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Kate Upton used a vulgar tweet to rip Major League Baseball over the Cy Young Award voting

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Justin Verlander and Kate Upton

Despite Justin Verlander receiving the most first-place votes in the 2016 American League Cy Young voting, he did not win the award. This did not sit well with his fiancée, Kate Upton. 

Not well at all.

After the award was announced, with Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox winning, Upton issued a vulgar tweet directed at Major League Baseball (you can see the uncensored version of the tweet here). 

2016 11 16_19 07 13

Her biggest beef appears to be that even though Verlander was named first on 14 of the 30 ballots, he was not even named on two of the ballots, meaning two voters did not think Verlander was among the top five pitchers in the AL this year.

Verlander finished second in the voting. Rick Porcello received eight first-place votes. 

2016 11 16_19 19 25

Upton wasn't done. She went on to demand that MLB fire those who did not vote for Verlander. 

Of course, the voters for the Cy Young Award do not work for MLB. They are independent writers, two from each market in the AL, who are also members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).

Interestingly, the two writers who did not vote for Verlander were both from the Tampa Bay market and both voted for Porcello to win.

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NOW WATCH: Here's the diet and workout routine LeBron James uses to stay in insane shape


Nearly 10 million Americans are victims of revenge porn, study finds

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Jennifer Lawrence

Just over two years ago, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton and many other actresses found their private images had been stolen and posted on the Internet for all to see.

While that stood as a high-profile case, men and women alike are victims of revenge porn much more often than you might think.

About one in 25 Americans are either threatened with or victims of nonconsensual image sharing, or "revenge porn" as it's more commonly known. That equates to roughly 10 million Americans, according to a study published by the Data & Society Research Institute.  

These numbers were found as part of a larger study, which showed that 47% of Americans were victims of online harassment

"When we started the study, we wondered whether we would have anybody who said yes to that question," Amanda Lenhart, research lead for the study, told Business Insider in an interview. "We figured it would be a relatively low incident thing, but it turns out that it actually really happens."

The numbers also show that women under 30, minorities, and members of the LGBTQ community are much more likely to be threatened with revenge porn than men. That said, when it comes to having their pictures actually posted online, the numbers are much more equal across the board.

"There's been some suggestion that in fact men are victims and we just don't talk about them," Lenhart said. "That's one of the things that we think is important in this report, it's not just women that have these images posted it's men as well."

It's also important to understand that each case is different. Sometimes pictures are posted by a scorned lover while other times, like in the case of celebrities, the victims' accounts were hacked into and they do not even know their perpetrator. Whatever the reason, this statistic stands as a continued reminder to be careful what you post and share online. You never know who has access to it. 

You can learn more about the study here.

SEE ALSO: How an award-winning documentary was allegedly blacklisted by Netflix

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NOW WATCH: Why Korean parents are paying for their kids to get plastic surgery

16 actresses who are probably way stronger than you

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Gal Gadot

Celebrity diets and workouts always seem like huge secrets, until their trainers reveal some of their tricks.

A trend that has been picking up speed inside and outside of Hollywood is weight training.

Everyone from "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot to Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton has started taking strength training seriously. Lifting heavy is no longer stigmatized as "just for the boys."

Here are 16 actresses and celebrities who have embraced the weight room — and love it.  

Hilary Duff calls herself a "strong little gal."

Hilary Duff recently posted a viral photo of herself in a swimsuit. The actress loves her body for getting her where she needs to go and for giving her a son. 

One of the other things she has her body do is weight lift. The actress told Cosmopolitan that she does a lot of strength training. "A lot of jumping, medicine balls, dead lifts, hip thrusts. I'm a pretty strong little gal," she said.

Although she is no longer with her personal trainer boyfriend, Jason Walsh, who trains other celebrities like Allison Brie and Emma Stone, Duff still makes exercise a priority



Megan Fox focuses on back exercises post-babies.

Within the span of two years Megan Fox had two babies. To strengthen her body post-babies, Fox enlisted the help of celeb trainer Harley Pasternak who focused on strengthening her back. 

"[We're] really focusing on the muscles behind her body and to draw her posture back," Pasternack told Us Weekly in an interview about Fox's workouts.

"She was basically just pregnant for the better part of two years in between carrying babies," Pasternak went on. "So we got strength in her upper back with back rows, dumbbell rows, and the lower back with the Superman [stretch] for lower back." 

 

 



Khloe Kardashian does heavy squats.

Khloe Kardashian isn't afraid to lift some heavy weights. Her personal trainer, Gunnar Peterson, often has her doing squats, lat pull downs, and kettlebell swings.

He told Hollywood Life that tiny weights won't cut it. "2 pound weights won't do anything. Your purse weighs more than that, your toddler weighs more than that, your carry-on weighs more than that," he said. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See the show-stopping wedding dress model Kate Upton wore to walk down the aisle

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kate upton

  • Kate Upton and Justin Verlander recently tied the knot in Italy.
  • The model wore a stunning Valentino wedding gown.
  • The gown featured a sheer lace upper bodice and sleeves, a tulle skirt, and a traditional flowing train. 

It’s been a good month for model Kate Upton and Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander! Just days after celebrating a World Series win for Verlander’s baseball team, the couple is married, according to multiple outlets, including People, US Weekly, and Yahoo Sports.

Skipping the Astros parade to say their "I Dos," the couple were wed in a romantic Tuscan ceremony at the Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco resort.

We got a glimpse of the bride’s heartstoppingly gorgeous Valentino gown thanks to TMZ, and it was every bit as breathtaking as we might have expected, with a sheer lace upper bodice and sleeves, a flowing tulle skirt, and a traditional flowing train.

According to US Weekly, she also received a stunning addition to her gargantuan Anita Ko engagement ring in the form of a wedding band, which was also designed by the jeweler.

The 25-year-old dished deets on the ceremony prior to her nuptials to Martha Stewart Weddings, telling the outlet that despite now-hubby Verlander’s "terrible allergies," her heart was set on "lots of flowers. And I know I want the petals already down by the time my niece, who will be my flower girl, walks down the aisle."

Congratulations to the happy couple!

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NOW WATCH: A fashion designer created a transforming bridesmaid dress that fits every body type

Inside a supermodel's gorgeous wedding in Italy that she almost missed because of her athlete fiancé

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kate upton wedding

  • Kate Upton and Justin Verlander have revealed photos of their gorgeous wedding.
  • The two tied the knot in Tuscany, Italy, in November.
  • They almost didn't make it to the wedding as the last game of the World Series kept Verlander in Los Angeles for longer than expected.
  • Their friends and family stayed with them at the Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco resort for the celebration.
  • Before the wedding, the couple had an afternoon of family games planned before a red-themed rehearsal dinner.
  • The actual ceremony took place above the resort's beautiful "secret garden."
  • After a night of fireworks and karaoke, the two took off for their honeymoon in Puglia.

Though everybody is currently buzzing about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's future wedding, Kate Upton and Justin Verlander recently had a ceremony fit for royalty.

The two tied the knot on November 4 in Italy and newly released photos from Vogue show how stunning the celebration was. 

Though the photos seem right out of a fairy-tale, things almost didn't go as planned for the couple. Verlander , a pitcher for the Houston Astros, had to be in Los Angeles only two days prior to play the last game in the World Series, and Upton was right there by his side while their friends and family were already at the venue in Italy.

"We had an event that night and everyone’s texting us, saying your wedding is so pretty. Wish you were here," Upton said during an appearance on "The Tonight Show."

Fortunately, the pair were still able to be there in spirit.

"We got taken around our wedding via FaceTime!" Verlander joked.

Kate and Justin at their wedding rehearsal dinner. #kateupton #justinverlander #houstonastros #detroittigers

A post shared by @kateuptonjustinverlander on Dec 11, 2017 at 11:16am PST on

The couple thankfully made it just in time for an afternoon of family games and a red-themed rehearsal dinner at the Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco resort in Tuscany, Italy, the day before the ceremony. Their family and friends stayed on the property with them in an effort to create a vacation feeling to the wedding.

Upton said she fell in love with the resort for its breathtaking views, especially from the beautiful "secret garden" where the actual wedding ceremony took place.

She wore a gown designed by Valentino with intricate lace detailing, while Verlander wore a suit by Cicchini Custom Clothier as they said "I do" against the backdrop of a gorgeous Tuscan landscape.

The ceremony was followed by a reception complete with toasts and a first dance to Michael Bublé's "Everything." Upton changed into a more glamorous gown for the reception, with a bold, sheer design by Christy Rilling Studio.

A post shared by @kateuptonjustinverlander on

Upton then surprised Verlander with a fireworks display while the two cut the cake and kept the celebration going through the night with a bit of karaoke before heading off for their honeymoon in Puglia.

Justin and I are so excited to finally share our wedding details! Check them out on vogue.com ! Link in bio (📸 @ktmerry )

A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Dec 11, 2017 at 10:19am PST on

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NOW WATCH: A Russian oligarch threw his son a $1 billion wedding

Kate Upton accuses Guess founder of 'sexually and emotionally' harassing women

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kate upton

  • Kate Upton recently took to social media to accuse Paul Marciano, a co-founder of Guess, of sexual and emotional harassment.
  • In the midst of these allegations, Guess announced Jennifer Lopez as the face of the company's latest campaign.


Kate Upton is amongst an exclusive set of blonde models who had their careers made by a Guess campaign. But now, she's taken to social media to speak out against Paul Marciano, a co-founder of the company.

Upton doesn't specify an incident, but says Marciano "shouldn't be allowed to use his power in the industry to sexually and emotionally harass women." It's unclear if Upton was among the allegedly harassed women; others responded to Upton's Twitter post noting they, too, had heard of or witnessed misconduct from Marciano.

He shouldn’t be allowed to use his power in the industry to sexually and emotionally harass women #metoo

A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Jan 31, 2018 at 2:15pm PST on

The allegations came as Guess celebrated its newest face, Jennifer Lopez. 

We have reached out to Guess for comment and will update with their response.

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NOW WATCH: Why most scientists don't care about these incredible UFO videos

26 photos that show how models have changed over the years

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Just as fashion has undergone drastic changes throughout the years, the models who help bring the designs to life have evolved as well.

In the past, models were often a major factor in establishing society's standards of beauty. Now, as beauty standards become more inclusive, they're shaping the types of models we see making their way down the runway.

Here are 26 photos that show how models have evolved throughout the years.

Illustrator Charles Dana Gibson painted beautiful women in his "Gibson Girls" paintings from the 1900s.

Illustrator Charles Dana Gibson created the image of the "Gibson Girl" by observing various women in his daily life. One of the most famous models for the paintings was Camille Clifford, whose hourglass figure came to shape the ideal look for many American women.



The 1920s saw the rise of the Flapper, an image built on a more rebellious and free-spirited nature.

Flapper-style dresses — which often featured pleated skirts or fringe and feather detailing — and a sense of attitude came to dominate much of the imagery in the fashion industry.



Before traditional supermodels become popular, Hollywood stars were huge fashion icons from the 1930s through to the 1950s. Marilyn Monroe was especially influential in the '50s.

Monroe became a movie star in the 1950s after a series of small modeling gigs led to her big break.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Kate Upton was 'laughing in the face of death' as she got knocked over by a huge wave in the middle of a photo shoot

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kate upton sports illustrated

  • Kate Upton's Sports Illustrated photo shoot took a bit of a turn when the model was knocked over by a huge wave while posing topless on a rock.
  • An assistant rushed to help her move out of the way, but he was too late. 
  • Upton explained that her skirt was heavy when it got wet, dragging her down as the wave hit. 

Kate Upton, 25, had a scary brush with the ocean when intense waves forced her to fall into the water during a topless photo shoot with Sports Illustrated in Aruba and it certainly was a sight to see! In a video posted to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s Instagram on Feb. 13, Kate can be seen posing in nothing but nude bikini bottoms attached to a yellow gold tiered skirt while standing on a rock with the waves crashing behind her before an assistant quickly comes up to move her out of the way. Kate took his hands but the waves crept up before she could get off the rock and down into the ocean she went. Luckily some other people working on the shoot helped her back up but it sure was a close call! “Whoops! Things got a little rocky on @kateupton’s #SISwim 2018 shoot in Aruba! 👀 | @arubatourism@hiltonaruba #OneHappyIsland,” the lighthearted caption for the photo read. See the video of Kate's mishap below. 

Whoops! Things got a little rocky on @kateupton's #SISwim 2018 shoot in Aruba! 👀 | @arubatourism @hiltonaruba #OneHappyIsland

A post shared by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@si_swimsuit) on Feb 13, 2018 at 10:08am PST on

Kate took the time to explain what happened in the clip. “The next wave coming, it didn’t look that large from my point of view but it must have hit the rock just right and caught on,” she said. “This skirt whenever it’s wet with all the tools it is very heavy and it dragged me down.” Eek! It’s good to know that Kate was surrounded by people whose top priority was to keep her safe.

✨#SISwim 2018

A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Feb 14, 2018 at 5:22am PST on

In addition to being in the news for being one of today’s top models, Kate made headlines for accusing Guess co-founder Paul Marciano, 66, of allegedly inappropriately touching her when she was working for the company at the age of only 18. She spoke out about how he allegedly made advances to her on more than one occasion and it added to the many stories more and more women are sharing today surrounding the #MeToo movement.

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NOW WATCH: The science of why human breasts are so big


Guess co-founder will resign after investigation into sexual harassment and assault allegations found he 'exercised poor judgment'

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paul marciano guess

  • Guess co-founder Paul Marciano is resigning as executive chairman following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
  • The allegations first became public when model Kate Upton said in a Time magazine interview that Marciano grabbed her breasts during a Guess photo shoot nearly eight years ago.
  • "The investigation found that on certain occasions (Paul) Marciano exercised poor judgment in his communications with models and photographers and in placing himself in situations in which plausible allegations of improper conduct could, and did, arise," the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
  • Marciano will remain a board member and stay on as chief creative officer until his contract expires at the end of January.


Guess Inc. announced Tuesday that its co-founder Paul Marciano is stepping down after the completion of a company-commissioned investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault.

The Los Angeles-based fashion company revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Marciano is resigning immediately as executive chairman of the Guess board, and his brother Maurice Marciano, another company co-founder, will take over.

"The investigation found that on certain occasions (Paul) Marciano exercised poor judgment in his communications with models and photographers and in placing himself in situations in which plausible allegations of improper conduct could, and did, arise," the filing said.

Paul Marciano, who has denied the allegations, will remain a board member and stay on as chief creative officer until his contract expires at the end of January. He had stepped aside from his day-to-day duties when the investigation began in February. He will forfeit his salary for the period he sat out, but will be paid from June until January. He also owns a 17 percent stake in Guess Inc.

The allegations first became public when model Kate Upton said in a Time magazine interview that Paul Marciano grabbed her breasts during a Guess photo shoot nearly eight years ago. She also says that he harassed her by showing up at hotels where she was staying and texting her inappropriate comments.

"It's disappointing that such an iconic women's brand @GUESS is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director #MeToo," Upton tweeted at the time.

Soon after a special committee of the Guess board and an outside law firm launched an investigation, which looked into several reports of inappropriate comments and texts along with unwanted kissing and groping.

"Many of the allegations could not be corroborated. In some cases, no conclusion could be reached because the individuals either declined to be interviewed or provided insufficient information to the investigators," Tuesday's filing said. "In other cases, the investigation found that credible accounts were given by both sides."

Four brothers, including original designer George Marciano, in 1981 founded the brand whose denim became a phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s.

Paul Marciano handled the company's advertising, best known for its black-and-white photos of models including Anna Nicole Smith.

Resignations like his in the fashion industry have been far rarer than in movies and other media in the wave of sexual misconduct revelations spurred by stories on Harvey Weinstein in October.

The company also said it has settled lawsuits with five of Paul Marciano's accusers for a total of $500,000.

Attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents four of those women, said in a statement that they are pleased with his stepping down as board chair but disappointed he'll stay on in other capacities.

"We do not believe a man with so many credible accusations of sexual assault is fit to lead any company," Bloom said, "much less one that sells primarily to women."

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The Swimsuit Issue Is 50 Years Old — Guess How Much Money It Makes

'The Other Woman' Introduces World's First Emoji Movie Trailer

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Want to see something really annoying? 20th Century Fox has launched the world's first Emoji trailer, and after suffering through this two minutes of emotional icon pop-ups, it may very well be the last one we see. So enjoy it. The Other Woman stars Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann as unlikely best friends who team up to get revenge on their shared lover.

Things take a turn for the weird when they learn there is a third girl (Kate Upton) in the mix. Not only do we have the Emoji trailer, which is the visual equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard, we have the first clip, which introduces hip-hop queen Nicki Minaj in her acting debut. 

After discovering her boyfriend is married, a woman (Cameron Diaz) tries to get her ruined life back on track. But when she accidentally meets the wife he's been cheating on (Leslie Mann), she realizes they have much in common, and her sworn enemy becomes her greatest friend. When yet another affair is discovered (Kate Upton), all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on their cheating, lying, three-timing SOB.

The Other Woman comes to theaters April 25th, 2014 and stars Cameron Diaz,Leslie MannNikolaj Coster-WaldauKate UptonTaylor KinneyDon JohnsonNicki MinajDeborah Twiss. The film is directed by Nick Cassavetes.

SEE ALSO: Kate Upton And Cameron Diaz's 'Other Woman' Trailer Totally Copies 'The First Wives Club'

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Critics Are Trashing Kate Upton And Cameron Diaz's New Movie 'The Other Woman'

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cameron diaz kate upton the other woman

Cameron Diaz's new movie starring Leslie Mann and Kate Upton, "The Other Woman" is out this weekend.

In what appears to be a modern-day version of "The First Wives Club", Carly (Diaz), Kate (Mann), and Amber (Upton) seek revenge on the guy (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, "Game of Thrones") who has been romancing all three of them — and more — while married to Kate.

So far, the reviews are pretty brutal with the film sitting at 25% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Here are a few:

The New York Times

“This female revenge comedy is so dumb, lazy, clumsily assembled and unoriginal, it could crush any actor forced to execute its leaden slapstick gags and mouth its crude, humorless dialogue (by the first-time screenwriter Melissa K. Stack).” 

NJ.com:

“Nick Cassavetes, who hasn't had a hit since ‘The Notebook,’ directs as deftly as if he were wearing boxing gloves. Scenes are overlit — the photography does Diaz no favors — the sound editing is awful and music cues are scored with a sledgehammer … The only thing missing from this steaming casserole, in fact, is the one crucial ingredient: A sense of humor.” 

The NYPost: 

“‘The Other Woman’ is a weak adultery rom-com in which the most authentic performance comes from a non-housebroken Great Dane.” 

“Cassavetes also relies heavily on tired visual shorthand. We know Carly is a career woman because she wears all black and stilettos; we know Mark is an alpha male because he drives a sports car. We know Upton’s the eye candy because she’s running down the beach in slow motion, “Baywatch”-style.” 

Time Out: 

“There’s a strong whiff of ‘The First Wives Club’ and an even a sprinkling of ‘Working Girl’ here – but instead of updating the genre, ‘The Other Woman’ rehashes it, bringing little more than a few giggles and a dash of glamour to the table.” 

A similar sentiment by many outlets is that Kate Upton’s presence in the film appears to be simply just for “eye candy."

the other woman

NYT:

"Amber [Upton] is crassly shoehorned into the movie to provide jiggling eye candy for boys." 

NPR: 

“It is a film that features a vomiting scene, a farting scene, a huge dog taking an extravagant, full-view dump on an apartment floor, the aforementioned diarrhea and nipple segments, a joke — the approach of which is visible from space — when a man is sexually humiliated by a transgender woman, and plenty of appreciative ogling of Kate Upton's caboose.”

The Hollywood Reporter

"Upton does what she's called upon to do, look great in a bikini, and rarely has more than one line to speak at a time."

Instead, a few suggest Nicki Minaj’s brief role is the best part of the film.  

Time: 

“All three women are less watchable and amusing that [sic] Nicki Minaj as Carly’s legal assistant Lydia. Here’s someone who enjoys a job she doesn’t feel the need to excel in — ‘It’s like having a hobby that pays well’ — and dispenses the working-girl wisdom that ‘Selfish people live longer.’”

Here's a clip of her in the film.

Despite the reviews, the film is set to win the box-office weekend with an estimated $16.5 million.

Now, watch a trailer for the film.

SEE ALSO: 15 movies you should see this summer

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Kate Upton And Cameron Diaz's 'The Other Woman' Is Essentially 'The First Wives Club'

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"The Other Woman"hits theaters this weekend, but you may have seen something similar before — at least according to the trailer.

The Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Kate Upton-starring comedy is essentially a modern day "First Wives Club."

In "The Other Woman," the women strike up an unlikely friendship after figuring out they're involved with the same man and plot to get revenge. In 1996's "The First Wives Club," Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, and Bette Midler set out to get revenge against their individual ex-husbands.

Here's how the two story lines go down.

Once the women figure out they're being cheated on, they bond and spy:

The other woman binoculars spying

First Wives Club Spying

As a result of what they see, they get drunk and sad:

The Other Woman bar

Goldie Hawn First Wives CLub

Once sober, they vow to take revenge. This involves scheming in a car:

The Other Woman Cameron Diaz Kate Upton Leslie Mann

First Wives Club old cell phone

There's a whiteboard on which the women write the steps in their plan. Progress is made!The other woman white board cameron diaz

First Wives Club Diane Keaton white board

Mission accomplished over lunch at a fancy NYC restaurant. Cheers!The other woman cheers

First Wives Club

First Wives Club cheers

Watch both trailers and judge for yourselves below:

SEE ALSO: Critics Are Trashing Kate Upton And Cameron Diaz's New Movie 'The Other Woman'

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Alleged Hacker Behind Massive Leak Of Nude Celebrity Photos Says It Took 'Several Months' To Pull Off

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kate upton model

A hacker who says he or she is responsible for uncovering nude photos of more than 100 celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton says the mobile hit job was plotted by multiple people and took months to pull off. 

Daily Mail's James Nye found the alleged hacker's comment on an AnonIB thread early Monday. In the comment, the hacker thanked the community for its support. This person also said he or she was on the run and would be moving to a new location to continue to post about the hacked photos and videos.

The FBI has launched an investigation into the hacking, and Apple has patched up a security flaw in iCloud that could have enabled the hacker(s) to access the celebrities' private photos. Apple has not officially commented on how the security breach happened but says it is "actively investigating" the situation and that it takes its users' privacy "very seriously."

"Guys, just to let you know I didn't do this by myself," the alleged lead hacker wrote. "There are several other people who were in on it and I needed to count on to make this happened. This is the result of several months of long and hard work by all involved. We appreciate your donations and applaud your excitement. I will soon be moving to another location from which I will continue to post."

Here's the screengrab of the comment, from Daily Mail:

nude photo hacker celebrity threadHere are all of the ways the photos could have been hacked from iCloud.


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SEE ALSO: Nude Photos Of Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Ariana Grande Leak In Massive Hack

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This Sports Illustrated swimsuit rookie could become the next Kate Upton

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The 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is now on sale. It features lots of familiar faces, like Nina Agdal, Lily Aldridge, and Emily Ratajkowski. Readers also get the chance to meet some fresh faces making their first appearances in the popular magazine.

We sat down with one of the rookies, Hailey Clauson, a 19-year-old veteran of the high-fashion world who makes her SI debut in the new issue.

Produced by Graham Flanagan

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Meet the man behind Kate Upton's tweet that will never die

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Kate upton fire age gaming adIf you've signed on to Twitter in the past few months, there is a decent chance you have been confronted by a promoted tweet from Kate Upton. 

Upton's tweets beg users to "be her hero" and download the breakout multiplayer mobile game "Game of War: Fire Age," or watch her Super Bowl ad for it.

Baffled and frustrated users have tried reporting Upton's tweets as spam, flagging them as "offensive" content, yet it is nearly impossible to escape her promotional messages online.

The man behind the tweets is Gabriel Leydon, founder of the gaming company Machine Zone and creator of "Game of War: Fire Age." A recent Bloomberg story on "Fire Age" and mobile gaming reveals that Machine Zone "spent $40 million on a four-month campaign with Upton as its spokeswoman."

The monstrous ad buy was an attempt by the company to flood social media and airwaves to surpass a better-known competitor, "Clash of Clans," in the app store. 

"In the hours after the Super Bowl, the mobile game, for a few hours at least, succeeded, as measured by rankings from Apple's App Store. Which is exactly what Leydon had hoped for," Robert Kolker at Bloomberg reports.

Aided in part by its media blitz, "Fire Age" now grosses more than $1 million a day, according to Think Gaming, which is twice as much as it was bringing in a year ago. 

And this could just be the beginning. 

Michael Pachter, a gaming analyst at Wedbush Securities, tells Bloomberg that by next Super Bowl it will not just be "Fire Age" versus "Clash of Clans.""You might see 10 ads," he says. 

In the meantime, blocking @KateUpton seems to work.

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NOW WATCH: Liam Neeson transformed what could have been an ordinary mobile game ad into a Super Bowl great

How the abysmal 'Game of War' featuring Kate Upton makes so much money

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kate upton bathtub game of warIt's not hard to tell from the ubiquitous ads for "Game of War: Fire Age," featuring a scantily clad Kate Upton, that it is one of the worst variety of mobile games. If you had any doubt, just read Matt Johnston's walkthrough about how painful it is to gather resources endlessly just to unlock ways to gather more resources without ever engaging in anything close to war.

Despite being painful to play, however, this crappy game is incredibly profitable — as of this writing, it is the number two top grossing app on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

Why are players putting money into "Game of War?" Because the entire game is built around digging hooks into players, getting them invested in its infinite loops and convoluted systems, and then charging money for the ability to stay invested. If you really want to compete, you'll pay in.

That sentiment is echoed in comments on the piece Matt wrote. "Without spending $$$ , building and researching can take months," wrote commenter JoeBroady.

I've been playing the game every day for three weeks now; this is the case with every system in the game. For example:

"Game of War: Fire Age"

See all those "speed up" buttons next to the blue arrows? Those enable you to speed up the time to complete a given task in the game. In order to speed up tasks, you must use a one-time use item in the game. When you run out of those items – and you will run out of them quickly – your option is to buy more.

That system is consistent across the board.

Want to train up troops faster or research faster or attack a nearby monster faster? You can! All you have to do is cough up some cash. Your cash converts to in-game "Gold," which enables you to buy speed-ups or to skip the waiting time you'd normally have to endure to build / upgrade your home base. 

After the game loads, the very first screen you'll always see is a "BUY GOLD" advertisement (the in-game currency that costs real world money). They come in a variety of flavors, from the mundane to the holiday-themed:

"Game of War: Fire Age" advertisements

Garish as this may be, it's the basest level of pushing "Game of War" does for your money. It's the game's many, many systems for "questing" and base building – combined with the online multiplayer aspect – that make "Game of War" such a moneymaker.

The long and short is this: if you want to compete, you have to buy in. As one commenter put it:

The difference between the big spenders and everyone else is huge. Not just 2, 3 or even 10 times more powerful, but a hundred or two hundred times more powerful. This makes it boring and pointless for everyone except the "whales."

And this is how "Game of War" makes so much money. Like other free-to-play successes before it, such as "FarmVille" and "Evony," there is a hard ceiling on your ability to compete unless you dish out real money, and lots of it. You've gotta be a "whale."

The "whales" referenced above are a group commonly associated with free-to-play games. These are the folks spending large amounts of money in order to significantly advance their game. These are the "Rich Kids of Instagram" of gaming, the oil magnates who don't mind dropping a few thousand dollars to fuel their addiction. These are the people who fund the development and maintenance of free games like "Game of War," and they represent 1-3% of players.

Free-to-play? Maybe. But certainly not free to win.

SEE ALSO: The ugly truth about the wildly popular 'Game Of War' featuring Kate Upton

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How you could end up spending thousands on Kate Upton's 'Game of War'

Wildly popular 'Game of War' is reportedly about to replace Kate Upton and throw a ton of money at Mariah Carey

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Kate Mariah

"Game of War" is one of the highest-grossing apps in the App Store.

It's a war-strategy game focused on building a city and gathering resources. And not much else.

As I've written before there's not really any fighting in "Game of War: Fire Age." You just sort of gather resources and get desperately begged to spend your real hard-earned cash.

Supermodel Kate Upton has been the extremely high-profile face of the game in its many ads on TV and online. But according to TMZ, that mantle is being passed on to the one and only Mariah Carey.

TMZ cites sources saying it's a seven-figure deal and will lead to a 30-second commercial that will shoot for two days. It also reports that the director of "Terminator Genisys," Alan Taylor, is helming the project.

Carey, now 45 years old, is in a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

We've reached out to the company that runs the game, Machine Zone, for comment but have not yet heard back.

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NOW WATCH: How you could end up spending thousands on Kate Upton's 'Game of War'

Kate Upton used a vulgar tweet to rip Major League Baseball over the Cy Young Award voting

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Justin Verlander and Kate Upton

Despite Justin Verlander receiving the most first-place votes in the 2016 American League Cy Young voting, he did not win the award. This did not sit well with his fiancée, Kate Upton. 

Not well at all.

After the award was announced, with Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox winning, Upton issued a vulgar tweet directed at Major League Baseball (you can see the uncensored version of the tweet here). 

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Her biggest beef appears to be that even though Verlander was named first on 14 of the 30 ballots, he was not even named on two of the ballots, meaning two voters did not think Verlander was among the top five pitchers in the AL this year.

Verlander finished second in the voting. Rick Porcello received eight first-place votes. 

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Upton wasn't done. She went on to demand that MLB fire those who did not vote for Verlander. 

Of course, the voters for the Cy Young Award do not work for MLB. They are independent writers, two from each market in the AL, who are also members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).

Interestingly, the two writers who did not vote for Verlander were both from the Tampa Bay market and both voted for Porcello to win.

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