NEWS
Burning Man Asks for Donations to Ensure 2021 Return
This week, The Burning Man Project—Black Rock City’s prized mecca of international artists, free-thinkers, and other madcap creatives—launched a new microsite to collect financial donations. It packs a somber but encouraging message. “Sadly we will not be gathering in the Black Rock Desert in 2020. Though this will result in an unprecedented revenue shortfall for Burning Man Project, we remain optimistic,” the site reads. “We are committed to maintaining the critical infrastructure we’ll need, after cuts to expenses and staffing, to produce Black Rock City 2021 and continuing our vital off-playa work in the year ahead. We can’t do this without your help.” Curious Josh The suggested donation amount is $475—the price of admission. To some, that number ...
Ultra Music Festival and iHeartRaves Join Forces to Donate 12,000 Masks to Miami Communities in Need
During times of economic and financial strife, the music industry has stepped up to the plate time and again to support its community. That notion rings especially true during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which decimated the live music landscape and left innumerable artists, sound engineers, venue operators, security staff, and more fighting for their livelihoods. Enter Ultra Music Festival and iHeartRaves, two influential organizations in the EDM zeitgeist that teamed up to deliver masks to Miami’s underserved communities this summer. After the organizers of Ultra were forced to reschedule the fest’s 2020 edition due to the impact of COVID-19, they joined forces with iHeartRaves, a popular rave fashion brand, to donate 12,000 surgical masks to marginalized communitie...
Dave Grohl Made a Superfan’s Dream Come True by Crashing His ‘Grohlathon’ Livestream Jam Session
Performing covers on Instagram Live isn’t a new quarantine phenomenon. But for Pat Finnerty, his Dave Grohl-dedicated show finally caught the attention of the one person he was hoping for. The 40-year-old Scranton, Penn.-based musician started “Grohlathon,” a 24-hour IG Live performance from his West Philly studio apartment, on Saturday (Aug. 15), in hopes he could eventually get Grohl to sing Sting‘s part on Dire Straits‘ 1985 No. 1 hit “Money for Nothing.” Before this weekend, a cardboard cutout of the Foo Fighters frontman was the closest thing he could get to the celebrity appearance he wanted so badly on The Pat Finnerty Show, per his Instagram handle, that he’s been putting on for the last five months. “My whole f&#...
Here’s When ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 29 Is Premiering
A pandemic’s not going to stop Dancing With the Stars from waltzing into our homes this fall. ABC announced on Tuesday (Aug. 18) that the dance competition’s 29th season will premiere on Sept. 14. Sharna Burgess, Peta Murgatroyd, Val Chmerkovskiy, Cheryl Burke, Keo Motsepe, Jenna Johnson, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Sasha Farber, Pasha Pashkov, Emma Slater and Gleb Savchenko will all be returning as the pro dancers, with Britt Stewart and Daniella Karagach also joining the cast as pros. Though The Bachelorette’s Kaitlyn Bristowe is the only celebrity for the upcoming season who has been revealed so far, Tyra Banks will be taking over as an executive producer and host after it was confirmed longtime co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews would not be re...
Raphy Pina Says He’s ‘Starting A New Chapter’ Following Indictment for Firearms Violations
Artist manager and Pina Records owner Raphy Pina (real name: Rafael Antonio Pina-Nieves) is staying positive after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with firearms violations filed on Aug. 13 in the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico. “Starting a new chapter,” he expressed on Instagram. “A chapter that will make me stronger during tough challenges. I remain focused on what I have dedicated myself to since I was 16 years old: music.” According to the indictment filed last week, “on or about April 1, 2020, Pina-Nieves, who’s considered a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing or carrying firearms because of restrictions of a prior conviction, knowingly possessed one Glock pistol, Model 19, 9mm caliber, which was was modified to automatic, one Smith & Wess...
Ozuna, J Balvin and Anuel AA Sell Out Baja Beach Fest 2021 in Rosarito, Mexico
The three-day event is the first Latin festival to sell out during the pandemic. A Latin and Reggaeton festival in South Baja is giving hope to festival promoters following a strong sell out. Earlier today, organizers of the Baja Beach Fest announced that they had sold all available tickets for the festival — slated to run Aug. 13-15, 2021 — in its first year as an expanded three-day event. In total, 35,000 three-day passes starting at $329 were sold in about four weeks thanks to a strong lineup headlined by Ozuna, Anuel AA and J Balvin. That makes it one of the first sellouts of a 2021 festival during the pandemic. Launched in 2018 by Aaron Ampudia and Chris Den Uijl and held at Papas and Beer in Rosarito, Mexico — a small beach to...
Fiona Apple Narrates New Video About ICE Arrests, Teases New Music
Fiona Apple narrates a new short film that outlines how to document arrests by ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The video was produced in conjunction with We Have Rights, Brooklyn Defender Services, and WITNESS. Vulture also published a new interview with Apple in which she explains her decision to narrate the clip. “This is horrible shit that ICE is doing. They’re trapping people and separating people, now at these hotels — there’s no way to track anybody. People are just losing their kids. There’s no situation where people should be without their parents or their lawyers,” Apple said. She also went on to talk about the unrest in Portland (“We fucking need to know our rights”), the Republican lawyers who are helping Kanye West’s presidential bid...
Beats 1 Radio Is No More, Say Hello To Apple Music 1 & Two New Radio Stations
Source: Apple / Apple Music Radio Apple’s Beats 1 Radio is getting a swift rebrand and two new stations the tech company announced Tuesday (aug.18). The company that Jobs built said goodbye to Beats 1 radio, well just the name and today revealed the renaming of its flagship radio station to Apple Music 1. The decision is a no brainer as Apple continues to transition away from the Beats branding, which could only be found on the then-named Beats 1 station on the Apple Music Service. The station is described by Apple as “one of the most-listened-to radio stations in the world.” Along with the name change, Apple revealed it will be launching new stations as well. One of them being Apple Music Hits, which will give listeners who enjoy bopping to hit records strictly from the ’80s, ’90s, and 20...
Barack Obama Releases His 2020 Summer Playlist And Of Course It’s Lit
Source: JIM WATSON / Getty Few former heads of state have enough influence to still be relevant years after completing their tenure. Thankfully our forever president still has the swag that charmed the nation. As spotted on Hype Beast Barack Obama’s much anticipated Summer 2020 playlist is here. On Monday, August 17 he announced the drop on his Twitter account. “Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to music with my family,” he wrote. “I wanted to share some of my favorites from the summer — including songs from some of the artists at this week’s @DemConvention. As always, it’s a mix of genres that travels through various eras. I think there’s something in here for everybody––hope you enjoy it.” Some noteworthy selections include the Megan Thee Stallion’s and Be...
Barack Obama Hater Tavis Smiley Ordered To Pay PBS $2.6M For Being A Creep, Allegedly
Source: Earl Gibson III / Getty Karma has a beautiful way of always checking you, case in point meet Tavis Smiley, who now has to pay back his former employer, the Public Broadcasting Service, a smooth $2.6 million a judge ordered. Smiley (55) once claimed that Black people “lost ground” while under the leadership of our Forever President, Barack Obama set. Little did we know at the time the high and might TV host was on the job abusing his power and using his position to sleep with multiple subordinates and guests. Back in March, a Washington D.C. jury ruled that Smiley did breach the moral clause in his contract following a 3-week trial that saw depositions from six women who accused him of being a creep. Initially, the jury awarded PBS $1.5 million, which also included the costs and und...
Kendall Jenner Entangling Devin Booker, Seemingly Confirms Relationship Rumors
Source: Pool / Getty Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker are reportedly an item. According to TMZ, the model didn’t stay single for long after she split from longtime boyfriend Ben Simmons after the Booker and Jenner were spotted continuing to kick it post-bubble in Malibu getting dog food for Devin Booker’s dog. Two days after being spotted together outside Nobu in Malibu, the 24-year-old supermodel was seen Monday running errands with the Phoenix Suns point guard, 23, and his pitbull Haven, according to photos published by the Daily Mail. The gossip site reports that two have been inseparable since the Phoenix Suns were bounced from the NBA Bubble last week resuming the rumored romance at an even stronger pace now. Jenner and Booker reportedly first linked earlier this year, but the dat...
Bill and Ted Meet Rufus’ Daughter in Latest Face the Music Trailer
Bill & Ted Face the Music is out in 10 days and to build anticipation for the latest film in the franchise, another teaser trailer has been shared. Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are introduced to Rufus’ daughter, Kelly, played by Kristen Schaal. Obviously, Rufus wasn’t going to be in this since George Carlin died in 2008. “I’ve been waiting to meet you my whole life,” Schaal tells the duo outside of a San Dimas home as the duo’s daughters look on. Also, their customary time-traveling phone booth seems to be replaced by some kind of bogus egg-looking device. In recent weeks, a teaser and a proper trailer for the film were released, along with a special behind-the-scenes clip that delves into Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s chemistry on set. ...
