Abby Grossberg: Fox News settles harassment lawsuit for $12M with fired producer who sued Tucker Carlson
Abby Grossberg sued the network and Carlson alleging that she was harassed and set up as the scapegoat for the Dominion Voting lawsuit
2023-07-01 15:24
Frances Sternhagen, Tony Award-winning actor who was familiar maternal face on TV, dies at 93
Frances Sternhagen, the veteran character actor who won two Tony Awards and became a familiar maternal face to TV viewers later in life in such shows as “Cheers,” “ER,” “Sex and the City” and “The Closer,” has died
2023-11-30 04:53
Who is 'The Driving Crooner' and why is he all over the internet?
The Driving Crooner is popping up all over the shop, but who is he? A good Samaritan who picks up people who are way over-the-limit on a night out and drops them home is the easy answer, but the reality? He's the biggest meme from the new season of 'I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson'. Each season of the Netflix comedy has enjoyed a breakout skit with perhaps the defining one coming from the first season; The infamous 'hot dog man' - who is omnipresent in the replies of anything a politician ever tweets. A perfect response tweet to the ever-evolving disaster that is the 21st century. However, the Driving Crooner from the new season - season three - could be about to blow that away, and honestly; for no good reason apart from it being excruciatingly funny in the stupidest way. It's not a response to anything. It's just nuts. This explainer is not going to do it justice. Here are the memes, stay for the explanation. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter As explained, the skit starts with a man offering his number to colleagues so they avoid drink-driving (an accident had occurred to a colleague). One colleague takes the man up on this and calls him. Smartly dressed, he arrives taxi-like, picks the colleague up and drives off, starting some small talk. So far, so normal - but with only minutes in the sketch remaining, so many angles appear. Firstly, the man announces himself as The Driving Crooner - and nods to the decals on his driver-side window (a fedora and a cigar). Then he starts to scream and alter speeds as the traffic flows around him at speeds that do not line up the decals with his head (the others are trying to make him look fake). Then a bunch of "frats" arrive in an SUV and tell him they are going to kill him. Then he almost breaks out into tears wondering how he is ever going to make money from The Driving Crooner idea (it's too good, you see). Finally, he berates a dog-walker for "trying to steal his decals" (he is 50yds away, minimum). It's the perfect Tim Robinson skit of an earnest idea presented to the world by a man who thinks the world revolves around him, only to find out there is genuine lurking threat, a bit of sadness, and a whole lot of chaos. Go stream I Think You Should Leave right now. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-05 19:57
'The Ultimatum Queer Love' Episode 10 'The Reunion': Why was Mildred Woody arrested? Tiff Der accuses ex-fiancee of 'gaslighting'
In The Ultimate: Queer Love's reuinion, Mildred Woody and Tiff Der revelead they are no longer engaged and the former confessed to being arrested
2023-06-07 19:18
'I just hated her': John Stamos opens up on his 'humiliating' divorce with ex-wife Rebecca Romijn
'It was very much the opinion that she dumped me because her career was going great and mine wasn't,' John Stamos said
2023-10-19 04:29
Fox News' Sean Hannity gets mocked after 'whining' that Democrats are using abortion as 'political weapon'
Fox News' Sean Hannity shed light on 'abortion issue' after legislative election results
2023-11-10 11:26
Jason Aldean: US country star denies new music video is 'pro-lynching'
Jason Aldean defends his song as it is yanked by Country Music Television and Sheryl Crow attacks him.
2023-07-20 01:58
All of the claims made against Lizzo, and why they matter
Since her breakthrough album in 2019, Lizzo has been a vocal advocate of body positivity and self love – but now the pop star has been hit with a lawsuit claiming that she weight-shamed her backing dancers. The singer, real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson, is also facing claims of sexual harassment, and of creating a hostile work environment via racial and religious harassment, in a suit filed by three of her backing dancers. The claims, which are not all against Lizzo personally, have taken many fans by surprise. The singer has not commented on the allegations. Here are the details, and why they matter. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Who is making the claims? Two of the claimants are Arianna Davis and another former dancer, Crystal Williams, who began performing with Lizzo after competing on her Amazon reality show, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, in 2021. They were fired earlier this year, the suit says. The third dancer involved in the lawsuit, Noelle Rodriguez, was hired the same year after performing in the video for “Rumors”. She resigned earlier this year. What are the claims? The suit accuses Lizzo of calling attention to the weight of one of her dancers, Arianna Davis, after an appearance at South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in 2022. The singer allegedly told the dancer that she seemed “less committed” to her job. The suit describes the comment as a “thinly veiled” concern about Davis’ weight. Amsterdam strip club incident Earlier this year, the suit claims, Lizzo and her dancers went to an Amsterdam strip club called Bananenbar, where the singer allegedly “began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas”. Lizzo then allegedly pressured Davis to touch one of the strippers’ breasts. Davis eventually did, despite being “visibly uncomfortable”, the suit says. A week later, after a performance in Paris, Lizzo allegedly invited her dancers to a club so they could “learn something”, but failed to mention that it was a “nude cabaret bar”. The suit described the performance as “artful,” but the dancers were “shocked that Lizzo would conceal the nature of the event from them, robbing them of the choice not to participate”. Racial harassment claims The racial harassment claim is aimed at comments made by employees of Lizzo’s touring company, which the suit describes as “charged with racial and fat-phobic animus”. The former dancers say they asked to be paid for their downtime at 50 per cent of their weekly pay, but an accountant allegedly declined, offering half of that and calling their request “unacceptable and disrespectful”. “Only the dance cast — comprised of full-figured women of color — were ever spoken to in this manner,” the suit said. ‘Religious harassment’ Meanwhile, Lizzo’s dance captain Shirlene Quigley allegedly harassed the dancers with her religious beliefs. According to the suit, she preached her Christianity and “took every opportunity to proselytize to any and all in her presence regardless of protestations”. After discovering that Davis was a virgin, Quigley discussed the subject in interviews and posted about it on social media, the suit says. When cast members asked her to stop pressuring Rodriguez – who Quigley regarded as a “non-believer,” according to the suit – about her faith, Quigley responded: “No job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord”. Fractious firings Two of the dancers were fired in April and May 2023. According to the suit, Williams lost her job first, after speaking up in a meeting where Lizzo had allegedly claimed the dancers were drinking before performances. The previous day, Lizzo had forced the group to audition for their jobs again, which resulted in an “excruciating” 12-hour rehearsal. Five days later, on April 26, Lizzo’s tour manager fired Williams in a hotel lobby, the suit says, putting the move down to budget cuts. The suit noted that nobody else was fired in that instance. The next day, Lizzo allegedly raised the incident with the dancers in a meeting, telling them she had “eyes and ears everywhere”. The suit continues that Davis recorded the meeting on her phone, which made Lizzo “furious” when she later found out. When Davis told the singer she hadn’t meant any harm, Lizzo allegedly responded “There is nothing you can say to make me believe you,” and fired Davis. Before Lizzo left the meeting, Rodriguez then told her that she felt disrespected and would resign. As she left, the singer allegedly raised both her middle fingers and yelled a slur. Why it matters Lizzo has long been a beacon of hope for the body positivity movement, and has spoken out against bullying multiple times in public. Earlier this year, she said online videos which fat shamed her were “starting to make me hate the world.” “I’m tired of explaining myself all the time,” she added. She also said that all the talk of her weight made her feel like quitting her music career. Meanwhile, songs including the hit 'Good As Hell' feature lyrics about valuing oneself, which has prompted Lizzo's live performances to be themed around boundless positivity. That is why the claims have taken fans aback. The dancers’ lawyer, Rob Zambrano, said: “The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing.” The lawsuit doesn’t say whether Lizzo knew about the behaviour of Quigley, the dance captain. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-02 17:27
Is MrBeast a narcissist? YouTuber contemplates unprecedented influence and 'power' he has while at Eiffel Tower
MrBeast and his crew rented out the Eiffel Tower to themselves in his video titled '$1 vs $250,000 Vacation!'
2023-08-18 17:53
Angelina Jolie allegedly banned 'raucous' Quentin Tarantino and Jonah Hill from Brad Pitt wedding to keep affair 'civilized'
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 2014 wedding ceremony took place at the chapel of Chateau Miraval in France
2023-06-15 19:59
8 revelations from Matthew Perry's 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing' as memoir hits No 1 on bestseller list
Matthew Perry's 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing' gets candid about everything from his struggles with addiction to his relationships
2023-10-31 19:46
Kim Kardashian leaves fans divided as reality TV star plans to produce and star in comedy 'The 5th Wheel'
'The 5th Wheel' is being pitched to different studios and is scripted by Paula Pell and Janine Brito
2023-11-20 21:22
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