• Last week, a snippet of an unreleased Eminem track leaked online, featuring lyrics like: “Of course I side with Chris Brown, I’d beat a bitch down too…”
• On Monday, the entire reference track surfaced, prompting Eminem’s team to issue a statement stressing that the lyrics were scrapped and rewritten and that Eminem and Rihanna have a great relationship.
• Many fans point out that these comments are not out of character for the rapper and are more upset with the recent music leaks instead. 

Unreleased Version of “Things Get Worse” Leaks 

A representative for rapper Eminem issued a statement this week addressing an old unreleased track that recently surfaced, featuring lyrics about Chris Brown’s 2009 assault of Rihanna. 

Last week, a Reddit user posted a seven-second snippet of what seems to be an early version of what would later become B.o.B.’s 2011 track “Things Get Worse.” 

On Monday, the full reference track containing the lyrics also leaked online, according to XXL.

“I’m not playing Rihanna, where’d you get the V.D. at?” Eminem raps in the song. 

“Let me add my two cents/ Of course I side with Chris Brown, I’d beat a bitch down too if she gave my dick an itch now,” he adds. 

According to XXL, the track was recorded during sessions for Eminem’s 2009 album Relapse, which released a few months after Chris Brown was charged with felony assault. 

The lyrics were especially frustrating for some listeners who noted that Rihanna and Eminem have collaborated together on several occasions for songs like “Love the Way You Lie” and “The Monster” in 2010 and 2013.

Eminem’s Team Responds 

After the leaks, Eminem’s spokesperson Dennis Dennehy issued a statement to XXL saying, “This is a leak of something that’s over 10 years old.”

“After Eminem recorded it, he scrapped it, and rewrote it. Obviously he and Rihanna have a great relationship.”

Fans Respond to Music Leaks 

After seeing his team comment on the matter, some fans expressed their frustration with Eminem’s recent music leaks rather than the content itself. 

Late last month, a different controversial song surfaced. That previous leak was of a Joyner Lucas song reportedly titled, “What If I Was Gay?,” which features Eminem rapping from the perspective of a homophobic man. 

One user wrote, “I can’t believe they HAD to explain this. The thing is: stop supporting music piracy, stop buying leaks. Show some respect for your artist. Y’all know how hard Eminem works on his stuff… please, stop.”

Meanwhile, others pointed out that Eminem is knowns for pushing the boundaries with shocking or violent lyrics.

Who cares!!! This is what Eminem has always done… he talked mad shit about the gay community and he ends up performing with the great Elton John at the Grammys and at the end of his performance he flipped is all off… what’s new… it’s his Gimmick

— Major1943 (@Major19431) November 11, 2019

This is no where near the most offensive thing he’s ever said face it you can’t cancel eminem it just ain’t possible

— Azor ahai ⁶𓅓 (@Killmonger666) November 12, 2019

See what others are saying: (XXL) (Variety) (Pitchfork)  

• Ellen DeGeneres and Sandra Bullock have filed a joint lawsuit against individuals and entities who use their likeness to create fake endorsements of products, in an effort to “expose the Celebrity Endorsement Theft Industry.”
• Fake celebrity endorsements have become more common thanks to scammers who prey on consumers in a growing era of affiliate marketing. 
• For years celebs have issued cease-and-desist orders, but these companies operate quickly, taking down one site only to replace it with another soon after.

Stars File Lawsuit

Hollywood stars Ellen DeGeneres and Sandra Bullock are fed up with websites using their likeness without consent to falsely promote their products 

The two filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court as part of an effort to “expose the Celebrity Endorsement Theft Industry,” which they say has become a major issue for stars in the digital age. 

DeGeneres and Bullock are specifically going after scammers in the affiliate marketing industry who direct traffic to e-commerce sites by creating phony advertisements. 

The two have issued a “right of publicity” claim, saying that these individuals and entities use their names and likeness for false advertising of products like face creams, anti-aging serums, dietary supplements, and more. 

But these obscure internet companies have proven to be difficult to go after. For two years, representatives for DeGeneres and Bullock have sent out cease-and-desist orders, but once one site is taken down, another pops up in its place under a slightly different name or form.  

“These companies change names frequently, merge in and out of entities formed in states that allow for secrecy, operate websites that pop up and disappear overnight, and generally do everything possible to ‘stay one step ahead of the sheriff,’” the complaint said, according to The New York Times. 

Because DeGeneres and Bullock don’t know for sure who exactly is behind the fraud, the defendants have been listed as John Does 1 through 100 and their lawyers can now issue subpoenas to undercover them. 

The Era of Affiliate Marketing and Scams 

Their lawsuit brings the issue of fake celebrity endorsements to the forefront, a problem that has become especially more rampant for Hollywood stars thanks to scammers who prey on consumers in a growing era of affiliate marketing. 

Affiliate marketing is a popular way for online figures to earn money by promoting products and directing consumers to the online seller. In most cases, a click that generates a sale can earn the publisher a commission, though other types of compensation arrangements are sometimes also agreed upon. 

It can be a very powerful marketing tool, especially when those promoting a product have built a strong reputation for trustworthiness with their audience.

According to estimates from Forrester Consulting, by next year the affiliate industry will be a $6.8 billion business, And while most participants are legitimate, others are not. Some take advantage of celebrities who have developed a strong reputation, as well as consumers who they may hold influence over. 

Bullock and DeGeneres aren’t alone in being targeted by these shady websites. Stars over 40 whom the public considers trustworthy or admirable are often used for these scams, including celebs like Oprah Winfrey, Kelly Ripa, and Denzel Washington, who is often used to falsely promote erectile dysfunction pills.  

As The Times points out, bombarding the web with these fake endorsements can actually be damaging to a celebrity’s reputation and hurt their ability to secure legitimate endorsement deals. 

How It’s Done 

A common trick these scammers use involves setting up websites “designed to look like legitimate and independent news reports or magazine articles about various Beauty products,” the complaint says. 

Then they post real images of celebrities that have been doctored to become a fake endorsement. The lawsuit points to some examples, like one image of Bullock appearing on NBC’s Today show to promote a film. The image was converted into an ad that read: “Sandra Bullock Talks About Her New Skin Care Line,” despite the fact that Bullock has never had a skincare line.

The ad is then accompanied by a link that leads to a site selling the celebrity’s supposed product.

Another example in the suit shows that ads include fabrications like: “Sandra even admitted that plastic surgeons are furious with her after noticing a large decline in patients.” 

In their complaint, DeGeneres and Bullock listed 40 beauty products that have been sold online with their names fraudulently linked.

“The celebrity endorsement-theft business model is based on a scheme to trick consumers into disclosing their credit card and/or debit card information in order to enroll them in costly programs with undisclosed, or poorly disclosed, recurring charges,” Bullock and DeGeneres said in the complaint. Ads for the products “typically include unsubstantiated claims that the products will lead to dramatic results,” they continued.

Many of these fake ads also offer free trials, but the complaint says that in reality, customers are often charged full price. 

According to a 2018 report from the Better Business Bureau, offers of free trials put forward through this type of marketing “have infested the internet and social media” and cost more than a million victims upward of $1.3 billion over the past decade. 

Along with claiming violations of their rights of publicity in the suit, DeGeneres and Bullock are claiming false advertising and unfair competition. The lawsuit demands an injunction and compensatory damages. First, though, the suit seems designed to kick off an investigation into responsibility for the marketing. 

See what others are saying: (The New York Times) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times) 

Deprogramming is a practice that consists of helping someone leave a cult by leading them to realize that they’ve been manipulated by the group they joined. While this sounds like a life-saving tool, especially for the families and loved ones of cult members, the practice has a controversial past that involves breaking the law.

In the 1970s, Ted Patrick coined the term deprogramming to describe the process of how he would kidnap young adults by the request of their parents and hold them in a room for days until they understood that their cult group was manipulating them. During his career, Patrick was able to kidnap hundreds of people. But what’s more surprising is that he was able to jump through many legal barriers before actually getting arrested and fined for kidnapping. 

Today deprogramming is completely different, but in this deep dive will explain how Patrick was able to deprogram his way for so long and shed some light on what modern-day deprogramming and therapy for cult survivors looks like.