Latest news with #revenge
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Lauren Sanchez's former friend and yoga instructor reveals 'humiliating' dancefloor snub that sparked 16-year vendetta in scathing lawsuit
has been accused of launching an extraordinary 15-year campaign of 'revenge' against a former close friend on the eve of her sumptuous wedding. The ongoing fight started over whether Sanchez or Alanna Zabel was the better dancer to the 2009 hit Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas. Now it has culminated with Zabel accusing Sanchez – who is due to marry Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in a lavish ceremony in Venice, Italy next week – of copyright infringement and breach of contract in a federal lawsuit. The suit, filed in California, claims Sanchez, now 55, has harbored 'resentment' against Zabel ever since the dance-off at the bride-to-be's 40th birthday party. In the lawsuit seen by Zabel, 52, claims that when guests preferred her moves, Sanchez 'flicked her away' and turned her back on her 'in a dramatic, humiliating way'. In revenge Sanchez allegedly stole the storyline for her 2024 children's book, The Fly Who Flew To Space – a New York Times bestseller – from Zabel's book, Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars. Sanchez ripped off the idea 'scene for scene, plot point by plot point, and page by page,' Zabel claims. According to the suit, Sanchez also 'trolled' Zabel by designing her space suit to look like the one in her book during her April trip into space aboard a Blue Origin vessel. The scorched earth lawsuit also claims that Sanchez once had such a crush on Bill Clinton - whom she interviewed on Extra in 2010 - that she reveled in being nicknamed 'Monica', after Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern who had an affair with the then-president. Zabel's allegations against Sanchez, who is set to marry Bezos, 61, in Venice on his $500million yacht, Koru, are copyright infringement and breach of contract. She is asking for unspecified damages. has contacted Sanchez for comment. The lawsuit reveals Sanchez's alleged takedown of a person who was once very close to her. Sanchez was working as a TV reporter and was married to Hollywood talent agent Patrick Whitesell when she met Zabel at a yoga class she was teaching at sports commentator Rich Eisen and his wife Suzy Shuster's home in 2008 Zabel who previously worked with Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine, states that she began giving private yoga classes to sports commentator Rich Eisen and his wife Suzy Shuster in 2008. Sanchez, a socialite who was working as a TV reporter and was married to Hollywood talent agent Patrick Whitesell at the time, attended a class in Eisen's home and asked Zabel to give her private lessons too. Zabel and Sanchez 'became close friends' with the instructor giving her student gifts including several of her children's books and clothing from her AZIAM activewear range. The lawsuit states: 'Zabel's and Sanchez's friendship became so close that Sanchez shared with Zabel intimate details about her life including details about her cosmetic surgeries, details about breastfeeding her child, and intimate details about her relationships. 'As another example of the closeness of their friendship, in communications with Sanchez, Zabel sometimes used the name 'Monica' to refer to Sanchez. 'This was a fun, personal nickname that Zabel used for Sanchez because Sanchez had shared that she had a romantic interest in Bill Clinton after she met him in 2009. Sanchez seemed to have enjoyed this nickname.' According to the lawsuit, the friendship between the two women extended to them working together on a children's book: Sanchez even signed a non-disclosure agreement. They also discussed working on a 21-day fitness program inspired by Zabel's book 'As I Am' – but then they fell out. The lawsuit states that the rift occurred in November 2009 when Sanchez invited Zabel to her 40th birthday party at the ritzy Music Box club in West Hollywood. The event was packed with A-list stars with Rick Springfield performing. The lawsuit states: 'During the party, the song Boom Boom Pow began to play, and Sanchez called for Zabel to join her on the dance floor. 'Even though no one else was dancing, Zabel joined Sanchez on the dance floor, after all it was Sanchez's birthday party. 'A significant number of the party attendees looked on as Sanchez and Zabel remained the only ones on the dance floor,' the suit claims. 'As the dancing continued, the onlookers paid more attention to Zabel's dancing rather than to Sanchez (likely because Zabel's dancing outshined Sanchez).' But Sanchez 'grew frustrated' with the attention Zabel was getting, the lawsuit states. 'Eventually, Sanchez flicked Zabel away and turned her back on Zabel in a dramatic, humiliating way. Feeling deeply embarrassed, Zabel left the party immediately.' The following day, Zabel went to see Sanchez to offer a refund for the yoga sessions she had prepaid for. She told her she was not working with her any more because she 'did not deserve to be treated the way Sanchez had treated her at the party'. When Zabel cooled off and tried to reconcile Sanchez allegedly 'ghosted' her. The lawsuit states: 'Sanchez has harbored resentment toward Zabel since this incident and has sought ways to exact revenge. 'One way Sanchez did so was by copying Zabel's children's book, Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars, and infringing Zabel's copyright.' The lawsuit states that Sanchez 'clearly' knows about Zabel's children's books – she has written 17 to date – and 'specifically' knows about 'Dharma Kitty'. According to Zabel, by 2019 she thought that Sanchez had 'matured' because she had begun dating Bezos. That year the pair had a chance meeting at Zabel's yoga studio while Sanchez was taking a class: they had a 'big hug' and a brief catch up. In 2022, Zabel reached out to Sanchez after hearing she had been appointed vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, one of Bezos' philanthropic endeavors. Zabel shared specific ideas about a cat who flies to Mars and suggested they could donate the proceeds to the Earth Fund. Zabel also contacted Bezos informing him of the book and got a response saying that 'Bezos had received the email and had directed his team to assist'. Zabel didn't get any further response so published her book in December 2022. Sanchez's book came out in September 2024 and, Zabel alleges, was not inspired by her experience flying with a fly in her helicopter, as she claims according to the lawsuit. 'In fact, for each page of Sanchez's book, the primary subject matter and/or action is taken directly from Zabel's book,' the lawsuit states. The filing includes a page by page comparison of the two books and claims 'the level of similarity' between them could not have occurred without Sanchez copying Zabel's work. Among the similar scenes is a fly looking out the window as its spaceship flies away from Earth, and the main character looking out the window as they ascend upwards. Among the other claims is that Sanchez was 'trolling' Zabel with the design of her spacesuit during her trip on board a Blue Origin vessel in April with an all-female crew which included Katy Perry and Gayle King. Instead of wearing an outfit similar to the other crew members, 'The space suit Sanchez designed instead closely resembles the space suit worn by the main character in Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars,' Zabel claims. Zabel also accuses Sanchez of using her 'connections, including her engagement to Jeff Bezos and her connections with the Kardashian family' to get her own book on the New York Times bestseller list. The lawsuit states that by making her own book a bestseller, Sanchez aimed to 'show up' Zabel because she was using her story. Zabel claims the ordeal has caused her 'severe distress' and 'detracted both psychologically and economically from Zabel's experience of sharing her book'. In addition to damages, Zabel is seeking a permanent injunction forcing Sanchez to comply with the non disclosure agreement she signed. Sanchez interviewed Clinton in March 2010 after his emergency heart surgery to insert a stent. In 2004, he had had quadruple bypass surgery. In the interview, which Sanchez did while working as a reporter for celebrity news show Extra, she smiled when the former president explained he had not been taking care of himself and he needed to exercise six days a week. 'We know that's not going to happen', Sanchez said, Clinton replied: 'No, we do, we do, actually, so I'm exercising more, I'm sleeping a little more every night, and I'm trying to be even more rigorous about the diet'. Pursing her lips, Sanchez said: 'Which means?' Clinton said he was going to eat lots of salads, fruit and vegetables and stay clear of anything that clogged his arteries. Sanchez said: 'So no fun, right? Zabel had sued Sanchez before in a court in state court in Los Angeles but withdrew the suit. She then sued in federal court shortly before the LA wildfires struck. Her refiled paperwork claims she was evacuated twice and volunteered at a trauma clinic in Pacific Palisades, one of the worst affected areas – until it burned down. Zabel says that she worked at a school as a mindfulness instructor and at a school where six of her children lost their homes. Feeling 'overwhelmed' by the emergency, Zabel asked Sanchez for more time to prepare for her lawsuit but she refused, the lawsuit states. As a result Zabel withdrew the lawsuit for a second time and refiled it this week.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Shocking moment busker takes revenge after teen attacker brutally SLAPS him across the face
Watch the moment a street performer takes swift revenge after a teen attacker brutally slapped him across the face. Jason Allan, 28, claimed that a group of brazen teenagers had touched his guitar while he was singing on a busy high street in Leeds. Click above to see how he gets his revenge.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Pro-Trump influencer who vowed revenge on NY Magazine for 'despicable' cover plots his next 'all-white' party
They say revenge is sweet - and MAGA personality CJ Pearson is taking things to a whole different level by hosting an 'all white summer soiree' just months after he called out New York Magazine, claiming its controversial January cover story about young pro-Trump people was racist. Pearson, who was former Trump campaign staffer, planned to take legal action over the magazine's 'Cruel Kids' Table' cover story, which bashed the emergence of 'casually cruel Trumpers,' who he said were 'conquering Washington' as a new generation of right-wingers. The story detailed what happened inside the Power 30 Awards, a TikTok-sponsored inauguration party to celebrate some of Trump's youngest and biggest campaign content creators and influencers, co-hosted by Pearson himself. After the cover story went viral, the magazine faced backlash for apparently cropping out Black attendees from the main image, taken at the 'Power 30 Awards,' a TikTok event celebrating influencers who supported Donald Trump 's reelection. Pearson, who's hand appeared in the cover but his face and body were cropped out, said he has not yet filed a lawsuit but plans to do so over the 'despicable' cover story. But now, however, he's taking inspiration from the moment and throwing his own party in Washington, D.C., on July 5 - the 'Cruel Kids Summer,' complete with an all-white dress code, a la Michael Rubin 's famous Hamptons party. The party, which costs up to $1320.99 for an eight to 10 person VIP table with bottle service, will headline rapper Soulja Boy, who also performed at Trump's Crypto Ball this winter. 'We're super excited to welcome the first MAGA summer that we've had in half a decade,' Pearson told Daily Mail exclusively. Pearson also shared that many of the influencers who joined them at the Power 30 Awards will be attending this event - a play on words of New York Magazine's headline. 'The big thing for me and what this represents - and I think the cultural moment that the first party represented - is the fact that MAGA is not hiding in the shadows anymore,' Pearson said. 'It has never been cooler and more culturally dominant to be Republican, to be a supporter of President Trump, than it is right now,' he continued. 'And so we're relishing in the moment. We're super excited not only to celebrate America, but to celebrate the first MAGA summer in five years, and we're gonna have a great time.' Pearson serves as the national co-chair of the Republican National Committee's Youth Advisory Council, which co-hosted the event that the New York Magazine cover focused upon. He told Daily Mail that he had not heard from New York Magazine since calling them out, but welcomes their attendance to the Cruel Kids Summer party. 'I would welcome them to cover it, albeit, a little bit more fairly this time,' Pearson shared. 'But I think that the big thing here is that New York Magazine doesn't want events like this to happen. They don't want Trump supporters to be happy. They don't want Trump supporters to have a good time,' he continued. He joked: 'NY Magazine falsely accused me of throwing an all-white party? Well, I'd like to thank them for the inspiration.' But the event instead faced unintended scrutiny due to the New York Magazine article, he said 'I think, honestly, the reason I'm hosting this party is because I felt a little bit challenged to do so, right?' Pearson explained that running a story about a MAGA party in New York Magazine just a few years ago would have been a 'career ender.' 'I thought to me, it was a challenge of the fact that these people want us so bad to be ashamed of what we believe, to be ashamed of who we are, and that's something that I refuse to be,' the influencer said. 'I, along with 80 plus million Americans, voted for President Trump to return the White House resoundingly, and we are the majority, not just the silent majority anymore,' he shared. 'We're gonna have a good time. We're not only gonna make America great again, we're gonna make America party again.' It's unclear if this party will make a summer cover of New York Mag - but in January, Pearson said the Power 30 event was intended to be a celebration of young influencers who helped secure Trump a second term, with many pundits crediting Trump's unorthodox reliance on social media and podcasts over traditional media during the election. But the event instead faced unintended scrutiny due to the New York Magazine article, he said. At the time, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter): 'This is insane. I hosted this event and @NYMag intentionally left me out of their story because it would have undermined their narrative that MAGA is some racist cult. 'They also didn't include the fact that @WakaFlocka and @Gervontaa were also there. 'You don't hate the liberal media enough.' In a past statement addressing criticisms of the cover, New York Magazine said: 'The magazine's most recent cover story explores the new class of conservatives taking Washington by storm, through the lens of inauguration weekend. 'The cover was cropped to the center of a picture that was published in full online, and we believe both the cover and story provide an accurate impression of the weekend.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wow, There's A Big Dichotomy Between The Fans And Critics Who Watched Samuel L. Jackson And Pierce Brosnan's New Movie
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Cowboys, gunslingers, and revenge stories still captivated critics and audiences in the western genre. This past year, we had the Peter Dinklage-led western The Thicket with an 80% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Ari Aster's upcoming western movie, Eddington, already had a 66% critics score before its July release. As for Samuel L. Jackson and Pierce Brosnan's new western, The Unholy Trinity, it's insane the huge dichotomy between what critics and audiences say about it. The 2025 movie release of The Unholy Trinity follows a mysterious figure (Samuel L. Jackson) and a new sheriff (Pierce Brosnan) who gets caught up in a young man on a quest to murder the man who led to his framed father's execution. Based on the film's trailer, we see what's typical of an 1870s-set backdrop of mountain landscapes, saloons, and gunslinging action on horseback. Rotten Tomatoes' contested scoring process marks a movie with a 'Fresh' or 'Rotten' score, as determined by a range of critics' reviews. While an audience's score has always been there, the site's brand new popcornmeter is taking what audiences say more seriously with its 'Hot' or 'Stale' scale. In the case of The Unholy Trinity on Rotten Tomatoes, the dichotomy between critics and audiences is huge, receiving a 'Rotten' 17% from the critics, but a 66% from its verified audience. Based on 18 critics' reviews, two reviews felt The Unholy Trinity was more for a straight-to-VOD or a television-made movie compared to a theatrical release. Many felt it didn't offer anything original to the western genre, with a couple of critics reacting with the term 'blasphemy.' Audiences, however, had a more positive spin on the new western. While many expressed disappointment in many plot points being left unexplored, plenty were impressed with the cast, its action sequences, and found it an entertaining western. Make an early call yourself after watching the trailer below. This wouldn't be the first time that critics and audiences haven't been in agreement on Rotten Tomatoes. Movies like Jumper, Bullet Train, Waiting…, and more have had differing scales of critics and audience scores. In terms of the latest movies that have come out, fans and critics were not on the same page with A Minecraft Movie, with a 48% critics score and an 85% audience score. While the Lilo and Stitch remake received good reviews all around, critics didn't like the Disney movie as much as audiences did, which was verified as 'Hot' on the popcornmeter with a 93% audience rating, but a 72% critics rating. It proves right there that critics and audiences have very different visions of what makes a good movie worth watching. The hugely contrasting opinions critics and audiences are having over Samuel L. Jackson and Pierce Brosnan's new movie are incredible. The Unholy Trinity may have felt unoriginal to critics, but it looks like audiences were still entertained by what they saw. Sometimes, a solid cast and spectacular action sequences are clearly enough to win audiences over and give them a good time in theaters. If you want to see why audiences are favoring the new western-crime movie, make sure to catch The Unholy Trinity in theaters now.
The Review Geek
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Mercy for None Season 1 Review – A gripping one-man journey of revenge
Season 1 Episode Guide Episode 1 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 2 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 3 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 4 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 6 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 7 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Whether it is the blood-soaked journey of Kill Bill or the gun-slinging extravaganza of John Wick, audiences have always loved watching a revenge-fuelled hero mow their way through a crowd of villains. There is a unique thrill to watching a formidable one-man army tear through enemies like it's nothing, all in the name of justice. Mercy for None follows in the same vein, giving us a gritty, action noir with gangsters, murders, and one man's quest for revenge. The 7-episode K-drama follows Nam Gi-jun, a gangster who was exiled 11 years ago and whose younger brother Gi-seok is now second in command. When Gi-seok is killed, Gi-jun takes it upon himself to expose the murderer and kill anyone who was involved. And so begins Gi-jun's violent warpath, as he sifts through the members and traitors of the two major gangs — Juwoon Group and Bongsan Group — and uncovers a larger conspiracy. Gi-jun is very much the hook here. From the outset, the exiled gangster is talked about with reverence and the other gang members even bow to him when he arrives at Gi-seok's funeral. He's often described as legendary and people exchange cryptic warnings about him. At one point, a character calls Gi-jun a God while describing how he single-handedly turned the tide during a gang war back in the past. This mythology around his character works really well and as the action kicks off, you're eager for Gi-jun's rivals to get what they deserve. Despite sporting an ankle injury — a token from his banishment — Gi-jun is practically invincible and takes down professional fighters and assassins. He is hit and stabbed and shot but none of that stops him. Every once in a while, he does fall down but that only makes it more satisfying to watch him get up again. When he comes across newer gang members, you gleefully wait for them to realise just who he is. This plot armour is quite apparent and you do have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy Gi-jun's crusade. But the action choreography is executed quite well and supplemented by the camerawork, which accentuates Gi-jun's moves. Dark sets and neon lighting often make the backdrop for these fights, making it a visual treat. And for lovers of gore, that last episode really ups the ante. So Ji-sub's performance is excellent as well. Rather than depicting Gi-jun as an angry, vengeful brother, he infuses the character with quiet determination and heartwrenchingly sad eyes. Gi-jun is grieving and he doesn't want to murder so many people but he will do it, because he must. While incredibly effective, his performance could be a tad monotonous for some people. Mercy for None Season 1's story doesn't live up to the level of its action sequences, though. The first few episodes are short, fast-paced and end with tantalising cliffhangers that hook you into the show by focusing on Gi-jun's fights. However, the latter half of the season unravels the larger conspiracy behind GI-seok's death. But in doing so, the episodes lose some of the former tight, gripping storytelling. What's more, there is a surprising lack of depth in the writing. For all the talk about the gang's business and power, we never actually find out what they do. The word illegal gets thrown around a lot but nobody bothers to expand on this. Similarly, there are supporting characters that seem to play very important roles, but we never dive into them. Many of the emotional beats center around Gi-jun fighting people who were once an important part of his life. It's clear that it pains him to hurt them but there's nothing to back these claims. We don't know or understand their relationship or its significance and the sentimentality, often played really well by a teary-eyed So Ji-sub, falls flat. I also have to mention that this is an entirely testosterone-driven drama that features exactly one woman who isn't an extra and even then, her role is minimal. Ultimately, your experience of this drama entirely hinges on whether the magic of So Ji-sub's Gi-jun and his superhero-like prowess works on you. If you're looking for a deep and complex take on the gangster drama, Mercy for None is not it. But if you enjoy watching one man shoot, slice, and hit his way through gangsters for the sake of his little brother, you will enjoy this K-drama and likely finish it all in one go.
