PRESS REVIEW – Monday, April 27: Michael Jackson's biopic is enjoying a strong debut, despite numerous sexual abuse accusations. But first: papers discuss conspiracy theories following the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting. Plus: in some good news, a chubby sea lion has won the hearts of San Francisco locals and a German nun discovers the joy of eating a kebab.

Wired magazine reports that "conspiracy theories are everywhere" following the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Both right- and left-wing influencers and anonymous accounts are spreading unfounded conspiracy theories, including that the attack was staged. On Bluesky, for instance, many people simply wrote the word "staged" over and over again. The New York Times says that the term "staged" surged to more than 300,000 posts on X by midday on Sunday. The paper says that conspiracy theories from across the political spectrum were used to "fill the information void". It interviewed an expert who explains that "people are reshaping reality based on what they want to be true" and are quickly looking for information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs, before analysis.

Next: Michael Jackson's biopic, directed by Antoine Fuqua, has raked in almost $100 million in North America alone and could make more than $200 million internationally. Vanity Fair reminds us that before the film went into production, at least five boys had "credibly and publicly accused" the late superstar of sexually abusing them when they were between the ages of seven and 12. Vanity Fair says that the huge interest in the film proves that "no man has ever been truly canceled". The paper interviewed documentary filmmaker Dan Reeds, who says "people just don't care". The HuffPost asks whether Jackson is an "untouchable" icon. The paper notes that the singer lived in the pre-#MeToo era – the time when "silence was golden". HuffPost says that the film was supposed to end with one of the most shameful moments of Jackson's career – investigators arriving at his ranch in 1993 – but this was cut from the final script. Instead, the film ends with the singer at the height of his glory.

In some good news, "San Francisco is going nuts over a giant sea lion named Chonkers", The Wall Street Journal reports. He is about three times the size of the typical sea lion, and he arrived about a month ago and decided to stay. He captivated locals with his massive frame and his disregard for personal space. The paper says that when he falls, it sounds like an oak tree being cut down. 

Finally, Sister Irmingard, 92, has tried her very first doner kebab. The German nun went viral online, garnering more than 5 million views, The Times reports. She comes from the German monastery of Arenberg, which has decided to adopt social media in order to "demystify" the life of nuns. Germany's de facto national dish has certainly been approved by the sister, who said she was very delighted with it.

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