Lifestyle
Ryan Reynolds Defends Jamie Lee Curtis After Marvel Criticism, Channeling 'Deadpool'
![Ryan Reynolds Defends Jamie Lee Curtis After Marvel Criticism, Channeling 'Deadpool' Ryan Reynolds Defends Jamie Lee Curtis After Marvel Criticism, Channeling 'Deadpool'](https://imagez.tmz.com/image/8a/16by9/2024/08/01/8a3e30e8bc384728b384ef0817c2873c_xl.jpg)
Ryan Reynolds is weighing in on Jamie Lee Curtis‘ Marvel criticism and subsequent apology … and the actor’s response to the sitch would make Deadpool proud.
Here’s the deal … after JLC issued a heartfelt apology for recently claiming Marvel was in its “bad” phase, the “Deadpool & Wolverine” star chimed in — and reminded everyone Jamie Lee’s original quip really wasn’t all that serious … nor did it warrant an I’m-sorry.
MTV
Ryan took to X on Thursday amid Jamie Lee’s announcement that she’d stop with the “mud slinging” — with RR making it clear the apology wasn’t necessary in the first place.
He seemed to channel his rebellious Deadpool character with his sentiment here, as he wrote … “Wait, is everyone expected to apologize for slamming Marvel post-Endgame?”
If we’re translating this correctly … Ryan is essentially saying everyone is entitled to their opinion (even ones that crap on Marvel) … so, people can relax with the pearl-clutching, which is in line with his character.
In fact, we’re right on target in that regard — sources tell us that’s exactly what RR was going for here … namely, channeling Deadpool (who bashes Marvel all the time) in real life.
Of course … this is still a pretty bold move from Ryan, given he’s kind of the darling of Marvel right now. Remember, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has already brought in over half a billion dollars at the box office … and is on pace to break all sorts of records.
JLC has yet to respond to Ryan’s defense of her … but we’re sure she’s feeling the love, especially after sparking outrage from Marvel fans across the globe.
Jamie Lee isn’t alone in her anti-Marvel stance … as director Martin Scorsese has criticized the superhero franchise on a number of occasions. Not to mention, Jennifer Aniston, Seth Rogen, Reese Witherspoon, John Cho and other stars have voiced their disinterest in suiting up for Marvel.
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Marvel isn’t without an A-list roster, however … as they just brought Robert Downey Jr. back into the fold for an exciting new villain role. So, we’re sure they’re not sweatin’ this drama.
All in good fun, right?
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Lifestyle
Five takeaways by a longtime NABJ member from Trump’s appearance before Black journalists
![Five takeaways by a longtime NABJ member from Trump’s appearance before Black journalists Five takeaways by a longtime NABJ member from Trump’s appearance before Black journalists](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5482x3084+0+141/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1d%2Fe3%2Fb5477a4a459999d6f8dd04284a83%2Fap24213685795462.jpg)
Former President Donald Trump walks off stage after speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago on Wednesday.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
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Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Chicago, Ill. — At first, it felt like watching a slow-motion car crash.
I wasn’t actually in the room when Donald Trump brought his toxic rhetoric to the National Association of Black Journalists national convention Wednesday. But I was nearly there, sitting in a taxicab headed from the airport to the conference at the Hilton Chicago downtown, watching a livestream video as the former president insulted a roomful of Black journalists after ABC’s Rachel Scott opened with a tough question.
Scott asked about several instances where Trump said racist things, from falsely insisting Barack Obama wasn’t born in America to calling Black journalists losers and racist. Trump’s response was a torrent of barely-connected ideas, including a complaint that NABJ brought him to Chicago under “false pretenses” because they didn’t work out details to get Vice President Kamala Harris to make a similar, in-person appearance at the convention.
“I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” Trump said, drawing scoffs from the crowd. “That is my answer.”
In a flash, it felt like all the predictions critics made of inviting Trump to address Black journalists came true. He was offering his usual torrent of accusations, assertions and insults – some outrageous, most inflated – creating word salad that moderators struggled to fact-check in the moment, raising fears that he owned the organization at its own conference.
As a 34-year member of NABJ, I had my own qualms. Not about inviting Trump – the group has invited the major party candidates for president to its national conferences for many years, to platform questions on issues involving people of color. But, among other things, I objected to seeing an anchor from the right-leaning cable channel Fox News among the three people questioning Trump. (Though I have volunteered for decades as chair of the NABJ’s Media Monitoring Committee, I had nothing to do with organizing Trump’s appearance).
![Former President Donald Trump holds a press conference on May 31 at Trump Tower in New York City following the verdict in his hush-money trial.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3504x3504+526+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F30%2Fac%2F448113c047b392c8430b1fba188c%2Fgettyimages-2155437737.jpg)
And I worried about the optics of a Black journalists’ group offering a prime panel spot to a politician who had attacked Black journalists, while the Black and Asian woman also running for president would not appear.
But, after some reflection and talking with other members at the conference, I think the actual impact of Trump’s appearance is more nuanced. Here’s my five takeaways from what happened.
Trump’s appearance pushed NABJ to face tension between its status as a journalism organization and an advocate for fair treatment of Black journalists and, by extension, Black people.
This is an idea I heard from a friend and fellow journalist/NABJ member, and it rings true. As journalists, we jump at the chance to ask direct questions of a former president who has often stoked racial fears, from birtherism attacks against Obama and Harris to false claims about undocumented immigrants.
But our website also notes that NABJ “advocates on behalf of Black journalists and media professionals,” honoring those who provide “balanced coverage of the Black community and society at large.” I’ve always felt that if the media industry can give Black journalists a fair shot, we can help provide more accurate, less prejudiced coverage of everything – particularly issues involving marginalized groups.
That’s why some NABJ members chafed at platforming Trump, with his long history of racist statements, at a conference aimed at reducing the prejudice Black journalists face every day. But I think part of reaching NABJ’s goals involves Black journalists learning how to confront racist ideas; trying to get Trump to explain himself in front of a group of Black media professionals seems pretty in line with that mission.
NABJ president Ken Lemon asserted during the conference’s opening ceremonies later that day that the group is, at its core, a journalism organization. On this day, at least, it’s obvious the journalism side took precedence.
![Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with ABC's Rachel Scott, one of the journalists who moderated the event at NABJ in Chicago on Wednesday.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7207x5027+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff0%2F4c%2Ff1e1c72a4bc1b4c2330752dc3e23%2Fap24213687445718.jpg)
Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with ABC’s Rachel Scott, one of the journalists who moderated the event at NABJ in Chicago on Wednesday.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
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Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
If the goal was to get Trump to reveal his terrible takes on race to the world – mission accomplished.
Lots of media outlets focused on his awful comments on how Harris “suddenly” became Black in his eyes. Trump tried the classic maneuver of turning an opponent’s advantage against them, acting as if the embrace of Harris as a history-making Black and Asian woman in politics was the result of some cynical marketing spin.
“I did not know she was Black until a couple of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” he said. “And now she wants to be known as Black. Is she Indian, or is she Black?”
True enough, the questioners struggled to pin Trump down on exactly why he talks about race the way he does. Or how he can believe such ideas aren’t racist.
![Republican presidential nominee and President Donald Trump speaks at a panel moderated by, from left, ABC's Rachel Scott, Semafor's Kadia Goba and Fox News' Harris Faulkner at the National Association of Black Journalists convention Wednesday in Chicago.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5760x5760+1354+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F97%2F57%2Fc648d3694d999ac157a2ae2c9b32%2Fap24213660509768.jpg)
Still, what Trump did say mostly made him look old-fashioned and prejudiced. Will it appeal to his base? Perhaps – but the moment didn’t feel like a strong, confident leader puncturing racial hypocrisy.
It seemed more like the wandering statements of someone who just doesn’t understand America’s modern melting pot of ethnicities.
Sometimes, with Trump, there is value in having an interviewer on hand who he trusts.
Much as I disliked seeing an anchor from a news organization that has won the NABJ’s Thumbs Down Award twice on the panel, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner did get Trump to open up a bit with less-pointed but telling questions.
In particular, when Trump said he thought the vice presidential candidates had “virtually no impact” on election results, he seemed to put into perspective his relationship with JD Vance while belittling the guy he is supposed to spend months alongside in a tight campaign.
There are other journalists from less partisan news outlets who likely could have achieved the same moment. But there is value in having one journalist in the mix who doesn’t immediately raise Trump’s defenses and might provoke more telling responses.
![Former President Donald Trump appears on a panel at NABJ on Wednesday in Chicago. From left, ABC's Rachel Scott, Semafor's Kadia Goba and FOX News' Harris Faulkner moderated the event.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8366x5577+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F84%2F89%2F911e3fc841e48f9c626c5d6c7873%2Fap24213670036767.jpg)
Former President Donald Trump appears on a panel at NABJ on Wednesday in Chicago. From left, ABC’s Rachel Scott, Semafor’s Kadia Goba and FOX News’ Harris Faulkner moderated the event.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
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Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Trump is a chaos agent who divides people and divides NABJ
In the end, I was less concerned about how NABJ looked to the world in the wake of Trump’s visit than how it deals with itself.
As news of the panel spread, many journalists spoke out passionately against having him at the conference, reasoning that any appearance would likely benefit him more than the group, platforming his terrible rhetoric about racial issues. Well-known figures like Roland Martin and April Ryan – who Trump criticized when he was president – spoke out; Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah quit her post as convention co-chair amid the controversy.
There are also tough questions about why the group couldn’t work out an arrangement to have Harris appear at the convention virtually, given that she was flying to Houston for the funeral of friend and sorority sister Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Considering the intense emotions at hand over the coming election and widespread skepticism about coverage decisions by journalists, there’s lots of criticism and bruising assumptions about what happened here.
This is the kind of division that can hobble NABJ in the future as people cancel memberships, decline to volunteer, hold back donations and continue to criticize the group’s direction. I expect the group’s membership meeting, scheduled for Saturday morning, will draw lots of pointed feedback from those who still question the wisdom of welcoming the former president here.
As someone who can attribute almost every major job I’ve gotten to connections made at an NABJ convention, this heightened squabbling is what I fear most – a distraction at a time when job losses and cutbacks in media have made times even more challenging for journalists of color.
In a way, NABJ played Trump’s game – and may have had some success
Another friend noted that Trump – who commands loyalty from GOP voters — has always valued dominating the news cycle, regardless of whether the stories are complimentary. His NABJ appearance ensured everything from the network evening news programs to The Daily Show focused on his comments here rather than Harris’ increasingly energized campaign.
As I saw criticism build over Trump’s visit, I wondered if NABJ wasn’t like a scrappy dog who finally caught a passing car – after years of GOP candidates declining invitations, finally one of the most divisive Republicans in modern politics was accepted. And the consequences of hosting him – particularly when Harris would not appear at the convention – loomed large.
But in the end, NABJ also landed at the top of the news cycle at a time when – as announced by the group during its opening ceremony – the convention drew the largest number of attendees in its history, over 4,000.
Yes, many supporters felt, as I did initially, that the appearance was a train wreck. But NABJ also showed the world three Black female journalists questioning Trump on some of his most provocative statements on race, with telling answers.
In a world where any publicity can be good publicity, that just might be enough.
Lifestyle
A conspicuously dressed-down shooter won Olympic silver. Then he went viral
![A conspicuously dressed-down shooter won Olympic silver. Then he went viral A conspicuously dressed-down shooter won Olympic silver. Then he went viral](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4905x2759+0+255/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2F02%2F96f452d24468a27e4056368a1df3%2Fgettyimages-2163848592.jpg)
Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec, pictured competing in the shooting 10m air pistol mixed team gold medal match at Chateauroux Shooting Center on Tuesday, went viral for his casual look.
Alain Jocard/AFP
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Alain Jocard/AFP
NPR is in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. For more of our coverage from the Games, head to our latest updates.
Olympic shooters have been getting lots of attention for their cyberpunk-looking gear. But one is standing out for his decidedly lower-tech look — and the fact that he got to the podium nonetheless.
On Tuesday, Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec shot his way to a silver medal in the air pistol mixed team competition, and to instant online fame. His winning quality, the internet decided, was his seeming nonchalance.
While many of Dikec’s competitors were decked out in large ear protectors, visors and sci fi-esque shooting glasses, he played it a different kind of cool with regular eyeglasses and barely visible ear plugs.
![CHATEAUROUX, FRANCE - JULY 28: Kim Yeji of Team Republic of Korea shoots during the Women’s 10m Air Pistol Final on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Chateauroux Shooting Centre on July 28, 2024 in Chateauroux, France. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3795x3795+948+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fed%2Fb9%2F291632ff46eb8f8f43a8e0054269%2Fkim1.jpg)
Wearing a jersey that looked like an ordinary T-shirt, and shooting with his free hand tucked in his pants pocket, the 51-year-old gave off a noticeably casual vibe.
So casual, in fact, that scores of social media users jokingly wondered whether Turkey had sent a hitman to the Olympics. Some praised his aura as “infinite,” others as “insane.”
“We need you out of retirement for one last job.”
“Who?”
“Not who, but where. The Olympics, in France. You’ve always been our best shooter.” pic.twitter.com/4yZhElPSRA
— @goth (@goth600) August 1, 2024
And many drew a contrast between Dikec and South Korean shooter Kim Yeji, whose futuristic aesthetic and unflappable demeanor made her an overnight style sensation earlier this week.
Memes joked that the two embodied the contrast between Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel, men vs. women packing for a trip and anime protagonist vs. recently divorced engineer, to name a few.
“South Korea sent a fully-kitted out player for the Olympic shooting,” read one viral tweet. “Turkey sent [a] guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover or ear protection and got the silver medal.”
Dikec and his teammate, Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, won silver in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event, bringing home Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic shooting.
He placed 13th in his individual event, and is already looking ahead to his next Olympics.
“I hope next in Los Angeles (for) a gold medal,” he said afterward, according to the Associated Press.
The former officer loves dancing and cats
This is Dikec’s fifth Olympics — he has competed in shooting events in every Summer Games since 2008.
He’s also a seven-time European champion and 2014 double world champion in the 25m standard pistol and 25m centerfire pistol, according to his Olympics biography.
![Olivia Reeves of the United States lifts in the women's 81kg weightlifting event at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, on Oct. 23, 2023.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5760x5760+1440+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb5%2F10%2F5ba3487f46b2b402870cdc34c428%2Fap23296860511888.jpg)
Dikec’s bio says he took up shooting in 2001 after he started working as a non-commissioned officer for the Gendarmerie General Command (an armed law enforcement organization in Turkey).
His current occupation is listed as “athlete,” and EuroNews reports that he retired from the Gendarmerie.
Dikec lists exactly one hobby on his bio page: dancing. He’s also a cat lover, as social media sleuths quickly discovered.
His philosophy, ironically, is, “Success doesn’t come with your hands in your pockets.”
His unique style comes down to personal preference
![Sevval Ilayda Tarhan (L) and Yusuf Dikec (R) pose with the Turkish flag and their silver medals beneath the Eiffel Tower.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3671x2447+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F97%2Fb5%2Fde639c264f96bc65ef832ed0d54b%2Fgettyimages-2164032008.jpg)
Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec pose with the Turkish flag and their silver medals beneath the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday.
Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images
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Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images
Shooting glasses — a customizable combo of a lens, mechanical iris and blinders that together can help athletes better line up their mark — have become pretty standard in recent years, though clearly not all athletes are required to use them.
Dikec told Turkish radio station Radyo Gol that while most shooters use one eye, he prefers to use both.
“Shooting with two eyes — I believe that it’s better,” he said, according to a translation from CNN. “I’ve done a lot of research on it, so I didn’t need the equipment.”
![Henrik Christiansen peeks his head out of a door with company logos on it.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2000x2000+510+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcc%2F9f%2Fd1d9bc6b4adcbb6c686086f7efdf%2Fgettyimages-1449794398.jpg)
Chinese rifle shooter Liu Yukun won a gold medal Thursday with a similarly sparse set of gear, the AP notes — just earplugs, with no blinder or visor.
And Dikec is not the only athlete who shoots with his other hand in his pocket. He told the radio station that it’s a matter of feeling more motivated and comfortable.
The stance “is actually about bringing the body to equilibrium and focusing and concentrating,” he added.
Dikec seems to be taking his social media stardom in stride, reposting several memes to his Instagram page (and, of course, a photo of his silver medal). He has also continued to defend his style.
EuroNews reports that he told the Turkish press: “I did not need special equipment. I’m a natural, a natural shooter.”
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