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July 31, 2019 at 10:41PM
Rabu, 31 Juli 2019
‘The Bachelorette’: Hannah Brown gets engaged, then ends engagement in bizarre finale - Global News
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read on unless you’ve watched the Season 15 finale of The Bachelorette.The Bachelorette promised a bizarre season finale that “nobody could have seen coming” ahead of Tuesday’s show.Host Chris Harrison posted a photo of himself and Hannah Brown taken the day she handed out her final rose in Greece for the finale.
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July 31, 2019 at 10:41PM
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July 31, 2019 at 10:41PM
Organizers finally cancel troubled Woodstock 50 festival - CBC News
Woodstock 50 is officially cancelled.
Organizers announced Wednesday that the troubled music festival, which hit a series of setbacks in the past four months, won't take place next month.
The three-day festival was originally scheduled for Aug. 16-18 — fifty years after the original — but holdups included permit denials and the loss of a financial partner and a production company.
Last week, Jay-Z, Dead & Company and John Fogerty announced they wouldn't perform at the event after organizers said it was moving to Maryland from New York.
"We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the festival we imagined with the great lineup we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating," festival co-founder Michael Lang said in a statement Wednesday.
"We released all the talent so any involvement on their part would be voluntary. Due to conflicting radius issues in the DC area, many acts were unable to participate and others passed for their own reasons."
Organizers said they were planning to make Woodstock 50 a free benefit concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., before announcing they had cancelled the festival altogether.
Lang announced the event in March alongside Fogerty and rapper-actor Common, two acts that were to perform.
Other artists who were booked for the festival included the Killers, Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons, Chance the Rapper, Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters, David Crosby, Janelle Monae, Brandi Carlile and Halsey.
Woodstock 50 was originally supposed to take place across three main stages at Watkins Glen International racetrack in Watkins Glen, N.Y. — about 185 kilometres northwest of Bethel, the site of the 1969 concert — but the venue pulled out. Tickets were supposed to go on sale on April 22, which was Earth Day, but that was postponed.
The anniversary will still be observed, however. Ringo Starr, Santana and Fogerty will perform at a smaller event, not connected to Woodstock 50, at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.
The original Woodstock, a festival pushing the message of peace, love and music, was a groundbreaking event that featured performances by Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, the Who and other iconic acts.
Lang asked Woodstock 50 artists who were already paid to donate 10 per cent of their earnings to HeadCount, a non-profit group that registers voters at music events, or to another organization.
"Woodstock remains committed to social change and will continue to be active in support of HeadCount's critical mission to get out the vote before the next election," Lang said in his statement.
"We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity."
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August 01, 2019 at 02:54AM
TIFF unveils 2019 Canadian feature line-up, new female talent scheme - Screen International
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) brass announced on Wednesday (July 31) the launch of a talent incubator for female content creators and unveiled the line-up of Canadian features, nearly half of which are directed by women.
Five features from indigenous filmmakers are among the selection of 26 Canadian features. TIFF also announced four Canadian Rising Stars, the annual TIFF Filmmaker Lab participants, finallists for Telefilm Canada’s PITCH THIS! competition, and the roster of Canadian short films.
The Canadian feature selections include seven first features and 13 works by returning TIFF alumni, among them the North American premiere of Atom Egoyan Guest Of Honour (the world premiere is in Venice), as well as world premieres of Heather Young’s Murmur in Discovery about a middle-aged alcoholic cut off from her loved ones, and Joey Klein’s Contemporary World Cinema opioid crisis drama Castle In The Ground (pictured) starring Imogen Poots, Alex Wolff, and Neve Campbell. Also receiving its world premiere is TIFF Docs selection There’s Something In The Water from Ellen Page and her Gaycation co-host Ian Daniel.
The five films by Indigenous filmmakers and film teams are: Abenaki director Alanis Obomsawin’s documentary Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger in Masters; Jeff Barnaby’s Midnight Madness entry Blood Quantum; Myriam Verreault’s Kuessipan in Discover, about life among the Innu people in northeastern Quebec; Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn’s domestic violence drama The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open in Contemporary World Cinema; and Zacharias Kunuk’s One Day In The Life Of Noah Piugattuk in Special Events, about a life-changing encounter on Baffin Island in 1961.
All Canadian feature films are eligible for the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. The seven Canadian feature directorial debuts are eligible for the City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film.
Previously announced Canadian titles include festival opener Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson And The Band by Daniel Roher, François Girard’s The Song Of Names, Semi Chellas’s American Woman, and Barry Avrich’s David Foster: Off the Record.
GALAS
American Woman – Canadian Premiere
Dir: Semi Chellas
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson And The Band – world premiere
Dir: Daniel Roher
The Song Of Names – world premiere
Dir: François Girard
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Clifton Hill – world premiere
Dir: Albert Shin
Guest Of Honour – North American premiere
Dir: Atom Egoyan
SPECIAL EVENTS
David Foster: Off the Record – world premiere
Dir: Barry Avrich
One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk – North American premiere
Dir: Zacharias Kunuk
MASTERS
Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger – world premiere
Dir: Alanis Obomsawin
TIFF DOCS
Coppers – world premiere
Dir: Alan Zweig
This Is Not a Movie – world premiere
Dir: Yung Chang
There’s Something In The Water – world premiere
Dirs: Ellen Page, Ian Daniel
DISCOVERY
Black Conflux – world premiere
Dir: Nicole Dorsey
Easy Land – world premiere
Dir: Sanja Zivkovic
Kuessipan – world premiere
Dir: Myriam Verreault
Murmur – world premiere
Dir: Heather Young
Raf – world premiere
Dir: Harry Cepka
The Rest Of Us – world premiere
Dir: Aisling Chin-Yee
CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA
And The Birds Rained Down (Il Pleuvait Des Oiseaux) – world premiere
Dir: Louise Archambault
Antigone – world premiere
Dir: Sophie Deraspe
The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open – North American premiere
Dirs: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn
Castle In The Ground – world premiere
Dir: Joey Klein
The Last Porno Show – world premiere
Dir: Kire Paputts
Tammy’s Always Dying – world premiere
Dir: Amy Jo Johnson
White Lie – world premiere
Dirs: Calvin Thomas, Yonah Lewis
MIDNIGHT MADNESS
Blood Quantum – world premiere
Dir: Jeff Barnaby
The Twentieth Century – world premiere
Dir: Matthew Rankin
TIFF Rising Stars
The TIFF Rising Stars programme returns for its ninth year. Kacey Rohl, Mikhaïl Ahooja, Nahéma Ricci, and Shamier Anderson will get access to professional development sessions, industry events, red carpets, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
Each is featured in this year’s Official Selection. Rohl stars in Contemporary World Cinema selection White Lie; Ahooja is featured in the Midnight Madness entry The Twentieth Century; Ricci will appear in Sophie Deraspe’s Contemporary World Cinema selection Antigone; and Anderson will be featured alongside Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan, and Jamie Dornan in Drake Doremus’s Special Presentations entry Endings, Beginnings. TIFF will announce its four international Rising Stars on August 15.
“With such a wealth of homegrown talent, selecting the Canadian Rising Stars is never an easy task,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF artistic director and co-head. “We were blown away by this group and deeply impressed by these young, up-and-coming voices. I have no doubt they’ll go on to do big things, just like the Rising Stars who came before them.”
Filmmaker Lab Participants and Inaugural Talent Accelerator
The 20 directors selected for the 16th annual TIFF Filmmaker Lab mentorship initiative are:
Canada – Joseph Amenta (Ontario); Sofia Bohdanowicz (Ontario); Karen Chapman (Ontario); Aisling Chin-Yee (Quebec); Nicole Dorsey (Ontario); Martin Edralin (Ontario); Drew Lint (Ontario); Samantha Pineda Sierra (British Columbia); Geoff Redknap (British Columbia); and Charlie Tyrell (Ontario).
International – Abbesi Akhamie (USA); Cyril Aris (Lebanon); Andreas Bøggild Monies (Denmark); Chema García Ibarra (Spain); Beza Hailu Lemma (Ethiopia); Jennifer Peedom (Australia); Johanna Pyykkö (Norway); Silvina Schnicer (Argentina); Maya Vitkova-Kosev (Bulgaria); and Charles Williams (Australia).
Four Governors — producer Cassian Elwes, writer-director Patricia Rozema, acting coach Miranda Harcourt, and director Lulu Wang – will serve as guides throughout the four days.
New this year is the TIFF Talent Accelerator, a year-long development programme for promising Canadian female creators. Two Filmmaker Lab directors are part of the inaugural class of six, with two producers and two writers benefitting from other Industry support programmes.
The 2019 TIFF Talent Accelerator participants are:
Directing – Sofia Bohdanowicz, Karen Chapman;
Producing – Melissa Coghlan, Shasha Nakhai; and
Writing – Lisa Jackson, Jasmin Mozaffari.
TIFF Talent Accelerator is made possible by Share Her Journey, TIFF’s fundraising initiative to support female talent in front of and behind the camera. The Lab will run from September 4–7. Filmmaker Lab and Talent Accelerator are programmed by TIFF Industry Programming producer Jane Kim.
PITCH THIS!
Six teams of finallists for Telefilm Canada’s 20th annual PITCH THIS! competition will spend six minutes each pitching their feature-film idea to a live audience and a jury of film professionals. The winning team will receive $15,000 for project development. The competition will take place at the Glenn Gould Studio on September 8 and is open to all press and industry delegates.
The 2019 finallists are:
La Cercanía
Jorge Thielen Armand, Rodrigo Michelangeli
When Oana’s father falls gravely ill in Venezuela, she breaks a 15-year exile in Canada to return home and visit her family one last time. But when she reconnects with Sofia, her estranged half-sister, Oana must commit to helping Sofia transition into adulthood amid the devastation caused by the economic crisis.
What Night Taught Her (documentary)
Lauren Grant, Lisa Rideout, Ashley Cooper
An intimate look inside Canada’s first sex workers’ rights organization and the people who run it. Delving into the ups and downs of three outreach workers’ lives, the film reveals the harsh realities of a job that can mean the difference between life or death.
Blue Flower (Fleur Bleue)
Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, Sarah Mannering, Fanny Drew
When a video of a six-year-old Romanian art prodigy goes viral on the internet, Mihai is sent to evaluate the girl’s production – meaning he has to return to his home country for the first time in 30 years.
Paying For It
Kristy Neville, Natalie Urquhart
After his long-time girlfriend begins sleeping with another man, a painfully introverted cartoonist begins sleeping with prostitutes, to the disapproval of his friends and former lover. An unconventional rom-com comedy about a modern man’s search for love and connection.
Worst Team Ever
Kathleen Jayme, Michael Grand, James Brown (Documentary)
This 80- to 90-minute documentary tells the unfortunate story of what happened to the Vancouver Grizzlies, Canada’s other NBA team – gone, but far from forgotten – who just might have been the worst professional sports franchise in history.
Epochal
Rodrigo Barriuso, Kyah Green
When dementia begins to progress, a transgender woman living with Alzheimer’s at a transphobic nursing home finds herself mentally regressing to a time before her transition. As the complexities of gender identity resurface, her sense of self becomes an emotional battlefield that she will have to defend and uphold.
Click here for the list of Canadian short films. The 44th annual TIFF runs from Sept 5-15.
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July 31, 2019 at 09:10PM
MLB trade deadline: Trevor Bauer heads to Reds, Indians get Yasiel Puig in three-team blockbuster with Padres - CBS Sports
The Indians have traded right-handed starter Trevor Bauer to the Reds as part of a three-team deal that also involves the Padres, the teams announced Wednesday, hours before the trade deadline. The trade was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.com on Tuesday night. The Indians are receiving a large contingent in return, led by outfielder Yasiel Puig (from the Reds) and outfielder Franmil Reyes and pitching prospect Logan Allen (from the Padres). San Diego is getting outfielder Taylor Trammell from Cincinnati, and Cleveland received two other prospects in the deal.
Here are the details of the trade:
The second major blockbuster of the 2019 trade deadline has a lot of moving parts, so let's sort this out from the perspective of each of the three teams.
Indians
Bauer was a Cy Young contender last season, but otherwise has been pretty inconsistent. He's made it clear he wasn't going to re-sign with the Indians when he hit free agency after next season and they have rotation depth. It's possible his on-field incident over the weekend wasn't taken too kindly by the organization, either.
As things stand, Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and a returning Danny Salazar (he'll make his 2019 debut on Thursday after a long road back from injury) as their four members of the rotation. Adam Plutko has made some starts so he'll likely hold down the fifth spot until Corey Kluber comes back (which could be the middle of August). This still has the makings of a good rotation.
Allen, 22, is a top-100 prospect and figures to get a shot in the rotation in future years (Kluber has club options for 2020 and 2021 and they might not pick both up). Allen has a 5.15 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings in Triple-A, but that's the Pacific Coast League, which is notoriously hitter-friendly and, in fact, the league ERA is 5.51, so Allen's been good despite the number looking ugly. He was roughed up in his MLB stint, but he's a 22-year-old rookie.
Moss, 24, has a 3.44 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 102 innings in 20 Double-A starts this season. He's a depth play.
As for the offensive side, the Indians came into Tuesday night ranking 10th in the AL in runs and ninth in slugging percentage. Enter Reyes and Puig. Reyes has 27 homers with a .536 slugging percentage. Puig has 22 homers and a .475 slugging mark.
Reyes immediately gives the Indians a very good everyday designated hitter, as he's certainly an upgrade over Jake Bauers. If they are so inclined, Puig could serve as a platoon-mate to lefty-swinging Tyler Naquin in right field.
Interesting side note: Puig was involved in a Reds-Pirates brawl in Cincinnati as the trade was being reported but before he had been notified. He walked off the field for the last time as a Red after being ejected.
As for Nova, he's a bit of a lottery ticket. He's 19 and in Rookie Ball right now, where he's hitting .330/.421/.451 with two doubles, three triples, a homer, 17 RBI, 22 runs and seven steals in 26 games.
Reds
Trammell is a top-20 prospect per MLB.com, but he's having a rough season (.236/.350/.338) and apparently the Reds wanted Bauer enough to part with him (and two months of Puig, who hits free agency after this season). They are definitely gambling big here on Bauer helping them make the playoffs next season and Trammell not blossoming into a star.
Maybe Bauer just needs a change of scenery? He had a 2.21 ERA last season and finished sixth in Cy Young voting despite missing the last month with an injury. He leads the majors in innings pitched right now. The Reds could play themselves into contention next season -- they were contending not long ago this year -- and they're losing Alex Wood and Tanner Roark in free agency, in all likelihood. Bauer returning to form along with Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray would give the Reds are very good 1-2-3 in the rotation.
Padres
Reyes is very good and fun to watch ... when he's batting. He's a negative on the defensive side and that's likely what the Padres were thinking on shipping him out. They have lots of young pitching and pitching prospects, so it's possible they didn't figure Allen would figure in their future rotation plans, especially if they acquire veteran pitching either via trade or in free agency in the offseason, which would be advisable.
In Trammell, they are looking to the future and dreaming on his upside. As noted, he's having a rough year, but he's only 21. The hits left-handed and could profile as a top-of-the-order guy down the road in front of the likes of Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado. In 393 career minor-league games, he's stolen 107 bases and hit 23 triples. He's good at drawing walks; take note of the .350 on-base percentage in spite of the low average.
The word on Trammell is he doesn't have five-tool star potential due to his arm, but the other four tools are in star territory with above-average power and excellent speed. MLB.com ranked him as the 16th-best prospect in baseball heading into the season.
Again, the Padres are dreaming on upside and tools, but it's worth the gamble. The best versions of Trammell, Tatis and Machado as a 1-2-3 looks like the start of a playoff-caliber lineup.
Fantasy impact
How does this trade impact fantasy baseball players? CBS Sports expert Scott White writes that the fantasy implications range far and wide from the trade. White breaks down the fantasy impact of each player included in the seven-player trade, and there are winners all across the board.
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-trade-deadline-trevor-bauer-heads-to-reds-indians-get-yasiel-puig-in-three-team-blockbuster-with-padres/
2019-07-31 15:16:00Z
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New year, new blockbuster deal for the Tribe - Waiting For Next Year
In what has become an annual tradition, the Cleveland Indians have again gone and got themselves a new cast of characters at the new and unimproved single trade deadline to try and fit themselves into the postseason puzzle. Like Andrew Miller, Jay Bruce and Josh Donaldson before, Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes have now been tasked with helping the Tribe not only make it to the postseason but win the World Series. Let’s look at the trade from Cleveland’s point of view as to why it was made and what we can reasonably expect from the return.
Going out: Trevor Bauer
It feels wrong to say the words the only thing Cleveland lost is Trevor Bauer, but it’s the facts. The nuances of why Bauer was on the move are much more in-depth. We know that Bauer has the personal mission to never sign a long term deal, which is completely within this prerogative and makes sense from a player standpoint, but getting players to sign the long term “hometown discount” deal is what allows Cleveland to keep contending and not dip further into the free agency pool than they feel comfortable. Knowing Bauer was due a large raise in next year’s arbitration hearing is what inevitably spurned Cleveland to look to move the mercurial starter.
Bauer’s 2019, while good to great in its own right, pales in comparison to his almost Cy Young-winning 2018. A 27.9 K-rate is nothing to cry about, but down from his 30.8% in 2018, and coupled with a rise in his BB-rate, Bauer was allowing more hitters on and paying for it. 2018 seems to be more of the outlier season as Bauer’s HR/9 ballooned back to more inline career numbers in 2019 after being almost superhero level low in 2018.
Moving Bauer via trade seemingly became priority No. 1 after Sunday’s antics, but despite every single national writer saying the centerfield long toss session hurt his value, Cleveland was able to recoup arguably the two best bats available at the deadline, one controlled until 2024, along with even longer-term options Logan Allen, Victor Nova, and Scott Moss. That return is mighty for a player many thought threw his value as far as the centerfield wall.
Coming in: Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, Scott Moss, Victor Nova
Let’s quickly run through the lower players before getting into the beefy bats. Victor Nova is a 19-year-old third baseman playing rookie ball but hitting .303. It will be sometime before he is making noise, but he’s a good long term piece nonetheless. Moss is a 24-year-old lefty in Double-A for Cincinnati who struggled in A+ last year but came back around to have a 28.2% K-rate while holding Double-A batters to a .223 average. It remains to be seen whether or not Moss will continue to be stretched as a starter, but he’s an interesting prospect as well. His age could necessitate a move to the pen if he is to be utilized sooner rather than later, but if the developmental team sees him as a possible plus starter, that makes sense as well.
Logan Allen’s fit on the 2019 roster is a little more complicated and convoluted. Allen has been used as a starter throughout his minor league career with good results but has struggled in San Diego’s rotation in 2019. He sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, with a slider that he uses as a weapon to lefties and a changeup against right-handed batters. That mix has done him well, and he’s definitely far from a two-pitch pitcher, but with Cleveland’s rotation, he could see more bullpen time going forward, which makes sense given Tyler Olson’s lacking production. A return to health of Danny Salazar makes up for the loss of Bauer and prospect Aaron Civale is healthy again to help out the big club as well until Corey Kluber and *fingers crossed* Carlos Carrasco get healthy.
Now the big bats. Puig has been a long-time target of Tribe fans for years, always yearning for the Right-Handed-Power-Bat™. Puig might be the closest thing to Manny Ramirez we see in our lifetimes: the ability to get around a baseball, paired with the arm cannon in right and the head of a punch drunk boxer. While only in Cleveland for the rest of the 2019 season Puig instantly ups the level of play in the outfield, offensively and defensively. Taking over The Corner from Tyler Naquin should be easy, as his 54 assists since 2013 puts him at 8th most in that amount of time, and I couldn’t be happier about seeing him gun down runners at the plate in a Tribe jersey.
As good as Puig has been, his 22 home runs would tie the current team leader Carlos Santana, Reyes is the bigger get to me. Cost controlled through the 2024 season, Reyes is prototypical DH most American League teams see themselves using. His 27 home runs are the leader in the clubhouse, and his 117 wRC+ is the third-best mark among qualified Indians hitters. Reyes will fill the DH spot for 2019 with an eye to be in left field in the future, and when you look at the production former DH Jake Bauers was putting out, he will be lightyears better suited for the role. His age and contractual control allow for the team to continue to keep the window open further, putting a big bat like his in the lineup allows for Bauers to go back to Columbus and work a bit more on his swing. An outfield of Reyes, Oscar Mercado, Bauers, Greg Allen, and Daniel Johnson is a group that is young, exciting and the future of the franchise.
While losing Bauer’s abilities does put a damper on what can be expected in a postseason series, the return to health of Salazar and Kluber does loom large. If they come back healthy and productive, this is a slam dunk trade for both the here and now. If either one falters as they come back, the trade for it’s future parts, is still a win for Cleveland.
https://waitingfornextyear.com/2019/07/new-year-new-blockbuster-deal-for-the-tribe-trevor-bauer-yasiel-puig-franmil-reyes/
2019-07-31 13:30:31Z
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Sources: Saints, WR Thomas reach $100M deal - ESPN
Michael Thomas has reached agreement with the New Orleans Saints on a five-year, $100 million extension that includes $61 million guaranteed and makes him the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Thomas is now tied to the Saints for the next six years, through the 2024 season.
Thomas is set to make $1.148 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract. He did not report for the start of Saints training camp as he sought a new deal.
Thomas was one of several high-profile players holding out from training camp, including Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys running backs Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott, Washington Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
Ngakoue noticed news of Thomas' deal and tweeted "well deserved."
Thomas could become the first in a very expensive set of dominoes to fall, with fellow top receivers like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, A.J. Green and Tyreek Hill also seeking extensions. There was some sense that none of those receivers wanted to sign first, so the others could raise the bar for them. But no one stood to gain more than the 26-year-old Thomas.
Teammate Cameron Jordan tweeted congratulations to Thomas on Wednesday.
100 mm 100 mm where yo hood at!!!! @Cantguardmike #paytheman
— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) July 31, 2019
And even LeBron James weighed in on the deal.
Noted! 🐐 🙏🏾🏁 https://t.co/VjSdzGwyRC
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) July 31, 2019
Thomas' deal marks a 1,700% pay raise for the first-team All-Pro, whose 321 career catches are by far the most in NFL history by a player in his first three seasons. Odell Beckham Jr., who signed with the Giants for around $18 million per year last season before being traded to the Browns, ranks second on that list at 288.
The Saints have never paid a skill-position player more than $10 million per year, which was the size of tight end Jimmy Graham's extension before he was traded away in 2015. But Thomas, who was drafted in the second round out of Ohio State in 2016, has played a bigger role in New Orleans' offense than any skill-position player to come before him in the Payton-Drew Brees era.
Last season, Thomas set franchise records with 125 catches and 1,405 yards while catching nine touchdown passes. His catch rate of 84.5% in 2018 was the highest of any NFL receiver since at least 2001, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
No other receiver had more than 28 catches for the Saints last season, and their lack of reliable targets behind Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara really hurt them down the stretch. They signed tight end Jared Cook in free agency to help with that depth issue.
Noted! 🐐 🙏🏾🏁 https://t.co/VjSdzGwyRC
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) July 31, 2019
As usual, the Saints will have to get creative with their bookkeeping to fit Thomas under the salary cap and to keep their loaded roster together in future years. They had about $12 million in cap space before Thomas' new deal, after they also signed All-Pro defensive end Cameron Jordan to a lucrative contract extension earlier this offseason.
The Saints already have more than $26 million in "dead money" scheduled to count against their salary cap in 2020 because of the way they have structured Brees' contract. Next year, Brees, backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and guard Andrus Peat, among others, are scheduled to be free agents. Then Kamara, guard Larry Warford and linebacker Demario Davis come due in 2021, followed by cornerback Marshon Lattimore and offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk in 2022.
ESPN's Mike Triplett contributed to this report.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27293746/saints-wr-thomas-reach-100m-deal
2019-07-31 13:10:23Z
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Cleveland Indians' Jason Kipnis on Trevor Bauer trade: 'You're losing a damn good pitcher" - cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jason Kipnis has seen the scene unfold many times.
A player gets traded, gets hugs from his former teammates, and then tries to process what just happened to him. So it was with Trevor Bauer on Tuesday night following the Indians’ 2-0 loss to Houston.
The Indians traded Bauer to Cincinnati in a three-team deal. They will receive outfielder Yasiel Puig and left-hander Scott Moss from the Reds and outfielder Franmil Reyes, left-hander Logan Allen and infielder Victor Nova from San Diego.
As Bauer was processing the deal, so was Kipnis, who is in his eighth season with the Tribe. He said he wanted to gather his thoughts, and make sure everything was official, before commenting, but he still talked about the pitcher the Indians gave up and what it means to a team in the middle of a race for the postseason.
“You’re losing a damn good pitcher and we’re in a race right now," said Kipnis. "It’s not fun for our clubhouse and I’m sure it wasn’t fun for the front office. It’s a hard trigger to pull, but hopefully we get some guys here who are ready to compete and fit in and ready to buy into what we’re doing here.”
Bauer was quirky. His last pitch as an Indians player saw him throw a ball over the center field fence at Kauffman Stadium in a fit of frustration on Sunday. He was fined by MLB for his actions, but Kipnis said he had confidence in Bauer whenever he took the mound.
“Regardless of what’s has happened with Trevor ,the last few days here, he was pulling on the same rope we were,” said Kipnis. “He was fighting with us to get back in this division race the whole time. Like I said, he’s a damn good pitcher. Hopefully we get guys who can replace him and keep going.”
Puig and Reyes will join the Indians in the near future. Moss, Allen and Nova will go to the minors.
The Indians acquired Bauer on December of 2012 in a three-team deal with the Reds and Arizona. He has his own training routine and a obsession with drones that may have cost the Indians a chance to win the World Series in 2016 when he suffered a cut right pinky finger early in the postseason. But eventually Bauer found a home with the Tribe and became a key part to one of the best rotations in the big leagues.
“He’s just of those guys who is set in his ways and you have to get used to him,” said Kipnis. "Telling him just don’t do that doesn’t resonate with him. You have to give him a reason why or show him why that makes sense to him.
"It doesn’t mean he’s a bad person, a bad teammate just because he has his own ways about things. He can be misunderstood at times. You have to find that middle ground, which we have over time. You learn how to communicate with him, learn how to work with him and progress toward having a productive environment here.
“I think we were getting there. I think we got there.”
Like most big-league teams, the Indians are not made up of 25 guys who go out to dinner together after every game. But they have co-existed enough on the field to where they are in contention for their fourth straight AL Central title.
“No one has to be best friends here,” said Kipnis. "No one has to hang out off the field. It’s still business. It’s still work. I think guys come here and are professional about it.
“I don’t think you have to love everybody that you play with. But you will respect everybody you play with, you will fight alongside them and for them. He was doing that.”
Bauer heads to the non-contending Reds with a 9-8 record and a 3.79 ERA in 24 starts this season. He leads the big leagues in innings pitched, hit batsmen, walks and pitches thrown. That does not include the ball he threw over the center field fence on Sunday.
He went 67-53 with a 3.89 ERA with the Indians.
“I’m guessing we were favored in every game he’s started (this year),” said Kipnis. "He’s been in the Cy Young race the last couple of years. You ask opposing hitters. . .he’s one of the top strikeout pitchers in the league and he’s a damn good righty. He eats up innings. There’s a lot of value in that.
“Like I said he’s one of the better pitchers in this league. We know that. He knows that. You can’t really take that away from him. You feel confident when he’s out there on the mound.”
The trading deadline ends Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Indians were still talking to a lot of teams following the Bauer deal. So the possibility of more moves exits.
Kipnis, meawhile, said the players that remain will probably take a moment to regroup.
“Sometimes you don’t even have to,” he said. "Sometimes you take a step back. You want to make the new guys feel as comfortable as possible. Kind of introduce them to what we’re doing here, what we’re trying to accomplish.
"There’s always a trade deadline. It makes you realize there’s a business side of it. It’s not all fun and games all the time. Sometimes a guy you may go to breakfast, lunch and dinner with seven days a week is out of your life forever pretty much. It happens in the minors leagues. It happens with other guys’ careers. It just happens.
“I think we’re getting used to it. At least I have for as long as I’ve been around it. I think we have such a good thing going here that any newcomers will look to jump in immediately because it will be a fun inviting place for them to work.”
But how does a contender deal with losing a pitcher who many felt was the ace of the staff?
“The front office has earned our trust enough not to just second guess any move they make,” said Kipnis. "It’s tough. You consider him No.1, I guarantee you someone else considers Shane Bieber our No.1. Someone else considers Mike Clevinger our No.1.
"That’s the value in having that much starting pitching depth where you might be able to take a shot and fill in some other spots. They knew that was our strong point and it would probably give us our biggest return. I’m guessing that’s what’s happened here.
“You’ll miss him pitching for you every fifth day because he’s a damn good pitcher. But at the same time we’ve always gone with the motto next guy up. Some guy will take the ball every fifth day and do his job.”
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https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/07/cleveland-indians-jason-kipnis-on-trevor-bauer-trade-youre-losing-a-damn-good-pitcher.html
2019-07-31 13:19:00Z
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Reds To Acquire Trevor Bauer In 3-Team Deal With Indians, Padres - MLB Trade Rumors
TODAY: The deal is on track to be announced today, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
YESTERDAY: The dust has settled on a stunning three-team trade, but not before a dust-up in last night’s Reds-Pirates game threatened to scuttle the arrangement. Even as the Reds, Indians, and Padres completed medical reviews on the players involved, one of them — Cincinnati outfielder Yasiel Puig — was playing a central role in an on-field brawl. That show punctuated what has been a notably slow-moving market in the approach to the trade deadline.
The hoopla began when reports emerged that the Reds had struck a deal for star right-hander Trevor Bauer, who was himself the central figure in a memorable recent display of frustration. In exchange for Bauer, the Indians will pick up Puig and lefty pitching prospect Scott Moss from Cincinnati. They’ll also add a trio of players from the Padres: outfielder Franmil Reyes, young left-hander Logan Allen, and rookie-level infielder Victor Nova. On the San Diego end of the swap, the Friars have landed much-hyped outfield prospect Taylor Trammell from the Reds.
At 49-55 and 6 1/2 games out of wild-card position, Cincinnati’s chances of earning a playoff spot this year appear close to dead. Nevertheless, the poor win-loss results the team has achieved this season didn’t deter president of baseball operations Dick Williams and general manager Nick Krall, whose goal is to make a more serious playoff push in 2020. The Reds may be in position to do that by picking up Bauer, who – barring more deals – could team with Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Anthony DeSclafani and Tyler Mahle to give the Reds one of the game’s best rotations next season. Cincinnati’s starting staff has been a formidable group without Bauer this year, but it could lose one or two veterans by Wednesday’s trade deadline. Tanner Roark and Alex Wood look like possible candidates to wind up on the move, but even if they stay put through the season, they’re not under contract beyond then.
The 28-year-old Bauer has been a quality, albeit somewhat frustrating, starter since he entered the pro ranks as the third overall pick of the Diamondbacks in 2011. He went to the Indians in a three-team trade in 2012 (which also involved the Reds) and has since pitched to a 3.89 ERA/3.95 FIP across 1,044 1/3 innings and 180 appearances (170 starts). Bauer was at his best last year, during which he earned Cy Young consideration on the strength of a splendid 2.21 ERA/2.44 FIP over 175 1/3 frames.
While Bauer hasn’t been as effective this season, he has still notched a solid 3.79 ERA/4.17 FIP with 10.63 K/9 against 3.62 BB/9 through a league-leading 156 2/3 innings. That was eminently valuable production to a Cleveland team which has been without Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger for significant parts of the season, but the Tribe nonetheless deemed Bauer expendable. In his final act as an Indian, Bauer fired a ball from the pitcher’s mound over the center field wall Sunday after a frustrating outing in Kansas City.
Clearly, Bauer’s on-field tantrum last weekend didn’t have an adverse affect on his trade value. The Indians are bringing back a major haul for Bauer, who’s making $13MM now, will earn an arbitration raise next season and has said he plans to go year to year in free agency thereafter. As a 62-44 team that holds the American League’s top wild-card spot and trails the AL Central-leading Twins by 2 1/2 games, the Indians were only going to trade Bauer if it helped them stay in contention this season. It appears this deal will enable them to accomplish that. It’ll also shave quite a bit of salary from the Indians’ 2020 books while giving them multiple potential long-term pieces.
Puig is only under control through this season, during which he’s making a $9.7MM salary, but will team with Reyes to help give the Indians the right-handed outfield/DH punch they’d been seeking on the trade market. With the Puig and Reyes acquisitions, the Indians have become the first team to ever land two 20-home run hitters in one midseason trade, Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out.
The 28-year-old Puig joined the Reds last winter in a previous blockbuster involving the Dodgers. Although Puig got off to a horrible start this season, his production has taken off over the past several weeks. Puig now owns a .252/.302/.475 slash with 22 home runs and 14 stolen bases (19 attempts) across 404 plate appearances. Long a capable defender in right field, Puig has also performed well in that aspect this year.
One of the key elements of this deal for Puig is that it completely wipes out the possibility of him receiving a qualifying offer after the season. Puig only looked like a borderline candidate for a QO, but now that he’s off the Reds, he’s on schedule to reach free agency unfettered over the winter.
Just as Bauer’s Indians stint ended in bizarre fashion, so did Puig’s days with the Reds. He was involved in a brawl during the Reds-Pirates game Tuesday when news of the trade came down. Puig may have to serve a suspension early in his Tribe tenure as a result.
There are no such concerns centering on Reyes, who has emerged as one of the game’s foremost power bats since he debuted a year ago. Although Reyes has struggled to consistently get on base this season, his first full campaign in the majors, the big-bodied 24-year-old has still batted .255/.314/.536 (117 wRC+) with 27 home runs in 354 PA. Given his prolific home run totals, Reyes could eventually rake in sizable sums via arbitration, but that isn’t something the Indians will have to worry about for the foreseeable future. Reyes isn’t on track to reach arbitration until after the 2021 season, and he’s not scheduled to become a free agent until the conclusion of the 2024 campaign.
Not to be forgotten, the Indians are also getting three less established players in this deal in Allen, Nova and Moss. The 22-year-old Allen entered the season as a top 100-caliber prospect. He has since struggled in a 25 1/3-inning major league sample and in 57 2/3 frames with Triple-A El Paso of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. However, Allen was still regarded as one of the many high-end prospects in a jam-packed Padres system. FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen ranked Allen as the Padres’ eighth-best farmhand back in May, writing that he “comfortably projects as a No. 4 starter.”
Nova, 19, was not grouped in with the Padres’ premier farmhands, but Longenhagen tweets that the infielder’s “an interesting, bat-first flier.” The Dominican Republic native has held his own this year in rookie ball, where he has batted .330/.421/.451 (136 wRC+) with seven steals in 109 PA.
Now 24, Moss became a Red when they used a fourth-round pick on him in 2016. The former Tommy John patient has since put up appealing results in the minors, including this year. In his first experience in Double-A ball, Moss has thrown 102 innings and recorded a 3.44 ERA/3.52 FIP with 10.85 K/9, though he has walked just over five hitters per nine. Moss ranked as the Reds’ 12th overall prospect at MLB.com, which notes he has a “somewhat limited” ceiling but could turn into a back-end starter or swingman at the MLB level.
The highest-ranked prospect in this trade is Trammell, whom Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law (subscriptions required) placed near the top of the sport in their most recent updates. BA rates Trammell 41st, while Law’s even more bullish (No. 14). This hasn’t been a hugely effective season for the 21-year-old Trammell, who has batted .236/.350/.338 (108 wRC+) with six homers and 17 steals in 377 PA during his initial taste of Double-A action. However, youth and injuries have played a part in Trammell’s unspectacular output, explains Law, who contends the youngster has the tools to become “a good regular or a star” in left field.
The Padres, of course, surrendered a substantial amount to acquire the unproven Trammell. But trading Reyes will somewhat enable the club to alleviate its current logjam in the outfield. With Reyes out of the mix, the Padres still have two starting-caliber corner outfield options in Hunter Renfroe and the maligned, expensive Wil Myers. They also have rookie Josh Naylor, Travis Jankowski and Franchy Cordero as 40-man options who are either in the minors or injured at present.
Weighing all the pieces in this trade, it’s all the more surprising the Blue Jays couldn’t reel in a greater return for righty Marcus Stroman this past weekend. At $7.4MM, Stroman’s cheaper than Bauer, under control for the same period and has arguably been the better of the two this season. Nevertheless, in a trade with the Mets, the Jays were only able to secure two non-elite prospects – pitchers Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson – for Stroman. There was plenty of chatter afterward that teams were clinging to their prospects and unwilling to give up truly outstanding young talent anymore, but this three-way deal shows that isn’t the case.
Jeff Passan of ESPN broke the news of the deal. Additional players involved were conveyed by Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Dennis Lin of The Athletic, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/07/reds-to-acquire-trevor-bauer-in-3-team-deal.html
2019-07-31 11:13:00Z
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Joe Girardi thinks Trevor Bauer could be traded again before deadline - New York Post
Joe Girardi thinks there is a chance Trevor Bauer won’t be with the Cincinnati Reds by the time the trade deadline ends on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m.
The former New York Yankees manager, who is now working for MLB Network, said he thinks a team such as the Bombers, Astros or another contending team who needs pitching still could have a chance to land the controversial starter.
“My initial reaction when I saw Trevor Bauer going to the Cincinnati Reds was was they were going to flip him to a team that maybe couldn’t match up with Cleveland with the prospects they had or the ready-made major league players that they had,” Girardi said during a conversation with Ken Rosenthal. “Because for a year and two months, you know, to give up a prospect like (Taylor Trammell). That’s a lot for me in a sense when they might not be ready to win yet.”
While saying anything could happen before the deadline ends, Rosenthal seemed to think the Reds won’t flip Bauer and will look to contend next season with a strong top three in their rotation of Bauer, Luis Castillo and former Yankee Sonny Gray.
Sources with knowledge of the front office’s plans told The Cincinnati Enquirer that Bauer isn’t expected to be flipped in another trade.
On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Indians right-hander was traded to the Reds as part of a three-team deal that included the San Diego Padres. The Reds shipped outfielders Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes, utilityman Victor Nova left-handed pitching prospect Scott Moss to the Indians as part of the deal, according to multiple reports. The Indians also got right-hander Logan Allen from the Padres.
Reds outfield prospect Trammell was shipped to San Diego.
The 28-year-old Bauer was fined by Major League Baseball earlier Tuesday for heaving a ball from the pitcher’s mound over the center-field wall at Kansas City last weekend. Bauer, who is making $13 million this season, isn’t a free agent until after 2020.
If the Yankees or another team are still looking for a back-end-of-the-rotation starter, the Reds could move Tanner Roark or Alex Wood because both pitchers are free agents at the end of the season, according to The Enquirer.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/31/joe-girardi-thinks-trevor-bauer-could-be-traded-again-before-deadline/
2019-07-31 09:43:00Z
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The one pitcher the Mets should look to deal - New York Post
CHICAGO — Well, after this display Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field (worst ballpark name ever), you know what the scouts on site will report back to their respective central commands:
Go get Noah Syndergaard.
Stay away from Edwin Diaz.
The Mets, naturally, should do the opposite with Wednesday’s trade deadline arriving. Now winners of five in a row after they overcame another Diaz blown save, with homers by Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto producing an 11-inning, 5-2 victory over the White Sox, the Mets are sort of in this playoff race, trailing the Cubs by five games in the pursuit of the National League’s second wild card. Because they already damaged their farm system further with the trade for the Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman, it would be silly to jettison Syndergaard and his ace-like stuff, not to mention his larger-than-life persona.
Diaz, though? If they receive a fair offer for him, they should quit while they’re behind on Brodie Van Wagenen’s biggest and worst trade.
Syndergaard looked absolutely brilliant in going 7¹/₃ innings and allowing one unearned run on five hits and one walk while striking out 11. His fastball reached 100 miles per hour on the radar gun, and his slider, missing in action for much of this campaign, played an integral role in his dominance.
“I think tonight was probably the top it’s felt mechanically [this season],” said Syndergaard, who dropped his ERA from 4.33 to 4.10. “Felt really good out there.”
“Wow. He was electric,” Mickey Callaway said. “I thought he had all pitches working. To pitch that deep in the game, he did a tremendous job. That was probably the best I’ve seen him.”
In his postgame interview, Syndergaard acknowledged that he has been in touch with the team’s front office concerning his future and professed confidence that he would still be a Met come 4 p.m. (Eastern time) on Wednesday. He agreed with the premise that the Mets wouldn’t have let him pitch Tuesday if they were close to trading him away.
Diaz didn’t speak with the media, though what could he say at this point, anyway? His actions speak loudest, and they continue to disturb.
Handed a 2-1 lead for the ninth, after Seth Lugo escaped an eighth-inning jam by inducing the dangerous Jose Abreu to hit into a double play, Diaz put together an impressive display of inaccuracy: Walk, strikeout, wild pitch, hit batter, wild pitch, sacrifice fly. Tie game, and not a hit to be found in the mix, and with his fifth blown save in 28 tries, Diaz exceeded last year’s total of four blown saves in 61 opportunities with the Mariners.
“His arm’s late,” Callaway said. “The [sliders] that are up, going up and into righties, his arm is just late. So I know [Diaz and pitching coach Phil Regan] are going to get together tomorrow and see if we can figure it out.”
Catcher Tomas Nido said Diaz could be “a little anxious, opening up [his front shoulder] a little quick.”
It’s fair to start wondering whether Diaz can tackle New York. If the Mets can unload him and replenish their farm system, you can envision Seth Lugo closing, and maybe the Mets can find a walk-year veteran for sale go give them another body.
In any case, if these Mets are to make a miracle run to October, it’ll happen with Syndergaard serving as an enormous wingman to ace and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, then with Suffolk County boys Stroman and Steven Matz serving as a strong secondary one-two punch. If they’re going to choose a questionable path, though, the Mets might as well do so with flair. And no active player — where have you gone, Yoenis Cespedes? — does it with more flair than Syndergaard.
Diaz’s flair has gone with the wind. If he joins Zack Wheeler as departees by the deadline, it might just be for the best.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/31/the-one-pitcher-the-mets-should-look-to-deal/
2019-07-31 07:35:00Z
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Disney actor Cameron Boyce died of epilepsy: Coroner - Global News
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office says Disney actor Cameron Boyce died unexpectedly from epilepsy.An autopsy report released Tuesday states the “Descendants” star was found unresponsive at home on July 6, and later pronounced dead at the scene.READ MORE: Cameron Boyce’s mother breaks silence on son’s death in moving Instagram tributeBoyce’s family said previously that the 20-year-old died due to an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated, but did not reveal specifics.The family statement called Boyce one of the world’s brightest lights, and described his family as heartbroken over his sudden death.Disney Channel cancelled the red-carpet premiere of “Descendants 3” after Boyce’s death, and said Friday’s telecast will be dedicated to Boyce’s memory.Get daily local headlines and alerts
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July 31, 2019 at 10:57AM
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July 31, 2019 at 10:57AM
Selasa, 30 Juli 2019
Prince Harry says he and Meghan will have 2 kids 'maximum', citing environmental concerns - CBC News
Prince Harry says he and his wife Meghan will have no more than two children because of concerns for the environment.
In an interview with primatologist Jane Goodall for British Vogue, Harry said becoming a father in May had changed his perspective.
He said, "I view it differently now, without question. But I've always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children," Harry said before Goodall interjected: "Not too many!"
Harry replied: "Two, maximum! But I've always thought: this place is borrowed. And, surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation."
Harry interviewed Goodall for the September issue of British Vogue, which was guest-edited by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
He said destruction of the environment was "terrifying," adding: "We are already living in it. We are the frog in the water and it's already been brought to the boil."
'Unconscious' racism bias
The discussion between Harry and Goodall also included the impact of upbringing and environment on people's views.
"Despite the fact that if you go up to someone and say, 'What you've just said, or the way that you've behaved, is racist' – they'll turn around and say, 'I'm not a racist'," Harry said.
"I'm not saying that you're a racist, I'm just saying that your unconscious bias is proving that, because of the way that you've been brought up, the environment you've been brought up in, suggests that you have this point of view – unconscious point of view – where naturally you will look at someone in a different way."
Harry, 34, has previously criticized some racist overtones in media coverage of his wife, a 37-year-old former actress whose mother is black and father is white.
In the article, Harry and Goodall agreed that children had to be taught to hate.
"But again, just as stigma is handed down from generation to generation, your perspective on the world and on life and on people is something that is taught to you," said Harry.
"It's learned from your family, learned from the older generation, or from advertising, from your environment."
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July 31, 2019 at 12:40AM
Jury to decide damages owed by Katy Perry for 'Dark Horse' - CTV News
LOS ANGELES -- A jury's verdict that Katy Perry's 2013 hit "Dark Horse" improperly copied a 2009 Christian rap song represents a rare takedown of a pop superstar and her elite producer by a relatively unknown artist, and sets up a battle over damages that will begin Tuesday.
Monday's unanimous verdict by a nine-member federal jury in a Los Angeles courtroom came five years after Marcus Gray and two co-authors, first sued in 2014 alleging "Dark Horse" stole from "Joyful Noise," a song Gray released under the stage name Flame.
The penalty phase is scheduled begin Tuesday with opening arguments, and will ultimately determine how much Perry and other defendants owe for copyright infringement. Testimony will give jurors a peek into the finances behind "Dark Horse," a hit single that earned Perry a Grammy nomination and was the second song in her elaborate 2015 Super Bowl halftime performance.
Questions from the jury during two days of deliberations had suggested that they might find only some of the defendants liable for copyright infringement. The case focused on the notes and beats of the song, not its lyrics or recording, and the questions suggested that Perry might be off the hook.
But in a decision that left many in the courtroom surprised, jurors found all six songwriters and all four corporations that released and distributed the songs were liable, including Perry and Sarah Hudson, who wrote only the song's words, and Juicy J, who only wrote the rap he provided for the song. Perry was not present when the verdict was read.
Other defendants found liable were Capitol Records as well as Perry's producers: Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Cirkut, who came up with the song's beat.
Gray's attorneys argued that the beat and instrumental line featured through nearly half of "Dark Horse" are substantially similar to those of "Joyful Noise." Gray wrote the song with his co-plaintiffs Emanuel Lambert and Chike Ojukwu.
"Dark Horse," a hybrid of pop, trap and hip-hop sounds that was the third single of Perry's 2013 album "Prism," spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2014.
Her attorneys argued that the song sections in question represent the kind of simple musical elements that if found to be subject to copyright would hurt music and all songwriters.
"They're trying to own basic building blocks of music, the alphabet of music that should be available to everyone," Perry's lawyer Christine Lepera said during closing arguments Thursday.
The defendants' musical expert testified that the musical patterns in dispute were as simple as "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
But the jury of six women and three men disagreed, finding that the bumping beat and riff at the centre of "Joyful Noise" were original enough to be copyrighted.
Perry and the song's co-authors testified during the seven-day trial that none of them had heard the song or heard of Gray before the lawsuit, nor did they listen to Christian music.
Gray's attorneys had only to demonstrate, however, that "Joyful Noise" had wide dissemination and could have been heard by Perry and her co-authors. They provided as evidence that it had millions of plays on YouTube and Spotify, and that the album it's included on was nominated for a Grammy.
"They're trying to shove Mr. Gray into some gospel music alleyway that no one ever visits," said plaintiffs' attorney Michael A. Kahn during closing arguments, when he also pointed out that Perry had begun her career as a Christian artist.
Jurors agreed, finding that the song was distributed widely enough that the "Dark Horse" writers may well have heard it.
Kahn and Gray declined comment but smiled as they left the courtroom after the verdict.
Lepera and other defence attorneys also declined comment outside court. Perry's publicist did not immediately return an email message seeking comment Monday evening.
Perry, a 34-year-old pop superstar and "American Idol" judge, brought laughs to the proceedings when she testified during its second day when her lawyers were having technical troubles getting "Dark Horse" to play in the courtroom.
"I could perform it live," Perry said.
No performance was necessary after the audio issues were fixed. Jurors heard both songs played back-to-back in their entirety at the end of closing arguments last week.
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Trump sends hostage envoy to A$AP Rocky's trial in Sweden - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News
Jari Tanner , The Associated Press
Published Tuesday, July 30, 2019 3:26PM EDT
Last Updated Tuesday, July 30, 2019 5:03PM EDT
HELSINKI -- American rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty to assault as his trial in Sweden opened Tuesday, a month after a street fight that landed him in jail and became a topic of U.S.-Swedish diplomacy.
Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused with two others of beating a 19-year-old man in Stockholm on June 30. Prosecutors played video footage in court that showed Mayers throwing a young man to the ground.
Wearing sweatpants and a green T-shirt in court, Mayers, 30, pleaded not guilty to an assault charge that carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. He says he acted in self-defence.
The Grammy-nominated artist's ongoing detention in Sweden this month prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to personally intervene on his behalf. Mayers nevertheless remained behind bars, angering Trump.
Swedish news agency TT said Trump sent the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs to Stockholm to monitor the court proceedings and to show support for Mayers.
The special envoy, Ambassador Robert O'Brien, was seen at Stockholm District Court in the morning. A biographical statement on the State Department's website says O'Brien “leads the U.S. government's diplomatic efforts on overseas hostage-related matters.”
“He works closely with the families of American hostages and advises the senior leadership of the U.S. Government on hostage issues,” the website states.
It wasn't immediately clear why Trump dispatched a diplomat charged with advocating for hostages; fellow rapper RZA (RIHZ'-uh) of the Wu-Tang Clan told The Associated Press on Friday he was concerned about A$AP Rocky's situation in Sweden and “disappointed that a judge cannot discern that this is not a man you hold hostage.”
Ruth Newman, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, told TT that O'Brien was in Sweden “to look after the well-being of American citizens, which is always our top priority.”
A$AP Rocky's mother, Renee Black, also attended the proceedings. She said beforehand she was convinced her son is not guilty,
“This is a nightmare,” Black was quoted by Swedish media as saying.
Prosecutors and defence lawyers presented competing narratives on the trial's opening day of what happened the night of the fight.
Prosecutors said 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari and a friend got into an argument with Mayers and one of his bodyguards near a fast-food restaurant where the rapper's entourage had eaten.
Mayers has published videos on his Instagram account that showed him repeatedly pleading with the two to stop following him and his associates.
Defence lawyer Slobodan Jovicic stressed Tuesday that the rapper and his entourage “didn't want any trouble” and alleged that Jafari and his friend had exhibited “aggressive and deeply provocative behaviour.”
A$AP Rocky previously encountered violent situations on streets because of his fame and “there are some people who don't always wish him well.” Jovicic said.
“He's has been harassed in the past. In this case, the bodyguard made the assessment that these people (Jafari and his friend) should move on ... and not to come close,” the lawyer said.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Mayers and the two other men facing charges beat and kicked Jafari while he was on the ground. Jafari also was hit with parts of or a whole bottle, they alleged. The court file includes photos of Jafari's cuts, bruises and blood-stained clothes.
Another lawyer representing A$AP Rocky in Sweden, Martin Persson, told public broadcaster SVT that he would present new evidence, including facts that would show “no bottle has been used to hit or injure anyone.”
Any physical aggression by Mayers and his co-defendants was “within the limits of the law,” Persson said.
The rapper was jailed on July 3 and remains in custody. The case drew the attention of American celebrities like Kim Kardashian West and Mayers' fellow recording artists, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Bieber. A social media campaign for his release, called #JusticeForRocky, was created soon after his arrest.
Trump also weighed in, asking for a phone call with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and offering to personally guarantee the rapper's bail. The two leaders spoke, but Lofven stressed he couldn't interfere in a legal case.
Sweden doesn't let people facing criminal charges out on bail, and A$SAP Rocky stayed behind bars. Once Mayers was charged, Trump criticized the prime minister on Twitter “for being unable to act.”
“We do so much for Sweden but it doesn't seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky,” Trump tweeted.
The trial was held in a secure courtroom “because of strong interest from the media and the public,” the Stockholm District Court said. Taking photographs and video was prohibited. The court set aside two more days for the trial. Witnesses are expected to testify Thursday.
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July 31, 2019 at 02:26AM
Jury: Katy Perry's 'Dark Horse' copied Christian rap song - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News
Andrew Dalton , The Associated Press
Published Tuesday, July 30, 2019 5:42AM EDT
Last Updated Tuesday, July 30, 2019 10:28AM EDT
LOS ANGELES -- A jury's verdict that Katy Perry's 2013 hit “Dark Horse” improperly copied a 2009 Christian rap song represents a rare takedown of a pop superstar and her elite producer by a relatively unknown artist, and sets up a battle over damages that will begin Tuesday.
Monday's unanimous verdict by a nine-member federal jury in a Los Angeles courtroom came five years after Marcus Gray and two co-authors, first sued in 2014 alleging “Dark Horse” stole from “Joyful Noise,” a song Gray released under the stage name Flame.
The penalty phase is scheduled begin Tuesday with opening arguments, and will ultimately determine how much Perry and other defendants owe for copyright infringement. Testimony will give jurors a peek into the finances behind “Dark Horse,” a hit single that earned Perry a Grammy nomination and was the second song in her elaborate 2015 Super Bowl halftime performance.
Questions from the jury during two days of deliberations had suggested that they might find only some of the defendants liable for copyright infringement. The case focused on the notes and beats of the song, not its lyrics or recording, and the questions suggested that Perry might be off the hook.
But in a decision that left many in the courtroom surprised, jurors found all six songwriters and all four corporations that released and distributed the songs were liable, including Perry and Sarah Hudson, who wrote only the song's words, and Juicy J, who only wrote the rap he provided for the song. Perry was not present when the verdict was read.
Other defendants found liable were Capitol Records as well as Perry's producers: Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Cirkut, who came up with the song's beat.
Gray's attorneys argued that the beat and instrumental line featured through nearly half of “Dark Horse” are substantially similar to those of “Joyful Noise.” Gray wrote the song with his co-plaintiffs Emanuel Lambert and Chike Ojukwu.
“Dark Horse,” a hybrid of pop, trap and hip-hop sounds that was the third single of Perry's 2013 album “Prism,” spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2014.
Her attorneys argued that the song sections in question represent the kind of simple musical elements that if found to be subject to copyright would hurt music and all songwriters.
“They're trying to own basic building blocks of music, the alphabet of music that should be available to everyone,” Perry's lawyer Christine Lepera said during closing arguments Thursday.
The defendants' musical expert testified that the musical patterns in dispute were as simple as “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
But the jury of six women and three men disagreed, finding that the bumping beat and riff at the centre of “Joyful Noise” were original enough to be copyrighted.
Perry and the song's co-authors testified during the seven-day trial that none of them had heard the song or heard of Gray before the lawsuit, nor did they listen to Christian music.
Gray's attorneys had only to demonstrate, however, that “Joyful Noise” had wide dissemination and could have been heard by Perry and her co-authors. They provided as evidence that it had millions of plays on YouTube and Spotify, and that the album it's included on was nominated for a Grammy.
“They're trying to shove Mr. Gray into some gospel music alleyway that no one ever visits,” said plaintiffs' attorney Michael A. Kahn during closing arguments, when he also pointed out that Perry had begun her career as a Christian artist.
Jurors agreed, finding that the song was distributed widely enough that the “Dark Horse” writers may well have heard it.
Kahn and Gray declined comment but smiled as they left the courtroom after the verdict.
Lepera and other defence attorneys also declined comment outside court. Perry's publicist did not immediately return an email message seeking comment Monday evening.
Perry, a 34-year-old pop superstar and “American Idol” judge, brought laughs to the proceedings when she testified during its second day when her lawyers were having technical troubles getting “Dark Horse” to play in the courtroom.
“I could perform it live,” Perry said.
No performance was necessary after the audio issues were fixed. Jurors heard both songs played back-to-back in their entirety at the end of closing arguments last week.
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July 30, 2019 at 04:42PM
Lil Nas X sets new Billboard record for most weeks at No.1 - CTV News
NEW YORK -- It's one sweet day for Lil Nas X: The breakthrough rapper's viral "Old Town Road" has broken the Billboard record set by Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day" for most weeks at No. 1.
Lil Nas X accomplishes the feat this week as his country-trap song spends its 17th week on top of the Hot 100 chart. Carey and Boyz II Men's duet set the record in 1996, and the only song to come close to breaking it was the ubiquitous international hit "Despacito," which tied the 16-week record in 2017.
"YEEE TF HAWWW," Lil Nas X tweeted Monday.
"Old Town Road," which has achieved most of its success through audio streaming, was originally a solo song but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track. The song also has remix versions featuring Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey and BTS, and Billboard counts the original song and its remixes as one when calculating chart position, thus helping "Old Town Road" stay on top.
"Old Town Road" initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn't hurt the song; it only propelled it.
Songs have come close to displacing "Old Town Road" from the top spot -- including Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" and a pair of Taylor Swift singles -- but ultimately were unsuccessful.
Swift was successful in 2017 when her song "Look What You Made Me Do" stopped Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's "Despacito" from reaching a 17th week at No. 1. Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" ended Carey and Boyz II Men's epic run in 1996.
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July 30, 2019 at 03:22AM
A$AP Rocky fan arrested after allegedly threatening to ‘blow up’ Swedish embassy - Global News
An A$AP Rocky fan was arrested last Tuesday after allegedly threatening to blow up the Swedish embassy in Washington, D.C.According to an affidavit, a woman approached the front entrance of the House of Sweden, “placed a bag down near the entrance… threw liquid from a glass Coca Cola bottle at the doorway to the House of Sweden and yelled out ‘I’m going to blow this motherf—er up!'”WATCH: Lawyer for A$AP Rocky says they’re ‘very sad’ over assault charge, maintains innocence 
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July 29, 2019 at 10:38PM
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July 29, 2019 at 10:38PM
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