Random Thoughts

UltimateMarvel wrote:I read that Gamestop (GME) shares are through the roof. Specifically redditors on r/wallstreetbets are behind the surge. Some are making enough money to pay off their student loans. WTF is going on and how can I get in this action???

joey con carne wrote:The same thing happened with Hertz over the summer. It was bankrupt and the stock went from a dollar to about six or seven, I think.

People on robinhood were just pouring money into it. Makes no sense.

Created by Fringe EP J.H. Wyman, the sci-fi series revolves around wreckage from a destroyed alien spacecraft that is scattered across the Western Hemisphere. As it becomes apparent the pieces are messing with the laws of physics and changing lives in ways we can’t comprehend, two agents from different continents (and of different mindsets) are tasked to work together to recover the debris, “whose mysteries humankind is not quite ready for.”

WyldeMan wrote:GME is through the fucking roof right now, on January 12th the stock was $19.98 and today it closed at 147.98 but at one point it also dropped in half and then spiked back up after Elon Musk tweeted about it.

The WallStreetBets community has over 2 million members and some of them are manipulating the market by creating artificial demand for something that isn't there and are attempting to do the same with the Blackberry stock (BB). Last I read GameStop was still set to close 1,000 brick and mortar stores in a few months.

I never invest without thorough and meticulous research and I never chase the trends, these stocks have nothing but bullshit driving them and it can't last.

I would wager that these stocks will see huge down swings in the short term and maybe you could make money on the SHORT side assuming they don't keep manipulating the markets but I would never recommend chasing a bounce or gambling on a drop without substantial research.

It'd be like telling you to throw your life savings on a glass house built on a fault line.

I also can't imagine that the WallStreetBets community members who did partake in this manipulation won't be opening themselves up to a Federal investigation.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Damn! I was ready to go in. I spent 45 mins to an hour on WallStreetBets reading on this and those guys are sure convincing. But it's true, the reality is Gamestop is not in great shape as a business.

Maybe I should get in on AMC, they got some money to last them through most of 2021 and are not going to file bankruptcy. Are you guys in on AMC already?

WyldeMan wrote:They were convincing you to get in on the gold rush but you'd likely bust out and lose everything. Sure the reddit users are spouting lots of bullish talk on Gamestop, Blackberry, Bed Bath and Beyond and AMC but those stocks are pigs and those fuckers will get slaughtered when their false momentum can't maintain, there is nothing driving these stocks but bullshit and wishful thinking.

I wouldn't touch AMC or any other movie theater stock. AMC's CEO is claiming that because they got some cash their dark period is over but really all it's going to take is anoter big wave of shut downs to reverse whatever momentum AMC believes they have.

Investing in companies you like or shop at can be a risky move because people tend to attach sentimental value over actual value. The vast majority of my investing history has been in companies I had no invested interest in other than my money, so I have nothing tying me to them other than the research and their valuations proving their worth to me.

I just cannot recommend chasing a stock, after it's started to rise you're already too late. In my experience you want to get in before the movement and ride the wave, not try and catch it after the fact.

I prefer to buy on a pullback and hold long because it's worked for me but if you're interested in high risk like the WallStreetBets guys then you need to look into day trading. But if you do I'd recommend just grabbing all of your cash and lighting it on fire like a stack of Slipcovers cause it's likely going to be the same outcome.

WyldeMan wrote:Woah I just read that Disturbing Behavior and Carnivale actor Nick Stahl has joined the upcoming season of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead.

I hadn't heard anything about Stahl since he disappeared into his meth addiction nearly a decade ago on Skid Row.

I was sure that he was dead...

WyldeMan wrote:Cloris Leachman has died of natural causes at 94 years old. She lived a long life, left behind a hell of a career and died peacefully. Not bad.

RIP Maw maw.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Damn! The timing! Last week's episode of American Gods showed her character's funeral.

94 is a long life. RIP

UltimateMarvel wrote:r/WallStreetBets is now set to private. SEC might be running an investigation, thought I don't think that's been happening is illegal. Still, GME is going down at the moment and I think it might be game over.

WyldeMan wrote:Still feeling confident on your alleged $1k return?

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:Still feeling confident on your alleged $1k return?

ABSOLUTELY! I just put my life's savings and 401K into it!

Tyger wrote:So I tested positive for COVID tonight. I’ve been feeling kinda sick since Saturday and was actually feeling better today, but I had to get the test as a precaution and was not expecting that.

Tyger wrote:So I tested positive for COVID tonight. I’ve been feeling kinda sick since Saturday and was actually feeling better today, but I had to get the test as a precaution and was not expecting that.

Tyger wrote:So I tested positive for COVID tonight. I’ve been feeling kinda sick since Saturday and was actually feeling better today, but I had to get the test as a precaution and was not expecting that.

joey con carne wrote:Oh dang. Hope you get well soon, bud.

Tw of my friends got it. Such varying symptoms.

One lost her sense of taste and smell for a bit, felt crappy for a week, and toward the end just had this annoying headache that lingered for about three days.

My other friend did not lose his sense of smell or taste but had all other symptoms. He said he was fine until he stood up and then he would get really dizzy. He used this time wisely to sit and play plenty of video games and watch TV. He was better in about two weeks.

Tyger wrote:No idea how I got it, I pretty much just go to work and back and occasionally the grocery store, mask in stores, masked everywhere but my desk. Big hand washer.

I had a weird episode on Saturday at work where out of nowhere I felt dizzy and lightheaded like I was about to pass out or throw up, then I felt all hot and sweaty but all that passed after like 10 or 15 minutes. My head would occasionally feel really heavy and I had a headache the rest of the day, but then I felt fine on Sunday. Monday I had a tickle in my throat, but nothing too concerning.  Tuesday I woke up with a sore throat, some congestion and a Chinese and fatigue so I called out of work. I just thought it was a cold so I took medicine that night and the next morning and went to work Wednesday. I felt fucked up from the medicine, but otherwise not too bad. Scheduled a virtual dr appointment yesterday morning before work and tested after work. It was a rapid test and I got the results fast. I do feel worse today, but not terrible.

GameStop's wild stock market ride is all the rage in the investment world, but to employees at the brick-and-mortar stores ... it's had little impact on their workday, unless they happen to work in Cleveland.

TMZ reached out to GameStop locations in 20 major U.S. cities to see if they've seen an increase in customers due to the frenzy caused by the WallStreetBets group on Reddit.

Sixteen stores -- including those in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Nashville, Portland, Phoenix, Seattle, San Fran and San Diego -- said it was status quo as far as customers.

One thing hedge fund managers, and even WallStreetBets founder Jaime Rogozinski, agree on is GameStop's future isn't bright. Hell, 3 stores -- in Miami, Philly and NYC -- told us biz has been slower than usual. Miami had a whopping 8 customers Thursday.

However, Cleveland is the exception, where they say sales are up 100% compared to last week. We're told several customers at that branch credited the stock surge story for inspiring them to visit and support GameStop ... so it doesn't go under.

On the flip side ... the manager of a Minneapolis location tells us he got an angry call from someone upset they couldn't trade GameStop shares on Robinhood.

As we've reported ... the stock-buying frenzy of GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry and a handful of other companies resulted in Robinhood shutting down trading for them, which pissed off retail investors who believe the move only benefits hedge funds.

Robinhood's decision has already led to it getting sued, and has fueled the debate of what is acceptable, responsible and fair in the Wall Street world ... and even the 'Wolf' has weighed in on it.

Jordan Belfort's all for the little guys getting rich, and taking on Wall Street's establishment -- but he warns they're going about it the wrong way, and might get burned.

Let's face it, the "Wolf of Wall Street" understands what the subreddit, WallStreetBets, is doing more than just about anyone, but Thursday on "TMZ Live" he told us they should be investing their money into winning companies ... not failing ones like GameStop, BlackBerry or AMC.

If you've seen the movie, you know Jordan infamously battled stock-shorting hedge fund managers ... and made a fortune doing it. He says the Reddit guys are basically doing what he did, but with the benefit of the Internet.

But, here's the irony ... the Wolf says he gets why Robinhood and other online platforms are stopping normies from trading the junk stocks -- it comes down to liability. When the little guys start losing their shirts, or homes, Jordan says they'll start suing ... and Robinhood's trying to dodge that.

He also thinks the WallStreetBets investors are walking a fine line, legally speaking. Now, don't get it twisted, Jordan says he wants to see the little guys strike it rich -- but says there's a better way to do it ... with much less risk.

joey con carne wrote:That's a good video. Brings back memories of their films.

I wonder what is up with Mike Myers these days. It doesn't look like he's done very much besides Shrek. Probably still rich as hell so I'm sure he doesn't give a shit about anything.

EXCLUSIVE: As Wall Street developments unfold in real time in the David V Goliath battle between hedge funds and social media-fueled day traders that sent shares of GameStop soaring 135% on a single day, a bull market is developing for projects chronicling this unprecedented episode and its greater implications.

Deadline hears Netflix is in talks to make an untitled film that Mark Boal is in negotiations to write. He’s the Oscar winning screenwriter of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. Noah Centineo will be attached to play a major role — Centineo starred in the Netflix film To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, completed the Jackie Chan-directed The Diary and will play Atom Smasher opposite Dwayne Johnson in the Jaume Collet-Serra-directed Black Adam. Scott Galloway, the activist/journalist and NYU prof and an expert on tech issues who teams on the the popular Pivot podcast, is in talks to consult on the script.

Makeready founder/CEO Brad Weston will produce the film with Definition Entertainment’s Nick Styne, with Mark Sourian aboard as executive producer.

This follows close on the heels of last night’s Deadline scoop that MGM acquired in bidding a book proposal by Ben Mezrich about the GameStop trading. His previous books include The Accidential Billionaires, which became a pillar of The Social Network.

Netflix declined comment on the Mark Boal project, but sources said the intention is to use the GameStop episode as a specific way to shine a light on the phenomenon of how social media has leveled the playing field and allowed the masses to challenge status quo gatekeepers, for good and bad. The examples range from the stock spike for GameStop, AMC and other formerly lagging stocks that are subject to the short-selling maneuvers of billion-dollar hedge funds, to the social media spread of unfounded election rigging charges conveyed by conservative social media sites and Trump Tweets that fired up right wing extremists to storm the Capitol while President Biden’s election was being certified, leading to the death of five people.

The ripples of the Reddit rebellion has struck at the core of some hedge funds in a way that is reminiscent of the greed-fueled subprime mortgage bundling that caused the 2008 financial collapse, captured in the Oscar-winning The Big Short, which New Regency co-financed while Weston ran that production company. That film will certainly be a model for the GameStop dissection, and sources said there are several potential rival projects mobilizing to tell the story.

The general rule when competitive projects emerge is that the first one in production is often the only one made. Netflix makes its pictures quickly and Boal seems ideal for such a real time exercise. He and director Kathryn Bigelow were working on a film about an unsuccessful hunt for Osama Bin Laden, but the moment President Barack Obama announced that the 9/11 mastermind had been killed by Navy SEALs, they quickly pivoted and constructed the manhunt story into the Best Picture nominee Zero Dark Thirty. The turnaround time on that pivot was remarkably fast.

The drama on the GameStop stock rise continues to play out in today’s stock trading. The phenomenon was led by Kevin Gill, who rallied Reddit users to rebel against hedge funds betting heavily against the brick and mortar vidgame retailer GameStop. Though it fluctuates daily, an investment of $53,000 in GameStop he made in 2019 turned into a position worth nearly $48 million, according to his Reddit posts. Gill has not yet sold his life rights. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a few knocks on his door from Hollywood, but this drama is playing out so publicly in real time that it is unclear how vital rights will be in telling this story onscreen.

Evan Rachel Wood Accuses Ex-Fiancee Marilyn Manson Of Grooming & Abuse

Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood has publicly accused Marilyn Manson of “horrifically abusing” her for years.

The actress named Manson, real name Brian Warner, in an Instagram post detailing the allegations. She has previously spoken about being the survivor of domestic violence but until this point had never called out her abuser. The pair were known to have had a relationship in 2007, when she was 19 and her was 38, and they were briefly engaged in 2010.

In response to Wood’s accusations, at least three other women have posted their own allegations against Manson on Instagram, one of whom has since deleted her post. Deadline has contacted Manson’s reps for comment; his team have denied similar accusations in the past.

In the post, which is in full below, Wood says Manson began grooming her as a teenager and that she was “brainwashed and manipulated into submission” by the singer. She says she wants to “expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him”.

Alongside his work as the singer of the band Marilyn Manson, he has acted in numerous films including David Lynch’s Lost Highway, and the TV series Sons Of Anarchy and Salem – he most recently appeared in American Gods. He was also reportedly an inspiration for Johnny Depp’s performance as Willy Wonka in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and is the godfather to the actor’s daughter Lily-Rose Depp.

Wood has been a prominent activist for domestic violence survivors, including penning the Phoenix Act domestic violence bill which was passed into law in California in 2019. She has said in the past she was raped on two occasions and detailed being a survivor of domestic violence, but had denied that Manson was her abuser.

Dustin Diamond, best known for playing Screech on NBC’s Saved by the Bell, has passed away following a battle with Stage 4 lung cancer. The actor was 44.

“We are saddened to confirm of Dustin Diamond’s passing on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, due to carcinoma,” Diamond’s talent agency of 21 years tells TVLine. “He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.

On Jan. 15, Diamond was first admitted to a Florida hospital to determine the type and severity of the cancer. At the time, his rep revealed that Diamond had received a stage four cancer diagnosis, all of which began with a lump in his throat.

Diamond was best known for portraying Samuel “Screech” Powers in five seasons of Saved by the Bell, plus its two movies and predecessor Good Morning, Miss Bliss. From 1993-1994, he reprised the character for the series’ one-and-done College Years season, and returned to the role once again for another six seasons in Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

In 2009, the actor wrote “Behind the Bell,” a tell-all book that stirred up controversy with backstage tales from his days on set.

Saved by the Bell was recently revived (and renewed) by Peacock, albeit, without Diamond. Bell 2.0 explained Screech’s absence by telling viewers he was living on the International Space Station with his robot Kevin.

The star told TMZ in February of 2020 that no one had reached out to him about a role in the follow-up. “Out of all the cast members, I was in… the most [episodes], and that’s not the case anymore if I’m not in the new one,” Diamond said. “And how do you have Saved by the Bell without Screech, right? … We should all be a part of this.”

In addition to his legacy on Bell, Diamond appeared on a number of reality shows including Celebrity Fit Club, Celebrity Boxing 2, Celebrity Championship Wrestling and the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother. In 2018, he appeared as Screech one final time in the web-series Zack Morris Is Trash.

joey con carne wrote:oops. I didn't see Wylde's post about Dustin Diamond and I posted it in the In Memorium thread. An hour late to the party, it seems.

Apologies all around for this oversight.

UltimateMarvel wrote:A 38 year old with a 19 year old, huge red flag. I support Even Rachel Wood. Marilyn Manson is weird....just look at him.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Oh man, when did Freddie Prinze Jr get old?

UltimateMarvel wrote:Damn, you shouldn't even do this to an adult much less a child. Cuffed, sprayed, and locked the door on her.