Alabama City Councilman Under Fire After Hurling N-Word During Council Meeting
There are growing calls for a city councilman in Alabama to resign after he stood up in the middle of a meeting, and loudly asked, "Do we have a house n***er in here?"
John "Tommy" Bryant blurted out the racial slur in a Tarrant City Council meeting Monday night that was open to the public -- and he showed zero remorse afterward even as residents and city council members alike reacted with shock and disdain.
It all started when Mayor Wayman Newton, who is Black, brought up some of Bryant's wife's controversial social media posts. At one point you can hear a resident also chime in before Bryant finally stands up and, in a shockingly comfortable manner, drops the epithet.
You can hear gasps in the room after Bryant drops the n-word. Now, he claims he only repeated it because Newton allegedly used the word during a previous meeting.
Bryant doubled down and defended his actions ... telling CBS42 it's "ok for me to repeat it because as I said before, I wanted everybody to know what the mayor had said. He said it in a derogatory manner. I said it so that people would know what the mayor said."
Several of Bryant's colleagues have called for his resignation, but he's defiant ... saying maybe next time he'll run for mayor.
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AOC on Bezos' Space Trip Of Course He Loves the Free Ride!!! Par for the Amazon Course
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is tearing Jeff Bezos a new one after he thanked Amazon employees and customers for footing the bill for his trip to space.
We got the Congresswoman Tuesday on Capitol Hill, and asked what she made of the richest man in the world giving major props to workers and online consumers for literally paying for his roughly 10-minute rocket voyage this morning.
ICYMI ... it was an awkward moment, and one Jeff didn't seem to realize came off as tone-deaf. There wasn't much context to his comment, but AOC thinks she has a good idea of what he meant -- as she says that's right up Amazon's alley (AKA, free rides on the backs of others).
You gotta watch her go off here ... it's beyond scathing, this is downright brutal -- calling Bezos out for allegedly overworking employees, busting unions and, of course, avoiding paying taxes via loopholes in the law.
We asked her if there was a silver lining in the fact that Bezos made a $100 million donation to Van Jones and organizations/causes he sees fit -- but it sounds like she thinks it's mostly an empty gesture.
If it's a choice between the $100M gift and Amazon paying up to benefit the rest of us ... the decision is easy in the Representative's mind.
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Ex-Neverland Ranch Owner Trump Ally Thomas Barrack Busted ... Charged w/ Acting as Agent of UAE
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One of Donald Trump's allies -- who also happened to scoop up Neverland Ranch after Michael Jackson lost it -- is facing federal charges for acting as an agent of a foreign government.
Thomas Barrack was busted Tuesday in L.A. after the feds accused him of acting and conspiring to act as an agent of the United Arab Emirates between April 2016 and April 2018. The 7-count indictment also charges Barrack with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 2019 interview with the FBI.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of NY Jacquelyn Kasulis says Barrack, who chaired Trump's 2017 inaugural committee, "abused his access to government officials to illegally advance the interests of foreign governments."
There are 2 other defendants whom the feds claim capitalized on Barrack’s friendships and access to Trump and other high-ranking officials to advance their goals without disclosing their true allegiances.
According to court docs, Barrack informally advised senior U.S. government officials on issues related to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East as early as January 2017. Prosecutors also say Barrack sought appointment to a senior role in the U.S. government, including the role of Special Envoy to the Middle East.
Barrack, who founded Colony Capital, is the former owner of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. He purchased it for $22.5 million a year before MJ's death. Barrack ultimately sold the property in December 2020 for $20 million to the billionaire Ron Burkle.
We got Barrack out with Rob Lowe in L.A. back in 2010 just before the two became investors in Miramax ... they didn't talk about it much, but certainly appreciated the words of encouragement from our camera.
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Lee Merritt Cops Support Me in Texas AG Race ... And McConaughey Should Run!!!
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Attorney Lee Merritt believes his battle to become attorney general of Texas is not as uphill as people think ... because he's confident he can work with law enforcement to give his campaign the boost needed to win.
The renowned civil rights lawyer -- who's represented the families of Botham Jean, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd among many others -- joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss his chances in the AG race ... and give his take on Matthew McConaughey running for Texas governor.
Merritt acknowledges he's facing a major challenge as a Democrat running in a traditionally red state, but insists police are on his side ... especially good cops who are already working to improve the system.
Sounds like he thinks his campaign's focus on new ideas -- involving voter rights, fixing the state's power grid and ending mass incarceration -- can energize enough new voters to lead him to victory.
Speaking of energy ... Merritt says McConaughey can be the gubernatorial candidate who brings a lot of it to the state elections, and he's hopeful the actor will throw his hat in the ring soon.
The big mystery, of course, is if the actor does launch a campaign on the heels of his uniting message to Americans ... will he run as a Dem, Republican or Independent???
Cleary, Attorney Merritt has a preference ... whatever leads to a "blue wave."
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Tom Brady Cracks Election Joke At W.H. Party ... '40% Still Don't Think We Won'
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9:17 AM PT -- Tom Brady brought jokes to the White House ... crackin' a funny about the election results that was so hilarious -- even Joe Biden had to laugh!!!
Brady, speaking about the Bucs' improbable run from 7-5 to Super Bowl champs, said at the podium Tuesday, "Not a lot of people think that we could’ve won."
"In fact," he continued, "I think about 40% of the people still don’t think we won. You understand that, Mr. President??"
Biden -- who famously had to deal with Donald Trump and his supporters questioning the 2020 election results -- giggled and responded, "I understand that!"
Brady's wisecracks weren't limited to just that one, though ... the NFL superstar even had a "Sleepy Tom" reference built into his speech that also had Joe rollin'!!
Biden, meanwhile, praised Brady during his address to the crowd at the White House ... saying he wouldn't be surprised if the quarterback played 20 more years in the league.
The ceremony concluded with Brady and the Bucs presenting Biden with a personalized jersey ... which the President happily accepted.
The G.O.A.T. is finally back at POTUS' pad ... Tom Brady has officially made the trip to the White House for the Buccaneers' Super Bowl party!!
Of course, this is an extremely rare sight ... 'cause the QB barely ever goes to these events -- you'll recall, the last time he attended a D.C. Super Bowl celly was way back in 2005!!
Brady skipped out on a trip to Barack Obama's White House in 2015, and he also ditched a visit to Donald Trump's White House in 2017.
When Brady's Patriots won it all again in 2018 ... the team as a whole never went -- meaning Brady has only capped off 3 of his previous 6 championships with 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. visit.
Unclear what made Brady want to go this time around -- particularly 'cause it's Gisele's birthday Tuesday -- but he's there nonetheless, and looking dapper as hell!!
Champs, where champs belong! pic.twitter.com/udO8FJCXad
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) July 20, 2021 @ScottSBucs
Tom wore a dark suit with a tie and sunglasses for the occasion ... and he was front and center for a team pic with the Lombardi Trophy out on the South Lawn before the ceremony began.
His teammate, Donovan Smith, even got in a little joking with Tom about the event ... asking the QB, "You got residency here?"
Tom's response? "It's been a long time since I've been here. A long time."
The Bucs' trip marks the first time a Super Bowl winner has gone to the White House for a celebration since 2017 ... and we're sure there's going to be a lot of laughs at the event.
The official ceremony gets underway in just a few minutes ... stay tuned!!
Originally Published -- 7:33 AM PT
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VP Kamala Harris Makes 'Routine' Walter Reed Visit ... COVID Concerns Swirl
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VP Kamala Harris just went to the hospital for what the White House calls a standard visit -- but some worry it may be COVID related, based on who she's been around in recent days.
News broke Sunday that the Veep had made what seemed to be an unannounced trip to Walter Reed in D.C. -- something a WH official confirmed, but downplayed as nothing more than a "routine doctor's appointment." Apparently, it had already been scheduled.
Ya might find it odd a check-up would go down on a Sunday ... but for the leaders of our nation, we're guessing they can get appointments whenever they want (or need). Even recent history has shown ... it's not unheard of for a Prez to see a doc on the weekend.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Like we said, the WH says this is unrelated to 'rona, or Harris' meet-up with Texas lawmakers this past week ... a few of whom have tested positive for the virus since then. Still, the timing has raised eyebrows -- but for now, the message is ... it's much ado about nothing.
Of course, it's understandable why folks might connect those dots. Like we said, the Vice President had some facetime Tuesday with upwards of 60 TX Dems who fled their state to avoid having to vote, in vain, on new voting laws that were sure to pass regardless.
Kamala gave them props during the meeting, saying they were doing the right thing ... even though they put their necks on the line. Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed the politicians who abandoned their duty would be arrested and charged as soon as they got back into town.
BTW, here's another reason why Kamala's Walter Reed drop-in is raising suspicion -- her rep said she wouldn't be getting tested despite being in the same room with 3 of the Texans who were positive ... apparently, because they weren't in close proximity to her for the meeting, and because she's fully vaccinated. The rep says due to the sequence of events, it was determined she wasn't at risk of exposure ... so testing/quarantining wasn't needed.
The three Texas state representatives who tested positive are also said to have been fully vaxxed, and yet ... they caught the 'rona anyway. Only Rep. Celia Israel has come out to reveal she was one of the 3 ... the other two have remained anonymous thus far.
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Bill Burr CNN really can't stop talking Trump Nothin' But a Ratings Game
Bill Burr tore into CNN for what he claims to be a fear-driven agenda that seeks to keep viewers restless and divided ... and one which needs Trump to keep ratings high.
The comedian absolutely obliterated the 24/7 cable news station in his latest installment on his "Monday Morning Podcast," the newest episode of which he just dropped a couple of days ago. He starts out talking about his day-to-day life/observations ... and then dives into the news.
Check it out ... Bill says his mother-in-law will come over to help watch his kids, and flip on CNN habitually -- which he says pisses him off, because he considers them "f****** morons" who do nothing but talk Trump, day in and day out ... even after he's left office.
The reason for that, he muses, is because President Biden is a "bore" -- that ... and he wears a "blue tie."
We'll let Bill do the talking here -- but his rant is worth a listen. In his eyes, he considers CNN just as bad as FOX News and MSNBC ... and any other cable news outlet, as he seems to think they're two sides of the same coin -- pounding one POV into viewers' heads.
He also gets into the dreary approach to news coverage in general -- constantly harping on negative stories like fires, racial tension and the pandemic. Bill says if he ran a news show, he'd go with the 1-step forward, 2-steps back approach ... giving a positive story every now and then instead of making people want to put a "gun in their mouth," as he puts it.
Cynical outlook, no doubt -- but it's also one that isn't lost on anyone who's aware that ... cable news is a business, just like any other business. Always good to remember that. 🤷🏽♂️
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Reps. Greene & Gaetz OC Venues Boot 'Em After Outcry ... SoCal Rally Now Outside
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Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz thought they could come to a "conservative" area of Southern California to hold a rally without a problem ... but boy, were they wrong.
The congressmembers were slated to appear for an "America First" fundraising rally this weekend in Orange County -- just the latest stop in a series of similar events they've been hosting since the spring -- initially booking something at a venue in Laguna Hills.
JUST IN: The “America First” rally with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz that was scheduled for 6 pm Saturday at the Riverside Convention Center will not take place pic.twitter.com/c6CYfx6pdC
— Ema Sasic (@ema_sasic) July 17, 2021 @ema_sasic
Once word of their event started to make the rounds online ... tons of people vowed to try and get them canceled by blowing up the venue with calls, and even protesting in person if it came to it. Before that could even occur, though, the place gave Gaetz and MTG the boot ... canceling their rally amid public outcry, both in and around the SoCal beachside city.
After that, they were on to Plan B ... changing venues to the Riverside Convention Center. However, that too became public -- and the exact same thing happened again, including Riverside honchos telling them to scram. Their final attempt would be ... Anaheim.
The @City_of_Anaheim does not believe freedom represents their values, but America Last communists cancel culture does.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) July 17, 2021 @mtgreenee
Me and @mattgaetz are still having a rally to show all Americans how to stand up against tyrants and bullies using our great First Amendment! https://t.co/bMOTRUueqO
They secured space at the Anaheim Event Center -- but after city officials publicly disavowed their appearance (plus the fact this venue had decided to host them) the Event Center people finally pulled the plug in the 11th hour. Seems like some power lobbying was at play.
Now, it appears they'll be hosting their rally -- which is being called a protest at this point -- back in Riverside ... but they'll be doing it in the streets outside of City Hall.
Peaceful Protest Against Communism
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) July 17, 2021 @mattgaetz
Riverside City Hall, California
TODAY 5pm PST
Calling all California PATRIOTS!#AmericaFirst pic.twitter.com/jHNHRyTWtH
If anything, that'll probably end up being even more contentious than whatever they planned to hold indoors ... we're sure counter-protesters will show up (as they always do) and confront the far right-wing politicians and their supporters face-to-face ... which could get ugly. We'll be monitoring the scene as it plays out -- but something tells us cops aren't looking forward to the storm that's coming. Ditto for local residents, who might wanna steer clear.
Like said, this was reportedly supposed to be to raise money at first ... but at the moment, it looks like Gaetz/Greene are just gonna be out there railing against "communism," "cancel culture," "the far left" and "the stolen 2020 election" ... buzzwords they've been using lately.
Radical communists have spent the last week trying to cancel our America First Rally w/ @mattgaetz.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) July 17, 2021 @mtgreenee
Violent threats from BLM/Antifa were used again today to bully another venue.
We won’t back down.
Our rally is happening tomorrow night in California. pic.twitter.com/pJ8zOI8TQD
It's pretty fascinating -- these two are definitely Trump disciples, and parrot what he says too ... but Trump-centered events have been allowed to go down in the OC without issue before.
On its face ... it would appear Orange County considers them even more controversial than perhaps DT is/was. Their own words and (alleged) actions don't do them any favors -- MTG has invoked Holocaust comparisons to COVID regulations, and Gaetz is under investigation for sex trafficking and inappropriate relations with a minor ... allegations he's denied.
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Nick Kroll Matt Gaetz is Last Person Britney Needs!!! Go Focus on Your Sex Trafficking Case
Britney Spears is getting used by U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz ... at least according to actor Nick Kroll, who took Gaetz to task for showing up at a #FreeBritney rally.
Nick was guest hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Friday night, and in his monologue he went off on Rep. Gaetz ... or as he put it last night, "Florida congressman and human piece of s**t."
Like many others, Nick seemed flabbergasted as to why Gaetz was outside the L.A. courthouse Wednesday during Britney's latest conservatorship hearing -- especially because Gaetz has much bigger, and personal, fish to fry at the moment.
Kroll said, "I just love that the guy who's been accused of sex trafficking a minor is suddenly an advocate for troubled children getting less supervision."
ICYMI ... Gaetz grabbed a mic during the #FreeBritney rally Wednesday and tore into conservatorships, in general, and Britney's dad, specifically. He fired up Britney's supporters by saying, "One thing that we can all agree on is that Jamie Spears is a dick."
The crowd ate it up, but Kroll's point is, considering Gaetz's current legal situation ... he's an odd cheerleader for Britney. The congressman is currently under federal investigation for allegedly paying or gifting underage girls for sexual encounters, and taking them across state lines.
While it's fair to question the Florida congressman's motives for flying to L.A. to get some face time -- the reality is he's been on the #FreeBritney bandwagon for months now. We got him back in March on Capitol Hill, and he went on a rant about wanting Britney to testify for Congress about conservatorship abuse.
Point is ... we shoulda seen Rep. Gaetz's dog and pony show outside the court coming long before he touched down in Los Angeles.
We reached out to Gaetz's attorney, Marc Mukasey, to see if he had any response to Kroll's monologue. He declined to comment.
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Caitlyn Jenner I'm Still Running for Governor!!! 'Big Brother' Was Prior Commitment
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11:14 AM PT -- Sources close to production tell us ... Caitlyn will be in Australia for a total of 3 weeks -- 2 weeks quarantining per the country's COVID rules, and one week filming the show.
Caitlyn Jenner is between a rock and a hard place, but she's trying to make the most of it -- appearing on Australia's 'Big Brother' while still trying to become Governor of California.
Sources close to Caitlyn tell TMZ ... her trip Down Under to participate in "Big Brother VIP" will in no way stop her current campaign. Critics are ripping her decision to shoot the series, claiming it shows she's not focused.
We're told she made the commitment to do 'BB' before deciding to run for governor ... so she's simply honoring her contract.
Meanwhile, some Aussie's are also not happy with Caitlyn flying to Sydney to take part in the reality show ... while the country's current COVID flight restrictions limit locals from traveling.
Many have expressed their outrage, feeling Caitlyn got special treatment to fly to the country while Aussies desperate to fly to visit loved ones aren't able to do so.
Jenner has reportedly begun her mandatory 14-day quarantine before filming begins for "Big Brother VIP." We've reached out to see how long she anticipates filming, and when she plans to return to the U.S. ... no word back yet.
Originally Published -- 9:38 AM PT
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Michael Bender Trump Threatened Over Hitler Quote ... Tried To Influence Book
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Former President Donald Trump threatened to sue over the new book detailing his alleged praise for Adolf Hitler ... according to the author, Michael Bender, who says he was summoned to Mar-a-Lago for a one-on-one.
Bender joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss, "Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost" -- and he told us how Trump tried at first to gently spin the content of his book ... before taking a more hardcore approach.
The WSJ reporter says Trump twice invited him to Mar-a-Lago after leaving office ... and while the ex-Prez was gracious with his time, Michael says there was also threatening language involved.
As we reported ... Bender's book claims Trump was visiting Europe in 2018, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, when at some point during the trip Trump turned to his then-Chief of Staff, Gen. John F. Kelly and allegedly said, "Well, Hitler did a lot of good things." Kelly allegedly pushed back.
Bender claims Trump's response to the alleged Hitler conversation was to call it defamatory during their face-to-face meeting ... which he took as signaling a potential lawsuit if it ended up in the book.
Of course, he did include it ... and told us why he was supremely confident, despite the threat.
Michael also shares his read on Trump potentially running for president again in 2024 ... he says his book makes it clear what Trump is like as a president and candidate, and he thinks the GOP has a tough choice coming up.
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Sacha Baron Cohen Roy Moore's Lawsuit Over 'Who is America' Stunt Tossed Outta Court
Roy Moore just got his ass laughed out of court in his lawsuit against Sacha Baron Cohen ... with the judge essentially telling him he agreed to participate and telling his wife she couldn't win her case because the show segment was so clearly a joke.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the federal judge in the Southern District of New York said Sacha's stunt for his Showtime special "Who is America" was clearly satire, and that no reasonable person would interpret the stunt as asserting fact.
In docs, the judge said the former U.S. Senate candidate gave up his right to sue when he signed a waiver prior to the interview. Even though his wife didn't sign the waiver, the court basically said the stunt was akin to a political cartoon or caricature ... which is protected speech under the First Amendment.
As we reported ... Moore sued Sacha back in September 2018 claiming the comedian portrayed him as a pedophile on national TV. Moore, who insisted he's not a sex offender, said Sacha's prank amounted to defamation and wanted at least $95M in damages.
For the uninitiated ... Sacha disguised himself as an ex-Israeli intelligence officer and waved a wand that could supposedly detect enzymes secreted by pedophiles. The wand went off like crazy when he scanned Roy.
The stunt came on the heels of Moore's failed bid to the U.S. Senate following multiple allegations he flirted with minors decades ago. Those accusations came to light as he ran for Alabama's vacant U.S. Senate seat in 2017. He denied the allegations.
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Donald Trump Arriving At McGregor Fight ... Cheered By UFC Crowd!!
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Here's the Donald Trump entrance you did NOT see on TV ... with the former POTUS arriving at the arena for Conor McGregor's UFC 264 fight -- and getting a huge ovation from the packed crowd.
TMZ Sports obtained video of DT arriving at T-Mobile Arena midway through the main card ... and being greeted by his longtime friend, UFC prez Dana White.
As Trump and White begin walking towards the arena floor, Donald sees Jorge Masvidal ... and the 2 men exchanged a bro hug.
Remember, Masvidal campaigned for Trump during the 2020 election cycle ... and they clearly have a pretty tight friendship.
When Trump finally emerged from the tunnel and was spotted by the 20K+ crowd -- there were some jeers -- but the response sounds overwhelmingly positive.
Last week, Dana told us that Trump would NOT be sitting in a luxury box ... he'd be right behind the UFC honcho, Octagon side.
However, the ESPN cameras didn't show Trump ... even though they showed a bunch of other A-list celebs (Kourtney Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Dave Chappelle and more) who were in the house.
Of course, internet conspiracy theorists have been having a field day ... speculating why Trump wasn't shown during the broadcast.
Bottom line ... #45 was there, and seemed to get a whole lotta love from the UFC crowd.
𝑾𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 🇮🇪
— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2021 @ufc
[ @TheNotoriousMMA | #UFC264 ] pic.twitter.com/oL7uf9GWWj
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Matt Damon on 'Stillwater' Research for Role Was 'Eye-Opening' On MAGA, Work/Life Culture
Matt Damon says the research for his role in "Stillwater" -- in which he plays an oil-rig worker -- was a major wake-up call on red-state culture ... something that could well earn him an Academy Award.
The actor recently dished on what went into learning about his character for the Oscar bait-y flick -- which got rave reviews and even a standing O at the Cannes Film Festival the other day -- and he says what he gleaned from the roughnecks of Oklahoma was "eye-opening."
“They’re in the oil business, of course he voted for Trump,” Matt Damon says of his #Stillwater character, citing time spent in Oklahoma as critical to the role. "These guys who took us out to the oil rigs...were wonderful to us, they really helped us. It was eye opening for me." pic.twitter.com/Or6mZrW10Q
— Variety (@Variety) July 9, 2021 @Variety
Watch how Matt characterized the experience during a panel Q&A following the screening of his upcoming movie in France. He explains how he and director Tom McCarthy spent a good amount of time down in the South ... where they got the lay of the land, literally, from guys who do the job day in and day out -- getting a sense of their lifestyles, their POVs on life/family and, of course, their politics as well ... which Matt didn't discuss with disdain.
If anything ... he's got the opposite sentiment, saying the people he was around -- not to mention his character, Bill -- own who and what they are ... even on the issue of MAGA.
Matt Damon is brought to tears at the #Cannes2021 standing ovation for ‘Stillwater.’ pic.twitter.com/phpK2mOJT1
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) July 8, 2021 @RaminSetoodeh
It's a pretty fascinating take on what many may perhaps write off without a second thought -- the minute you bring up Trump and his supporters ... a lot of folks will tune it all out.
Not Matt, though ... the way he talks about his encounters down there makes it seem like there's some good people around -- regardless of their politics -- and that they're more nuanced than how they're made out to be a lot of the time. To which we say ... obviously.
BTW, this film isn't necessarily a slice-of-Oklahoma-life type of a project -- where Matt immerses himself in method acting or anything. It's actually an action thriller -- a la, "Taken" -- with the oil-rig/middle America stuff as the backdrop. Still ... word is, Matt's turn here is getting tons of buzz, as they're saying he's "unrecognizable" on screen.
Looks like it'll be a good one -- and with the Republican factor thrown in, we're sure it'll be the subject of some chatter once it hits theaters. "Stillwater" is set to come out later this month.
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Charlottesville Robert E. Lee Statue Coming Down 4 Yrs After Infamous Clash
The Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville is finally coming down ... nearly 4 years after it played a central role in sparking the violent rally where Heather Heyer was killed.
Crews started working early Saturday morning to remove the monument to the Confederate general from a city park.
The monumental event drew a crowd of spectators who cheered when the statue was finally lifted off its pedestal. The crews are expected to remove another nearby statue too -- that one of another Confederate general ... Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
And there it goes: Charlottesville VA's Robert E. Lee statue has been removed. pic.twitter.com/qI4xhnIqJ3
— The Recount (@therecount) July 10, 2021 @therecount
Calls for the city to take down the tributes to the failed Confederacy were what ignited the "Unite the Right" rally back in 2017 ... where neo-Nazis with tiki torches walked through the University of Virginia campus chanting about white supremacy.
That drew counter protesters and sparked the violent clash where James Fields eventually plowed through a crowd with his car, killing Heyer. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for her murder and hate crimes.
Then-President Trump infamously reacted to the deadly incident by saying there was "blame on both sides."
As the Lee statue was coming down Saturday, Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker addressed the crowd and reporters, saying ... "Taking down this statue is one small step closer to the goal of helping Charlottesville, Virginia, and America, grapple with the sin of being willing to destroy Black people for economic gain."
It's unclear where the statues will go now. By law, the city had to accept bids from people or institutions interested in taking them. Charlottesville reportedly 10 offers and the city council will make the final call.
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Michigan Carnival Out-of-Control Ride Tipping Over ... Fairgoers to the Rescue!!!
Some Michigan fairgoers jumped into action as a packed carnival ride was seconds from tipping over -- and it's pretty clear these folks earned themselves free cotton candy and churros ... for life.
Video of the terrifying incident shows the Magic Carpet Ride in full swing Thursday night at the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City. As nearly a dozen passengers yell for help, you can see the base of the ride start rocking wildly.
Nearby patrons were looking, wondering what to do ... until one of them ran over and jumped on the base. Several more people quickly followed suit, leaning in and weighing it down.
Bystanders at the Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan rushed over to stop a carnival ride from tipping over https://t.co/OeE4sASyF6 pic.twitter.com/ulLbxgQNRB
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 10, 2021 @Phil_Lewis_
When the ride finally slowed to a stop, the crowd cheered and everyone got off safely. According to local reports, no one was injured and the ride was taken apart and scrapped by Friday morning.
The company responsible for the ride hasn't commented yet on what went wrong. Ditto for the festival organizers.
The Cherry Festival, now in its 95th year, got a visit from President Biden over the 4th of July weekend. Doesn't appear he got on the doomed Magic Carpet Ride. Ice cream cones are way safer ... and delicious.