennessee drag performers largely work in clubs and bars that admit only those over 18. Even with an adult audience, performers are bound by state laws barring strip shows and other sexually explicit entertainment in venues with a liquor license, so Tennessee drag shows tend to be relatively chaste. DJs remind the audience that only hand-to-hand tipping is allowed. Tennessee queens know to wear multiple pairs of stockings, lest they be accused of showing too much skin. In the more conservative areas outside Tennessee’s major cities, some LGBT-friendly venues are under threat. Drag shows have been held for years at Temptation, a low-slung building on a back road outside Cookeville that Lancaster and other regulars say is the only gay bar in the 150 miles between Knoxville and Nashville. Wendy Williams, a drag performer who owns the bar, watched as Temptation’s Facebook page filled up with abusive comments over the winter as conservatives ramped up their campaign. “First it was trans people in the bathroom, now it’s drag queens,” she said. “It’s just trying to find something that will rile up their base because there’s elections coming up.” She said the new law helped seal a difficult decision: she put the bar up for sale in February. She expects it most likely will become a church. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; editing by Paul Thomasch and Claudia Parsons) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Gram Slattery and Nathan Layne WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump warned of potential “death & destruction” if he faces criminal charges, hours after New York prosecutors probing his hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels said they would not be intimidated. The early Friday post on Trump’s Truth Social media site was the latest in a string of verbal attacks on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg since last Saturday when Trump wrongly predicted he would be arrested three days later. Trump falsely claims his defeat in 2020 was the result of fraud – a claim that inspired his followers to launch a deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying the election of Democratic President Joe Biden, who bested the Republican Trump by more than 7 million votes. “What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?” wrote Trump, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Bragg’s office, in a letter to Republican committee chairmen in Congress on Thursday, challenged their standing to investigate his office and said Trump had “created a false expectation that he would be arrested” in his Saturday post. The letter called the chairmen’s request for communications, documents and testimony an “unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty.” Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress and director whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she received the money in exchange for keeping silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied ever having an affair with Daniels, and has called the payment a “simple private transaction.” He has said he did not commit a crime and has called the investigation politically motivated. The Manhattan grand jury probing Trump is not due to reconvene until next week. In other cases, Georgia prosecutors are looking into Trump’s attempts to overturn his election defeat there, and a federal special counsel is investigating both his attempts to overturn his loss and the removal of classified documents from the White House after Trump left office. On Saturday, Trump will hold a campaign rally in Waco, Texas, 30 years after a raid on the Branch Davidians religious sect there by federal agents resulted in 86 deaths, including four law-enforcement officers. The event has become a symbol of government overreach for some and is a seminal moment for some right-wing extremist groups. In an e-mail, a Trump campaign spokesperson said Waco was chosen because it is situated between several major population centers and has the infrastructure needed to host a large event. (Reporting by Gram Slattery and Nathan Layne; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by AlterNet Countless GOP lawmakers over the years have professed ignorance over Donald Trump’s tweets as reporters ask them to respond, often claiming they hadn’t read them, but House Republican Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan took that performance to a whole new level Friday afternoon. NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapur asked the Ohio Republican congressman to weigh in on Trump’s social media post threatening “potential death & destruction” if he gets indicted. “Jordan said he hasn’t seen Trump’s post,” Kapur said via Twitter. “When I showed [it] to him on my phone, he said he can’t r… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet Minnesota passed legislation Friday that would make the state as a place of refuge for transgender people, Valley News Live reports. Per the Minnesota Reformer, the bill “would block other states’ laws that are meant to ban or reduce access to gender-affirming care.” Democratic State Rep. Leigh Finke — and Minnesota’s first transgender elected official, said, “To all those families across the United States that are afraid and wondering where they can go for help — Minnesota is saying we see you, we love you and you belong here.” READ MORE: Minnesota enshrines abortion as a ‘fundamental right’ … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew Hay (Reuters) – Kentucky’s Democratic governor on Friday vetoed a Republican bill to ban transgender youths from gender-affirming healthcare and restrict public toilets they use, bucking a national Republican-led movement. Governor Andy Beshear, running in November for a second-term in Republican-leaning Kentucky, said the bill would increase youth suicides and permit excessive government interference in personal healthcare decisions. Supporters of the bill said they were trying to protect children from undergoing gender-affirming treatments they would regret later in life. The Kentucky bill would let teachers refuse to refer to transgender students by their chosen pronouns, outlaw gender reassignment surgery for minors, stop use of puberty blockers and prohibit gender-affirming hospital services. The bill easily passed Kentucky’s Republican-led legislature and lawmakers may vote next week to override Beshear’s veto. The bill is part of nationwide attacks on the LGBTQ community by conservative politicians with measures including banning discussion of gender identity in schools, clamping down on drag shows and blocking transgender participation in sports. Over the past week Iowa and Georgia passed bills banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors and preventing trans students from using school toilets corresponding with their gender identities. In Kentucky, Beshear said in a statement that the bill would turn teachers into “investigators” prying into students’ lives. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky said it would challenge the legislation in court if it became law. (Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Donna Bryson; Editing by Sandra Maler) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Jennifer Aniston just got cooler! On Wednesday, March 22, the actress went on Live with Kelly and Ryan and spilled about the frequent hangouts she had at Cher’s house decades ago. “Well I went to high school with Chaz [Bono] and amongst our group of, our gaggle, we would always go to her house because it was nice. It was Cher!” Aniston revealed on the talk show, referencing the son of Sonny Bono and Cher. Before the Friends alum blew up, she attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York City, an institution famous for educating some of the most iconic names in entertainment. mega The Marley & Me star then shared a hilarious story about after-school snack time at Cher’s abode. “She seems to think I ate it all… She would always go, ‘Yeah, you ate me out of house and home,'” Aniston said, adding, “I was like, ‘How was I the only one partaking in the cold cuts!'” Jennifer Aniston Stuns While Leaving ‘Good Morning America’ After Admitting Adam Sandler Berates Her For The Men She Dates: Photos Jennifer Aniston Glows In Bejeweled Gold Gown At ‘Murder Mystery 2’ Premiere In Paris: Photos Jennifer Aniston Admits Pal Adam Sandler Always Critiques The Men She Dates: ‘What Are You Doing?’ Aniston also described the property as having “beautiful windows” before recalling a few other details. “It was just wild and wonderful cause we didn’t really know Cher,” the 54-year-old mentioned. “We were little kids in high school, though I guess you understand a little bit at that point. It was just fun to be able to hang out with Cher.” mega Her legendary high school gatherings were not the only thing the beauty reminisced about this week, as on Tuesday, March 21, she appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon where she discussed her long-time friendship with Adam Sandler. “[We’ve been friends for] over 30 years,” the Emmy nominee said to Fallon. “We met at Jerry’s Deli on Ventura Boulevard when we were 20 and 22.” Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! The comedian asked the movie star if her long-time pal ever gives her advice, to which she scoffed, “No!” “If I get anything from him it’s, ‘What are you doing?!’ — usually based on someone I’m dating,” she quipped. “I very much love to take care of him. He’s so concerned about taking care of everyone else, which he really does. But he doesn’t take care of himself,” the TV icon explained. “I’m sorry to call you out on national television, Adam — but you have to know this. We have fun together.” View the full article

Published by AFP Russian political activists and members of the punk rock group Pussy Riot perform during a concert at the Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art on May 30, 2022 New York (AFP) – The Russian music and performance collective Pussy Riot will receive this year’s Woody Guthrie prize honoring art for social change, award organizers announced Thursday. Past recipients of the prize named for the US folk revolutionary Guthrie include Bruce Springsteen, Chuck D, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and John Mellencamp. “It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message,” said collective creator Nadya Tolokonnikova, in a statement sent to AFP by the artist’s publicist. “Usually, when Pussy Riot gets added to lists, it’s not always a good thing, but we are honored to be on this one,” she continued. “We don’t really do folk, but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same.” Tolokonnikova along with Maria “Masha” Alyokhina will accept the prize on behalf of the group on May 6, organizers said, during a three-day weekend celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Following the ceremony Pussy Riot is slated to perform. “As artists who, like Woody Guthrie, have the courage of their convictions, there are no contemporary artists more worthy of this recognition than Pussy Riot,” said Cady Shaw, director of the Woody Guthrie Center, in a statement. “They have paid a very personal price for speaking their minds on the most serious issues of our time, yet they continue to fight for justice and freedom.” Pussy Riot has gained international fame for its politically charged performances that see members don balaclavas and skewer everything from the Russian church to persecution of the country’s gay community. Tolokonnikova, 33, is one of three members of Pussy Riot who were sentenced to two years in prison after they sang a “Punk Prayer” denouncing the Russian Orthodox Church’s close ties with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s central Church of Christ the Saviour in February 2012. In late 2021 Russia labeled members including Tolokonnikova “foreign agents” as part of a broader crackdown on dissent. The feminist collective last year went on a European tour in support of Ukraine, warning against “totalitarianism” under Putin. “Oh and a quick reminder to Vladimir Putin and anyone who supports his Z regime … All you fascists are bound to lose,” Tolokonnikova wrote in her Guthrie Prize statement. Among American folk music’s most towering figures, Guthrie penned iconic anti-fascist songs including the socialist-leaning “This Land Is Your Land.” He had major influence on the work of stars including Springsteen, Baez and Seeger as well as Johnny Cash, Jerry Garcia and, of course, Bob Dylan. View the full article