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| | Scarlett Johansson on her legal battle against Disney: 'it was just poor leadership' | | Added 405 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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A few months ago, Scarlett Johansson?s lawyers threatened a lawsuit against Sam Altman and his company OpenAI for using her voice for its virtual assistant after she turned them down. Think Siri or Alexa but Scarlett?s voice when you use ChatGPT. Altman was an a-hole who apparently doesn?t know the meaning of the word no and the product came out using a voice that sounded suspiciously like Scarlett. At the time, people were like, ?Bold move, bro, going after the woman who sued Disney and won.?
OpenAI ended up taking that voice option down, but ScarJo remains pissed off about the whole thing. I don?t blame her! In an interview with the New York Times, she talked a bit of sh-t about Altman, saying he would make a good Marvel villain ?with a robotic arm.? She also spoke out a bit more about what happened with her Disney lawsuit, which was over the company violating its contract by releasing Black Widow in theaters and on streaming platforms, when it was supposed to be exclusively in theaters. Turns out, Scarlett has no ill feelings towards the company itself. She blamed it all on their leadership and Im assuming she means then-CEO Bob Chapek.
?I felt I did not want to be at the forefront of that,? Johansson said about turning down OpenAI?s original request. ?I just felt it went against my core values. I don?t like to kiss and tell. He came to me with this and I didn?t tell anybody except my husband.?
?I also felt for my children it would be strange. I try to be mindful of them,? Johansson added.
In the Times interview with Maureen Dowd, Johansson calls AI-generated deepfakes a ?dark wormhole you can never climb your way out of.?
?Once you try to take something down in one area, it pops up somewhere else,? she said. ?There are other countries that have different legislation and rules. If your ex-partner is putting out revenge, deepfake porn, your whole life can be completely ruined. I think technologies move faster than our fragile human egos can process it. And you see the effects all over, especially with young people. This technology is coming like a thousand-foot wave.?
Johansson says she initially turned down OpenAI?s offer to be a voice of the ChatGPT system but when the company went forward with the plan anyway, the actor turned her lawyers loose.
While Johansson?s feelings for Altman and OpenAI don?t seem to have softened much in the past few months, her attitude toward Disney seems to be on sturdied ground these days. The Johansson-Disney dispute, which preceded the incident with OpenAI, stemmed from Disney?s decision to release her Marvel film Black Widow in both theaters and steaming via Disney+ Premier Access during the Covid days of July 2021. Their contract had maintained that the film would be released exclusively in theaters.
During the legal battle that followed, Disney said Johansson had a ?callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,? and revealed her $20 million salary.
But Johansson insisted that the streaming plan would cost her millions of dollars in backend compensation. ?I don?t hold a grudge,? Johansson says now. ?I think it was just poor judgment and poor leadership at that time. It just felt very unprofessional to me, the entire ordeal. And honestly, I was incredibly disappointed, especially because I was holding out hope until, finally, my team was like, ?You have to act.??
[From Deadline]
I wonder how much her blaming Chapek is from personal reflection and how much of it is wanting to still work with Disney in the future. I really liked Black Widow and think that ScarJo and its cast got screwed over by it being released so long after The Avengers: Endgame came out. It put BW so out of sync with the MCU timeline. That said, Scarlett wasn?t wrong that Disney?s decision violated her contract. If the roles were reversed, Disney would have sued her.
I remember how angry directors and actors were about the decision to make movies available on streaming at the same time they were in theaters. As a customer, I was really grateful for the move because we were in the middle of a global pandemic and it was awesome to have the option to watch new movies at home. Putting movies on streaming and charging people to watch it was a great solution for studios and viewers but sh-tty for anyone whose contracts were tied to backend ticket sales and profits. We saw the lack of revenue from streaming content play such a huge role in the SAG strikes last year. Hopefully their new post-strike contracts will ensure that this wont happen to them again.
photos credit: IMAGO/Eventfoto54 / Avalon, Sean Thornton/Cover Images
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| | Jane Krakowski recognized Jesse Tyler Ferguson in '95, didn't realize it was from Starbucks | | Added 406 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Jane Krakowski have each been a part of hit TV shows, but at heart they?re both Broadway Babes. They?ve known each other for decades, but haven?t yet worked together; even though Jane had a recurring guest role on Modern Family ? including one episode where she avoids being hit in a game of dodgeball by jumping into midair splits, it was something ? Jane and Jesse never shared a scene. Jesse just had Jane on his Dinner?s on Me podcast, where he recounted their meet-cute in the ?90s, and it really is cute! Jane was already working on Broadway while Jesse was a fan with big dreams. After watching Jane in a revival of Company, Jesse waited at the stage door. When she emerged, Jane immediately recognized Jesse, she just couldn?t place from where. I?ll let Jesse take it from here:
In 1995, Ferguson waited at the stage door to see Krakowski after a performance of a revival of Stephen Sondheim?s Company, in which she portrayed dim-witted flight attendant April. Ferguson had only moved to New York City the year prior. Though Ferguson was waiting as a fan, he was astonished to find Krakowski greeting him like an old friend.
?I was waiting by the stage door, and then you came out, and you come out and you walk right over to me, and you?re like, ?How are you? How have you been? I haven?t seen you in a while!?? Ferguson recounted to Krakowski when she guested on his podcast, Dinner?s on Me With Jesse Tyler Ferguson. ?And you give me a great big hug. Meanwhile, I?m thinking, ?I do not know this woman.? I mean, I know who you are. I was a fan. And I had already, like I?d been a fan of yours since Grand Hotel.?
?But I was like, oh my gosh, Jane?s hugging me,? he continued. ?And, and then you were, you said, ?I don?t remember, where did we meet? Where do we know you from?? And I said, ?I don?t know,? and so you started naming, ?Well, maybe we did a commercial together? and you were trying to like place it. And you?re like, ?Well, I don?t know. I?ll figure it out later, but it was good to see you. Thanks for coming.? And I was just sort of speechless.?
?I was very touchy feely,? Krakowski quipped in response to the memory.
Ferguson left the encounter feeling verklempt, but still utterly befuddled by how Krakowski recognised him. The answer finally came a few days later while Krakowski was on her coffee run.
?I was very taken by the encounter,? he finished. ?And so then fast forward, I don?t know, a week or two later, and I?m working my job at Starbucks on 79th and Broadway, and you come in, and you see me and you say, ?This is where I know you from!??
Ferguson was particularly touched that Krakowski then recognized him as a fellow actor trying to make his dreams come true. ?You went right into like, ?How are auditions going??? he added. ?I felt so seen by you because I was like, I don?t want to be a barista forever. I had such high dreams and hopes for myself. Having you ask me how things were going was really powerful, and that was one of the first times I realized the Broadway community is actually a community of people. I have such fond memories of you before I ever really knew you.?
[From EW]
Thank you Jane & Jesse, this was precisely the sweet, unadulterated tonic I needed this week! It?s nice to hear a story where a celeb is kind and gracious in real life. It makes me happy that each of them have found the TV success that?s allowed them to dip back into the theater community they clearly love. I haven?t had the privilege of seeing Jane live on stage (yet!), but I vividly remember seeing Jesse ? well before Modern Family. I was in high school visiting NYC and my mother and I went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It?s a real gem of a show! Imaginative, and then sneaks up on you with pathos. And Jesse was utterly charming as Leaf Coneybear, an 11-year-old spelling bee contestant, clad in his makeshift cape. His big number was ?I?m Not That Smart,? and he just so adorably captured being in the head of a kid. Now someone please give these two musical theater kids a gig together!
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jesse Tyler Ferguson (@jessetyler)
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| | Charlize Theron on her kids: 'they?re so embarrassed by me constantly' | | Added 406 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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We?ve talked about this before, but having your kids find you slightly embarrassing is one of those rites of passages for a parent. Every generation deals with this! Despite a parent?s best efforts, every kid knows what it means to be embarrassed by their parents. Earlier this year, Sheryl Crow shared a story about how her teenage sons find most of what she does publicly to be ?cringey.? Poor Charlize Theron also knows what this is like. Charlize Theron is the mother of two daughters named Jackson, 11, and August, nine. During an event for her charity Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, Charlize told E! News that there?s ?a lot of girl? in her house, and that her daughters are officially of the age where they?re ?constantly? embarrassed by her.
?Oh, my God, theyre so embarrassed by me constantly,? she told E! News? Francesca Amiker at her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) 2024 Block Party July 13. ?They?re kids, theyre girls, you know? I have a preteen and I feel like I have a nine year old who thinks shes a 13 year old. It?s a lot of girl in our house.?
The 48-year-old continued, ?Im just trying to keep my head above water, because they are smart and they are witty and they are firecrackers, but they do not go, ?Oh my god, Mom, youre so amazing.? They?re like, ?Excuse me, I need. I want.??
Because, as Charlize noted, they?re ?normal kids,? quipping, ?They?re aholes, but they?re really nice. Other parents know what I?m talking about.?
[From E! News]
Oh man, it sounds like the Theron household is never quiet and always an adventure. I bet Jackson and August keep her on her toes! I have two sisters and no brothers, so I completely understand what Charlize is talking about when she says it?s a very ?girl? household. I?m the oldest and my youngest sister and I had a tendency to talk back, but my middle sister knew how to play the game and work the refs. It made me so mad at the time, but looking back, I respect her game. That said, I?m beginning to think that the label is a bit misleading. I have two boys and have been surprised by just how much attitude my 10-year-old is starting to get! No one prepared me for this. Someone help me when he?s an actual tween/teen. Neither of them are routinely embarrassed by me yet, but I know it?s only a matter of time. I need to start planning what to do when that day comes.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Charlize Theron (@charlizeafrica)
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| | Julia Fox quit a project she worked on for five years due to a racist white director | | Added 408 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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I must confess that I am one of those people who is fascinated by Julia Fox. When she first came to my attention during her brief tenure as Kanye?s girlfriend, she was easy to write off as just another woman looking for her 15 minutes. I?ve since come to realize that my affinity for her is because she reminds me of an ?old school? celebrity from the early days of Internet gossip. You know what I mean! She knows what to say and how to dress to get us to talk about her. She?s thirsty for attention and knows how to quench it. That said, she?s also pretty open and honest about her backstory and motivation to earn money (her son). She just seems like a very complicated person who is good at promoting her brand, which is herself.
Like all good self-promoters, Julia has a TikTok. A few days ago, Julia made a video, which you can watch below, in which she drops some tea on a project that she says she?s been involved with for five years. According to Julia, she had to quit this long-term project after its director was hired because he ended up being a racist POS. When he was first brought on board, she had a call with him. During this call, Julia and Unnamed Director X clashed over whether or not to have a diverse cast. According to this director, diversity casting is racist and white people have it hard too. OMFG.
?OK, so the craziest thing just happened to me,? she began. ?So I?ve been attached to a project for five years. I?ve given creative contributions to it, emotional contributions to it, it was like my baby. I even brought on like a major, major A-list icon to play alongside me and everything was going great until this white man director came in.?
She went on to explain that the white male director, who she doesn?t name, ?was trying to kick me off the project. Meanwhile I?ve been there for five years and he?s been there for a week. I had mentioned [to him] that I really thought it was important to have diversity in our lead cast,? which apparently rubbed him the wrong way.
?He said, ?Why? White people have it really hard too. And plus, diversity casting is like using Black people as puppets.? Meanwhile, we?re actors, we?re all f-cking puppets, what are you talking about?? she said while reading from notes she said she took during the call.
??White people don?t have a duty to cast Black people because so many Black projects happen and Asian projects and nobody gets mad that there?s no white people in the cast.? He said ?Turn on Netflix, turn on any streamer, it?s all Black projects. Go to India, all the movies in India have all Indian people, nobody gets mad that they don?t have diversity.??
?I said, ?Honey, white people have been the default up until now. Let them have their all Indian movies,?? to which he allegedly said, ??What are you talking about? Wake up, we are in 2024?this isn?t 2005 or something.??
?It was giving Proud Boy, it was giving ?All Lives Matter,? it was giving white supremacy, and at that point I was done arguing,? she says. ?And I said ?You know what, I can?t work with you, I?m done.?
Julia went on to say she?s ?grown to love the people attached, the producers, the writers, the other actor in question, and I don?t want to blow up this whole thing for them,? but ?I just can?t believe I?m having conversations like this in 2024.?
It?s not yet known which project she was referring to, nor the director.
[From JustJared]
Well, first and foremost, I absolutely have to know who this director is. This is a pretty wild blind item. Who do we think it could be? Its not surprising that a white male director would say this, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people say this kind of sh-t with their whole chest and no shame. If what Julia?s saying is true, then I want him to be exposed so that everyone knows just who they?re working with or who is benefiting from their support. In the same vein, I also would love to know the name of the project she quit and whether the A-list star that she brought on board is still willing to be attached to it. While a big name star may have the ability to walk away, I feel badly for the crew members who are now involved in what surely will become a mess because of a director that they had no hand in hiring.
@juliafox
SMDH
? original sound Julia Fox
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| | VF: Princess Kate's summer vacation began the second she left Wimbledon | | Added 408 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Following the Princess of Wales?s successful appearance at the Wimbledon men?s final, there?s a sudden rash of speculation about when Kate will be seen again. As everyone knows, her Sunday appearance was only the second time she?d been seen in public this whole year. As royal-gossips know, the Wimbledon men?s final is usually Kate?s last public event before her summer holidays, which can sometimes last for three months. Trust me when I say that it?s completely asinine to claim that Kate will be seen again anywhere before October. Probably November. That?s what Katie Nicholl?s sources are saying as well:
Kate Middleton?s appearance at Wimbledon on Sunday delighted tennis and royal fans, but it may be some time before we see Kate in public again.
According to royal sources, Prince William and Princess Kate are planning to spend most of the summer ?below the radar? at their Norfolk bolthole now that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are out of school and Kate continues her course of preventative chemotherapy.
While Kensington Palace would not give details on the family?s plans for the summer, a royal source confirmed that the Wales family are now ?on summer break.? Sources close to the family say that although they will not be traveling abroad this summer while Kate undergoes treatment, they are excited to visit King Charles and Queen Camilla in Scotland next month.
Sunday?s appearance at Wimbledon is likely to be Kate?s last official engagement until later this year.
[From Vanity Fair]
?They will not be traveling abroad this summer?? They say that like it?s a new thing, when really, Kensington Palace has claimed for years that William and Kate spend all of their downtime in Norfolk. When they?ve actually jetted off quietly to various overseas vacations. Half of which we?ve never even heard of, because the British media selectively keeps their secrets. Anyway, yes, Kate?s summer holiday began as soon as she got in the car and was driven away from the All-England Club. That?s how it traditionally works for Kate. I wonder if she?ll even bother to make the trek to Scotland. I also wonder what excuses, if any, we?ll be given in the fall when someone bothers to ask where Kate is and whether she?ll be seen in public again before Christmas.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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| | Jennifer Lopez is spending time with her stepdaughter Violet in the Hamptons | | Added 409 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Jennifer Lopez decamped to her home in the Hamptons before Independence Day. She?s still there, getting pap?d and overtipping for ice cream (she left a $50 tip at a local ice cream parlor, and her PR team is working overtime). I told you what I think is happening she wants Ben Affleck to chase her, she wants him to figure out that they ?belong? together. Well, I don?t know if Ben has run to the Hamptons to see her, but Jennifer wants people to know that Violet Affleck and one of Violet?s friends are in the Hamptons with her right now.
Jennifer Lopez is spending quality time with Violet Affleck! On Saturday, July 13, the 54-year-old Atlas star shared a short video to her Instagram Stories, showing her taking a sunny summertime car ride with Ben Afflecks 18-year-old daughter in New York.
In the footage, Lopez is in the front seat of a car with an open sunroof ? wearing her wedding ring and sunglasses ? as Violet and her friend, actress Cassidey Fralin, look out the window. Lopez decorated the clip with a Summertime sticker and soundtracked it with The Kid LAROIs Girls.
The outing comes as Lopez and Affleck, 51, have reportedly experienced some tension in their marriage in recent months ? most recently spending Independence Day weekend apart, per sources.
A source told PEOPLE that Lopez and Violet were shopping at Roller Rabbit in East Hampton, N.Y., on Saturday and were ?surrounded by people? when they left but looked ?unfazed.? Another source told PEOPLE, ?[Lopez] seemed to be very happy shopping with Ben?s daughter. She had a big smile on her face.?
Lopez shared the family bonding moment to Instagram not long after WWD reported on Friday, July 12, that she and Violet were seen dress shopping at LoveShackFancy in Sag Harbor. The store did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request to confirm Lopezs shopping trip on Saturday. Boutique Relax in Bridgehampton, which WWD reported the duo had shopped at as well, confirmed to PEOPLE that Lopez was in the store last week and is a repeat customer. According to WWD, a LoveShackFancy salesperson said that Lopez and Violet had an hour of privacy to shop at the store, which temporarily stopped admitting shoppers as they browsed.
An employee, who described Lopez to WWD as ?very kind and very friendly, also said that the multi-hyphenate was gifted the brands Norma dress.
[From People]
I still love the fact that J.Lo makes a big effort with her stepkids. I?ve always thought she probably adores having more kids around, especially Violet, who is old enough to enjoy going shopping with her stepmom and doing girly-girl things in the Hamptons. It would be really cool if this was some kind of special treat for Violet too like, she and a friend got invited to the Hamptons for a vacation, possibly before heading off to college.
Beyond that, there are stories about the fakakta mansion that Ben and J.Lo are selling the mansion is officially listed on the open market after they tried and failed to sell it off-market. According to Us Weekly, they?re ?in a rush to sell it. Ben especially wants to be done with the house. He was never happy there.? He was in the house for a matter of months! Were the vibes really that bad?? Is the mansion haunted??
Jennifer Lopez and Violet Affleck ? pic.twitter.com/WM1iPZZg3P
DAY (@withlopez) July 13, 2024
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| | Ashley Judd is friends with racists & bigots, therefore Pres. Biden must step aside | | Added 409 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Ashley Judd is a wacky person. She always has been. Some will defend her and say that she?s had a lot of tragedy in her life, and I understand that and sympathize. Some will say that she does good work behind the scenes, especially on the issue of human trafficking and girls? rights. I understand that too. But I still maintain that there?s something not right with her. Well, Ashley Judd is yet another white person with ?concerns? about President Joe Biden. Ashley loves a bandwagon, you see, and she saw how much attention George Clooney got for his horrid New York Times op-ed. Ashley is calling on President Biden to stand down, but not before she regales everyone with stories about her racist, Trump-supporting family and friends.
Wednesday evening, I was visiting, as we say in the South, with some of my beloved chosen and biological family. These folks are my roots, my sense of belonging, and meet many of my most intimate human needs. And some of them, remarkably, feverishly love Donald Trump. And I love these Trump folks as if my life depended on it, and at times, it literally has. I do not love the beliefs they believe and cling to.
And Wednesday, as I listened to one of my dearest people share some of those beliefs and thoughts, it hurt. I was shaken. My body felt like it was on fire. The words activated in me profound alarm in the aftermath of the recent debate at which President Joe Biden, a deeply decent man, was incapable of countering Trump, while he, unchecked, gushed a firehose of galling lies.
?Those people pouring over our border are less evolved than we are. They are naturally less intelligent. They have criminal natures. They are incapable of respecting the rule of law and order.?
?Men must be strong. They cannot be weak.? We were talking about the wish for boys and men to experience a full range of human emotions without shame or punishment. ?It is dog-eat-dog and men will get eaten if they show any weakness. China has a massive, 2-million-man army. They aren?t teaching DEI. Good men must be willing to kill at any moment, but just know how to control that impulse.?
And Trump folks can act on those beliefs. Another one of my closest people, upon arriving at our local mall, came across Black youth hanging out, laughing, sitting on the hoods of cars. She went inside the mall to notify the security person on duty that Black kids were menacingly loafing and up to no good. The security person called the police.
I do not necessarily think all Trump supporters believe, feel, act and speak like this. I know Donald Trump himself does. That is critical. That is why I have come to realize that my private, personal belief is one I should no longer just keep to myself.
And so, I now ask President Joe Biden to step aside.
[From USA Today]
I?m laughing to keep from crying, but I?m also just laughing because holy sh-t, was Ashley Judd drinking when she wrote this? Imagine regaling everyone with stories about how you surround yourself with ignorant bigots, hateful racists and morons and after amplifying their bigotry and hate in USA Today, you then say: and that?s why President Biden needs to go!! If Ashley Judd?s nearest and dearest have an issue with ?teaching DEI,? the answer is probably not turning the Black & Indian vice president into the Democratic nominee (I doubt thats what Ashley wants either, funny!) Sidenote: the DEI-as-racist-dog-whistle thing has been really recent, right? It feels like it just happened this year, like it was in a Ku Klux Klan memo, that ?DEI? should be used in place of a racist slur.
Anyway, this Judd op-ed ended up being pretty informative about Ashley Judd and not President Biden. Ashley Judd really hangs out with people who call the cops on Black children at the mall? That?s not a dealbreaker for her? That?s an Ashley Judd problem, not a Biden problem.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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| | Katy Perry's new single, which was co-written by Dr. Luke, is a ghastly mess | | Added 409 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Many of us have been ignoring Katy Perry for years, at least musically. I had to look up when she last released an album and how it did. Her last two studio albums performed poorly Witness (2017) and Smile (2020) barely charted and only sold a small fraction of her previous albums, released during Katy?s heyday a decade ago or longer. It?s not that Katy disappeared she was on American Idol for years as a judge, she got married and had a baby, and she?s spent years cozying up to the British monarchy, even performing at King Charles?s coronation concert. But yeah, people just sort of lost interest in Katy as a pop star at some point, which is weird given her ubiquity a decade ago.
Well, Katy is trying to launch a comeback and it?s not going well. Her new album is called 143, and she?s released the first single and music video. The song is called ?Woman?s World? and it?s absolutely ghastly:
The song itself is just kind of stupid, and representative of the kind of frothy, irrelevant, cotton-candy fuax-feminism Katy pushed circa 2011. The music video is what makes it downright offensive though. What?s worse is the backstory Katy has worked with producer/hitmaker Dr. Luke throughout her career, and she returned to him for ?Woman?s World? and the album. In 2014-16, Kesha went to court to get out of her contract with Dr. Luke, and Kesha made credible accusations that Dr. Luke abused her, raped her and plied her with drugs and alcohol. While Kesha lost many battles, she succeeded in ensuring that anyone who works with Dr. Luke gets a massive sideeye. Singing about bubble-gum feminism while shaking your t-ts and working with a credibly accused rapist is not the way to launch a comeback.
As NBC News notes, even Katy?s true-blue fans are in turmoil about whether to support a song co-written and produced by Dr. Luke. They?re also mad that this rollout is so messy, and that their girl is being exposed as a massive hypocrite. The critical response is already savage too you can read the Guardian?s review here, they called it ?regressive, warmed-over hell.? Other critics have called it a ?stale retread? and ?stuck in 2016.?
?Joyride?, by independent artist Kesha, has peaked higher on US Spotify than Katy Perry and Dr. Luke?s ?Woman?s World?. pic.twitter.com/bMCXewDgRH
Mr. Pop (@MrPopOfficial) July 13, 2024
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| | Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial has been dismissed by the judge | | Added 410 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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In October 2021, Alec Baldwin accidentally killed his coworker Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of Rust. He was rehearsing a scene with what he thought was a prop gun with no live ammunition. Apparently, the armorer handed him a real gun with live ammunition, and the whole thing went sideways, killing Halyna and injuring Joel Souza. For years, there?s been back-and-forth about what to call this legally manslaughter, murder, negligence, or a complete accident. For what it?s worth, I thought the armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was at fault (and she?s already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter) and that Alec Baldwin was guilty of at most criminal negligence as the producer of Rust. But even then, it seemed like a pretty difficult case to try. Which is why there was so much back-and-forth about the charges. Last year, the New Mexico prosecutor dropped the involuntary manslaughter charges? and then a short time later, the charges were brought back. The trial was about to begin next week. But now the case has been dismissed:
In a stunning turn of events, the judge in Alec Baldwin?s involuntary manslaughter trial dismissed the case Friday, agreeing with the actor?s lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie ?Rust? in 2021.
?There is no way for the court to right this wrong,? said 1st Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. ?The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy.? The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning the involuntary manslaughter case against the actor cannot be filed again.
Baldwin, 66, sobbed and put his face in his hands as Sommer announced her decision. He then embraced his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, as lawyers and spectators started filing out of the courtroom. Baldwin could have been sentenced to up to 18 months in prison if the jurors had unanimously agreed he committed the felony. The actor was rehearsing a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County on Oct. 21, 2021, when the prop revolver he was holding went off, killing Hutchins, 42, and wounding director Joel Souza. The actor had pleaded not guilty. He claims that he was not aware the revolver contained a live round and that it discharged accidentally after he followed instructions to point it toward Hutchins.
Baldwin?s lawyers asserted that the Santa Fe County Sheriff?s Office took possession of live rounds of ammunition as evidence but did not record them in the official case file or reveal their existence to the actor?s defense team. Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor in the case, insisted the disputed ammunition was not linked to the case or hidden from Baldwin?s lawyers. Morrissey said after the ruling that she was disappointed by the court?s dismissal and disagreed, but respects the decision.
?I believe the importance of the evidence was misconstrued by the defense attorneys,? Morrissey told reporters outside court.
[From NBC News]
So, the case was dismissed on a technicality. It would have been difficult to get a conviction anyway, in my opinion, and this whole situation has gotten pretty ridiculous. Halyna Hutchins? death was an absolute tragedy and it should have never happened. There was absolutely no reason for any actor to handle a real gun with live ammunition. But I always thought that the drive to criminally charge Baldwin was partially politically motivated and partly because he?s? Alec Baldwin, you know? There was so much hesitation to say: this was a god-awful accident on Alec?s part.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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| | Princess Kate skipped the Wimbledon women's final, but will attend the men's final | | Added 410 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Barbora Krej?kov and Jasmine Paolini played a wonderful Wimbledon final on Saturday. Barbie K won, but Jasmine put up an excellent fight and Jasmine also had the crowd support. I had no idea that the Wimbledon crowd would basically adopt the Italian as one of their own, but her great attitude and beautiful smile won people over. Still, Barbie was tactically brilliant and she played another great final and picked up her second major singles title (and twelfth major titles overall, because she?s also a badass doubles champion).
All in all, it was a great day for women?s tennis. The day was not enjoyed by the Princess of Wales, at least not in the Royal Box. She might have watched at home, but she didn?t tweet any congratulations to Barbie and her staff didn?t think to do that either. Before the women?s final began, Kensington Palace did pull focus by announcing that Kate would attend the final? the men?s final today, Sunday.
Kate Middleton will be in the Royal Box at Wimbledon this year.
The Princess of Wales, 42, is set to attend the men?s singles final at Wimbledon on Sunday, July 14, Kensington Palace has confirmed.
However, she will not be in attendance to see the womens champion crowned on Saturday, July 13 at the famed tennis tournament, which is held at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.
Princess Kate, 42, has stepped out at Wimbledon most years since marrying Prince William and traditionally hands out the award to the winner in her role as the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. She has only made one public appearance with the royal family in 2024 as she continues her cancer treatment largely out of the public eye.
[From People]
All of us, myself included, predicted this weeks ago. We all knew that she would skip the women?s final but she would magically recover to attend the men?s final. It makes zero sense if she actually feels like sh-t the women?s final was a bit over two hours long, while the men?s final will probably be four hours long, give or take an hour. If she?s ?well enough? to sit in the Royal Box for four or five hours, surely she would have been well enough to attend the women?s final? Or, you know, Zoom with some of her charitable patronages? Anyway, the All England Club chair Debbie Jevans handed out the women?s trophy (the Venus Rosewater Dish) and the runners-up plate. That was ?why? Kate sent out the press releases on Saturday morning she told Wimbledon at the last minute that she wouldn?t show up for the women?s final, and she was only coming to the men?s final. I will update this post with some photos when we get them, and we?ll have more coverage tomorrow, of course.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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