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THE shock departure of heart-throb dancer Giovanni Pernice left Strictly Come Dancing with a vacancy for a “smouldering womanising hunk” in urgent need of filling. But luckily, Beeb producers catering to women of a certain age did not have to travel to Italy to find a replacement — they just had a short drive down the A13 to Essex. Pete Wicks, the heavily-tattooed former bad boy of reality show The Only Way Is Essex, has been billed “the new Giovanni” by Strictly bosses — and it is not because of his dance moves. Indeed, Gio 2.0 Pete, who at 36 is just two years older than his counterpart, has become a huge hit with middle-aged female viewers. He is the new “bit of rough” they can gawp at on a Saturday night — and he has certainly been up for the task. From gyrating in tight pink PVC trousers to thrusting his schlong in a George Of The Jungle leopard-print outfit and choosing risqué songs, like Right Said Fred’s I’m Too Sexy, Pete has been hamming it up. A show insider said: “Strictly have turned Pete into the new Giovanni, there’s no doubt about that. It’s been quite deliberate. “Women are swooning over him and it’s keeping him in the competition, week after week. “It wouldn’t be wrong to say many viewers had no idea who Pete was before this series. They certainly do now. “With their matching brooding looks, tanned, rugged features , chiselled physiques and muscles on display, Pete has been a like-for-like swap for Gio. “He has even amassed an entirely new fanbase. Plus there are no dark tales of bad behaviour or bullying.” Strictly bosses, who consist of mostly women, have been clever in moulding Pete into Giovanni and they share many parallels — even when it comes to their romances. Pete currently has an on-off relationship with Irish Love Island beauty Maura Higgins, a contestant on the new series of I’m A Celebrity , who also happens to be Gio’s ex after the pair dated in 2021. He also had a relationship with former Towie co-star Jess Wright, who Giovanni dated in 2018. Plus, Pete is growing increasingly close to his current dance partner Jowita Przystal , 30, who was linked to Gio last year. Of course, when Giovanni stepped down earlier this year — amid the bullying investigation into his treatment of former dance partner and actress Amanda Abbington , 50 — the biggest outcries came from his army of middle-aged female fans. Amanda became the target of trolls and even received death threats. As with Giovanni in previous series, Pete’s outfits have certainly been the most eye-catching out of all the male stars’. Namely, the barely-there leopard-print outfit for his samba routine in Movie Week, which made a lasting impression on judge Craig Revel Horwood, and last weekend’s Cha Cha costume, featuring the tightest (hot pink) PVC trousers the dance series has ever seen. He even appealed to acid-tongued Craig with a fake tattoo of the judge’s face on his body and proudly flashing his abs to the cameras. Those who know Pete well will appreciate he has stepped out of his comfort zone to embrace his risqué fashion choices, which has pleased show bosses. The insider added: “Pete made it clear he’s up for anything. He would never have dreamed of wearing outfits such as these previously “He knows he’s not the best dancer, but is well aware voters appreciate a trier. “Bosses have deliberately assigned Pete as this year’s hunk in Giovanni’s absence and want to dress him as sexy as possible. “He would never have dreamed of wearing outfits such as these previously, but Pete’s just got on with it — no questions asked. “Albeit he does joke he’s been made to look outrageous at times, but that’s just part of his ‘moody’ character. “He knows what he’s doing.” Pete’s signing to Strictly came as a surprise to those in the industry. He has only ever been associated with reality shows, which is usually a Strictly no-no, and has no real previous connection to the BBC. But his likeness to the controversial Italian and willingness to step out of his comfort zone secured his place on the show. And his progression to the latter stages of the competition should not come as a surprise to those who follow Pete outside of Strictly. His association with I’m A Celebrity 2023 winner Sam Thompson, who he met on E4 show Celebs Go Dating, has been a career booster of epic proportions. The best friends’ Staying Relevant podcast is so popular that they sold out a UK tour, and their TikTok videos bag millions of viewers. And it is their vocal young fanbase, who voted in their droves to secure Sam’s jungle win, coupled with Pete’s newfound love from middle-aged Strictly fans, which has kept him away from the dreaded dance-off. Pete’s chemistry with his dance partner Jowita is also a contributing factor to their success. The pair have sparked romance rumours, with one source saying: “Pete loves Jowita, he has the utmost respect for her.” Whether it is enough to secure him a spot in the final remains to be seen, but he has certainly made his mark on the hearts of millions. BLIND comedian Chris McCausland has revealed he calls pro partner Dianne Buswell “Nicole Kidman”. The 47-year-old said that he and Australian dancer Dianne, 35, are always swamped by fans when they are seen in public, leading him to compare the experience to socialising with another famous Aussie red-head – Hollywood actress Nicole, 57. Speaking on the Graham Norton Show about popping out with Dianne for lunch, he said: “It has got to the point that, for two months, I have been saying, ‘Come on Nicole, let’s go get some spaghetti bolognese’.” MONTELL Douglas has joked that pro partner Johannes Radebe’s bum is too big for PVC trousers like the ones worn by Pete Wicks. The 38-year-old, aka Fire on BBC’s Gladiators, said she would love to see him in skin-tight bottoms like the pink ones fans believe helped save Pete on last week’s show. It came after Montell and Johannes, 37, inset, ended up in the dance-off while Pete and Jowita Przystal sailed through as fans swooned over his revealing strides. Asked if she and Johannes need a pair of pink pants to win extra votes, Montell said: “They’re not going to fit Johannes’s behind. But we all want to see it though, right? “We would pay to see that! I would, I would just stand there and watch.” Meanwhile, the former Team GB athlete said she has dropped two dress sizes training for up to ten hours a day. She added: “I’m shredded and I’m 38 years old. I haven’t looked like this since I was 20, before my first Olympic Games. “I’ve dropped two dress sizes. I’ve lost a stone – it’s wild. It’s changed my whole physique. “Even the Gladiators have mentioned it and said, ‘Oh, my gosh, you look insane’. “Legend was like, ‘Mate, you look shredded’. It’s a different body type. But it’s been nice because I still feel really strong. “Usually, if you would lose that muscle tone and mass as a Gladiator, you would feel it. But I still feel like I could take someone on right now. “I will be going back to the gym after Strictly.”Ange Postecoglou says he understands the frustration of Tottenham 's travelling supporters following an altercation with fans following the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Thursday. The Spurs head coach approached the away end after the final whistle and appeared to exchange angry words with supporters in the front rows. "They’re disappointed and rightly so and they gave me some direct feedback, which is taken on board," Postecoglou said. Asked about the direct feedback, he said: “Probably not for here. "I didn’t like what was being said because I’m a human being but you’ve got to cop it. "I’ve been around long enough to know when things don’t go well you’ve got to understand the frustration and disappointment. And they’re rightly disappointed because we let a game of football get away from us. But that’s OK. I’m OK with all that. “All I can say is I’m really disappointed and I’m determined to get it right and will keep fighting until we do.” Dean Huijsen, 19, headed home the game's only goal from a corner on 17 minutes, ghosting in unmarked at the back post after Destiny Udogie misjudged the flight of the ball. Bournemouth were much the better side for the rest of the match, with Spurs' stand-in goalkeeper Fraser Forster making a string of saves and the Cherries missing several chances. Postecoglou felt his depleted side "shot themselves in the foot" after a bright start and says they must "get a real grip" on their season ahead of Sunday's crunch visit of rivals Chelsea. "It is not good enough," Postecoglou said. "We again fell into the trap of starting the game really well, we were in control and then we conceded a really poor goal. "Then we kind of lost our way a little bit and allowed Bournemouth to play the game that they wanted to. We had our moments in the second half but we could not get a goal. "I don't know if they had more urgency but we have this sort of propensity to shoot ourselves in the foot when we should be controlling games. "They are hard to beat here and what you should not do is give them a goal that gives them the momentum they need. "We started to play with a bit more conviction at the beginning of the second half and made some good chances. Again we made things difficult for ourselves by allowing the opposition to take the game in the direction that they want. "They are all big games coming up. We have to get ourselves out of the space we are in at the minute where we can't get a real grip on the season."As Elon Musk says, 'Will go to war on H-1B visa'; he gets support from the 'most-important' man in America
MENLO PARK, Calif. , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) board of directors today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 per share of the company's outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common stock, payable on December 27, 2024 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 16, 2024 . Contacts Investors: Kenneth Dorell investor@meta.com / investor.fb.com Press: Ryan Moore press@meta.com / about.fb.com/news/ View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meta-announces-quarterly-cash-dividend-302324358.html SOURCE Meta
Chiefs keep winning despite an O-line problem that has wreaked havoc with their offense
luchezar Analog Devices ( NASDAQ: ADI ) is a leading semiconductor company offering high-performance analog, mixed-signal, and digital signal processing technologies. I believe Analog Devices’s business has already passed the bottom of end-market cycles, and automotive and industrial markets are anticipated to recover in FY25. I Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump plans to assemble investigative teams at the Department of Justice to search for evidence in battleground states that fraud tainted the 2020 election, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing sources. Trump, who won the 2024 election but lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, has falsely claimed that he lost the 2020 election due to extensive voter fraud, a view shared by millions of his supporters. President-elect Donald Trump isn’t letting his grievance about the 2020 election go now he’s returning to office. Credit: AP Trump was indicted last year on federal charges for his attempts to overturn the election. The charges stemmed from an investigation by Special Counsel Jack Smith. The Washington Post , citing two people close to Trump’s transition team, reported that Trump plans to fire the entire team that worked with Smith. Asked about Trump’s plans to fire prosecutors on Smith’s team, a Trump spokeswoman said: “President Trump campaigned on firing rogue bureaucrats who have engaged in the illegal weaponisation of our American justice system, and the American people can expect he will deliver on that promise,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Trump’s unwillingness to believe his loss in 2020 prompted him to encourage rioters to storm the US Capitol. Credit: Getty Images “One of the many reasons that President Trump won the election in a landslide is Americans are sick and tired of seeing their tax dollars spent on targeting the Biden-Harris administration’s political enemies rather than going after real violent criminals in our streets.” In a separate legal case, a judge confirmed on Friday that Trump won’t be sentenced this month in his hush money case, instead setting a schedule for prosecutors and his lawyers to expand on their ideas about what to do next. Amid a flurry of filings in the case since Trump’s election win this month, it had already become clear that the November 26 sentencing date wouldn’t hold. Judge Juan Merchan’s order on Friday formalised that without setting a new one. He called for more filing from both sides over the next 21⁄2 weeks about how to proceed in light of Trump’s impending return to the White House. The team that worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith is likely to be fired, the report says. Credit: AP Trump’s lawyers want the case to be dismissed outright, and immediately. As the start of Trump’s second term nears, he is expected to pick prominent investor Scott Bessent to be US Treasury secretary, sources told Reuters on Friday, putting him at the helm of a cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs. One source briefed by the Trump transition team and a donor briefed on the plans told Reuters of Trump’s intention to pick Bessent. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Investor Scott Bessent is likely to be Trump’s Treasury secretary pick. Credit: Bloomberg Wall Street has been closely watching who Trump will pick, especially given his plans to remake global trade through tariffs. Bessent has advocated for tax reform and deregulation, particularly to spur more bank lending and energy production, as noted in a recent opinion piece he wrote for The Wall Street Journal . Reuters, AP Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here .