Category: Worldwide

Thirteen-year-old Rhys Porter recently received countless discriminatory comments on TikTok, after posting a penalty save for his disability sports club. This is more than a story of online bullying however. In fact, Rhys garnered the attention of his favorite pro football team, and their interactions have quickly become what feels like a heartwarming scene out of “Ted Lasso.”

In response to the online hate, Fulham FC rallied around Porter by inviting him to come train with the team’s goalkeepers. Additionally, the club’s website listed him as one of the team’s honorary members.

Moments of inspiration!
@rhysporter__ Goalkeeper Legend!!
@FulhamFC https://t.co/F7VahKccA7

— Hugo Oliveira (@HgO_Official)
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Rhys’ story started to go viral, as millions began rooting for him. “BBC Breakfast” shared an interview on Twitter where Fulham defender Tim Ream dropped in unannounced. Warning: Porter’s emotional response to the surprise might invoke a few tears:

Top class from #USMNT’s Tim Ream, who surprises a Fulham fan with cerebral palsy who had been abused online ❤️

(vi… https://t.co/wkIpwvRxA9

— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer)
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According to Ream’s tweet, it was emotional for him as well. The defender stated, “I think @rhysporter_ had a bigger effect on the squad today than we had on him.”

Day started with some emotion(yes I held back tears), and ends with opportunity. I think @rhysporter__ had a bigger… https://t.co/TOmn0plUYb

— Tim Ream (@timream5)
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Perhaps the most touching moment of all came in this past weekend’s match, where Fulham celebrated a goal by running across the field to hug and high-five Porter, who had been watching the game at the edge of the pitch. Everyone cheered in what one fan called “a beautiful moment in the beautiful game.”

A beautiful moment in the beautiful game…#COYW #FFC https://t.co/nCBY0qt2ci

— Mark Twomey (@markjtwomey)
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The best news is that since the online abuse, Rhys has succeeded in raising more than $26,000 for Scope, a charity aimed at increasing equality for disabled people, in its Make It Count campaign. It’s triumphs like these that remind us that celebrating one another beats bullying any day.

In the seemingly never-ending saga of Britney Spears’ conservatorship, her newly-appointed legal team seems to have found a way out. Although any number of the things Britney’s conservatorship team have done to her seem like grounds for dismissal to any sane bystander, conservatorship and probate lawyers have confirmed that this kind of abuse is common within this sector of the legal system. But Jamie Spears and his team seem to have gone over the line, legally speaking, when it came out via The New York Times‘ follow-up documentary, Controlling Britney Spears.

In this new doc, allegations that Jamie was secretly bugging Britney’s home and listening to her private conversations led her lawyer to demand Jamie be immediately removed from the conservatorship. According to a report from Deadline, the bugging accusation has also come to the attention of federal authorities, who “are indeed taking a look at the claims for a further possible criminal probe.”

California is a two party consent state for recording, so the audio surveillance alone is illegal on that grounds. The next hearing for Britney’s case will be this Wednesday, September 29th. Her lawyer has requested the immediate removal of Jamie Spears from the conservatorship, as well as termination of the oversight itself.

The Fugees reunion is off to a great start, with a well-received comeback show at New York’s Pier 17 as part of the Global Citizen Live concert series and a tour planned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the trio’s classic 1996 album The Score. Now, thanks to the sometimes overlooked group member Pras, fans know who to thank for the return of Fugees: Ms. Lauryn Hill, who apparently was the one who reached out to her former bandmates during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

In an interview about the reunion with Billboard‘s Nadine Graham, Pras said, “It was kinda initiated by Ms. Hill, but the idea was floating around since last year. But you know last year with the pandemic, nobody really knew which way the world was going. It happened organically. She reached out to Wyclef and they reached out to me. I said, ‘Listen, if it feels right, let’s see what happens.’ I think the culture really needed it, wanted it, so we’re just giving them what they want.”

However, with regard to whether the crew would be turning their reunion tour into a comeback album, he was a little more cagey. “I’ma say it like this to you,” he replied. “Last night, it really felt good.”

You can watch Fugees’ reunion performance of “Ready Or Not” above.

It’s a dark day for the Rebellion, but a pretty great one for Star Wars collectibles fans. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and Hasbro have joined forces to create a limited edition action figure: “George Lucas in Stormtrooper Disguise.” The 6-inch figure is being created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Wars creator Lucas’ production company, Lucasfilm, and is set to hit shelves later this year. According to senior director of product design at Hasbro Vickie Stratford, the team was thrilled to design the figure, and hopes fans cherish it as much as they do:

“As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I have both the honor and privilege to bring characters from the franchise to life in product form every single day. When the opportunity came to design the George Lucas figure, we were especially excited for this project. This figure is just one of the many ways we can honor his legacy for years to come and we hope fans cherish it as much as we did.”

In addition to stormtrooper Lucas, the figure comes with a removable helmet and blaster — though don’t count on the notoriously inaccurate gun to be able to pack too much of a punch. While the figure is a limited-time 50th anniversary release, it’s also interesting to note this isn’t the first time Lucas has been immortalized as a stormtrooper. Back in 2006, 77-year-old Lucas was transformed into a 3.75-inch stormtrooper for Star Wars Saga Collection. Needless to say, if you’ve got that lil’ guy, picking up his 6-inch counterpart seems like must-have for your Star Wars collection.

Daniel Craig recently revealed that he did something truly heinous: He punched Dave Bautista in the nose. It was an accident, a misfire that happened while they were shooting a knock-down, drag-out fight scene in the previous Bond outing, Spectre. Craig claimed he did what all of us would do if we accidentally punched a former wrestler in the snout: He ran away. But Bautista himself is not so sure he agrees 100 percent with his police work.

“He did not run!!!” Bautista claimed on Twitter a day after the story went viral. “He started screaming ‘F*ck I broke his nose!! And he did.” But instead of the now ex-007 making a break for it, Bautista says he hugged him, apologized, and they laughed. “I changed clothes, shoved TP up my nose and we continued to make one of the best fight scenes ever.”

Craig made the claim during a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, where he told the story slightly differently, perhaps to make himself seem worse, as per IndieWire:

“I threw a punch and hit him on the nose,” Craig said. “I heard this crack and I was like ‘Oh God no’ and ran away. I thought he was going to come after me, but he was so sweet.”

Craig said that Bautista set his nose back in place and production continued, adding, “He’s a lot tougher than I am. I’ll give him that.”

So the lesson: If you accidentally break Dave Bautista’s nose while shooting a fake fight for a blockbuster movie, don’t run. Instead, give him a hug. Although maybe that only applies to Daniel Craig.

In the meantime, the long-delayed No Time to Die — Craig’s swan song as 007 — will finally hit theaters on October 8.

ICYMI: Last week’s “Ted Lasso” episode used the iconic song “Never Gonna Give You Up” in a whole new way. It was so moving that Rick Astley himself had to give his heartfelt praise.

In Season 2, Episode 10 of the critically acclaimed series, the show once again pushed the envelope of blending tragedy and comedy with its unique, irreverent and sweet-and-salty depiction of grief. At her father’s funeral, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) struggles to find the words to give a proper eulogy. So instead, she delivers a soft spoken, almost whisper-like performance of the classic Astley tune, until the whole crowd joins her.

The show managed to take this famous pop song—normally seen as a silly gag—and transformed it into the episode’s most provocative emotional moment in a way that only “Ted Lasso” can.

So taken aback by this artistic choice, Rick Astley shared his reaction to the show in a teary-eyed video.

#Believe #Biscuits #Grrrr @TedLasso @jasonsudeikis @hanwaddingham @brendanhunting
@brettgoldstein @AppleTV… https://t.co/ZI5CTouHnn

— Rick Astley (@rickastley)
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In his video, Astley says “So, it’s taken a little while for me to process what I think about the latest episode of ‘Ted Lasso.’ I’m a massive fan of the show, and I was just completely blown away with what they did with that song. … People have said that even they cried in the church scene. I don’t want to give too much away. … Just amazing. Thank you very much for including that song in your beautiful show. I’m blown away. Just fantastic.”

Astley praised Waddingham’s effort in the scene and the impact it had on him. “I have to say, to Hannah Waddingham — Emmy award-winning Hannah Waddingham — you did an amazing, incredible job.”

Astley trailed off, looking a bit emotional before he said that he “didn’t cry.”

Emmy award-winning Hannah Waddingham appeared a bit starstruck in her reply to Astley’s tweet, saying, “DM’d you. Not going to embarrassingly fangirl in public!!”

@rickastley @TedLasso @jasonsudeikis @brendanhunting @brettgoldstein @AppleTV DM’d you. Not going to embarrassingly… https://t.co/4oClEZyUAx

— Hannah Waddingham. (@hanwaddingham)
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A few other show members were equally “fangirling” over the legendary crooner’s tweet.

😮 https://t.co/iwP98rLZKX

— Brendan Hunt (@brendanhunting)
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Awesome. #TedLasso https://t.co/IFcsrEsSjc

— Bill Lawrence (@VDOOZER)
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Rickrolling aside, Astley’s work is clearly hitting the public consciousness in a whole new (and perhaps better) way.

Because of her own experience with abuse and coercion in the music industry, Phoebe Bridgers is quick to speak out in support of other women who have faced similar experiences. Like Phoebe and many other women’s experience with Ryan Adams, as detailed in an investigative piece by The New York Times, sometimes the worst behavior comes from unexpected places. But producer Chris Nelson is vehement that his behavior doesn’t fall into that category, and is reportedly now suing Phoebe for defamation when she supported another woman for coming forward about him.

TMZ reports that Nelson has filed a lawsuit against Bridgers that “claims she seriously hurt his bottom line by falsely accusing him of being a violent abuser.” According to their reporting, the lawsuit alleges that Phoebe lied about the producer because she was close to his ex-girlfriend. Before Nelson began dating his ex, Phoebe and her allegedly had a relationship, and continued dating even after Nelson and the woman ended their relationship. That’s when the woman began speaking out about her abuse at the hands of Nelson, from grooming, stealing, violence and abuse to racially motivated violence, hate crimes, fraud, robbery and hacking women’s email accounts.

Because Phoebe directed her followers to the woman’s Instagram account where she was sharing what she experienced, Nelson is roping the musician into his suit. Nelson owns the Sound Space recording studio in downtown LA and is apparently suing Phoebe for “at least $3.8 million in damages.” He is also currently suing his ex for defamation, too.

TMZ didn’t get a comment from Bridgers’ camp, but we will update if and when they make one.

Drea Kelly appeared on Good Morning Britain this week to discuss the outcome of the sex crimes trial against her ex-husband R. Kelly, saying that her “heart is in two places” as a result of the guilty verdict handed down Monday (September 27). R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking, including 14 specific acts and eight counts of violating the Mann Act. Drea is “sad that it took this long,” but said that she has to “also wear the hat of a mother and an ex-wife,” unlike some of R. Kelly’s other victims.

“My heart definitely goes out to the survivors and the courage that it takes to come forward and tell the story,” she said, “But my heart breaks as a mother because this is now the legacy that my children will have to deal with and their children’s children. At the end of the day, you cannot walk away from your bloodline.”

She noted that she has the ability to more or less cut ties as the singer’s ex-wife, but that the former couple’s three adult children won’t have it so easy. “I have the ability to separate and kinda distance myself from it, but his blood runs through my children’s veins,” she said. “It’s part of their DNA and they couldn’t escape it even if they wanted to. So it’s very difficult for me to sit in that position.”

R. Kelly posted a statement on Facebook after the verdict was announced, writing, “To all my fans and supporters I love you all and thank you for all the support. Today’s verdict was disappointing and I will continue to prove my innocence and fight for my freedom.” Meanwhile, the prosecution in the trial produced a number of compelling witnesses who attested to Kelly violating the law by having fake ID made for Aaliyah so she couldn’t testify against him after a pregnancy scare, described specific sex acts committed by a 26-year-old Kelly on a 13-year-old Aaliyah, and recounted horrifying abuse at the singer’s hands.

A sentencing trial is set for May 4, 2022, as Kelly is set to go back to Chicago to face another trial on similar state charges.

One of the gripes Ben Simmons reportedly has about his current situation with the Philadelphia 76ers stems from the belief that he’s not able to fit alongside Joel Embiid on the court anymore. While there’s nothing personal there, Simmons’ thought is that the two can’t effectively play alongside one another.

According to a new report by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the well-documented trip that the Sixers’ brass took to Los Angeles to try and convince Simmons to come back to the team included a conversation about how his role might change. And while it involved giving more responsibility to him to the point that he’d be used as the focal point of the team’s offense when Embiid rests, it didn’t change his mind about leaving.

Rivers shared how he planned to use Simmons this upcoming season anyway: Embiid and Simmons would stagger minutes more often, and when Embiid came off the floor, Simmons would play the 5, sharing the frontcourt with Tobias Harris and new addition Georges Niang. Rivers said he wanted to put Simmons in more situations that resemble Giannis Antetokounmpo’s role in Milwaukee, with four shooters surrounding him, empowering him to be a primary scoring option with the second unit. Rivers and Morey, according to sources, said that Simmons and Embiid are the best defensive duo in basketball, and with some slight tweaks, they could be even more productive on the offensive end. Simmons wasn’t enthused.

In theory, this would be the best way to use Simmons’ talents, as the team would put four guys who can space the floor around him and give him the opportunity to attack defenses and set up teammates on the perimeter. Despite that, if Simmons wants to find himself in that role, it appears his heart is set on doing the Giannis-light thing somewhere other than the City of Brotherly Love.

There’s yet another Trump book en route, this one from inside the White House. Stephanie Grisham — the press secretary no one remembers, probably because she never held a single press briefing — is about to release the amusingly titled I’ll Take Your Questions Now, and no shock that it’s filled with goodies. For instance: Did you know the only thing that can calm the savage beast that is Trump is show tunes?

But there’s some dirt on Jared and Ivanka, too. As per The Washington Post, Grisham is clearly not a fan of the power couple, who obtained senior positions in the White House largely due to nepotism. She refers to Jared as “the Slim Reaper” due to his yen for inserting himself into other people’s projects, screwing it up, then leaving them to take the blame.

But there was one incident in which Jared and Ivanka failed to use their clout to get what they want. In 2019, during a trip to the United Kingdom — the one that bred that instant classic photo of the couple looking like porcelain dolls — they tried and failed to meet the Queen:

Tellingly, Grisham writes that Ivanka and Jared tried to push their way into meeting Queen Elizabeth II alongside the president and first lady, a wild breach of protocol on a state visit, but were thwarted when they couldn’t fit into the helicopter. “I finally figured out what was going on,” Grisham writes. “Jared and Ivanka thought they were the royal family of the United States.”

It seems Grisham wasn’t the only one who saw through Jared Kushner. “I had shared with Mrs. Trump many times my opinion that if we lost reelection in 2020 it would be because of Jared,” Grisham, who served as Chief of Staff to Melania before resigning on on Jan. 6, writes. “She didn’t disagree with me.”

(Via Washington Post)