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Kristen Stewart’s First-Time Oscar Nomination For ‘Spencer’ Has Her Fans Thrilled For Their People’s Princess

First-time Oscar nominee Kristen Stewart (for her role as Princess Diana in Spencer) has reached this achievement after dozens of movies, and her fans (which hail back to the days of not only Twilight but super early entries like Panic Room) couldn’t be more thrilled. She’s going up against a gathering of veteran nominees (Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter, Penelope Cruz for Parallel Mothers, and Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos), but can she truly be the People’s Princess and snag the win from all of them? Never say never.

Stewart’s faced a rocky ride, for sure, during awards season. She swept up an early accolade from the Gotham Awards, but she was surprisingly overlooked for the SAG nominations. In addition, she (and the entirety of the Spencer production) got snubbed by the BAFTAs, which isn’t too surprising, given the critical outlook of the film and the Royal Family’s influence and ties with the British Academy. Still, it’s finally happening now, and NEON proudly represented with a tweet: “Oscar-nominated actress, Kristen Stewart.”

Naysayers, be gone. And Bella Swan, you can get outta here, too, but seriously, Twilight wasn’t the best showcase of anyone’s talents in that saga of films (ask Billy Burke, Robert Pattinson, Michael Sheen, J.D. Pardo, Rami Malek, and many more). This morning, though, it’s all about Kristen Stewart.

The 94th Academy Awards will broadcast on March 27.

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Donald Trump Was Apparently ‘Confused’ As To Why His Staff Wasn’t As Tickled By His Insurrection Highlight Reel

January 6th was Donald Trump’s Super Bowl. While White House staffers watched in shock at the violence that was occurring just steps away from where they were standing, the then-president was apparently as giddy as a schoolboy.

As The Daily Beast reports, testimony given to the January 6th committee seems to confirm a story that former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham has already told: That in the midst of the deadly chaos that Trump and his cohorts had unleashed and encouraged during their Stop The Steal rally on the morning of January 6, 2021, then then-president was practically gleeful watching what was transpiring on Pennsylvania Avenue—so much so, that he actually rewinding and re-watching certain parts of the footage like a proud papa.

The AP reports that as rioters began to force their way into the Capitol, they were further egged on by Trump, who tweeted (back when he could tweet): “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution …” Also according to the AP:

Back in the White House, as staffers watched in shock at what was unfolding down Pennsylvania Avenue on television screens positioned throughout the West Wing, Trump’s attention was so rapt that he hit rewind and watched certain moments again, according to Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary.

“Look at all of the people fighting for me,” Trump said, according to Grisham, who also served as chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump. At one point, the president was confused why staffers weren’t as excited as he was watching the unrest unfold.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg was there that day, and told the Jan. 6 Committee that he, along with several other staffers, including Ivanka Trump, attempted to convince the then-president that he needed to address the nation and tell the rioters to go home, but that he refused. Though Kellogg clarified that they were reluctant to have Trump appear before the press or make any live statement, as they feared that, if left to his own devices and whims, he could make the situation much worse.

“The president ultimately agreed to a video statement,” Farnoush Amiri wrote for the Associated Press. “Multiple takes were filmed but not used. In each one of the initial takes, according to the committee, he failed to ask rioters to leave.”

The final take wasn’t ideal either. In it, Trump stated that “This was a fraudulent election” and told the rioters “We love you; you’re very special.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

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Jeff Bezos’ Obnoxious Superyacht May Soon Be Pelted By Thousands Of Rotten Eggs Hurled By The Good People Of Rotterdam

Jeff Bezos’ transformation from gigantic nerd to gigantic d-bag may officially be complete. The billionaire, who makes an estimated $222,900 per minute—yep, even while he’s sleeping—is about to become the proud owner of a $500 million mega-yacht, which is currently being constructed by Oceanco, a Netherlands-based shipbuilder. But as Business Insider reports, locals are not thrilled about Bezos’s latest display of his grotesque amount of wealth—as getting the 417-foot ship to its new owner will require that it pass through Rotterdam, where the city’s century-old Koningshaven Bridge will have to be taken apart then reassembled in order for the vessel to pass through.

To show Bezos just what Rotterdam’s citizens think of dismantling a beloved cultural landmark because of some rich dude’s latest dick-measuring contest, they’ve taken to Facebook to organize an official protest dubbed “Eieren gooien naar superjacht Jeff Bezos”—or “Throwing eggs at Jeff Bezos’ superyacht.”

More than 3,700 individuals have already confirmed their attendance at the event, which is set to take place on June 1, 2022, with nearly 13,000 more people registering their interest in attending. The plan is simple. According to the Facebook page:

Calling all Rotterdammers: Take a box of rotten eggs with you and let’s throw them en masse at Jeff’s superyacht when it sails through the Hef in Rotterdam.

Rotterdam was built from the rubble by the people of Rotterdam, and we don’t just take that apart for the phallic symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire. Not without a fight!

News of the potential disassembling of the bridge, which was renovated in 2017, was first made public last week. At the time, as Business Insider previously reported, Rotterdam’s mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb assured concerned citizens that “no decision” had been made as to whether the bridge would need to be fiddled with, nor had any application for a permit to even do so been filed. If a request was submitted and approved, Aboutaleb said that Bezos and/or Oceanco would be the one footing the bill, which… yeah, one would hope.

While concerned citizens await the decision, local grocery stores may want to increase their egg orders.

(Via Business Insider)

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Kanye West’s Latest ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ Demand Is Apparently For Drake To Narrate It

The Jeen-Yuhs documentary series on Ye (aka Kanye West) is set to premiere on Netflix on February 16. That’s pretty soon, but Ye, who has plenty of experience of working up until and often beyond deadlines, wants to make a last-minute change.

In a now-deleted Instagram post (archived by The Shade Room), Ye shared a screenshot of a text conversation with somebody represented by a “C” icon… perhaps Clarence Simmons Jr. or Chike Ozah, aka Jeen-Yuhs directors Coodie & Chike? In response to a message that reads, “Would love for you to see all 3 movies,” Ye responded, “I need Drake to do the narration.” Ye also captioned the post, “DRAKE WANNA NARRATE THE DOCUMENTARY.” Furthermore, Drake actually liked the post, suggesting that he’d be interested in taking Ye up on that proposal, or at least that he was amused by the post.

It doesn’t seem like this request will be fulfilled. Ye previously requested final edit approval, but Coodie & Chike shot that down considering the documentary was already complete. Coodie also noted, “Me and Chike have a company called Creative Control, because you don’t want to lose your creative control.” Coodie also said of running into Ye, “I asked him, ‘Did he watch the film?’ And he said, ‘I have a process.’ I said, ‘That’s great that you got your process.’ And we just talked as brothers from that point.”

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Classic European And American Pilsners, Blind Tasted And Ranked

In a world of over-the-top milkshake IPAs, maple syrup and bourbon-barrel-aged stouts, and fruited sour beers that more resemble fresh-squeezed juice than “beer,” it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s why it’s great that there’s a classic beer style that’s a great reset. I’m talking about the iconic, crisp, refreshing, perfect pilsner.

And, while I don’t have a problem with them, I’m not referencing the American version that many breweries label as a “pilsner.” I’m talking about the hoppier, maltier, and often more bitter versions popularized for centuries in countries like the Czech Republic and Germany. These are the beers where decoction (a specialized and time-consuming method of cooking the malts) and judicious use of hops matter when finding balance in a great pilsner.

So, as my winter reset, I’m going to do a blind taste test featuring some classic European pilsners like Pilsner Urquell, Bitburger, and Grolsch as well as a few from well-known American breweries, like Jack’s Abbey and Firestone Walker, who are known to brew their beers as close to the traditional way as possible in the American craft beer world.

I could take a handful of well-known pilsners that I know and love and rank them based on my personal preference any day. But where’s the fun in that and how is that impartial? That’s why a blind taste test is needed. There are no glossy, flashy labels, and big, historic brand names to sway my rankings in any direction. I simply use my senses of taste and smell. That’s it. It’s completely impartial (except for my own personal taste).

Our lineup today is:

  • Pilsner Urquell
  • Bitburger
  • OEC Coolship Lager
  • Radeberger
  • Firestone Walker Pivo Pils
  • Krombacher
  • Grolsch
  • Jack’s Abbey Post Shift

It’s time for a pilsner party!

Part 1: The Taste

Taste 1

Taste 1
Christopher Osburn

Tasting Notes:

This beer smells exactly the way you’d hope it would. There are notes of bready, caramel-like malts, fruit esters, and bright, dank, floral hops to round it all together. The flavor starts with freshly cut summer grass and delves into Noble hops, a slightly fruity flavor, and dank, piney hops. It’s very well-balanced and crisp.

Taste 2

Taste 2
Christopher Osburn

Tasting Notes:

This beer smells like a field of wildflowers melded with pine trees, slight caramel malts, and earthy, dank hops. It’s fresh and enticing and led me to a palate of wet grass, biscuit malts, toffee, a slightly fruity flavor, and subtly bitter, piney, dank hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and left me craving more.

Taste 3

Taste 3
Christopher Osburn

Tasting Notes:

A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. First, I noticed aromas of freshly-baked bread, followed by fruit esters, slight honey, sweet cereal grains, and piney, floral hops. On the palate, I found notes of biscuity malts, earthy, herbal, piney hops, caramel, and slight spice. It’s a very well-rounded and flavorful beer.

Taste 4

Taste 4
Christopher Osburn

Tasting Notes:

There’s a lot of bready and sweet aromas coming off of this beer at first. It’s followed by some citrus and maybe some floral hops, but that’s about it. The palate is fairly sweet with notes of caramel, freshly baked bread, and some more floral, slightly bitter hops. Overall, it’s very refreshing but not all that exciting in the flavor department.

Taste 5

Taste 5
Christopher Osburn

Tasting Notes:

This beer had a bit of a wet grass aroma at first sniff that went into freshly-baked bread and slight pine. Otherwise, the nose was pretty lacking. There was a slight mineral taste along with floral, piney hops, and light toffee malts. This definitely wasn’t the most exciting beer I’ve ever had but not a bad crusher either.

Taste 6

Taste 6
Christopher Osburn

Tasting Notes:

The aroma was fairly uninspiring with hints of wet grass, floral hops, bready malt, and a slightly skunky aroma I couldn’t place. Taking a sip revealed slight caramel, sweet yeast, and gentle, slightly dank hops. The finish was dry and crisp. All in all, this is a decent and highly drinkable pilsner.

Taste 7

Taste 7
Christopher Osburn

Tasting Notes:

Bready, grassy, herbal, earthy, this beer has a lot going on with its nose. It definitely prepares you for the flavor palate led by notes of slight skunk, a lingering minerality, freshly-baked bread, caramel sweetness, and gentle, clean, and floral hops.

Taste 8

Taste 8
Christopher Osburn

Tasting Notes:

Complex aromas of yeast, caramel malts, cereal sweetness, dry hay, and floral hops met my nose before taking my first sip. The palate was swirling with a slightly skunky flavor that jumped to biscuit-like malts, a slightly fruity flavor, and more subtly bitter, very floral, piney hops at the finish.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Krombacher — Taste 5

Krombacher
Krombacher

ABV: 4.8%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This 4.8 percent ABV pilsner touts itself as Germany’s “No. 1 premium lager.” Brewed with 2-row malts, Hallertau Siegel hops, with natural spring water, it’s well-known for its fruity, malty, well-balanced flavor that leaves you wanting more.

Bottom Line:

This beer was clearly created to be enjoyed quickly on a hot day as there isn’t much substance to it besides its clean, refreshing flavor.

7. Jack’s Abbey Post Shift — Taste 4

Jack’s Abbey Post Shift
Jack

ABV: 4.7%

Average Price: $10 for a four-pack

The Beer:

Jack’s Abbey makes nothing but high-quality, delicious lagers. Its Post Shift Pilsner, on top of being one of its most popular, crushable beers is brewed using German malts and hops to give it a crisp, authentic taste.

Bottom Line:

This is a great beer if you simply want to knock back a few after a long day of work. It doesn’t really have a ton of depth otherwise.

6. Grolsch — Taste 6

Grolsch
Grolsch

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $8.50 for a four-pack

The Beer:

When you think of Dutch beer, there’s a good chance Heineken is the first brand you think of. But the country is also home to Grolsch Premium Lager, a five percent ABV European pilsner made with a proprietary blend of hops and three different barley malts.

Bottom Line:

For a pilsner, this beer has a fairly complicated flavor profile. It was malty, hoppy, and very fresh. I would give it another try.

5. Bitburger — Taste 8

Bitburger
Bitburger

ABV: 4.8%

Average Price: $6 for a four-pack

The Beer:

With a name like Bitburger, this beer almost sounds like a Midwest fast-food chain. In reality, it’s actually a German pilsner that’s been brewed since 1817. A popular (inexpensive) beer in Germany, it’s known for its crisp, slightly hoppy, and refreshing flavor.

Bottom Line:

This is a highly drinkable, well-balanced, and memorable pilsner that I plan to drink again. A lot was going on with this beer’s flavor profile.

4. Firestone Walker Pivo — Taste 1

Firestone Walker Pivo
Firestone Walker

ABV: 5.3%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Firestone Walker is a big name in the American beer world. Known for its award-winning beers, its Pivo Pils just might be its best beer overall. This 5.3 percent ABV pilsner gets its unique flavor from being brewed with Spalter Select, Tradition, and Saphir hops and being dry-hopped with even more Saphir hops.

Bottom Line:

There’s a great malt presence that pairs well with the slightly bitter, floral, and piney hops in this beer. It’s a great, well-balanced beer.

3. Radeberger — Taste 3

Radeberger
Radeberger

ABV: 4.8%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Brewed since 1872, this 4.8 percent ABV bottom-fermented pilsner is brewed with simple ingredients like on-site well water, hops, malts, and yeast. It’s known for its well-balanced, crisp flavor with very little hop bitterness.

Bottom Line:

This beer had everything a pilsner fan could want. It’s crisp, clean, and dry, but still has a nice malt backbone to stand up the floral and piney hops.

2. OEC Coolship Lager — Taste 7

OEC Coolship Lager
OEC

ABV: 5.2%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

This OEC in this beer’s name stands for Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores. This 5.2 percent ABV pilsner is brewed in Connecticut as close to “authentic” as you can get in the U.S. craft beer world. Case in point, this unfiltered Czech-style pilsner was brewed with a double decoction mash in the traditional way.

Bottom Line:

This is the epitome of a well-balanced and refreshing pilsner. Everything seems to be where it belongs in this beer, and I can’t wait to try it again.

1. Pilsner Urquell — Taste 2

Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner Urquell

ABV: 4.4%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

One of the most popular beers in the world (for good reason), Pilsner Urquell was created back in 1842. This well-balanced beer gets its iconic flavor from being brewed with triple-decocted malt and a healthy dose of Saaz hops.

Bottom Line:

This might be the most well-balanced, crisp, thirst-quenching, and memorable pilsner I’ve ever had. It makes me want to stop the tasting right now and go drink a few of these bad boys.

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Kristen Dunst And Jesse Plemons Are Now An Oscar-Nominated Couple, And Everyone Is Thrilled

Kristen Dunst and Jesse Plemons should both have been nominated for Oscars long ago, her for Dick or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and him for I’m Thinking of Ending Things or Game Night. If his line reading of “how can that be profitable for Frito-Lay?” isn’t award-worthy, I don’t know what is. But the Academy made up for lost time by nominating the real-life couple for their performances in The Power of the Dog.

Dunst is up for Best Supporting Actress alongside Jesse Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Judi Dench (Belfast), and Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard), while Plemons will compete against Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (CODA), J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos), and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) for Best Supporting Actor. The Power of the Dog was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, among other categories.

Dunst and Plemons met on the set of FX’s Fargo and started dating in 2016; they got engaged in 2017 and have two kids together. “I knew that she would be in my life for a long time,” the Friday Night Lights star told the New York Times about Dunst. She added, “We laugh about the fact that we were two child actors, and we both made it out OK.”

They’re more than OK: they (and Penelope Cruz for Parallel Mothers and Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos!) are an Oscar-nominated couple.

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Billie Eilish, Beyonce, Questlove, And Other Music Stars Picked Up 2022 Oscars Nominations

On March 27, actors and others in the film industry will be honored at the 94th annual Academy Awards. Ahead of then, the full list of Oscar nominees was revealed this morning and some folks from the music world made their mark.

Perhaps the most obvious music-related category is Best Original Song, and competing there are Beyoncé and Darius Scott (for “Be Alive” from King Richard), Billie Eilish and Finneas (for the No Time To Die theme), Lin-Manuel Miranda (for “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto), Van Morrison (for “Down To Joy” from Belfast), and Diane Warren (for “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days).

As for Best Original Score, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood earned a nomination for his work on The Power Of The Dog. In the category, he’s competing against Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell), Dune (Hans Zimmer) Encanto (Germaine Franco), and Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias).

Meanwhile, Questlove’s Summer Of Soul movie is up for Best Documentary Feature. Elsewhere, the Alana Haim-starring Licorice Pizza fared well, as it’s up for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director (for Paul Thomas Anderson). The Lady Gaga-led House Of Gucci got a nomination, too, for Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

Check out the music-related Oscars nominations below and find the full list of all nominees here.

Best Original Song
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Darius Scott — “Be Alive” (King Richard)
Lin-Manuel Miranda — “Dos Oruguitas” (Encanto)
Van Morrison — “Down To Joy” (Belfast)
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell — “No Time To Die” (No Time To Die)
Diane Warren — “Somehow You Do” (Four Good Days)

Best Original Score
Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell)
Dune (Hans Zimmer)
Encanto (Germaine Franco)
Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)
The Power Of The Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Best Documentary Feature
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer Of Soul
Writing With Fire

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Here Are Your Nominees For The 94th Annual Academy Awards

The 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 27th, and like last year, it’s everyone’s guess how this ceremony will work. For the third year in a row, there shall be no official host, so there will be no host-related controversy. No one wants the gig, man! Fortunately, there will be plenty of enthusiasm from Leslie Jordan and Tracee Ellis Ross, who’s showed up and read nominations with more verve than anyone could reasonably expect at 5:15 PST.

This year, one can expect the nominations crop to stay a little weird, given that movies largely went to streaming or refrained from releasing at all, due our ongoing global situation. One can expect to see plenty of Power of the Dog (starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Jane Campion) and some Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson doing his thing well as always), along with some nods for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (with its sweeping cast; seriously, everyone’s in it). And maybe, just maybe, Jared Leto’s House Of Gucci performance will not only receive a Razzie nom but also a surprise Academy nod. Here’s how things turned out:

Best Picture
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

Best Actor
Javier Bardem
Benedict Cumberbatch
Andrew Garfield
Will Smith
Denzel Washington

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain
Olivia Colman
Penelope Cruz
Nicole Kidman
Kristen Stewart

Best Supporting Actress
Jesse Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Judi Dench, Belfast
Kirsten Dunst, Power Of The Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Best Supporting Actor
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Best Director
Kenneth Branagh
Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Paul Thomas Anderson
Jane Campion
Steven Spielberg

Best Costume Design
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story

Best Sound
Belfast
Dune
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

Best Original Score
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog

Best Adapted Screenplay
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog

Best Original Screenplay
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
King Richard
The Worst Person in the World

Best Animated Feature
Encanto
Luca
Flee
The Mitchells vs the Machine
Raya and the Last Dragon

Best Documentary
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul
Writing With Fire

Best Animated Short
Affairs of the Art
Bestia
Boxballet
Robin Robin
The Windshield Wiper

Best Live Action Short
Ala Kachuu — Take and Run
The Dress
The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold

Best Film Editing
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
Tick, Tick… Boom!

Best Makeup & Hairstyling
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune

Best International Feature Film
Drive My Car
Flee
The Hand of God
Yanna
The Worst Person in the World

Best Cinematography
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of The Dog
The Tragedy
West Side Story

Live Action Short Film
Ala Kacchu – Take and Run
The Dress
The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold

Animated Short Film
Affairs of the Art
Bestia
Boxballet
Robin Robin
The Windshield Wiper

Documentary Short Subject
Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs of Benazir
When We Were Bullies

Best Original Song
“Be Alive,” King Richard
“Dos Oroguitos,” Encanto
“Down to Joy,” Belfast
“No Time To Die,” No Time To Die
“Somehow to Do,” Four Good Days

Production Design
Dune
Nightmare Alley
Power
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

Best Visual Effects
Dune
Free Guy
No Time To Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

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The Estates Of Robin Williams And George Carlin Are Both Suing Pandora For Unpaid Streaming Royalties

Robin Williams and George Carlin are two of the most prolific, ubiquitous, and downright hilarious comedians of all time. Sadly, Williams has been dead since 2014 and Carlin since 2008. But that still hasn’t stopped streaming service giants Pandora from profiting off of their stand-up comedy recordings without paying royalties to their respective estates. At least that’s what copyright infringements lawsuits filed by both Williams’ and Carlin’s estates are claiming.

According to filings of these lawsuits obtained by Rolling Stone, Williams’ estate is seeking to get $4.1 million in damages, while Carlin’s camp is suing for $8.4 million. The lawsuits claim that Pandora knew that they were streaming the recordings, even though they didn’t have the proper licensing right to do it. Furthermore, they haven’t paid any money to the estates that preside over the comedians’ posthumous earnings.

The claims state that Pandora “gained listeners, subscribers and market share with full knowledge it did not have licenses.” In 2018, Pandora was sold to SiriusXM for a whopping $3.5 billion and recordings from comedy titans like Williams and Carlin were (and still are) a part of the service’s offerings.

The filing from Carlin’s estate cheekily states, “While Carlin would have been thrilled for his works to live on through valid licenses and payments, he would have seven dirty words to say about Pandora’s actions and willful copyright infringement, no doubt.”

For what it’s worth, Pandora also received complaints from comedians Andrew Dice Clay, Ron White, and Bill Engvall. It sounds like they need to legitimize this portion of their operation in regards to comedy recordings, or the names on that list are going to grow even bigger.

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Is ‘Inventing Anna’ Based Upon A Real Story?

(Spoilers from Netflix’s Inventing Anna will be found below.)

Julia Garner’s Ruth Langmore dominates the screen on Ozark in what’s been classified (by the Emmys) as a supporting role, but Garner is leading a new Netflix limited series called Inventing Anna. To say that Garner’s career is on fire is an understatement, and she’s once again (after Dirty John) tacking a dramatized real-life story with this latest project, in which she portrays a faux-German con artist going by the name of Anna Delvey.

How real is Inventing Anna, though? Well, it’s a Shondaland series that’s based upon a New York magazine profile called “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People.” As that article reveals (and the Netflix series heavily details), Anna Delvey is actually Anna Sorokin, who posed as an incredibly wealthy heiress/socialite/Instagram star and managed to convince everyone with whom she came into contact. Her propensity for tall tales came naturally for her, and no one seemed immune to her charms.

Soon enough, Anna’s left a wake of immense debt in her wake with many others holding responsibility, and all of this eventually lands her in prison after a dramatic investigation and trial. Mind you, Garner’s performance (and accent) are as electric as one would expect in this show, and although Delvey/Sorokin found her way into ICE custody after leaving prison, her story will impart a number of lasting impressions upon viewers. Further, there’s a lot of reflection to be had about a system that not only allowed but encouraged this mega-grifter to flourish. It’s a wild show and worth catching.

Netflix’s Inventing Anna debuts on February 11, 2022.