New York Times
'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni sues New York Times for libel over Blake Lively story
Justin Baldoni, director of the film "It Ends With Us," has filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times in Los Angeles Superior Court. The suit challenges a report alleging Baldoni sexually harassed actress Blake Lively and attempted to tarnish her reputation.
The lawsuit, involving Baldoni and nine co-plaintiffs, accuses the Times and Lively of orchestrating a smear campaign. Among the plaintiffs are lead producer Jamey Heath, production company Wayfarer Studios, and crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan. Nathan’s text message was featured prominently in the Times' Dec. 21 article, titled: "‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine."
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The Times, however, defended its reporting, stating that the article was thoroughly researched and relied on original documents, including emails and text messages. Danielle Rhoades, a Times spokesperson, said the article was "meticulously and responsibly reported," and no factual errors have been identified by Baldoni or his team.
Baldoni’s lawsuit claims the Times adopted Lively’s version of events without verifying her allegations and ignored evidence that contradicted her narrative. It also argues that the documents reviewed by the Times would have shown Lively, not Baldoni, engaged in a smear effort.
Lively, who is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, had previously filed a legal complaint with the California Civil Rights Department over her alleged treatment during the film's production. Her attorneys asserted that the libel lawsuit does not alter the claims outlined in her complaint.
"It Ends With Us," based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestselling novel, premiered in August and exceeded expectations with a $50 million opening. However, its release was overshadowed by reports of tensions between Baldoni and Lively. While Baldoni was largely absent from the promotional campaign, Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, actively participated, coinciding with Reynolds’ promotion of “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
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Lively gained recognition in the 2005 movie "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and solidified her fame with the TV series "Gossip Girl." She has since appeared in films like "The Town" and "The Shallows." Baldoni, known for starring in "Jane the Virgin," directed the 2019 movie "Five Feet Apart" and authored the book "Man Enough," which critiques conventional masculinity.
Following Lively’s complaint and the Times report, Baldoni’s agency, WME, dropped him as a client. He had previously addressed concerns that "It Ends With Us" romanticized domestic violence, asserting that critics were entitled to their views.
1 month ago
Bangladeshi-American chef shortlisted for the ‘Oscars of food’
In a remarkable achievement, Bangladeshi-born American Chef Nur-E Gulshan Rahman has been shortlisted for the Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic category by the James Beard Foundation. Chef Rahman's culinary prowess shines at Korai Kitchen, a hidden gem in Jersey City, renowned for its authentic Bangladeshi cuisine.
The James Beard Foundation Awards, often dubbed the “Oscars of food,” honor excellence across America's culinary spectrum. These prestigious awards celebrate the artistry and innovation in the culinary field, recognizing the best chefs and restaurants.
Despite its modest beginning, as reported by the New York Times, Korai Kitchen has carved a niche in Jersey City's vibrant culinary scene. Chef Rahman's eatery has earned accolades for its authentic Bangladeshi flavors and homestyle cooking.
An emotional social media post from the restaurant celebrated this milestone: “Amma was nominated for a James Beard Award today!! Words cannot express just how proud I am of my mom and our incredible team. What a beautiful moment of recognition for Bangladeshi food and for my insanely talented mother, who has honed her craft for over FIFTY YEARS!”
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The post added, “My mom would sometimes say she felt like an imposter because she has no formal culinary training. Amma, you've shown that it's not culinary school that makes a chef; it's passion, talent, grit, and love.”
Korai Kitchen, described by the New York Times, offers an immersive experience akin to dining in a Bangladeshi home. The restaurant features a rotating buffet of dishes, including bhorta (mashes) and light curries, all prepared under the watchful eye of Chef Rahman. It's a celebration of slow food — homestyle Bangladeshi dishes crafted with care and affection.
Since their inception in 1990, the James Beard Awards have set a benchmark for culinary excellence. The outstanding chef category, in particular, honors chefs who not only uphold high culinary standards but also positively influence their peers and make a significant impact on the wider community. Chef Rahman's nomination is a testament to her dedication and skill, bringing the rich flavors of Bangladesh to the American culinary landscape.
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1 year ago
13-year-old American believed to be first person ever to beat Tetris
A 13-year-old boy from Oklahoma, United States, is believed to be the first person to defeat Tetris since the game's introduction more than three decades ago.In a video released on Tuesday, the Oklahoma boy, known online as Blue Scuti and by his legal name, Willis Gibson, is seen playing for around 38 minutes and reaching level 157 before stating, "Oh, I missed it," assuming that a misplaced block foiled his attempts, reports The Guardian.
Video Games Releasing in January 2024: A Comprehensive Guide to New ReleasesBut he recovers, and when the blocks fall, he repeats, "Please crash," and completes another line of blocks, the Tetris method for collecting points. The game freezes, indicating de facto victory, and he shouted, "Oh my God! Yes! I’m going to pass out. I can’t feel my hands.” His score read “999999,” it said.Previously, only artificial intelligence-powered bots could push the game, initially launched on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), to its "kill screen," when its blocks fall so quickly that the game itself cannot continue.
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Epic Games wins antitrust lawsuit against Google over barriers to its Android app storeWillis dedicated his victory to his father who died last month.
Willis, according to 404 Media, has become one of United States' best competitive Tetris players in just two years, using a newly trendy way of manipulating the NES controller known as "rolling". He first found the game on YouTube, where he posted a video of his victory, he told the Times.
1 year ago
Twitter removes blue tick from main New York Times account
Twitter has removed the verification check mark on the main account of The New York Times, one of CEO Elon Musk's most despised news organizations.
The removal comes as many of Twitter’s high-profile users are bracing for the loss of the blue check marks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors on the social media platform.
Musk, who owns Twitter, set a deadline of Saturday for verified users to buy a premium Twitter subscription or lose the checks on their profiles. The Times said in a story Thursday that it would not pay Twitter for verification of its institutional accounts.
Early Sunday, Musk tweeted that the Times' check mark would be removed. Later he posted disparaging remarks about the newspaper, which has aggressively reported on Twitter and on flaws with partially automated driving systems at Tesla, the electric car company, which he also runs.
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Other Times accounts such as its business news and opinion pages still had either blue or gold check marks on Sunday, as did multiple reporters for the news organization.
“We aren’t planning to pay the monthly fee for check mark status for our institutional Twitter accounts," the Times said in a statement Sunday. "We also will not reimburse reporters for Twitter Blue for personal accounts, except in rare instances where this status would be essential for reporting purposes," the newspaper said in a statement Sunday.
The Associated Press, which has said it also will not pay for the check marks, still had them on its accounts at midday Sunday.
Twitter did not answer emailed questions Sunday about the removal of The New York Times check mark.
The costs of keeping the check marks ranges from $8 a month for individual web users to a starting price of $1,000 monthly to verify an organization, plus $50 monthly for each affiliate or employee account. Twitter does not verify the individual accounts to ensure they are who they say they are, as was the case with the previous blue check doled out to public figures and others during the platform’s pre-Musk administration.
While the cost of Twitter Blue subscriptions might seem like nothing for Twitter’s most famous commentators, celebrity users from basketball star LeBron James to Star Trek’s William Shatner have balked at joining. Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander pledged to leave the platform if Musk takes his blue check away.
The White House is also passing on enrolling in premium accounts, according to a memo sent to staff. While Twitter has granted a free gray mark for President Joe Biden and members of his Cabinet, lower-level staff won’t get Twitter Blue benefits unless they pay for it themselves.
“If you see impersonations that you believe violate Twitter’s stated impersonation policies, alert Twitter using Twitter’s public impersonation portal,” said the staff memo from White House official Rob Flaherty.
Alexander, the actor, said there are bigger issues in the world but without the blue mark, “anyone can allege to be me” so if he loses it, he’s gone.
“Anyone appearing with it=an imposter. I tell you this while I’m still official,” he tweeted.
After buying Twitter for $44 billion in October, Musk has been trying to boost the struggling platform’s revenue by pushing more people to pay for a premium subscription. But his move also reflects his assertion that the blue verification marks have become an undeserved or “corrupt” status symbol for elite personalities, news reporters and others granted verification for free by Twitter’s previous leadership.
Along with shielding celebrities from impersonators, one of Twitter’s main reasons to mark profiles with a blue check mark starting about 14 years ago was to verify politicians, activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, as an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts that are impersonating people. Most “legacy blue checks” are not household names and weren’t meant to be.
One of Musk’s first product moves after taking over Twitter was to launch a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month. But it was quickly inundated by impostor accounts, including those impersonating Nintendo, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Musk’s businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter had to temporarily suspend the service days after its launch.
The relaunched service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for users of its iPhone or Android apps. Subscribers are supposed to see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.
1 year ago