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Common Salutes Class of 2020’s ‘Historymakers’ at ‘For Chicago. By Chicago’ Event
Common shared his admiration of Chicago’s graduating class of 2020 in the city’s Grad 2020: For Chicago. By Chicago virtual event in an empowering speech on Sunday (June 14). During the ceremony, which aired on local stations, the Oscar-winning songwriter praised the grads for their achievement during the global coronavirus pandemic, which has canceled milestone celebrations such as graduations and proms around the country. “You all have accomplished something that no other class in the history of America, in the history of Chicago, in the history of anywhere has accomplished. You all accomplished graduation and made it to your graduation to get your diplomas in a time when the world has never seen anything like this,” said Common via video message. “You all w...
Amy Grant Shows Off Scar From Open-Heart Surgery: My Recovery ‘Felt Miraculous’
Amy Grant has shared photos of her battle scar from a recent unexpected open heart surgery. The 59-year-old Grammy winner, who had surgery on June 3 to fix a heart condition she’s had since birth, took to Instagram on Sunday (June 14) to thank her fans for their thoughts and prayers during the challenging ordeal. “My recovery has honestly felt miraculous,” Grant captioned a series of photos showing off a large scar on her chest. “I want to say thank you to each person who said a prayer for me. Prayer changes everything.” Grant, who has been married to country singer Vince Gill for 20 years, likened the experience to a “non-runner who was signed up for a marathon.” Grant noted that the love and support she received from friends, fans and family help...
Randy Rainbow Talks About Going to Prom – Three Times – With Girls
In the midst of performances from drag superstar Pabllo Vittar and pop queen Tove Lo, Randy Rainbow stopped by Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Prom for a digital appearance on Saturday (June 13). The peerless parodist shared his experience of going to prom not once but thrice with girls when he was still in the closet. Before that, however, he spoke on the national protests over police brutality during Pride Month. “It’s a time for us to reflect on our history, to honor those who came before us, to celebrate ourselves and each other and to celebrate how far we’ve come and also to acknowledge how much work there is left for us to do. Not only for our own community but for all communities fighting for change and equality which is of course so important du...
Muse’s Matt Bellamy & Wife Elle Welcome Baby
Congratulations are in order for Matt Bellamy and his wife, Elle, who have announced the birth of their first child together. “Lovella Dawn Bellamy, born Los Angeles June 7th 2020 with exactly the same quarantine haircut as her Dad! Mom @elloelle did an amazing job!” the Muse frontman wrote on Instagram, where he shared some of baby Lovella’s first photos. On her own Instagram page, Elle said she was born “weighing 9 pounds & measuring 23 inches.” The couple married in August 2019 and shared the news of Elle’s pregnancy this past February. Bellamy is also the parent of a child with ex Kate Hudson. Their son, Bingham, was born in 2011. See the sweet baby photos below. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So w...
Tove Lo Is Feeling ‘Sadder, Badder, Cooler’ With Her Billboard Pride Prom Performance
“Why am I cooler than you?” That’s the question that Tove Lo needs answered in her exclusive new live performance. On Saturday (June 13), Tove Lo took to the virtual stage at Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Prom to deliver a stunning performance of her song “Sadder, Badder, Cooler” to get fans up and moving. Dressed in a glittering pink pantsuit, complete with feathers and sequins, the Swedish star shook her hips around her apartment as she crooned out her party anthem. “Come to my pity party/ Done with my pride, I don’t mind,” she sang. “I just wanna be dramatic tonight/ And make a song about me.” You can check out Tove Lo’s full performance here. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Da...
Lauren Jauregui Closes Out Billboard’s Pride Prom With ‘50ft.’ Performance
Every prom has to come to an end, and Lauren Jauregui has just the song to tie things up. On Saturday (June 13), the former Fifth Harmony star closed out Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s first-ever Pride Prom with a stunning performance to her R&B slow-jam “50ft.” Performing in her home and dressed in a glittering mesh top, the singer let her voice shine through on the smooth breakup song as she casually flipped back and forth between English and Spanish. “Naturally inclined to love/ But when the love ain’t flowing back/ I pull away and reassess/ Gotta protect me,” she sings. Jauregui released “50ft.” back in April, and explained in a statement that she wanted to capture the actual feeling of distance. ̶...
Here’s What Happened at Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit & Prom
Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter‘s Pride Summit and Pride Prom – which you can be part of here — opened on Saturday (June 13) with a strong call for “every single one of us” to stand up against racism and police brutality. Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors reminded participants in the digital summit that Stonewall was started by black queer and trans activists, and the “police played such a terrible role” in that landmark uprising that kickstarted the modern LGBTQ equality movement. After Cullors’ opening statement, singer and activist Shea Diamond used her astonishing voice to convey a related message with her bone-chilling song “Don’t Shoot.” Black Lives Matter was a common thread throughout the panels as well. ...
Shamir Celebrates Solitude With ‘On My Own’ at Billboard Pride Prom
With his guitar and purple hair at the ready, Shamir stopped by Billboard’s Pride Prom to perform his sweet, twangy new song “On My Own.” Okay, he didn’t “stop by” literally, but he did send in a home video to our digital Pride Summit & Pride Prom. “It’s a nice little song about enjoying your own company, which I think a lot of us are starting to do and get used to — or at least I hope so,” Shamir said while introducing the tune. “On My Own” previews Shamir’s new album coming out this fall. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn r...
Watch Every Performance From Billboard & The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit & Pride Prom
With the coronavirus pandemic keeping people everywhere in their homes, queer people have been left wondering: Is Pride canceled in 2020? On Saturday, June 13, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter answered that question with their second annual Pride Summit and first-ever Pride Prom. Taking place online, the daylong celebration featured panels, conversations, glam tutorials and special appearances from celebrity guests to celebrate Pride Month in these uncertain times. Along with all the other content, the Pride Summit & Prom also featured a number of special performances from some of the top LGBTQ talent in the music industry. Artists like Shea Diamond, Rex Rebel, Madame Gandhi, Trixie Mattel, Tituss Burgess, Pabllo Vittar, Shamir, Noah Cyrus, the House of Lanvin , Tove...
Billboard & The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Prom: Here’s What Went Down
The pandemic might have put a damper on gleefully crowded Pride celebrations, but stars hailing from the television, film and music industries came together virtually to honor and recognize the LGBTQ community at Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s second annual Pride Summit and Prom on Saturday. Following a day full of insightful conversations about LGBTQ representation in the media, social justice and mentorship, YouTube makeup artist Patrick Starrr and Jennifer Lopez’s hairstylist Chris Appleton shared tips on how to achieve Pride Prom-ready looks. The beauty gurus showed off their favorite Pride looks, including Appleton’s wavy half-up half-down hairdo, and Starrr’s glittery rainbow eye makeup. To complete his Pride mug, Starrr used all Black-owned beauty products, ranging fro...
Alicia Keys & John Legend to Face Off in Juneteenth ‘Verzuz’ Battle
R&B superstars Alicia Keys and John Legend will face off in a Verzuz battle on June 19. “Let’s celebrate Juneteenth with a special edition #Verzuz! @AliciaKeys vs @JohnLegend,” the popular online battle series announced Saturday (June 13) on Instagram. The Verzuz Instagram battle series — co-helmed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic by legendary hip-hop producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland — has seen showdowns between such all-stars as Nelly and Ludacris, Lil Jon and T-Pain, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu and many more. Starting as a 20-song showdown between evenly matched producers, the series has also come to encompass writers and now performers, as hip-hop and R&B fans have been glued to their IG feeds on countless weekend nights to watch the d...
Lena Waithe, Jonica Gibbs on How Lesbian Representation Creates a ‘Space of Understanding’
Lena Waithe, the award-winning Master of None and Queen and Slim scribe, said that while she feels accepted as a Black, gay woman in the entertainment industry, she believes audiences need to see even more Black queer representation. “If you look at how many people that are known and that are Black in the industry, and then if you can count on like maybe one or two hands how many of them are out? The numbers just don’t add up,” Waithe said at Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s second annual Pride Summit and Prom. On Saturday, Waithe joined her mentee, Twenties breakout Jonica Gibbs, for a conversation that touched on expanded lesbian representation in television, the recent Black Lives Matter protests across the country and the role of the industry in the movement. Th...
