GoneTrending

If Rudy Giuliani limply swinging a golf club in oversized shorts is the laugh-out-loud image that will get us through this month, then April was most definitely defined by Donald Trump’s hilariously serious claims that flying tomatoes, bananas, and pineapples (huh?) are like missiles, with equally deadly consequences. In freshly released transcripts from an October 2021 deposition, the former president explained that he and his team were “on alert” for rogue fruit-flingers in the crowds during his campaign stops because “you can be killed” if you were to be hit with a tomato. While most of the world is still chuckling at the absurdity of it all, to Trump’s lawyers, publishing the former president’s words is no laughing matter.

As The Daily Beast reports, a flurry of emails show that—even after stories about the transcript had already been written, shared, and laughed about—Trump’s legal team was doing its darndest to “un-make it public” by having the deposition, which was published as part of a public record, erased from evidence.

As Jose Pagliery wrote for The Daily Beast:

Snippets of that transcript—which was chock-full of references to the risk of getting hit with tomatoes—were filed in the court docket by the protesters’ attorney at 7:18 p.m. last Tuesday.

But while two Daily Beast journalists were preparing to publish a story about the fruity deposition, Trump’s legal team was trying to pressure the plaintiff’s lawyer, Benjamin N. Dictor, to delete his own filing. (Dictor also happens to represent The Daily Beast’s News Guild.)

“That exhibit is unnecessary, prejudicial and needs to be pulled ASAP,” Trump defense attorney Jeffrey Goldman wrote to him at 8:08 p.m.

Alina Habba, another Trump lawyer, chimed in as well: “ASAP Ben. That is wholly inappropriate and prejudicial.”

Despite their quick action and insistence, Team Trump’s efforts were, well, fruitless. Once The Daily Beast’s story dropped, it became the perfect fodder for talk show hosts including Seth Meyers, Rachel Maddow, and Trevor Noah—not to mention media outlets like UPROXX.

Even so, Dictor was still reportedly working on the matter the next morning, after all the fruit fallout, to have the digital copy of the public record changed with the agreement of all parties involved. According to an email from Dictor, he was “advised that they will not remove a document from the docket unless it was either (i) filed to wrong case or (ii) filed to the wrong court.” God bless America!

(Via The Daily Beast)

Trevor Noah, like so many people across America—and around the world—was taken aback when a draft opinion about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked earlier this week (for which The Daily Show had a great response). On Tuesday, Noah took aim at the real reason behind the decision to overturn a law that has been in effect for nearly half a century: conservative Republicans.

While Noah was sure to make it clear that what we’ve seen is only a draft opinion, not a law, he also made sure to note that “it’s important to remember how we got here. Because, keep in mind, that poll after poll shows that a majority of Americans don’t want Roe v. Wade to be overturned. But the GOP didn’t care about that.”

So, how did we get here? According to Noah:

“[The GOP] didn’t care about winning over the people, they just cared about getting enough justices onto the court to get what they want. Basically, they used the same tactic that that a**hole friend of yours uses when they’re ordering pizza.

‘Hey, what toppings does everyone want? What do you want on the pizza?’
‘Extra cheese and pepperoni!’
‘Well I’m ordering so it’s anchovies and pineapples!’

Dick!

And that’s basically how you end up with a Supreme Court decision that amounts to a hostile takeover of America’s reproductive rights.

While Samuel Alito, who authored the draft, wrote that “the inescapable conclusion is that the right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the nation’s history and traditions,” Noah wholeheartedly disagrees. While he believes there’s truth in the idea that part of our history is that “men can control what women do,” he also points out that the right to an abortion has been around for 50 years—which might be longer than you have been around.

“Think about it,” said Noah. “I think it’s safe to say that [the right to an abortion] is a tradition at this point. Like, if you go without electricity for a weekend, you’re camping. If you go without it for 50 years, you’re Amish, motherf***er. That’s just who you are.”

You can watch the full clip above.

Marjorie Taylor Greene took to the campaign trail this week as she gears up for reelection, and so far, it’s not going so great for the embattled, whackadoo congresswoman. During one of several stops, Greene was confronted by U.S. Navy Veteran Alex Boyle who called out the George representative for her “craziness” and saying that joining the military is “like throwing your life away.” Jewish space lasers also made a cameo appearance.

“She spoke disparaging[ly], as if my service in the United States Navy as a veteran, and my military experience was some sort of a waste of time,” Boyle said during an exchange filmed by WTVC. When Greene tried to change the subject, Boyle did not back down. Via Raw Story:

“I heard what you said, I read the texts,” he said. “Here’s the problem, you’ve cast disparaging things against the Jewish community, you suggested a space laser.”

“No, sir, I have not,” Greene responded.

“You are disrespecting the United States Congress and you’re a shame,” he said.

As one of Greene’s entourage or a supporter yelled that Boyle has been watching “fake news,” he got in one final remark at the QAnon congresswoman. “I’m really, horribly, saddened that the fourteenth district has gone to such craziness,” Boyle said.

Here’s a different angle of the exchange from WTVC reporter Bryanna Idzior:

Of course, the larger question is whether Greene will even be able to run for reelection. A judge has yet to rule if her involvement in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building constitutes insurrection. If so, Greene could be removed from the ballot. Greene appeared in a hearing in April where she attempted to downplay her connection to the “Stop the Steal” rally. However, her testimony flagrantly contradicted the public record, and last week, lawyers officially filed paperwork accusing Greene of lying during the hearing. If a judge rules against her, Greene will not be eligible for reelection. That decision is expected to arrive within the week, according to Bloomberg.

(Via WTVC)

Last week, Britney Spears declared she was taking a social media hiatus. Her break didn’t last too long, though, since yesterday, after about a week since her last Instagram post, Spears returned to the platform with some new posts. In one of them, she reveals she once had hundreds of pages of poetry written that she was thinking about compiling into a book. However, those poems mysteriously disappeared, which Spears seems to subtly blame on somebody in her inner circle.

Spears wrote, “I used to write all the time !!! I had 133 pages … so dumb that I remember … which is actually a lot of poems !!! I had written them in my son’s 5th grade binder that he gave to me … I had an idea to make a book with it and I thought ‘Is this work too personal ???’ I saw a book @kimkardashian did with selfies … at that time I wasn’t in the loop I didn’t even know selfies were in … anyway the 133 pages … well it was by far the best work I had ever done … then I went on tour came back and absolutely all of it was gone … most will say she’s playing the victim but I honestly just say it like it is … yeah that was pretty thin to me and I was pissed so I stopped writing for a very long time … I probably suck and have no idea but I enjoy it … so I do it … it’s so nice to share with you !!!”

The post also includes a new poem from Spears, which reads:

“What would it feel like to feel pretty when I kiss ???
Some look around has something been missed ???
To take off from the ground feel beautiful and soar
When I was younger … hunger more more more
Too rigid in ways … too scared to just leap
I have so much fear … my anchor, my feet
They planted me down … as I’m finding the floor
Witnessed my head the crown … I needed the door
No escape day after day days turned to years I forgot how to play
Numbed to the core please when I can I go
The blankets that fed the illusion just grows
Don’t fight don’t fight we’ve shown you what we will do
I want so bad to be bad their language too cruel
I take it in sometimes feel insane
Distorted from reality I felt so ashamed
Because when I spoke yeah she’s just crazy
They portrayed me as old and mad, but
maybe to wisen my input resort to math
Numbers are virtues that live in the past
Present be taken a sudden shift
Finding my heart the finest gift
Good morning new day birds will whistle
My eyes look up promise of a pencil
Pencil to hand … mystery stare
Finding my eyes who is this do I dare
Ignite in a box a toil to forgive
A mask I forgot my tongue learns to live.”

While that original poetry book may never surface, Spears did recently confirm she’s writing a tell-all memoir.

Dave Chappelle was attacked by a man who police say was armed with a replica gun in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. While performing at the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival, the controversial comedian was rushed and tackled to the ground while on stage by the man, who was quickly taken into custody by the police (although not before Chappelle’s security team had their way with him).

Following the attack, “Chappelle is seen to recover his composure and joke, ‘It was a trans man.’ The joke was a reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding some of the comedian’s jokes in his Netflix specials that have been construed as transphobic,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Before he was attacked, Chappelle had talked about needing more security after the controversy over his trans jokes.”

Also in attendance was Chris Rock, who joined Chappelle on stage following the incident. “Was that Will Smith?” he joked, according to journalist Stephanie Wash, a reference to… come on, you know what it’s a reference to. Rock could tell that same joke at every show for the rest of his life, and probably get a standing ovation every time. As long as he gets paid, that is. You can watch that moment below.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

This morning, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced its class of 2022 inductees, which features Eminem, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Carly Simon. As the news has made the rounds, some of the honorees have taken to social media to offer reactions.

Shortly after the news was shared, Ritchie wrote, “Being elected to @rockhall is an incredible honor. I would like to say THANK YOU to all of the voters, to all of my wonderful fans and to everyone at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Congratulations to all of my fellow 2022 inductees! #RockHall2022.” Duran Duran also shared a video filmed shortly after being informed of their induction, in which they express how “honored and thrilled and happy” they are.

Benatar, alongside husband and longtime musical partner Neil Giraldo, also offered a statement, writing, “We are thrilled and humbled to become part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame family. Thank you to everyone who voted especially the fans and congratulations to all the other inductees.” Annie Lennox of Eurythmics has yet to offer a reaction of her own but she did retweet some, including a message from an apparently official (but not Twitter-verified) Eurythmics account.

Parton has yet to offer a reaction, but a few days ago, after previously rejecting her nomination, she did note what she’d do if she did get inducted, saying, “Well, I’ll accept gracefully. I would just say thanks and I would accept it because the fans vote. But when I said that, it was always my belief that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was for the people in rock music. I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that, but if they can’t go there to be recognized, where do they go? So I just felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me, since I never considered myself a rock artist. But obviously, there’s more to it than that.”

The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles before airing on HBO and streaming on HBO Max at a later date.

To celebrate May the 4th Be With You, a.k.a. the one day of the year where you’re allowed to enjoy a death stick in peace, Disney has released the first full-length trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi. The six-episode series takes place between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, so expect a lot of familiar faces, even if they’re hidden behind a helmet.

In the trailer above, Obi-Wan is a broken man. Or as Ewan McGregor put it to Entertainment Weekly, “Obi-Wan is lost [after] what happened with the Jedi order at the end of [Revenge of the Sith], but also what happened with Anakin; that he lost him to the dark side. He feels an enormous amount of responsibility for that, and guilt.” The trailer ends with Darth Vader’s breathing and a wide-eyed Obi Wan looking like he hasn’t known happiness (or had the high ground) in years.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, which also stars Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie, premieres on Disney+ on May 27.

The list of 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominees was revealed back in February. Since then, the voting process has started and finished, and now, the 2022 induction class has been finalized, the Hall announced this morning that set to be inducted in the Performers category are Eminem, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Carly Simon.

John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, said in a statement, “This diverse group of inductees each had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture and helped change the course of rock & roll. Their music moved generations and influenced so many artists that followed.”

The list of inductees closely lines up with the selections on the recently revealed fan-voted selections.

The group of artists set to be inducted represent a fraction of this year’s nominees: Artists who were nominated but were not selected for induction in the Performers category this year are A Tribe Called Quest, Beck, Devo, Dionne Warwick, Fela Kuti, Judas Priest, Kate Bush, MC5, New York Dolls, and Rage Against The Machine.

There are awards to be handed out outside of the main performers, too: Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis and Judas Priest will receive the Musical Excellence Award; Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotten will get the Early Influence Award; and attorney Allen Grubman, record executive/producer Jimmy Iovine, and singer/Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson will be honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The induction ceremony is set to take place on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles before airing on HBO (and streaming on HBO Max) at a later date.

This all comes after Parton changed her mind about rejecting her nomination, saying a few days ago, “It was always my belief that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was for the people in rock music. I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that, but if they can’t go there to be recognized, where do they go? So I just felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me, since I never considered myself a rock artist. But obviously, there’s more to it than that.”

Dave Chappelle experienced a stage invasion on Monday night at the Hollywood Bowl in front of a live audience. While the controversial comedian stood onstage during his set at the Netflix Is A Joke comedy special, a man rushed the stage and tackled Chappelle. Deadline relays word from the local ABC affiliate, which revealed that law enforcement confirmed that a man, who was “reportedly armed with a gun and a knife,” was taken into custody after the incident. As Deadline points out, audience members’ phones had been confiscated during the set, although as the below series of clips shows, some people still managed to record footage of the incident.

As The Hollywood Reporter confirmed, the stage invader was swiftly detained after the tackle. Variety reports that Jamie Foxx assisted in apprehending the man with Chappelle later declaring, “Whenever you’re in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff’s hat.” Immediately after the tackle, Chappelle continued his set onstage and then joked (while invoking his string of previous trans jokes in specials including Sticks and Stones and The Closer, the latter of which arrived in October 2021), “It was a trans man.” This first brief Twitter video shows the tackle as it happened.

Here’s Chappelle’s immediate onstage reaction, which included that joke:

And here’s the end of the set, in which Chappelle remarked to audience, “I’ll nail anyone who comes down for the curtain call.”

Chappelle, who has filmed several Netflix comedy specials, recently reupped his deal with the streamer. That deal includes this festival, all while fallout over The Closer (including employee walkouts) may have contributed to Netflix’s recent subscriber woes. In the months following that most recent (incendiary) special, Chappelle went on tour, and in New Orleans, he declared that he’d endured the roughest three weeks of his life.

(Via Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, ABC 7 & Variety)

The Golden State Warriors emerged victorious in Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, stealing home-court advantage in the process. On Tuesday evening, Memphis entered Game 2 in a desperate position, badly needing to avoid an 0-2 deficit as the series shifts to San Francisco. While it wasn’t a breeze for the Grizzlies, Ja Morant keyed a furious close for Memphis, and the end result was a 106-101 victory to even the series at 1-1.

Memphis started the night with a statement in the form of an 8-0 run. Golden State missed its first four shots and committed three turnovers, with the Grizzlies seizing immediate control.

Then, fireworks began when Grizzlies starting wing Dillon Brooks was ejected. Brooks effectively clotheslined Gary Payton II, earning a Flagrant-2 foul and a very quick exit. Unfortunately, Payton II was also sidelined as a result of an elbow injury.

Golden State awakened from there, using a 10-2 run to tie the game. While the Warriors never held the lead in the opening period, Stephen Curry was dynamic with 11 points and his usual gravity.

Memphis held an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter, with Morant (14 points) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (10 points) producing at a high level. In fact, that dynamic pairing came together for a buzzer-beating triple that sent the FedExForum crowd into a frenzy.

Early in the second quarter, the Warriors trimmed the margin, but the attention was largely on a poster-worthy play from Andrew Wiggins. The 2021 All-Star essentially annihilated Grizzlies big man Brandon Clarke and, while it was worth only two points, many will relive the dunk on repeat in the coming days.

Histrionics aside, the majority of the first half was bumpy in nature for both offenses. Neither team approached its usual level of efficiency, with the Grizzlies falling short of their usual impact on the offensive glass and the Warriors committing 11 turnovers to go along with 4-for-19 shooting from three-point range. With that said, Morant was brilliant with 23 points and five assists for the Grizzlies, leading Memphis to a five-point halftime lead.

Memphis began the second half with energy reminiscent of the first half. The Grizzlies scored the first six points, opening their largest lead of the evening at 62-51, and the Warriors were forced into a corner.

In typical fashion, Golden State came out swinging, almost immediately cutting the margin back to four. That included transition work from Jordan Poole, as the Warriors turned defense into offense.

The overall tenor of the third quarter was similar to the first half, though, as neither team scored at an efficient level. Memphis shot 30 percent from the floor, with Golden State missing eight of its nine three-point attempts. Still, a 13-3 run from the Warriors tied the game at the end of the third quarter, setting the stage for real drama in the closing period.

To open the fourth quarter, Golden State took its first lead of the game, holding Memphis to only six points in more than eight minutes dating back to the third quarter. Rookie forward Jonathan Kuminga gave the Warriors quality minutes off the bench, teaming up with Otto Porter Jr. to buoy Golden State’s frontcourt.

Not to be outdone by his rookie counterpart, Grizzlies first-year forward Ziaire Williams came up with a huge sequence. He converted back-to-back triples to stop the Grizzlies’ offensive drought and give Memphis the lead again with less than eight minutes remaining.

The two teams continued to trade punches from there, including a pair of three-pointers from Curry. The first of the pair was banked-in, and the end result was a four-point lead for the Warriors.

Morant kept coming, scoring 15 consecutive points for Memphis. That stretch included two different buckets to flip the lead back in Memphis’ direction.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1521702633550999552

Up by one point with 40 seconds remaining, Morant continued his ridiculous stretch, scoring amid chaos to give the Grizzlies more breathing room. After a traveling violation by Klay Thompson on the other end, Morant converted a pair of free throws to extend the lead to five points with 13 seconds left. When Curry missed on the other end, the result was academic, and Morant was the story of the night.

The 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player finished with a playoff career-high 47 points on 15-for-31 shooting, with 5-for-12 from three-point range and 12-for-13 at the free throw line. Morant also added eight rebounds and eight assists, joining elite company in reaching the 45-point mark for the second time in his young playoff career.

Though Memphis did not shoot exceedingly well as a team, the Grizzlies won the turnover and free throw battles, in addition to Morant’s individual brilliance. The Grizzlies did have the edge from three-point range, however, as the Warriors scuffled to 7-for-38 from long distance. Golden State held an 18-point edge in the paint, but the Warriors couldn’t overcome Morant, poor shooting, and poor ball security.

Memphis picking up a Game 2 win adds considerable drama to the series, especially with the Warriors set to host the next two games at Chase Center. Game 3 arrives in prime time on Saturday, with all eyes on Morant and whether he’ll be able to lead Memphis to a road win that would steal home-court advantage back from Golden State.