djfrosty

‘Kevin Hart: Reality Check’: How to Watch the New Stand-Up Comedy Special for Free

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.

Kevin Hart‘s July takeover has begun! The actor-comedian is diving into summer with a new stand-up comedy special titled Kevin Hart: Reality Check. The program will be released on Thursday (July 6) through Peacock — and it also happens to be the Me Time star’s 44th birthday.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

If you weren’t able to make it to the actor’s national tour, the new comedy special is based on it, providing you the opportunity to view it from the comfort of your home. Along with the stand-up special, the star will also be releasing season three of his show Hart to Hart, which will also air on Peacock Thursday (July 6).

What can you expect to see during the stand-up show? One hour of an unfiltered and uncensored Hart who’s ready to share all his thoughts on his growing family, fame, relationship with Black Twitter and more.

The show was filmed in front of a sold-out crowd at Resort World in Las Vegas — and from the trailer, it’s clear that no one was off limits from his set.

“LeBron James, a real good friend of mine,” Hart says in the trailer for the stand-up show. “Well, he was. He hasn’t heard this joke yet, we’ll see what happens.”

That’s not all either. Hart just celebrated the release of his latest short story, It Will All Work Out: The Freedom of Letting Go. The Kindle edition dropped on Saturday (July 1) on Amazon, and is already rated a No. 1 bestseller. (Physical editions will be available Aug. 1.)

Keep reading to learn how to watch the comedy special.

How to Watch Kevin Hart: Reality Check

Kevin Hart: Reality Check and season three of Hart to Hart will both be released on Thursday (July 6) exclusively on Peacock, which current subscribers can watch for free.

Not subscribed? If you’re new to the streaming platform, monthly plans start at just $4.99/month for Peacock Premium and $9.99/month for the commercial-free, Premium Plus. If you subscribe to Peacock’s annual plans, you’ll be able to save around 17% off your streaming package.

Peacock

$From $4.99/month

Although Peacock ended its free trials, you may be eligible to score a free subscription through Spectrum.

Besides Kevin Hart: Reality Check, you can also catch a variety of Peacock Originals in addition to sports, NBC and Bravo shows such as Based on a True Story, BupkisMrs. DavisPoker FaceBel-AirPoker FaceYellowstoneThe Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls TripVanderpump RulesQueens CourtThe TraitorsThe Best Man: The Final ChaptersSick and more.

Watch the trailer for Kevin Hart: Reality Check below.

Here’s Why Dolly Parton Is Reluctant About Becoming an AI Hologram

Dolly Parton says she’s reluctant about the notion of artificially living on as an AI hologram after her death, because she doesn’t want “to leave my soul here on this earth.”

According to The Independent, the country star discussed during a London press conference whether she would ever consider creating a show utilizing a hologram version of herself. The Country Music Hall of Fame member and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee replied, “I think I’ve left a great body of work behind. I have to decide how much of that high-tech stuff I want to be involved [with] because I don’t want to leave my soul here on this earth.

“I think with some of this stuff, I’ll be grounded here forever … I’ll be around — we’ll find ways to keep me here.”

According to the U.K. publication, the country icon also laughed that “everything” about her — and that includes “any intelligence” — is fake anyway.

Parton, who co-hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards earlier this year alongside Garth Brooks, is promoting her upcoming debut rock n’ roll album, appropriately titled Rockstar, which will release Nov. 17. The album features Parton in collaboration with several rock music icons, including Steven Tyler, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Fogerty, Debbie Harry and Heart’s Ann Wilson.

During the press conference, Parton also spoke of trying to get Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger to perform on the album with her. Parton said that much of her upcoming Rockstar album was inspired by her husband, Carl Dean, who loves Jagger’s music.

“I wanted [Jagger] to sing on ‘Satisfaction,’ but he wanted something new and different, which I don’t blame him for that, so I wound up singing that with Pink and Brandi Carlile,” Parton said. “We kept looking for the right song and he was doing an album in [Los Angeles], and he did some stuff in Nashville, and I kept missing him everywhere. I ran him around like a high-school girl.”

Meta Launching ‘Threads’ to Challenge Twitter’s Microblogging Dominance

Meta is poised to unveil a new app that appears to mimic Twitter — a direct challenge to the social media platform owned by Elon Musk.

A listing for the app, called Threads, appeared on Apple’s App Store, indicating it would debut as early as Thursday. It is billed as a “text-based conversation app” that is linked to Instagram, with the listing teasing a Twitter-like microblogging experience.

“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” it said.

Instagram users will be able to keep their user names and follow the same accounts on the new app, according to screenshots displayed on the App Store listing. Meta declined to comment on the app.

Musk replied “yeah” to a tweet from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey saying, “All your Threads are belong to us,” along with a screenshot from the App Store’s privacy section showing what personal information might be collected by the new Meta app.

Threads could be the latest headache for Musk, who acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion and has been making changes that have unnerved advertisers and turned off users, including new daily limits on the number of tweets people can view.

Meta has good timing because Twitter users are growing frustrated with Musk’s changes and looking for a viable alternative, said Matt Navarra, a social media consultant.

Threads presents the “opportunity to jump to a platform that can give them many of the things that they want Twitter to continue to be that it no longer is,” he said.

Allowing Instagram users to port their profile to Threads could give the new app more traction with potential users by providing a ready-made set of accounts for them to follow, said Navarra, former director of social media at tech news site The Next Web and digital communications adviser for the British government.

Twitter has rolled out a series of unpopular changes in recent days, including a requirement for users to be verified to use the online dashboard TweetDeck. The policy announced Monday takes effect in 30 days and appears to be aimed at raising extra revenue because users need to pay have their accounts verified under Musk’s changes.

TweetDeck is popular with companies and news organizations, allowing users to manage multiple Twitter accounts.

It comes after outcry over Musk’s announcement this weekend that Twitter has limited the number of tweets users can view each day — restrictions that the billionaire Tesla CEO described as an attempt to stop unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data.

Still, some users might be put off by Meta’s data privacy track record, Navarra said. And would-be Twitter challengers like Mastodon have found it a challenge to sign up users.

“It’s hard to tell whether the upset and discontent is strong enough to make a mass exodus or whether it will be somewhat of a slow erosion,” Navarra said.

Musk’s rivalry with Meta Platforms also could end up spilling over into real life. In an online exchange between Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the two tech billionaires seemingly agreed to a cage match face-off, though it’s unclear if they will actually make it to the ring.

Meghan Trainor and Husband Daryl Sabara Announce Birth of Second Son

Meghan Trainor and husband Daryl Sabara welcomed their second child over the weekend. The “Made You Look” singer announced the news on Tuesday night (July 4) in a sweet Instagram post featuring a black and white picture of mother and baby snuggling in the hospital.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“On July 1st (our 7 year anniversary of our first date) we welcomed Barry Bruce Trainor into the world,” she wrote alongside the series of snaps, which also featured the former Spy Kids star cradling baby Barry, as well as a number of adorable solo Barry snaps and one of Trainor in her hospital bed throwing up a peace sign.

“He was a big boy at 8lbs 7oz…and sideways (transverse), but we had an amazing, successful c-section, and I finally got my skin to skin time!,” she added. “Thank you to all of the incredible doctors and nurses who took such great care of u.” Baby Bary joins the couple’s two-year-old son, Riley.

The exciting news was celebrated by a number of fellow stars, including fellow mother of two Mandy Moore, who commented, “Go Mama!! And welcome to the party, Barry!! What a lucky dude!!,” while Paris Hilton — who welcomed her first child earlier this year — added “Congratulations sis! So happy for you!”

Actresses Ashley Benson and Chrissy Metz also offered their congratulations, as did Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying and JoJo Siwa’s mom, Jessalyn.

Back in April the couple revealed the baby’s sex on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the same place where they disclosed the sex of their first born two years earlier.

Check out Trainor’s post below.

MF Doom’s Wife Reveals Rapper’s Cause of Death

Nearly three years after his shocking death at 49 in 2020, late rapper MF Doom‘s wife has revealed what caused her husband’s passing. The British-born MC (born Daniel Dumile), died on Oct. 31, 2020 of what was then deemed “unknown causes” by wife Jasmine Dumile; the artist’s passing wasn’t announced until two months after his death.

According to Leeds Live, an inquest has found that Doom died after his condition “suddenly deteriorated” while he was in the hospital. Wife Jasmine Dumile told the outlet that her husband was in good shape, but had been suffering from a number of health issues at the time, including kidney disease and high blood pressure, which led to weight gain and anxiety.

She said Doom had been prescribed ACE inhibitors to treat his blood pressure but after just two doses he developed breathing problems, which sent him to the ER after his tongue and throat swelled. She said the rapper called her in distress from the hospital when the swelling got worse and, she told an inquest hearing, she then used a second phone to directly alert the nurses on duty.

Because of the COVID-19 restrictions then in place, Jasmine said she could not visit her husband in the hospital until Oct. 31. “That’s when the respirator was turned off that was helping him breathe,” she told investigators. The inquest found that on Oct. 21, Doom had complained that he couldn’t breathe and attempted to get out of his hospital bed before collapsing and suffering respiratory arrest.

Jasmine’s legal team has reportedly asked questions about how often medical staff at St. James Hospital in Leeds checked in on the rapper and why there was an alleged two-hour delay in giving him medication for his throat swelling. The inquest also reportedly heard that Doom’s condition was being closely monitored by the hospital staff and that he’d shown signs of getting better, including elevated oxygen levels and the ability to speak with doctors.

Doctors did note, however, that the swelling of his tongue, throat and lips was a “rare” side-effect of the ACE inhibitors, which caused a condition called angiodema (a swelling similar to hives, but which takes place under the skin instead of on the surface). The outlet also reported that following Doom’s death the hospital trust carried out a “serious incident investigation” to determine what lessons could be learned from the case; the inquiry into Doom’s death is reportedly ongoing.

In a post announcing his death in Dec. 2020, Jasmine wrote, “To Dumile, The greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I could ever ask for. Thank you for all the things you have shown, taught and given to me, our children and our family. Thank you for teaching me how to forgive beings and give another chance, not to be so quick to judge and write off. Thank you for showing how not to be afraid to love and be the best person I could ever be. My world will never be the same without you.”

Dumile was born in London and moved with his family to New York as a child. Under the stage name Zev Love X, he co-founded the rap trio K.M.D. with his brother Dingilizwe, who went by DJ Subroc. Dumile first hit the Billboard charts as a member of K.M.D., which notched a pair of top 20 hits on Hot Rap Songs in 1991: “Peachfuzz” and “Who Me?” His brother’s April 1993 death in a car crash at age 19 caused Dumile to take a break from the industry before returning to rap in 1997 and adopting the MF Doom persona, modeled after Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom. From then on, he always performed wearing his signature metallic mask.

HarbourView Equity Partners, REVOLT Vying for Majority Stake in BET

Sherrese Clarke Soares‘ HarbourView Equity Partners and Diddy‘s Revolt are among the bidders finalizing second-round offers to acquire a majority stake in BET Media Group from Paramount Global, according to two sources with knowledge of the talks.

Jesse Collins Entertainment, which produced the Grammys and this year’s SuperBowl halftime performance by Rihanna, is also mulling joining HarbourView and Revolt’s joint offer for the package of networks that includes VH1, said one of the sources, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the talks.

Paramount Global is reportedly exploring selling a majority stake in BET Media Group, which includes BET, BET+, BET Gospel, BET HER, BET International, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET Studios and VH1, for as much as $3 billion, as it looks to offload assets like book publisher Simon & Shuster and preschool service Noggin to focus on its streaming business.

Sources say other bidders submitting second-round offers for BET Media Group include Tyler Perry and Byron Allen. Paramount is reportedly looking to finalize deals this fall.

A spokesperson for BET declined to comment for this story.

Soares, whose private equity firm owns rights to songs by regional Mexican trio Eslabon Armado, Luis Fonsi and Florida Georgia Line, confirmed during a red-carpet interview with Billboard at the BET Awards that HarbourView has an active bid for the media group.

“We are here because of how much we support the brand and how excited we are about the opportunity around the brand itself,” Soares said, declining to share further details.

A former Morgan Stanley managing director, Soares founded HarbourView in 2021, initially to acquire publishing and music recording rights — an investment strategy she helped develop as CEO and co-founder of Tempo Music. More recently, Soares has guided HarbourView’s investments in media companies, aiming to build out a distribution network for content soundtracked by artists in its catalog.

In March, HarbourView led a $90 million investment in a minority stake in MACRO, a film, television and branding company founded by Charles D. King, whose projects include Judas and the Black Messiah. Directed by Shaka King, Judas made history in 2021 as the first-ever film with an all-Black production team to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

“Our interest is to be fuel to the entertainment and media segment,” Soares told Billboard at the BET Awards, referencing HarbourView’s investments in catalogs and MACRO. Regarding the results of the bids for BET, Soares said, “We’ll let the cards fall where they may.”

Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. on New AI Guidelines: Music With AI-Created Elements ‘Absolutely Eligible’

Last month, the Recording Academy announced a series of changes to the Grammy Awards to better reflect an evolving music industry. Of those newly instituted guidelines, protocols involving technological advancements in machine learning sparked headlines: “Only human creators” could win the music industry’s highest honor in a decision aimed at the use of artificial intelligence in popular music.

“A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category,” the rules read in part.

As the music industry continues to come to terms with this new technology, so too will the Grammys, says Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason Jr.

“Here’s the super easy, headline statement: AI, or music that contains AI-created elements is absolutely eligible for entry and for consideration for Grammy nomination. Period,” Mason told The Associated Press. “What’s not going to happen is we are not going to give a Grammy or Grammy nomination to the AI portion.”

If an AI or voice modeling program performs the lead vocal on a song, the track would be eligible in a songwriting category, for example, but not a performance category, because “what is performing is not human creation,” he explains. “Conversely, if a song was sung by an actual human in the studio, and they did all the performing, but AI wrote the lyric or the track, the song would not be eligible in a composition or a songwriting category.”

“As long as the human is contributing in a more than de minimis amount, which to us means a meaningful way, they are and will always be considered for a nomination or a win,” he continued. “We don’t want to see technology replace human creativity. We want to make sure technology is enhancing, embellishing, or additive to human creativity. So that’s why we took this particular stand in this award cycle.”

The Recording Academy has long considered setting rules related to AI following the popularity of new songs created alongside AI technology: David Guetta’s “Emin-AI-em”, the AI -compositions of TikTok user @ghostwriter977, Grimes’ voice modeling AI software.

In order to establish their AI guidelines, the Recording Academy engaged in extensive research, including holding tech summits.

“I’ve met with the copyright office. We’ve talked about the future and what that looks like on a federal level and the legislative level,” Mason said, adding that AI conversations “really came to a head in the last six months.”

The new Grammy AI protocols were announced three days after Paul McCartney shared that “the last Beatles record” had been composed using artificial intelligence to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo. Without knowing the extent of the technology, Mason couldn’t confirm or deny whether the song would be eligible for a Grammy nomination.

“We’ll see what it turns out to be,” he said. “But I would imagine from the early descriptions that I’ve heard there would be components of the creation that would be absolutely eligible.”

So, can Grammy viewers expect to see work at least partially created with AI nominated for an award as early as next year?

It’s impossible to predict what is submitted. But as Mason affirms, “people are using the technology. I’m imagining it’s going to be involved in a lot of records a lot of songs this year, so we’ll see if some of them get nominated or not, but I’m sure there’ll be some that will be submitted.”

The 2024 Grammy Awards will return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, airing live on CBS and livestreamed on Paramount+.

Rapper Big Pokey Laid to Rest at Houston Funeral

Houston rapper Big Pokey was laid to rest Sunday (July 2), a week after he collapsed onstage and died during a performance.

A week ago, Big Pokey was onstage in front of an audience in Beaumont, Texas, when he suddenly collapsed. A video circulating online and on social media shows Pokey taking the microphone in front of a crowd. He takes a breath and then falls backward.

He was 48. The cause of death is not yet known; a preliminary autopsy report was inconclusive.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

He was laid to rest following a service at Fountain of Praise church in Houston. Among the luminaries turning out to pay their respects were Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and rappers Paul Wall, Trae Tha Truth and Slim Thug, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Pokey, whose real name was Milton Powell, was a founding member of the Screwed Up Click, a rap collective led by DJ Screw, who is credited with developing “a slowed, pitched-down music style” that became known as “chopped and screwed,” according to the Associated Press.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Milton ‘Big Pokey’ Powell. Big Pokey passed away on June 18, 2023,” read a statement posted on his Instagram following his death. “He was well-loved by his family, his friends, and his loyal fans. In the coming days, we will release information about his celebration of life and how the public can pay their respects. We ask that you respect his family and their privacy during this difficult time. Big Pokey will forever be ‘The Hardest Pit in the Litter.’”

The Hardest Pit in the Litter is a reference to Pokey’s 1999 debut LP. A year later, he released the album D-Game, and his third album, Da Sky’s Da Limit, was released in 2002.

Other notable credits include his appearance on Paul Wall’s “Sittin’ Sideways” and DJ Screw’s “June 27th.”

More recently, his released his last album, Sensei, in 2021 and appeared on Megan Thee Stallion’s 2022 track “Southside Royalty Freestyle” alongside Sauce Walka and Lil Keke.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

Beyonce to Launch ‘Renaissance’ Merch Collection In Toronto

Beyoncé is kicking off the North American leg of her Renaissance World Tour in fashion: She’s partnering with Canadian retailer Holt Renfrew to launch merchandise for her recent album and tour.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The Renaissance Flagship, an installation that celebrates the fashion of the singer’s Renaissance era, album and tour, will transform the third floor of Holt Renfrew’s 50 Bloor Street West store in Toronto from July 5-11. The merchandise launch coincides with Beyoncé’s two-night stint at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on July 8-9.

This is the first time the 21-piece collection, priced from about $20 to $250, will be available in North America. Beyoncé first launched the Renaissance Flagship in London as she toured the European leg of her world tour in May.

“We, at Holt Renfrew are thrilled and honoured to be the home to the RENAISSANCE FLAGSHIP in Toronto. At Holts, we stand behind empowering self-expression and igniting positive change and we truly believe that the RENAISSANCE FLAGSHIP is an incomparable Illustration of this spirit,” Sebastian Picardo, president and CEO of Holt Renfrew, said in a statement. “We can’t wait to welcome all to this unforgettable experience in partnership with one of the greatest icons in entertainment.”

Items in the collection include Beyoncé’s signature silver Renaissance cowboy hat; a “Summer Renaissance” hoodie featuring an oversized “B”; a white T-shirt with artwork inspired by a segment from the tour; a long-sleeved T-shirt featuring the Renaissance album cover but in green screen form; an 80-page Renaissance World Tour art book; and a “We Shut This City Down” T-shirt in homage to the singer’s Toronto takeover.

The Renaissance Flagship will also include an exhibition of Renaissance Couture by Beyoncé x Balmain, which is making its North American debut. The star announced the collaboration, which she co-created with Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing, in March. It includes 16 couture outfits dedicated to the 16 songs on Renaissance and the collaboration marks the first time a Black woman has overseen the couture offering from a historic Parisian house.

In addition to Renaissance Couture by Beyoncé x Balmain, the singer is launching a four-piece, limited-edition product extension titled Renaissance: Beyoncé with Balmain. Drawing inspiration from the couture pieces that will be on display at Holt Renfrew, it includes two oversized tees, a dropped-shoulder hoodie and giant tote emblazoned with the collection’s moniker. They will be priced from about $150 to $450.

Beyoncé launched her Renaissance World Tour on May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden. After two nights in Toronto, she will also visit stadiums in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta, Inglewood and Houston, her hometown. The tour will wrap on Sept. 27 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Renaissance debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last August, for Bey’s seventh solo leader.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

This Grateful Dead Blanket Is Perfect for Couch Hangs and Festival Hangs Alike

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.

Summer is here and music fans will want to scoop up this Grateful Dead blanket, which is perfect for backyard hangs, beach days and outdoor concerts alike.

Measuring 60 x 45 inches, the blanket features the iconic Dancing Bears strutting on stage in front of a red curtain. The Grateful Dead skull logo, and hippy-inspired graphics and motifs appear in the background.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The blanket is great for indoor use (say, as a throw blanket on the bed or couch) but ideal to take outdoors as well. It rolls up easily to tuck into a tote bag or backpack.

grateful dead blanket

Amazon

Bioworld Grateful Dead Dancing Bear Blanket

$26.93 $29.44 9% OFF

The blanket is made from a soft and cozy fleece material that’s machine washable. Reviewers say it’s fluffy enough to keep you warm, but lightweight enough to take with you on-the-go. We like keeping one at home to curl up with while watching TV, and keeping one in our car for outdoor hangs.

This blanket is an officially-licensed collaboration between Grateful Dead and Bioworld, a merchandise brand that makes apparel and accessories inspired by everything from Super Mario Bros. to Harry Potter. Regularly $30+, get it on Amazon for just $26 right now. This Grateful Dead blanket makes a great gift idea for fans of the band, and is a great birthday or housewarming gift as well.

This is one of the latest merch releases from the Grateful Dead, who have also released everything from collectible bobbleheads to official portable coolers in recent months.