Politics

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/GettyWhen Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) made her case to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) at a press conference last week, she brought props.With cameras focused on Greene trollishly waving a custom “Make Ukraine Great Again” hat, the more revealing visual aid was obscured: a poster depicting Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wrapping his arms around Johnson.The photo on the poster was captured last October, just moments before Jeffries handed Johnson the House Speaker’s gavel following a weeks-long interregnum punctuated by the little-known Louisianan’s ascent to power.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/GettyOnce again, the first Monday in May is fast approaching, the moment we annually find ourselves beset by the Met Gala.It’s going to be the gala to end all galas, so expect an endless procession of fashion hot-takes, celebrity spectacle, drunken after-party video leaks and breathless Rihanna anticipation, all wrapped up in a lexicological bow of co-opted slang Black gays stopped using two years ago, HUNTY!Over the past few days, no fewer than 10 articles fretting about Met Gala co-chair Zendaya’s as-yet unfinished dress have been posted, the most distressed of which notes that “this news has sent ripples through the fashion community, leaving everyone wondering why and how this could happen.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/UniversalFilmmaker Stephen Sommers always wanted to make a mummy movie. The problem was, he didn’t know if anyone actually wanted to see it.“I was really nervous,” Sommers tells The Daily Beast ahead of this month’s 25th anniversary of his surprise '90s hit The Mummy. “I was in post-production and thought, ‘Oh crap, I’ve made a mummy movie.’ I loved the genre… the action, adventure, romance and horror, and I loved the original Mummy movies too but for 40 years, they’d made fun of mummies. You can unwrap them, outrun them, use them as Christmas wrapping… I suddenly thought, ‘Oh my God. Just because I love mummy movies, maybe other people won't.”Thankfully, he had little to worry about. Released on May 7 1999, Sommers’ take on The Mummy was a sweeping adventure harkening back to the swashbuckling stories of old Hollywood. Mixing sand-set excitement, witty humor, an unlikely dose of romance and some then-groundbreaking CGI effects, his film not only made worldwide stars of Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and John Hannah but became one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, spawning a new franchise and changing the way Hollywood’s summer tentpoles were released.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/kansascitydefender/InstagramA concerned Missouri community has rallied for action after a white student—and daughter of a school board member—was filmed hurling anti-Black racial slurs months ago, with residents claiming the school’s administration only responded recently as a form of damage control rather than attempting to fix an issue that has been embedded within the culture.The video of the Summit Christian Academy High School student, who has not been publicly identified, originally surfaced in October 2023, according to the Kansas City Defender.In an Instagram post, the Kansas City Defender shared the clips with a disclaimer that they contained “hate speech, white supremacy, racial terror, [and] anti-Blackness.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

Quantrell Colbert/E! EntertainmentIf there is one person who can shake up the stale reality competition show format, it’s Julia Fox. The actor, model, author, sometimes singer, and one-time muse to both Josh Safdie and Kanye West has maintained the zeitgeist’s eye since the moment she burst onto the scene in Safdie’s 2019 film Uncut Gems. Already known among art world insiders for some time prior, Fox quickly cemented herself as a cultural renegade, the kind of person who could upend the old “famous for being famous” adage and, instead, make every last thing she did part of her larger artistic oeuvre. She’s the kind of celebrity who you might find on The View one morning, and then spot at the grocery store—wearing underwear and denim boots—later that same afternoon.It’s that keen sartorial eye that remains Fox’s most compelling talent. Her Instagram grid is basically just a Pinterest board for outrageously fun avant-garde style. So, with that in mind, why not give Fox—who loves to be in front of the camera as much as the camera loves her—her own fashion-based reality show? It’s the kind of thing that seems so obvious, that you have to wonder why it didn’t happen sooner.Maybe it’s because it had to come at the exact right time. Fox’s new show, OMG Fashun, which premieres on the E! network May 6, doesn’t just arrive at the height of Fox’s fame, but when sustainability in the fashion industry is more critical than ever. Fox—who executive produces the show—understands that when viewers hear the word “sustainability,” they might tune out; some could assume the conversation has turned boring, or has become too focused on something most of us don’t have much control over, like fast-fashion companies dominating the marketplace.Read more at The Daily Beast.

NetflixReality star Kim Kardashian reacted in shock as she was booed onstage while making a special appearance at Tom Brady’s The Greatest Roast of all Time on Netflix Sunday. Kardashian, who also made a number of digs at Caitlyn Jenner, was called up from the crowd by presenter and comedian Kevin Hart to give a toast, and while she initially received some applause at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, it was quickly drowned out by a chorus of boos, forcing Kardashian to pause as she began her speech.“Well, I know a lot of people make fun of your height, ” she says to Kevin, before stopping, clearly affected by the crowd reaction.Read more at The Daily Beast.