NEWS
Ram 1500 TRX May Eventually Offer “Weaker,” Non-Supercharged Engine
Ram’s official answer is “Not at introduction,” which, you will note, is not a definitive no—but neither is it a yes. We can only speculate, and speculate we shall: While Ram clearly intends the 1500 TRX as a halo vehicle, we think a less powerful version would make sense. Recouping the Ram 1500 TRX’s Development Costs First, there’s the simple business expedient of spreading out the investment of developing such a high-performance vehicle. There’s a lot more to the Ram TRX than its supercharged Hellcat engine: The frame has been modified, suspension components redesigned, new interior fittings, and new software, plus new bodywork to accommodate the changes in track and wheelbase and to give the TRX its distinctive look. That’s a lot of investment ...
Teen Kelvin Dukes Gets the Judges Bouncing With ‘Valerie’ Cover on ‘AGT’: Watch
Age is just a number. Just ask Kelvin Dukes. The Maryland native cruised into the Quarter Finals stage of America’s Got Talent, despite being just 14 years of age. On Tuesday night (Aug. 18), Dukes delivered a popping performance of “Valerie,” made famous by Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson, and originally recorded in the 2000s by The Zutons. Performing on an isolated stage in a set just like the one in Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Dukes had the judges bopping along as they watched on the big screen. The kid has all the moves. This week, Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson is filling in for an injured Simon Cowell, after Kelly Clarkson helped out last week. Watch the performance below. [embedded content] You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined ...
John Legend, Bette Midler, Cher and More Celebs Roar After Night 2 of Democratic Convention
There were legends everywhere on night 2 of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, as Joe Biden was officially nominated as the party’s presidential candidate; Biden’s wife Jill, former president Bill Clinton and 2004 candidate John Kerry delivered speeches; and John Legend gave a rousing performance of “Never Break.” Due to the pandemic, this year’s Convention is a virtual one. But that hasn’t stopped millions of Democrats from tuning in, and feeding their minds ahead of the 2020 election. Thousands turned to social media to share their thoughts on what turned out to be a pivotal night for the Democrats, as Biden was picked to face off with president Donald Trump just months out from the general election. Judging by the wave of comments on Twitter, the real winner toni...
NME Launches In Asia
NME, the venerated British music title, has launched in Asia. Based in Singapore and operated by BandLab Technologies, the NME.com/Asia site will hope to feed the growing appetite in southeast Asia for music news, features and pop-culture insights. Currently, the platform has a split of 60-70% international content from the flagship U.K. title, and 30-40% local content. A core team of four writers handle copy from across the region, led by Iliyas Ong, former editor of Time Out Singapore; and Karen Gwee, former editor of Bandwagon and writer at NPR. The initial push-out focuses on Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, Meng Ru Kuok, CEO of BandLab Technologies tells Billboard. “Singapore is unique, it imports music very well and it tends to the indie music scene, in which NME is strong.” ...
Mariah Carey Sets ‘Rarities’ Collection With Lauryn Hill Collaboration
Mariah Carey is bringing a ray of sunshine to 2020. The diva is dropping an album of deep cuts, The Rarities, on Oct. 2. The new LP will cap a frenetic release schedule for Mariah. It’s scheduled to drop just days after the release of The Meaning of Mariah Carey, a memoir set to arrive Sept. 29. “This one is for you, my fans,” she says of The Rarities. “It’s to celebrate us, and to thank you for years of pure love and support. I am so grateful to you.” The 15-track album will feature the previously-unreleased “Save The Day” with Lauryn Hill. A bonus set will contain 17 recordings cut live at the Tokyo Dome in the 1990s, including “Emotions,” “Open Arms,” “Forever,” and “Fantasy.” Pre-orders and pre-saves are here. The pop icon hinted at the collection in June, as she celebrated...
Michelle Obama Reveals Barack Obama Taught Daughters How To Play Spades
Source: IPA/WENN.com / WENN Michelle Obama recently debuted her podcast, The Michelle Obama Podcast, exclusively with Spotify recently and it’s already a huge hit with many. In a recent episode, the former First Lady shared that Barack Obama used the quarantine period to connect with his daughters, Malia and Sasha, by teaching them how to play card games, most specifically, spades. Mrs. Obama sat down with award-winning journalist and Washington Post columnist Michele Norris and opened up the “Protests and the Pandemic with Michele Norris” discussion sharing how they’ve been spending time at home with their respective families. In the warm-hearted conversation about family and togetherness, early on Mrs. Obama shared how her family has found a way to maintain their individual pursuits but ...
UNC-Chapel Hill Switches Back To Remote Classes After COVID-19 Spike
Source: The Washington Post / Getty The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is among the many college campuses that moved to return to normal opening amid the pandemic. Now, officials at the institution are reversing course after a massive spike in COVID-19 cases were reported. Local publication The News & The Observer reports that UNC-Chapel Hill reported 130 new cases this week, bringing the total count to 324 positive cases since last February. Starting Wednesday (August 19), all undergraduate classes will move to a remote platform after clusters of cases appeared in dorm rooms, an apartment, and a fraternity house on campus. “As of this morning, we have tested 954 students (last week) and have 177 in isolation and 349 in quarantine, both on and off campus,” both Chancellor ...
Dirtybird Launches “Dirtybird Live” TV Network with Ten New Shows Every Week
Dirtybird is breaking new ground in the livestream space with a particularly ambitious new project. The beloved label has just announced the launch of Dirtybird Live, giving fans a full dedicated channel of programming that will include more than just music. Dirtybird Live will launch will ten new original shows, and they have no plans to stop there as fans are already being encouraged to pitch ideas of their own. The programs will feature familiar faces from the Dirtybird label in a variety of formats such as talk shows, comedy sketches, and, of course, live music performances. Things are expected to go a little off the rails on this network as the current program set is being described as “as bizzaro as you’d hoped for.” A closer look reveals a wonky lineup of show...
Chris Rock Hilariously Announces New Busta Rhymes Album
Source: Busta Rhymes / Chris Rock It’s been a hot minute since we’ve gotten any new material from one of the best to ever do it, Busta Rhymes, but now that he’s once again ready to unleash the dungeon dragon on the masses he’s enlisted the comedic talents of Chris Rock to help him make the announcement. In the one-minute clip Chris Rock melodically reminds Hip-Hop rappers “You-n*ggas can’t-f*ck-with the God, Busta Rhymes” by repeating it over and over until he enthusiastically announces “Extinction Level Event 2!… beyatch!” Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God would mark Busta Rhymes’ 10th album in his 20+ year career in Hip-Hop and his first album since 2012’s Year of The Dragon. For those who aren’t familiar with the OG Hip-Hop MC, the album title suggests this will be the sequel t...
Son of Debra Lee, Quinn ‘DJ Spicoli’ Coleman, Has Passed Away
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty DJ, A&R, and entrepreneur Quinn Coleman has died. He was just 31. According to The Grio, Coleman’s family confirmed his passing on Sunday (Aug 16) through an exclusive statement to the publication confirming the passing of the music executive and son of former BET President and CEO Debra Lee. The statement, which was released on Monay (Aug 17) by a spokesperson for Lee does not note how Coleman passed but does request privacy for Lee’s family at this time. Quinn Coleman, son of Debra Lee and Randy Coleman, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, August 16 at the age of 31. The cause of death is unknown. Quinn was a loving son, brother, cousin and friend, a passionate DJ and A&R executive with a bright future ahead of him. Debra and her family are devas...
50 Cent Is Skeptical About T.I. Saying He Has Five Classic Albums
Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz While 50 Cent has made it clear that he feels T.I. isn’t on his level for a head on battle he is still keeping his ear close to the tweets. He recently caught wind of a claim that he found quite humorous. As spotted on Hot New Hip Hop the Queens native had a good chuckle on the behalf of the self proclaimed king of the south. Last week Tip was a guest on The Fat Joe Show and he discussed a variety of topics including how and why he defined his royal spot below the Mason-Dixon Line. When the discussion shifted to 50 Cent the “Live Your Life” rapper expressed that he only feels Fif has one undisputed classic under his belt. “I love 50. That whole album [Get Rich Or Die Trying] is jammin’. Top to bottom,” he explained. “Bruh, I got five classics. T...
Schoolboy Q Gets His Virtual Tiger Woods On In Hilarious Launch Trailer For ‘PGA TOUR 2K21’
Source: 2K Sports / PGA TOUR 2K21 If you didn’t know, the folks that bring us NBA 2K every year are now hopping on the golf course. Ahead of the launch of PGA TOUR 2K21, 2K dropped a hilarious new launch trailer featuring Top Dawg’s own Schoolboy Q and more. In the trailer, we see Groovy Q get his virtual Tiger Woods on alongside WWE Superstar and reality TV personality Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, PGA Tour pro golfer, and the games cover athlete Justin Thomas, and legendary actor Christopher McDonald. In the quick clip, the “Man of The Year” crafter, Miz, and Thomas calmy flex their virtual golfing skills while McDonald hilariously struggles to compete with them. For those that didn’t know, Schoolboy Q is quite the golfer in real life. Speaking with GQ, he told the publication he picked up the...
