Category Archives: Transhuman News

First of all, Randy Rainbow swears thats his real name. You also need to know that Rainbow is one of us. The political parodist who rose to YouTube super-duper-stardom grew up in Broward County and graduated from Plantation High School, where he appeared in productions of Grease, Guys and Dolls and Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown. He also did childrens, community and regional theater in Miami Shores and Hollywood. At the Hollywood Playhouse, he often shared the stage with Josh Gad. All that musical theater served him well with his patented blend of Broadway and politics (or any hot topic) satirized in smirky viral videos that have delighted devotees numbering in the millions. For the tour, Rainbow brings some of his song parodies from the virtual world to the live stage world, accompanied by a live band of Broadway musicians. He also tells dishy stories, does a Q&A with the audience and performs some new songs he composed with none other than Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Poppins Returns).

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Critic's picks: The 10 best theater, comedy, dance performances this fall - South Florida Sun Sentinel

Michael Jacksons star, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles, California, 12/6/2016 Hayk_Shalunts / Shutterstock

Michael Jackson has been named the king of pop for his timeless hits as a member of the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist. His lyrics have brought individuals across the world together as one. Billie Jean and Thriller are some of his best-known songs, but it is They Dont Really Care About Us that has been the topic of conversation in far-right Telegram channels.

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The far right took Jacksons song out of context by framing the lyrics around the idea of the great replacement. Appropriating a global hit performed by one of the most famous artists in modern history allows the far right to reach a wide audience, using Michael Jacksons star status to build credibility around its claims.

The far right has a fascination with the lyrics of They Dont Really Care About US because of the themes covered in the song. The lyrics in question contain anti-Semitic Jew me, sue me, everybody do me / Kick me, kike me, dont you black or white me. The conversations on Telegram involve praising Jackson for recognizing that Jews were the ones in control. Users continued to praise Jackson for using the word kike, deemed anti-Semitic for its historical context that dates back to the Jewish community entering the United States via Ellis Island.

The word kike is offensive, which pleases the far right and helps build a narrative frame around a misconstrued version of Jacksons song. The lyrics about Jews, in addition to the chorus, All I wanna say is that they dont really care about us, also feeds into the beliefs espoused by the Patriot movement.

The songs lyrics faced criticism for being politically incorrect when it was initially released, but it was not until recently that the far right noticed how it could manipulate the lyrics to reach a mass audience. Despite Jacksons revisions of the song, both versions continue to be readily available online.

Jackson produced two music videos for this powerful hit. The first video opens with the statement: This film is not degrading one race, but pictorializes the injustices to all mankind. May God grant us peace throughout the world. The video takes place in prison, with disgruntled inmates surrounding Jackson. Throughout the video, visuals of weapons, bombs and beatings are shown across the screen.

The other version of the video is more upbeat, taking place in Brazil, with bright colors and dancing, but with the same problematic lyrics. Some even claimed they saw Jackson doing a Nazi salute at one point in the video. Telegram users preferred the prison version because the visuals aligned with their us-versus-them frame.

After facing criticism, Jackson explained that he purposefully used that verbiage to highlight the injustice individuals were facing at the time by creating protest music, specifically with the intention of showing the symbolic nature of name-calling people.

After users went back and forth in the channel providing their own interpretations of the song, they attempted to develop tactics to circulate the music video and create memes of Jacksons photograph with the words great replacement or they dont really care about us. Circulating images of the king of pop in this context across the internet could lead to those unfamiliar with the terms the opportunity to seek out further information on this type of content.

The us-versus-them mentality that binds the far right together is further solidified by the us Jackson uses in the song title and chorus, a user pointed out. After the user pointed out that they were considered the us Jackson was referring to, the channel realized that he was talking about them. While the channel did not use the words great replacement outside of putting it on memes of Jackson, it was being described implicitly by users.

The channel audience agreed that the songs purpose is to inform listeners that the government doesnt care about them and that the authorities are willing to replace them through immigration to the extent that whites become the minority group. The great replacement and white genocide are two concepts of particular relevance for the far right because whites aspire to retain their majority status.

Based on the 2020 census results, there is a high likelihood of the far right panicking because the United States is becoming more diverse. The world saw this fear of the great replacement in Charlottesville, Virginia, when protesters chanted Jews will not replace us during a Unite the Right rally in 2017.

Despite evidence that Jackson suffered from vitiligo a condition where the skin loses pigmentation users claimed he purposefully bleached his skin because he disliked his dark African American complexion. While there was no evidence for the claims Telegram users were making, they began to discuss how this framing can be used as a recruitment tactic especially as these claims cannot be entirely disputed since Jackson has passed away. However, the larger a conspiracy theory becomes, the less likely that it will survive because it has crossed too many paths.

The Michael Jackson frame the Telegram channel developed is a false reality and can be easily disproved after research. It only took one person to start the conversation before other individuals chimed in by trying to make connections between everything that has been said. The entire narrative framework is built on the foundation of an us-versus-them mentality the far right has always had.

Michael Jackson was not an ant-Semite, nor did he bleach his skin. But rhetoric can easily be misconstrued to fit a narrative that aids in furthering a specific cause. Rhetoric can have an impact, examined under a microscope, especially when delivered by someone of Michael Jacksons caliber. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before the memes created by the far right that piqued interest in Jackson begin to circulate not only on other fringe platforms but also in the mainstream.

*[Fair Observer is amediapartner of theCentre for Analysis of the Radical Right.]

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observers editorial policy.

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In the post-truth era of fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles, we publish a plurality of perspectives from around the world. Anyone can publish with us, but everyone goes through a rigorous editorial process. So, you get fact-checked, well-reasoned content instead of noise.

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Appropriating the King of Pop: The Far Right Co-Opts Michael Jackson - Fair Observer

Over the past year, few things have been as controversial as Grand Army. The show, which centers itself around some pretty sensitive issues, is one that has aroused the curiosity of all those looking for a hint of controversy and all those who tune in to the news for all the latest heat. Grand Army has just been killing it when it comes to making itself infamous. Whether that is a good thing or a bad one is open to interpretation. But no matter what, it spells a lot of trouble for those who are involved with the show. I personally found the show to be quite different in its nature too, and think that while it might have brought it a lot of attention, it has also put it up for a lot of criticism. But will Grand Army Season 2 happen? That is what we need to know.

Another show that you might be interested in isThe Walking Dead: Negan And Maggie Hit It Off. The Walking Dead is one of the most popular shows of all time, and it is not an understatement. The latest episode of the Walking Dead brought us a profound conversation between Negan and Maggie. Find out all about it at the link above.

Grand Army, at its core, is a coming of age show. Adapted from Slut: The Play, which was a production of the showrunner Katie Cappiello herself, the show is based around social issues and tackles them head on. It doesnt make any reservations with the fact that it might be triggering to some or that it might not be politically incorrect. It is unabashedly itself, and takes pride in it.

The major plot point revolves around Joey, who is the victim of a rape at the hands of her former best friends Luke and George. She is fighting for her justice and trying to get the boys the punishment that they deserve. A slew of other characters get involved, and power play is paramount between them. There are hints of racism, and then there is an uprising against it. Social issues are handled with a lot of rigor, and make up the majority of the show. With the end of Grand Army Season 1, we still had to see justice being brought for Joey, and Grand Army Season 2 was sure to bring that justice to her.

You might also be interested inThe Resident Season 4: All You Need To Know. The Resident is one of the best shows surrounding the medical profession on TV right now. Season 4 of the show brought us a lot of new variables in the show, including the privatization of the hospital. Find out all that the new season brought to us fans in the article above.

Grand Army has been a polarizing show, not just in terms of the politics that it brought along with it, but also in the way that it was received. While it made the top lists for a lot of people and a lot of top review blogs, it wasnt received that well by the audiences. And that is not to say that it was not liked, but that it garnered a very limited viewership over the course of its run. It wasnt a blockbuster show by any means and didnt rake in the viewership that many other shows did. Nor was it hyped as much as any other series on Netflix. It just happened to fly under the radar and did its own little thing. Which again had an impact on the existence of Grand Army Season 2.

You might also be interested inLaw And Order Season 21: Release Date And Latest News. Following a hiatus that was more than a decade long, Law and Order is finally returning to TV. And no, it is not a reboot, but a continuation of the same old Law and Order that we love. Read the article to find out all the latest news about the show.

Unfortunately, given the amount of controversy that the show suffered, due to the allegations of racist exploitation and abuse against the show creator Katie Cappiello, it just wasnt boding well for Netflix. It was feeling the heat, and some of the writers and other crew for the show left due to Cappiellos controversial actions. In addition to that, the show didnt take off as well as Netflix would have like it to. And that led to the platform canceling the show altogether. A few months ago, Netflix announced its decision to end the era of Grand Army after its pilot season itself. Now that might be disappointing for those of us who were invested in the story, but it was bound to go this way with all that stuff.

The Magicians Season 5: Why It Ended is one of the most asked questions when it comes to the aftermath of its cancelation. While the show had a stellar run and pleased us with every minute of screen time, it still went off the air. For reasons that would shock you, the show had to be ended at that point. Read all about it in our article.

While the show has officially ended, we were never given the closure that we deserved as fans. But we can still theorize what direction the show might have taken had it gone on for another season. Tim could have put the final nail in the coffin and gotten Joey the justice that she deserved, while Leila could be looking at some serious consequences for her false alarm. How Owen could end up is also a question. Nevertheless, unless the show is renewed, we might never know the answer to these questions.

Grand Army is currently streaming on Netflix. You may watch it at the following link:

Watch Grand Army on Netflix

Grand Army currently holds a rating of 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb, based on multiple user reviews. IMDb is our preferred platform for all movies and TV shows.

You may watch the trailer for the show down below:

What do you think the second season of the show would have been like? Were you invested into it? Let me know in the comments down below.

Stay tuned in to the Franchise Hound for the latest entertainment updates.

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Grand Army Season 2: News About The Grand Renewal - TheFranchiseHound

By Ann Rostow

Not the Greatest Generation

I have been casting about for interesting topics and procrastinating to some extent, since I dont have a major lead story this week, and I couldnt resist clicking on: Most Uncool Things Boomers Still Think Are Cool, preparing myself for an affectionate dressing down by some Gen X or Millennial writer assigned to one of these clickbait listicles.

Sure enough, I agreed with cruises, racquetball, and crocs. No, Mel and I dont go on cruises or play racquetball. But we have friends who play pickle ball and we do have an ugly pair of crocs on the porch, so thats not too far off the mark. But after that, these analysts devolved, accusing us of hanging out at the mall and preferring chain restaurants like Applebees to more sophisticated fare. Boomers also like the Home Shopping Channel, and readReaders Digest, they continued inexplicably.

I had to stop at that point because, as many people know, Boomers are still busy people with no time to waste on nonsensical internet tangents. Applebees? Really? Havent you noticed that Boomers managed to avoid student debt and retire at the end of a decades long rise in the stock market? Youre the ones at Applebees. Were deciding whether or not we agree with Pete Wells latest restaurant review. And no, were not at the mall. Weve never liked the mall. That was Gen X, you fools! Oh, andReaders Digestis the Silent Generation, not us.

Also, we may still be guilty of doing and liking uncool things, but were not so out of it that we still think these things are cool. We know theyre not cool and we choose to do them anyway.

In all seriousness, Im not happy about our generation, those Americans born in the 1950s and 1960s.

We allowed the civil rights movement to fail. We set the stage for climate change. We were complacent. Most of us were too young to participate in the opposition to Vietnam or Woodstock or the Summer of Love, yet we assume those mantles as if we were part of a valiant struggle or a cultural revolution.

Im sure youve heard that we Boomers had to duck and cover for those absurd nuclear bomb preparations. But we were kids. That wasnt frightening. Gen Z students, on the other hand, live with a legitimate sense of dread based on an actual possibility that has happened dozens of times and killed hundreds in the last ten years alone. They and their older siblings are also the ones who will have to save our planet, while paying off loans and trying to support their families on two incomes with expensive health insurance and lousy child care.

Hey, wedidfight for gay rights, live through AIDS, invent computers, increase everyones life span, map the human genome, and discover the Higgs boson. So, were not complete wastrels. And any of us with extra cash will presumedly leave it to you guys to help with your many projects.

It just feels as if we could have done better.

Gay Is Not Always Good

I see from the Human Rights Campaigns news email that Amazon is going to make a movie out of the best-selling novel Red, White and Royal Blue. Because I am fond of trashy paperbacks and because this book had a gay theme and good beach read type reviews, I bought it and read it.

Friends, I advise you not to follow my lead. It wasnotgood. It was trite, predictable, and just plain stupid. I sort of like bad novels, but there are good bad novels and bad bad novels and this was in the latter category. So much so that I wondered if some of those saucy and fun! reviews and blurbs reflected peoples fear of looking politically incorrect by dissing a gay book.

The premise is that the handsome son of the Hillary-esque female President of the United States is secretly gay and in love with the handsome Prince of Wales, who is also secretly gay and in love with the Presidents son. They pretend to dislike each other at various important events, but thats just their way of hiding their true feelings. This tension is presented with the subtlety of an opera plot, and before you know it, the two of them are having a steamy affair. The rest of the book is just them, having their affair, trying to hide it, breaking up and making up, and living happily ever after. Each of these transitions is signaled loudly in advance so the reader is not disturbed by any distractions, like suspense.

This book was one of the ones I took along on a visit to family a few months ago, and now that I think about it a) it has a number of sort of raunchy sex scenes, and b) I left it in my grandchildrens playroom. Ooops. I would warn their parents but I dont want them to know how low I will stoop in my trash reading habits since I like to parade around with sophisticated novels or serious nonfiction selections.

Oh, hi, Matthew! This? Yes, Im just rereading David Talbots history of the Kennedy brothers. Do you know it?

Has anyone seen my copy of The Overstory? I was sure I left it here in the living room. What? Red, white, and what? No, I have no idea what youre talking about.

Its That Time Again

The U.S. Supreme Court is back in session, and will be considering whether or not to accept a number of GLBT cases. For now, however, most people are focused on the scheduled review of Mississippis abortion ban, which takes effect at 15 weeks. Roe v Wade effectively guarantees the right to an abortion during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, ergo this Mississippi law would seem to violate settled law.

But, I can hear you out there, what about Texas? Isnt that a ban on abortion after just six weeks? Well, yes and no. The state of Texas is not going to go after women who have abortions after that time, nor will the state confront the doctors who conduct the procedures. Instead, the state has left it up tovigilante bystanderswho can sue anyone who facilitates an abortion and legally be awarded damages of up to $10,000.

Weve talked about this already, and indeed, the Justice Department has sued Texas over this convoluted situation. But did you know that the judge in charge of this lawsuit is a gay man, appointed by Obama with the full support of Senators Cruz and Cornyn? Well respected throughout the federal bench, Judge Robert Pitman heard arguments on October 1 in Austin.

And heres what I should have known already, but just discovered. A few years ago, the city council of San Antonio voted against Chick-fil-A, which wanted to set up a franchise at the airport. San Antonios administrators didnt like Chicks antigay postures, and also did not approve of the Christian companys Sunday closings. That may be fine and dandy to encourage small town church attendance, but its not really useful in a busy airport.

Well, of course there was an uproar, and Texas being Texas, the state legislature passed a special statute in 2019, the Save Chick-fil-A law, that Governor Abbot promptly signed. Im not kidding. I remember the situation and Im sure I mentioned it in these pages, but I had not paid close attention to the logistics of the Save Chick-fil-A law. It allows anyone to sue when they believe religious discrimination has denied someone or some organization a government contract or benefit.

Sound familiar? Its just like the abortion law, providing totally unconnected strangers the right to interject themselves into conflicts that are none of their damned business.

In the Chick-fil-A case, the restaurant was offered a spot at the airport in some kind of settlement with the FAA, but they declined. Subsequently, in line with this wacky law, some rando and his pals sued the San Antonio city council in an effort to give Chick-fil-A another opportunity for an airport restaurant (even though there was no indication they wanted one). That suit was dismissed on the grounds that the city council had sovereign immunity, but the fact is that the law remains operable and that this statute has provided the predicate for the abortion nonsense.

Look, theres a clear mandate in American jurisprudence that a third party does not have the right to sue just because they dont like a situation. Further, a plaintiff with standing must have suffered an actual injury. Its not enough to argue that you might be injured in the future or that youre offended by something thats going on. You and I cannot sue the state of California or the city of San Francisco because we believe weve observed some nefarious instance of discrimination against some other person. We cant (well, we shouldnt be able to) sue an Uber driver who drove our Texas cousin to the womens clinic and collect $10,000.

Any law that says otherwise is opening the door to complete chaos. And thats why the Supreme Court decision that allowed that Texas law to stand during litigation is such a jaw dropper. Its like temporarily allowing the volunteers with the neighborhood watch to demand an ID check, or lock people up in Mrs. Parkers basement overnight. Its not right. And I can only hope Judge Pitman puts an end to it, pronto, and takes the Save Chick-fil-A law down while hes at it.

And Another Thing or Two

There are a lot of school stories here and there. A Gay Straight Alliance was discriminated against in Indiana (allegedly)the school in Oregon, where the farmers put out a rainbow flag in the field, remember? That school board voted again to ban controversial paraphernalia that apparently include rainbow images and Black Lives Matter signs. And in the Dallas area, students held a walkout after safe space stickers and rainbows were removed from classrooms, and some gay-friendly teachers appeared to have been disciplined.

It seems evident that the countrys step back into more overt racism, meanness, jingoism, and conspiratorial nuttiness has been colored with a wash of homophobia. I dont recall the same number of antigay school stories in pre-pandemic years. The increase fits with our narrowing minds.

Speaking of narrowing minds, I was pleased to hear Liz Cheneys mind widen to accept the blame for the opportunistic hostility to same-sex marriage that she affected in order to ingratiate herself to Wyoming conservatives during her 2013 run for Senate. I was wrong, she told 60 Minutes the other day. Its a very personal issueand very personal for my family. I believe that my dad was right. And my sister and I have had that conversation . Freedom means freedom for everybody.

Finally, we can thankPsychology Todayfor observing that gays and lesbians are more likely than straight men and women to be friends with their exes. The authors cite three fairly recent academic papers on the subject, all from the late teens, concluding that yes, its more than an urban myth. We do indeed put the long into long-term relationship, even after we break up. I guess another research project on this subject is underway at Trent University, wherever the hell that is. Oh, okay, fine. Its in Ontario, Canada, in a town called Peterborough.

The original authors, the Canadian writers say, suggested that the continuation of such relationships in the form of platonic friendships may help to preserve access to social support and security, in particular, due to the fact that us gays and lesbians historically lack social support and might need to hang on to our exes as a result.

It also might be that we have no choice in the matter because our ex just took up with our other ex, who is dating our sister and we cant avoid them. Plus, considering were having an affair with her exs best friend, were bound to run into each other. Did we mention there are only two gay bars in town? Oh. And weve always really liked each other and still do.

arostow@aol.com

Published on October 7, 2021

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Ann Rostow: Not the Greatest Generation - San Francisco Bay Times - San Francisco Bay Times

JUSTINE Sacco made headlines back in 2013 after her tweet sparked outrage on Twitter.

Her tweet resulted in internet backlash and she was eventually publicly fired from her job at IAC, where she worked as the senior director of corporate communications.

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Born in 1983, Sacco, 39, is a Tule University graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy.

After she was fired from IAC back in 2014, Sacco went on to work for FanDuel where she was hired as the Director of communications before being promoted to VP of communications.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she left FanDuel in 2018 and went on to become the VP of communications for Match Group and has been their chief communications officer since February of 2020.

Sacco is known for her controversial tweet back in 2013 that many people have referred to as one of the first acts of cancel culture.

Not much information about Sacco's personal life is known as she has tended to stay out of the spotlight since her tweet.

Back in December of 2013, Sacco boarded a plane to South Africa and prior to taking off, she sent out a tweet saying: "Going to Africa. Hope I dont get AIDS. Just kidding. Im white!"

Revealed

Exclusive

During her 11 hour flight to Cape Town, Sacco's tweet had sparked outrage on Twitter and it promoted the hashtag #HasJustineLanded.

By the time she landed, the tweet had become the number one trending topic in the world despite her account only having 170 followers at the time.

After landing, her phone blew up with hundreds of messages and countless mentions on Twitter.

In light of @Justine-Sacco disgusting racist tweet, Im donating to @care today, one user said while another added How did @JustineSacco get a PR job?! Her level of racist ignorance belongs on Fox News. #AIDS can affect anyone!

One of her IAC co-workers added, Im an IAC employee and I dont want @JustineSacco doing any communications on our behalf ever again. Ever.

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After the backlash started to settle down, Sacco talked to author Jon Ronson and offered an explanation for her tweet.

To me it was so insane of a comment for anyone to make, she said at the time. I thought there was no way that anyone could possibly think it was literal."

She continued: Unfortunately, I am not a character on South Park or a comedian, so I had no business commenting on the epidemic in such a politically incorrect manner on a public platform ... To put it simply, I wasnt trying to raise awareness of AIDS or piss off the world or ruin my life. Living in America puts us in a bit of a bubble when it comes to what is going on in the third world. I was making fun of that bubble.

Despite a rough couple of years, she was able to get back onto her feet and has since stayed out of the spotlight and mostly off of Twitter.

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Who is Justine Sacco and what did she say?... - The US Sun

Ted Lasso seemed like a bad idea from the beginning. It was a sitcom adapted from an advert imagine the horror of a comedy about the inner life of the Go Compare singer, or a 10-part miniseries about the talking M&Ms. It was to be released on Apple TV+, a streaming platform that had failed to grab pretty much anyones attention since its launch in 2019. And it was about football, a subject which has long proved impossible to dramatise competently in either film or television. Despite this, Ted Lasso flew straight into viewers hearts, like a shot off the boot of the Jack Grealish-esque Jamie Tartt. By the time its second season was released, over the past 12 weeks, it had become a minor sensation. In September, its first season landed seven Emmys from 20 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series. What was its secret elixir? You could describe it many ways charm; schmaltz; #positivevibes but it essentially boiled down to being nice. With an uplifting central message, gently low stakes, and, in Jason Sudeikiss NFL-coach-turned-Premier-League-manager Ted Lasso, a modern-day saint of a main character, this was a series that seemed to evoke a bygone age of wholesome, good-natured TV.

It was more than this, though. Ted Lasso was not simply a nice programme. If some critics were to be believed, the series represented the start of an imminent TV sea-change, a clarion call for a wider resurgence of kind and heart-warming programming the perfect counterbalance to our troubled reality. But this ignored the fact that people had been saying similar things about Schitts Creek for the past few years, or Parks and Recreation before that. It ignored that Ted Lasso itself complicated the narrative with a second season that was darker and more psychologically complex (although often still extremely saccharine). And it ignored another plain fact: niceness will only get you so far. In the world of TV, spite still wins out in the end.

This month sees three compelling antidotes to Ted Lassos virulent optimism arrive on UK screens. The most high-profile of these, one of the years most eagerly anticipated shows, is Succession, which returns for its third season on Sky Atlantic on 18 October. Focusing on the poisonous infighting of a family of media moguls, Succession emerged in 2018 as one of the immediate classics of modern TV. Some viewers complained that there was no one to root for and they werent wrong. Every character is a conniving egotist, pretty much every interaction poisoned by ambition and avarice. And yet, Succession is essential viewing. There is profound humanity in its moments of rank cowardice or betrayal, artistry in its razor-wire insults.

Meanwhile, Curb Your Enthusiasm grumbles its way back onto screens at the end of the month, and will, presumably, see Larry David bump up against the new social mores of the Covid pandemic. David has spent his career in vigorous opposition to the kind of good-natured sensitivity Ted Lasso epitomises first with Seinfeld, then with Curb. The first six or seven seasons of Curb were masterpieces of subversive, provocative comedy, and last years season 10 was a sparkling return to form. Theres no emotional through-line, no pathos to Larrys many arguments and mishaps, but that doesnt matter. All it has to be is funny. And in a strange way, the petty, politically incorrect feuds of a wealthy curmudgeon are as insightful about the human experience as anything Ted Lasso has to offer.

Also arriving on BBC2 this Sunday is the second season of Dave, the sitcom created by and starring David Lil Dicky Burd, set in the world of hip-hop. Though this flew under the radar for many in the UK and its native US, Dave is one of the superior comedies of recent years, nailing the delicate balance sitcoms are now seemingly obligated to strike, between real belly laughs and moments of genuine pathos. Burds on-screen alter-ego, loosely inspired by himself, is a complicated beast a distinctly 21st-century spin on the classic nebbish archetype. Hes a talented but narcissistic artist, a slippery, neurotic provocateur who repels the audiences sympathies with every ill-judged joke or selfish outburst. And yet, hes all the more relatable for it.

These series are not the only recent examples, and the idea of unlikable or complicated protagonists is not a new one. Anyone could tell you that comedy much like drama relies on conflict, and conflict requires a clash of personalities. The comedies that have endured through the years are almost always those with a cynical streak Fawlty Towers, The Simpsons, Seinfeld whereas those without an edge tend to age badly, living on only as soppy clichs. Once-beloved series like The West Wing and Parks and Recreation have rapidly become pass, the limitations of their sunny worldviews being laid bare within a short number of years.

Uncle Fun: Brian Cox as the cold-blooded Logan Roy in Succession'

(HBO)

For their part, the creators of Ted Lasso seem to have realised these limitations. The series spent its second season muddying the waters, insisting that its not just some dewy-eyed naf that nastier shows could beat up for lunch money. The character of Ted has been deconstructed, sent to therapy to confront his own traumatic past. The character of Nate (Nick Mohammed) has been flipped, transformed from a meek savant to a pernicious egomaniac. But still, the show tempers its sharpness with a few dozen spoonfuls of sugar. The Christmas episode, and a recent funeral-set episode, are just about as mawkish as anything thats been on TV in the last year. Thank God there are still plenty of other options for us misanthropes. TVs not ready to play nice just yet.

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Get lost, Ted Lasso the thrill of nasty, cynical TV is still unbeaten - The Independent

LYON--International police organisation INTERPOL on Thursday said it had reintegrated Syria into its information exchange network, lifting restrictions imposed on President Bashar al-Assads regime in 2012.

The curbs were introduced against the background of international sanctions against Damascus over abuses by the regime in the early phase of the Syrian civil war.

In line with the recommendation from the General Secretariat headquarters, INTERPOLs executive committee endorsed that corrective measures applied to Syria be lifted, an Interpol statement said.

The move means that Damascus can directly receive and send messages from other INTERPOL national offices. These access rights had been suspended since 2012.

The statement emphasised that it was incorrect to state that Syria had been readmitted to INTERPOL as it has been a member country since first joining in 1953.

The recommendation to lift the corrective measures was made following close monitoring of messages from Syrias national INTERPOL office, it said.

Individual national INTERPOL offices still have the power to decide with which other countries to share information, the statement said.

It added that Syria does not have the power as a member state to issue international Red Notice arrest warrants, though it can, like any member state, request the general secretariat of INTERPOL to do so.

All requests are subject to a thorough compliance review, it added.

Despite such assurances, the move by INTERPOL to allow Syria access to information networks has aroused disquiet among some activists.

Human Rights Watch Syria researcher Sara Kayyali described it on Twitter as a a dangerous development saying despite claims to the contrary there was a history of Red Notices being misused by repressive governments to make politically-motivated arrests.

The French foreign ministry also declined to endorse the move.

As long as the Syrian regime continues to fuel instability, the humanitarian crisis and the risk of terrorism, France will remain opposed to the normalisation of relations with Damascus and to any easing of the sanctions regime, it said in a statement, adding Paris would reaffirm this position at Interpols general assembly next month.

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INTERPOL reintegrates Syria in information exchange network | | AW - The Arab Weekly

Played by Paul Anthony George, known professionally as Paul Anthony, of hip-hop group Full Force, Stab is a buff bundle of revenge. He's the leader of the bullies and the one of his two brothers, Pee-Wee (Lucien "Bow-legged Lou" George Jr.) and Zilla (Brian "B-Fine" George), who most wants to destroy Kid in "House Party," though he's not quite as enthusiastically chaotic about it as his two siblings.

Anthony performed in Full Force with his brothers Bow-legged Lou, B-Fine, and cousins Hugh Junior "Shy Shy" Clark, Curt "Curt-T-T" Bedeau, and Gerry "Baby Gee" Charles. Anthony shares in the group's Grammys and multi-gold and platinum records. While Full Force had several of their own hits, they were also high-powered producers who have worked with Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and UTFO (responsible for the 1984 mega-hit "Roxanne Roxanne"), among many, many others.

After the film, the group worked with Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and James Brown. Anthony made sporadic acting appearances, including as a heckler on the television series "Martin" in 1995, but his focus apart from music is on physical fitness, as evidenced by his physique as Stab. In 2006, Anthony was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, and eventually developed myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. Thanks to a bone marrow transplant from his brother, Lou, Anthony is currently in remission, and works to raise money for cancer research through The Paul Anthony Foundation. He also does speaking engagements to help educate and uplift others.

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Whatever Happened To The Cast Of House Party? - Looper