Month: August 2023

Rudy Giuliani can justifiably take credit for alerting the world to Four Seasons Landscaping‘s existence, even if that was an inadvertent accomplishment. He also let the world know that it’s worth checking yo’ hair dye before melting in front of the entire world. And before he became known as “America’s Mayor” in the wake of 9/11, Rudy built his reputation upon claims that he was the one who had the idea to use RICO (as a U.S. attorney) to put mobsters behind bars for lengthy federal sentences.

Back in Rudy’s 2002 memoir, he boasted, “I dreamed up the tactic of using the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act to prosecute the Mafia leadership.” The thought of that feat biting him in the butt due to being indicted as one of Donald Trump’s alleged co-conspirators to overturn democracy? Pretty absurd. The discovery that Rudy largely embellished his “pioneering” of the use of RICO in high-profile mob cases? Even funnier. The Daily Beast did the legwork and spoke to two legal scholars who told it like it really is. One of them. G. Robert Blakey, is credited as the foremost expert on RICO because he actually drafted the statute:

Blakey, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame who has also taught at Cornell University, drafted the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 on a yellow legal pad. Title IX of the act was RICO.

“Giuliani falsely says he got the idea of using RICO against the mob himself because he read a biography by the head of one of the crime families,” Blakey, 87, told The Daily Beast this week. “That was his story.”

Blakey said that he has not previously challenged Giuliani’s account because what most mattered to him was that RICO had been used with devastating effect against the Mafia.

Blakey reveals that he was motivated to come forward after seeing Rudy brag about his RICO prowess in a livestreamed rant this week. As well, Blakey reveals how and where he drafted that RICO statute, which he says was motivated while considering previous failed prosecutions of mafiosos as well as the Nuremberg trials against Nazis.

From there, Ronald Goldstock, a mentee of Blakey, was the actual “pioneer” in question. He advised Giuliani on how RICO could be used to accomplish those now-infamous mob convictions. He also told The Daily Beast that he didn’t come forward when Rudy claimed credit because “I didn’t need the accolades for it… I was happy that it was brought.” Now, however, the pair reveals that they saw Trump’s rise to the presidency as akin to the behavior of a mob boss. Years later, Trump tried to overturn democracy and ended up allegedly violating RICO, and Giuliani was right there with him. Full circle, if you will.

(Via The Daily Beast)

It doesn’t appear as though the current wave of Jersey club-sampling rap hits is going to go away anytime soon. The latest rapper to ride the wave is TDE’s Doechii, who swipes Jersey club producer Uniiqu3’s 2018 song “Bubble Gum” and transforms it into a strip club-praising anthem, “Booty Drop,” which she previewed at the BET Awards earlier this year. The high-energy song is accompanied by a ’90s-inspired music video, shot with a camcorder aesthetic and even incorporating early video-editing software graphics like A Tribe Called Quest’s video for “Scenario.”

In the video, Doechii and her girl crew take a cruise on a yacht in their skimpiest bikinis, showing off their twerking skills and doing exactly what the sample incessantly commands: Making their booties drop.

Doechii’s star has risen rapidly over the past year since signing with TDE. Her Trillville-sampling single “What It Is” became a viral sensation courtesy of a wave of TikTok videos using the sound, she was featured on the XXL Freshman cover for 2022, she dropped her debut EP, She/Her/Black B*tch to critical acclaim, debuted at Coachella, and was tapped to appear on Janelle Monáe’s new album, all before being recruited by Doja Cat for her upcoming tour. She may be making booties drop, but her stock is only going up.

Watch Doechii’s “Booty Drop” video above.

Shortly before Tory Lanez was sentenced to ten years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, it was reported that a statement from Megan was read in court. The statement was described in various reports, but now, the full letter has surfaced.

Meghann Cuniff, a legal affairs journalist who closely covered the trial and sentencing, shared the full statement yesterday (August 17). It starts with Meg noting she “struggled” with being present in the courtroom, but ultimately decided, “I simply can’t bring myself to be back in the same room with Tory once again.”

Megan also wrote about how Lanez has treated her, saying, “I want you to know that since I was viciously shot by the defendant a little over three years ago, I have not experienced a single day of peace. I have been tormented and terrorized in every degree by the defendant. He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma. He tried to position himself as a victim and set out to destroy my character and my soul.”

The letter concludes, “Today I beg this court to send a message to every victim of violence and fully hold the defendant accountable for his criminal conduct. This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence. His crime warrants the full weight of the law.”

Read the full statement below.

“Dear Honorable Judge Herriford,

I struggled with being present today. I don’t want my absence to be interpreted as anything other than the preservation of my mental well-being. after everything that occurred, I simply can’t bring myself to be back in the same room with Tory once again.

I want you to know that since I was viciously shot by the defendant a little over three years ago, I have not experienced a single day of peace.

I have been tormented and terrorized in every degree by the defendant.

He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma. He tried to position himself as a victim and set out to destroy my character and my soul.

He lied to anyone that would listen and paid bloggers to disseminate false information about the case on social media.

He released music videos and songs to damage my character and continue his crusade.

He treated my trauma like a joke when I could have died that day.

Mercy can only be granted to those who accept responsibility for their actions. But not once has the defendant taken accountability.

At first, he tried to deny the shooting ever happened. Then he attempted to place the blame on my former best friend. In his tantrum of lies, he’s blamed the system. Blamed the press. And as of late, he’s using his childhood trauma to shield himself and avoid culpability.

For once, the defendant must be forced to face the full consequences of his heinous actions and face justice.

If the defendant would have spent a quarter of the past few years showing contrition for his crimes, perhaps I could have healed sooner. Instead, I spiraled into a dark and angry place where I thought my life was worthless and I felt loneliness and shame. Slowly but surely, I’m healing and coming back. But I will never be the same.

However, every day I think of the others across the world who are victims of violence and have survived. It is truly the most powerless feeling, especially when you question whether the justice system can truly protect you.

Fortunately, the District Attorney’s Office fought for me. I’m incredibly grateful to them and the jury for their attention to the evidence and siding with the truth. But if it can happen to me, imagine those who lack the resources and support system to help them.

Today I beg this court to send a message to every victim of violence and fully hold the defendant accountable for his criminal conduct.

This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence. His crime warrants the full weight of the law.

Thank you, Your Honor.”

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Mike Lindell touted his now-concluded “Election Summit” as a one-of-a-kind event that would unveil a bold new, bipartisan plan to secure future elections. Granted, the integrity of the 2020 election has been repeatedly proven in court, but for a brief moment, Lindell attempted to create the artifice that it was time to look turns the future and stop pushing Donald Trump’s Big Lie. Naturally, that artifice didn’t last long.

The guest list for the Lindell’s “Election Summit” already tipped his hand by including such MAGA luminaries as Rudy Giuliani, Mike Flynn, and Laura Loomer, but things really went off the rails when Steve Bannon took the stage. While sitting next to Flynn, Bannon called for another January 6, but this time in Georgia where Trump is facing his fourth indictment for allegedly pressuring state officials overturn the results of the 2020 election.

During his rant, Bannon also threatened Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Governor Brian Kemp. Via MeidasTouch:

“This is why I keep saying the J6 thing with President Trump in Georgia. We’re going to ram the stealing of Georgia down her throat, and we’re going to ram it up the ass of the governor.”

Of course the MAGA crowd cheered. Mike Lindell, Kurt Olsen, and Mike Flynn, who were sitting next to Bannon at the time, all clapped.

You can see clips of Bannon calling for a “J6” in Georgia below:

As for Lindell’s big plan to secure elections: It was drones. Specifically, drones that will fly over every polling in America to make sure voting machines aren’t connect to the internet and being manipulated, which again, is a thing that did not happen during the 2020 election.

(Via MeidasTouch)

Even if certain family members aren’t going to, superfans aren’t the only ones supporting pop star Britney Spears following the news of her divorce from Sam Asghari. On Wednesday (August 16), during the Detroit stop of her Summer Carnival Tour, Pink seemingly gave a nod to the singer by changing the lyrics to one of her songs.

While performing on the Comerica Park stage, Pink tweaked the line “Tired of being compared to damn Britney Spears,” featured in her 2001 song “Don’t Let Me Get Me.” Instead, Pink sang, “Tired of being compared to sweet Britney Spears,” continuing, “She’s so pretty / That just ain’t me.”

The track featured on Pink’s sophomore, Missundaztood, has been widely criticized by Spears’ fans. But during an interview with People, Pink told the outlet it wasn’t meant to be that way. “People think I was picking on Britney on ‘Don’t Let Me Get Me,’ but I’ve always felt like a big sister to her. I’m very protective of her, and she’s the sweetest person in the world,” said the recording artist.

Spears hasn’t released a public statement regarding the end of her marriage. However, her soon-to-be ex has. “After six years of love and commitment to each other, my wife and I have decided to end our journey together,” Asghari wrote on social media. “We will hold onto the love and respect we have for each other, and I wish her the best always. Sh*t happens. Asking for privacy seems ridiculous, so I will just ask for everyone, including media, to be kind and thoughtful.”

Just when you thought it was safe to swim again, the otters are back. The belly eaters (to any otters out there reading this, I say this with love — and jealously) have been stealing surfboards and causing chaos in California this summer, as an actress who was on Succession learned the hard way.

“I felt something on my back side and on my leg,” said Crystal Finn, who appeared in a season four episode of the HBO series, told the San Fransisco Chronicle. She was swimming in the Feather River near Plumas National Forest when she “started looking around and yelling out and [the otters] popped up right in front of me. Then they dove down and started going at me again.”

Finn went to a nearby hospital, where she was told by doctors that they had recently treated another victim of an otter attack. “I could see the bites on my legs and knew I had been bitten on my butt — that one was the worst, but I couldn’t see it,” she said. “The bites really hurt.”

Moments after the attack began, three otters appeared on the surface of the water about six inches from her face, she said. While the relationship between the otters was unclear, Finn theorized it was a mother protecting her two offspring. Startled, Finn hurled herself toward the shore of the narrow riverway. The otters “dove back down” and began biting her again. Fighting the trio with her feet, she scrambled onto a rock for safety. The otters disappeared.

Humans and otters need to come to a compromise. We get the land, they get the rivers. The oceans belong to the sharks, the skies to the birds. Snakes can do whatever they damn please. We can make this work.

(Via the San Fransisco Chronicle)

A lot of musicians have praised Jack Antonoff for his producing skills. “I think that guy has a reputation for being busy, but I can tell you, he’s just good. He’s so good,” Matty Healy said last year. He’s produced for Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Carly Rae Jepsen, and more. However, it started with Taylor Swift.

On Time‘s Person Of The Week podcast, Antonoff discussed how Swift encouraged him to engage in producing. “She’s the first person who recognized me as a producer,” Antonoff said, mentioning “Sweeter Than Fiction,” as well as his contributions to 1989.

“A lot of people are afraid to sign off on something that isn’t done by a proven person,” he said. “I had written lots of songs and produced them, but they would always sort of go somewhere else… So the label or whoever could say, ‘Oh, we had this person produce it. ‘I put my heart and soul into that song and she said, ‘I love it.’”

“I had played her that track, and I remember, we were at my apartment in New York,” he continued. “And sometimes she gets this look in her eye where she’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going in’… But on that one, I just remember watching her and being like, ‘Uh-oh. We’ve got a live one!’”

Listen to the episode below.

Steven was on vacation for part of the week, so he was checked out of the discourse. When he returned, he kept seeing the same face in his social media feed — the “Ginger Mumford” himself, Oliver Anthony. The folk-country artist went mega-viral this week with his right-wing, anti-welfare song “Rich Men North Of Richmond.” Steven asked Ian if he’s heard the song, and about the recent upswing in reactionary hits and whether this is a path forward for new artists looking for a way to break.

After that, the guys talk about Ian’s recent list of the greatest blog rock albums of all time. They debate Ian’s choices, and compare that mid-aughts era when amateur curators were obsessed with hyping obscure bands with today’s safer, superstar-obsessed era. Have things gotten better or worse?

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the indie-pop band dreamTX while Steven recommends the Philadelphia country-rock outfit Florry.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 151 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

There are a few reasons why Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a three-hour long drama for adults, has made $657 million (and counting) at the worldwide box office. For one thing, it’s a very good movie from one of the few directors who can sell a project on his name alone. The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon has also helped, with tens of thousands of same-day double features of Barbie and Oppenheimer (or the correct order, Oppenheimer then Barbie).

But one side effect of Oppenheimer coming out the same day as Barbie is that it’s never reached #1 at the box office. It’s been stuck in the pole position or, during the weekend that Meg 2: The Trench came out, third place. In fact, Oppenheimer is now the highest-grossing domestic movie of all time to never reach the top spot at the box office. It beat, of all things, Sing.

Oppenheimer added another $2.6 million on Wednesday, which brought its domestic total to $272.6 million. Since it constantly had Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie holding it back from taking first place, it’s now the current holder of that strange record to have. Similarly, Sing [which made $270.3 million] had the behemoth Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to compete against when it was released in December 2016.

The other big grossers that never hit #1 include My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Nolan must be thrilled to be in such great company.

(Via Gold Derby)

The latest episode of the Dua Lipa: At Your Service dropped today (August 18), and Lipa’s guest is none other than Billie Eilish. At one point in the conversation, Eilish explains how her mother, Maggie Baird, has been the “key” to her career.

She said, “Everything that I’ve experienced and being able to get through it is just all my mom. My mom is, like, the key to my career, and not like she’s a momager, she’s just a support system that is why I’m not completely a loony now.”

Eilish then noted of her relationship with her family, “My closest friends really, truly are my brother and my parents. I mean, it’s just the way that it is, and I’m fine with it. I think there was a period where I was maybe insecure, like, ‘I’m really close with my family. Hmm, am I a loser?’ [laughs] I’m much more fine with it now. I really love my family.”

She also spoke about how Finneas helps keep her grounded, saying, “When I’m with my brother and I kind of complain about sh*t, he’s like, ‘Shut up, snap out of that. Don’t do that. We’re not going to do that.’ [laughs] And I always appreciate that. There’s certain times when I really appreciate Finneas’ ability to be my brother, my sibling, and just be straight up with me. And he also makes me laugh more than anybody. We just… we get through it together. I don’t know how I would have done any of this without my brother, and without my mom.”

Check out that clip above and the full At Your Service episode below.