Entertainment News
R.I.P. Justin Townes Earle, Singer-Songwriter Dies at 38
Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle has died at the age of 38. “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” read a statement posted to the musician’s social media. “So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys.” A cause of death was not immediately made available. Justin Townes Earle was the son of country legend Steve Earle, who named him after his own musical mentor, Townes van Zandt. The father and son had a complicated relationship; Steve left Justin’s mother when he was only two years old. After Steve got sober, however, Justin returned to live with his father and became immersed in Nashville’s music scene. As a teenager, Jus...
Ms. Lauryn Hill Performs Six Songs for Louis Vuitton’s Menswear Show: Watch
Ms. Lauryn Hill Ms. Lauryn Hill has given limited performances during the pandemic, but her latest is a big one. Louis Vuitton called on the hip-hop icon to provide the musical accompaniment for their spring-summer 2021 menswear show in Shanghai, which took place earlier this month. The whole six-song performance was captured on video for an accompanying video presentation, which has now come online for all to behold. The black-and-white video finds Hill delivering half-a-dozen tracks, including her contribution to the Queen & Slim soundtrack, “Guarding the Gates”. With her band in full force around her, she also sings “Everything Is Everything”, “Lost Ones”, “Ex-Factor”, “Black Rage”, and the classic “Doo Wop (That Thing)”. Most of the July 31st shoot took place at New Jersey’s MLH St...
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Skewers Trump During Democratic National Convention: Watch
During a presidential campaign, the vice presidential nominee typically serves as the attack dog. Former Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus certainly played that role during the final night of the Democratic National Convention. While serving as the evening’s host, Louis-Dreyfus repeatedly ripped Donald Trump with stinging one-liners. “Joe Biden goes to church so regularly that he doesn’t even need tear gas and a bunch of federalized troops to get there,” Louis-Dreyfus remarked at one point. Later, she proclaimed, “If we all vote there is nothing Facebook, Fox News or Vladimir Putin can do to stop us.” While recounting the time Biden reached out after reading an article about her in the Amtrak magazine Arrive, Louis-Dreyfus quipped, “Joe Biden not only knows how to read, but also, he reads ever...
JAY-Z and Pharrell Team for New Single “Entrepreneur”: Stream
JAY-Z and Pharrell Williams are two of the most successful business men in all of music, so it’s fitting that their new collaboration be called “Entrepreneur”. Coming as part of a new cover package for TIME, the track finds the two artists advocating for an equality revolution across all levels of the American Dream. “The intention for a song was all about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with,” Pharrell told TIME. “Especially as someone of color, there’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages. How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?” In the song itself, Pharrell raps, “Gravity on the black man/ With everythin...
Danbury, Connecticut Renames Sewage Plant in Honor of John Oliver
For the last several years, John Oliver has been in a tiff with the city of Danbury, Connecticut. It’s not entirely clear what prompted his war of words, but on at least two occasions in the last three years, HBO’s Last Week Tonight host has ruthlessly mocked the New York metropolitan suburb. In 2017, he took aim at Danbury for going to absurd lengths in hopes of winning a bid to be Amazon’s headquarters. In a more recent episode, in which he explored racial disparities in the jury selection process of two Connecticut cities, Oliver again singled out Danbury. “If you’re going to forget a town in Connecticut,” Oliver remarked, “why not forget Danbury? Because, and this is true, fuck Danbury!” “I know exactly three things about Danbury,” Oliver added. “USA Today ranked it the ...
Thousands Turn Out for EDM Concert in Wuhan, China
Wuhan, China, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, has returned to a sense of normalcy. This past weekend, in fact, thousands of people turned out for an electronic music concert. The event took place at the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park, an open-air venue with a capacity of around 15,000. Though organizers restricted capacity to 50%, the event still drew thousands, with a vast majority choosing not to wear a mask or practice social distancing. A number of attendees even watched the concert from inflatable rubber tubes floating in a giant pool. While such scenes are unthinkable in the era of coronavirus, Wuhan has reported no new cases of the virus since mid-May and has largely lifted the stringent lockdown restrictions in place since January. Wuhan, China — once the glo...
Kendrick Lamar Narrates Nike’s New Kobe Bryant Tribute Video: Watch
Nike is celebrating Kobe Bryant’s 42nd birthday with a new short film narrated by fellow Los Angeles great, Kendrick Lamar. Entitled Better, the film “celebrates the universal relevance of progress and highlights Kobe’s prolific desire for improvement,” Nike says. “The Mamba Mentality is about getting better, every day, in everything we do.” Kendrick echoes these sentiments throughout the clip: “Kobe taught us to be better,” K. Dot begins. “Better waker, better stretcher, better walker, better talker.” As the clip progresses, so too does the intensity of Kendrick’s articulation: “Better form, better focus, better friend, better fighter, better rider, better eater, better generation, better nation!” he continues. “Just be better. Can you do that?” Watch the full video below. ...
R.I.P. Walter Lure, Guitarist for Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers Dies at 71
Walter Lure, guitarist-vocalist for ’70s punk pioneers The Heartbreakers (also known as Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers), has died at the age of 71. The veteran musician passed away Saturday (August 22nd) after being diagnosed with liver and lung cancer last year. The Heartbreakers (not to be confused with Tom Petty’s backing band of the same name) formed in New York City in 1975 after Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan quit The New York Dolls. The pair were joined by bassist Richard Hell after he parted ways with Television, and eventually Walter Lure to round out its initial lineup. The band would become an early fixture of the New York City punk scene, playing iconic venues like CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City. By 1976, Hell quit the band and was replaced by Billy Rath, ce...
13 People Killed During Stampede at Illegal Nightclub Party in Peru
At least 13 people were killed and six others injured in a stampede at an illegal nightclub party in Lima, Peru on Saturday, as partygoers attempted to escape a police raid on the venue, according to CNN. Mass gatherings are currently prohibited in Peru because of the coronavirus pandemic. After receiving reports from nearby residents, police conducted a raid on Thomas Restobar at around 9:00 p.m. local time. Approximately 120 people were in attendance at the time, and they rushed to escape through a single door located on the ground level. Peru’s Ministry of the Interior said police did not use “any type of weapon or tear gas to clear the premises.” Instead, they said the deaths and injuries occurred when people attempted to flee the second floor of the venue and were trampled on the stai...
Bright Eyes Return with New Album Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was: Stream
Bright Eyes have returned with their first new album in nine years, Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was. Stream it below through Apple Music or Spotify. Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott released nine albums from 1998 through 2011. Together they led an indie rock revolution off of Dylan-esque folk tunes, but by the time of 2011’s The People’s Key, Oberst had somewhat soured on his earlier work, calling it “rootsy Americana shit.” In retrospect, perhaps they just needed a break. Oberst especially has been busy these last nine years, pumping out solo records, founding Better Oblivion Community Center with Phoebe Bridgers, and then co-writing five songs on her outstanding new album Punisher. While Oberst helped Bridgers become a star, she’s now returning th...
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Already Linked to Multiple Coronavirus Cases
No one saw this coming: the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has been linked to at least seven new cases of the coronavirus, with many more likely to come in the days ahead. On Thursday, the Panhandle Public Health District confirmed seven new cases of COVID-19 in South Dakota and nearby Nebraska “tied to the rally,” according to NBC News. Meanwhile, ABC 5 News reports that local Sturgis officials are planning to conduct mass testing of its residents next week in an attempt to mitigate a possible outbreak of infections from the rally. South Dakota health officials say they’ve seen a 43% increase in positive coronavirus cases over the past two weeks, with 125 new cases alone confirmed on Thursday. Upwards of 450,000 people attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally earlier this month, making it the...
Megan Thee Stallion Confirms Tory Lanez Shot Her
Over a month after it was first reported that Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot, the “WAP” rapper has confirmed that it was Tory Lanez who pulled the trigger. News broke in mid-July that Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, had been arrested for suspicion of possession of a concealed weapon. Megan, né Megan Pete, was in the vehicle with Lanez at the time and reported suffering glass wounds on her feet. However, the very next day, she took to social media to reveal she had actually been shot in both her feet “as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me.” At the time, the Los Angeles Police Department said Megan had not reported any crime. Over the next few weeks, however, she continued to discuss the experience, including surge...
