Jerry Seinfeld Sees Dozens Walk Out On His Duke Commencement Speech

Eurovision has denied that the 2024 winner considered pulling out of the contest at the last minute.The grand final of this year’s competition was held in Malmö, Sweden on Saturday May 11. Nemo won for Switzerland with ‘The Code’, and became Eurovision’s first-ever non-binary winner.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Vanity Fair France apologized for a photo in which a Palestine pin that Guy Pearce was wearing on his suit was edited out (via CNN). Pearce attended this year’s Cannes Film Festival in support of David Cronenberg’s competition entry “The Shrouds,” in which he stars opposite Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Ramy Youssef‘s latest HBO special, “Ramy Youssef: More Feelings,” had been in the works for years — and had evolved over time as Youssef got in a relationship and eventually got married. But some of his routine also became very more front and center for audiences in the wake of the war in Gaza. “There’s stuff that I do touch on, a tightrope walk of taking really big concepts, and then making them super personal,” Youssef tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast.

Eurovision 2024 nearly pulled out of the song contest, just 25 minutes before the live final.The grand final of the competition took place in Malmö, Sweden – the home of 2023 winner Loreen – on Saturday May 11. However, the show was mired by widespread political backlash over the inclusion of Israel amid the Hamas-Israel conflict.Many of the contestants, including Ireland’s Bambie Thug and UK representative Olly Alexander, faced pressure to boycott the event in solidarity with Palestine.

Ari Emanuel this week demanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be ousted, condemning him for not seeking more peaceful solutions to the war in Gaza following Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state.“Israel will never be truly secure with Bibi Netanyahu in charge,” the Endeavor Group Holdings CEO said while accepting an award Wednesday from the Simon Wiesenthal Center.“For the good of Israel, he should go,” added Emanuel.The shocking remarks threw both applause and boos from attendees of the Beverly Hills gala, and some walked out as Emanuel was accepting the Jewish organization’s Humanitarian Award, its highest honor, according to the New York Times.“Netanyahu doesn’t want a peaceful solution,” said Emanuel.

Ari Emanuel tonight left no ambiguity of what he thinks about Benjamin Netanyahu.

Skepta has confirmed that he will be ending his sponsorship deal with Puma over the company’s ties to Israel.The rapper first became a brand ambassador for Puma in 2022 for a clothing and footwear line. He later partnered with them again for the ‘Skope Forever’ collection earlier this year.However, Skepta has now confirmed in a post on X/Twitter that his deal with the sports brand will terminate by August.“They know how I feel, I speak my mind.

Jerry Seinfeld has been heckled by pro-Palestine supporters during a stand-up show in Virginia.The comedian was performing on Saturday (May 18) at the Chrysler Hall in Norfolk when an audience member stood up and shouted: “Save the children of Gaza” and accused him of being a “genocide supporter”, according to footage posted on social media and obtained by TMZ.The protestor was subsequently booed by other audience members, before being confronted by another attendee and put in a headlock.Amid the scuffle, Seinfeld can be heard saying from the stage: “This is exciting. I like this,” and, “I like a little Jew hate to spice up the show.”Protestors disrupt #Seinfeld in #Norfolk tonight.

Jerry Seinfeld‘s Saturday night comedy show in Norfolk, Virginia was interrupted several times by at least one Pro-Palestinian protester.

Soft Play – FKA Slaves – have dropped out of the Great Escape Festival in solidarity with Palestine.The 2024 edition of the event – which showcases new and rising artists – is currently being held across various music venues in Brighton until Saturday (May 18).The Great Escape is sponsored by Barclays, which has been a source of controversy amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza because of the bank’s financial investment in companies that supply arms to Israel with over 35,000 Palestinians killed since the October 7 attacks. Over 100 acts have now dropped out of this year’s event with Soft Play, who were due to perform at The Paris House on Saturday, becoming the latest.Posting on Instagram, they wrote: “We will not be playing at the great escape this weekend.

Eurovision this year “until the last second”.This year’s song contest has seen multiple controversies arise in the build up to the finale, which aired last Saturday (May 11).On top of the shock disqualification of Dutch entry Joost Klein, Eurovision organisers the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) had faced significant criticism for the inclusion of Israel amidst the Israel-Palestine crisis.Additionally, there were reports of a “crisis meeting” between four countries and the EBU just hours before the finale was due to begin. These four countries were later revealed to be the United Kingdom, Portgual, Ireland, and the eventual winner of this year, Switzerland.Now, Norway’s entry Gåte have spoken to Norwegian media about their own threat to pull out.

Great Escape Festival in solidarity with Palestine, with Massive Attack also speaking out in support of the boycott.The 2024 edition of the event – which showcases new and rising artists – is due to take place across various music venues in Brighton from tomorrow (May 15) until Saturday (18).The Great Escape is sponsored by Barclays, which has been a source of controversy amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza because of the bank’s financial investment in companies that supply arms to Israel.The issue was first highlighted in a petition started by the promoter How To Catch A Pig and the band The Menstrual Cramps – which has since been signed by musicians including Kneecap, Lambrini Girls, Alfie Templeman, Lip Critic, Wunderhorse and Mary In The Junkyard.Last month, Cherym pulled out of The Great Escape as a result of the festival’s connection to Barclays, before record labels Alcopop and Big Scary Monsters joined the boycott and withdrew from the event.Dozens more acts soon followed suit, with over half the line-up demanding that The Great Escape drop its sponsorship deal with Barclays.Speaking about their decision not to play the festival, Lambrini Girls said: “We will not be appearing at The Great Escape festival this year. This is a targeted approach of a cultural boycott, considering Barclays sponsorship.“Barclays provide financial services of over £1BN pounds to companies supplying military technology and weapons to the IDF, perpetuating the horrors unfolding in Gaza.”Now, 106 artists have cancelled their scheduled appearances at The Great Escape 2024 in total – constituting approximately a quarter of the full programme.

Jerry Seinfeld for a university commencement speech in the US has sparked walkouts.The comedian and Seinfeld creator was about to speak at Duke University in North Carolina – where he was also receiving an honorary degree – when protestors with Palestinian flags were seen walking out of the stadium.Seinfeld, who is Jewish, has shown support for Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. At time of writing, the conflict has led to the deaths of over 34,600 Palestinians.

Ellise Shafer Jerry Seinfeld received an honorary degree at Duke University’s commencement on Sunday, but before he could begin his speech, the comedian was met with student walkouts. According to the New York Times, dozens of students left the graduation ceremony and chanted “Free, free Palestine” in protest of Seinfeld, who has been vocal about his support of Israel. Others in the crowd responded to the protesters with applause and cheers of approval for Seinfeld, who began his speech with, “Thank you.

Eurovision entrant Käärijä has announced he will not participate as the spokesperson for the Finnish jury hours before the finale is due to start.Käärijä, who was the runner-up to Eurovision last year with his song ‘Cha Cha Cha’, took to social media to announce that he was pulling out of announcing the Finnish jury’s points for tonight’s competition.On Instagram Stories, Käärijä wrote: “I have decided not to participate as the spokesperson for the Finnish jury in tonight’s Eurovision finale. Giving out the points does not feel right”.

Eurovision entry Slimane has interrupted his own rehearsal performance to give an unexpected speech about “peace”.During rehearsals today, Slimane made a surprising change to his song ‘Mon Amour’, where he replaced his a capella section with a speech about “peace”.Footage of the performance shows the French-Algerian singer saying: “When I was a child, I dreamed of music. I dreamed about this dream – to be a singer, to sing about peace.

Eurovision is set to take place tonight (May 11) – check out the full running order and list of contestants below.Altogether, 37 countries entered the contest and were split in half to compete for a place in the finals across two semi finals on Tuesday (May 7) and Thursday (May 9). Tonight, 26 of them will perform in the final, with Big Five nations France, Spain, Germany, Italy, the UK and the host nation Sweden all going straight through.Representing the UK this year is Olly Alexander, who will be performing his song ‘Dizzy’ which has been compared to the likes of the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘It’s A Sin’.According to Eurovision World, the favourites to win the competition is Croatia, whose entry Baby Lasagna currently has a 42 per cent chance at snagging the crown this year with their song ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’.The full running order for Eurovision 2024 is:1. Sweden | Marcus & Martinus – ‘Unforgettable’2. Ukraine | alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – ‘Teresa & Maria’3. Germany | ISAAK – ‘Always On The Run’4. Luxembourg | TALI – ‘Fighter’5. Netherlands | Joost Klein – ‘Europapa’6. Israel | Eden Golan – ‘Hurricane’7. Lithuania | Silvester Belt – ‘Luktelk’8. Spain | Nebulossa – ‘ZORRA’9. Estonia | 5MIINUST x Puuluup – ‘(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi’10. Ireland | Bambie Thug – ‘Doomsday Blue’11. Latvia | Dons – ‘Hollow’12. Greece | Marina Satti – ‘ZARI’13. United Kingdom | Olly Alexander – ‘Dizzy’14. Norway | Gåte – ‘Ulveham’15. Italy | Angelina Mango – ‘La Noia’16. Serbia | TEYA DORA – ‘RAMONDA’17. Finland | Windows95man – ‘No Rules!’18. Portugal | iolanda – ‘Grito’19. Armenia | LADANIVA – ‘Jako’20. Cyprus | Silia Kapsis – ‘Liar’21. Switzerland | Nemo – ‘The Code’22. Slovenia | Raiven – ‘Veronika’23. Croatia | Baby

Olly Alexander has responded to his odds of winning the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.The singer revealed to BBC that he had taken a look at what the bookies were saying about his chances of winning the contest. “My odds for winning are at one per cent,” he told the outlet.

Eurovision entry Bambie Thug has shared an eerie cover of The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’ and spoken out in support of Palestine ahead of this weekend’s finale.The non-binary singer will be representing Ireland at the final of the song contest in Malmö, Sweden, and has become Ireland’s first finalist since 2018. They won their place in Saturday’s final (May 11) with a performance of ‘Doomsday Blue’ at Tuesday’s (May 7) semi-finals.They have been listed as in the top 10 favourites to win the competition this year, and told NME that they are hoping to “give the best performance I can and try to connect in those three minutes to those millions of viewers”.That being said, there has been pressure on contestants, including Thug and UK representative Olly Alexander, to boycott the event in solidarity with Palestine.

10 countries have triumphed in the first semi-final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, when 16 countries competed to get through to Saturday’s Grand Final.