Coronavirus
Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Justin Bieber & More to Perform at ‘Global Goal: Unite for Our Future’ Concert
Musicians are lending their voices to another important cause. Global Citizen and the European Commission announced on Monday (June 22) the “Global Goal: Unite for Our Future” Concert. The event, which will be preceded by a summit, will shine a light on how the global coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately impacted marginalized communities. The June 27 concert will feature performances by Miley Cyrus, Shakira, J Balvin, Justin Bieber and Quavo, Jennifer Hudson, Coldplay, Usher, Christine and the Queens, Chloe x Halle, and Yemi Alade. Billy Porter, Hugh Jackman and many others will also make appearances, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hosting. “This moment requires all of us to act. As Global Citizens, we’re calling on leaders around the world t...
600 Artists Sign Letter Asking Congress to Support Independent Music Venues
A recent survey conducted by the National Independent Venue Association found that 90% of independent music venues face closure if the coronavirus shutdown lasts six months or longer and there’s no federal support provided. Now, a group of 600 artists have signed an open letter calling on Congress to provide the necessary funding and support to keep these venues afloat. A who’s who of prominent musicians have put their name to the letter, everyone from Dave Grohl to Billie Eilish to Willie Nelson to Robert Plant. Other notable signees include André 3000, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Kacey Musgraves, Bon Iver, St. Vincent, Trent Reznor, Patti Smith, David Byrne, Earth Wind & Fire, Vampire Weekend, Alice Cooper, Jack Black, Josh Homme, Ozzy Osbourne, Mitski, Maggie Rogers, Conor Oberst, Beach ...
China bans US chickens, shuts Pepsi plant
China banned imports from a top US poultry producer and ordered a Beijing Pepsi factory to close Sunday as authorities clamped down on food production and distribution amid a new coronavirus cluster in the capital. Health officials also reported 22 new virus cases in Beijing, where they have tested more than two million residents as they seek to contain a wave of new infections linked to a wholesale market in the capital. Imports of frozen chicken from Tyson Foods have been “temporarily suspended”, the General Administration of Customs said, after a virus outbreak was found at one of the company’s production facilities in the US. Products from the firm that have already arrived in China will be confiscated, the statement said. US food and drinks giant PepsiCo was also ordered to shut down ...
D.L. Hughley Tests Positive For COVID-19
Source: @realdlhughley / Instagram Black Twitter called it. After a scary moment that saw him faint while performing on stage, comedian D.L. Hughley revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19. On Friday night (June 19), Hughley was performing in Nashville. However, during his set at Zanies Comedy Night Club while telling a joke he seemingly passed out. Someone offstage was able to catch him before he totally fell out and he was taken off stage. Fortunately, he responded to treatment and while in the hospital he was diagnosed with exhaustion and dehydration. According to Hughley, he was administered a number of tests, and surprisingly (but not so surprisingly to some Twitter conspiracy theorists) he tested positive for the coronavirus. Speaking just after his release from St. Thomas ...
AMC Theatres to Reopen in July, Won’t Require Face Masks to Avoid “Political Controversy”
Update – June 19th: AMC has reversed course and will require movie-goers to wear face masks. Bankruptcy be damned: Like Cinemark and Regal Cinemas earlier this week, AMC Theatres has now announced that they, too, will begin reopening their theaters across America beginning in July. Face mask, anyone? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the world’s largest theater chain will open 450 of its US locations on July 15th followed by the remaining 150 on July 24th, all in anticipation of Disney’s Mulan and Warner Bros.’ Tenet. “After a painful almost four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus, we are delighted to announce that movies are coming back to the big screen at AMC. Our next 100 years of making smiles happen officially begin at approximately 450 theaters across the Uni...
D.L. Hughley Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Collapsing On Stage
D.L. Hughley, photo via Getty Comedian D.L. Hughley says he has tested positive for COVID-19 after collapsing during a show in Nashville on Friday night. Hughley, 57, was performing at Zanies Comedy Club when he suddenly fainted. His manager and several other people carried him off the stage, and he was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he was treated for exhaustion and dehydration. Doctors also conducted a battery of tests and determined that he had contracted coronavirus. In a video posted to social media, Hughley said he didn’t have any symptoms related to COVID-19, and it’s unclear whether the virus contributed to him collapsing. He was released from the hospital on Saturday and will spend the next 14 days in self-isolation. Below, you can watch Hughley’s aforementione...
Harry Connick Jr. Honors Workers During Pandemic Road Trip
Singer and actor Harry Connick Jr. has spent a lot of his life on tour buses and traveling from city to city, but even when the pandemic shut down the country, he couldn’t sit still. With the help of his daughter, Georgia Connick, who is a filmmaker, and a bunch of GoPro cameras, he embarked on a pandemic road trip to meet essential workers around the country who were risking their lives during the pandemic. United We Sing: A Grammy Tribute to the Unsung Heroes, a TV special that airs on CBS on Sunday (June 21) at 8 p.m. ET/PT, highlights the everyday heroes along his journey to New Orleans, with help from Connick’s celebrity pals including Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, Sandra Bullock and Renee Zellweger. The show also features musical performances from Jamie Foxx, Cyndi Lauper, Branford and W...
How P!nk Got Through Coronavirus Panic Attacks Over ‘Wondering If I Was Gonna Die’
P!nk addressed her family’s struggle with coronavirus once more in a candid live chat about mental health with Vanessa Inn. The pop star — who previously said she and her 3-year-old son, Jameson, had tested positive and recovered from COVID-19 — welcomed Inn, who she said has been “guiding me for 20 years,” to an Instagram Live session Friday (June 19). “The idea came to me sort of when quarantine started, when this whole COVID-19 thing started, because mental health is always on my radar,” P!nk explained while waiting for Inn to join in. “You can’t run from yourself in quarantine,” she pointed out. “You can’t run from your family.” In their discussion, P!nk recalled how she and her son “got really sic...
Trump Voters Are Burning Their Face Masks to Protest COVID-19 Orders
In what appears to be a new challenge-turned-fail, a number of Donald Trump voters are burning their face masks to try to own the libs. According to a report by Vice, MAGA fans have posted videos of themselves lighting the fabric on fire to Facebook, allegedly to protest their respective cities and states enforcing new COVID-19 protection orders. It all began when Raleigh, North Carolina Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin announced that face coverings will be mandatory in public, at supermarkets, inside businesses, on sidewalks, on public transportation, and in parking lots starting this Friday. Numerous other cities and states have implemented similar rules — a fact-driven, science-backed decision to stop the spread of COVID-19 and the number of coronavirus-related deaths. The members of Facebook gro...
Togo pay tribute to Edem Koudagba after unexpected death
The Togolese Football Federation have paid tribute to ASC Kara striker Kossi Edem Koudagba following his death at the age of 24 on Thursday. The striker, who netted against Nigeria at the 2019 Wafu Cup of Nations, died in his hometown of Davie following a short illness. “In these painful circumstances, the Executive Committee of the FTF wish to salute the memory of the player, whose qualities on and off the field are known to all,” a communique from the federation began. “The FTF Executive Committee would like, on behalf of Togolese football, to express our deepest condolences and express our feelings of sympathy to the family of the deceased, loved ones, the ASCK club, as well as the staff and players of the Togo national team.” Koudagba’s death was announced on Thursday, with the young f...
Coronavirus Antibodies Vanish a Few Months After Patients Recover, New Study Finds
According to a study published in the Journal of Nature Medicine, recovered COVID-19 patients may rapidly lose antibodies – the blood proteins necessary to stave off virus infections and the cornerstone of vaccinology. The finding raises new questions about the idea of immunity passports (a way for people considered immune to the virus to move around freely and not need to wear facemasks) and could be cause for concern about the development of an effective vaccine. Researchers in the study tested for antibodies in 37 people who had fallen ill and recovered from the virus in the Wanzhou district of China. They also tested 37 others who had tested positive for the virus but never showed symptoms – what is known as asymptomatic cases. This was in order to address two key questions that will i...
Boots Launches Reusable Face Masks Created by Six British Fashion Designers
In partnership with the British Fashion Council and Bags of Ethics, Boots has launched reusable face masks designed by six top British fashion designers. Mulberry, RIXO, Halpern, Julien Macdonald, Liam Hodges, and RAEBURN have all designed a face covering with a unique pattern in their personal style, which will be sold in a pack of three (each pack also comes with two protective pouches) for £15 available at Boots.com. One-hundred percent of net profits from the Great British Designer Reusable Face Coverings sales will be split among three charities: NHS Charities Together, BFC Foundation Fashion Fund for the COVID Crisis, and Wings of Hope Children’s Charity. Each face covering is made with two breathable layers of certified-organic cotton sateen as well as bio-enzyme washed fabric...
