Hollywood
Dozens of VIP backers invest $87M into crypto payment startup MoonPay
In November 2021, MoonPay announced a $555 million Series A financing round that brought the crypto payment platform’s valuation to $3.4 billion. On Wednesday, the fintech company revealed that $87 million of the total $555 million came collectively from more than 60 public figures and celebrities in the music, sports, media and entertainment industries. While the Series A round was led by firms like Tiger Global Management and Coatue with participation from Blossom Capital, Thrive Capital, Paradigm and NEA, the following household names are also considered strategic investors: Gwyneth Paltrow, Maria Sharapova, Eva Longoria, Gal Gadot, Matthew McConaughey and Bruce Willis. Other “industry VIPs” like Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton and Steve A...
Crypto.com will air campaign in support of Ukraine during Academy Awards
Cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com plans to use its ad time during the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday to air a TV spot regarding the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. In a Wednesday announcement, Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek said the exchange had partnered with the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, to launch a campaign aimed at helping those suffering under war-torn conditions in Ukraine. The CEO did not specify what the campaign would entail, but the platform already allows donations in crypto, fiat and nonfungible token purchases to the humanitarian network Red Cross Red Crescent. The exchange will match up to $1 million in donations until March 31. “The humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, and I believe it’s our responsibility to su...
Just Say Yes? Nancy Reagan Trending Over This Old Rumor
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Bettmann / Getty The late Nancy Reagan is best remembered as the First Lady of the United States when her former actor husband Ronald Reagan became president in the 1980s. However, a journalist penned an unauthorized biography alleging that Mrs. Reagan was proficient in the arts of mouth work. How this became to be a sizzling Twitter trending topic occurred when conservative media figure Classically Abby essentially slut-shamed Madonna by comparing the 63-year-old songstress’ sultry photoshoot to an idyllic family photo featuring Reagan and her family. Quickly, fans began to chime in and made mention of journalist Kitty Kelly’s book, which was mentioned in a 1998 Village Voice article, and once more mentioned by Washington Babylon earlier this summe...
Just Say Gawk: Twitter In Shock Learning Nancy Reagan Was An Alleged Glizzy Gobbler
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Bettmann / Getty The late Nancy Reagan is best remembered as the First Lady of the United States when her former actor husband Ronald Reagan became president in the 1980s. However, a journalist penned an unauthorized biography alleging that Mrs. Reagan was proficient in the arts of mouth work. How this became to be a sizzling Twitter trending topic occurred when conservative media figure Classically Abby essentially slut-shamed Madonna by comparing the 63-year-old songstress’ sultry photoshoot to an idyllic family photo featuring Reagan and her family. Quickly, fans began to chime in and made mention of journalist Kitty Kelly’s book, which was mentioned in a 1998 Village Voice article, and once more mentioned by Washington Babylon earlier this summe...
Nipsey Hussle To Get A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz83 The world continues to give Nipsey Hussle his flowers after his untimely passing. He will be recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. As spotted on High Snobiety the fallen MC is getting some world class respect put on his name even after his death. This year he will be given the iconic five pointed award in one of the most famous streets in the world. According to Variety the “Racks in the Middle” rapper is slotted with several other high profile performers from motion pictures, television, recording, radio, live theatre and sports entertainment. Also nominated to the 2022 class are the likes of Macaulay Culkin, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek, Helen Hunt, Regina King, Ray Liotta, Ewan McGregor, Ada...
Veteran Screen Actor Clarence Williams III Has Died
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: CBS Photo Archive / Getty Clarence Williams III, an actor with credits that stretch back to the late 1960s, has passed away. Williams found fame early but is perhaps most notable for playing intense and eccentric characters while in possession of a most unique voice. As shared in a report from Deadline, Williams, a native of New York City, found fame as the imposing yet suave police detective Linc Hayes on the hit series, The Mod Squad. The show began its five-season run in 1968, establishing Williams as a star to watch out for. In the later stages of his career, Williams made unforgettable turns as Prince’s father in Purple Rain, and hammed it up alongside Dave Chappelle in the stoner cult classic, Half Baked. Williams also starred in 52 Pick-Up, Reindee...
Body Cam Video Shows LAPD Incorrectly Accosting Black Man In Hollywood
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: David McNew / Getty Antone Austin, a music producer who resides in Hollywood, Calif., was forcibly arrested in 2019 by LAPD officers responding to a domestic disturbance that involved a white man. However, when the cops arrived at the scene, they quickly and incorrectly assumed that Austin was their suspect and arrested him and his girlfriend according to newly released footage from a body cam video. NBC Los Angeles has been covering Austin’s story for some time, including an Early March report where he detailed what occurred the day of the arrest that landed him and his girlfriend in jail. According to the March 9 report, Austin explained that he was thrown to the ground and arrested while stating he believed the incident when as it did due to him being ...
Will Smith opens up about running for president
Will Smith has opened up about possibly running for president at some point in his career, and we wouldn’t put it past him. The 52-year-old has taken on some of the biggest roles in Hollywood, but he may be turning his attention to politics next. Appearing on the Pod Save America podcast, hosted by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor, the Bad Boys actor teased that the Smith family could be headed for the White House. When asked what he thinks about entering politics and running for office himself, he laughed: ‘I think for now, I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit and then I’ll consider that at some point down the line. ‘I don’t know, it’s like, I absolutely have an opinion, I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful, I believe in understanding between people. I believe in ...
“Hollyboob” Stunt Was Actually a Statement Against Instagram’s Censorship
On Monday, a group of people climbed up and altered the iconic Hollywood sign to read “Hollyboob”. All six of them were subsequently arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing, but their stunt wasn’t for naught. As it turns out, the feat wasn’t a pointless prank like the 2017 “Hollyweed” hi-jink, but a statement against Instagram’s censorship of sex workers. The person who organized the caper is a woman named Julia Rose, the founder and CEO of an adult website called Shagmag, which boasts the description “Playboy’s hotter, younger sister” on its website. In an interview with Vice, Rose explained that both her personal Instagram account and the official Shagmag account were recently suspended from the app for nudity. The “Hollyboob” maneuver was an elaborate way t...
US election: Republicans hold back Democrats, narrowing path to Senate control
The battle for power in the Senate tightened into Wednesday as Democrats picked up a seat in Colorado, but suffered a setback in Alabama, and Republicans held their own in high-profile races in South Carolina, Iowa, Texas and Kansas, dramatically narrowing the political map. Republicans fought to retain their Senate majority by turning back a surge of Democrats challenging allies of President Donald Trump, and the Democrats’ various paths to seizing control were growing more limited. With several contests still too early to call, and one Georgia race heading to a January runoff, the final verdict is expected to drag on. Democrats gained a seat when ex-Gov. John Hickenlooper ousted GOP Sen. Cory Gardner in Colorado, a must-win to flip the Senate, but couldn’t hold on in Alabama, where forme...
US Republican senators confront Netflix over Chinese sci-fi show
Five Republican US senators have confronted Netflix over the streaming giant’s plan to adapt a Chinese sci-fi book trilogy, expressing concern over the original author’s comments about claims of forced labor in Xinjiang. Liu Cixin’s bestselling “The Three-Body Problem,” which tells the story of humanity’s first contact with aliens, is set to become a major Netflix series co-written by the creators of “Game of Thrones.” In a letter to content boss Ted Sarandos, the senators accused Liu of “parroting dangerous [Communist Party] propaganda” and suggested Netflix was “providing a platform to Mr Liu in producing this project.” They highlighted a New Yorker article from last year in which Liu is quoted defending mass internment in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, where activists say more th...
“Camp Quarantine”: Tyler Perry’s Cheat Code For Filming During A Pandemic
Source: NBC / Getty The film and television industry froze when COVID-19 swept the nation. While the curve is currently trending downward in some states, it still isn’t safe to resume production as they once did before the shutdown. Cue in Tyler Perry’s recent filming experiment at his studio. The mogul took a carefully-planned gamble during a two-week production of his BET show “Sistas,” subsequently wrapping coronavirus-free. The rewarding efforts cost the guy a couple of million, but we all know his money is long. Have you seen Tyler Perry Studios? In an exclusive interview with Variety, Perry goes into detail about his blueprint. Whether on or offset, masks have to be worn at all times. “I made sure that the cast and crew and everybody wore their masks when they weren...
