Selena’s father and Netflix sued by producer over series
Article via Page Six
The father of Latin music legend Selena is being sued along with Netflix over a new show based on the late singer’s life, according to court documents.
Moctesuma Esparza, who produced the highly acclaimed 1997 film, “Selena,” is accusing Abraham Quintanilla, 81, of violating a contract agreement signed in 1995, in which he was allegedly given the rights to the life stories of Selena, according to TMZ.
Esparza is seeking $1 million for breach of contract from Quintanilla and is suing Netflix for ignoring his and Quintanilla’s previous deal while creating “Selena: The Series,” which is set to premiere on the streaming service on Dec. 4.
In the lawsuit, filed on Nov. 6, Esparza alleges that after the success of the original film, he and Quintanilla discussed creating their own follow-up mini-series together. Those talks reportedly took place in 1998.
Selena’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla, is also named in the lawsuit because she was reportedly involved in conversations regarding a storyline about a “young” Selena.
A case summary, reviewed by Page Six, shows there is a case management conference scheduled for Feb. 23.
Reps for Quintanilla and Netflix did not immediately return our request for comment.
Food Network star Alton Brown apologizes after ‘flippant’ Holocaust remarks on Twitter
Brown, host and creator of “Good Eats,” claims he made the comments while remarking on the current political climate.
Food Network star and “Iron Chef America” host Alton Brown apologized Wednesday after making “flippant” remarks about the Holocaust on Twitter.
Brown, who became a celebrity chef as host and creator of “Good Eats,” claims he was commenting on the current political climate and that the Holocaust references were not for “humorous effect.”
According to screenshots circulating online of now deleted tweets from Tuesday night, the television personality made references to being moved to camps and asked if there will be striped uniforms “like the ones at Auschwitz or will plaid be in vogue?” NBC News has not viewed the original tweets.
When one user replied to Brown to “take it easy,” Brown — in a tweet that has not been deleted as of Wednesday and was seen by NBC News — responded, “F— you.”
StopAntisemitism.org, a non-profit group dedicated to documenting anti-Semitic behavior, posted a screenshot of one of Brown’s original tweets along with his headshot, calling the reference “vile.”
“The @FoodNetwork host of Iron Chef America @altonbrown just spat on the graves of six million Jews with his vile, atrocious comment!” the organization tweeted on Tuesday.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=NBCNews&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1326367463118942214&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnews.com%2Fpop-culture%2Fpop-culture-news%2Ffood-network-star-alton-brown-apologizes-after-flippant-holocaust-remarks-n1247466&siteScreenName=NBCNews&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px
The @FoodNetwork host of Iron Chef America @altonbrown just spat on the graves of six million Jews with his vile, atrocious comment! pic.twitter.com/r0f7MJanh9— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) November 11, 2020
Brown apologized Wednesday for the “flippant” reference to the Holocaust, which killed an estimated six million Jewish people.
“It was not a reference I made for humorous effect but rather to reflect how deeply frightened I am for our country,” Brown tweeted Wednesday. “It was a very poor use of judgement and in poor taste.”https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=NBCNews&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1326559420533321733&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnews.com%2Fpop-culture%2Fpop-culture-news%2Ffood-network-star-alton-brown-apologizes-after-flippant-holocaust-remarks-n1247466&siteScreenName=NBCNews&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px
I apologize for the flippant reference I made to the Holocaust in my tweet last night. It was not a reference I made for humorous effect but rather to reflect how deeply frightened I am for our country. It was a very poor use of judgement and in poor taste.— Alton Brown (@altonbrown) November 11, 2020
Brown has become known over the years for his controversial Twitter account and comments. Eater reported in 2011 that Brown announced he was going to leave the platform after someone made a fake account posing as his wife.
The outlet reported at the time that Brown would “regularly post a bunch of tweets only to delete them en masse, usually within twelve hours.”
Social media users were upset with Brown on Monday for saying he had voted for Republicans for “most” of his life, in a tweet that has also been deleted but reported on by multiple outlets, including Eater and Newsweek. Brown did not delete a response to a fan, however, who said he was “disappointed” in the television host.
“Frankly, you have no right to be disappointed in me,” Brown tweeted. “None whatsoever. I have used my own platform to speak my mind. You may dislike me, certainly but disappointment in me should be reserved for say…bad recipes.”
Representatives for Alton Brown and the Food Network did not immediately respond to NBC News requests for comment.
Article via NBCNews
Cardi B Addresses Backlash Over New Reebok Collaboration
Article via Yahoo
Fans have been hype about Cardi B‘s shoe collaboration with Reebok ever since it was announced. But after she released promotional images dressed as the Hindu goddess Durga, some people were immediately disturbed and started calling Cardi B out for “mocking” their culture. Amid mounting backlash, Cardi B took to Instagram to apologize for the blunder, saying she didn’t mean any harm.
Cardi B channeled Durga in a promotional image for her Reebok collaboration
Ahead of the Nov. 13 release of her collection, Cardi B posed for the cover of Footwear News, where she dressed as Durga. The Daily Mail says Durga is “a warrior woman with eight hands” carrying a variety of weapons. But instead of weapons, Cardi B held one of her shoes.
Footwear News explained the shoot on Instagram, writing: “[Cardi B] pays homage to Durga, the Hindu goddess, whose symbols of protection and inner strength resonate as much in modern times as they have through the centuries. Like Durga, Cardi B is a dominant female voice at a critical time.” But people still weren’t happy with the concept. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=cheatsheet&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-1&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1326219206531178497&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cheatsheet.com%2Fentertainment%2Fcardi-b-speaks-out-after-backlash-over-new-reebok-collaboration.html%2F&siteScreenName=cheatsheet&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=500px
Looking like a literal goddess, #CardiB serves as our November cover star. The rapper gets candid with FN about her future in the fashion industry, her upcoming @Reebok collab and her relentless need to win in the exclusive interview. https://t.co/gSpMMKEz4U— Footwear News (@FootwearNews) November 10, 2020
The backlash to Cardi B’s photo was intense
Taking to the comment section on Footwear News’s Instagram page, one person wrote, “Not Western media culturally appropriating Hindu Religion…again.”
A second social media user wrote in part, “Oh wow cultural appropriation in the interest of selling footwear. Gonna go out on a limb and say you guys really missed the mark here. The caption makes it worse, if thats possible. Paying homage by depicting a religious icon holding a sneaker. yup, what a great way to honor a goddess.”
“We as hindus don’t even go inside temples with shoes on and you here have depicted a DEVI WITH SHOES IN HER HAND! It’s so disrespectful,” read another comment. “Also, it’s just another example of how western companies look down on asian countries and their culture just for commercialization. This is literally DISRESPECTFUL.”
“Wtf are you thinking,” another comment said in part.
Other social media users agreed that it was off-putting but argued that Cardi B would never intentionally try to disrespect anyone. “You cannot expect everyone to know everything,” one fan added.
Amid mounting criticism, Cardi B apologized for the photo
As backlash continued to roll in, Cardi B went on Instagram early on the morning of Nov. 11 to apologize.
“When I did the Reebok shoot, the creatives told me I was going to represent a Goddess, that she represents strength, femininity, and liberation, and that’s something I love and I’m all about,” she began. “And I thought it was dope, but if people think I’m offending their culture or their religion I want to say I’m sorry. That was not my intent. I do not like disrespecting nobody’s religion; I wouldn’t like it if someone offended my religion.”
“When people dress as Virgin Mary and Jesus, as long as they do it in a beautiful, graceful way, I wouldn’t feel a type of way. But I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful; maybe I should have done my research. I’m sorry, I can’t change the past but I’m gonna do more research for the future,” she concluded.
Check out some Lovelyti videos:
Utah man arrested for excessively speeding said he was his on way to kill former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill
SALT LAKE CITY, Ut. (KMOV.com) — A Utah man told police he was on his way to kill former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill after he was arrested for speeding and driving under the influence, the Deseret News reports.
According to the newspaper, 36-year-old George William Stahl, of Cottonwood Heights, Utah, was arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of driving recklessly, making terroristic threats, speeding, failing to stop, DUI, and drug possession.
According to a police affidavit cited by Deseret News, Stahl was caught speeding in the snow at speeds of up to 130 mph on Interstate 80 by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.
Police spiked Stahl’s vehicle’s tires after he failed to stop and he was arrested.
He told police he was on his way to Missouri to kill former Sen. Claire McCaskill if she wasn’t dead already, the affidavit said.
He made several threats to McCaskill and said he was on his way to kill her several times.
McCaskill is currently working as a political analyst for MSNBC after losing her Senate seat to Josh Hawley in 2019.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/utah-man-arrested-for-excessively-speeding-said-he-was-his-on-way-to-kill-claire/article_216dda50-2458-11eb-af31-97c6ea104040.html?block_id=985911
Photo Credit: kmov.com/Summit County Sheriff’s Office
Sex addict dies during orgy after using Viagra, erection cream “Marathon Rub”
A sex addict in Thailand downed a cocktail of drugs, including Viagra, and slathered an erection cream called “Marathon Rub” on his penis before taking part in an orgy — in which he died of a heart attack, according to a report.
Khun Thep, 44, collapsed during the monthly romp with friends in a hotel suite in Samut Prakan province, where police found the erectile dysfunction medication, the cream, booze and some other meds, the Sun reported.
The cab driver had taken a woman to his room, but told his pals an hour later that he was feeling unusually tired. They later found him unresponsive and naked from the waist down, according to the outlet.
“We celebrate like this every month. He came to our suite and just slept on the couch while we partied. We thought he was just tired,” a friend said. “However, after I shook his body, he wasn’t responding.”
In addition to several bottles of whiskey and cans of beer, police found fried chicken and dried shrimp on a nearby table.
Investigators said Thep suffered a heart attack after having “energetic” sex.
“There was nothing suspicious about the death at the hotel,” police spokesman Namasphong Madha said. “However, it is embarrassing for his family as they did not know that he was there.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/11/sex-addict-dies-during-orgy-after-using-viagra-erection-cream/
Photo Credit: ViralPress
Elementary school in France had to ban late-arriving parents from throwing their kids over its closed gate when dropping them off
Some tardy moms and dads “were literally throwing their children” over the 6-foot fence outside the Trillade school in Avignon, principal Sanaa Meziane told local outlet La Provence.
“It hasn’t happened that many times, but as little as it happened, we preferred to get ahead of it,” Meziane said, adding she believed it was just a matter of time before a child was hurt.
Educators put up posters at the school’s entrance depicting an adult throwing a kid over a fence with the words “Attention Danger.”
“I do not throw my children over the gate!” the notice reads.
The sign also includes instructions to parents who arrive after the 8:30 a.m. bell to come back at 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. when the gates are reopened.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/11/french-school-bans-tardy-parents-from-throwing-kids-over-gate/
Photo Credit: nypost
Man reportedly drowns after overhearing wife flirting with lover on butt-dial call
A UK man with a phobia of water was found dead in a swimming pool after his estranged wife butt-dialed him while flirting with another man, according to a report.
Gareth Rees, 49, was house-sitting for a millionaire pal in August when he got the errant call from Claire Rees as she held a “sexually suggestive” conversation with her new lover, the Sun reported, citing an inquest.
Despite his fear of water and not knowing how to swim, Gareth took a plunge into the pool outside the luxury home, whose owners were vacationing in France, according to the outlet.
When Claire realized that she was sharing her romantic talk with her horrified hubby, she raced to the house in Churt, Surrey, where she found his boozed-up, lifeless body in the water, the paper reported.
During the inquest, she said what Gareth apparently heard “would not have been nice” as she flirted with her new beau, Glen Ryan, on a lunch date at a pub, the Sun reported.
“I feel really bad about it now but my friends and I had joked earlier because Gareth had texted me to say he was going for a dip in the pool,” she told the inquest.
“He cannot swim, he hated water, he had a phobia — we thought he was joking,” she said. “If the pocket dial had anything to do with his death, that is something I have to live with. I have had to make my peace with it.”
Pathologist Dr. Robert Chapman confirmed that Gareth had died from drowning after consuming an over-the-drunk-driving amount of alcohol at the time of his death.
Gareth reportedly suspected that Claire was romantically involved with someone else, leaving him “angry and upset.”
On the morning of his death, he had Googled the name “Glen Ryan” and searched for him on Facebook, according to the report.
Dr. Karen Henderson, the assistant coroner, said she could not be certain that Gareth had intended to drown himself.
“It was clear he was upset that she was moving on, he had overheard remarks about him that were not complimentary and had the realization that his marriage was not going to be recoverable,” she said.
“However, I have no evidence that there was an intention to end his life, he had no known history of mental health problems and no note was left,” Henderson added.
Claire said that “Gareth was a lovely person, he was the best stepfather to my son. We had both drifted and it was my son that said he could not cope with the arguing.
“That was the nail in the coffin,” she added.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/11/man-drowns-after-overhearing-wife-flirting-with-lover-report/
Photo Credit: facebook
A fifth-grade teacher in Texas is accused of fatally shooting her 17-year-old son while taking him to school
A fifth-grade Montessori teacher in Texas is accused of shooting her 17-year-old son and faces a murder charge, according to local news reports.
The incident happened on Monday morning in Riesel, Texas when 39-year-old Sarah Hunt was driving her son to school, according to Waco Tribune-Harold. After receiving a tip around 8 a.m, police responded to a 911 call regarding Hunt’s unaccompanied Hyundai minivan — which was on a road just outside the city— and discovered her teenage son, Garrett Hunt, in the passenger’s seat with fatal injuries, Waco Tribune-Herald reported.
According to KWTX citing an affidavit, police also discovered a .40 caliber pistol, cartridge cases, and a magazine in and outside of the minivan during their search.
Hunt reportedly deserted her car following the shooting and started to walk to Riesel where authorities arrested her, according to the Waco Tribune-Harold.
“At this point we don’t have a motive, we don’t know what happened, we don’t know what led up to this,” McLennan County Sheriff Parnell told Waco Tribune-Herald on November 9. “It’s a big mystery, and that’s what we’re trying to determine.”
The affidavit viewed by KWTX revealed that following the shooting, Hunt came across two bystanders and said “what have I done,” and told officers during interrogation that she didn’t mean to kill her son, the news station reported.
According to Waco Tribune-Harold’s report citing the affidavit, Hunt’s son had been with his father before she had taken him on his way to his first day at a high school in Riesel.
Hunt is facing a first-degree murder charge and on a $500,000 bond at the Mclennan County jail, the newspaper reported.
The McLennan County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
via: https://www.yahoo.com/news/fifth-grade-teacher-texas-accused-201323689.html
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Lucasfilm executive defends The Mandalorian’s controversial Baby Yoda moment
In case you missed the uproar, The Mandalorian stirred up a Baby Yoda-size controversy with last week’s episode, “The Passenger.”
The episode featured Mando (Pedro Pascal) ferrying a new character, Frog Lady (Misty Rosas), and her precious container of eggs that represented her entire hope for her ancestral line, which is facing extinction. Frog Lady needed to get the eggs to her husband to fertilize them before the equinox. Several times during the episode, Baby Yoda, a.k.a. the Child, was caught eating the eggs, unbeknown to Frog Lady (apparently, she’s not so great at counting). It was a darkly comic running gag, but also had some fans slamming the show for, in their view, turning Baby Yoda into a villain and playing off something that Frog Lady would doubtless find upsetting and horrifying as a joke.
Lucasfilm creative art manager Phil Szostak tweeted some reasoning behind the move Monday: “For the record, Chapter 10 of #TheMandalorian makes it clear that the Frog Lady’s eggs are unfertilized, like the chicken eggs many of us enjoy. But obviously, chickens aren’t sentient beings and the Child eating the eggs is intentionally disturbing, for comedic effect.”
For the record, Chapter 10 of #TheMandalorian makes it clear that the Frog Lady’s eggs are unfertilized, like the chicken eggs many of us enjoy. But obviously, chickens aren’t sentient beings and the Child eating the eggs is intentionally disturbing, for comedic effect.#StarWars https://t.co/Js51fLpE3C— Phil Szostak (@PhilSzostak) November 9, 2020
Some fans upset about the scenes didn’t find that explanation satisfying (at least, not nearly as satisfying as Baby Yoda found Frog Lady’s eggs).
A couple of examples: “I’m a mom. It’s not funny at all to hear mama frog lady go into great detail about how important & beloved her eggs are to her & have to watch them get eaten on 3 separate occasions for s—s & giggles. Can’t just *one* mom get to survive AND keep her kids?” one user tweeted. Another wrote, “for the record, the frog lady was very adamant about the fact that her eggs were important to her, and that it was her last and only chance to have kids, so it’s actually closer to f—ing up someone’s [in vitro fertilization] which would be incredibly upsetting for a wannabe mom. it’s not funny.”
For those who are not taking this seriously, the folks at Funko Pop have you covered with this toy below (and for those who are upset about the scene, this might take you to a whole other level):
Yup, an adorable-looking toy inspired by what some consider the show’s darkest moment. Now you too can play with Baby Yoda as he cruelly gobbles up the hope and future of Frog Lady’s family. Baby Yoda become Death, the destroyer of worlds, in Funko Pop form.
This all does, however, raise an interesting idea.
Last season, I did a tongue-in-cheek post speculating about whether Baby Yoda might turn out to be evil after he used the Force to choke Cara Dune (Gina Carano). Showrunner Jon Favreau has said Game of Thrones helped serve as a bit of inspiration, of sorts, going into season 2. It would be interesting if in season 8 we learned that the Child was the Daenerys Targaryen of this story and all these little controversies were hints along the way. That said, I don’t really think Disney would ever make this beloved character a true villain. But I do think the show could toy, so to speak, with the idea that Baby Yoda is more… complex than we might assume (and perhaps simply due to the fact he is a Child, and children are often cruel without realizing it). In other words, this week’s dark story choice might turn out to be more intentional than the callous joke that some of its critics assume.
Woman posed as FBI agent to get free food from Chick-fil-A
ROCKMART, Ga. (AP) — Police have jailed a woman in Georgia accused of pretending to be an FBI agent to score a free fast-food meal, saying she allegedly threatened to arrest restaurant workers if they didn’t serve her a complimentary bite.
Kimberly Ragsdale, 47, of Dallas, was charged Thursday with impersonating a public officer following repeated attempts to get free meals at a Chick-fil-A, according to a Rockmart Police arrest report obtained by news outlets.
Employees at the restaurant told investigators that Ragsdale showed up at the location multiple times during the week and posed as a federal agent while driving a white minivan, and also threatened to take employees into custody if they didn’t comply, the police report said.
It added that the woman continued the farce as police arrived to arrest her in the restaurant parking lot Thursday, reportedly claiming to officers that she was an FBI agent and that her credentials were electronic. While being handcuffed, she allegedly began to “talk into her shirt like she was talking into a radio telling someone that we were arresting her and to send someone to Rockmart PD,” officers wrote in the arrest report.
“You will not hear a real officer demand a meal anywhere,” Chief Randy Turner told news outlets. “If it is given, we appreciate it. If it is discounted, we appreciate it. We will not ask for it or make threats and demand it.”
Ragsdale was booked into jail Thursday and released on $3,000 bond by Saturday, online jail records showed.
It was not immediately clear whether the woman had an attorney who could comment for her.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/police-woman-posed-as-fbi-agent-to-get-free-food-from-chick-fil-a/article_7ffab28b-bdc5-5558-b6a7-99527f61d284.html
Photo Credit: kmov.com