Categories
Mobile Syrup

The Bored Ape NFT Justin Bieber splurged $1.3 million on is now worth 60k

Earlier this year, Canadian artist Justin Bieber purchased a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT for 500 $ETH, which was about $1.3 million USD (roughly $1.74 million CAD) at the time.

Since then, risk assets around the world have experienced a significant drawdown in value. NFTs are likely the farthest down the line in the risk curve, and the same NFT collection now has a floor price of just 54 $ETH, or roughly $61,193 USD (about $82,300 CAD).

Bored Ape Yacht Club #3001 isn’t listed on the market, though that hasn’t stopped potential buyers from sending in their bids. The last three bids on the NFT are for roughly 54.25 $ETH, or $62,000 USD, which is a 95 percent decrease in value.

Valuations of the digital collectible started nose-diving around the Luna UST fiasco, while the recent FTX exchange collapse scared market participants and seemed to have been the nail in the coffin. The Bored Ape Yacht Club collection floor price dropped to the high 40s, only for it to recover back to mid-50s in the following days.

Beiber’s losses are unrealized. He hasn’t sold his NFT yet, and he might not until valuations look a little better. Inversely, if he did sell Ape #3001 at these depreciated prices, it wouldn’t really punch a hole in his more than $285 million net worth.

In other digital collectible-related news, Meta announced at its Creator Week that it will allow select creators to make and sell digital collectibles (NFTs) directly on Instagram. Read more about it here.

Image credit: OpenSea, Shutterstock

Categories
Entertainment

Justin Bieber partners with Vespa

Justin Bieber and Italian scooter manufacturer Vespa are joining forces to launch a model designed by the Canadian singer.

Following the runaway success of Justin Bieber’s Timbiebs for Tim Hortons, the artist is now being tapped by the iconic two-wheeler brand.

The 28-year-old singer ‘s creation rejuvenates the look of traditional scooters with its all-white color scheme and subtle flames on the bottom.

Justin Bieber was pleased with the result.

“Being able to collaborate with a brand I’ve always loved is what the best collaborations are all about.”

The Justin Bieber x Vespa models will be available in classic 50, 125 and 150 cc models. A range of limited edition accessories such as gloves and a white helmet with matching flames will also be offered.

Pre-sale begins April 20 on the Vespa website.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Hacker hijacks YouTube accounts of Justin Bieber, Drake, and more

Several of the biggest names in music — including multiple Canadian artists — were targets of a massive hack that saw a bunch of odd videos uploaded to YouTube accounts.

The YouTube accounts hit include Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Drake, Lil Nas X, Harry Styles, Michael Jackson, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, and Eminem. According to Gizmodo, the hacker uploaded a video titled “Justin bieber – Free Paco Sanz (ft. Will Smith, Chris Rock, Skinny flex & Los Pelaos)” to Bieber’s channel.

Paco Sanz is a Spanish conman who was sentenced to two years in jail a few months ago for fraud. Sanz reportedly lied about having terminal cancer and defrauded large sums of money between 2010 and 2017.

A Twitter account under the name of ‘Los Pelaos‘ claimed responsibility for the hack and asked for suggestions on who to target next from followers. The account reportedly offered to sell security to celebrities who didn’t want to be hacked. It’s not clear who controls the account, but the profile picture appears to show Sanz.

The video uploaded in the hack shows Sanz holding a guitar the wrong way while singing along to a Spanish trap song remixed by ‘La Mafia Del Edit.’ Gizmodo notes that that’s an Instagram meme account that previously defended Sanz when he was convicted.

Although the videos have been taken down now, they racked up thousands of views first. Moreover, YouTube hasn’t acknowledged the incident yet, while a representative for music video network Vevo did address the incident in a statement to the New York Post:

“Some videos were directly uploaded to a small number of Vevo artist channels earlier today by an unauthorized source. All of those improperly uploaded videos have since been deleted by Vevo. No pre-existing content was accessible to the source. While the artist channels have been secured and the incident has been resolved, as a best practice Vevo will be conducting a review of our security systems.”

As Gizmodo explains, artists’ record labels upload music videos to Vevo through a separate, verified channel. Then, YouTube merges that content with the artists’ YouTube channels.

YouTube has been dealing with a wave of attacks recently. Some reportedly targeted high-profile content creators, publishing cryptocurrency scams or auctioning off access to the YouTube accounts. YouTube has since required popular pages to enable two-step verification.

Source: Gizmodo, New York Post

Categories
Potins

Selena Gomez and her mum don’t talk about Justin Bieber

Selena Gomez doesn’t talk to her mum about her on/off relationship with Justin Bieber.

The ‘Come And Get It’ singer’s rollercoaster romance with the ‘Sorry’ hitmaker is said to have ended recently, but her mother Mandy Teefey has suggested she would be the last one to know what the situation is right now.

Asked by E! News for an update on her 25-year-old daughter’s relationship with the 24-year-old pop star, she simply replied: "You would know before I did. We don’t talk about it."

It comes after reports claiming despite the apparent split, Justin still has his former flame on his mind.

An insider told People: "He isn’t dating. He thinks and talks about Selena all the time. The chapter with her is definitely not finished."

Although he has made an effort to develop a better relationship with Selena’s friends and family – but they’re not convinced he’s a suitable boyfriend.

The insider added: "Justin does care what her friends and family think and has tried to win them over, but some of them are just over it. They’re there for Selena and support her no matter what, but don’t feel like they need to welcome back Justin.

"If you notice, Selena keeps her friends and Justin separate – when she’s with Justin, it’s just Justin, and when she’s with her old friends, it’s just them. They don’t really overlap anymore."

Selena’s mother has previously questioned whether Justin, 24, is a suitable boyfriend for her daughter.

And the ‘Wolves’ hitmaker is said to be focused on rebuilding her relationship with Mandy.

The source told Entertainment Tonight: "She wants to repair her relationship with her mother, that’s a priority for her, too."

Categories
Potins

Justin Bieber was the ‘worst guest’ on Saturday Night Live

Justin Bieber was the worst guest in the history of ‘Saturday Night Live’, according to Bill Hader.

The American comedian has claimed that of all the big-name stars who have appeared on the iconic TV show over the years, Justin stands out as the worst.

During an appearance on ‘Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen’, Bill was asked who he considers to be the worst-behaved celebrity during his time on the show, and he replied: "It was Bieber."

Bill, 39, subsequently revealed that the chart-topping singer was "in a bad place" in his life when he appeared on the show and that his personal troubles manifested themselves in his bad behavior.

He explained: "He just was in a bad place … Maybe he’s in a better place, but back then he was in a very … it was rough."

Justin appeared as the host and a musical guest on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in February 2013.

But Bill explained that, for the most part, the celebrity guests are well behaved.

He said: "Everybody’s usually on great behavior. Bieber is the only one in my experience … he just seemed like exhausted or just at the end of a rope."

During an interview in 2013, Bill hinted at having had issues with Justin and his sizeable entourage.

He explained: "Justin Bieber showed up with like 20 guys.

"He had a guy holding a slice of pizza. A guy holding a Diet Coke … You’re trying to fight through all these people to get dressed."

However, he also claimed to have shared some enjoyable moments with the singer.

Bill recalled: "I had nice chats with him when he was doing the scenes … he was a nice guy. He would try to do the best that he can."

Categories
Potins

Selena Gomez spending quality time with pals

Selena Gomez is focusing on spending "quality time" with her friends.

The ‘Heart Wants It Wants’ hitmaker – who reportedly split from Justin Bieber recently – is "just trying to enjoy herself" in Sydney, Australia with her pals.

A source told People magazine: "She isn’t focusing on the negativity. She’s just trying to enjoy herself and is spending quality time with her friends. She’s happy and healthy."

The 25-year-old star recently hit out at the "beauty myth" in society which she claims "traps modern women".

Selena wrote on Instagram at the time: "The beauty myth – an obsession with physical perfection that traps modern woman in an endless cycle of hopelessness, self consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society’s impossible definition of flawless beauty. I chose to take care of myself because I want to, not to prove anything to anyone. Wind in her sails."

Meanwhile, it was previously claimed that Selena’s pals think Justin is a "bad influence".

The insider shared: "There’s a big crew of people [in Selena’s circle] who really don’t like Justin and they especially don’t like him with Selena. A lot of her friends really don’t like him. They think he’s bad news for Selena and don’t approve of the relationship. They think he’s a bad influence on her and she becomes really dependent on him. She’s so generous and loyal and puts 100% of herself into everything, including her relationships, which isn’t always the healthiest.

"Justin does care what her friends and family think and has tried to win them over, but some of them are just over it. They’re there for Selena and support her no matter what, but don’t feel like they need to welcome back Justin. If you notice, Selena keeps her friends and Justin separate – when she’s with Justin, it’s just Justin, and when she’s with her old friends, it’s just them. They don’t really overlap anymore."

Categories
Potins

Selena Gomez slams society’s beauty myth

Selena Gomez has hit out at the "beauty myth" in society which she claims "traps modern women".

The 25-year-old singer and actress posted a video of herself messing around with friends onboard a yacht in Sydney, Australia, where she was snapped sunning herself and snacking on an avocado.

Selena captioned the clip: "The beauty myth – an obsession with physical perfection that traps modern woman in an endless cycle of hopelessness, self consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society’s impossible definition of flawless beauty. I chose to take care of myself because I want to, not to prove anything to anyone. Wind in her sails."

The ‘Heart Wants What It Wants’ hitmaker is thought to have rekindled her on/off romance with boyfriend Justin Bieber who she has dated on and off since 2011.

To mark his 24th birthday Selena took to Instagram to post a picture of herself holding a polaroid which appears to be a photograph of Justin. She wrote: "March 1, 1994 someone I know that happens to be super cool was born. Boom. (sic)"

Justin is not with Selena on her current trip to Australia, where is seen messing about in her video with friends, including two unidentified males.

It has been reported that Selena’s pals think Justin is a "bad influence".

A source said: "There’s a big crew of people [in Selena’s circle] who really don’t like Justin and they especially don’t like him with Selena. A lot of her friends really don’t like him. They think he’s bad news for Selena and don’t approve of the relationship. They think he’s a bad influence on her and she becomes really dependent on him. She’s so generous and loyal and puts 100 per cent of herself into everything, including her relationships, which isn’t always the healthiest."

The ‘Wolves’ singer’s mother Mandy Teefey is also said to disapprove of the relationship.

Categories
Cinéma

Selena Gomez is ‘taking time to herself’ amid split talk

Selena Gomez is taking some "time to herself" amid rumours surrounding her love life.

The 25-year-old singer was recently reported to have put her romance with on/off boyfriend Justin Bieber on hold following pressure from her mother Mandy Teefey, and Selena has now taken the decision to take a break from her work commitments in order to spend time with her family.

An insider explained: "Selena is very delicate; her ‘comeback’ to the spotlight has been tough – especially with the interest in her personal life with Justin and her mother.

"She is taking time to herself. This is not the first time she has done this."

Selena’s mother has previously questioned whether Justin, 24, is a suitable boyfriend for her daughter.

And the ‘Wolves’ hitmaker is now focused on rebuilding her relationship with Mandy.

The source told Entertainment Tonight: "She wants to repair her relationship with her mother, that’s a priority for her, too."

Meanwhile, it was claimed over the weekend that Selena decided to put her relationship with Justin on hold because of how her family had reacted to their reunion.

An insider explained: "Selena and Justin decided to take a break mainly because of Selena’s mom and her disapproval of Justin. Justin’s family loves Selena, but Selena’s family has put her in a very conflicting spot because they still don’t trust Justin.

"Selena has tried to convince her family that Justin has changed … but her family just isn’t budging right now."

Despite this, the suggestion from Selena and Justin is that in the long term, they hope to rekindle their romance.

The insider continued: "Justin and Selena decided to take a break to give her family some more time to heal and take in the idea of her and Justin being a couple again."

Categories
Potins

Selena Gomez is ‘taking time to herself’ amid split talk

Selena Gomez is taking some "time to herself" amid rumours surrounding her love life.

The 25-year-old singer was recently reported to have put her romance with on/off boyfriend Justin Bieber on hold following pressure from her mother Mandy Teefey, and Selena has now taken the decision to take a break from her work commitments in order to spend time with her family.

An insider explained: "Selena is very delicate; her ‘comeback’ to the spotlight has been tough – especially with the interest in her personal life with Justin and her mother.

"She is taking time to herself. This is not the first time she has done this."

Selena’s mother has previously questioned whether Justin, 24, is a suitable boyfriend for her daughter.

And the ‘Wolves’ hitmaker is now focused on rebuilding her relationship with Mandy.

The source told Entertainment Tonight: "She wants to repair her relationship with her mother, that’s a priority for her, too."

Meanwhile, it was claimed over the weekend that Selena decided to put her relationship with Justin on hold because of how her family had reacted to their reunion.

An insider explained: "Selena and Justin decided to take a break mainly because of Selena’s mom and her disapproval of Justin. Justin’s family loves Selena, but Selena’s family has put her in a very conflicting spot because they still don’t trust Justin.

"Selena has tried to convince her family that Justin has changed … but her family just isn’t budging right now."

Despite this, the suggestion from Selena and Justin is that in the long term, they hope to rekindle their romance.

The insider continued: "Justin and Selena decided to take a break to give her family some more time to heal and take in the idea of her and Justin being a couple again."

Categories
Potins

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber ‘still together’ but have ‘issues’

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber are trying to work through their relationship issues.

The on/off couple have decided to put some space between them for a short period while they both focus on themselves and deal with their own problems.

A source told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: "[The distance between them is] not because they are broken up or taking a break… [But] that doesn’t mean things are perfect between them. They have issues just like any other couple."

The decision to take some temporary space comes after Selena – who underwent a kidney transplant last year – opened up about her struggles with mental health.

The source explained: "She’s still working hard, looking after her health, and doing what’s good for her… Justin isn’t walking all over her."

But, not only are they trying to deal with their own problems and manage a relationship in the spotlight, Selena’s mother Mandy Teefey isn’t happy about their recent reunion.

The insider said: "It’s not easy for Selena to be stuck in the middle. Her family not liking him is the biggest issue – but if they can get through that or if her family changes their tune, things will be a lot smoother."

Mandy addressed the 25-year-old singer’s relationship recently when she claimed she hadn’t spoken to 24-year-old Justin – even over text message – in "years".

However, she also said that Selena is old enough to make her own decisions about her personal life as long as she’s "happy, safe and healthy."

She explained: "Selena can live her life however she wants as long as she is happy, safe and healthy.

"She is 25 years old and knows what is at stake with her health. I do not control her the way it has been portrayed. Selena is an adult and can make her own choices."

Justin and Selena first started dating in 2009 but have been on and off for years.

Their most recent reunion came last year after Selena split from The Weeknd.