Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson for The Hollywood Reporter - 21st July 2021!
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USA Men's Basketball Loses First Olympic Game Since 2004!
TOKYO — The United States men’s basketball team lost its Olympic opener here on Sunday, dropping a back-and-forth contest to a very good France team, 83-76, for its first Olympic loss since 2004.
That doesn’t eliminate the Americans from gold medal contention. This is just group play and the U.S. should be able to advance to the knockout rounds that begin later in these Olympics.
However, it is the latest alarm that this team, which has dealt with roster turnover and late-arriving players, is in for a considerable challenge in its effort to win the United States its 16th gold medal in 19 Olympics. The Americans have taken the last three Olympic titles. The U.S. was -350 to win gold before its opening game, per BetMGM.
Evan Fournier of the Boston Celtics torched the U.S. for 28 points while Utah’s Rudy Gobert had 14 points and nine rebounds and controlled the paint defensively for France.
Jrue Holiday, fresh off a trans-Pacific flight after helping Milwaukee win the NBA title last week, led the Americans with 18 points. Star Kevin Durant, however, shot the ball poorly (4 of 12) and dealt with foul trouble (eventually fouling out). He finished with just 10 points.
That isn’t going to cut it.
The Americans are a thrown-together roster. A number of top players chose to avoid the COVID restrictions of Japan and instead rest up for the NBA season. Two players were lost due to COVID and an injury.
And three key players — Holiday, Bucks teammate Khris Middleton and Phoenix's Devin Booker — played in the NBA Finals last week and didn’t reach the team hotel until a little after 1 a.m. Sunday, less than 18 hours before tip.
Those excuses are about all the U.S. has to hang its hat on right now.
Durant won’t be this bad again. The NBA Finals trio will get acclimated to the time zone, after Booker was a dreadful 1 of 6 from the floor and Middleton hardly played. The roster will continue to jell.
But who knows?
The Americans lost two exhibition games in their preparation for the Olympics and it’s clear this roster isn’t capable of just overwhelming good teams that these days are loaded with their own NBA talent. This isn’t 1992 anymore. Or even 2008. On either side of the court.
The U.S. will need huge efforts going forward from Durant and Damian Lillard, who also shot poorly, hitting just three of his 10 shots. The Americans went just 10 of 32 from 3-point range, including missing three wide-open shots on a critical late fourth-quarter possession that essentially sealed the game.
The U.S. will play the Republic of Iran on Wednesday.
#RHOA: OOOPS! Kandi Burruss’ Atlanta Restaurant Receives Another C Health Rating!
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss’ restaurant Old Lady Gang has failed to improve conditions in the kitchen weeks after being scolded by the health department.
Accrding to official records obtained by Radar ONLINE, an inspector from the Georgia Department of Public Health visited the ATL spot on July 14. The inspector found several violations at the establishment in violation.
In documents, the official noted that the manager was not taking steps to “prevent foodborne illness by having repeated risk factors and good retail practice violations.”
Further, the report said the staff was not being stored at the proper temperature. The official said they witness, “time/temperature control for safety food (slice cheese, raw salmon, and slice tomato) at a temperature above 41°F. CA: PIC advised that TCS foods shall be cold held at a temperature of 41°F or below.”
Kandi’s staff had issues with storing food with proper labels and cleaning solutions were not properly mixed.
This is the second time the spot received a C rating. The last inspection was done on July 7. The inspection before that Old Lady Gang was awarded an A score. That went down on February 23.
Old Lady Gang’s issues come as Kandi’s other restaurant Blaze faced its own problems. As Radar first reported, the Bravo star temporarily shut down after an inspection on May 19.
In the official report, it noted the staff had mishandled raw food in the kitchen and weren’t always washing their hands. The report read, “Food handler touched raw oysters and raw salmon and then proceeded to handle ready to eat leafy greens with the same gloves on improperly. Moving from raw food to ready-to-eat foods is a source of cross contamination.”
The report knocked off additional points for failing to have procedures of supplies in place, “for employees to follow/use when responding to vomiting or diarrheal events that involve the discharge of vomitus or fecal matter onto surfaces in the food establishment.”
Kandi quietly shut down Blaze and fixed the issues. In December, the spot did receive a B rating which is its highest in the past several months.
#MusicNews: Tinashe Readies New Album ‘333’ For August!
Tinashe is coming this summer. The singer’s new album 333 is set to arrive Aug. 6. She revealed the release date in a sci-fi trailer, which finds her getting out of bed to discover a third eye on her forehead. In another mysterious clip, she can be seen in a waiting room before doctors hook her up to a machine and conduct a series of experimental tests on her.
The album, which follows 2019’s Songs for You, has already spawned a pair of singles and videos for “Pasadena” and “Bouncin.”
Following the album’s release, Tinashe will hit the road on her “333 Tour” starting in September with special guest REI AMI.
The R&B songstress models her bikini for the pages of Sports Illustrated‘s Swimsuit issue, something she dreamed about when she was younger. “I told my mom when I was like 12/13 that I was gonna be in Sports Illustrated Swim edition someday, after I saw Tyra Banks on the cover. Full circle moment,” she tweeted.
Additionally, she has collaborated with New Zealand producer BAYNK on his single “Esther.”
#HipHopNews: Kanye West’s ‘Donda’ Reportedly Delayed Until Next Month!
DONDA has been delayed yet again. Kanye West’s long-awaited album was scheduled to drop Friday, but in true Kanye fashion, it didn’t arrive. Now a new report suggests that Ye’s latest work won’t drop for another two weeks.
According to web personality Justin Laboy, Kanye is not done with DONDA and has set a new release date of Aug. 6.
“KANYE WEST WILL MOVE THE RELEASE DATE OF DONDA TO AUGUST 6TH,” tweeted Laboy. “THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE ❤️ HE WANTS TO GIVE HIS FANS THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCT WITHOUT RUSHING ANYTHING. HE LOVES YALL WITH ALL OF HIS HEART. GOD BLESS 🙏🏾 #DONDA #RESPECTFULLY.”
Laboy was first to share details about the album after attending a private listening with Kanye in Las Vegas earlier this month. “The production is light years ahead of it’s time, and the bars sound like he’s broke & hungry trying to get signed again,” tweeted the host of Revolt’s “Respectfully Justin.”
The prior night, Theophilus London claimed that Kanye was still tinkering with the album and adding a “bunch of new features.”
DONDA was originally announced one year ago. Kanye premiered the album, named after his late mother, during a live-streamed event at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday night. The project features appearances from Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Travis Scott, Pusha T, Don Toliver, Roddy Ricch, Baby Keem, and Pop Smoke. Kanye and JAY-Z also reunited on a surprise collaboration, which was reportedly recorded just hours before the listening.
Fire At New Orleans Home Reportedly Owned By Beyoncé, Jay-Z Investigated As Arson!
Police were called about a suspicious person at around the time the fire broke out.
A fire at a New Orleans home believed to be owned by Beyoncé and Jay-Z is being classified as arson, and police said a "suspicious person" report was made at around the time it broke out.
Orleans Parish property records and Louisiana state records indicate the listed owner is linked to Beyoncé's Parkwood Entertainment LLC. Representatives for Beyoncé and Jay-Z did not respond to requests for comment Thursday night.
The New Orleans Fire Department responded to a fire on Harmony Street on Wednesday evening, and a New Orleans Police Department spokesperson said Thursday that it received a call about a suspicious person in the area where the mansion is located around that time.
Police said Thursday that the fire was being classified as arson.
"The report for this incident is still pending approval, so we cannot provide additional details at this time," the police spokesperson said in an email. The fire department could not be reached Thursday.
Police did not say how the fire started nor what evidence indicated it was arson.
Orleans Parish property records show Sugarcane Park LLC as the owner. Louisiana Secretary of State records list the address for Sugarcane Park as Parkwood Entertainment LLC in New York City, which is an entertainment and management company founded by Beyoncé. When the mansion was sold to Sugarcane in 2015, local media had reported on the apparent connection
R. Kelly Sexually Abused Teenage Boy He Met In Mcdonald's And Bribed Officials For Information About His Legal Case, Prosecutors Allege!
New York prosecutors filed a 55-page motion seeking permission to admit new evidence in R. Kelly's trial.
The filing alleges that Kelly bribed officials and sexually abused underage boys.
The disgraced R&B singer is due to stand trial on August 9 in New York on racketeering charges.
On Friday, prosecutors in New York filed a 55-page motion asking a judge for permission to admit new evidence in R. Kelly's sexual abuse trial.
Federal prosecutors say they have evidence of several previously uncharged crimes committed by Kelly, including bribing officials for information and sexually abusing underage boys.
The R&B singer, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, 54, is set to face trial on August 9th in a federal court in New York. He faces racketeering charges for allegedly running an elaborate criminal enterprise to kidnap and sexually exploit young women.
The original New York indictment from March 2020 refers to six victims. The latest court filing refers to 20 Jane Does, and 2 John Does, according to NPR.
One of the new allegations made by prosecutors is that in 2006 Kelly began a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old boy he met at a McDonald's in Chicago.
According to the filing, the boy introduced Kelly to a second teenage boy aged 16 or 17, with who Kelly also had a sexual relationship with. Prosecutors allege that the singer coerced the second boy to have sex with others, which he often videotaped.
In the complaint, prosecutors added that they have a witness who claims Kelly made her download child pornography involving boys.
Prosecutors also allege that in 2019 R. Kelly bribed a Cook County clerk in Illinois in an attempt to gain information about his legal case following the release of the documentary series Surviving R. Kelly.
The document cites an audio recording of a phone call between Kelly and his "crisis manager." They discuss bribing the clerk with $2,500 and providing them with a burner phone to relay information back to Kelly's team.
Prosecutors also want to introduce evidence that in 1994 Kelly bribed an Illinois state employee with $500 to create a fake ID for the underage singer Aaliyah so that he could marry her.
The court filing alleges that Kelly believed he had impregnated Aaliyah, then 15, and wanted to marry her, so she could not be made to testify against him in court. Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001.
Prosecutors also want to play videos and audio recordings for the jury, showing Kelly physically and verbally abusing women.
Other allegations in the filing include unlawful imprisonment, hush-money payments, and physical abuse.
Kelly remains in prison in Brooklyn and has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
In addition to the New York trial, Kelly also faces charges of possessing child pornography and obstructing federal agents by bribing his victims in a separate case in Chicago, Illinois.
The Chicago trial is currently scheduled for September.
Cleveland Indians Announce Name Change To Cleveland Guardians!
After years of criticism, MLB‘s Cleveland Indians will debut a new name: the Guardians.
The team made the announcement via their official Twitter account earlier today (July 23). In a video narrated by Tom Hanks, the team announced:
“It has always been Cleveland that’s the best part of our name. And now it’s time to unite as one family, one community, to build the next era for this team and this city… This is the city we love, and the game we believe in. And together, we are all Cleveland Guardians.”
This name change comes amid decades of controversy. Back in 2018, the team made its first step towards quelling the disagreement by stopping the use of Chief Wahoo. Chief Wahoo is a stereotypical depiction of a Native American man, and he was used as a logo on the team’s uniforms up until the end of the 2018 season.
Despite getting rid of the logo, the team continued to use the Cleveland Indians name. However, three years later, it has now decided to go through with an official name change to the Cleveland Guardians. The new name references Cleveland’s “Guardians of Traffic,” which are four large sculptures that adorn the city’s Hope Memorial Bridge.
One of Cleveland’s “Guardians of Traffic”
The name change will officially take effect following the current season.
North Carolina Car Dealership Under Fire For Racist Facebook Post, “Congratulations To Bon Quisha On Her 2016 Toyota Camry”!
A North Carolina car dealership has rightfully received a lot of backlash after posting an offensive Facebook post containing a derogatory term featuring one of their customers.
What should have been an exciting time for Trinity Bethune, 21, turned out to be very disappointing. She purchased her first car Wednesday from Lumberton Honda, but she was shocked at what she saw when she looked on Facebook Thursday.
The dealership posted a photo of Bethune next to her brand new car with a caption that read, “Congratulations to Bon Quisha on her 2016 Toyota Camry.” She responded to the offensive post. “I’m not sure if this is a ‘joke’ or something but my name is definitely Trinity Bethune. I’m very offended by this post, it’s almost a racial slur. If I’m not addressed by MY name then please don’t address me at all,” she wrote.
“The name ‘Bon Quisha’ it seems like a stereotype for someone, you know, for them to be like ghetto,” she said. “It’s something people use towards Black people as a racial slur and as an offensive term.”
Bethune told ABC11 that the post was up for more than an hour before being deleted. It has since been widely circulated across multiple social media platforms.
She told the outlet that she spoke to the dealership owner. He advised Bethune that the employee who made the offensive post had been let go. An apology was posted to the dealership’s Facebook page on Friday.
“Lumberton Honda and our entire staff sincerely apologize and regret the recent inappropriate post towards one of our valued customers,” Lumberton Honda wrote. “The action of this former employee does not represent the views or culture of our company.”
Bethune is mulling whether or not to take legal action.
Family of James Brown Settles 15-Year Battle Over Estate!
The family James Brown has reached a settlement ending a 15-year battle over the late singer’s estate, an attorney involved in the mediation said Friday.
via AP: David Black, an attorney representing Brown’s estate, confirmed to The Associated Press that the agreement was reached July 9. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.
Legal wrangling over the Godfather of Soul’s estate has been ongoing since his death at the age of 73 on Christmas Day 2006.
The performer’s death touched off years of bizarre headlines, beginning with Tomi Rae Hynie — a former partner who claimed to be Brown’s wife — being locked out of his 60-acre estate while photographers captured her sobbing and shaking its iron gates, begging to be let in.
Brown was renowned for hundreds of iconic musical works including hits like “I Feel Good” and “A Man’s World,” and was known around the world for his flashy performances and dynamic stage presence. But years of drug problems and financial mismanagement caused his estate to dwindle.
More than a dozen lawsuits were filed over the years by people trying to lay claim to the singer’s assets, which courts have estimated to be worth anything from $5 million to more than $100 million.
The fight over Brown’s estate even spilled over into what to do with his body. Family members fought over the remains for more than two months, leaving Brown’s body, still inside a gold casket, sitting in cold storage in a funeral home.
Brown was eventually buried in Beech Island, South Carolina, at the home of one of his daughters. The family wanted to turn the home into a shrine for Brown similar to Elvis Presley’s Graceland, but that idea never got off the ground.
Last year, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Hynie had not been legally married to Brown and therefore did not have a right to his multimillion-dollar estate.
Justices also ordered a circuit court to “promptly proceed with the probate of Brown’s estate in accordance with his estate plan,” which outlined creation of a trust that would use his music royalties to fund educational expenses for children in South Carolina and Georgia.
A 2009 settlement plan would have given nearly half of Brown’s estate to a charitable trust, a quarter to Hynie, and the rest to be split among his adult children. The state Supreme Court overturned that deal in 2013, writing that then-Attorney General Henry McMaster — now the state’s governor — hadn’t followed Brown’s expressed wishes for most of his money to go to charity, having instead selected a professional manager who took control of Brown’s assets from the estate’s trustees to settle debts.
15 years is a LONG time to fight over someone else’s money.
Keyshia Cole Shares Heartbreak Over Frankie Lons’ Death!
Keyshia Cole shared a heartfelt post addressing the death of her late mother, Francine “Frankie” Lons, who passed away earlier this week. Under a slideshow of mother-daughter photos, Cole shared fond memories of her mother and how much she will be dearly missed.
This is so hard man. Can’t really even find the words. SMH. I honestly don’t even know how to feel. You can never prepare for something like this… Ever!!! but you will be missed. It’s crazy because… For weeks I’ve been quoting you, from the goose that laid the golden egg, to calling Neffe shoes slow burners, cause they were bought scuffed up already 😩 your humor was unmatched!!! Naturally so funny, that’s what I loved about your personality…. we all did. I created this post to show my love and appreciation for your life and I would like to thank my fans + supporters, shooot your supporters and fans, for being here with us during these hard times, and the love that you all have for us…..the love for all your children was definitely felt. When u said all you want is to have ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN IN ONE PLACE, AT ONE TIME meant the most to you, And I’m completely down to do that for you. Even through our differences….WE LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!! Frank da bank!
According to TMZ, Lons died on July 18 after overdosing on drugs while celebrating her birthday. She was 61-years-old. Lons’ autopsy will be completed in the next few days and her official cause of death will be determined in two weeks, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office told Radar Online.
Lons, who we were introduced to through Cole’s BET reality show Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, was open about her battle with an addiction to drugs throughout her life. In January 2020, Cole had shared that her mother had decided to check herself into rehab after relapsing and she couldn’t have been more proud of her.
“Happy YOU DECIDED ON YOUR OWN, to check YOURSELF INTO a facility to get treatment,” she captioned a picture of her, Lons and her two sons, Daniel Hiram Gibson Jr. and Tobias Khale. “It’s only been two weeks but, I’m trying to be hopeful and optimistic 🙃 Maybe that’s what’ll make THIS TIME different. This being what YOU WANTED AND NO ONE ELSE…….. Maybe this is the YEAR IN ALL ASPECTS !!!!! GREATNESS.”
Legendary Comic Jackie Mason dead at 93!
Famed Borscht Belt comedian Jackie Mason, who rose from a modest childhood on the Lower East Side to become one of the most famous funnymen of all time, has died. He was 93.
Mason died at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan Saturday, with his wife Jyll and a few friends by his side, longtime pal and lawyer Raoul Felder told The Post.
There will be a small, private funeral service Sunday in New York, said Felder, who declined to name the location. A larger, public memorial service is expected at a later date, the lawyer noted.
“We shall never see his like again. This was a mold that was broken,” an emotional Felder said. “We’re going to miss him.”
Mason was born in Sheboygan, Wis., to immigrant parents from Belarus. The family moved to Manhattan when little Yacov Moshe Maza, as he was then known, was just 5-years old, according to The New York Times, which first reported his death.
An ordained rabbi, Mason was frequently stopped on the street wherever he went, and always took the time to listen, Felder said.
“He spoke to everybody and listened to their troubles,” recalled Felder, who wrote a series of books with Mason. “He used to listen to all the waiters’ complaints.”
He was even the favorite comedian of the Queen Mother and Prince Charles, and performed frequently for the royals.
Mason caused a stir after one performance for the Queen Mother, when he refused to wait afterward and bow to her, recalled Felder, who described Mason as “very smart and very opinionated.”
“At the end the whole cast lined up and waited and bowed when a member of royalty came over. Jackie was having none of this,” Felder remembered. “He just left. It became a big story — he’d walked out on the Queen Mum. So he invented a story that he couldn’t stay there anymore because he was sick.”
His famed one-man show, “The World According to Me!” made him a triumph of Broadway in the 1980s, and in 1968, he was banned from “The Ed Sullivan Show” after the host mistakenly believed Mason gave him the middle finger during an interruption.
Known for his “Borscht Belt” style of comedy, often seen in the era of Catskill summer resort entertainment, Mason’s trademark was continuing that kind of performance style long after the resorts were mere memories.
The doctors and nurses attending to Mason, who had been hospitalized for two weeks and three days, wept when he died, Felder said.
“They were all fans of his. They were all crying,” he said. “He was like a shooting star that comes every 100 years.”
“I think the world has lost a very unique individual.”
Whitney Houston’s Hologram Tour Is Coming to Las Vegas!
Following 2020 U.K. tour, estate-approved hologram show to play Harrah’s Las Vegas for six months
Following its debut U.K. tour in pre-pandemic February 2020, the estate-approved Whitney Houston hologram concert will arrive in Las Vegas this October for a lengthy residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas.
Over five years in the works, An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert — created by BASE Hologram in partnership with the Houston estate — finally made its debut in 2020 and planned to open in Vegas later that year before Covid-19 shut down the entertainment industry.
The unique show — featuring holograms of Houston from all stages of her career alongside in-the-flesh backup singers, dancers, and musicians — will now kick off October 26th at the Harrah’s Showroom, with near-nightly performances already scheduled through April 30th, 2022. Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats.
“In 2011, Whitney and I discussed her idea of an intimate, unplugged concert tour. It was a project we called ‘Whitney Unplugged’ or ‘An Evening with Whitney,'” Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and executor of her estate, told Rolling Stone in 2020. “While Whitney’s no longer with us, her voice and legacy will live on with us forever. ‘An Evening with Whitney’ is another chance for us to relive and celebrate the talent that we were so lucky to receive for more than three decades and we’re excited to bring this cutting-edge musical experience to the fans who supported the pop culture phenomenon that was Whitney Houston because they deserve nothing less.”
Base Hologram Productions CEO Marty Tudor told Rolling Stone of their efforts to make a “tasteful” homage to the late singer: “It’s a complicated mix of disciplines if you will. I could’ve made Whitney fly around stage if I wanted to, but she didn’t. One of the things that’s really critical is we want to be authentic. To me, it’s creepy and eerie if you make the artist do something they never would’ve done. But if you are authentic and live within the rules of who they were, this is a celebration of her legacy.”
Soccer Player Megan Rapinoe Admits To Using CBD Products; Sparks Twitter Frenzy Trending Sha’Carri Richardson!
Things that make you go hmmmmm! A recent Forbes story on the use of cannabis among Olympic athletes included National team soccer star Megan Rapinoe’s admitting she uses CBD products made by Mendi.
Mendi is a CBD company the soccer player’s sister Rachel Rapinoe co-founded.
CBD, also known as cannabidiol, is the second most prominent ingredient in cannabis, Revolt TV reported. Rapinoe’s admission has caused track star Sha’Carri Richardson to trend on Twitter.
Megan vocally supported Richardson, who was prohibited from running at the summer Olympic Games in Tokyo because she tested positive for marijuana. Megan feels that all athletes should be allowed to use marijuana and says she uses CBD to help her sleep and recover after training sessions.
Despite Megan’s support, many call out the double standard, one being the promotion Megan’s sister’s CBD company has received since the article’s release.
“Fu**ing excuse me???? Sha’carri Richardson got banned for using cannabis AFTER SHE FOUND OUT HER MOTHER DIED WHILE BEING INTERVIEWED but somehow it’s ok for white people to incorporate it into their training regimes?????,” one user wrote.
Another Twitter user wrote: “So…the olympics can disqualify Sha’Carri Richardson for smoking cannabis under the guise of it being a performance enhancing drug, but ya throw a couple white folks advertising cannabis and not a fucking peep but an article in forbes? saying the quiet part loud.”
CBD is legal within the parameters of the Olympics’ anti-doping policies, the outlet reported. It’s the THC—the ingredient that gives people the high—that is not. Therefore, the use of CBD among athletes is allowed.
Still, Megan thinks all athletes should still be allowed to use marijuana. “We’re expected to perform on the biggest stages and highest levels, yet we can’t use all-natural products to help us recover,” she wrote in a statement to Forbes. “It’s not right, and these policies need to be changed to reflect where our culture is.”
“The societal effect in terms of social justice that weed has had on this country is just absurd,” Rapinoe says. “There are so many, mostly Black and Brown, people sitting in jail for 10 or 20-plus years for weed, and it’s completely unnecessary. From a social perspective, we’re long overdue for the legalization of cannabis.”
Thoughts?
LeBron James Is 1st Active NBA Player To Top $1 Billion In Career Earnings!
Being the country's biggest and most well-known athlete for nearly 20 years has meant huge money for LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers and "Space Jam 2" star has earned enough over his career from his salary, endorsements, and production company to put him into a new echelon for NBA players: the $1 billion club.
According to Sportico, James is the first NBA player to surpass $1 billion in career earnings while still active. He's earned $330 million from his NBA salary and $700 million from merchandise, endorsements, his media company, and other off-the-court endeavors. While Michael Jordan has surpassed the $1 billion mark — and the $2 billion mark — he didn't get there until after his playing career ended.
It's not hard to see how James got to that massive number. He was a sensation even before he made his NBA debut, and then went on to earn 17 All-Star nods and four championships. He's taken that fame and spun it into a lifetime contract with Nike that may be worth $1 billion, numerous other endorsements (GMC, AT&T, Walmart, Beats, Pepsi, and more), and a thriving media company that has produced an HBO show, an ABC game show, several documentaries, and "Space Jam: A New Legacy," which has been a hit at the box office.
Could any other NBA players join James in the $1 billion club?
James is the first player from a U.S. team sport to earn $1 billion during his career while still active, but athletes from other sports and other countries have also done it. Golfer Tiger Woods, boxer Floyd Mayweather, tennis player Roger Federer, and soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have all earned $1 billion while still active in their sports.
Sportico notes that there are a few other NBA players who might be able to reach the $1 billion club before they retire. Kevin Durant, who is 32, has made $580 million in his career, and 33-year-old Stephen Curry has made $430 million. Of those, Sportico says Durant is most likely to join James.
Durant, 32, is the most likely to reach $1 billion among active players. He is still owed $84 million from the Brooklyn Nets over the next two seasons and roughly $85 million from Nike through 2024, when his 10-year Swoosh deal expires. KD has largely eschewed new endorsements in recent years and focused on his investment vehicle, Thirty-Five Ventures, which has made more than 75 investments and has a couple of huge wins with Coinbase and Postmates. Elite athletes have access to opportunities typically reserved for billionaires, venture capitalists and Wall Street insiders.
Justin Bieber Is The New Face Of Balenciaga!
Given Demna Gvasalia isn’t really one for a celeb-fronted campaign and, as of the last few seasons, he’s been diving into the world of deepfakes and clones, there’s always a bit of a double-take moment when he actually does ask someone mega high profile to step in front of the camera. Cut to us, this afternoon, scrolling through Instagram, when who should appear wearing a full Balenciaga look, in a post shared on Balenciaga’s official account, but Justin Bieber himself. Could it be? A quick email and it was confirmed. Do not adjust your set: yes, it really is him.
Wearing an oversized leather jacket, hoodie, and track pants, with Gvasalia’s updated take on the house’s classic Neo bag clutched in his hands, the singer’s look is finished with a new sneaker silhouette DIY Runner Sneakers. As part of brand’s latest campaign, Biebs stars alongside Isabelle Huppert, who, if you’ve had your eyes on the red carpet coverage coming out of Cannes the last couple of weeks, you’ll know killed it in an all-black Balenciaga ensemble complete with knife-point boots and huge sunglasses recently.
Joining Huppert and Bieber are a bunch of house faves, including longtime muse, model and artist Eliza Douglas. The campaign is lensed by American art photographer Katy Grannan, who’s known for her stark but intimate portraiture.
Bieber and Huppert follow in the footsteps of Cardi B, as some of the only stars to feature front and centre at Balenciaga. In September 2020, the “WAP” icon was plastered across billboards in Paris as part of the house’s AW20 campaign. Gvasalia has long been obsessed with celebrity, however. In 2018, he enlisted an IRL press photo agency to take pap-style shots of models ducking in and out of the Paris boutique, as they shielded their faces with bags, coats, hoods, and basically whatever else they could get their hands on.
Jennifer Lopez Shares a Romantic Kiss with Ben Affleck While Celebrating Her 52nd Birthday!
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have gone Instagram official.For her 52nd birthday, Jennifer shared a series of sexy photos — including one of herself and Ben Affleck sharing a kiss.
via People: The singer showed off a rather steamy kiss with the actor while celebrating her 52nd birthday aboard a boat on Saturday. In the photos posted to Instagram, Lopez wore a red and yellow chevron, two-piece bathing suit, paired with a brightly-colored caftan, gold jewelry, and a sunhat. Meanwhile, Affleck, 48, opted for a casual button-up top on the water.
“5 2 … what it do …?,” she captioned the romantic images.
Saturday’s birthday post marks the first time Lopez or Affleck have shared anything about their rekindled romance on their own social media accounts.
A Hollywood insider told PEOPLE in this week’s issue that the pair “are madly in love” and “the loves of each other’s lives.”
“They want to do everything they can to make this work,” added a Lopez source
Lopez and Affleck, 48, originally began dating in July 2002 and got engaged that November before postponing their September 2003 wedding days before the date. They ultimately called off their engagement in January 2004.
They were first spotted spending time together again in April, following her split from Alex Rodriguez.
Since then, the pair have regularly been spotted hanging out together and spending time with each other’s children.
On Thursday, Leah Remini shared a video from her star-studded 51st birthday bash featuring dozens of photos from the party — including a snap of Affleck with his arms around Lopez and Remini.
A source previously told PEOPLE in June that “it’s very obvious that Jennifer is serious about Ben.”
“Everything seems to be running smoothly,” the source added. “She hasn’t looked this happy for a long time.”
Hillsong Church Pastor says getting the COVID 19 Vaccine is a ‘Personal decision’ after member who bragged about not getting it DIES!
A Hillsong Church member in his 30s died of COVID-19 this week after declining to get vaccinated.
The man, who lived in California, had derided the vaccine online and joked about the coronavirus.
Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston told CNN the vaccine was a "personal decision."
After a congregant of the Hillsong Church in California refused to get vaccinated and died from COVID-19 complications, its founder is not encouraging the shot.
Brian Houston, founder and global senior pastor at Hillsong, told CNN vaccines are a "personal decision for each individual to make with the counsel of medical professionals."
Stephen Harmon, who was in his early 30s, was part of a Hillsong Church in California and a graduate of Hillsong College in Mesa, Arizona. Houston said on Instagram Thursday Harmon had died from COVID-19.
"He was one of the most generous people I know and he had so much in front of him," Houston wrote.
Hillsong Church, based in Australia, is a popular megachurch with celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Vanessa Hudgens. Recently, the church has been accused of racist and anti-LGBTQ behavior.
Prior to his death, Harmon had makes jokes online about the coronavirus and said he was not vaccinated, Insider's Ashley Collman reported.
In a June 3 tweet, he referenced Jay-Z's song "99 Problems" and wrote: "If you're having email problems, I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems but a vax ain't one!"
On July 8, he again posted an anti-vaccine joke even after he was sick with COVID-19 and in an isolation ward, writing: "And no, i will not be getting vaccinated once i am discharged and released."
In his post about Harmon, Houston wrote, "Stephen's thoughts on vaccines were his own."
"They do not represent the views and thoughts of Hillsong Church. Many of our pastors, staff, and congregation are fully vaccinated and more will be when vaccines become available to them in their countries," he added
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