Free Republic

Kara Swisher declared on the Tuesday episode of her Pivot podcast that she was leaving CNN as soon as legally possible following Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, getting a green light as blue states settled their lawsuit trying to block the deal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) announced the settlement, which would allow the $111 billion mega-merger to proceed, sparking a bevy of anger on the left. David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, and his billionaire father Larry Ellison are seen as allies of President Donald Trump, who supported their takeover of CBS News...

Just when staffers at CNN thought the news giant’s path to the future was becoming more clear, new fog has set in. In recent weeks, the Warner Bros. Discovery outlet appeared to have found its groove. Yes, its linear ratings are down noticeably from the era when it won notice for its aggressive coverage of President Trump’s first term, and there’s serious questions about whether they will ever come back. But the company appeared to be making some gains with digital audiences with its recently launched “CNN All Access” subscription service, where CNN has been testing new programming formats. On...

Aslan might sound different than you expected in the upcoming Narnia movie. Greta Gerwig recently discussed her adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ fantasy novel The Magician’s Nephew with Empire, explaining why she cast Meryl Streep as Aslan... ... The cover also emphasizes the character’s heterochromatic eyes, which were inspired by David Bowie. Gerwig cites the “Life on Mars” singer and a number of other ’60s and ’70s rock musicians as key creative influences that helped her form the “big and transporting” aesthetic of the film, which she wanted to resemble a “rock opera” despite not being a musical.

My latest song. Getting Hungary yet?

The Super Bowl halftime show has evolved into a worldwide entertainment phenomenon as well as a football event, and the NFL might be setting very ambitious goals for 2027. Popular pop icons Justin Bieber and Harry Styles are reportedly among the leading names on Jay-Z's Roc Nation wish list. Super Bowl LXI is currently scheduled to take place on Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. TMZ Sports recently reported that, according to their sources, both Bieber and Styles are high on Roc Nation's short list. The Jay-Z company is partnered with the NFL as the league's live music...

They say “never meet your heroes…” And if you’ve spent any time online lately, you’ll see why that advice keeps coming up. In one viral thread, people were asked to name celebrities that are portrayed as nice in the media, but are actually jerks in real life. Personal encounters were quickly shared by restaurant staff, airport workers, crew members, and people who just happened to bump into someone famous during their day. Like the time someone claimed Drake got into a screaming match with a restaurant manager. Or the many comments about Kourtney Kardashian being dismissive and rude to service...

For those of you who were assigned to read Ayn Rand's 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged" in high school, you have my deepest sympathies. Running over 1,100 pages, the book is a massively pedantic, defensive, argumentative tome that is more interested in philosophy and making strawman arguments than telling a story or getting involved in a fascinating drama. And, to make matters worse, its central ideas are of dubious value at best. You may be familiar with the following joke: There are two works of literature one can read in high school that will ruin their life, namely "Atlas Shrugged" and...

The Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band spelled out “DEREK” at the end of its halftime performance in commemoration of former bandmate Derek Phillips, who died Tuesday after suffering a heart attack during the stifling heat at Kinnick Stadium last week. In a performance Phillips helped create but was postponed by one week, the Hawkeye Marching Band performed “50 Years of the Muppet Show” during halftime. During the final song — Rainbow Connection — the band shifted into formation to spell Derek’s name. The sold-out crowd at Kinnick Stadium gave the band a standing ovation. Phillips, 20, collapsed during Iowa’s season opener...

Saturday Night Live UK returned for its second season — and wasted no time getting stuck into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The Sky series cold opened with a sketch (watch above) in which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (as depicted by Jack Shep and Ayoade Bamgboye) visited the King and Queen in Scotland's Balmoral Castle. Larry Dean's King Charles III was aghast at his child's reappearance. "Don't tell me you've spent all your Netflix money already," he asked incredulously. "It was $60 million. How long was it meant to last?" Prince Harry replied. Queen Camilla, as played by...

"The Falling Man" is the most controversial photograph to have emerged from the September 11, 2001 attack on New York City's World Trade Center. Taken by Richard Drew of the Associated Press - and visible at this link - the photo shows a man falling headfirst along the side of the soon-to-be-demolished 110-floor North Tower, momentarily captured in an incongruously serene pose that belies the utter surrounding chaos and his imminent demise. When the photo ran in the New York Times and other papers across the country the following day, many readers complained and accused the publications of exploiting the...

Resonating as strongly as ever, ‘Three Little Birds’ was slow to take flight, but now stands as one of Bob Marley’s most affecting songs.Bob Marley was a gifted songwriter, but sometimes inspiration came to him like a gift received from somewhere else. “Three Little Birds,” a simple, joyful song that has been a hit several times over, was a gift from nature, its writing prompted by the birds that fluttered by the window at 56 Hope Road, Bob’s Tuff Gong HQ, and home during the second half of the 70s. “It was amazing how he put the words together” Bob...

The man born on September 12, 1931 in Saratoga, Texas is still seen by many as the greatest singer in country history.The country legend they called “Possum” was born on September 12, 1931 in Saratoga, Texas, and is still seen by many as the greatest singer in the genre’s history. We must be talking about George Jones. Jones was an incredible presence on the country scene for nearly half a century, from his first hit “Why Baby Why” in 1955 to his last entry to date, “50,000 Names,” in 2002. Along the way, George scored 13 No.1 singles, including such...

My latest song. IYKYK.

Alison Krauss & Union Station have announced today the cancellation of all remaining shows on their 2026 tour. In a statement earlier today through management, we learn… “It is with great regret that Alison Krauss & Union Station have announced the cancellation of our upcoming tour dates. After consulting with medical professionals, Alison has been advised to take a period of vocal rest to ensure a full and healthy recovery

Cute parody song called Lake America

The View came back from a summer hiatus this week and dove head first into campaigning for the Democrats in the 2026 midterms. Among the conversations on the show today were, invoking the 25th Amendment on President Trump, and voting for the Democrats because, according to host Whoopi Goldberg, 'our lives literally depend on this.' This type of open electioneering for one side is why The View has come under a microscope with the FCC. ABC News is not supposed to do this, but they allow The View to do it all the time. Transcript via NewsBusters: BEHAR: Let me...

Famous musician Jelly Roll has been uninvited from performing at an upcoming law enforcement fundraiser scheduled to take place at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. Last week, Blue Lives Matter announced that they are removing Jelly Roll from the lineup at their second annual Big Blue Bash on November 17th. This comes after the singer made some pretty vile remarks about President Trump during a late-night TV show appearance in late August. In a lengthy post on X, Blue Lives Matter explained their decision: We’re DONE. You’re FIRED. On April 26, 2026, we made the mistake of sending a formal invitation to...

A political parody of The Guess Who’s 1970 rock classic “American Woman.” 🎸🇺🇸 “Liberal woman… stay away from me!” 😂 In this parody, I take the attitude and swagger of “American Woman” and aim it squarely at the modern political Left — particularly the liberal woman whose politics I believe are being shaped by partisan media, celebrity culture, social media, and shows like The View. The song takes aim at what I see as foolish voting, political propaganda, “toxic empathy,” and policies that continually remove personal ACCOUNTABILITY. The timing of this parody was also influenced by the highly publicized Lindsay...

snip Yet there was one striking exception to the stultifying conformity of cultural critique, one lonely example of an A-list star confronting a specific 9/11 event head-on and offering his voice in full-throated support of authentic American heroism. Even more impressively, it came from a Canadian - and at a time when Jean Chrétien's ministry was mostly engaged in petty sniping about alleged offenses to its amour propre. When I was, oh, fourteen years old I saw Neil Young with Crosby, Stills, Nash &... plus his compatriot Joni Mitchell and The Band. And to be honest in the intervening decades...

Andrew Williams, the pro wrestler known as "The Butcher" who performed in several promotions including All Elite Wrestling (AEW), died after suffering a medical emergency during a show. Williams, 48, was in a match with his tag team partner Jesse Guilmette (known as The Blade) at Planned Parentood and Mr. Smalls present Enjoy Wrestling at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale, Pennsylvania, on Friday night. The promotion said Williams collapsed at the end of his match.