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How to watch UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez livestream online

A few weeks after UFC 300, the mixed martial arts promotion company returns with UFC Fight Night, which has Brazilian fighter Matheus Nicolau (19-4-1) going up against American Alex Perez (24-8-0) in the main event.

 

UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

On Saturday, April 27, the prelims began at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. The main card started at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. If you want to watch the event online, it livestreams with an ESPN+ subscription.

 

$503 and up

BUY: UFC FIGHT NIGHT: NICOLAU VS. PEREZ TICKETS ON VIVID SEATS

Last-minute tickets to UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perezin Las Vegas are still available on sites like Vivid Seats. meanwhile, you can use promo code VAR2024 to get $20 off your purchase at Vivid Seats. Tickets are also available at StubHub.

 

Want to watch UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez online? This event is streaming on ESPN+, ESPN and ESPN2, so there are a few ways to watch UFC Fight Night. Let’s break it down.

$10.99/Month

WATCH UFC FIGHT NIGHT: NICOLAU VS. PEREZ ON ESPN+

To watch UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez online, you’d have to sign up for a subscription to ESPN+ for $10.99/Month. If you don’t want to go month-to-month, you can sign up for an annual subscription for $109.99/Year — which is about a 15% savings from the monthly price.

 

$109.99/Year

BUY: ESPN+ ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION

You can also sign up for the Disney Trio — which includes ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ — starting at $14.99/month.

 

In addition, UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perezbroadcasts on ESPN for the main card and ESPN2 for the prelims, which are both available to watch on DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and Sling Orange. And since DirecTV Stream and Fubo offer free trials, you can watch UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez online for free.

 

Check out the full fight card below, and stream UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez here.

 

Main Card, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

  • Flyweight: Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez — main event
  • Light Heavyweight: Ryan Spann vs. Bogdan Guskov — co-main event
  • Women’s Flyweight: Ariane Lipski vs. Karine Silva
  • Heavyweight: Austen Lane vs. Jhonata Diniz
  • Featherweight: Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama
  • Welterweight: Tim Means vs. Uros Medic

 

Prelims, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

  • Bantamweight: Rani Yahya vs. Victor Henry
  • Lightweight: Austin Hubbard vs. Michael Figlak
  • Heavyweight: Don’Tale Mayes vs. Caio Machado
  • Women’s Strawweight: Ketlen Souza vs. Marnic Mann
  • Lightweight: James Llontop vs. Chris Padilla
  • Women’s Flyweight: Ivana Petrovic vs. Na Liang
  • Lightweight: Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Gabriel Benitez

 

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— Variety

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Congresswoman Watson-Coleman, County Exec Benson unveil 4.1M grant award for Trenton-Mercer Airport taxiway

EWING, N.J. — Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman has secured Trenton-Mercer Airport a $4.1 million allocation in Congress’s most recent appropriations bill.

A press conference was held Thursday with Mercer County Exec. Dan Benson, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, Commissioner Chair John Cimino, Commissioner Vice-Chair Kristin McLaughlin, Commissioner Lucylle Walter, Commissioner Sam Frisby, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, and Ewing Mayor Bert Steinmann.

The project includes the full-depth reconstruction of 20,000 SY of airfield taxiway and apron pavement. The full-depth reconstruction of the taxiway will allow Trenton-Mercer Airport to enhance overall aircraft safety by giving them more reliable pavement to operate on. The new taxiway is essential to Mercer County’s larger terminal replacement project.

“Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman, has once again demonstrated tremendous leadership for Mercer County, and the region with her advocacy in securing over 4 million dollars for the reconstruction of Taxiway Alpha. I look forward to us continuing to work hand-in-hand to make Trenton-Mercer Airport’s Terminal Replacement Project a success,” said Mercer Executive Dan Benson.

“Mercer County is at a pivotal point and as someone who has spent their career as an infrastructure professional, we have a unique opportunity to position ourselves a as a geographic transportation hub,” said County Commissioner Chairman John Cimino.

“County Executive Benson has an innovative vision for Mercer County and I am delighted to be a tireless, vigilant Congressional champion in securing Mercer County their fair share to deliver for our residents, “said Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman.

For additional information, please reach out to Theo Siggelakis at TSiggelakis@Mercercounty.org.

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Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media, Tinkle Comics launch Indian superhero graphic novel ‘Minnal Murali’

“Baahubali” star Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media has teamed with Tinkle Comics to launch a graphic novel featuring Indian superhero Minnal Murali at the Mumbai Comic-Con.

 

“Minnal Murali” is a 2021 Malayalam-language film directed by Basil Joseph, produced by Sophia Paul’s Weekend Blockbusters and starring Tovino Thomas as the eponymous superhero.

 

Set in a village in Kerala, the film follows a tailor with dreams of emigrating to the U.S. and a social outcast who simultaneously get superpowers when struck by lightning (minnal means lightning in Malayalam) with the former using them for good and the latter for evil. It was acquired by Netflix and had a direct-to-digital release on the service during the pandemic and remains one of its most popular films.

 

The graphic novel will delve into the superhero’s origins and unveil a new story that takes his adventures further.

 

Spirit Media unveiled film, TV and comic-book projects with a variety of partners at the San Diego Comic-Con last year. Tinkle, which was established in 1980, is published by India’s oldest comic-book brand Amar Chitra Katha and is known for its homegrown characters including Suppandi and Shikari Shambu. “Minnal Murali” is Tinkle’s first publication in the graphic novel format.

 

Daggubati said: “The debut of Tinkle’s graphic novel ‘Minnal Murali’ at Mumbai Comic-Con marks a significant milestone for reaffirming the love for Indian superheroes and comics, furthermore, resonating with the unmet need of Indian comic lovers in the digital age. It is a moment of great pride and excitement to continue the universe of this much-loved contemporary Indian superhero and bring him to life from the screen to a comic.”

 

Paul added: “Seeing our beloved characters and captivating storylines come to life on the vibrant pages is a testament to the enduring impact of our film, inspiring fans to embark on new adventures within this rich and dynamic universe.”

 

President and CEO of Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle, Preeti Vyas, said: “Books are often converted to films, but this project is a great example of how a popular film franchise has been taken into the pages of a book, with a brand-new story based on the characters of the super successful movie, ‘Minnal Murali’ in a graphic novel format. We are very excited about exploring other such transmedia opportunities for Tinkle Comics Studio.”

 

Gayathri Chandrasekaran, editor-in-chief of Tinkle Comics, added: “‘Minnal Murali’ has captivated the nation’s imagination, and we’re excited to bring a brand-new ‘Minnal Murali’ story to life in this dynamic new format. This graphic novel is just the beginning of Tinkle’s foray into new storytelling mediums, and we’re committed to delivering even more exciting content in the future.”

 

 

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— Variety (EXCLUSIVE) 

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How TikTok has influenced US culture: shaped Hollywood, privacy, shopping, news, music, mental health, national security, and more

— TikTok has changed America

 

New York Times:

 

 

—  Has there ever been an app more American seeming than TikTok, with its messy democratic creativity, exhibitionism, utter lack of limits and vast variety of hustlers?

 

And yet, of course, TikTok is not American, which is the whole reason that in March, the House of Representatives passed a bill with broad bipartisan support that would force the Chinese owners of the video-app juggernaut to either sell to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban. Lawmakers say it’s a national security threat, and that the Chinese government could lean on its owner, ByteDance, to obtain sensitive U.S. user data or influence content on the app to serve its interests.

 

There’s a long road of legislation, deal making and legal challenges ahead before TikTok could be forced to change ownership or even be banned. The Senate would need to pass the legislation — which it may do as soon, now that the House has bundled it into a foreign aid package. It would have to survive lawsuits from TikTok and creators. Buyers would have to clear regulatory approval. And after all that, Beijing could simply block a deal.

 

But imagining what a United States without TikTok would look like throws into sharp relief just how much the app has worked its way into American culture.

 

TikTok, which officially landed in the United States in 2018, was the most downloaded app in the country, and the world, in 2020, 2021 and 2022. It wasn’t that the elements of it were so new — compelling videos from randos had long been a staple of American pop culture — but TikTok put the pieces together in a new way.

 

Unlike Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat, TikTok didn’t build itself around social connections. Its goal is pure, uncut entertainment. The algorithm ingested every data point it could from what users skipped, liked or shared — and spat it directly into the maddeningly habit-forming For You Page. Fans whispered reverently that it knew them better than they knew themselves.

 

Here are 19 ways of understanding how TikTok became part of American life. The music America listens to, the movies it sees, what conspiracies it believes, how it can make or break a product’s success, who it defines as a celebrity — all of it has been influenced by TikTok, for good and bad. Even if you’ve never opened the app, you’ve lived in a culture that exists downstream of what happens there.

 

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— Techmeme

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Matt Rife sets two Netflix comedy specials, including first full-length crowd work show

More Matt Rife is coming to Netflix.

 

Following his comedy special “Natural Selection” in November 2023, Rife will make two more specials at Netflix. The first in Rife’s two-special deal is set to release later this year. It will be Netflix’s first-ever, full-length crowd work special. It will shoot at The Comedy Zone in Charlotte, N.C., and will be directed by Erik Griffin. Irony Point will produce, along with Rife and his manager Christina Shams as executive producers.

 

Rife’s “Natural Selection,” brought in more than 10 million views in the first few weeks of its release along with reaching the Global Top 10 in 42 countries. Prior to his Netflix hit, Rife released three YouTube specials, which he self-produced and distributed, that now sit at 43 million views.

 

The comedian is also a social media star after his career grew by going viral times on TikTok and having a combined 33 million followers and 2 billion views across all platforms. Last year, Rife broke Ticketmaster due to high demand for ticket sales to “The ProbleMATTic World Tour.” The tour included four sold-out shows at Dolby Theater, six nights at Radio City Music Hall and five sold-out shows at Mohegan Sun Area. While his “ProbleMATTic World Tour” is still going strong, there are more stops to come in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.

 

Rife returns to Los Angeles to headline The Hollywood Bowl on May 8 for the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, which will be his first-ever appearance.

 

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— Variety

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Takeoff’s mother fights for her son in lawsuit against Houston bowling alley

The owners of 810 Billiards & Bowling continue to fight the wrongful death lawsuit for Takeoff’s fatal shooting, blaming attendees, including the rapper.

 

Source: Variety/Getty

Nearly a year ago, Takeoff’s mother Titania Davenport filed the million dollar lawsuit. The case comes after her son was murdered outside of the bowling alley in November 2022. According to the Los Angeles Times, Davenport alleges that the Houston bowling alley was informed of the Migo’s arrival and that the venue should seek more security measures.

 

The lawsuit against the bowling alley was filed in June 2023, but no settlements have been reached. 810 Billiards & Bowling has requested that the lawsuit be dismissed. They denied any wrongdoing in Takeoff’s, real name Kirshnik Ball, death.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by QuavoHuncho (@quavohuncho)

 

According to RadarOnline, the venue places all the blame on Patrick Clark, who was charged with the murder in December 2022. Possession of illegal firearms was also cited as part of the responsibility.

 

Blame was also placed on Takeoff, Quavo, and others who participated in gambling activities outside of the bowling alley.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OFFSET (@offsetyrn)

 

Davenport is adamant that Takeoff was an innocent bystander and that 810 Billiards & Bowling should take responsibility. In the lawsuit, she stated that the venue was aware that large crowds would attend due to the presence of celebrities. She believes that they disregarded the possibility of improving the security measures.

 

The grieving mother also claims that a group of patrons attempted to intimidate Takeoff. This resulted in verbal and physical altercations. This then led to gunshots that would claim Takeoff’s life. Davenport is requesting more than $1 million dollars to cover emotional damage, funeral expenses, and Takeoff’s personal injuries.

 

Takeoff’s father joins mother in lawsuit against bowling alley

Kenneth Ball, Takeoff’s father, and Davenport have been in a legal battle over Takeoff’s estate, as the rapper did not leave a will. RapUp reports that Takeoff left behind at least $26 million. Still, Ball has been named an Intervenor in Davenport’s lawsuit against the bowling alley. AllHipHop reported that Ball is also seeking $1 million dollars in damages as Ball has suffered greatly due to his son’s death.

Source: Penske Media/Getty

 

Additionally, Quavo’s assistant, Joshua Washington, filed a lawsuit against 810 Billiards & Bowling in August 2023. Washington was injured in the same shooting that abruptly ended Takeoff’s life. According to RapUp, Washington was shot in his right side, and in the rush to flee, he had to find his own way to the hospital. He also claims that security was inadequate and personnel was not properly trained.

 

Patrick Clark remains on house arrest

After Takeoff’s untimely death on Nov. 1, 2022, law enforcement began investigating the crime. The Los Angeles Times reported that detectives utilized video, audio, and physical evidence that marked Patrick Clark as the perpetrator.

 

On Dec. 1, 2022, Clark was apprehended and charged with Takeoff’s murder. He was held on a $1 million bond, which he posted. As a condition of his bail, Clark must remain on house arrest until his next court date in August 2024. The case is predicted to go to trial.

 

Over a year later, Takeoff’s presence continues to be missed. As one-third of the Migos, he will always be remembered and cemented as a legend.

 

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— Bossip

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HAF: Josh Kim sings Korean American ballad in ‘Camellia Girl’ project

Korean American writer and director Josh Kim journeys to the Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum with “Camellia Girl,” which is in development.

 

His track record notably includes Thailand’s 2015 Oscar entry “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time),” the HBO Asia horror-drama series “Forbidden” and a body of shorts for Apple, Google, NPR and the Wall Street Journal.

 

The story is about two Korean American sisters who return home for their father’s funeral in rural Texas. The older sister leads a successful and stable life. The younger one, however, was addicted to drugs, dropped out of college and has built up debt trying to realize a dream of becoming a singer. When the two sisters arrive home, they learn that their father has left a rare antique fan worth more than a half a million dollars “to the child who finds it first.” This starts a scramble that will forever change the lives of the sisters.

 

“’Camellia Girl’ is a project I started writing after my father passed away. My mom has Alzheimer’s and he was taking care of her. So, after my father passed, I have been spending a lot more time at home in Texas with my mother,” Kim said.

 

“The title comes from a song the main character sings in the movie. It’s her father’s favorite song. It also happened to be my father’s favorite tune. It’s an old Korean trot song [a Korean music genre] that evokes a sense of yearning and loss. If you ask people in Korea what this loss is, everyone has a different answer. Some say it’s a lover who found a new life. For others, it’s a longing for a time when everything still seemed possible. This is the inspiration of ‘Camellia Girl,’ a story about sibling bonds, second chances and caretaking for the ones we love.”

 

Kim is looking to complete a $2.3 million budget at HAF and attach co-producers and a sales agent. The film is produced by Douglas Seok through Sea Oak Studios. Seok is a producer and cinematographer who was previously involved in the breakout Cambodian indie film “White Building” and a trio of films by Lee Isaac Chung, including Chung’s Oscar-winning “Minari.” He is also working on Chung’s upcoming “Twisters,” for Universal Studios.

 

“It’s been almost 10 years since I made ‘How to Win at Checkers.’ I went to China after that to work on ‘Folding Beijing,’ but with censorship restrictions and the country closing down with COVID, it became a project I realized was untenable for me to stay on and direct. So, we let [studio] Wanda look for a new director for the Chinese-language version. Films are hard to make. If realized, ‘Camellia Girl’ would be my second movie,” says Kim.

 

 

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— Variety

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Mercer County Clerk to hold another passport event in West Windsor

The Mercer County Clerk’s Office is very excited to co-host yet another passport outreach event in West Windsor Township with Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. The event will be held on Wednesday, March 27 from 1 p.m. to  6 p.m.

 

Please join us if you need a passport or passport renewal.

 

Note that appointments are on a first come first serve basis and will fill up fast!

 

For more information visit the Mercer County Clerk’s website Passports | Mercer County, NJ

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2 Programs in Mercer County to host bike drive to benefit Boys & Girls Club Bike Exchange

The Mercer County Planning Department and the Mercer County Park Commission are hosting a bike drive for the benefit of the Boys & Girls Club Bike Exchange on Saturday, April 13 from noon to 4 p.m.

This non-profit run by 50 volunteers collects, conditions, and sells used, quality bikes to people in the Trenton area. Do you have a bike that you no longer use? Maybe you have one your child has outgrown? Consider donating it for this cause.

Since 2009 the Bike Exchange has repaired, reconditioned, and sold over 27,000 donated bikes, raising more than $1,600,000 for Boys & Girls Club after-school programs which serve over 700 children daily. Over the past several years the Bike Exchange has given away approximately 300 bikes annually to youth in Trenton and urban areas throughout New Jersey.

The Bike Exchange also trains interested students in bike repair through their internship program.

Your bike donation will help support these efforts. Please drop off your bike at either the West Windsor or Pennington location and know that your tax-deductible donation will benefit our community.

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Email: GM told Cruise employees that a 3rd party estimates internal share price of its self-driving unit at $11.80, down from $24.27 just one quarter ago

Greg Bensinger / Reuters:

 

 

—  General Motors’ (GM.N) Cruise saw its internal share price cut by more than half from a quarter ago as the fallout from an October accident continues to weigh on the self-driving car company.

Cruise employees were told the share price had been estimated by a third party at $11.80, according to an email viewed by Reuters. That’s down from a prior estimate of $24.27 just one quarter ago.
“We cannot ignore that this estimate is significantly lower than we’ve seen before and that there are real life impacts for each of us,” wrote Craig Glidden, chief administrative officer for Cruise, in the email.

 

Cruise has been working to recover from an October accident in which a woman was dragged by one of its vehicles after being struck by a human driven car. The company’s permit to operate in California was suspended and Cruise has stopped all testing on public roads in the United States.
Glidden said Cruise has a “longer pathway towards scaled commercialization.” The company last year had plans to roll out self-driving taxis in nearly a dozen U.S. cities but has since cut a quarter of jobs and seen its CEO, co-founder and others leave.

 

It has been a difficult few months for the once-promising Cruise. GM last month said it slashed about $1 billion from Cruise’s annual budget and the firm released a withering safety analysis of the October crash in which evidence was shown that executives withheld important data from regulators, the press and the public.
It is being probed by a variety of government agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

 

Cruise is targeting a limited return to city streets with human drivers later this year, likely in Houston or Dallas, according to people familiar with the matter.
However, Cruise executives told some engineering and operations staff in internal meetings in recent weeks that they should not expect to see its robotaxis on city streets again until the fourth quarter, Reuters reported last month. The sources declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on Cruise’s behalf. Cruise has denied this characterization.

 

 

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— Techmeme