#louis tweets like a fanboy

[mariacallous]

Sixteen years ago, software developer Jeremy Vaught created the Twitter handle @music to curate news and share stories about, obviously, music. Tens of thousands of Tweets later, he’d built a following of more than 11 million. Then, last week, Twitter—now rebranded as X—took the handle off him. An email from X, which Vaught posted to the platform, offered him no explanation but told him he could choose one of three other handles: @music123, @musicmusic, or @musiclover. All three were held by other users and so would presumably have to have been taken off them. 

“It feels like this would be this forever thing where somebody's got their account taken and they were allowed to go take another one,” Vaught says. "Where would we end up? That'd be crazy."

He has since been assigned @musicfan.

The confiscation is entirely within X’s terms of service. As the company tries to turn itself into an everything app, from music to video to finance, it’s likely it will need to stake a claim to handles related to its new business lines. But unilaterally taking a popular handle off a user could be bad business and another demonstration of how X under Musk is stripping away the things that made Twitter, Twitter.

“I definitely think that it gives pause to building any sort of a brand on there,” Vaught says. "When you can't have any confidence that what you're working on is not just going to be taken away, that's huge."

The platform’s success was built on people, like Vaught, doing the work to build followings and create organic communities around shared interests. Heavy-handed land grabs on top of surging hate speech, shifting policies on verification, and, of course, the dropping of a globally recognized brand in favor of a letter, reinforce the feeling that Twitter is more and more becoming a place catering to a usership of one: Musk himself.

“It seems to me that he wants it to turn into a fanboy platform where people just go agree with him no matter what he says,” says Tim Fullerton, CEO of Fullerton Strategies and former VP of content marketing at WeWork. “There has been just this ongoing attack on the Twitter users that have made Twitter what it is. He doesn't respect the user base.”

Before purchasing Twitter, Musk was a super user of the platform, having tweeted some 19,000 times to an audience that now stands at 152 million. This meant that his experience on the app was likely radically different than that of most users—the average Twitter user has 707 followers, and many have no followers at all. On pre-Musk Twitter, about 80 percent of tweets came from just 10 percent of Twitter’s users.

Verification helped average users figure out who was worth following. Twitter invented the blue check mark (which now exists on other platforms like Instagram and TikTok to indicate a verified user) after the manager for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team threatened to sue the platform over a parody account. From then onward, it was used to indicate the authentic accounts of public figures such as celebrities, journalists, and politicians, as well as brands or particularly large accounts (like @music).

Verified accounts “were the people who were producing the majority of the content that was driving more people to stay engaged and increasing the number of people who were using Twitter,” says Fullerton.

But to an influencer like Musk, a blue check was a valuable commodity. Who wouldn’t want to pay for it? So in December he launched Twitter Blue as a pay-to-play “verification” program, replacing the previous merit-based system.

It was, Fullerton says, the first step in its erosion of the communities that made it so popular.

According to a report from Similarweb, only 116,000 people signed up for the $8-a-month service in March. Less than 5 percent of the platform’s 300,000 legacy verified accounts have signed on to keep their blue ticks. Of the 444,435 users who signed up for Twitter Blue in its first month, about half have less than 1,000 followers, according to reporting from Mashable.

And for most users, removing verification has done away with a key visual shorthand that allows users to easily discern if the account or information they’re looking at is real. Firing most of the company’s trust and safety staff, the people who made and enforced the company’s policies around hate speech and misinformation, exacerbated the problem and made the platform increasingly unusable as a real-time source of information and news.

This week, Australia’s national broadcaster, ABC, became the latest large news organization to say it was leaving the platform over its “toxicity.”

For advertisers—still the largest source of X’s revenue—the growth of hate speech and misinformation is a major problem. In the first six months of Musk’s ownership, Twitter lost half of its advertising revenue.

Before, verified accounts and organizations were vetted by Twitter staff for authenticity and legitimacy. These accounts could drive conversation about certain topics, even without getting paid. The communities and engagement that they drove was part of what made Twitter attractive to advertisers.

“It's clear [formerly verified users] are not getting the traffic that they once did, because it's just a jumble and that's not what people want to see. They want to see the news. They want to see political people or sports,” says Fullerton. “When the Grammys or the Golden Globes or something like that happens, you're littering the feed with the RFK Jr.’s and all these awful right-wingers who used to be—rightly—banned.”

Musk has tried to entice influencers with a revenue-sharing program, which requires that users be verified to access. But, as Benedict Evans, an analyst and former partner at Andreessen Horowitz, pointed out in a tweet, confiscating the @music handle illustrated “essentially why no creator in their right minds would invest in Twitter’s monetization products.”

Research from Media Matters for America, a nonprofit watchdog group, found that the revenue-sharing program was cutting checks to right-wing conspiracy theorists. One user identified by MMA, Dom Lucre, regularly pushes QAnon conspiracy theories.

In December, shortly after taking over the platform, Musk announced that he would offer amnesty to accounts that had been previously banned from the platform, including right-wing influencers and Andrew Tate, who has been indicted for human trafficking. While these users may not be the ideal community for legacy users of Twitter, Bill Bergman, a lecturer in marketing at the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond, suggests that perhaps Twitter’s current users are not the ones Musk is seeking to retain or draw in. “I get the impression Musk, with the direction it's going, doesn’t care what Bill Bergman, who has 400 followers, thinks, because Twitter as Bill Bergman knows it doesn’t exist anymore.” But what is coming next (except perhaps an ill-fated super-app) seems unclear.

And while his antics may have hurt Twitter’s brand, Bergman notes that the company is getting consistent if somewhat outsize coverage, a “pretty good” promotional strategy.

“Has he intimidated and upset all of the advertisers? Absolutely. Has he intimidated and upset all of our users that have been with this platform for 20 years? Absolutely,” says Bergman. “But he doesn’t seem to care about that.”

[ssfoc]

...."not in contact"....

Their teams are in contact, I’m pretty sure. Both in the sense of Matt Vines following Jeff Azoff/ coordinated promo, being seen on the same days, Italy, etc. And in the sense of Sony’s overseeing both careers, hey-let’s-get-Harry-seen-with-Rob-Stringer-right-when-Louis-was-supposed-to-perform-his-lead-single-never-mind-his-sister’s-death-two-days-prior.

Yes, it was crass and heartless. Yes, HL may not have had much say about it. This is Sony Music, after all; it’s not about being compassionate, is it? Even if Harry and Louis aren’t even friends, they were bandmates, and are under the same parent label. Sony has preferences. Was it a good time to hammer this in?

[silverfoxlou]

Simon Rugg fanboying and liking that tweet is 🙄. Protect Harry Styles from what - Grammys, Brits, universal media live, Hollywood roles. Dude, you just signed another member of 1D who has had a shitty time of it in the industry in comparison to (whispers and because of) Harry Styles. 24 hours after announcing Louis signed with you, you’re talking about Harry. Shut up!

I care less about his Twitter interactions, and more about whether BMG actually do their jobs and promote Louis’ music.

We won’t know that till there’s actual music though.

[larriefails]

28 is not a Larry number - a masterpost

Since @theystudyrainbows has decided to put all the Larrie delusions on this number in one handy masterpost, why not debunk it all in one go?

Even the introduction is a mess. The 28 is not “a One Direction fandom mystery” at all. It’s Louis’ jersey number that he was assigned at Doncaster Rovers and that he has since then adopted. But then again, Liam’s kidney and the Belfast canceled concert are not mysteries either

How decent of you to say that some of these are coincidences, considering literally all of the following is bullshit

The fact that “too many people to name” contributed to write this drivel makes my heart ache

Harry has no connection to the number 28 whatsoever

The problem with you attempting numerology is that there are only 9 possible digits (as the addition of two numbers can never be zero). So, you clown yourselves because it leads to this

Eleanor was born on July 16th 1992:

7+1+6+1+9+9+2 = 35

3+5 = 8

Oh no!

But also, Zayn was born on January 13th 1992:

1+1+3+1+9+9+2 = 26

2+6 = 8

(: Ya see how that’s just not good?

Not only that, but also, as I said, Harry has no connection to the number 28, but for shits and giggles

Kendall Jenner was born on November 3rd 1995:

1+1+3+1+9+9+5 = 29

2+9 = 11

1+1 = 2

So.. basically this is worthless information that you pulled out of your ass. Or I could easily claim that 28 is an Elounor or a Hendall number

You also use this method to count Harry and Louis’ X Factor numbers, but as we’ve established, there are only 9 options, the odds are stacked for this coincidence

How is that 28? That’s 82.. A completely different number. In the UK the date is written day/month/year. So the “same gig” was the 8th day of the 2nd month. 82. It’s very funny that, since you’re Italian and live in the UK (both countries that use the day/month/year system) you’ve written every date so far that way, but now that you want to say this other random date is connected to 28, you switched to month/day/year.

Also, where is the year in this equation? We’ve been using the entire date so far, but now we’re only focusing on the day and month? (and switching order?) That seems very convenient. Almost like, if you try hard enough, any date can add up to 28 in some way?

November 17th 2011, Louis and Eleanor’s anniversary: 11+17=28! Oh no! DRATS! It’s still an Elounor number!

And now we’re just ignoring the month and only focusing on the day. And not only that, but ignoring half the time they were there (the 27th) to only focus on the 28th. That is, once again, very convenient

But continuing with your own ridiculous logic. We know that Louis and Eleanor went to V Fest together in 2011, because Eleanor said so on twitter when Sugarscape wondered if the “brown haired girl” holding hands with Louis at V Fest was her

V Fest was on August 20th and 21st 2011. What do you know? 20+8 = 28! Damn... this is getting suspicious. Louis!!! Did you get the 28 for Eleanor? :)

This is a whole ass facepalm. I’m going to link the video here just so it’s verifiable how unhinged y’all are

He literally turns for 1 millisecond, and is looking in the general area of his right because that’s where everyone else in the band is standing. The fact that y’all still do this shit is so embarrassing for your life and your soul

But why don’t you tell the truth? That y’all decided their anniversary was the 28th and then created this completely impossible to prove “receipt”? How is it proof of anything if it came AFTER y’all had decided the 28 was their anniversary? Your circular logic knows no bounds

Harry has not used the 28 number AT ALL. Louis hasn’t used the 28 as his jersey number “often,” he started using it in 2013 when it was assigned to him by the Doncaster Rovers when he was signed as a semi professional player

This is from goal.com, one of the most important sources of soccer information in the world X

The article is from September 2013 and John Ryan, the chairman of the Rovers, explains that 28 was HIS number, that HE used for a match. Soccer players have assigned numbers throughout the season, and the number 28 had been retired from the line up after John Ryan used it in 2003. He decided to bring it back to give it to Louis. And Louis was signed as a soccer player professionally with that number. That’s why it’s important to him, you bag of nonsense. This was his life long dream in the club he loved. He probably spent hours and hours daydreaming about being signed professionally to play soccer and when he finally accomplished that, it was with the number 28, so of course it’s gonna be important to him!

Find ONE INSTANCE of Louis using the number 28 before the summer of 2013. ONE. You won’t! The tattoo came after that, him wearing it on his jerseys came after that. According to Larrie Lore Harry and Louis started dating in 2011 (apparently September 28th 2011, go figure), but for two full years neither of them did anything related to the number 28 whatsoever!

Why didn’t Louis wear the 28 in his first charity match in 2012?

The fact that he wore 17, which is his and Eleanor’s anniversary. LMAO can you say ouch? Furthermore, Louis didn’t CHOOSE the 28, it was ASSIGNED to him because it was the symbolic number the chairman had used back in 2003. It was a retired number that no player had used for 10 years, and they decided to give it to him as a gesture. Man, that would be a HUGE coincidence if out of 40 something available numbers in a soccer line up, Louis had wanted exactly the one that was retired and meant a whole lot for the chairman, instead of the chairman offering it to Louis, like LOGIC says. Another HUGE coincidence that he had not bothered with the 28 at all up until that point and then started having it everywhere. But I thought Larries hated those?

After this you list all the times Louis has used the 28, which there are a lot, but all come after 2013, I don’t want to add more pointless screenshots here. Doncaster Rovers jersey (from 2013 on), dodgeball jersey (2015), in ears (2015), tattoo (2015), BTY music video (2017), LTHQ’s first IG username (2017), his playlist (2018/2019)

How is that... 28? That’s 90028. And this isn’t a date, where you can just pick the number apart as you wish. This is a zip code for a secret show the Rolling Stones played in LA in 2015

Not only that, but Harry (and this is hilariously tragic for you) was ACTUALLY AT THE GIG! THAT’S WHY HE POSTED THE PHOTO!

Posting the screenshot with the date so you can see. May 21st 2015. Article by the LA Times X

This is Harry at the actual gig with Mick Jagger you absolute MORON X

And this is Harry wearing a Rolling Stones shirt the day after the gig because he’s that much of a fanboy

Y’all the second hand embarrassment is K I L L I N G me. CRYING TEARS OF BLOOD OVER THE FACT THAT THIS WAS WRITTEN IN ACTUAL SERIOUSNESS

Why is “professional” in scare quotes?? I can’t believe that you just added 1+2+3+4+5+6+7. Oh my god. I can’t believe I have to say this but *whispers* those are consecutive numbers. They just used consecutive numbers... And why would Harry’s HQ account managed by the team that’s “oppressing them” use a secret code with their beloved 28? How does that make ANY sense?

The article is wrong. He wore TWENTY-SEVEN Gucci suits. I can’t believe that’s a sentence I just typed, but alas

1- Basel, 2- Copenhagen, 3- Hamburg, 4- Milan, 5- Bologna, 6- London I, 7- Hong Kong, 8- Bangkok, 9- Rio de Janeiro, 10- Mexico City I and II (same suit), 11- Houston, 12- Fort Lauderdale 13- Nashville, 14- Hershey, 15- Philadelphia, 16- Toronto, 17- MSG I, 18- DC, 19- Detroit, 20- Indianapolis, 21- Chicago, 22-St. Paul, 23- Denver, 24- Seattle, 25- San Jose, 26- LA I, 27- LA II

In 60 concerts, he also wore Charles Jeffrey 4 times, Saint Laurent 3 times, Palomo Spain 2 times, a custom kilt, Harris Reed 5 times, Clavin Klein 6 times, Alexander McQueen 7 times, Givenchy 4 times. Just so you don’t think I’m purposefully missing out on a suit to make it 27. The article probably counted Mexico’s suit twice. But it’s not 28 suits, it’s 27. The Mexico suit was the same both nights

I would love to know how this would be relevant to Larry or how this would mean the number 28 is important to Harry. Does he have OCD? I don’t get it

Here we have another round of “I will MAKE IT FIT 28 IF IT KILLS ME!”

Let’s see the different tactics that you used

Adding day and month

Taking only the day

Adding day month and year. Except you left out the 2 in 2017. Because otherwise it wouldn't add up. I can’t deal with thisodnadmsla

Harry performed track 2, meaning, his lead single that he was still promoting, Sign of the Times, and 8 Ever since NEW YORK because... he was performing in... New York...

Only the day. Wow, you actually repeated tactics once!

Adding two completely different dates together, that have absolutely no correlation. How are Sweet Creature, Harry’s promo single, and the music video for a different single, related in any way? What? Why not Kiwi’s music video? Why not Two Ghosts music video? Why not the release of either of those singles to radio? Can you make it any more obvious that you’re just pulling this completely out of your ass?

You repeat tactics again, except it’s the most ridiculous tactic of adding all the numbers in the date except the 2 of the year and it’s for “Harry posted link to Twitter to Sign of the Times music video PREVIEW.” Oh my god

And now you’re counting days between two dates, because that’s not unhinged. I’m guessing you mean the April 14th not 24th, but that also wasn’t the date? It was the 13th? It depends on the time zone you were in?

For someone who, according to you, plans with such precise care to match to 28, he didn’t wait until it would be 28 days for everyone. It’s not even because it was tweeted at midnight UK since this is like 3/4 AM UK time. In fact, it wasn’t midnight anywhere relevant (or anywhere, in general since it was at .54 minutes). So not only is this ridiculous, it’s also incorrect

1. That’s not a fan, that’s his cousin, but Larries know barely anything about Harry if it can’t involve Larry so I’m not surprised you don’t know

2. Imagine him asking “please, make the password add to 28“ to his staff. I have tears in my eyes picturing it

3. I CAN’T BREATHE. Y’all are BLIND on top of INCREDIBLY STUPID. That’s THE DATE

That’s his Hamburg concert, which you can tell because of his suit, which was on MARCH 25TH 2018 (he posted the pictures the day after)

AKA 250332018 which is what the password says

You not only confused an 8 with a 9, but also created numbers out of thin air because of a pixel smudge and failed to realize it was the FUCKING DATE. WHICH DOESN’T EVEN ADD TO 28! 2+5+3+2+1+8= 21

This is perhaps the most ridiculous thing written in this post, which is already one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever read. Can you imagine Harry counting to 28 in his head in the middle of the concert? I can’t y’all, this is too much. You’re A GROWN WOMAN. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I also found it incredibly suspicious that you didn’t outright link the video which you do throughout the post, and turns out it is because he didn’t pause for 28 seconds (what is this fucking sentence?)

He stops playing and singing at 2.40. Then speaks until 2.43. Then the “pause” which is just him trying to get the audience to stop screaming until 3.07 when he says (I can’t really make it out) “now you” or something like that. And then he says “for your eyes...” and lets the audience sing at 3.09. Literally none of these timestamps add to 28 and he had no way of counting to 28 since he was silencing people the entire time. And just like when he switched “I have love you since we were 18″ to “I have loved you since I was 16″ hitting his own chest, or when he said he fell in love to What Makes You Beautiful, you missed the entire point of this bit, which is Harry’s LOVE FOR HIS FANS

He has loved us since he was 16, he fell in love to us to What Makes you Beautiful, and he was letting us sing that part of the song every concert. He “paused” to shush the nonsensical screams, then he would give the audience the cue and let them sing. Several times he dedicated the song to specific fans in the audience, people with cancer, little kids, a fan that had neck surgery. By making it about Larry, you stripped it from its actual meaning and Harry’s love for his fans. But you always do shit like that

Regardless, he didn’t pause for 28 seconds. Wrong

And you end the post with the most anticlimactic possible tone

Here’s the video

Harry is talking about anniversaries because he’s reading a sign from the audience... about.. anniversaries

Y’all are the definition of clowns. All that fuss for the 28 and THIS is your proof?

[schraubd]

Election 2018: How Did Anti-Semites Do?

A few days ago, Tablet Magazine published a list of eight "antisemites running for Congress". It was a good start, but woefully incomplete -- there are so many more antisemites to choose from! Moreover, it doesn't really properly gradate antisemitism (there's a huge difference between a literal Holocaust Denier and someone who's been in a room with Louis Farrakhan). So while you can read how Tablet's 8 fared here, for a more comprehensive picture this post has you covered. First, the good news: the absolutely, positively, most blatant antisemites generally did not win.

Actual Neo-Nazi Arthur Jones lost to Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski 73-27 in Illinois' 3rd congressional district. 

Jones' Holocaust-denying compatriot, John Fitzgerald, lost by a similar 72-28 margin in California's 11th district to Democratic Rep. Mark DeSaulnier. 

In state legislative races, the same basically held true:

In North Carolina's 48th state house district, GOP nominee Russell Walker -- who once said Jews "descend from Satan" -- lost to Black Democratic minister Garland Pierce 63-37. 

In Missouri, GOP nominee Steve West (who was disowned by his own kids) fell well short of unseating Democratic State Rep. Jon Carpenter. 

Finally, in California, Maria Estrada's virulent antisemitism didn't stop her from earning an Our Revolution endorsement, but it presumably did her no favors in her D-on-D challenge to State Assembly speaker Anthony Rendon -- she lost 56-44.

The two biggest antisemites to win were both incumbents.

Open White Supremacist Rep. Steve King (R-IA), last seen telling the world that European Neo-Nazi parties would just be plain old Republicans in America, had a much closer than anticipated race against Democrat J.D. Scholten. Still, King prevailed 50-47, thus proving that there is no limit to how racist you can be if there are enough Republicans in your district.  

Meanwhile, in Washington, GOP State Rep. Matt Shea -- who advocated for an American theocracy where non-Christian men are executed -- handily won reelection 58-42. Huzzah.

Now, those guys represent the worst of the worst. Most (not all) were running on the GOP line, and most (not all) lost. But the Tablet list itself evinces a clear antisemitic spectrum, and once you move past the obvious cases the story gets more complex. On Tablet's list were two definite borderline entries, for whom I think it's fair to question if they are properly called antisemitic at all (certainly, they're far further afield than some of the names further down on this list):

The case for including Indiana Rep. Andre Carson (D) appears to boil down to "he's been in a room with Farrakhan and the Iranian president", which isn't exactly on the level of denying the Holocaust. Call me jaded, but this felt very thin to me. Carson's Indiana district is gerrymandered to be reliably blue, and so it was -- Carson took his race 63-37.

Lena Epstein -- the Republican candidate in Michigan's 11th congressional district -- also has fair grounds to question her inclusion. Yes, inviting a Jews for Jesus Rabbi to eulogize the Pittsburgh victims was stupid, and insensitive, and baffling, and did I mention stupid? -- but was it antisemitic? I'm not sure. But we no longer need to expend much effort figuring it out: Epstein was soundly defeated by Democrat Haley Stevens, flipping this open GOP seat blue and I suspect signaling the last we hear of Epstein in national politics.

The next tier of antisemites comprises people who aren't really accused of saying anything antisemitic themselves, but who have endorsed antisemites or antisemitic movements.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) is the poster child -- while the past few weeks might have you believe that every Democrat in the country is a Louis Farrakhan fanboy, Davis is one of the few who actually has praised the man (the NOI has a large presence in Davis' Chicago district). Davis' district is one of the bluest in the country, and he took 88% of the vote against nominal Republican opposition.

On the Republican side, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) endorsed a Holocaust denier for school board (and that wasn't even his only connection to the Holocaust denying set). "Putin's favorite Congressman" looks to have gone down in his toss-up race, losing narrowly to Democrat Harley Rouda. 

Also falling into this category (though arguably shading into the class below) is California GOP Rep. Steve Knight, who ran an ad featuring a far-right activist notorious for antisemitic and racist online comments (Knight plead ignorance about the guy's views, but you'd think the t-shirt he was wearing in the ad -- a US flag with "infidel" stamped over it -- would be a giveaway). Knight lost his seat 51-49 to Democrat Katie Hill.

Next, we get to people who have themselves said or done antisemitic things -- albeit perhaps not as vividly as a Steve King sort.

For Republicans, George Soros is the fulcrum. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who gave a Holocaust denier a State of the Union ticket and is a major source of Soros-related conspiracy theorizing, works as a good example. He handily won his re-election race 67-33. 

Speaking of Soros, in Minnesota's 1st district, Jim Hagedorn -- who claimed that Joe Lieberman only supported the Iraq War because he was a Jew and who then cut an ad claiming his opponent was "owned" by the Jewish globalist billionaire -- looks like he will squeak out a win over Democrat Dan Feehan. If that result holds, it marks one of the few districts this cycle to flip D-to-R. It also is particularly painful for me because this is the district where my wife grew up and my in-laws still live.

And while Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis is more well-known for the racism, he too dipped his toe in the antisemitic Soros conspiracy pool, accusing his African-American opponent, Andrew Gillum, of looking to "seed[] into our state government, you know, Soros-backed activists." DeSantis, a Republican, prevailed over Gillum by about a single point in what had been thought to be a blue-leaning race.

Two more Democratic members of Tablet's list -- Leslie Cockburn and Ilhan Omar -- fit in this category, albeit for comments that are several years or (in Cockburn's case) decades old.

Cockburn wrote a book in the early 90s that was basically a "Israel is responsible for all awful things" screed; she lost her VA-05 race to Republican Denver "bigfoot erotica" Riggelman, because America is awesome and that was really a choice. The margin was 53-47 in a race that was viewed as a decent, if not top-of-the-class, Democratic pickup opportunity.

Omar, running in Minnesota's 5th district, has come under fire for a tweet where she accused Israel of "hypnotizing" the world to prevent it from seeing its "evil". While she has seemingly moderated her views on Israel, she pointedly declined to walk back this comment or recognize how it seems to traffic in antisemitic tropes (in contrast to her 5th district predecessor, Keith Ellison, who pointedly disassociated himself from prior Farrakhan affiliations). Omar won her race by a crushing 78-21 margin.

Finally, it's worth looking at some local races where Republicans (albeit not always the Republican candidate) ran antisemitic ads.

In Alaska, a GOP mailer which showed stacks of cash being stuffed into Democrat Jesse Kiehl's suit didn't seem to work, Kiehl defeated right-leaning independent Don Etheridge 60-37. (Etheridge he disavowed the Republican ad).

In California, Republican Tyler Diep painted his Jewish opponent Josh Lowenthal green, enlarged his nose, and showed him clutching $100 bills; Diep prevailed in his California Assembly race, 54-46. 

Pennsylvania State Rep. Todd Stephens (R) made sure to drop the "Johnson" from the name of Democratic opponent Sara Johnson Rothman when he photoshopped her holding a stack of cash, instead going with "Stop Sara Rothman". Stephens won re-election by a narrow 51-49 margin.

In North Carolina, Republican Rickey Padgett tried to unseat State Senator Mike Woodard (D) by, among other things, posting a picture with Chuck Schumer dressed in a Nazi SS uniform. Woodward prevailed by a 62-36 spread.

Finally, in Connecticut, Democrat Matt Lesser gained national attention when his Republican opponent Ed Charamut sent out a mailer depicting Lesser with wild eyes, a huge nose, and a wad of cash. Lesser prevailed in a tight race, winning 52-48.

What are the takeaways here? Well, for starters, the most virulent and explicit antisemites generally lost. That's good, though given that those candidates generally ran in ideologically lopsided districts it's easy to overdraw from that. The Steve King victory shows that where the partisan lean works in the antisemite's favor, partisan allegiance generally trumps (seriously, does anyone have confidence that if Arthur Jones ran in Steve King's district as the Republican candidate, he would lose?). And if that holds true for to a blatant bigot like King, it certainly applies to more mild or sporadic offenders, like Davis and Omar.

The more interesting -- and troublesome -- story is how less overt but still clear antisemitism played out in more closely contested races. Those who assume that America just doesn't tolerate antisemitism are in for a surprise. Hagedorn's antisemitic past (and present) didn't seem to dent his chances in Minnesota's toss-up first district, for example. This isn't to say that antisemites were universally winning -- more that antisemitism, even when expressed, generally isn't a losing issue either even in the sort of closely contested districts where you might expect candidates to tread more carefully.

Moreover, there's a partisan lean to this that cannot be ignored. Certainly, there are incidents of antisemitism in both Democratic and Republican politics. And because American Jews (and Jewish politicians) are so overwhelmingly liberal, there are far more progressive "targets" for antisemitism than there are conservatives. Still, between Soros conspiracy theorizing and "Jews clutching money" ads, there seemed to be a noticeable step-up in GOP appeals to this sort of antisemitic sentiment that doesn't have a clear parallel among Democrats right now. 

And Republican strategists must have come to a conclusion that these ads work. Yes, maybe they turn off some Jewish or more liberal-leaning voters. But Republican campaign operatives must think they make up for it by revving up the conservative base (or even independents -- for a variety of reasons I strongly suspect that right-leaning independents might be even more susceptible to this sort of appeal). 

There was certainly no systematic punishing effect for Republicans going to this well -- and so we can expect they'll keep doing it. And that is a worrisome conclusion.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/2zyyHER

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

Hi! ☕ ummm... fanfiction?

hmmm. I’ll come clean on this: I’ve never actually read a fan fiction lol.

I think fan fiction for fictional works like Harry Potter and doctor who etc are great, if they’re not the weird crack ships like harry and snape.... or like incest ships etc etc. it amazes me people write things for free for thousands of people to read.

but when it relates to real people like band members, youtube personalities, or just general celebs..... or if you’re sending your crack ships and fucked up fanfictions to the actors in your fave tv series/movie series or whatever or even the author themselves.... yeah. don’t do that unless they specify that they want to see it. like I know some people (ok I’ve seen posts about it on here but w/e) bring up their fan fictions at cons like comicon or whatever, and the actors have to like awkwardly avoid those comments/questions bc you can see if it’s filmed in gifs..... that it’s making them uncomfortable. and there’s the freaks who are writing fan fiction about pennywise and the kids in IT or some creepy shit like that. like what the FUCK is that?

like I know some people kinda like push that they have “relationships” with a band members, say, but if you’re writing fanfiction about real people, I think it’s a reconsider thing tbh. like I made a post about that a while ago, but I’ve deleted it since. like why ship and harass real people about fanfiction that you’ve written??? and especially if they’ve requested that the fanbase should stop doing that bc it’s intruding on and/or damaging their lives???!!

like on this topic people need to try and feel it from the famous persons side (which yes is hard but bear with me). like how would you feel if you were like dan Howell and you stumbled across the fucked up fan fiction post that I saw on here back in Dan’s popularity in 2012-2014... where Dan was fucking a table???? that piece of fanfiction has fucking SCARRED ME for life. it literally had THOUSANDS of notes.

but. would you feel like your privacy was violated? because I sure asf would. would it put a strain on his friendships or something (like the Harry styles and Louis Tomlinson fanfictions did to HS & LT in one direction or probs happened to Dan & Phil if there were fan fictions of them being in a relationship/being an OTP). like that shit is FUCKED UP. and it should never have happened. stay out of famous people’s personal lives when it comes to fan fiction, even if you “love them so much evznzztushg 😍🥰” or whatever fangirl/fanboy bullshit speak that you want to throw at me. bc you don’t love them bro. you’re treating them as an item, a playdoll. step away from the keyboard and think about what you’re writing. for the love of god.

and I know I said before that some people kinda encourage the whole “oh I’m in love with my band mate or my fellow cast mate.” or something like the whole tom holland & jake gyllenhaal thing where even the media is pushing the whole “bromance” thing for shits and giggles..... and they’re just fucking with them in every interview. but that DOES NOT MEAN that you send them tweets of your fan fiction or fan fiction links on idk Instagram (????). just do that shit on sims y’all. it’s far more fun that way, and plus it’ll never end up on that particular person’s twitter feed or some shit lmao.

[preciousmetals0]

Uber’s Anarchy in the U.K.; Tesla Sells 200K Trapezoids

Uber’s Anarchy in the U.K.; Tesla Sells 200K Trapezoids:

Monday Merger Mania

Thanksgiving dinner is served!

Corporations are gobbling up oversold competitors like your grandmother’s homemade biscuits. And they aren’t going easy on the gravy, either.

Headlining this merger Monday is The Charles Schwab Corp. (NYSE: SCHW), which has officially agreed to buy TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: AMTD) for $26 billion in an all-stock transaction. If this is new information to you, check out Great Stuff’s recent rundown of Schwab’s master plan.

Next up, Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) announced that it’s acquiring The Medicines Co. (Nasdaq: MDCO) for $9.7 billion. Novartis is angling for Medicines’ experimental cholesterol treatment drug inclisiran — which has shown it can lower bad cholesterol in even hard-to-treat patients.

The acquisition also gives Novartis another key Medicines cholesterol drug, Repatha, which is expected to hit blockbuster status by 2021.

It’s like Novarits just made a $9.7 billion bet on the world getting fatter. Hmmm…

Finally, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (OTC: LVMUY) is adding yet another luxury brand to its stable. The company finally reached a price that Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) felt was acceptable: $16.2 billion, or $135 per share. Tiffany rejected LVMH’s earlier bid of just $120 per share back in October.

I wonder if LVMH will change its name to LVMHT Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Tiffany … we’re bordering on the ridiculous at this point.

The Takeaway: 

There’s quite a bit of optimism running rampant on Wall Street today.

Last week’s U.S.-China trade war love fest helped boost that confidence heading into the weekend, and today’s round of corporate mergers is inflating it further.

Days like today are exactly why you don’t want to be in full bear mode, despite continued warning signs that a correction is in the cards. There are always pockets of opportunity. Today, those pockets are running deep.

The bottom line here is that you need to keep your head. Don’t buy into the hype on either side of the bull/bear argument and remain prepared for anything.

Lucky for you, Banyan Hill expert Charles Mizrahi knows all about keeping a level head when investing. His groundbreaking Alpha-3 Approach is a research system that can be beneficial for everyone, regardless of how much money you have, your investment acumen or your risk tolerance.

So, if you’re ready to leave the hype behind, get started with Charles Mizrahi’s Alpha Investor Report service.

Click here to find out how!

The Good: Tall Truck Tales?

Elon Musk is at it again.

The Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) CEO tweeted out some astounding figures over the weekend, claiming that the new Cybertruck received 200,000 orders. I didn’t know there were this many Tesla fanboys with a spare $100 lying around.

Seriously, the Cybertruck looks like that truck I drew in third grade. Maybe that’s the real appeal? We’re all just longing for our childhoods, and Tesla has found a way to tap into that longing? (Naaah … couldn’t be.)

Still, we need to take this claim of 200,000 orders with a grain of salt. The $100 reserve price is far below the $1,000 reservation price for the Model 3, and a far cry from the $2,500 deposit needed to secure your place in line for the Model Y. In other words, these are soft orders for that big metallic trapezoid on wheels.

We need more actual data before we pass judgment, but that lack of data isn’t stopping TSLA from rallying today.

Meanwhile, Musk also tweeted out info on his new Hot Wheels wannabe design choice. Specifically, the Cybertruck (I’ll never get used to that name) looks like a poorly rendered Pontiac Aztek because it’s made of 30X cold-rolled steel.

Typical vehicles are made of aluminum, which can be bent and pressed on all modern automobile manufacturing equipment. But try pressing the Cybertruck’s steel into an eye-pleasing form, and you break your fancy tools.

“Reason Cybertruck is so planar is that you can’t stamp ultra-hard 30X steel, because it breaks the stamping press,” Musk tweeted.

The Bad: Anarchy in the U.K.

As of today, London is no longer calling Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER). The company has been stripped of its ability to operate in the city.

Citing a “pattern of failures” that “placed passenger safety and security at risk,” Transport for London (TfL) said it’s not renewing Uber’s operating license.

In short, TfL said that Uber was “not fit and proper.”

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the intricacies and polite formalities of the Queen’s English, but “not fit and proper” is tantamount to saying: “Your service is shite.”

Part of the problem, according to TfL, is that unlicensed Uber drivers have been using photographs of licensed drivers to get around bans. The agency claims that about 14,000 trips were booked with such unlicensed Uber drivers.

Uber called the decision “extraordinary and wrong,” and promised to keep operating in London to support its 45,000 licensed drivers and 3.5 million riders.

Still, TfL’s decision — and the threat that it may spread to other European cities — has investors worried.

The Ugly: Fool’s Gold

Not everyone is happy this merger Monday. Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (NYSE: KL) investors have tanked the company’s shares following news of a $3.7 billion acquisition.

Kirkland is buying competitor Detour Gold Corp. (OTC: DRGDF) in an all-stock deal. The company believes the acquisition will expand its operations in northeastern Ontario and generate pretax savings of $75 million to $100 million per year.

It all sounds good, especially with gold prices climbing about 20% in the past year. However, Kirkland investors have sent the shares down more than 15% on the news.

It’s a bit understandable. After the acquisition, Kirkland shareholders will only own about 73% of the combined company, with Detour Gold shareholders owning the remaining 27%.

A $1 billion short bet on the market?

It’s more likely than you think. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that hedge fund Bridgewater Associates did exactly that. Almost immediately, however, the fund’s founder and co-chairman Ray Dalio denied the report.

Well … he kinda, sorta denied and confirmed it. Dalio didn’t deny that Bridgewater made the $1 billion bet — with put options that expire right after the Super Tuesday primary — but he did say that the Journal misrepresented the bet.

“We have no positions that are intended to either hedge or bet on any potential political developments in the U.S.,” Bridgewater said in a statement.

The disparity between the actual $1 billion bet and the statement led Banyan Hill expert Michael Carr to quip:

An interesting aspect of this news is that the put options expire in March, as the results of the Super Tuesday primary are known. It’s almost certain we will know what the Democratic convention will look like after those primaries.

We should either know the nominee, or we will know the nominee will be determined by the party’s superdelegates at the convention. Dalio seems to be betting that news about the Democratic nominee will be a market-moving event while denying that’s his motivation.

Impeachment history shows us that politics makes trends more volatile, so it’s clear he sees a downtrend. He might also be trying to move the market a little since his bet seems like a small winner if the market drops just 5% to 7%.

But I must be wrong about that, since large hedge fund managers would never talk their book and try to increase profits through CNBC appearances.

This ain’t “5D chess,” Dalio. We know what’s going on.

And remember, if you want more of Michael Carr’s wit and wisdom in your market research, you need to subscribe to Precision Profits now.

Click here to find out how!

Great Stuff: Disney vs. Netflix

It’s the battle of the century!

In a battle that is sure to dazzle your eyeballs, The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is taking on Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) for the right to rule your living room TV.

You’ve heard me rant about the virtues of both companies, but today you’re getting a different view on the battle for your streaming dollars.

Charles Mizrahi has weighed in on the Disney versus Netflix war and the changing landscape of the streaming market. I urge you to check out his article on the topic: “Disney vs. Netflix: Which 1 Has the Edge in This Streaming Service Battle.”

Or, better yet, watch Charles’ latest video on the great streaming service battle:

[embedded content]

And, when you’re done watching, don’t forget to sign up for Charles’ Alpha Investor Report.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

[goldira01]

Monday Merger Mania

Thanksgiving dinner is served!

Corporations are gobbling up oversold competitors like your grandmother’s homemade biscuits. And they aren’t going easy on the gravy, either.

Headlining this merger Monday is The Charles Schwab Corp. (NYSE: SCHW), which has officially agreed to buy TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: AMTD) for $26 billion in an all-stock transaction. If this is new information to you, check out Great Stuff’s recent rundown of Schwab’s master plan.

Next up, Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) announced that it’s acquiring The Medicines Co. (Nasdaq: MDCO) for $9.7 billion. Novartis is angling for Medicines’ experimental cholesterol treatment drug inclisiran — which has shown it can lower bad cholesterol in even hard-to-treat patients.

The acquisition also gives Novartis another key Medicines cholesterol drug, Repatha, which is expected to hit blockbuster status by 2021.

It’s like Novarits just made a $9.7 billion bet on the world getting fatter. Hmmm…

Finally, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (OTC: LVMUY) is adding yet another luxury brand to its stable. The company finally reached a price that Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) felt was acceptable: $16.2 billion, or $135 per share. Tiffany rejected LVMH’s earlier bid of just $120 per share back in October.

I wonder if LVMH will change its name to LVMHT Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Tiffany … we’re bordering on the ridiculous at this point.

The Takeaway: 

There’s quite a bit of optimism running rampant on Wall Street today.

Last week’s U.S.-China trade war love fest helped boost that confidence heading into the weekend, and today’s round of corporate mergers is inflating it further.

Days like today are exactly why you don’t want to be in full bear mode, despite continued warning signs that a correction is in the cards. There are always pockets of opportunity. Today, those pockets are running deep.

The bottom line here is that you need to keep your head. Don’t buy into the hype on either side of the bull/bear argument and remain prepared for anything.

Lucky for you, Banyan Hill expert Charles Mizrahi knows all about keeping a level head when investing. His groundbreaking Alpha-3 Approach is a research system that can be beneficial for everyone, regardless of how much money you have, your investment acumen or your risk tolerance.

So, if you’re ready to leave the hype behind, get started with Charles Mizrahi’s Alpha Investor Report service.

Click here to find out how!

The Good: Tall Truck Tales?

Elon Musk is at it again.

The Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) CEO tweeted out some astounding figures over the weekend, claiming that the new Cybertruck received 200,000 orders. I didn’t know there were this many Tesla fanboys with a spare $100 lying around.

Seriously, the Cybertruck looks like that truck I drew in third grade. Maybe that’s the real appeal? We’re all just longing for our childhoods, and Tesla has found a way to tap into that longing? (Naaah … couldn’t be.)

Still, we need to take this claim of 200,000 orders with a grain of salt. The $100 reserve price is far below the $1,000 reservation price for the Model 3, and a far cry from the $2,500 deposit needed to secure your place in line for the Model Y. In other words, these are soft orders for that big metallic trapezoid on wheels.

We need more actual data before we pass judgment, but that lack of data isn’t stopping TSLA from rallying today.

Meanwhile, Musk also tweeted out info on his new Hot Wheels wannabe design choice. Specifically, the Cybertruck (I’ll never get used to that name) looks like a poorly rendered Pontiac Aztek because it’s made of 30X cold-rolled steel.

Typical vehicles are made of aluminum, which can be bent and pressed on all modern automobile manufacturing equipment. But try pressing the Cybertruck’s steel into an eye-pleasing form, and you break your fancy tools.

“Reason Cybertruck is so planar is that you can’t stamp ultra-hard 30X steel, because it breaks the stamping press,” Musk tweeted.

The Bad: Anarchy in the U.K.

As of today, London is no longer calling Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER). The company has been stripped of its ability to operate in the city.

Citing a “pattern of failures” that “placed passenger safety and security at risk,” Transport for London (TfL) said it’s not renewing Uber’s operating license.

In short, TfL said that Uber was “not fit and proper.”

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the intricacies and polite formalities of the Queen’s English, but “not fit and proper” is tantamount to saying: “Your service is shite.”

Part of the problem, according to TfL, is that unlicensed Uber drivers have been using photographs of licensed drivers to get around bans. The agency claims that about 14,000 trips were booked with such unlicensed Uber drivers.

Uber called the decision “extraordinary and wrong,” and promised to keep operating in London to support its 45,000 licensed drivers and 3.5 million riders.

Still, TfL’s decision — and the threat that it may spread to other European cities — has investors worried.

The Ugly: Fool’s Gold

Not everyone is happy this merger Monday. Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (NYSE: KL) investors have tanked the company’s shares following news of a $3.7 billion acquisition.

Kirkland is buying competitor Detour Gold Corp. (OTC: DRGDF) in an all-stock deal. The company believes the acquisition will expand its operations in northeastern Ontario and generate pretax savings of $75 million to $100 million per year.

It all sounds good, especially with gold prices climbing about 20% in the past year. However, Kirkland investors have sent the shares down more than 15% on the news.

It’s a bit understandable. After the acquisition, Kirkland shareholders will only own about 73% of the combined company, with Detour Gold shareholders owning the remaining 27%.

A $1 billion short bet on the market?

It’s more likely than you think. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that hedge fund Bridgewater Associates did exactly that. Almost immediately, however, the fund’s founder and co-chairman Ray Dalio denied the report.

Well … he kinda, sorta denied and confirmed it. Dalio didn’t deny that Bridgewater made the $1 billion bet — with put options that expire right after the Super Tuesday primary — but he did say that the Journal misrepresented the bet.

“We have no positions that are intended to either hedge or bet on any potential political developments in the U.S.,” Bridgewater said in a statement.

The disparity between the actual $1 billion bet and the statement led Banyan Hill expert Michael Carr to quip:

An interesting aspect of this news is that the put options expire in March, as the results of the Super Tuesday primary are known. It’s almost certain we will know what the Democratic convention will look like after those primaries.

We should either know the nominee, or we will know the nominee will be determined by the party’s superdelegates at the convention. Dalio seems to be betting that news about the Democratic nominee will be a market-moving event while denying that’s his motivation.

Impeachment history shows us that politics makes trends more volatile, so it’s clear he sees a downtrend. He might also be trying to move the market a little since his bet seems like a small winner if the market drops just 5% to 7%.

But I must be wrong about that, since large hedge fund managers would never talk their book and try to increase profits through CNBC appearances.

This ain’t “5D chess,” Dalio. We know what’s going on.

And remember, if you want more of Michael Carr’s wit and wisdom in your market research, you need to subscribe to Precision Profits now.

Click here to find out how!

Great Stuff: Disney vs. Netflix

It’s the battle of the century!

In a battle that is sure to dazzle your eyeballs, The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is taking on Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) for the right to rule your living room TV.

You’ve heard me rant about the virtues of both companies, but today you’re getting a different view on the battle for your streaming dollars.

Charles Mizrahi has weighed in on the Disney versus Netflix war and the changing landscape of the streaming market. I urge you to check out his article on the topic: “Disney vs. Netflix: Which 1 Has the Edge in This Streaming Service Battle.”

Or, better yet, watch Charles’ latest video on the great streaming service battle:

[embedded content]

And, when you’re done watching, don’t forget to sign up for Charles’ Alpha Investor Report.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

[latestnews2018-blog]

Teen Choice Awards: ‘Riverdale’, BTS Army steal the show

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/teen-choice-awards-riverdale-bts-army-steal-the-show/

Teen Choice Awards: ‘Riverdale’, BTS Army steal the show

Highlights included Zac Efron bromancing Hugh Jackman, while Anna Kendrick threw shade at Ryan Reynolds

It was a night of bittersweet celebration and some cheeky interplay as the Teen Choice Awards 2018 unspooled with plenty of on stage action at The Forum in Los Angeles.

The ceremony, which was hosted by Nick Cannon and Lele Pons, saw teen drama Riverdale sweep the awards with nine wins, while Zac Efron threw some love at Hugh Jackman on stage in a long and rambling speech.

The night saw some great performances by Khalid, Lauv, Evvie McKinney, Bebe Rexha and Meghan Trainor, while Chris Pratt, Chloe Grace Moretz, Anna Kendrick and Nina Dobrev beamed their way on the red carpet.

Gulf News tabloid! breaks down the top moments of the night:

Zac Efron fanboying the cast of The Greatest Showman

One of the best things to come out of The Greatest Showman — aside from the soundtrack — is the budding bromance between the lead stars Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron. Love was in the air as Efron gushed over his acceptance speech while winning three awards on the night, including Choice Drama Movie Actor, Choice Movie Ship (with Zendaya) and Choice Collaboration (Rewrite the Stars).

Speaking on his win, Efron said: “Like, from the bottom of my heart, I couldn’t ask for a more cooler, amazing person to work with. He’s my best dramatic actor, and a hero, and a mentor and a good friend. Thank you Hugh Jackman.”

Just when you thought, the actor had rambled on long enough, Efron took a breath and continued to thank Zendaya as well, with a final message: “Look what we did! We rewrote the stars!”

Anna Kendrick throwing shade at Ryan Reynolds

If there was ever any doubt why everyone loves Anna Kendrick, her acceptance speech after winning the surfboard for Choice Comedy Movie Actress and a surprise Choice Twit gong was a riot.

Needless to say, Kendrick used the opportunity to fuel her mock feud with Ryan Reynolds.

“Ok, did I just hear that I won Choice Twitter? Oh my God!… I have so much fun on Twitter. And I know that Mindy [Kaling] and Kumail [Nanjiani] were also nominated,” she said, before adding: “And also I know that Ryan Reynolds was nominated, so in your face Ryan! Stay in your lane!”

The Pitch Perfect 3 star has been hilariously shading Reynolds on social media with a little help from his wife Blake Lively, and her co-star from A Simple Favor.

In June, Lively tweeted an image of the poster of the upcoming thriller, posting: “@annakendrick47 is the hotter, female(r) version of my husband… so, would it reaaaally count as cheating??”

Kendrick soon chimed in to write: “So glad we’re finally taking this public. I let Ryan have Deadpool, he can give me this.”

Reynolds, meanwhile, wouldn’t have any of it. In an interview with ET at Comic-Con, Reynolds responded to the war of tweets saying: “I know a lot of guys that would be fine with that, but not me. I would like to hang onto her.”

Riverdale’s still waters run deep

The teen drama swept the Teen Choice Awards with a total of nine solid wins, including Choice Drama TV Show and Choice Liplock. The whole cast, including KJ Apa, Cole Sprouse, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan, turned up for the night with their cheeky behaviour firmly in check.

Apa was on a roll with that epic photobomb of real-life couple Sprouse and Reinhart who won Choice TV Ship and Liplock. Although, Sprouse, who plays Jughead on the Archie-comics inspired show, wouldn’t let Apa get off so easily.

While accepting the Choice Drama TV show, Sprouse gave his best bud a friendly little spank on stage to ebb him on with his speech.

Shadowhunters for the win

It was a bittersweet moment for fans when the cast of the Freeform series, Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, turned up on stage to accept the surfboard for the Choice Sci-Fi TV Show. Earlier this week, the show’s makers confirmed there would be no fourth season after it wraps up the current one.

Fans have been campaigning for Netflix or some other streaming platform to come in to sweep the day.

After seven nominations, this Choice win, along with an award for lead star Matthew Daddario for Choice Sci-Fi TV Actor, was a fitting end to the series for fans.

Spoiler alert: It’s Chris Hemsworth again

When Chris Hemsworth is in the picture, you can be rest assured some goofy antic is about to go down. The Aussie star accepted his Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor via FaceTime, with a little help from the awards mascot, Choicey.

Hopping with glee, Hemsworth, who plays Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was quick to give fans a bit of gossip of what would go down in the upcoming sequel to Avengers: Infinity War.

Unfortunately for us, the connection quiet conveniently cut off at all the key moments. Although, Hemsworth did get a final message out where he thanked his fans for the win, before shouting: “Thanos! Stop killing my friends!”

All hail the BTS Army

K-Pop continued its global domination with boy band BTS and its Army of fans winning top awards at the Teen Choice 2018. While BTS was not around to accept its Choice International Artist for the second consecutive year, its Army of fans were definitely around to win Choice Fandom, beating out against fans of Taylor Swift, Fifth Harmony and One Direction. That is a feat in itself.

Watching them storm the Teen Choice stage was pure gold!

————————————————

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

Film awards

Choice Action Movie: Avengers: Infinity War

Choice Action Movie Actor: Robert Downey Jr (Avengers: Infinity War)

Choice Action Movie Actress: Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Infinity War)

Choice Sci-Fi Movie: Black Panther

Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor: Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actress: Letitia Wright (Black Panther)

Choice Fantasy Movie: Coco

Choice Fantasy Movie Actor: Anthony Gonzalez (Coco)

Choice Fantasy Movie Actress: Carrie Fisher (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)

Choice Drama Movie: The Greatest Showman

Choice Drama Movie Actor: Zac Efron (The Greatest Showman)

Choice Drama Movie Actress: Zendaya (The Greatest Showman)

Choice Comedy Movie: Love, Simon

Choice Comedy Movie Actor: Dwayne Johnson (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle)

Choice Comedy Movie Actress: Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect 3)

Choice Summer Movie: Incredibles 2

Choice Summer Movie Actor: Chris Pratt (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)

Choice Summer Movie Actress: Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)

Choice Movie Villain: Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther)

Choice Breakout Movie Star: Nick Robinson (Love, Simon)

Choice MovieShip: Zac Efron and Zendaya (The Greatest Showman)

TV awards

Choice Drama TV Show: Riverdale

Choice Drama TV Actor: Cole Sprouse (Riverdale)

Choice Drama TV Actress: Lili Reinhart (Riverdale)

Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor: Matthew Daddario (Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments)

Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress: Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)

Choice Action TV Show: The Flash

Choice Action TV Actor: Grant Gustin (The Flash)

Choice Action TV Actress: Melissa Benoist (Supergirl)

Choice Comedy TV Show: The Big Bang Theory

Choice Comedy TV Actor: Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin)

Choice Comedy TV Actress: Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin)

Choice Animated TV Show: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Choice Reality TV Show: Keeping Up With the Kardashians

Choice Throwback TV Show: Friends

Choice TV Personality: Chrissy Teigen (Lip Sync Battle)

Choice TV Villain: Mark Consuelos (Riverdale)

Choice Breakout TV Show: On My Block

Choice Breakout TV Star: Vanessa Morgan (Riverdale)

Choice TV Ship: Cole Sprouse & Lili Reinhart (Riverdale)

Films and TV

Choice Liplock: Cole Sprouse & Lili Reinhart (Riverdale)

Choice Hissy Fit: Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale)

Choice Scene Stealer: Vanessa Morgan (Riverdale)

Choice Summer TV Show: So You Think You Can Dance

Choice Summer TV Star: Olivia Holt (Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger)

Music

Choice Male Artist: Louis Tomlinson

Choice Female Artist: Camila Cabello

Choice Music Group: 5 Seconds of Summer

Choice Country Artist: Carrie Underwood

Choice Electronic/Dance Artist: The Chainsmokers

Choice Latin Artist: CNCO

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Artist: Cardi B

Choice Rock Artist: Imagine Dragons

Choice Song: Female Artist: Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug) for Havana

Choice Song: Male Artist: Ed Sheeran for Perfect

Choice Song: Group: 5 Seconds of Summer for Youngblood

Choice Collaboration: Zac Efron & Zendaya for Rewrite the Stars (The Greatest Showman soundtrack)

Choice Pop Song: In My Blood by Shawn Mendes

Choice Country Song: Meant to Be by Bebe Rexha (feat. Florida Georgia Line

Choice Electronic/Dance Song: All Night by Steve Aoki & Lauren Jauregui

Choice Latin Song: Familiar by Liam Payne & J Balvin

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song: Love Lies by Khalidi & Normani

Choice Rock/Alternative Song: Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

Choice Breakout Artist: Khalid

Choice Next Big Thing: Jackson Wang

Choice International Artist: BTS

Choice Summer Song: Back To You by Selena Gomez

Choice Summer Male Artist: Shawn Mendes

Choice Summer Female Artist: Camila Cabello

Choice Summer Group: 5 Seconds of Summer

Choice Summer Tour: Harry Styles — Live on Tour

[ryanmeft]

My Cousin Rachel Movie Review

My Cousin Rachel is a parable of sorts, about a strong woman surrounded in a world that doesn't want her by people who have been raised by that world. She must escape when she can: from scandals that should be none of anyone's business, to a man who cares for her but as a child. This she does, not by political alliances or scheming manipulations, but by simply, quietly, being herself. Maybe. She could also be a killer.

The novel was written by Daphne du Maurier, who also wrote the one that became Hitchcock's Rebecca, one of his best. That film and novel was about women who are consumed with the reputation of a dead woman; this one is about an estate that is consumed with the reputation of a live one. The live one is Rachel (Rachel Weisz), who married a man named Ambrose shortly before his slow and painful death. His cousin and heir Philip (Sam Claflin), thanks to feverish bits of writing slipped into other letters, believe Rachel caused his beloved cousin's death somehow. His financial manager Nick (Iain Glen) humors his constantly changing opinions, for when he meets Rachel he falls for the older woman. He cannot see he is at best a a friend and at worst an amusing distraction for her, because young men think they appeal to everyone. He does appeal to Nick's perceptive-but-sidelined daughter Louis (Holliday Grainger), but I can't imagine why, as he is rude to her and treats her nearly as a servant. The mystery of Rachel's motivations unfolds over the course of the film, but it is secondary to exhibition of male ego when confronted with a woman who does not live for the satisfaction of men.

I'm going to sound like a fanboy (and I don't even deny the charge), but Rachel Weisz can do anything. She can be a nerd, which she was in The Mummy, the first movie young me saw her in. She can be a flamethrower, as in last year's underseen Denial. She can also be both. She plays Rachel as someone who is often shy and retiring not just because women were supposed to be, but because she shuns the spotlight. She also plays her as someone who can get very angry, or be very confident about what she wants. What really reveals her gifts is this: she has to change tacts without ever outright revealing to the audience whether Rachel was Ambrose's beloved or his tormentor. Valuable, also, is Grainger as Louise, who sees through Philip's image of himself. Unfortunately, she's still mostly reduced to playing the dutiful woman, waiting for the man to realize she's there.

The interplay between the three characters is most interesting not for any narrative reason, but for what it has to say about the role of women in this society. Rachel, of course, could run the farm by herself, and probably several other farms besides, but she is female and that's the end of all that talk. If she is the cause of Ambrose's death, would we feel that terrible about it? Perhaps not, because we see what she must endure, either way, simply to live a life she wants. Suggestions that she and her first husband were sexually free are exchanged between male characters with the gravity of discussing scandals about actual important things; the very possibility that a woman did not conform to the mores of the time is bandied about by even intelligent men such as Nick as though it were the hidden name of the devil himself. Of course, the fact she even had a first husband is probably something of an issue, too.

Where the film stumbles is Claflin, who has the swagger and addictive machismo to be a leading man in adventures but has yet to demonstrate the layers needed in a slower story. The film has to have his Philip as the centerpiece, because both women are more perceptive and subtle than he and would have resolved the film's plot much more swiftly, and because him being a blockhead is another part of the story's point about women's place in society.

Philip does not grasp most complexities, assuming a binary solution to problems, and has little foresight, yet because he is the male heir it is assumed he is fit to run the joint. Claflin, however, seems to display every change of Philip's mind---changes which happen often and on small bits of possible evidence---with the kind of poker face that ends up with the player broke at the end of the night. At no point do we get the sense there's interchanging gears whirling in his head; it is more like levers and switches. Of course, he could have been under orders to play simple, but his roles in Their Finest and Me Before You suggest he may simply be better at roles like the one he held in the Hunger Games series.

So what to make of a movie that doesn't measure up to the best of the whole 19th-century gender war sub-genre, but whose central character does? Writer-Director Roger Michell does what needs to be done to keep the glue in, though not much more. The material could have been more updated. If I may flirt with breaking one of Ebert's rules and speculate on other directions the film could have gone, it could have even been moved to modern day and applied to the culture of online bullying. He didn't, though, and Weisz alone provides more than enough fascinating and intrigue for the movie as a whole to get by, centered and emboldened by her one, mesmerizing character. Verdict: Recommended Note: I don’t use stars but here are my possible verdicts. I suppose you could consider each one as adding a star. Must-See Highly Recommended Recommended Average Not Recommended Avoid like the Plague You can follow Ryan's reviews on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ryanmeftmovies/ Or his very infrequent tweets here: https://twitter.com/RyanmEft All images are property of the people what own the movie.