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Annie Ross, Grammy-Winning Jazz Singer, Dies at 89
Annie Ross, the dexterous jazz singer and leading practitioner of the art of “vocalese” heard on her signature song, “Twisted,” has died. She was 89. Ross died Tuesday at her home in Manhattan of complications from emphysema and heart disease, her former manager, Jim Coleman, told The Washington Post. Ross performed with fellow vocalists Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks in the acclaimed jazz trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross from 1957 to 1962. They made dozens of instrumental classics their own and recorded several albums, starting with 1957’s Sing a Song of Basie, which employed overdubs to multiply their voices. In 1952, Ross and vocalist King Pleasure had teamed on an album for Prestige that included “Twisted,” her treatment of saxophonist Wardel...
Dave Franco to Play Vanilla Ice in New Biopic
Dave Franco is set to play Vanilla Ice in a biopic about the “Ice Ice Baby” rapper. In a wide-ranging interview with Insider, Franco elaborated on the news of his casting and how he sees the film playing out. “We have been in development for a while but we are inching closer and closer to preproduction,” Franco said of the film, the news of which was quietly revealed last year. He compared the project favorably to The Disaster Artist, the 2017 movie about filmmaker Tommy Wiseau that starred Franco and his brother James. (Wiseau directed and starred in the 2003 cult classic The Room. In The Disaster Artist, James Franco portrayed Wiseau while Dave played co-star Greg Sestero, who wrote a book of the same name about his experience working on the movie.) “With that movie, ...
Mamamoo’s Hwasa Just Made Harry Styles’s Song Of The Summer Even Hotter
Though British singer Harry Styles released his ecstatic single “Watermelon Sugar” back in November 2019, the delicious slice of pop escapism has since become 2020’s song of the summer, thanks in part to the fruit-filled music video “dedicated to touching” that he dropped in May. Now, Hwasa, of the K-pop foursome Mamamoo, is putting her own sultry spin on Styles’s hit. Hwasa’s cover of “Watermelon Sugar,” which released the day of the singer’s birthday on Wednesday (July 22), doesn’t stray far from the Style’s original melody, the K-pop idol captures and builds on the track’s windows-down, wind-in-your-hair vibes of the track with her sweltering, moody vocals and a cozy music video f...
Jamie Lynn Spears Defends Sister Britney: ‘She Is A Strong, Badass, Unstoppable Woman’
It’s been a disturbing few days for Kanye West on social media. After a series of tweet-rants where he alleged that his wife, Kim Kardashian West, and her mother, Kris Jenner, had conspired to commit him and that he’d been trying to obtain a divorce, Kardashian West, today (July 22) stressed, “Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor,” in a detailed Twitter thread of her own. Earlier this week, as Kanye’s words began to proliferate Twitter — words that, as Kardashian West noted, “[sometimes] do not align with his intentions” — fellow celebs like Questlove and Halsey were quick to remind folks that mental illness is real, and in Halsey’s words, “person...
‘This Is Insane’: True Life To Explore Stories Of The COVID-19 Quarantine
Life has been on pause as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. And several young adults are about to document their true experience during this unprecedented time. True Life Presents: Quarantine Stories, premiering on August 5 on MTV, is a four-part, self-documented series which gives a raw and unfiltered look at relationships of hopeful young people as they work to adapt to life in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. And in the sneak peek above, the brave subjects are opening up about how everything is heightened while dealing with the emotional impact of being stuck in quarantine. “We need space, and we just can’t give each other space,” one woman states, while a young man notes, “This quarantine is insane.” Catch more of True Life Presents: ...
The Weeknd Taps Japan’s First Black-Owned Anime Studio For ‘Snowchild’ Video
It’s no secret that Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, is something of a cinephile. Last year, he made his acting debut — as himself, no less — in the Adam Sandler-led film Uncut Gems. And his Warren Fu-directed video for “I Feel It Coming” featured atmospheric shots pulled from Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi masterwork 2001: A Space Odyssey. But he is also, apparently, an anime fan. While the “I Feel It Coming” video co-starred the Japanese actress Kiko Mizuhara, well-known for her work on the wildly popular anime Attack on Titan, his latest video goes full-on Ghost in the Shell. The visuals for “Snowchild,” which dropped on Wednesday (July 22), filter The Weeknd’s career through ...
Erica Mena & Safaree Samuels Turn Up The Heat With A Steamy New Teaser To Promote Their Only Fans Account
Source: Prince Williams / Getty Erica Mena and Safaree Samuels have taken the art of thirst trapping to a whole new level. On Monday (Jul 20), the married couple and new parents began their onslaught of promotion for the adult-content themed Only Fans account. Dropping the link via Twitter, Erica Mena teased fans that they could “be a fly on the wall” with her and Safaree accompanied by a risque video that gives fans a glimpse of what to expect on the other side of the curtain. “Be a fly on our wall,” Erica Mena wrote. “My husband joins me on my OnlyFans.” According to fans, for $50, subscribers on the popular fan site can treat themselves to a video of the pair kissing, along with erotic kissing and rubbing while nude. Screengrabs from her OnlyFans account posted by The Shade Room sh...
AKAI’s New ‘MPC Beats’ Music-Making Software Is Here To Help Get Your Beat-Making Off The Ground
Source: AKAI Professional / MPC Beats Have you always wanted to become the next Pharrell, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, Just Blaze, or old Kanye West? Akai is now giving you that opportunity and won’t cost you a dime. Akai, who is more well-known for his beat-making hardware like its popular button-mashing MPC machines, is now looking to push its software. The company announced its new ‘MPC Beats’, a streamlined digital audio workstation. The new software seemingly builds off its existing desktop software, making it more straightforward for the entry-level beat maker but for the price of free 99. Once downloaded and installed, users, will have access to Akai’s three virtual synths (Bassline, Tubesynth, and Electric) plus 80 effects plugins. On top of that, it comes loaded with 2GB of sampl...
HHW Gaming: Ahead of ‘Halo Infinite’s Big Campaign Reveal, Microsoft Shows Off The Game’s Box Art
Source: 343 Industries / HALO Infinite Your favorite Spartan, Master Chief, is back, and the box art for his new adventure is giving subtle hints as to what expect from the next Halo game. Ahead of Microsoft’s Halo Infinite campaign reveal tomorrow during tomorrow’s Xbox Games Showcase, the company showed off the box art for the Xbox Series X game. For one, it’s definitely taking a page out of the first game, Halo: Combat Evolved’s book. In it, we see Master Chief standing in a field with a destroyed Halo station in the background. Source: 343 Industries / HALO Infinite John-117’s pose is almost similar to his stance on the original Xbox game’s cover, but any gamer can clearly see Microsoft is going for a full-circle moment here for the game. Eagle-eyed fans also zoomed in on Master Chief’...
HHW Gaming: We Love To See It, 21-year old French superstar Kylian Mbappé Revealed As ‘FIFA 21’s Cover Athlete
Source: EA Sports / FIFA 21 EA has already revealed the covers for Madden NFL 21, UFC 4, now it’s FIFA 21’s turn, and they couldn’t have picked a better player to highlight. Announced today (Jul.22), 21-year old French superstar Kylian Mbappé, has been revealed as the global cover athlete for EA’s insanely popular soccer video game, FIFA 21. Mbappé, who is considered one of the beautiful game’s brightest stars will grace the covers of FIFA 21’s standard, champion, and ultimate editions of the game. The news follows after Paris Saint-Germain unveiling their home and away on-the-field uniforms and is just another milestone that the young phenom can add to his growing list of accomplishments. Since becoming a professional in 2016, Mbappé has scored multiple World Cup game-winning goals ...
Henri PFR Takes Livestreaming to New Heights with Epic Belgium Performance
Henri PFR has not only been climbing the metaphorical ladder of dance music, having garnered support by EDM titans Armin van Burren and Robin Schulz, but he has also now climbed an actual ladder to the top of one of Belgium’s most symbolic buildings for a one-of-a-kind DJ set. The charismatic 24-year-old DJ and producer recently signed to Spinnin’ Records and celebrated the milestone with a performance atop the Atomium, a towering Brussels landmark. The Belgian artist’s 60-minute set, which placed him a colossal 335 feet off the ground, was both thrilling and unnerving to watch. It involved 5 fixed cameras, 1 helicopter, 2 drones, and 2 mobile cameras, all combining to broadcast Henri PFR’s expertise and showmanship worldwide. Henri PFR...
Cole-Man Drops Melodic House Single “Don’t Be Scared”
San Diego-based dance music producer Cole-Man has unveiled his new single “Don’t Be Scared,” a four-on-the-floor progressive jam that moonlights as a melodic journey through the many sub-genres of future house. Kicking things off with minimalistic pads and fluttering arpeggios, Cole-Man introduces a rhythmic kick and snare pattern before filtering in spacey vocal chops. Those samples all coalesce into a gritty build, which culminates in a melodic house drop that employs the rave-ready leads of early trance music. All-in-all, the single is a smooth house bop that yearns for the nightclubs of pre-pandemic yesteryear. Cole-Man’s “Don’t Be Scared” dropped on July 20th, 2020 via an independent release. You can listen to the track in full below. FOLLOW C...
