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“I think he’s got it — he’s got a very good chance,” said the former host of “The Daily Show” in a recent interview.

Jon Stewart has recently been resurfacing after the announcement of his new Apple TV+ series, “The Problem With Jon Stewart”, where once again viewers can enjoy his witty, pointed, and relentless criticism on social topics.

For the 22nd annual New Yorker festival, Stewart spoke with David Remnick, who asked for Jon’s hot takes on all the feel good talking points. You know, cancel culture, the COVID pandemic, and of course, Trump’s chances of winning a 2024 presidential race.

Jon spared no punches. And the reasons behind his theory are compelling.

Regarding the how the Republican party would handle their 2024 strategy, Stewart remarked:

“They’re smarter about it…what I think they really learned from this exercise was there are really specific pivot points within the American electoral system, and those pivot points are generally the administration of elections run by partisans, but not ideologues…a lot of the real mechanics and logistics of elections are run by Democrats or Republicans, partisans, but they are administrative positions. If he can replace the administrative functionaries with ideologues, he’s removed almost all of the guard rails.”

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Jon Stewart on Trump, Cancel Culture, and Optimism | The New Yorker Festival

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In other words, replacing appointed positions with speculators could enable an “early-stage minority rule,” and therefore a right-wing led administration, as Stewart sees it. Sort of like what we’re seeing in Texas with the abortion ban, with deputized civilians having the authority to enact legal action, only on a much larger scale.

As for Trump himself, Jon noted, “He’s brilliant at understanding what will drive the television narratives.” He went on to explain how the violent mob of Trump supporters storming the U.S Capitol on January 6 resembled a “TV event moment.”

“It’s the special that came out. And that’s what all the TV networks were focused on,” he warned, saying that the real “danger is that it exposed a fragility at a level that is not flashy, or sexy, or known.”

According to an article posted by The Hill, Stewart thinks that the very qualities that should disqualify Trump, like inciting the Capitol Riot, for instance, are the very points of attraction for his supporters. “He came at the right moment for that audience with the right message, and unapologetic,” said Stewart, adding, “and if nothing else, the dude’s resilient.”

The Hill quoted that Stewart also predicted the main theme of Trump’s 2024 election campaign would focus on his ‘Stop the Steal’ message. Though Trump has not officially declared candidacy, it feels all too inevitable.

But hey, maybe Trump’s supporters will follow his recent advice not to vote in 2022 and 2024, and this will all be a thing of the past. I somehow think that won’t be the case. After all, this won’t be the first Jon Stewart prediction to have come true.

One thing’s for sure: the possibility of Trump’s reelection marks a continued and deepening divide among the American people, as to exactly WHO should be in power. Elected officials? Civilian vigilantes? Realty TV stars? Celebrity activists? Internet speculators? It has the entire country rethinking exactly what democracy is, and whether or not we ever had it in the first place. I mean, we can’t even seem to come to agreement with anything nowadays. We can’t even reach consensus reality on the existence of a pandemic, for Pete’s sake.

Although the prediction is unsettling, it’s a small comfort to once again bask in the brilliant, sardonic candor of Jon Stewart. At the very least, he makes even the most alarming news entertaining.

Some of us just don’t want to hear other people’s opinions on our bodies, whether positive or negative, anymore. It makes sense, nobody wants to hear something negative and sometimes, a positive comment can come off the wrong way.

For example, if someone loses weight and you say, “You look good, you’ve lost weight.” It may seem like a compliment, but the person may think, “Oh, did I look bad before?”

Actor Jonah Hill has had to hear about his body from fans and the media for years and he’s finally had enough of it. The 37-year-old posted a brief message on Instagram Wednesday that politely asks people to talk about something else for a change.

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“I know you mean well but I kindly ask that you not comment on my body,” Hill said in the post. “Good or bad I want to politely let you know it’s not helpful and doesn’t feel good. Much respect.”

The post comes eight months after he proudly proclaimed he’s no longer phased when the media tries to comment on his appearance. The post came after The Daily Mail shared paparazzi photos of him shirtless after taking off his wet suit.

“I don’t think I ever took my shirt off in a pool until I was in my mid 30s even in front of family and friends. Probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities weren’t exacerbated by years of public mockery about my body by press and interviewers. So the idea that the media tries to play me by stalking me while surfing and printing photos like this and it can’t phase me anymore is dope,” he wrote.

“I’m 37 and finally love and accept myself. This isn’t a ‘good for me” post,'” he continued. “And it’s definitely not a ‘feel bad for me post.’ It’s for the kids who don’t take their shirt off at the pool. Have fun. You’re wonderful and awesome and perfect. All my love.”

hill celebrated his newfound self-acceptance and passion for surfing with a “Body Love” tattoo.

Hill’s remarks mirror the views of the body neutrality movement which has been gaining popularity recently.

It’s a different way of seeing things than the body positivity movement which aims for “equality and acceptance for all body types and sizes.” Instead, the neutrality movement is about changing one’s focus to accepting your body as is and recognizing its remarkable abilities and non-physical characteristics.

Very Well Mind describes it perfectly:

“Body neutrality means taking a neutral perspective towards your body, meaning that you do not have to cultivate a love for your body or feel that you have to love your body every day. You may not always love your body, but you may still live happily and appreciate everything your body can do.”

Hill’s fans and the media should definitely stop talking about his body for his sanity and also because there’s something else we should really be focusing on, his amazing fashion game. I mean look at these amazing threads.

There is certainly no shortage of material about The Beatles out there. We’ve got feature films, documentaries, biopics, books, magazine articles, and more going back decades. Surely we must have seen everything there is to see, right?

Wrong, apparently. A new documentary coming to Disney+ boasts intimate, never-before-seen footage of the iconic band that’s been locked away in a vault for half a century. Hours and hours of it.

The trailer for “Get Back” begins with intrigue. “In January 1969, a film crew was given unprecedented access to document The Beatles at work,” it says. “This resulted in over 57 hours of the most intimate footage ever shot of the band.”

“The footage has been locked in a vault for over half a century. Unseen…until now.”

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The documentary series “The Beatles: Get Back” will be a 3-part event airing November 25–27, with each episode running two hours. The series was directed by Peter Jackson of “Lord of the Rings” fame, and covers a three-week period in which the band had to write and record 14 songs leading up to their first live performance in three years. Jackson is the only person to have been given access to the footage, which has been painstakingly restored, in over 50 years.

There is so much lore and legend wrapped up in The Beatles’ history, it’s quite lovely to see candid footage of them working together behind the scenes and even more of a treat to see some of the world’s most beloved songs come together.

The Beatles: Get Back | Official Trailer | Disney+

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The year 1969 would be a big one for The Beatles. It’s the year John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married, the album Abbey Road was released, and the band ultimately broke up. So the timing of this footage early in the year gives us a glimpse into the creative genius and turmoil that came to define that year for the group.

(And in a final full-circle bit of irony, according to The Chicago Tribune, The Beatles had wanted to make and star in their own “Lord of the Rings” movie musical back in the 1960s. They wanted Stanley Kubrick to direct it, but he turned them down. Even if he had agreed, though, J.R.R. Tolkien apparently wasn’t a fan of The Beatles and didn’t want to give them the rights to it, so the idea was dead on arrival anyway. How funny that Peter Jackson, who created the epic “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, ended up getting exclusive access to footage of The Beatles for this documentary.)

The doc series looks awesome. Watching four of the world’s most famous musicians creating the songs we know and love will be a treat. (How about George Harrison not being able to figure out what lyrics should come after “Something in the way she moves…” and John Lennon telling him to sing “like cauliflower” until the right words came to him?) They were brilliant together, but it wasn’t effortless. They worked hard on their craft, trying different things until they got it just right.

How fun that we get to see something new from The Beatles when we thought we’d seen it all.

Noa Kirel has been a star since the age of 14, and it shows. In her first English-language single, the Israeli-born diva kindly asked that we “Please Don’t Suck,” and even if it was a kiss off, listeners still fell in love. A beautiful woman going on a string of dates with increasingly annoying men… sound familiar?? Highly relatable. Anyway, the video, which was choreographed by the legendary Sean Bankhead (“Wild Side,” anyone??) is sitting pretty at just under 25 millions views as of today, which means the world is officially ready for more new music from Noa.

So today she’s sharing “Bad Little Thing,” another swaggering pop anthem that ushers back ye cinematic days of old when music videos had 20+ outfit changes and actually created an entire universe over the course of the song. Backed by an all-female dance crew, Noa struts and stomps in and out of situations with men who want her to be something small and easy for them, but all she’s interested in being is everything for herself. It’s an excellent follow-up to her debut single and more proof that this girl is destined for a stadium tour. Check out the new video above and keep an eye out for more from Noa.

At long last, Adele’s return to the music world became official on Thursday as she delivered “Easy On Me,” the lead single to her long-awaited fourth album, 30. The track is the singer’s first official track in the nearly six years that passed since she shared her third album, 25. Adele’s return has been celebrated all throughout the music industry from the smallest fans to the bigger artists. This includes Drake who took to his Instagram Story to praise the singer and her new single moments after it was made available to the world.

“One of my best friends in the world just dropped a single,” the rapper captioned a picture of Adele that he shared to his Instagram Story before adding, “WOIIIIIII.”

Drake and Adele’s friendship is one that’s documented fairly well over the past couple of years. She attended the rapper’s birthday party in 2019 and sent him well wishes on her Instagram Story afterward.

“Happy birthday to one of the kindest and funniest people I’ve met @champagnepapi,” she wrote.

More recently, she told viewers during a surprise Instagram Livestream that her favorite album of 2021 is Drake’s Certified Lover Boy.

In addition to receiving praise from Drake and others, “Easy On Me” reportedly broke the record for the fastest song to reach No. 1 of the iTunes US chart as it claimed to the top just three minutes after the song’s release.

You can view Drake’s post to Adele above.

When Jon Gruden resigned in disgrace this week after emails showed him regularly using racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language with former Washington executive Bruce Allen, many were quick to point out that if the NFL has 650,000 emails from the investigation into the Football Team, those from Gruden surely weren’t the only ones to show unacceptable behavior.

The NFLPA has called for the league to release all of the emails, which seems highly unlikely, but someone with access to them at least seems happy providing a steady drip of leaks that highlight the ol’ boys club that is the NFL. The latest leak takes aim at Jeff Pash, the NFL’s top lawyer and a key advisor to Roger Goodell, with a number of emails between he and Allen that show a close bond of friendship between the two despite Pash being in charge of investigations into the Football Team and levying fines for the league.

Included in the latest emails unveiled by the New York Times are instances of Pash outright rescinding fines for the Football Team after Allen’s complaints, sharing laughs about Allen trying to lower a player’s salary which Pash calls “the Lord’s work,” and, once again, an odd affection for Hooters. At one point, when discussing a fine for violating spending rules, Pash brought up how Allen got him a Hooters VIP card, which he treasures dearly.

A year later, when the league penalized Washington and Dallas for violating league spending limits, Allen asked to speak with Pash. “Still talking internally about this,” Pash replied. “I am not making any promises as to an outcome. But I can assure you that I am not blowing you off.”

After Allen thanked him, Pash added: “We may not see this the same way. But that does not change my respect or affection for you. After all, nobody else has ever given me a Hooters VIP card.”

There was also lots of correspondence about the Football Team’s former name, which Pash helped Allen and the organization defend, as well as off-color jokes about building the wall amid a push for more Latino fans.

Pash and Allen, as his team spun in and out of crises, joked about the league’s diversity initiatives.

When Allen shared an audio file of a team song aimed at attracting Latino fans, Pash responded, “I am not sure this song will be as popular after the wall gets built.”

There is a lot in the full report from the Times and all of it paints a picture of a relationship between Pash and Allen that was far more than just cordial work acquaintances. Considering Pash headed up the league’s investigation into allegations of sexual harassment towards the team’s cheerleaders, among other matters, it presents plenty of questions about whether their friendship was appropriate. What’s also clear is that we are far from done with the emails discovered in this probe and it seems mostly a matter of who will be the next person to find themselves at the center of controversy for inappropriate emails with Allen.

It’s hard to keep track of all the controversies and, perhaps, crimes that were associated with Donald Trump during his presidency. The man talks a lot, you know, and has a habit of rambling about things he perhaps should not. That hasn’t changed after two impeachments and leaving office in shame, as was evidenced by a new report that detailed Trump talking about an unconfirmed report that he had a very particular kink.

As the Washington Post reported, Trump actually spoke to sitting Republican senators and rambled about his first impeachment regarding his efforts to pressure Ukraine into helping him find information about Joe Biden. He also, uh, talked about that “golden showers” thing that reportedly appeared in a Russian dossier that made waves earlier in his presidency.

The story details Trump’s persistent control over the Republican party in spite of, well, everything. And it includes details about how active he is in the political scene while still essentially in exile at Mar-a-Lago. While he’s still debating another presidential run in 2024, Trump is actively endorsing candidates in other elections and fundraising at various events.

Including at a National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) event detailed in the story. Where he talked about the Big Lie that he still claims he won the 2020 presidential election, which he did not. He also decided it was the time and place to address the rumors that he likes to be urinated on.

“It was all phony s—, okay. All phony stuff,” he said of the Democratic impeachment efforts and the investigation of his ties to Russia.

Unprompted, he brought up an unsubstantiated claim he had interactions with prostitutes in Moscow before he ran for president.

“I’m not into golden showers,” he told the crowd. “You know the great thing, our great first lady — ‘That one,’ she said, ‘I don’t believe that one.’ ”

The story made it sound like a greatest hits of things he hates and other grievances. He railed against windmills, for some reason, and praised the president of China. But it’s still very strange, no matter how much you know about Trump by now, to think of a former president commenting on a very specific sexual fetish. Even if it’s not something he’s actually, you know, into.

[via Washington Post]

The resignation of Jon Gruden from the Raiders earlier this week for racist, homophobic, and misogynistic emails sent to former Washington executive Bruce Allen has led to plenty of discussion about the ways those who are powerful in the NFL talk behind closed doors and what needs to change in the overall culture of professional football.

Some, like Chargers coach Brandon Staley, have used the Gruden situation as an opportunity to recognize their role as a leader to provide a welcoming atmosphere to those groups and why it’s so important to build trust and earn that trust in all of your actions. It is a great time for some introspection from many in football, and the circumstances of this week made what happened on Fox’s Thursday Night Football pre-show stand out to many even more as another example of things that shouldn’t be happening.

After an Erin Andrews interview with Devin White, whose love of horses led to the two of them doing the interview at a horse stable, they threw it back to the Fox studio crew for what became a very awkward transition as Terry Bradshaw made some comments about Erin Andrews’ appearance in the interview that left some viewers feeling uncomfortable.

Some felt it was simply an awkwardly worded compliment, but plenty felt Bradshaw’s comments came off as inappropriate.

It’s certainly wasn’t Bradshaw’s finest on-air moment as, if nothing else, it was a very awkward transition.

Banksy has remained relatively quiet in the plague years, with just a handful of new works popping up in 2020 and 2021 thus far. But one of his most famous works from earlier in his career is still making headlines, this time for being sold for much more “destroyed” than it was worth intact.

The commodification of, well, everything has certainly made things interesting during a pandemic-aided period of rapid value appreciation across all sorts of markets. The trading card industry is as hot as ever, for example, and art is no exception. But the recent sale of Banksy’s infamous shredded painting is certainly notable. According to the New York Times, the retitled piece that was infamously shredded after a sale in 2018 sold for a record for the artist’s work.

The Banksy painting that sensationally self-destructed three years ago after selling for $1.4 million at auction was resold by Sotheby’s Thursday for 18.6 million pounds, or $25.4 million, a record for the artist.

That work’s “destruction” shocked observers in 2018 after it was remotely ran through a shredder built into the artwork’s frame by the artist himself. As the Times pointed out, though the statement Banksy was trying to make with the painting was that value in art is entirely subjective and, sometimes, temporary, many expects correctly predicted that the shredding and subsequent attention it was given only made the painting significantly more valuable. And popular.

The artwork, which started as a spray-painted canvas from 2006 called “Girl With Balloon,” had been the last lot of Sotheby’s equivalent “Frieze Week” sale in October 2018. Immediately after being bought in a telephone bid, for $1.4 million, an alarm went off in the salesroom. Sotheby’s staffers and the audience at the auction gasped as the painting slid through its elaborate gold frame and shredded, then jammed halfway through. It was carried out via a remote-controlled mechanism hidden in the frame. Sotheby’s declared afterward that it had been “Banksy-ed.”

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“Love Is in the Bin,” with its shredded lower half dangling under the frame, was displayed behind a protective glass screen at Sotheby’s. It had been offered for sale by an unidentified European collector. It was exhibited for 11 months next to revered old masters at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart in Germany in 2019-20. During that period, the Staatsgalerie said, it attracted 180,000 visitors, about double its usual attendance.

Banksy’s work is all about getting attention, of course, so that was certainly achieved by the viral fame that piece got in the aftermath of turning most of it to very expensive ribbon. But despite his best efforts, all that paper has only gotten more valuable to observers in the years that have passed.

October 14th would have been George Floyd’s 48th birthday. Floyd, whose life helped galvanize millions of Americans within the Black Lives Matter movement, was killed at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th, 2020.

On Wednesday night, hip-hop’s reigning diva Queen Erykah Badu had a tour stop at the Minneapolis Armory venue in the city. The gracious Badu invited George Floyd’s family backstage —including his sister, his uncle, and aunt — to celebrate and honor his life at the stroke of midnight,

As she counted down the final minutes to midnight, Badu recorded a video tribute to Floyd on her Instagram story, panned the camera to show his family members, and stated the following message:

“People of planet Earth, we’re about four minutes away from George Floyd’s birthday. He would’ve been 48 years old and I’m here with his family now. It seems like we have a moment of peace right now. And we know that your life is not in vain. Thank you for your spirit and your sacrifice so that we can move on the way we should — be where we supposed to as a people.”

To learn more about or to donate to the George Floyd Foundation and their legacy mission of “activating our communities to challenge the root causes of racial inequity and end the systemic violence affecting Black Americans,” you can visit www.georgefloydmemorialfoundation.org/.