Month: January 2022

When Texas realtor Jenna Ryan boarded a private jet last year bound for Washington, D.C., she was determined to do one thing: storm the Capitol on January 6th. And storm she did, alongside many other MAGA people, all while documenting the insurrection via her social media accounts (which were later used as evidence against her in court). Now Ryan is behind bars, serving a 60-day sentence for her role in the fatal coup attempt. And she seems to have decided that being one of the most prominent members of the MAGA herd is not as glamorous a role as she might have imagined—even going so far as to declare herself a “scapegoat” and compare her situation to (deep breath!) being a Jew in Nazi Germany.

Just five days before she reported to prison to begin serving out her sentence, Ryan spoke with NBC News’ Kate Snow about her actions on January 6, 2021, and admitted that “walking into the Capitol for two minutes and eight seconds was a big mistake. And I pled guilty to that, and I have remorse for that.” It’s a statement that is in direct contrast with Ryan’s previous statements, including a tweet she sent out the next day where she stated: “We just stormed the Capitol. It was one of the best days of my life.”

When pressed on these mixed messages by Snow, Ryan said you really needed to be there to understand. Sure, she entered the Capitol behind hundreds of people who were breaking windows and smashing things, but Ryan says she wasn’t violent, and the reality of the situation was much different:

“People see footage on TV that I wasn’t privy to. So, to me, it was like we were saying ‘excuse me,’ people were polite, and it was beautiful.”

Last year, Ryan called herself a “martyr” when speaking with NBC’s Cynthia McFadden and claimed that she was “being persecuted” by the public at large. “She pushed her claim in our December interview,” Snow stated, “comparing herself to victims of genocide.”

Ryan rattled off a laundry list of complaints about the way she was being treated by people:

“They are calling me entitled, they’re making fun of my skin color, they’re calling me an ‘Insurrection Barbie.’ They don’t see me as a human. And so that is the epitome of a scapegoat. Just like they did that to the Jews in Germany.”

(Raise your hand if you think that Ryan is the one who came up with ‘Insurrection Barbie.’)

When Snow pushed further on that point and asked her, point blank, “Do you compare what’s happening to the Holocaust?” Ryan replied that she was actually afraid to answer that question “because I will be attacked for saying that. I mean, people say that that’s what it’s like. They’re like, ‘We feel like that’s happening.’”

Something tells us that Ryan, and these “people” she’s talking to, could probably stand to brush up on their understanding of history and the Holocaust.

Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, spoke with NBC about Ryan’s case, and claimed that “she’s all over the map on whether she accepts responsibility for her actions.”

When Snow noted that many people see Ryan attempting to use the notoriety she has gained as a way to draw more attention to and publicity for herself, and asked “What do you say to that?” After some rambling, Ryan decided her answer was: “I’ll say yes.”

You can watch the full interview below.

(Via NBC News)

While fame is something many aspire to, not everything that comes with the territory is appealing. That was on display last night, as Jason Derulo found himself being accosted by a couple of instigators at a Las Vegas hotel, who created a situation that turned violent.

A video obtained by TMZ shows the entertainer coming down an escalator accompanied by somebody who appears to be a bodyguard. As he leaves the room, a man shouts, “Hey Usher! F*ck you, b*tch!” Immediately after that, Derulo charged two men and attacked them.

TMZ reports that according to law enforcement sources, police were called to Las Vegas’ Aria hotel early Tuesday morning following the incident. Eyewitnesses told the publication Derulo punched the guy who swore at him in the face and slapped a second guy shortly after. As The Guardian notes, police say Derulo “committed a battery against two individuals.”

While the fight got a bit bloody, none of the injuries sustained required hospital visits. Meanwhile, Derulo got a trespassing notice from the hotel and was removed from the premises (in handcuffs, per The Guardian). Neither man wanted to press charges, but as TMZ notes, “there’s always the possibility of a lawsuit.”

In 2018, Johnny Knoxville told Entertainment Weekly that a fourth jackass movie was possible, but “we’d have to bring in some new younger guys — just to bring some fresh blood into it.” Four years later, jackass forever is finally (FINALLY) coming out, and true to his word, Knoxville has added new members to the jackass crew.

Don’t worry, Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Wee Man, Danger Ehren, and Preston Lacy are back for more hilariously irresponsible fun, and now they’re joined by Sean “Poopies” McInerney, Zach Holmes, Eric Manaka, Jasper, and Rachel Wolfson, who spoke about her experience making jackass forever in an exclusive featurette above. “They made me laugh so hard and I’m literally seeing childhood heroes of mine come to life,” she said, adding, “My mind is blown.” But it’s Manaka who summed up the jackass experience the best: “I love skating, and I love getting a bit hurt.” Amen.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Celebrating the joy of being back together with your best friends and a perfectly executed shot to the dingdong, the original jackass crew return for another round of hilarious, wildly absurd, and often dangerous displays of comedy with a little help from some exciting new cast. Johnny and the team push the envelope even further in jackass forever.

jackass forever opens on February 4.

This spring will mark five years since Joey Badass released an album, namely 2017’s All Amierkkkan Badass, the strong sequel to his excellent debut album B4.Da.$$. Since then, Joey has released a handful of loose singles, guest features, and other releases. But for the most part, his focus has been on the acting world, with roles in Grown-ish, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Two Distant Strangers, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. With 2022 underway, Joey Badass seems ready to return with new music.

During a recent session on Instagram Live, Joey took questions from fans who tuned in, and naturally, he received a question about when his third album would arrive. He replied, “The album dropping this year for sure… for sure, for sure.” He continued, “I ain’t gonna say exactly when though cause there’s certain rappers who be on my heels. So imma just — it’s coming though.”

Joey’s third album will be his first project since his 2020 EP The Light Pack, which offered three songs and a lone feature from Pusha T. Elsewhere, he also dropped collaborations with Westside Boogie, DJ Scheme, Phony Ppl, Nas, Westside Gunn, Kenny Beats, and more.

You can watch Joey Badass talk about his upcoming album in the video above.

The 2021-22 season hasn’t been incredibly kind to the Portland Trail Blazers, and things might get even more challenging for Chauncey Billups and company in the near future. On Tuesday, Billups addressed the media and discussed the status of superstar guard Damian Lillard, who missed Portland’s win over Atlanta on Monday with abdominal tendinopathy. Lillard previously missed a five-game stretch in November and December with the ailment and, while his individual numbers have improved, this recent hiccup has prompted discussions of a potential break from on-court action.

While the Blazers are not completely out of contention at 14-22, it would be fair to suggest that Portland isn’t a title contender this season. From there, the 31-year-old Lillard has his worst individual statistics since 2014-15, averaging 24 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting only 40.2 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from three-point range. It’s also worth mentioning that Portland’s first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is lottery protected, but if they finish outside of the lottery, it goes to Chicago.

Even in his weakened state, Lillard is Portland’s centerpiece and best player, but the abdominal injury has posed lingering problems for the veteran point guard. Clearly, the medical evaluation is something that can’t be fully understood from the outside but, if the team believes that an extended hiatus would help Lillard to fully recover, it does make sense to take course of action. Nothing is official at this juncture, but the Blazers have already ruled Lillard out for the team’s home game against Miami on Wednesday, and it is possible Lillard won’t return to the floor for a while.

After months of teasing his upcoming sixth album, The Weeknd finally revealed its title and release date earlier this week. It’s called Dawn FM and it’s set to arrive this Friday, January 7, less than two years after his 2020’s After Hours. He also revealed that Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, and Oneohtrix Point Never will all appear as guest acts. And he unveiled its cover art which portrays him as a grey-haired old man. With days until Dawn FM arrives, The Weeknd returned with another announcement.

In partnership with Amazon Music, The Weeknd will hold a livestream experience called 103.5 Dawn FM in support of the new album. The show will air on the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch as well as on the Amazon Music App. A flyer for the livestream reveals that The Weeknd will head to “somewhere in Los Angeles” to hold the show. It begins on January 6 12am ET / 9pm ET, which is exactly when Dawn FM will drop.

In a press release about the event, The Weeknd said, “The power of the 103.5 Dawn FM experience is that maximum fulfillment comes when all who hear it are tuned in at the same time.”

Dawn FM is out 1/7 via Republic Records. Pre-save it here.

Anyone who’s anybody is getting into NFTs: Ozzy Osbourne, Eminem, Melania, her husband’s former henchman Michael Cohen. But there have been some hold-outs. Ambient music pioneer Brian Eno claimed that expensive and easily reproducible jpegs that did unimaginable harm to the environment were for “hustlers.” They sent Keanu Reeves into a belly laugh. Now they have another skeptic: The guy who played Al Borland on Home Improvement.

Granted, Richard Karn — who also spent a handful of seasons hosting Family Feud in the aughts — wasn’t always wary of NFTs. He was for ‘em before he was against ‘em. On Monday, the actor and game show host revealed he was hopping on the non-fungible token band wagon. He was partnering, he said, with “Superfandom,” a company that helps celebrities design personalized NFTs and make a couple bucks. Some lucky winners wouldn’t just win digital tokens; some would also to chat on the phone, play golf, or join in a game of Family Feud over Zoom.

Alas, Karn had a change of heart.

“I’ve thought long and hard about NFT’s and I’ve decided it’s not something I need to do,” Karn tweeted alongside a photo of him sitting at what looked like a cozy bar or restaurant, an empty drink in front of him and a big smile on his face.

What changed his mind? Was is that latest South Park movie, in which Middle-Aged Butters is revealed to be an NFT hustler so dangerous he had to be locked up? Did he hear about Damon Albarn being trashed for being an environmentalist who nonetheless sold environment-destroying Gorillaz NFTs? Did he realize they’re kind of stupid? He didn’t say, but maybe he didn’t have to. After all, Al was always the more sensible Tool Time talker.

(Via The AV Club)

Last month, Bad Bunny capped off a successful 2021 with his P FKN R concert in Puerto Rico. The show welcomed 80,000 attendees to Estadio Hiram Bithorn on December 10 and 11 for what was set to be a great show. The concert, which was produced by Noah Assad Presents and Move Concerts, required all attendees to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or an official Vacu-Id provided by CESCO Digital. A mandatory mask mandate was also put in place, and those who refused would be removed from the event and fined $100.

Despite all these measures, it appears that the P FKN R concert contributed to the current spike in COVID-19 cases in Puerto Rico, which saw the number of positive cases balloon by 4,600% last month. According to The New York Times, at least 2,000 people — which accounts for 2.5% of the show’s attendees — tested positive after the show. Billboard notes that while people followed the mask rules at the concert’s entrance, many removed them once they arrived at their seats. They added that the show’s staff was not strict about enforcing the mask mandate inside of the venue.

Bad Bunny himself has tested positive at the end of 2020, resulted in him missing his performance at that year’s American Music Awards.

Late last year, the House committee investigating the lead-up and actions the day of the Jan. 6 Capitol siege dropped a not-so-shocking reveal: Multiple Fox News stars, like the former president’s own son, had frantically texted with the Trump team that day, attempting to get him to call off his violent supporters. One of them was Sean Hannity, frequent Trump softball interviewer. But now we’re learning there was more where that came from.

On Tuesday, the committee asked for Hannity’s “voluntary cooperation” with the investigation. Why? Because it turns out he didn’t just text the Trump team on Jan. 6. He’d been texting them about Jan. 6 for at least a week prior. On Dec. 31, 2020, Hannity texted then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, warning him that the plan to lure his supporters to D.C. the day Congress was set to certify the 2020 election wouldn’t go well:

“We can’t lose the entire WH counsels office. I do NOT see January 6 happening the way he is being told. After the 6 th. He should announce will lead the nationwide effort to reform voting integrity. Go to Fl and watch Joe mess up daily. Stay engaged. When he speaks people will listen.”

In their letter beckoning him, the committee said that text in particular “suggests that you had knowledge of concerns by Trump’s White House Counsel’s Office regarding the legality of the former President’s plans for January 6th.”

On Jan. 5, the day before the failed insurrection, Hannity texted Meadows again. “Im very worried about the next 48 hours,” he wrote. Other texts strongly suggested he’d spoken with Trump about his plans to subvert the election he lost by over seven million votes.

But wait, there’s more. In the days after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building, leading to five deaths, Hannity conversed with both Meadows and Trumpist representative Jim Jordan.

“Guys, we have a clear path to land the plane in 9 days. He can’t mention the election again. Ever,” Hannity wrote to them. “I did not have a good call with him today. And worse, I’m not sure what is left to do or say, and I don’t like not knowing if it’s truly understood. Ideas?”

Hannity is unlikely to face any punishment from Fox News for advising Trump on a violent event he would later downplay. He’s also almost certainly going to take the Jan. 6 committee’s invitation. As one person close to Hannity bluntly told The Daily Beast, “Why would Sean cooperate with them?”

(Via The Daily Beast)

At the beginning of 2020, YG’s San Fernando Valley home was raided by L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies and the rapper was arrested for ties to a robbery. Prior to today, no charges had been made and his lawyer claimed his client would be cleared of any wrongdoing. On Tuesday, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has decided to not officially charge the rapper. “Not enough evidence of what defendant did to aid and abet the crime,” documents obtained by the publication read. “Presence during the crime alone is not sufficient.”

YG briefly spoke about the 2020 incident with help from his daughter Harmony on his 2020 album My Life 4Hunnid. On an interlude entitled “Traumatized,” Harmony says, “Daddy, the police just came and they’re knocking on the door, looking for you, and they have a gun in my face, and I don’t like that!” Towards the end of the album, on “Traumatized Interlude #2,” Harmony returns to plead for her father’s freedom after his arrest. “Daddy, when are you coming home?” she asks. “I miss you! And can you hurry up, ’cause the pigs kill people and I’m scared!”

The news comes after YG, his TeleHealth program, and the City of Hawthorne teamed up to provide additional mental health resources for low-income Los Angeles residents.