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Before The New York Times revealed the Department of Justice was investigating him over a sexual relationship with an underage girl, Matt Gaetz had other big news: He was thinking of leaving Congress. What would he do? Become a TV pundit, obviously. He initially just floated Newsmax as a possible new home, but he later told The Daily Beast he had talked to other far right outlets, such as OANN, even Fox News. The latter, at least, shut that down, saying they’re just not that into him.

“No one with any level of authority has had conversations with Matt Gaetz for any of our platforms and we have no interest in hiring him,” a Fox News spokesperson told publication, not mincing words.

Gaetz had suggested otherwise. “There is not a single conservative television station I haven’t had a passing conversation with about life after Congress,” he bragged to The Daily Beast. “I have neither received nor solicited offers from any of them. But yes, I’ve talked to either executives, producers or hosts at Newsmax, OAN, Fox, Fox Business, Real America’s Voice and probably others I’m forgetting in this moment as I focus intently on refuting false accusations against me.”

He might be busy with that for a while. On Tuesday night, a few hours after the New York Times piece broke the story, he went on Tucker Carlson Tonight to tell his side of the story — a side that involved a convoluted tale of extortion involving the FBI. Even Carlson didn’t seem to buy it, not the least because his guest, in the middle of one of his long monologues, suddenly brought up 20-year-old accusations he’d faced involving sexual misconduct — allegations Carlson was quick to shoot down as unfounded.

So maybe whatever happens, Gaetz will rebound at Newsmax or OANN — provided they aren’t sued out of existence by Dominion Voting Systems for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Social media has spent the last day relentlessly dragging Matt Gaetz, who has spent the last handful of months being investigated over an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old. But they took a break because Ben Shapiro said something. The far right commentator and incorrigible speed-talker weighed in on the controversial election laws recently passed by Georgia Republicans, which have been seen as blatant attempt to suppress Democratic votes. He, of course, didn’t think they were a big deal, even bizarrely comparing infamously long Election Day lines to waiting on rides at Disneyland.

On his Daily Wire show, Shapiro laid into critics of the laws, which has included such high profile figures as Tyler Perry, Mark Hamill, even Delta Airlines. Shapiro brushed off each critique, but paused when he got to the issue of long voting lines, which were frequently documented during November’s election and which sometimes see voters waiting more than 10 hours just to cast a ballot.

More than 10 hours? Big deal, thought Shapiro. “Voter suppression doesn’t involve long lines, any more than long lines at Disneyland are ride suppression,” he averred.

Shapiro, of course, didn’t even allude to the epic length of some voting lines. So some people reminded him.

Others pointed out that he was employing one of the most popular argumentative tricks among conservatives: create a false equivalency.

People cracked other holes in his logic.

Some mocked him doing an “Ayone? Bueller? Bueller?” while recording a podcast in a room by himself.

And there were plenty of height jokes, which fair enough. (He’s claimed he’s 5’9, which he definitely is not.)

And there were other jokes.

And there were some who resented the idea of every month or so having to remember the existence of Ben Shapiro.

In a little under two weeks, Brockhampton will release their seventh album, Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine. It’s a project that their fans have spent months waiting for, even guessing its title thanks to a helpful hint from the band’s head producer, Romil Hemnani. Brockhampton finally announced it would drop on April 9, and as that date gets closer and closer, the group returned with the album’s tracklist.

Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine comes equipped with 13 songs as well as features from Danny Brown, ASAP Rocky, ASAP Ferg, Charlie Wilson Sogone Soflex, Jpegmafia, and Baird. The news comes mere hours after the group revealed they would release two albums in 2021 before calling it quits. Brockhampton’s lead vocalist, Kevin Abstract, shared the news on Twitter, writing, “2 brockhampton albums in 2021 – these will be our last.” He also said there was more on the way. “New single tmrw night [presumably Friday at midnight]. Summer time vibes,” he revealed. “Ride around with the windows down with ya best friend singing super loud to the chorus type vibe – shows the other side of the album. See Yal tmrw.”

You can check out the full tracklist below:

1. “Buzzcut” (Feat. Danny Brown)
2. “Chain On” (Feat. Jpegmafia)
3. “Count On Me”
4. “Bankroll” (Feat. ASAP Rocky And A$ASAP Ferg)
5. “The Light”
6. “Windows” (Feat. Sogone Soflex)
7. “I’ll Take You On” (Feat. Charlie Wilson)
8. “Old News (Feat. Baird)
9. “What’s The Occasion?”
10. “When I Ball”
11. “Don’t Shoot Up The Party”
12. “Dear Lord”
13. “The Light Pt. II”

Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine is out 4/9 on Question Everything/RCA Records. You can pre-order a limited edition box set here.

Dick Van Dyke has always been known for being an affable, warm-hearted man in a business that’s often defined by the difficult and self-absorbed. Lately, he’s developed quite the reputation of being incredibly youthful for the ripe old age of 95.

Recently, he was captured singing “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” from his film of the same name at a deli.

Two years ago, he was captured dancing in a department store.

Here’s Van Dyke dancing to “Step in Time” from “Mary Poppins” at 90.

Dick Van Dyke Dancing age 90

www.youtube.com

Van Dyke is best known for playing Burt the chimney sweep in Disney’s 1965 classic “Mary Poppins” but has had a long, storied career which includes his groundbreaking ’60s sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and the films “Bye Bye Birdie” and “A Night at the Museum.”

In his memoir “Keep Moving” he says that the love of dance has kept him young. “If I am out shopping and hear music playing in a store, I start to dance,” he writes. “If I want to sing, I sing. I read books and get excited about new ideas. I enjoy myself. I don’t think about the way I am supposed to act at my age — or at any age.”

Van Dyke is impressing people again, this time with his generosity, although he probably didn’t want anyone to know. On Tuesday afternoon he was caught by a cameraman handing out wads of cash to job seekers at the Malibu Community Labor Exchange in Los Angeles.

According to its website, The Malibu Community Labor Exchange is “a community-created nonprofit organization that provides an organized and supportive place for the people of Malibu to hire and be hired, creating opportunities for the unemployed to build independence and self-sufficiency through work.”

Malibu is an extremely affluent beachside community that’s known for being a laid-back enclave that caters to celebrities.

Van Dyke stunned the job seekers by pulling up in his car and passing out cash to the people waiting in line.

The actor’s generosity comes at a time when many are experiencing hard times due to the COVID-19 virus.

It’s unknown how much money that he handed out, but photos taken at the Labor Exchange showed the recipients were excited to see him. The actor wore track pants, sneakers, a green fleece jacket, and a kiss-patterned face mask for protection.

Van Dyke is no stranger to giving back to the community. For over 20 years he has worked as a volunteer at Los Angeles’ century-old shelter, The Midnight Mission. He has also been a spokesperson for the National Reye’s Syndrome Foundation and the Cell therapy Foundation.

Recently, Van Dyke has worked as a consultant on Disney’s “Wandavision” which plays homage to “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” He’s also recently appeared in “Mary Poppins Returns” and the TV series “Kidding,” alongside Jim Carrey.

At last Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline, one of the final deals that was announced saw the Pelicans trade JJ Redick to the Mavs as Dallas looks to bolster their depth by adding a veteran shooter for the playoff push. From a basketball perspective, the deal made sense. Redick wasn’t playing in New Orleans anymore and had made clear he wanted out, and he’s a snug fit, at least offensively, for what Dallas needs.

However, Redick had personal reasons for his trade request in that he wanted to be closer to his son in Brooklyn, hoping for a trade to one of the teams in that area — mainly the Nets, Sixers, Celtics, or Knicks. On Wednesday, Redick took aim at the Pelicans front office on his podcast for what he felt was blindsiding him with a deal to Dallas, which doesn’t get him closer to his family, with the COVID-19 protocols making it difficult for him to see them. Redick felt David Griffin didn’t “honor his word” after their conversations about his desire to get back to the Northeast, and made his feelings towards the Pelicans front office very clear.

This has furthered the debate about player empowerment and the buyout market, as Redick was under the impression that if he weren’t dealt to a team in that area he would get bought out and join one of those teams. On Wednesday’s episode of The Jump on ESPN, Robert Horry and Richard Jefferson were asked about the Redick situation and, somewhat surprisingly, neither of the former players were siding with Redick.

Jefferson’s early “so did everyone else” about Redick wanting to be in Brooklyn is pretty funny, but it’s an interesting conversation.

As Horry notes, this is the business of basketball and the Pelicans front office’s first job is to do what’s best for the team. If there’s a trade out there that brings them assets back, that is a better move than turning that down to buyout Redick and let him go to his desired locale. Horry also points out that Redick isn’t exactly the caliber of player or have the standing within the New Orleans organization to be able to demand where he wants to go. Where Kyle Lowry can do that with Toronto — which, the limited options was a reason he wasn’t dealt — Redick doesn’t have that kind of stature with the Pelicans to have commanded the goodwill to send him to his desired location. He was still traded to a contender and a team he probably can have a solid role on in the Mavs, he just wasn’t dealt to the most coveted destination in the league right now in Brooklyn.

Jefferson then points out that Redick has embraced the “hired gun” life in recent years, inking short-term deals in order to get big money, and while pandemic restrictions certainly change the calculus for a lot of people, his choice was to go to a situation where he could make the most but it came at the cost of being further from his family. It’s a bit surprising that neither former player seems to have any sympathy for Redick’s situation, but they also are very pragmatic in their argument whereas Redick’s frustration comes from a more emotional place. Both are understandable viewpoints, but hearing two former players point out a lot of areas where Redick’s “sob story,” as Jefferson put it, falls short is pretty interesting.

When it was first announced, Knives Out was originally treated like simply a fun film for Daniel Craig thing to do while the next Bond film, No Time to Die, found a new director. But it proved far more than that. An enjoyably retro mystery and an enjoyably eccentric follow-up to Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, it was a box office smash that also allowed Craig, the most serious of the big screen 007s, to have some fun, solve a convoluted murder, do his finest Foghorn Leghorn accent. Like any good whodunnit it begged for a sequel, possibly with Craig switching accents. And now it’s getting at least two.

Netflix is forking over a ridiculous amount of money for Knives Out 2 and 3. How much? $400 million, says Deadline, though Variety is reporting $450 million. Whichever the number, it’s a lot for movies which find our snooping hero largely sitting in rooms with a who’s who ensemble, each of them a potential homicidal maniac. Mind you, this is not the budget of either of them; it’s just for the rights to make two more adventures with Craig’s amateur sleuth Benoit Blanc.

Johnson envisioned the first Knives Out as his homage to classic murder mysteries, like the many, many novels of Agatha Christie, particularly the ones revolving around crime-solvers Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. The latter is already the subject of his own big screen franchise, starring and directed by Kenneth Branagh, so maybe it’s time to resurrect France’s Inspector Maigret? In the meanwhile, two more Knives Out sequels means Johnson is swimming in crime: It was recently announced that he was teaming with Natasha Lyonne for a murder mystery show that sounds like the Columbo reboot we all deserve.

(Via Deadline and Variety)

Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (31-4) is on one of the best runs in all of Bellator. He’s the king of the featherweight and lightweight divisions and is two years removed from knocking out UFC lightweight title contender Michael Chandler. So why is ‘Pitbull’ heading into his main event against Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4) as part of Bellator’s debut on Showtime Friday night with a chip on his shoulder? The double champ believes he’s being overlooked by the national media and he’s ready to turn that narrative upside down.

“Unfortunately, I believe a big part of the media is political,” Freire told Uproxx Sports. “It doesn’t make sense that Michael Chandler is fighting for a title (in UFC) and he’s getting all the attention when I’ve knocked Chandler out and I don’t get that recognition. I got ranked 21 (in Tapology’s featherweight rankings) and he’s ranked fourth (in Tapology’s lightweight rankings). How is it possible?”

Freire was named Bellator’s top pound-for-pound fighter in the organization’s inaugural rankings earlier this week. But that’s not enough for the featherweight and lightweight champion, who hopes to put on a show against Sanchez in a rematch three years in the making.

“I’ve always been mentally strong and I’m 100 percent ready for this fight. I’ve always had the toughest mindset in the game and I’m going to continue to do so,” Freire said. “I’m not underestimating him by any means. He brought one of the toughest fights of my career. He’s a complete fighter, but I haven’t seen much of a difference in him from that fight to now.”

Friday night’s main event represents a stepping stone for Freire, with higher aspirations than simply defending his featherweight belt and moving on to the finals of the Featherweight World Grand Prix Tournament against the unbeaten A.J. McKee.

“(I want to) break records and continue to write history as one of the best in the world,” Freire said. “(Moving down to 135 pounds) is something I’ve talked about before. It’s something I wish I could do. But I’m already in two divisions. To go down to a third, I don’t think it’s realistic, but it’s definitely something I wanted to do in the past. I think the next step in this game is to do a cross-promotional fight to see who really is the best. Everyone knows it’s me, but everyone is here to deny it. I can bet $1 million when I win this Grand Prix that I am the best in the world.”

As far as who Freire has in mind, he wants the best of the best.

“The ones that have the belt, Volkanovski, Holloway. I’ve beaten Chandler and that’s that. I don’t need to fight Chandler,” Freire said. “(Bellator) is just like me. We like to do these things to prove we are the best. We’ve done cross-promotional fights with RIZIN. Scott (Coker) would like to do that with the UFC for a second time.”

Freire will face off against Sanchez on Friday night at Bellator 255 at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime, which is free to non-subscribers across streaming services, online platforms and TV providers. Bellator 255 will kick off three consecutive weeks of fights, with Bellator 256 scheduled for April 9 and Bellator 257 on April 16.

If you thought Sarah Palin‘s appearance on The Masked Singer was her most surprising public performance yet, the die-hard conservative has come out in support of wearing masks and getting vaccinated after being hit with COVID-19. In a new interview with PEOPLE, Palin urged Americans to take the pandemic seriously after it hit her family in remote Alaska, citing herself as proof that “anyone can catch this.” Despite being a well-known Donald Trump supporter, which often goes hand-in-hand with protesting COVID regulations and refusing to wear a mask, Palin is urging Americans to do everything in their power to take the threat of the virus seriously, which includes masking up and signing up for the vaccine:

“I strongly encourage everyone to use common sense to avoid spreading this and every other virus out there,” she says in her statement. “There are more viruses than there are stars in the sky, meaning we’ll never avoid every source of illness or danger … But please be vigilant, don’t be frightened, and I advise reprioritizing some personal time and resources to ensure as healthy a lifestyle as you can create so when viruses do hit, you have at least some armor to fight it.”

While Palin hasn’t been as actively vocal about downplaying the threat of COVID as other Republican politicians, she did play her part in protesting lockdown measures. The former vice-presidential candidate visited a Dallas salon after the conservative owner was jailed for refusing to close during the early months of the pandemic in 2020. Palin can be seen at the salon without a mask on below:

However, the fact that a prominent conservative like Palin is now taking the virus seriously should, hopefully, encourage other Republicans to do the same.

(Via PEOPLE)

After exploding into the public consciousness with his rapid-fire flow and tongue-in-cheek sense of humor two years ago, DaBaby remains an object of fascination with fans of all ages even despite his somewhat less than kid-friendly subject matter. A recent meme currently circulating the weirder corners of social media turned the North Carolina rapper’s head into an automobile (apparently in response to a lyric from his song “Suge”), while a teacher’s free-writing assignment for her class turned up no fewer than four short stories featuring the rapper — in Spanish, no less.

When the teacher remarked on the coincidence on Twitter, her comment caught the rapper’s eye, prompting him to ask her, “Send them to me.” She did so via a thread of replies showing the stories in the students’ own handwriting on notebook paper, including one with an illustration of the rapper apparently getting out of jail along with one of the astronauts from the similarly-ubiquitous mobile game Among Us. In one of the writings, the student even makes reference to the “DaBaby Convertible” meme.

The stories are weird and nonsensical in the way kids’ stories usually are. One prominently features a Kanye West action revenge movie-style plotline, which has been a source of confusion and amusement for commenters. You can see the full thread below along with some… iffy translations — and, just for fun, one of the best DaBaby Convertible videos out.

Back in September, AMC announced that The Walking Dead would come to end in Season 11, which the network extended to 24 episodes that will run into late 2022. After spending over a decade as AMC’s top series, it made sense that the zombie show was finally coming in for a landing, and surely, the showrunners had been preparing to draw things to a close. However, actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan has made some comments in a recent interview that seem to suggest that AMC pulled the plug on The Walking Dead and basically forced the creative team to wrap things up. According to Morgan, the showrunners had plans that went beyond Season 11, and they were just as shocked by the show ending as the cast and crew.

In other words, it sounds a lot like The Walking Dead was canceled. Via Collider:

The news, when we got it in the middle of the pandemic, was a complete surprise, not only to me and the rest of the actors, but to everybody involved in the show from production. Scott Gimple and Angela Kang had no idea either. It came from nowhere and there was such a huge pivot. I think they had Season 11 all mapped out, where they were going to go, and suddenly it became, ‘We also have to close the story, in a way.’ It took everybody by surprise, so it was a massive pivot.

Morgan is currently filming the final season of The Walking Dead in Georgia, which will take an entire year to complete. And judging by his latest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor is barely a few months into production and is already running into trouble. After taking a few too many weed gummies while settling into his home for the next year, Morgan woke up to find out he had custom-built a new Tesla online and put a down payment on the six-figure vehicle while high out of his mind. “This was a very bad mistake,” he told Kimmel before walking through the sheepish phone call he had to make to Tesla to get out of purchasing the pricey electric car.

(Via Collider)