Current Events
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Source: PATRICK T. FALLON / Getty / Alamo Drafthouse
Well, this came out of nowhere. Sony is now the owner of the popular movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse.
The two companies announced the stunning news on Wednesday, revealing that Sony will oversee the theater experience under its new Sony Pictures Experiences division.
In a press release, Sony promises it “will preserve Alamo Drafthouse’s distinctive movie-dining experience.” At the same time, Alamo will continue operating “all 35 of its cinemas across 25 metro areas under the Alamo Drafthouse brand.”
Alamo’s current CEO, Michael Kustermann, will remain in his role. If you’re worried about the Fantastic Fest film festival, Alamo will still be in charge of that as well.
Sony is purchasing the movie theater chain from Altamont Capital Partners, Fortress Investment Group, and Alamo founder Tim League.
That same group took ownership of Alamo after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021.
Sony purchased Alamo Drafthouse largely due to the 2020 termination of the Paramount Consent Decrees. According to The Verge, the 1948 Supreme Court decision required movie companies to sell the theaters they owned to increase competition and allow customer choice.
Now that movie fans have so many options for viewing films, the Department of Justice decided to reverse the decree.
While the news may shock many, Sony is not the first movie company to take advantage of the decree’s reverse.
Netflix also owns movie cinemas in New York and Los Angeles.
The reactions to the news are similar, with fans of the theater chain warning Sony not to mess this up.
“Not sure what this means but it’s an Alamo down the street from me and I love that place. Don’t ruin the vibes, Sony,” one person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
This writer agrees, and the price of my Alamo Season Pass better not rise either.
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Source: Kevin Dietsch / Getty
Hunter Biden’s conviction on felony charges in Delaware may have dismantled a major Republican conspiracy theory in the process.
On Tuesday (June 11), a jury in a Delaware court found Hunter Biden guilty on three felony counts related to him purchasing a firearm in 2018 while allegedly addicted to drugs. It marks the first time the offspring of a sitting president was found guilty in a criminal trial. The verdict, however, might have taken the steam out of one of the Republican Party’s conspiracy theories that they’ve pushed to hurt President Joe Biden’s chances of reelection – that he’s “weaponized” the Department of Justice to protect his family and persecute former President Donald Trump.
The line of thought, which was the focus of a House of Representatives sub-committee hearing led by Republicans last week, wasn’t only shared by the fringe element but peddled consistently on conservative media and on Fox News as they taunted, “Where’s Hunter?” But as the trial moved on towards its conclusion, President Biden’s assertion that he would not only stand by the verdict but make no moves to pardon Hunter Biden if convicted loomed large. One unnamed juror told ABC News after the verdict was announced that “politics never came into play” as they deliberated and that the prosecution achieved their burden of proof: “the verdict absolutely was not politically motivated.”
“I don’t think the verdict will materially impact the race,” said Republican strategist Rob Stutzman about the potential to impact the upcoming presidential election. “It does mute GOP claims that the Biden DOJ is weaponized against Trump and MAGA, but the election isn’t turning on that question.” The conviction comes less than two weeks after Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 counts related to fraud in the “hush money” trial where he was accused of hiding payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Biden campaign fundraiser John Morgan remarked that “only a person with no heart would not be sympathetic” to Hunter Biden’s issues with addiction and recovery. “And [Biden] isn’t saying the trial is rigged. The contrast between the two trials will be a huge boost for the president,” he asserted. Others note that Trump’s conviction might compel voters not to pull for him instead of Hunter Biden’s situation. “The Trump verdict I think could force some lean conservative people to stay home. No poll can measure that. No one is staying home because of Hunter,” stated Democratic strategist Peter Giangreco.
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Source: Brandon Sloter / Getty
For the past few years many celebrities and people you may even know have decided to switch up their daily diets and go on a vegan only way of life. While that bares little to no consequences on their professional lives, hot dog eating legend Joey Chestnut’s decision to eat vegan led to his termination from his “job” of competitively eating hot dogs.
According to the New York Post, the reigning hot dog eating champion was told he will not be allowed to compete at this years Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island after he signed a deal with plant-based food brand, Impossible Foods. With Impossible Foods sponsoring the man who once gobbled 76 glizzies in a single 10-minute sitting, the higher-ups over at Nathan’s lowkey felt betrayed by Chestnut’s latest venture. Though they haven’t blatantly “banned” him from the contest, they basically banned him from competing at this year’s event.
The New York Post reports:
A rep for Major League Eating (MLE), which Nathan’s sanctions to run the event, said the organizers bent over backwards to meet Chestnut’s various other demands.
They even agreed to let him participate in a rival Labor Day dog-eating fest to be taped for TV as long as no hot dog brand was mentioned.
But they said they drew the line on letting Chestnut pitch for a different hot dog brand.
A source said Chestnut was paid $200,000 to appear in the Nathan’s contest last year, and was offered a $1.2 million, four-year contract going forward.
“The two sides could still come to a resolution before July 4, but it depends on Joey,” an insider said.
“He’s the Michael Jordan of competitive eating. But imagine if Michael Jordan said to Nike, ‘I love being the face of Nike but I want to do commercials for Adidas too,” the source said.
You know you’re that dude when someone says you’re the Michael Jordan of whatever you do even if that thing is gobbling glizzies. We wonder if there’s a porn star out there considered the Joey Chestnut of the industry. We’re not going to look into that though.
Following the news of his ouster of this year’s competition, Joey Chestnut took to Instagram to voice his displeasure over the decision and called out Nathan’s over his business decision saying, “To set the record straight, I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathan’s and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with. This is apparently the basis on which I’m being banned, and it doesn’t impact the July 4th contest.”
At the end of the day, only the fans will suffer from this decision.
What do y’all think of Nathan’s Famous barring Joey Chestnut from this year’s hot dog eating contest? Fair or foul? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Marcus Ingram / Getty / Shannon Sharpe
For the foreseeable future, Shannon Sharpe will continue to accidentally call Stephen A. Smith his old debate partner, Skip Bayless, on ESPN’s First Take.
Spotted on Deadline, ESPN announced on Tuesday that it had inked a multiyear deal with Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe.
The new deal comes less than a year after Sharpe left Bayless and FS1 for greener pastures at ESPN.
As part of his new deal with the Disney-owned sports network, Sharpe will expand his role on the popular debate show First Take, keeping him alongside mainstays Stephen A. Smith and moderator Molly Qerim.
Sharpe brought his flair for debate to the program in August 2023, and it has since experienced its most-viewed May ever.
ESPN also notes that Sharpe will now be a part of other programming on the channel.
Per Deadline:
“Shannon Sharpe has been an incredible addition to the First Take team, enhancing the show’s dynamic with his engaging presence and insightful commentary,” said David Roberts, ESPN’s Head of Event & Studio Production, in a statement today about the new deal, the terms of which were not disclosed. “Shannon’s chemistry with Stephen A. Smith has elevated our debates and been another key reason First Take is the premier destination for morning sports discussion.”
Shannon Sharpe’s Stock Continues To Rise
Sharpe’s media stock has risen immensely since leaving Skip Bayless and his failing show, Undisputed.
His podcast Club Shay Shay has had some of the biggest interviews on the net, thanks to guests like Katt Williams, Amanda Seales, and, most recently, Ray J.
Sharpe also has a podcast with fellow retired NFL superstar Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson called Night Cap, where they opine on various topics, including sports, entertainment, and other social commentary.
With his newfound popularity, Sharpe has also been criticized for some of his controversial takes on Club Shay Shay and Night Cap, and his lack of interviewing skills is also the subject of debate on social media.
Uncle Shannon continues to secure the bag, and we will never be mad at a Black man for getting some coins.
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Source: John Nacion / Getty / Michael Rainey Jr.
Power Book II: Ghost star Michael Rainey Jr. should be celebrating the return of his hit Power spinoff series. Instead, he had to address a disturbing sexual assault incident he was the victim of.
Rainey addressed his fans on Monday, June 10, after he was sexually assaulted during TyTy James’ Twitch livestream.
Viewers of the live stream and fans of the young actor were stunned when James’ younger sister inappropriately grabbed Rainey Jr. while he was making a guest appearance on the popular Twitch stream.
He sent a statement on the incident through his rep, which went viral on Elon Musk’s trash platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rainey is “deeply saddened and shocked by the events that occurred during the TyTy James live stream this past weekend. He is still processing what happened and doesn’t entirely know how to feel about it,” the statement sent to PEOPLE reads.
“This situation is not being taken lightly,” the statement continued. “Sexual harassment and assault are serious and unacceptable acts. Taking advantage of someone’s celebrity in this manner devalues entertainers and underscores the need to respect their humanity. Those who entertain us are human beings just like everyone else.”
Rainey Said He Was Still In Shock Following The Incident
Rainey then hopped on his Instagram account and addressed the incident, writing that he was “still in shock,” adding, “Can’t take it lightly because I know I would be in serious trouble if the roles were reversed.”
“This is an unfortunate situation that I can’t condone in any way,” he continues. “The fact is, sexual assault is never okay, regardless of gender or status. We’re all human, and we should respect each other. Most importantly, we should respect ourselves.”
While we couldn’t see James’ sister grope Rainey because her hands were covered by three younger children in the viral clip, the Power star’s visibly uncomfortable look on his face let us know something wild was going on.
He reportedly left right after the groping incident.
TyTy James Apologizes For His Sister’s Behavior
Following the backlash, James immediately issued an apology on his sister’s behalf.
“After the actions that occurred during my stream last night I would like to sincerely apologize to Michael and his family for what took place.”
“My little sister was completely wrong and out of line. What she did was very inappropriate and unacceptable. I am truly embarrassed and disgusted by her actions,” James wrote on Instagram. “I completely respect whatever direction Michael wants to go in this situation. After watching the clip, I was completely taken aback by what she done [sic]. I will take extreme precautions with future streams to avoid similar issues and have banned her from participating in future streams. I do not condone any type of assault.”
50 Cent Plays Himself Trying To Be Funny
Rainey’s boss and former Power co-star, 50 Cent, was the target of X slander after trying to make light of the 23-year-old actor’s situation.
“Wait sexual assault 😟 from a male perspective this was an aggressive advance. LOL HE’s fine no charges are being pressed,” Diddy’ longtime nemesis and professional troll wrote in a now-deleted post.
The G-Unit general was quickly reminded that nothing is actually “deleted” on social media.
“This is the same 50 cent who’s supposed to be exposing Diddy for predatory behavior. He’s such a charlatan and opportunist,” a post on X read.
Welp.
If you or anyone you know were a victim of sexual assault, you can reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
For more reactions, hit the gallery below.
2. The accuracy
4. Where’s the lie?
5. She damn sure did
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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was caught on a recording admitting to having a strong bias against the Left in his views.
On Monday (June 10), documentary filmmaker Laura Windsor released a recording in a post on X, formerly Twitter, of a conversation with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito which captures him expressing that he has a bias against the Left wing of the nation and feeling the U.S. should go back to a “place of godliness.” The conversation took place at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual dinner which was held last week. Windsor can be heard asking Alito about political polarization in the audio. “I don’t know that we can negotiate with the Left in the way that needs to happen for the polarization to end,” Windsor says. “I think that it’s a matter of, like, winning.”
“I think you’re probably right,” Alito replies. “On one side or the other — one side or the other is going to win. I don’t know. I mean, there can be a way of working — a way of living together peacefully, but it’s difficult, you know, because there are differences on fundamental things that really can’t be compromised. They really can’t be compromised. So it’s not like you are going to split the difference.” Windsor then followed up her words to Alito with another statement: “People in this country who believe in God have got to keep fighting for that — to return our country to a place of godliness.”
“I agree with you. I agree with you,” Alito replied. Alito was responsible for authoring the infamous Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court in 2022, which reversed five decades of established law settled by Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. Windsor also posted a recording of her talk with Chief Justice John Roberts, who disagreed with Alito’s viewpoints. When pressed by Windsor if he felt the court should rule to guide the country on “a more moral path,” Roberts responded: “It’s not our job to do that. It’s our job to decide the cases the best we can.”
The justice has recently come under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that he flew a flag supporting the false claims of Donald Trump that the 2020 presidential election was stolen outside of his homes in Virginia and New Jersey. He has refused to recuse himself from all cases related to Trump and the January 6 insurrection.
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Source: DIMITAR DILKOFF / Getty
Luxury stores are still a big target for the criminal underworld. Thieves crashed a car into the Chanel store in Paris for a heist.
As reported by Raw Story one of the brand’s most popular brick and mortar locations got hit last week. In the early hours of Monday, June 10 a team ram-raided a truck into the doors of the Chanel store located at 52 Av. des Champs-Élysées. Once the automobile had caused the structure to weaken the thieves proceed to enter the establishment and helped themselves to the goods on the sales floor. Prior to leaving the scene they set the car on fire and escaped on motorbikes.
Police and firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after and put out the blaze. “The individuals used a first vehicle to enter the establishment, smashing the window, before fleeing in a second vehicle, taking some of the shop’s merchandise with them” a police source said. Another source close the investigation says they believe the crew consisted of four individuals. Back in May a Harry Winston store suffered a similar robbery where a team of thieves stuck the place up with long weapons and left on motorbikes. Police estimate Harry Winston lost anywhere from $6.5 million and $10.8 million in jewelry.
Chanel has yet to formally comment on the matter.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is having a terrible week when it comes to his tryouts to be the running mate of convicted felon and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. On two separate networks, CNN and MSNBC, Donalds saw his hypocrisy get called out to his face.
In case you’re unaware, recently while in Philadelphia, Donalds went full Uncle Tom and infamously said that Black people were better off under Jim Crow. That would be the same Jim Crow era where Blacks in Southern states were disenfranchised (read: they couldn’t even vote), routinely lynched for the most minor of offenses and pretty much lived in terror for simply trying to live.
“You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative — Black people have always been conservative-minded — but more Black people voted conservatively,” Donalds said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
As expected, and after a rebuke from Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Donalds insisted his words were taken out of context.
Considering his documented tomfoolery, booking Donalds already gets you the side eye, but at least the Black women asking the questions, in this case Joy Reid and Abby Phillip, held his tap dancing feet to the fire.
Let’s start on CNN, where Phillip was first to make Donalds a spokesman for Team Ya Played Yourself. While appearing on CNN’s Newsnight on Wednesday evening (June 5), he conceded that Black people are better off now but insisted that marriage rates were higher for Blacks during Jim Crow, so there’s that. “All I was doing is referring to the time periods when you talk about the historical timelines in America and coinciding with Black families and what their marriage rate in Black families are,” he said.
Yeah, okay, that’s what he meant—#sarcasm. Then Donalds went into suspect GOP talking point mode by claiming Donald Trump’s policies have served Black Americans better than Biden’s, adding, “If you’re actually going to compare economic policies and public policies between the 45th president and 46 president, it’s without question, they were better under the 45th.”
To this, Phillip had to retort. “I’m going to interrupt you on the facts, Congressmen,” she said. “The Black unemployment rate was the lowest in American history under Joe Biden…. The poverty rate for Black people is the lowest under Joe Biden’s [administration]. So you cannot say empirically for Black people that from a financial level things were better under Trump.”
Donalds then started flapping his gums about inflation and wealth that amounted to copping pleas. But the real burn came courtesy of Joy Reid. On Thursday evening (June 6), while on MSNBC’s The Reid Out, Donalds again insisted he was initially misquoted about the Jim Crow comments.
“The stuff that comes up about Jim Crow, and twisting my words saying I was being nostalgic or Jim Crow was good for Black people, that’s all political spin. It’s a lie,” said Donalds. “It’s gaslighting and that’s truly unfortunate.”
Reid then replied with receipts. “Here’s the challenge, Congressman,” she said. “You started out talking about your family, talking about your mom, talking about being raised. And you on your own brought up Jim Crow. In fact, you said Jim Crow three times for emphasis. It wasn’t the media or the Democrats or gaslighters who brought up Jim Crow. It was you. You brought up Jim Crow. So why did you use Jim Crow specifically as your reference? You did that, no one else did that, you did it.”
The conversation continued with Reid pointing out this controversy was Donalds’ own doing, but she saved the real burn for the end of their chat. “Last question, and then I’m going to let you go. One more question,” said Reid. “During Jim Crow, could your family have existed? You are in an interracial marriage. Your wife, and a white conservative activist. Could your family have existed at all during Jim Crow?”
Got ’em.
“No, it could not, and we all know that,” said Donalds. “That’s why I’m blessed to live in America today, as opposed to America during that time. But we cannot ignore the realities of not having fathers in homes. That is important to our Black people today and all people today as we move forward toward a better America.”
Donalds has been getting cooked on social media ever since. You can see for yourself in the gallery. below Be careful, the MAGA cult is foaming at the mouth defending their latest Op of color, respectfully.
15. Also, let’s never forget.
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Commuters in the Big Apple are breathing a sigh of relief. New York City’s proposed congestion pricing has been shelved by the state’s governor.
As reported by Raw Story, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has put the first ever congestion pricing on pause. Back in April, it was announced that New York City would impose additional tolls on automobiles that enter Manhattan at 61st Street or below with a $15 fee while trucks would face a fee ranging from $24 and $36 depending on size. As expected the plan was met with sharp criticism from residents, environmentalists and business owners who were not exempt.
The initiative was set to go into effect on Sunday, June 30, but Governor Kathy Hochul abruptly pulled the plug. The New York Times called the decision was a “stunning 11th-hour shift.” The politician released a statement detailing her decision. “After careful consideration I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences,” she said “I have directed the MTA to indefinitely pause the program.”
Hochul would go and point out that the fees could possibly do more harm than good. “Let’s be real: A $15 charge may not seem like a lot to someone who has the means, but it can break the budget of a hard-working middle-class household.”
According to transit officials, close to 700,000 vehicles enter Manhattan everyday.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
At this point, it couldn’t be more abundantly clear that if the Sunken Place has a deeper sunken place within itself, that’s where South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott resides.
Scott recently made an appearance on CNN so he could continue his pity party tour on behalf of Donald Trump and the 34 felonies he was found guilty of at the end of his hush money trial in New York. According to the Grio, Scott joined the chorus line of angry MAGA minions who claim Trump’s prosecution was about politics, not the law. Scott claimed the charges of falsifying business records were “the weaponization of the justice system” by President Joe Biden, despite the glaring fact that neither Biden nor his administration have anything to do with charges brought on anyone by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
But Scott’s fact-averse diatribe didn’t end there. He also continued his stale, whitey-pleasing narrative that “America is not a racist country” and that the real discrimination is being leveled against Republicans.
“The reason why we’re seeing so many African Americans coming to the Trump campaign — two big reasons: jobs and justice,” Scott told CNN host Phil Mattingly. “I’ll say simply, as an African American born and raised in the Deep South who had concerns about our justice system as it relates to race, I’m now seeing it play out from a partisan perspective. It’s not as much Black and white as it is red and blue.”
Riiiiight.
Let’s start with the fact that it’s untrue that there has been anything more than a slight uptick in “African Americans” who are “coming to the Trump campaign.”
From the Grio:
Polling reveals that most African American voters still support the Democratic Party. According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of Black voters — 83% — lean Democratic. Pew’s polling also reveals that 72% of Black voters say Trump was a “poor or terrible president.”
While we’re here, let’s get into Scott and the rest of the MAGA GOP’s false assertion that Trump was prosecuted for crimes no one is normally prosecuted for, which supposedly proves the prosecution was political.
From NewsOne:
Last year, Just Security posted a 24-page survey detailing dozens of New York prosecutions over the last decade for falsifying business records in the first degree, which was the top charge leveled against Trump. According to NBC New York, “Records from the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services show 10 years ago, 101 people were arrested in New York City in cases where the top charge was falsification of business records.”
In 2022, only 39 people faced that top charge, but the fact that none of those people were named Donald Trump still indicates he wasn’t given a custom-made charge that only he could catch. Now, to be fair, prosecutions for falsifying business records did increase by a lot when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg took office, but that doesn’t help Republicans’ “only Trump” narrative since that increase also didn’t include defendants named Donald Trump.
NBC also reported that during “Bragg’s first 15 months as DA, his team filed 166 felony counts for falsifying business records against 34 people or companies.” Again, none of those individuals or business were beared the name Trump. In fact, the only didfference between Trump and those other defendants is that when those other defendants were charged with similar crimes, Republicans didn’t care.
As far as Scott’s wannabe-white nonsense regarding how the division in America is “not as much Black and white as it is red and blue,” he has been on that shuck-and-jivery since long before Trump was ever indicted on any crimes.
For years now, Scott has repeatedly claimed “America is not a racist country”—despite all the data that says otherwise—while out of the other side of his neck, he has repeatedly compared the treatment of Republicans to anti-Black racism, which he apparently doesn’t think exists in any substantial way. This is also the umteenth time he has compared Trump’s trial to anti-Black injustice in the court system, which, again, he doesn’t really believe exists.
It’s unclear why Scott is even bothering to pretend he has ever publicly “had concerns about our justice system as it relates to race,” but it is clear that the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate—and the only one to represent South Carolina in the state’s history (nothing racist about that though, right?)—has dedicated himself to loving up on Trump, absolving America of its white supremacist ways, and making Republicans the new N-words.
Yes, Scott is delusional. No, he doesn’t deal in facts. Yes, white conservatives love him for it—and that might be the point.