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17 Jul 2023

Ariana Grande & Dalton Gomez Divorce, Taylor Swift Makes Chart History & More | Billboard News

According to TMZ, Ariana Grande and her husband Dalton Gomez have been separated since January and are heading toward divorce. They tied the knot in May 2021. With ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ reaching No. 1, Taylor Swift achieves her 12th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and surpasses Barbra Streisand for the most chart-toppers among women. Drake goes on “The Really Good Podcast” and leaves the internet confused. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Ariana Grande has reportedly separated from her husband Dalton Gomez. Taylor Swift is back on top of the charts. Drake gets interviewed in bed. Selena Gomez gets roasted on TikTok. We learn five things about Kevin Gates. And Carly Pearce goes Fishing for Answers.

Welcome back to a brand-new week of Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly, it’s Monday, July 17th. We do have to start today’s show off with a sad one.

Well, it’s time to say “Thank You, Next” for Ariana Grande as reports are saying the pop star is getting divorced. Hopefully, she will be still grateful for this ex. According to TMZ, Ari and her husband Dalton Gomez have been separated since January and are headed towards divorce. They tied the knot in May 2021. She did show up to Wimbledon over the weekend without her wedding ring, sparking the rumors. According to TMZ’s source, Ariana and Dalton have been thousands of miles apart since she started filming ‘Wicked’ in December but they were having problems even before that, adding that a few months back the two tried a reconciliation but it failed.

Watch the full video above!

17 Jul 2023

Prada Sunglasses Sale: Save Up to 55% Off the Trendy Rectangular Shades That Everyone Loves

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Your favorite Prada shades are on sale! Prada’s viral and über stylish symbole sunnies retail for as much as $520, but if you’re looking for a great deal, they’re currently on sale at Amazon and other major retailers.

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Missed the Prime Day sale on Prada sunnies? No worries! Save up to 55% off Prada 17 WS Rectangle Sunglasses at Amazon, plus free shipping for Prime members. The grey lens sunglasses are a hot commodity and if you move fast enough, you can snag them for less than $200.

The price could go back up any minute now, so the sooner you buy, the better chance you have of getting in on this Amazon deal.

Amazon

Prada PR 17WS 1AB5S0 Black Plastic Rectangle Sunglasses Grey Lens

$195.00 $433.00 55% OFF

From the runways to red carpets and everywhere in between, celebs like Rihanna, Justin and Hailey Beiber, Tinashe, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Travis Scott, Bad Bunny and more have all been spotted out in Prada sunglasses.

Furthermore, Prada sunglasses have snagged more than 45 million views on TikTok alone. Add that to a healthy amount of social media posts, Reddit threads and positive customer reviews, and it’s no wonder why Prada is hotter than ever.

Prada sunglasses come in various shapes in sizes, but the rectangular shades are probably the most popular right now. According to the product description, the acetate sunglasses feature an oversized, geometric design and of course, the signature Prada triangle logo on the sides.  

The Prada shades are also available at retailers such as EZ Contacts ($256.14), FarFetch ($250), GlassesUSA ($358.80), Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom ($433).

If you’re budget is a bit tighter, there are a ton of dupes for Prada’s rectangular sunglasses including these ASOS sunglasses ($14.50), Aire Ceres V2 Sunglasses ($39) and Le Specs Unreal 55mm rectangle sunglasses ($75).

Click here for a longer roundup of sunglasses that are on sale.

17 Jul 2023

North West & TLC’s Chilli Finally Meet After Viral Halloween Costume: ‘Dreams Do Come True’

North West has finally met one of her idols. On Sunday, Kim Kardashian shared a carousel of photos of her 10-year-old daughter meeting TLC‘s Chilli to her Instagram.

In the pictures, Chilli — real name: Rozonda Thomas — wears a black T-shirt and camouflage cargo pants and stoops down to North’s height to embrace her for a hug. In a second photo, the pair hold two identical dogs and flash happy smiles to the camera. “Dreams do come true @therealchilli,” Kardashian captioned the post.

Fans in the comments section remarked at how lovely it was that North and Chilli had the chance to meet, while Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner had a few words of their own. “What!!!!! And you didn’t call me to come over!!!!!” Khloe wrote, later adding, “Oh you’re in trouble.” Jenner, meanwhile, said, “This is so cute!!!”

The meeting between North and Chilli has been in the making for a while — the photo carousel also featured photos of when North and her two friends dressed up like TLC in from the group’s iconic “No Scrubs” video for Halloween last year. North was Chilli in the group.

At the time, the trio’s TLC costume got love from T-Boz and Chilli on Instagram. T-Boz shared the video of North and her friends singing along to “No Scrubs” to her page and wrote, “Ayyyyyyyeeeee. Okayyyyyy PrettyGirls … #NorthWest And Her Girls Smashed #TLC This Halloween @kimkardashian #demTLCGirls #DemTLCbabies Love The Love.” Chilli expressed a similar sentiment in her repost: “#demtlcbabies nailed it!!!,” she gushed on Instagram.

See photos from North and Chilli’s meeting below.

17 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ Debuts at No. 1 on Top Country Albums Chart

Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) launches at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated July 22), while all 22 of the re-recorded set’s songs hit Hot Country Songs, breaking her own record for the most simultaneously-charted titles on the survey among women.

Released July 7, the set, the third of Swift’s planned six re-recorded albums, arrives with 716,000 equivalent album units earned, with 507,000 in traditional album sales, in the U.S. in the week ending July 13, according to Luminate.

Both figures represent the largest week by those metrics for any album in 2023 and the best since Swift’s last studio set, Midnights, opened with 1.58 million units, of which 1.14 million were in album sales (as reflected on the Nov. 5-dated Billboard 200 chart).

Swift earns her eighth No. 1 on Top Country Albums, as well as her 12th leader on the all-genre Billboard 200; on the latter list, she surpasses Barbra Streisand for the most No. 1s among women.

Taylor Swift’s Career No. 1s on Top Country Albums:
Taylor Swift, No. 1 for 24 weeks, beginning Aug. 4, 2007
Beautiful Eyes (EP), one week, Aug. 2, 2008
Fearless, 35 weeks, beginning Nov. 29, 2008
Speak Now, 13 weeks, beginning Nov. 13, 2010
Red, 16 weeks, beginning Nov. 10, 2012
Fearless (Taylor’s Version), three weeks, beginning April 24, 2021
Red (Taylor’s Version), seven weeks, beginning Nov. 27, 2021
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), one week to date, July 22, 2023

Swift’s cumulative weeks at No. 1 on Top Country Albums now swell to a milestone 100, the most among women (ahead of Shania Twain’s 97). Since the chart began in 1964, Swift has the fifth-most weeks at No. 1 among all acts, after Garth Brooks (173), Alabama (125), Morgan Wallen (117) and Willie Nelson (107).

Prior to the debut of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the largest week of 2023 by equivalent album units belonged to Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which arrived with 501,000 units (March 18).

Also that week, Wallen lobbed nine tracks into the top 10 of the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart, the most for an act in a single week since the ranking became an all-encompassing genre survey in 1958.

With seven songs from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) debuting in the top 10 of the latest Hot Country Songs chart, Swift boasts the second-most top 10s in a single frame. (She has now scored 36 career Hot Country Songs top 10s.)

“I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” flies onto Hot Country Songs the highest, at No. 3, with 24.7 million official U.S. streams, 361,000 in airplay audience and 4,000 sold.

Taylor Swift on the July 22 Hot Country Songs Chart:
Rank, Title
No. 3, “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”
No. 4, “Mine (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 5, “Back to December (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 7, “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 8, “Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 9, “Dear John (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 10, “Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 13, “Castles Crumbling (Taylor’s Version),” feat. Hayley Williams
No. 14, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 15, “When Emma Falls in Love (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”
No. 16, “Electric Touch (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),” feat. Fall Out Boy
No. 17, “Mean (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 18, “Foolish One (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”
No. 20, “The Story of Us (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 21, “Timeless (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”
No. 22, “Haunted (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 24, “Long Live (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 26, “Last Kiss (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 27, “Never Grow Up (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 28, “Innocent (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 29, “Ours (Taylor’s Version)”
No. 31, “Superman (Taylor’s Version)”

Swift thus charts 22 entries simultaneously on Hot Country Songs, a new personal-best for her. She tops the 21 titles that she tallied on the Nov. 27, 2021, chart, when Red (Taylor’s Version) opened at No. 1 on Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200. (Wallen logged a record 35 tracks on the March 18 Hot Country Songs chart.)

Notably, thanks to debuts at Nos. 13 and 16, respectively, pop-rock mainstays Hayley Williams, of Paramore, and Fall Out Boy each make their first appearances on Hot Country Songs.

Concurrently, Swift adds seven top 10s on Country Streaming Songs, pushing her career total to 30. On Country Digital Song Sales, she nets three new top 10s, upping her career count to 45. Those are the most among all artists on both lists; Wallen has the second-most top 10s on Country Streaming Songs (25) and Blake Shelton is the runner-up on Country Digital Song Sales (37). (Country Digital Song Sales started in January 2010 and Country Streaming Songs began in April 2013.)

17 Jul 2023

John Legend Shares Adorable Selfie With ‘The Boys’

Saturdays are for the boys! John Legend took to Instagram on Saturday (July 15) to share a series of adorable snaps with his two sons, five-year-old Miles Theodore and one-month-old Wren Alexander.

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In the first photo, Legend is smiling into the camera with his arm wrapped around Miles, who is seen holding his newborn brother. In the other snaps, Miles is seen checking out his hair and baby Wren gives a heart-melting smirk to the camera. Check out the photos here.

In June, Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen announced they welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy, via surrogate. With the process of IVF — which the couple also employed when becoming pregnant with Miles and his older sister Luna — Teigen became pregnant with baby girl Esti, whom the couple welcomed in January.

Teigen revealed in an Instagram post that around the time she became pregnant, the couple met their surrogate, a woman named Alexandra who has since become a close friend. “Just minutes before midnight on June 19th, I got to witness the most beautiful woman, my friend, our surrogate, give birth amidst a bit of chaos, but with strength and pure joy and love,” Teigen wrote, thanking Alexandra for the “incredible gift.”

17 Jul 2023

Pusha T’s Twitter Was Flooded By Bots; Fans Blame Drake [Video]

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Pusha T

Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz

While he has been able to hold his own in Rap beefs Pusha T newest enemy are bots. His Twitter was flooded and fans think Drake was behind it.

As spotted on HipHopDX the Virginia Beach, Virginia native face some heavy trolling online on the social media platform. On Sunday, July 16 multiple Twitter accounts unleashed a series of insults aimed at the “Hear Me Clearly” rapper under a post originally made by @RapTV about a Yeat and Lil Uzi Vert song. Each account that participated in the slander featured a name with just a couple a letters and several numbers which is always a tell tale sign that the account is fake.

“Did you know PUSHA T once tripped over his ego” one bot replied. “PUSHA T music is so trash, it makes my ears bleedddd” another bot wrote. More insults came soon after like “I bet PUSHA Ts fans are just as delusional as he is”, “PUSHA Ts music is like a never-ending loop of disappointment” and a very creep pedo allegation “I bet you like the smell of kids bicycle seats.”

Naturally the cyberattack was picked up by the Hip-Hop community and their Twitter fingers quickly pointed to Drake. While the two have seemingly moved on from their Rap beef fans think that Drizzy’s fingerprints all over this job. But if you have done the math you are aware that the Pusha T’s original beef with was Lil Wayne. Back in the day The Clipse felt Weezy jacked their swag; specifically their preference for BAPE clothing. Several shots were sent Wayne’s way throughout that period prompting Drake to jump in. The rest is history.

You can view the bots in action below.

Photo: CBS

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17 Jul 2023

Drake Is Teaming Up With Dave’s Hot Chicken to Give Away Tickets to It’s All a Blur Tour

Missed out on a chance to see Drake live in concert? You’re in luck, as the rapper has teamed up with Dave’s Hot Chicken — a company he also invested in — to give fans a second chance at scoring tickets to see him on tour this year.

“Drake is a global superstar, and we’re thrilled to have him as an investor,” said Bill Phelps, CEO of Dave’s Hot Chicken. “Drake invested because he loved the food and the founders’ story of starting Dave’s with $900 in a parking lot. We hope Drake fans across the country will visit us this summer and experience the taste that made him excited to invest in the brand. And, when they do, they’ll have a chance to win tickets to watch Drake in concert during his It’s All a Blur tour.”

In order to qualify for tickets, fans need to download the Dave’s Hot Chicken app and opt in to the contest, where they will be asked to choose their preferred concert location and date to receive an entry for their requested concert drawing. No purchase is necessary to enter, but fans looking to earn multiple entries can do so by making purchases at Dave’s locations while logged into the loyalty program. Each purchase equates to more entries.

Cities that will participate in the ticket giveaway include New York City (July 23), Washington, D.C. (July 28), Milwaukee (Aug. 3), Los Angeles (Aug.13, 15, 16, 21, 22), San Francisco (Aug. 18), Seattle (Aug. 25), Las Vegas (Sept. 1, 2), Glendale, Ariz. (Sept. 5), Denver (Sept. 8), Dallas (Sept. 14), Houston (Sept. 17), Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 22), Miami (Sept. 28), Nashville (Oct. 2) and the rapper’s hometown of Toronto (Oct. 5).

The It’s All a Blur Tour is Drake’s first headlining run since the 2018 Aubrey & The Three Migos tour.

17 Jul 2023

Jay-Z & Robert Kraft Partner To Fight Book Bans In Southern States

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Criminal Justice Reform Organization Launch

Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty

Florida Governor and Presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis really opened Pandora’s racially biased box when he signed a book ban that banned books that addressed racial discrimination and inequality.

With other Republican states following suit as they don’t want white feelings hurt with factual history lessons about white supremacy, Jay-Z is planning to fight the ban on books that educate the population on America’s racist past and has found an ally in New England Patriots’ owner, Robert Kraft. TMZ is reporting that Jay-Z and Robert Kraft have joined forces and are planning to help fund legal services for educators and librarians who are being attacked over the book bans in red states.

TMZ reports:

TMZ Hip Hop has learned both Jay and Robert’s organizations — the Shawn Carter Foundation and the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism — have donated $1 million to provide pro bono legal services to educators and librarians who’ve been targeted by local policies banning books.
The American Library Association reportedly documented nearly 1,300 demands last year to remove books — most highlighting the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, as well as religious minorities.

We’re told the New England Patriots owner and Jay laid down the framework for underserved students to obtain scholarships and financial grants, and hopefully have their works turned into movies, plays, audiobooks, etc. to further the message.
There’s also a plan to reprint banned books and have them circulated in adjacent learning centers.It’s good to see billionaires using their money for the good of the people. Keep in mind, should Ron DeSantis actually end up winning the presidency and occupying the White House come 2025, his book ban would more than likely go national along with his many other racist and pro-white nationalist laws that he’s been passing down in Florida. Scary times, b.What do y’all think of Jay-Z and Robert Kraft’s latest initiative? Let us know in the comments section below.

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17 Jul 2023

‘General Hospital,’ ‘Days of Our Lives’ & More: Best Ways to Stream Your Favorite Soaps Online

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Nothing does drama quite like a classic soap opera, and with streaming options dominating how we watch our favorite programs, we can stream old and new episodes wherever and wherever we want.

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For the first time in 60 years, though, the unions for writers and actors are on strike at the same time, which has shut down production on most TV and film productions. For daytime soaps fans, you can breathe a sigh of relief as it won’t be impacting soap operas … for now.

Why aren’t soaps being impacted? Well, according to Deadline, “SAG-AFTRA’s film and TV contract, which expires June 30, does not apply to SAG-AFTRA members working on soaps.” This is because soap opera actors operate under a different contract within SAG-AFTRA called the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting (aka the Network Code). That contract runs through July 2024, which means soaps actors are required to work regardless of the larger union being on strike. That’s right, everything from The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful won’t be impacted by the ongoing strikes at this point.

Since soaps tend to work weeks to months in advance, production already has a lot of scripts to keep the shows running.

New content will continue being produced for the time being, meaning you won’t have to rewatch old episodes to keep yourself occupied until the strike comes to an end.

Keep reading for the best ways to stream soap operas online.

How to Watch Soaps Online

For those with cable, you can tune into CBS to watch The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, whereas you can see Days of Our Lives on NBC and General Hospital on ABC. Make sure to refer to your provider’s channel guide to find what channel each on is on.

Don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on cable? There are affordable live TV network options with free trials such as Fubo and DirecTV Stream, which means you can watch your favorite soaps for free. You can subscribe to Hulu + Live TV, which gives you access to the entire Hulu library including Hulu Originals and FX shows as well as a ton of network TV channels — including ABC for $69.99/month.

DirecTV Stream

$64.99/month $74.99/month 13% off% OFF

DirecTV Stream is currently offering a promo where you get $10 off for the first three months, after that you’ll pay as low as $74.99/month. Once the promo ends, you’ll have to pay $74.99/month for the Entertainment plan, which gives you 75+ channels, DVR storage and the unlimited screens to stream on. If you want additional channels, the Choice plan provides everything the Entertainment plan comes with along with 105+ channels and regional sports at no additional cost for $99.99/month after the trial ends.

With the Premier plan you’ll get everything that comes with the Choice plan as well as Max, Starz, Cinemax and Showtime for no additional cost at $154.99/month after the promo ends.

Other Ways to Stream Soaps

If you don’t watch every soap on TV, then you can save additional money by subscribing to the streamer its on. Subscribers to Hulu, Paramount+ and Peacock can watch current episodes of soaps for no additional cost, but for those without a subscription, you’ll need to sign up in order to watch.

Fans of The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful can watch new episodes on CBS.com or on the app, but you’ll need to log in with a provider. Paramount+ features not only CBS shows, but a library full of Paramount+ Originals and exclusive content including Praise This, 1883, Yellowstone, Scream VI, Beavis & Butthead, A Hollywood High and more starting at $4.99/month after a 7-day free trail. Paramount+ is also now the home of Showtime, which means if you want to catch up on Yellowjackets and more Showtime Originals, you can add the channel onto your subscription for $11.99/month.

To catch new episodes of General Hospital, you can watch it through ABC.com or on the app, but like with CBS, you’ll need a provider login. Otherwise, Hulu offers a selection of ABC shows as well as Hulu Originals and FX content including American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Abbott Elementary, White Men Can’t Jump, What We Do in the Shadows, The Handmaid’s Tale, Prey, Bob’s Burgers and more starting at $7.99/month after a 30-day free trial. If you love bundling, you can even add ESPN+ and Disney+ starting at $12.99/month.

Days of Our Lives is an NBC show that you can catch up on through NBC.com or the app (with a provider’s login). Peacock is another way you can tune into all the drama, with its most popular plan being $4.99/month, or you can save 17% with an annual plan from $49.99/year. You’ll be able to watch programs such as Bupkis, Mrs. Davis, Poker Face, Bel-Air, Poker Face, Yellowstone, The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, Vanderpump Rules, Queens Court, The Traitors, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Based on a True Story, Sick and other Peacock Originals in addition to NBC and Bravo shows, sports and more.

17 Jul 2023

Musicians at Wimbledon 2023

Wimbledon 2023 wrapped on Sunday (July 16), and the music stars were out in full force to enjoy thrilling matches at the world’s oldest tennis tournament. This year’s Wimbledon Championships, the 136th edition, featured some stunning victories. Twenty-year-old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain won the gentlemen’s singles title, beating renowned tennis star Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Markéta Vondroušová of the Czech Republic won the ladies’ singles title, beating Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, becoming the first unseeded female player to win the singles title.

Alcaraz and Djokovic’s nearly five-hour match was an instant classic Wimbledon moment that captivated the attention of one of the most star-studded crowds of the year. The Wimbledon audience featured royals (King Felipe VI of Spain; Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales; Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark), former champions (Andy Murray, Neal Skupski, etc.), actors (Emmy nominee Idris Elba, James Bond star Daniel Craig, Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey), musicians (Ariana Grande, Stormzy, Nick Jonas) and more.

It’s been a busy Wimbledon for tennis’ brightest stars, both on and off the court. Just four days into the tournament, Olympian Naomi Osaka welcomed her first child, a baby girl, with Grammy-nominated rap star Cordae. “Well that was a cool little intermission, now back to your regularly scheduled program,” she joked in an Instagram caption on July 13, complete with emojis of a tennis ball, a peace sign and a pair of pink hearts.

Like many tennis tournaments, the fashion was just as enrapturing as the athleticism on display. From Priyanka Chopra-Jonas’ floral-inspired Victoria Beckham dress to Issa Rae’s Barbie-evoking bubblegum pink mini dress, the stars were dressed to the nines.

See which musicians stunned at Wimbledon 2023.