Latest news with #RollingStone


Euronews
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Convicted fraudster Billy McFarland (under)sells Fyre Festival on eBay
Billy McFarland, the scam artist and convicted fellon who gained notoriety for the disastrous 2017 Fyre Festival, has officially sold the rights to the event's brand on eBay for $245,300 (approx. €211,135). The auction, which reportedly drew a 175 bids, included intellectual property, trademarks, and social media accounts tied to the Fyre name. The identity of the buyer remains unknown. In a livestream during the eBay auction, McFarland appeared disappointed with the result, commenting: 'Damn. This sucks, it's so low.' According to Rolling Stone, the sale will barely make a dent in his outstanding $26 million (approx. €22.3m) restitution order tied to his criminal conviction. Nonetheless, the disgraced founder took to social media after the sale, saying: 'Fyre Festival is just one chapter of my story, and I'm excited to move onto my next one.' He continued: 'The auction became the most-watched non-charity listing on eBay during its run, proving once again that attention is currency, and views are the root of attention. That belief is at the core of what I'm building next.' McFarland then shared that he's working on a 'tech platform designed to capture and power the value behind every view online.' Cue: death by a thousand eyerolls. Une publication partagée par Billy McFarland (@pyrtbilly) McFarland was given a six-year prison sentence in 2018 for wire fraud related to the original Fyre Festival. He was released early in 2022 and attempted to relaunch the event multiple times - without success. What happened at Fyre Festival? McFarland founded Fyre Festival with rapper Ja Rule. As part of their advertising scheme for the supposed luxury music festival, they employed influencers including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski to post on Instagram about the festival. The influencers didn't clearly disclose that it was a paid advert. McFarland also falsely claimed that the festival's location was on Pablo Escobar's private island. In reality, it was located on a beach in the Bahamas, and when the glamorous (and wannabe glamorous) flocked to McFarland's promised luxury event in 2017, all was not as it seemed. When the punters arrived, they were confronted with unfinished stages, tents instead of fancy accommodation, and a notoriously rubbish welcome meal of some pre-sliced cheese and a depressing-looking salad on dry bread. As for the star-studded line-up of acts including Pusha T, Tyger, Blink-182, Disclosure, Migos, and Skepta... They all pulled out. To make matters worse, the 500+ guests were stranded on the island, as flights were cancelled by the Bahamian government. The ordeal was captured in the Netflix documentary FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, as well as the Hulu doc Fyre Fraud. McFarland and Ja Rule were hit with multiple lawsuits for fraud and other charges seeking damages. McFarland was investigated by the FBI for mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud. After pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud, he was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to hand over $26 million. Since his release from prison, McFarland reportedly arranged meetings with rappers for Donald Trump's most recent election campaign – in a bid to reach and appeal to more Black voters. Une publication partagée par Billy McFarland (@pyrtbilly) And because once a scammer, always a hardened scammer, McFarland has tried to revive the festival – adventurously named Fyre Fest II. It was announced that the second edition of the festival would be taking place on a tropical island off Cancún, Mexico. However, it was soon revealed that the permit McFarland had obtained only allowed for a 12-hour listening party that only could have fewer than 300 people. McFarland set the tickets for between $1,400 (€1,200) and $25,000 (€21,500) – with 'premium packages' priced as high as $1.1 million (€947,000). As you can guess, the Fyre Fest II never took place. Now that the rights to the Fyre brand have been sold, anyone else fearing the outcome of McFarland's new tech platform 'designed to capture and power the value behind every view online'?


Time of India
4 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
Elon Musk's Mars plan is a dangerous illusion, warns astrophysicist Adam Becker
Elon Musk's long-standing dream to colonize Mars has come under sharp criticism from renowned astrophysicist and author Adam Becker, who calls it "the stupidest thing" one could pursue. In a recent interview and in his new book More Everything Forever, Becker argues that efforts by billionaires like Musk and Jeff Bezos to settle Mars are nothing more than 'sci-fi fantasies' detached from scientific and ethical realities. Despite Musk's framing of Mars as a backup plan for humanity in the event of a global catastrophe, Becker insists that even a damaged Earth would remain far more habitable than the red planet. He believes these grandiose space ambitions are more about escaping fears than solving real problems. Elon Musk's Mars vision: 'Stupidest thing' says Becker Becker takes a blunt stance on Musk's idea of Mars as a 'lifeboat' for humanity. 'We could get hit with an asteroid, detonate every nuclear weapon, or see the worst-case scenario for climate change, and Earth would still be more habitable than Mars,' he told Rolling Stone. He cites the planet's lack of breathable air, radiation exposure, and extreme conditions as insurmountable barriers. His critique also targets the illusion that technology alone can make Mars livable. 'Any cursory examination of facts about Mars makes it clear, it's not a place for humans,' Becker asserts. Childhood wonder meets scientific reality Once a strong believer in space colonization, Becker admits that his views changed as he studied the harsh truths of space environments. 'As I got older, I realized, 'Oh, that's not happening.' We're not going to go to space, and certainly not to make things better,' he told The Harvard Gazette. He accuses tech billionaires of pouring resources into escapist dreams instead of addressing problems on Earth. According to him, their space crusades reflect deep-seated fears rather than rational strategy. Scientists warn of risks in billionaire space ambitions Becker isn't the only critic. Fellow astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss has also denounced Musk's Mars plan, calling it 'logistically ludicrous' and 'scientifically and politically dangerous.' Despite these warnings, Musk remains committed to his goal of building a Mars colony with at least one million people, positioning SpaceX as the spearhead of this vision. Yet experts argue that such ambitions, if rushed or poorly planned, could have disastrous consequences both scientifically and socially.


Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Billy McFarland sells Fyre Festival brand on eBay for over $245,000
Billy McFarland, the controversial figure behind the infamous 2017 Fyre Festival, has officially sold the rights to the event's brand on eBay for US$245,300. As reported by NY Daily News, the auction included intellectual property, trademarks, and social media accounts tied to the Fyre name, and drew 175 bids before concluding on Tuesday afternoon. McFarland, who previously served four years in prison for wire fraud related to the original Fyre Festival, had attempted to relaunch the event multiple times without success. One such attempt was a promoted May 2025 revival in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The promotional campaign included a website, named producers and partners, and ticket packages priced between US$1,400 and US$1.1 million. However, the event quietly faded without any follow-through. In a livestream during the eBay auction, McFarland appeared disappointed with the final result, commenting, 'Damn. This sucks, it's so low,' when bids surpassed US$240,000. According to Rolling Stone, the sale will barely make a dent in his outstanding US$26 million restitution order tied to his criminal conviction. Following the original Fyre Festival disaster—which was chronicled in the Netflix documentary The Greatest Party That Never Happened and Hulu's Fyre Fraud—McFarland insisted there was still public interest in the brand. In a 2024 interview with The Music Network podcast, he said, 'The idea of Fyre 2 is still there. People want to escape reality for three days.' In a more recent Instagram statement, McFarland announced his decision to step away, writing: 'This brand is bigger than any one person. It's clear that I need to step back and allow a new team to move forward independently.' The identity of the buyer remains unknown.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Justin Bieber His ‘Authentic Self' in New Album After Scooter Braun Split, ‘Source' Claims
is reportedly his 'authentic self' in his new album, 'Swag,' following his split from Scooter Braun. The singer made his surprise comeback on July 11 and dropped his latest project, which is already making waves on the internet. Beliebers have been basking in the Canadian musician's fresh music, and the early reactions are full of praise. A new report has now suggested the reason behind this album sounding 'so honest and vulnerable.' Justin Bieber's latest album, 'Swag,' is already a hit among fans, as the internet is full of positive reviews. According to new claims, the music sounds especially different because it comes after the 31-year-old singer's split from his longtime manager, Scooter Braun, in 2023. Rolling Stone exclusively learned from a source that 'Swag' is 'the most pure version' of Bieber that 'we've ever seen musically.' They stated the pop star was 'able to be his true, authentic self.' The source explained that he 'didn't have any additional voices trying to steer him in a certain direction' while working on his latest project. Bieber's new music reportedly is 'so honest and vulnerable' because it is the 'first time' in his career that he was 'able to have 100% creative freedom.' The Rolling Stone source also claimed that Bieber wanted to part ways from Braun and his team for 'so long.' After becoming 'fully free,' the 'Baby' hitmaker reportedly was able to 'create the best body of music he's ever made.' According to the source, this is because Bieber did not have to 'stress about creating the perfect single, or perfect album.' Meanwhile, Braun, too, praised Bieber's new musical work. Following the album's release, the 44-year-old businessman took to his Instagram Story to gush over the project. Billboard reported that Braun wrote, 'This is without a doubt, the most authentically Justin Bieber album to date.' He added, 'It's beautiful, raw, and truly him.' Braun continued to recall working with Bieber and 'witnessing his growth for almost two decades.' The investor wrote, 'He's poured his soul into this project, and you can feel it in every single run.' The post Justin Bieber His 'Authentic Self' in New Album After Scooter Braun Split, 'Source' Claims appeared first on Reality Tea.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stevie Wonder Has the Perfect Response to Wild Rumor He's Not Really Blind
Stevie Wonder had the perfect response to ongoing rumors that he is not actually blind. During a show for his Love, Light and Song U.K. tour in Cardiff, Wales, the singer poked fun at the wild speculation and addressed the crowd: 'I must say to all of you, something that I was thinking, 'When did I want to let the world know this?' But I wanted to say it right now. You know there have been rumors about me seeing and all that? But seriously, you know the truth.' More from Rolling Stone PJ Morton Is 'Re-Presenting' a Legendary Louisiana Studio for a New Generation Lauryn Hill Makes Appearance at Roberta Flack's Memorial, Performs Alongside Stevie Wonder How The Weeknd Returned - and More Backstage Grammys Secrets He continued: 'Truth is, shortly after my birth, I became blind. Now, that was a blessing because it's allowed me to see the world in the vision of truth, of sight. See people in the spirit of them, not how they look. Not what color they are, but what color is their spirit?' Wonder has kept things lighthearted when discussing his blindness. During a 2015 appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman, the musician listed a catalog of the best advantages of being blind including, 'You can act like you don't see nothing when you really do' and 'You can say you didn't see that when you did.' His optimism for life began early in his childhood. When discussing his journey with journalist Wesley Morris and Barack Obama in 2024 for The Wonder of Stevie podcast, Wonder said, 'I was born. Shortly after that, I'm blind. My mother went through the different things, and so my experience with that was deep.' The 25-time Grammy winner said his mother would cry 'every night,' and one time he told her: 'Mama, you shouldn't cry, you're making my head hurt.' 'And I said, 'Maybe God has something for me that's bigger than all this,'' recalled Wonder. 'History proved that true.' Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked