Category: News

In the first weeks after the 2020 general election, it was the Wild West over at Fox News. They’d let anyone say anything, no matter how divorced it was from reality. Now they might have to pay for it. The news network is one of the places or figures being sued by Dominion Voting Systems, which was the center of some of the looniest conspiracy theories. Some of the network’s hosts have even been forced to admit they always knew that talk was bunk.

As per The New York Times, Fox News superstars like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity had been forced to sit down for depositions for the case. They did not go well. During a court hearing on Wednesday, before the case goes to jury trial in April, it was revealed that Hannity was asked if he bought the claims notorious Trump lawyer and Diet Dr. Pepper fanatic Sidney Powell had made about voter fraud, including on his own show.

“I didn’t believe it for a second,” Hannity replied under oath.

That’s not good news for Fox News. Defamation trials are tricky because prosecutors have to persuade juries that those accused of such were saying one thing while believing another. Hannity admitting he thought Powell was full of it is strong evidence that the network was doing just that.

Hannity wasn’t the only one to tell the truth about helping Fox News spread nonsense. A lawyer for Dominion revealed that many of the “highest-ranking Fox people have admitted under oath that they never believed the Dominion lies.” That includes not only Hannity but also Carlson, the latter who when asked what he really believes about the 2020 election “tried to squirm out of it at his deposition,” as a Dominion lawyer put it.

Some at the network allegedly tried to stop the self-incriminating spread of misinformation. One employee, another Dominion lawyer said, thought voter fraud claims were “outlandish,” even begging Trump’s staff to jettison Powell before she made things worse. Alas, the network may soon find itself in deep doo-doo, all over a guy they don’t even like anymore.

(Via NYT)

Justin Bieber has a lot going on. The “Peaches” singer just called out H&M for copyright infringement over an unauthorized merch collection; he’s also amongst The Weeknd, Snoop Dogg, Post Malone, and more celebrities serving as defendants in the lawsuit against Bored Ape Yacht Club’s NFT creators.

Luckily, it looks like the most recent news is exciting. The star is reportedly approaching a deal to sell his music rights to Blackstone-backed Hipgnosis Songs Capital for about $200 million, according to sources who told Variety.

Justin Timberlake sold his entire catalog to Hipgnosis in May.

This follows the postponement of Bieber’s Justice World Tour this year. In June, he revealed his Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis, which causes partial facial paralysis. He resumed his tour in Europe and performed six shows from July 31 to August 12, but he announced another postponement following his record-breaking set at Rock In Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on September 4.

“After resting and consulting with my doctors, family and team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour. I performed six live shows, but it took a real toll on me. This past weekend I performed at Rock in Rio and I gave everything I have to the people in Brazil,” his statement read in September. “After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be ok, but I need time to rest and get better.”

The tour has been postponed through at least March 25, 2023.

Idles released their album Crawler in November 2021, which housed tracks like “The Beachland Ballroom,” “Car Crash” and “Stockholm Syndrome.” Earlier this month, the UK five-piece band celebrated the five-year anniversary of their debut album, Brutalism, but they aren’t waiting that long to reflect on Crawler.

Today, December 21, Idles shared Making Of Crawler, shot and edited by Aris Chatman. The 11-minute documentary begins with footage from between February 8, 2021 to February 21, 2021 and an interesting tidbit, “Crawler was Idles’ first time ever recording any of their parts individually.” We see singer Joe Talbot recording “Progress” with producer Kenny Beats.

“We want people who’ve gone through trauma, heartbreak, and loss to feel like they’re not alone,” Talbot said in a statement about the documentary. “This album shows the ugly side of where those things come from, but also how it is possible to reclaim joy from those experiences.”

Crawler is nominated at the 2023 Grammys, competing in the Best Rock Album category alongside The Black Keys’ Dropout Boogie, Elvis Costello & The Imposters’ The Boy Named If, Machine Gun Kelly’s Mainstream Sellout, Ozzy Osbourne’s Patient Number 9, and Spoon’s Lucifer On The Sofa.

Since its November 2021 release, Idles performed at Coachella, took the stage on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and executed an extensive 2022 world tour.

Watch the Making Of Crawler documentary above.

Hallmark movies tend to be predictable holiday fare, so it’s safe to say that “Rick and Morty” creator Dan Harmon wasn’t off when he cried foul after learning about the “Sister Swap” films.

Harmon saw there were two “Sister Swap” Hallmark movies that came out in 2021 and couldn’t tell which one to watch first. “Well HERE’S THE THING,” Harmon wrote on Instagram “Both Sister Swaps are released in 2021. They are not sequels. Both Sister Swaps are the same story, about sisters—played by real-life sisters, who have to swap…cities.”

In a world where Hallmark churns out 40 holiday films a year, it’s reasonable to think that the company was trying to pull a fast one and save some money by making two identical films and releasing them separately.

See on Instagram

The “Sister Swap” films star real-life sisters Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Ashley Williams, whose characters are siblings as well. The first film, “Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday” is about a widow who attempts to reopen her late uncle’s old dilapidated small-town movie theater for one last Christmas screening. While “Sister Swap: Christmas in the City,” which debuted seven days after, is about sisters who swap cities to pursue new projects in the 12 days leading up to Christmas.

Harmon was thrown by the fact that the films shared several scenes with identical dialog.

“We keep going back and forth between the movies,” Harmon said, trying to make sense of them. “The same conversations are happening in each one but there’s no ‘Rashomon’ or ‘Peep Show’ angle, the dialogue in each version is identical but the scenes are cut differently because I assume they just had different editors.”

Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece “Rashomon” is known for its unique structure where the same story is seen from multiple perspectives.

Harmon shared another post where he lined up a scene from both nearly identical films.

See on Instagram

Finally, Harmon’s confusion was assuaged when the people who made the film showed up in the comments. The films’ co-screenwriter, Zac Hug, explained what Hallmark was trying to do with the movies.

“Quick note on this, the task in writing was to make sure the audience didn’t have to see them both but were rewarded if they did. Hallmark also got on board with my sister and me writing them together,” Hug wrote.

Williams-Paisley confirmed that the decision to combine the two films was to do something unprecedented with a Hallmark production. “We wanted to do something outside the box for the genre but also stay in the genre and my sister came up with this brilliant idea of two films that take place in the same time frame and sometimes overlap,” Williams-Paisley commented.

Executive producer Neal Dodson further clarified things for Harmon.

“We had one editor and edited them in tandem,” he wrote. “They share 9 scenes, with different edits to those scenes that favor whichever sister’s movie it is.”

Harmon clearly understands the medium of film—he created the hit series “Community” and “Rick and Morty”—yet he missed the fact that “Sister Swap” was a total revolution in the art of making Hallmark films.

After hearing about the movies from the artists themselves, he changed his mind and said the films were “cinematically unprecedented.”

The films are truly a departure from the usual movie format, not just for Hallmark, but TV movies in general. But, before we get too excited, the productions also probably saved a few nickels by shooting two films at the same time.

Everybody loves a great deal. But if you can get a great deal while supporting a local business that makes your community a better place, that’s what you call a win-win. And when it comes to great deals and supporting local communities, nobody does it better than Groupon.

A lot has changed since Groupon launched back in 2008. However, one thing that has remained the same is the company’s commitment to building connections and communities.

So if you’re looking for a unique gift or one-of-a-kind experience, and you haven’t checked out Groupon in a while, here’s why you probably should.

Why Groupon?

When Groupon began in 2008, the idea was to create an online deals marketplace that helped consumers discover local businesses that offer unique services and experiences. Each day, there was a different deal from a different local business, whether it was for BOGO pizza or 50 percent off admission to the local zoo. Each deal lasted only 24 hours and didn’t activate unless a minimum number of people opted in. Once a deal was activated, customers received a voucher to redeem with the individual business.

As Groupon expanded to more cities, it offered more than one deal daily. It also got rid of the 24-hour time limit and started offering a wider variety of products and services from bigger and bigger companies.

Today Groupon is the best place on the internet to get a good deal. You can buy almost anything there, at any time, with no minimum number of buyers required for the deal to be activated. And while Groupon is still the number one way to discover amazing new services and experiences in your area, they now offer discounts from major chains.

Want a good deal on a spa day, teeth cleaning, or car detailing? Check Groupon. Want to save on hotel rooms, vacation packages, car rentals, phone plans, or tickets to sporting events? Check Groupon. Want to buy a new TV, jewelry, sheets, deodorant, or batteries? Check Groupon.

In short, you probably shouldn’t buy anything until you check Groupon because chances are you can save yourself a lot of money.

Local Communities At The Forefront

While Groupon has expanded far beyond its humble origins over the last 15 years, helping local businesses thrive is still the company’s top priority. When you search for deals, the results prioritize results based on your location. And when you go to browse by categories, the first one listed is local.

That’s not an accident. It’s the company’s ethos. Groupon’s goal is not to be the world’s biggest eCommerce site. Their goal is to be the best. And that means creating the types of connections between consumers and businesses that help communities thrive.

In addition to helping local businesses gain loyal customers, Groupon also helps local communities through various corporate initiatives. These include partnerships with community organizations, investments in various nonprofits, an employee volunteer program, responsible business practices, and more.

There are lots of ways to save a buck. But if you want to save money, discover exciting new products and services, and support a company that supports local communities, click here to sign up for Groupon. You will not regret it.

Historically Republicans are usually fighting Democrats. Lately they’ve been fighting each other. The “red wave” that failed to materialize during the midterms has made them turn them on each other. More and more members of the GOP have felt comfortable distancing themselves from the MAGA wing. Even the MAGA wing is duking it out, with former Marjorie Taylor Greene recently coming for onetime bestie Lauren Boebert. Now Marge is turning her sights on Mitch McConnell.

As Ukrainian president Voldymyr Zelensky arrived on U.S. soil, the Senate minority leader has urged fellow Republicans to helkp the Democrats pass a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill, which includes, among other things, $45 billion earmarked for the embattled nation. He called the defeat of Russians in their nearly year-long invasion “the number one priority for the United States right now, according to most Republicans.”

That sent Greene steaming.

In a Twitter thread, the Georgia representative accused McConnell of seeking to “override” the slim majority Republicans will soon have in the House so as to “help Biden & his retiring Senator friends.” She fumed about the Southern border, about migrants, about foreign aid to countries that aren’t Ukraine. She concluded that “the American people are raped everyday at the hands of their own elected leaders.”

She wrote, “We, Republicans, as a national party need to have a serious talk about supporting any member of our party that betrays us in this manner.”

Greene wasn’t the only MAGA Republican furious with the top Republican. “Mitch McConnell actually said yesterday that most Republicans #1 priority is … Ukraine,” tweeted Don Jr. “I have yet to meet a single Republican that thinks that, but I guess the disconnect between actual republicans and DC swamp rats shouldn’t surprise anyone.”

Both Greene and Jr. were also furious with Zelensky, with the former calling him “a shadow president” lording over America’s “51st state” and the latter going so far as to dub him an “ungrateful international welfare queen.”

Anyway, let them fight, as they say.

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have made an impressive statement in the first 30 games of the season, darting off to a 19-11 start that has them tied atop the West with Denver.

A year ago, Memphis took home the 2-seed in the West before a second-round defeat to the eventual champs in Golden State, but confidence is sky-high for the young (but increasingly seasoned) Grizzlies. No one on their team exudes that confidence more than Ja Morant, who sat down with ESPN’s Malika Andrews this week and explained that the team they expect to be the biggest hurdle in the playoffs is Boston. That, of course, would mean a trip to the Finals and when Andrews asked if that meant he wasn’t worried about challengers in the West, he affirmed.

I have little doubt Morant believes this, but considering the Grizzlies haven’t made it past the second round since 2013, it’s still quite a statement to make in December. Memphis is no stranger to stirring things up and they certainly have proven Morant right in that they don’t back down after his famous “we run up the chimney” quote, but you can rest assured an early exit in the West playoffs this year will cause this clip to resurface.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visited the U.S. for the first time since the Russia invasion. For nearly a year, the nation has kept Russian forces from taking over. It’s gone terribly for Russia, but it’s far from over. Ukraine has been able to withstand invaders thanks in part to help from other nations, who’ve recognized the existential threat posed if Russian president Vladimir Putin achieves his goals. Not everyone sees Putin as a threat. As Zelensky arrived on U.S. shores, he received a chilly reception from one wing of the GOP (as well as, of course, from Putin).

MAGA Republicans were up in arms over Zelensky’s visit, which found him meeting with President Joe Biden and later addressing Congress. The usual suspects threw fits. Marjorie Taylor Greene called Zelensky a “shadow president” and his nation the “51st state.” She also blew up over foreign aid in general and singled out Mitch McConnell, who is for extending more support to Ukraine, for scorn, saying Americans were being “raped.” Greene’s former bestie Lauren Boebert was mad, too.

But arguably the most over-the-top response came from Don Jr., the son of the former president, who earned his first of two impeachments after trying to blackmail Zelensky into helping him dig up dirt on the GOP’s biggest bête noire, Hunter Biden. Sharing a story about how the U.S. was prepared to give Ukraine another $45 billion in aid, he called Zelensky “basically an ungrateful international welfare queen.”

There are arguments to be made about how much money the U.S. should give Ukraine for their fight. But Donald Trump Jr. is not someone who should be making those. (To say nothing of the loaded term “welfare queen,” with its racist and classist connotations.) Some pointed out that he really shouldn’t be making this charge the day after news broke that his father, whose tax returns are finally to be made public, didn’t even pay taxes for the last two years.

Some accused Don Jr. of projection.

Others were reminded that his father often used taxpayer dollars to do whatever he wanted.

Some argued Don Jr. was really just mad that Zelensky didn’t help his dad with his sleazy schemes.

Some challenged his use of the term “welfare queen.”

Maybe, some postulated, Jr.’s just mad that dad doesn’t love him.

Or perhaps he’s scared what Zelensky would do to him if he called him that to his face.

Henry Cavill’s about to hang up those swords and grunts and leather pants of Geralt of Rivia after The Witcher Season 3, which will arrive in mid 2023. Before that happens, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has suggested that there’s more to the story that we haven’t heard yet, she’s also promising that his exit will be as triumphant as possible.

As Schmidt Hissrich further reveals, she wanted this final season to “honor” Henry for everything that he’s brought to the franchise, which already launched a spinoff prequel movie about Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir, as well as the Blood Origin prequel that arrives on Christmas. And here’s the showrunner’s necessarily vague description of Season 3, which will be “the most heroic sendoff” (albeit an unintended sendoff) that the show could whip up before Cavill leaves the building. Via Entertainment Weekly:

“Henry has given so much to the show and so we want to honor that appropriately,” Hissrich tells EW. She points to Time of Contempt, the fourth book in author Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher series that the writers’ room partly adapted for the season 3 story.

“What is so interesting is that season 3, to me, is the closest thing that we’ve done as a one-to-one adaptation of the books,” she says. “Obviously, we can’t do every page, but Time of Contempt gave us so many big action events, plot points, defining character moments, huge reveals of a big bad. There’s so much to do that we were able to stick really, really closely with the books.”

Cavill, as discussed before, was speculated to have departed the franchise due to picking up his previous Superman role, but James Gunn has confirmed that the DCU/DCEU will soon dive into the younger Clark Kent’s story, meaning that Cavill will be onto different pastures. The Enola Holmes actor later detailed that he’s got a gig already and will soon dive into adapting the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop RPG universe for Amazon. In the meantime, we can look forward (?) to Liam Hemsworth’s version of Geralt as well as the return of Jaskier as storyteller in Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin, which arrives on December 25.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

For Russian soldiers sent to fight in Ukraine, the biggest threat might be the person fighting alongside you. The Daily Beast wrote about a disturbing report published on iStories, an independent media outlet, which claims there’s a rising trend of Russian soldiers being killed by their fellow servicemen — because at least one party is inebriated, soldiers are ill-equipped to properly handle their weapons, and/or the unit commanders simply aren’t paying attention.

According to The Daily Beast’s Allison Quinn, Ukrainian intelligence officials released audio that has been captured of Russian soldiers speaking with their family and loved ones back at home:

In audio released by Ukrainian intelligence on Tuesday and said to capture a Russian soldier’s phone conversation, a man identified only as Aleksei tells his mother the military just sent reinforcements. He explains that the reinforcements came because “20 people are gone.”

“Our tank hit hard: It fired twice and 20 guys, f**k. I’m telling you, what the f**k kind of command is this, scumbags. They’re f**king killing their own,” Aleksei, who described himself as a commander, said.

“I’m telling you, there are more losses from our own [guys],” than the Ukrainians, he said.

In another phone call, a soldier told his friend “It’s not a war, it’s a sh*t show. It’s complete bullsh*t. That’s it, the entire response from leadership: There are 300,000 of you, basically, we don’t give a f**k.”

IStories spoke with one soldier, Dmitry Panov, who said that he volunteered for military duty in the summer but refused to continue fighting after commanders kept killing their own men. “We are just meat,” Panov said. “They don’t want to know us, they present us as some kind of animals that are being led to the slaughter.”

Back in Russia, Putin has copped to the situation in Ukraine being “extremely complicated.” Though he’s pointing fingers at “saboteurs” and “spies.”

(Via The Daily Beast)