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The Gunners delivered the statement Champions League victory their manager had demanded to bounce back from a narrow defeat at Inter Milan last time out. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track, lifting them to seventh place with 10 points in the new-look 36-team table. It was Arsenal’s biggest away win in the Champions League since beating Inter by the same scoreline in 2003. “For sure, especially against opposition we played at their home who have not lost a game in 18 months – they have been in top form here – so to play with the level, the determination, the purpose and the fluidity we showed today, I am very pleased,” said Arteta. “The team played with so much courage, because they are so good. When I’m watching them live they are so good! They were all exceptional today. It was a big performance, a big win and we are really happy. “The performance was there a few times when we have played big teams. That’s the level that we have to be able to cope and you have to make it happen, and that creates belief.” A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners took the lead after only seven minutes when Martinelli tucked in Jurrien Timber’s cross, and Saka teed up Havertz for a tap-in to double the advantage. Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Declan Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Viktor Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after David Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved. A miserable night for prolific Sporting striker Gyokeres was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.The late 1970s were a sad time for America. The Vietnam War had just ended. Big cities fell in the grip of crime and neglect as the 1975 fiscal crisis pushed New York City to the brink of bankruptcy. New York uniformed police, angry at the mayor’s budget cuts, handed out “Welcome to Fear City” leaflets at the airports. Featuring a hooded skull, the flyers warned visitors to stay off the streets after 6 p.m. It urged them to not leave Manhattan and to avoid the subways altogether. Yet two years almost to the day after Saigon fell, an ambitious dance club opened on a shabby side street of Manhattan. Studio 54 became the world’s most famous disco. Then came the movie “Saturday Night Fever,” its score dominated by those rhythmic Bee Gees chart-toppers starting with “Stayin’ Alive.” Americans found joy under the spinning mirrored balls. To quote the name of Chic’s super disco hit, they wanted to “Dance, Dance, Dance.” We needed disco then. We need disco again — or something like it. The pandemic is over, and many of us are seeking escape from our toxic politics. What about disco set off the animal spirits? Discos enabled ordinary people to dance off their anxieties to a simple four-on-the-floor beat. The grayness outside got blocked out by flashy sequins and spandex — and in fantasy settings divorced from the grim realities. Disco replaced the dirty jeans and stoned-out pain of rock with groomed elegance. People again danced in couples. As Regine Zylberberg, owner of Regine’s, an elegant disco on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, bragged, “I am the one who saved the city from bankruptcy. I made it happy again.” But disco fever spread across the country, in big cities and small towns. Discos opened at airport Holiday Inns. Live entertainment, part of what’s now called the “experience economy,” is seeing double-digit growth, Bloomberg News reports. As evidence, it points to a packed nightclub in Manhattan called Somewhere Nowhere, where swing dancers have taken over the floor. Patrick Soluri, whose Prohibition Productions puts on swing nights, says revenue from his Jazz Age-themed events has more than doubled since 2019, and he is expanding beyond New York. The key to disco’s popularity was that the people were the show. They weren’t passively watching guitarists showing off their long solo riffs, one complaint against ’70s rock. More recently, hip hop presents the same drawback with artists commanding the spotlight. A communal culture that shares some similarities to disco is Western line dancing. Though around forever, line dancing got a boost from the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy.” It did for that genre some of what “Saturday Night Fever” did for disco. As with disco, line dancers are the show. And fashions also are attached — those fabulous cowboy boots and hats, jeans and denim skirts. And as with disco, Western line dancing now has its own clubs and events all over the country. Ironically, the digitalization of American life isn’t so much killing these experiences as exposing us to the joys of being there in person. No matter how terrific the video production, it can’t recreate the visceral thrill of dancing amid a celebratory crowd. Disco inspired a kind of second Jazz Age. And though its golden era is almost 50 years in the past, one can’t help but notice all those store windows now decked out for the holidays with sparkling disco balls. To this day, disco balls radiate fun and glamour and partying. Today, like then, we need a scene in which Americans can let loose, work off tensions, forget about Washington — and with a dance that anyone can do. Americans need to dance, dance, dance. Harrop, who lives in New York City and Providence, Rhode Island, writes for Creators Syndicate: fharrop@gmail.com . Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Biomea Fusion, Inc. Reports Inducement Grant under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)

The Gunners delivered the statement Champions League victory their manager had demanded to bounce back from a narrow defeat at Inter Milan last time out. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track, lifting them to seventh place with 10 points in the new-look 36-team table. It was Arsenal’s biggest away win in the Champions League since beating Inter by the same scoreline in 2003. “For sure, especially against opposition we played at their home who have not lost a game in 18 months – they have been in top form here – so to play with the level, the determination, the purpose and the fluidity we showed today, I am very pleased,” said Arteta. “The team played with so much courage, because they are so good. When I’m watching them live they are so good! They were all exceptional today. It was a big performance, a big win and we are really happy. “The performance was there a few times when we have played big teams. That’s the level that we have to be able to cope and you have to make it happen, and that creates belief.” A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners took the lead after only seven minutes when Martinelli tucked in Jurrien Timber’s cross, and Saka teed up Havertz for a tap-in to double the advantage. Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Declan Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Viktor Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after David Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved. A miserable night for prolific Sporting striker Gyokeres was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.They were all exceptional – Mikel Arteta loved seeing Arsenal run riot in Lisbon(BPT) - Tech gifts are consistently some of the most popular presents to give and receive during the holidays. In fact, according to the annual , a record 233 million U.S. adults (89%) will buy tech products during the 2024 holiday season. But with so many devices out there, it can be hard to decide on the perfect option for the loved one on your list. A tablet like the new Fire HD 8 from Amazon offers the versatility of an all-in-one device, with access to streaming, gaming, video chatting, reading or writing all at your fingertips. also features a vibrant 8-inch HD display and lightweight, portable design, for high-quality entertainment on the go. Plus, comes with three new AI features that can help you get the most out of your tablet experience. Check them out below and learn how they can help you with daily tasks this holiday season and beyond. Do you struggle with writing a heartfelt message or finessing a tricky email? Fear not! Writing Assist is here to help. Writing Assist works as part of your Fire tablet's device keyboard and compatible apps, including email, Word documents and social media. In just a few taps, you can transform your writing from good to great. Try Writing Assist's pre-set styles to turn a simple email into a professionally written note. Or, you can ask Writing Assist for grammar suggestions to make your writing more concise, or elaborate on your ideas. You can even "emojify" your writing to add more fun and personality. Say goodbye to scrolling through pages of information. The new Webpage Summaries feature allows you to learn pertinent information as quickly as possible. Available on the Silk browser on Fire tablets, Webpage Summaries provides quick insights on web articles. In a matter of seconds, this feature will distill the key points in an article or on a webpage into a clear, concise summary of what you need to know. With Wallpaper Creator, you can easily add a touch of creative flair and customization to your tablet's home screen. You can choose from one of the curated prompts to get started on creating a unique background. Or, if you're ready to let your imagination run wild, type a description of what you'd like to see. For example, you can ask for an image of a tiger swimming underwater or a watercolor-style image of a desert landscape in space. Wallpaper Creator will then turn your vision into a reality, delivering a high-resolution image that you can use as your tablet's wallpaper. Writing Assist, Webpage Summaries, and Wallpaper Creator are now available on Amazon's new and other compatible Fire tablet devices, including the latest and tablets. To learn more, or to order a new Fire tablet this gift-giving season, visit .Welcome to F1 Hangover , a new series where I take you inside the events, parties, panels and pop-ups happening off-track over the race weekend. I’ll give you the inside line behind-the-scenes and share some insight into how celebrities spend their time when the track is cold, what the drivers get up to when they aren’t in the paddock, and everything in between. My Las Vegas Grand Prix got off to a particularly chaotic start when I moved my flight to 6am the Sunday before the race in preparation for a last-minute shoot with Liam Lawson and his partner Hannah St. John. The pair (very kindly!) allowed me to join them for the last leg of their Los Angeles to Las Vegas road trip in a Ford F-150 Raptor. We talked about the "Cars" movie (obviously), his brief emo songwriting career and his future in F1 — but I won’t share too much because the full video of our chat is dropping later this week. Oscar Piastri, Bianca Bustamante, McLaren, Abercrombie Photo by: McLaren On Tuesday , McLaren hosted a takeover at Abercrombie & Fitch, inviting fans to meet Oscar Piastri and F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante while shopping new merch. I was told that fans started lining up outside the store at 9am for a 5pm photo op with the 23-year-old Aussie, though he was in-and-out within a strict 30 minute window. During a race week, the drivers’ time is scheduled — quite literally — down to the minute, and it never ceases to amaze me how many brand events and Q&As they can cram in between sessions on-track. This is especially true for the McLaren crew given how many sponsors the final boss of marketing, Zak Brown , has brought onto the team. They’ve cast a wide net across multiple sectors, attracting everyone from Goldman Sachs to Gopuff, which seems to have resulted in them finding some of the best merch partners of any team on the grid (I’m talking style, quality, and price point). Abercrombie has undergone a pretty stunning image rehab in recent years, and as someone who never had a strong affinity for the brand (I grew up in Australia), the McLaren partnership has really endeared me to them. Anecdotally, I’ve heard a lot of people had similar experiences with the brand, which seems to indicate that the once-surprising partnership is proving fruitful for all parties! Wednesday — I made a quick pit stop in the paddock to speak with Franco Colapinto . We discussed his newfound fame, why he deleted Twitter and his love for engineering — he seems very down-to-earth and well-liked by the team, so I’m curious to see what his future holds in 2025 and beyond. I then headed back to the Strip for dinner at Caesars Palace’s Stanton Social Prime, hosted by WhatsApp, Mercedes and George Russell ’s partner, Carmen Montero Mundt. I overwhelmingly find myself in rooms surrounded by men (often of the older, British variety), so it was extremely refreshing to walk into a space full of diverse young women. There were a few female drivers in attendance, but most of the guests were content creators who have attracted millions of views across multiple social media platforms. Carmen Montero Mundt, Toni Breidinger Photo by: Jojo Korsh-BFA.com I’m very aware that some long-term fans can be dismissive of F1 influencers and content creators, but I’m here to say their power shouldn’t be underestimated. I spent some time with Lissie Mackintosh, who I’ve gotten to know over the past few years, and you would think I was standing next to Lewis Hamilton based on the reaction she garnered from strangers on the street. I lost count of the number of people who thanked her for getting them into F1 — several people said she was the sole reason they discovered the sport, and decided to fly to Vegas for the race. Lissie Mackintosh Photo by: Jojo Korsh-BFA.com But back to the dinner itself! WhatsApp is such a great partner for an F1 team because a LOT of motorsport business gets done via the messaging app. In fact, I don’t think there’s a single person in the F1 paddock who doesn’t use WhatsApp (including us!). I also really enjoyed the ‘short film’ they released during the US Grand Prix starring Hamilton, and I think there’s still a lot they could do to highlight how essential WhatsApp is to Mercedes’ day-to-day functioning. Mundt told me it meant a lot to partner with the two brands “to celebrate the incredible female fandom of Formula 1 — which is an often under-appreciated but absolutely vital part of this community.” She continued, “What I love about WhatsApp is how they spotlight and unite diverse communities, and in this case, the women within F1. Each person at this dinner has played a key role in elevating F1's global influence and expanding its reach. I’m truly proud to be surrounded by such strong, empowered change-makers. These women, in my opinion, are the unsung heroes who have been pivotal in driving the sport forward.” Emily Ratajkowski Photo by: Jojo Korsh-BFA.com Speaking of women in F1, the Female Quotient partnered with F1 Academy to host a series of panels featuring the likes of Susie Wolff and Tommy Hilfiger. It was a very inspiring morning by all accounts, and I’m excited to ramp up coverage of F1 Academy next season. Another event I wasn’t able to attend due to scheduling conflicts was the PUMA Speedcat celebration, attended by Emily Ratajkowski and Paris Hilton. The brand welcomed Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc into the flagship store earlier in the week, too, with the Monegasque rocking a pair of custom sneakers paying tribute to his puppy, Leo. Paris Hilton Photo by: Jojo Korsh-BFA.com If you’ve noticed a pattern so far, it’s that just about every brand involved in the sport decided to activate in Sin City. IWC Schaffhausen, a longtime Mercedes sponsor, hosted a Q&A with Toto Wolff, which I was eager to attend as I’m intrigued by how the team plans to approach its partnerships in the post-Hamilton era. Wolff is a business man after all, and wasn’t shy about reminding the high-rollers in attendance that the Vegas GP is, at least somewhat, for them. “If a driver doesn’t like the circuit, so be it,” he candidly told the group when asked about racing on the streets of Vegas. “They’re not the client, you are.” I then darted across town to the MGM Grand where McLaren was highlighting its partnership with Mastercard via a Cirque du Soleil performance. It was certainly one of the more... unique F1 events I’ve attended, but the theatre was filled primarily with guests of Mastercard so I’m sure they enjoyed the excerpt from the spectacular KÀ show (as did I, for the record). Friday , I caught up with Gordon Ramsay: we talked about tuna, his enviable car collection and the $35,000 per person ‘Ramsay’s Garage’ experience he was hosting in the paddock. Before I wrote about F1 full time I covered pop culture, meaning I’ve spent a lot of time speaking to celebrities on red carpets and as such, have a pretty good radar for who seems like a decent person. I’m happy to report Ramsay was just as engaging in-person as he is on-camera, and seemed genuinely interested in the people around him which you don't find too often. Ramsay's Garage in the Paddock Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images Sticking to the culinary theme, I headed over to the Bellagio Fountain Club where some of the world’s most renowned chefs, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, David Chang, Wolfgang Puck, Alain Ducasse and Mark Wahlberg, were preparing to serve up fine fare. I spoke to Mario Carbone, an A-list chef whose spicy rigatoni has garnered a cult following, about his friendship with Max Verstappen . “He comes to Carbone a bunch. I love what he does, and he likes what I do, so it's nice to feed him,” he told me. As for how the four-time word champion celebrates? “He sticks to the classics. He wants his pasta, he's here for carbs. He wants to cheat a little bit [because] it's usually after a win.” I also checked out the Shoey Bar at the Bellagio, where fans could purchase one of just 2500 specially designed, collectible Sparco boots. It's a great concept, I just can't help but wonder if the feeling in the air would be slightly different if Daniel Ricciardo hadn't lost his seat on the grid a couple of months ago. Actor Brad Pitt, with director Joseph Kosinski look onto parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, filming for the upcoming "F1" film. Photo by: Getty Images Later that night, Brad Pitt’s “F1” crew hit the streets to film some of the 2025 summer blockbuster’s final scenes. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently revealed the movie will premiere in Monaco at a private screening for drivers and team personnel before it becomes available in cinemas worldwide. Meanwhile, I went to an intimate Hilton Hotels event hosted by its namesake spokesperson, Paris Hilton. The party itself was pretty standard fare (cocktails, canapés and dancing) but I want to take this moment to briefly discuss “Selling Sunset” stars Jason and Brett Oppenheim, along with Mary Fitzgerald and her husband Romain Bonnet, who were dancing into the early hours of the morning. The foursome are regular fixtures at F1 races, often seen in the Alpine garage with headsets on, or posing for snaps with drivers. If I were a B-list reality star (to be clear, I say that without a hint of shade) who happened to love F1, I would absolutely be milking that fame to get the best seat in the house. You simply have to respect the hustle, and their genuine love for the sport! Sylvester Stallone waves the chequered flag Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images Ironically, race day ( Saturday ) itself is often pretty quiet until the lights go out, but the highlight of every weekend is the starting grid. Plenty of my fellow reporters have written eloquently about the magic of those 45 minutes leading up to the race start (Luke Smith’s upcoming book paints a full picture of the pre-race pomp and circumstance), but there’s nothing like rubbing shoulders with A-listers while trying to avoid ending up in the background of Martin Brundle’s grid walk. On this occasion, I spotted Nina Dobrev and Shaun White, the entire Stallone family, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Noah Lyles and multiple members of the billionaire Arnault family, whose company, LVMH, recently inked a historic deal with F1. I’m also intrigued by which celebrities manage to sneak into a race undetected. Last year, Rihanna fans didn’t even realize she was on the premises until she was spotted on the broadcast in the Ferrari garage. This time, Bradley Cooper and Adele were both pictured in the McLaren garage at points throughout the weekend, but almost nobody saw them coming in or out. The one downside of the Vegas GP is that the lights go out at 10pm, meaning you’re not making it to an after party until 3am (if you’re lucky). I ended my night at XS at the Wynn, where Swedish House Mafia were DJing in front of a very packed crowd. Typically I’d put in a few calls to find out how race winner Russell or newly-crowned champion Verstappen were celebrating, but at this point in my Vegas trip (we're now on day 7) I was all partied out. Until next year!

Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting . He didn’t pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. Ohtani joined Frank Robinson for Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966 as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. He was the first player to twice become an unanimous MVP. He had combined with Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2023 for the first year both MVPs were unanimous. Ohtani hit .310, stole 59 bases and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs exclusively as a designated hitter, becoming the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title , playing the final three games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder . “The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we are able to accomplish,” he said through a translator. “The next goal is for me to do it again and so right now I’m in the middle of rehab and working out and getting stronger.” When Ohtani returns to the mound, could he win MVP and the Cy Young Award in the same year? “That would obviously be great, but right now my focus is just to get to get back healthy, come back stronger, get back on the mound and show everybody what I can do,” Ohtani said. Ohtani became the first primary DH to win an MVP in a season that started with the revelation his longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, had stolen nearly $17 million from the star to fund gambling. Ohtani is the 12th player with three or more MVPs, joining Barry Bonds (seven) and Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout (three each). Balloting was conducted before the postseason. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 31 stolen bases and 109 RBIs. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. Judge had discussed the MVP award with Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper, the NL winner in 2015 and ’21. “I was telling him, `Man, I’m going to try to catch up to you with these MVPs here, man,’” Judge recalled. “He’d say, hopefully, he could stay a couple ahead of me, which I think he’ll do.” When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. He is the Yankees' 22nd MVP winner, four more than any other team. Judge was hitting .207 with six homers and 18 RBIs through April, then batted .352 with 52 homers and 126 RBIs in 127 games. “March and April were not my friend this year.” Judge said. “Just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can’t mope. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York, nobody’s going to feel sorry for you. So you just got to go out there and put up the numbers?”Iowa attorney general warns of sweepstakes scams after helping couple save $16,000

In late October, amidst the tensions of a looming election, the world witnessed the birth of a new kind of democratic event - the celebrity lookalike contest. It all began with the Timothee Chalamet event in New York, when a bunch of mop-haired, square-jawed lookalikes descended upon Washington Square Park, all for a small trophy, a $50 cash prize, and the knowledge they (vaguely) resemble a Hollywood star. The contest was a raging success; hundreds of onlookers stopped by, there were four arrests, and Chalamet himself even turned up to meet his doppelgangers. And since then, dozens of copycat lookalike contests have popped up around the world. In Dublin, mulleted men in short shorts compared thighs in the hopes of having their likeness to Paul Mescal verified with 20 euros and a few pints. In Chicago, apron-wearing, bedraggled men resembling Jeremy Allen-White put it all on the line for $50 and a pack of cigs. And in San Francisco, a host of handsome South Asian men (and women looking for boyfriends) showed up to the Dev Patel lookalike contest. Now, it's New Zealand's turn. On Saturday 30 November, The Edge radio station is holding a Jason Momoa lookalike contest at Auckland's Mission Bay, with a winning prize of $1000. It's unclear exactly what the criteria is for these celebrity lookalike contests, but one thing is certain: they've been an exercise in pure, joyously human absurdity, and a rare example of a completely grassroots, organic online moment translating into real life events. But what's actually behind the sudden rise in celebrity lookalike contests? AUT communications lecturer and pop culture expert Thomas Watts says it's not necessarily a new thing - lookalikes and impersonators have always been around in popular culture. "Impersonators are quite an interesting phenomenon, because there's quite a lot of skill attached to them ... you start with the mannerisms, the movement, the voice, and the look almost comes after. "A lookalike contest is a much more simple exercise than an impersonator, per se, because you just need to look like the person to some extent." Watts says the celebrity lookalike contests may have seen a sudden rise in popularity because they're "fun and silly and easy to understand." "Someone either looks like Timothee Chalamet or they don't. Or people look like Timothee Chalamet to a certain extent, and then you have to try and work out what are the things that makes someone the most Timothee Chalamet, what are those kind of elements? "In terms of that sudden rise, it's got elements of a trend, but it's got very deep roots in the past. I think at its heart there's a level of celebrity culture that exists and we like celebrities, especially big celebrities, that there's enough of an understanding of who they are, for the average person to go, 'Oh yeah, I've got a friend that looks like Timothee Chalamet or Jason Momoa'. What makes them so popular and joyful? Celebrity lookalike contests are low stakes fun with just enough substance in them to keep people interested, Watts says. "They're a silly way for people to come together, and I think as humans, we love a bit of an abstract competition ... you still have heats and tasks that people have to do, there are challenges, and so as a result, you get a bit of an event out of that ... everyone's getting very emotionally invested into something that doesn't mean heaps to the functioning of a society, but is good, silly fun. "And then you have a lineup of a whole lot of people who have elements of Jason Momoa and you have to work out, what makes Jason Momoa, Jason Momoa. I'd love to see the criteria they're using to assess exactly all the things you need to do to be the most Jason Momoa lookalike. Do you prioritise hair over size? Do you get bonus points for tattoos? Does your acting ability slot in there? It's an interesting one." Where are the lookalike contests for women celebrities? The contests so far have largely all been for male celebrities, with the exception of a small Zendaya lookalike contest in Oakland on Wednesday. Watts suggests this discrepancy could be due to an element of discomfort in ranking and rating women. "There are a number of celebritiy lookalikes on social media, people that have made their own identity around looking or dressing like a celebrity. There are quite a few people who do this for Taylor Swift ... but with competitions, I think, you'd feel slightly less comfortable if you're assessing a female celebrity lookalike because of how they fit a beauty standard. "At that points it feels like you're objectifying the person which ends up feeling slightly arcaic, almost like a beauty competition, and I feel like you kind of ignore that with your Harry Styles and your Jeremy Allen White and your Heath Ledger, because I think you can ignore that question of objectifying and overly perceiving someone." Will the contests die down any time soon? Watts says we may be reaching the peak of the celebrity lookalike events. The nail in the coffin? When they stop being organic, fan-driven events, and start becoming tool for PR. "I think with a lot of these online trends, there's often the question of who's driving them ... maybe we'll see a large corporate do a celebrity lookalike event, or maybe a cringy political party doing that, and that will be where we kind of jump the shark, so they will die down. "With most of these things, there's always someone who's kind of pushing for it, you kind of need someone with some form of resource. In the case of the Timothee Chalamet one, there was a YouTuber driving it, in the case of Jason Momoa, the Edge radio station is driving that. "The woman who was trying to find someone who looked like Jacob Elordi in Melbourne, this is one of my favourites because it was very lowkey, very few people showed up. In fact I don't think any men showed up for the Jacob Elordi lookalike competition, so she ended up giving the cash prize to a guy that just happened to be in the park that she was in. A $50 cash prize, that's not bad. The public spectacle of it all Watts says the rise of celebrity lookalike contests is not unlike the viral mobilisation of flash mobs in the early 2000s. "I'm old enough to remember flash mobs before they got really uncool. People will say they were always uncool, I don't think that's true, I think flash mobs absolutely had their time in the sun because it was an interesting thing where there was an in group and an out group, and it was things that were organised online that enabled you to create your own lore around creating a bit of a public spectacle. "It was an interesting thing going on in a public space, and that's what's fun about all of these [lookalike contests], they're all taking place in public, which means there are people that know about what's going on, and there'll be people walking past bemused or confused, but it's really easy to get behind. "It's just good, dumb fun. It's like Bird of the Year ... it's a package to talk about how much we love birds, but it's the competition that is the vessel for that. This is a vessel for people to talk about our relationship with celebrity, and for that everyday punter who's always been told they look like Jason Momoa to be like, 'Yeah, and I'm gonna prove it now'. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.