#FASHIONFILES: The North Face X Gucci Quietly Drops Big a Second Time to Lead 2022 Collaborations
The North Face X Gucci doubles down on a BIG New Year’s launch of chapter two of their collaboration. We say that emphasis has shifted from fashion runway camp patterns and global tribe explorers with good hearts in last year’s January debut to closeup images of practical technical gear that means business for 2022.
As more than one blogger has pointed out, no one is seriously mountaineering Tibet’s Everest North Face or Cho Oyu in these clothes. But there is a serious performance attitude in the pieces and accessories that creates a different energy and seriousness from the first drop. AOC loves the closeup shots, and we are always suckers for flowers.
Kudos to French photography duo, twin brothers Jalan and Jibril Durimel, [IG], who shot the campaign in Iceland. Born in Paris to parents from the island of Guadeloupe, at the age of 4 they moved to Miami where they first jumped into the waters of American culture.
The second collection feels like the outerwear emphasis is stronger, and so are the price points. Pieces from The North Face's extensive archives are remixed with the GG monogram. Prints and patterns clearly carry the Gucci vibe, but they do not dominate.
All of the pieces are carrying improved functionality from year one. Archive styles from the '70s, ‘80s and '90s look familiar but they are packed with current proprietary technologies by The North Face.
ECONYL was a player in backpacks and other accessories in the first collab drop. Instead of regular nylon, the collection uses ECONYL—made from regenerated post-consumer nylon— throughout. AOC has tracked and promoted ECONYL for years and we applaud this big role for the earth-friendly fiber that creates performance-fabric wonderfulness out of our garbage.
More good news, 100 percent of the down used in the collection is certified by the Responsible Down Standard by Control Union.
“In stills and video, this territory’s otherworldly spirit and its unique landscapes feature intrepid explorers pictured against the Nordic island’s vast and breath-taking scenic backdrop,” Gucci shares about the campaign. “Celebrating the spirit of exploration in all its forms, this collection once again draws from values of self-discovery and self-expression that define both brands.”
You can shop The North Face X Gucci collection online at Gucci and at The North Face. several pop-up shops in winter locations will be open from January 11th to January 25th, 2022. In North America, the pop-up locations include Fifth Avenue in Manhattan; Aspen, Colorado; Chicago and on Bloor Street in Toronto. The pop-ups are worldwide, so check your local fashion media.
When you shop the pop-ups, your purchases will be packed in boxes with handles. No need for a shopping bag. All of the paper and cardboard that is used in The North Face X Gucci collection comes from sustainably-managed forest sources. An uncoated paper was used to make it fully recyclable.
Read this 2020 Forest.org in-depth about progress in sustainably-managed packaging materials. And AOC Sustainability shared a recent article about US states like Maine and Oregon adopting laws around EPR, which stands for Extended Producer Responsibility in packaging.
Presently, American taxpayers and cities without enough money to keep our schools operating like in past decades or paying our teachers a competitive salary foot the bill for all that Amazon PRIME packaging piling up all over America and around the world.
EPR says that states and cities will pick up the garbage and try to recycle it, but the sellers — Amazon, Walmart, Nordstrom and company must pay fees to the state for what is a hideous new problem attached to the explosion of shopping online.
BREAKING: 13 Dead, Including 7 Children, In Philadelphia Fire At House Converted Into Apartments,
Philadelphia: Thirteen people -- including seven children -- died in a fire at a three-story row home in Philadelphia on Wednesday morning, a deputy fire commissioner said.
Philadelphia police described the address as a home converted into two apartments in the city's Fairmount neighborhood.
"It was terrible," Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said. "This is probably one of the worst fires I ever been to."
Firefighters responded to flames Wednesday morning at the row house at 869 of N. 23rd Street, about 2.5 miles northwest of the Center City district, Murphy said.
They arrived around 6:40 a.m. "and found heavy fire coming from the second floor," the Philadelphia Fire Department said.
It took 50 minutes to place the fire under control, the fire department said.
"This is without a doubt one of the most tragic days in our city's history -- lost of so many people in such a tragic way," Mayor Jim Kenney said at the start of a news conference late Wednesday morning.
"Losing so many kids is just devastating. ... Keep these babies in your prayers," Kenney said.
Live updates: At least 13 dead in fire at Philadelphia row home
Investigators are trying to determine the origin and cause of the fire, according to a law enforcement official who confirmed that 13 people died. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.
Deadly fire
Both police and fire officials are on location, police said, and the scene is still active despite the fire being under control, the fire department said.
This is a developing story
#RHOA: Quad Webb Reacts To Dr. Heavenly Kimes Mentioning Her To Shade NeNe Leakes Dating After Gregg Leakes’ Death
By now I’m sure you’ve heard that Nene Leakes has a new man! She started dating Nyonisela Sioh after her late husband, Gregg Leakes, passed away. Social media was buzzing with the news, as some thought it came too early after Gregg’s death. I completely disagree, but anyways.
Dr. Heavenly Kimes, of all people, got caught up talking a little sideways about Nene’s grown woman decisions. While Heavenly said she was “okay” with Nene’s new relationship, she also said “I just think I wouldn’t have told it this soon. Not me, I probably would have had nobody this soon, but even if I did, I wouldn’t have posted them. I would have kept that secret. I would’ve did a Quad [Webb]. Whoever Quad sleeping with, we don’t know.”
For one thing, Nene needs no one’s permission to go about her life as a widow. Not to mention Gregg being the king he is gave her permission to find happiness after his passing. Beyond that, now we’ve got Quad’s name and dating life getting dropped in too? Dr. Heavenly is absolutely stirring the pot with this. Yahoo caught the live stream interview on Instagram, and apparently, so did Quad.
Instagram viewers were full of questions and comments for Dr. Heavenly on behalf of both Nene and Quad. One pointed out, “loll she always bring Quad up”. Quad replied to the comment with, “Baby we all done peeped that. She keeps my name in her mouth. I know I taste good but damn!” Other followers asked, “What Quad got to do with this?”
Dr. Heavenly and Quad seemed to be friends on Married to Medicine. Have things changed? It seems like Quad’s comment makes it clear. One fan stood up for Quad saying, “What did [Quad] had to do with this?! She didn’t do nothing.” Another said, “[Heavenly] for once I actually agreed with you. But the Quad shade though you messy.”
Quad has always loved to be the center complete of M2M drama. Through it, she and Heavenly have been close through the most. When will a season 9 announcement be made?!
#MusicNews: Aaliyah’s Posthumous Album, ‘Unstoppable,’ Will Be Out This Month With Features From Drake And Snoop Dogg
Since last year’s deal between Aaliyah’s original label, Blackground Records, and EMPIRE was inked, fans are finally getting their long-awaited wish of her music on streaming services. Blackground is owned by her uncle Barry Hankerson, who also happens to own the rights to all of the late R&B singer’s back catalog masters.
Through this partnership, the track “Poison” featuring The Weeknd was released last month and is slated to be on Aaliyah’s posthumous album, Unstoppable. At press time, the track has already clocked over 5 million Spotify spins and Hankerson is clearly pleased with this. “One of the songs that’s out now is doing incredibly well. And that’s the song that she did with Weeknd [“Poison,”] he said in an interview on The Geno Jones Show. He then further elaborated that the new album is coming this month and that it’ll feature some very big names. “Because of that success, we think it’ll only get better with people such as Ne-Yo and Snoop Dogg, Future, and Drake — one of her biggest fans. Those are the features that’ll be on the record and that’ll be out in January.”
Aaliyah’s music coming to streaming services hasn’t come without controversy. Aaliyah’s estate, which is not affiliated with Hankerson, has noted that several of the artists involved with her back catalog will not see profits under the deal between Blackground and EMPIRE. It raises an issue for fans who are surely happy to have Aaliyah’s music at their fingertips but then have to ask themselves, whether this is the way they wanted it to happen. Regardless, Unstoppable is officially set to drop later this month.
#HipHopNews: 2 Chainz Readies ‘Dope Don’t Sell Itself’ For Release This Month
2 Chainz is feeding the streets one last time.After much anticipation, the Atlanta rapper has announced that his final trap album, Dope Don’t Sell Itself, will arrive sometime this month, while the first single drops Friday, Jan. 7.
“Its been a minute I know ,but im back with something new and exotic,” he told his Instagram followers. “You know I ain’t been around this long with out being a thinker and a constant student & teacher of the game my album ‘ DOPE DONT SELL ITSELF ‘ drops this month and single drops this week.”
Back in August, 2 Chainz announced the album title during his set at HARD Summer Music Festival in San Bernardino, Calif.
He previously said that the project would be his “last trap album.”
Dope Don’t Sell Itself follows 2020’s So Help Me God, which featured appearances from Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and more.
Last year, Mack Maine revealed that 2 Chainz was also working on ColleGrove 2, the sequel to his 2016 collaborative album with Lil Wayne.
Jason Derulo Attacks Men After Being Called Usher
Jason Derulo unleashed a beatdown on two men who allegedly mistook him for Usher.
Video footage, obtained by TMZ, shows the “Take You Dancing” singer attacking the men at a Las Vegas hotel after they trolled him. Derulo and one of the men were passing each other on the escalator when the guy yelled at Derulo, “Hey, Usher! F**k you, bitch!”
Derulo reacted to the Usher line by charging towards the man and punching him in the face, sending him to the floor. He also allegedly slapped the second man moments later before security scrambled to break up the fight.
Police were called to the ARIA hotel during the early hours of Tuesday morning after the scuffle.
The two victims have not pressed charges, but they have up to one year to do so. There’s also the possibility that they could file a civil suit. Derulo received a trespassing notice from ARIA, and was removed from the property.
WATCH
The two men appeared to suffer some bloody facial wounds but were not hospitalized. Derulo has not addressed the incident.
Cardi B Slams Homophobic People: “You Just Ugly”
When it comes to Cardi B, 29, we can always be rest assured that she is going to speak her mind freely. On Tuesday (Jan. 4) the outgoing rapper took to Twitter with an interesting message about homophobic people. She wrote,
“Every bad b*ch have a gay best friend or gay best friend cousin…. If you homophobic you just ugly.”
It’s unclear what prompted the tweet, but it’s safe to say it garnered a lot of attention. Some social media users agreed with Cardi’s comment and felt it was in support of the LGBTQ community, while others felt offended
While Cardi B, (born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar) has been an ally for the LGBTQ community, her husband, rapper Offset has previously caught some heat from the community. Back in 2018, the “Migos” member made headlines after rapping a homophobic lyric in a song titled “Boss Life” by Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci. During his verse, Offset rapped the controversial lyrics,
“Pinky ring crystal clear, 40k spent on a private Lear/60k solitaire/I cannot vibe with queers.”
Offset claimed that he did not use the word “queers” as a homophobic slur. The rapper took to Instagram to issue an apology as well feature a Google definition of the word “queer,” he wrote,
“I didn’t write the line about gay people.”
He continued, “I have said before since these issues before that I got love for all people. My passion for fashion has lead me to a lot of gay people around me who I have mad respect for and we are very cool so I’m not in a place where I’m hating like that. When I wrote that I was thinking of words that could rhyme with the others (here, lear, solitaire, bear) and I saw this definition about her having a queer feeling she was being watched and it fit what I was thinking about a stalker creepy paparazzi situation.”
Since then, it appears the rapper has stayed clear from offending the LGBTQ community with any controversial lyrics.
Crystal Pepsi Is Coming Back Again in Honor of Its 30th Anniversary
Pepsi is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Crystal Pepsi by bringing the caffeine-free, clear soda back for a limited time.
via People:The beverage brand will rewind the clock back to 1992 to serve up a taste of nostalgia for fans, giving away free bottles of Crystal Pepsi through a special contest. Those hoping to win need only to post a picture of themselves from the ’90s on Twitter, using the hashtags #ShowUsYour90s and #PepsiSweepstakes.
“We wanted to do something extra special to celebrate and reward the passionate fans who have been clamoring online for [Crystal Pepsi’s] return” Pepsi’s VP of Marketing Todd Kaplan said in a statement. “What better way to kick off 2022 than to throw it back to 1992 in order to get their hands on this highly limited-edition batch of Crystal Pepsi.”
This isn’t the first time the brand has brought Crystal Pepsi back.
It first returned as a similar sweepstakes prize during the holiday season of 2015, after an online campaign led by fans to bring back Crystal Pepsi caught the company’s attention.
Limited runs continued throughout the late 2010s. Bottles were last back on shelves in the summer of 2017, as the free Crystal Pepsi Throwback Tour — featuring Busta Rhymes, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath and Salt-N-Pepa — performed at baseball stadiums around the country.
All of this is pretty impressive considering Crystal Pepsi was once considered to be one of the biggest flops in soda history.
The beverage first hit shelves in April 1992, amid the “clear craze” marketing fad that saw product makers across the industry, from Nintendo to Ivory soap, releasing clear versions of its products to give the appearance of transparency and purity.
Crystal Pepsi had a flavor similar to regular Pepsi, only it was made with the absence of caramel color which some said made the drink less “acidic” tasting.
“You’ve never seen a taste like this,” Pepsi boasted at the time.
Sadly, the product only lasted on shelves for a little over a year, disappearing in retailers by late 1993. (Pepsi competitor Coca-Cola also released Tab Clear around the same time, advertising itself through confusing marketing claims in what they admitted years later was an intentional “kamikaze” effort to kill both products in the process.)
Pepsi tried again the following year, launching Crystal From Pepsi in 1994 with a reformulated citrus-cola hybrid flavor, but that also didn’t stick.
Since then, fans have turned Crystal Pepsi from a punchline into a cult favorite. For years, one could only buy the drink on eBay — with one bottle going for as much as $8,000.
George Floyd’s Niece Identified As Houston 4-Year-Old Wounded During New Year’s Day Shooting
George Floyd’s Niece Identified As Houston 4-Year-Old Wounded During New Year’s Day Shooting
Houston authorities announced details of a shooting on New Year’s Day that injured a 4-year-old girl. News outlets learned on Tuesday that the victim is George Floyd’s niece.
The shooting took place around 2:55 a.m. Saturday, when at least one person shot numerous bullets into an apartment on Yellowstone Boulevard in Houston, police announced. Four adults and two kids were inside the apartment and Floyd’s niece was struck in the torso.
No arrests have been made nor suspects identified in the shooting, according to KTRK.
George Floyd’s niece, was transported by a private vehicle and according to reports she is in stable condition as of Tuesday, Jan. 4. Police do not have a description of the suspect or a motive at this time.
Family members spoke to new outlets and said the young girl whose name is Arianna was shot in her sleep. According to her father she suffered, “a punctured lung and liver and three broken ribs.”
#PRAYERS: Radio Host Alyson Williams Hospitalized with Undisclosed Illness
*Songstress and radio personality Alyson Williams, the first lady of Def Jam, has been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness but is said to be doing better, according to insiders with knowledge about her ailing health.
Williams, host of Love Notes w/ Alyson Williams In The Chill Zone on WHCR 90.3 FM, reportedly has a long road to recovery, sources state.
As reported her reps have indicated that “she is moving in the right direction but it will take some time”
Here’s more from the outlet:
The 59 year old Williams has spent virtually her whole life making people smile with her music. Born into a musical family – her father was bandleader Bobby Booker — Williams began performing as both a singer and a dancer at a young age. After college, she began her career as a noted background singer for a number of major acts such as Melba Moore, Bobby Brown and Evelyn Champagne King, and also was part of the singing group High Fashion. But her hook work on several early hip-hop songs made a name for her in the music business, and led to her signing by the Def Jam label’s Russell Simmons in the late 80s. Williams later took her talents to radio, where she became an on air personality on Harlem’s WHCR-FM, hosting the show “Love Notes with Alyson Williams,” and extremely popular show to this day.
In 2020, Williams released the single “Summer Nights in Harlem,” and had this to say about the track:
“Producer Maurice Lynch was putting together a Harlem jazz review and was referred to me by a mutual friend. After we completed the show, he offered two songs for me to record – ‘Summer Nights In Harlem’ and ‘The Romance Of You’. I loved both tunes and offered to cut them with top notch veterans in the music industry – keyboardist Ray Chew (musical director for ABC-TV’s Dancing With The Stars), longtime sax man Kirk Whalum as well as Grammy Award winning bassist Christian McBride.”
Alyson’s “Summer Nights In Harlem” is available on Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora.
Ciara surprises young cancer survivor with trip to Disney World
Ciara brought some joy to one of her young fans. On Monday (Jan. 4), the singer made an appearance on “Good Morning America,” where she surprised six-year-old Audrey English with a trip to Disney World. The young girl fought cancer after being diagnosed on her third birthday and is now in remission.
“Oh my goodness. I’m in tears right now. Aubrey, I just want to say that you are a superhero. You are the real superhero,” Ciara told English. “And I’m so impressed by your strength and how you never gave up in your battle against cancer. You inspire me and so many people and so many others.”
“You are a real ‘Level Up’ princess so keep leveling up and inspiring so many, Aubrey,” the “Promise” singer said while wiping away some tears. “I’m so proud of you and rooting for you always.”
English was brought to Ciara’s attention after her mother posted a now-viral video of her dancing to “Level Up” while undergoing cancer treatments. The clip was an example of the positive energy she exuded amid the dark time. “She was still happy and smiling and dancing. It just bought so much light to us, even during some of our darkest days,” her mother told “GMA.” “She is a joy. She is really rambunctious. She’s always been very positive, even on the worst day,” she continued. “She absolutely is my hero. She absolutely is.”
Ciara’s kind gesture comes months after she teamed up with Project Health Equality and the Black Women’s Health Imperative to bring awareness to cervical cancer and its effect on Black women.
“I want to encourage women to understand the importance in this case how you can serve confidence and get ahead of everything. The cool thing is you can prevent cervical cancer. How amazing is that?” she said. “Go out there and make an appointment. Put yourself first, you have to. Putting yourself first is everything. Then you can take off and be your best self in every way possible.”
Cher Says She Won't Ever Have Gray Hair
Cher won’t ever have gray hair. The 75-year-old entertainer opened up to People magazine while promoting her new M.A.C. Cosmetics campaign with Saweetie.
Cher has had her signature black hair, blonde hair and even red hair for a short time over the span of her incredible career. But going gray is just not in the cards for her.
“[Going gray] is fine for other girls,” she shared. “I’m just not doing it!”
Cher also opened up about her own beauty routine, saying that “it’s all about having fun. I just think that people who worry about the way someone puts on their makeup should get a life.”
She went on saying that throughout her career, her beauty routine has “had to morph. It’s had to have changes.”
As for her staple product: big lashes!
“I think a little bit less is more, because sometimes you can shoot for it and shoot past it.”
Michelle Obama’s guest appearance on ‘Black-ish’ excites fans while also serving a purpose
On the eighth and final season premiere of Black-ish Tuesday, Michelle Obama made a guest appearance after the show’s main characters attended an event for When We All Vote, an organization that Obama founded to help register and turn out voters across the country.
What began as a chance encounter between Andre and Rainbow Johnson, played by Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross respectively, and the former first lady turned into a casual dinner at the Johnson house.
Obama’s main scene in the episode mostly consisted of the rest of Dre and Bow’s family interrupting with attempts to try and impress her. And there were also a few moments of conversation between Obama, Dre and Bow about what it’s like having teenage kids.
“When our girls were that age, you should have seen how they rolled their eyes, especially at their father,” Obama said during the episode.
But clearly the cameo for Obama, who was personally asked to appear on the show by Ross herself, was all about getting the word out about voter registration. And while it was subtle within the episode, Obama reiterated the objective with a Tweet after the show aired, reminding people to get themselves and others registered.
Meanwhile, viewers on Twitter celebrated Obama’s appearance on the hit series with plenty of praise and even a few requests like, “Please decide to be president in 2024” and “I too would like to invite you over for dinner.”
Kanye West and Julia Fox Spotted Going on Date in NYC
Kanye West and Julia Fox headed out on another date on Tuesday night, Page Six reports.
The date consisted of Ye and Fox hitting up Broadway in New York City to watch Jeremy O. Harris’ Tony-nominated Slave Play with some friends. They then headed to dinner at popular Italian restaurant Carbone. Over the weekend, the pair were spotted out and about in Miami. According to TMZ, Ye and Fox ate at a Carbone location in Miami while on a double date with N.O.R.E and his wife, Neri Santiago.
“Julia and Ye are dating,” a source told Page Six. “They both just got out of their former relationships, and they’ve helped each other recover immensely… They’re kind of kindred spirits, and it’s cool to watch.”
Neither Fox or Ye have publicly confirmed that they are in fact an item though a source suggested to the publication that they might be going “Instagram official” in the near future.
HFPA Gives Update On Sunday’s Golden Globes Ceremony: Still On Despite Covid Surge; No Celebrities; Livestream In Flux
UPDATED with more show details: The HFPA has confirmed some details about its Golden Globes Awards on Sunday. The group said there won’t be a red carpet or any media credentials for the show and that guests at the Beverly Hilton must be masked and socially distanced.
The besieged org also said that Kyle Bowser, SVP of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, will discuss the “Reimagine Coalition,” a joint five-year initiative with the HFPA announced in October to increase diversity, equity and inclusion across the global entertainment industry.
PREVIOSULY, 12:55 PM: Sunday’s pared-down and glamour-free 79th annual Golden Globes ceremony is still on — but in what form remains unknown.
Still hobbled by controversy and with no NBC broadcast this year, the HFPA and dick clark productions event is scrambling behind closed doors to figure out what actually will happen at the Beverly Hilton ballroom on January 9. As Variety reported today, this year’s Globes will lack any significant celebrity presence. That lack of much-desired A-list talent will see no celebrity presenters, nominees or even winners at the event.
The lack of Hollywood A-listers should come as no surprise with the Globes still boycotted for the most part by top PR reps. Although a number of studios and streamers have acquiesced to participation in this year’s Globes, despite much-heralded protests and condemnations of the HFPA previously, there still is a stink on the group and the Globes.
In fact, the 2022 Golden Globes won’t have media nor guests, with the exception of representatives of organizations that the HFPA has donated to or supported over the years, Deadline has learned. Individuals from those recipient groups are set for now to be ones announcing the nominees and winners on Sunday night. Otherwise, the only people attending will be HFPA executives and members. Everyone in attendance will be required to be vaccinated and boosted and present a recent negative PCR Covid test.
Coming off a year of scandal and consistent stumbles, this year’s mini-Globes might or might not be livestreamed, we hear. Additionally, it is still under discussion whether winners will be announced by the Golden Globes’ social media feeds as they are revealed at the ceremony. Sources tell us that all remains under discussion among the HFPA’s upper echelon, mere days before the event.
One thing that does seem to be set in stone is that at some point during the roughly 90-minute ceremony, HFPA chief diversity officer Neil Phillips will take the stage to detail the organization’s efforts to be more inclusive in both its growing membership and its approach to Hollywood creatives and content. The five-year deal the HFPA recently inked with the NAACP perhaps will play a role in Phillips’ presentation.
HFPA’s New Chief Diversity Officer Says Tainted Group’s Reforms Aren’t “Window Dressing”; Pledges Industry Outreach In Time
Of course, with Covid cases breaking records daily due to the Omicron surge, this all could change at a moment’s notice. Already, others like the Critics Choice Awards — which also was set for Sunday — have hit pause on their ceremonies, and other live events like Sundance are in the process of reconsidering their options.
Representatives for the HFPA had no comment on the shape or scope of this weekend’s potential ceremony
Chris Evans in Talks to Play Gene Kelly in Film Produced by John Logan
Chris Evans is in talks to step into the shoes of legendary actor Gene Kelly in a developing film project produced by John Logan, Variety has confirmed.
According to a source close to the project, the untitled film is based on Evans’ original idea in which a 12-year-old boy who works on the MGM Lot in the 1950s finds an imaginary friend in Kelly while working on his newest film.
Though a studio is not yet attached to the project, Evans is set to produce the film alongside Logan, who is also writing the script. Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman will produce through their company T-Street Productions, as will Mark Kassen. Evans, Johnson and Bergman last worked together on 2019 box office darling “Knives Out,” whose sequel is in post-production. Three-time Oscar nominee Logan’s oeuvre includes penning Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd” and James Bond movie “Skyfall.”
Evans, who is best known for playing Steve Rogers/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has a stacked 2022 ahead of him. His current projects include the animated film “Lightyear,” in which he voices iconic “Toy Story” character Buzz Lightyear. He is also starring in “The Gray Man,” the Russo Brothers’ latest directorial effort about a former CIA agent-turned-fugitive (Ryan Gosling) who is hunted down by his former colleague (Evans). Ana de Armas, Dhanush, Michael Gandolfini, Regé-Jean Page and Billy Bob Thornton round out the film’s cast.
David Bowie’s Music Publishing Catalog Sold to Warner Music Group for $250M
On Monday, Warner Music Group announced that its publishing company Warner Chappell Music has made a deal with David Bowie’s estate to sell the singers music publishing catalog.
It is reported that Bowie’s catalog, including songs like “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” “Life on Mars?” and “Ziggy Stardust,” sold for upwards of $250 million.
The announcement of the deal comes as part of the “Bowie 75” celebration, which will take place on Saturday, Jan. 8, to commemorate the late singer’s 75th birthday. It includes songs from David Bowie’s 26 studio albums, as well as the posthumous studio album “Toy.” It also includes songs from “Tin Machine’s” two studio albums, as well as singles from soundtracks and other projects.
“All of us at Warner Chappell are immensely proud that the David Bowie estate has chosen us to be the caretakers of one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and enduring catalogs in music history,” Warner Chappell Music co-chair and CEO Guy Moot said, “These are not only extraordinary songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever.”
“We are truly gratified that David Bowie’s body of music will now be in the capable hands of Warner Chappell Music Publishing,” said attorney Allen Grubman, who represented Bowie’s estate. “We are sure they will cherish it and take care of it with the greatest level of dignity.”
Warner Music Group licensed the worldwide rights to the “Let’s Dance” singer’s career, which spanned 1968 through 2016, in September. The publishing deal announced on Monday is the latest in a wave of record company acquisitions of legendary artists’ music libraries.
In December, ZZ Top sold its music catalog to investment firm KKR and record company BMG for $50 million. Shortly after that, Bruce Springsteen sold his iconic song and publishing catalog to Sony Music for $500 million.
Bob Dylan also sold his massive 600-song catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group for a reported $300 million to $400 million in December 2020. At the same time, Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks sold 80 percent of her rights to her own songwriting catalog, to music publisher Primary Wave for a reported $100 million.
Universal Music Group is also in advance talks with Sting to buy his music for $250 million.
The deals are the latest in a long line of well-known artists selling their songbooks to wealthy investors or record labels.
They’re also propelled by streaming, which promises higher royalties as customers rush to services like Spotify and Apple Music.
Due to low interest rates, which make it simpler for companies to borrow money to buy significant assets, such agreements have increased during the coronavirus pandemic.
Andrew Cuomo's groping charge dropped by Albany district attorney
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will not be prosecuted for allegedly groping his ex-aide.
On Tuesday (Jan. 4), Albany County District Attorney David Soares released a statement asking for the criminal charges — that were filed back in October — to be dismissed. “While we found the complainant in this case cooperative and credible, after review of all the available evidence, we have concluded that we cannot meet our burden at trial,” Soares said, adding that he was “deeply troubled” by the allegation.
“While many have an opinion regarding the allegations against the former governor, the Albany County DA’s Office is the only one who has a burden to prove the elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” the district attorney added.
As previously reported, last year, Cuomo was hit with a misdemeanor sex crime charge for allegedly groping his former aide in the governor’s Executive Mansion in Albany back in 2020. The complaint said that the ex-governor intentionally, “and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim …. and onto her intimate body party. Specifically, the victim’s left breast for the purposes of degrading and gratifying his sexual desires.”
More than 10 women came forward accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment. He admitted to making inappropriate jokes and giving out hugs and kisses, but he denied sexually harassing anyone.
Cuomo ultimately resigned from his position as governor so that he would not be a distraction from real issues transpiring in the state. “New York tough means New York loving, and I love New York and I love you,” he previously said. “I would never want to be unhelpful in any way, and I think given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let the government get back to governing, and therefore, that’s what I’ll do.”
Last week, Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced that Cuomo would not face criminal charges for allegedly assaulting two different women due to the statutory laws of New York. However, Rocah said they believe the women’s claims were “credible” on both occasions.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
CRIED FOR THEIR LOVED ONES
As hilarious as the situation is, it does feel a bit tragic.
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM
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