Steven Spielberg is no fan of Ben Affleck and even refused to work with the actor after an incident involving the legendary director’s child, according to Mike Binder. Binder — who’s also a Hollywood filmmaker — made the shocking claim about…
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p dir=”ltr”>President Trump has announced the Navy will begin building a new class of warship named after himself. A federal judge has ruled the deportations of more than 100 Venezuelan men to El Salvador were illegal. And, a number of staff members have left the think tank behind Project 2025 to join a group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.
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p dir=”ltr”>(00:00) Introduction
(04:09) Trump Announces ‘Golden Fleet’
(07:56) Judge Rules Deportations Illegal
(11:45) Heritage Foundation Exodus
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p dir=”ltr”>Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
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p dir=”ltr”>Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Anna Yukhananov, Jason Breslow, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woefle.
<
p dir=”ltr”>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
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p dir=”ltr”>We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.
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The iconic Cape Town Minstrel Carnival returns to the Mother City on 5 January 2026.
Now known as the Hollywoodbets Cape Town Street Parade, this annual event is the longest existing carnival in the city and is an integral part of the city’s cultural heritage. Historically this celebration took place on 2 January aka Tweede Nuwe Jaar and the minstrels were to referred to as the Kaapse Klopse – this celebration the Mother City’s biggest event to usher in the New Year.
Thousands of minstrels in glittery uniforms from a variety of troupes with face paint, hats and parasols march through the city’s roads, playing their signature “ghoema” music on banjos, trumpets and drums. The troupes are spaced out so that each performance happens separately, allowing onlookers to hear each troupe. There is also a structure to each troupe, with non-instrument playing members called “voorlopertjies” leading the way with extravagant dance moves while the band provides the backing soundtrack.
Among this year’s troupe lineup you will see Original D6 Hanover Minstrels, Mitchells Plain Young Tycoons, Phantoms Community Development, Ashwin Willemse Orient Community Development, Young Wild Comanches, Manenberg Superstars, Carnival Boys Youth Development (also known as Crystal Palace), Wild Apache, Baruch Entertainers, CPT Hawkers, Fabulous Seawind Entertainers, and many more.
The parade is set to attract a crowd of 80,000 to 100,000 spectators, eager to experience over 16 minstrel troupes and 20,000 performers.
The parade will begin at the corner of Somerset Rd and Dixon St. The route
will follow along Somerset Rd all the way to the DHL Stadium.
To accommodate the parade and ensure public safety, several roads will be closed from 6am on Monday, 5 January to Tuesday, 6 January 2026.
Affected streets include:
| Street/Road | Restriction | Between | Closure Time | Opening Time | |
| Main Rd | Full Closure (residential access lane between Upper Portswood Rd & Highfield Rd) | York Rd | Buitengracht Street | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Prestwich Street | Full Closure | Alfred St Granger | Chiappini Street | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Somerset Road | East Bound closure | Bay Blvd Granger | Granger Bay Blvd | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Fritz Sonnenberg | Full Closure | Bay Blvd Granger | Rd Portswood | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Somerset Road | Full Closure | Bay Blvd | Buitengracht St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Ebenezer Road | Full Closure (Hotel Access only) | Prestwich St Javis | RD Somerset | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| De Smit Street | Full Closure | St Napier St Javis | Somerset RD | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Moreland Terrace | Full Closure | St Schiebe St | Somerset RD | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Napier Street | Full Closure | Dixon St | Somerset RD | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Alfred Street | Full Closure | Prestwich St | Somerset RD | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Dixon Street | Full Closure | Strand St | Javis St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Chiappini Street | Full Closure | Prestwich St | Somerset RD | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Chiappini Street | Full Closure | Napier St Liddle | Somerset RD | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Alfred Street | Full Closure (Hotel Access only) | St Beach Rd | Schiebe St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Prestwich Street | Full Closure | Portswood Rd | St Alfred | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Cobern St | Full Closure | Granger Bay Blvd | Somerset Rd | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Granger Bay Blvd | East Bound Carriage Closure | Helen Suzman | Helen Suzman | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Fort Wynyard St | Full Closure | Blvd | Granger Bay Blvd | 12h00 | 23h59 |
| Fritz Sonnenberg | Full Closure | Beach Rd | |||
| Vlei Road | Full Closure | Fritz Sonnenberg Rd | 12h00 | 23h59 |
Local access and permit holders:
| Street/Road | Restriction | Between | Closure Time | Opening Time | |
| Main Road | Permit Holders Only | Granger Bay Blvd | Three Anchor Bay Blvd | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Granger Bay Blvd | Permit Holders Only | Helen Suzman Blvd | York Rd | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Ebenezer Road | Permit Holders Only | Port RD | Prestwich St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Bennett Street | Permit Holders Only | Port RD | Prestwich St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Hudson Street | Permit Holders Only | Waterkant Street | Somerset RD | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Hudson Street | Local Access Only | Hudson St | Strand St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Vos Street | Local Access Only | Vos St | Strand St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Rose Street | Local Access Only | Rose St | Strand St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Waterkant | Local Access Only | Buitengracht St | Waterkant St | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Cavalcade Road | Local Access Only | York Rd | Upper Portswood Rd | 06h00 | 23h59 |
| Thornhill Road | Local Access Only | Cavalcade Rd | Upper Portswood Rd | 06h00 | 23h59 |
The HollywoodBets Cape Town Street Parade is free for the public. Follow Cape Town Street Parade on Facebook, Instagram, and X, for the latest updates on the start route and other information.
The post Cape Town Minstrels Carnival 2026 – Everything You Need To Know! appeared first on Cape Town Tourism.
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Need a little inspo to pull up to “TMZ After Dark?” Look no further — Natasha Graziano hopped on the party bus this weekend, hosting the whole vibe and living it all the way up! Natasha brought all the festive vibes during a Saturday-night bar…
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A recently engaged Wisconsin woman will spend the next six years in prison after allegedly admitting to kissing an 11-year-old boy in her classroom — and later sending him 35,000 explicit text messages.
Madison Bergmann, 26, was working as a fifth grade teacher at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisconsin, until the victim’s father discovered the deluge of texts.
The boy’s dad told the court during Bergmann’s sentencing on Friday, December 19, that he found the messages “disturbing.”
The messages were sent over just three months, meaning she sent an average of over 2,000 messages to the victim every day. In the texts, Bergmann allegedly professed her affections for the boy and expressed her eagerness at touching him and “making out” with him again.
Her former coworker at the school, Abigail Faust, is also facing charges for inappropriate relationships with children, including a child whom she nannied in Washington County.
Bergmann pleaded guilty to one count of child enticement and two counts of sexual misconduct by school staff back in September.
After the father brought the text messages to the police, officers searched her classroom and found a folder with the victim’s name on it containing handwritten love letters that indicated they had kissed.
Bergmann was supposed to get married in 2024. It is unclear when she got engaged.
Former Teacher Accused of Having Unlawful Sexual Relations with Student
She started to cry as soon as she entered the courtroom for her sentencing. The state had been seeking a 12-year sentence for the disgraced teacher.
Bergmann’s lawyers had been pushing for a one-year sentence.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that I take full accountability for every boundary that was crossed,” she said through tears. “I hope that your family has been able to begin to heal and find some peace in your lives again. I know the journey will be long for your family.”
She cried louder when she learned her sentence, according to KSTP.
“To his own credit, [my son] is like ‘I have to live with this forever. Whatever punishment she receives should be forever,’” the victim’s father said, according to KARE11. “When I review the texts too, it’s very deliberate — talking about touching his leg, talking to my 11-year-old son about her period, talking about his erections … to me it’s very disturbing stuff.”
Bergmann pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal from prosecutors that saw a number of charges against her dropped, including first-degree sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, exposing a child to harmful descriptions, and additional counts of sexual misconduct by school staff and child enticement.
When she is released from prison in six years, Bergmann will need to register as a convicted sex offender. She will also be placed on six years of extended supervision and is barred from having contact with minors without approval. The court has also placed restrictions on her internet use, according to KARE11.
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Never in director Paul Feig’s wildest dreams did he think Taylor Swift would approve of her song being featured in The Housemaid.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Housemaid.
Feig told Deadline at the film’s red carpet premiere last week that he was convinced Swift, 36, was “never gonna clear” her “perfect” 2017 song “I Did Something Bad” from Reputation.
“Well, that’s the thing; you want to put a Taylor song in your movie, but she and her company have to approve it,” he explained.
He continued, “So, we were tempting with it, and we were like, ‘It’s so perfect, but she’s never gonna clear this.’ Then we showed she and her people the movie, and she approved it. So, I guess she likes it. Thank you Taylor!”
The Housemaid is based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel of the same name, which spawned two more books and a novella. The story follows young housemaid Millie (Sydney Sweeney), who moves into Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) and Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried)’s home. Millie quickly discovers she was hired for more than just cleaning, but to help Nina plan an escape from her abusive husband.
Swift’s track was used as the end credits song after the film’s final scene, where Millie is interviewing for a position with a new family — and the new boss explains that she was recommended to her by Nina. The camera then shows a bruise on her wrist, suggesting Millie might be helping the new boss with a similar situation.
‘The Housemaid’ Ending Explained: Breaking Down the Shocking Twists
While no sequel has been officially announced, Sweeney, 28, and Seyfried, 40, have weighed in on whether they would be game.
“I think that we’ll just have to wait and see,” Sweeney told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Sunday, December 21. “I hope that the audience loves the movies just like we love the books, and we can continue to hopefully share that love within more of the films.”
Seyfried, meanwhile, said she’d “absolutely” want to do more films. “Listen, if it doesn’t do well, you can call it off, but if it does, well, it’s absolutely a franchise,” Seyfried told the outlet. “I didn’t sign on for anything but this one because my story ends, but they know that if they make another one, I’ll be a part of it, because I had so much fun with Paul.”
Amanda Seyfried Says Don’t Read ‘The Housemaid’ Until After Seeing the Movie
Feig, meanwhile, told The Hollywood Reporter at The Housemaid’s premiere that because the story is part of a series, “if people show up and see it, I would love to see what Millie does next.”
Before the movie was released, Seyfried shared that the film had “the support” of McFadden.
“We felt empowered because we had her blessing,” Seyfried said on an episode of the “Bookmarked” podcast earlier this month, sharing that Feig was also helpful. “You know, this movie is going to be special and surprising, even for the book lover. I almost feel like I need to read the book again.”
The Housemaid is in theaters now.
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