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02 Jan 2024

Hot 100 Chart Reveal: Jan. 6 | Billboard News

As the holiday season comes to a close, who will take the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100?

Evan Burke:
This is the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the week dated Jan. 6.

Keeping the holiday cheer going at No. 10 is “Sleigh Ride.”

Jack Harlow falls from No. 6 to No. 9.

“Feliz Navidad” rises to No. 8 … while “Let It Snow” rises to No. 7.

Andy Williams lifts one notch to No. 6 as Burl Ives stays at No. 5.

“Last Christmas” holds at No. 4, along with “Jingle Bell Rock” at No. 3.

Mariah’s anthem falling to No. 2, and ending the season on top is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

02 Jan 2024

Keffe D Asks For House Arrest Ahead Of Tupac Murder Trial

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Suspect Duane Davis Appears In Court For 1996 Murder Of Tupac Shakur

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Keffe D’s big day is just months away but he hopes to spend this time at home. He is looking to be granted house arrest ahead of the Tupac trial.

TMZ is reporting that the Compton, California native rather spend his time under supervised release as he awaits the big day. Last week the legal team for Duane Keith “Keefe D” Davis formally requested he be granted house arrest as they claim his health is declining and the 60-year-old poses no threat to the community. If house arrest is not an option they asked that he be given a “reasonable” bail. According to KTNV they submitted a motion detailing their reasoning. “Duane should not be denied bail in this case. It cannot be said that the proof is evident and the presumption great that Duane is guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Shakur,” the motion read. “This court should release Duane on house arrest with electronic monitoring pending trial.”

Prosecutors vehemently disagree and say that witnesses are in risk if he were to be released. According to 8 News Now the state says Keefe D spoke to his family on October 9 where his son told him “around the city, they talking about it’s a green light on our side.” Prosecutors reason that this is code for an “authorization to kill”. Additionally, they state adds that the phone call came shortly after his lawyers were provided a list of the cooperating witnesses.

Keefe D was arrested in September 2023 for his involvement in the murder of Tupac Shakur. He has plead not guilty to the charges. The trial is set to commence in June.

02 Jan 2024

Shawn Mendes Reflects on 2023 Lessons & Welcoming the ‘Lows of Life’

Shawn Mendes has grown immensely throughout 2023.

The “In My Blood” singer took to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 2) to reflect on the past year, alongside a video of himself freely singing along to a harmonium. “Over the last year i spent a lot of time singing like this.. I found that in moments of extreme anxiety or fear if i sat down with my harmonium and allowed myself with full trust to sing whatever came out it would often ease the pain,” he wrote in the caption. “It felt so difficult at first to let myself sing without needing perfection but after a while i actually started to fall in love with the dance between the ‘right’ and the ‘wrong’ notes … i realized there were only moments of bliss and euphoria from the ‘right’ notes BECAUSE of the ‘wrong’ notes. The only reason i can sing in key is because i’ve learned to listen.”

He continued, “The biggest lesson for me this year has been to accept and welcome the lows of life… not to constantly need to change or fix something in order to feel high again, because i know if i really slow down and listen when i’m low there’s always something to hear.”

See his post here.

Mendes has been a longtime advocate for mental health, and has opened up many times over the years about his struggles with anxiety. In his 2020 Netflix documentary In Wonder, the singer was as vulnerable as ever. “It’s pretty intense all the time,” he says at one point in the film. “I really think about that a lot. If I tell the world that I’m just a normal human, are they going to stop coming to the shows and listening to the music and is all the craziness going to stop? Then you’re like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t tell them. I should keep the trick up. Maybe I should pretend I’m Superman for a little bit longer.”

In July 2022, Mendes canceled his Wonder tour as he continued to work on healing his mental health. “After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more cler that I need to take the time I’ve never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger,” he wrote in his statement.

02 Jan 2024

Barack Obama Lists His Favorite Movies & Songs Of 2023

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While Donald Trump continues to lash out at the justice system for holding him accountable for the crime spree he participated in while in office, former President Barack Obama is comfortably spending the holidays with his family and giving his followers something to groove to while he enjoys his best life not having to hire lawyers to defend him across courts in America.

During the last days of December, the 44th President of the United States used his free time this holiday season to list both his favorite movies and favorite songs of 2023. Of course, some of President Obama’s favorite films were films that most of us would only watch on cable (maybe) such as Anatomy Of A Fall and Past Lives, but he did sneak in blockbusters like Oppenheimer and Air in there. The man is a Jordan fan.

As for the songs that the man bumped throughout the past 365 days, Obama had some of your favorite artists on his playlist including Megan Thee Stallion, Karol G and Burna Boy. Y’all already know they’re hype to have cracked this man’s rotation. We know we’d be!

Now we wait and see what kind of conspiracy theories the MAGA crowd creates out of Obama’s favorite film and music lists of 2023. Should be a doozy.

What do y’all think of Barack Obama’s lists? Let us know in the comments section below.

02 Jan 2024

Top 10 Music Law Stories of 2023 – Plus Nirvana Naked Baby, SiriusXM Lawsuit & More Legal 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: A full recap of the music law stories that dominated 2023, from #MeToo to artificial intelligence to Ed Sheeran to Young Thug; an appellate setback for Nirvana in the lawsuit over a naked baby on a famous album cover; a lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general accusing SiriusXM of “trapping” consumers; and much more.

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

Year In Review: 2023’s Top Legal Stories

Before we start bringing you all the upcoming music law stories of 2024 — A verdict in the Atlanta RICO trial? More AI lawsuits? A peace treaty between Hall & Oates?!? — let’s take a quick look back at everything that happened in 2023.

Ed Sheeran went to trial over “Let’s Get It On” — and won big. Young Thug went to trial over accusations of gang violence — and there’s no end in sight. A number of men in the music industry were hit with sexual abuse lawsuits, from label executives to star artists to hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Lizzo got sued, too, by backup dancers who say she was a toxic boss. And the sudden rise of generative artificial intelligence technology like ChatGPT posed thorny legal questions that could take years to sort out.

To get the full story, go read our entire year-end recap — including the 10 biggest music law stories of 2023 and a slew of honorable mentions.

Other top stories this week…

NIRVANA NAKED BABY CASE – A federal appeals court ruled against Nirvana and revived a child pornography lawsuit filed by Spencer Elden, the man (now in his 30s) who appeared as a nude baby on the cover of the band’s 1991 album Nevermind. The ruling, which said child porn “haunts victims” for years, paves the way for litigation over whether the image actually meets the definition of child pornography — something Nirvana vigorously disputes and some legal experts doubt.

NO-CANCEL CULTURE? – SiriusXM was sued by New York’s attorney general over allegations that the satellite radio and streaming service has made it “extremely difficult” for listeners to cancel their subscriptions, including by subjecting them to “a lengthy and burdensome endurance contest” on the phone. “Sirius deliberately wastes its subscribers’ time even though it has the ability to process cancellations with the click of a button.”

GLORIA TREVI ABUSE CASE – The Mexican pop star sued her former manager and music producer Sergio Andrade, claiming he was a “true predator” who subjected her and other women to “sadistic abuse” in the late 1980s and 1990s. The allegations came as a counter-claim to an earlier lawsuit filed in 2022 by two alleged victims who accused both Andrade and Trevi of “grooming” and “exploiting” them as children.

AMERICAN IDOL ASSAULT CLAIMS – Paula Abdul sued former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe over allegations that he sexually assaulted her, including once during the early seasons of Idol and again in 2014 during the production of So You Think You Can Dance.

02 Jan 2024

‘The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’: How to Watch the Docuseries Online Without Cable

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard is finally telling her side of the story in a new docuseries titled The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard that’s coming to Lifetime Friday (Jan. 5). Multiple TV series and documentaries have attempted to tell the true-crime story that landed Blanchard in prison, including the Hulu drama series The Act, but now the 32-year-old is opening up through a three-part docuseries.

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“After a lifetime of silence, I finally get to use my voice to share my story and speak my truth,” said Blanchard in a press release. “As a survivor of relentless child abuse, this docuseries chronicles my quest for liberation and journey through self-discovery. I am unapologetically myself and unafraid to expose the hidden parts of my life that have never been revealed until now.”

Blanchard was released from prison on Dec. 28 after being convicted for her role in the murder of her mother, “Dee Dee” Blanchard, back in 2015 with her then boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn. Now, she’s finally free from prison, and with her freedom comes the premiere of her side of the story. Within each two-hour episode, which airs Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 5-7) at 8 p.m. ET/PT, viewers will see Blanchard recount her story through phone and in-person interviews from prison leading up to her parole hearing.

Keep reading to learn the streaming options available.

How to Watch The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard

Lifetime will be airing the three-part docuseries Friday (Jan. 5) to Sunday (Jan. 8) at 8 p.m. ET/PT. If you have cable, you’ll be able to watch The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard on the Lifetime channel for no additional cost. Check your cable provider’s channel guide to see what channel Lifetime’s on. Don’t have cable? You might be able to watch the docuseries through an HD antenna like this one from Amazon.

Cable-cutters can stream the docuseries online through live TV streaming platforms such as Philo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, Fubo and DirecTV Stream. Plus, most of these come with free trials ranging from five days to 30 days, which means you can stream The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and more for free.

For those on a budget, we recommend Philo, which is only $25/month and comes with a seven-day free trial. You’ll gain access to the Lifetime channel as well as more than 70 channels. Click here or the button below to start your free trial.

If you’re watching outside the U.S., you can use ExpressVPN or NordVPN to stream online internationally.

Check out the trailer for The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard below.

02 Jan 2024

Mariah Carey Looks Forward to ‘New Beginnings’ in 2024 Amid Bryan Tanaka Split

Mariah Carey is feeling confident as she enters 2024.

The iconic chanteuse took to Instagram on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1) to share a glimmering selfie from her so-called “bad side” — though Carey is clearly stunning from every angle. “New Year, new beginnings,” she wrote in the caption. See her post here.

While she has yet to release an official statement, Carey’s hopeful sentiment comes amid her recent split from dancer Bryan Tanaka after seven years together. Tanaka announced the news on Dec. 26 via social media, noting that the breakup was a “mutual” decision between the duo.

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“Dear friends and fans, with mixed emotions, I share this personal update regarding my amicable separation from Mariah Carey after seven extraordinary years together,” Tanaka wrote in the message posted on Instagram. “Our decision to embark on different paths is mutual, and as we navigate these separate journeys, we do so with profound respect and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the invaluable time we’ve shared. The memories we’ve created and the artistic collaborations are etched in my heart forever.”

Carey and Tanaka began working together back in 2006, when he appeared as a member of the iconic singer-songwriter’s Adventures of Mimi tour. She confirmed the relationship in an Associated Press interview published in February 2017, after she called him her “boyfriend.”

Carey was previously engaged to Australian businessman James Packer and shares 12-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with her ex-husband Nick Cannon.

02 Jan 2024

Toni Braxton Denies Birdman Marriage Rumors: ‘We Are Both Single’

Congratulations are not in order for Toni Braxton and Birdman. The “He Wasn’t Man Enough for Me” singer ended 2023 by dispelling a rumor that she had exchanged vows with the rapper in a Sunday (Dec. 31) post to her Instagram.

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“My dear friend @birdman and I are not married…never been married. We are both single,” Braxton captioned a side-by-side screenshot of her and Birdman that read, “Congratulations! Toni Braxton and Birdman married in a private ceremony in Mexico.” She also used the hashtag “#FAKENEWS” on the image.

Fans in the comments section commended the 56-year-old for leaving zero room for interpretation with in her statement. “That’s probably the fastest a rumor has been dismissed lmao,” one person noted. A second added, “And that is how you clear up a rumor. Clear, concise, and to the point,” while a third wrote, “Not married, never been married, matter of fact we are FRIENDS and SINGLE! #cleared.”

The rumors of Braxton and Birdman’s marriage comes after the pair called off their engagement in 2019, which came three years after they first started dating in 2016. The two stars have reportedly been in an on-and-off again relationship since ending their engagement.

Braxton was previously married to singer-songwriter and past Mint Condition member Keri Lewis from 2001 to 2013. During the couple’s time together, they welcomed two sons: Diezel Ky, 20, and Denim Cole, 22.

02 Jan 2024

Peter Rosenberg Slam Kanye West Apology As “Inauthentic”

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Kanye West’s recent apology for antisemitic comments he made in the past didn’t convince Peter Rosenberg, who blasted it as “inauthentic”.

Radio and television personality Peter Rosenberg is not a fan of the recent apology to the Jewish community that Kanye West publicly made last Tuesday (December 26) on his Instagram account. The apology, written in Hebrew, took the public by surprise but Rosenberg expressed his doubts. “I thought, I wonder what the sample is that Kanye needs to try to clear before Friday,” he said while appearing on TMZ Live.



“We all know Kanye notoriously is late with handling album stuff and I just wonder whether there was something getting held up and someone said ‘Hey, this sample does not get cleared if he does not issue an apology,’”, the HOT 97 fixture continued, referencing the issue the rapper ran into on the Vultures track with Ty Dolla $ign. When asked by Harvey Levin if he thought West was sincere, Rosenberg replied, “No part of me believes his apology.”

Rosenberg added, “I totally agree, by the way, that the Hebrew part was so either, like, intentionally or unintentionally offensive as if like American Jews can just read Hebrew without vowels. Like, bro, it’s just another offensive thing here. One thing we know about Kanye, he’s many things. Inauthentic is not one of them and that comment was so inauthentic that it lets you know it couldn’t actually be from him.”

The YES commentator would conclude: “This whole Hitler fascination, this is now a years-long thing. We’re talking about multiple years now. Honestly, the sad thing is, I don’t think there’s an apology out there that could make people feel better and forget about this.”

West’s statement comes after months of his making antisemitic comments, beginning in October 2022 on X, formerly Twitter. In the time since that initial statement, his business partnerships with The Gap, Adidas, and Balenciaga were severed. The “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” artist would also make an appearance on right-wing media figure Alex Jones’ InfoWars podcast and infamously claim that he “saw good things about [Adolf] Hitler.”

02 Jan 2024

With ‘Blue Christmas,’ Elvis Presley Charts in the Hot 100’s Top 20 for the First Time Since 1977

Elvis Presley makes a royal return to the Billboard Hot 100’s top 20 as his classic 1957 carol “Blue Christmas” jumps to No. 18, from No. 25, on the chart dated Jan. 6, 2024.

With the ascent, the late King of Rock and Roll appears in the Hot 100’s top 20 for the first time since the chart dated Oct. 1, 1977, when his track “Way Down” likewise ranked at No. 18, its peak.

Presley died, at age 42, on Aug. 16, 1977.

“Blue Christmas” becomes Presley’s 49th top 20 Hot 100 hit, the fourth-best sum dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, start – after his 1956 commercial breakthrough. Drake leads with 133 top 20 titles, followed by Taylor Swift (85) and Lil Wayne (53).

The song ascends with 23.3 million official U.S. streams (up 15%) and 7.7 million in radio airplay audience (up 3%) Dec. 22-28 – thus, with only four days leading up to and including Christmas Day in the tracking week – according to Luminate.

Written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, “Blue Christmas” has hit the Hot 100 in three forms. In addition to Presley’s, The Browns’ version reached No. 97 in 1960 and Kane Brown’s interpretation rose to No. 73 last holiday season.

Going back to even before Presley’s recording, Ernest Tubb sent his take on “Blue Christmas” to No. 1 on Billboard’s Most Played Juke Box (Country & Western) Records chart over the 1949 holiday season.

Meanwhile, Presley, Chuck Berry, Nat King Cole, Perry Como and Dean Martin all rank on the latest Hot 100 with holiday titles and share the record for the longest span of appearing on the chart: 65 years and five months; that encompasses the chart’s entire existence to date, as all five legendary artists placed on the inaugural Hot 100.

As previously reported, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” rebounds to No. 1 on the Hot 100. The fellow seasonal standard, from 1958, adds a third week at the summit, four weeks after it led for the first time. Plus, the Hot 100’s top eight titles are holiday songs for the first time ever, while nine of the top 10 are holiday hits for just the second time and a single-week-record 41 holiday songs decorate the entire chart (surpassing the 40 on the survey a year ago this week).

All charts dated Jan. 6 will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Jan. 3.