Meanwhile, the 2020 World Series is being pushed back to November amid the coronavirus crisis.
MLB is yet to start the new season, originally scheduled to begin in March, and plans to finally begin are subject to tense talks between officials and players over pay terms.
“Let me tell you something, I gotta get right, I got a big shoot coming up,” Khaled said in the video. “I ain’t getting a haircut or nothing until it’s time to film this shoot. I can’t wait. Remember, there’s no summer without a Khaled anthem. I am summer.”
Just a few hours later, he posted another image on Instagram, in which he hinted that he has a movie in the works. The image is a screenshot of a FaceTime call he had with Mark Wahlberg, with a caption that says he’s available for his next big film.
“Bless up @markwahlberg , @markwahlberg was checking on my availability for the next big film ? also checking in wit my famliy thank u ,” he wrote in the caption. “At this moment mark was telling his team KHALED said he’s available anytime for us . Luv always @markwahlberg bless up !”
Khaled is no stranger to the big screen. He recently made a cameo in Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s box office hit movie Bad Boys for Life.
Instagram model Sophie Mudd shared a spicy photo that showcased her curves and gorgeous face for her latest update. She was photographed at home wearing a bucket hat and a tight-fitting dress that barely contained her assets.
The social media influencer has shared several shots in her house amidst the coronavirus pandemic, and continued the trend with her most recent post. She was photographed standing in front of a plant and next to a full-length mirror in the corner of a room. In the reflection her kitchen counters – which were littered with flowers and plants – were visible.
Mudd was shot from the midsection up and her body was turned slightly to the right as she faced the camera. She wore her long auburn-colored hair down and it was draped over her right shoulder. The model had her head tilted to the left and wore a beige fluffy bucket hat that covered her ears and went down to her eyebrows. Mudd appeared to wear a color of lipstick which complemented her reddish hair.
The 21-year-old had her voluptuous cleavage on display for the at-home pic. Mudd sported a tight cream-colored sundress that was adorned with tiny strawberries. The dress had thin straps that went over her slender shoulders, plus long ties that knotted in the middle of the top. She completed the look with a cross pendant necklace that hung near her collarbone. Mudd’s outfit offered fans a view of her ample assets, and a glimpse of her backside could be seen in the mirror’s reflection. The model added a single brown-heart emoji as her caption.
Many of the Los Angeles, California native’s 1.6 million Instagram followers noticed the snap. More than 94,000 of them found their way to the “like” button in just over 16 hours after it was posted. Mudd received over 800 comments from adoring fans, and her replies were swarmed with heart and strawberry emoji. Popular Instagram models Danielley Ayala and Kyra Santoro showed their appreciation with heart-eye emoji.
“The most beautiful girl,” one fan responded while adding three butterfly emoji.
“Love that top so cute,” a female Instagram user responded.
“Yummy strawberry,” a follower wrote along with a heart-eye emoji.
Not everybody was a fan of Mudd’s choice of head wear.
“Looks like u have a huge Yorkshire pudding on ya head,” one fan commented while adding two cry-laughing emoji.
As covered by The Inquisitr, earlier this month Mudd shared another post taken from the same room in her house. She wore tight-fitting yoga gear for those snaps, and the collage received over 62,000 likes.
Like most people, Lindsey Vonn has been stuck indoors over the last few weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak. But the Olympic gold medalist is still finding ways to keep productive, and she recently started a new video series that’s bringing kids together with their heroes.
Vonn — who retired from professional skiing last year after a storied career that saw a record number of World Cup wins — has been interviewing female athletes and other notable women through her Virtual Career Dayseries on YouTube.
The episodes, which take a deep dive into the professions of her guests, was started by Vonn as an effort to keep children motivated as they wait for schools to reopen. But what is especially unique is that Vonn also invites grant recipients from the Lindsey Vonn Foundation to speak with guests, allowing them invaluable one-on-one time with their role models.
“People are doing a lot right now to try to help kids — to help everyone — through the pandemic, and I wanted to help kids focus on the future, and keep them positive and motivated,” Vonn, 35, tells PEOPLE from her home in Los Angeles, where she is currently quarantining with fiancé P.K. Subban. “I wanted to pair kids up with someone they looked up to, and try to help them keep on track.”
One of the reasons Vonn was inspired to start the video series was her own childhood run-ins with role models, such as when she met former World Cup alpine ski racer Picabo Street when she was 9-years old. The encounter would shape the rest of her life, Vonn says.
“For me, talking to my childhood idol, Picabo Street, had a huge impact on me and actually was the reason that I wanted to be an Olympian,” she recalls. “I think those moments can be very impactful and life-changing. Especially right now, it’s just really important to keep kids focused on their future.”
So far, Vonn has interviewed ballet dancer Misty Copeland, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and neuroscientist Heather Berlin. The series’ premiere saw Vonn invite an 11-year-old grant recipient named Miracle to chat with gymnast Shawn Johnson.
“I feel like it’s similar to my experience when I was a kid,” Vonn says of Miracle, who was visibly excited during the video call. “It’s obviously different because it’s virtual, but most of these kids never have the chance to talk and ask questions to their heroes, their idols, their inspirations.”
“None of these girls know who they’re going to talk to, so they’re always surprised,” she adds.
For future episodes, Vonn hopes to highlight women from various fields like aerospace and education, while also using her vast network to bring in more female athletes.
While Vonn is using Virtual Career Day to help stimulate the minds of children stuck at home, she’s also launching a new workout series through Under Armour to keep people active during the pandemic.
“It’s been hard,” Vonn says of exercising at home over the last few weeks. “We just have two stationary bikes — like Peloton bikes — in our garage, and we’ve got workout bands. I’ve been using my Kirkland, Costco, olive oil jug as weights. I’ve got a big container of bleach. I use that as a kettlebell.”
“I always find with my depression that working out helps tremendously,” she continues. “If I don’t work out, it just is a really bad downward spiral. The more I can help encourage people to work out, I think the better.”
The series, Get Strong with Lindsey Vonn, will be available through MyFitnessPal as well as Under Armour’s social channels.
“I’m just trying to be creative and find ways to work out, but obviously, it gets a bit monotonous,” says Vonn, who is also an ambassador with Dwayne Johnson’s Project Rock label.
“I’m just trying to help people be more creative and keep working out,” she says, “because I think it’s really important to stay positive.”
Fitness model Caroline O’Mahony showed fans several at-home exercises they can in her latest Instagram post. She wore tight workout shorts that showcased her curvy backside while performing the exercises outside.
The 22-year-old has been providing fitness and diet tips to her followers during the coronavirus pandemic, and her latest upload gave instructions on a legs and abs workout that could be done anywhere. O’Mahony did the exercises outside on a step. She kept her long brown hair in a ponytail, and wore orange workout shorts that tightly hugged her curves along with a tight black top.
In the first of five clips, the social media influencer was filmed from the side as she held a dumbbell close to her chest and put her left leg up on a step. O’Mahony slowly lowered her body down and performed several squats. Each time she bent down fans were offered a view of her athletic booty and sculpted calves. The next video had her in a push-up position with her hands on the step. O’Mahony kept switching which hand supported her weight and would touch her opposite shoulder with the free hand. She swiveled her bottom side-to-side with each motion.
The YouTube star grabbed two dumbbells for her third exercise. O’Mahony held the weights up to her shoulders as she did squats. Each repetition accentuated her shapely derriere. In the fourth clip, the model went back to a push-up position on the step, but this time she raised the opposite arm forward as she re-positioned her weight and lifted one of her legs. O’Mahony was joined by her dog, Oscar, in the final video. She sat down on the ground and lifted her legs side-to-side over a dumbbell which was sitting upright in front of her. The model added instructions for the exercises in the caption for her post.
Many of O’Mahony’s 670,000 Instagram followers appreciated the tips, and the post earned over 13,000 likes in just over two hours after going live. There were more than 100 comments as fans flooded her replies with peach and fire emoji. She received compliments on her outfit and gratitude for sharing the at-home workout.
“Killer session for sure,” a female fan wrote while adding a weight-lifting emoji.
“Perfect training girl!” another commented.
“Love this color on you,” one follower replied.
“Yesss, love those shorts,” a fan added.
As covered by The Inquisitr, O’Mahony shared another home workout post earlier this month. These exercises targeted the lower body. Those clips had over 25,000 likes.
YouTube makeup mogul Jeffree Star is unfazed after receiving backlash for his new makeup palette. He released a new video to explain the backstory of the “Bloodlust” collection successor.
The fuss on YouTuber Jeffree Star’s new product all started with the name collection. He called it “My Cremate Palette” as it features monochromatic shades of gray and black.
It also comes with mortality and funeral-related references with the eyeshadow names such as “Grave Digger,” “The Morgue,” “Hearse” and “Casket Ready.”
It would have been like any other monochromatic makeup palette. But it sparked controversy for its death-themed imagery and shade names. And now people can’t get over it.
Not the right timing
According to reports, several followers and makeup junkies turned to social media to express their dismay over Star’s new product.
Many felt that it was gravely insensitive for Star to promote and release a death-themed product during a pandemic wherein thousands of people have died.
And to add to that, all COVID-19 deceased patients are cremated straight away to stop the spread. This led some people to share their stories of loved ones being cremated due to the virus infection.
One Twitter user addressed the controversy by sharing how his aunt fought for weeks in the ICU after contracting the virus.
“She will be buried the day this palette launches. I’m allowed to have my “feelings” about how tone-deaf this is,” @KJBennettBeauty wrote.
Another one said: “@JeffreeStar my great grandmother died of possible covid and there was no choice but to cremate her. we didn’t have a funeral, therefore, we didn’t get to say goodbye. I hope your tasteless palette makes you lots of money though!!!”
Star’s response
As expected, the founder and owner of Jeffree Star Cosmetics released a response video on his YouTube channel.
With more than 3 million views already, he defended the “My Cremate Palette” by informing everyone first that it takes months and even years to complete a product.
He had already started working on the palette since last year and was even due for release last April.
But he delayed it already and if he pushes it back even further, consumers might receive expired makeup. Star is also preparing to release a summer collection. That’s why he is determined to release the monochrome before launching a new one.
Moreover, he mentioned that he created it to “make people smile” and it was in no way created to be offensive ever. To him, his brand is an art and nothing ever comes from a negative place in his life.
He also shares his own personal experience with cremation. “On a real level, my own father was cremated, my two dogs that passed away last year were cremated,” Star says.
Given every little controversy that French Montana has embroiled himself in over the past month or so, some actual music news feels somewhat refreshing. True, when we last heard from French he was juggling three separate campaigns, detailed as follows: a) having more hits than Kendrick, b) fixing slash saving “Unforgettable,” and c) a bitter feud Young Thug.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 20: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) French Montana performs onstage during the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 20, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
While his seemingly reckless conduct was off-putting to some, others appreciated the rapper’s confidence — after all, competition is in hip-hop’s very DNA. Yet unfortunately, it seems to have shifted some of the focus away from his music, which bodes ill given the imminent arrival of his new Coke Boys 5 project. As of this morning, mere moments ago in fact, French appears to have taken a stand against social media for reasons unknown. Despite having previewed a new single as early as this morning, it would appear that the rapper has taken measures to delete his Instagram page, or at the very least, suffered a ban.
It’s unclear as to why French might have scrubbed his page from the face of the Earth, or whether he intends on bringing it back in the near future. Either way, something is afoot — those who did happen to check out his page this morning likely heard the preview of “Straight To The Bag,” a new single from Coke Boys 5 that French was banging in anticipation. Either way, the answers are staying elusive for the time being. Where’s French?
Mark Zuckerberg defends Facebook’s record on coronavirus misinformation
Martyn Landi, PA Technology Correspondent
Mark Zuckerberg has defended Facebook’s record of combating misinformation on the social network during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Facebook founder and chief executive said the platform removed all content which “puts people in imminent risk of physical harm”.
But he argued that freedom of expression was a factor around other content, such as posts around the anti-vaccination movement, which he called a more “sensitive topic” and did not, therefore, need to be completely removed.
Social media and internet companies have come under increased scrutiny during the Covid-19 pandemic, with platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp being criticised for allowing misleading claims to spread.
“We break this (misinformation) into two categories: so there’s harmful misinformation that puts people in imminent risk of physical harm, so things like saying that something is a proven cure for the virus when in fact it isn’t, we will take that down,” Mr Zuckerberg told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Even if something isn’t going to cause an imminent risk of physical harm, we don’t want misinformation to be the content that is broadly going viral across the networks.
“So if you’re seeing something that’s going to put people in imminent risk of harm we take that down.
“If you’re seeing something that is just wrong we don’t take that down but we stop it from spreading generally.
“That’s (anti-vax content) a much more sensitive topic because there are a lot of things in society that someone thinks is bad but other people are on the other side of that issue and think it’s good, and I think unless something is very clear, that is going to cause real damage to someone in the near term, I think you want generally to allow as wide an aperture of expression as possible across the internet.”
Instead of taking such content down, Facebook uses a warning label system which obscures a post with a label warning viewers it contains details which independent fact-checkers have found to be false.
Mr Zuckerberg cited figures released by Facebook earlier this month which said the company had placed misinformation warning labels on around 50 million posts across its services, which 95% of people did not click through when they encountered them, thus slowing the spread of misinformation, he argued.
The Facebook founder added that 5G misinformation, which he acknowledged had been “very prevalent” in the UK and has led to a number of phone masts been attacked, is considered an imminent threat and would be removed immediately.
However, a number of anti-5G groups promoting conspiracy theories about the technology remain active on the site.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, a number of online services have introduced tools to try and direct people to accurate information from official health authorities.
Facebook, Twitter and Google all show links to health organisations at the top of search results linked to the virus, which WhatsApp has launched several chatbot services which can directly provide users with up-to-date health advice.
Asked about combating misinformation ahead of the US Presidential election later this year, Mr Zuckerberg said Facebook was better prepared for attempts to influence voters than before the previous election, four years ago.
“We’ve learned a lot about how politics works online since 2016, one big area that we were behind on in 2016 but now I think are quite advanced at identifying and fighting these coordinated information campaigns that come from different state actors around the world, whether it’s Russia or Iran or in some cases China,” he said.
“Countries are going to continue to try and interfere, we’re going to see issues like that, it’s a little bit of an arms race in that way.
“But I certainly think our systems are a lot more advanced now.
“I think in many ways its more advanced than any other company or a lot of governments around the world and I feel pretty confident about our ability to help protect the integrity of the upcoming elections.”
UK researchers analyzed over 200 million tweets about the coronavirus and identified more than 100 false narratives pushed by bots.
In brief
Researchers analyzed over 200 million tweets about the coronavirus and identified more than 100 false narratives.
Bots are reportedly responsible for over 45% of tweets that spread misinformation.
Twitter itself began labeling messages that contain disputed or misleading information related to the pandemic.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University said that roughly 45% of Twitter accounts that have been posting messages about the coronavirus pandemic are likely controlled by automated bots.
Since January, researchers have analyzed over 200 million tweets that discussed the virus and found that almost half of them behaved “unhumanly,” according to an article published by NPR on Wednesday.
“We do know that it looks like it’s a propaganda machine, and it definitely matches the Russian and Chinese playbooks, but it would take a tremendous amount of resources to substantiate that,” said Kathleen Carley, a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.
Currently, Carley is conducting a study on bot-generated coronavirus activity on Twitter. While it’s not clear exactly what individuals or groups are operating these bot accounts, the researchers said that it looks like the tweets aim to cause social division in the US.
Among over 100 identified “false narratives” about the coronavirus propagated by bots are conspiracy theories about hospitals filled with mannequins and 5G towers accelerating the spread of the coronavirus.
At the same time, numerous conspiracy theories were being endorsed by several UK celebrities such as Amanda Holden on Twitter, making the bots’ job for them. Although she later claimed the tweet was made by accident.
“We’re seeing up to two times as much bot activity as we’d predicted based on previous natural disasters, crises and elections,” Carley added.
To determine whether an account is controlled by a bot, the researchers examined their behavior and tweeting patterns. If some users are posting more messages than it is humanly possible or claim to be in different countries almost simultaneously, a so-called bot-hunter tool will flag them.
“When we see a whole bunch of tweets at the same time or back to back, it’s like they’re timed,” Carley noted, adding “We also look for use of the same exact hashtag, or messaging that appears to be copied and pasted from one bot to the next.”
On May 11, Twitter updated its approach to misleading information. According to the announcement, the platform will add labels and warning messages to tweets “containing disputed or misleading information related to COVID-19.”
LANA DEL REY GOES ON A REGRETTABLE INSTAGRAM TIRADE, ALSO ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM
She uploaded a lengthy statement to social media earlier today.
Lana Del Rey has sparked fierce debate with a statement uploaded to Instagram today.
“Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f**king, cheating, etc – can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money – or whatever i want – without being crucified or saying that I’m glamorising abuse???????” she wrote on Instagram.
“I’m fed up with female writers and alt singers saying that I glamorise abuse when in reality I’m just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent abusive relationships all over the world.
“With all of the topics women are finally allowed to explore I just want to say over the last ten years I think it’s pathetic that my minor lyrical exploration detailing my sometimes submissive or passive roles in my relationships has often made people say I’ve set women back hundreds of years.
“Let this be clear, I’m not not a feminist – but there has to be a place in feminism for women who look and act like me – the kind of woman who says no but mean hear yet – the kind of women who are slated mercilessly for being their authentic, delicate selves, the kind of women who get their own stories and voices taken away from them by stronger women or by men who hate women.
“I’ve been honest and optimistic about the challenging relationships I’ve had. News flash! That’s just how it is for many women. And that was sadly my experience up until the point that those records were made. So I just want to say it’s been a long 10 years of bullshit reviews up until recently and I’ve learned a lot from them, but also I feel it really paved the way for other women to stop ‘putting on a happy face’ and to just be able to say whatever the hell they wanted in their music – unlike my experience where if I even expressed a note of sadness in my first two records I was deemed literally hysterical as though it was literally the 1920s.”
She finished the statement by concluding that she has two new books of poetry on the way, as well as confirming that the follow-up to ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’ will be landing on 5th September.
