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If Rudy Giuliani ever tells you a plan you have in mind is crazy, believe him. The former Mayor of New York City seems to know a lot about crazy, and can apparently even recognize it for himself—at least that’s what Seth Meyers told us on Monday night.

Meyers dedicated much of his “A Closer Look” segment to Donald Trump teasing the possibility that, if he were to run for president again—and if he actually won this time—he would consider pardons for many of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 (many of whom claim they did it at the former president’s urging). But in the midst of that conversation, and noting how Trump’s lawyer John Eastman had laid out a very specific plan for exactly how then-vice president Mike Pence could overturn the totally legitimate election, another interesting tidbit came to light: Rudy Giuliani—yes, that Rudy Giuliani—appears to have been the voice of reason. As Meyers explained, new evidence has come to light via the January 6th hearings that both Trump and Eastman knew that what they were encouraging Pence to do was illegal, but went ahead with it anyway:

Toward the end of Trump’s presidency, Eastman even sent an email to Rudy Giualiani casually suggesting that maybe Trump should pardon Eastman… I guess it makes sense that if you’re looking for the pardon list, you’d email Rudy Giuliani. He’s definitely the guy who came up with the idea of a pardon list. The pardon list was probably just every possible version of his own name written on the back of a steakhouse napkin. Because even Rudy, who we tend to think of as a delusional, bumbling doofus… even Rudy apparently knew the whole scheme was illegal.

That shocker came from former White House attorney Eric Herschmann, who claimed to have had “an intellectual discussion” with Rudy on the morning of January 6th that ended with Rudy agreeing that Eastman’s plan to overturn the election was illegal. Though Meyers cast some doubts on part of Herschmann’s testimony:

First of all, I doubt it was truly an intellectual discussion if Rudy Giuliani was involved. Saying you had an intellectual discussion with Rudy Giuliani is like saying you played chess with a horse. Second, it’s incredible to me that even Rudy knew it was a crazy and bad idea. RUDY! That’s how you know your plan is truly f**king insane! This is a guy who, while under multiple investigations, thought it was a good idea to do a video using an Abraham Lincoln filter. That same guy looked at John Eastman’s plan and said, ‘Ahhhhh I don’t know.’

You can watch the full clip above (the Rudy bit starts around the 5:30 mark).

As much of the world awaits what bombshells the fourth day of the January 6th hearings will bring to the fore, former congressman and chair of the House Oversight Committee-turned-Fox News commentator Jason Chaffetz is more concerned that a wise-cracking hand puppet will face the full force of the law.

On Monday night, as Mediaite reports, Chaffetz chatted with Sean Hannity about how Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (a.k.a. Robert Smigel) and six other members of the Late Show team were arrested for unlawful entry by Capitol Police while filming some extra material for an upcoming segment in the hallway of a Capitol office building. To Hannity and Chaffetz, this is tantamount to another insurrection (not that they’d ever call the first one that) and seems to be the equivalent of thousands of people violently shattering the windows and busting through barriers to enter the Capitol while calling for Mike Pence’s neck and leaving several dead.

“Where’s the outrage from the Democrats,” Hannity demanded to know. “Aren’t they concerned about trespassing and securing the Capitol? Or is that only when they can use it to attack Donald Trump?”

Chaffetz agreed, noting that it was a matter of “equal application of the law… If somebody breaks the law, they should be charged. On the one hand, I’m glad that the Capitol Police had the political guts to actually arrest these people. There is I think a question as to how is it that they got back into the Capitol? Once they’ve been kicked out, isn’t there a security breach for allowing them back in a second time?”

Despite the fact that we’re talking about a comedian with his hand up the ass of a cigar-chomping Rottweiler puppet, Chaffetz said he wants “to see these people prosecuted to the same degree and the same outrage that the left pretends on January 6 people.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, they are not the only Fox News employees to take such an extreme view of the incident. On Friday night, Tucker Carlson wanted to know “how could they not be held for a year and a half in solitary confinement without being charged?”

Stephen Colbert addressed the incident himself on Monday night, and cleared up many of the rumors surrounding exactly what went down. As The Hollywood Reporter wrote:

Colbert began his monologue by explaining what happened at the Capitol, outlining what his crew were up to, where they were and who they spoke to, emphasizing they had permission to be there. “After [the crew] finished their interviews, they were doing some last-minute puppetry and jokey make-em-ups in a hallway, when Triumph and my folks were approached and detained by the Capitol police—which actually isn’t that surprising,” Colbert continued, adding that the Capitol police were much more circumspect after the Jan. 6 insurrection last year that led to five people dying.

While Colbert stands by his staffers, he also made it clear that he understands why Capitol police are “much more cautious than they were, say, 18 months ago” and said that “the Capitol police were just doing their job, my staff was just doing their job, everyone was very professional, everyone was very calm. My staffers were detained, processed and released.”

The Late Show host also weighed in on the ongoing Fox News rhetoric that’s comparing the arrest of seven people filming a comedy bit to more than 2,000 people illegally entering a government building by any means necessary and wreaking havoc, and calling the Triumph incident its own kind of “insurrection”:

“First of all: what,” Colbert asked. “Second of all: huh? Third of all, they weren’t in the Capitol building!”

You can watch Hannity and Chaffetz discuss the incident here.

(Via Mediaite)

For more than two years now, much of the world has had to adjust the way they live and work to account for the COVID pandemic that has so far killed more than 6.3 million people, with the United States leading the way in total number of deaths. While a simple vaccination could save your life (and possibly the lives of others) if you get COVID, Andrew Giuliani doesn’t want it. And he’s mad as hell that coronavirus mandates are interfering with his desire to become the next governor of New York.

As Deadline reports, Rudy Giuliani’s 36-year-old son is complaining because he can’t get his way. After being banned from taking part in person in a gubernatorial debate last week by CBS because of his proudly non-vaxxed status, Giuliani the Younger has also been told by NY1 that he is not allowed inside their studios because of his vaccination status (or lack thereof). So he held a press conference in which he whined like a spoiled little brat that: “NY1 Spectrum News has imposed a COVID mandate, saying that I can actually not come in the building again.”

When Giuliani said he had been allowed inside NY1’s studios back in April, the network responded that he should not have been as they have a blanket policy that only allows for fully vaccinated individuals to enter the building. He also wrote a letter to Robert Hardt, NY1’s political director, claiming:

“Your position is a blatant act of discrimination against and selective treatment of the leading candidate in the Republican primary. Your decision to banish me to a remote location interferes with the Republican voters’ ability to make an informed decision on June 28th.”

The station shot back a quick retort, noting that “Mr. Giuliani accepted the invitation to the debate knowing the rules and parameters, which include the need to be vaccinated in order to appear live. He will be online, given the same visual space as others, and we are even sending a podium with our camera crew to ensure a similar look and feel for our viewers.”

But that’s not good enough for Andrew, who could always just get vaccinated and be done with it. But that would go against the entitled thirty-something’s whole anti-vaxxing platform now. While his opponents are concerned about rising taxes that are driving people out of the state and high gas prices, Giuliani’s big Day 1 promise has been to “throw all of these mandates in the dustbin of history.”

Given that New York has one of the country’s highest vaccination rates, with nearly 75 percent of the state’s population fully vaccinated and 82.3 percent of people having received at least one dose, focusing on doing away with these mandates may not only end up being an unpopular opinion, but also moot. Proving yet again that Andrew Giuliani is definitely Rudy Giuliani’s son.

(Via Deadline)

Slowly but surely, Alex G has been working his way up in the music world. He earned plenty of critical acclaim early in his career and in recent years, that has translated to chart success, most notably with his latest album, 2019’s House Of Sugar; The album marked Alex’s first appearance on the Billboard Alternative Albums chart and his first top-5 LP on the Top Heatseekers chart.

Now, he’s looking to extend his reach even further with a new album: Today, Alex announced God Save The Animals, which is set for release on September 23. He also shared a video for the new single “Runner,” a pleasant, mid-tempo indie rocker.

Watch the “Runner” video above and find the God Save The Animals art and tracklist below, as well as Alex G’s upcoming tour dates.

1. “After All”
2. “Runner”
3. “Mission”
4. “S.D.O.S.”
5. “No Bitterness”
6. “Ain’t It Easy”
7. “Cross the Sea”
8. “Blessing”
9. “Early Morning Waiting”
10. “Immunity”
11. “Headroom Piano”
12. “Miracles”
13. “Forgive”

08/12 — Gothenberg, SE @ Way Out West
08/14 — Utrecht, NL @ Ekko
08/15 — Wiesbaden, DE @ Schlachthof
08/17 — Paredes de Coura, PT @ Paredes de Coura Festival
08/19 — Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
08/20 — Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival
08/22 — Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ The Cluny
08/23 — Edinburgh, SC @ The Liquid Room
10/06 — Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom ~
10/07 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel ~
10/08 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse ~
10/09 — Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl ~
10/10 — St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway ~
10/12 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre ~
10/14 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell ~
10/16 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox ~
10/17 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom ~
10/19 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore ^
10/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern ^
10/22 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park ^
10/23 — Pomona, CA @ The Glasshouse ^
10/24 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren ^
10/26 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s ^
10/27 — Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips ^
10/29 — Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young
11/01 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^
11/02 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^
11/03 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^
11/04 — Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre ^
11/05 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall ^
11/06 — Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre ^
11/08 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club ^
11/09 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club ^
11/11 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
11/12 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
11/17 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
11/18 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^
11/19 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #

~ with Barrie
^ with Hatchie
# with Sadurn

God Save The Animals is out 9/23 via Domino. Pre-order it here.

Wheel of Fortune is a game that looks much easier than it probably is once you’re on a soundstage begging to purchase vowels, which is why turning that experience into an online casino will probably be a safe bet for MGM and Sony TV. In other words: if you’ve always thought you could do better than those jamokes flubbing puzzles in syndication, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is.

As The Hollywood Reporter detailed on Tuesday, Sony is partnering with BetMGM to open an online Wheel of Fortune-branded casino out of the great state of New Jersey. It’s the latest addition to an astonishing 250 different slot machine versions of the syndicated game show’s format that already exist in gambling meccas across the world.

Gambling and game shows have a long history, but the news here is admittedly thin on how it will all actually work. Though the announcement does tease “additional, new ways” to play the Wheel. Presumably with the looming threat of losing a lot of money if you struggle to come up with phrases and things:

“We are delighted to be partnering with BetMGM for the launch of Wheel of Fortune’s very first online casino. With Wheel of Fortune celebrating its 40th season this year, we are pleased to continue offering players additional, new ways to play the games they know and love,” Suzanne Prete, executive vp of game shows at Sony Pictures Television, said in a statement.

The expansion into online gaming certainly makes sense in theory, and the brand is no stranger to gambling as it’s been a mainstay on casino slot machine floors for years. But exactly how to gamble on your own puzzle solving skills will certainly be interesting to see once it debuts. Does this mean live odds on your own ability to solve a puzzle? Or a more roulette-style game with Wheel-branding? Does digital Pat Sajak roast you when you guess “another feather in your map” instead of “cap?” or do you still need to fly to California to endure all that?

Only time will tell here, but it’s certainly something to ponder if you find yourself in the Garden State later this year.

[via THR]

Top Dawg Entertainment artists Zacari and Isaiah Rashad team up to list a few of their favorite things on “Bliss,” a punchy new single that could signal an upcoming project from the California label’s resident R&B singer. Although Zacari is known more for his slick vocals than the sort of heady raps his labelmates are known for, he delivers his lines with a staccato cadence that fits perfectly alongside Rashad’s more traditional flow.

Zacari isn’t the loudest or flashiest member of the crew, but he’s been more visible of late thanks to a recent collab with another rap-influenced West Coast singer, Blxst. The two rhythmic crooners connected for the smooth single “Sometimes” from Blxst’s new album, Before You Go, earlier this year and while Blxst isn’t exactly a superstar either, the track definitely resulted in added exposure for the normally low-key TDE member.

Meanwhile, Isaiah Rashad has gotten a lot of attention this year, but not for his music. Although he’s less than a year removed from his well-received sophomore album, The House Is Burning, Zay’s drawn the most publicity from the leak of a sex tape which also unfortunately outed him at the same time. However, in an interview with Joe Budden, he seems to have taken things in stride and turned the experience into a teachable moment for the hip-hop audience — and his bemused host.

Listen to “Bliss” above.

The Los Angeles Clippers will hope that the 2022-23 season is finally the year they put the pieces all together and stay healthy enough to make a real championship push, headed by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

The Clippers have invested a huge amount into their roster, handing out extensions to Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, and Robert Covington to ensure their window stays as open as possible — and, also, that they can pounce on a potential trade for a disgruntled star should one come available. This summer, there aren’t many free agents on the Clippers roster but one very important piece they need to work out a deal with in Nic Batum.

The veteran forward had a player option worth just over $3 million to consider, but will reportedly turn that down to become a free agent, with hopes to stay in L.A. on a larger contract, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Clippers can offer Batum a contract of up to $10.9 million per year for a minimum of two years thanks to holding his early Bird rights, but that pushes them ever closer to the hard cap. Batum, like PJ Tucker, figures to have plenty of interest should from other contenders should he open up his free agency beyond just renegotiating in L.A., but for now it seems the Clippers will retain him and just push Steve Ballmer’s luxury tax bill a bit higher.

Although Ari Lennox has several performances and festival slots lined up for the summer, she may have to pull out of those soon. Last night, the “Pressure” singer took to her Instagram Story to reveal that she has a fear of flying and wants out of shows that will require her to board a plane.

“For my mental health and my sanity I will not be doing any shows that require me to fly,” said Lennox. “I can not keep torturing myself with this huge fear of mine. It is literally destroying my health. Enough is enough. I’m so sorry to all that are inconvenienced by this. Don’t know what this will mean for my career, but I just can’t do it.”

Neither Lennox nor any of the festivals, including London’s Wireless Festival and the Cincinnati Music Festival, have confirmed that she is pulling out. However, Lennox revealed she is hoping she can conquer this fear.

“On the plane to Minneapolis now,” she said in her story. “I’ll be there [at the scheduled tour stop]. If there’s any peers or anyone out there who knows of a great hypnotherapist, therapist and/or fear of flying solutions, I would be so grateful. I want to beat this.”

The creators of Stranger Things have been teasing the movie-length season four finale for some time now, as they were just finishing up edits as the first half of the season began airing in May. It seems that they have finally edited it down, though it’s still basically the same runtime as your average Marvel movie.

According to Collider, Episode eight will run an hour and 20 minutes, which is still massive for a television show without commercials. The season finale comes out to two hours and twenty minutes (!), just three minutes shy of beating out Avengers: Endgame. Though hopefully, it will not beat out Endgame in total deaths.

The final two episodes will presumably conclude with the gang of teen misfits destroying a slithery demon in the alternate universe known as the Upside Down. The final trailer just dropped, which shows a lot of demonic drama and even more Kate Bush, as the teen sleuths try to save Hawkins from being taken over by the underworld. Or something like that. Do we even really know what the Upside Down is at this point? Oh, and Joyce is in Russia.

While this won’t be the end of the show, the series will conclude with season five, whenever that may be. So, even if your favorite character survives this season, there is still more destruction to come.

(Via Collider)

The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers is set to hold its 35th annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards this week and Lil Baby is one of the Society’s big winners. He’s billed to win songwriter of the year — his second such honor in as many years — for a year in which he co-wrote for Drake, Kanye West, and more. Lil Baby’s discography over the past year includes his joint album Voice Of The Heroes with Lil Durk, his Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack contribution “We Win” with Kirk Franklin, and two all-new singles with Nicki Minaj, “Bussin” and “Do We Have A Problem?”

In addition, Lil Baby has featured on Billboard-charting singles from the likes of DJ Khaled (“Body In Motion” featuring Bryson Tiller and Roddy Ricch), Drake (“Girls Want Girls“), Kanye West (“Hurricane“), Nardo Wick (“Me Or Sum“), and even Ed Sheeran (“2step“). He also appeared on Vince Staples’ “East Point Prayer,” with the Long Beach rapper praising him for doing the feature for free out of respect.

More recently, he kicked off his own new music campaign with the dual-single release “In A Minute” and “Right On,” following up with “Frozen” a few weeks later. He’s set to begin his Rolling Loud-backed One Of Them Ones Tour with Chris Brown next month, and he apparently has a follow-up for his 2020 album My Turn in the works. That should drop sometime this year.

The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards take place from today, June 21, through Friday, June 24, with announcements appearing on ASCAP’s social media channels.