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29 Dec 2022

Pill Cosby Announces Plans For Comeback Tour In 2023

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(022511 Medford, MA) Comedian Bill Cosby gestures during the award presentation of the Eliot-Pearson Awards for Excellence in Children's Media at Tufts University in Medford, Friday, Feb. 25, 2011. Cosby is one of the recipients of the awards.

Source: MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images / Getty

In a surprise interview, Bill Cosby announced that he intends to go on a comeback tour when asked about his plans for next year.

Bill Cosby appeared as a surprise guest on the WGH Talk radio show Wednesday (Dec. 28). When asked by host Scott Spears if he’ll finally be able to tour again next year, the comedian simply replied, “yes.” He continued: “Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do. Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it.”

The 85-year-old didn’t give a timeframe on when he would want to tour next year, but his publicist Andrew Wyatt did respond to an email from The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re looking at getting back out here around Spring/Summer of 2023,” he wrote. The move to tour is something that Cosby wants, as he hasn’t toured since 2015. “When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” he said during the interview.

Cosby had been convicted of a criminal sexual assault charge in April 2018. He’d go on to serve almost three years in prison out of a three to 10-year sentence before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2021. The court made the decision ruling that a “non-prosecution agreement” between Cosby and former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. prevented him from being charged in the case brought by Andrea Constant, his accuser.

The case was brought before the United States Supreme Court in March of this year, resulting in the court declining to reinstate his conviction. Cosby now faces another lawsuit filed under a New York State law that suspends the statute of limitations for older claims of sexual assault for a period of one year. The suit was filed by five plaintiffs including former The Cosby Show actresses Lili Bernard and Eden Tirl in early December. Wyatt called the lawsuit “frivolous.” “As we have always stated, and now America can see, this isn’t about justice for victims of alleged sexual assault, it’s ALL ABOUT MONEY,” he said in a statement made at the time.

29 Dec 2022

Cardi B’s Back Tattoo Lawsuit Not Guilty Verdict Upheld By Federal Judge

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Cardi B and Offset at his Father Of 4 Album Release

Source: Prince Williams / ATLPics.Net

Cardi B continues to win in court. Her original not guilty verdict from a lawsuit stemming from her mixtape cover is being upheld by a federal judge.

As per Digital Music News the Bronx, New York native got some more good news right before the close of 2022. Back in October a jury sided with Cardi B regarding a copyright infringement matter where a man claimed his back tattoo was used without permission for the cover of Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1. The project in question features a man with a very unique tattoo on his back with his head in between Bardi’s legs. Kevin Brophy Jr. says that the ink is actually his and the similarity caused him great distress therefore staining his reputation.

His legal team requested the verdict be overturned, via Rule 50, but Judge Cormac J. Carney has denied it thus upholding the original not guilty verdict. “Brophy does not claim that he in fact made a Rule 50(a) motion before the case was submitted to the jury,” the court documents read.

“Rather, he points to instances when the parties and the Court discussed the best process for making such a motion and argues that the instances either amounted to a stipulation allowing each party to make a motion after the verdict or otherwise preserved a party’s right to make one then. But that is not the case.” Carney concludes the response with a very clear dismissal saying “It is not for this Court to second-guess the verdict now.”

Photo: Bernard Smalls

29 Dec 2022

Stan Lee Getting His Own Disney+ Documentary In 2023

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Source: VALERIE MACON / Getty

It’s been a little over four years since the death of comic book legend/icon, Stan Lee, and in honor of what would’ve been his 100th birthday, Marvel has announced a new documentary dedicated to the man who helped make our childhood’s rock.

Taking to Twitter to announce the new documentary set to drop on Disney+, Marvel posted a quick 25-second teaser of the upcoming documentary while stating “100 years of dreaming. 100 years of creating. 100 years of Stan Lee. Stan Lee, an Original documentary, is streaming 2023 on @DisneyPlus.”

Showcasing his random appearances in multiple Marvel movies, the quick clip pays homage with a montage to the man behind Spider-Man, Ironman, the Incredible Hulk and many other classic comic book superheroes.

Being that it was his 100th birthday, many well-known celebrities and hardcore comic book fans took to Twitter to pay homage to the legend along with his official Twitter account which showered him with praise.

Should be cool to see how the documentary delves into Stan Lee’s thought process behind the creation of countless classic comic book characters and how they impacted pop culture.

Will you be checking for the Stan Lee documentary when it streams on Disney+ come 2023? Let us know in the comments section below.

29 Dec 2022

RM’s ‘Indigo’ Reaches No. 2 on Top Album Sales Chart After CD Release

RM’s Indigo re-enters Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Dec. 31) at a new peak of No. 2 following the set’s CD release on Dec. 16. The album bounds back onto the list with 79,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 22 (up from less than 500 sales the week previous), according to Luminate. Of that 79,000 sales figure, CD sales comprise 77,500, while digital download album sales comprise 1,500.

Indigo debuted at No. 10 on the Top Album Sales chart dated Dec. 17 with 10,500 sold, following the set’s initial retail release as a digital download album. It slipped off the chart the following week, only to return on the new list after its CD release.

Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of Indigo was issued in collectible deluxe packages (three, including exclusive versions for Target and the Weverse webstore), each with a standard set of items and one randomized element (a photocard).

Also on Top Album Sales, Taylor Swift’s Midnights becomes the first album to spend its first nine weeks at No. 1 since the list launched in 1991. And, Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 8 following its deluxe vinyl release.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Swift’s Midnights holds at No. 1 on Top Album Sales for a ninth week — the entirety of it chart run. The effort sold 97,000 copies in the week ending Dec. 22 (up 31%). Midnights is the first album to spend its first nine weeks on the chart at No. 1 since the list launched with the May 25, 1991-dated chart.

Midnights is not the first title on Top Album Sales with nine weeks at No. 1 in a row, nor nine weeks in total at No. 1. The last album with nine consecutive weeks at No. 1 was Adele’s 21, which linked together 10 straight weeks (of its total 24) in 2012. And, the last album with nine weeks in total at No. 1, nonconsecutively, on Top Album Sales was Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack, with 10 weeks at No. 1 in 2018-19.

Midnights’ sales gain of 31% is owed to holiday shopping, as the chart reflects the sales week ending Dec. 22. (We’ll still see holiday gift-giving purchases impacting next week’s chart, dated Jan. 7, 2023, as that chart will reflect the tracking week of Dec. 23-29.) The bulk of Midnights’ sales were vinyl-driven, with 68,000 on vinyl sold for the week — up 41%. That also marks the third-largest sales week for any vinyl album in 2022, following the debut weeks of Midnights (575,000) and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (182,000). Midnights continues to profit from its availability across five vinyl variants — all colored vinyl editions, including one exclusive to Target.

Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack falls 2-3 on Top Album Sales with just over 23,000 sold (up 33%) — its largest sales week of 2022. Harry Styles’ former No. 1 Harry’s House moves 3-4 with 23,000 (up 41%); Michael Jackson’s Thriller rises 6-5 with nearly 23,000 (up 67%); Matteo, Andrea and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas dips 5-6 with 20,000 (up 43%), and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is a non-mover at No. 7 with nearly 20,000 (up 55%).

Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 8 with 19,000 sold following the album’s release in a deluxe triple-vinyl set on Dec. 16. The new expanded edition of the set includes 26 additional tracks and was offered in six variants (a standard black vinyl; plus four color variants, one of which included a signed insert by Burnham). Vinyl sales comprise the majority of the album’s total sales for the week, with 18,500 on wax.

Inside (The Songs) debuted at No. 43 on the June 29, 2021-dated chart and first reached the top 10 on the Jan. 1, 2022-dated list, when it re-entered at No. 3 after its initial vinyl LP release. The album has been absent from Top Album Sales since June.

Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city jumps 19-9 on Top Album Sales with 15,000 sold (up 97%), owed to stock replenishment of his recently released 10th anniversary edition of the album. Taylor Swift’s Evermore rounds out the top 10, falling 8-10 with 14,000 (up 23%).

In the week ending Dec. 22, there were 3.897 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 33.9% compared to the previous week). That’s the biggest week of 2022 and the largest for album sales since the week ending Dec. 23, 2021, when 4.231 million were sold.

In the week ending Dec. 22, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 3.526 million (up 39%) and digital albums comprised 371,000 (down 1.1%).

There were 1.276 million CD albums sold in the week ending Dec. 22 (up 27.5% week-over-week) and 2.232 million vinyl albums sold (up 46.7%). It’s the largest week for CD album sales in 2022, and the biggest since the week ending Dec. 23, 2021, when there were 1.584 million CD albums sold.

Further, the 2.232 million vinyl albums sold in the week ending Dec. 22 marks the largest week for vinyl album sales since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. It surpasses the 2.115 million vinyl albums sold in the week ending Dec. 23, 2021.

Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 35.098 million (down 11.6% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 41.891 million (up 3.6%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 97.359 million (down 8.4% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 77.539 million (down 3.9%) and digital album sales total 19.821 million (down 22.8%).

29 Dec 2022

Travis Scott Hosts Christmas Eve Toy Drive for 1,000 Houston Families

Travis Scott returned to his native Houston on Saturday (Dec. 24) to hold the third annual Winter Wonderland and Toy Drive through his Cactus Jack Foundation.

For the Christmas Eve event, the rapper, his team and several members of his family gave out toys to one thousand families and children in need in the neighborhood of Sunnyside. Additionally, the Cactus Jack Foundation gifted Roku TVs and pairs of Scott’s Air Jordan 1 Low OG SP ‘Black Phantom’ sneakers.

In a statement, the superstar said he was “grateful” to be able to hold the event in his hometown. “The holiday season was my favorite as a child and I know some families are having a tough time in our community this year,” he continued. “We wanted to do our part to ensure we still spread the Christmas joy to area children. Sometimes even Santa needs a helping hand to deliver.”

The “Sicko Mode” rapper’s ‘Black Phantom’ shoes are just one element of his latest collaboration with Nike, which also includes a six-piece apparel collection featuring hoodies, cargo pants and shorts in both black and green.

As the year draws to a close, Scott was also tapped by Future to direct the music video for his pal’s single “712PM” and headlined the tribute to the late Virgil Abloh at Art Basel Miami. However, any hope for THE SCOTTS, his long-planned full-length follow-up with Kid Cudi to their 2020 No. 1 hit of the same name was officially dashed when Cudi declared the project dead in the water earlier this month.

Get a look at Scott and his family at the Winter Wonderland and Toy Drive below.

travis scott family

Jordan Webster, grandmother Miss Sealie, Jordan Webster and parents Wanda and Jacques.

Crayton Gerst

29 Dec 2022

Swedish Activist Greta Thunberg Owns Alt-Right Hater Andrew Tate In A Single Tweet, Twitter Loves It

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Greta Thunberg Epically Owns Troll Andrew Tate On Twitter

Source: JUSTIN TALLIS / Getty/ Greta Thunberg

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg put on a masterclass on how to check a troll, and all she needed was one tweet to make it happen.

Manosphere meathead Andrew Tate f**ked around and found out when he picked a fight with the wrong teen on Twitter. Known for spreading straight-up misogyny, financial scams, and other heada**ery on TikTok, Tate decided to try Greta Thunberg and mock her on Elon Musk’s Twitter.

For those who don’t know Tate, including us, he was a struggle kickboxer before he found his calling being an “alt-right influencer,” who proudly describes himself as “absolutely a sexist” and “absolutely a misogynist.”

He also believes that women “belong in the home” and were “given to the man and belong to the man.”

Yuck.

Anyway, he’s is putting he is now reinstated his Twitter account to use be an absolute d***  after Elon Musk foolish unbanned his account.

He randomly decided to troll Thunberg by boasting about his 33 cars and his “enormous emissions” in a tweet to the 19-year-old, writing:

“Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions.”

In response, the ever-so-witty Thunberg owned Tate, and she didn’t need all 280 characters. “Yes, please do enlighten me. Email me at smalldickenergy@getalife.com,” she said in response.

With his ego bruised, Tate “clapped back” with a weird video of himself in a Versace bathrobe while smoking a cigar. We would share it, but it’s such an epic fail we won’t subject you to it.

As expected, Twitter loved Thunberg making Tate look minuscule on social media.

Welp.

You can see more reactions in the gallery below.

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Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS / Getty

3. Legendary

29 Dec 2022

Soccer Icon Pelé Dead at 82: Anitta, Caetano Veloso & More Latin Artists React

Brazilian soccer icon Pelé died on Thursday (Dec. 29) in a hospital in São Paulo at age 82. He had been battling colon cancer since September 2021, and was hospitalized in November. News of his death was confirmed on his official Instagram page.

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“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today,” the caption reads. “On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love. His message today becomes a legacy for future generations. Love, love and love, forever.”

Regarded as one of fútbol’s greatest players of all time, Pelé (born Edson Arantes do Nascimento) went on to win three World Cup tournaments with his country’s national team, and 10 league titles with his local club Santos.

Pelé, the king of the “jogo bonito (beautiful game),” wasn’t just a star on the soccer field — he also loved music and even recorded a few songs during his time “for fun.” One of those was “Esperança,” which he released six years ago.

“I didn’t want the public to make the comparison between Pelé the composer and Pelé the football player,” he told The Guardian in 2006. “That would have been a huge injustice. In football, my talent was a gift from God. Music was just for fun.”

Following news that Pelé had died, Latin artists took to social media to mourn his death. Anitta posted a photo of Pelé in an Instagram Story and wrote, “R.I.P. King Pelé.” Former President Barack Obama also remembered Pelé, writing on Twitter, “Pelé was one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. And as one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, he understood the power of sports to bring people together.”

See other reactions below:

29 Dec 2022

Courtney Love Says Brad Pitt Got Her Fired From ‘Fight Club’

Courtney Love was almost Fight Club‘s Marla Singer before the role eventually went to Helena Bonham Carter, but the “Hole” frontwoman revealed that a tense conversation with the 1999 film’s star Brad Pitt led to her losing the role.

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While joining Marc Maron for an interview on his WTF podcast, Love claimed that she “went nuclear” on Pitt after the actor director Gus Van Sant pitched a Kurt Cobain movie to her. “I wouldn’t let Brad play Kurt,” she said. “I went nuclear. I don’t do Faust. Who the f— do you think are?”

She added that she told Pitt, “I don’t know if I trust you and I don’t know that your movies are for profit. They’re really good social justice movies, but… if you don’t get me, you kind of don’t get Kurt, and I don’t feel like you do, Brad.”

Love, who married the Nirvana frontman in 1992 and was with him until his death at age 27 in 1994, revealed that after that conversation, she was fired from Fight Club. Pitt’s co-star Edward Norton, who was Love’s romantic partner at the time, was the one who told her the news. “He starts sobbing,” Love recalled. “And he was like, ‘I don’t have the power!’”

Van Sant went on to helm the Michael Pitt-starring Last Days, which was inspired by Cobain — but Love said the film wasn’t the one that was discussed in the fateful meeting.

29 Dec 2022

Every Music Video That Hit 1 Billion YouTube Views in 2022

It has been 10 years since Psy’s “Gangnam Style” became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views. In addition to pushing K-pop into the global stratosphere, the vibrant video (now with more than 4.6 billion views, as of Dec. 2022) kickstarted the video-streaming platform’s official Billion Views Club — which has grown to become a landmark achievement for artists and industry leaders alike.

Over 300 music videos have entered the club since its inception in 2012 and several have surpassed Psy’s history-making visual. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” reigns as the most-viewed music video on YouTube, crossing 8 billion views just five years after its release. Also lapping Psy are Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” with 5.8 billion views, Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” featuring Charlie Puth with 5.7 billion views, and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars with 4.7 billion views, all as of Dec. 2022.

A number of superstar musical acts have had multiple videos surpass a billion views — including Justin Bieber, Adele, Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift. Colombian singer-songwriter J Balvin has entered the Billion Views Club 12 different times, making him the artist with the most videos in the coveted club.

In 2022 alone, more than 50 music videos earned their first billion views. While some musical acts made their triumphant return to the Billion Views Club, others earned their first entries ever. The Weeknd added his fifth video with a billion views thanks to “Save Your Tears,” less than two years after its premiere. On the other hand, Cyndi Lauper reached the milestone for the first time with “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” 39 years after its initial release (though it wasn’t uploaded to YouTube until 2009).

To celebrate a decade of billions, Billboard revisits all 51 music videos to enter YouTube’s Billion Views Club in 2022 below.

29 Dec 2022

J-Hope Sends 5-Year Anniversary Wish to BT21: ‘Stay Strong Together’

BT21 celebrated its five year anniversary on Thursday (Dec. 29), and J-Hope crashed the virtual festival to share a special video message for the occasion.

“Congratulations on your fifth anniversary, BT21,” the K-pop idol said while squeezing an adorable MANG plushie. “We BTS have already been together for 10 years — I hope the same goes for you guys and that five years won’t be your end. I hope you guys stay strong together for [the] next 10, 15, 20 years and so on.

“I will root for you guys! And good luck on the various promotions, projects and businesses coming up. Hope you make bank,” he continued before breaking out into laughter and adding, “I’m just kidding. We will be here supporting you guys throughout your journey.”

J-Hope then went on to encourage BT21 to “spread positive energy and brightness” to the people who love and support them — including the members of BTS. “I wish you guys the very best and fighting!” he said to conclude his video message.

Designed by BTS, the eight BT21 characters were launched in 2017 and include blue koala KOYA, alpaca RJ, cookie SHOOKY, playful puppy CHIMMY, heart-headed TATA, pom-pom-wielding bunny COOKY and gray alien VAN, along with J-Hope’s aforementioned dancing pony.

On the very same day as the 2022 BT21 Festival, Suga dropped a 10-minute video on the official BANGTANTV YouTube channel of himself attending an introductory hip-hop class. Just before the holidays, V also covered “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” for ARMY.

Watch J-Hope’s message to BT21 above.