#MAGFAB: Rita Ora for GQ Hype
Cute. And the article is HERE!
#RHOA: HOT or NOT? Shereé Whitfield a Navy Jumpsuit by Tom Ford
Shereé flaunted her assets in a long-sleeved skintight navy blue number by Tom Ford, completing the look with a lighter blue quilted Chanel handbag and similarly colored strappy heels.
“Always have, always will,” Shereé captioned the snapshot, adding her iconic “Who gon’ check me, boo?” quote as a hashtag for good measure. It looks like 2023 is off to a good start for Shereé — sentiments she shared in previous Instagram posts about her birthday celebrations, which began with “the best brunch ever” from her son, Kairo Whitfield.
Hmmmmm so what do you think is it HOT or NOT?
#MusicNews: Smokey Robinson & Announces New Album ‘Gasms’ and new single ‘If We Don’t Have Each Other’
Smokey Robinson has enjoyed a storied, nearly 70-year career in the music business and has a mountain of hits and accolades to prove it. The last studio project we got from Uncle Smokey was when the legend dropped his 2014 collaborations album Smokey & Friends — though he did release the Amazon exclusive holiday project Christmas Everyday during the 2017 holiday season. The celebrated singer-songwriter still has magic left in his pen, however, and he’s set to prove that this spring with the upcoming set Gasms. The provocatively titled album will be bringing nine songs of all original material, starting with the set’s lead single “If We Don’t Have Each Other.”
“If We Don’t Have Each Other” offers that classic Smokey Robinson feel over a more modern-sounding track. The song’s instrumentation is rather sparse, with just smooth guitar, hand claps and hi-hats creating a timeless groove. Not that much is needed when you have Smokey on the mic, though.
LISTEN HERE
“If We Don’t Have Each Other” sounds just as lovely as you’d expect from a Smokey Robinson love song. However, based on the other song titles on Gasms — including the title track, “I Wanna Know Your Body,” “Roll Around,” “You Fill Me Up” and “I Fit In There” — it might be the most tame of what the set has to offer. The track list is below
Smokey Robinson Gasms tracklist:
1. Gasms
2. How You Make Me Feel
3. I Wanna Know Your Body
4. I Keep Callin’ You
5. Roll Around
6. Besides
7. If We Don’t Have Each Other
8. You Fill Me Up
9. I Fit In There
#HipHopNews: Metro Boomin Becomes First Hip Hop Producer To Reach Spotify Milestone
As Metro Boomin‘s latest album Heroes & Villains continues to move units, the famed producer just broke a Spotify record.
According to a post from Rap TV on Sunday (January 29), Metro just became the first non-rapping Hip Hop producer to surpass 50 million monthly listeners on the streaming platform. Per Chart Data, Heroes & Villains sits at No. 5 on this week’s Billboard 200 with an additional 53,000 units – still going strong over one month since its release.
Released on December 2, the Atlanta producer’s second studio effort earned roughly 185,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, making for a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200. The star-studded project features Future, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, 21 Savage, The Weeknd and more.
Drake worked on the album as well and his verse on the Travis and Young Thug-assisted “Trance” even leaked earlier this month – but Metro recently explained why the 6 God was ultimately left off.
“Really, it was a song I had did with Travis and Thug, originally for my album,” Metro said on DJ Drama’s Streetz Is Watchin Radio. “I was in the studio with Drake one time because we were gonna do some stuff for my album. He just wanted to hear some songs from my album, and then he heard that one.
“He really wanted to get on it but I was letting him know that it was really just done for real. I was really just set on how it was. I was like, ‘Bro, I ain’t trying to sell you no dream. I’m locked in where it was.’ He had hit me and was just like, ‘Let me see if there’s anything you could add to it.’ He was like, ‘If you don’t like it, then whatever.’”
The super producer continued: “He did some stuff, a couple parts was cool but like I just felt like just even with like Slime verse and Trav verse and the outro, it wasn’t just no room. It wasn’t nothing personal… I just ended up using the original and I guess the other one just leaked or something.”
Heroes & Villains serves as Metro’s third consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200. His debut album, Not All Heroes Wear Capes, also opened at No. 1 in 2018 with roughly 99,000 album-equivalent units, with his 2020 collaborative album with 21 Savage, Savage Mode II, also topping the Billboard 200.
#RIP: ‘Laverne & Shirley’ actor Cindy Williams Has died at 75
Cindy Williams, who was among the most recognizable stars in America in the 1970s and 1980s for her role as Shirley opposite Penny Marshall’s Laverne on the beloved sitcom “Laverne & Shirley,” has died. She was 75.
Williams died in Los Angeles on Wednesday after a brief illness, her children, Zak and Emily Hudson, said in a statement released on Monday through family spokeswoman Liza Cranis.
“The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,” the statement said. “Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.”
Williams worked with some of Hollywood’s most elite directors in a film career that preceded her full-time move to television, appearing in George Cukor’s 1972 “Travels With My Aunt,” George Lucas’ 1973 “American Graffiti” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation” from 1974.
But she was by far best known for “Laverne & Shirley,” the “Happy Days” spinoff that ran on ABC from 1976 to 1983 that in its prime was among the most popular shows on TV.
Williams played the straitlaced Shirley Feeney to Marshall’s more libertine Laverne DeFazio on the show about a pair of blue-collar roommates who toiled on the assembly line of a Milwaukee brewery in the 1950s and 1960s.
“They were beloved characters,” Williams told The Associated Press in 2002.
DeFazio was quick-tempered and defensive; Feeney was naive and trusting. The actors drew upon their own lives for plot inspiration.
“We’d make up a list at the start of each season of what talents we had,” Marshall told the AP in 2002. “Cindy could touch her tongue to her nose and we used it in the show. I did tap dance.”
Williams told The Associated Press in 2013 that she and Marshall had “very different personalities” but tales of the two clashing during the making of the show were “a bit overblown.”
The series was the rare network hit about working-class characters, with its self-empowering opening song: “Give us any chance, we’ll take it, read us any rule, we’ll break it.”
That opening would become as popular as the show itself. Williams’ and Marshall’s chant of “schlemiel, schlimazel” as they skipped along together became a cultural phenomenon and oft-invoked piece of nostalgia.
Marshall, whose brother, Garry Marshall, co-created the series, died in 2018.
Actor Rosario Dawson shared a video of the opening theme on Twitter on Tuesday.
“Singing this song with so much gratitude for both of you ladies,” Dawson tweeted. “Absolute gems. United again… Rest in Paradise Cindy Williams.”
The show also starred Michael McKean and David Lander as Laverne and Shirley’s oddball hangers-on Lenny and Squiggy. Lander died in 2020.
McKean paid tribute to Williams on Twitter with a memory from the production.
“Backstage, Season 1: I’m offstage waiting for a cue. The script’s been a tough one, so we’re giving it 110% and the audience is having a great time,” McKean tweeted. “Cindy scoots by me to make her entrance and with a glorious grin, says: ‘Show’s cookin’!’ Amen. Thank you, Cindy.”
As ratings dropped in the sixth season, the characters moved from Milwaukee to Burbank, California, trading their brewery jobs for work at a department store.
In 1982, Williams became pregnant and wanted her working hours curtailed. When her demands weren’t met, she walked off the set, and filed a lawsuit against its production company. She appeared infrequently during the final season.
Williams was born one of two sisters in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles in 1947. Her family moved to Dallas soon after she was born, but returned to Los Angeles, where she would take up acting while attending Birmingham High School and a major in theater arts at LA City College.
Her acting career began with small roles in television starting in 1969, with appearances on “Room 222,” “Nanny and the Professor” and ”Love, American Style.”
Her part in Lucas’ “American Graffiti” would become a defining role. The film was a forerunner to a nostalgia boom for the 1950s and early 1960s that would follow. “Happy Days,” starring her “American Graffiti” co-star Ron Howard, would premiere the following year. The characters of Laverne and Shirley made their first TV appearance as dates of Henry Winkler’s Fonzie before they got their own show.
Lucas also considered her for the role of Princess Leia in “Star Wars,” a role that went to Carrie Fisher.
In the past three decades, Williams made guest appearances on dozens of TV series including “7th Heaven,” “8 Simple Rules” and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” In 2013, she and Marshall appeared in a “Laverne & Shirley” tribute episode of the Nickelodeon series “Sam and Cat.”
Last year, Williams appeared in a one-woman stage show full of stories from her career, “ Me, Myself and Shirley,” at a theater in Palm Springs, California, near her home in Desert Hot Springs.
Williams was married to singer Bill Hudson of musical group the Hudson Brothers from 1982 until 2000. Hudson was father to her two children. He was previously married to Goldie Hawn and is also the father of actor Kate Hudson.
NY Representative George Santos Steps Down From Committee Assignments
The Washington Post reports: Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) told House Republicans on Tuesday that he will step down from his committee assignments, according to a person familiar with the discussion.
Santos, who has admitted to fabricating key parts of his background since his election in November, said in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday that he would remove himself from his assignments on the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Santos told the meeting he will step down because “he’s a distraction,” according to a Republican lawmaker who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
Todrick Hall Dragged For Making Assumption Over Stephen 'TWitch' Boss Suicide
Todrick Hall landed in hot water over his recent remarks about the death of his pal Stephen "tWitch" Boss. The "RuPaul's Drag Race" judge was slammed online for making assumption on the late DJ's suicide by suggesting that it had something to do with the scandal surrounding "The Ellen DeGeneres Show".
In response to his remarks, Internet users didn't think it was okay for Todrick to make speculations of tWitch's death while his family is still grieving. Criticizing Todrick, one person wrote, "I didn't expect this from Todrick. He's found a new low."
Another critic added, "I'm so tired of ppl making speculations like they know what happened. Why would Todrick do that? Just let the family grieve in peace."
Someone else, meanwhile, called Todrick "a fraud" who "will do anything for attention." Further blasting Todrick, one user said, "Wow @todrickhall85 trying to make himself relevant. Todrick no one wants to hear you. So leave Twitch and his family alone. Let them grieve in peace."
One person also noted that Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, which was canceled after ex-employees claimed that it had a toxic work environment, ended almost a year before tWitch died. "Last show recorded in April- he died 8 mos later? That statement makes no sense," said the user.
In a recent interview, Todrick said that tWitch was under a lot of pressure due to the scandal as the late star faced online criticism for standing by the talk show host. "People were looking at him like, 'Why are you still supporting this woman?' " Todrick said. "I think he was under a lot of pressure."
He went on to speculate that the backlash might contribute to his friend's state of mind. "I don't know what was going on in his life that may [have led] him to make that decision but I do understand," he further said of tWitch, who became the DJ on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2014 before he was made the show's co-executive producer in 2020.
"Right now when I get online some days like right now, if I was in the wrong position of where this abuse would keep happening for years and years and years, there's only so much a human being can take," Todrick continued.
tWitch was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a room at the Oak Tree Motel on December 13, 2022. Following his shocking death, Ellen shared that she was "heartbroken" upon learning about the "So You Think You Can Dance" judge's passing.
"I'm heartbroken. tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children - Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia," the 64-year-old said at the time.
LisaRaye McCoy Claims Kylie Jenner Copied Her Look With The Lion Head Dress
LisaRaye McCoy is not impressed by Kylie Jenner's headline-making dress that featured a faux fur lion's head. In an Instagram post, "The Players Club" actress accused the reality TV star of copying her look that she previously showcased at an event.
The post featured a video of LisaRaye rocking a white one-shoulder dress that had a faux head of an animal at an event. "Yes @adrejhono YOU all plus bestie @kevinarnett did this look on meeeeeeee and it slayed!!! It's nice to see others @kyliejenner copy and try to duplicate it in there way but we did it 1st baby. Thank yall again," she wrote in the caption.
"Since we're trending maybe we all need to get together and come up with something for someone to be inspired by......again!" she continued.
Fans, however, didn't think that LisaRay lashed out at the right person. "This is very weird flex as if she wasn't dressed by a stylist and a designer, tagging her was weird as well. You too old like you have been flattered and left it there. The dresses not even the same," one person commented.
One other defended "The Kardashians" star, writing, "She didn't make that damn dress the designer did say the DESIGNER." Someone else similarly said, "She didn't copy it, she just wore i… from another designer."
"Smh this was soo uncalled for. Kylie just wore it, so why tf are you tagging her?? I guess you missed that there was another girl wearing it at the show smh," one other comment read. One person, meanwhile, called LisaRaye "embarrassing," before mocking the "Skinned" actress' dress by calling it "the shein version of what she is wearing."
On the other hand, Kylie landed in hot water after donning the dress at the Schiaparelli Haute Couture show on Monday, January 23 during Paris Fashion Week. The Kylie Cosmetics founder was accused of promoting hunting, though PETA defended Kylie's look.
Praising the Schiaparelli collection's "three-dimensional animal heads," Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said, "Kylie, [Naomi Campbell] and [Irina Shayk]'s looks celebrate the beauty of wild animals and may be a statement against trophy hunting, in which lions and wolves are torn apart to satisfy human egotism. We encourage everyone to stick with 100 per cent cruelty-free designs that showcase human ingenuity and prevent animal suffering."
Ingrid also urged Kylie and other celebrities to cull other fabrics from their wardrobes. She added they should "extend this creativity" to "exclude sheep shorn bloody for wool and silkworms boiled alive in their cocoons."
Diplo And Russell Simmons React After Amber Rose Offers Oral Sex In Exchange For Super Bowl Tickets
Amber Rose seemingly is desperate for some coveted Super Bowl tickets. The model made headlines after she posted on her Instagram account that she'd be giving sexual services in exchange for the tickets.
"Yo, who's a** I gotta eat to get tickets to the Super Bowl?" the 39-year-old star said in a post on Monday, January 30. She added in the caption, "B***h I'll have a busy eatin' contest for them tickets #FlyEaglesFly."
The eyebrow-raising post quickly earned responses from Internet users with some potential suitors coming forward. Among them was Diplo, who simply left a hands up emoji in the comments section. Amber caught wind of his comment and replied, "Lmaoooo Diplo!!!!"
Also hoping to spend some time with Amber was Russell Simmons. The 65-year-old Def Jam Recordings co-founder commented, "i got tickets." "Jersey Shore" star Vinny Guadagnino also expressed his interest in the offer as he wrote, "I'm sure I can find some."
Prior to this, Amber shocked fans after she announced that she wanted to be single for the rest of her life. Sharing her thought on men in general, she said on "Sofia With an F" podcast, "It's worse than ever. They're pretty disgusting out here. They're f**king gross. Like, I wanna be single for the rest of my life."
She explained, "I don't want to share my house or my life with anyone. I don't want anyone around my kids. I don't want to have sex … It's so gross. I don't want it."
Amber went on to claim that she's okay with the idea of being a lesbian, but she claimed that she's content "being by myself." The mom of two added, "I'm very happy to not be in my bed with anyone."
Amber previously dated Alexander "AE" Edwards who is now dating Cher. The former couple, who was together for three years, called it quits in August 2021 with Amber accusing AE of cheating on her with at least 12 different people.
Michael Jackson's Nephew To Play King Of Pop In 'Michael' Biopic
The Michael Jackson biopic has found its King of Pop. The late icon’s 26-year-old nephew Jaafar Jackson will star in Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, reports Deadline. Jaafar is the son of Jermaine Jackson, the brother of Michael and member of The Jackson 5. The singer-songwriter has been singing and dancing since age 12, and released his debut single “Got Me Singing” in 2019.
Jaafar shared the big news alongside the first photo of himself dressed as his late uncle. “I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life,” he wrote on Instagram. “To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon.”
As previously reported, Fuqua (Training Day) will direct the biopic from Lionsgate, which is set to begin production later this year.
“Proud to announce @jaafarjackson as Michael — the motion picture event that explores the journey of the man who became the King of Pop. Coming soon,” said Fuqua.
The film will highlight Jackson’s musical accomplishments starting from his Jackson 5 days to becoming the biggest pop star on the planet. According to Deadline, it will also “deal squarely with the pedophile accusations that dogged his later years up to his death in 2009 at age 50.”
Fuqua, who is currently finishing The Equalizer 3 with Denzel Washington, got his start directing music videos for Prince, Lil Wayne, and Toni Braxton.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” he said. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”
Rihanna officially files trademark for "Fenty Kids"
That Rihanna reign just won’t let up. In addition to new music and an upcoming 2023 Super Bowl halftime performance show, the new mom recently filed a trademark for “Fenty Kids.” According to the United States Patent And Trademark Office website, the documents were filed on Jan. 20, but the news is just starting to spread.
Records show the brand is registered as “goods and services” and will feature products ranging from shirts to snowsuits, tank tops to flip flops, loungewear to rainwear and everything in between — even swim caps and diaper cloths. So far, Rihanna has not made any statements announcing her new move with kids’ fashion, but fans can currently enjoy her Super Bowl gear. As previously reported by REVOLT, the Bajan beauty just hosted a Game Day pop-up shop at her Savage X Fenty store in Los Angeles. The event kicked off (pun intended) on Friday (Jan. 27) and ran through Sunday (Jan. 29).
In a video clip posted to her social media accounts this past weekend, the “Lift Me Up” singer modeled the exclusive fashions. “Pre-gaming in Savage X Fenty,” the post read. Although the pop-up shop may have ended, the clothing items can still be found at several retailers including the official NFL Shop website. The collection arrived just in time for fans to rock it at this year’s Super Bowl. The mega event is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 12 in the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Yesterday (Jan. 29), it was revealed that the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers would be going head-to-head for the trophy.
After the Super Bowl, fans may even get a chance to see Rihanna grace the stage at the Academy Awards. On Jan. 24, the Oscars shared their list of nominations for this year’s ceremony. The Anti artist is a first-time nominee for her single “Lift Me Up” from Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. While she hasn’t made any promises to perform, that doesn’t mean the Navy’s fingers aren’t crossed. The Academy Awards will happen on March 12, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. PT at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
50 Cent gets season four renewal for "Power Book II: Ghost" and adds Michael Ealy to cast
50 Cent’s popular series “Power Book II: Ghost” will return to Starz for season four. Variety reported on Monday (Jan. 30) that in addition to another season, Michael Ealy will join the cast as a regular. This news comes before the premiere of season three, which airs on March 17.
“The high-octane drama of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ continues to resonate with our viewers, and we’re thrilled to get season four production underway ahead of our season three debut,” said Kathryn Busby, president of original programming for Starz. “It’s clear our fans are ready to devour more of this explosive series, and we look forward to having Michael join our incredible cast.”
Ealy will play Detective Don Carter, who is described as “a rising NYPD officer who was on track to become Police Commissioner until his wife was killed in a crossfire between rival drug gangs. Vowing to make the streets safer, Carter traded in his tie for a kevlar vest and now leads an elite NYPD drug task force that elicits concrete results against drug-related violence. While his achievements are noteworthy public recognition, nothing can bring back his lost love,” according to Variety.
“Power Book II: Ghost” is the first of three spinoffs from Starz’s original hit crime drama “Power,” which also airs on the premium cabler along with the prequel series “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” and “Power Book IV: Force.”
50 Cent has a lot of TV production planned for the future. Earlier this month, REVOLT reported Starz renewed “BMF” for its third season, and announced three spinoffs. He also revealed on the “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” radio show that he is bringing the blockbuster movie 8 Mile to television. In addition to the film and television work, the “In Da Club” rapper plans to deliver new music.
Marilyn Manson Sued For Allegedly Sexually Assaulting 16-Year-Old Girl On Tour Bus
On the heels of settling his previous sexual assault case with Esmé Bianco last week, Marilyn Manson is finding himself in more legal drama following a new lawsuit that alleged similar behavior against a 16-year-old.
The suit was filed at the Nassau Country Supreme Court in Long Island, New York, on Monday, claiming that when the plaintiff — who is simply identified as Jane Doe in the docs — was a teenager, she was allegedly raped by the rockstar on his tour bus.
The court documents continue to allege that while the sexual abuse started when Doe was 16 in 1995, it carried on until 1999, while Interscope Music Publishing and Nothing Records, who are named as defendants, allegedly “celebrated and promoted” Manson’s abusive behavior for “financial gain.”
“This lawsuit goes beyond the named predator and targets the record labels that packaged and profited from their artist’s criminal behavior, and it is an indictment of the music industry for maintaining a culture that celebrates, protects, and enables sexual predators,” Doe’s lawyer, Karen Barth Menzies, said.
Manson has been plagued by sexual assault allegations in recent years, including his ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, who claimed she was raped, tortured, and forced to drink Manson’s blood during the relationship.
The record labels appear to play a huge part in the lawsuit, as it’s reiterated how they allegedly overlooked Manson’s behavior because he was generating millions of dollars thanks to his music and touring sales. The lawsuit asserted that they were “well aware of [Manson’s] obsession with child pornography and pedophilia and his desire to expose children across America to sexual themes,” the suit charges. The labels promoted this “for added publicity and financial gain.”
Doe says that after attending a Manson concert, she waited with a bunch of other girls outside of his tour bus. The 54-year-old only ended up choosing two girls, one of which was Doe.
The docs explain the raunchy activities that went down shortly after Manson asked for their age, name, phone number and addresses. Doe was a virgin at the time, the docs continued to reveal, who was allegedly exposed to “vaginal penetration” and “forced copulation.”
The girls were then said to have been ordered to “get the f*** off of my bus” and allegedly threatened to murder her family if she spoke out about what occurred inside the tour bus.
Fisk University, First HBCU To Compete At NCAA, Lands Docuseries About Their Journey
Fisk University’s historic gymnastic team has landed its docuseries after making history as the first HBCU gymnastics team to compete at an NCAA event earlier this year.
The docuseries Flipped will follow the only college gymnastics BIPOC team as they deal with the pressures of their first season while dealing with the stereotypes and culture of women’s athletics, according to a Deadline exclusive. The team does not have its university gym, but they strive for excellence under the tutelage of Coach Corrinne Tarver. The team includes first-year students determined to be the best in NCAA gymnastics, regardless of their circumstances.
Deborah Riley Draper, a filmmaker, will direct the series, and Robin Lyon, CEO of Baller Alert Films, will develop it. The women will executive produce alongside Gail Lyon, Hope Hartman, Paul Lee of wiip, and Fisk University.
The team consists of Division-I athletes who de-committed from high-profile programs and participated at the 2023 Super 16 gymnastics invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier this month. Morgan Price,17, a Frisk University freshman, competed in all four individual events and earned the highest score, a 9.9.
“This is the most aspirational coming-of-age sports story of the year. We have not seen this before and its happening in real time. My work as a filmmaker has always and will always be about unpacking and centering stories of extraordinary Black women as they navigate the intersection of race, gender, and class. Watching this unfold in gymnastics will be a blueprint and a lesson for equity and access,” Draper said.
Fisk University Executive Vice President Jens Frederiksen said in a statement that the school is at the forefront of social justice and has an impact from several prominent figures.
Sam Smith Defended By Fans Amid Controversy Over 'I'm Not Here To Make Friends' Music Video
Sam Smith has found support in their fans. The English singer has been defended by their loyal supporters after their music video for their new song "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" sparked controversy.
The visual sees the 30-year-old singer arriving at a stately home in a helicopter before dancing in a variety of flamboyant outfits alongside a large troupe of backing dancers. At one point, a fountain of water is seen being sprayed into their mouth.
In other scenes, the dancers are filmed slowly thrusting on a bed wearing only black leather underwear before surrounding Sam while dancing provocatively. Some online critics labeled the scenes "hyper-sexualized."
Fortunately, fans quickly defended the "Unholy" hitmaker, pointing out how similarly risque videos have been released by global artists such as Madonna's "Like a Prayer", Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" and Queen's "I Want to Break Free".
"Sex has always been a running theme in modern pop music, and music videos often flaunt it," tweeted journalist Owen Jones. "But Sam Smith has made the criminal offence of being a) queer and b) not skinny, and in an increasingly anti-LGBTQ culture, that can't be tolerated."
Others said that if a cisgender/female pop artist was the one in the video, no one would have been outraged. "If a straight white cis woman popstar did what sam smith did there would be no problem," said academic Dr. Charlotte Proudman, "People just don't like that Sam is queer, plus sized and unapologetic about it."
Someone else opined, "There are thousands, if not millions, of far more sexually explicit pop videos than that Sam Smith one. Most of them will feature young girls. It must be exhausting being so hateful all the time. And to be so utterly terrified of difference."
The news came after Sam admitted that they face more transphobic abuse in the U.K. than they do abroad. "Just the amount of hate, and s**tness [sic] that came my way, was just exhausting. And it was really hard," they shared.
"What people don't realize, with trans non-binary people in the U.K., is it's happening in the street. Like I'm being abused in the street, verbally, more than I ever have," the "I'm Not the Only One" crooner continued. "So that was the hardest part, I think, was being at home in the UK and having people shouting at me in the street."
Chicago prosecutor dropping R. Kelly sex-abuse charges
A Chicago prosecutor said Monday that she's dropping sex-abuse charges against singer R. Kelly following federal convictions in two courts that should guarantee the disgraced R&B star will be locked up for decades.
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced the decision a day ahead of a hearing related to state charges accusing him of sexually abusing four people, three of whom were minors. She said she would ask a judge to dismiss the indictments Tuesday.
Foxx, who in 2019 had pleaded with women and girls to come forward so she could pursue charges against Kelly, acknowledged that the decision “may be disappointing” to his accusers.
“Mr. Kelly is potentially looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again for the crimes that he's committed," the prosecutor said, referring to his federal convictions. “While today's cases are no longer being pursued, we believe justice has been served.”
Since Kelly was indicted in Cook County in 2019, federal juries in Chicago and New York have convicted him of a raft of crimes, including child pornography, enticement, racketeering and sex trafficking related to allegations that he victimized women and girls.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, is serving a 30-year prison sentence in the New York case and awaits sentencing on Feb. 23 in Chicago federal court. He is appealing those convictions. Based on the New York sentence alone, the 56-year-old won’t be eligible for release until he is around 80.
Foxx said she reached out to Kelly’s lawyer two weeks ago to indicate that charges might be dropped. She also spoke to the women whose allegations were at the heart of the case.
Foxx expressed praise for the "courage it took for them to come forward."
Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said she was “pleased” with the prosecution's decision to drop charges.
“He only has one life to give. So I don't know how many sentences upon sentences would satisfy people,” Bonjean said.
Lanita Carter, who said she was sexually assaulted by R. Kelly in February 2003, said she was “extremely disappointed" with the news.
“I have spent nearly 20 years hoping that my abuser would be brought to justice for what he did to me. With today’s announcement, all hope of justice for my case is gone," Carter said, adding that she trusted Foxx and her office with her story and has spent four years steeling herself to face Kelly to no avail.
“Justice has been denied for me," she said.
Prosecutors sometimes choose to go ahead with more trials out of a concern that convictions elsewhere could be reversed during appeals. They see an opportunity for additional convictions as insurance.
“We didn’t do a monetary cost-benefit analysis,” Foxx said, adding, however, that resources spent on a trial now could instead be used “in advocacy for other survivors of sexual abuse.”
Another sexual-misconduct case is pending in Hennepin County, Minnesota, where the Grammy Award-winner faces solicitation charges. That case, too, has been on hold while the federal cases played out. Minnesota prosecutors haven’t said whether they still intend to take Kelly to trial.
Known for his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and for sex-infused songs such as “Bump n’ Grind,” Kelly sold millions of albums even after allegations about his abuse of young girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s. He beat child pornography charges in Chicago in 2008, when a jury acquitted him.
Widespread outrage over Kelly’s sexual misconduct didn’t emerge until the #MeToo reckoning and the release of the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly" in early 2019.
Foxx announced the Cook County charges months before the federal cases in New York and Chicago. Foxx's office alleged he repeatedly sought out girls for sex, including one he encountered at her 16th birthday party and another who met Kelly while he was on trial in 2008.
Federal prosecutors in New York told jurors at his 2021 trial that Kelly used his entourage of managers and aides to meet girls and keep them obedient, an operation that prosecutors said amounted to a criminal enterprise.
Last year, prosecutors at Kelly's federal trial in Chicago portrayed him as a master manipulator who used his fame and wealth to reel in star-struck fans, some of them minors, to sexually abuse then discard them. Four accusers testified.
While prosecutors in that case won convictions on six of the 13 counts against him in that case, the government lost the marquee count — that Kelly and his then-business manager successfully rigged his 2008 child pornography trial.
Biden Administration Announces COVID-19 Emergency Declarations Will End in May
The Biden administration informed Congress on Monday of its plan to begin winding down the COVID-19 national and public health emergency declarations with an end date set for May 11.
The announcement comes in response to two House Republican measures pushing to end the emergencies immediately, according to CNN. “The wind-down would align with the Administration’s previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to termination of the PHE,” the White House statement reads.
“To be clear, continuation of these emergency declarations until May 11 does not impose any restriction at all on individual conduct with regard to Covid-19,” the message continues. “They do not impose mask mandates or vaccine mandates. They do not restrict school or business operations. They do not require the use of any medicines or tests in response to cases of Covid-19.”
Setting up an off-ramp allows Americans to prepare for quite a few changes in the coming months. According to the Associated Press, the cost of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine could increase to $130 per dose without the government’s help. Free at-home COVID tests will become a thing of the past.
USA Today reports that an abrupt end to these emergencies could lead to tens of millions of Americans losing their health insurance and access to telehealth services. Even those with private insurance can expect out-of-pocket costs that were previously covered under emergency declarations.
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World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged on Sunday that even though “we’re in a far better situation now,” compared to last year, COVID-19 remains a global health emergency, according to AP News.
The committee said the pandemic could be nearing an “inflection point” as a higher number of individuals with immunity around the world could lower the impact of the virus.
White Cop (Preston Hemphill) Who Wanted Black Colleagues to ‘Stomp’ Tyre Nichols is Suspended NOT
Fallout from the deadly police beating of Tyre Nichols includes a sixth Memphis officer removed from duties as calls mount for criminal charges against more officers — and police reform nationwide.
Officer Preston Hemphill was part of the force’s now-disbanded SCORPION unit, a source familiar with his assignment confirmed to CNN. He “was relieved of duty with the other officers,” Memphis police Maj. Karen Rudolph said Monday. Hemphill was allegedly caught on body-cam saying he hoped other officers would “stomp his ass,”
Hemphill was put on leave at the start of the investigation into the brutal, two-part traffic stop on January 7, said police spokesperson Kimberly Elder, who declined to say whether he’s being paid or any other officers were put on leave.
Hemphill was the third officer at the initial stop of Nichols, the officer’s attorney said, noting, “He was never present at the second scene” and is cooperating with the investigation. Hemphill activated his body-worn camera, per department policy, and his footage was among videos released Friday by Memphis police, Lee Gerald added.
The official response to Nichols’ fatal police beating has been relatively swift: Five Black officers involved were fired and charged with murder and kidnapping, and their SCORPION unit was nixed for good. And new details of the case are emerging amid broader public scrutiny of how US police use force, especially against people of color.
Among the key questions still unresolved in the Nichols case:
• If more consequences — including charges — are coming for officers: Why more officers who were at the Nichols beating scene have not been disciplined or suspended is a key concern of City Council member Frank Colvett, he said Sunday.
Whether Hemphill or others will face criminal charges also isn’t clear. “We are looking at all of the officers and first responders at the scene,” Shelby County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Erica Williams said Monday. “They could face charges, or they could not, but we are looking at everyone.”
It was “unprecedented” for indictment charges against the officers to come within just weeks, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told CNN on Sunday.
• How Memphis’ police chief will fare: While some have praised Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis‘ swift action in the case, she also created the controversial SCORPION unit the charged officers were linked to. “There is a reckoning coming for the police department and for the leadership,” Colvett said. “She’s going to have to answer not just to the council but to the citizens — and really the world.”
• What happens to fire and sheriff’s personnel: Two Memphis Fire Department employees who were part of Nichols’ initial care were relieved of duty, pending the outcome of an internal investigation. And two deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office have been put on leave pending an investigation.
• If Nichols’ death spurs national-level police reform: The Congressional Black Caucus has asked for a meeting with President Joe Biden this week to push for negotiations on police reform.
Officials knew releasing video footage of Nichols’ beating without filing charges against the officers could be “incendiary,” Mulroy said. “The best solution was to expedite the investigation and to expedite the consideration of charges so that the charges could come first and then the release of the video.”
Footage of the fatal encounter is difficult to watch. It starts with a traffic stop and later shows officers repeatedly beating Nichols with batons, punching him and kicking him — even as his hands are restrained behind his back at one point.
Nichols is heard calling for his mother as he was kicked and pepper-sprayed.
He was left slumped to the ground in handcuffs. Another 23 minutes passed before a stretcher arrived at the scene. Nichols was hospitalized and died three days later.
“All of these officers failed their oath,” Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the Nichols family, told CNN on Sunday. “They failed their oath to protect and serve. Look at that video: Was anybody trying to protect and serve Tyre Nichols?”
As a makeshift memorial grew over the weekend on the corner where Nichols was beaten, protesters marched from New York City to Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles.
Nichols’ family, now at the center of unfamiliar media attention, remembered him as a good son and father who enjoyed skateboarding, photography and sunsets. They recalled his smile and hugs and mourned the moments they’ll never have again.
Bash asks Crump if he's confident officers will be convicted. Hear his response
Expert questions second-degree murder charges
The five fired officers charged in connection with Nichols’ beating — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr. — are expected to be arraigned February 17.
The Memphis Police Association, the union representing them, declined to comment on the terminations beyond saying that the city of Memphis and Nichols’ family “deserve to know the complete account of the events leading up to his death and what may have contributed to it,” according to a statement.
Each faces seven counts, the Shelby County district attorney’s office said, including: second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated kidnapping in possession of a deadly weapon, official misconduct and official oppression.
But a second-degree murder charge — which requires intent to kill — might be harder to prove than a first-degree felony murder charge, said Alexis Hoag-Fordjour, assistant professor of law and co-director of the Center for Criminal Justice at Brooklyn Law School.
“For first-degree felony murder, it means that a murder happened in conjunction with an underlying felony,” said Hoag-Fordjour, noting she practiced law in Tennessee.
“Here, every single charge that the Memphis district attorney charged these five individuals with were felonies. And the underlying felony that would support a first-degree murder charge — felony murder — is kidnapping.”
The kidnapping counts against officers may seem unusual because “we obviously deputize law enforcement officials to make seizures, to make arrests,” Hoag-Fordjour told “CNN This Morning” on Monday.
“But at this point … what would have been legitimate behavior crossed the line into illegitimacy.”
While first-degree felony murder might be easier to prove, Hoag-Fordjour said, second-degree murder convictions are still possible.
Under Tennessee law, a person can be convicted of second-degree murder if they could be reasonably certain their actions would result in somebody’s death, Hoag-Fordjour said.
And some of the blows dealt to Nichols — including kicks to the head and strikes with a baton while he was subdued on the ground — could be deemed deadly, she said.
SCORPION unit tied to deadly beating gets axed
All five officers charged in Nichols’ beating were members of the now-scrapped SCORPION (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) unit, Memphis police spokesperson Maj. Karen Rudolph said Saturday.
The unit, launched in 2021, put officers into areas where police were tracking upticks in violent crime.
“That reprehensible conduct we saw in that video, we think this was part of the culture of the SCORPION unit,” Crump said.
“We demanded that they disbanded immediately before we see anything like this happen again,” he said. “It was the culture that was just as guilty for killing Tyre Nichols as those officers.”
Memphis police will permanently deactivate the unit. “While the heinous actions of a few casts a cloud of dishonor on the title SCORPION, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department take proactive steps in the healing process for all impacted,” the department said.
Colvett supported the dismantling of the SCORPION unit.
“I think the smart move and the mayor is correct in shutting it down,” the council member said. “These kinds of actions are not representative of the Memphis Police Department.”
The case should give the city a chance to “dig deeper” into community and police relations, City Council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas said.
“We saw a very peaceful and direct sense of protest in the city of Memphis, and I think it’s because maybe we do have faith and hope that the system is going to get it right this time,” Easter-Thomas said.
Calls for police reform grow
Crump called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed the Democratic-controlled House in 2021 but not the evenly split Senate.
“The brutal beating of Tyre Nichols was murder and is a grim reminder that we still have a long way to go in solving systemic police violence in America,” Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Steven Horsford said Sunday in a statement.
The Tennessee State Conference NAACP president applauded Davis for “doing the right thing” by not waiting six months to a year to fire the officers who beat Tyre Nichols.
But she had had harsher words for Congress: “By failing to craft and pass bills to stop police brutality, you’re writing another Black man’s obituary,” said Gloria Sweet-Love. “The blood of Black America is on your hands. So, stand up and do something.”
On the state level, two Democratic lawmakers said they intend to file police reform legislation ahead of the general assembly’s Tuesday filing deadline.
The bills would seek to address mental health care for law enforcement officers, hiring, training, discipline practices and other topics, said Tennessee state Rep. G.A. Hardaway, who represents a part of Memphis and Shelby County.
While Democrats hold the minority, with 24 representatives compared to 99 GOP representatives, this legislation is not partisan and should pass on both sides of the legislature, Rep. Joe Towns Jr. said.
“You would be hard-pressed to look at this footage (of Tyre Nichols) and see what happened to that young man, OK, and not want to do something,” he said. “If a dog in this county was beaten like that, what the hell would happen?”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
He’s here again
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM