racism

“The Little Mermaid” Asian Box Office Slump Blamed On Racism

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Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid has received a warm reception in the United States. Critics have received the film fairly warmly, and it holds a 67% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Furthermore, critics have praised the performance of Halle Bailey while noting that the film as a whole is a fairly bland and visually underwhelming remake. However, audiences have loved the film. The Little Mermaid holds a 96% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has grossed $327 million worldwide.

However, the film has some underwhelming international markets, namely those in Asia. According to Endata, the film has grossed just $3.7 million in Mainland China, which counts as the second-largest box office in the world. Similarly, the film has grossed just $4.4 million in South Korea. Meanwhile, the film is yet to open in Japan but is expected to suffer from the same issues. Additionally, these muted figures have been attributed to a problem that has plagued the film time and time again.

Anti-Black Racism Blamed For “The Little Mermaid” Slump

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 25: Halle Bailey greets fans during the Family and friends screening of The Little Mermaid at Regal Atlantic Station on May 25, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Joi Stokes/Getty Images For Disney)

China and South Korea both harbor long histories of racial discrimination. Anti-Black racism has been common in China since the 1970s, when the nation began its expansion of financial diplomacy into Africa. Furthermore, much like how the rest of the world blamed China for COVID-19, China in turn saw a spike in anti-Black discrimination. Meanwhile, South Korea is infamous for a culture of denying service to non-Koreans. Furthermore, research has shown that Black individuals are more likely to experience overt racism than white individuals.

These sentiments appear to be fueling the cold reception to The Little Mermaid. On the Chinese film review website Douban, users have rated the film as a 5.1 out of 10. Meanwhile, several reviews left on the review site and box office tracker Maoyan made direct and discriminatory references to Bailey’s skin color. Similar trends have been observed in South Korea, where the Instagram hashtag ‘NotMyAriel’ has trended numerous times. Furthermore, Japanese film-goers have also expressed a cool reception ahead of the film’s June 9 premiere.

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Black Mother Of Four Shot And Killed By Unidentified White Neighbor In Florida, No Arrest Made

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Screen Shot 2023 06 06 at 9.29.50 AM

Several reports have confirmed that a Black mother of four children, all under the age of 12, was shot and killed by white woman over a verbal dispute. The alleged shooter has yet to be identified, charged or arrested.

Ajike “AJ” Owens, 35, was approached by the unidentified white woman, who began hurling racial slurs at Owens and her children as they played in a field near their home in Ocala, Florida. According to reports, the children realized that they left an iPad near the field, which the white woman stole from the field. When the children went back to retrieve the iPad, the woman threw the iPad, breaking the screen. When Owens went to the home of the woman to talk to her to get her children’s iPad back, she was shot and killed through her neighbor’s door.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods refused to give the same account of what happened between the neighbors, saying that the shooting appeared to be the culmination of a feud between the neighbors. He also stated that sheriff’s deputies had to be called to the address six to eight times in less than three years.

“Somebody threw something at my child, I’d be pissed off,” he said. “What parent wouldn’t be? Who wouldn’t be upset at that, regardless of whether they intentionally threw it at them or not? I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into our own hands. I wish Mrs Owens had called us in the hopes we could have never got to the point in which we are here today.”

Sheriff Woods did not identify the shooter’s name, age or race, but added she was being “cooperative”.

Woods said the investigation, when complete, would be presented to the Marion County State Attorney’s office, which would decide if charges will be filed.

The post Black Mother Of Four Shot And Killed By Unidentified White Neighbor In Florida, No Arrest Made appeared first on The Source.

WWE & Vince McMahon Being Sued Over Racist Scripts

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Vince McMahon and the WWE made massive waves recently. McMahon sold the WWE to Endeavor for billions of dollars. Endeavor will now be the home of the biggest professional wrestling show. As well as the biggest MMA show on the planet with the UFC. The sale of the WWE was somewhat of a shock to those who follow professional wrestling. Many around the industry felt that McMahon would never sell the company. However, recent accusations of McMahon’s misconduct allegations had forced the wrestling titan to retire. But now, McMahon is being accused of bringing racist storylines into the company.

According to a report from Bloomberg Law, former WWE writer Britnet Abrahams is suing the company for racist content in past scripts. An excerpt from the report states, “World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., McMahon, and other executives allegedly discriminated and retaliated against a Black female writer for objecting to offensively racist and stereotypical jargon used in the scripts of Black wrestlers including Bianca Belair and Apollo Crews, according to a new lawsuit. She was allegedly subject to a number of racist pitches after complaining. On a Slack thread that McMahon and his daughter Stephanie McMahon were included in, other writers suggested a Black male wrestler should dress in drag. Only when a White writer noted that doing so could perpetuate harmful stereotypes that would offend viewers.”

The WWE has long been known to push the boundaries of what is appropriate for television. The company’s most successful years, known as the Attitude Era, was a time when anything went for the show. Meanwhile, in a backstage segment in the early 00s, the McMahon character could be heard saying a racial slur to John Cena during a live broadcast. Included in the report is also the story of the WWE pitching a story that a Muslin superstar’s on-screen character would reveal he was being the 9/11 attacks.

The latest news can’t be exactly what the new owners of the WWE wanted to see. However, McMahon has returned to the WWE since the sale to Endeavor. In an interview discussing the sale, McMahon mentioned his return. However, the former owner claims that he will not be involved in the creative of the company as he previously was. However, the WWE has yet to comment on the report involving the company and Vince McMahon. For the latest updates on this story and other breaking news in sports, keep it right here with HNHH.

Halle Bailey’s “The Little Mermaid” Doll Leaves Actress Emotional

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In recent years, Disney has been furiously announcing and releasing live-action remakes of animated classics, even opting to modernize some of them with more diverse casting choices. 2020 brought about Mulan, and the following two years gave us both Cruella and Pinocchio. Up next on the list are fan favourites such as Peter Pan & Wendy, and The Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey in the leading role.

While Ariel is traditionally depicted as a fair-skinned, blue-eyed mermaid with bright red hair, producers are switching things up this time around. The R&B songstress, who’s best known for her vocal talents, perfectly captures the character’s singing voice, and she held on to some of the original’s appearance by colouring her long, wavy locs a ginger colour. As the movie’s May 26th premiere date nears, Bailey’s excitement is growing more and more.

Halle’s The Little Mermaid Doll

In her most recent Instagram upload, she gets emotional while revealing The Little Mermaid doll designed to look like her. “This means so much to me and to have one that looks like me, that’s my favourite Disney character, is very surreal,” the 22-year-old gushed to the camera on Monday (March 6). “The little girl in me is pinching herself right now.”

The emotion was evident in Bailey’s face and voice as she spoke. “I am literally choking up because this means so much to me,” the actress said. “And look – she even has my mole! Look! And the hair, and the tail… And it can be in water!” she excitedly added. “I’m just stunned, so I don’t quite know what to do with it but I’m going to steal this and take it home and hide it forever.”

Disney Faces Racist Backlash

Halle Bailey attends D23 Expo 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on September 09, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Halle Bailey’s excitement and happiness are shining so bright that it’s hard to dim, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those out there trying. The Atlanta native has heard constant criticism from racists upset with Disney’s decision to cast Ariel as a Black woman, not to mention the complaints about Peter Pan & Wendy. Another young woman of colour, Yara Shadidi, is facing similar backlash for accepting the role of Tinkerbell, who’s also usually white. Read what Twitter has been saying about that here, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Chris Rock Calls Out Meghan Markle For “Racist” Royal Family Accusations: “Just Some In-Law Shit”

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The last year has been an interesting one for Chris Rock. He previously found his world turned upside down following an altercation with Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars. While the comedian certainly felt the impact of the slap he received across the face from the actor, it was the latter whose career took several major hits as a result of his violent actions. Rock, on the other hand, was offered plenty of exciting opportunities, including a two-and-a-half-hour-long stand-up special.

The Netflix project finally made its debut on Saturday (March 4). As expected, the South Carolina-born entertainer didn’t hold back. On the long list of topics he addressed was obviously “Slapgate,” as it’s become known online, but that’s not all he had to vent about. Elsewhere in the lengthy performance, Rock shared his thoughts on Meghan Markle, who released a Netflix special of her own with her husband Prince Harry recently.

Chris’ Big Comedy Comeback

Chris Rock is seen backstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Al Seib /A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)

“Like who is this girl Meghan Markle? Seems like a nice lady, just complaining,” the Madagascar voice actor says in a video making rounds online. “Like didn’t she hit the light-skinned lottery?” He then specifically referenced comments she made during an interview with Oprah in 2022. At the time, it was revealed that a member of the Royal Family previously raised questions about what colour their first son, Archie, would be due to the actresses’ interracial lineage.

Mocking Markle, Rock ranted to his audience. “‘They’re so racist, they’re so racist.’ Some of that shit she went through was not racism. It was just some in-law shit,” he insisted. “‘Oprah, they’re so racist. They wanted to know how brown the baby was going to be.’ That’s not racist. Even Black people want to know how brown the baby going to be.”

Rock Defends the Royal Family

Apparently, in the father of two’s family, it’s customary to “check behind the ears” of a newborn. This is “because you’ve got to know what kind of black child you going to get.” The funny man then described the range from light skin, like Steph Curry, to far darker complexions, like Draymond Green’s. After dissing Markle, Rock told listeners that he still sympathizes with what she’s been going through.

“I know her dilemma: Black girl trying to be accepted by her white in-laws. Oh, it’s hard. It’s so hard – but it ain’t as hard as a white girl trying to be accepted by her black in-laws. Now that shit is really hard,” the entertainer laughed. “If you Black and you wanted to be accepted by your white in-laws then you need to marry a Kardashian because they accept everybody.” Read what Chris Rock had to say about his feud with Will Smith here, and let us know if you’ll be watching the comedy special in the comments.

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Rolling Stone Writer Accused Of Racism After Replying To The Weeknd’s Criticism With Monkey Meme

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A writer for Rolling Stone faces heavy accusations of racism after he replied to The Weeknd’s shots at the publication with a picture of a monkey. Moreover, this all stemmed from a recently shared promo clip of HBO’s upcoming series The Idol, which Abel stars in. In the clip, his character disses Rolling Stone, calling them “irrelevant” when approached for a promo opportunity. Afterwards, the magazine shared a report in which they interviewed various cast members and came to critical and damning conclusions on the show’s production, script, and messaging. Then, the Canadian star tweeted the clip, asking the publication “Did we upset you?” and a writer responded with the seemingly bigoted meme.

While many might take this as overly reactionary, it’s important to consider the context of their feud and the imagery in the meme. In fact, it’s kind of a reflection of the hypocritical and indulgent brush that they painted the series with in their report. Still, many on social media found it quite funny, mostly in spite of the connotation and hopefully not because of it. Also, it just so happens to target one of the most successful artists of our time, and one who already pushes back against industry institutions.

Rolling Stone Writer Faces Accusations Of Racism For Response To The Weeknd

Moreover, the show’s behind the scenes testimonies took a backseat in the midst of this ordeal. However, HBO issued a statement on these allegations, including one that noted series director Amy Seimetz being booted halfway through. “The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change.

“Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing The Idol with audiences soon.” Still, audiences don’t have the show in their hands to compare, and maybe there’s some truth to what happened on set. But a possibly discriminatory response to a minority superstar rings louder right now than any speculation on a yet-to-premiere show. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for more updates on this story and The Weeknd.