<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Director Todd Phillips ditched laughter for tears with 2019’s “Joker.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mind behind “The Hangover” franchise, “Old School” and more got fed up with woke comedy restrictions and joined the superhero craze.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On his terms.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His “Joker” became a sensation, earned star Joaquin Phoenix a Best Actor Oscar and proved there’s more to superhero films than CGI dustups.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The media tried to turn “Joker” into an incel warning, but when the film refused to spark violence journalists moved on to other false narratives.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One thing was clear. An encore was inevitable.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Joker: Folie à Deux” defies superhero norms. Again. No action sequences, lycra-clad heroes or tired genre tropes. Phillips even made it a musical, tasking stars Phoenix and Lady Gaga to play out their tortured romance in song.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two-plus hours later, you’ll still wonder why they bothered.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first “Joker” delivered a brutal study of a man in psychological agony. Arthur Fleck’s transformation into the Joker happened because society pushed him to the boundaries. The health care system failed him. His co-workers couldn’t empathize with his middling comedy career.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bullies pounced and seized at will. And, eventually, he snapped. Or, to be more specific, he opened fire.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That arc touched on societal critiques that spiked the narrative punch. “Folie à Deux” revisits some of those themes but adds precious little to the franchise.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Arthur is being held at a mental institution (Arkham style!) following the events of the 2019 film. He faces the death penalty for killing five people, although the law doesn’t realize he also killed his Ma. His lawyer (Catherine Keener) wants to improve his public image in the hopes of avoiding the electric chair.</span></p>
<div id="attachment_807101" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-807101" class="wp-image-807101 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMWFmNDA0ZjQtZDFiYS00ZDE4LWJkMWItMTczMjU3Yjg4ODBmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1024x547.jpg" alt="Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker: Folie à Deux” (2024). DC Entertainment. Warner Bros. Pictures. IMDB." width="1024" height="547" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMWFmNDA0ZjQtZDFiYS00ZDE4LWJkMWItMTczMjU3Yjg4ODBmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1024x547.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMWFmNDA0ZjQtZDFiYS00ZDE4LWJkMWItMTczMjU3Yjg4ODBmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-300x160.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMWFmNDA0ZjQtZDFiYS00ZDE4LWJkMWItMTczMjU3Yjg4ODBmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-768x410.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMWFmNDA0ZjQtZDFiYS00ZDE4LWJkMWItMTczMjU3Yjg4ODBmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1536x820.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMWFmNDA0ZjQtZDFiYS00ZDE4LWJkMWItMTczMjU3Yjg4ODBmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-2048x1093.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-807101" class="wp-caption-text">Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker: Folie à Deux” (2024). DC Entertainment. Warner Bros. Pictures. IMDB.</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The guards at the institution try to pry jokes from Arthur.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All Arthur wants is to smoke every cigarette within reach. This film loves smoking in ways that would make Joe Camel blush.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, society has made Arthur a hero of sorts. He fought back against The System on his terms. They even made a TV movie about his transformation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That warped fame draws the attention of a fellow patient, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga). That’s Harley Quinn, of course, one of the micro-nods to the comic book source material.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The other? Harry Lawtey’s Harvey Dent is the prosecutor hoping to end the Joker’s reign.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lee is drawn to Arthur’s anti-social Joker and he’s just happy to have a woman look his way. Can their bond survive the trial and their self-defeating ways? What are the stakes in said trial, anyway?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Phillips cast convention aside the first time around. Now, he’s doubling down in his cinematic sandbox. The film begins with an animated short featuring the Joker and his mischievous shadow.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Huh?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The musical numbers, drawn in naturalist fashion and relying on classic tunes like “That’s Entertainment” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” offer modest rewards. Phoenix isn’t a singer but throws himself into the unorthodox dancing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lady Gaga is squarely in her element, but the film won’t embrace the full musical charms that Gene Kelly and Judy Garland embraced. “Joker: Folie à Deux” is surprisingly lifeless despite two charismatic stars and a bracing origin story.</span></p>
<div id="attachment_807103" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-807103" class="wp-image-807103 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BZmRkOGNlMjUtNzllMi00ODJhLTg3YjUtNjE3MWI5NzY3NTlmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-864x576.jpg" alt="Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in “Joker: Folie à Deux” (2024). DC Entertainment. Warner Bros. Pictures. IMDB." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BZmRkOGNlMjUtNzllMi00ODJhLTg3YjUtNjE3MWI5NzY3NTlmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BZmRkOGNlMjUtNzllMi00ODJhLTg3YjUtNjE3MWI5NzY3NTlmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BZmRkOGNlMjUtNzllMi00ODJhLTg3YjUtNjE3MWI5NzY3NTlmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BZmRkOGNlMjUtNzllMi00ODJhLTg3YjUtNjE3MWI5NzY3NTlmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BZmRkOGNlMjUtNzllMi00ODJhLTg3YjUtNjE3MWI5NzY3NTlmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BZmRkOGNlMjUtNzllMi00ODJhLTg3YjUtNjE3MWI5NzY3NTlmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BZmRkOGNlMjUtNzllMi00ODJhLTg3YjUtNjE3MWI5NzY3NTlmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /><p id="caption-attachment-807103" class="wp-caption-text">Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in “Joker: Folie à Deux” (2024). DC Entertainment. Warner Bros. Pictures. IMDB.</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Steve Coogan appears as a tabloid journalist eager to make Arthur summon the Joker for his audience. It’s all about ratings and The Narrative, not the truth. Is Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver, mocking corporate journalism? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maybe. Likely. The scene ends and the film drops that criticism cold.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other scenes depict how society continues to keep poor Arthur down. The asylum’s security guards, including a brute played by the great Brendan Gleeson, use Arthur to further their own ends. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And? Prison guards routinely behave badly on screen and, we’re sure, sometimes off-screen. What’s so different, or meaningful, here?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The most memorable moment brings back actor Leigh Gill, whose character witnessed one of the Joker’s killings in the first film. The haunted soul describes to the courtroom how the tragedy left him fearful of everyday life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gill’s performance chills. We’re reminded what the real-world implications of worshiping a serial killer are. “Joker” made us mourn a sick man’s descent into madness. We rooted for him to find some sort of comfort or healing. That never materialized.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The sequel marinates in the idea that this fallen man matters. He has a purpose, a mission beyond himself. His fame alone makes him worth our admiration.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He’s suddenly … cool. No. And there’s no oversized Bat to put him in his place.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moral complexities could have powered “Folie à Deux.” There’s a reason we hoped Tony Soprano could stay one step ahead of The Law. Instead, we get a lethargic courtroom trial, a romance with little heat and a third act that proves the sequel never had a plan in the first place.</span></p>
<h4><strong><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a></strong></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s no denying “Folie à Deux” looks magnificent. The dream sequences marry the film’s gritty aesthetic with old Hollywood panache. Phillips’ camera captures every scene for maximum impact, crafting indelible images along the way.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The film’s waning moments seem like they’re building to something mythical, a rationale for everything we’ve just witnessed. Instead, what follows erases the modest goodwill already generated.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Joker” reinvigorated the comic book movie. “Joker: Folie à Deux” reminds us that sequels for sequels’ sake only taint the original.</span></p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p><em>Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://x.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.</em></p>


MixCollage-03-Oct-2024-02-30-PM-6545

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’: Two Charismatic Stars In A Surprisingly Lifeless Sequel

'Joker: Folie à Deux': Two Charismatic Stars In A Surprisingly Lifeless Sequel

Comics

Entertainment

Hollywood

Joaquin Phoenix

Lady Gaga

Movies

Serial Killers

<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lady-gaga"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lady Gaga</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> hit back at what she called the &#8220;appalling&#8221; response she got for promoting trans-identifying activist Dylan Mulvaney in a post in honor of International Women&#8217;s Day.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a lengthy post on Monday on </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4YXlgMJYRK/?igsh=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ%3D%3D"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instagram</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the 37-year-old singer wrote that she had seen headlines saying she and Mulvaney were facing a &#8220;backlash&#8221; and she hit back, saying that the &#8220;hatred&#8221; was &#8220;violence.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;&#8216;Backlash&#8217; would imply that people who love or respect Dylan and me didn&#8217;t like something we did,&#8221; the singer wrote. &#8220;This is not backlash. This is hatred. But it is not surprising given the immense work that it&#8217;s obvious we still have to do as a society to make room for transgender lives to be cherished and upheld by all of us.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I feel very protective in this moment, not only of Dylan, but of the trans community who continues to lead the way with their endless grace and inspiration in the face of constant degradation, intolerance, and physical, verbal, and mental violence,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I certainly do not speak for this community, but I have something to say.I hope all women will come together to honor us ALL for International Women’s Day, and may we do that always until THE DAY that all women are celebrated equally. That all people are celebrated equally.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;A day where people of all gender identities are celebrated on whichever holiday speaks to them,&#8221; Gaga continued. &#8220;Because people of all gender identities and races deserve peace and dignity … I love people too much to allow hatred to be referred to as &#8216;backlash.&#8217; People deserve better.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The post came after the &#8220;Poker Face&#8221; hitmaker made a post on Friday — which showed her posing with Mulvaney — that read, &#8220;Happy International Women&#8217;s Day,&#8221; as previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lady-gaga-slammed-for-promoting-trans-activist-dylan-mulvaney-on-international-womens-day"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The post included snaps/video of a photo shoot the two did together. In the video, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gaga can be heard saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m putting you on my vision board, for life,&#8221; and Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a transgender woman, replying, &#8220;I love you.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The comments to her post called it everything from degrading to insulting for the superstar singer to include the trans identifying male in a post celebrating women.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Isn&#8217;t women&#8217;s day for women? Lol just another case of some.. creep male trying to take one more thing from women,&#8221; one person wrote.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another added, &#8220;This is so degrading to REAL women.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While a third wrote, &#8220;Why&#8217;s Dylan representing. He&#8217;s &#8216;NOT&#8217; a woman. What an insult to us &#8216;REAL&#8217; women. Quit invading our territory.&#8221;</span></p>


A54338E3-D2FF-4E23-8959-31DE17D44584_1_201_a

Lady Gaga Hits Back After Being Slammed For Dylan Mulvaney International Women’s Day Post

Lady Gaga Hits Back After Being Slammed For Dylan Mulvaney International Women's Day Post

Celebrities

Transgenders

Women

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recording artist </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lady-gaga"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lady Gaga</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is under fire for promoting trans activist </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dylan-mulvaney"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dylan Mulvaney</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in honor of International </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/women"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Women’s</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Day on Friday.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 37-year-old singer posed with Mulvaney for a series of snapshots and in a video where Gaga can be heard saying, “I&#8217;m putting you on my vision board, for life,” and Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a transgender woman, replying, “I love you.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Put this on your vision board,” Gaga says again.</span></p>
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<p><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Per </span><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13178385/Dylan-Mulvaney-Lady-Gaga-International-Womens-Day-transgender.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Daily Mail</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the duo seems to be doing a photo shoot for Haus Labs, Lady Gaga&#8217;s cosmetic brand, and the pharmaceutical company Clinuvel.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The comments were flooded with followers annoyed that a man was being featured on a day devoted to women.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Isn&#8217;t womens day for women? Lol just another case of some.. creep male trying to take one more thing from women,” one commenter shared on Instagram.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;This is so degrading to REAL women,” a second account commented.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Why&#8217;s Dylan representing. He&#8217;s &#8216;NOT&#8217; a woman. What an insult to us &#8216;REAL&#8217; women. Quit invading our territory,” a third agreed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, has been an outspoken advocate for </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq"><span style="font-weight: 400;">LGBTQ</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> people for years. During a 2017 interview with Out Magazine, she </span><a href="https://www.out.com/entertainment/2009/08/09/lady-vamp"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, &#8220;When I started in the mainstream it was the gays that lifted me up. I committed myself to them and they committed themselves to me, and because of the gay community I&#8217;m where I am today.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I very much want to inject gay culture into the mainstream,&#8221; the “Bad Romance” singer added. &#8220;It&#8217;s not an underground tool for me. It&#8217;s my whole life. So I always sort of joke the real motivation is to just turn the world gay.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mulvaney, meanwhile, became famous after creating the TikTok series “Days of Girlhood” to document his “transition” from a man to a woman.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mulvaney became nationally known after taking part in a promotion for the beer brand Bud Light last April. Its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-lights-parent-company-lost-over-1-billion-in-revenue-after-dylan-mulvaney-partnership-report">estimated</a> to have lost more than one billion dollars in sales after boycotts from conservatives over its partnership with the trans-identifying influencer</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>


Lady Gaga Slammed For Promoting Trans Activist Dylan Mulvaney On International Women’s Day

Lady Gaga Slammed For Promoting Trans Activist Dylan Mulvaney On International Women's Day

Dylan Mulvaney

Transgender

U.S.

<p>A judge has ruled that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lady-gaga"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lady Gaga</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> will not have to pay up the promised $500,000 reward following the safe return of her </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/crime"><span style="font-weight: 400;">stolen</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> dogs. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 37-year-old recording artist, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, successfully had Jennifer McBride’s request for the reward money thrown out for good, per a report from </span><a href="https://people.com/judge-rules-lady-gaga-wont-pay-reward-dog-kidnapping-accomplice-case-8318778"><span style="font-weight: 400;">People</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. McBride, 53, had filed a lawsuit against the singer in February, demanding the reward plus $1.5 million in additional damages.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Holly J. Fujie said McBride&#8217;s complaint was “legally insufficient in its entirety” due to her “involvement in the theft.&#8221; The judge further noted that McBride was indicted and pleaded no contest to charges of receiving stolen property in 2022, making her “not entitled to thereafter benefit from their wrongdoing by seeking to enforce the contract.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The dog theft incident occurred in February 2021. James Howard Jackson and two others drove around Hollywood &#8220;looking for French bulldogs,&#8221; prosecutors said. They were not specifically seeking the Grammy Award-winning pop star’s pets. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They encountered Germanotta’s dog walker Ryan Fisher, who was walking the singer’s two dogs, Koji and Gustavto. Fisher was assaulted and shot before the animals were taken. Jackson pleaded no contest to attempted murder in December 2022 and was sentenced to 21 years in prison. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fisher called the violence a &#8220;very close call with death&#8221; and later had to have part of his lung removed following the incident. Germanotta promised to pay all his medical bills, which neared six figures, and to pay for counseling for her employee. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McBride returned the stolen dogs several days later and was initially not suspected of being connected to the case. But later, it was discovered that the woman was in a romantic relationship with Harold White, the father of Jackson’s accomplice Jaylin White. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McBride maintains she was “in no way involved in the theft” of Germanotta’s dogs and claimed she only “took possession” of the stolen animals so she could return them to the “Bad Romance” singer. She was arrested along with Jackson and his accomplices in April 2021. McBride received two years probation after pleading no contest to one count of receiving stolen property.</span></p>


Judge Rules Lady Gaga Won’t Have To Pay $500K Reward To Woman Connected With Dognapping

Judge Rules Lady Gaga Won't Have To Pay $500K Reward To Woman Connected With Dognapping

California

Los Angeles

Los Angeles County

<p style="font-weight: 400;">Lady Gaga’s father is leading the fight against letting illegal immigrants flood his posh New York City neighborhood, saying they have “basically taken over.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Joe Germanotta, 66, who has lived in The Pythian on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for 35 years, where he raised his two daughters, referenced the nearby Stratford Arms Hotel, which used to house the American Music and Dance Academy (AMDA) and roughly six weeks ago was converted into a home for 500 illegal immigrants.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“If it was like this when my girls were growing up, I wouldn’t be living in New York,” he told <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/09/lady-gagas-dad-rallies-nyc-neighbors-over-migrants-at-stratford-arms-hotel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a>. “There’s now 500 migrants living in that dormitory. That’s when all the mayhem began.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Germanotta has joined residents from his building and other neighbors to create the West 70th Street Association to lobby City Hall for more policing and better control of the situation.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“Hookers are coming and going. In the mornings, you see prostitutes coming out of the building,” Germanotta, who opened his restaurant Joanne Trattoria 12 years ago in the neighborhood, said. “The worst part’s at night. The noise. It starts at about 10 o’clock, and it’ll go until 4 in the morning. Playing music and racing their motocross and motorbikes up and down the streets.” He added that girls as young as 14 have been catcalled.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“It was a stealth operation,” he recalled. “They were bused in in the middle of the night, like when they flew them into Westchester, they didn’t want anybody to know what was going on. It was all pretty rapid.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“Everything flew in out of the blue,” Germanotta continued. “The dormitory students at the school, the American Music and Dance Academy, were given two weeks’ notice that they had to get out, and none of the residents in the neighborhood were given any notice about the migrant shelter.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“I don’t mind having them there. They’re gonna be there for three years. That was the contract, I understand. But at least manage it. Put the proper security in place, have a police presence and a code of conduct,” the popstar’s father said. “They’re guests in our neighborhood, and they have basically taken over.”</p>
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<p style="font-weight: 400;">“The city obviously needs space, all right, so they went to AMDA which owns two facilities — one on (West) 85th Street and one on West 70th Street — which cleaned out both dormitories. They got a fat contract with the city, and they sold out the neighborhood,” he said. “AMDA is getting very, very rich off this, and they screwed the neighborhood.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Germanotta slammed New York City Mayor Eric Adams, saying, “In my opinion, you should have just suspended ‘sanctuary city’ status until we had enough housing and then said, ‘Yeah, okay, you can send some more.’ It’s a joke. Why doesn’t he get one of the cruise ships? The cruise ships hold more people, and it’s a more controlled environment.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“The city is spending a tremendous amount of money that could be spent towards building affordable housing,” he opined. &#8216;The really sad part is that in the neighborhood, we still have our share of veterans and homeless — but we&#8217;re not taking care of our own. They don&#8217;t get food every day. It&#8217;s really sad. I feel for them.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Adams has <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12391511/Lady-Gagas-dad-migrants.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complained</a>, “We are facing an unprecedented state of emergency. The immigration system in this country is broken, it has been broken for decades. &#8230; New York City has been left to pick up the pieces.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“Most of the people in (my) building are owners. They feel that this situation has affected their property values,” Germanotta said. “Give us something back. Give us a tax rebate. They’re spending all this money. Okay, give me some.”</p>


Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga “Cheek To Cheek” Taping – Red Carpet

Lady Gaga’s Dad Leads Fight Against Illegal Immigrants In His Posh NYC Area

Immigrants

New York City

Politics

<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lady-gaga-stops-to-help-photographer-who-stumbles-falls-on-red-carpet-during-2023-oscars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lady Gaga</a> finally broke her silence about her &#8220;real true friend&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/legendary-singer-tony-bennett-dead-at-96" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tony Bennett</a> following the legendary singer&#8217;s death earlier this month at the age of 96.</p>
<p>The 37-year-old singer took to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CvWSTtoMJNs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=f893b408-aff6-4f5c-bca1-fc17b49036dd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> on Sunday and posted a lengthy tribute to Bennett, who died on July 21.</p>
<p>&#8220;I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together,&#8221; she wrote. His final performance was at Radio City Music Hall with Gaga in 2021.</p>
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<p>&#8220;Tony &amp; I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, &amp; gave it all new life as a singing duo,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;But it wasn&#8217;t an act. Our relationship was very real. Sure he taught me about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8216;Straight ahead,&#8217; he&#8217;d say,&#8221; she added. &#8220;He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude&#8230;Tony was always grateful. He served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world. I&#8217;ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We had a very long and powerful goodbye,&#8221; Gaga continued. &#8220;Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend. Our age difference didn&#8217;t matter&#8211; in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people. We were from two different stages in life entirely&#8211;inspired. Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful. An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a persons life. There&#8217;s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity.&#8221;</p>
<p>The &#8220;Bad Romance&#8221; hitmaker closed out her heartfelt post by sending a message to the next generation about not discounting &#8220;your elders, don&#8217;t leave them behind when things change.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t flinch when you feel sad, just keep going straight ahead, sadness is part of it,&#8221; the singer wrote. &#8220;Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical. And pay attention to silence—some of my musical partner and I&#8217;s most meaningful exchanges were with no melody at all. I love you Tony. Love, Lady.&#8221;</p>
<p>Lady Gaga&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elton-john-michael-buble-and-others-react-to-tony-bennetts-death-with-touching-tributes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tribute</a> follows dozens of others from Elton John, Michael Bublé, Harry Connick Jr., and many more. Bennett&#8217;s official cause of death has yet to be released.</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/legendary-singer-tony-bennett-dead-at-96" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Legendary Singer Tony Bennett Dead At 96</a></strong></p>


Lady Gaga, Tony Benett-1

Lady Gaga Breaks Her Silence About ‘True Friend’ Tony Bennett Following The Singer’s Death

Death

singer

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recording artist </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lady-gaga"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lady Gaga</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> rushed to help a photographer who had fallen as she was walking the red carpet at the 95th Annual </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/oscars"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Academy Awards</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The photographer was apparently trying to photograph Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, when he lost his balance and fell over. The “Bad Romance” singer gasped and immediately rushed over to help, though Page Six </span><a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/03/12/lady-gaga-rushes-to-help-photographer-on-oscars-2023-red-carpet/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that he was able to quickly stand up on his own.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lady Gaga stops to help photographer who fell at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a>. <a href="https://t.co/4w4MNCO89X">pic.twitter.com/4w4MNCO89X</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Pop Base (@PopBase) <a href="https://twitter.com/PopBase/status/1635086071414542337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 36-year-old singer was nominated for Best Original Song for “Hold My Hand,” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” but ultimately lost to &#8220;Naatu Naatu&#8221; from &#8220;RRR.&#8221; Gaga also sang the ballad onstage at The Oscars, stripping off her makeup and changing out of her ballgown to put on ripped jeans and a shirt to perform.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This isn’t the first time Gaga made headlines for being kind. At last year’s Academy Awards, the performing artist was a co-presenter alongside Liza Minelli and gently helped her read the teleprompter and held her hand when she faltered, but not in a patronizing manner.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You see that? The public, they love you,” Gaga told the 76-year-old actress when the crowd applauded to show their support.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minnelli struggled through her lines several, and each time she did, Gaga assisted her without talking over her, doing a great job at making it seem like it was all part of the script.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During a hot mic moment, Gaga leaned over and whispered to Minnelli, “I got you,” to which Minnelli replied: “I know, thank you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is like a lesson in how to facilitate older people while honoring who they are. What a class act by @ladygaga with legend Liza Minnelli. The conferred whispers of ‘I gotcha’ ‘I know’ picked up by the mikes make it especially touching,” Irish journalist Naomi O’Leary wrote at the time.</span></p>


95th Annual Academy Awards – Arrivals

Lady Gaga Stops To Help Photographer Who Stumbles, Falls On Red Carpet During 2023 Oscars

Oscars

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">College is getting a bad rap these days, and for good reason.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The price tag for University, Inc. is astronomical, sending countless students into a debt spiral of their own design. Many campuses now double as indoctrination centers, where students are taught a singular set of progressive rules. Naysayers and free thinkers alike face discrimination, or worse, for challenging that groupthink.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At least the core subjects taught in these houses of higher learning remain the same. Right?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In many cases, that’s true. Yet there is a wave of new courses that won’t help graduates find a job or gain an invaluable skill. You might crush it at your next Trivial Pursuit game, though.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes, we all love pop culture, but do we need to pay through the proverbial nose to learn all of its nuances?</span></p>
<h3><b>“Literary Contests And Contexts — The Taylor Swift Songbook”</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Need to learn every detail about the pop superstar’s love life? Obsessed with Swift’s ruminations on LGBTQ+ culture? This University of Texas course is your salvation. Professor Elizabeth Scala will </span><a href="https://www.thewrap.com/taylor-swift-class-university-of-texas-austin/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">guide students through Swift’s colorful career</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, focusing on her literary chops.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“For me, it’s all about form (not just or even primarily about content). We will study Swift’s songs as poems and literary structures.” Scala </span><a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/education/2022/08/22/taylor-swift-class-university-texas-offered-fall-2022/65413810007/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">told</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the American-Statesman.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The university’s Facebook dove deeper into this critical class, </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/UTDepartmentOfEnglish/photos/a.4014535531933637/5051664228220757/?type=3"><span style="font-weight: 400;">saying</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> it “provides an introduction to literary studies and research methods that uses the songwriting of @taylorswift as the basis for teaching a wide range of skills.”</span></p>
<h3><b>“Beyonce, Gender And Race”</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The University of Copenhagen may seem like an </span><a href="https://fortune.com/2017/09/05/beyonce-class-university/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">unlikely source for all things Queen Bey</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, but in 2017 the school unleashed a popular course offering just that.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Students could study the songstress’ lyrics, performances, and music videos, zeroing in on hot-button issues she stirs such as sex, race, and gender. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“One of the goals is to introduce black feminist thought, which is not very well known in Scandinavia,” Professor Erik Steinskog told Denmark&#8217;s TV2 in 2017 in the run-up to the course’s debut.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alas, a recent search of the university’s courses finds “Beyonce” isn’t available for current students.</span></p>
<h3><b>“Lady Gaga And The Sociology Of Fame”</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Mathieu Deflem, a professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina, got his 15 minutes of fame by </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/25/lady-gaga-celebrity-fame"><span style="font-weight: 400;">teaching about the versatile pop star</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. The syllabus explored Lady Gaga’s career before her transition to the big screen and alliance with future President Joe Biden on sexual assault issues.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Like Madonna before her, Lady Gaga took an active role in her own rise to superstardom, material the professor found illuminating … and worth sharing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Deflem became overwhelmed by the fame the course brought about, as meta an experience as possible. He ended up teaching it only five times before shifting to other topics. None of that stopped him from penning a book, with the same title as his course, capturing that moment in his career.</span></p>
<h3><b>“Makin’ Whoopi: Goldberg’s Canon”</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whoopi Goldberg teaches an unofficial course on misinformation five days a week via “The View.” She’s not an official professor, but that doesn’t stop her or her ill-informed peers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Oscar winner also inspired her </span><a href="http://abacus.bates.edu/~cnero/makinwhoopi.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">own symposium at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, based primarily on her work prior to joining “The View.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Charles I. Nero&#8217;s “Makin&#8217; Whoopi: Goldberg&#8217;s Canon” symposium debuted in 2013, a time before Goldberg’s current “View” work led to a </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-effective-immediately-abc-suspends-whoopi-goldberg-over-wrong-and-hurtful-holocaust-comments"><span style="font-weight: 400;">suspension</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> atop her serial obfuscations.</span></p>
<h3><b>“Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse”</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Michigan State University could be the go-to place for George A. Romero fans.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Pittsburgh filmmaker’s career is synonymous with zombie films, and his legacy is alive and well via </span><a href="https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2012/new-zombie-course-helps-students-learn-about-survival-behavior"><span style="font-weight: 400;">this cagey online course</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. The syllabus has real-world applications, at least for those expecting modern culture will collapse sooner than later.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And people are paying attention. The course grabbed headlines courtesy of </span><a href="https://christopherirvin.com/proj/surviving-the-coming-zombie-apocalypse-disaster-catastrophes-and-human-behavior/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bill Maher and Conan O’Brien</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and should a zombie outbreak actually occur, its alumni may lead humanity to a brighter future.</span></p>
<h3><b>“Arguing With Judge Judy: Popular ‘Logic’ On TV Judge Shows”</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This intro course at the University of California, Berkeley, the former home for free speech advocacy, examines a </span><a href="https://rhetoric.berkeley.edu/courses/freshman-seminar-arguing-with-judge-judy-popular-logic-on-tv-judge-shows-2/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">specific realm of modern TV</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Shows like “The People’s Court” and “Judge Judy” anchor instruction designed to reveal common courtroom techniques.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One aspect of the course will feel all too familiar for anyone who ever battled an online troll.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A fascinating aspect of TV judge shows from a rhetorical point of view is the number of arguments made by the litigants that are utterly illogical, or are perversions of standard logic, and yet are used over and over again,” according to the Berkeley web site.</span></p>
<h3><b>“South Park And Contemporary Social Issues”</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Cartman would like to speak with you after class…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Comedy Central’s iconic and famously balanced series </span><a href="https://catalog.mcdaniel.edu/preview_course_nopop.php?catoid=21&amp;coid=15548"><span style="font-weight: 400;">spawned a McDaniel College course</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. The Maryland institution explored how the series, from creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, use humor to navigate sticky public issues like immigration and terrorism.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Using historical and contemporary texts, theories, and concepts from sociology and philosophy, this course will address issues such as race, gender, sexuality, consumerism, and many more,” the syllabus from the 2014-15 academic year read.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The course sprung to life in 2009 but is no longer available for curious students.</span></p>
<h3><b>“Science Fiction Or Real Science? The Physics Of Star Trek”</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Course founder Dr. Philip Kesten leaned on his appreciation for the ‘60s series by exploring its real-world potential for warp drives, phasers, and more. Even non-Trekkies were invited to sample the course, which also caught the attention of the greater “Star Trek” universe.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What I’m trying to do is motivate some piece of science from Star Trek, and what I tell the students is that we’re going to peel back the layers bit by bit by bit. It’s a very different approach to one I would take in, say, an introductory physics class, where you start with a basic principle and develop one piece after the other,” </span><a href="https://www.startrek.com/article/how-star-trek-changed-my-life-dr-philip-kesten"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kesten told StarTrek.com</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about his academic goals.</span></p>
<p><em>Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.</em></p>


v2 Toto – Wierdest Pop Culture Classes on Campus

Taylor Swift 101: New University Pop Culture Courses Offered On A Campus Near You

Beyonce

College

Readers Pass

South Park

Taylor Swift

Universities

Whoopi Goldberg

<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The man who allegedly shot <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lady-gaga">Lady Gaga</a>&#8216;s dog walker last year in an attempt to steal the singer&#8217;s three French bulldogs was “erroneously” released from a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles">Los Angeles</a> jail in April due to a clerical error, said authorities, who announced a reward for information leading to his capture. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The <a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/chron/2022/071822.htm">$5,000 reward</a> for information leading to his arrest of James Howard Jackson, 19, is 100 times less than what Lady Gaga offered for her dogs&#8217; return.</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> Jackson, who faces charges for attempted murder and second-degree robbery, allegedly shot the American pop star’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, in the chest with a .40-caliber handgun while walking her dogs in a Hollywood neighborhood on Feb. 24, 2021.</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“Jackson should be considered armed and dangerous,” authorities said. “Anyone with information as to his whereabouts should contact law enforcement immediately.”</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Authorities described Jackson as a 5-feet, 6-inch black male, weighing approximately 120 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Following Jackson’s release, Fischer posted a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CcGpHbtuyRk/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D">statement</a> on Instagram asking his attacker to turn himself over to authorities.</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“While I’m deeply concerned at the events that led to his release, I’m confident law enforcement will rectify the errors,” Fischer said. “I ask for Mr. Jackson to turn himself over to the authorities, so resolution to the crime committed against me runs its course, whatever the courts determine that outcome to be.”</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Surveillance </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HunzprLkhMY" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">video</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> from a nearby home showed a car pulling up next to Fischer and two men jumping out and snatching two of the three dogs before shooting Fischer in the chest and fleeing.</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Authorities said police arrested five people in April in connection with the attack, two of whom were charged as accessories after the fact. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Jackson and Jaylin White, 19, and Lafayette Whaley, 27, were all charged with one count of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, and second-degree robbery.</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Authorities also identified White’s father, Harold White, 42, and his partner Jennifer McBride, 51, who were accused of being accessories after the shooting.</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Los Angeles Times </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-19/reward-for-information-offered-on-suspect-in-lady-gaga-dog-walker-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">reported</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> McBride, who was not a suspect at the time, allegedly recovered the dogs and turned them into a Los Angeles police station days after the shooting. She said she came across the dogs tied to a pole and then proceeded to inquire about the reward money offered by Lady Gaga, who initially offered a $500,000 reward for returning her dogs, Koji and Gustav. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Major Crime Team has requested the U.S. Marshals Service’s assistance to find and arrest Jackson, authorities said.  </span></p>


64th Annual GRAMMY Awards – Arrivals

Man Who Shot Lady Gaga’s Dog Walker ‘Erroneously’ Released From Jail, Authorities Offer $5000 Reward

Dogs

Los Angeles Police Department

<p>A Wisconsin high school teacher who went viral and drew parental condemnation for dancing before students in drag — as part of the school&#8217;s &#8220;fine arts week&#8221; — has reportedly resigned from his position to pursue a new career. His former employer claims that his change of jobs is unrelated to his risque performance.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10730873/High-School-French-teacher-resigns-furious-parents-slam-drag-performance.html">reported</a> that Matt Kashdan, a French-language teacher at Middleton High School outside of Madison, Wisconsin, resigned from the job despite defending his dance routine to a local media outlet on Friday, April 17.</p>
<p>&#8220;All this has done has just showed me the power of drag and how important it is for our community,&#8221; he<a href="https://www.wkow.com/news/after-teachers-drag-performance-sparks-controversy-students-staff-show-abundance-of-support/article_b877d63a-bea3-11ec-a127-ef985721b0e9.html"> told</a> WKOW 27, Madison&#8217;s ABC affiliate.</p>
<p>The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-high-schoolers-assembled-to-watch-french-teachers-drag-performance-for-fine-arts-week">reported</a> that during the skit, Kashdan had announced to the entire audience, including minors, &#8220;Most of you know me as the French teacher, but now you will know me as the drag teacher!&#8221; before strutting out in heavy make-up and female attire.</p>
<p>Part of the performance can be seen here (warning: graphic language):</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1513932643494084609</p>
<p>In a comment to WKOW, Kashdan added, &#8220;The coolest thing was that when I went back to school after all of this media stuff had happened, all around the school there were these signs posted saying we support you, LGBTQ rights matter.&#8221;</p>
<p>Based on feedback, some parents and guardians obviously did not agree with Kashdan&#8217;s assessment.</p>
<p>In an email to Wisconsin radio host Vicki McKenna, one unnamed parent reportedly blasted the now-former teacher:</p>
<p>&#8220;I send my children to school and entrust them to teachers that I have to believe are professionals who won’t destroy their innocence for their own pleasure,&#8221; the parent reportedly wrote. &#8220;If MATTHEW KASHDAN makes a decision to perform his drag show at school, what else does he do in his classroom with a roomful of children? What kind of educators thought this was appropriate? Drag shows are &#8216;fine arts&#8217;?  If a teacher is a pole dancer or stripper, can they also perform for my children?&#8221;</p>
<p>The district’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Shannon Valladolid, reportedly admitted that staff performances are vetted by the high school’s teaching faculty.</p>
<p>In an email sent to Empower Wisconsin, Valladolid appeared to defend Kashdan&#8217;s provocative dance, saying, &#8220;The week is full of performances that are enjoyed by students and staff alike. Performances range from music to dance to martial arts, culinary arts, visual arts, language arts, and other arts that fit our extensive definition of The Arts.&#8221;</p>
<p>WKOW reported that &#8220;there wasn&#8217;t any protocol in place for administrative approval&#8221; of the drag performance, adding that &#8220;Kashdan had checked with an event organizer ahead of time to make sure his performance was okay.&#8221;</p>
<p>The school also sent an email explaining, &#8220;The teacher involved in the controversial performance resigned his position weeks ago. His resignation is in no way connected to his performance. He will not be returning to our school next year in order to pursue other career paths outside of education.&#8221;</p>
<p>Neither Kashdan nor Middleton-Cross School District responded to the Mail for comment.</p>
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Drag Queen Wearing Stage Makeup

French Teacher Who Performed Drag Show In Front of Students Pursuing New Career

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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With everyone obsessing about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock over a “G.I. Jane” joke, all the other moments from the 2022 Oscars have been mostly forgotten. Considering that the show featured plenty of expected virtue signaling, including a song and dance number <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wanda-sykes-opens-oscars-announcing-to-people-in-florida-we-are-going-to-have-a-gay-night">featuring the word “gay</a>” for all the Florida residents, that’s actually a good thing. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, many fans did notice Lady Gaga for her exceptionally kind treatment of an ailing Liza Minnelli.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minnelli, 76, has been battling health issues for years. She appeared as a presenter at the Academy Awards in a wheelchair alongside Gaga. The “Bad Romance” singer is a big fan and has always said what an inspiration Minelli was for her own career. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the Hollywood legend struggled with her lines and appeared confused, Lady Gaga deftly rescued her without becoming patronizing and generally exemplified what it means to respect the humanity in another person. Fans were overjoyed to see this touching interaction between the two recording artists, BuzzFeed </span><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniesoteriou/lady-gaga-liza-minnelli-oscars"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lady Gaga gripped Minnelli’s hand for most of the time leading up to them announcing “Best Picture” together, giving a physical reminder that she was with her. When the audience started applauding Minelli’s cameo appearance, Gaga stepped back and said to her, “You see that? The public, they love you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minnelli could be heard laughing as she fumbled with her notes and said, “Oh yes, now what am I…I don’t understand.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gaga smiled and told her: “I’ve got it,” before introducing Minelli to the audience as a “true showbusiness legend.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minnelli struggled through her lines a few more times, and each time she did, Lady Gaga rescued her without talking over her, making it seem like it was all part of the script. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then came the much-buzzed about hot mic moment when Gaga leaned over and whispered to Minnelli, “I got you,” to which Minnelli replied: “I know, thank you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Social media had nothing but praise for Gaga’s treatment of the ailing celebrity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It warmed my heart to see how considerate and caring Lady Gaga treated the terribly fragile Liza Minelli without robbing her of her dignity,” one person shared on Twitter.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is like a lesson in how to facilitate older people while honouring who they are. What a class act by @ladygaga with legend Liza Minnelli. The conferred whispers of ‘I gotcha’ ‘I know’ picked up by the mikes make it especially touching,” Irish journalist Naomi O’Leary </span><a href="https://twitter.com/NaomiOhReally/status/1508380858096492553"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is like a lesson in how to facilitate older people while honouring who they are.<br />What a class act by <a href="https://twitter.com/ladygaga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ladygaga</a> with legend Liza Minnelli. <br />The conferred whispers of &quot;I gotcha&quot; &quot;I know&quot; picked up by the mikes make it especially touching.<a href="https://t.co/2JOWyrTQxn">pic.twitter.com/2JOWyrTQxn</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Naomi O&#39;Leary (@NaomiOhReally) <a href="https://twitter.com/NaomiOhReally/status/1508380858096492553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I just gained a whole new respect for Lady Gaga watching the gentle and dignified way that she interacted with Liza Minnelli. It literally brought tears to my eyes,” another person agreed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Oscars suffered from weak ratings, leading some to speculate that the Smith/Rock interaction was staged. Onlookers insist that Smith’s outburst absolutely wasn’t part of the planned performance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, the love between Gaga and Minnelli was all real. </span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enter for the chance to hang out with Gina Carano at the premiere of her new Daily Wire movie, Terror on the Prairie! Two lucky Daily Wire members will be given the complete red carpet treatment &#8211; free airfare, hotel, premiere car service, and exclusive merch. Daily Wire members can click</span></i><a href="http://www.dailywire.com/redcarpet"> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to enter for a chance to win. If you’re not a Daily Wire member yet, click</span></i><a href="http://dailywire.com/subscribe"> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to join us so you can win this once-in-a-lifetime experience.</span></i></p>


94th Annual Academy Awards – Show

‘I Got You’: Lady Gaga Gently Helping Liza Minnelli At The Oscars Got Overshadowed By That Rude Slap

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Several of the “special guests” who appeared in the recent &#8220;Friends&#8221; reunion on May 27 were reportedly scrubbed from the Chinese version in the communist regime’s latest exhibition of ideological censorship.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pop stars Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and the K-pop group BTS were removed from different versions of the reunion episode when they were streamed on various Chinese platforms.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Each missing cameo involved a star or group that had been a past target of Beijing’s ire, and fans suspected the show was stuck in censorship gear,” reported </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/business/friends-reunion-china.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The New York Times</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pop icon Lady Gaga was likely erased from the episode — in which she joined Phoebe to sing “Smelly Cat” — after sparking anger in Beijing after meeting with the Dalai Lama in 2016.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Chinese fans have reacted with outrage to Lady Gaga&#8217;s meeting with the Dalai Lama over the weekend,” reported the </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-36641851"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BBC</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, adding, “Her social media posts about meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader on Sunday have led to online speculation over whether she will still be allowed to perform in the country.” The BBC also reported that some users of the Chinese social media platform, Weibo, had their posts censored for sharing pictures of Lady Gaga’s Instagram post.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Justin Bieber is banned from performing in China, with the regime’s “Culture Bureau” citing “bad behavior.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer,&#8221; the Bureau announced in a </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-40681026"><span style="font-weight: 400;">statement</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 2017. &#8220;We hope that as Justin Bieber matures, he can continue to improve his own words and actions, and truly become a singer beloved by the public.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2014, Bieber “caused upset on social media after he posted a photo of himself visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo,” which “pays tribute to convicted war criminals but in China and South Korea.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The K-pop group BTS faced a “backlash in China over comments a member made about the Korean War” in October 2020.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In a speech, the band&#8217;s leader, known as RM, mentioned South Korea&#8217;s shared ‘history of pain’ with the US over the 1950-53 conflict, in which the two countries fought together,” reported the </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54513408"><span style="font-weight: 400;">BBC</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. With China backing North Korea during the conflict, this reportedly angered the communist regime.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Chinese netizens said the band&#8217;s totally one-sided attitude to the Korean War hurts their feelings and negates history,” reported Chinese state-run media.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This certainly isn’t the first example of the censorship of content in China which offends the radical government. As <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2021/06/friends-reunion-china-censorship-hollywood.html">Slate</a> noted, “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2018, Chinese moviegoers saw an edited version of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bohemian Rhapsody </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">that cut out scenes and references to Freddie Mercury’s sexuality and AIDS diagnosis,” while “Brad Pitt was banned from China for nearly 20 years for his role in the 1997 film </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seven Years in Tibet</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, portrayed Chinese governance negatively.”</span></p>


Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, And Korean Pop Band Scrubbed From ‘Friends’ Reunion After Offending Chinese Dictatorship

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