NEWS
Ticketmaster Preps Plans to Verify Concertgoers’ COVID-19 and Vaccination Statuses
Live music — at least the way we remember going to gigs in the “before” time — might be even closer to coming back than initially thought. After Pfizer announced that early results for a new COVID-19 vaccine presented a 90% efficacy rate during its first set of trials earlier this week, Ticketmaster began working on a safety plan that would use smartphones. The phones would be used to whether verify concertgoers were vaccinated or had tested negative for COVID-19 over the previous 72 hours, Billboard reported. “In order for live events to return, technology and science are going to play huge roles in establishing integrated protocols so that fans, artists, and employees feel safe returning to venues,” says Marianne Herman, co-founder and principal reBUILD20, told Billboard. ReBUILD20 is a ...
2021 Ram 2500 Power Wagon 75th Anniversary Edition Celebrates an Icon
The Ram Power Wagon is the original four-by pickup, descended from the WC-series trucks that helped the United States military in World War II. As was the case with the Jeep CJ, these trucks‘ war-proven hardware adapted well to rugged civilian use. The Power Wagons were built to do work, and they did, no matter the terrain or conditions. Ram’s 75th Anniversary Edition is a tribute to the original, with plenty of aesthetic callouts and special badging to set it apart. See all 14 photos The 2021 Ram 2500 Power Wagon 75th Anniversary Edition‘s hardware is essentially the same as any other, but that’s no dig. The broader Ram HD range was our 2020 Truck of the Year, and the prior-generation, off-road-oriented 2500 Power Wagon earned a place in our hearts after a yea...
Paul McCartney ‘Wishes’ He Was More Like ‘Legendary’ Bob Dylan
In a cover story in the UK magazine Uncut, Paul McCartney admitted “Sometimes I wish I was a bit more like Bob Dylan…He’s legendary… and doesn’t give a shit!” McCartney, however, admits, “I’m not like that.” NME reports that during an interview centered on the making of his new solo album, McCartney III, the Beatles bassist said, “I always like what [Dylan] does. His new album [Rough and Rowdy Ways]? I thought it was really good. He writes really well. I love his singing — he came through the standards albums like a total crooner. But, yeah, I like his new stuff.“ He also cited prolific Canadian-born rocker Neil Young as a longtime favorite. While the Beatles and Dylan were certainly peers, Dylan’s self-titled debut album came out in March 1962, while the Beatles launched th...
Travis Scott Puts Astroworld on Hold For This Year, Planning 2021 Return
Travis Scott‘s Astroworld festival is taking a break this year amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic, but in a post on Tuesday (Nov. 10) the rapper promised that the event will be back in 2021 in a big way. While the announcement didn’t officially say that this year’s fest has been iced, it read, “See you next year… at Astrofest can’t wait to turn the f–k up! Stay Safe.” The post’s caption promised “THE PARTY NEVER ENDS.” Last year’s festival featured sets from Migos, Young Thug, Megan Thee Stallion, Gucci Mane, Scott, Pharrell, Marilyn Manson, Rosalia, DaBaby, Playboi Carti, Pop Smoke, Young Dolph and others. The 2020 edition was originally slated to take place on Nov. 9. At press time the date for the 2021 event has not yet been ann...
H.E.R. & Chris Brown Lead 2020 Soul Train Awards Nominations: Here’s the Complete List
The show will simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2 at 8 p.m. ET. A one-hour pre-show will air at 7 p.m. ET. The main show will be followed by the broadcast television debut of DJ Cassidy’s virtual series Pass the Mic. Connie Orlando, BET’s EVP specials, music programming & music strategy, will executive produce the show, along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, and that company’s Jeannae Rouzan-Clay and Dionne Harmon. The show will air on BET Africa on Nov. 29, BET France on Dec. 1, BET UK on Dec. 2 and BET South Korea on Dec. 2. Here’s the complete list of nominations: Song of the year:Beyoncé – “Black Parade”Chloe X Halle – “Do It”Chris Brown & Young Thug – “Go Crazy”H.E.R. Feat. YG – “Slide”Summer Walker & Usher – “Come Thru”Usher Feat. Ella Mai – “Do...
Watch Grimes Get ‘Cheeseboarded’ During ‘Grimes & Punishment’ Bit on ‘Eric Andre Show’
Grimes is used to putting herself into unusual situations. But none of her far-out artistic excursions have included having her hands bound while a leather masked gimp tickles her with a feather, shocks her feet and being locked in place while Kraft Punk pours a bucket of Velveeta on her head. Just a day’s work on the new season of The Eric Andre Show. The envelope-pushing comedian known for his gross-out bits and intense physical comedy goes all in on Grimes in a recently posted bit from the fifth season of his bananas Adult Swim series during a segment called “Grimes & Punishment.” The new 10-episode season includes appearances from Blake Griffin, A$AP Ferg, Adam Rippon, Tia Carrere, Robin Givens, Jai Rodriguez, Luis Guzman and others instantly regretting their deci...
2021 Land Rover Discovery First Look: Disco Lives
Land Rover’s Discovery may not seem all that exciting parked next to the new Defender SUV, its smaller and more off-road-focused sibling (and MotorTrend‘s 2021 SUV of the Year), but it’s not forgotten. For 2021, Land Rover has gone through the Discovery with a fine-tooth comb, uncovering a smattering of tiny opportunities for improvement. A few more USB ports here, a new shift lever there, and—biggest of all—a new touchscreen infotainment system named Pivi Pro. For an idea of just how small Land Rover thought when tackling its updates for the Discovery, take a look at this rig’s face. It looks pretty much the same as before, right? Almost. The LEDs in the headlights are lowered for a more purposeful appearance, the grille is new, and so are those straked vertical in...
Dirty Dozen: Hyundai Prepping Onslaught of 12 New or Redesigned SUVs
Hyundai’s lineup is stacked with SUVs, and with the Kona, Santa Fe, Palisade, Tucson, Nexo, and Venue on the menu, there’s seemingly something for almost every niche. That does not mean, however, that the Korean automaker is resting on its laurels. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Hyundai has just announced that its current SUV blitz will continue through the end of 2021, including 12 new or significantly updated SUVs and SUV variants. Here’s some of what you can expect. The 2022 Kona and Kona N-Line have already been announced, however, and we know a high-performance Kona N is on the way. We expect the Kona N to share a powertrain with the Veloster N, meaning a turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 that will make between 250 and 275 horsepower. The 2022 Tucson and 2021 San...
Failed Candidate Kanye West Sued For $1 Million Over Unpaid Wages
Source: Neil Mockford / Getty Has anyone seen Is Kanye West? A couple of disgruntled Sunday Service employees want to settle a stack of overdue invoices after working for the rapper last year. Apparently, staff that worked on a live performance for the musical live production of “Kanye West Nebuchadnezzar Opera” claimed they were never paid for their work, so they’re suing the rapper and Live Nation via a class-action lawsuit for a cool $1 million. The Blast reports that a hair assistant claims she is owed “unpaid wages, continuing wages, damages, civil penalties, statutory penalties and attorney’s fees and costs.” Her day rate was paid late and the production team, consisting of background actors, performing as audience members also faced charges with their delinquent checks. &...
Run-DMC & adidas To Drop New Collaboration Collection
Source: adidas / adidas Three decades and change after putting adidas on the Hip-Hop map like no other, Run-DMC will be getting a special capsule collection with the three striped brand for the OG heads. Source: adidas / adidas According to HypeBeast, adidas Original will be teaming with the legendary Hip-Hop crew (R.I.P. Jam Master Jay), and dropping some new colorways of their OG silhouette and even some attire to go with the new pieces. The upcoming adidas Superstar 50’s will come in white/black joint and black/white colorways. Though the classic silhouettes will remain the same, details will be different. The accents are entirely new thanks to Run-DMC branding on the midfoot, tongue and sockliner. The white pair adds a dash of red on the heel tab, while the black pair offers a direct n...
Travis Scott’s McDonald’s Limited Action Figure Is Reselling For $55K
Source: Ray’s Corrupted Mind / Ray’s Corrupted Mind If you need more proof that Travis Scott is one of the most influential performers of our time look no further than his most recent collaboration. A fast food chain toy is now translating to a heavy bag. As spotted on Hype Beast Cactus Jack’s co-branded effort with McDonald’s is doing numbers even past the limited-time purchasing window. According to the article the promotion is living its best life on the resale market, specifically the action figure in his likeness. But when you know the mathematics it is clear why these dolls are going for top dollar. The Travis Scott figurines were super limited with only five in production and could only be won via a sweepstakes hosted on the McDonald’s app. These items were individually numbere...
Tencent Music Entertainment Grew Subscribers 10% to 4.6M In Third Quarter
Tencent Music’s music apps fared relatively well, with paying users growing 7%, 10.3% and 9.8% in the first, second and third quarters. Revenue didn’t keep the pace as third quarter paying users were just 0.3% over the final 2019 count. Music subscribers grew by 4.6 million to 51.7 million, up 46% year-over-year and up 9.8% from the second quarter. In unit terms, subscriber growth improved on the 2.8 million in the first quarter and 4.4 million in the second quarter. Music monthly active users (MAU) fell 2.3% to 646 million, down from 661 million in the prior-year period Monthly music ARPU (average revenue per user) grew 5.6% to 9.4 yuan ($1.42) Signs of the COVID-19 pandemic are visible on Tencent Music’s metrics. In the first quarter, as much of China was under lockdown orders, Tencent M...
