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In Yet Another Wacky Twist, Shady George Santos Allegedly Received Donations From People Who Don’t Even Exist

Just when you think there can’t be any more wild, weird allegations about George Santos, yet another one crops up. A new report from Mother Jones reveals that the freshman GOP representative — already busted for lying about being Jewish and even his mother’s death, among plenty of other weird whoppers — received donations from nonexistent people:

In September 2020, George Santos’ congressional campaign reported that Victoria and Jonathan Regor had each contributed $2,800—the maximum amount—to his first bid for a House seat. Their listed address was 45 New Mexico Street in Jackson Township, New Jersey.

A search of various databases reveals no one in the United States named Victoria or Jonathan Regor. Moreover, there is nobody by any name living at 45 New Mexico Street in Jackson. That address doesn’t exist. There is a New Mexico Street in Jackson, but the numbers end in the 20s, according to Google Maps and a resident of the street.

If that wasn’t enough, Mother Jones reports there were more supposed donors they couldn’t identify. One was named Stephen Berger:

Santos’ 2020 campaign finance reports also list a donor named Stephen Berger as a $2,500 donor and said he was a retiree who lived on Brandt Road in Brawley, California. But a spokesperson for William Brandt, a prominent rancher and Republican donor, tells Mother Jones that Brandt has lived at that address for at least 20 years and “neither he or his wife (the only other occupant [at the Brandt Road home]) have made any donations to George Santos. He does not know Stephen Berger nor has Stephen Berger ever lived at…Brandt Road.”

Is it illegal to make contributions under a false name? It sure is! Indeed, the report claims that of the $338,000 Santos raised, more than $30,000 comes from donors whose identities cannot be revealed.

But hey, at least Santos provides cheap donuts to the many reporters trying to get to the bottom of his many lies.

(Via Mother Jones)

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Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool’ Is Ultimately A Little Shallow But Earns Some Style Points For The Drug Orgies

Rich-playboy-kills-poor-person-with-car has been the set up for many a class drama, from Bonfire of the Vanities to two great movies from 2021, Ramin Bahrani’s White Tiger and John Michael McDonagh’s The Forgiven. David Cronenberg’s son, Brandon (Possessor) is back with Infinity Pool, which takes the same essential premise and asks “what if more psychedelic-sexual and with a hint of sci-fi?”

The basic idea of this premise is skewering the colonial hubris of rich people, or even just those from the developed world, who think they can just go to poorer countries or areas and treat it like their own consequence-free zone, doing drugs and sex and rock ‘n’ roll like they never would at home and assuming they can just buy their way out of it if anything goes wrong, because poor folks who might get hurt along the way don’t count as much.

There’s maybe some irony to the idea of a legacy case like Brandon Cronenberg (are “Nepo Babies” the aristocrats of the art world?) taking this premise and mostly just… adding more drugs and sex and rock ‘n’ roll. I’m not convinced that Infinity Pool is doing much to further the themes already covered in similar works, but it certainly has panache, and Mia Goth once again acting her ass off, and one could do a lot worse than that.

Alexander Skarsgard plays James Foster, a novelist struggling with his long-delayed second book who has come to the fictional island of La Tolqa in the hopes of finding some inspiration. He’s brought with him his barely-a-character wife, Em (Cleopatra Coleman) who happens to be paying for the trip, on account of her father is a rich publisher. La Tolqa is a rugged island paradise (filmed on the Adriatic coast of Croatia) where foreigners come to have corny, contrived adventures, but so backward and dangerous that the tourists are forbidden from venturing outside the barbed-wire gates of their resort.

James and Em dutifully follow the rules, painting their faces and buying traditional (and conveniently creepy) masks, until James discovers he has a fan — Gabi, played by Mia Goth. Gabi flatters James’ vanity and oozes sexuality, more than enough to lure James and Em outside the wire for a night of louche carousing and swingery intimations alongside her Swiss husband, Alban — one of those names you can hear 10 times and still not be sure you heard right (Jalil Lespert). Alvin? Arvin? Albert? Armond? Maybe we just call you Frenchy until you can stop swallowing Rs and differentiate Bs from Vs.

Despite the “me and my wife liked your vibe” vibe of the whole evening, things mostly stay within the bounds of misdemeanor crimes until James has an oopsy behind the wheel. He falls afoul of the La Tolqa authorities and soon discovers that they have a flair for fine brutalist architecture and a very peculiar justice system, combining Old Testament, or maybe even pre-Christian morality with futuristic biotech. Yes, I’m being a little vague here to avoid spoilers. Think Vacation Friends meets Dual, if that means anything to you (both movies worth seeing, incidentally).

It’s an intriguing concept, and there’s maybe something to the idea of this “backward” country utilizing futuristic tech not to raise the standard of living or help the locals, but instead to merely further inequality, deepen corruption, and make the colonialism thing even more frictionless. Taking shots at techno-utopianism is hot right now, but still welcome.

There are some interesting ideas in Infinity Pool, I’m just not sure they’re complementary ones. Cronenberg (who wrote and directed) seems like he has a setting and a premise and a couple ideas, but can’t quite make them fit together and so he mostly just stages some psychedelic orgies (along with the occasional jump scare). That’s mostly a criticism, but again, you could do worse than psychedelic orgies. I couldn’t make an advanced screening so I had to settle for seeing the R-rated theatrical cut, which was notably absent Alexander Skarsgard hanging dong. A shame, a glimpse of the Skarsdong would’ve really tied the room together (Infinity Pool does still have some boobs and a little semen, in case you were wondering).

Probably the most notable thing Infinity Pool does is solidify Mia Goth’s position as the undisputed scream queen of arthouse horror. Goth could never be accused of not “going for it,” and just like in Pearl, she consistently steals scenes in freaky and unexpected ways, sans visible eyebrows. It’s not quite enough to make Infinity Pool anything approaching great, but it’s enough to make it watchable.

‘Infinity Pool’ is out in theaters everywhere January 27. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can read more of his reviews here.

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Adele Confirms She Will Be At The Grammys: ‘I Would Never Miss It’

Adele wants to set the record straight that she will be at the 2023 Grammys. Rumors began swirling that the singer would not be making an appearance at the annual award show, despite being nominated for several categories. This would be Adele’s first time back as a Grammy contender since 2017, following the release of her album 25. The “Rolling In The Deep” singer was nominated for Album of the Year, as well as Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Hello.”

This year her nominations include Record of the Year (“Easy on Me”), Album of the Year (30), Song of the Year (“Easy on Me”), Best Pop Solo Performance (“Easy on Me”), Best Pop Vocal Album (30), Best Music Video (“Easy on Me”), and Best Music Film (Adele One Night Only).

A clip has surfaced online of the singer during a show, talking to fans about the rumors that the show would not be attending this year’s award show.

“Who said that I’m not going to the Grammys,” she said to the crowd as they roared. “Whoever started that rumor is ridiculous because I am going to the Grammys.

The singer added, “That’s disrespectful to other artists and the Grammys.”

This would be the first time in six years that Adele and Beyoncé — who’s also nominated for several categories for her Reinassance album — have faced off at the upcoming ceremony. Adele’s historic sweep caused quite the controversy after her album Lemonade lost to Adele’s 25 for Album of The Year.

During her acceptance speech, Adele called Bey “the artist of [her] life” and noted that the award should have gone to Lemonade.

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‘GMA’ Anchors Amy Robach And T.J. Holmes Are Leaving The Show Over The Kerfuffle About Their Off-Air Relationship

In late November, the placid calm of GMA3: What You Need to Know was shattered: Two of its hosts were caught having what appeared to be an affair. Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, both of whom joined the show in 2020, later confirmed their relationship, which led to them being pulled from the air while management figured out what to do with the news. Now a decision has been made,

“After several productive conversations with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes about different options, we all agreed it’s best for everyone that they move on from ABC News,” an ABC spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly. “We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions.”

Over the last near two months, Robach and Holmes have stayed steadfast in their relationship, with sources telling PEOPLE earlier this month that their bond was “stronger than ever.” Still, sources said they thought “the situation sucks.”

Robach and Holmes’ relationship was first made public two months back when tabloids published photos of them holding hands in the backseat of a car. Shortly thereafter both deactivated their social media accounts, though Robach later reactivated her Instagram account. They continued to host the show, but on December 5 they were relieved of their duties.

(Via EW)

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Shake Milton Is Embracing Whatever The Sixers Throw At Him

PORTLAND — The Philadelphia 76ers were reeling late in the third quarter of a recent road win over the Portland Trail Blazers. After the Sixers mounted a 26-point lead minutes earlier, Portland had rattled off 14 straight points and trimmed its deficit to 12 with more than a quarter remaining.

As the entire starting group rested, including stars Joel Embiid and James Harden, Philadelphia needed someone to hush the swelling clamor of Blazers fans and relent their tide. Shake Milton promptly assumed responsibility. The lanky guard wiggled into a stepback jumper and then slalomed his way around multiple defenders for a lefty layup to snap the Sixers’ 4.5-minute scoreless drought.

Milton’s dependability is a hallmark of his fifth season in the league, which might be his finest yet. All year, despite entering 2022-23 outside the rotation, he’s adapted his role to meet the evolving wishes of the team. Through the first three games, he was glued to the bench. Ten different players were ahead of him in the rotation. He didn’t even log double-digit minutes until Nov. 2. His first double-digit scoring performance came Nov. 12.

When Harden suffered an injury in early November, the Sixers’ rotation required more ball-handling. Milton stepped up. Two weeks later, when Tyrese Maxey fractured his left foot, the Sixers’ needed a new starting point guard. Milton filled in and averaged 21.3 points, six assists, and 5.3 rebounds on 65.7 percent true shooting (.547/.455/.964 split) during eight starts. When Harden returned, he scaled down to reserve minutes and took another backseat after Maxey’s revival as well.

He’s a metronome on a team whose foundational players have shuffled in and out of the lineup because of various injuries. Milton brings steadiness, an approach he partially attributes to playing against older opponents on AAU circuits throughout his formative years.

“His temperament doesn’t go up or down for whatever role he’s playing, and I think that probably helps him in the long run,” says Sixers head coach Doc Rivers in the sort of nonchalant tone that reflects his guard’s even-keeled persona.

Through 43 games, Milton is averaging 10.2 points (59.2 percent true shooting), 3.3, assists, and three rebounds a night. He’s shooting 38.3 percent beyond the arc and a career-high 55 percent on two-pointers. The primary reason he’s experienced an uptick in interior profits is a redesigned shot profile.

According to Cleaning The Glass, a career-high 41 percent (90th percentile among combo guards) of his shots are occurring at the rim and he’s converting 66 percent of them (64th percentile). His previous best was 32 percent during his breakout 2019-20 campaign. His 20.3 percent transition frequency (1.241 points per possession, 72nd percentile) is also a career-high, per Synergy.

He loves to float down the floor for outlet passes and seems emboldened by Harden’s open-court playmaking wizardry. But Harden’s talents alone are not fueling this. There’s a team-wide emphasis to attack before the defense is organized. Milton is one of Philadelphia’s foremost practitioners in this regard.

“I’m just trying to put a lot of pressure on the defense,” Milton says. “Any time you’re aggressive, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the shot. But it means you’re drawing two and doing something for the team.”

There’s a deceptive, methodical nature to Milton’s downhill forays. He’s not a burner like Maxey, who is capable of going from one end of the floor to the other in the blink of an eye. Instead, he is patient and composed, surveying his surroundings as he operates and locating the preferred angles. By the time he confronts defenders, his 6’5 frame and 7-foot wingspan are primed to overwhelm them and help him wrap in finishes with either hand.

When Milton entered the league, he was an accomplished long-range gunner, drilling 42.7 percent of his 445 career triples during his collegiate days at SMU. During his first two seasons, more than 49 percent of his field goals came beyond the arc. The jumper set up driving opportunities. Now, the inverse relationship exists. Milton is a slasher. That’s the bedrock of his scoring arsenal. A career-low 28 percent of his shots are threes this season.

As this shift transpired the past few years, he’d sometimes struggle to balance decision-making off the catch and relinquish advantages created by others. This year, Milton seems to have achieved the ideal balance and is more comfortable than ever launching against timely closeouts when necessary.

He’s netting 39.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes, his best mark since 2019-20. His 38.8 percent clip from deep is also only exceeded by the 43 percent mark of 2019-20. In trimming down most of his pull-up three volume (4.8 percent rate, lowest since his rookie year, when he attempted 87 total shots), he’s bolstered his effectiveness considerably. When he’s tasked with complementary scoring in the half-court — usually alongside Embiid and/or Harden — he’s equipped to seamlessly merge shooting and attacking.

“I feel like I’m pretty good against closeouts and have a tendency to make the right reads,” Milton says. “Getting closed out, getting by my initial defender, draw two and kick to somebody else. It gets pretty simple at that point.”

Boogying on the break and puncturing closeouts can’t explain the entirety of Milton’s success this year, though. He’s started nine times, including a smattering of games where at least two of Embiid, Harden, and Maxey were sidelined. In those nine instances, he’s averaging 20.9 points (65.2 percent true shooting), 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds. According to PBPStats, over 60 percent of his shots are classified as self-created and he’s generating an effective field goal percentage of 50.7 on them — league average is 49.4 percent this year.

His knack for creation inside the paint as an ancillary option illuminates the multiplicity of this lethal Sixers unit, which is 11-3 with the second-ranked offense since Maxey rejoined the lineup 14 games ago. He’ll burrow through, around, or over defenders to rock out below the free-throw line. When creation responsibilities fall on his shoulders, most commonly while spearheading all-bench squads next to Maxey, Philadelphia’s fourth rotation guard can produce sequences like these.

As Milton conducted a postgame interview following the Sixers’ 105-95 win over Portland last week, Maxey interjected to imitate the Owasso, Oklahoma native.

“Yeah, I get buckets, yeah I go left, stepback, yeah, we know,” the 22-year-old recited playfully a few feet away.

Minutes earlier, Maxey’s tone wasn’t quite as fun-loving. Instead, he decided to take a moment to praise his teammate.

When Maxey was a rookie fighting for scraps of playing time, Milton offered words of encouragement, drawing upon his own first-year trials. Now a pillar of Philadelphia’s present and future, Maxey understands the challenges a lack of minutes presents. He commends Milton’s patience and mental toughness navigating choppy waters the past few seasons.

“It’s hard not to play, it’s extremely hard not to play,” Maxey says. “He’s been in different roles, starting, not playing, coming off the bench, playing, having to score in big moments and just gotta really appreciate a guy like that. He’s doing his thing right now.”

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Mike Lindell’s Bid For Head Of The RNC Ended With Him Getting A Comically Low Number Of Votes

In between running a successful pillow company and devoting his time to less successful attempts to prove the 2020 elections were bunk, Mike Lindell thought he could add another job to his pile: being the head of the Republican National Committee. Alas, that proved yet another Lindell failure.

As per The Daily Beast, Lindell — who announced his aspirations for the gig back in November — saw his dreams squashed on Friday when he got a mere four votes in the first ballot. By contrast the ultimate winner — incumbent head Ronna McDaniel — won with 111 votes, out of 167 total.

Just as Lindell continues to think the 2020 election was riddled with voter fraud (it wasn’t), the chaotic MyPillow guy also believed he could win a key spot in the Republican party. He didn’t even come close. That said, a Rasmussen poll of Republican voters revealed that most voters vastly preferred him over the person who ultimately nabbed the spot. Alas, it’s not voters who elect RNC heads.

It’s a shame, as Lindell has done so much for the Republican party. He’s selflessly sacrificed a large chunk of his fortune to spreading buck wild, unprovable conspiracy theories about an election that happened over two years ago. His reward? Getting four votes in his failed attempt to be head of the RNC.

(Via The Daily Beast)

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Rita Ora Confirms She’s Married To Taika Waititi Through Her New Wedding-Themed ‘You Only Love Me’ Video

Rita Ora’s new music video for her song “You Only Love Me” also doubled as a confirmation that the pop star tied the knot with director Taika Waititi. The romantic and colorful visuals open with congratulatory clips from Kristen Stewart, Lindsay Lohan, and more.

From there, a group of bridesmaids helps Ora get ready for her recreated version of the big day. However, unlike her actual one, not everything goes to plan.

As for the song itself, it is a bubbly ode to Ora’s own relationship with Waititi, with her noting that nobody’s loved her like that before.

“Yes. Here we are,” Ora confirmed about their previous marriage rumors to People. “They say everything happens for a reason. I am officially off the market, people!”

“With ‘You Only Love Me’ and my upcoming album, I wanted to capture the vulnerability I’ve experienced as I opened myself up to love and entered a new phase of life,” she shared in a press release, according to Rolling Stone. “Learning to let go of the past to make way for new experiences is a deeply personal process, and one I felt compelled to document through my music.”

Watch Rita Ora’s “You Only Love Me” music video above.

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Kamaiyah’s Confident ‘Champagne Tears’ Single Finds Her Refocused

Kamaiyah enjoyed a prolific 2022, capped off in December with her seven-track Keep It Lit EP. The Oakland rapper dropped “Champagne Tears” today, January 27, to maintain momentum.

“I’m focusing on dropping more consistently and not looking at that numbers,” Kamaiyah tweeted ahead of the song’s arrival. “This the first time I’ve been able to just have fun and put out cool sh*t that I actually f*ck wit.”

And she definitely seems at ease through “Champagne Tears” — effortlessly packing several strong messages into just over two minutes of run time. “The money ain’t a thing / I’m sippin’ champagne through the pain,” Kamaiyah raps over a hypnotic, laid back beat. “No, the tears won’t fall down my eyes.”

Elsewhere in the song, Kamaiyah addresses enduring various forms of loss, including leaving her previous label, but her confidence is far from lacking: “I remain ’cause I still got sauce, b*tch / Want me to fall, but I won’t though / Rapper turned mogul / About to take this sh*t and go global / Got the rap game in a chokehold.”

In 2020, Kamaiyah addressed her departure from YG’s 4Hunnid Records and wished to received an apology from YG.

“It’s just like, I’m not gon’ flourish here,” she said, in part. “If I stay here, I’m not gon’ ever be what I’m supposed to be and reach my maximum. This ain’t a fit for me. It ain’t what I envisioned myself being.”

She seems to be flourishing now.

Listen to “Champagne Tears” above.

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Ben Gibbard Dropped An Eerily Excellent ‘Frightening Fishes’ Theme Song For A New Show

Death Cab For Cutie‘s lead singer Ben Gibbard recorded a new song, “Frightening Fishes,” as the theme song for Apple TV+’s new series, Shrinking.

Despite the song’s title, it is anything but scary. Instead, it’s an uplifting song about asking someone else for help when you’re struggling. “Help me carry this weight, just drag me down / Pull me out of the drink before I start to drown,” he sings in the chorus.

“I wanna hear myself think again,” Gibbard repeats before adding more hopeful lyricism later in the song. “‘Cause there’s more than you love that I need, that I need.” It was also co-written by the producer Tom Howe.

The show stars Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, who play two therapists. Segel plays the character of Jimmy Laird, who recently lost his wife, while Ford is his co-worker, Dr. Paul Rhodes.

Shrinking is a comedy about a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tells his clients exactly what he thinks,” the description reads according to Stereogum. “Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives…including his own.”

It is currently available to watch on the streaming service.

Listen to Ben Gibbard’s “Frightening Fishes” above.

Ben Gibbard and Death Cab For Cutie are Warner Music Artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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It Appears Jalen Hurts Helped Book Anita Baker For The NFC Championship Game

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has won over a lot of fans this season, leading the 14-3 Eagles to the top seed in the NFC and positioning himself as a finalist for the NFL MVP. But Hurts has never switched up on his fandom for Anita Baker.

Baker turned 65 years old on Thursday, January 26. Hurts tweeted, “Bumping @IAMANITABAKER All Day Per Usual, Happy Birthday” with a purple heart emoji. And Baker tweeted back, “Honored. Singing Songs of Victory, Your Way. Fly.”

The Eagles are preparing to host the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 29 at Lincoln Financial Field. Baker will also be there, and The Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Josh Tolentino doesn’t think that’s a coincidence.

“The magic of Jalen Hurts: Eagles just announced Anita Baker will sing the National Anthem for the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at Lincoln Financial [Field],” he tweeted.

Tolentino isn’t alone in that belief:

Per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro, the halftime performance will be handled by DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Over in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game. After Lil Jon performed at halftime of the Chiefs’ Divisional Round victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend, Fat Joe will handle this Sunday’s halftime performance.

The Eagles’ game against the Niners is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. EST on FOX, followed by the Bengals and Chiefs at 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS.

All of this is leading up to Super Bowl LVII on February 12 in Glendale, Arizona. Rihanna is the highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime performer.