logo
Record viewing figures for South Park new season debut

Record viewing figures for South Park new season debut

Independent2 days ago
The premiere of South Park season 27, which heavily satirised Donald Trump, achieved record-breaking viewership figures.
The episode, titled "Sermon on the Mount," attracted 5.9 million viewers across Comedy Central and Paramount+, marking its best season premiere rating since 2022.
Paramount reported that it was also the show's biggest share of a cable audience for a season premiere since 1999 and its "most social episode" to date.
A spokesperson for Donald Trump criticised the episode, dismissing it as "uninspired" and claiming the show lacked relevance.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone issued a sarcastic apology, with future episodes also set to feature satirical portrayals of Trump.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

MTG hints that she might be finished with the GOP: ‘I don't know if the Republican Party is leaving me'
MTG hints that she might be finished with the GOP: ‘I don't know if the Republican Party is leaving me'

The Independent

time22 minutes ago

  • The Independent

MTG hints that she might be finished with the GOP: ‘I don't know if the Republican Party is leaving me'

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a well-known far-right Republican and loyal ally to President Donald Trump, has expressed deep frustrations and a growing rift with her political party. Over the last few weeks, Greene has notably broken with her party and the president on several matters she cares deeply about. She condemned Israel's war in Gaza and called it a 'genocide,' opposed Trump's recent artificial intelligence executive order, and advocated for the administration to release the Epstein Files. The pattern, Greene said in an interview with The Daily Mail this week, represents her frustrations with the Republican Party, which she believes is abandoning policies geared toward regular Americans. 'I don't know if the Republican Party is leaving me, or if I'm kind of not relating to the Republican Party as much anymore,' Greene said. 'I don't know which one it is.' The Georgia congresswoman said she felt as if the party had given up on issues that she resonates with, such as stopping foreign aid, using the Department of Government Efficiency to make cuts across the federal government, and driving down inflation. Greene had long advocated for the U.S. to stop sending military aid to Ukraine amid the Russia–Ukraine conflict – something that has not ceased. She has also criticized the administration for involving itself in the Iran–Israel conflict. Since Elon Musk, the de facto head of DOGE, left the White House, the administration appears to be less focused on using DOGE to make cuts. While DOGE staffers are still present throughout the government, reports indicate they have less authority. 'Like what happened to all those issues? You know that I don't know what the hell happened with the Republican Party. I really don't,' Greene said. 'But I'll tell you one thing, the course that it's on, I don't want to have anything to do with it, and I just don't care anymore,' she added. Greene has said online that she believes Republicans are pushing away younger voters by continuing to push the same unpopular policies. But she told The Daily Mail that the GOP may also be unpopular with conservative women based on how it treats them. 'I think there's other women in our party that are really sick and tired of the way men treat Republican women,' Greene said. The Georgia congresswoman specifically referenced Elise Stefanik, the Republican Rep. from New York. Trump initially nominated Stefanik to serve as U.S. ambassador to the U.N., but then reportedly pulled her nomination to maintain a safe majority in the House of Representatives. Instead, he nominated former national security adviser Mike Waltz. Greene said Stefanik got 'screwed' by Speaker Mike Johnson and people in the White House – Greene specifically said she did not blame the president. While Greene expressed frustrations with the current state of the Republican Party she did not say she would definitely rescind her affiliation with it.

Democrats turn to ‘hellcats' military veterans to win mid-terms
Democrats turn to ‘hellcats' military veterans to win mid-terms

Telegraph

time23 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Democrats turn to ‘hellcats' military veterans to win mid-terms

The Democrats are turning to military veteran candidates to help them win back the House of Representatives next year, including a group that calls themselves the Hellcats Democrats are already running in at least nine swing districts, but party officials are eyeing up more than 30 potential new veteran candidates for the House as part of a new strategy aimed at freshening up their image. 'We can't just have people who seem like tired old Democrats,' Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and former Marine, told the New York Times. 'It's a cycle when people are very frustrated with the Democratic Party – including Democrats.' Democrats are trying to rebuild in the wake of Mr Trump's sweeping election victory, in which Republicans won both the House and the Senate. The tactic to run military veterans reprises a strategy that helped deliver the House in 2018 and could be especially effective for making inroads into rural, Republican-leaning districts, according to Democratic political strategists. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who is assisting with candidate recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that veterans made effective candidates because they didn't come across as part of a ruling elite. 'What Americans are really thirsty for right now are leaders, not just politicians,' he told The New York Times. Among the military veteran candidates running for the Democrats are four women who have a group chat called the 'Hellcats' – named after the first female Marines who served in World War One. JoAnna Mendoza, 48, a single mother who said she joined the Marines because there were 'no job opportunities' in her rural community, is challenging for a Republican seat in southeastern Arizona. 'The system isn't designed for people like me,' she said. During Mr Trump's first term, the Democrats won the House in 2018 off the back of a slate of veteran and female candidates who had worked in national security, including Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Elissa Slotkin, who is now a Michigan senator. The focus on ex-servicemen and women forms part of the Democrats' push to reclaim the mantle of being the party of patriotism – a message trumpeted by Ms Slotkin, who has emerged as a leading voice in the party since Mr Trump's return to office. 'We need to take the flag back from the people who are spitting on our democracy,' she said in a recent post on X. It comes as Democrat lawmakers have turned on each other over the party's failure to stand up to the president's assault on US institutions from government departments, to universities and law firms. Cory Booker, the New Jersey Senator, warned that history would remember members of his party's 'complicity in 'bending the knee' to Mr Trump. 'What I want to see more people doing is not doing what some law firms have done, bend the knee to Donald Trump…That to me is outrageous,' Mr Booker told CNN. The Senator this week launched a fiery tirade against his colleagues on the House floor, bellowing that 'the Democratic Party needs a wake up call'. In an effort to destabilise Mr Trump's agenda, Senate Democrats blocked more than 50 of the president's nominees from being confirmed on Saturday, prompting a furious backlash from Mr Trump. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, refused to vote to confirm the low-level appointments unless federal funds were released and Mr Trump agreed not to push more cuts to federal funding, sources told CNN. As a result, just seven of the nominees were confirmed, while the remainder will not be voted on until lawmakers return from their summer recess in September. The president responded by telling Mr Schumer to 'go to hell'. 'Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!' he wrote on Truth Social. 'Do not accept the offer, go home and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are, and what a great job the Republicans are doing, and have done, for our Country. Have a great RECESS.'

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" holds its lead atop the box office
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" holds its lead atop the box office

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" holds its lead atop the box office

Marvel 's first family stumbled in theaters in its second weekend, but still held on to the top spot at the box office. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' earned $40 million from 4,125 North American theaters, a 66% drop from a healthy $117.6 million debut. The film was accompanied by comedies 'The Bad Guys 2' and 'The Naked Gun" in the top three box office rankings. The superhero movie dipped significantly more than Marvel's previous film, ' Thunderbolts,' which took a 55% dive in its second weekend. 'First Steps' is the last major blockbuster of the summer. It added nearly $40 million internationally in its second weekend, bringing thefilm's global total to $369 million. The movie's box office drop off was surprising given its strong reviews, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore. Though the movie's debut weekend may have given box office results a strong push toward the $4 billion summer benchmark, August is off to a slow start, he said. 'It's a tough lift, but we might be able to get there. It really means that all the films are gonna have to stand on their own,' Dergarabedian said. 'It's gonna be about getting great reviews, having that staying power, that longevity in the marketplace.' Newcomer comedy 'The Bad Guys 2' earned second place at the box office this weekend, with $22 million from 3,852 North American theaters. That was on par with projections and also in line with the first movie in the series, which brought in $23 million in 2022. Paramount's slapstick comedy, 'The Naked Gun,' also in its debut weekend, snagged the third box office spot, earning $17 million from 3,344 locations. Jim Orr, president of domestic distribution for Universal Pictures, said the solid debut for 'The Bad Guys 2,' coupled with strong audience reaction scores, 'should point to a very long, very successful run through not only the rest of the summer, but really, I think into the fall." James Gunn's 'Superman,' which opened four weekends ago and already crossed $550 million globally, earned $13.8 million domestically this weekend, taking the fourth spot. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' followed with $8.7 million. The horror movie 'Together' had a strong debut weekend, coming in at sixth place and earning $6.8 million domestically, proof that August is a month for edgier and off-beat films, Dergarabedian said. 'That's what this month is about. It's not just about box office," Dergarabedian said. "It's also about providing really interesting, rewarding movie-going experiences for audiences.' Dergarabedian said he expects highly-anticipated movies hitting theaters in the next few weeks — including 'Freakier Friday,' and Zach Cregger's horror movie 'Weapons' — to give August a needed boost. The box office is currently up 9.5% from last year. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps," $40 million. 2. 'The Bad Guys 2,' $22.2 million. 3. 'The Naked Gun,' $17 million. 4. 'Superman,' $13.8 million. 5. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' $8.7 million. 6. 'Together,' $6.8 million. 7. 'F1: The Movie,' $4.1 million. 8. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' $2.7 million. 9. 'Smurfs,' $1.8 million. 10. 'How to Train Your Dragon,' $1.4 million.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store