#MAGFAB: Ryan Gosling for GQ Magazine
BARBIE star Ryan Gosling covers the latest issue of GQ magazine photographed by Gregory Harris and styled by George Cortina.
And as for Ken, the no-thoughts-just-vibes character he plays in the film: “There’s something about this Ken that really, I think, relates to that version of myself. Just, like, the guy that was putting on Hammer pants and dancing at the mall and smelling like Drakkar Noir and Aqua Net-ing bangs. I owe that kid a lot. I feel like I was very quick to distance myself from him when I started making more serious films. But the reality is that, like, he’s the reason I have everything I have.”
After a Barbie trailer was released, fans on social media began debating whether or not Gosling was, in fact, too weathered and grown up now to play Ken, a debate that, in time, made its way onto the pages of the New York Post (“Gen Z ‘Barbie’ Fans Slammed for Calling Ryan Gosling Too ‘Old’ to Play Ken”) and a number of other tabloids. Gosling’s response to this is, at least initially, diplomatic and a little amused: “I would say, you know, if people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with.”
“It is funny,” he says, “this kind of clutching-your-pearls idea of, like, #notmyken. Like you ever thought about Ken before this?” As he said earlier, this is a guy whose job is beach.
“And everyone was fine with that, for him to have a job that is nothing. But suddenly, it’s like, ‘No, we’ve cared about Ken this whole time.’ No, you didn’t. You never did. You never cared. Barbie never fucked with Ken. That’s the point. If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed. This is why his story must be told.”
A version of this story originally appeared in the June/July 2023 isue of GQ with the title “Ryan Gosling Goes Hollywood.”
#RHOA: Mama Joyce Agrees to Go to Family Therapy with Kandi and Todd After Being Told She's 'Gotta Stop'
As 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Kandi Burruss neared her ninth wedding anniversary, she asked her mother to stop throwing "side shade" and questioning whether Todd Tucker was a real "man"
Kandi Burruss’s family is hoping to start a new chapter.
On Sunday night’s episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Mama Joyce agreed it was time for family therapy. The concession came as Kandi, 47, geared up to celebrate her ninth wedding anniversary to Todd Tucker — whom Mama Joyce has always had trouble accepting.
Mama Joyce has a long history of dragging Todd, 49 — most recently at BravoCon. However, Kandi told her mother the remarks were “getting out of hand” and pleaded, “You gotta stop.”
The "No Scrubs" writer also shared her frustrations in a confessional interview: “I need my mother to understand how much Todd means to me, that this marriage is solid and, like, leave it alone.”
Mama Joyce couldn't resist, though, telling her daughter: “The guy you married was like a meek and humble person, now he’s like a George Jefferson little guy.”
Kandi sputtered out, “What?! You are tripping!”
She continued, “Mama, you always be wanting to talk about what a man’s supposed to be, come on. Mama, I’m gonna need you not to do that to my man.”
Mama Joyce also slammed Todd for visiting strip clubs, but Kandi shot back, “We go to strip clubs together! I am not threatened by a stripper at the strip club.”
As the chat wound down, Kandi proposed “counseling” and her mother said, “That would be good.”
“God, thank you,” Kandi said in a confessional. “My mom agreeing to counseling is definitely giving me hope — but I think that the therapist is gonna need therapy after hanging out with us.”
They shook hands to seal the deal, but Kandi remained wary, telling Mama Joyce: “I feel like there’s some side shade.”
This wasn’t the first time Kandi has turned to therapy to help her family, including couple’s therapy sessions with Todd in previous seasons of RHOA.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
#NewMusic from The Shindellas ‘Last Night Was Good For My Soul’
Last Memorial Day weekend, The Shindellas had us lit and ready for summer with their jam “BBQs & Body Rolls.” The trio kept that party-starting tradition alive earlier this year with their poppin’ single “Last Night Was Good For My Soul.” The ladies are continuing to get us in the groove for the warm months ahead by finally dropping that song’s visual and showing how a party should go down.
The visual is actually a continuation of the video for “BBQs & Body Rolls.” We’re brought back to the same backyard barbecue we witnessed before. This time, though, we get to see more of how the party unfolds. The ladies are joined by family and friends (including our boys Louis York) as they enjoy good food, constantly filled red cups and a few hands of spades.
The best part of it all, of course, is that we get to see the ladies jam to their own damn song poolside. Their chemistry is evident and the fun is nonstop. Even better, we get to see the day party go well into the night as everyone heads to the hot tub with even more bottles and fun to be had.
The party showcased here is how we want every gathering in Summer 2023 to be. While we go manifest that for ourselves, y’all can fill up your red cups with your brown liquor of choice and watch The Shindellas cold rock the party in “Last Night Was Good For My Soul” HERE
#HipHopNews: Lil Tjay Almost Got Into A Fight Backstage During HOT 97'S Summer Jam
Footage appeared on social media that shows Lil Tjay being restrained by security while backstage at HOT 97’s Summer Jam. In a hallway area at New York’s UBS Arena, the Bronx star can be heard yelling, “You’re gonna be fired!” Meanwhile, someone out of view — presumably, the one filming — is heard giving the only possible detail. “N**ga popped on Lil Tjay, bro,” the unknown individual said.
Tjay was one of the many acts who took to the stage on Sunday (June 4), delivering his brand of bars alongside the likes of Cardi B, French Montana, The LOX, Lola Brooke, and Scar Lip. In addition to his own set, he came out during Ice Spice‘s performance to bless the attendees with a live rendition of their hit collaboration “Gangsta Boo.”
It’s been a couple of years since Tjay liberated his sophomore studio LP, Destined 2 Win, a 21-song offering with assists from 6LACK, Polo G, Fivio Foreign, Tyga, Saweetie, Toosie, Offset, and Moneybagg Yo. The album did well commercially, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and crossing the platinum certification mark some time after. Since then, the “Calling My Phone” talent continued to keep his momentum going with loose singles like “Dreams Unfold” with Joyner Lucas, “Not In The Mood” with Foreign and Kay Flock, “In My Head,” “Goin Up,” and “Give You What You Want.”
In 2022, Tjay found himself fighting for his life following a shooting that took place in New Jersey. During his recovery, he took to social media to show his appreciation to fans and reflect on the nightmarish experience. “I just wanna say, thanks for the love, thanks for the support,” he said. “Seven shots, it was tough, you know? Most people don’t survive it, but I’m here… Love y’all.”
Watch the aforementioned video clip HERE
Chris Licht Ousted At CNN After A Year Of Crisis
Chris Licht came into the top spot at CNN pronouncing he had a clear view of what was wrong with the cable news channel, the vision to fix it, and the corporate backing that would enable him to turn the ship around.
Barely more than a year later, with the channel's battered ratings further sagging, the formats for key shows still in doubt, internal strife at crisis levels, and journalists inside CNN still questioning what his vision is, Licht is gone, ousted by the corporate patron who wooed him to the network, Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav.
Zaslav made the decision over the weekend, according to a person with direct knowledge, concluding that Licht had lost the room. He personally confirmed the news to staffers on Wednesday after published reports that Licht was out.
"This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it," Zaslav wrote in his message to staff. "He has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped — and ultimately that's on me."
Licht had argued that CNN had strayed too far from its roots, and spent much of his time publicly condemning the network's coverage of former President Donald Trump, the COVID-19 pandemic and many other key subjects. In so doing, he was echoing the mandate of Zaslav, who had taken over CNN as part of Discovery's acquisition of Warner Media last year, and Discovery's most important investor, the conservative media magnate John Malone.
"I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with and, you know, actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing," Malone told CNBC's David Faber in November 2021, ahead of the acquisition.
A drumbeat of criticism of CNN's journalism alienated the newsroom
According to colleagues at CNN, the drumbeat of criticism about CNN's past journalistic performance led to deep resentment of Licht. That schism was furthered by his unwillingness or inability to solicit insights from people within the network and his near-constant focus on how CNN had operated under his predecessor, Jeff Zucker. Zucker was fired after the revelation of his affair with a top executive, but he retained the affection and respect of many within the network.
Licht's efforts to cement a shift in emphasis and tone, along with hopes of a revitalized programming approach, were never accompanied by a clear business strategy, however. Zaslav even touted CNN as a reputational asset rather than a source of growing profits.
That stood in contrast to CNN under Zucker's earlier leadership, when the network's business performance allowed it to invest more in its journalism, new original programming and its new digital offerings.
A widely slammed Trump event, a damaging exposé
Licht arranged a town hall in May with former President Donald Trump in New Hampshire to showcase a reporter he elevated to be a star, Kaitlan Collins, as he sought to unveil her new prime-time show. Instead, it was widely panned, both as an exercise in futility (Trump steamrolled Collins' efforts to fact-check him) and in pandering (CNN had staged it as a live event before an audience stocked with Trump fans).
While his views on the network's periodically overheated focus on Trump found some sympathy within CNN, Licht's remarks about COVID coverage, contained in a 13,000-word profile by The Atlantic's Tim Alberta posted last week, uniformly outraged his journalists.
In addition, people at the network took offense at Licht's challenging whether an African American woman who went to Harvard University would add to the network's diversity. CNN anchor Abby Phillip, whose parents are Trinidadian, graduated from Harvard, though it's not clear that Licht was directly referring to her.
Alberta's piece depicted Licht as spending vast amounts of time with an outside reporter while ignoring his own news staffers at gatherings. Licht was also quoted bragging about his ability to out-lift Zucker during an early morning gym session. And he appeared unable to shake his anger about his own treatment by the press. Licht had called in CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy to protest his coverage of the network and reportedly berated Puck media reporter Dylan Byers, who had previously held Darcy's job, for his constant stream of stories about his standing at CNN.
Zaslav last week named a trusted lieutenant, David Leavy, as chief operating officer at CNN. Ostensibly Licht's No. 2, Leavy was seen as someone who might steady the ship amid the turbulence.
In his statement to staff, Zaslav wrote that he would conduct a major search, inside and outside the network, for CNN's next leader.
Until then, a cadre of seasoned programming executives — Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling and Leavy — will be in charge, he said.
A year of dismissals and cancelations
Substantively, Licht appeared to lead most tangibly by subtraction.
Along with Zaslav, Licht killed CNN+, the channel's huge new push into streaming, just a month after its high-profile launch. Licht also canceled many of the original programs created under Zucker.
CNN announces it's parted ways with news anchor Don Lemon
He fired media correspondent and host Brian Stelter and canceled the media criticism show Reliable Sources, at that time CNN's longest-running show. Licht also dismissed White House reporter John Harwood and shifted prime-time star Don Lemon. The weekend show of Jim Acosta became more subdued in tone. All had been critics of Trump.
Licht was unable to replicate his record of minting successes in the morning. He had created Morning Joe at MSNBC and the CBS Early Show; he also retooled The Late Show after Stephen Colbert's rocky first year and transformed it into a hit.
At CNN, however, the morning show drew small audiences to watch a frequently caustic Lemon, Collins and co-host Poppy Harlow. Licht fired Lemon in April after the host clashed with his female co-stars and contended that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley "isn't in her prime." Collins has been moved to prime time.
Meanwhile, CNN's ratings and financial fortunes took a hit. During the Trump era, the network rode the wave of controversies to annual revenues exceeding $1 billion. Revenues now hover around $750 million annually, according to people with knowledge.
The challenge for Licht's successor remains daunting. Trump's return to the political fray ahead of the 2024 race may juice CNN's ratings, along with those of its competitors. However, all three major cable news networks are subject to structural decline in ratings and many viewers' shift to streaming services. The audiences for viewers under the age of 55 are particularly small.
On Monday, Licht sought to regain his footing, apologizing in a conference call with CNN's staffers for paying attention to his own coverage in the press. "I should not be in the news unless it's taking arrows for you," he said. It was too late.
PGA Tour to merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf
The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf roughly a year after the upstart league challenged the longstanding professional tour.
The agreement will put the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf under one new collectively owned entity that has yet to be named.
Backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), LIV Golf took over the golf world in 2022. The upstart league offered lucrative contracts to players, with multiple contracts reportedly worth more than $100 million.
The PGA Tour reacted by suspending eligibility for players that joined the LIV tour. LIV players filed a class action lawsuit against PGA in response.
Tuesday's partnership will end all pending litigation, according to the release.
“We are pleased to move forward, in step with LIV and PIF’s world-class investing experience, and I applaud PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for his vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach that is not just a solution to the rift in our game, but also a commitment to taking it to new heights," PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a release.
The deal to form the new unnamed entity includes an infusion of capital from the PIF, which will initially be the "exclusive investor in the new entity," per the release.
Jefferies analyst Randal Konik sees the partnership as an overall positive for growing the game of golf.
"The infusion of capital from PIF signifies a strong commitment to the growth and promotion of golf on a global scale," Konik wrote in a note to clients on Tuesday. "This injection of funds will enable the newly formed company to embark on ambitious initiatives aimed at expanding the reach of golf and cultivating a broader fan base."
Popular golf stocks popped on the news. Shares of TopGolf Callway Brands (MODG) and Acushnet Holdings Corp (GOLF) — which owns popular golf brands Titleist and FootJoy — both rose more than 5% in midday trading.
LIV built its reputation by pouring millions of dollars into the business and uprooting traditional golf with loud music at the tee boxes and a team play format. But pundits questioned how LIV Golf would make money. A year into the new league's existence, that still remained unclear.
Last summer, then-COO and president of LIV Golf Atul Kholsa told Yahoo Finance that the league "absolutely needed a broadcast deal." While broadcast deals are usually a key source of revenue for sports leagues, LIV Golf never found a traditional sports streaming partner.
Instead, the upstart league signed with the CW (NXST) and streams on YouTube (GOOGL). Given the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi government-directed operatives in 2018, among other human rights accusations, members of the sports world had questioned American involvement in a league financially supported by Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
However, the new partnership will link LIV to golf's preeminent tour, the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour has deals with a breadth of streamers including ESPN (DIS), Amazon (AMZN), and NBC (CMCSA).
Partnerships had also been a big point of discussion throughout the rise of LIV Golf. As the tournament started touring last year, many companies pulled their sponsorships with their respective golfers.
The Royal Bank of Canada pulled its sponsorship with Graeme McDowell and Dustin Johnson while UPS pulled its sponsorship with Lee Westwood. Callaway, Workday, KPMG, and Heineken all ended or paused relationships with Phil Mickelson.
Ricki Lake Strips Down To Birthday Suit After Having 'Complete Self-Acceptance'
Ricki Lake has left little to the imagination as she gained confidence over her body. As she opened up about having a "complete self-acceptance" at the age of 54, the former "Ricki Lake" host shared a photo of herself stripping down to a birthday suit in an open-air bathtub.
On Tuesday, June 6, the 54-year-old actress made use of her Instagram page to let out her risque photo. In the picture, she donned nothing but a pair of earrings, a necklace and several rings on her fingers. She let her medium-length gray hair that reach her shoulders down.
Sitting in a green outdoor bathtub and being surrounded by nature, the "Gemini" actress covered her modesty by wrapping her arms around her upper body. All smiles, she could be seen closing her eyes with her head tilted back.
Ricki apparently did not enjoy the beautiful view of Mill Valley, California herself. A reflection of her husband Ross Burningham could also be seen in her photo. Ross seemed to have sat in front of Ricki during her outdoor time.
Accompanying the picture, the "Hairspray" actress wrote in the caption, "Hands down, these days are the best of my life. 54 1/2 years old (young!) Grateful for all that had to happen for me to get to here. A place of complete self-acceptance and self love."
In that same caption, Ricki did not forget to express what went through her mind when it came to spending time together with her partner. She wrote, "Ross, you make every adventure the most fun ever. Oh and #millvalley is the s**t! #nature #redwoods #love #gratitude #groundedeuphoria #selflove."
Ricki's June 6 post drew positive responses from Instagram users. In the comments section of her post, one wrote, "This is so beautiful to witness, Ricki. When love is poured from a heart that is overflowing with love and from place of abundance, it creates a ripple effect, touching and inspiring others to also give love freely."
"It's like a beacon of light that guides others, including myself, to the path of kindness and compassion. The world needs more of this, and it's genuinely heartwarming to see you leading by example. Thank you," the commenter continued and added a red heart emoji.
Beyonce Pushes On With Show Despite Wardrobe Malfunction During 'Renaissance' Tour Stop
Beyonce Knowles was not letting a mild wardrobe malfunction disturb her stage performance. When performing in London as part of her "Renaissance" Tour, the "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" hitmaker pushed on with the show all the while she had a little problem with her new costume onstage.
On Sunday, June 4, the 41-year-old was making a tour stop at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and appeared in a new costume as she performed her song "America Has a Problem". Her fresh outfit came with a standout bedazzled tall headpiece wrapped in gold, silver and black sequins.
In a clip that has since made its way online, Queen Bey could be seen struggling with her new costume during the first seconds of the performance. Her towering hat slipped down to her forehead and her sunglasses when she started dancing. At one point, she even held back her headpiece with two hands.
Fortunately, the "Break My Soul" songstress managed to go on with the song without having to continue holding her hat. Later on, however, she took off the hat completely, tossing it aside and going on to deliver her performance.
Beyonce's new costume consisted of a shimmering mini dress wrapped in gold, silver and black sequins as well as black sunglasses that came with matching antennae. She paired the gown with a pair of sparkling black-sequined gloves, glossy high pointed-toe black leather boots that reached just above her knees.
The video of Queen Bey's onstage mishap has made its rounds on TikTok, prompting many to joke over the headpiece. One wrote in the comments section of the post, "She's gonna fire that hat." Another chimed in, "Someone's getting fired for not pinning that hat down." A third shared, "The hat got TOSSED when she got done." A fourth gushed, "Even with the hat falling off she's still smiling & having fun."
Richmond Shooting! High school graduate, father killed in Virginia shooting; suspect arraigned on murder charges
Seven people were shot, two fatally, when gunfire rang out Tuesday outside a downtown theater in Richmond, Virginia, where a high school graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said.
A 19-year-old suspect tried to escape on foot but was arrested and will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said during a nighttime news conference at which he confirmed the two fatalities.
Five others were wounded by the gunfire outside the state capital's city-owned Altria Theater, which is across the street from a large, grassy park and in the middle of the Virginia Commonwealth University campus. At least 12 others were injured or treated for anxiety due to the mayhem, according to police.
“As they heard the gunfire, it was obviously chaos," Edwards said. "We had hundreds of people in Monroe Park, so people scattered. It was very chaotic at the scene.”
Edwards said one of the people who was killed was an 18-year-old male student who had just graduated, while the other was a 36-year-old man who was there for the graduation. Their names were not released, but police believe the suspect, who was not immediately identified, knew at least one of the victims.
“This should have been a safe space. People should have felt safe at a graduation,” Edwards said.
“It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community.”
Six people were brought to VCU Medical Center and their conditions ranged from serious to critical late Tuesday, VCU Health System spokesperson Mary Kate Brogan said.
Multiple handguns were recovered. Police initially said two suspects were detained, but Edwards said later that they determined one of them was not involved.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney vowed to ensure anyone responsible faces justice.
"This should not be happening anywhere,” Stoney said.
Officers inside the theater, where the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School had been taking place, heard gunfire around 5:15 p.m. and radioed to police stationed outside, who found multiple victims, Edwards said.
School board member Jonathan Young told Richmond TV station WWBT that graduates and other attendees were leaving the building when they heard about 20 gunshots in rapid succession.
“That prompted, as you would expect, hundreds of persons in an effort to flee the gunfire to return to the building,” Young said.
“It materialized in a stampede,” he said.
Two people were treated for falls; one juvenile was struck by a car and sustained injuries that were not life-threatening; and nine people were treated at the scene for minor injuries or anxiety, according to police spokeswoman Tracy Walker.
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said the new graduates were outside taking photos with families and friends when the shooting broke out.
“I don’t have any more words on this,” Kamras said. “I’m just tired of seeing people get shot, our kids get shot. And I beg of the entire community to stop, to just stop.”
As he heard the gunshots and then sirens, neighbor John Willard, 69, stepped onto the balcony of his 18th-floor apartment. Below, he saw students fleeing in their graduation outfits and parents hugging children.
“There was one poor woman in front of the apartment block next to ours who was wailing and crying,” Willard said, adding that the scene left him deeply saddened.
Edythe Payne was helping her daughter sell flowers outside the theater to students as they left the ceremony. She told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the shooting caused a panic on nearby Main Street, which was packed with people at the time.
“I felt bad because some elderly people were at the graduation and they got knocked down to the ground,” Payne said.
The school district said a different graduation scheduled for later Tuesday had been canceled “out of an abundance of caution" and schools would be closed Wednesday.
The mass shooting, the latest in a nation increasingly accustomed to them, prompted calls for reform.
“The gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that we must address,” U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat whose district includes Richmond, said in a statement. “We cannot continue to live in fear. We must address the root causes of gun violence and pass common sense gun safety policies that protect our communities.”
Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, an ardent gun-rights advocate, said in remarks to news outlets near the scene that the problem lies not with guns but with criminals.
“We have to figure out what’s going on in our communities,” she said.
Nikki Haley’s CNN Town Hall Audience Down 80 Percent From Trump Event
Former South Carolina governor and 2024 GOP presidential candidate, Nikki Haley, joined CNN on Sunday night for a town hall event – CNN’s first after hosting Donald Trump on May 10th.
While Haley is certainly a well-known figure in U.S. politics, no one expected her to pull in the same kind of numbers on a Sunday night that Trump did during prime time on a weekday. With the numbers now in, we can see Trump’s event beat Haley by some 80 percent across the board.
Haley’s event, moderated by Jake Tapper, brought in 562,000 total viewers and 136,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic. By contrast, Trump’s highly controversial town hall with Kaitlin Collins scored some 3.31 million total viewers and 781,000 demo viewers – a major boost for the ratings-beleaguered network that averaged below 500,000 viewers during prime time in May.
Fox News’s Sunday night programming at 8 p.m. doubled the Haley town hall as Mark Levin’s show scored 1.22 average total viewers. MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan landed in third for the hour with 450,000 total viewers. Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures was the highest-rated show for the day with 1.23 million total viewers.
However, CNN did win the demo as Levin brought in 63,000 viewers and Hasan scored 35,000. Fox swept every time slot in total viewers, except at noon when Jen Psaki – President Joe Biden’s former press secretary – won the hour. Psaki just eked out a win topping Fox News Live with 734,000 total viewers to 726,000. Psaki finished third in the demo behind both Fox and CNN.
Astrud Gilberto, 'The Girl from Ipanema' and Bossa Nova Singer, Dead at 83
Astrud Gilberto, the singer who made "The Girl from Ipanema" a global hit, has died at the age of 83.
The musician's granddaughter Sofia Gilberto announced the news of her death on Instagram Monday, though she did not provide additional details.
"My grandma Astrud Gilberto made this song for me, it's called Linda Sofia," Sofia wrote in Portuguese. "She even wanted my name to be Linda Sofia."
"Life is beautiful, as the song says, but I'm here to bring you the sad news that my grandmother became a star today," she added. "[She] is next to my grandfather João Gilberto. Astrud was the true girl who took bossa nova from Ipanema to the world."
Friend and frequent collaborator Paul Ricci also shared the news on Facebook.
"I just got word from her son Marcelo that we have lost Astrud Gilberto. He asked for this to be posted," he wrote. "She was an important part of ALL that is Brazilian music in the world and she changed many lives with her energy. RIP from the "chief” as she called me. Thanks AG."
Astrud was born in 1940 in Brazil's Bahia and raised in Rio de Janeiro. She later married musician João Gilberto in 1959.
In 1963, her singing career had a serendipitous kick-start when she traveled to New York with her husband for a recording session with Stan Getz and fellow Brazilian bossa nova star Antônio Carlos Jobim.
The session producer wanted someone who could speak English to help "The Girl from Ipanema" reach an American audience, and Astrud — who had no prior recording experience — was the only person who could speak the language and volunteered.
"Astrud was in the control room when Norm came in with the English lyrics," session supervisor Phil Ramone told JazzWax in 2010. "Producer Creed Taylor said he wanted to get the song done right away and looked around the room."
He explained, "Astrud volunteered, saying she could sing in English. Creed said, 'Great.' Astrud wasn't a professional singer, but she was the only victim sitting there that night."
The original version of the song was a duet with her husband and she was not credited on the track — though it was later re-edited without his Portuguese vocals as a solo single and it became a sensation. The song ended up earning the Grammy for song of the year and Astrud was nominated for best vocal performance by a female.
That same year, she divorced João and toured the country with Stan Getz and his band.
When the song became a success, Getz and producer Creed Taylor described Astrud as a housewife they had discovered — which angered her.
"Nothing is further from the truth," she wrote on her website. "I guess it may them look 'important' to have been the one that had the 'wisdom' to recognize talent or 'potential' in my singing… I suppose I should feel flattered by the importance that they lend to this, but I can't help but to feel annoyed at the fact that they resorted to lying!"
"The Girl from Ipanema" was her only major hit — though she did release a series of jazz albums like 1965's The Astrud Gilberto Album, 1972's Astrud Gilberto Now and 1977's That Girl from Ipanema.
In the 1980s, she formed a group that featured her son Marcelo on bass and toured the world. However, she avoided Brazil because she felt like she wasn't given proper recognition there.
She recorded her final album in 2002 titled Jungle and later announced an indefinite hiatus from public performances. That same year, she was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame. In 2008, she was given a lifetime achievement award by the Latin Grammys.
She dedicated most of her later years to campaigning against animal cruelty, though the legacy of "The Girl from Ipanema" lived on.
In addition to Marcelo Gilberto, her son from her first marriage, Astrud is survived by another son, Gregory Lasorsa, from her second marriage to Nicholas Lasorsa, which ended in divorce,
Woman arrested in fatal shooting of her neighbor in Florida
Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, was arrested on charges of manslaughter, culpable negligence, battery and assault in the fatal shooting of Ajike “AJ” Owens.
A woman accused of fatally shooting her Florida neighbor in a dispute that involved the slain woman’s children was arrested Tuesday, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.
Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, was arrested on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Lorincz, who is white, is accused of fatally shooting Ajike “AJ” Owens, who was Black, through a closed door in Ocala on Friday night, according to the sheriff’s office.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Owens family, and others have demanded an arrest, and they raised questions about race and Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law.
“While we are relieved that the woman apparently responsible for the tragic killing of Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens has been arrested, we are no less concerned that accountability has taken this long because archaic laws like Stand Your Ground exist,” attorneys for Owens' family, including Crump, said in a statement Tuesday night.
The shooting happened around 9 p.m. Friday. Lorincz had over time been angry at Owens’ children’s playing in a nearby field and "engaged in an argument" with the children, the sheriff’s office said.
During the argument Lorincz threw a roller skate at Owens’ 10-year-old son and later swung an umbrella at him and a sibling, according to the sheriff’s office. Owens then knocked on Lorincz's door multiple times, and Lorincz shot her through the door, the sheriff’s office said.
Owens was shot in the upper chest and died, it said.
Lorincz told investigators that she acted in self-defense “and that Owens had been trying to break down her door prior to her discharging her firearm,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Sheriff Billy Woods said investigators were legally required to investigate whether Florida’s “stand your ground” law applied before they made an arrest.
Woods said the killing of Owens was not justified under the self-defense law.
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"It was simply a killing," he said.
In an interview earlier Tuesday, Crump said there could be no justification for the killing.
“No way she should feel that this person knocking on the door would be able to cause death to her or imminent bodily harm,” Crump said. “And if she did feel fear, call the police. Why shoot through a metal door?”
Owens was a mother of four, the family attorneys have said.
Lorincz fired one shot through the door, the sheriff's office said.
Crump said that Owens’ children had been playing in a field near an apartment complex and that the woman who would later shoot her yelled at the children. One of the children left an iPad behind, which the woman took, he said.
A sheriff’s incident report, which is redacted with the names blacked out, mentions that deputies were told at the scene an iPad was taken by a woman who was at that time described as a suspect.
Deputies had been responding to a call about trespassing that night when they were informed there was a shooting, and they arrived to find Owens lying in the grass not breathing after having been shot, according to a sheriff's office incident report.
There had been disputes between the two women in the past, the sheriff has said.
Manslaughter with a firearm is a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, the sheriff's office said.
It was not immediately clear late Tuesday whether Lorincz had an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
Ocala is a city of around 63,000 around 60 miles northwest of Orlando.
Wendy Williams’ Son, Kevin Hunter Jr., Says His Mom Is Being “Taken Advantaged Of” by Inner Circle
The son of Wendy Williams fears for her life.
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Kevin Hunter, 22, spoke to The Sun, saying he believes his mother’s inner circle is taking advantage of her issues with alcoholism and her wealth.
Since being placed under guardianship in 2022, Hunter alleges, “I know there are all sorts of things happening that I know in her right mind she would never agree to. As hard as it is seeing her being taken advantage of, I know that if I’m making sure she, as a person, is okay, that is the important thing because eventually, she’s going to realize the craziness that’s been going on.”
Williams was reportedly hospitalized in New York last month. Kevin says he wasn’t contacted by her jeweler-turned-manager, Will Selby, or anyone on else on her team, until mid-May.
Shawn Zanotti, Williams’ publicist, denied the hospitalization claims and said she wasn’t in New York at that time.
Hunter, who is Williams’s only son, also believes profits are being prioritized over his mother’s well-being. “What’s been made more important by the people around her is that while her health may not be great, she needs to keep on earning income, and in my opinion that should not be a priority at all. And whoever has been hired – they are taking advantage of someone who needs to get better,” he added.
He also spoke on her rapid decline in health since she lived with him in Florida from late 2021 until Spring 2022. Hunter fears that her battle with alcoholism and poor health could be fatal.
“They had her in a position where she was agreeing to a lot that she shouldn’t have. When I heard that, that turned me off,” he expressed. “In trying to attempt to know what everyone’s intention is around her, at first, I was like, okay this is the team she wants to have around. But once I heard that she was agreeing to stuff around her rehab, I thought, ‘Well okay—they are taking advantage.’”
“I feel that when it comes to people wanting to ‘help’ her, a lot of it is coming from a stance of, okay, she’s alone now. Let’s try to see how we can make her act the way we want her to act, or if we can kind of control the rate at which she’s handling herself.”
Hunter also spoke on his mother’s finances, calling out Sabrina Morrissey, who he says is purposely holding back information and updates on his mother. He hopes that speaking out on these issues will result in his mother getting the help she needs, the Vibe reported.
“I think that it’s best for her to have to prioritize her health first. Nobody around her will tell her this, but she doesn’t have to be working. She needs to take a break from trying to her career and just be
Florida Judge Blocks DeSantis’ Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Youth
In a narrow win for trans rights, a Florida judge has blocked parts of a Florida law that would ban transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming care.
On Tuesday, Judge Robert Hinkle issued an injunction that claims Florida has no grounds to deny puberty blockers for children. The ruling came after a lawsuit challenged Governor Ron DeSantis’ ban on the medical care for underage trans youth. The claim was brought forward by parents of three children, all of which were receiving gender-reaffirming care. Hinkle ruled that the juveniles at the center of the suit may continue their treatment.
“Gender identity is real. The record makes this clear,” Hinkle stated during his ruling.
Despite his decision, DeSantis’ office says they are committed to moving forward with the ban. They confirmed that they’d make exceptions for the three children mentioned in the lawsuit but would indeed enforce the law.
“We will continue fighting against the rogue elements in the medical establishment that push ideology over evidence,” press secretary Jeremy Redfern said.
Sadly, other juveniles in the state who were not part of the lawsuit are at risk of losing gender-affirming care. This has driven some parents to seek refuge in more liberal states. Trans-adults who rely on these treatments may also be at risk since there is language in DeSantis’ bill that makes it difficult for anyone to receive cross-sex hormones. Doctors who administer the therapies may also face stiff consequences if they are reported for giving minors the medications.
The Republican governor is preparing to take ideologies such as these to the White House as he bids for the presidency. He previously garnered support from then-President Donald Trump, who also supports the banning of gender-affirming care for minors.
Former NFL Player Travis Rudolph Found Not Guilty on All Counts in Murder Trial
Wednesday, a Florida jury found former football player Travis Rudolph,27, not guilty on all counts of murder.
Rudolph, who briefly played in the NFL, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder in relation to a deadly shooting that occurred outside his Lake Park residence two years ago.
On April 7, 2021, around midnight, four men approached Rudolph’s home to address a dispute that had taken place between him and his girlfriend earlier that day. According to Rudolph, the situation escalated into a violent confrontation, prompting him to arm himself with a rifle. He then fired it in their direction as they drove away, injuring one of the men and killing 21-year-old Sebastien Jean-Jacques in the passenger seat.
Rudolph had been on house arrest since last year after a judge refused to dismiss the case based on his “stand your ground” defense claims, leaving it up for the jury to decide.
While prosecutors accused him of being the aggressor, bringing a gun to a fistfight, Rudolph maintained the shooting was a result of self-defense after seeing two guns pointed at him.
Following the verdict, the judge ordered Rudolph’s house arrest monitor be removed.
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