Alternative Music
Raffaella Breaks Down New EP LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (ACT I) Track by Track: Exclusive
In our Track by Track feature, musicians and bands provide insight into each song on their newest project. Our latest edition comes from our August Artist of the Month Raffaella, who tells us the backstories behind her new EP LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (ACT I). Raffaella doesn’t just wear her heart on her sleeve — she wears it like a badge of honor. On her new EP LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (ACT I), our August Artist of the Month pours out her emotions through her sparkling indie-pop. But, as its ironic title might imply, the EP also carries an air of playfulness, with nods to old Lindsay Lohan movies, Joyce Carol Oates novels, and storied New York City bars. Today, the rising indie pop star is giving us a Track by Track breakdown of the EP, out Friday (August 12th). Produced by Raffaella’s real-life part...
Michelle Branch Arrested for Misdemeanor Assault After Allegedly Slapping Patrick Carney
Michelle Branch was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic assault after allegedly slapping her estranged husband, Patrick Carney, earlier this week. According to an arrest record reviewed by Consequence, police were called to the couple’s Nashville home around 2:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, after Branch allegedly slapped Carney in the face “one to two times.” Branch was booked on one-count of misdemeanor domestic assault and posted a $1,000 bond. She is due back in court on November 7th. Advertisement Related Video Hours after the arrest, Branch publicly announced that she and Carney were ending their marriage of three years. “To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family,” Branch said in a statement. “The rug ...
Missy Elliott Gets a Street Named After Her
Today in news to get your freak on about: Missy Elliott has been honored with a street named after her in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia today (August 11th). The newly-crowned Missy Elliott Boulevard is a portion of McLean Street, which serves the city’s Victory Crossing Shopping Center, Tidewater Community College, and the future Portsmouth Rivers Casino. It’s appropriately located in Portsmouth’s Entertainment District. “I am forever GRATEFUL🙏🏾 P-TOWN🙌🏾 VA #757 LOVE💜,” Elliott tweeted in response to the tribute. The Grammy-award winning musician grew up in Portsmouth’s Hodges Ferry area, and she graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School (now Manor High School) in 1990. Some of her family still resides in and around the city. Advertisemen...
Cobra Kai Season 5: Everything We Know About the Netflix Show’s Return
Nearly 40 years after Mr. Miyagi famously taught Daniel LaRusso how to paint a fence and wash a car in the original Karate Kid films, the Miyagi-verse has expanded exponentially, beginning with the release of Cobra Kai, a Netflix original series spin-off of the iconic franchise. The series reunites William Zabka and Ralph Macchio in their breakout roles, while introducing a whole new crew of karate kids. Premiering in 2018, Cobra Kai has answered the question: What happens to Daniel after his time with Mr. Miyagi? Since their days with Mr. Miyagi, Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), and his peer, Johnny Lawerence (Zabka) have started their own dojos, mentoring a new gang of fighters. Since its conception, the show has re-sparked love for the original films and become one of Netflix’s most streamed s...
Anne Heche: Toxicology Report Indicates Presence of Drugs at Time of Crash
Actor Anne Heche, 53, remains in a coma following a high-speed car crash into a Los Angeles home on August 5th. Law enforcement officials conducted a toxicology report from blood drawn at the hospital, and according to TMZ, Heche had cocaine in her system at the time of the accident. The blood sample also showed the presence of fentanyl. It’s unclear at this time if the drug was administered by hospital staff after the crash or taken by Heche beforehand. No evidence of alcohol was found, which is notable because TMZ obtained a photo that appeared to show a bottle of alcohol in the cupholder of her Mini Cooper. As a result of the toxicology report, Heche is being investigated for felony DUI, the Los Angeles Police Department told CNN. Advertisement Related Video Heche was driving throu...
Jon Batiste Exits as Stephen Colbert’s Band Leader
Jon Batiste is leaving his role as band leader of Late Show with Stephen Colbert after seven seasons. According to a statement from CBS announcing his departure, Batiste has decided “to pursue personal and professional interests.” Colbert further addressed Batiste’s exit during Thursday’s episode of the Late Show. “We’ve been so lucky to have a front row seat to Jon’s incredible talent for the past seven years,” Colbert remarked. “And will we miss him here? ‘Yeaaa!’ But we’re happy for you, Jon, and I can’t wait to have you back on as guest with your next hit record.” Advertisement Related Video Batiste was not in attendance for Thursday’s episode — nor has he been around for much of the summer. Beginning in May, Batiste took a leave of absence from the Late Show in order to care for his w...
Michelle Branch and Patrick Carney Break Up
Michelle Branch and Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney have broken up after three years of marriage. Branch confirmed the split to People, saying she’s “totally devastated.” “To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family,” Branch said. “The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.” Branch and Carney got married in 2019 after several years of dating. They welcomed their first child together, Rhys James Carney, in August 2018, and had their second, Willie Jacquet Carney, in February. According to People, Branch tweeted a note on the evening of August 10th accusing Carney of cheating on her while she was ...
Day Shift Review: Jamie Foxx’s Vampire Hunter Movie Boasts Great Fight Scenes and Formulaic Comedic Beats
The Pitch: Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx) is a San Fernando Valley pool cleaner, but his mundane job is a cover for other, more exciting work. Casing the house next door while skimming a pool, he puts on a ski mask, loads up on weapons, and storms inside. The resident, a frightened old woman, asks “Who are you? What are you doing in my room?” Without answering, Bud blasts away at her with a shotgun. The woman, revealing herself as a vampire and baring her fangs, stands up with a gaping hole in her torso, and begins fighting back. Day Shift is the directorial debut of J.J. Perry, a veteran stuntman who played Scorpion and other masked fighters in 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and choreographed the intense fight scenes in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire. And the scene that opens the vampire hu...
Anne Heche Not Expected to Survive: Representative
Anne Heche is “not expected to survive” the injuries she sustained after crashing her car into a Los Angeles home last Friday. A representative for Heche told People that the actress suffered “a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition” as of Thursday night. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she’s being kept on life support to determine if any are viable,” the representative added. Advertisement Related Video The crash caused the home to catch on fire, and it took 59 firefighters over an hour to battle the blaze and safely pull Heche out of the wreckage. Heche was initially able to communicate, but lost consciousness a short time later. In a previous statement, Heche’s representative said that she suffered “a significant pulmonary injury r...
Danger Mouse and Black Thought Share Posthumous MF DOOM Collaboration “Belize”: Stream
Though Danger Mouse and Black Thought shared several a handful of stellar collaborations in anticipation of their new album, Cheat Codes, they held back a track with the late MF DOOM titled “Belize.” Now that the album is out in the wild, we can finally get ears on the reunion between the three artists. Danger Mouse’s production on “Belize” is steeped in soul, with warm brass and a hypnotic bassline making way for each MC to spit a dizzying array of bars. Even without a chorus to bridge the gap, the track still transitions from Black Thought’s precise delivery to DOOM’s less structured flow with ease. When two of the greatest rappers of all time appear back to back, song structure is basically irrelevant. “You checking the Top 2 of a thousand intelligent chaps,” Black Thought boasts. ...
Alice in Chains Kick Off US Tour with First Show in Three Years: Video + Setlist
Alice in Chains launched their summer US tour with co-headliners Breaking Benjamin and special guests Bush on Wednesday night (August 10th) in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. The show marked AIC’s first concert in three years, after last playing in September 2019. The 30-city outing runs through an October 8th show in Mansfield, Massachusetts, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. With their seminal sophomore album, Dirt, turning 30 years old this year, AIC’s 15-song set was heavy on tunes from the 1992 classic. All told, AIC played six songs from Dirt, including “Angry Chair,” “Dam That River,” “Down in a Hole,” “Rooster,” “Them Bones,” and “Would?” Other tunes from the Layne Staley era of the band included set-opener “Again,” “Grind,” “Man in the Box,” and “No Excuses.” Advertisement Rela...
Lisa Kudrow Says Friends Writers Had “No Business” Writing About People of Color
You don’t need to be a Friends expert to notice that the long-running sitcom is extremely white — so much so that co-creator Marta Kauffman donated millions to her alma mater Brandeis University’s African-American studies department. Money can’t change the past, but in a new interview with The Daily Beast, Lisa Kudrow opined that the show’s writers had “no business” writing about “being a person of color” in the show. “[Friends] was a show created by two people who went to Brandeis and wrote about their lives after college,” the real-life Phoebe Buffay said. “And for shows especially, when it’s going to be a comedy that’s character-driven, you write what you know. They have no business writing stories about the experiences of being a person of color. I think at that time, the big prob...
