As the person who dressed the Sex Pistols, Vivienne Westwood, who died on Thursday at the age of 81, was synonymous with 1970s punk rock, a rebelliousness that remained the hallmark of an unapologetically political designer who became one of British fashion’s biggest names.
“Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London. The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better,” her fashion house said on Twitter.
Climate change, pollution, and her support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange were all fodder for protest T-shirts or banners carried by her models on the runway.
She dressed up as then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher for a magazine cover in 1989 and drove a white tank near the country home of a later British leader, David Cameron, to protest against fracking.
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The rebel was inducted into Britain’s establishment in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth who awarded her the Order of the British Empire medal. But, ever keen to shock, Westwood turned up at Buckingham Palace without underwear – a fact she proved to photographers by a revealing twirl of her skirt.
“The only reason I am in fashion is to destroy the word ‘conformity’,” Westwood said in her 2014 biography. “Nothing is interesting to me unless it’s got that element.”
Instantly recognizable with her orange or white hair, Westwood first made a name for herself in punk fashion in 1970s London, dressing the punk rock band that defined the genre.
Together with the Sex Pistols’ manager, Malcolm McLaren, she defied the hippie trends of the time to sell rock’n’roll-inspired clothing.
They moved on to torn outfits adorned with chains as well as latex and fetish pieces that they sold at their shop in London’s King’s Road variously called “Let It Rock,” “Sex” and “Seditionaries,” among other names.
Vivienne Westwood’s son Joe Corre burns over $8 million worth of punk memorabilia
They used prints of swastikas, naked breasts and, perhaps most well-known, an image of the queen with a safety pin through her lips. Favourite items included sleeveless black T-shirts, studded, with zips, safety pins or bleached chicken bones.
“There was no punk before me and Malcolm,” Westwood said in the biography. “And the other thing you should know about punk too: it was a total blast.”
“BUY LESS”
Born Vivienne Isabel Swire on April 8, 1941, in the English Midlands town of Glossop, Westwood grew up at a time of rationing during and after World War Two.
A recycling mentality pervaded her work, and she repeatedly told fashionistas to “choose well” and “buy less.” From the late 1960s, she lived in a small flat in south London for some 30 years and cycled to work.
When she was a teenager, her parents, a greengrocer and a cotton weaver, moved the family to north London where she studied jewelry-making and silversmithing before re-training as a teacher.
While she taught at a primary school, she met her first husband, Derek Westwood, marrying him in a homemade dress. Their son Ben was born in 1963, and the couple divorced in 1966.
Now a single mother, Westwood was selling jewelry on London’s Portobello Road when she met art student McLaren who would go on to be her partner romantically and professionally. They had a son, Joe Corre, co-founder of lingerie brand Agent Provocateur.
After the Sex Pistols split, the two held their first catwalk show in 1981, presenting a “new romantic” look of African-style patterns, buccaneer trousers and sashes.
Westwood, by then in her forties, began to slowly forge her own path in fashion, eventually separating from McLaren in the early 1980s.
Often looking to history, her influential designs have included corsets, Harris Tweed suits and taffeta ballgowns.
Her 1985 “Mini-Crini” line introduced her short puffed skirt and a more fitted silhouette. Her sky-high platform shoes garnered worldwide attention in 1993 when model Naomi Campbell stumbled on the catwalk in a pair.
“My clothes have a story. They have an identity. They have character and a purpose,” Westwood said.
“That’s why they become classics. Because they keep on telling a story. They are still telling it.”
The Westwood brand flourished in the 1990s, with fashionistas flocking to her runway shows in Paris, and stores opening around the world selling her lines, accessories and perfumes.
She met her second husband, Andreas Kronthaler, teaching fashion in Vienna. They married in 1993 and he later became her creative partner.
Westwood used her public profile to champion issues including nuclear disarmament and to protest against anti-terrorism laws and government spending policies that hit the poor. She held a large “climate revolution” banner at the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony in London, and frequently turned her models into catwalk eco-warriors.
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“I’ve always had a political agenda,” Westwood told L’Officiel fashion magazine in 2018.
Pelé, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82.
The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. He had been hospitalized for the last month with multiple ailments.
Pelé moved to end-of-life care in hospital prompting Brazil soccer fans to show support
“All that we are is thanks to you,” his daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram. “We love you endlessly. Rest in peace.”
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His agent, Joe Fraga, confirmed his death: “The king has passed.”
A inspiração e o amor marcaram a jornada de Rei Pelé, que faleceu no dia de hoje.
Amor, amor e amor, para sempre. . Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today.
Widely regarded as one of soccer’s greatest players, Pelé spent nearly two decades enchanting fans and dazzling opponents as the game’s most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team.
His grace, athleticism and mesmerizing moves transfixed players and fans. He orchestrated a fast, fluid style that revolutionized the sport — a samba-like flair that personified his country’s elegance on the field.
‘We lost our big King’: Fans mourn Pelé after Brazilian soccer legend’s death
He carried Brazil to soccer’s heights and became a global ambassador for his sport in a journey that began on the streets of Sao Paulo state, where he would kick a sock stuffed with newspapers or rags.
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In the conversation about soccer’s greatest players, only the late Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are mentioned alongside Pelé.
FILE – Brazil’s Pele wears his national team’s jersey in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 25, 1962. Pelé, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died in Sao Paulo on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. He was 82. (AP Photo, File).
AP Photo, File
Different sources, counting different sets of games, list Pelé’s goal totals anywhere between 650 (league matches) and 1,281 (all senior matches, some against low-level competition.)
The player who would be dubbed “The King” was introduced to the world at 17 at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, the youngest player ever at the tournament. He was carried off the field on teammates’ shoulders after scoring two goals in Brazil’s 5-2 victory over the host country in the final.
Remembering Pele’s visits to Vancouver
Injury limited him to just two games when Brazil retained the world title in 1962, but Pelé was the emblem of his country’s World Cup triumph of 1970 in Mexico. He scored in the final and set up Carlos Alberto with a nonchalant pass for the last goal in a 4-1 victory over Italy.
The image of Pelé in a bright, yellow Brazil jersey, with the No. 10 stamped on the back, remains alive with soccer fans everywhere. As does his trademark goal celebration — a leap with a right fist thrust high above his head.
Pelé’s fame was such that in 1967 factions of a civil war in Nigeria agreed to a brief cease-fire so he could play an exhibition match in the country. He was knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1997. When he visited Washington to help popularize the game in North America, it was the U.S. president who stuck out his hand first.
“My name is Ronald Reagan, I’m the president of the United States of America,” the host said to his visitor. “But you don’t need to introduce yourself because everyone knows who Pelé is.”
FILE – In this Aug. 1969 file photo, Brazil’s Pele scores past Venezuela’s goal keeper Fabrizio Fasano in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP Photo, File).
Pelé was Brazil’s first modern Black national hero but rarely spoke about racism in a country where the rich and powerful tend to hail from the white minority.
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Opposing fans taunted Pelé with monkey chants at home and all over the world.
“He said that he would never play if he had to stop every time he heard those chants,” said Angelica Basthi, one of Pelé’s biographers. “He is key for Black people’s pride in Brazil, but never wanted to be a flagbearer.”
Pelé’s life after soccer took many forms. He was a politician — Brazil’s Extraordinary Minister for Sport — a wealthy businessman, and an ambassador for UNESCO and the United Nations.
He had roles in movies, soap operas and even composed songs and recorded CDs of popular Brazilian music.
As his health deteriorated, his travels and appearances became less frequent. He was often seen in a wheelchair during his final years and did not attend a ceremony to unveil a statue of him representing Brazil’s 1970 World Cup team. Pelé spent his 80th birthday isolated with a few family members at a beach home.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, in the small city of Tres Coracoes in the interior of Minas Gerais state on Oct. 23, 1940, Pelé grew up shining shoes to buy his modest soccer gear.
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Pelé’s talent drew attention when he was 11, and a local professional player brought him to Santos’ youth squads. It didn’t take long for him to make it to the senior squad.
Despite his youth and 5-foot-8 frame, he scored against grown men with the same ease he displayed against friends back home. He debuted with the Brazilian club at 16 in 1956, and the club quickly gained worldwide recognition.
The name Pelé came from him mispronouncing the name of a player called Bile.
He went to the 1958 World Cup as a reserve but became a key player for his country’s championship team. His first goal, in which he flicked the ball over the head of a defender and raced around him to volley it home, was voted as one of the best in World Cup history.
The 1966 World Cup in England — won by the hosts — was a bitter one for Pelé, by then already considered the world’s top player. Brazil was knocked out in the group stage and Pelé, angry at the rough treatment, swore it was his last World Cup.
He changed his mind and was rejuvenated in the 1970 World Cup. In a game against England, he struck a header for a certain score, but the great goalkeeper Gordon Banks flipped the ball over the bar in an astonishing move. Pelé likened the save — one of the best in World Cup history — to a “salmon climbing up a waterfall.” Later, he scored the opening goal in the final against Italy, his last World Cup match.
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In all, Pelé played 114 matches with Brazil, scoring a record 95 goals, including 77 in official matches.
His run with Santos stretched over three decades until he went into semi-retirement after the 1972 season. Wealthy European clubs tried to sign him, but the Brazilian government intervened to keep him from being sold, declaring him a national treasure.
On the field, Pelé’s energy, vision and imagination drove a gifted Brazilian national team with a fast, fluid style of play that exemplified “O Jogo Bonito” — Portuguese for “The Beautiful Game.” His 1977 autobiography, “My Life and the Beautiful Game,” made the phrase part of soccer’s lexicon.
In 1975, he joined the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. Although 34 and past his prime, Pelé gave soccer a higher profile in North America. He led the Cosmos to the 1977 league title and scored 64 goals in three seasons.
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Pelé ended his career on Oct. 1, 1977, in an exhibition between the Cosmos and Santos before a crowd in New Jersey of some 77,000. He played half the game with each club. Among the dignitaries on hand was perhaps the only other athlete whose renown spanned the globe: Muhammad Ali.
Pelé would endure difficult times in his personal life, especially when his son Edinho was arrested on drug-related charges. Pelé had two daughters out of wedlock and five children from his first two marriages, to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and Assiria Seixas Lemos. He later married businesswoman Marcia Cibele Aoki.
Jurors began deliberations Thursday at the trial of rapper Tory Lanez, who is charged with shooting and wounding hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet.
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for just over three hours after hearing the last part of the defense’s closing argument that began a day earlier and a brief rebuttal from Los Angeles County prosecutors.
They did not reach a verdict and will return Friday to resume talks on the three felony counts brought against the 30-year-old Canadian rapper, who has pleaded not guilty: discharging a firearm with gross negligence, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. The counts could lead to up to 22 years in prison and deportation.
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Megan Thee Stallion, 27, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified that Lanez fired a handgun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding in the Hollywood Hills in the summer of 2020. She needed surgery to remove bullet fragments from her feet.
In closing arguments, prosecutors emphasized the courage it took for her to come forward and the vitriol she has faced for it. They said she had no incentive to tell anything but the truth.
Lanez’s lawyer alleged in his closing that the shots were actually fired by Megan’s then-best-friend Kelsey Harris in a jealous fight over Lanez, who tried to stop the shooting. The attorney, George Mgdesyan, alleges Megan created a more sympathetic narrative by pinning the shooting on Lanez.
Harris denied being the shooter and previously identified Lanez as the one holding the gun. Her attorney, in an email, declined to comment on her involvement.
The jury on Thursday asked for a read-back of the testimony of the only eye witness to the incident who was not involved in it, a man on a nearby balcony with his children, who said his concerns for their safety kept him from watching closely.
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Sean Kelly was called by the defense, but both sides argued his account favored them. He said he saw muzzle flashes that appeared to come from a woman, but also said he saw a small man “firing everywhere.”
Lanez — whose legal name is Daystar Peterson — began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. His last two reached the top 10 on Billboard’s charts.
Megan Thee Stallion was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and had No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with her own song “Savage,” featuring Beyonce, and as a guest on Cardi B’s “WAP.”
** NOTE: This article contains spoilers from the ‘Harry & Meghan’ docuseries on Netflix. **
The first three episodes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary didn’t ruffle too many feathers at Buckingham Palace, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex upped the ante in Episodes 4, 5 and 6, detailing how jealousy, betrayal and the palace’s refusal to protect Markle from a rabid press increasingly led to an untenable situation that, they say, ultimately forced their hand.
The second instalment of Harry & Meghan went live Thursday, offering up a deeply personal — and sometimes shocking — account of how the couple’s relationship with the Royal Family began to circle the drain following their 2018 wedding, eventually causing them to step down as working members of the royal institution and leave for the United States.
Harry, in particular, levelled some pretty serious accusations against his brother, Prince William, father, King Charles III, as well as the palace’s press offices, detailing animosity among the senior-most members of the family and how his wife suffered most as a result.
While Volume 2 of the docuseries opened on a sweet note, with the couple sharing the darling details of their nuptials, it quickly took a dark turn, delivering on Netflix’s promises of a behind-the-curtain look at an increasingly toxic situation. Here are five of the most dramatic revelations uncovered in the final instalment of the series.
Prince Harry “hates himself” for the way he handled Markle’s suicidal thoughts
In Episode 4, Harry and Markle expanded on the escalating vitriol and racism they faced at the hands of the U.K.’s tabloid newspapers in the year following their wedding, which eventually drove an increasingly depressed Markle to contemplate suicide.
Meghan Markle.
AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File/CP Images
“It was like, all of this will stop if I’m not here,” she said. “And that was the scariest thing about it because it was such clear thinking.”
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Harry, reflecting back on that period, said he “was devastated.”
“I knew she was struggling,” he said. “We were both struggling, but I never thought it would get to that stage — and the fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed.”
The Duke said, due to his upbringing, he “dealt with it as institutional Harry as opposed to husband Harry.”
“What took over my feelings was my royal role,” he said. “I had been trained to worry more about, ‘What are people going to think if we don’t go to this event? We’re going to be late,’ and looking back on it now, I hate myself for it.
“What she needed from me was so much more than I was able to give.”
Doria Ragland, Markle’s mom, also spoke about how helpless she felt watching her daughter struggle.
“To be constantly be picked at by these vultures — just picking away at her spirit — that she would actually think of not wanting to be here … that, that’s not an easy one for a mom to hear,” Ragland told the camera through tears.
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Doria Ragland.
Netflix
Markle and Harry both said that despite being fully aware of how bad things had gotten, the palace was unwilling to help them.
“They thought, ‘Why couldn’t she just deal with it?’ As if to say, ‘Well, everyone else has dealt with it, why can’t she deal with it?’ But it was different. This was different,” said Harry.
“I wanted to go somewhere to get help, but I wasn’t allowed to,” said Markle. “They were concerned about how that would look for the institution.”
Harry accuses his father’s office of leaking private correspondence over plans to move to Canada
In Episode 5, Harry said he and Markle were contemplating a move to Canada between December 2019 and January 2020, while spending Christmas on Vancouver Island with their son, Archie.
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“We thought it would be good to give ourselves some breathing space, but also we were really passionate about continuing our work throughout the Commonwealth, to support the queen,” Harry explained, adding that the royal rota reporters wouldn’t have access to them in Canada, which would alleviate the pressure on his wife.
The couple also planned to make their own money in Canada, which would give the press little reason to pry into their private affairs, as they would no longer be bankrolled by the taxpayer.
However, Harry said when he approached his dad (then-Prince Charles) about the arrangement, Charles asked him to put the plan in writing before he signed off on it. Harry claimed he wrote Charles several emails over the course of the first three days of January –– one of the emails mentioned that “we would be willing to relinquish our Sussex titles if need be. So that was the plan.”
Meanwhile, Harry said, he contacted his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, about a meeting to discuss the plan. She was enthusiastic about having Harry and Markle come stay with her for a night, he said, adding that the queen told him her schedule was free that week.
Meghan recalled that a few days later they were returning to the U.K. when her husband learned he wouldn’t be allowed to see his grandmother, as her schedule was suddenly full.
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Royals ‘happy to lie’ to protect William, Prince Harry claims in new trailer
“That was certainly the opposite to what she had told me,” Harry said of his prior conversation with the late monarch. “Later that afternoon, we found out that this story was coming out — somehow the tabloids knew about this proposal (to move to Canada).
“It became clear that the institution leaked the fact that we were going to move back to Canada and the key piece of that story that made me aware that the contents of the letter between me and my father had been leaked was that we were willing to relinquish our Sussex titles. That was the giveaway,” accused Harry. “I was like, ‘Wow, like our story, our life literally got taken from underneath us.’ ”
Prince William allegedly broke a pact between the brothers
In Episode 4, Harry also charges that William broke a long-standing agreement between the brothers that they would never allow their press offices to trade negative stories about each other.
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Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, left and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, walk behind the coffin, during a procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in London, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022.
(Richard Heathcote/Pool Photo via AP)
Although he did not name a specific past instance, he said, “William and I both saw what happened in our dad’s office and we made an agreement that we would never let that happen to our office.”
“I would far rather get destroyed in the press than play along with this game or business of trading,” he said, expressing his disappointment in the Prince of Wales, noting, “and to see my brother’s office doing the same thing that we promised the two of us would never ever do, that was heartbreaking.”
Harry said overwhelmingly positive headlines about his and Markle’s successful first tour as a married couple in Australia drastically shifted when they came home, hinting that his brother’s alleged jealousy might have had something to do with the sudden change in tone from the press.
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“The issue is when someone who’s marrying in, who should be a supporting act is then stealing the limelight or is doing the job better than the person who was born to do this, that upsets people,” Harry explained of his American bride, who was a natural with Australian fans.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet 98-year-old Daphne Dunne during a meet and greet at the Sydney Opera House on Oct. 16, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.
Paul Edwards / Getty Images
“It shifts the balance because you’ve been led to believe that the only way that your charities can succeed and the only way that your reputation can be grown or improved is if you’re the front page of those newspapers.”
Harry says William screamed at him in front of the queen
In the penultimate episode, Harry discussed a 2020 crisis meeting at Sandringham estate where he claimed William screamed and shouted at him in front of their grandmother.
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“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and have my father say things that simply weren’t true, and my grandmother sit there and sort of take it all in,” Harry said in the fifth episode.
The meeting, which involved Harry, William, Prince Charles and the queen, was a high-stakes discussion to determine how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would continue to operate within the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth II as proud grandmother smiles at Prince Harry as she inspects soldiers at their passing-out Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy on April 12, 2006 in Surrey, England.
Tim Graham Photo Library / Getty Images
Harry said he and his wife had proposed to be “half-in and half-out” of the family, working to support the queen, but also having their own jobs and supporting themselves financially.
Shortly after the Sandringham meeting, said Harry, media reports emerged suggesting William was bullying the Sussexes out of their duties. Harry was then told by a palace press office that a joint statement was to be released by both brothers denying the reports.
But Harry said he didn’t sign off on the statement.
“I couldn’t believe it. No one had asked me to put my name to a statement like that,” he said. “I called (Meghan) and she burst into flood of tears, because within four hours they were happy to lie to protect my brother and yet for three years they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”
Public has mixed reactions to ‘Harry and Meghan’ Netflix series
Markle and Harry both said this was the moment they knew their tenure as working royals was over.
Later in the documentary, Harry also revealed that he’s not holding his breath for an apology from his brother or father.
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“It was hard. Especially spending time, having chats with my brother and my father, (they) were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation,” he explained, referring to his and Markle’s decision to leave the U.K.
Exploring how and why the Netflix series ‘Harry and Meghan’ is so magnetizing
The Duke also said he doesn’t think William and Charles will properly address their issues.
“I’ve had to make peace with the fact that we’re probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology. My wife and I, we’re moving on. We’re focused on what’s coming next.”
Harry blames the stress of the court case against The Daily Mail for Meghan’s miscarriage
In 2020, Markle penned a deeply personal op-ed for the New York Times, detailing a miscarriage she had between the births of her children Archie and Lilibet.
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In Episode 6 of the series, Markle explains that after moving into their new home in Santa Barbara, Calif., she started experiencing “a lot of pain” and then collapsed to the ground while holding Archie.
Meghan Markle in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
She said, “I was pregnant, I really wasn’t sleeping. The first morning that we woke up in our new home is when I miscarried.”
Harry explained that at the time his wife was involved in a copyright infringement lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which owns the Daily Mail, MailOnline and The Mail on Sunday tabloid newspapers. The Daily Mail had published a private letter the Duchess had sent to her father, Thomas Markle, without her permission.
Prince Harry in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
“I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what the (Daily) Mail did,” Harry said. “I watched the whole thing. Now, do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was caused by that? Of course we don’t. But bearing in mind the stress that that caused, the lack of sleep and the timing of the pregnancy, how many weeks in she was, I can say, from what I saw, that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her.”
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In the same episode, the Duke and Duchess also said lawsuits like Markle’s are a lucrative affair for the tabloids, explaining that the litigation process only gives the newspapers more fodder for their pages, meaning more readers and more revenue.
Markle eventually won the case against Associated Newspapers.
New trailer for Harry & Meghan doc puts royal rift at forefront
‘Tis the season for family gatherings, festive markets, cookie exchanges — and wondering exactly how those very well-off royals spend the holidays.
As it turns out, the House of Windsor had more than their share of quirky and downright unusual Christmas traditions that will leave you scratching your head. From gut-busting gag gifts and garlic bans to proper teacup etiquette and a rather shocking before-and-after dinner weigh-in (yes, really!), we’ve uncovered some of the most bizarre “holiday commandments” the royal family followed under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Thou shalt… attend the annual holiday luncheon
A week before Christmas, Queen Elizabeth would host an annual luncheon at Buckingham Palace for her entire extended family — an exclusive guest list that typically totals more than 50 people.
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Although she delivered fancy invites well in advance, woe betide anyone who declined the generous offer to spend the afternoon balancing their tea cups while mingling with a slew of faces only seen once a year. Little else is known about the top-secret event (no photography was allowed), leaving royal watchers and the British tabloids speculating about what actually went on behind those gilded gates.
If you thought prepping a Christmas turkey for your holiday feast was stressful, how do you think the royal cooks feel? Christmas week at Sandringham House, on the grounds of what is now King Charles’ Norfolk estate, is an absolute must-attend — although the rare exception is sometimes granted.
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Once upon a time, close family wouldn’t be allowed to spend Christmas away from Sandringham. Just ask Diana, Princess of Wales, who never got to spend the big day with her Spencer clan. In recent years, however, the queen allowed for some wiggle room, letting Prince William and Duchess Kate visit the Middleton family in 2014.
Set aside any preconceived notions you might have as to the types of presents the Royal Family buy one another during the holidays. As it turns out, it’s all about a good gag. On Christmas Eve, the Windsors lay out their gifts on a table and exchange them over piping hot cups of tea.
The theme? Cheap, cheerful and full-out hilarious.
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That’s right — as a way to cut loose and avoid flaunting their wealth, the Royal Family buys each other gag gifts instead of expensive items. A few years back, Kate famously bought the then-single Harry a “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” kit while the prince allegedly bought his beloved granny a shower cap with “Ain’t Life a B*tch” printed across the top.
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when the queen opened that gift.
It’s something of an annual tradition for the Norfolk locals to line the streets leading to St. Mary Magdalene church on the Sandringham estate to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family as they walk to attend the Christmas morning service.
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The Windsor clan — minus the little kiddos — walks the entire way, greeting royal watchers along the path, with the exception of the queen, who would arrive promptly at the church door via car.
The 2017 service, in particular, was a biggie for royal fans since it was the first time the not-yet-a-duchess Meghan curtsied to the queen in public. Naturally, it was dissected by news outlets for days afterward. A few things the former actor needed to remember: curtsies should never graze the floor; you simply put one leg behind the other, allow for a gentle bend at the knees and bow your head slightly. (Markle nailed it, for the record.)
This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, but it still needs to be said: there’s no lounging around in PJs — not even on Christmas morning. (Our sympathies go out to the little ones — George, Charlotte and Louis.) The entire family is expected to be dressed and ready for all the Christmas Day festivities, from the morning church service to the formal evening dinner. Modesty first, while still being fashionable.
This is not a joke, friends. According to royal expert and Majesty editor-in-chief, Ingrid Stewart, every Royal Family member is weighed before and after their Christmas dinner. (We’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.) It’s apparently a tradition that dates back to the early 1900s during the reign of King Edward VII who, as a way of determining whether or not his guests had been sufficiently fed, asked them all to step on the scale.
Given the fact that the Windsors enjoy three huge meals throughout Christmas Day, the scale seems more than a little excessive. Some traditions just don’t age well.
The queen was highly fluent in French and preferred for it to be used during all formal dinner occasions. That meant, the Christmas dinner menu was supposedly printed in French, as well. No word on whether Kate or Meghan were familiar with the language when they spent their first Christmas with the royals.
We’ve all got those foods or seasonings we simply can’t stand, be it due to taste or texture. Queen Elizabeth, however, had one intense dislike that also happened to be a common cooking ingredient: garlic. As former royal chef John Higgins told the National Post in 2016, “they’re missing out on garlic because, at Buckingham Palace, you don’t cook with garlic. I suppose, in case you get the ‘royal burp.’” The real reason, according to reports? The queen hated the smell.
One of the great things about being a queen is that, when it comes to meals, you set the pace. During meals, when Queen Elizabeth had taken her last bite, she reportedly would quietly put down her fork and everyone else would have to follow her lead, whether or not they were actually done with their food. We imagine this must have been a struggle for the majority of her guests.
When at the table, napkins must be folded in half at all times to avoid unsightly stains and food bits. Royals are expected to gently wipe their mouths and hands inside the fold of their napkins. To do otherwise would risk dirty clothes — gasp! — and gross napkins coloured in a variety of less-than-appetizing food stains. Out of sight, out of mind.
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Thou shalt not… play Monopoly
During the holiday break, the royals would enjoy rousing games of charades. Queen Elizabeth loved it so much that no one else would be allowed to retire from the room until she was done playing. But there’s one game, in particular, that was strictly prohibited — Monopoly.
Yes, that board game where you collect real estate and “get out of jail free” cards. The reason? In the past, it’s gotten too competitive and heated so the queen had it banished. What we want to know is who the guilty party was.
Thou shalt… use utensils properly
The majority of us commoners don’t typically spend time dwelling on how we cut into our food during a meal, but the royals take their dining etiquette very, very seriously. Regardless of whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, knives must be held with your right and forks with your left (with the tines facing down, of course). It doesn’t end there: once you’ve cut off a piece of food, it must be balanced on the back of the fork, instead of poked through with the tines.
Entrances are an important factor in the Windsor family hierarchy, and the Orders of Precedence pecking order is nailed down to an exact science. The procession, naturally, used to begin with the queen and would continue in order of those next in line to the throne. For example, prior to his death in April 2021, Prince Philip never entered a room alongside his wife — he always trailed behind her by a few paces during all public and formal events.
Now, King Charles will be the head of the pack.
Thou shalt… drink tea correctly
Yes, there’s a correct way to hold a teacup and saucer — and, yes, that means you’ve probably been doing it wrong. As etiquette expert Myka Meier told People, a royal is expected to use their thumb and index finger to hold the top of the handle, with the middle finger gently supporting the bottom of the cup. Keep those pinkies tucked in! In addition, the women have an extra rule to abide by — one must sip from the exact same spot to avoid lipstick stains around the rim.
Thou shalt not… take down Christmas decor until February
Although most of Queen Elizabeth’s guests would start to leave Sandringham House after Boxing Day, the queen reportedly continued with the festive feels until the second week of February. Although this might seem odd to some, there’s actually a really poignant reason behind the queen’s desire to keep the tree and tinsel up for an extra month and a half.
Her father, King George VI, passed away on Feb. 6, 1952, and it was her way of remembering him during the holiday season before she would head back to London for the year.
Royals ‘happy to lie’ to protect William, Prince Harry claims in new trailer
Wrecked houses are seen after the 1988 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. (Martin Cleaver/AP)
A lot has happened between the Pan Am Flight 103 explosion over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the US taking custody of suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi.
Dec. 21, 1988: Pan Am Flight 103 explodes 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, 38 minutes after takeoff from London. The 259 people on board the New York-bound Boeing 747 are killed, along with 11 people on the ground.
July 1990: The British Civil Aviation Authority’s Air Investigation Branch officially reports that an explosive device caused the explosion.
Nov. 13, 1991: US and British investigators indict Libyans Megrahi and Fhimah on 270 counts of murder, conspiracy to murder and violating Britain’s 1982 Aviation Security Act. The men are accused of being Libyan intelligence agents.
Dec. 15, 1998: A US appeals court rules relatives of the 189 Americans killed in the bombing can sue Libya for its possible role in sponsoring the attack.
April 5, 1999: Libya hands over the suspects to the United Nations. They are taken to the Netherlands to stand trial.
May 3, 2000: The trial of suspects Megrahi and Fhimah begins.
Jan. 31, 2001: Megrahi is found guilty and jailed for a minimum of 27 years. Fhimah is found not guilty.
October 2008: It is announced that Megrahi is suffering from terminal cancer.
November 2008: Then-US Sen. Frank Lautenberg announced at a press conference that the families of American victims of the Pan-Am bombing have received final compensation from the Libyan government. Each family received about $10 million, paid in installments between 2004 and 2008.
Aug. 20, 2009: Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill announces that Megrahi will be released from prison on compassionate grounds due to his terminal cancer. After being released, Megrahi returns to Libya and receives a jubilant welcome.
Dec. 11, 2022 – The US Justice Department says that alleged bombmaker Mas’ud is in US custody and is expected to make his “initial appearance in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.” He was in custody in Libya.
Wasps and Worcester Warriors hoping to conclude sales of clubs and take their spots in the Championship next season; teams were given December 12 deadline but that date is “flexible” says RFU spokesperson with another update expected before Christmas
Last Updated: 12/12/22 2:33pm
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Sky Sports News’ James Cole reports on the latest developments as Wasps and Worcester Warriors look to conclude sales
Sky Sports News’ James Cole reports on the latest developments as Wasps and Worcester Warriors look to conclude sales
The deadline for Wasps and Worcester Warriors to agree sales of the clubs and take their places in the Championship next season is “flexible”, a Rugby Football Union spokesperson has told Sky Sports News, with a further update expected before Christmas.
Wasps and Worcester had initially been given a date of December 12 for deals to be concluded.
Both clubs were relegated from the Premiership in October after entering administration and their appeals to have that decision overturned were rejected.
Now they are targeting competing in the second tier in 2022-23 with the RFU saying they “continue to work collaboratively with the prospective owners as we undertake full due diligence”.
Sky Sports News’ James Cole said: “The RFU will be desperate not to repeat what happened at Worcester where owners [Jason] Whittingham and [Colin] Goldring passed the fit and proper persons test only to then, in the words of Julian Knight MP, run the club into the ground.
“It is not a definitive update from the RFU but it is a positive one and suggests that things are moving in the right direction.
“They say they will have a final decision on whether Worcester and Wasps can compete in the Championship next season before Christmas.”
The first volume of the docuseries launched on the streaming platform Thursday, taking the British media to task for what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex say is racist, intruding and unkind coverage of Markle over the years — and it’s sent many of the tabloid newspapers into overdrive.
Britain’s press did not hold back their outrage Friday, clearly taking umbrage with the televised dressing-down.
While none of the major tabloids used their front pages to address the specific claims levelled at them, some splashed angry headlines attacking the couple and channelling their ire into unflattering screengrabs from the series.
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The Daily Mail’s headline accused the couple of an “assault on the queen’s legacy,” and cited palace insiders who claim “it’s as if” the Sussexes “want to bring down the monarchy.”
The series, so far, takes a deep dive into the toxic but symbiotic relationship between the palace and the press. The palace relies on the media to share its messaging, but the tabloid newspapers also feel entitled to publish intimate (and sometimes false) stories about members of the Royal Family, since British taxpayers fund their lives.
This unwritten contract, Harry and Markle explain, often leaves members of the Royal Family feeling as though they have to “perform” for the media — they call it a “we pay, you pose” arrangement.
The Daily Express accused Harry of hurling “slurs” that it claims have made members of the Royal Family “deeply upset.”
So far, for the record, neither the palace nor any senior members of the family have officially commented on the contents of the documentary. They royals are notoriously tight-lipped, and it’s generally accepted protocol that they rarely publicly respond to matters of the press or politics.
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Front page: So hurtful! Royals ‘deeply upset’ by Harry’s slurs #TomorrowsPaperToday
The Mirror went a different direction, leading with the documentary but chastizing all parties — it included a photo of the Sussexes as well as a photo of Prince William and Kate Middleton — for sparring while the British people endure a cost-of-living crisis. “Meanwhile, thousands of ordinary Brits are choosing between heating and eating,” the subhead read.
Even the broadsheet newspapers, like The Guardian and The Times of London, featured the Sussexes on their front pages, though their coverage was decidedly less sensational and focused more on the series’ content than reaction.
Guardian front page, Monday 5 December 2022: ‘Sicker and poorer’: report reveals Britain’s widening health divide pic.twitter.com/j94txZzfBJ
Meanwhile, royal experts, critics and columnists across the U.K. have been offering their takes on the series, ranging from anger to pure indifference.
Nick Bullen, editor-in-chief of True Royalty TV, told Reuters it was the most “self-serving piece of television” he had seen in quite a while, describing it as more like a reality show than a documentary.
Lester Holloway, editor of The Voice, Britain’s only Black national newspaper, was more impressed, calling it a “love story” which talked about the struggles and challenges they have faced as a couple and their battles with the media.
Key takeaways from Harry and Meghan’s explosive new doc series
Other critics found it a satisfying glimpse into the private lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Does Meghan and Harry’s Netflix documentary live up to its no-holds-barred expectations?” wrote Jessie Thompson from British newspaper The Independent. “Well, within the first five minutes we’ve seen a makeup-less Meghan, hair wrapped in a towel, crying into her phone camera — so I’m going to say yes.”
Bob Seely, a lawmaker with the governing Conservative Party, said he would try to introduce a bill in Parliament to strip the couple of their royal titles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Seely said Prince Harry was attacking important British institutions, “as well as trashing his family and monetizing his misery for public consumption.”
Employment Minister Guy Opperman branded the couple “utterly irrelevant” in an interview with BBC and urged people “to boycott Netflix and make sure that we actually focus on the things that matter.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a walkabout at Trinity College during their visit to Dublin, Ireland.
Joe Giddens / Getty Images
King Charles declined to comment on the series during public engagements in London on Thursday or during a visit Friday to Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC, where he met the team’s owners, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
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King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, meet with co-owners of Wrexham AFC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, during their visit to Wrexham Association Football Club (AFC) on Thursday in Wrexham, Wales.
Arthur Edwards / Getty Images
Both said they had not watched the series, with McElhenney joking, “I’ve never heard of it.”
— With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
The first half of the Harry & Meghan docuseries — consisting of three episodes released in Thursday’s early-morning hours — doesn’t take any major jabs at the Royal Family, but instead offers an in-depth criticism of the U.K.’s tabloid newspapers. It delivers on the Netflix promise of a series that “explores…the challenges that led (Markle and Harry to feel) forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.”
Viewers are given perspectives from Harry, Markle and their inner circle of friends and colleagues. But anyone holding their breath for salacious stories or gossip about the inner workings of Britain’s most influential family will have to hold on until the next three episodes are released on Dec. 15 — if those type of stories are told at all.
Much of the docuseries, so far, goes deeper into topics addressed in last year’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, including Markle’s difficult transition into life as a royal, the unfortunate fallout with certain members of her own family and the ruthlessness of the U.K.’s tabs.
Instead of a hit job on the Royal Family, as some expected, viewers are given a more intimate, albeit entirely uncritical, look at how Harry and Markle have navigated their relationship — from the beginning of their secret courtship to glimpses of their current life in Montecito, California.
From the couple’s meeting to surprise guest interviews and the drama that unfolded during the early days of their relationship, here are five of the top moments from the first volume of Harry & Meghan.
Markle’s mom, Doria, speaks out for the first time
The world caught glimpses of Doria Ragland accompanying her daughter during her 2018 wedding to Harry, but up until now she’s never shared her side of the story with the press.
She makes her debut in Episode 2 of the series, telling the camera that “the last five years have been challenging,” but she’s now “ready to have (her) voice heard, that’s for sure.”
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This official christening photograph released by the Duke and Duchess shows Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex with their son, Archie and the Duchess of Cornwall, Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Doria Ragland, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at Windsor Castle, near London, Britain July 6, 2019.
Chris Allerton/Pool via REUTERS
Ragland gives her take several times throughout the second and third episodes, speaking about her first impression of Harry — she noticed he was “handsome” and “really nice” upon first meeting him, with “really great manners — as well as documenting the fear she felt while being “stalked by the paparazzi” in the U.S.
“I felt unsafe a lot. I can’t just go walk my dogs. I can’t just go to work. There was always someone there waiting for me,” she explained.
Doria Ragland.
Netflix
At one point, Ragland also expressed regret for not candidly speaking to Markle about the judgement she might face one day as a mixed-race woman.
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“As a parent, in hindsight, absolutely, I would like to go back and have that kind of real conversation about how the world sees you.”
Harry and Markle’s surprising meet cute and secret courtship
Perhaps one of the most interesting revelations of the series is that Harry and his bride initially met through Instagram in 2016, which also means that Harry had (has?) a secret Instagram account.
“I was scrolling through my feed, and someone who was a friend had this video of the two of them, like a Snapchat,” Harry recalled.
Harry & Meghan: Official trailer
After seeing the snap of Markle with a dog-ears filter, the prince was curious to know more.
“I was like, ‘Who is THAT?’” he shared.
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The mutual friend told Markle that “Prince Haz” wanted to meet her, but she wasn’t familiar with the royal’s nickname.
“Who’s that?” she remembered, saying she then scrolled his feed as a “barometer” and was impressed by his nature photography and philanthropic work in Africa.
The two then set out on an intense, clandestine courtship. They met for drinks and dinner in the following two days, before she had to return to North America for work.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the early days of their romance.
Netflix
Two weeks later, on a leap of faith, she met up with Harry in Botswana. Shielded from prying press, the two began their romance in the African bush, sleeping in a tent for five days.
That time together was critical, said Harry. “We had to get to know each other before the rest of the world, and the media, sort of joined it.”
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle together in Botswana.
Netflix
The unrelenting U.K. media followed Markle to Toronto
After just a few months of dating, with Markle making frequent under-the-radar trips to royal properties in the U.K., the press finally got hip to the fact Harry was dating an American actress.
Knowing the story would be in the papers the next morning, Harry and Markle had one last hurrah in late October 2016, a Halloween gathering with a few friends where they dressed up in costumes and partied the night away.
Markle said she felt tremendous relief when the news first broke. Everyone seemed thrilled for them, both in the U.K. and stateside. The press was favourable and she was lauded for her philanthropic work.
It didn’t take long, though, for the press patina to wear off. Markle, who had returned to Toronto to begin filming another season of Suits, recalled members of the U.K. media sleeping in their cars outside her house. She also claimed they had paid neighbours to install livestream cameras that would point into her backyard.
Scared, she said she approached Toronto police, but they ignored her pleas for help and protection.
“I would say to the police, ‘If any other woman in Toronto said to you, I have six grown men who are sleeping in their cars around my house and following me everywhere that I go, and I feel scared, wouldn’t you say that was stalking?’” she said in the documentary.
A still shot from “Harry & Meghan.”
Courtesy / Netflix
Toronto police allegedly said they couldn’t help her because of “who you’re dating,” she said.
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An in-depth look at the tabloids’ racist turn against Markle
What was first painted in those tabloids as a fairytale story of a biracial woman joining the Royal Family with the potential to boost the monarchy’s modernization, soon spiralled into negative stories about Markle being an entitled actor who did nothing more than bully her staff.
Harry, along with expert voices in the series, explain an “unwritten contract” that exists between the tabloids and the Royal Family. The palace, they said, has granted privileged access to six newspapers that feel they are entitled to learn intimate details about members of the Royal Family, since British taxpayers fund their lives.
‘Harry & Meghan’ trailer
Harry and Markle said they initially tried to follow palace advice to remain silent about the press coverage as other members of the family said it was a rite of passage. But the couple said they felt compelled to tell their story because there was something different about the way Markle was treated.
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“The difference here is the race element,” Harry said.
The series dissects how the U.K. media –— specifically the tabloid newspapers — feed into societal racism that is, in part, bolstered by a history of racism inflicted by the British Empire, which enslaved Black people and extracted wealth from British colonies in the Caribbean, Africa, India and Asia.
Historian David Olusoga explains that while large numbers of Black and Asian people moved to Britain after World War II, changing the face of the nation, those changes aren’t reflected in the media.
Black people make up about 3.5 per cent of Britain’s population but account for just 0.2 per cent of the journalists, Olusoga said.
“We have to recognize that this is a white industry,” he said. “So people who come up with these headlines, they are doing so in a newsroom that’s almost entirely white, and they get to decide whether something has crossed the line of being racist.”
Harry blames himself for Markle’s fallout with her dad
In Episode 3, we learn that Harry thinks he’s the one to blame for the unresolved rift between Markle and her dad, Thomas Markle.
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In the days leading up to their 2018 wedding, the world learned Thomas had declined to attend, despite previously agreeing to escort his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day.
The fallout happened when the media revealed that Thomas had accepted $100,000 from a U.K. tabloid in exchange for staged photos and planted stories in the weeks before the May nuptials. When Markle questioned him on it and asked him to tell the truth, he refused the allegations, but she said she believes he lied to her.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding day in 2018.
Ben STANSALL – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Ragland also weighed in on her ex-husband’s public drama in the docuseries.
“I felt sad that the media would run with this. That he would capitalize… Certainly, as a parent, that’s not what you do. That’s not parenting,” she said.
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Days before the ceremony, Thomas also claimed he had a heart attack and was unable to fly to the U.K. to see his daughter get married. Markle said in the documentary that she was desperate to help her dad and make sure he was OK, but claimed he refused to answer her texts.
Harry said he feels “incredibly sad” and blames himself for Markle no longer speaking to her father.
“Now she doesn’t have a father. I shouldered that. Because if Meg wasn’t with me, then her dad would still be her dad,” Harry explained, referring to the photo scandal. “It’s amazing what people would do when offered a huge amount of money. Fifty thousand, a hundred thousand (dollars), to hand over photographs, to create a story. And thank God most of them said no.”
— With a file from The Associated Press
Queen Elizabeth death: Princes William and Harry greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle
Wasps and Worcester went into administration 13 days apart in October, with both clubs subsequently relegated and suspended from the Premiership amid searches for new owners; both clubs made ‘No Fault Insolvency’ applications, which if upheld would have overturned their relegation
Last Updated: 06/12/22 3:44pm
Wasps and Worcester have had their attempts to overturn their automatic relegation from the Premiership rejected by the Rugby Football Union, after the clubs were deemed to be at fault for their financial collapse.
The two clubs went into administration 13 days apart in October, with both subsequently relegated and suspended from English rugby’s top flight amid searches for new owners.
The administrators for both clubs submitted ‘No Fault Insolvency’ applications, citing the Covid-19 pandemic as their primary reason for entering administration, which if upheld would have enabled them to maintain their Premiership status.
However, the RFU’s Club Financial Viability Group found that Wasps submitted “insufficient evidence” to prove there had been no fault by the club, while Worcester’s “business model” was cited as a key reason for the rejection of their application.
Both clubs have a right of appeal to an independent panel, while the RFU reiterated a December 12 deadline for the sale of each team to be completed, in order to allow them to take up places in the Championship for the 2023-24 season.
More to follow…
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Noodles, a senior pug who predicted on social media whether it would be a bones day or a no bones day, has died, according to his owner.
Jonathan Graziano posted on Instagram on Saturday that his 14-year-old dog died Friday, calling it a “day I always knew was coming but never thought it would arrive.”
The little dog became famous in 2021 when Graziano began posting morning TikTok videos of Noodle deciding whether he was going to stand up or flop down in his soft dog bed. This coined the phrase “a no bones day” if Noodle decided to sleep in. Graziano would encourage his fans to follow his lead and treat themselves to soft pants and self care, which was a popular message during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He lived 14 and half years, which is about as long as you can hope a dog can. And he made millions of people happy. What a run,” Graziano said in the emotional video.
The geriatric dog even inspired a children’s book that came out this summer.
A 33-year-old man was arrested on a murder charge in the shooting of rapper Takeoff, who police on Friday said was an “innocent bystander” when he was struck by gunfire outside a Houston bowling alley.
Patrick Xavier Clark was taken into custody peacefully Thursday night, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said. Clark’s arrest came one day after another man was charged in connection with the Nov. 1 shooting, which authorities said followed a dispute over a dice game and wounded two other people.
Clark was being held in jail Friday awaiting a bond hearing. Court records do not list an attorney who could speak for him, but indicate he was arrested as he was preparing to leave the country for Mexico.
This image provided by the Houston Police Dept., shows Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, who has been arrested in the fatal shooting of rapper Takeoff. (Houston Police Dept. via AP).
Born Kirsnick Khari Ball, Takeoff was the youngest member of Migos, the Grammy-nominated rap trio from suburban Atlanta that also featured his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset.
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The 28-year-old musician was shot outside the downtown bowling alley at around 2:30 a.m., when police said a dispute erupted as more than 30 people were leaving a private party there. Police previously said another man and a woman suffered non-life-threatening gunshot injuries and that at least two people opened fired.
Police Sgt. Michael Burrow said during a Friday news conference that the gunfire followed a disagreement over a “lucrative” game of dice, but that Takeoff was not involved and was “an innocent bystander.” Finner said police do not know whether Clark was invited to the party or if he knew Takeoff.
Every person on the scene left without talking to police, Burrow said. Some of those people have since been located by the authorities, who have also worked to piece together events with ballistics, video and audio recordings, according to Burrow. He said investigators are still trying to track down witnesses.
“We will be looking to find you,” he said. “It will be easier if you come find us.”
On Wednesday, authorities announced the arrest of Cameron Joshua in connection to the shooting. Joshua was charged with illegally having a gun at the time Takeoff was shot, but prosecutors said the 22-year-old is not believed to have fired the weapon. Christopher Downey, Joshua’s attorney, told reporters that he has not seen anything to suggest that his client was involved in Takeoff’s killing.
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Burrow said that investigators believe it was Clark’s gunfire that killed the rapper.
Police say Takeoff was ‘innocent bystander’ and ‘not involved’ in argument that led to fatal shooting
Prosecutors on Friday asked a court to set Clark’s bond at $1 million, arguing he is a flight risk. After Takeoff’s shooting, Clark applied for an expedited passport by submitting the itinerary for an “imminent” flight to Mexico, according to court records. They say he was arrested the day he received the passport and was in possession of a “large amount” of cash.
Fans and other performers, including Drake and Justin Bieber, celebrated Takeoff’s musical legacy in a memorial service last month in Atlanta.
Migos’ record label, Quality Control, mourned Takeoff’s death in a statement posted on Instagram that attributed it to “senseless violence.”
Migos first broke through with the massive hit “Versace” in 2013. They had four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, though Takeoff was not on their multi-week No. 1 hit “Bad and Boujee,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert. They put out a trilogy of albums called “Culture,” “Culture II” and “Culture III,” with the first two hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
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Takeoff and Quavo released a joint album “Only Built for Infinity Links” just weeks before his death.
There’s no going back for Kanye West now, observers wrote on Twitter in the wake of his damning interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Thursday afternoon.
The controversial rapper and 2024 U.S. presidential candidate is facing widespread rebuke for espousing antisemitic hate on Jones’ Infowars podcast and then later doubling down by tweeting an image of a swastika within the Star of David.
The latter stunt led to the rapper, who has legally changed his name to Ye, being suspended from Twitter, though leading voices in the Jewish Canadian community say the damage has already been done. Before being removed from the platform, Ye had more than 30 million Twitter followers, more than twice the estimated population of Jewish people in the world.
Bernie Farber, chair of the Anti-Hate Network and former CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress, warned that Ye is dangerously normalizing antisemitism and that his words may lead to an uptick in violence against the Jewish community in Canada.
“Antisemitism has reached heights that are so dangerous that in my almost 40 years now of dealing with antisemitism, I have never seen anything quite like it,” Farber told Global News.
“I believe that we are going to see, as a result of Kanye West’s hateful actions, we will see violent words turned into violent actions.”
Kanye West during an Infowars livestream on December 1, 2022.
Infowars/Banned Video/Global News
Even before Ye appeared on Jones’ Infowars podcast and lit up the Internet by explicitly praising Hitler, he was already in hot water over numerous antisemitic comments which led to a prior suspension from Twitter and Instagram.
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The rapper and fashion designer claimed that he even lost US$2 billion in one day after brands Gap, Adidas and Balenciaga cut partnership ties with him when he spread antisemitic tropes and hate online and to the press. In the midst of the backlash, Ye announced he was running for U.S. president in 2024 with known white supremacist Nick Fuentes and alt-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos on his campaign team.
These events set the stage for Ye’s fateful interview with Jones on Thursday afternoon where he infamously said, “I like Hitler.”
Even Jones, who currently owes hundreds of millions of dollars to the parents of Sandy Hook victims after spreading a conspiracy theory that the mass shooting was a hoax, seemed taken aback by Ye’s comments.
“You’re not a Nazi, you don’t deserve to be called that and demonized,” Jones said, offering the rapper some cover.
“Well,” Ye replied, “I see good things about Hitler, also.” (The rapper, wearing a full black face mask, was also joined by Fuentes on the program.)
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“The Jewish media has made us feel like the Nazis and Hitler have never offered anything of value to the world,” Ye said at one point during the interview. “But [the Nazis] did good things too. We gotta stop dissing the Nazis all the time.”
Kanye West, Alex Jones, and Nick Fuentes during an Infowars livestream on December 1, 2022.
Infowars/Banned Video/Global News
Clips of Ye’s statements immediately went viral on social media platforms, boosting his hateful comments to even more eyes and ears, though the majority of those reacting denounced the rapper.
Later on Thursday, Ye went even further by tweeting an image of a swastika, a Nazi emblem, inside the Star of David, an important symbol of Jewish identity. His tweet was blocked as a violation of Twitter’s rules and Ye was later suspended from the platform for “incitement to violence.”
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Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who calls himself a “free speech absolutist” and is overhauling the platform’s policies on hate speech, directly addressed Ye’s inflammatory posts.
Before he was suspended, Ye tweeted a picture of a shirtless Musk and suggested that this post would be his last on the site. Musk responded “That is fine,” to the tweet. In a reply to Ye’s Star of David image, Musk wrote, “This is not.” It’s unclear how long Ye’s suspension on Twitter will last.
Many of Ye’s former fans have turned their back on the rapper, and the r/Kanye subreddit, which once celebrated Ye, has now been flooded with posts raising awareness about the Holocaust.
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The Kanye subreddit is organically transforming into a Holocaust awareness subreddit. pic.twitter.com/T6e7P10Mdw
The reaction against Ye from the Jewish Canadian community has been swift and a number of organizations have publicly denounced Ye as an antisemite.
B’nai Brith Canada called Ye’s remarks on Jones’ podcast, “dangerous, harmful, and disturbing,” calling the rapper a “vile antisemite.”
There is no justification for the dangerous, harmful, and disturbing comments uttered by Kanye West during his appearance on Alex Jones’s InfoWars program. West continues to demonstrate that he is a vile antisemite. https://t.co/EQauxExwL3#ye#infowars#antisemitsm#kanye
In a statement to Global News, Aaron Lakoff, media and communications lead for Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) Canada said Ye’s praise of Adolf Hitler, who oversaw the Nazi genocide of Jewish people, was “reprehensible and vile.”
“They are unfortunately indicative of the persistence of far-right fascism at the highest levels of American society,” Lakoff wrote. “We know that such views have permeated Canadian society as well, and Jewish Canadians have every reason to be concerned and angry.”
Jewish people remain the religious group most targeted by police-reported hate crimes in Canada, according to a 2021 Stats Canada report. Hate crimes directed towards Jewish people rose 47 per cent from 2020 to 2021, to a total of 487 incidents, the report shows.
According to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Jewish Canadians make up one per cent of the population and yet account for 14 per cent of all hate crimes, as reported by Canadian Jewish News.
Anti-Hate Network chair Farber says he has seen a massive wave of antisemitism recently, which he says is leaving Jewish people fearing for their safety. Farber pointed out that numerous other celebrities and politicians have come under fire recently for platforming antisemitic views, such as Kyrie Irving of the NBA and comedian Dave Chappelle on Saturday Night Live.
Farber says he fears that antisemitism and Holocaust denial are becoming normalized in everyday conversation as a result. “I mean, if genocide gets normalized, we as a society are in dire, dire trouble,” he told Global News.
Farber points to social media as a driving factor behind this recent surge in antisemitism, because it allows fringe opinions to reach millions of eyes with ease — especially if they are helped along by celebrities with large followings like Ye.
A day before Ye’s Infowars interview, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a terrorism advisory bulletin that addressed rising violence against minorities, which noted that there is an “enduring threat” against Jewish people by American extremists.
In response to media questions about Ye’s antisemitism, a DHS spokesperson said that celebrities and officials who espouse conspiracy theories can serve to incite violence, NBC reported.
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“Certainly the Jewish community seems particularly targeted in recent days by that kind of activity in our discourse,” the official said.
Farber is pushing for a stronger denunciation of antisemitism from Canada’s politicians and community leaders, and for governments to take substantive action to stem religious persecution.
“But we’ve learned as a people that there will always be Kanye Wests in the world,” Farber said. “The Kanye Wests come and go, and the Jewish people are still here.”
How will Trump’s dinner with Kanye West, Nick Fuentes impact his presidential ambitions?
“I feel sad for him [Woodward]. If that is the best thing he has to do in his life, then he hasn’t a lot to do. After this, I want to do something really meaningful. I’ve enjoyed England, it was a bit of a rescue job, now rebuilding. I will leave things in good shape” – Eddie Jones
Last Updated: 01/12/22 7:55pm
England’s Eddie Jones has hit back at Sir Clive Woodward, saying he feels sad for him and quipping: ‘He hasn’t a lot to do’
Eddie Jones has hit back at “sad” critic Sir Clive Woodward and insisted he will leave England “in good shape” when he eventually departs.
Jones is under pressure after he watched his side conclude a dismal Autumn Nations series with a 27-13 loss to South Africa, who were without their European-based players but still inflicted a sixth defeat of 2022 on their hosts at Twickenham.
It completed the nation’s worst year since 2008 and the Rugby Football Union is now conducting a review, which will inevitably decide if Jones continues until next year’s World Cup.
Sir Clive Woodward, England’s World Cup winning coach in 2003, has been one of Jones’ fiercest critics
RFU chief Bill Sweeney admitted “results are not where we expect them to be” and Woodward, the man in charge for England’s solitary World Cup win 19 years ago, was yet again fierce in his criticism of Jones on Sunday.
He labelled rugby in England as a “shambles,” insisting the weekend defeat was “one of the most depressing games I’ve seen at HQ.”
Woodward went further on Monday, stating Jones should be sacked as England head coach if they lose their next Test vs Scotland, after the “worst week in English rugby history.”
“I feel sad for him [Woodward]. If that is the best thing he has to do in his life, then he hasn’t a lot to do,” Jones, who had already agreed to step down after the 2023 World Cup in France, told Men’s Health UK.
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Former England captain Chris Robshaw has backed Jones to remain in charge
Former England captain Chris Robshaw has backed Jones to remain in charge
“I’m 62 now and I think in pure coaching terms I am coaching better than I ever have. Results aren’t always perfect, but I’m happy with how I have been coaching.
“After this, I want to do something really meaningful. I’ve enjoyed England a lot, it was a bit of a rescue job at the start, now rebuilding, and I am confident I will leave things in good shape.”
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Jones told media post-defeat to South Africa he feels his squad is making progress as they head into a World Cup year
Jones told media post-defeat to South Africa he feels his squad is making progress as they head into a World Cup year
England were booed off at Twickenham after defeat to the Springboks, which meant their record for 2022 finished at five wins, one draw and six losses.
Scotland, Ireland, France, Australia, Argentina and South Africa have all beaten the World Cup runners-up during the past 12 months but Jones believes they can still be a force at next year’s tournament.
Jones’ England lost to Argentina and South Africa this autumn and drew with New Zealand, beating only Japan
Currently the fifth favourites to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, England will avoid the frontrunners until the semi-final stage with one of Australia, Wales or Fiji a probable last-eight opponent in France.
Jones added: “If this was the Cheltenham Gold Cup, there’s a pack of four out front – France, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand – and we are fifth, right behind them, right on the rails.
“A good position, provided we keep improving. Australia are there or thereabouts with us. It’s going to be the closest World Cup ever. France and Ireland are the in-form teams right now, but things will change.”
The one-minute trailer for Harry & Meghan, set to a slow and dramatic piano soundtrack, opens with a series of behind-the-scenes black-and-white photos showcasing the highs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private life — selfies while on vacation, holding hands while Harry cradles a guitar, canoodling in a photo booth, a silhouette of a pregnant Markle and a photo of the couple dancing at their 2018 wedding reception.
But as the video continues, the music intensifies and so do the visuals; there’s a photo of Markle crying while on the phone, one of a frosty-looking Prince William and Kate Middleton sitting separate from Markle during the Sussexes’ final official engagement in 2020 and a brief flash of Harry and Markle wiping their eyes during an interview.
“Why did you want to make this documentary?” director Liz Garbus asks the couple from behind the camera.
“No one sees what’s happening behind closed doors,” Harry says. “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.”
Prince Harry in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
The trailer for the six-part docuseries is the first time Netflix has publicly acknowledged the project, and the streaming service is billing it as an intimate series that “explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.
“With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”
A serious-looking Markle looks directly into the camera at the end of the trailer and coolly asks: “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”
Meghan Markle in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
The streaming service promises “a never-before-seen look at one of the most-discussed couples in history.”
While Netflix doesn’t disclose the official start date for the docuseries — a note on the trailer says it’s “coming soon” — several entertainment publications say we could see the series stream as soon as Dec. 8.
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No matter when the series airs, however, it’s sure to be a busy season for the Duke and Duchess. Royal watchers are also anticipating the Jan. 10, 2023 release of Prince Harry’s official memoir, Spare.
The trailer release comes at a slightly awkward time for the Royal Family. On Wednesday, Prince William’s godmother and royal aide Lady Susan Hussey resigned after making racist comments to a Black British-born activist at a royal engagement hosted by Queen Consort Camilla.
So both times William and Kate appeared on the @tdgarden big screen there were cheers but also some boos. Along with chants of “USA, USA”. Some say it was expected at the Boston team @celtics with such strong Irish roots. But, still, not something the Royals get very often pic.twitter.com/281rp6avWV
Prince William and Kate Middleton are also facing a mixed reception as they arrive in Boston to begin their first U.S. tour in years. According to an ITV News royal correspondent, the Prince and Princess of Wales faced cheers — but also “some boos along with chants of ‘U.S.A, U.S.A’” — at Wednesday’s Boston Celtics game when they appeared on the screen at TD Garden in Boston.
Queen Elizabeth death: Princes William and Harry greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle
England finished their autumn series by losing 27-13 to 14-man South Africa; Eddie Jones said he ‘doesn’t care what people think’ after his side posted a seventh Test without victory this calendar year
Last Updated: 27/11/22 10:55pm
Eddie Jones has been told that England’s performance this autumn has fallen below expectations
Eddie Jones has been told that England’s performance this autumn has fallen below expectations as the head coach accepts he faces an “uncomfortable” review.
Over the next fortnight the Rugby Football Union is to investigate a dismal campaign that reached its nadir with Saturday’s conclusive 27-13 defeat by South Africa, who claimed a first win at Twickenham since 2014.
A rout that was greeted with boos at the final whistle completed England’s worst year since 2008, comprising of six losses, five wins and a draw.
It places Jones’ future back in doubt with the review panel to examine “how improvements can be made ahead of the Six Nations” amid an acknowledgement from the RFU that the team have underperformed.
“We would like to thank England fans for their patience and support, it matters to us how they feel,” chief executive Bill Sweeney said.
Eddie Jones and England have completed their worst year since 2008
“Like them we are really disappointed with the results of the Autumn Nations Series.
“Despite strong individual performances and some great new talent coming into the team, the overall results are not where we expect them to be.”
On top of explaining why England barely fired a shot against the Springboks, Jones must also account for a first defeat by Argentina since 2008 and a 25-25 draw with New Zealand that was made possible by a dramatic late comeback.
The only success this month was against a disappointing Japan, who were put to the sword 52-13.
England’s Autumn Internationals
Sunday, November 6
England 29-30 Argentina
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Saturday, November 12
England 52-13 Japan
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Saturday, November 19
England 25-25 New Zealand
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Saturday, November 26
England 13-27 South Africa
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“The reviews are always uncomfortable when you’re not winning. I haven’t found the review comfortable when you’re not winning,” Jones said.
“I’m sure the fans have doubts and feel that I don’t know how to coach, but it’s a progression to the World Cup and we have our ups and downs.
“We want to be stronger in the Six Nations and put ourselves in the position where we’re fourth or fifth going into the World Cup, ready to go.
“I’ve got a plan for how England can win the World Cup, but it doesn’t go in a perfect line.
“Sometimes you need these games to make you understand the areas which need to be bolstered.
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England captain Owen Farrell says the squad are hurting after defeat to South Africa at Twickenham but says the players will put the good work they have done to use as they prepare for the Six Nations in February.
England captain Owen Farrell says the squad are hurting after defeat to South Africa at Twickenham but says the players will put the good work they have done to use as they prepare for the Six Nations in February.
“We’re not off track. You have days like against South Africa. I’ve had worse days than that.
“We felt really confident going into the game. We knew where South Africa were coming, but on the day we weren’t good enough to win those areas.”
Jones blamed the Springboks defeat on his side’s scrummaging issues, adding that he has “grave concerns about how the scrum was refereed”, without expanding on what those were.
England’s defeat was greeted with boos at the final whistle
Since 2019 the RFU has conducted a review after every block of fixtures but declined to reveal who sits on the panel beyond that it includes “board and executive members along with independent, former players and coaches”.
However, in a departure from the unequivocal backing offered to Jones when the 2022 Six Nations ended in three defeats for the third time in five years, there was no mention of support for England’s head coach this time.
While he faces renewed scrutiny, Jones has been well backed by Sweeney in the past and is not expected to be sacked.
His eight-year reign ends after the 2023 World Cup with the RFU hoping to name his successor in May having reportedly drawn up a three-strong shortlist consisting of Steve Borthwick, Ronan O’Gara and Scott Robertson.
Sir Clive Woodward has led the criticism following the crushing defeat by South Africa, declaring that the result completed the “worst week in English rugby history” and that the game in this country is a “total shambles”.
Comedian Freddie Roman, the former dean of The Friars Club and a staple of the Catskills comedy scene, has died. He was 85.
Roman died Saturday afternoon at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida, his booking agent and friend Alison Chaplin said Sunday. His daughter told the entertainment trade Deadline that he suffered a heart attack that morning.
Roman made his name performing at hotels and resorts in the Catskill Mountains, also referred to as the Borscht Belt for the largely Jewish crowd that vacationed there and the comics such as Mel Brooks and Don Rickles who entertained them. He later performed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and Bally’s Grand in Atlantic City, and he roasted the likes of Rob Reiner, Chevy Chase, Jerry Stiller and Hugh Hefner. He also conceived of “Catskills on Broadway,” where he and his friends Dick Capri, Marilyn Michaels and Mal Z. Lawrence brought their nostalgia-tinged, Catskills-flavored standup to New York. He also appeared in various television shows and films over the years, including “Red Oaks” on Amazon.
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“A great loss to the world of comedy,” Paul Reiser wrote on Twitter. “He was such a huge supporter & mentor when I was starting out. A GREAT comic, the ultimate pro with the biggest heart. I will miss our phone calls and his big, beauty laugh.”
Born Fred Kirschenbaum on May 28, 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in Jamaica, Queens, Roman got a taste for stand-up comedy early thanks to his family. His uncle and grandfather owned the Crystal Spring Hotel in the Catskills, where Roman started emceeing at age 15.
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In “Catskills on Broadway,” Roman commented about everything from his childhood in Queens to his “retirement life” in Florida.
“I took a cholesterol test,” Roman quipped. “My number came back 911.”
The New York Times, in its review of the show in 1991, wrote, “Catskill resorts may be fighting the recession, but Catskill comedy has not lost its flair.”
The show, he’d later say, changed his life. It went to Broadway and then toured around the country, and Roman would continue performing for years to come. He was also made Dean of the New York City Friars Club, where he mentored many aspiring comedians and infused the private club with young talent.
One of those young comedians was Jeffrey Ross, who said of Roman in 2003 that, “When I was becoming a member, there weren’t many of us who were younger. … But Freddie would always come over and spend time with me and my friends and be real lovable.”
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Capri, in the same interview, said Roman was the perfect comedy ambassador.
“He’s the social director of the world,” Capri said. “And he loves every second of it.”
The stint lasted a bit longer than he expected. Roman joked of his tenure that, “Eleven years ago I became president for two years. I’m like the Fidel Castro of comedians. I’m president for life.” In 2014, he was succeeded by Larry King.
But, he told Atlantic City Weekly in 2011, the greatest job he ever had was opening for Frank Sinatra, when his regular opening comedian Tom Dreesen wasn’t available. Roman learned about the opportunity on a layover in Chicago, left the plane and boarded another for Philadelphia to make the show in Atlantic City with just a few hours to spare.
He left the stage to see Sinatra laughing. The singer even called him back for another bow.
“Frank hugged me, and I saw my wife and daughter and they were crying,” Roman said. “It was unbelievable. … Nothing ever topped working with Sinatra.”
Sale reel in league leaders Saracens with narrow victory over Bristol, helped by Jean-Luc de Preez’s second-half try and brother Rob’s conversion and earlier penalty; visitors held lead at half-time and started second half well
Last Updated: 26/11/22 6:48pm
Rob du Preez (pictured middle) scored one of Sale’s three tries against Bristol Bears
Sale Sharks’ fine start to the Gallagher Premiership season continued with a resilient 25-20 victory over Bristol Bears at the AJ Bell Stadium.
A competitive first half saw momentum swing both ways, though Bristol rallied to hold a two-point advantage at the interval, largely thanks to Piers O’Conor’s two converted tries.
Yet Jean-Luc du Preez’s second-half try, coupled with his brother Rob’s conversion and earlier penalty, powered the hosts to a seventh win of the season.
Bristol got off to a lively start with their first attack from the opening kick, but failed to capitalise on O’Conor’s driving run, yet they remained largely under the cosh for the opening stages of the game as Sale drove to apply pressure inside the Bears’ 22.
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Tom Roebuck had a try disallowed in the seventh minute but after three Sale mauls, the hosts broke the deadlock nine minutes in as Rob du Preez skipped in for the opening try.
However, on Bears’ second attack, O’Conor found space on the right wing and broke free to bring the scores level, thanks to Callum Sheedy providing the extras.
Sale were quick to respond in the 23rd minute when Roebuck followed a Rob du Preez kick and touched down after snatching the ball in the air from Charles Piutau. Rob du Preez made no mistake with the conversion.
Rob du Preez then edged his side further ahead with a penalty as momentum swung Sale’s way, but after some sloppy play, Bristol’s Luke Morahan broke to the try-line and, despite being tackled, the ball was sprayed to O’Conor who had an easy run-in for his second.
And Bristol went into half-time with a two-point advantage after AJ MacGinty sent over a penalty in the closing seconds.
Bristol emerged from the break asking questions of Sale inside their 22 and won a penalty after an advantage was played, with former Shark MacGinty kicking between the posts again in the 47th minute.
But Sale responded with a penalty of their own two minutes later as Rob du Preez opted for and sent a long-range effort soaring over.
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It remained tense as Bristol looked to extend their lead with an attacking vigour that boxed Sharks into their own half, but as the final quarter approached, it was Sharks’ turn to charge at Bristol’s defensive line.
In the 68th minute, a Sale maul drove over the line where the TMO eventually awarded Jean-Luc du Preez a try to swing the scores in Sharks’ favour.
Alex Sanderson’s side refused to let Bristol through in the 75th minute as their stubborn defensive guard pushed the visitors into touch in the in-goal area.
Sharks’ hard-fought win reels in league leaders Saracens while the 10th-placed Bears fell to their sixth loss on the bounce – their worst run of form in the Premiership since 2017.
Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy winning singer-actress Irene Cara, who starred and sang the title cut from the 1980 hit movie “Fame” and then belted out the era-defining hit “Flashdance … What a Feeling” from 1983’s “Flashdance,” has died. She was 63.
Her publicist, Judith A. Moose, announced the news on social media, writing that a cause of death was “currently unknown.” Moose also confirmed the death to an Associated Press reporter on Saturday. Cara died at her home in Florida. The exact day of her death was not disclosed.
“Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief,” Moose wrote. “She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.”
During her career, Cara had three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Breakdance,” “Out Here On My Own,” “Fame” and “Flashdance … What A Feeling,” which spent six weeks at No. 1. She was behind some of the most joyful, high-energy pop anthems of the early ’80s.
Tributes poured in on Saturday on social media, including from Deborah Cox, who called Cara an inspiration, and Holly Robinson Peete, who recalled seeing Cara perform: “The insane combination of talent and beauty was overwhelming to me. This hurts my heart so much.”
She first came to prominence among the young actors playing performing arts high schoolers in Alan Parker’s “Fame,” with co-stars Debbie Allen, Paul McCrane and Anne Mear. Cara played Coco Hernandez, a striving dancer who endures all manner of deprivations, including a creepy nude photo shoot.
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“How bright our spirits go shooting out into space, depends on how much we contributed to the earthly brilliance of this world. And I mean to be a major contributor!” she says in the movie.
Cara sang on the soaring title song with the chorus _ “Remember my name/I’m gonna live forever/I’m gonna learn how to fly/I feel it coming together/People will see me and cry” _ which would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award for best original song. She also sang on “Out Here on My Own,” “Hot Lunch Jam” and “I Sing the Body Electric.”
Three years later, she and the songwriting team of “Flashdance” _ music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Keith Forsey and Cara _ was accepting the Oscar for best original song for “Flashdance … What a Feeling.”
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The movie starred Jennifer Beals as a steel-town girl who dances in a bar at night and hopes to attend a prestigious dance conservatory. It included the hit song “Maniac,” featuring Beals’ character leaping, spinning, stomping her feet and the slow-burning theme song.
“There aren’t enough words to express my love and my gratitude,” Cara told the Oscar crowd in her thanks. “And last but not least, a very special gentlemen who I guess started it all for me many years ago. To Alan Parker, wherever you may be tonight, I thank him.”
The New York-born Cara began her career on Broadway, with small parts in short-lived shows, although a musical called “The Me Nobody Knows” ran over 300 performances. She toured in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” as Mary Magdalene in the mid-1990s and a tour of the musical ”Flashdance“ toured 2012-14 with her songs.
She also created the all-female band Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel and put out a double CD with the single “How Can I Make You Luv Me.” Her movie credits include ”Sparkle” and “D.C. Cab.”
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Associated Press reporters Hillel Italie and Freida Frisaro contributed to this report.
Rapper Kanye West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, has announced that he intends to run for U.S. president in 2024 in a series of campaign videos released late Thursday evening.
The move follows a previously failed presidential bid in 2020 that saw him garner a measly 60,000 votes.
In the first of his campaign videos, Ye claims he asked former president Donald Trump to be his running mate. Trump announced last week that he is also running for president in 2024 after a failed re-election campaign in 2020.
“I mean, has that ever worked for anyone in history?” Ye added. “I’m like, hold on, hold on, hold on, Trump, you’re talking to Ye.”
Ye also said in the video that he believed Trump should have freed the people who were detained for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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Ye also tweeted a text exchange that appears to show that alt-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulous and white nationalist Nick Fuentes have joined his campaign team. Each of their contacts in Ye’s phone has YE24 added, the tagline that the rapper has been using in all of his campaign videos.
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Ye’s presidential bid comes on the heels of a slew of damaging scandals around the outspoken rapper and fashion designer.
He provoked outrage during Paris Fashion Week by wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter,” a phrase that has been used by white supremacists to discount the Black Lives Matter movement.
While defending himself online, Ye made antisemitic comments that led to him being suspended from Twitter and Instagram.
Ye claimed that his critics were being paid by a secret cabal of Jewish people, a common antisemitic trope. The Guardian reported that, at one point, he said he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
The outrage that followed led Ye’s talent agency to drop him, and multiple fashion companies, including Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap, cut ties with him. The rapper later said that he lost “two billion dollars in one day” due to the economic blowback.
A day before announcing his presidential bid, Adidas stated that it was launching an investigation into Ye over allegations of harassment against employees who worked on his Yeezy shoe line. Adidas employees told Rolling Stone magazine that Ye used “mind games” to create a “toxic environment” in the company.
Ye is the second person to announce their 2024 presidential bid, behind Trump. It seems he wants to get an early start this election after announcing his 2020 campaign too late to appear on the ballot in several states.
In the end, Ye was only listed as a presidential candidate in 12 states in 2020 and held only one rally — in which he broke down while discussing abortion and his then-wife Kim Kardashian.
‘I almost killed my daughter’: Kanye West in tears as he talks abortion at campaign rally
