Celebrity
Snoop Dogg Steps In At Last Second During WrestleMania
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Leave it to Snoop Dogg to be named WrestleMania 39’s Most Valuable Performer.
The iconic rapper stepped up in an emergency during a weekend that saw World Wrestling Entertainment set a two-night attendance record for their signature event, the company on the verge of being sold, and Roman Reigns stay the undisputed champion.
Snoop Dogg was co-hosting a segment between bouts with wrestler Mike “The Miz” Mizanin on Sunday at SoFi Stadium when he provoked Mizanin into an impromptu match with Shane McMahon, who was appearing at a WWE event for the first time in 14 months. McMahon and Mizanin exchanged punches before McMahon tore his quad, doing a leapfrog maneuver to escape Mizanin.
Doctors examined McMahon before assisting him out of the arena. Snoop Dogg then returned to the ring to finish the match, punching “The Miz” twice, stealing a page from “The Rock,” and landing a people’s elbow to win.
“My hat’s off to Snoop, picking it up and thinking, ‘Oh man, he’s hurt?'” That’s fine; I’ll rectify it.’ He’s just a natural born entertainer,” said WWE creative director Paul “Triple H” Levesque. “I’ve known Snoop in this environment for years and what kind of fan he is, but tonight he put himself on a different playing field and respect factor for me.” I know several guys who have been in business for a long time; if that happened to them, they’d be like, ‘What do we do?’It was incredible.”
The greatest surprise, however, came less than eight hours after Reigns pinned Cody Rhodes in the main event when UFC owner Endeavor revealed Monday morning that it had signed an agreement with WWE to create a new company that will combine the UFC and WWE.
Levesque declined to comment on Endeavor on Sunday night, saying he wanted to concentrate on what happened over the weekend.
Outside the ring, attendance was 161,892, breaking stadium single-day attendance records on both evenings. The first WrestleMania in Los Angeles since 2005 broke the previous mark by 27%, with a gate of $21.6 million.
The first WrestleMania in Los Angeles since 2005 broke the previous mark by 27%.
Sponsorship income surpassed $21 million, doubling the previous high, while merchandise sales increased 20% over the previous year.
The Doggfather’s appearance as a substitute wrestler continued the pattern of celebrities appearing and not looking out of place.
Logan Paul, a social media star, competed in a WrestleMania battle for the second year on Saturday. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle appeared in a battle between former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee and “The Miz,” and rapper Bad Bunny appeared during the Mysterios’ match.
“They have no right to be this good,” Levesque said of the celebrity fighters. “What’s amazing about it is the grind and the level of commitment they’re willing to put into it because they respect the business, respect for the WWE superstars and what we do, and respect for the people who came before them.” It’s cool to see them do that, but it’s also impressive to see how effective they are and how it raises the bar for everyone else.”
Snoop drove Rey Mysterio out to the Wrestlemania stage in a lowrider before his match against son Dominik Mysterio and co-hosted with “The Miz” both evenings.
Paul, defeated by Seth Rollins, executed high-flying stunts and moved as if he had been doing them for more than ten years. McAfee worked as a WWE announcer for 17 months (April 2021-September 2022) and competed in a fight at WrestleMania last year, while Kittle is a long-time wrestling fan.
Bad Bunny, who competed in a tag team match at WrestleMania two years ago, will host Wrestlemania’s next premium live show in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 6. Wrestlemania is visiting Puerto Rico for the first occasion since 2005.
Bad Bunny could also play in a game that night. On Saturday, he was doing Spanish commentary during Mysterio’s fight when he stopped Dominik from hitting his father with a steel chain. Rey Mysterio took advantage of the distraction, delivered his finishing move to win, and set up a potential storyline between Bad Bunny and the younger Mysterio.
It was mostly unexpected for Reigns to extend his 900-day reign as king. In the match, Rhodes had all the momentum, and all signs led to a title change. Nonetheless, WWE’s creative forces have chosen to keep Reigns at the company’s helm.
Reigns will become the first wrestlemania wrestler to hit 1,000 days as champion in early June, barring injury or a major surprise. At this juncture, Reigns is likely to retain the title until Summerslam in early August in Detroit, but he could still be the champion by WrestleMania in Philadelphia next year.
“I want someone to step up and take this ball away from us,” said Reigns. “Because if you don’t, we’ll keep a stranglehold on this.”
SOURCE – (AP)
Washington — On Friday, “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill visited the White House with President Joe Biden, leaving with a pair of the president’s aviator sunglasses and a newfound respect for the job.
“I love the merch,” he added, removing his glasses briefly at the White House daily press briefing following his meeting with Biden. Hamill, 72, famous for playing Luke Skywalker, joked with reporters that he’d answer a few questions as long as they weren’t about “Star Wars.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
“I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president,” he told reporters. He’d been to the White House previously, during the Carter and Obama administrations, but he’d never seen the Oval Office, which he described as impressive. According to Hamill, Biden displayed photographs and other memorabilia from the Oval Office.
Hamill claimed Biden told him to call him “Joe,” to which Hamill responded with an alternative suggestion: “Can I call you Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi?”
“He liked that,” said Hamill, who also portrayed the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Both Mark and the White House were hazy about the cause for his visit. But Mark, a Democrat and Biden supporter with a sizable social media following, has been posting about the president’s reelection campaign this week.
“May 1 Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden’s Re-election!” he tweeted on May 1.
On Friday, he wrote, “May 3 be absurd that the guy who tried to steal a fair election is allowed to run again,” referring to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
May 4 is unofficially known as “Star Wars” Day, partly due to the famous Jedi line “May the Force Be With You.” The pun is “May 4 be with you.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Mark also provided his voice for “Air Alert,” a downloadable program linked to Ukraine’s air defense system. His voice warns citizens to take cover if Russia launches another aerial strike on Ukraine.
SOURCE – (AP)
Celebrity
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
LONDON — Kevin Spacey, the Oscar-winning actor, has denied new charges of inappropriate behavior by men who will appear in a British television documentary airing next week.
In an online interview with journalist Dan Wootton, Spacey stated that he has never done anything unlawful and has struggled to return to work since being convicted of criminal charges in a London court last year.
“I can’t go through this again, allowing myself to be baselessly attacked without defending myself,” he said in the “Kevin Spacey: Right Of Reply” interview, which aired late Friday on Wootton’s YouTube channel.
AP – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Last July, a London jury cleared Spacey of sexual assault charges stemming from 20-year-old allegations made by four men. The court triumph was his second since defending himself against a $40 million lawsuit filed in New York in 2022 by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp.
The documentary “Spacey Unmasked” will be shown on Channel 4 in Britain on May 6 and 7 and on Max in the United States.
“I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions, but I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me,” said Spacey, who received Academy Award nominations for “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty.”
“I’ve never told someone that if they give me sexual favors, then I will help them out with their career, never,” he said.
Rolling Stone – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Spacey, the creative director of the Old Vic Theatre in London from 2004 to 2015, said that he was a “flirt” with men in their twenties and occasionally made “clumsy” advances.
“I’ve clearly hooked up with some men who thought they might get ahead in their careers by having a relationship with me,” he went on to say. But there was no conversation with me. It was all part of their plan, a plan that was always destined to fail because I wasn’t in on the deal.”
The actor also stated on X, formerly Twitter, that he had “repeatedly requested” that Channel 4 give him more than seven days to reply to the claims brought against him in their program.
Spacey said that the network turned down his request “on the basis that they feel that asking for a response in 7 days to new, anonymized and non-specific allegations is a ‘fair opportunity’ for me to refute any allegations made against me.”
ABC – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Spacey said he had struggled to return to work since being acquitted of all criminal charges, characterizing the experience as a “life sentence.”
His acting career had suffered since 2017 when he was publicly accused of inappropriate behavior at the start of the #MeToo movement. He then lost his starring role as Frank Underwood in the Netflix thriller “House of Cards”.
SOURCE – (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO — The Securities and Exchange Commission charged an auditing firm hired by Trump Media and Technology Group only 37 days ago with “massive fraud” on Friday, but not for any work done for former President Donald Trump’s media company.
The SEC accused the accounting firm BF Borgers and its owner, Benjamin F. Borgers, of “deliberate and systematic failures” in over 1,500 audits.
CNN – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
The charges include failing to follow accounting regulations, falsifying documents to conceal flaws, and falsely claiming in audit reports that its work fulfilled audit criteria.
To settle SEC accusations, BF Borgers agreed to pay a $12 million fine, while its owner consented to pay a $2 million fine, according to the SEC. Benjamin Borgers did not immediately return a phone for comment.
BF Borgers and Benjamin Borgers both agreed to permanent sanctions, which will take effect immediately and prevent them from handling SEC-related matters as accountants.
According to the company’s most recent annual report filing, Trump Media appointed BF Borgers as its auditor on March 28. The business acknowledged that BF Borgers had similarly addressed its audits before its public offering by combining with a cash-rich shell company called Digital World Acquisition Corp.
The company had already hired at least two other auditors, one who resigned from the account in July 2023 and another who was fired by the board in March, just as it was rehiring BF Borgers.
Trump Media “looks forward to working with new auditing partners in accordance with today’s SEC order.”
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
The SEC discovered that BF Borgers’ shortcuts included:
- Copying audit documents from the prior year.
- Changing the pertinent dates.
- Passing it off as current documentation.
In addition to inaccurately recording work that was never completed, the fake documentation detailed planning meetings with clients that never took place and “falsely represented” that both Benjamin Borgers and another reviewer had authorized the audit work.
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
“Ben Borgers and his audit firm, BF Borgers, were responsible for one of the largest wholesale failures by gatekeepers in our financial markets,” stated Gurbir Grewal, the SEC’s enforcement director. “Thanks to the painstaking work of the SEC staff, Borgers and his sham audit mill have been permanently shut down.”
SOURCE – (AP)
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
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