Social criticism

Katy Perry calls social media the 'decline of human civilization'

Despite having 109.5 million Twitter followers — making her one of the most-followed people on the planet — Katy Perry is roaring about how much she dislikes social media.

Late on April 14, the "American Idol" judge tweeted, "Social media is trash." Just two minutes later, she followed up by adding that social media is "the decline of human civilization." Katy unapologetically included the hashtag "I said what I said."

The "Firework" singer's tone is interestedly, as she, like many celebrities, often uses social media to promote her projects. 

Fans had mixed and vocal reactions to Katy's thoughts. Some of her followers adamantly agreed, but just as many others disagreed and advocated for the positive things that come from digital communication. As this all played out in her Twitter comments, Katy wrote, "anyway. Ily (I love you)."

What prompted Katy's late night social media hate isn't known, but this isn't the first time she's been critical of the forum.

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In 2018, she told Refinery29 that social media incentivizes users to live a somewhat fraudulent life for "likes."

"A lot of us are living for that picture, and then the currency is the like," she said. "It's hard because I'd rather not care about that and just live my life. We buy clothing and products or pose a certain way or go to an event to get a picture—it's not good for us as a society. I think it's actually the decline of civilization if we're going extreme about it. We have to find a balance, and I'm trying to find my own personal balance with it because I'm just as much a victim as everybody else."

The social dilemma continues…

Court docs

Imprisoned reality star calls 'scorned gay lover' a 'liar' in appeal

During the heart of Todd Chrisley's fraud trial last year, a former male business partner claimed under oath to have had a secret affair with the reality TV star. Now, Todd and his wife, Julie Chrisley, are calling the man, Mark Braddock, a "liar."

In Todd and Julie Chrisley's 124-page appeal, they said Mark fabricated "everything" to cover up crimes. However, the Daily Mail said the paperwork makes not mention of the alleged relationship Todd and Mark had in 2005.

"Braddock lied about everything [so] it was not necessary," the Chrisley lawyer told the U.K.-based newspaper. 

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In the summer of 2022, the "Chrisley Knows Best" parents were found guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion. A few months later, Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison while his wife was sentenced to seven years in prison for the same crimes; both also got another 16 months of probation and were ordered to pay over $17 million in restitution.

in the appeal, the Chrisley claim their fourth amendment rights were violated, and insist that there was "insufficient evidence of the bank fraud counts" and "procedural errors." They also claim the prosecution "relied exclusively on the testimony of Mark Braddock" which they say left a lot to be desired. 

"Braddock's testimony about Julie was sparse. He testified only that he had discussed with her whether certain documents looked real or not and the need to keep projecting a positive financial picture so Todd could keep getting loans," the Chrisleys allege. 

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Mark and Todd had a falling out a decade ago, which is when Mark, who the media has dubbed a "scorned gay lover," blew the whistle on the reality TV duo. But, prior to that, Mark and Todd were allegedly engaged in a consensual affair. While in court, Mark even claimed someone knew about the relationship, noting that he and Todd payed a blackmailer $38,000 to stay quiet.

Todd later addressed the claims on his Chrisley Confessions podcast. 

"What's insulted me the most is that, out of all these 54 years, for me to finally be accused of being with a man, it would be someone who looked like Mark Braddock," Todd said. "That is the one thing that is the most insulting. To say that I couldn't pull something better than that… there's better to be had by Todd Chrisley than that,."

Todd called Mark a "toad" and "someone that looks like a thumb."

Props to you

'Pee-wee Herman' actor files lawsuit against collector in possession of famous show props

Paul Reubens is suing a man who he claims stole a collection of props from "Pee-wee's Playhouse."

The man, however, claims Paul doesn't own the items, which include, among other things, the Dog Chair, the Floory puppets, Mr. Window and several cue cards — all items that fans of the show would easily recognize. 

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The actor, who famously played Pee-wee Herman in movies and on TV for decades, claims he loaned items from "Pee-wee's Playhouse" to James Comisar and his memorabilia company, The Comisar Collection. The idea, Paul says in the lawsuit, was to display the items at the "Museum of Television." In addition, Paul alleged that he and James agreed the "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" star would get the items back upon request. 

Paul soon discovered there was no museum and alleged that James has been keeping the items for his private collection, TMZ reported. Then, after Paul demanded the items be returned, he maintains that James gave him the cold shoulder and said the iconic props were "gifted" to him. James even sold some items at auction and kept the money, Paul alleged in the lawsuit. 

The actor is asking the court to force a return of the Pee-wee property. If the already-purchased items cannot be retrieved, he's willing to take $1 million, he says.

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Following the lawsuit, James issued a statement and countered Paul's allegations. 

"I am sad to learn that Mr. Reubens has resorted to the threat of a lawsuit to improperly seek the return of items that he simply does not own. In addition to those items personally given to me by Mr. Reubens in lieu of sending them to the landfill, without conditions or promises, Mr. Reubens seeks the return of material that was the property of film studios, production companies, and individual creators — none of which he is entitled to."

He continued, "Over the ensuing three decades, I have cared for, conserved, and preserved these items at my considerable expense — and with Mr. Reubens' complete and continual knowledge of their whereabouts. Beyond his baseless accusations, Mr. Reubens has simply not shown that any of these items are his property."

Paul is asking for an injunction to stop the sale of whatever props from the show are left. 

Music future in flux?

Grammy winner is contemplating quitting music after 'crazy,' hateful tweets

Lizzo is strongly considering putting music and touring in her rearview mirror after incessant online fat-shaming. 

The Grammy winner was livid after reading a social media comment from one follower this week. "How is Lizzo still THIS fat when she's constantly moving this much on stage?! I wonder what she must be eating," the cruel message said.

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In responding to the message, the "Truth Hurts" singer wrote, "JUST logged on and the app and this is the type of s*** I see about me on a daily basis It's really starting to make me hate the world." 

She added, "Then someone in the comments said I eat 'lots of fast food' I LITERALLY STOPPED EATING FAST FOOD YEARS AGO… I'm tired of explaining myself all the time and I just wanna get on this app w/out seeing my name in some bull****." Not mincing words, Lizzo admitted to getting "heated" while saying her critics know "nothing" about her.

Lizzo continued to defend her body, claiming she eats clean and works out. She also stressed that she's trying to live healthy and not "BE smaller." The "Juice" songstress then spoke of her "hatred" toward Twitter.

"The Love definitely do not outweigh the Hate on social media… all because I'm fat???? This is CRAZY," she said. "Y'all don't know how close I be to giving up on everyone and quitting and enjoying my money and my man on a F****** FARM…"

"I hate it here," she said of Twitter.

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A "heated" Lizzo proclaimed that she "never" searches for her name, but her timeline is still littered with people commenting on her physical appearance. 

"I swear I just wanna look at dance videos and science news and this s*** comes in every day…," she said. 

Lizzo also took her feelings to Instagram while attaching a video from a recent concert where she hits at trolls. 

"I WILL NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT YALL MAKE IT FOR FAT PEOPLE TO SIMPLY EXIST. MINDING YOUR BUSINESS IS *FREE*," she wrote alongside the video. "IF THE INTERNET WAS LIMITED AND ONE COMMENT TOOK 24HRS TO POST I WONDER WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD BE LIKE."

In the concert video, Lizzo held up a sign that was given to her by a fan. It read: "I'm sorry people on Twitter suck. You are beautiful and special."

Brutal murder

Missing soap opera star's body found in trunk encased in cement in Brazil

The body of Jefferson Machado, a South American soap star who has been missing for four months, was found encased in cement, stuffed in a trunk and buried in the ground, according to a media reports. 

Brazilian authorities confirmed that the Jeff's remains were found deeply buried in the backyard of a home in Campo Grande, Brazil. Via Facebook, the actor's family also confirmed the news. 

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Jeff, who starred in the Brazilian religious telenovela "Reis," was first reported missing in late January after his eight dogs were found alone and abandoned, something friends said Jeff would have never intentionally done. Prior to the grisly discovery, Jeff had not been seen or heard from since Jan. 27, 2023. 

After the remains were found, an attorney for Jeff's family released a statement indicating that the actor was strangled. The death, the lawyer admitted, was "brutal."

"It is with regret that I share the sad news of the passing of actor Jeff Machado, whose body was found with strangulation signs. This discovery confronts us with the cruelty present in our society, motivating us to seek truth and justice in the face of such impactful cases," the statement from Jairo Magalhães Pereira said. "Preliminary information indicates that the actor's body was found in a trunk, buried in a hole of considerable depth. This situation deeply saddens us and indignant in the face of the suffering faced by Jeff."

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The home where Jeff's body was found belonged to his friend. That unidentified friend is now a person of interest in the crime. 

"My commitment as a lawyer is to seek tirelessly for truth and justice. It is my responsibility to ensure that everyone involved in this brutal crime is held accountable and punished, and that Jeff's family finds the support they need to get through this very painful time," the attorney's statement said. 

In speaking to Record TV Rio in Rio De Janeiro, Jairo divulged that Jeff's neck had a "line" in it and he was identified using fingerprints. 

"He had his arms tied behind his head and buried in a trunk that is very similar to the ones in his own house," he said.

Horrifying truth

Horror movie icon reveals future of his Freddy Krueger character

Robert Englund is just not ready for prime time again. 

The actor will forever be tied to the Freddy Krueger character he played in eight "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, but he doesn't foresee himself scaring the world again. 

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"I'm too old and thick to play Freddy now," he told Variety to promote the "Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story" documentary. "I just can't do fight scenes for more than one take anymore, I've got a bad neck and bad back and arthritis in my right wrist. So I have to hang it up."

Robert, however, would "love" a cameo should Freddy get remade. And, he has an idea about how to resurrect the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films in modern times.

"You'd have to deal with technology and culture," he says. "For instance, if one of the girls was an influencer, it would be interesting for Freddy to somehow haunt her subconscious and manifest himself, perhaps exploit everybody that followed her."

While the Freddy Krueger character is known (and feared,) Robert isn't letting his famed character's notoriety go to his head.

"I know who icons are," he said. "I'm not an icon. Maybe Freddy Krueger is, but I'm not. I'm just a character actor, a utility actor who's been very lucky."

New Line Cinema

Back when Robert played the terrifying child killer from 1984 to 2003, the horror genre wasn't as respected as it is today.

"I felt there was a cultural shift that people recognized," he says. "Horror is the punk rock of cinema in its own way. There was a recognition of pulp as a great ingredient in our cultural world. There's room for pulp and melodrama, and the door opened wider for horror."

Idol out?

'Nasty' American Idol judge ready to call it quits after season of backlash: Report

Katy Perry is reportedly on the verge of quitting "American Idol" amid fierce fan backlash.

The most recent season of the ABC show was particularly trying for Katy, as she was sometimes booed for criticizing performances. The "Firework" singer was also dragged for mom-shaming another contestant who eventually quit the show.

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As this went on, Katy felt like the wasn't getting proper backing from the higher-ups.

"Katy feels like [the producers] threw her under the bus. She feels like her comments could have been removed," a source told DailMail.com. "Katy became aware of the harsh criticism. Getting booed really upset her. She was trying to stay in her lane, do her job and go home."

The source continued, "She went into ["Idol"] thinking she was going to foster young talent. For her good intentions to be misinterpreted it was not what she wanted. She has accomplished so much in her career and is now being looked at as a nasty reality show judge. Katy's wanted out for some time now, but this season was way too much for her to handle."

Should Katy choose to leave the competition show, she will be walking away from a reported $25 million-a-season contract. For the hitmaker, it's worth it. 

"[Katy's decision to quit] is not a money thing," the insider said. "For her, it is starting to be more of a legacy issue. She does not want her career defined by a talent competition show where she isn't even performing."

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The pop star has dealt with controversy every season, but her comments about contestant Sara Beth Liebe went viral. While finding out that 25-year-old has three children, Katy said, "Honey, you been laying on the table too much."

After the episode aired, Sara posted a video on social media to air her thoughts. "At the start of my audition before I sang, I mentioned that I had three children and was a young mother and Katy Perry made a joke that wasn't super kind," she said. "I don't have too much to say on my feelings about it because it's probably pretty self explanatory. But, I did want to take this opportunity to say that I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool and I think that mom shaming is super lame."

Although Sara was advanced to the next round following that very audition, she soon left the completion to be home with her children. Fans blamed Katy for Sara's exit. 

Feds involved

The FBI is now getting involved in reality TV scandal

The FBI, the country's top law enforcement department, has been contacted in the wake of the "Vanderpump Rules" cheating scandal after death threats were made to Raquel Leviss. 

Ever since the former beauty queen and Tom Sandoval's affair came too light, Raquel and her family have been on the receiving end of "violent and graphic" threats online and over the phone, TMZ said, citing her rep.

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Although Raquel understands that people are upset about the Scandoval, as it's become known, she rightly feels that death threats are taking things too far. 

The FBI has been coy about its involvement in the case.

"FBI neither confirms nor denies investigations. Obviously, we review all allegations reported to us and encourage anyone who believes their life is in imminent danger to call 911," an agency spokesman said in a statement.

The scandal dominated headlines when it first emerged, but the pot was again stirred after the first part of the reunion show aired on May 24 on Bravo. Raquel appeared on the reunion show —which was taped in late March — but she checked into a mental health treatment facility afterward. She hasn't been seen in public since, but Ariana Madix, the woman Tom cheated on, told Andy Cohen that Raquel has been sending Tom letters from the facility.

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Despite the bad blood between Tom and Ariana, they have continued to live in their shared home in Los Angeles but they sleep in separate bedrooms and don't communicate. Earlier in the week photos appeared to show Ariana moving out and filling up a U-Haul truck, but it was later revealed that the images were staged to promote her new partnership with a financial company. 

"I'm moving up, not out. Well not yet at least. It's time to get my financial house in order. I will have more to share with you very very soon," she said.

Ariana has publicly said it's her desire to sell the house and completely cut Tom out of her life. 

Money matters

'Shark Tank' star worth $100M is 'not a believer in saving money'

"Shark Tank" star Barbara Corcoran isn't afraid of going financially underwater. 

While chatting with CNBC Make It to discuss her success, Barbara said she doesn't believe that saving money is the key to wealth. 

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"I'm just not a believer in saving money, I've never saved a dime my whole life," she said. "When I sold my business for $66 million, I immediately thought of what could I spend it on. I gave half of it away to family, friends, education funds, charities – because I really believe that if you spend money it comes back to you."

The philosophy has apparently worked, as Barbara has a reported net worth of $100 million. But, the reality TV star didn't come up with her spending theory, as she recalled her mother also having a casual attitude about money.

"Don't worry about the money. What a waste of time," she recalled her mother saying after one financially trying moment. 

She aded, "I think the carefree attitude of believing that money makes money if you are willing to share it and spend it really works – or, at least, it has certainly worked for me."

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Back in the '70s, Barbara spent $1,000 to begin a real estate company. In 2001, she sold it for $66 million. She's continued to increase her bankroll, as she's invested in over 80 businesses, many of which appeared on "Shark Tank."

Bad exit

Music star criticized for exiting stage, leaving fans 'in the dark' for 20 minutes at bomb-stricken concert venue

Sam Smith is being slammed after abruptly exiting a concert stage and leaving fans "in the dark" for 20 minutes without any kind of announcement. Only adding to the anger was that fans felt Sam was particularly insensitive about the blackout, given that that particular show took place at the Manchester Arena, which was the site of a bombing during an Ariana Grande concert six years earlier.

That incident claimed the lives of 22 people.

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Page Six said the Grammy winner left the stage after experiencing vocal problems a few songs into the setlist. However, concertgoers weren't informed why Sam abruptly left the stage, and they were simply asked to leave the arena after standing around for a while. This, of course, isn't sitting well with fans, many of whom are still scarred from the May 2017 bombing.

"Apparently lights down, no immediate explanation. How scary for fans in the AO Arena Manchester, just days after the 6th anniversary of losing 22 people. #SamSmith #Insensitive," one person tweeted.

Another fumed, "@samsmith @AOArena just not ok I had my 13 year old sat with me in the dark for 20 min before another 20 in the light on nearly to the day of the awful things that happened and you had us sat in the dark genuinely hope Sam is ok but damn handled awfully."

Added a third attendee, "It was so insensitive the way the audience found out. Especially with it being 6 years since the arena attacks! Keep them informed."

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Following the quick cancelation, Sam, who goes by the they/them pronouns, attempted to address the situation on their Instagram Story.

"I don't know what to say honestly. I fought off a virus a few weeks ago and since then we have travelled across Europe and had such incredible shows," the "Stay With Me" singer wrote. "Today in soundcheck I felt fine and was so excited to give Manchester an amazing show tonight, with a special surprise guest at the end."

"During my third song, I noticed something wrong with my voice. I prayed it was just my voice waking up for the show but into the fourth song I could feel something was really wrong," Sam continued. "I came off stage and tried everything to get my voice back in gear but it won't. I am honestly heartbroken I couldn't finish the show tonight for you all."

Citing doctors orders, Sam has canceled two upcoming shows in the United Kingdom.