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Taylor Swift to Receive Honorary Doctorate From NYU, Give Commencement Address
Taylor Swift will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, from New York University with the graduating class of 2022. She will address students and guests at the school’s commencement ceremony on May 18 at Yankee Stadium. Being NYU’s first commencement since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony will honor the 2020, 2021, and 2022 classes. NYU’s Clive Davis Institute recently completed its first-ever class on Swift, taught by Rolling Stone staff writer Brittany Spanos (who has also contributed to Pitchfork). Swift recently previewed a new Aaron Dessner-produced track called “Carolina” in the trailer for Where the Crawdads Sing, a film based on Delia Owens’ 2018 novel of the same name. Last month she joined Ed Sheeran on a new version of “The Joker and the Queen.” Read “Tay...
Taylor Swift to Receive Honorary Doctorate From NYU, Give Commencement Address
Taylor Swift will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, from New York University with the graduating class of 2022. She will address students and guests at the school’s commencement ceremony on May 18 at Yankee Stadium. Being NYU’s first commencement since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony will honor the 2020, 2021, and 2022 classes. NYU’s Clive Davis Institute recently completed its first-ever class on Swift, taught by Rolling Stone staff writer Brittany Spanos (who has also contributed to Pitchfork). Swift recently previewed a new Aaron Dessner-produced track called “Carolina” in the trailer for Where the Crawdads Sing, a film based on Delia Owens’ 2018 novel of the same name. Last month she joined Ed Sheeran on a new version of “The Joker and the Queen.” Read “Tay...
Disney Condemns Florida Governor’s Signing of “Don’t Say Gay” Bill
The Walt Disney Coompany has condemned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for signing into law the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. House Bill 1557 — officially titled the “Parental Rights in Education” bill — prevents schools from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in younger grades, and requires schools to notify parents in most cases when children receive mental, emotional, or physical health services. “Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” a Disney spokesperson said today, March 28th, following the signing. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working...
The Academy Launches “Formal Review” of Will Smith’s Conduct at Oscars
The Academy has launched a “formal review” of Will Smith’s conduct at last night’s Oscars. In a statement released on Monday, the organization “condemned the actions of Mr. Smith,” and will “explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.” During Sunday’s telecast, Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock after the comic cracked a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Advertisement Related Video The US broadcast quickly cut the sound, but the international feed captured the full interaction. Rock said, “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.” Smith returned to his seat, where he shouted out, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” It appears Smith will face some sort of disciplinary action in response ...
Oscars 2022: Norm Macdonald, Bob Saget Omitted from In Memoriam Segment
Every year, the Oscars honor the stars who passed away in the year before the event, and every year, they forget to mention at least one deceased legend. This time around, the big names omitted from the Academy Awards In Memoriam segment included Norm Macdonald, Bob Saget, and Ed Asner. While Macdonald, Saget, and Asner primarily worked in television, the comedians’ deaths still left a major gap in the industry. Macdonald — who passed away in September following a nine-year battle with cancer — is perhaps best known for his time on Saturday Night Live, but he also appeared in films like Grown Ups, Back to Norm, and Dirty Work — the latter of which was directed by his good friend, Bob Saget. Saget, who died of head trauma while on tour in January, appeared in films like ...
Will Smith Apologizes to Chris Rock After Slapping Him at Oscars
Will Smith has issued a statement apologizing to Chris Rock for slapping him during Sunday night’s Oscars. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” wrote Smith in a statement posted to Instagram on Monday evening. “Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.” Prior to announcing the winner for documentary feature, Rock cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, prompti...
Bobby Shmurda Released From Epic Records Contract
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty After months of voicing his displeasure with his record label, it looks like Bobby Shmurda finally got his wish and will be getting his walking papers from Epic Records. According to Variety, the “Hot N*gga” rapper took to his IG stories to inform his millions of followers that Epic Records has granted him his wish and released him from the record label he’s called home since 2014. Posting a pic of himself on a cellphone, Bobby wrote “I JUST SIGNED MY RELEASE PAPERS ALSO JUS MADE AH MILLY TODAY.” Looks like Bobby has more reason to be twerking in his videos these days. Speaking of which, Shmurda also wrote “I’M SHOOTING MY FIRST INDEPENDENCE VIDEO TODAY CALLED GETTING EM BACK.” Related Stories Good for Bobby. Lord knows the man nee...
Diddy Says All Is Well Between Will Smith & Chris Rock
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty Will Smith and Chris Rock will undoubtedly dominate the news cycle for the new few days easily after their shocking moment at the 2022 Oscars. While tensions appeared to be high, Sean “Diddy” Combs says it’s all “Love” between the pair at the moment. Page Six obtained got an exclusive comment from Diddy regarding the incident, adding to his lighthearted moment onstage at the Oscars of hoping to broker a peace deal between the two after Smith smacked Rock during the broadcast regarding a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. According to the mogul, the moment is in their respective rearview after partying at the Vanity Fair Oscar afterparty together. Related Stories “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that,” Diddy said ...
From Tears to Pride To Slaps: The Best & Worst Moments From the 2022 Oscars
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: David Livingston / Getty It’s safe to say that the 2022 Academy Awards will be unforgettable (thanks to Will Smith & Chris Rock), but here’s a rundown of the best and worst moments of the evening for you to savor. The 94th Academy Awards was promoted as the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the motion picture industry’s highest honor with the three women hosts Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes to add to the heightened inclusivity. Much like a great film, there were high and low moments that have many buzzing the morning afterward. The event kicked off with Beyonce herself gracing the crowd with a performance of her song “Be Alive” from the nominated film King Richard featuring Will Smith (who’d win Best Actor) about the fa...
LAMB OF GOD’s MARK MORTON Says His Two Daughters Are His ‘Biggest Accomplishment’
In a recent Cameo video message requested by Jonathan Montenegro of Sobre La Dosis, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton was asked to name his biggest accomplishment and his biggest failure. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think my biggest accomplishment are my two daughters. I have a very young daughter — she’s brand new; less than a year old — and then I have an 11-year-old daughter. And she’s just a wonderful kid, man. She’s a beautiful human being and I’m so proud of her and the person that she is. And to know that I get the honor of raising her and being her father I consider to be my greatest accomplishment, along with my youngest, who’s just barely crawling now. So I get the chance to do that all over again. Beyond my children, ...
WOLFGANG VAN HALEN Talks About ‘Personal Challenge’ In Making Second MAMMOTH WVH Album
During a recent appearance on “Whiplash”, the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, Wolfgang Van Halen once again said that he is hoping to begin working on the follow-up to MAMMOTH WVH‘s self-titled debut LP at some point in the not-too-distant future. “Basically, I certainly don’t wanna take as long as it did,” he explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I think throughout that first process, I was really just figuring out what it was and who I was as my own artist, finding my own sound and discovering who I was as a lead singer, as a songwriter. But when it comes to the next album, now that I’ve figured out what this is and who I am, within the context of it, I’m really excited to figure out how to condense that proces...
GENE SIMMONS Says TOMMY THAYER And ERIC SINGER Are ‘Appreciative’ And ‘Professional’ When It Comes To Playing In KISS
During a brand new appearance on “The Adam Carolla Show”, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons discussed some of his fellow popular musicians who are not appreciative of their success and position. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s not fair to point a finger, because everybody’s got their own dynamics with life and living experiences. But anybody who is lucky enough, on the face of a planet of seven and a half billion people, to have more money than you could ever spend in your life, have more chicks run after you that you don’t deserve ’cause you’re not that good looking. I’m talking about myself. Glory, fame — all that stuff. I don’t have to do a goddamn thing and people will give me free stuff. Where were they w...
