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Ariana Grande Look-Alike Responds After Singer Suggests Her TikTok Impersonations Are “Degrading”

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  • Ariana Grande shared a post by writer Jordan Firstman in which he impersonates a meme by arguing that they degrade the entire value of something an artist poured their soul into.
  • Grande suggested the same applies to “pony tail TikTok girls who think doing the Cat Valentine voice and wearing winged eyeliner and a sweatshirt is doing a good impersonation of me.”
  • Many assumed she was talking about 15-year-old TikToker Paige Niemann, who Grande has previously criticized for her impersonations.
  • Niemann explained that she is just trying to entertain people and many have defended the teen against hate from the singer’s fans.

Grande Calls Out Impersonators 

Celebrity impersonators are pretty common in showbiz, and they can actually earn some serious cash and attention for their work. But is there a point when these imitations cross the line? Well, singer Ariana Grande seems to think so. 

In a recent Instagram story, Grande called out her TikTok impersonators by sharing a video from writer and filmmaker Jordan Firstman. Firstman’s clip is titled “This is my impression of a meme,” and in it, he says: 

“What if we, like, we took a moment, like a small clip from a movie or a TV show — something that, like, an artist really poured their soul into and it, like, it just took them years to make, and it was an uphill battle the entire time — what if we took a moment from that and we kind of, like, recontextualized it?
Like, does that make sense? And we put a completely arbitrary meaning onto that thing that the artist loves so much? Kind of, like, degrading its entire value? I just think that would be kind of like a fun, like, bitchy thing to do. I’m like, I’m so bored. I just kinda wanna ruin someone’s life today. And then like whoever can just say it’s theirs...anyone can just steal it then.” 
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If you can believe it…. more impressions.

A post shared by Jordan Firstman (@jtfirstman) on

When sharing that post, Grande added, “Can this please also double as your impression of the pony tail TikTok girls who think doing the Cat Valentine voice and wearing winged eyeliner and a sweatshirt is doing a good impersonation of me…cause this really how it feels.”

The singer then added that she screamed when he said, “degrading its entire value.” 

TikToker Paige Niemann Responds 

Though Grande didn’t call out anyone by name, most people looked to15-year-old TikToker Paige Niemann for a response. Niemann is TikTok creator with nearly 6 million followers that is well known for her viral impersonations of the Grande.

@paigeniemann’s TikTok profile

Just take a close look at some of her photos and you’ll see that the resemblance is uncanny. 

Niemann caught wind of that now-deleted Instagram post and addressed it in a recent live stream. “I mean, I’m used to Ariana shading me so… I’m just here to entertain people, it’s not who I really am in real life,” she said. 

“Kind of why I’m not a fan of her anymore, honestly. I’m slowly getting rid of all my Ariana stuff,” she added. 

Her comments seem to be in reference to past remarks Grande has posted about her TikTok impersonations. In November, Grande wondered why Niemann decided to blend Grande’s appearance with the TV character’s voice.

While some defended the teen, many of the singer’s fans attacked her, calling her creepy and attention-seeking. 

In December, Niemann explained to Entertainment Tonight that Grande eventually reached out to her in a direct message on Instagram. “She said, ‘I’m flattered.’ She wanted to let me know that I am beautiful in my own way and I said, ‘Thank you and thank you for being so kind to me.’ And she said, ‘I’m proud of you.'”

Neiman added, “I was shocked. She’s my idol so I was shaking a little bit…She said, ‘Let me know if you’re ever going to my Sweetener Tour, we can grab a hug.'”

But even after that, some still thought Grande was continuing to throw shade at Niemann. Last month in a post celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Victorious, Grande wrote: “I really loved playing Cat Valentine (even though sometimes people think I actually still speak and act like that and her essence will lovingly haunt me ’til I die).”

Now, with this latest remark about “pony tail TikTok girls,” the hate against Niemann has picked up again. Some are calling out the haters, reminding them that Niemann is only 15, while others slammed Grande for enabling the bullying. 

See what others are saying: (Complex) (Daily Dot) (Paper) 

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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

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

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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