Latest news with #Lautner
Filipino Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Filipino Times
Taylor Lautner acknowledges viral Filipino 'What hafen, Vella?' meme
Taylor Lautner is now aware of the viral Filipino meme that parodies his 'Twilight' character, Jacob Black. The line 'What hafen, Vella?' became popular through Cristopher Diwata, a Filipino impersonator, and has trended again years after it first aired. On TikTok, Lautner shared a video with his wife, Taylor Dome. In the comments, one user teased that he had noticed everything except the meme, saying, 'Bro noticing everything except 'What hafen Vela' trend.' Lautner replied, 'Yup, but it's not your fault, it's mine,' a nod that showed he's now aware of the trend. His comment has reached over 55,000 likes as of this writing. Although Lautner didn't recreate the meme himself, this is the first time he's publicly acknowledged it online. Cristopher originally performed the meme line in 2013 on ABS-CBN's 'It's Showtime' under the 'Kalokalike' segment. The video resurfaced in recent months, making the impersonator viral once again. Cristopher has since collaborated with Filipino celebrities and brands like SB19, Ben&Ben, Barbie Forteza, and TikTok star Abi Marquez, thanks to the line's renewed popularity.
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Taylor Lautner finally reacts to the 'What hafen Vella' trend
What hafen, Taylor Lautner? The viral line 'What hafen, Vella?', popularized by Lautner's Filipino impersonator Cristopher Diwata, has finally reached the 'Twilight' star. On TikTok, Lautner shared a video of himself with his wife, Taylor Dome. In the comment section, a user wrote that the American actor has done everything except hop onto Cristopher's iconic lines. 'Bro noticing everything except 'What hafen Vela' trend,' the user commented. Lautner then replied, saying: 'Yup, but it's not your fault, it's mine.' His comment has now 55,000 likes on TikTok as of this writing. It's the first time that Lautner has publicly acknowledged the trend. In 2013, Cristopher joined the "It's Showtime" segment "Kalokalike" as Lautner's "Twilight" character, Jacob Black, where he performed the now-viral line. Over a decade later, Cristopher's clip resurfaced, causing him to go viral again and stamp his place in the Philippine internet's hall of fame for memes. TikTok users, as well as celebrities, have been dubbing and recreating his iconic lines: "What hafen, Vella? Why you cryin' again? I know, vampire, right? Vampire will feyt to me." Since then, Cristopher has collaborated with several brands and Filipino artists, such as Ben&Ben, SB19, and Sparkle stars Michael Sager, Barbie Forteza and Kyline Alcantara, 'Unang Hirit' host Anjo Petierra and TikTok star Abi Marquez. —Jade Veronique Yap/JCB, GMA Integrated News
Chicago Tribune
30-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
La Grange Park funds flood relief project, OKs local grocery tax
A project in La Grange Park meant to address flooding problems won't result in higher water and sewer rates for residents after the La Grange Park Board of Trustees unanimously approved an ordinance to issue $5 million in bonds May 27 to help fund the Central Area Sewer Separation Project. 'The annual debt service on the proposed bonds is anticipated to be nearly equal to the current debt service and therefore no increase in the sewer rate is required,' finance chair Robert Lautner told the board before the vote, referring to 2006 sewer bonds whose debt will be retired this year. The debt service on the 2006 bonds is approximately $390,000 per year. The debt service for the new bonds will be paid for by revenue from the village water and sewer system customers at their existing rate. The current estimated cost of the Sewer Separation Project is $12.5 million. The village had previously accepted $4 million in funding assistance from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and, in doing so, committed the village to issue up to $5 million in bonds to help finance the project. Costs above the $9 million from the bonds and MWRD money will be paid by other grants and village reserves, officials said. The project is designed to provide flooding relief to the area of the Village bounded by 31st Street on the north, La Grange Road on the west, Homestead Road on the south, and the Illinois Harbor Belt railroad on the east. The area contains local low areas, including the intersection of Barnsdale Road and Jackson Avenue, and on Monroe between Forest and Barnsdale roads which have suffered increased flooding in recent years. It was particularly hard hit by the May 17, 2020, floods that devastated parts of La Grange and La Grange Park. Separating the Forest Avenue, Homestead and Barnsdale roads storm sewers from the storm sewers along 31st Street will provide relief to the area, officials said. Tentative estimates indicate the bonds will be put out for sale before the end of July and the bond closing would be by August 18, 2025. In other business, the board addressed a potential budget shortfall by approving a municipal grocery sales tax of one percent. The tax is scheduled to begin January 1, 2026 and will replace the state grocery sales tax that expires at the end of 2025. 'The village's estimated grocery sales tax revenue is between $250,000 and $300,000,' Lautner said introducing the ordinance. He also noted that the village's fiscal year 2025-2026 budget approved the grocery sales tax as revenue in the General Fund. 'As a resident and a taxpayer, I hate that we have to continue this tax and potentially miss the opportunity that we might be able to save a little,' Lautner said. 'But the other side of that coin is that to lose the significant revenue of over a quarter million dollars would have a direct impact on the services this village provides, and that's something we cannot afford to do.' The tax was approved unanimously, but some trustees did so grudgingly. 'I see no way around it, so I'm going to support it,' Trustee Michael Sheehan said. His colleague Karen Koncel called it 'a necessary evil.' 'I know we need the revenue, but this is definitely not my way of pursuing that revenue,' she said. The next La Grange Park Village Board meeting will be 7:30 p.m., June 10 at 447 N. Catherine Ave.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taylor Lautner defends Selena Gomez after his own experience with body-shaming
Taylor Lautner has Selena Gomez's back. On Feb. 26, the "Twilight" star reshared an Instagram post from influencer Alex Light about Gomez's changing body. The post featured two pics of the actor on the red carpet, including one of Gomez in 2024 and another in 2025. Above the 2024 pic, Light shared comments from social media users who said that Gomez should get on Ozempic and she "used to be hot." Comments on the 2025 photo included one that said Gomez "looked better thicc." When Lautner reshared the post on his Instagram story, he talked about how "cruel" the world is and how imperative it is to be kind. "It's a cruel world full of hate out there," he said. "You can never please anyone nor should you have to. In my experience it doesn't make the words sting less, it just refocuses you onto what matters. And it sure isn't the shape, color or appearance of your body. Daily reminder to all of us to not forget how beautiful you are inside and out ... and to be a little bit nicer." In the original post, Light, who champions body positivity, said she wanted to highlight these comments from social media users because it shows that women, no matter how famous they are, will always be held to "impossible standards." "No matter what we do, someone will have an opinion. So let's remind ourselves: our bodies are ours, not up for public discussion," she said. During a 2019 appearance on "Giving Back Generation," Gomez talked about her fluctuating weight. "I have lupus and deal with kidney issues and high blood pressure, so I deal with a lot of health issues, and for me that's when I really started noticing more of the body image stuff," she said. Gomez explained that 'a combination' of factors contributed to her weight changes, including the medications she is taking for the rest of her life. As for Lautner, he has also dealt with scrutiny from the public eye. On his podcast, 'The Squeeze,' he recalled what it was like to have a ripped physique for the "Twilight" films and then a very different appearance for the movies that followed. He said that one thing that hurt his feelings was when a fan posted side-by-side images of him in 'Twilight' versus him in 'Run the Tide.' 'I thought I looked fine. But then seeing it online where they put the side-by-sides of me shirtless in the ocean in a scene from that movie compared to me in '(The Twilight Saga:) Eclipse' or whatever, and being like, 'Wow, he's let it all go.' I was like, 'Oh man, did I really let it all go?' I didn't think I looked that bad,' he said. 'It messed with me and it hurt,' Lautner added. This article was originally published on
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Taylor Lautner comes to Selena Gomez's defence following body shaming abuse
Taylor Lautner came to the defence of Selena Gomez after the Emila Pérez star was targeted by trolls following her appearance at the SAG Awards on Sunday (23 February). Gomez won the gong for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, for Only Murders in the Building, at the awards show but was once again the victim of online abuse because of her appearance. Trolls noticed that, compared to 12 months ago, the 32-year-old actor and singer was noticeably slimmer, with some accusing her of using Ozempic. Although Gomez has yet to respond to the comments, Lautner took it upon himself to address the trolls. In an Instagram story post, the Twilight actor shared a side-by-side image of Gomez at the 2024 SAG Awards and one at the same awards show in 2025. He also included screenshots of the mean and contradictory things said about Gomez online. 'It's a cruel world full of hate out there,' Lautner wrote on the image. 'You can never please everyone nor should you have to. In my experience, it doesn't make the words sting less, it just refocuses you onto what matters. 'And it sure isn't the shape, colour, or appearance of your body,' he added. 'Daily reminder to all of us to not forget how beautiful you are inside and to be a little nicer." He soundtracked the post with Gomez's 2011 song 'Who Says' which contains the lyrics: 'I'm no beauty queen, I'm just beautiful me," and "Who says, who says you're not perfect?' Lautner, 33, has previously been open about the trouble he has had with body shamers and his own mental health after he stopped playing Jacob Black in the Twilight movies. Speaking on The Squeeze podcast in February 2023, he said: 'Don't think just because you lose the 20 lbs or put on the muscle, you're going to wake up and look in the mirror and all of a sudden be happy. That's not where you should be finding value." In March 2023, Gomez said on the Apple TV+ docuseries, Dear…, that her weight 'would constantly fluctuate,' due to the different medications she was using for her lupus, an inflammatory disease that affects the immune system. She then noted that as those changes were going on, people were quick to make comments about her body. 'People just ran with it,' Gomez said. 'It was like they couldn't wait to find a thing to bring me down. I was being shamed for gaining weight because of my lupus.' The 'Rare' singer then confessed that while she said online that the body-shaming remarks didn't bother her, it was actually the opposite. 'I lied, I would go online and I would post a picture of myself and I would say, 'It doesn't matter, I'm not accepting what you're saying,' she explained, in response to the criticism. 'All the while being in the room posting that, crying my eyes out, because nobody deserves to hear those things.' 'I was posting these things, saying it doesn't bother me because I didn't want it to bother other people who are experiencing the same thing, getting shamed for what they look like, who they are, who they love. I just think it's so unfair. I don't think that anybody deserves to feel less than.'
