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Among social media’s most sinister elements — providing a platform for misinformation, encouraging trolling, setting unrealistic ideals — is the crime of foisting this Stanley cup fanaticism upon us. It was TikTok in particular that fanned the flames for a $45 40 oz stainless steel water bottle, anointing the Quencher model the one true cup. People ran amok at Target stores to snatch limited edition colors (red and pink) and a woman in California was recently arrested for stealing 65 Stanleys from a single store. Well, TikTok crowneth, and TikTok taketh away. Online videos have been popping up claiming that Stanley cups have lead in them, so many that reps for Stanley have responded with a formal statement:

Stanley’s Quencher cup has become a viral sensation over the past year — to the point that customers are door-busting department stores and stampeding down aisles to get their hands on limited-edition colors. However, safety concerns about the trendy tumblers have surfaced online, and Stanley sent a firm message regarding claims its cups contain lead.

A rep for Stanley recently dispelled speculation in a statement to WCNC Charlotte.

“Please rest assured that no lead is present on the surface of any Stanley product that comes in contact with you or the contents of your container,” the rep told the publication. “Every Stanley product meets all U.S. regulatory requirements, including California Proposition 65, which requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about heavy metal and chemical exposure.”

The statement from Stanley comes after a number of videos on TikTok and other social media platforms claimed its cups have lead in them.

“So just confirmed that the Stanley is leaded,” one TikTok user captioned a video from March 2023. In the clip, she used a LeadCheck swab that turned pink after making contact with the bottom of a Stanley cup — indicating the lead present is bioavailable.

Similar videos showed tests with the same result, while others indicated no lead was present.

Thankfully, Stanley stans have nothing to worry about. Customers can continue enjoying and collecting their favorite lead-free beverage containers to their hearts’ content.

[From Parade]

I’ve watched a sampling of these TikTok videos now and have a few thoughts. Let’s start with the lead tests themselves — in the videos I saw, the test kits fly by too fast to ID them, nor are they tagged or identified by the creators. The particular test kit is worth noting because there are only three that the EPA recognizes, so I would want the kit confirmed up front. Another critical factor is what part of the cup is tested. Some people were swabbing inside the cups, a good place as the presence of lead there would obviously contaminate the beverage you’re drinking. That would be bad. But some people were testing a small spot on the bottom of the cup, and those tests confirmed the presence of lead. But it’s not the Aha! moment the Tiktokkers think it is. Because Stanley plainly states on their FAQ page that their bottles use “an industry standard pellet to seal the vacuum insulation at the base,” and that piece includes some lead. But the pellet is covered by stainless steel, meaning it truly is protected from touching your drink. And if for some reason the pellet does become exposed on the bottom, it can be replaced under Stanley’s lifetime warranty.

Apparently it’s an old manufacturing practice to use lead to solder the vacuum seal between the layers of an insulated cup. But plenty of companies are starting to use different methods to seal these cups because… lead is dangerous! If we don’t want it in paint on our walls, why would it be ok to have it so close to our drinking water? There are no safe levels of lead, and it’s considered even more toxic to children because lead stays and grows in the body. It’s good to hear that Stanley is confident in the strength of their seals, and that they’re willing to replace the seal should the pellet become exposed. Long term, though, I’d say it’s time (if not past it) for them to switch practices.

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Four years later, and the British media can’t admit that they lost. Not only that, they can’t admit they have zero claim on Prince Harry and Meghan, that the work of two people living in America is none of their f–king business. The Windsors and their media handlers are singularly obsessed with all things Sussex, creating Sussex headlines out of thin air, having aides brief about the Sussexes, lying awake at night worrying about how the Sussexes are thriving outside of an increasingly isolated and delusional royal establishment. In this Sun story, they’re justifying their bonkers obsession with Harry & Meghan’s money by suggesting that if the Sussexes go broke, they’ll have to beg Charles for money. Some highlights from this infuriatingly stupid story:

The Jamaica trip: It was billed as a rare “date night” for the supposedly privacy-loving couple. But as Harry and Meghan glad-handed Hollywood executives on the red carpet this week, some royal aides are concerned there was something else at play. The question of what happens when the Sussexes run out of money is at the forefront of many minds — and their appearance at the premiere of Bob Marley movie One Love will have done little to calm nerves. The Sun understands that Meghan and Harry flew to Jamaica for the event as guests of Paramount Pictures, which is distributing the film, sharing a private jet with executives and staying at the same hotel. When they walked the red carpet, posing with Jamaican politicians — who are this year plotting to oust the King as the island’s Head of State — it secured global headlines that will make Paramount very happy indeed.

Royals for hire: And there is fear behind Palace walls that the couple could become “royals for hire” as they struggle to fund their expensive lifestyle amid floundering media deals. Insiders tell The Sun that although Paramount has yet to agree any formal collaboration with the Sussexes, a deal could be in the pipeline. And Harry and Meghan must be hoping Paramount has deep pockets. The couple are saddled with a $9.5million mortgage for their Montecito mansion and they are estimated to spend £3million a year on round-the-clock security.

The Sussexes’ income: Meanwhile, their income streams are drying up. Their $100million Netflix deal is due to expire next year and it is unlikely to be renewed after a lacklustre performance so far. In 2021 the Duke secured a £35million book deal which included an advance of £17.5million. But last year he had to submit his autobiography Spare more than once before the publishers accepted it — sparking rumours it had been “sexed up” after it emerged that Harry had begged pals and former girlfriends to speak to his ghost-writer for the book, JR Moehringer.

Harry’s inheritance: It is now four years since Megxit, when the couple moved to the States, and Harry revealed in his docuseries that they were only able to make the move because they had money left to him by Princess Diana, thought to be around £7million. The kitty could also have been bolstered by money from the late Queen’s will, but their expenses remain high, chiefly their mortgage and huge security costs.

They’re mad about the Sussexes’ bathrooms again: An insider revealed: “We said, ‘Why not just move to a smaller house and live quietly?’ but the answer was clear — they need security.” The pair employ a string of private security guards at their Montecito pile and they work closely with LA-based security experts TorchStone, using former US President Barack Obama’s ex bodyguard Christopher Sanchez, as well as Christopher Keenan, who worked for Hillary Clinton, and former Met Police royal protection bodyguard David Langdown. Their services do not come cheap.

Someone else is financing Harry’s media lawsuits? Instead he has been keeping himself busy with a string of expensive lawsuits in the UK — but last week threw in the towel on his libel case against the Mail on Sunday, costing him £750,000. He claimed to be “slaying dragons” after he celebrated victory in a phone-hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers. But according to The Spectator magazine, these cases are largely funded by former F1 supremo Max Mosley’s legacy money via anti-press campaign group Hacked Off.

William is rolling in duchy money: William is rolling in cash, buoyed by an annual £24million income from the Duchy of Cornwall. But given the severely strained relations between the two brothers, it seems unlikely that he could be relied upon to fund the Sussexes. So will a generous King be saddled with funding the life of someone who shows no interest in a royal life? Or will the fallen Prince find an even less appealing paymaster than Netflix?

[From The Sun]

“A less appealing paymaster than Netflix” – is that how we’re describing Paramount, a global film, television and media brand with billions in the bank? Paramount, whose CEO personally invited the Sussexes to attend a premiere in Jamaica and flew them out on a company jet? The British media also doesn’t understand how anything works, especially production deals. Even if, say, Netflix didn’t renew their contract with the Sussexes, the Sussexes still fulfilled their contract and thus, they will still have millions in the bank. The haphazard attempt to delegitimize Spare is also audaciously stupid – Harry got an eight-figure advance for Spare and Random House BROKE EVEN in the first week of publication because of the blockbuster sales. Which means Harry would have ended up making eight-figures on top of the advance. By my estimates, Harry easily pulled in $40 million-plus just from his memoir. Plus, BetterUp, plus Clevr Blends, plus plus plus. The Sussexes’ finances are totally fine, and even if they weren’t, the Sussexes have enough powerful friends that they’ll figure something out.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Backgrid.

Here’s a new photo of Queen Camilla visiting her husband at the London Clinic on Sunday. That was her fourth trip to the hospital in the space of three days – she went with Charles when he checked in on Friday, then she returned during “tea time” on Friday following his procedure, then she visited him on Saturday and on Sunday too. No shade, I find it sweet – even if they mostly live separately, she wants to be there for him during his prostate issue. Most married couples would do the same. And that seems to be the other message from Cam – look at me, I actually give a sh-t about my hospitalized spouse, unlike some people.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace was initially a bit loosey-goosey for the king’s recovery timeline. While the king was praised for disclosing his prostate issue, they’ve played it by ear as to when Charles would be “back at work.” Now that the procedure has been completed and Charles is reportedly doing well, the palace is firming up a timeline: Charles will probably be MIA for a full month.

It is understood King Charles will not carry out any royal engagements for up to a month as he recovers from prostate surgery.

He will have a ‘period of recuperation’, Sky News reports, but will be able to attend to government papers once he is discharged.

Queen Camilla was [on Sunday] seen smiling as she visited her beloved husband and appeared to be in high spirits as she was snapped with a warm smile on her face. Wearing a teal-coloured top, smiled as she entered the hospital’s back entrance in a black Audi car at noon, followed by a Range Rover. The Queen’s visit was her third to the private hospital since she arrived with Charles on Friday morning ahead of the procedure. She stayed for three hours on Saturday at the London Clinic – the same hospital where the Princess of Wales is being cared for following abdominal surgery.

She told people inside the London Clinic on Friday that the King was ‘doing well’ after the procedure.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’ve heard some doctors speak on news programs and they basically said the same thing, that everyone is different but given Charles’s age, it would probably be four to five weeks before he would feel recovered enough to do events. He will probably just work from Clarence House or Highgrove, doing phone calls and reading. Get ready to see more of Camilla throughout all of February, she’s going to be the only senior royal doing events.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast got some interesting quotes from an unnamed friend of Prince William and Prince Harry. It’s probably the same “friend” who has provided endless quotes to Sykes about how William “absolutely f–king hates” his brother and sister-in-law, and how the next time William will speak to Harry will be at their father’s funeral. Even one month ago, these unnamed friends-of-Bill were insisting that William and Kate “will never reconcile” with the Sussexes, especially after Kate was outed as one of the racist royals. Now that Kate has a health crisis and the slimmed-down monarchy is under significant strain, suddenly friends-of-Bill are singing a different tune. Funny that. Some highlights from the Royalist column:

Kate will act as peacemaker, you guys: One old friend of Kate, William, and Harry, who went to school with the brothers but has not spoken regularly to Harry since he emigrated to America in 2020, told The Daily Beast: “Health problems do tend to put everything else in perspective. If Harry and Meghan have made an effort to reach out to Kate to offer their best wishes, Kate will reciprocate. William would quite happily never speak to either of them again, but Kate’s a peacemaker at heart. She would definitely be open to using this situation to build bridges. Never waste a good crisis, right?”

Harry & Kate used to be close? This friend said: “You have to remember that Kate and Harry were exceptionally close. He adored her, and she provided a sense of stability after the chaos of his youth. I actually can’t imagine a world in which he wouldn’t have sent her a note, despite everything. Everyone in the family has, frankly, had enough of the whole feud narrative. It’s way past time the whole thing was put to bed. Trust has been damaged, and I don’t think they are ever going to be calling each other for a heart to heart like the old days, but it’s time to move on.”

Charles would welcome his sons’ reconciliation: Kensington Palace did not respond to a request for comment on whether Kate had received a message from Harry and Meghan, and if she had responded or intended to. However, there is little doubt that King Charles would hugely welcome friendly overtures from William and Kate to his younger son, as he has shown himself keen to promulgate an image of family unity in recent months, most notably by including the once-disgraced Sarah Ferguson in the family group walk to church on Christmas Day last month.

William would be willing to reconcile with Harry for the good of his reign as king: Speaking to friends of the royals in recent months, it is quite clear that the extent of the breakdown in relations between William and his brother really cannot be underestimated. One friend previously told The Daily Beast that William “absolutely f–king hates” Harry. But William is also enormously conscious of his responsibilities to the institution. While he may have his reservations about his father’s policy of putting family unity before all else, he probably also knows that in the very long run, few people are going to regard a king who doesn’t speak to his own brother as a solid role model, or a unifying example of the best of British.

William might do something performatively: The Windsors have always been good—too good some might say—at putting duty before personal considerations. By making noises suggesting he would be open to reconciling with his brother, at least performatively, the ball is back in William’s court. The question will be whether William can subsume his personal anger and put his arm around his brother again—even if it is just for the cameras at first. William’s convalescing wife may be critical in helping him make that decision.

[From The Daily Beast]

It sounds like people around William are telling him that his childish incandescent rage towards Harry and Meghan is not a good look longterm. But is William listening? My guess is no. Plus, William and Kate are still desperately trying to put the onus on Harry – Harry must contact them, Harry must make the effort, Harry must do this or that so Kate can pretend to be the grand peacemaker. Harry made it pretty clear, in his own memoir, that he was never particularly close to Kate and that William assaulted him. William and Kate were both wildly disrespectful to Harry’s wife. We keep learning more sh-t about what went down in 2018-2020, to the point where it’s abundantly clear that the brothers’ estrangement was a long time coming and arguably the healthiest solution. Still, it’s incredibly “interesting” that someone wants this narrative out there – that William might need Harry around, that Kate’s hospitalization is some kind of game changer for the brothers’ relationship.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 29th, is the two-week anniversary of the Princess of Wales’s mysterious and “planned” abdominal surgery. We don’t know when Kate checked into the hospital and no one has seen her at all since Christmas Day, when she was photographed at Sandringham. As Queen Camilla’s repeated visits to the London Clinic have shown in the past three days, photographers and press were still waiting outside the clinic and hoping to get a glance of Prince William visiting his wife, or Carole and Michael Middleton visiting their daughter. It genuinely appeared as if William only visited Kate one time, on the 18th. And now Kate has apparently been moved from the London Clinic to Adelaide Cottage thirteen days after her surgery, and no one got any photos. Kensington Palace released this statement:

The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress.

The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided.

The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.

[Via KP]

KP provided the timeline of Kate needing “ten to fourteen days” in the hospital, then months of recuperation at home. The lack of briefings and lack of disclosures has led to rampant speculation, none of which will end any time soon in this information vacuum. Just this weekend, Spanish outlets were openly speculating that Kate’s situation was dire. The British media isn’t touching any of that – there’s clearly a palace-enforced embargo on speculation, even if they would only be repeating what’s being said in the European press. In any case, this is starting to get very creepy and I’m genuinely worried about Kate and how little we know about her condition. KP still isn’t saying that Kate will make a full recovery, just that she’s “making good progress.”

A statement from Kensington Palace pic.twitter.com/DW6BOHuuRJ

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 29, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Would you believe that the Windsors and British press are all still talking about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s surprise appearance in Jamaica? Once the shock wore off, the Windsors and their media cohorts have spent much of the past week throwing a very loud tantrum. It was “insensitive,” you see, for Harry and Meghan to go to Jamaica while Charles’s prostate is enlarged and Kate is recovering from abdominal surgery. No, it wasn’t just insensitive – it was a diplomatic snafu, a slap in the face of the crown, because the Sussexes warmly greeted the Jamaican prime minister, the same man who fired William and Kate on camera in 2022, during W&K’s absolutely disastrous Caribbean Flop Tour. Please keep Will and Kate’s colonialist disaster tour in mind while reading these highlights from the Times of London – apparently, the palace is quite upset that Harry and Meghan would bungle diplomatic relations so badly. Harry and Meghan, who were greeted warmly and behaved impeccably, all without creating an international sh-tstorm of racist imagery wherever they went (unlike you-know-who).

The Sussexes flew on a private jet to Jamaica! It is understood that the Sussexes were flown to the island by private jet courtesy of Paramount Pictures, the production company behind the new biopic Bob Marley: One Love. The pair made a surprise appearance on the red carpet of the film’s world premiere.

The Jamaica trip blindsided the palace!! However, the fact that Meghan and Harry were in Jamaica at all came as something of a surprise at the Palace. With two senior members of the royal family recovering in The London Clinic, the Sussexes’ photocall with the prime minister of Jamaica was “not what you would call ideal”, according to one well-placed source.

William & Kate’s flop tour: It didn’t help that [the Sussexes] were happy to pose with Andrew Holness, who hosted the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2022. During an official visit to the Caribbean, William and Kate had a meeting with Holness. In an awkward moment, before his guests were even invited to sit down, the prime minister told them in no uncertain terms — and with the television cameras rolling — that his country was “moving on”. William pressed his lips together and nodded. The excruciating meeting with Holness aside, the trip attracted more criticism. During a trip to Trench Town, the former home of Bob Marley, the Waleses were seen shaking hands with locals through a wire fence. There was another colonial-era flashback when they travelled in an open-topped Land Rover during a ceremonial military parade.

The Sussexes’ trip was misguided!! The timing of the Sussexes’ high-profile visit as the guests of Brian Robbins, the chief executive of Paramount, was “not especially welcome back in London” according to one well-placed source, while another said that it was “misguided”. A source close to the King suggested that Harry may well have accepted the invitation because he is oblivious to the political or familial sensitivities of being pictured with the Jamaican prime minister. Those close to Prince William pointed out that he was “concerned with other matters”, not least his wife’s health after her surgery, which will require months of recuperation.

Jamaicans love Harry & Meghan: A well-informed source said: “Harry is beloved by the Jamaicans so they could have been a great asset to the Commonwealth if they had stayed in their royal roles.”

Fascinating and very telling lie: The late Queen saw the connection they had with the “family of nations” of which she was so fond. She awarded the Sussexes Commonwealth roles, with Harry and Meghan becoming the president and vice-president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust respectively. When it became clear that the Sussexes were not happy with their royal life in the UK, a plan was nearing completion for the couple to be stationed elsewhere in the Commonwealth. Ultimately, the offers were not sufficient to keep Harry and Meghan in the fold as working members of the royal family. They had hoped for something in between, to have the freedom to pursue their own projects while still representing Queen and country. But the late Queen decided that a “half-in, half-out” approach was not an option.

Freedom from raised eyebrows: Harry and Meghan stepped down from their official Commonwealth roles and the couple’s Netflix documentary series later described the group of countries as “Empire 2.0”. Now they are free to do as they choose, even if it raises eyebrows at the palace.

The Sussexes stayed in Jamaica after the premiere: And there may well be more to come. On Thursday night, locals on the island said that after a stop in Kingston the Sussexes moved to a luxury resort in the north of the island. However, bigger moves are expected in the US as the duchess is said to harbour political ambitions.

No coming back to the UK!! Back in the UK, there seems to be no way back for Harry and Meghan. Invitations to see the Waleses will not be forthcoming any time soon. Harry has also quietly been shelved as a counsellor of state — members of the royal family who can stand in for the King. When increasing the number of people who can carry out head of state duties to include the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Royal, the royal household also gave a written undertaking that non-working members would not be called on. Many in the Palace believe that relations between Harry and his brother William are irreparably damaged. “Given everything that has gone on, it’s hard to see how Harry could ever come back into the fold,” a well-placed source said.

[From The Times]

A few things: “When it became clear that the Sussexes were not happy with their royal life in the UK, a plan was nearing completion for the couple to be stationed elsewhere in the Commonwealth. Ultimately, the offers were not sufficient to keep Harry and Meghan in the fold” – Harry genuinely thought he would be offered that kind of “half-in” solution, where they could live abroad (in a Commonwealth country) and still work for the crown. That was rejected by WILLIAM. And Edward Young. They continue to make it sound like Harry & Meghan just decided one day that they hated living in the UK.

As for this: The trip was “misguided” and “a source close to the King suggested that Harry may well have accepted the invitation because he is oblivious to the political or familial sensitivities of being pictured with the Jamaican prime minister.” Instead of embracing the power of the Sussexes’ grace, charm and soft diplomacy, they’re pretending that Harry and Meghan did something wrong or “misguided” by simply going to a premiere and being gracious towards local government officials. It’s not like they wandered around in neo-colonialist cosplay or greeted children through a chainlink fence, you know. Talk about misguided! Talk about oblivious!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

From where I sit, Nicki Minaj has beef with nearly everyone, especially women who have any kind of success. On the other side, Megan Thee Stallion has been through hell and back over the past five years, losing her mother and grandmother and then getting shot by Tory Lanez in 2020. After the shooting, Tory and the toxic men of the music industry decided to smear Megan for years. Megan was not only the victim of gun violence, she lost many friends and allies after the shooting. That being said, Megan still has friends in high places – Beyonce is firmly on Team Stallion, as is Cardi B and many other high-profile women. Well, on Friday, Megan released a new single called “Hiss,” in which she included ONE LINE which is a reference to Nicki Minaj.

Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj went from “Hot Girl Summer” to hissing back and forth. Megan Thee Stallion released her new single “Hiss” on Friday, which details the three-time Grammy Award winner’s trials and triumphs throughout the past few years.

Though the rapper has topped the charts with buzzy collaborations alongside Cardi B, Beyoncé and more, she’s faced public scrutiny and trauma after fellow rapper Tory Lanez shot the Houston native in July 2020. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the shooting in August.

In her previous single, “Cobra,” about life post-shooting, Megan Thee Stallion opens up about her mental health struggles, rapping, “I’m sittin’ in a dark room thinking, probably why I always end up drinking; (Yes), I’m very depressed.” In her first song of the year “Hiss,” she raps that people “don’t be mad at Megan,” but that they’re “mad at Megan’s Law.” The bars are an apparent reference to Minaj, who is married to registered sex offender Kenneth Petty.

Megan’s Law is a federal law that requires registered sex offenders to provide their personal information to local law enforcement agencies. Petty was sentenced to probation and house arrest for failing to register as a sex offender in California.

In response to the “Savage” rapper’s shade, Minaj took to Instagram Live shortly after “Hiss” was released to preview a song of her own.

“She like 6 foot, I call her big foot,” Minaj raps, before saying someone “fell off, I said get up on your good foot.” The verse is an alleged reference to the 2020 shooting; Lanez was accused of shooting Megan in her feet.

“You have three Grammys and you have to learn how to rap on the beat and being comfortable in the music,” Minaj said before mocking Megan Thee Stallion’s rap flow. Minaj also liked several tweets from users that were aimed at her former collaborator. Megan Thee Stallion responded with an Instagram story where she was doubled over with her left hand covering her mouth, seemingly laughing at Minaj’s response to “Hiss.”

[From USA Today]

I’m using USA Today’s reporting because they did a good job with the bare-bones timeline of it all. What they aren’t covering is the fact that Nicki was on Instagram Live most of the weekend, ranting to her Barbz and sounding increasingly detached from reality. USA Today also skips the part of Minaj’s “Big Foot” where she criticized Megan because her mother died. And… like, don’t skip over the fact that Megan was like “you’re married to a convicted sexual predator” and Nicki was like “YOU HAVE BIG FEET!” Childish doesn’t even cover it.

Now that Minaj has dropped the track, people are laughing at her because it basically just sounds like a drugged-out rant (much like Nicki’s IG Live this weekend).

to save you a stream: it’s a coke rant set to music where she quotes tweets with a bridge where she repeats “lyin on your dead mama” over and over and then there’s like, a spoken word part at the end where she sounds like she is off a perc insane

— ashley ray (@theashleyray) January 29, 2024

lmao she accuses meg of getting a nose job so…yeah there’s really no substance here and she makes it clear she thinks meg lied about being shot, she’s real trash

— ashley ray (@theashleyray) January 29, 2024

They done synthesized sister Minaj down to this and I laughed. I did. pic.twitter.com/pyK9j2bUAs

— Kevín (@KevOnStage) January 27, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Earlier this month the tragically named AI comedy platform Dudesy presented a one-hour standup routine with an AI-generated George Carlin. In addition to not obtaining any legal rights to Carlin’s name and likeness, Dudesy further insulted Carlin’s comedic genius by having the set begin with perhaps the most unfunny opener in history: “I listened to all of George Carlin’s material and did my best to imitate his voice, cadence and attitude.” A real zinger. At the time I expressed my hope that the George Carlin Estate had all their ducks in a row regarding rights and could have this heresy shut down. Well, consider the ducks officially rowed. His estate has filed a lawsuit against Dudesy for violating copyright law and intellectual property, and have asked for the immediate removal of the AI imposter:

The estate of George Carlin has filed a lawsuit against the media company behind a fake hour long comedy special that purportedly uses artificial intelligence to recreate the late standup comic’s style and material.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday asks that a judge order the podcast outlet, Dudesy, to immediately take down the audio special, “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” in which a synthesis of Carlin, who died in 2008, delivers commentary on current events.

Carlin’s daughter, Kelly Carlin, said in a statement that the work is “a poorly-executed facsimile cobbled together by unscrupulous individuals to capitalize on the extraordinary goodwill my father established with his adoring fanbase.”

The Carlin estate and its executor, Jerold Hamza, are named as plaintiffs in the suit, which alleges violations of Carlin’s right of publicity and copyright. The named defendants are Dudesy and podcast hosts Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen.

“None of the Defendants had permission to use Carlin’s likeness for the AI-generated ‘George Carlin Special,’ nor did they have a license to use any of the late comedian’s copyrighted materials,” the lawsuit says.

The defendants have not filed a response to the lawsuit and it was not clear whether they have retained an attorney. They could not immediately be reached for comment.

At the beginning of the special posted on YouTube on Jan. 9, a voiceover identifying itself as the AI engine used by Dudesy says it listened to the comic’s 50 years of material and “did my best to imitate his voice, cadence and attitude as well as the subject matter I think would have interested him today.”

The plaintiffs say if that was in fact how it was created — and some listeners have doubted its stated origins — it means Carlin’s copyright was violated.

The company, as it often does on similar projects, also released a podcast episode with Sasso and Kultgen introducing and commenting on the mock Carlin.

“What we just listened to, was that passable,” Kultgen says in a section of the episode cited in the lawsuit.

“Yeah, that sounded exactly like George Carlin,” Sasso responds.

The lawsuit is among the first in what is likely to be an increasing number of major legal moves made to fight the regenerated use of celebrity images and likenesses.

The AI issue was a major sticking point in the resolution of last year’s Hollywood writers and actors strikes.

Josh Schiller, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement that the “case is not just about AI, it’s about the humans that use AI to violate the law, infringe on intellectual property rights, and flout common decency.”

[From USA Today]

What on earth were the Dudsey dudes thinking? It’s like they were asking to be sued. Whether they thought no one would be paying attention to George Carlin (not likely, he’s a legend) or not paying attention to them (more likely), they’ve just learned some valuable lessons the hard, expensive way. I only wish we could have seen their faces when reading this: “Carlin’s daughter, Kelly Carlin, said in a statement that the work is ‘a poorly-executed facsimile cobbled together by unscrupulous individuals to capitalize on the extraordinary goodwill my father established with his adoring fanbase.’” Man, I would not want to play a game of Scrabble against Kelly Carlin! Not surprising, though, given her family’s love of words and language, as George told The Harvard Crimson in 1978:

His parents and grandparents were fascinated with words and poetics, and fostered that same affinity in their family. “I’m sure there’s cellular truth to this, too,” Carlin interjects, “but my mother’s father was an original New York cop, and he had written out long-hand all of Shakespeare’s written works — he quizzed my mother at the dinner table. And my mother was always careful to let us know how we could free ourselves through expression.”

I remember hearing George Carlin on a late night show talk about his grandfather having handwritten Shakespeare, just because he loved it. While Carlin’s work differed from The Bard in style and substance, I still see a link. There’s a rhythm to Carlin’s sets, a musicality, and above all an understanding and reverence of language. Dudesy has no idea what they’ve stepped into.

Photos credit: John Atashian / Avalon

When King Charles checked into the London Clinic on Friday for his prostate procedure, Queen Camilla joined him at the hospital. Reportedly, they stopped by the Princess of Wales’s room at the same hospital and said hello or something. Details are fuzzy. It was unusual for a royal wife to accompany her husband to the hospital – back in QEII and Philip’s day, the queen only went to see Philip like once or twice during his many hospitalizations, and that has been the way it is for generations. Usually, the only time two royal spouses are together at a hospital, it’s because one of the spouses is giving birth. But these royal times, they are a-changin’.

So, Camilla went with Charles when he checked in. Then she left the London Clinic for several hours (presumably as Charles was under anesthesia for his surgery), then she returned to the hospital on Friday afternoon and spent some time with the king. His operation reportedly went well and the Mail claims that Charles was already cognizant enough to tackle some paperwork. Then, on Saturday, Camilla returned to the London Clinic and checked on Charles yet again. Camilla was photographed outside the hospital during the second and third visits, making it clear that photographers are seemingly stationed outside the London Clinic. We were told that press wasn’t allowed, weird.

Hilariously, Rebecca English at the Mail published this overwrought story about how “royals never visit each other in the hospital,” so it was super-notable that Charles checked on Kate before his procedure. Which may be true, but again, Camilla has made a point of visiting Charles twice since his surgery, and she’s been photographed both times. It’s making everyone wonder why the hell no one has reported seeing (much less photographing) William since January 18th.

Does Camilla know that her repeat visits at the London Clinic are drawing attention to the fact that no one has seen William at the hospital in more than a week? Yes. Of course she knows that.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Right after Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary last week, he flew to New York to testify in the civil case brought against him by E. Jean Carroll. Last May, a civil court found that Trump had, in fact, raped E. Jean in a dressing room at Bergdorf’s, and not only that, Trump had defamed her repeatedly after she told her story. Back in May, E. Jean was awarded $5 million. Soon after, Trump continued to defame her in interviews and on social media. Another trial was set to extend the defamation part of E. Jean’s case. Trump was called in to testify and he succeeded at completely alienating the judge and jury, loudly muttering “con job” and “witch hunt” during the proceedings, arguing with the judge and, worse yet, continuing to attack and defame E. Jean on Truth Social (his Nazi social media). Well, it took less than three hours for the jury to reach their decision: E. Jean Carroll has been awarded $83.3 million.

Former President Donald J. Trump was ordered by a Manhattan jury on Friday to pay $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her in 2019 after she accused him of a decades-old rape, attacks he continued in social media posts, at news conferences and even in the midst of the trial itself.

Ms. Carroll’s lawyers had argued that a large award was necessary to stop Mr. Trump from continuing to attack her. After less than three hours of deliberation, the jury responded by awarding Ms. Carroll $65 million in punitive damages, finding that Mr. Trump had acted with malice. On one recent day, he made more than 40 derisive posts about Ms. Carroll on his Truth Social website.

On Friday, Mr. Trump had already left the courtroom for the day when the judge, Lewis A. Kaplan, called in the nine-member jury shortly after 4:30 p.m., warning the lawyers, “We will have no outbursts.” The verdict was delivered nine minutes later to utter silence in the courtroom.

In addition to the $65 million, jurors awarded Ms. Carroll $18.3 million in compensatory damages for her suffering. Mr. Trump’s lawyers slumped in their seats as the dollar figures were read aloud. The jury was dismissed, and Ms. Carroll, 80, embraced her lawyers. Minutes later, she walked out of the courthouse arm in arm with her legal team, beaming for the cameras.

“This is a great victory for every woman who stands up when she’s been knocked down and a huge defeat for every bully who has tried to keep a woman down,” Ms. Carroll said in a statement, thanking her lawyers effusively.

[From The NY Times]

Trump’s lawyers are already saying that they’ll appeal, which means it will be a while before E. Jean gets her money. Besides, I’m pretty sure Trump does not have that money, anywhere. It would be hilarious if the court basically gave E. Jean Carroll possession of Trump Tower or Mar-a-Lago. Come on! Jokes aside, this whole situation is pretty awful for E. Jean. Trump has targeted her so thoroughly, she’s constantly in danger from his lunatic supporters and she’s basically going to need security for the rest of her life.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.