Eight Things To Talk About For Thursday, June 10, 2021

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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:

KANYE WEST REBOUNDS WITH SUPERMODEL IRINA SHAYK, IN FRANCE
Kanye West is moving on from estranged wife Kim Kardashian, and he’s doing it with … Irina freakin’ Shayk! Ye and the supermodel were spotted out and about in the French region of Provence on Tuesday, his 44th birthday, BTW. They were seen smiling and strolling around on the grounds of a luxury boutique hotel with some friends, but also by themselves … looking very much like a couple. TMZ has confirmed they are 100% romantically together, but our sources say it’s unclear how serious they are at this point. In other words, yeah … they’re banging. Definitely FWB status, at the very least. The big news comes on the heels of Kim, and others in the fam, publicly wishing Kanye a happy birthday with social media posts. It’s a pretty wild development — seeing how it’s been less than 4 months since KK filed for divorce … and it appears Kanye’s already got himself a new squeeze. Remember, Kim’s the one who submitted the legal paperwork first — this after quite some time of her and Kanye seemingly drifting apart — but she doesn’t appear to have taken the next step just yet on getting out there and dating someone new. At least … not publicly, anyway. While Kim’s been somewhat vocal about the split via her family’s TV show — saying she feels like a failure over the crumbling of her marriage — Ye’s been the opposite … mostly silent on the matter. This move, however, definitely speaks volumes.
[SOURCE: tmz.com / ENGAGEMENT: 29.34%]

SPACE JAM 2 FANS DEMAND ZENDAYA AS LOLA BUNNY IS REPLACED BY ‘ACTUAL VOICE ACTOR’
Fans of Space Jam: A New Legacy and the Spider-Man: No Way Home actress got their first Zendaya Lola Bunny clip over the weekend, and some folks aren’t happy. Users have taken to social media to make fun of the Space Jam 2 Lola Bunny footage, in particular Zendaya’s performance as the Looney Tunes character, and are calling on Warner Bros to replace her with an “actual voice actor.” The first clip revealing Zendaya as Lola Bunny in Space Jam: A New Legacy appeared yesterday, showing Lola being interviewed as Bugs Bunny watches on. Lola appeared in the first Space Jam 2 trailer but didn’t speak, so this is the first time fans have seen how Zendaya performs as the beloved character — who made her first appearance in the original Space Jam movie. Unfortunately, fans quickly turned on the clip and Zendaya’s performance. Many believe that the clip serves as “a prime example of how good voice actors are at their job” and call on Warner Bros to replace Zendaya with an “actual voice actor.” Even fans of Zendaya hate the clip, with some suggesting that it’s not so much her performance but that the animation and lip sync is completely off, and others just calling it “horrific.”
[SOURCE: gamerevolution.com / ENGAGEMENT: 12.05%]

ELIZABETH OLSEN JUST CASUALLY REVEALED SHE’S MARRIED TO ROBBIE ARNETT
Elizabeth Olsen just shared a major update in her relationship like it was no big deal. The WandaVision actress casually revealed that she and her longtime partner, Robbie Arnett, are married! During a video appearance on Variety’s Actors on Actors series, the Marvel star chatted with Kaley Cuoco about everything from her hit Disney+ show to her upcoming projects. But at one point during their conversation, which was published on Tuesday, June 8, Elizabeth let it slip that she tied the knot with the musician by referring to him as her husband. “I’m in a bathroom,” Elizabeth told Kaley. “I’ve been in the U.K. for seven months, and I got back two days ago, and my neighbor is doing so much construction to their backyard. I can still hear it and I’m in the furthest bathroom.” While explaining her situation, the 32-year-old star realized there was a sweet decoration in the background. “I also just noticed that my husband put Little Miss Magic. You know, the Little Miss books?” the Avengers: Endgame actress shared, referencing the decor placed by her hubby. “They’re these classic books but ‘magic’ because of WandaVision because he’s such a f–king cutie!” “I love that he set design for you today. He did a lot…is there craft service, too? What else is he doing?!” Kaley quipped, with Elizabeth adding with a laugh, “I made him breakfast.” The Wind River star didn’t share any other details about her marriage. But as fans of Elizabeth know, she and Robbie are notorious for keeping their romance out of the public eye. Back in 2019, a source revealed to E! News that the couple got engaged. However, they didn’t publicly comment on their relationship milestone at the time. News of their engagement came two years after they first sparked romance rumors in February 2017. A month later, they seemingly confirmed they were dating after enjoying a romantic stroll together in New York City.
[SOURCE: eonline.com / ENGAGEMENT: 8.47%]

ROMANCE AUTHOR ELIN HILDERBRAND ASKS PUBLISHER TO REMOVE ‘OFFENSIVE’ ANNE FRANK REFERENCE FROM LATEST NOVEL
Romance novelist Elin Hilderbrand has called on her publisher to removed an “offensive and tasteless” reference to Anne Frank from her latest book. Earlier this month, the bestselling author – who has been called “the queen of beach reads” by New York Magazine – released her new book Golden Girl. It centres around an author, Vivian Howe, who is killed in a hit-and-run accident and transported to the Beyond, where she watches her loved ones lives play out for one last summer. However, one line from the novel in particular was criticised by readers, who accused Hilderbrand of “casual antisemitism”. In the scene, Vivian remembers staying in a friend’s attic as a child before comparing herself to the famous diarist who was killed in the Holocaust. The passage reads: “‘You’re suggesting I hide here all summer?’ Vivi asks. ‘Like … like Anne Frank?’ This makes them both laugh – but is it really funny, and is Vivi so far off base?” Following the backlash, Hildebrand posted a formal apology on Instagram Stories, writing that she had asked her publisher to remove the line from all digital versions and any future reprintings of Golden Girl. “I want to wholeheartedly apologise for this,” she wrote. “It was meant as hyperbole, but was a poor choice that was offensive and tasteless. I always strive to write in good faith. Golden Girl is a novel I wrote for my children and I want them to be proud of every word. Thank you.”
[SOURCE: currently.att.yahoo.com / ENGAGEMENT: 8.47%]

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LOS ANGELES LAKERS’ LEBRON JAMES CHANGING JERSEY FROM NO. 23 TO NO. 6; ANTHONY DAVIS WILL STAY WITH NO. 3
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will be changing from No. 23 to No. 6 on his uniform next season, but not to pass on his old number to Anthony Davis, as he intended a couple of years ago. James will don No. 6 for the 2021-22 season and Davis will stay with No. 3, the number he wore when L.A. won the championship in his inaugural season with the purple and gold, a team source confirmed to ESPN. James first wore No. 6 in international competition for Team USA and later wore it for the four seasons he played for the Miami Heat because the organization had already retired No. 23 in honor of Michael Jordan. He originally planned to switch back to No. 6 in the summer of 2019 when the Lakers acquired Davis, because the big man had worn No. 23 his entire career with New Orleans, but Nike nixed the swap, sources told ESPN, because of potentially tens of millions of dollars’ worth of wasted inventory. Although James’ choice of No. 23 was influenced by Jordan, he later said that No. 6 was inspired by NBA greats Bill Russell and Julius “Dr. J” Erving, who wore the number. James has continued to wear No. 6 since leaving the Heat in 2014 –on his practice uniform while playing for theCleveland Cavaliersand in L.A. He said the dual number decision was a nod to Deion Sanders, who wore his collegiate No. 2 on his practice jersey but played in No. 21 for most of his NFL career. The Lakers star will be seen in No. 6 before next season tips off. Promotional materials for James’ upcoming movie, “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” were released this week showing James’ No. 6 “Tune Squad” uniform, as noted by The Athletic, which first reported James’ jersey change.
[SOURCE: abc7.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.10%]

‘CASH IS KING’ AS MEDVEDEV EXITS FRENCH OPEN WITH TV BLAST AND SHOT TO REGRET 
Daniil Medvedev’s French Open campaign came to an end on Tuesday with an ill-judged underarm serve on match point followed by an impassioned outburst over his eagerly-awaited showdown with Stefanos Tsitsipas being played inside an empty stadium. The colourful world number two was beaten 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 by Greek fifth seed Tsitsipas who will face Germany’s Alexander Zverev for a place in Sunday’s final. It was only Tsitsipas’s second win over Medvedev in eight meetings and it ended in bizarre fashion. The mercurial Russian decided to serve underarm on match point down. But as he approached the net, hoping to finish the point with a volley, Tsitsipas merely fired a backhand winner beyond him. “I was thinking about this during the whole match, like that maybe in the important point I could do it because my opinion was that he was quite far back in the court, so that can always work,” explained the 25-year-old. I didn’t see the opportunity before but I thought it’s going to be a good choice to bring him surprise. I sometimes do it on practice. Usually guys are a bit surprised. But it didn’t work out at all. I won’t say it was a mistake. It was something that I dared to do and maybe next time I won’t do it knowing that he’s ready.” Tsitsipas had his own description for the ploy which backfired so badly for his opponent. “A very millennial shot,” said the Greek, who also made the semi-finals in Paris last year where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.  
[SOURCE: msn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.49%]

FLORIDA REP. VAL DEMINGS OFFICIALLY ENTERS SENATE RACE AGAINST RUBIO 
Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) officially launched her Senate campaign in Florida on Wednesday, becoming the highest-profile Democrat yet to announce a challenge to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). “Unlike some in Washington, I never tired of standing up for what I believe is right, because no one is above the law,” Demings said in a video announcing her candidacy. “But it turns out, there are some in Washington who prefer the same old tired ways of doing business.” She added: “I’m running for the United States Senate because of two simple words: Never tired.” Demings, a former Orlando police chief and a rising star among Florida Democrats, had been expected for weeks to launch a Senate bid. Several other Democrats are already seeking the party’s nomination, including former Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.). But Demings almost certainly enters the race with the most star power among Democrats. She was included on President Biden’s shortlist of potential running mates last summer before serving as one of the House impeachment managers during former President Trump’s second Senate trial in February. Still, she – or any other Democrat – will likely face an uphill challenge against Rubio next year. Democrats have suffered a series of disappointing election cycles in Florida in recent years, most recently in 2020, when Trump carried the state for a second time and two Democrats lost Miami-area House seats that they had flipped just two years earlier. In announcing her campaign on Wednesday, Demings touted her law enforcement experience, boasting that violent crime in Orlando dropped during her tenure as chief of police. That argument seeks to counter Republicans’ argument that Democratic leadership has led to a rise in violent crime nationwide. Rubio, appearing on Fox News on Tuesday night, hours before Demings announced her candidacy, went on the attack, claiming that his opponent had aligned herself with her party’s far-left wing – a talking point that is sure to dominate his 2022 reelection campaign.
[SOURCE: msn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 2.71%]

‘HACKS’ RENEWED FOR SEASON 2 BY HBO MAX 
Ahead of its season finale on Thursday, HBO Max has renewed breakout comedy “Hacks” for a second season. The series stars Jean Smart as Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava, a 25-year old struggling comedy writer who works for the acerbic Vance. The series is from creators Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky. According to HBO Max, “Hacks” has consistently ranked among its top 10 most viewed content since its debut last month. “We have been blown away by the positive reception to ‘Hacks’ — we owe this renewal to every single person who tuned into the show and then told a friend to watch. We are so grateful we get to continue, and want to thank our partners at HBO Max and Universal Television for supporting the show so fiercely, and our wonderful cast and crew for delivering on every level,” Downs, Aniello and Statsky said in a statement. “Many years ago, we set out to tell a deeply important story that needed to be told — that of a handsome, charming talent manager and his two demanding female clients. We’re so glad that story resonated with audiences, and we can’t wait to get to work on season two. See you soon!” Smart added, “I am absolutely thrilled we are picked up for a second season and I told Hannah it’s ‘No more Miss Nice Guy; from now on it’s Bette and Joan! And guess who’s BETTE??!!’” In addition to Smart and Einbinder, “Hacks” stars series regular Carl Clemons-Hopkins and recurring guest stars Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, Paul W. Downs, Mark Indelicato, Poppy Liu, Johnny Sibilly, Meg Stalter and Rose Abdoo. Season 1 is executive produced by Downs and Aniello via their Paulilu banner, Statsky via First Thought Productions, as well as Emmy winners Michael Schur via Fremulon, David Miner for 3 Arts Entertainment and Morgan Sackett. The studio is Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. “Hacks” finishes its first season with its last two episodes on Thursday.
[SOURCE: thewrap.com / ENGAGEMENT: 2.10%]

Eight Things To Talk About uses the raw engagement data from the social media engagement from The Conversation Project to generate the top-ranking headlines over the course of the past day.

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