Starbucks made waves when it introduced Refreshers in 2012, and in the decade-plus since, it continues making waves with new flavors, some better than the OGs.
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Month: September 2026
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Why did Pink call out Macklemore and Ed Sheeran?
And why is more or less the entire internet siding with the guys who both spent much of their careers as the butt of jokes?
We’ll dive into exactly what everyone involved said and did.
We will also explore why the quote, calling Pink a “bad seed on this earth,” is everywhere on social media right now.
Why did Pink condemn both Macklemore and Ed Sheeran?
Ed Sheeran is touring, and Macklemore has been his opening act — much to the consternation of Pink, among others.
On her Instagram Story, Pink re-shared a post from “stop_antisemitism,” a page that critics say does more to foment antisemitism.
The page claimed that “concert goers are owed apologies and refunds” after listening to Macklemore’s “anti-Israel propaganda” that turned “a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state.”
That is a very dramatic description of Macklemore’s statements.
What did he say about Israel?
Open for Ed Sheeran, Macklemore addressed the crowd of thousands.
“Two words that are very near and dear to my heart,” he said.
“Free Palestine!” Macklemore proclaimed.
Though the freedom of the people of Palestine has been a topic near and dear to the hearts of many since Israel came into being as an apartheid state in the 20th Century, the IDF’s recent atrocities in Gaza and beyond have drawn added scrutiny.
Macklemore did not actually talk about Israel, though. If a positive statement towards victims is taken as a condemnation of a country, that seems to say more about the country than it does about the speaker.
Everyone is clowning on Pink for her clownery
In case you have missed the extensive coverage of the backlash that Pink has received since condemning Macklemore and Ed Sheeran, well, it’s been everywhere.
People have expressed an array of emotions, ranging from sadness to surprise to a sad lack of surprise over Pink apparently being a Zionist.
Zionism is, first and foremost, a nationalist belief in supporting the continued existence of Israel, usually as an apartheid state in which Palestinian people who have lived there for countless generations hold no political power if they exist at all.
It is probably less surprising and perhaps even less upsetting when someone who does not have a positive reputation, like Gwyneth Paltrow, posts advertisements for multimillion-dollar settler condos in Israel than when someone like Pink, who once used her platform to share positive and compassionate messages, reveals herself to not be a good person.
A video of Thorgy Thor on RPDR referring to Pink as “a bad seed on this Earth” has been circulating, for obviously reasons.
“She’s a bad seed on this Earth.” – Thorgy Thor
— Carl Bleaching (@plaidman.bsky.social) September 11, 2024 at 11:14 PM
On social media, Pink has been crashing out.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, she has been posting a number of posts — which have since been preserved elsewhere — that take on a childish tone.
In post after post, she’s sharing graphics that reiterate that she meant what she said, that she doesn’t mind people seeing her as a villain, that she’s “not for everyone,” and more.
It’s not a very mature reaction. But condemning someone for calling for the end to a genocide does not indicate a high level or moral clarity, so our expectations for Pink at this time are not high.
Macklemore has repeatedly called for an end to the atrocities in Gaza and beyond, even dedicating some of his music to this courageous call to decency. It is a pity that Pink chose another path.
Pink Calls Out Macklemore, Ed Sheeran (And Is Getting Dragged by the Whole Internet): Why? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
(Photo by Krisanapong Detraphiphat/Getty Images)
A Republican-aligned group on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan.
Sullivan, who shares the same first and last name as incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, is one of four candidates in the general election. Dan J. Sullivan had 2.5% of the vote in the August primary. Dan S. Sullivan had more than 41%. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola finished first, with 49.5% of the vote.
The complaint by Virginia-based Americans for Public Trust accuses Dan J. Sullivan of illegally working with a third-party group, the Alaska-based 907 Initiative. That group has run ads against Dan S. Sullivan in the current election.
In a statement, Americans for Public Trust labeled Dan J. Sullivan “Decoy Dan,” repeating a term used by supporters of the incumbent.
According to the complaint, a 907 Initiative board member, Amber Lee, worked as a consultant for Dan J. Sullivan when he set up his campaign.
Federal law prohibits candidates’ campaigns from coordinating with third-party groups, which are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money in federal elections.
Contacted by email, Lee said the complaint is nonsensical.
“This allegation misrepresents both my role and how independent expenditures operate. I serve as an unpaid member of the 907 Initiative board. I am not an employee of the organization, and I do not manage its independent expenditure activity. The limited support I provided for Dan Sullivan as a consultant did not violate campaign finance laws,” she said by email.
Aubrey Wieber, executive director of the 907 Initiative, said on Tuesday that the group has not been working with Dan J. Sullivan.
“907 Initiative is in full compliance with applicable campaign finance laws, including federal coordination rules. Allegations to the otherwise are solely intended to distract from Senator Sullivan’s record of voting with DC, at the expense of Alaskans,” he said by email.
The complaint was first published by Republican-friendly news outlets, including the New York Post.
The complaint is not expected to directly impact Alaska’s ongoing U.S. Senate election. The Federal Elections Commission has lacked a quorum for more than a year, leaving it unable to act on complaints.
As of Sept. 1, more than 300 commission matters remained unresolved.
These are the items (including seasonal finds) that Walmart shoppers shouldn’t overlook when visiting the retail giant during the month of September.
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This song is arriving at exactly the right time. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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We have tragic news to report from the art world:
Lucien Smith — the celebrated artist whose paintings brought in millions at auction — has died at the age of 37.
News of Smith’s comes courtesy of the people closest to him, including longtime gallerist Bill Powers, who helped launch the painter’s career more than a decade ago.
Smith’s cause of death has not been disclosed.
“When people remember contemporary art from the early teens of this century, it will be impossible not to include the work of Lucien Smith in that conversation,” Powers told Page Six.
Smith first exploded onto the art scene after graduating from Cooper Union in 2011.
He quickly became known for his unconventional “Rain Paintings,” created by spraying paint onto canvases with fire extinguishers.
The unusual technique helped turn the young artist into one of the biggest names in New York’s early-2010s art boom. And the money soon followed.
Smith was named to Forbes‘ “30 Under 30” list in both 2013 and 2014. One of his paintings sold at Sotheby’s for $372,000 in 2014, and his work eventually commanded prices approaching $400,000 on the secondary market.
But Smith grew uncomfortable with the art-world machine that had made him famous.
He moved to Montauk and began focusing less on being the next hot young artist and more on creating opportunities for others. In 2015, he founded Serving the People, a nonprofit designed to support emerging talent in art, music and film.
“I was subscribing to this idea of what a New York City artist was that was really pretentious and unhealthy,” Smith previously said. “I’m not interested in being a New York art star.”
In 2025, Smith opened FOOD, a restaurant inspired by the legendary 1970s Soho establishment founded by artists Gordon Matta-Clark, Carol Goodden, and Tina Girouard. The restaurant became another gathering place for members of New York’s art, fashion, and music communities.
And then, remarkably, Smith appeared ready to return to the work that made him famous.
Just weeks before his death, he created four new Rain Paintings on an abandoned baseball field in Montauk. The pieces are slated to appear in an upcoming exhibition titled “Delay of Game” at Tripoli Gallery, beginning September 12.
“Life has taken me full circle,” Smith said of returning to the process.
Sadly, that comeback will now become part of his posthumous legacy.
Tripoli Gallery owner Tripoli Patterson described Smith as a “bright star,” adding that she intends to honor his vision for the exhibition.
Smith leaves behind his mother, Vivian, his younger brother, and a body of work that helped define an era of the New York art scene.
Our thoughts go out to his loved ones at this enormously difficult time.
Lucien Smith Cause of Death: Famed Artist Was 37 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Much like making a creamy side dish from canned corn, you can give canned peas a delicious Southern-style twist with just a few common staples.
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Giada De Laurentiis is toe-tally committed to winning the Mirrorball Trophy.
In fact, the Dancing With the Stars season 35 contestant revealed she recently suffered a foot injury while rehearsing…
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Not all of Chris Rock’s jokes have been the freshest.
At least, according to his audience. More than two decades after the Madagascar star hosted the Oscars for the first time in 2005, he revealed…
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President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he arrives with his then-personal attorney Todd Blanche in court for opening statements in his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22, 2024, in New York City. Trump was convicted of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. Since his election, he’s nominated Blanche to be attorney general of the United States. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura-Pool/Getty Images)
During a lengthy, meandering series of remarks last week, President Donald Trump offered another hint that his administration may seek to disrupt Alaska’s U.S. Senate election.
Fairbanks political writer Dermot Cole first noted Trump’s remarks.
On Aug. 18, NBC News — relying on unnamed sources — reported that the U.S. Department of Justice had issued grand jury subpoenas as it sought to investigate the campaign of Republican candidate Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg.
The Alaska Beacon has been unable to verify that reporting, but on Sept. 2, Trump alluded to a possible investigation.
Is a U.S. Department of Justice investigation about to disrupt Alaska’s U.S. Senate race?
Dan J. Sullivan has repeatedly said his campaign was inspired by his dissatisfaction with incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, and that he did not work with officials from Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign on his initial run for office.
Despite that, Trump and Dan S. Sullivan have repeatedly claimed — without providing evidence — that Dan J. Sullivan is a fraudulent candidate.
On Sept. 2, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he would travel to Alaska before the Nov. 3 general election in order to campaign for Dan S. Sullivan.
Hours later, talking with Republican lawmakers at a dinner in the Rose Garden, Trump again brought up the Alaska race.
“I’m going to go up to Alaska for Dan Sullivan. Think of it,” Trump said. “They have a man named Dan Sullivan running against him, the Democrats.”
“I think, Todd, you have a legal case on that,” the President said, referring to Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Blanche by a 50-49 margin on Aug. 8. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan was one of the decisive votes in favor of confirmation.
In the August primary election, Democratic candidate Mary Peltola had 49.5% of the vote, Dan S. Sullivan had 41.4%, and Dan J. Sullivan had 2.5% of the vote.
Under Alaska’s election system, the top four candidates advance to the November general election. The fourth-place finisher in the primary, Democratic candidate David Leslie, withdrew after the results were finalized, which advanced the fifth-place finisher, Gerald Heikes, who had 1.1% of the vote.
Trump, speaking on Sept. 2, said that even though Dan J. Sullivan had only 2.5% of the vote, his appearance on the November ballot could be decisive in a close contest between Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan.
“Let’s say he takes two or three points away. That’s the difference between winning and losing. It should be illegal. I don’t know how the judges are ruling (on) it, but it really is terrible,” Trump said.
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