Latest news with #Viner
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Mom-to-be influencer followed by Shakira, Shraddha Kapoor goes flying during gender reveal party; video goes viral
Gender reveals are getting more over-the-top every day, and one recent stunt from Florida has people talking — and not all in a good way. Social media influencer and soon-to-be mom Lele Pons, best known for her YouTube fame and stint on Dancing with the Stars, is under fire for a dramatic reveal that many say took things a step too far. At a flashy party in Miami, Pons and her husband stood onstage in front of a setup that had 'Team Boy' and 'Team Girl' signs on either side. Groups of people in ponchos stood beneath each sign, ready for the big moment. The couple pressed down on a button labeled 'TNT,' triggering a sudden burst of pink goo that blasted out from the 'Team Girl' side, confirming they're expecting a daughter. The goo drenched the people below, but it didn't stop there. It flooded the stage so fast that Pons lost her balance, slipping and falling while her husband celebrated with a leap of excitement. As the goo kept coming, Pons tried to stand but kept slipping. Her husband eventually turned around and helped her up while she laughed off the mishap. A post shared by Gender Reveal Miami (@genderrevealmiami) The video quickly went viral. While some viewers found it hilarious, others weren't as amused. One person wrote, 'This is so dangerous but happy for her.' Another user, apparently a professional in the event space, commented, 'As event professionals we have to do better with risk assessment and ensure our clients are better cared for. Sometimes saying NO is ok for their safety. This could have been tragic and thank God it wasn't.' A third user wrote, 'I think this was a great gender reveal but they should have been away from everything lollll.' Another Instagram user wrote, 'Baby almost returned to sender.' A fifth user wrote, 'I feel like this is a Nickelodeon slime episode.' Lele Pons, born Eleonora Pons Maronese on June 25, 1996, is a Venezuelan-American internet personality, actress, singer, and comedian. She shot to fame on the video platform Vine, where she became the first 'Viner' to reach one billion loops. After Vine shut down, she expanded her presence on YouTube, where she has amassed over 18 million subscribers, creating comedy sketches and episodic content. Pons has also ventured into acting, appearing in the MTV horror series Scream and the romantic comedy We Love You.
New European
05-05-2025
- Business
- New European
Is it the Guardian In Name Only?
Her absence has done little, though, to tackle the simmering resentments over the sale. A sizable faction within the newsroom still want its union to hold a formal no-confidence ballot in Viner (the union has already voted 'no confidence' in the newspaper's board). But this has become mired in internal conflicts over tactics. Not surprisingly, Guardian editor-in- chief Kath Viner was conspicuous by her absence when departing Observer staff said their final goodbyes last month. But staff say this was not to avoid awkward exchanges over her part in the Sunday paper's controversial sale. Viner is now rarely sighted in the office, nor does she turn up to handle the paper's morning conference meetings – leaving those instead to her affable deputy, Owen Gibson. Union committee members would prefer not to hold a no-confidence vote, believing instead that they can secure governance reforms, including an extra board seat for staff members, if they hold off. Disgruntled staff think the committee is squandering the union's moment of maximum leverage for the vague promise of meaningless concessions. Those staff fear that if Viner succeeds in being elevated to the new post of global executive editor, she will have formalised the new arrangement in which she takes home £500,000-plus a year without having to interact with the newsroom – and so want to pressure the board before that's official. If they miss the window, the concessions may disappear as quickly as Viner herself. Some have even started referring cryptically to the future of belonging to 'Gino' – a coinage apparently stolen from US politics, standing for 'Guardian In Name Only'.
The Independent
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘Clear public interest' in exposing allegations against Noel Clarke, court hears
There was a 'very clear public interest' in exposing allegations of misconduct against Noel Clarke after his Bafta win, the High Court has been told. Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief at The Guardian, said she is responsible for everything the newspaper publishes, and in that capacity took the decision to publish the Clarke investigation. Mr Clarke, 49, is suing the newspaper's publisher, Guardian News and Media (GNM), over seven articles and a podcast, including an article from April 2021 that said 20 women who knew Mr Clarke professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct. Mr Clarke denies the allegations and has said several people who have made claims are part of a conspiracy to defame him. The publisher is defending its reporting as being both true and in the public interest. Ms Viner gave evidence at the High Court on Friday and said that Paul Lewis, the Guardian's head of investigations, told her in a meeting on April 12 2021 that Bafta had been informed of the allegations about Mr Clarke and proceeded to award him the outstanding British contribution to cinema award. Ms Viner said: 'It was apparent to me by that stage, and I think when I spoke to Paul in the prior few days, that Mr Clarke's conduct was something of an open secret in the UK film and TV industry. 'It was clearly the case that individuals had been galvanised to speak to one another to some degree before we began to investigate.' Ms Viner told the court that she was aware that Mr Clarke strongly denied the allegations, adding that she considered it appropriate to give him a 'reasonable but not lengthy period of time in which to comment'. She continued in written submissions: 'I considered there was a very clear public interest in exposing allegations of misconduct in the context that the individual in question had recently celebrated and further empowered through the special award that had been made by Bafta. 'In the light of the long period over which allegations had been made, it was conceivable that this endorsement of Mr Clarke and consolidation of his influence in the British film and television industry could enable him to continue or escalate the relevant behaviour, potentially with impunity. 'However, even if the timing of the award had not influenced the timing of publication, I consider we would likely have published the story in any case and perhaps only slightly later.' Ms Viner also said that Mr Clarke's position was presented clearly and high up in the article, and further detailed throughout. She added that she thought the 'readers were well placed to assess the credibility and significance of the findings' of the investigation. Philip Williams, for Mr Clarke, asked Ms Viner if it was correct that she did not have 'very much' to do with the investigation. She replied: 'I would say that I expect the reporters to do the reporting, the editors to do the editing, and then for them to escalate it to me. That is what happened in this case.' She added that it was her 'job to take a really big step back, take any emotion out of it' and make a decision on whether the story was in the public interest. Mr Clarke's lawyers say the conspiracy they allege 'undermines' the public interest defence. In written submissions, Mr Williams said: 'At its lowest, the defendant and its journalists were clearly aware of the conspiracy and therefore fell into its common design, and at its highest, they actively conspired with the conspirators and their associates to publish the seriously defamatory articles against the claimant.' He added that GNM and its journalists fell into a conspiracy 'wherein crimes are alleged to have been committed, against the claimant, which sought, amongst other aims, to impede him from receiving his Bafta'. The hearing before Mrs Justice Steyn is due to conclude this month with a decision in writing given at a later date.
The Guardian
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Noel Clarke allegations had ‘high public interest', Guardian editor tells court
The editor-in-chief of the Guardian, Katharine Viner, has told the high court there was a 'very high public interest' in reporting allegations made against Noel Clarke after he received a special Bafta award. In a witness statement, Viner said she believed it was conceivable that the actor's endorsement by the British academy film awards could lead to an escalation of his allegedly abusive behaviour towards women. Clarke, who is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM), the publisher of the Guardian, for libel over seven articles and a podcast published between April 2021 and March 2022, was given an honorary Bafta award in 2021, which was later suspended. Viner, who has held the position of editor-in-chief at the Guardian since 2015, said that Clarke's alleged sexual misconduct appeared to be 'something of an open secret in the UK film and TV industry'. She was made aware of the intention to follow up on leads about Clarke's behaviour in April 2021 by the Guardian's head of investigations Paul Lewis. Two journalists with experience of reporting on matters of sexual misconduct, Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne, were assigned to the investigation, which developed at pace. In her witness statement, Viner said she had been made aware that the Daily Mirror were also investigating Clarke but added that 'we placed little, if any, importance on that in the timing of the publication'. Clarke strongly denied the allegations when they were put to him. Viner said that the number and credibility of the sources as well as the consistency of the accounts and the robustness of the reporting weighed in favour of publication. She said: 'I considered there was a very clear public interest in exposing allegations of misconduct in the context that the individual in question had been recently celebrated and further empowered through the special award that had been made by Bafta. 'In the light of the long period over which allegations had been made, it was conceivable that this endorsement of Mr Clarke and consolidation of his influence in the British film and television industry could enable him to continue or escalate the relevant behaviour, potentially with impunity. 'However, even if the timing of the award had not influenced the timing of publication, I consider we would likely have published the story in any case and perhaps only slightly later.' Philip Williams, representing Clarke, 49, asked Viner about the role she played in the coverage. She said: 'I would say that I expect the reporters to do the reporting, the editors to do the editing, and then for them to escalate it to me. That is what happened in this case.' When cross-examined, she added that when judging the public interest of a story that there were formal systems in place and that she sought to take any 'emotion out of it'. The Guardian's deputy editor, Owen Gibson, told the high court that GNM's ownership structure ensured that there was no commercial or proprietorial pressure to publish the results of an investigation. He confirmed that concerns that Clarke and his business partner, Jason Maza, were contacting witnesses and 'could cause further intimidation or distress to sources or other women, as well as potentially deterring sources from speaking to us or going on the record' had been a consideration in the timing of the first article. 'We have to look after our sources and I considered that to be a legitimate factor when considering the timing of publication,' he said. Anna Kaiser, a German film director, was the final witness in GNM's defence. She told the court that she had been an intern on the film Doghouse in 2008 in which Clarke had played a leading role. She said: 'When he arrived in the morning or when I first saw him each day, he would greet me and, on several occasions, try to pull me in with an arm before going in to peck me on the lips. 'As I recall, I pulled away every time and I can't remember if he ever actually succeeded at kissing me this way. I think this happened around a handful of times. At first it was cheeky but persistent, but it became less playful and his attitude became less friendly after I avoided it each time. My reaction each time, though I didn't say it in so many words, was 'oh, not this again''. When asked by Clarke's barrister whether this was not simply standard behaviour on such an intimate and friendly film set, Kaiser noted that none of the other men on the set had greeted female colleagues by kissing them on the lips. The closing submissions in the trial will be heard on Friday before a written judgment by Mrs Justice Steyn.
