Podcast Corner: Witchcraft, cults, and a splash of fake news
The first series of Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment came out during summer 2020 and was one of the most engrossing series of the year. Revolving around Oprah-endorsed self-help teacher, James Arthur Ray, tragedy strikes his exclusive retreat and questions about his unorthodox methods soon follow.
Season two, titled Don't Cross Kat, features witchcraft and alien baths, the South American psychedelic brew ayahuasca, missing women, and influencers gone rogue. The sixth episode was released on Monday, with two bonus episodes to come — they're already available if you subscribe to Wondery+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (if you don't subscribe, just be aware that episodes are laden down with adverts throughout).
Kat is Kat Torres, a wellness influencer and wannabe self-help guru, with whom Desirre, a lively and ambitious Brazilian, follows religiously. She posts about manifesting and nourishing your spirit. 'There are plenty of life coaches in Brazil who have found a lot of success by telling other people how to live their lives — for a fee of course,' says narrator and journalist Chico Felitti — he already covered Torres' story in a Portuguese-language podcast, A Coach, for Wondery a couple years ago. Desirre's friend Paty reluctantly signs up for an appointment with Kat, who turns up late and presides to offer up very general pop psychology about her breakup.
While Paty soon comes to think of Kat as crazy, Desirre is infatuated, so much so that she disappears to become one of Kat's 'witches' — if it looks like a cult and sounds like a cult, well…
The episodes clock in at a zippy 30-45 minutes and the third, titled The Voice, offering a lesson in fake news. At Cannes Film Festival 2013, Leonardo DiCaprio is pictured at a nightclub with a woman leaning in — Kat Torres. In October, the photos spread across Brazil, then the world, including the Daily Mail, that she is the actor's latest girlfriend. It looks like Kat's big break, says Felitti, but she was just in the right place at the right time — her path is a much darker one from there.
The Binge Cases: Fatal Beauty
For a similar true crime vibe to Don't Cross Kat, Fatal Beauty is a six-part series (also ad heavy) from Sony Music about Sandra Bridewell, a brunette in 1980s Dallas high society who had two husbands and a best friend die under suspicious circumstances. It took years for anyone to suspect Sandra of wrongdoing, even as mysterious deaths trailed in her wake.
In the opening episode (released fortnightly, the first three are out now; subscribe to The Binge+ for early access), we hear that Sandra had already become ostracised in the community — it was an open secret that she was trouble — when Alan, her third husband, came to Dallas. After he goes missing, she soon became known as the Black Widow.
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Extra.ie
a day ago
- Extra.ie
Awkward: Viral song that left Monica out of sync with friend Rachel
Singer-songwriter JC Stewart has revealed how an online interaction with one Friends star led to an 'awkward' real-world encounter with another leading cast member of the iconic show. The Northern Irish artist, whose songs have clocked up 350 million streams on Spotify before he even releases his first album later this month, went viral during the pandemic thanks to Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel in the show. The actress reposted Stewart's lockdown-themed parody of the Friends theme song, I'll Be There for You – made, he said, while 'being an idiot' at home and posted on the emerging TikTok. Stewart told 'I went to bed and woke up the next day, and I've never had anything like it on my phone. I had calls from Good Morning America, The Today Show and I ended up chatting to all these people.' @iamjcstewart Just leaving these here…#fyp #friends #cover #jcstewart #isolationgames #onmyown #comedy #parody ♬ original sound – JC Stewart The acknowledgment from Aniston never went further, but the singer later ended up in the company of her Friends co-star, Courteney Cox. Ms Cox is in a relationship with Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol, the Northern Irish band who were early patrons of Stewart's career and whom he still calls friends. But he admits Ms Cox had 'no idea what I was talking about' when he brought up Ms Aniston's enjoyment of his viral video. The acknowledgment from Aniston never went further, but the singer later ended up in the company of her Friends co-star, Courteney Cox. Pic: Shutterstocl 'It was awkward,' he laughed. Stewart, from Magherafelt, Co. Derry, said it was 'interesting seeing what that massive viral moment could look like' after Ms Aniston shared the clip, but added that it 'probably didn't change my life, long term'. He said: 'I'm like, 'You guys know I write real music, right?' I think we gained like 50,000 followers instantly, and I think we lost 45,000 of them when they all realised I wasn't a Friends account.' Yet the 28-year-old former MTV Push Artist of the Month has a hugely impressive online following, despite a relatively low profile here. A good portion of his audience is in Europe, where he plays some of his biggest gigs, including a recent thousand-seater in Amsterdam. His track I Need You To Hate Me (72.5 million Spotify plays) took off on the continent and topped the charts in Czechia – again during the pandemic. 'I remember doing all these interviews and people were like, 'You're number one in the Czech Republic this week',' he recalled. 'I was like, 'Oh sick, but I'm in Magherafelt. My Dad said I have to mow the lawn.' 'I think with the timing of it, it was hard to feel it. But I'm unbelievably grateful for it. It's pretty crazy,' he said. The piano and guitar player admits he doesn't really know why his music seems to 'resonate a lot better in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland and Finland', but said it is 'just a lot easier for me to go play there'. 'They just seem to get what I'm doing a bit more,' he said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by JC STEWART (@jcstewart) He describes his anthemic style as 'that singer-songwriter, storytelling, doleful kind of thing that leans into pop music', with Foy Vance and Tom Odell named as influences (and also people he has gone on to work with). 'I just try and feel that punchin-the-chest moment. That's my favourite thing about music. If I can get that into a song and I can feel it, then I'm happy with it usually,' he said. He has also co-written with 'great guy' Niall Horan – albeit over a 'very patchy' Zoom call – and with Lewis Capaldi on the track Hollywood. 'I wrote that song at midnight in Ealing in West London one time with Lewis and these guys [Philip] Plested and Kane [Parfitt],' he remembered. 'It was just a bit of fun, but it turned into something bigger.' Stewart can expect to win a few more Irish devotees this month with the release of his first album, Space Hurts, followed by huge concerts in Dublin and Cork, where he will support Duran Duran and Chic. He called the line-up – playing at Malahide Castle in Dublin and Virgin Media Park in Cork – 'random enough', but said he is 'obsessed with both' acts. And it won't be his first encounter with either. He first met Nile Rodgers of Chic while doing work experience at a London recording studio aged 17. 'I've kept loosely in contact with them,' he said. 'I haven't seen them in a few years, so it'll be nice to now go and play a show with him 11 years later.' He initially claimed he is 'absolutely not' planning to join the legendary disco/funk outfit onstage but later said: 'We'll see.' 'I think that would be an embarrassment to me and everybody who knows me. I'd probably start dancing or something,' he joked. Stewart has already supported Duran Duran in Greece. 'Somebody dropped out of a show. I was on holiday in Crete and got a call like, 'Could you be in Athens in two days?' 'And I just had to scramble the band, fly them over from Belfast, and I think we played to, like, 15,000 people in Athens. It was about 40 degrees, and I honestly nearly died, but it was good fun.'
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Irish TikTok sensation dreaming big after penning songs for powerful Troubles doc
Jolene Allison Burns wrote songs for new documentary The Flats about a community impacted by the Troubles Jolene, who got to sing in the documentary, is now releasing her own album A young Belfast woman who wrote songs for a powerful new documentary is now pursuing her dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. Jolene Allison Burns penned songs for a new documentary about a tower block community that was heavily impacted by The Troubles. The Flats recalls the memories of some of the largely Catholic residents of the city's New Lodge flats and how those events shaped their lives. Encouraged by the huge response to the film here and internationally, Jolene is following a long-held dream to record her own album — and her songs have become a viral sensation on TikTok. 'I got to write the music for the whole show. I got to sing in it,' says the thrilled young mum. 'From then, it's given me opportunities to write a lot of my own songs. I have songs on Spotify and iTunes, 25 different platforms. I'm dropping an album. I'm releasing an album very soon. And I started TikTok,' she says, adding that she was delighted at how her songs have drawn huge interest on the platform.' The Flats, from Italian filmmaker Alessandra Celesia — who lives in Belfast and France — focuses on a few residents of the New Lodge apartments in North Belfast, as they process their memories of The Troubles and beyond and how those memories shape their lives and communities. The Flats features chats with residents of the New Lodge . . Jolene speaks movingly about her beloved sister Coleen, left in need of full-time care after damage caused by an incident of drugs use. 'Coleen, out of the whole family, she was the girl that I grew up with. We shared a room together. She was my rock. And she can't walk, she can't talk, she can't eat. She's in a hospital bed. It's horrible.' Jolene remains concerned about drugs in her native city, but she loves Belfast and its people and wants the best life for her daughter, Holly. Northern Ireland's turbulent history, she feels, has made life more difficult, even in the years after the peace agreement. 'I think that a lot of people just have to carry on with things. A lot of people turn to just being able to cope with things. I have seen a lot of people struggle. But as time has gone on and things have happened over the years, I feel that I do love this place. I will always call this place home, but I still feel that I need to get out, and I feel like a lot of trauma has been left, in families, generations through.' Jolene, who got to sing in the documentary, is now releasing her own album News in 90 Seconds - 7th June Among the songs by Jolene that feature in The Flats is a song she wrote called Just the Way We Are. 'It's basically about living in Belfast, and how everyone has traumas and struggles. Every person goes through pain and suffers in their own way. Some people look at people and think life can be perfect, and influencers and all this can make things look like life's perfect, but everyone has struggles. 'It's just the way we are. You can't change who you are as a person. You just have to be who you are and try to move on. I hope that I can inspire people that there's always light at the end of the tunnel, even when you can't feel it.' The Flats features chats with residents of the New Lodge . . Encouraged by the reaction to the film and her songs, Jolene recorded more songs on social and online media and her talent has generated interest from TV executives. "I always wrote my own songs. I started going into recording studios and started just recording them all, put all the music together myself. I was like: 'This is what I want'. And I came up with some really cool songs. I'm excited to drop my album.' She has travelled to film festivals abroad — including Switzerland and Copenhagen — to talk about the film, which has been widely well received. It also won the George Morrison award for best documentary feature at this year's IFTAs. It was made by Italian filmmaker Alessandra Celesia, who married a Belfast man and moved to the city in 1997. 'I arrived in the North for the first time just before the Good Friday Agreement and I said I would never make a film about the Troubles,' Alessandra has said. 'It's the past, it's finished, and now we're looking for something else. And I kept my promise until I found New Lodge, where it's just so clear there is this whole generation traumatised by this thing that they never got over. For any war, this is exactly what happens.' Jolene's great hope is that The Flats will help drive awareness of and support for upcoming generations in Northern Ireland. 'We would love a lot more help for our generation, and for them to be notified and aware of what went on in the past, which is why I think this film is a great thing for people to watch, to be able to know what went on in the past.' She's also glad that through the seriousness of the subject matter in the film, the warmth, sense of humour and resilience of the people of Belfast frequently shines through. 'I think there is a lot of laughter,' she says of her home city. 'I think we're very kind people — in Ireland, there's a lot of kind people. People are very helpful, and they would stop and talk to you. They would give you a helping hand. If you were to ask someone from the New Lodge: 'Oh I have no milk', they would give you their milk. They would give you their last penny, even if they haven't got much themselves. It's just born in our nature to be kind and funny and there's a lot of humour and a lot of funniness in Northern Ireland.'
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Vile' Bonnie Blue slammed for ‘promoting rape culture' as she reveals plans for most disgusting sex stunt to date
BONNIE Blue has been slammed for "promoting rape culture" and labelled "vile" after revealing her sickest ever sex stunt. The Advertisement 6 Bonnie Blue has been accused of "promoting rape culture" with her next, sickest ever, stunt Credit: Instagram 6 She's planning to be naked, tied up in a glass box for the "petting zoo", where people are allowed to do anything they want to her Credit: Instagram/@bonnie_blue_xox 6 She told podcaster Kat Baker that the box will be in a house in London, despite the fact she'd like it on the back of a lorry if it wasn't "illegal" Credit: instagram/thekatbakershow 6 Kat appeared to be lost for words when Bonnie explained the depraved plan Credit: instagram/thekatbakershow She then challenged Spring Break 'barely legal' college boys to see who could give her the best orgasm - with a pledge to pay for the tuition of the 'winner'. But now Bonnie has announced her most depraved stunt to date, immediately sparking disgust from people online. She revealed her next challenge during an interview on "What challenges do you have next?" Kat asked Advertisement Read more about Bonnie Blue With Bonnie replying that she's called it "Bonnie Blue's petting zoo", and said it will be taking place on June 15. Explaining the sickening idea, she said that she's going to be naked and tied up in a glass box, which would be "open for the public" to do basically whatever they want to her. When Kat asked "where" the box was going to be, Bonnie continued that she'll be in "the centre of London" but "in a house". "Oh ok, because I was thinking like David Blaine," Kat said, referring to the U.S. illusionist's stunt in 2003, when he was confined in a transparent glass box, suspended 30ft over the River Thames, for 44 days. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Exclusive While Bonnie said that she'd love to be in the box on the back of a lorry, with the abhorrent sex acts performed on her as she travelled through London, she mused that it was "probably illegal". Making the planned event even more repulsive, Bonnie Blue 'KICKED OUT of City Ground after flouting ban as adult star gets into Chelsea away end vs Nottingham Forest' Unsurprisingly, the comments on the Instagram video of Kat and Bonnie's conversation took aim at the While another insisted she was "promoting rape culture" - which Fabulous Digital writer and rape survivor Kate Kulniece agreed with, as she said Bonnie's latest stunt ends up "pushing victims like myself deeper into the abyss of trauma". Advertisement "Her twisted antics are damaging impressionable young teenage boys - half of whom have been exposed to pornography by the age of 13. "These very same boys will grow up thinking this is normal, this is what women want - and what we're here for." In the comments on the Instagram post, one person insisted Bonnie has "no soul" Sometimes I wonder if Satan is actually Bonnie in disguise Instagram commenter "She has no soul," one wrote, while someone else called Bonnie an "attention craving sicko", and another said she's the "most disgusting in the world … by far". Advertisement "She really needs help," another agreed, adding: "For f**ks sake, it's vile!" "Her value as a woman is so low that she is offering her entire body for free," someone else sighed. "And we're ok glorifying prostitution on media platforms for kids to see….? I genuinely think the future's done," someone else wrote. "Sometimes I wonder if Satan is actually Bonnie in disguise," another slammed. Advertisement Why Bonnie Blue MUST be banned from social media By Kate Kulniece, Fabulous Digital writer and rape survivor When it comes to sex, I like to consider myself open-minded - and non-judgemental. But the vile, attention-seeking OnlyFans porn star Bonnie Blue makes me sick to my stomach. When the 26-year-old first hit the headlines with her gruesome stunts in March 2024, I'll admit - I didn't pay much attention to her. But as the challenges became more perverted and she eventually bedded over 1,000 men in just 12 hours, I became not just disappointed - but angry. Her most recent - and most disgusting - stunt to date, of being tied up in a glass box for men to fulfil their sick desires, is wrong and worrying on so many levels. The number of rapes being reported to police are at a record high, with a shocking 1 in 4 women, 1 in 6 children and 1 in 18 men falling victim to this horrific crime. It's an alarming rise and many believe, as I do, that the sexual assaults are fuelled by access to toxic online culture - with Bonnie seemingly leading the way with her vile sex marathon stunts. As a young woman who is a survivor of two rapes - aged just 13 and 23 - and who has been sexually harassed on countless occasions, I feel sick and enraged. In a society where sexual abuse, violence against women and misogyny have become a widespread pandemic, we should ban people like Bonnie from social media. Her foul and obscene challenges, which are becoming worse every time, are a slap in the face to millions of rape survivors like myself. Not only are her videos a constant reminder of the trauma and pain that was forced upon us, but she also teaches perverts that women are a piece of meat - and nothing else. Despite repeatedly insisting she empowers women, Bonnie promotes a culture in which women are passed around by men like toys. She also plays into the narrative that our husbands, fathers and sons can't control their sexual urges - or shouldn't have to. As a vocal multi millionaire, Bonnie may think this is all harmless fun, paying her many assistants to keep her out of real harm's way. But in reality, the sex-insatiable Bonnie is promoting dangerous rape culture and pushing victims like myself deeper into the abyss of trauma. Her twisted antics, and those of rival Lily Phillips and Aussie OF star Annie Knight, are damaging impressionable young teenage boys - half of whom have been exposed to pornography by the age of 13. These very same boys will grow up thinking this is normal, this is what women want - and what we're here for. There are countless things I look forward to, but the day the sick content creator finally gets banned from platforms cannot come soon enough. However, someone else questioned why Bonnie was even being allowed to speak. "Why the f**k is she being given platforms like podcasts and broadcasts to act like she is some kind of trailblazer or icon?" they raged. "She is sitting there saying her next challenge is to be tied up in public so people can touch her and another woman is sitting across from her acting like that is something worth clapping for. "That alone is disgusting and degrading... Advertisement "This is dragging us backwards. "And any woman who claps for this kind of behaviour has failed as a woman." "Never been so revolted in my life," another agreed. Even more shockingly, there were also some comments from monstrous people saying they were keen to get inside the box with Bonnie. Advertisement "I'll be in the box," one boasted. "See you there," another added. As a third questioned: "Are girls welcome to join in too?" Domestic abuse - how to get help DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence. Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship: Emotional abuse - Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse - gaslighting - being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to Threats and intimidation - Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you Physical abuse - This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten. Sexual abuse - Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent. If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers: on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night Men who are being abused can call Respect Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or on 0182 3334 244 Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring on 0800 999 5428 If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999 Remember, you are not alone. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime. Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse. 6 Bonnie has previously caused massive controversy with sick stunts such as sleeping with 1,057 men in 12 hours Credit: TikTok/@schoolies1 Advertisement 6 But she's hoping to beat that record by having sex with 2,000 people during the "petting zoo" stunt Credit: TikTok/@bonnie_blue_xoxo
