Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker unveiled their Halloween costume, channeling Tim Burton's Beetlejuice

There’s a good chance you’ll end up wanting to wear these flashy, funny ugly Christmas sweaters all year round.

Comedian turned commentator Russell Brand has weighed in on the ongoing wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, flouting conspiracy theories in his usual fast-paced, flamboyant style which are so outlandish, that he’s being compared to GB News anti-vaxxer Neil Oliver. Brand, who’s switched appearances on comedy films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek for his Stay Free podcast in recent years, uploaded a video to his six million subscriber strong YouTube channel on Thursday with the title, “Something Doesn’t Seem Right”. As the baseless conspiracy theory that the devastating crisis on the US island was not aided by climate change but rather a ‘space laser’ continue to spread online, Brand jumped in and dismissed those rightly questioning such a nonsensical argument. “Now, some people would say, ‘Oh, that’s dangerous misinformation – that should be shut down.’ I think the opposite. “Discuss it, look at it, investigate it. Either it’s true or it’s not true, we can decide for ourselves, let’s not get excited,” he says. We have, Russell – that’s kind of what journalists do for a job… Towards the end of the almost 23-minute-long video, Brand turns to the conspiracy that the fires in Hawaii were “started deliberately to benefit rich elites” such as the investment management company and financial services provider BlackRock. He continues: “Now look at the Ukraine war. Ukraine have already done a deal with BlackRock to rebuild their nation using BlackRock investment. “If you apply that mentality to this situation, if BlackRock end up benefitting from the fires in Hawaii, then the conspiracy is almost a redundant detail. Did they start it? Didn’t they start it? “Is it inevitable that the suffering of ordinary people leads to the benefit of rich elites and massive organisations like BlackRock and billionaires across the globe and why is Bill Gates buying all this agricultural land when he’s not a farmer?” Yes, that’s one whole sentence. “Doesn’t it all feel like a kind of macro-conspiracy that’s so diffuse, institutional, oddly abstracted and bureaucratically opaque, that sometimes you just want to simplify it into ‘they started this fire! They started it with a laser from space!’ “And whether it’s true or not, it not only feels true, in terms of its results it is kind of true. There is a conspiracy to keep you poor and benefit rich elites,” he vented, adding that the “next time there’s a pandemic” the elite are “gonna control you more”. In other news, thesauruses are in short supply around the world. And it’s Brand’s ranting about a shadowy elite and government control during a pandemic which has likely led to social media users on Twitter/X branding Brand (ha) a “frappucino Neil Oliver”, the GB News host who has long peddled conspiracy theories about vaccines and an impending “one-world government”. Back in August 2021 he said he’d happily catch Covid – y’know, an actually deadly virus – “for the sake of freedom”, just so you know the kind of dangerous nonsense we’re dealing with here. Others, however, have pointed out to user Matthew Dimitri – who shared a clip of Brand on X – that Brand was actually making an argument about elites and organisations benefitting from natural disasters like the one in Hawaii, and that Dimitri has “misrepresented” Brand: Except instead of rejecting the laser conspiracy theory outright, remember, Brand said he ‘thinks the opposite’ and that instead we should “discuss it, look at it [and] investigate it”, which isn’t a complete dismissal of the idea. He doesn’t really give a definitive answer on whether the claim is true or not, but rather suggests that the result of the whole ‘is it or isn’t it’ debate is more important, as if it’s part of a broader conspiracy or distraction “to keep you poor and benefit rich elites”. Perhaps a far more compelling argument around all this is that Brand should learn to keep things succinct, for the benefit of everyone... Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Hollywood's major film and television studios and the union representing 160,000 actors were engaged

Mark Ronson banned Bradley Cooper from using Lady Gaga's 'Joanne' in 'A Star Is Born' because he "needed" it for the singer's album.

David Jacoby is joining Craig Carton on FS1.

Adin Ross said, 'It’s just insane, bro, you know he’s innocent, chat, we stand by Tory in this chat, free Tory in the chat, man'

A new "toxic" trend is taking over TikTok that involves people comparing their body measurements to Bella Hadid – and some users are concerned. While social media can sometimes be a force for good, other corners of the internet have received several side eyes for their damaging messages. A quick TikTok search into 'Bella Hadid measurements' will reveal hundreds of videos of people sharing their measurements. As we know, Hadid is a supermodel and the comparisons haven't sat easily with many users, as it perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards. "When Bella Hadid’s measurements are 34-24-32 and mine are 31-22-33," one person wrote in a viral clip that's racked up almost half a million likes. The TikToker went on to call the measurements a "big flex in my life." Another person wrote: "POV I have the same measurements as Bella Hadid, nothing can hurt my feelings, I don't care". Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter While the clips are seemingly intended to be lighthearted, many more TikTokers have hit back at its "toxic" roots – especially given TikTok is predominantly a Gen-Z app. Creator Felix (@fmjat) raised the concern, asking viewers: "Aren’t these Bella Hadid measurements low-key a step back backward and hypocritical?" @fmjat bare in mind these are the same gurlies saying all bodys r beautiful ?? #bellahadid #bodypositivity #models #modelcommunity #bodyimage His clip was met with people who agreed on the matter, with one writing: "Like.. the trend is so bad for impressionable teens/ppl on this app with eating disorders." Another user simply put it: "The fixation on bodies is tiring." Meanwhile, a third person chimed in: "Can we all say the things we like ab our bodies and accept the fact that we’re all gonna see things we don’t relate to without freaking out." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

DC Young Fly shared he needs to take care of his children and just 'keep going' after Jacky Oh's sudden death on May 31

Speedy from 'Queer Eye' is inspiring many TikTok users and might be a new sensation on the app

Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has revealed that his prostate cancer is “asymptomatic”, after he was previously told he needed “palliative, end-of-life care”. The Northumberland-raised musician, 62, was diagnosed with stage-four prostate cancer in 2018. After he was unable to attend Duran Duran’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, his bandmates – singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor – read his letter informing them of his diagnosis to the audience at the ceremony in Los Angeles. Following the ceremony, Taylor approached a doctor who told him about a treatment involving radioactive chemicals given intravenously, which would target only cancer cells. In an interview with The Times, Taylor disclosed that he is “radioactive for several days” after receiving the treatment and is unable to sleep in the same room as someone else or use public transport. “I was classified as palliative, end-of-life care ... and now I’m not; I’m asymptomatic,” he told the publication. He called the scientist, who identified and recommended the treatment, Christopher Evans, the “Elon Musk of cancer”. He also said he was touched that Le Bon read out his letter at the Hall of Fame ceremony: “It takes someone with a very special quality from their heart to do that and not drop a word. People don’t realise he’s actually quite a classy guy.” Taylor said two symptoms alerted him that something was wrong: bone pain while jogging, which he almost mistook for arthritis after his years of live performances, and erectile dysfunction, which was masked by Taylor’s use of Viagra. Asked about the prospect of returning to Duran Duran, he also said: “No, I’m not going to rejoin the band ... I would not say no to (part time for) the opportunity, particularly for the fans, but as I keep reminding people, you have to be asked.” In the same interiew, however, Taylor also rubbished a rumour that he “can’t stand” his former bandmate, Nick Rhodes. The Birmingham-formed Duran Duran were one of the biggest acts of the 1980s, with hits including “Rio”, “The Wild Boys”, and the James Bond theme “A View To A Kill”. They released their 15th studio album, Future Past, in 2021and are currently touring North America with special guests Nile Rodgers and Chic, and Bastille. Next month, Taylor is scheduled to release Man’s a Wolf to Man, his first solo album in decades. Additional reporting by Press Association Read More ‘A genuine shambles’: The Strokes fans leave All Points East festival early due to ‘sound issues’ Scooter Braun ‘refused to cut vacation short’ for Ariana Grande relationship drama ‘I still speak to him’: Johannes Radebe responds to John Whaite revealing he fell in love with Strictly pro Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor rubbishes rumour he ‘can’t stand’ former bandmate The Strokes fans leave London festival early over ‘sound issues’ Miley Cyrus emotionally addresses Sinead O’Connor feud over Wrecking Ball

The first trailer for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is here.