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Entertainment News

France seizes a huge mansion belonging to a Russian oligarch

Roman Abramovich, one of the most famous Russian oligarchs in the world, has just seen the French authorities seize one of his properties worth 120 million dollars (US).

According to the English daily newspaper Daily Mail, France has seized the 12 residences that the billionaire close to Vladimir Putin owns in France.

Called Chateau de la Croë, the property located on the Riviera was once inhabited by King Edward VIII after he abdicated the British throne to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Screenshot

Roman Abramovich bought the house in 2001. He spent nearly $40 million on renovations.

France, like many other countries in the world, has been tightening its grip on Russian oligarchs since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Roman Abramovich, whose fortune is estimated byForbes to be worth $15.4 billion in 2021, has also had his 162-metre superyacht Eclypse, worth more than $700 million (US), confiscated by authorities.

The billionaire is the owner of English soccer club Chelsea. The club has been under the control of the Premier League since the events in Ukraine.

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Sports (en)

First woman to coach in Major League Baseball

Alyssa Nakken made Major League Baseball history last night (April 12). She became the first female on-field coach at a regular season game.

History doesn’t say if Nakken’s presence motivated her troops, but her club, the San Francisco Giants crushed the San Diego Padres 13-2.

Alyssa Nakken, 31, boarded the field in the third inning after Antoan Richardson was thrown out. When she was announced as Richardson’s replacement, Nakken was greeted with a warm ovation from the Oracle Park crowd. She also received a congratulatory handshake from referee Chris Guccione.

“I think we’re all inspirational in everything we do on a daily basis and I think, yes, it has a little bit more weight because of the visibility, there’s obviously a historical nature to it. But again, that’s my job,” commented the pioneer.

For Giants manager Gabe Kapler, Nakken’s presence on the field was only a matter of time.

“She does so many other things well that we don’t see. So it’s nice to see her in the spotlight and doing it on the field.”

Alyssa Nakken is an assistant defensive outfield coach.

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Éphémérides (anglais)

It happened on a… April 13

2019

Gregg Popovich surpasses Lenny Wilkens to became the all-time winningest coach in NBA history with his 1,413th win.

BTS is the first K-pop band to perform on US TV show “Saturday Night Live”.

2015

“Avengers: Age of Ultron”, directed by Joss Whedon, starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner, premieres in Los Angeles.

1997

NHL Pitts Penguin Mario Lemieux’s last NHL regular game.

Tiger Woods became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament at the age of 21. He also set a record when he finished at 18 under par.

1971

The Rolling Stones released ‘Brown Sugar’ the first record on their own label, Rolling Stones Records, which introduces the infamous licking- tongue and lips logo.

1970

Apollo 13 announces “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here”, as Beech-built oxygen tank explodes en route to Moon

1965

The Beatles record their single “Help”.

1964

Sidney Poitier became the first black to win an Oscar for best actor. It was for his role in the movie “Lilies of the Field.”

1870

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in New York City.

1742

George Frideric Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” performed for the 1st time at New Music Hall in Dublin.

Categories
Éphémérides (anglais)

It happened on a… April 13

2019

Gregg Popovich surpasses Lenny Wilkens to became the all-time winningest coach in NBA history with his 1,413th win.

BTS is the first K-pop band to perform on US TV show “Saturday Night Live”.

2015

“Avengers: Age of Ultron”, directed by Joss Whedon, starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner, premieres in Los Angeles.

1997

NHL Pitts Penguin Mario Lemieux’s last NHL regular game.

Tiger Woods became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament at the age of 21. He also set a record when he finished at 18 under par.

1984

Montreal fans welcome Pete Rose in his first game as an Expo; he hits a double – his 4,000th career hit – against his former teammates, the Philadelphia Phillies.

1971

The Rolling Stones released ‘Brown Sugar’ the first record on their own label, Rolling Stones Records, which introduces the infamous licking- tongue and lips logo.

1970

Apollo 13 announces “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here”, as Beech-built oxygen tank explodes en route to Moon

1965

The Beatles record their single “Help”.

1964

Sidney Poitier became the first black to win an Oscar for best actor. It was for his role in the movie “Lilies of the Field.”

1870

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in New York City.

1742

George Frideric Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” performed for the 1st time at New Music Hall in Dublin.

Categories
Entertainment

The Kardashians: Kim promises a very different series

The new TV series The Kardashians which will debut on April 14, promises to be different from the old show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim Kardashian says.

Sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian were guests on the BBC, hours before the premiere of their new reality show, The Kardashians, on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in Canada.

If Kim is to be believed, fans of the Kardashian-Jenner families should expect a renewed series.

In an interview today on BBC’s The One Show, the three women lifted the veil on some upcoming details.

“I think the show is really different in the sense that we’re showing ourselves individually,” Kim explained first.

“The other show was less documentary style and showed us as a family all the time, so I think it’s really nice to see what we do on a daily basis individually and then how we come together,” the now-billionaire woman adds.

Between the end of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and the beginning of The Kardashians Kim Kardashian divorced her ex-husband, the rapper Kanye West. She returned to this situation during the interview.

“At the end of the day, I just want my kids to be happy and healthy and think the best of their dad, and they do.”

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Entertainment

Meghan and Harry in Europe, without visiting the Queen

Meghan Markle ‘s first trip to Europe since leaving England will be with Prince Harry. But the couple does not plan to visit Queen Elizabeth in England.

Ithas now been two years since Meghan and Harry stormed out of England and the yoke of the British royal family. Two years during which the couple has greatly distanced themselves from royalty and lives their life in California in the United States.

Since then, Meghan and Harry have given a shock interview to host Oprah Winfrey in which they depicted a strained relationship between them and the monarchy, to the point where the American even considered taking her own life during her first pregnancy. The prince, for his part, confided that he had no regrets about leaving England and that he had been thinking about it for several years.

Now the couple qualified as “Most Influential People of 2021 ” according to Time magazine will soon travel to Europe. They will go to Holland to attend the Invictus Gamesa multi-sport competition for wounded soldiers and war veterans, created and imagined by Prince Harry.

But this decision does not please Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth is said to be “deeply hurt” by the decision, after Meghan and Harry, “eager for publicity,” chose to travel to Holland instead of the Prince Philip memorial a few weeks ago, say royal experts consulted by The Sun newspaper.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will take advantage of their stay in Holland to be accompanied by the cameras of Netflix, which will shoot a documentary about the Invictus Games, which were supposed to be held in 2020 in this country, but were postponed due to the pandemic. The couple and Netflix signed a $150 million content production deal when they arrived in America.

Prince Harry has already visited England since the Megxit. He had joined his family on the death of his grandfather, Prince Philip. During this trip, he had tried to reconcile with his brother and father, without much success.

Last July, the prince had again visited England where he joined his brother, Prince William, to honor the memory of their late mother, Princess Diana.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will both be in The Hague for the opening ceremony of the games on Saturday, April 16.

Categories
Entertainment

Mark Zuckerberg’s security cost $27M in one year

The lives of the rich and famous have a price. Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg‘s life cost $27 million (US) to protect in 2021.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has spent a fortune to ensure the safety of its big boss Mark Zuckerberg and his family in 2021. This bill is up from the $23.4 million (US) paid a year earlier.

The California-based company detailed the costs related to the security of its boss, the 13th richest man on the planet, with $79.5 billion (US), according to Bloomberg’s billionaires index.

Of the 27 million spent by Meta, 15.2M was for “Mr. Zuckerberg’s personal security at his residences.” Another $10 million was paid as an “annual pre-tax allowance ” to cover other security-related costs for Mr. Zuckerberg, his wife Priscilla Chan and their children. The remaining funds covered the businessman’s private air travel .

Meta thus justified the sums collected to ensure the safety of his boss.

“Mr. Zuckerberg is one of the most recognized executives in the world, in large part due to the size of our user base and our continued exposure to the attention of the media, lawmakers and global regulators.”

Is Meta overzealous in the resources it allocates to protecting its CEO? By comparison, Amazon spent about $1.6 million on security and business travel for its founder and chairman Jeff Bezos last year. Apple spent $1.3 million on the security of its CEO Tim Cook.

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Éphémérides (anglais)

It happened on a… April 12

1992

Euro Disney (Disneyland Paris) opens in Marne-la-Vallee, France.

56th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Fred Couples wins his only major title, 2 strokes ahead of 1976 champion Raymond Floyd.

1980

Terry Fox 1958-1981 dips his artificial leg into the Atlantic in St. John’s Newfoundland to start his cross-country ‘Marathon of Hope’, backed by the Canadian Cancer Society, to raise money for cancer research.

1976

Anne Rice’s debut novel “Interview with a Vampire” is published by Knopf.

1966

1st B-52 bombing on North Vietnam.

1961

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person to orbit Earth (Vostok 1)

1960

Maurice (Rocket) Richard scores his last NHL goal before retiring, helping his Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2.

1954

Bill Haley and the Comets record “Rock Around Clock”.

1898

John Moodie from Hamilton, On, imports a Winton automobile, first gasoline-powered automobile brought to Canada.

1892

George C Blickensderfer patents portable typewriter.

1872

Winnipeg hit with record 33 cm of snow.

1861

Fort Sumter in South Carolina is attacked by the Confederacy, beginning the American Civil War.

1606

England adopted the original Union Jack as its flag.

Categories
Éphémérides (anglais)

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp clash again in court

Second round in court for the ex-lovers Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. This time, it’s the actor who sues his former girlfriend, for the sum of 50 million US dollars.

The star of the film series Pirates of the Caribbean claims the actress defamed him in a 2018 op-ed.

The trial that begins today in Virginia should make a lot of noise. Personalities such as Elon Musk or James Franco should be called to the witness stand.

The dispute centers on an article thatAmbert Heard wrote for the Washington Post, in which she claimed to be a victim of “sexual abuse.” Johnny Depp, although he was not specifically named in the text, claims that the article ruined his reputation and career.

Just days after the article was published in the daily newspaper, Disney withdrew Johnny Depp from its franchise Pirates of the Caribbean for which he was being paid more than $20 million per film. To date, the film series has grossed over $4.5 billion at the box office.

This is the second time that the former couple who dated for more than five years is in court. In 2020, Johnny Depp lost his case to The Sun newspaper, which described him as a “wife beater.” In this case, Amber Heard had testified against the actor and supported the thesis of the newspaper.

The second round between the two ex-lovers begins today with the selection of the 12 juries.

A third legal round could well await the two actors. Amber Heard filed a $100 million countersuit against Johnny Depp when he filed his $50 million defamation suit.

Categories
Éphémérides (anglais)

David Beckham gives a unique car as a wedding gift to his son Brooklyn

The former English soccer star David Beckham married his eldest son last weekend. As a gift, he gave him a beautiful sports car, an electric Jaguar convertible. A gift of 500 000 $ (US).

On Saturday, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz were married in Palm Beach, Florida, in the $103 million property of the bride’s father, billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz, in the presence of about 500 guests.

To mark the event, David Beckham gave his son a 1954Jaguar XK140. The former England captain took the trouble to have the car, valued at $500,000, electrified.

Lunaz/Cover Images

According to the English press, Lunaz, a company in which David Beckham owns 10% of the capital, was responsible for modifying the car. The result of thousands of hours of work by a team of 120 craftsmen at the factory in Silverstone, England, the unique car is splendid.

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz met in April 2017 at the Coachella music festival in California.