Tennis great Serena Williams is in hot water over incendiary comments she made in Rolling Stone about the victim in the Steubenville, Oh., rape saga.
Williams came under fire this week after saying that "[the Steubenville rape victim] shouldn’t have put herself in that position" at a high school party.
Now Serena is issuing an apology, though she also appears to be deflecting responsibility and implying that she may not have ever made that remark.
"I am currently reaching out to the girl’s family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article," Williams says.
"What was written - what I supposedly said - is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame."
So ... what she supposedly said was hurtful. What did she say?
Mama bears are known for being vicious protectors of their children. Father and founder of Boing Boing Mark Fauenfelder just found himself a new nickname: Papa Bear.
Frauenfelder took to Twitter and his Boing Boing blog after receiving texts from his daughter about the TSA agent's "glaring" at her and then barking "COVER YOURSELF."
Frauenfelder's 15-year old daughter was traveling with a group of friends on a college tour when a TSA agent decided to play morality police and shame the teen for her attire, seen in the picture above.
The incident, which left the teen "humiliated and shamed," prompted former Babes in Toyland bassist Maureen Herman to write an entry on A is For about the sexism and shaming the girl encountered at the hands of someone who went beyond the boundaries of his job.
There's no doubt TSA agents see crazy things all day long, but maybe they should learn to restrict their comments to, oh, I don't know, issues of safety and security and not leggings as pants.
We get that they lost their invasive full-body scanners and maybe they're a little bummed about that, but leering at teen girls and shaming them for traveling in comfort? That's a little outside their pay grade and job description. Best leave the parenting to, you know, the parents.
Otherwise, be prepared to suffer the backlash.
What do you think, THGers? Was the TSA agent out of line?
George Zimmer, the founder and longtime face of Men's Wearhouse, has been fired by the company. Guess they didn't like the way he looked as CEO!
Zimmer started MW back in 1973, and appeared in countless ads reciting his famous tagline, "You're ...
Prepare yourselves. Jimmy Kimmel, Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx have premiered an official music video for "(I Wanna) Channing All Over Your Tatum."
The song, which plays off the actor's unique name, was first composed and hilariously performed by ...
Josh Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting fame has accepted a job with the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., much to the dismay of GLAAD.
Duggar, 25, announced on FRC President Tony Perkins' radio show that he is the new executive director...
Tennis great Serena Williams is in hot water over incendiary comments she made in Rolling Stone about the victim in the Steubenville, Oh., rape saga.
Williams came under fire this week after saying that "[the Steubenville rape victim] shouldn’t have put herself in that position" at a high school party.
Now Serena is issuing an apology, though she also appears to be deflecting responsibility and implying that she may not have ever made that remark.
"I am currently reaching out to the girl’s family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article," Williams says.
"What was written - what I supposedly said - is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame."
So ... what she supposedly said was hurtful. What did she say?
Mama bears are known for being vicious protectors of their children. Father and founder of Boing Boing Mark Fauenfelder just found himself a new nickname: Papa Bear.
Frauenfelder took to Twitter and his Boing Boing blog after receiving texts from his daughter about the TSA agent's "glaring" at her and then barking "COVER YOURSELF."
Frauenfelder's 15-year old daughter was traveling with a group of friends on a college tour when a TSA agent decided to play morality police and shame the teen for her attire, seen in the picture above.
The incident, which left the teen "humiliated and shamed," prompted former Babes in Toyland bassist Maureen Herman to write an entry on A is For about the sexism and shaming the girl encountered at the hands of someone who went beyond the boundaries of his job.
There's no doubt TSA agents see crazy things all day long, but maybe they should learn to restrict their comments to, oh, I don't know, issues of safety and security and not leggings as pants.
We get that they lost their invasive full-body scanners and maybe they're a little bummed about that, but leering at teen girls and shaming them for traveling in comfort? That's a little outside their pay grade and job description. Best leave the parenting to, you know, the parents.
Otherwise, be prepared to suffer the backlash.
What do you think, THGers? Was the TSA agent out of line?
George Zimmer, the founder and longtime face of Men's Wearhouse, has been fired by the company. Guess they didn't like the way he looked as CEO!
Zimmer started MW back in 1973, and appeared in countless ads reciting his famous tagline, "You're ...
Prepare yourselves. Jimmy Kimmel, Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx have premiered an official music video for "(I Wanna) Channing All Over Your Tatum."
The song, which plays off the actor's unique name, was first composed and hilariously performed by ...
Josh Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting fame has accepted a job with the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., much to the dismay of GLAAD.
Duggar, 25, announced on FRC President Tony Perkins' radio show that he is the new executive director...
Tennis great Serena Williams is in hot water over incendiary comments she made in Rolling Stone about the victim in the Steubenville, Oh., rape saga.
Williams came under fire this week after saying that "[the Steubenville rape victim] shouldn’t have put herself in that position" at a high school party.
Now Serena is issuing an apology, though she also appears to be deflecting responsibility and implying that she may not have ever made that remark.
"I am currently reaching out to the girl’s family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article," Williams says.
"What was written - what I supposedly said - is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame."
So ... what she supposedly said was hurtful. What did she say?
Mama bears are known for being vicious protectors of their children. Father and founder of Boing Boing Mark Fauenfelder just found himself a new nickname: Papa Bear.
Frauenfelder took to Twitter and his Boing Boing blog after receiving texts from his daughter about the TSA agent's "glaring" at her and then barking "COVER YOURSELF."
Frauenfelder's 15-year old daughter was traveling with a group of friends on a college tour when a TSA agent decided to play morality police and shame the teen for her attire, seen in the picture above.
The incident, which left the teen "humiliated and shamed," prompted former Babes in Toyland bassist Maureen Herman to write an entry on A is For about the sexism and shaming the girl encountered at the hands of someone who went beyond the boundaries of his job.
There's no doubt TSA agents see crazy things all day long, but maybe they should learn to restrict their comments to, oh, I don't know, issues of safety and security and not leggings as pants.
We get that they lost their invasive full-body scanners and maybe they're a little bummed about that, but leering at teen girls and shaming them for traveling in comfort? That's a little outside their pay grade and job description. Best leave the parenting to, you know, the parents.
Otherwise, be prepared to suffer the backlash.
What do you think, THGers? Was the TSA agent out of line?
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
With so much attention focused on the birth of Lil' Kimye, and the rumored Kim Kardashian baby name floating around, we almost forgot about the royal baby.
Okay, no we didn't. The UK and much of the world are eagerly anticipating his or her arrival in July, but don't expect many details before that.
Royal officials can't say if it's a boy or girl, for instance, and not 'cause they're being coy. Kate Middleton and Prince William chose not to find out!
"They don't know the sex of the baby and have decided not to find out," said a royal official who spoke on condition of anonymity under Palace guidelines.
That's one way to keep the gender under wraps ...
Officials said William "fully intends to be present at the birth," which is expected to take place at the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's hospital in London.
William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, were both born there.
The public will be told once Kate Middleton has settled in her room in the early stages of labor, likely within an hour of the duo's arrival at the hospital.
Officials said a royal aide will emerge from the hospital with a signed bulletin on foolscap-sized paper carrying the Buckingham Palace letterhead.
The bulletin will be given to an official who will be driven to the Palace, where it will be posted on an easel in public view in front of the building.
At the same time the bulletin is posted, there will be an announcement on Twitter that will give the royal baby's gender, weight and time of birth.
Officials said they don't know how quickly a name will be chosen. When Prince William was born, a week passed before his name was announced.
Royals and members of Kate Middleton's family are likely to visit, but Queen Elizabeth II will be on summer vacation at the Balmoral estate in Scotland.
William plans to take two weeks paternity leave after the birth and then return to his military duties as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in Wales.
Good stuff! Here's wishing them the best in these next few weeks ... and place your final royal baby bets, if that's the sort of thing you're into.
VOTE: What do you think Kate and William are having?
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
“Nothing goes with apple pie quite like a huge dollop of racism, y’all!” Last year, Lisa Jackson, the former GM of the restaurant in Savannah that Paula Deen owns with her brother Bubba Hiers (Reminder: His government name IS Bubba Hiers) sued both of their butter-covered asses for treating her like shit lukewarm margarine during [...]
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Technology.
Google launched a new scorecard in AdSense today that allows site owners to see how their properties are performing relative to other AdSense publishers. The scorecard is organized into three categories: revenue optimization, site health and Google+ (because everything Google does needs to have a bit of Google+ built-in). For each of these, Google assigns a rating between one and five and suggests improvements for increasing traffic and revenue.
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
BREAKING:Behind The Candelabra scribe Richard LaGravenese will write and direct The Last 5 Years, the film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s musical. Anna Kendrick, who saw success in last year’s music-based pic Pitch Perfect, will star with Tony and Grammy nominee Jeremy Jordan. Told through emotionally powerful and comic songs from their individual perspectives, the musical is a deconstruction of the love affair and marriage of Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress, and Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist. From Lucky Monkey Pictures and Sh-K-Boom Records, Lauren Versel, Kurt Deutsch, LaGravenese and Janet Brenner are producers, and Steve Norman is co-producer. The pic begins shooting this week in NY, with CAA handling domestic sales and The Exchange shopping international. Kendrick is repped by CAA, Jordan by ICM Partners and Schachter Entertainment.
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
Warner Bros. seems to have done it right with The Lego Movie.
The idea of a Lego movie may sound ridiculous (is it just a kid making a really bad tower for 90 minutes?), but the excellent cast and fun story look very promising.
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Technology.
Vdio, the video streaming service which launched into public beta this April as a complement to Rdio's subscription music service, is today becoming available to all. Earlier, the service was available for preview in the U.S. and U.K., but only to those who were already paying Rdio Premium or Unlimited customers.
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
ITV is acquring a 65 percent controlling stake in Thinkfactory Media, producer of the Emmy award-winning "Hatfields & McCoys," for $30 million.
The British company will also have an option to buy the remaining 35 percent of the company, beginning three years from now. Thinkfactory joins ITV's growing number of U.S. production businesses, including Gurney Productions and High Noon Entertainment.
Thinkfactory was founded in 1992 by producer Leslie Greif, and creates such reality shows as "R&B Divas," "Preachers' Daughters," "Marriage Bootcamp: Bridezillas" and "The Hook-Up." It also produces dramas including "Texas Rangers" and last year's "Hatfields & McCoys" for History, as well as "Hit Men" for Spike and "Whitey" for A+E Networks.
"We're gathering real momentum in building a substantial US presence, which is central to our strategy of creating a strong international content business," said ITV chief executive Adam Crozier. "The acquisition of Thinkfactory Media is clearly a further significant step forward in achieving that goal."
Added Greif: "We are thrilled to team up with Paul Buccieri and ITV, one of the world's most respected names in television. While retaining the independent spirit that keeps Thinkfactory Media creative, this relationship not only allows us to continue producing top-quality scripted and unscripted content, but enhances the potential for global distribution and our continued success in the marketplace."
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
Multi-hyphenate James Franco has more jobs (and hobbies) then one can count, but it's his latest piece of work that's buzzing around the web.
Franco wrote a critical take about "Man of Steel" for Vice, but much of the attention on the piece is actually based on what he said about Spider-Man, not Superman.
Franco, who attended the "Man of Steel" premiere incognito because he believes Henry Cavill does not like him based on their history filming "Tristan and Isolde," says he really enjoyed "Man of Steel." But that's perhaps the least interesting part of the Vice article.
In the piece, Franco jumped right into taking shots at "The Amazing Spider-Man" movies, which are essentially a quick reboot of his own "Spider-Man" trilogy with Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi.
Franco distinguishes between the old and new versions by calling the current series one that "arose even before there was time to bury the corpse of the old one and enshroud it in the haze of nostalgia."
He writes, "I don't have a huge emotional attachment to the Spider-Man franchise as a subject, my biggest sentimental ties are to the people I worked with on those films: Sam, Toby, Kirsten (Dunst), the late and great Laura Ziskin, and the hundreds of others who worked with us. I don't really feel much distress over its being remade, for many reasons, but what is interesting to me is that it has been remade so quickly—and the reasons why."
The reason? "The answer is, of course, money. We are in the film business, and the studios are owned by large corporations who want to make money."
And make money the film certainly did. Marvel recently announced third and fourth installments of "The Amazing Spider-Man."
Not being a fan of the remake is not new for Franco. In an interview with MTV News earlier this year, the actor referred to "The Amazing Spider-Man" as being, "Eh."
"I mean, they could have strayed a little bit more from the original," Franco said. "It's like, 'Why?' Well, I guess they made a lot of money. Congrats. Good for them. Sam and I moved on, we made 'Oz.'
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
NBC's "The Voice" season finale matched the ratings for last spring's finale, but was down from December's finale, according to preliminary numbers. ABC won the night, thanks to Game 6 of the NBA Finals, according to preliminary numbers.
Though ABC's numbers are approximate due to the nature of live sports, the network currently holds first place in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic with a 5.4 rating/14 share and second in total viewers with 13.7 million. Game 6 of the NBA Finals drew a 6.5/18, down 24 percent from the early numbers on last year's Game 6 but still the best ratings for the night, and was the most-watched show of the evening with 16.1 million total viewers.
Prior to the game, ABC aired "Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night," which had a 2.6/9 with 7.6 million total viewers; and the pre-game show, which took a 3.8/12 and drew 10 million total viewers.
NBC was second in ratings but first in total viewers with a 3.8/11 and 14 million. Facing the NBA Finals in many parts of the country, the season finale of "The Voice" at 9 p.m. drew a 4.3/12 -- even with last May's finale, but down 12 percent from the fall season finale -- and had 15.3 million total viewers, 3.4 million more than the May finale and the largest total viewership for a "Voice" finale in the show's history.
"America's Got Talent" at 8 was even with last Tuesday for a 2.2/9 and had 11.4 million total viewers.
Univision was third in ratings and fifth in total viewers with a 1.5/4 and 3.7 million.
Fox took fourth place in ratings and total viewers with a 1.4/4 and 3.9 million. The network aired "So You Think You Can Dance" throughout its primetime slate, which was down 18 percent in the demo compared to last week.
CBS, which aired repeats throughout the night, was fifth in ratings and third in total viewers with a 0.9/3 and 6.4 million.
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has returned to CAA. Henckel von Donnersmarck blazed on the scene after the German filmmaker wrote and directed 2006′sThe Lives Of Others, which won him the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and generated $77 million at the worldwide box office on a $3 million budget. A bright man who speaks five languages, he was expected to soar in Hollywood, but that ascent has been a slow one. He has bounced in and out of numerous project since then, and directed the Angelina Jolie-Johnny Depp film The Tourist, which disappointed in the U.S. comparative to that star power but grossed a solid $278 million worldwide. He had most recently been at UTA.
Published On Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Under: Entertainment.
Universal Pictures and Red Granite have rescued the Farrelly brothers' sequel "Dumb and Dumber To" out of turnaround from Warner Bros. and New Line.
Red Granite will finance the $35 million comedy and handle foreign sales, while Universal will distribute in the U.S..
"Dumb and Dumber" stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels will return to reprise their roles as dim-witted best friends Lloyd and Harry, respectively.
Sean Anders and John Morris wrote the original script, which has since been rewritten by directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who will produce with Red Granite's Joey McFarland. Universal exec Jon Mone will oversee the project for the studio.
Warner Bros. will retain a participation stake in the PG-13 sequel, which was packaged by CAA and WME.
George Zimmer, the founder and longtime face of Men's Wearhouse, has been fired by the company. Guess they didn't like the way he looked as CEO!
Zimmer started MW back in 1973, and appeared in countless ads reciting his famous tagline, "You're ...
