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Michael Cera Says He Wasn’t in ‘Barbie’ Group Chat Because He Has a Flip Phone

It only makes sense that all the Barbies and Kens from Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film were in a group chat together, but one Ken said he missed out on all the text message shenanigans.

During a recent interview for People‘s Barbie special issue, Simu Liu revealed that since Margot Robbie hosted a sleepover for all the Barbies, all the Kens decided to start a group chat with them to “show our support but not be overbearing with our presence.”

But Michael Cera said he got omitted from the conversation because “I don’t have an iPhone myself. … I have a flip phone.” Cera noted that he was fine with it though, adding, “I still think I wouldn’t belong on [the group chat] anyway, because [my character] Allan is sort of in his own little world.”

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This isn’t the first time the Superbad actor has been open about his dislike of modern technology. He told The Hollywood Reporter during an interview in February that he was not interested in having social media or a smartphone.

“That is a conscious choice, because I feel a bit of fear about it honestly like I’d really lose control of my waking life,” he said at the time. “Right when people started having smartphones, when it was Blackberries, I had lunch with a friend of mine who was my best friend at the time, and he’d just gotten a Blackberry, and for the whole meal he was typing emails, and I was sat there lonely and bored. So I had an early aversion to them.”

As for the Barbie cast, texting in a group chat wasn’t the only thing they did all together while filming. Ryan Gosling also revealed that Robbie initiated a mandatory pink dress code on set once a week.

“Margot had this pink day once a week, where everyone had to wear something pink. And if you didn’t, you were fined,” he explained. “She would go around collecting the fines, and she would donate it to a charity.”

Gosling noted that not only did the cast have fun with it, but that it was “really special” to see the male crew members get excited as well.

“At the end of the film, they all got together and, with their own money, made pink crew shirts with rainbow fringe,” he said. “It was this opportunity for them to show their respect and admiration for what Margot and [director] Greta [Gerwig] were creating. It was almost like that scene at the end of Dead Poets Society, where they all get on their desk and say, ‘O captain! My captain!’”

It’s safe to say all the Barbies, Kens and crew members had a filming set filled with lots of laughter. Robbie even said she ruined several of Gosling’s takes because she was “laughing through all of it.”

“Ryan is the most comedically gifted actor I have ever worked with. He really is,” Robbie added. “He’s known for his dramatic acting, and rightly so. But he is unbelievably gifted with comedy.”

Barbie, also starring Issa Rae, Emma Mackey, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell and more, hits theaters July 21.

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I was bullied for being fat as a kid — now I’m a model and pageant winner

After being bullied in school for being “fat,” Alisha Cowie was catapulted into a downward spiral that left her anorexic and severely struggling with her mental health.

But 33-year-old Cowie — who said she was harassed so severely that she starved herself until she weighed just 84 pounds — is now having the last laugh.

As the UK’s most successful beauty queen.

“I was bullied for being ‘fat’ at 5 years old,” Cowie, from County Durham, told South West News Service. “It continued until I became 6 stone [84 pounds] at 13, and then I was bullied for being too skinny.

“I was at 300 calories a day, and the bullying definitely made my anorexia worse,” she said.

The model — who is also a professional photographer — was crowned Miss International UK this year after winning Miss England in 2018.

However, she hasn’t forgotten her difficult journey to get there.

She recalled that the bullying “got so bad the school had to consider my safety, which meant I went to school 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and sat in a separate room on my own to do my lessons.

“I had hot drinks poured over me in Year 7,” Cowie shockingly revealed. “It then continued to the point I had stones thrown at me on my way home from school.”

Alisha Cowie was severely bullied during school.Alisha Cowie / SWNS

The beauty queen won two titles.Alisha Cowie / SWNS

She will now go on to compete in Tokyo, Japan.Brian Hayes Photography / SWNS

Cowie, who said her family struggled financially when she was younger, admitted she always wanted to be a model — but never thought her dream would come true.

“To be actually doing it full-time, I’m really happy and now I feel pretty lucky,” she gushed.

Cowie beat 56 other finalists at the Miss International UK last month and will go on to represent the UK at the Miss International Beauty Pageant in Japan in October.

“As far as I’m aware, there’s nobody in recent history to win both Miss England and Miss International,” she said excitedly, adding she never thought she’d come out on top.

“I never like to assume anything,” the beauty queen confessed. “But I made myself proud. I raised a lot for charity. My main aim was to raise money for charity.”

Cowie was anorexic when she was at school due to taunts from cruel bullies.Alisha Cowie / SWNS

She always wanted to be a model — and can’t believe her dream came true.Alisha Cowie / SWNS

Cowie is passionate about advocating for mental health.Alisha Cowie / SWNS

Cowie has raised $1,675 for A Sisterhood, a UK-based organization that seeks to “empower, support and protect women worldwide.”

“I lost my friend to suicide in 2013, so that’s something that I’m passionate about,” she explained.

Although she admits the nerves kicked in during the pageants, Cowie was thrilled with the results — despite being in “pure disbelief” that she won.

“I was just so pleased that I was able to perform well on the day,” she gushed. “There’s a lot of stress and time that goes into pageants. Winning is just the cherry on top.

“It was just nice that the charity work and the effort that I put into the competition was recognized,” she added.

Holly Pirrie, director of Miss International UK, described Cowie as an “incredible representative” for the UK at Miss International.

“I am thrilled for Alisha, and she truly deserved to win,” Pirrie said. “The fundraising and volunteer work that Alisha has completed is truly outstanding.

“She is the definition of beauty, inside and out.”

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My dead hamster loved to travel — so I’m taking his ashes around Europe

He was her best spud, err, bud.

After spending about $4,500 scattering his ashes in Hawaii last year, a heartbroken pet owner is taking the last of her late hamster on a priceless holiday vacay.

Lisa Murray-Lang, 47, said her Syrian hamster, Spud, loved “visiting” London, Paris and Amsterdam by way of dollhouse-like cardboard cutouts.

That way, she explained, Spud could experience European cities without leaving his residence in Birmingham, England.

But now Murray-Lang is determined to show Spud the world — or at least continental Europe — for real this time.

His owner, a graphic designer, created the elaborate structures to culture her furry friend.Lisa Murray-Lang / SWNS

Now that Spud has died, Lisa Murray-Lang wants to take his ashes around the world to places he “visited.”Lisa Murray-Lang / SWNS.COM

“The idea is that we’re tracing his ‘paw-steps’ and actually going to the places that he ‘visited’ during his lifetime,” Murray-Lang, a graphic designer, told South West News Service.

She traveled 7,000 miles to Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, in March 2022 to scatter some of Spud’s remains.

Murray-Lang and Spud’s remaining ashes will be hitting Paris in September, followed by London in November.

“Then, the most important one is we’re going to Amsterdam — or Hamsterdam — in December, which will be lovely as that set I made for him was always a favorite,” she added.

The monthslong trip isn’t just to honor Spud, it also coincides with Murray-Lang’s 10th wedding anniversary, which she says is a “really special way to celebrate that, and Spud.”

Murray-Lang spread Spud’s ashes in Hawaii in March 2022, but kept a pinch of them as a keepsake.Lisa Murray-Lang / SWNS

Murray-Lang said she plans to go to Paris, London and Amsterdam this year.Lisa Murray-Lang / SWNS.COM

Because the final leg is the same time as her wedding anniversary, she said it’s almost like a “gift” from her late hamster.Lisa Murray-Lang / SWNS

“It’s a lovely way to keep celebrating his life, and a lot of it is actually being funded by the sales of my book about him,” she said. “So in a way it’s like an anniversary gift from Spud.”

Her journey was inspired by her picture book “A Year in Lockdown #BeLikeSpud,” which has motivated young readers to take photos with the publication around the world and even read it to their own hamsters.

“I know one young boy is taking his copy to Portugal on a holiday, too, this year, so it’s like Spud is still traveling,” she added.

“It’s been amazing to celebrate his life this last year with all of these trips,” she said of Spud.Lisa Murray-Lang / SWNS

Despite her loss, Murray-Lang has enjoyed commemorating Spud’s life.

“It’s been amazing to celebrate his life this last year with all of these trips,” she said. “I’m not sure what I’ll do next — but there are still places he ‘visited’ that I’d love to see.”

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Neighbors raise $37K for bullied boy who knocked on their door saying, ‘I need some friends, like, really bad’

Neighbors have helped raise more than $37,000 for a bullied Texas boy who went viral after a heart-wrenching video showed him knocking on their door and asking if they knew any kids his age because he “needs some friends really bad.”

In the clip, seen more than 61 million times on TikTok in just three days, Shayden Walker, wearing a “Jaws” T-shirt, shuffles nervously on the front steps of his neighbor’s home in Amarillo.

“What’s up, man?” answers Brennan Ray, who posted the video from his doorbell camera.

“Hi. I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around like, 11 or 12, maybe, because I need some friends. Like, really bad,” Walker says, looking at the ground.

Ray points the boy toward a house down the street where a few kids live.

“Well, umm, they’re not my friends anymore because they’re bullies to me,” Walker says.

Shayden Walker went viral after his neighbor, Brennan Ray, posted a video of the boy knocking on their front door asking if they knew any kids. GoFundMe

The boy asks his neighbor if he has any kids, and when Ray tells him he has a 2-year-old son, Walker lights up.

“That’s great. I actually … I love 2-year-old, to be honest. They’re just the most cutest things I’ve ever known,” he says, adding that he “used to have” a 2-year-old sister.

Walker tells Ray his name, and Ray tells him he’ll say hello when he sees him in the neighborhood.

The boy asked his neighbor if he knew any 11- or 12-year-olds because he “needs friends badly.”brennanray/TikTok

Brennan Ray and his wife, Angel started a GoFundMe that raised over $37,000 for Shayden Walker. brennanray/TikTok

“You have a good day,” the boy says before walking away.

In a follow-up TikTok posted by Ray and his wife Angel shows Walker had approached their house about a half hour earlier, but shied away.

The couple decided to launch a GoFundMe for Walker to help him make friends. The money would go toward a gaming system, school clothes and maybe even some amusement park tickets.

With an outpouring of support, they quickly blew past their initial goal of just $7,000.

All the funds will go directly to Walker’s family.

“Thank you all for your generosity and kindness! We expected to see support from this community but we’re shocked and amazed by how everyone’s shown up for Shayden,” the couple posted on the GoFundMe.

“We decided to turn off donations while we coordinate with his family, but all funds will stay in the GoFundMe account until then. We’ll keep you updated along the way. Thank you! #kindnessmatters”

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JFK’s grandson rants about restaurants: ‘You have to read to get your food?’

He’s got beef with dining out.

Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of the late President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Onassis, is going viral for claiming eating at restaurants is “purely corrupt.”

The 30-year-old Yale and Harvard grad’s “Resta-rant” was posted Monday to his Instagram Story and remains on his account as a Highlight.

Some of Schlossberg’s seemingly semi-serious complaints about restaurants are their lack of options and the length of time it takes to consume a meal.

“We have to wait there to eat something that we don’t get to choose, really, what it is,” Schlossberg said to the giggling camera operator.

Schlossberg is the only grandson of the late President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Onassis. jackuno/Instagram

“We only get a few choices, and you don’t know what any of them are gonna taste like or what’s good … and we’re gonna sit there and wait for some guy to ask us a question. And we’re gonna have to talk to some guy about what we wanna eat.”

He continued: “You spend hours and hours eating in restaurants when you could spend a minute-and-a-half eating something good for you.” 

Another downside to dining out, according to Caroline Kennedy’s son, is having to read.

“You have to read to get your food? Why?” Schlossberg asked. “You don’t actually need to do that, and that’s why I’m never, ever going to a restaurant again.”

The Post has contacted Schlossberg for comment.

Jack Schlossberg’s anti-restaurant tirade is the exact deranged himbo social cause JFK’s grandson should be doing. “My friends don’t like eating dinner. Most people in the world don’t spend their lives eating dinner.” Icon pic.twitter.com/XKk8JOX6Q5

— Russell (@RussellFalcon) July 4, 2023

Schlossberg’s video was shared to Twitter, where one user called the lawyer an “icon” for his quote — which comes towards the end of the rant — “My friends don’t like eating dinner. Most people in the world don’t spend their lives eating dinner.”

The commenter added: “Aside from the fact that long dinners at restaurants is my one true hobby and passion in life, I respect this king’s right to dine in.”

“I actually agree with him,” another Twitter user admitted.

The rant was posted to Instagram and has been circulating around Twitter. jackuno/Instagram

“This deserves to become some sort of meme,” one person shared a still of Schlossberg mid-sentence.

Another joked: “God, I’m always eating dinner. Is that where I’ve gone wrong my whole life?”

One user asked: “What does he have against reading? that was the most oddly specific argument.”

President Kennedy and Onassis had four children: a stillborn daughter in 1956; daughter Caroline in 1957; son John Jr. in 1960; and son Patrick, who died in infancy in 1963.

Caroline, 65, has three children with her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, 77: Jack and daughters Rose, 35, and Tatiana, 33.

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Does Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Have A Credits Scene? A Spoiler-Free Guide

Put simply, no. There is nothing but names and music playing during the credits in “Dead Reckoning, Part One.” No mid-credits scene, no post-credits scene, no tease of anything to come. So this will be very much like the previous six films in the franchise, with everything of note happening before the credits start rolling. That being the case, those who have been waiting patiently to use the bathroom can do so as soon as the credits start rolling without fear of missing out.

McQuarrie directed the film (you can read our review here), working from a screenplay he wrote alongside Erik Jendresen (“Band of Brothers”). The stacked cast also includes familiar faces such as Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and Henry Czerny. Hayley Atwell (“Agent Carter”), Esai Morales (“Arrow”), Pom Klementieff (“Avengers: Infinity War”), Shea Whigham (“Boardwalk Empire”), Cary Elwes (“Saw”), Mark Gatiss (“Sherlock”), Indira Varma (“Game of Thrones”), and Rob Delaney (“Deadpool”) round out the ensemble.

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One” hits theaters on July 12, 2023. You can read the official synopsis for the film below.

In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.

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Kevin Costner’s first divorce court win signals estranged wife ‘may have overplayed her hand’: legal expert

Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, may face an uphill battle in their divorce following the Oscar winner’s courtroom victory Wednesday. 

A judge ordered Baumgartner to officially vacate their Santa Barbara-area estate by the end of the month despite her request to remain in the family home through August. In addition, Judge Thomas Anderle sealed portions of the premarital agreement.

Kevin and Christine were married for 18 years and have three children together. She’s requesting $248,000 per month in support, in addition to Costner fully covering the children’s private school tuition, 100% of their health care expenses and their extracurricular activities and sports.

In his initial declaration, Costner claimed to have deposited $1 million into her account as part of their pre-marital agreement. The agreement also stipulated she receive a total of $200,000 upon marriage and after their first anniversary. Costner said that sum has now grown to “$1,450,000, which she can use at her discretion, including to find alternative housing.”

Christopher C. Melcher, celebrity lawyer and partner at Walzer, Melcher & Yoda, told Fox News Digital that while Kevin can continue contesting the legal battle, Christine only “has one chance to win” as she claimed to have no monetary funds or income.

KEVIN COSTNER, CHRISTINE BAUMGARTNER BATTLE OVER MONTHLY FINANCES AFTER ‘YELLOWSTONE’ STAR’S COURT VICTORY

Kevin Costners estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, filed for divorce in May. (Amanda Edwards)

“Kevin can afford to lose $1 million fighting this; he could afford to even pay the support if he loses it,” he said. “She has one chance to win. She doesn’t make this kind of money. She doesn’t have these level of assets.”

Costner has proposed to pay roughly $52,000 per month. Her request was submitted following a forensic accountant’s report showing Costner’s actual gross cash flow for the 2022 calendar year as $24,518,887, or $2,043,241 per month.

KEVIN COSTNER’S ESTRANGED WIFE CHRISTINE MUST MOVE OUT OF CALIFORNIA HOME BY END OF MONTH, JUDGE RULES

“He can suffer that loss much easier, probably without even feeling it really at some level, but it would be devastating to her,” Melcher said. 

“So the magnitude of the risk is higher for her than him, even though they’re fighting over the same amount of money, because he’s always going to be rich. Doesn’t matter how this turns out. I think that she may have overplayed her hand, that the time to settle would have been before she filed where she could have kept this quiet, which would have made him happy.”

Christine Baumgartner is requesting more than $200,000 per month in support from Kevin Costner. (Frazer Harrison)

Melcher insisted Costner “shouldn’t get carried away” either, because if the premarital agreement is dismissed on a spousal support provision in the court, Costner would be responsible for maintaining her marital standard of living, “which is an enormous amount of money.”

“Kevin can afford to lose $1 million fighting this; he could afford to even pay the support if he loses it. She has one chance to win. She doesn’t make this kind of money. She doesn’t have these level of assets.”

— Christopher C. Melcher, attorney

Sophie Jacobi-Parisi, partner in the Matrimonial & Family Law Practice at Blank Rome, said a resolution between an estranged couple out of the courtroom is always an easier solution.

“A private settlement is always better, especially when so much of their split is already in the news,” Jacobi-Parisi told Fox News Digital. 

‘YELLOWSTONE’ STAR KEVIN COSTNER’S DIVORCE HEARING: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT HIS CELEBRITY LAWYER

Christine argued that the “Yellowstone” actor was being disingenuous with his claim of “doing the most [he] can reasonably do to make a divorce as seamless as possible for our children” as his actions showed “precisely the opposite” when he “sought to evict his wife and children from their home, and he now offers to pay child support of $51,940 per month.” 

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner were married for 18 years. (WireImage House)

WATCH: Legal expert Christopher C. Melcher gives his thoughts on the Kevin Costner divorce proceedings

“I would think that she will continue to seek the amount of support she feels is necessary to support herself and the kids, particularly now that she has to move out of the marital house, per the prenuptial agreement,” Jacobi-Parisi said.

Costner has denied the allegation that he is “kicking” their children out, noting the kids will be in the home “during the time they are in my custody.”

The “Dances With Wolves” star and Baumgartner both filed for joint custody of their three children: Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14 and Grace, 13. A hearing is set for July 12 in the child custody case.

“I would think that she will continue to seek the amount of support she feels is necessary to support herself and the kids, particularly now that she has to move out of the marital house, per the prenuptial agreement.”

— Sophie Jacobi-Parisi, attorney

Kevin Costner cut off estranged wife Christine from accessing joint credit cards. (Getty Images)

Baumgartner said his $51,940 proposal was “inappropriate” for a number of reasons and stated the amount is only “24% of guideline,” and equivalent to 2.4% of his 2022 cash flow available for support.

“His proposed support is less than the monthly rent he received for one of his guest houses, and less than the $68,000 per month he committed to paying in his declaration filed on June 8, 2023 in connection with his request for a preliminary injunction,” she argued.

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“Kevin’s I&E (income and expenses) states that his own monthly expenses, which includes the children when they are with him, are $240,000 per month. This is nearly five (5) times the amount he thinks that Christine should have to provide for the children when they are with her.”

Kevin’s divorce from ex-wife Cindy Costner cost him $80 million (Ron Galella Collection)

Meanwhile, Costner claimed Baumgartner charged “over $100,000 in attorney and accounting fees” on his credit card since April without authorization or his consent. 

As a result, on June 16, he canceled her companion card and placed a cap of $15,000 per month to be used in case of emergencies for their children, according to documents.

Due to the vast difference in resources available to the parties, Christine is also requesting that Kevin advance an additional $350,000 in attorney’s fees and $150,000 in forensic costs,” with payments made to a trust account before Aug. 1.

“Kevin asserts that he should not have to pay fees and costs for Christine to challenge the validity of the PMA [premarital agreement],” her lawyers argued. “He also regularly claims that the PMA is valid and that there is no evidence to the contrary. This is the legal equivalent of whistling past the graveyard.”

Baumgartner also responded to the courts that she has “not accepted the funds that Kevin attempted to transfer and requested they be returned pending that determination. Accordingly, the funds deposited in that account continue to belong to Kevin, and there is no reasonable explanation for Kevin’s insistence that Christine use those funds for fees.”

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Tracy Wright is an entertainment reporter for Fox News Digital. Send story tips to Tracy.Wright@fox.com.

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Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny’s CIA Agent Mason Originally Had An ‘Offensive’ And ‘Problematic’ Final Scene

Wilson, incidentally, played one of the Dora Milaje in the 2018 film “Black Panther.” That’s her on the left in the picture above. 

While being interviewed by Variety on the red carpet of “Dial of Destiny,” Wilson revealed how elated she was to be working on an Indiana Jones movie, and how much faith Mangold had in her. She didn’t even need to audition; Mangold wanted her to play Agent Mason right away. Wilson doesn’t reveal exactly what happened to Agent Mason in an early version of the script, other than to say it was a problem for her. It seems her character might have died in a much less dignified way, and might have even bore the brunt of a Nazi’s vitriolic language. Luckily, Mangold was open to a rewrite. Wilson said: 

“I was quite impressed by a lot of things, but I also had thoughts and wanted to make input about my character in particular. And the brilliance and wonder of James Mangold is his ability to collaborate, and he heard me out and he was very honest about it and took what I said and it was implemented in rewrites. That has been a wonderful part of this process — to actually be able to feel like you are integral and you have a point of view when it comes to what’s being written.”

Her issues were, she revealed, some of the wording surrounding Mason’s murder:

“I don’t want to spoil too much, but my character had a particular way of exiting the film. And initially I found it to be a little too offensive and a bit problematic, and I was like, ‘We probably don’t need to say these words or have it done this way, and this is something I’m uncomfortable with.'”

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Taylor Swift releases re-record of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’

Taylor Swift re-introduced another era with the release of her re-recorded “Taylor’s Version” of her third studio album Speak Now.

“It’s here. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s ours,” Swift wrote in an emotional social media post. “It’s an album I wrote alone about the whims, fantasies, heartaches, dramas and tragedies I lived out as a young woman between 18 and 20.”

“It’s here. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s ours.”

— Taylor Swift

The 22-track album dropped Friday, July 7 at midnight and features fan-favorites like “Ours” and “Enchanted.”

The original award-winning 2010 album featured 16 songs, Swift’s re-releases has additional songs “from the vault,” which includes collaborations with Fall Out Boy and Paramore. 

TAYLOR SWIFT TELLS FANS THEY DON’T NEED TO ‘DEFEND’ HER ONLINE AHEAD OF RE-RELEASE OF ‘SPEAK NOW’ ALBUM

“I remember making tracklist after tracklist, obsessing over the right way to tell the story,” her post continued. “I had to be ruthless with my choices, and I left behind some songs I am still unfailingly proud of now. Therefore, you have 6 From The Vault tracks!”

“I recorded this album when I was 32 (and still growing up, now) and the memories it brought back filled me with nostalgia and appreciation,” the Grammy-winning artist added. “For life, for you, for the fact that I get to reclaim my work. Thank you a million times, for the memories that break our fall.”

Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour ” at Ford Field on June 09, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan.  (Scott Legato/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Singer Taylor Swift purchases her new album “Speak Now” at the Times Square Starbucks on October 25, 2010, in New York City.  (Keith Bedford/Starbucks via Getty Images)

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) marks the next re-recorded album from the singer-songwriter, following Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), both released in 2021. 

In 2019, Swift first confirmed that she was re-recording her first six albums on “Good Morning America,” after her label Big Machine sold her masters to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings. Prior to the songwriter owning the rights to her music, Swift said that Braun was preventing her from performing her own music for her dedicated fans. 

TAYLOR SWIFT FANS WITHOUT TICKETS ‘DISCOURAGED’ FROM GATHERING AT VENUE AS CONCERTGOERS FLOOD IN FOR TOUR

In November 2020, after her masters were sold once again to Shamrock Holdings, Swift penned a long post on Twitter, saying that she had started the process of re-recording her old music.

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at NRG Stadium on April 21, 2023 in Houston, Texas.  (Bob Levey/TAS23)

In a hometown Eras Tour show in Nashville, Tennessee, Swift announced the long awaited Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). 

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Upon the announcement, the city turned on purple lights on the nearby bridge over the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee.

After making the announcement, she posted to her social media accounts.

“It fills me with such pride and joy to announce that my version of Speak Now will be out July 7 (just in time for July 9th, iykyk).” the “Enchanted” singer wrote in a Twitter post, hinting at the date in the “Speak Now” lyrics of “Last Kiss” – which many Swifties believe to be the date when she visited her then-boyfriend Joe Jonas. 

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“I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20.” Swift continued. “The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing… and living to speak about it.”

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a writer on the breaking news team for Fox News Digital. You can reach her on Twitter at @s_rumpfwhitten.

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Ringo Starr says Beatles would ‘never’ use AI to fake John Lennon’s voice after Paul McCartney faces backlash

Paul McCartney befuddled Beatles fans last month when he announced the band would be releasing a record featuring the late John Lennon, with the help of artificial intelligence. 

“When we came to make what will be the last Beatles record it was a demo that John had – that we worked on and we just finished it up – it’ll be released this year. We were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through this AI so that then we could mix the record as you would normally do,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today show.

Fans began questioning why the Beatles would do such a thing, sharing their disdain on social media. Ringo Starr recently clarified to Rolling Stone that the group would “never” fake Lennon’s voice. George Harrison, who died in 2001, recorded his own part for the song prior to passing, Starr added.

Calling the experience of recording “beautiful,” Starr said, “It’s the final track you’ll ever hear with the four lads. And that’s a fact.”

Ringo Starr clarified that The Beatles would not be faking John Lennon’s vocals through AI after Paul McCartney previously confused and angered fans last month with the announcement of new music. (Kevin Winter/Harry Durrant )

BEATLES FAN AT FIRST US CONCERT

The backlash from fans caused McCartney to also clarify that the vocals of Lennon’s were pure and not generated.

“We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it,” he shared to Twitter. “Can’t say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It’s all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings – a process which has gone on for years,” he assured angry fans.

Ringo Starr said the Beatles would “never” fake John Lennon’s vocals for a new Beatles song. (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Disney+)

Following McCartney’s initial comments, one Twitter user lamented: “I can’t put my finger on why there’s something eerie to me about using ai to make a new beatles song with john and george’s voices but if the other two are ok with it then fine. but i can’t see myself enjoying something like that.”

“I’m sorry but this whole ‘last record’ of The Beatles is just, I cannot accept it. Why can’t people let the dead be dead? Let them rest. Godd—–. Using AI to extract John’s voice for their ‘last record’? WHAT KIND OF ABOMINATION IS THIS? THEIR LAST RECORD WAS ABBEY ROAD,” another impassioned fan wrote.

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McCartney had also originally explained that the upcoming record would replicate what Peter Jackson did while producing “The Beatles: Get Back,” a documentary on the band from 2021. McCartney said Jackson was able to “extricate John’s voice from a ropey little bit of cassette where it had John’s voice and the piano. He could separate them with AI… They tell the machine: ‘That’s a voice. That’s a guitar. Lose the guitar.'”

Paul McCartney upset fans with the announcement of a Beatles song that would feature John Lennon with the help of AI. (Bettmann)

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McCartney announced the music while promoting a series of new photographs released to the public that he took of the group throughout their career.

His first photo book, “1964: Eyes of the Storm,” edited by Robert Weil, gave fans a glimpse into the iconic group’s lifestyle as the most beloved band in the world.

George Harrison and John Lennon passed away in 2001 and 1980, respectively, and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are working on what will be the last track featuring the Fab Four. (Bettmann)

When asked if he thinks artificial intelligence will impact the music industry, Weil told Fox News Digital, “I do think it will. I think on a deep level, things which are predictable and, you know, more formulaic can be totally replicated. But I don’t think you can ever expect AI to create songs the way Paul McCartney and the Beatles created songs – there’s a nuance, there’s emotions. 

“There is a level which I don’t think can be repeated. Same way with me as a book editor. I don’t believe that on the higher level that these machines can, you know, equate the subtlety and the emotions of, you know, what we do,” he concluded.

Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Story tips can be sent to caroline.thayer@fox.com.

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