List of All Articles with Tag 'celeb'

By Nathan Layne Eight Republican presidential contenders will duel in the party's first debate of the 2024 race

Men are airing their annoyance at plans to make a bronze statue to celebrate the Matildas at the World Cup. The Matildas, who came fourth in the Women’s World Cup, were celebrated in Brisbane on Sunday and handed the Keys to the City by the Lord Mayor. During the celebrations, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed that a statue will be built in honour of the team. “We’re going to increase the legacy funding for women’s football including upgrades to major venues where football is played across Queensland,” Palaszczuk said. “But wait there’s one more thing. As a lasting tribute to 2023 Matildas we will build a statue at Suncorp Stadium. “There are plenty (of statues) there, celebrating our male sporting champions, it’s time we celebrated women as well… you deserve your place amongst the greatest.” British TV host Piers Morgan was one of the first to complain about the announcement, retweeting the news writing: “A statute for coming 4th? Is this a joke?” Sky News Australia host Laura Jays responded to Morgan, offering to explain what the team means to Australia. “Long lunch and I’ll explain the Matildas effect,” Jays said. “Half the country watched the match. This is a country that is dominated by men’s AFL and NRL.” “It’s a big deal. And the start of something very big for women’s sport.” However, she failed to get Morgan to consider her, and millions of Matildas’ fans perspective, simply replying to Jays with: “Never had you down as a participation prize fan.” Many also disagreed with Morgan in the comments, sharing how ‘proud’ they are of the Matildas, and that they had united the country. However, it seems Morgan isn’t the only man frustrated the idea of the statue writing. Former Australian NBA star Andrew Bogut wrote on Twitter: “Matildas did well… Statue? No. A Gold/First Place is a statue and over the top celebration worthy achievement,” he wrote. Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios shared his opinion about the news: “Agree. Great effort! Statue for fourth is nuts but they had us all on the edge of our seats! Next time.” Morgan later doubled-down on his comments, responding to some on Twitter by saying, “mate, no offence but the Matildas got beaten by England, and even lost the 3rd/4th play-off.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Billie Eilish may be one of the world's biggest artists, but that doesn't stop her from doing regular things such as flying economy class like the rest of us. In a viral post that's racked up almost 900,000 views, TikTok user William Bossanova shares a snap of the star from the seats behind the star on the Brussels Airlines flight. Her blue-starred hat matches the one she was wearing in an upload to her Instagram Story seemingly sitting on a flight with overhead lockers in view. "Pov: you're in a plane with Billie (Still can't believe wtf just happened)," the caption read. It didn't take long for the video to be flooded by stunned fans, with one writing: "I would js go to the bathroom in the front every 5 minutes to look at her." The TikTok user responded by claiming he did try, but staff told him he could "only use the bathroom at the back." @williambossanova Pov: you're in a plane with Billie (Still cant believe wtf just happened) #billieeilish #billie #finneas #billieelishfan #billieeilishedits #billieeilishconcert #billieeilishszigetfestival #billieeilishpukkelpop #maggiebaird #patrickoconnell " I actually love that she has the money for a private jet but doesn’t do," another said, while a third penned: "Guys, she doesn't fly that much on private jets bc she's actually doing something for our environment lmao." It comes after one passenger got a taste of the private jet lifestyle, after being the only passenger on her flight to Jersey. Hannah Maden-Adams, 38, was shocked to learn she and the airline staff were the only people on board her flight. "The pilots were pointing out various locations and recommend destinations for holidays", she said. “The staff and pilot said they had never flown just one passenger on one of their planes before." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Joe Rogan claimed Chinese students gather sensitive data during their time in the US and 'often get caught'

A mother-of-nine who proudly displayed a Pride flag outside her California store. A gay man who danced to a Beyoncé song in Brooklyn. Five patrons killed in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado. All were appalling attacks against the LGBTQ+ community and their allies in recent months. From the disruption of drag show story hours to threats against retail employees for selling Pride merchandise, the rising threat of violence is terrifying, but unfortunately unsurprising, Sarah Moore, an Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism Analyst, told The Independent. The senseless murder of Laura “Lauri” Ann Carleton last week is the most recent example of the anti-LGBTQ+ hate currently being spread across the US. The 66-year-old store owner was a straight, white woman who spent her time helping and advocating for everyone in the community, a Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ organisation said in a post. Carleton had nine children, but because of one person’s hatred, all of them will now have to live the rest of their lives without a mother. “This epidemic of hate is not only killing us, but the people who stand with us too,” Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement to The Independent. On 18 August, 27-year-old Travis Ikeguchi, who had been spewing anti-LGBTQ+ hate on social media for quite some time, emerged from behind his computer, and fatally shot Carleton outside her Mag.Pi store on Hook Creek Road in Cedar Glen, California, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office. It was all because the fashion entrepreneur dared to hang a rainbow Pride flag outside her store. When someone would rip it down or damage it, she would simply hang up another one. But this time, Carleton was confronted about the rainbow flag by Ikeguchi as he tore it down while screaming homophobic slurs at her. He then pulled out a gun and shot her. Officers arrived to find she had suffered a single gunshot wound, before she died at the scene. Ikeguchi had fled the area, but was later tracked down by deputies. A standoff ensued and he opened fire on the officers before he was shot and killed. An investigation found a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ posts on Ikeguchi’s social media. The California man had posted images of Pride flags on fire, along with rants lashing out at the LGBTQ+ community and law enforcement. Sarah Moore, an Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism analyst at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), said the attack on Carleton is a “crucial example of what the ADL has been tracking in the latest trends over the past year.” “Pride flags have been targeted, whether it’s by burning them, stealing them or damaging them,” she said, adding that the flag is being used as a statement and an increasingly popular tactic against the LGBTQ+ community. Moore, who has viewed and analysed Ikeguchi’s social media, said there are not just anti-LGBTQ+ posts but also antisemitic and anti-Israel ones. “I want to stress that bias against the LGBTQ+ community often overlaps with other forms of hate,” she said. A report released in June by the ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and the national LGBTQ+ organization GLAAD, recorded a total of 356 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents between June 2022 and April 2023, including 305 acts of harassment, 40 acts of vandalism and 11 incidents of assault. This is up from 2021-2022 where 223 incidents were recorded. The report also found that anti-LGBTQ+ incidents often overlapped with other forms of hate, with at least 128 incidents also citing antisemitic tropes and 30 incidents also citing racist tropes. Nearly half of all incidents (49 per cent) were perpetrated wholly or substantially by individuals associated with extremist groups, the report found. The most cited anti-LGBTQ+ trope was what the report called baseless “grooming” conspiracy theory, with at least 191 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault making explicit references to “grooming” or “pedophilia.” Carleton’s murder has since led to an outpouring of grief and anger from her children and family members, Hollywood stars and the LGBTQ+ community members who have warned that her killing is yet another devastating example of the increase in bigotry in violence across America. Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement that “threats against the LGBTQ+ community and our allies have evolved from violent rhetoric on social media and from anti-equality political leaders to, now, real-world violence — and let’s be honest, no city, state or person is immune from this brutality.” “The killing of Laura Ann Carleton, just for standing up for the LGBTQ+ community by displaying a Pride flag at her store, is devastating. Let’s be clear — the combination of hate and easy access to guns is killing too many of us. “From the rise of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people over the past decade, the loss of five innocent lives at Club Q in Colorado Springs, to the ruthless murder of O’Shea Sibley for vogueing at a gas station, we are seeing an escalation of hateful words turning into vicious, senseless attacks that has escalated into a nation-wide state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community. Laura should be here with her husband and her family. This epidemic of hate is not only killing us, but the people who stand with us too.” The latest attack happened less than a month after O’Shae Sibley was murdered by a “good Christian boy” for dancing to a Beyoncé song in Brooklyn, New York. Sibley, 28, had been out celebrating a friend’s birthday when the group stopped at a Mobil gas station in Coney Island on 29 July. The professional dancer took off his shirt and was “vogueing” — a dance form popularised by the LGBTQ+ community — to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album with a friend on the station forecourt. Just after 11pm, a group of young men allegedly began hurling homophobic insults saying that they didn’t like “gay dancing” in their neighbourhood, according to eyewitnesses. Sibley confronted the men, surveillance footage showed, and the clash turned violent, ending with Sibley being stabbed in the heart during a scuffle. He died a short time later. Otis Pena, who was with Sibley when he was killed, said he and Sibley were “just pumping gas and listening to Renaissance and having a good time”. “O’Shae was just trying to tell people ‘we may be gay’ and they stabbed him right in the heart,” he continued, breaking down. “They murdered him because he was gay, because he stood up for his friends. All because he wanted people to know that we are gay.” Dmitriy Popov, 17, was later arrested and arraigned as an adult on murder and hate crime charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Eyewitnesses told the NYPD that Mr Popov had told the vogueing group that their dancing offended him as a Muslim. Mr Popov’s lawyer Mark Pollard told The Independent in an interview that his client was a “good Christian boy” who regularly attended church. “I have no idea where that came from. I just know he’s not Muslim. It’s very strange,” Mr Pollard told The Independent. Beyoncé, who was performing nearby at New York’s MetLife stadium on the night Sibley was killed, paid tribute to the dancer, choreographer and model, who family say was cut down “in his prime”. The killing attracted national attention due to its alleged homophobic nature, as attacks on the LGBTQ+ community are increasing. Last year, five people were shot dead and 17 others injured just for being at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs. On 19 November 2022, drag performer Del Lusional was hosting an alternative and punk show at the club — a DJ was set to follow. But then Anderson Lee Aldrich walked in and opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle killing bar staff Daniel Aston, 28, and Derrick Rump, 38, along with Kelly Loving, 40; Ashley Paugh, 35; and Raymond Green Vance, 22. Aldrich was charged with 305 criminal counts, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault, and at least 48 counts of committing crimes motivated by anti-LGBT+ bias. Prosecutors argued that Aldrich be charged with hate crimes, pointing out that his mother was reportedly nonbinary and forced him to go to LGBT+ clubs. Aldrich ultimately accepted a plea deal, reducing the number of charges to 53, but which included all five first-degree murder charges, 46 attempted first-degree murder charges, and two bias-driven crimes charges. Threats against the LGBTQ+ community emerged in June when Target’s Pride Month displays came under fire. Several videos posted on social media show customers destroying the displays and heavily criticising the retail company for including LGBTQ+ attire. This included a “tuck-friendly” bathing suit option and greeting cards that used inclusive language. The backlash forced the retail giant to pull some of its Pride Month merchandise after several of its employees experienced “confrontational behavior” from angry customers. “Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team embers’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement. A Target spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that several angry customers made “threatening posts on social media with video from inside stores” in addition to confronting workers. “Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year,” Target said in a statement. Target isn’t the only company grappling with public criticism. Bud Light is still dealing with fallout from its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who in April posted a picture on Instagram of a beer can with her face on it. Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, was the target of disparaging right-wing attacks for weeks after she partnered with Budweiser to promote Bud Light. In response to the hate-filled and transphobic backlash that followed, the company said it “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people," but didn’t directly address the rhetoric or signal clear support for Mulvaney. Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, is tripling its US marketing spending this summer as it tries to restore lost sales. Anheuser-Busch, the producer of Budweiser beers, issued a statement at the time in response to the conservative boycott, saying that it “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people”. “We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere,” said CEO Brendan Whitworth. “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.” In response to the increasing attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and allies, many have called for a change. Wendy Via, co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said in a statement this week, that this will continue to result in violence if this rhetoric and push for irrational, hateful, and rights-restricting legislation isn’t stopped.” “From the arson of a church in Texas, to the firebombing of a coffee shop in Oklahoma, to the disruption of library story hours, the threatening of school boards, and the banning of books, to the horrific murders at Club Q in Colorado last November, the threats and the violence facing LGBTQ+ people and allies is all too real,” Wendy Via, co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said in a statement this week. “The man who shot and killed Laura Ann Carleton after disparaging the LGBTQ+ pride flag she proudly hung in her store window had a history of anti-LGBTQ+ posts on social media sites. Yet again, anti-LGBTQ+ hate turned to violence, and an innocent woman tragically lost her life. Now, an entire community is not only reeling from the tragic death, but LGBTQ+ people and their allies everywhere are once again reminded in the worst possible way of the very real threat of hate and violence they face every day. “The killing of Laura Ann Carleton proves anti-LGBTQ+ hate and violence are out of control in the US and around the world. Efforts to demonize, intimidate, and provoke violence against LGBTQ+ people have increased over the past year globally. It would be naive to separate these violent attacks from the anti-LGBTQ+ efforts of some politicians and far-right organizations. “As we’ve said before, the relentless dehumanization and demonization of LGBTQ+ people by far-right politicians, extremist religious leaders, and hateful ideology adherents — often spread online — will continue to result in violence if this rhetoric and push for irrational, hateful, and rights-restricting legislation isn’t stopped.” Read More A mother and businesswoman whose LGBTQ advocacy cost her her life: Who was Laura Ann Carleton? Laura Carleton shooting – latest: Travis Ikeguchi’s anti-LGBT+ online history revealed after Pride flag murder Travis Ikeguchi: What we know about the gunman who shot Laura Carleton over Pride flag

The first press conference to promote KSI’s fight against Tommy Fury in October descended into chaos on Tuesday, when Tommy’s father John Fury fumed at the “antics” on-stage and flipped a number of tables in anger – but one UFC fighter believes Fury should now “follow it up” and “smack someone”. The comments from Darren Till, a British mixed martial artist with an 18-5 win/loss record, come as the “absolute horse s***” event also saw Dillon Danis walk on wearing a Toy Story alien hat (in reference to Logan Paul’s infamous 2017 ‘suicide forest’ video) and Paul bring out a birthday cake for his rival depicting a bloodied Danis on the canvas. Till told gambling website SafeBettingSites: “The press conference was everything we expected: cringeworthy and embarrassing. “I thought Tommy and Dillon came across better than I expected. John’s John isn’t he? He likes to make a kerfuffle and do nothing about it, so what can you say? “It’s big John Fury! We all have to love him.” The UFC middleweight, who has been filmed sparring with Tyson Fury in the past, added: “Obviously I'm mates with Tyson and the Fury family and they’re a good bunch but how many outbursts can you have without actually doing something? “Now it’s time for him to follow it up and have an outburst and then smack someone!” In further surprising remarks from the fighter, Till claimed Danis – who had to pull out of a fight against KSI earlier this year – “100 per cent” won’t show up for his fight against Paul on 14 October. “He’s not going to take the fight, I’m sure of that, but I’m ready to step in any time and they can contact me or my management. All the details are on Twitter [X].” And then, in comments which will likely irritate KSI, Till noted the YouTuber did “look a little bit scared” during his face-off against Tommy Fury and that “Jake Paul’s probably the only guy who’s beating any real fighters at the moment”. While KSI co-founded Prime with former boxing opponent Logan, the YouTuber has had a long-running feud with Jake ever since he defeated content creator Joe Weller in 2018 for his first fight and called out the “It’s Everyday Bro” rapper in an interview afterwards. After Jake Paul took on Tommy Fury himself in a boxing match earlier this year, and secured his first loss, KSI released a video in which he said, while bursting out laughing: “They said you can’t beat a professional fighter, and they were right! You couldn’t!” Previous opponents for the younger Paul brother have included former basketball player Nate Robinson, ex-MMA star Ben Askren and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley. While KSI claimed during Tuesday’s press conference that “people are going to look at me differently” if he is victorious, Tommy Fury insisted “YouTube boxing will be done” if he defeats the rapper. However, Till believes the form of boxing is “here to stay”. “Jake’s at the forefront and Tommy’s already beaten him, although it was a close fight. I think influencer boxing is here to stay and we just have to make do with it because it's where the money is,” he said. KSI and Logan Paul take on Tommy Fury and Dillon Danis respectively on 14 October in Manchester. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno, the Italian singer-songwriter best known for his 1983 hit "L'Italiano," has died at age 80, local media reported Tuesday.

iShowSpeed has been in the news an awful lot recently and he’s one of the most popular streamers on the internet. So popular, in fact, that an impersonator is racking up millions of views by showing his old streams. An IShowSpeed fan account has been posting screenshots from the account, which is restreaming old content. The old streams were being picked up by plenty of fans, too. One grab showed that more than 18,000 concurrent viewers were tuning into old footage of the streamer playing Roblox. Other restreams have also been flagged by fan pages recirculating old footage. IShowSpeed hasn’t responded to the old streams yet, though – and at the moment, he’s probably got other things on his mind. The 18-year-old ended a recent stream suddenly after accidentally exposing himself to fans live on air last week. The hugely popular figure was broadcasting to 24,000 people when he accidentally flashed the camera, looking shocked after realising what he’d done instantly. The streamer, real name Darren Watkins stood up, showing his crotch, not realising that his penis was exposed The streamer has since returned to the platform and addressed the "embarrassing moment," and how it's impacted him mentally. "These past days and hours, I've been suffering very mentally, genuinely," he told viewers. "At the end of the day, I'm still a human being." He said it was "one of the worst fears" that has happened and that it's "just depressing." "You guys are joking, you guys can crack your jokes – but you're genuinely not looking a the bigger picture," he said. "Do you all know I have family, little siblings?" "I don't know what to do anymore, bro," Speed continued. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland has announced that the first round of tickets for Fyre Festival II has sold out. Described by McFarland as the “adventure of a lifetime”, Fyre Festival II is an attempt to shift the narrative around McFarland and the original 2017 Fyre Festival that was riddled with scandals and resulted in McFarland spending four years in federal prison for wire fraud. McFarland took to social media to talk about Fyre Festival II after it was announced the first round of tickets sold out: “The first FYRE Festival II drop has sold out. Since 2016 FYRE has been the most talked about festival in the world. We now saw this convert to one of the highest priced GA pre-sales in the industry. FYRE is about people from around the world coming together to pull off the impossible. “This time we have incredible support. I’ll be doing what I love while working with the best logistical and infrastructure partners. In addition, all ticket sale revenue will be held in escrow until the final date is announced. We look forward to surprising the world alongside our partners as we build FYRE and FYRE Festival II into the island adventure of a lifetime,” he added. The initial tickets for Fyre Festival II went on sale for $499 (£390), with later releases set to cost up to $7,999 (£6,250). The original festival was promoted by multiple popular celebrities including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Hailey Bieber. Fyre Festival was promised to contain an array of musical performances, as well as other attractions. It was to be hosted on an island in the Bahamas that was claimed to have been previously owned by Pablo Escobar. Despite the hype surrounding the festival, it ultimately resulted in a disaster. So much so that both Netflix and Hulu released shows documenting the festival and how it concluded with McFarland in jail. In 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and admitted to lying to investors that funded the first Fyre Festival. He was released from prison early in March 2022, and required to return $26 million to investors of the event. Speaking in a YouTube video uploaded on Monday, McFarland spoke about Fyre Festivall II: “It has been the absolutely wildest journey to get here and it really all started during the seven-month stint in solitary confinement. I wrote out this 50-page plan of how it would take this overall interest and demand in Fyre and how it would take this overall interest and demand in Fyre and how it would take my ability to bring people from around the world together to make the impossible happen.” He added: “we decided that Fyre Festival is coming back to the Caribbean. We are targeting Fyre Festival II for the end of next year.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

By Jarrett Renshaw As Republican presidential hopefuls converge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for their first debate Wednesday evening, an

Björn Ulvaeus is among the stars working with YouTube and Universal Music on an AI experimental project.

Joe Rogan said, 'I’ve seen like custom cars they’ve made for him, like the seat basically sits where the back seat should be'