Music
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Organizers Officially Pull the Plug on Lost Lands and Bass Canyon
Two of the nation’s most beloved bass music festivals, Lost Lands and Bass Canyon, each bit the bullet in one fell swoop, thanks to COVID-19. Since its inception back in 2018, Bass Canyon has emerged as a haven for trap and dubstep aficionados who wish to escape to the idyllic setting of The Gorge Amphitheatre for a weekend of bone-rattling bass. Back in March 2020, Bass Canyon announced a behemoth of a lineup featuring 12th Planet, Eptic, Subtronics, and a highly anticipated B2B set between Illenium and the festival’s founder, Excision. Excision’s Lost Lands festival has hosted numerous livestreams throughout the course of the pandemic, aptly titled “Couch Lands.” While his elite production team delivered an incredible virtual concert experience, th...
The Office Removes Scene, Community Pulls Episode over Blackface
Two more beloved NBC comedies — The Office and Community — are either removing or altering episodes due to blackface. For The Office, the scene in question appears in the Season 9 episode, “Dwight Christmas”, which originally aired on December 6th, 2012. The moment occurs as Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute is portraying the German Christmas folklore character Belsnickel. It’s revealed that Belsnickel is often accompanied by Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, a character described as “a slave boy often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface.” When his colleagues object to the concept, Dwight shoots a text to Nate (Mark Proksch). The scene cuts to Nate outside, dressed as Black Pete was described, who turns away before entering the party. Rather than pull the episode altogether, the sce...
Family Guy Actor Mike Henry Will No Longer Voice Cleveland
Mike Henry, the longtime voice of Family Guy’s Cleveland, has announced he’ll no longer play the character. “It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years,” Henry wrote in a tweet posted Friday. “I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.” Henry voiced the character of Cleveland Brown since Family Guy’s premiere in 1999. He also starred in the spin-off series, The Cleveland Show, which ran for four seasons. Henry becomes the third white voice actor this week who’s stepped aside from playing a person of color. Earlier, Jenny Slate announced she would no longer voice Missy on Big Mouth, and Kristen Bell dropped out of playing Molly on Central Park. Family Guy was recently renewed for an...
R.I.P. Kelly Asbury, Film Animation Titan Dies at 60
Kelly Asbury, a longtime animator and director who had a hand in almost all of the biggest animated films of the last 30 years, has died at the age of 60. According to a representative, Asbury had been battling cancer. Asbury began his career at Disney, working in the animation department for films including The Black Cauldron, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Toy Story. He later took his talents to DreamWorks, where he worked on Chicken Run and Shrek. There, he was also given the opportunity to direct films including Shrek 2, Stallion of the Cimarron, and Gnomeo & Juliet. In the mid-2010s, Asbury returned to Disney to work on Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen. He also directed Smurfs: The Lost Village for Sony Pictures and last year’s UglyDolls, wh...
Primus Reschedule Rush Tribute Tour for 2021
Primus (photo by Johnny Perilla) and Neil Peart of Rush (photo via Wikipedia Commons) Primus have rescheduled their tribute tour in honor of prog-rock legends Rush. Bowing to coronavirus concerns, the trek will now take place in the summer of 2021. With this tour, the band’s goal is simple: travel across North America performing Rush’s beloved 1977 album A Farewell to Kings in its entirety. The “A Tribute to Kings Tour” opens in Texas in June, swings eastwards through New Orleans and Orlando, and travels up the East Coast and across the Midwest before finishing along the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, they’ll be supported by Wolfmother, The Sword, and Battles. If you don’t already have tickets, you can get them here. While it takes on extra meaning after the death of leg...
Usher Debuts ‘I Cry’ With Emotional Performance For ‘Global Goal’: Watch
During Global Citizen’s “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future” live stream on Saturday (June 27), Usher performed his heartfelt new single “I Cry.” With powerful lyrics such as “I cry for the sons without fathers and the pain the mothers hold deep inside,” Usher’s new record sends a deep message of empathy and compassion. “If you chose to put yourself on the front lines of protests, if you chose to put yourself on the front lines by way of posting something or reposting something, know that you’re not alone and we can change this,” he previously said to Billboard. “Just know that you’re not alone and that we’re together in this fight.” He added: “I hope that the entire world, Black Americans and those who are Black in other countries, those who receive prej...
Coldplay Dedicates ‘Paradise’ to Elijah McClain During ‘Global Goal’ Concert
Coldplay dedicated “Paradise” to Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died days after he was restrained with a chokehold by Colorado police officers in 2019, during their “Global Goal: Unite for Our Future” appearance on Saturday (June 27). Kicking off their performance with an inspirational quote by Nelson Mandela that read, “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears,” Coldplay went on to sing “Paradise” for the global virtual concert that aimed to shine a light on communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. Joining from Los Angeles, the band members performed via an animated video and toward the end, the words “In memory of Elijah McClain” appeared. The “Global Goal̶...
‘Global Goal’ Must-See Music Moments: Miley Cyrus, J Balvin, Justin Bieber & More
Many of the music world’s biggest stars came together for “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future” on Saturday (June 27), in Global Citizen’s star-studded virtual concert that spanned the globe to recognize communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Classic songs were covered, huge hits were revisited and repositioned, and superstars spoke out to raise awareness — as well as a whopping $6.9 billion in pledges from the event. While you can learn more about the “Global Goal” campaign here, watch every musical highlight from the virtual showcase below: Jennifer Hudson’s Soaring Kick-Off [embedded content] “The power of unity creates change,” the Oscar winner and R&B star declared at the top of “Global Goal,” and Hudson gave the virtual concert a rousing sta...
SZA Brings a Breezy ‘Normal Girl’ to Virtual Roots Picnic 2020: Watch
SZA took “Normal Girl” out to nature for this year’s Roots Picnic. The singer delivered a fresh, soothing vocal performance of the CTRL track outdoors for Saturday night’s (June 27) event. Surrounded by trees and accompanied by just a guitarist, SZA crooned about what it might be like to be the “type of girl you wanna take home to mama” and the “type of girl my daddy, he’d be proud of.” SZA was part of a packed lineup for the virtual rendition of the Roots Picnic, which kicked off with Michelle Obama urging viewers to take a minute and vote in this year’s elections. The Roots, H.E.R., Roddy Ricch and Kirk Franklin were among the many other performers. Check out a clip of SZA’s performance below. You Deserve to Make...
Megan Thee Stallion Rallies The Bad B*tches With New Single “Girls In The Hood”
Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz The O.G. hot girl isn’t letting rona stop her grind. Megan Thee Stallion came through with a new bop for the ladies to twerk and raise their fists too. At the stroke of midnight (Jun.26), Megan dropped her new single “Girls in the Hood,” which can be easily labeled a new “bad b*tch” anthem to inject some life into summer 2020. Immediately on the track which samples N.W.A.’s “Boyz in the Hood,” Thee Stallion let it be known she is sick and tired of people telling her how to live her best hot girl life. “F*ck being good I’m a bad bitch/I’m sick of motherfuckers trying tell me how to live.” Megan also hinted at having a man as well on the song. Oh? The song will also help support bad b*tches as well. In a tweet, Megan announced as part of the rollout of...
Vinsanity: Vince Carter To Hang Up The Kicks After 22 NBA Seasons
Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty For over two decades, Vince Carter has been a reliable fixture in the NBA, but that tenure is coming to an end. Carter is hanging up the kicks after 22 seasons despite still being able to get to the rim over the age of 40. As seen on NBA.com, Carter made the announcement somewhat casually in the midst of conversation during his Winging It With Vince podcast. “I’m officially finished playing basketball,” Carter said. “I’m officially done playing basketball professionally.” It was widely known and stated by Carter than the former University of North Carolina star was walking away from the game on a professional level at the conclusion of the current season. With the NBA season upended by the COVID-19 pandemic and the league restarting, Carter seems content to con...
Cardi B Says The #CardiBIsOverParty Is A Result of A Fake Instagram Page
Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz With so much quarantine time on people’s hands the cancel culture has gone up a few ticks and social media has had time to call out and shame numerous celebrities for past or present deeds. While many are warranted others have been propped up by “fans” who just don’t like a certain celebrity. Now Cardi B has found herself in the crosshairs as social media began a #CardiBIsOverParty over what the “Bodak Yellow” says was a fake Instagram account mixup. Page Six is reporting that the Grammy award winning artist from the Bronx took to IG yesterday to address the rumors that she had a burner account in which she slandered other people and some of her rap peers. Something Cardi says she’s too grown for. “I am not a 15-year-old girl that do fake instagrams ...
