djfrosty

17 Jan 2024

Bring the Heat: These Waterproof Gloves Are No. 1 on Amazon & They’re Only $19.99

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

When it comes to frigid temperatures, gloves are just as important to your winter wardrobe as a warm coat (and don’t forget your earmuffs and beanie).

If you’ve been looking for waterproof gloves, we’ve found a pair of women’s gloves that retail for just $19.99 at Amazon. And judging by the customer reviews, they’re well worth it.

Available in black and grey, and in sizes ranging from XS-XL, these nylon gloves are equipped with fleece lining and touchscreen capabilities so that you can use your phone and other electronic devices without taking them off.

Inhuan Winter Gloves feature an adjustable, windproof cuff and water-resistant, anti-slip silicone on the palm to help you maintain a firm grip for shoveling snow, running, cycling, snowboarding, biking, skiing and more.

The gloves, which are currently No. 1 on Amazon’s Best Sellers list for women’s gloves for skiing and snowboarding, snagged over 2,800 customer ratings and an overall score of 4.3 out of 5 stars.

Looking for another style of gloves for winter? Heated gloves are a surefire way to keep your hands warm — and they come highly recommended on TikTok, with the hashtag #heatedgloves wracking up over 3 million views.

These rechargeable, heated gloves from Amazon ($59.99) are equipped with a 5V 5000 mAh battery and touchscreen capabilities. According to the product description, the battery lasts for roughly 3-6 hours depending on the heat setting (the gloves feature high, medium and low heat settings ranging from 110°F 150°F).

Amazon’s limited deal saves you up to 14% off the rechargeable gloves (apply the instant coupon to save an additional 10% off). Prime members get fast and free shipping on millions of items including gloves, coats, beanies, scarves, and other winter gear. Not a member? Launch your 30-day free trial here).  

Another wallet-friendly option, these rechargeable, heated gloves are on sale for $37.99 at Walmart (reg. 99.99).

For more winter recommendations, be sure to checkout our roundups of the best puffer jackets and parkas, electric hand warmers and must-haves for running in cold weather.

17 Jan 2024

Prince Estate’s Ugly Civil War, James Dolan Sexual Assault Case & More Top Music Law News

This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.

This week: An ugly new legal battle erupts within the Prince estate; Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan is sued for sexual assault; a judge issues a ruling on the ongoing battle between members of Mötley Crüe; and much more.

Want to get The Legal Beat newsletter in your email inbox every Tuesday? Subscribe here for free.

THE BIG STORY: Civil War in The Prince Estate

After Prince died without a will in 2016, it took more than six years of legal wrangling to settle his estate, as heirs, advisors, a court-appointed bank and Primary Wave all battled before a Minnesota probate judge over how exactly the star’s assets should be divided.

When the dust finally settled in 2022 — with tax issues resolved and the $146 million estate split evenly into two LLCs — it seemed that the case was closed. Primary Wave (which bought out three of the heirs) would control one-half of the estate, while the remaining heirs and a pair of advisors would control the other half. Each side vowed to bring Prince’s music to a new generation of music fans.

But less than two years later, the Prince estate is suddenly back in court — this time, over allegations of an attempted coup within one of the ownership groups, of severe dysfunction at Paisley Park and of attempts by two heirs to unilaterally sell more shares to Primary Wave. For more, go read our full story here.

Other top stories this week…

JAMES DOLAN UNDER FIRE – The Madison Square Garden executive was hit with a sexual assault lawsuit claiming he pressured a masseuse into unwanted sex while his band was touring with the Eagles — and that he later facilitated an incident in which she was also assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. The lawsuit also named Irving Azoff’s The Azoff Company, claiming it had “benefited from facilitating Dolan’s behavior.”

CRÜE’S COURT CLASH – Mötley Crüe co-founder Mick Mars won a court order against his former bandmates, requiring them to repay some of his legal bills after a judge said they refused to turn over key financial records and other information. The decision was a win for Mars, but the real battle — a private arbitration case over whether the band acted illegally when they tried to kick him out of the band — remains ahead.

DIDDY BOOZE SETTLEMENT – Sean “Diddy” Combs and alcohol giant Diageo reached a settlement to resolve a year-long lawsuit over their soured partnership for DeLeón tequila. The deal, which will end a bitter legal battle that saw Combs accuse the liquor company of racism, came just months after he was hit with multiple sexual assault lawsuits.

G HERBO SENTENCED – A federal judge sentenced the Chicago rapper to three years of probation after he pleaded guilty to participating in a scam involving stolen credit card information — a fraud that prosecutors say netted the Chicago rapper almost $140,000 in private jet flights, vacation lodgings and luxury car rentals.

ALLEGED TUPAC KILLER GETS BAIL – A judge set bail at $750,000 for Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with orchestrating the killing of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur in 1996. The judge ruled that Davis, who is allegedly in poor health after battling cancer, can serve house arrest with electronic monitoring ahead of his trial in June.

AI LEGISLATION IN WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill called No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act, or No AI FRAUD Act, legislation that would aim to regulate the use of artificial intelligence for cloning voices and other forms of likeness. The same day, lawmakers in Tennessee unveiled similar legislation called the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, or ELVIS Act, which would beef up existing state-level protections for such likeness rights.

17 Jan 2024

Kenny Chesney Announces His New Album ‘Born’ Is Coming This Spring

Four-time CMA entertainer of the year award winner Kenny Chesney is returning with more new music in 2024 — the star announced the release of his upcoming album Born on March 29.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Related

Kenny Chesney

Click ‘Edit’ to Select Content

Though the album announcement was slim on details for the rest of the album’s tracklisting, Chesney shared a bit more the banjo-propelled title track. “It’s got a lot of heart, a lot of soul – and it speaks the truth about living, life and what we’re all doing here,” he said in a statement. “It’s a lyric that throws out all the options, never tells you what to do and throws out the one existential truth no matter what you choose: ‘One thing’s for certain, we’ve all been living since the day we were born.’” Chesney said in a statement.

“Normally, we wait until it’s all figured out, the T’s are crossed, the I’s are dotted,” Chesney added. “But everything about this record’s been different – from how much time we’ve spent, the different ways we recorded and wrote and found songs – so why not let the fans know as we’re finishing up? We make this music for them, so, here you go.”

He does note the top-shelf caliber of musicians who join him on the project. In addition to his on-tour bandmates — drummer Nick Buda, guitarist Kenny Greenberg and guitar/banjo/bouzouki player Danny Rader — Chesney and longtime co-producer Buddy Cannon have enlisted Pat Buchanan (electric guitar), Chad Cromwell (drums), Dan Dugmore (steel guitar), Michael Rojas (B3, Wurlizter, piano) and Dan Tyminski (acoustic guitar) among the contributing musicians to the project.

Chesney noted that taking three years between the release of his new album and his previous album, 2020’s Here and Now, (which yielded radio hits including the chart-topping title track as well as top 5 Country Airplay singles “Happy Does” and “Knowing You”) allowed the singer-songwriter the space to “find songs that continue the story of who we are … how we live, breathe, work, rock, kick back and sometimes get tangled up in feelings that are anything but simple,” he said.

The album’s lead single “Take Her Home” currently sits at No. 27 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart — throughout his career, the Tennessee native has sent 32 radio singles to the pinnacle of the listing.

Born’s release comes just a month before Chesney revs up his 2024 Sun Goes Down Tour, which will launch April 23 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts and feature 23 stadium shows.

Check out Chesney’s official announcement below:

17 Jan 2024

R. Kelly Claims He Can’t Read, Shouldn’t Pay $10.5 Million Lawsuit

HipHopWired Featured Video

R. Kelly Arrested for Unpaid Child Support

Source: Handout / Getty

R. Kelly is pushing back against a $10.5 million lawsuit settlement against him, claiming that he could not address the lawsuit because he can’t read, among other reasons.

On Tuesday (January 16), legal documents were disclosed revealing R&B artist R. Kelly is challenging a $10.5 million settlement from a lawsuit that he lost in August 2023. Besides stating that he was unaware of it due to the number of lawsuits filed against him, Kelly claims he relies on his legal team to explain the lawsuits against him. “I rely on my lawyers to explain things to me because I cannot read or understand words beyond that of a grade-schooler,” Kelly said in the documents.

R. Kelly also reportedly argues in the documents that the co-defendant and former manager Donnell Russell should be solely responsible for paying the $10.5 million judgment that the court rendered. The lawsuit was filed by six women who claimed that in 2018, Kelly and Russell attempted to stop a screening of the documentary series Surviving R. Kelly in New York City, with Russell being accused of calling in a mass shooting threat to the movie theater where the screening was to take place. Kelly denied his involvement, saying that Russell wasn’t even his manager. “He did that for his own reasons,” the documents read.

Each woman in the lawsuit is slated to receive between $1.1 and $2.5 million from the judgment. These damages would be added to payments that the disgraced singer was ordered to pay out by U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly from his royalties. R. Kelly is currently in prison in North Carolina and is expected to serve out sentences totaling up to thirty years after being convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering. Russell was sentenced to one year in prison after being convicted of violent intimidation.

A statement from Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, offered some clarification to the reports. “We are absolutely pushing back on the $10.5 million default judgment that was entered against him without notice and without a sound legal justification,” the statement began. “It would be simplistic and silly to write that the basis for our motion to vacate the windfall judgment relates solely to his illiteracy (although he is in fact functionally illiterate per formalized testing). The more significant problem is that there was no legal basis to enter the default judgment on the merits.”

17 Jan 2024

Knicks Owner James Dolan & Harvey Weinstein Hit With Sexual Assault Lawsuit

HipHopWired Featured Video

A Celebration For Bryan Cranston

Source: Andrew Toth / Getty

Could New York Knicks owner James Dolan be the next NBA franchise boss forced to sell the team by Commissioner Adam Silver?

We doubt it as Knicks fans have never seen their dreams come to fruition (championships, signing LeBron, etc.), but the loathed owner of New York’s favorite basketball team is facing some serious allegations. Both Dolan and Harvey Weinstein have been slapped with a lawsuit alleging they sexually assaulted a masseuse a decade ago. According to CNN, Kellye Croft filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday (Jan. 16), in which she claims that James Dolan forced her into unwanted sexual intercourse with him while she was giving him a massage in 2013.

Croft says she met Dolan while on tour with the Eagles. The then 23-year-old life’s changed when the Knicks owner got out of pocket and allegedly coerced her into doing something that left her scarred for life.

CNN reports:

While getting a massage, “Dolan pulled Ms. Croft towards him,” the lawsuit claims. “Ms. Croft tried to bring the massage to an end, but Dolan proceeded to come on even stronger, treating Ms. Croft’s resistance as part of a challenge or a game. Dolan then grabbed Ms. Croft’s hands, dragging her to a couch in the same room and forcing her hands between his knees as he sat down. Ms. Croft was adamant that she did not want to have any sexual interactions with Dolan, who was married at the time and over thirty years older than Ms. Croft.”

“She felt disgusted and terrified of the situation, but the extreme isolation she felt from others on the tour, coupled with Dolan’s attention to her, his assertions that he would take care of her, and her recognition that this man held immense power over everyone’s position on the tour—including hers—led her to submit to Dolan’s advances,” the lawsuit states.

But it didn’t end there. Croft also alleges that Dolan set up a meeting between herself and disgraced Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein in a hotel where the convicted rapist sexually assaulted her as well.

Both Dolan and Weinstein have denied the allegations with Dolan saying he considered Croft a “good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims.”

Croft is seeking both monetary and punitive damages, saying the encounters left her traumatized to the point that she couldn’t speak about the incidents for years.

More from CNN:

“I have suffered so profoundly because of what James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein did to me years ago, and it was not an easy decision to come forward and seek justice. But for me, to truly address my trauma, I need to seek accountability,” Croft said in a statement to CNN. ”My hope is that my lawsuit will force Dolan to acknowledge what he did to me and to take responsibility for the harm he has caused.”

Don’t be surprised if this gets settled out of court as Dolan wouldn’t want any of his dirty laundry being aired in public.

What do y’all think of the situation? Should Adam Silver force Dolan to sell the team should these allegations prove true? Let us know in the comments section below.

17 Jan 2024

Madonna Teams With Jean Paul Gaultier for Exclusive Charity T-Shirt

It’s hard to pin down the most iconic Madonna look when you consider her four-decade career, but near (if not at) the top of that list has to be the cone-bra corset Jean Paul Gaultier created for her globe-trotting Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Now, that look is coming to a t-shirt near you. Madonna’s Celebration Tour – which kicked off last year in London and continues to roll through the United States – includes a number of merch items that call back to her culture-shifting outfits and fashions over the years, but this new item is a little different. First off, it’s an exclusive collaboration between the Queen of Pop and the French fashion provocateur. Secondly, it’s for a good cause. According to a Wednesday (Jan. 17) post on Madonna’s Instagram, the item will benefit her Raising Malawi charity, a nonprofit she co-founded nearly two decades ago.

“Who doesn’t remember My iconic Gold corset designed by the one and only Jean Paul Gaultier for my Blonde Ambition tour in 1990?!” wrote Madge on IG. “Now you can have an exclusive T-shirt created by the man who designed it, and the woman who wore it —M.E. All proceeds from this Special collaboration will benefit @RaisingMalawi and help provide critical medical interventions to orphans and vulnerable children at the Mercy James Center for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care. Thanks to @RaisingMalawi and the support that the Mercy James Center has been able to provide for over 11,000 surgeries since it opened in 2017.”

The Mercy James Center shares its name with Madonna’s teenage daughter, Mercy James, whom she adopted in 2009. Mercy James is currently part of M’s Celebration Tour, demonstrating her effortless piano skills on every stop. Of Madonna’s six children, four of them are a regular part of the international trek.

You can check out the “Madonna x JPG Blond Ambition Tee” here.

17 Jan 2024

Green Day Originally Wrote This Massive Hit for 5 Seconds of Summer

One of Green Day’s fan-favorite hits was almost a 5 Seconds of Summer song.

In celebration of their upcoming 14th studio album, Saviors, out on Friday (Jan. 19), Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong looked back on some of the band’s biggest tracks with People this week, where he revealed the interesting origin story of “Still Breathing,” which is featured on the 2016 album, Revolution Radio.

“There’s a band called 5 Seconds of Summer who wanted me to write a song for them,” Armstrong shared. “All of a sudden I was writing the lyrics, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, there’s no f—ing way I’m giving these guys this song.’ There’s all those [lyrics] where it’s the last moment of someone’s life — it’s so intense. It’s just a song about being a survivor.”

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Cause I’m still breathing on my own / My head’s above the rain and roses / Making my way away / My way to you,” Armstong sings in the chorus of the song, which peaked at No. 11 on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart.

Saviors, which will be released via Reprise/Warner Records, is a follow-up to 2020’s Father of All Motherf–kers and was recorded by Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirt and drummer Tré Cool in London and Los Angeles, marking a reunion with longtime producer Rob Cavallo.

“Saviors is an invitation into Green Day’s brain, their collective spirit as a band, and an understanding of friendship, culture and legacy of the last 30 plus years. It’s raw and emotional. Funny and disturbing. It’s a laugh at the pain, weep in the happiness kind of record,” the group said in an Instagram announcing the project.

“Honesty and vulnerability,” they added, noting that the album is about, “Power pop, punk, rock, indie triumph. disease, war, inequality, influencers, yoga retreats, alt right, dating apps, masks, MENTAL HEALTH, climate change, oligarchs, social media division, free weed, fentanyl, fragility.”

17 Jan 2024

Megan Thee Stallion, ‘Drag Race’ Winner Aquaria Set as Presenters at 2024 Anime Awards

Megan Thee Stallion, drag entertainer Aquaria and Japanese singer/songwriter LiSA are among the presenters set for the 2024 Anime Awards, which honors the craft and artistry of Japanese animation. The awards, to be hosted by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira, will be presented on March 2 at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo.

“Watching anime is one of my favorite things to do!,” Megan Thee Stallion said in a statement. “I love cosplaying all of my favorite characters, I love the storytelling, and I love getting inspiration from the different anime art styles! I’m really excited for the opportunity to attend and present an award at this year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards. I’m looking forward to traveling to Tokyo and joining my fellow anime lovers as we celebrate and honor the best anime creators and shows in the world.”

LiSA, who has performed a number of hit anime theme songs, added: “Beyond time and borders, anime allows us to connect and be touched, be excited, and share the same emotions with others, regardless of age or values. Anime has the same potential and appeals that I feel towards music. I hope the wonderful Japanese anime continues to bring joy to many fans around the world. I consider anime to be one of the cultures that represents Japan, so I am very honored to be chosen as the presenter.”

Aquaria, American fashion model, drag entertainer and DJ who was crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10, is also set to present. Aquaria is likewise a long-time anime enthusiast.

Other presenters set for the Anime Awards live ceremony or the Anime Awards pre-show include actress Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel and The Marvels), Japanese night club host and TV personality Roland, British rapper Che Lingo, content creator Lena Lemon, artist and producer Yaeji and singer Ylona Garcia.

Crunchyroll, the streaming service that connects anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and territories, today revealed the nominees for the eighth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The full list of nominees and voting instructions is available here. Fans can vote for their favorites across all 26 categories daily through the close of voting just before midnight PT on Jan. 27.

In celebration of this year’s Anime Awards nominees, a selection of nominated series streaming on Crunchyroll will be available on AVOD starting today. Fans interested in exploring the honorees have until March 2 to stream the titles for free, with ads. Anime Awards-nominated series will be available for AVOD viewing worldwide, pending regional availability.

Crunchyroll, LLC is an independently operated joint venture between U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group.

Sony Music Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., will support Crunchyroll in the execution of the Anime Awards.

17 Jan 2024

Marc Anthony Becomes Equity Partner in SBE Entertainment Properties

Marc Anthony and Sam Nazarian, founder/CEO of lifestyle and hospitality company SBE Entertainment Group, announced a “landmark alliance” on Wednesday (Jan. 17) that marks the first hospitality venture for the salsa superstar and his entertainment company, Magnus.

Through the deal, Anthony and Magnus are now equity partners in all of SBE’s existing properties, which include culinary brands, restaurants, lounges and nightclubs. According to a press release, SBE’s new multi-vertical business strategy will focus on growing the brand among Latin American audiences.

Additionally, new properties will also be launched in the hospitality space and additional brands will be created together. The alliance also opens new opportunities for Magnus’ roster (record label, management and booking), which includes Luis Figueroa, Mau y Ricky, Fonseca and Gente de Zona.

Aside from his decades-long music career, Anthony is a multi-hyphenate businessman who launched Magnus in 2015 to represent both Latin artists and athletes in the United States. In 2009, he became a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins, and last December, launched the electric powerboating team, E1 Team Miami. In 2012, his work in philanthropy led him to launch the Maestro Cares Foundation, which has built orphanages in various countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“It would be an understatement to say that this announcement today is one of the greatest highlights of all of the endeavors I’ve taken on in my life,” Anthony said in a statement. “To have the honor to join forces with my great friend Sam and SBE, is something we have spoken about throughout the years and the time has finally come. My team, alongside the unparalleled expertise of SBE, is poised to contribute significantly to the success of this new journey. With a shared commitment to excellence and a track record of unparalleled vision and execution, we are excited to bring our best-in-class capabilities to elevate SBE’s projects to new heights. Together, we look forward to unveiling a series of remarkable initiatives that showcase the synergy and excellence synonymous with the SBE family.”

“It’s an honor to join forces with long-time friend and international superstar Marc Anthony. I have a tremendous amount of admiration for the career that he has built, and, more importantly, his entrepreneurial instinct,” added Nazarian, who founded SBE in 2002. “It’s been an aspiration of ours to come together to build something special, and I am excited to share all the amazing things we are working on with him as our strategic partner. My sbe team is honored to collaborate with the best-in-class entrepreneurial team Marc has built at Magnus, led by a dynamic team, CEO Michel Vega and COO Felipe Pimiento, to connect with and deliver experiences to an audience that Marc has so carefully cultivated throughout his career. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see what we build together.”

17 Jan 2024

Kali Uchis Explains the Stories Behind the Photo | Billboard

Kali Uchis explains the stories behind these photos with Billboard.

Kali Uchis:
My name is Kali Uchis and this is Behind the Photos with Billboard.

Alright in this photo, I just finished part one of my Red Moon in Venus tour. My managers actually got me this purse as a little as a little gift congratulating me for the tour. I had also just gotten these things I was like gonna take a cute little pink outfit pic.

I was going on a trip with my man in this photo. He took this picture, but I don’t remember where we were going because this … this is like a … I think it’s like a year old. Yeah sorry pregnancy brain. Oh, this was actually after I turned in Orquídeas, right? Orquídeas or Red Moon in Venus — one of those. I don’t remember because I was working. I was working on both of them at the same time. So I really don’t remember. This was you know, for promotional purposes. You know, kind of like turned my album in, you guys, I’m here in the studio working.