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01 Aug 2024

Best Back-to-School Backpacks at Target: All in Motion, Puma, Barbie & More

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Get ready for the new school year with Target’s Back to School Backpack Buddy Event! Kicking off on Saturday (August 3) from 10 a.m PT to 3 p.m PT, this special event offers students a chance to create and personalize their back to school items. Students across the country will also have a chance to score a free gift.

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Now through Sept. 8, you can visit most Target stores to personalize your back-to-school gear. You’ll be able to customize backpacks, lunch boxes, and water bottles with unique pins and patches, starting at just $2. You can also save big with Target’s back-to-school sale, starting now through Aug. 3. Enjoy 30% off of kids’ apparel, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies. Plus, get up to 20% off Bentgo and Thermos lunch kits.

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On Sept. 6, Target is also bringing the college spirit to nearly 100 campus stores and collaborating with Pinterest for college-themed Target Finds. Target Finds gives online shoppers a “walk down the aisle” to shop the latest trends and give you ideas to gear up for your next adventure. Whether you’re looking for something trendy, tech-friendly, or simply practical, Target offers a wide range of backpacks to fit every need and preference. From sporty designs to trendy Barbie-themed options, Target makes back-to-school shopping easy and fun covering a diverse range of selections for all ages. To make the search even easier, we’ve put together a list of top five backpacks to add to your shopping cart.

Best Back-to-School Backpacks at Target: Puma, Barbie & More

Target

All in Motion: Sporty 19 Backpack

$22.04

$31.49

30% off

Best Back-to-School Backpacks at Target: Puma, Barbie & More

Target

Puma Kids’ Eclipse Backpack

$20.99

$29.99

30% off

Best Back-to-School Backpacks at Target: Puma, Barbie & More

Target

All in Motion: Faux Neoprene Backpack

$27.99

$39.99

30% off

Best Back-to-School Backpacks at Target: Puma, Barbie & More

Target

Barbie Backpack

$11.20

$16

30% off

Best Back-to-School Backpacks at Target: Puma, Barbie & More

Target

Kipling Seoul Large Printed 15” Backpack

$74.99

$134

44% off

For more product recommendations, check out this Lululemon Everywhere Backpack, top 10 back-to-school essentials, and Rihanna’s FENTY x PUMA Creeper Phatty ‘In Session’ sneakers to elevate your back-to-school style.

01 Aug 2024

Jack Harlow Admits Acting Is ‘Harder’ Than He Thought Following ‘White Men Can’t Jump’ Debut Role

Jack Harlow figured he’d have a smooth transition from rapper to actor, but his Hollywood career got off to a rockier start than he anticipated.

Harlow reflected on his role in the 2023 White Men Can’t Jump reboot in a candid interview with Variety on Thursday (Aug. 1) and the “First Class” rhymer didn’t hold back in his assessment of his acting debut.

“S–t got killed,” he admitted of his first performance and critics seemed to agree of the panned reboot of the 1992 classic.

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Missionary Jack knows he’s got to make way more of a commitment to his craft if he wants to seem improvements in his on-screen ability.

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“I learned I’ve got a lot more work to do,” he added. “I’ve got to get better if I really want to do it. It’s tough. It’s harder than I thought.”

Harlow continued: “It’s either you do it or you don’t. It felt like White Boys was the type of opportunity you take, and then you learn from how it goes. It’s interesting, all the best actors, they know how to let go of control. You can’t control so much of it.”

The Louisville native will get a second crack at Hollywood with his role in The Instigators, which will be released on AppleTV+ on Aug. 9.

The thrilling crime flick finds Harlow playing an angry character — something atypical for his usual temperament — and acting alongside legends like Academy Award winners Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in the Boston-based heist movie.

“I felt privileged to be surrounded by that level of talent so early in my career,” he said. “How did I get over here? I’ve got an angry character. I’m not very angry in general, so to reach for that was nice.”

Jack Harlow has laid low on the music side this year as he hasn’t released any singles in 2024. Watch The Instigators trailer below.

01 Aug 2024

Janet Yang Re-Elected President of Motion Picture Academy

Producer Janet Yang was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s board of governors, the Academy announced on Thursday (Aug. 1).

Yang is beginning her third term as president and her sixth year as a governor-at-large, a position for which she was nominated by sitting Academy president David Rubin in 2019 and elected by the board of governors in 2022.

Yang is the fourth woman to serve as president of the Academy. Oscar-winning actress Bette Davis was the first in 1941, though she resigned after just two months in the post. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Fay Kanin served from 1979-83; Film marketing and PR executive Cheryl Boone Isaacs served from 2013-17.

A member of the Academy’s producers branch since 2002, Yang previously served on the board as vp and chair of the membership committee and, prior to that, the membership and governance committee.

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Yang’s film producing credits include South Central, The Joy Luck Club, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Zero Effect, Savior, The Weight of Water, High Crimes and the Oscar-nominated animated feature Over the Moon. She won a Primetime Emmy in 1995 for the HBO film Indictment: The McMartin Trial, which was voted outstanding made for television movie.

In other news, film composer Lesley Barber, one of three members of the board of governors representing the music branch, was elected to an officer position for the first time. She is a vp and chair of the membership committee.

Barber is best known for her score for Kenneth Lonergan’s Oscar-winning Manchester by the Sea. Her other credits include Late Night, Mansfield Park, Irreplaceable You, How to Change the World and You Can Count on Me.

Here is a list of the other four people who were elected to officer positions by the board:

  •     DeVon Franklin, vp (chair, equity and inclusion committee)
  •     Donna Gigliotti, vp/treasurer (chair, finance committee)
  •     Lynette Howell Taylor, vp (chair, awards committee)
  • Howard A. Rodman, vp/secretary (chair, governance committee)

Franklin, Howell Taylor and Rodman were re-elected as officers. Gigliotti previously served as an officer. 

“I am thrilled to have Janet return as Academy president for a third term to continue our great work of the past two years,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement. “I also am so pleased to welcome this year’s incredible slate of dedicated board officers.”

The 55-member board of governors includes three members who represent the music branch: Barber, Charles Fox (“I Got a Name,” “Ready to Take a Chance Again”) and Richard Gibbs (Say Anything, Dr. Dolittle).

Board members may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms for a lifetime maximum of 12 years.  Officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive years in any one office.

For a complete listing of the Academy’s 2024-25 board of governors, click here.

01 Aug 2024

Trey Anastasio Wonders If It’s a ‘Coincidence’ His Daughters Were at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Show Where Platform Malfunctioned

Though the cross-over in the Venn Diagram of Phish Phans and Swifties is normally pretty minimal, the unlikely streams crossed for a brief (okay, three-plus hour) moment this summer when Phish singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s two grown daughters zoomed over to Europe to catch one of Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour shows.

The Phish Phigurehead dropped into SiriusXM’s Phish Radio on Thursday morning (August 1) to tell the story of how his two adult daughters, Isabella and Eliza, saved up their money to see Swift in Dublin and ended up having a flashback to one of their dad’s most iconic eras. As any Swiftie will know, seeing the Eras Tour in Europe is often cheaper than catching it stateside, which is why the two women hopped over the pond, according to their dad.

“That’s why they went. It was the only place you could get a ticket,” Anastasio said. “My 27-year-old daughter wanted to get a Taylor ticket for my 29-year-old daughter, so she went online and put in for the lottery for every show on Earth, as did another friend of hers. And they both only could only get tickets in Dublin — her and one of her best friends — independent of each other.” So, the sisters met each other in Dublin at the show where Swift famously got briefly stuck on a platform mid-show.

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“I said, ‘is that a coincidence? That my daughters watched me on a platform, their dad, and Taylor?,” he wondered. Anastasio was referring, of course, to a show in Dublin on June 29 during which a stage malfunction during “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” in which the elevated section Swift was standing on failed to lower when it was supposed to, leaving her momentarily stranded in air. Swift, a consummate professional, shook it off and kept rolling.

Anastasio was also thinking about the New Year’s Eve show in 2019 when each member of Phish performed from a color-coded, elevated platform above the stage to make room for their color-coordinated dancers. As his bandmates were lowered back to the main stage, Anastasio’s platform got stuck, so he just kept jamming from the air before drummer Jon Fishman’s platform was raised back up so the crew could rescue the frontman.

In a video from November 2020, Anastasio recalled that one of the chains holding up the platform broke and instead of being harnessed into his rig, he just had a rope that restricted his movement, so he couldn’t get too near the end of the platform. “Then I thought, ‘oh my God, if this tilts I’m going to be hanging by my belt!’

01 Aug 2024

Op-Ed: Mouthy Misogynists Throw Tantrum Over Megan Thee Stallion’s Performance At VP Kamala Harris Rally

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VP Kamala Harris Campaign

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The gworls are mad, and no I am not referring to the ones we love.

On Tuesday (July 30), after breaking the internet with an overwhelming amount of support following President Biden’s nomination, vice president and presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, held her first presidential rally in Atlanta with the support of an array of artists including Quavo, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion alongside lawmakers Stacey Abrams and Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

Megan Thee Stallion brought the heat to Vice President Kamala Harris’ first presidential campaign rally, coining the slogan “Hotties for Harris” and sending conservatives into a meltdown. Her performance at the Georgia State Convocation Center was a far cry from her headlining set at State Farm Arena earlier this month. This time, she traded her shimmering leotard for a sleek blue pantsuit, dialed down the twerking, and censored her lyrics. Despite these adjustments, she still had her back-up dancers and a setlist featuring hits like “Savage,” “Girls in the Hood,” and “Body.”

“We’re about to make history!” shouted Megan Thee Stallion while rapping her Grammy-winning hit “Savage,” wearing a Democrat blue suit and a tie with a cropped white shirt revealing her midriff. Visible from the stage was also a sign that read “Hotties For Harris.”

Despite her conservative approach, the haters took to the internet to share their unsolicited opinions, with one right-wing commentator taking to X (formerly Twitter) to label the left-wing movement as “pure ghetto trash.” He continued with a list of derogatory movements supposedly supporting the presumptive Democratic nominee: “H*es for Harris, Hoodrats for Harris, Single Black Momalas for Kamala, White Dudes for Harris.”

The responses were swift and scathing, rightly calling out the racism and hypocrisy in his tone. “Trump has Kid Rock,” one reply noted. “What’s the difference?” Another chimed in, “Using racist inflammatory language to get attention as a grown man is WEIRD.” The misogyny and double standards couldn’t be more glaring.

Trump took a moment from berating his supporters and dodging court dates to chime into the conversation, further spurring his supporters, saying: “Crazy Kamala Harris, voted the WORST Vice President in American history, needed a concert to bring people into the Atlanta arena, and they started leaving 5 minutes into her speech,” the former president wrote on TruthSocial. “I don’t need concerts or entertainers, I just have to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

While this is expected from the weirdos on the right, what was alarming was the continued disrespect towards both Meg Thee Stallion and VP Harris by Black men. The rolled-up edge community and yellow-teethed brothers united and stepped out of their mother’s basements to join the pathetic party of men throwing vitriol at two successful Black women at the top of their field. From slut-shaming to their continued troll method of writing “Free Tory,” the misogynoir hate train was in full swing.

It’s time to address the pervasive misogyny and misogynoir targeting Megan Thee Stallion, Vice President Kamala Harris, and countless other women. Malcolm X once said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman.” This stark reality is evident in the disdain aimed at these prominent figures. The statistics are equally alarming: According to the CDC, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. African American women are disproportionately affected by intimate partner violence, facing rates significantly higher than their white counterparts proving that this abuse isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a societal failure.

Megan and VP Harris symbolize resilience and success, yet they are subjected to demeaning rhetoric that seeks to undermine their achievements and humanity. This behavior perpetuates a toxic culture that devalues all women, especially Black women. To create a more equitable society, we must stand against these injustices by elevating women’s voices, celebrating their accomplishments, and confronting discriminatory attitudes.

By stopping misogyny and misogynoir, we not only protect and honor the dignity of women like Megan Thee Stallion and VP Kamala Harris, but we also create a more just and equitable society for all women. The fight against these harmful biases is not just a women’s issue; it’s a human rights imperative.

01 Aug 2024

Believe Revenue Up 14% in First Half of 2024

Believe turned in strong double-digit revenue growth in the first half of 2024, helped by its 2023 acquisition of Sentric Music Group but hobbled slightly by weak ad-supported streaming revenues. Revenue grew 14.1% to 474.1 million euros ($512.7) and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, deprecation and amortization (EBITDA) improved 29.3% to 31.3 million euros ($33.8 million), the company announced Thursday (Aug. 1). 

“Despite persistent market headwinds in some of our key territories, Believe continued to generate solid profitable growth during the semester,” CEO Denis Ladegaillerie said in a statement. “We pursued our strategic roadmap to build the best artist development company in the music industry, while finalizing the restructuring of our capital structure providing us with greater financial flexibility and partners who can accelerate our profitable growth story.”

The Paris-based company lowered its expectations for full-year revenue, however. Because Believe will lose the year-over-year growth benefits of streaming price increases and is “cautious” about ad-supported streaming, the company lowered its guidance for organic revenue growth to 12% from 18%. That said, it increased its guidance for full-year adjusted EBITDA margin to greater than 6.5% from the previous 6.5% figure. 

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Thursday’s earnings release was Believe’s first since a consortium including Ladegaillerie acquired nearly all of the company’s shares through a tender offer that ended June 21. The consortium, which includes funds managed by TCV and EQT X, now owns 96.02% of share capital and 94.87% of voting rights. Believe continues to have a small number of minority shareholders and its stock still trades on the Euronext Paris exchange, but due to the small float, the company will release only mid-year and full-year earnings results and no longer release quarterly results. 

First-half revenue grew 17.9% to 78.4 million euros ($84.8 million) in France, Believe’s home and largest market, where it claimed to have 40% of the top local singles and 30% of the top local albums during the period. Revenue dropped 1.2% to 53.5 million euros ($57.9 million) in Germany, its second-largest market. In Europe excluding France and Germany, revenue jumped 24.7% to 121.9 million euros ($131.8 million). 

The Americas grew 21.8% to 73.9 million euros ($79.9 million), helped in the second quarter by the reallocation of most of Sentric Music Group’s revenues to the U.S. Believe acquired Sentric, a Liverpool-based music publishing company, in 2023 from Utopia Music. Asia/Oceana/Africa grew just 3.7% to 116.3 million euros ($125.8 million); while revenue was “slightly up” in India, it fell in some Southeast Asian markets that are heavily based on ad-supported streaming.

Believe’s Premium Solutions division, which includes its publishing, label and artist services businesses, grew revenue 13.5% to 440.9 million euros ($476.8 million) in the first half of the year. Most of that improvement came from organic growth, while Sentric accounted for 2.3 percentage points of growth. Revenue at the Automated Solutions segment, which includes digital distributor TuneCore, increased 23.4% to 33.2 million euros ($35.9 million). 

01 Aug 2024

Elliot Grainge’s Internal Memo to 10K Projects Staff Following Atlantic Move: ‘Business As Usual’

In the wake of his major move to the new title of Atlantic Music Group CEO, 10K Projects founder/CEO Elliot Grainge sent a note to the staff of the label that he founded, which was obtained by Billboard, saying that “we don’t expect any changes to take place at 10K” and that the shift represents “business as usual.”

Earlier today (Aug. 1), the Warner Music Group announced a major executive shakeup, which will see CEO of Recorded Music Max Lousada exit the company at the end of September and Grainge move into the CEO role of Atlantic Music Group, with longtime leaders Julie Greenwald moving to chairman and Craig Kallman remaining CEO of Atlantic Records. As part of the shift, 10K — which had operated as a standalone label since Grainge brought it to WMG last September — will become part of Atlantic Music Group, alongside 300 Elektra Entertainment.

“This new structure will give the 10K team and artists more visibility, more global exposure, and bigger opportunities across the Atlantic and WMG network,” Grainge wrote, adding that he’d continue to work alongside 10K co-presidents Zach Friedman and Tony Talamo “to create opportunities for our amazing roster of artists.”

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Grainge, the son of Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge, founded 10K as an independent company in 2016, and saw success with artists such as XXXTentacion, Trippie Red, Ice Spice and Surfaces, among a slew of others. Originally affiliated with the Capitol Music Group, 10K moved to Warner in September, and Grainge joined WMG’s global leadership team. He’ll now helm one of the most historic and decorated label groups in recorded music history.

Read Grainge’s full letter below.

Dear 10K Family,

This good news is confidential until the official announcement which will be issued shortly, but I wanted all of you to hear it from me first. I wanted to let you know that I have accepted the extraordinary opportunity to become CEO of Atlantic Music Group. As part of this change, in the coming weeks, 10K will officially join Atlantic Music Group, alongside Atlantic Records and 300 Elektra Entertainment. I am so happy that this new role allows me to continue to be able to work with Zach, Tony and all of you to create opportunities for our amazing roster of artists. This new structure will give the 10K team and artists more visibility, more global exposure, and bigger opportunities across the Atlantic and WMG network. We don’t expect any changes to take place at 10K. It’s business as usual moving forward, so I’m counting on your focus and dedication more than ever. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done to make 10K Projects the incredible place it is today and for the future. I’m looking forward to our next chapter together. 

Sincerely, Elliot

01 Aug 2024

Broke Rudy Giuliani Reaches Bankruptcy Settlement With Defamed Election Workers

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RNC Trump Presser with Giuliani

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Rudy Giuliani has settled with the Georgia election workers who won their defamation suit against him after a failed bankruptcy plea.

On Wednesday (July 31), Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss, the two Georgia women who won their defamation suit against Donald Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani agreed to a settlement along with other creditors Giuliani owed. Giuliani had attempted to declare personal bankruptcy but was denied by a judge accusing him of not complying with court orders and not fully disclosing his financial assets. The proposed agreement order was submitted in a federal court in White Plains, New York. Adam Klasfield, a journalist and MSNBC contributor, shared the proposed order documents in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

In the agreement, Giuliani agreed to pay his lawyers $100,000 to help pay what he owes to the financial advisor for the creditors, Global Data Risk. The terms continue, detailing that the former mayor of New York City is to sell either his apartment in the city or his Florida condominium and to “maintain the properties in good condition at least comparable to their current condition, maintain property casualty insurance with respect to each property in an amount no less than the full replacement value of the Debtor’s interest in each property, and can’t sell either property without written consent.”The value of the properties is estimated at $5.6 million and $3.5 million, respectively. Global Data Risk is also allowed to place liens on the property to ensure Giuliani pays all of the $400,000 they sued him for. Freeman and Moss are now free to go after the $148 million they were awarded in December 2023 —$75 million in punitive damages and $33,169,000 in defamation damage.

The filing was made three hours before a deadline set by Judge Sean Lane for noon on Wednesday for all parties to submit proposals on how to end the case. In his initial ruling on July 25 tossing Giuliani’s bankruptcy plea, Lane wrote: “Even assuming that the Debtor does not have the funds on hand to immediately pay these bankruptcy expenses, he certainly has considerable assets upon which he can draw to pay such expenses.” The 80-year-old Giuliani recently claimed at the end of May that he only had $94,000 in cash and his company, Giuliani Communications had $237,000.

01 Aug 2024

Becky G & Oscar Maydon’s ‘Mercedes’ Revs to No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay Chart

Becky G and Oscar Maydon’s “Mercedes” accelerates to No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart (dated Aug. 3). The track marks Becky G’s second leader on the survey and Maydon’s his first on any U.S.-based tally.

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“Mercedes,” released April 11 on Kemosabe/RCA/Sony Music Latin, speeds 7-1 on Regional Mexican Airplay with a 49% vault to 6.4 million audience impressions in the week ending July 25, according to Luminate.

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Becky G previously topped Regional Mexican Airplay with “Por El Contrario,” with the Aguilar siblings, Leonardo and Angela, for a week in March.

Narcocorridos singer Maydon, meanwhile, reigns in his second visit to the chart, after logging a No. 33 high through “Fin De Semana,” with Junior H, in August 2023.

The Mexicali, Mexico, native has tallied two prior No. 1s on the Mexico Songs ranking (part of Billboard’s Hits of the World charts menu). “Volver Al Futuro,” with Junior H, led for a week in June after “Madonna,” with Natanael Cano, dominated for 11 weeks beginning in March. He made his first chart appearance when “Los Collares,” with El Padrinito Toys, entered Mexico Songs in January 2023. As “Fin De Semana” grew, he also hit a No. 36 high on the Emerging Artists chart that February.

Elsewhere, the gains in audience help “Mercedes” motor 11-4 on the overall Latin Airplay chart for its first week in the upper region. Maydon posts his first top 10 on the list, while Becky G secures her eighth and first since “Por El Contrario,” which became her sixth No. 1 in March.

01 Aug 2024

Authorities Bust Up A Sex Trafficking Ring At San Diego’s Comic-Con

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US-ENTERTAINMENT-FILM-FESTIVAL-CARTOON-COMICCON

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Disturbing news coming out of California as authorities busted up a sex trafficking ring at this year’s annual Comic-Con event.

Yes, Comic-Con.

According to Deadline, California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, announced that his investigators arrested 14 individuals involved in the sex trafficking ring and recovered 10 victims in the operation. While many people know that sex trafficking rings are a problem worldwide, we’re lowkey surprised such a thing would be operating at a place like Comic-Con where families and friends go to live out their geekiest cosplay fantasies. Still, that’s what happened, and now people are going to have to pay the piper for their transgressions.

Deadline reports:

“Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” Rob Bonta said toady, announcing the sting at the just-concluded convention. Along with the apprehension of more than a dozen alleged sex buyers, among the 10 victims was a 16-year-old who law enforcement “recovered.”

“These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated,” the California AG said of the sting that took place from July 25-27. “We are grateful to all our dedicated partners involved in the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, whose collaboration has been invaluable. We take great pride in our office’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable Californians by offering them assistance and guidance when they need it most.”

Now, with this sex-trafficking ring busted up, best believe authorities will be keeping an eye on New York’s Comic Con come this fall for similar illegal activity.

“San Diego proudly hosts special events like Comic-Con – highly attended events like these allow us to showcase our growing and beautiful city,” Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego, said Wednesday. “However, when people use these events as an opportunity to prey upon minors, HSI and our law enforcement partners will find you and bring you before a court of law to face criminal charges. There is no place for alleged predators to operate in our city and HSI is committed to helping the victims of these crimes.”

Man, ain’t nowhere safe these days.

What’s your thoughts on sex traffickers using Comic-Con for their illegal activities? Let us know in the comments section below.