controversy

Despite what many on the Internet would prefer, not only is the Ghost in the Shell movie starring Scarlett Johansson happening, but also there’s a trailer on the way. In this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clip, we get a glimpse at some of the film’s effects, style, and, of course, controversial lead actress.

As you’ll remember a few months ago, the casting of Scarlett Johansson set off a bit of wild fire in the online community with claims that Ghost in the Shell was guilty of whitewashing. It’s hard to discount those claims when, yet again, an Asian role was given to a white actress, a bit of a tradition in Hollywood movies. The film’s producer came out and defended the film’s “international story,” but with this being such a common occurrence in Hollywood, it’s hard to ignore the problem.

Anyway, enjoy the teaser, if you can! The full trailer drops on November 13.

In the meantime, check out Last Week Tonight with Jon Oliver's "Hollywood Whitewashing: How is this Still a Thing?"

TorrentFreak reported that Blizzard has filed a lawsuit against Germany-based cheating company Bossland (a company that Blizzard also sued over World of Warcraft "buddy bots") for an Overwatch cheating tool called "Watchover Tyrant."

"Defendants' sale and distribution of the Bossland Hacks in the United States has caused Blizzard to lose millions or tens of millions of dollars in revenue, and to suffer irreparable damage to its goodwill and reputation," Blizzard said in its complaint.

"Moreover, by releasing 'Overwatch Cheat' just days after the release of Overwatch, Defendants are attempting to destroy or irreparably harm that game before it even has had a chance to fully flourish," it added.

"Defendants not only know that their conduct is unlawful, but they engage in that conduct with the deliberate intent to harm Blizzard and its business," the developer said. "Blizzard is entitled to monetary damages, injunctive and other equitable relief, and punitive damages against Defendants,” the complaint reads."

Get the rest of the story, and read up on the lawsuit over at TorrentFreak.

Let's be clear, he tried to explain it, but that doesn't make it not a really, really dumb idea. This YouTube star is getting a lot of flack for his "social experiment" video that involved, according to him, comparing "radical Islamic terrorism" and "radical Christian terrorism". What does that mean, you ask? Apparently it involves having your friend dress up in a real crappy costume and half-heartedly yelling mispronounced Arabic phrases at people before running away. 

Just... just watch it for yourself:



Obviously, most people HATED it. People in the comments of the original video and on Twitter called him out for his terrible judgment.  




via @fouseyTUBE, @jenna_70, @caroline243027, @TeamSuperUK

Rose McGowan, an American actress released the following statement regarding her general disapproval of the X-Men: Apocalypse poster:

‘There is a major problem when the men and women at 20th Century Fox think casual violence against women is the way to market a film.'

She went on to wrap up her interview with Hollywood Reporter, regarding the matter, with:

"I’ll close with a text my friend sent, a conversation with his daughter. It follows: ‘My daughter and I were just having a deep discussion on the brutality of that hideous X-Men poster yesterday. Her words: 'Dad, why is that monster man committing violence against a woman?' This from a 9-year-old. If she can see it, why can’t Fox?"

The poster, as you can see from above depicts the villain Apocalypse essentially choking the living sh*t out of Mystique. McGowan's not the only one to step forward to express some outrage. The internet reactions are already running amok, check 'em out below. Because if you're like me, you probably had no idea who the heck Rose McGowan was..

What do you guys make of all this?

Blake Lively used a lyric from Sir-Mix-a-Lot's timeless classic, 'Baby Got Back' as a caption on her Instagram. Her claim to have an "L.A. face with an Oakland booty" has upset some people over cultural appropriation. 

via @katbeee, @Choclateshawty, 

Not everyone is upset, some have also commented in support of the picture, saying it's not a big deal to quote the song. 

via @bb_herman, @colonelbigbuns

This Texas high school student went to an off campus party dressed as Tupac Shakur, if you can call lazily slathering on black makeup and wearing a Tupac t-shirt a costume. As you can imagine, this caused outrage among fellow students.  While there are some who still support her, a lot of others are calling for some kind of punishment. To be fair, because it went viral on the internet and people on the internet are sometimes terrible, she's now receiving death threats so maybe that's punishment enough. 

Citing reasons such as: "I like the trailer a lot" and "I watch X-men", this little boy begged his mom to let him see Deadpool.  After finally being awarded an 'R' rating for "strong language and violence throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity", it probably isn't the best movie to take your kids to. 

When his mom brought this up to Grace Randolf of Beyond The Trailer on Youtube, Grace started a petition to get Fox to release the movie simultaneously with a PG-13 rating.  According to Grace, that should be super easy because they've been doing it with the trailers already which is totally the same thing as editing an entire movie and resubmitting it to the MPAA and arranging it's release in less than a month, right? 

The petition now has 2,032 supporters so apparently some people agree with her, do you?

The Netflix documentary series, 'Making A Murderer,' has been nothing if not a productivity-robbing, cultural sensation since it dropped in December.

If you're one of those cave-dwellers who resides under a rock you should know that the documentary focuses on Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man, who might've been framed for crimes he didn't commit a few times.

The frontman for The Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, and his new blues-rock band, The Arcs took the global bingeing efforts to a new high with their recent released track, "Lake Superior."

The song references the Steven Avery criminal case, and the perverse, if not corrupt way the police and the criminal justice system considered as an entity, handled it.

Auerbach's vocals, as usual, don't disappoint; and manage to carry through song, the full emotional depth of this emotionally-riveting case.

Listen below:

Nebraska had a disappointing season, ending with a 5-7 record. Husker fans have a lot of feelings about it too. So when Wide Receiver Brandon Reilly went out to eat and encountered a server who wanted to rant about the Huskers, apparently not realizing who was sitting at the table, he decided to leave her that "tip" instead of a monetary one.

Reilly ended up pulling down the tweet after responding to some heated tweets about it.

Well...um, this is awkward.

The husband of a cop killed on 9/11 has returned his late wife's Glamour Woman of the Year award because Caitlyn Jenner was given the same award last week.

The man, James Smith, told The Post he mailed the posthumous award given to his wife Moira back to the magazine after hearing Jenner would be honored.

A rep from Glamour defended the magazine's decision to give the award to both women.

"We were proud to honor his wife . . . in 2001, and we stand by our decision to honor Caitlyn Jenner," a Glamour spokeswoman said.

"Glamour's Women of the Year Awards recognize women with a variety of backgrounds and experiences."

Starbucks has just entered the "War on Christmas" with one bold, unthinkable move—having a red Christmas cup?

That's right. Some Christians are upset because the Starbucks Christmas cup for this year is plain red instead of decorated with snowflakes or Christmas trees.

As a form of protest, people have started using the hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks to spread the message of outrage.

And some people are saying their name is "Merry Christmas" at Starbucks so the barista has to write it on their red cup.

Im asking Starbucks to put Merry Christmas on my cup. #MerryChristmasStarbucks pic.twitter.com/CuZIBxZ6oS

— Leah Whatley (@ElyonSpaGirl) November 6, 2015

Can I get a name for your cup? Sure. "Merry Christmas" #MerryChristmasStarbucks pic.twitter.com/lFgFASnBsi

— Jay Carr (@Jay_Carr) November 6, 2015

Jeffrey Fields, Starbucks vice president of Design & Content, had this to say about the cups:

"In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs. This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories."

"Starbucks has become a place of sanctuary during the holidays," he said. "We're embracing the simplicity and the quietness of it. It's more open way to usher in the holiday."

It definitely sounds like Starbucks is out to destroy Christmas. eye roll

Do you see anything wrong with this Walmart display?

A lot of people do. And they're calling it insensitive as best and racist at worst.

Some customers at a Walmart in North Las Vegas were outraged at a clothing display they say looks like people being hanged from the ceiling.

It may seems like a stretch to make the comparison—but is it really?

A local reporter went on the street to ask what people saw when they looked at the display.

"...A little like the Ku Klux Klan, black people hanging from the ceiling," said one woman.

Other said it looked like people being hanged, but some saw nothing.

Walmart has yet to respond to the situation, but the display has been taken down. Intent aside, it is clear that the display struck a chord with many who saw it.

It's a bad day to be in the KKK.

The hacktivist collective Anonymous just released the phone numbers and emails of about 40 alleged members of the Ku Klux Klan terrorist group.

You can view the full list here.

It seems that phone numbers of KKK members are on the internet. ;) https://t.co/C54dX8dp7R

— Anonymous (@GroupAnon) November 1, 2015

There is no place for racism now we're more connected, the time to cooperate and better the world is now.

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) November 1, 2015

Anonymous delivers.

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) November 1, 2015

Anonymous said in a press release that about 1,000 more KKK members' information would be released in the coming days.

"The aim of this operation is digital. Another cyber war trist, nothing more. We are not violent," the press release states.

"We will release, to the global public, the identities of up to 1000 klan members, Ghoul Squad affiliates and other close associates of various factions of the Ku Klux Klan across the Unites States."

UPDATE: We are ahead of schedule. JOIN US: 10:00am (Central) Nov. 5 2015 #OpKKK #HoodsOff https://t.co/2B1sGOER0q pic.twitter.com/ppxbTrNNsY

— Operation KKK (@Operation_KKK) October 31, 2015

Taylor Swift just can't keep her hands to herself.

Singer Abel Tesfaye, better known as the Weeknd, says that when he first met Swift she kept "petting" his hair.

He described the bizarre encounter with Taylor Swift in Rolling Stone:

"But the whole time she was talking," he says, "she was kind of, like, petting my hair? I think she was just drawn to it — she must have been a little gone off a few drinks. And of course I'm not going to be like, 'Hey, can you stop?' I mean, it felt good! But when she started petting my hair, that's when I was like, 'I definitely need a drink.'"

For those clueless individuals out there, touching a black person's hair is normally a cultural no-no. And it really doesn't help Swift's image when she also makes music videos like this.

Word of advice, Taylor. Next time—just don't.

Miley, what's good?

That's what Nicki Minaj fans want to know, and they are bombarding Miley Cyrus' Instagram page until they get answers.

After the explosive encounter between the two pop divas at the VMAs this weekend, fans of Minaj have taken her infamous quote and are posting it non-stop on Miley's Instagram. And it is hilarious.

They just won't stop.

People need to know what is good, Miley.

Tell us what is good, Miley. You owe the world some answers.

As of press time, Miley had still not said what is good.

A 50-foot Norwood spruce in Reading, PA is the focus of ridicule this holiday season, with locals calling it "sad," "nasty," "pathetic," "ugly" and even comparing it to Charlie Brown's disaster of a tree.

"If there was a squirrel right now looking for a place to live in the Winter," said one resident. "It won't even go into this tree."

"I've never seen a tree look so horrible in all my life," said another person. "That tree is atrocious."

Don't hold anything back Reading...

As a result of all the outrage, city officials decided the thing needed to be put out of its misery, and after raising money from local businesses, it is scheduled to be replaced this week.