Meryl Streep Puts on Orange Face to Impersonate Donald Trump Meryl or Donald? (Picture: Paul Zimmerman/WireImage)
Meryl Streep is a three-time Oscar winner known for being able to transform herself into any character she wants.
So is it any surprise that the actress has now so convincingly portrayed thepresumptive nominee of the Republican Party for President of the United States, Donald Trump?
Meryl shocked the audience when she turned up to the annualShakespeare in the Park Public Theater Gala in full Donald costume,wearing a padded suit with a low-hanging belly and a ton of fake tan.
And a hairpiece that somehow managed to successfully mimic the mystery that is Donalds now trademark style.
Meryl (left) with Christina Baranski (Picture: Paul Zimmerman/WireImage)
Meryl turned up on stage to perform alongside an equally shocked Christine Baranski, who was playing the rolethe newly-appointed nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The pair performedBrush Up Your Shakespeare, written by Cole Porter for the1948 Broadway musical Kiss Me, Kate, which itself was adapted from Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew.
But Oskar Eustis, the Public Theaters artistic director, admitted that it was entirely Meryls idea.
Utterly her idea, beginning to end, Mr Eustis told the New York Times.
There were skeptics, there were doubters, but one of those skeptics was not Meryl Streep. She was absolutely sure she could do it. None of us had seen her in costume or makeup till she walked out tonight.
She even manages to nail those pursed lips(Picture: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Sadly for those of us who werent at the show, Meryl has confirmed that this was indeed a one-off.
I appreciate the interest, but this was a one-off, a once in a (last in a) lifetime appearance of this character, she told the Times through a rep.
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In this 100th iteration of the famous old tournament, the host United States have gone to daring lengths in order to make the Copa America great again.
Yes, the western world"s preeminent leader in cultural erosion -- well-dressed white men on television like to call this "globalization" -- placed another feather in its exquisite cap just before the start of Sunday"s Mexico-Uruguay tilt in Glendale, Arizona. When it came time to play the Uruguayan national anthem, the paragons of gumption and industriousness manning the soundboard at University of Phoenix Stadium played Chile"s anthem instead.
Chile is not scheduled to play any games in Glendale.
"This evening during the pre-match ceremony, due to human error, we inadvertently played the incorrect National Anthem. We sincerely apologize to the Uruguayan Federation, the Uruguay National Team, the people of Uruguay and to the fans for this mistake. We will work with all parties involved to ensure such an error does not occur again."
What a way to foster togetherness, mutual understanding, and the laudable notion that "we"re all Americans" at the end of the day!
(To be fair, though, I want to stress the fact that Uruguay"s actual national anthem clocks in at a downright monstrous six minutes. That"s one hundred and five bars, or the equivalent of one Daveed Diggs verse. What the h**l is this, Atlas Shrugged? Who has time for that???)
But freedom"s march did not end with Sunday"s transgression. On Monday evening, when it was time to play Chile"s anthem for real in advance of their showdown with Argentina at Levi"s Stadium in Santa Clara, California,the song was cut off prematurely, superseded by a Pitbull track. Pitbull!
The players stood, proud and unbowed, and sang the rest of the song without the proper backing track. But musically speaking, Chile is off to a terrible start-- after the Glendale flub, Uruguay fell to Mexico, 3-1. In Santa Clara, Argentina handled the Chileans, 2-1.
One gets the feeling, however, that the musical hijinks have only begun.
With that in mind, let"s consider all of the possible anthemic disasters that might take place in the run up totonight"s Soldier Field slobberknocker between the United States and Costa Rica.
Panem ("The Horn of Plenty")
If the goal really is to make our nation great again, we ought to start with the excessively patriotic anthem of the fascist-tastic nation of Panem, ofThe Hunger Games infamy.Given the increasingly apocalyptic political climate of our tenuously united States, "The Horn of Plenty" packs the kind of verbiage we need to get us in the right mood to watch the increasingly apocalyptic U.S. Men"s National Team: "O, Capitol / Your glorious diamond shine / A tribute to / The darkest days behind / One Horn of Plenty for us all!" Gosh! Feels like home.
The Grand Duchy of Robonia
As a predictive model for global culture, Matt Groening"sFuturama is second to none. Let"s make this happen.
"Hail, hail, Robonia! A land I didn"t make up...."
Really, this begs a pertinent question-- why aren"t there more robots on the USMNT? Wouldn"t you rather have, say, a talking toaster oven or a snarky photocopier in goal instead of Brad Guzan?
Chile ("Himno Nacional de Chile")
Why not keep this thing going and see where it takes us?
Kazakhstan (Borat version)
It"s simply infectious, and germane to boot:
"Kazakhstan, greatest country in the world / All other countries are run by little girls / Kazakhstan, number one exporter of potassium / Other countries have inferior potassium."
There"s something to this potassium thing, because watching the USMNT generally makes me go bananas.
United States of America ("The Star-Spangled Banner" -- Carl Lewis version)
No offense to Francis Scott Key or any of the warriors that fell at Fort McHenry in 1814, but the actual tune of the American anthem was plucked straight from a British drinking song. Seriously! Look it up-- the original melody is called"To Anacreon in Heaven," and it"s about boozing.With that in mind, it makes sense that the occasional enterprising singer might want to spice things up a bit.R. Kelly brought the sexy like only he could.Roseanne went ham with a shameless rendition that was impossible to ignore. And of course, we"ll always haveSteven Tyler"s humble reminder that America is, in fact, the land of the free and the home of the Indianapolis 500.
But, in the context off the USMNT"s spectacular penchant for crashing and burning, we don"t just want to hear our anthem as such. No... we need it straight from arguably the greatest American international in any sport. We need it from Carl Lewis.
After all, who misses more high notes than the U.S. Men?
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EDITOR"S NOTE: This is a work of satire. Thus, the opinions reflected above are probably not the actual opinions of the writer, as far as we know.
Live Election Results From California, New Jersey All Day Long Streaming in (HD) 24/7
Albany Daily star team Indianapolis Star Indiana Republican Primary Election Results for you . Donald Trump crushed rival Ted Cruz in the Indiana Republican primary, leading Cruz to quit the 2016 presidential race. Bernie Sanders defeat of Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary means their battle will carry on. (Dwight Adams/IndyStar) Wochit
UPDATE 10:54 p.m.
IndyStars full story on Trey Hollingsworths victory in the ninth congressional districts Republican primary. There are quotes from Democrats about the race in November.
UPDATE 10:32 p.m.
An onlinediscussion among New York Times reporters includedthis comment about Trump: He is the most unconventional nominee since, well, maybe Wendell Willkie in 1940, so the reality of what he is about to encounter will be something to behold and to report on!
UPDATE 10:26 p.m.
The Washington Posts winners and losers from the Indiana primary putsHillary Clinton and Gov. Mike Pence among the losers.
UPDATE 10:16p.m.
The Associated Press projectedTrey Hollingsworth as winner in the Republican primary in the ninth congressional district. Opponents hadmocked Hollingsworth asTennessee Trey, a rich carpetbagger who had only recently moved to Indiana.
Here is IndyStarsin-depth story onHollingsworth from last week.
Hollingsworth will face Democrat Shelli Yoder, a Monroe County councilwoman andformer Miss Indiana,in November.
UPDATE 10:05 p.m.
Matt Tully of IndyStarsays Trump could win in November: I certainly am not predicting a Trump presidency. What I am saying is that anyone who dismisses that possibility is underestimating his campaign. And few things are better for a politician than being underestimated.
UPDATE 9:57 p.m.
The New York Times posted an early analysis of a Trump-Clinton match for president of the U.S.
Analysis of election results 2016 with Prannoy Roy
Donald Trumphas won the Republican presidential primaries in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota, according to projections by the Associated Press as six states voted on the finalSuper Tuesday event of the 2016 presidential primary season.
Meanwhile,Hillary Clintonhas won the Democratic primaries in New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota, according tothe AP.
AndBernie Sandershas won the Democratic primary in Montana and the Democratic caucuses in NorthDakota, the AP projected.
Results have not been revealed yet in the Democratic primary in California.
According to the AP, the nominations for both parties werealready decided before today"s votes.
Trump, the billionaire businessman and former Atlantic City casino mogul, was declared the presumptive Republican nominee last month.
And on Monday, the APdeclared that Clinton had gatheredenough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. But Sanders said no one should rush to judgment since the delegates include the superdelegates, and those do not count until they vote at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 25.
Live coverage of N.J., California primaries
If you want to see election results livestream, ABCNews is offering special coverage.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Today anchor Savannah Guthrie is pregnant and as a result will bow out of covering the Olympic Games this summer in Rio de Janeiro because of concerns over the Zika virus.
Surrounded by her colleagues Tuesday on the NBC morning show, Guthrie, 44, revealed that she and husband Mike Feldman are expecting their second child in December. Their daughter, Vale Feldman, was born in August 2014.
Asked by co-anchor Matt Lauer about how this would affect her plans for the Olympic Games, Guthrie said she would not attend.
The doctors say that we shouldnt (go) because of the Zika virus, so Ill miss it, Guthrie said, joking that Lauer would have to watch womens beach volleyball without her. Try to carry on.
Brazil is among the countries hardest hit by the outbreak of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that generally has a mild effect but has been linked to defects in children born to women who were infected during pregnancy.
The Games are a major platform and provide a reliable ratings boost to Today, which has been beating competitor ABCs Good Morning America in the 25-to-54 demographic this season. Today typically sets up shop in the host country throughout the 16 days of Olympic competition. Guthrie traveled to London in 2012 and Sochi in 2014.
The World Health Organization has classified Zika as a global health emergency but has said the Games should not be postponed or canceled. Olympic organizers also have repeatedly downplayed the risk.
In a blog post for Today, Guthrie shared her excitement over the baby news. The thought of getting to add to our family now is beyond every hope, dream and prayer I have ever had. It is not simply double the joy it is joy multiplied infinitely, she wrote.
Though she is bowing out of the Games, Guthrie, a former White House correspondent for NBC News, will be available to cover the presidential election as it gears up in late summer following the party conventions.
NBCUniversal has said it will not require employees concerned about the virus to travel to Rio.
People have suspected for a long time that there was a link between beloved California brand ColourPop and Kylie Jenner"s makeup line, Kylie Cosmetics. And now it looks like we have confirmation.
In an interview with Refinery29, ColourPop"s founders, Laura and John Nelson, confirmed that yes, their lab, Spatz Laboratories, does make Kylie Cosmetics. To be fair, Kylie has never denied those claims, even posting an Instagram photo from the lab.
Still, it"s the first time that someone is actually really talking about it, aside from gossip and Reddit threads. But even though Laura and John technically have a partnership with Kylie, they assure Refinery29 that the brands really are different.
"With each of the brands, it"s going to be a little different how we leverage the resources and the infrastructure," John explains."Everyone is coming up with their own formulas and their own exclusive products." The ColourPop team is even in a totally separate building from Kylie Cosmetics.
Keep in mind that this is common in the beauty industry. Many brands have production under one roof.
"Kylie and her family have been friends [of ours] for years," Laura says. "It"s a good fit and a good partnership... We"re happy to support that business and partner with her to really bring her vision to life in an organic and authentic way."
So, there you have it. If you want to see how Kylie Cosmetics and ColourPop stand up against each other (hint: we love them both), watch us test them out below.
Move over, Oprah, John Oliver just stole your thunder.
John Oliver breaks Oprah"s record
Talk show host John Oliver has bought $15million worth of debt, and in doing so broken the record for the largest TV give away of all time.
On Sunday"s episode of Last Week Tonight,the comedian staged what may be the largest giveaway in TV history by forgiving some $US15 million ($20.3 million) in medical debt.
The stunt capped an in-depth segment about the abuses of the debt-buying industry. As Oliver explained, Americans collectively owe $US12 trillion in debt, and $US436 billion ($591 billion) of that is seriously delinquent - i.e., 90 days or more past due.
Last Week Tonight host John Oliver made history after forgiving $US15 million of bad medical debt.Photo: HBO
This has led to an explosion of debt-buying companies, which buy and often resell debt for pennies on the dollar. Many of these companies are predatory, using deceptive and in some cases illegal tactics to collect money owed. (Think: threatening voicemails.)
"It is pretty clear by now debt-buying is a grimy business and badly needs more oversight," Oliver said, noting that "any idiot" can get into the industry.
In a process he found "disturbingly easy," Oliver started his own debt-buying company. As he explained, Last Week Tonightspent a whopping $US50 ($67) to incorporate a debt-acquisition company online in Mississippi - "incidentally, over the internet is the best way to experience Mississippi," he joked.
The company was named Central Asset Recovery Professionals, or CARP,"after the bottom-feeding fish" and Oliver named the chairman of the board.
John Oliver slammed the debt buying agency.Photo: HBO
Before long, CARP was offered a portfolio of just under $US15 million ($20.3 million)of out-of-statute medical debt - i.e. debt that people are no longer legally required to pay. In exchange for a fee, CARP would receive personal information on nearly 9000 people.
So Oliver bought the portfolio for a price of $US60,000 ($81,000) which, Oliver said, "is absolutely terrifying." But rather than hiring a team of employees to start making harassing phone calls, Oliver decided to forgive the debt by transferring it to a nonprofit organisation which specialises in writing-off medical debt.
"On the one hand, it"s obviously the right thing to do," he said. "But much more importantly, we"d be staging the largest one-time giveaway in television show history."
The stunt surpasses Oprah Winfrey"s famous "You get a car!" moment from 2004, when the daytime host gave away 276 cars, valued at a total of $US8 million ($10 million), to audience members.
"With power vested in me, as chairman of the board of CARP, wewill commence the debt forgiving process," Oliver said to roars from the audience. "Sowhat do you say, are you ready to make television history?"
"Clearly this is only going to help the 9000 people whose medical debt we bought. The larger issue is we need much clearly rulesand tougher oversight to protect consumers from potentially predatorycompanies like the one we set up.
"In the mean time it seems the least we can do with this debt I cannot f---ing believe we are allowed to own, is to give it away."
