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28 Dec 2022

Whoopi Goldberg Clarifies Comments About Jews, Race & The Holocaust

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Source: Nina Westervelt / Getty

Earlier this month, The View host Whoopi Goldberg addressed past comments about race and the Holocaust.

According to Deadline, Whoopi Goldberg made the comments while doing press for the movie Till where she plays the mother of Mamie Till-Mobley. 

“My best friend said, ‘Not for nothing is there no box on the census for the Jewish race. So that leads me to believe that we’re probably not a race,’” she said in the interview with the Sunday Times, which was published during Hanukkah.

The comments were a callback to comments the Sister Act actor made at the top of 2022 where she said that “Nazis saw Jews as a race.”

Sheadded, “Yes, but that’s the killer, isn’t it? The oppressor is telling you what you are. Why are you believing them? They’re Nazis. Why believe what they’re saying?”

She continued: “It wasn’t originally [about race]. Remember who they were killing first. They were not killing racial; they were killing physical. They were killing people they considered to be mentally defective. And then they made this decision.”

After continued pushback from the Anti-Defamation League, Goldberg issued a statement on the subject saying, “Recently while doing press in London, I was asked about my comments from earlier this year. I tried to convey to the reporter what I had said and why, and attempted to recount that time. It was never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments, especially after talking with and hearing people like rabbis and old and new friends weighing in.” 

She added, “I’m still learning a lot and believe me, I heard everything everyone said to me. I believe that the Holocaust was about race, and I am still as sorry now as I was then that I upset, hurt and angered people.” 

Goldberg concluded, “My sincere apologies again, especially to everyone who thought this was a fresh rehash of the subject. I promise it was not. In this time of rising antisemitism, I want to be very clear when I say that I always stood with the Jewish people and always will. My support for them has not wavered and never will.” 

28 Dec 2022

Hood Air: Southwest Airlines Under High Scrutiny Over Holiday Meltdown

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Southwest Airlines Cancellations

Source: Newsday LLC / Getty

Southwest Airlines is still struggling to recover from its cancellations during the holiday season, prompting a huge backlash and federal scrutiny of its affairs.

Southwest has been dealing with one of the worst operational meltdowns ever seen in the airline industry, leading to the cancellation of thousands of flights across the United States due to winter storm Elliott which occurred days before the Christmas holiday. Days later, the airline is still struggling to operate flights with crews and pilots left stranded along with passengers, accounting for 90% of U.S. flights canceled dating back to last Friday according to industry watchdog FlightAware.

Despite issuing a promise to rectify the situation which included a personal message from its CEO Bob Jordan, Southwest said in a statement issued Monday (Dec. 26) that it “will continue operating a reduced schedule by flying roughly one-third of our schedule for the next several days.” That move has led to calls for accountability from both passengers and labor unions along with congressional Democrats. The Department of Transportation issued a statement later via Twitter, saying it would examine “if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan” and whether the cancellations could have been avoided.

Those working for Southwest point to the company’s outdated scheduling software and absences due to illness as well as its phone systems. “They’re just not manned with enough manpower in order to give the scheduling changes to flight attendants, and that’s created a ripple effect that is creating chaos throughout the nation,” said TWU Local 556 President Lyn Brown.

“We’ve been having these issues for the past 20 months,” Southwest Airlines Pilot Association President Casey Murray. “We’ve seen these sorts of meltdowns occur on a much more regular basis and it really just has to do with outdated processes and outdated IT.” Southwest was one of many companies that benefited from federal aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to Jordan receiving an increased compensation package of over $9 million.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a Tuesday (Dec. 27) interview with NBC remarked that “this has clearly crossed the line from what is an uncontrollable weather situation to something that is the airline’s direct responsibility.” This followed words from Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee earlier in the day who promised more congressional oversight into Southwest and other airlines’ practices overall.

“Many airlines fail to adequately communicate with consumers during flight cancellations,” she said. “Consumers deserve strong protections, including an updated consumer refund rule.”

28 Dec 2022

Diddy Shares Picture Of Newborn Daughter Love Combs For First time

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2022 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell - Gala

Source: Presley Ann / Getty

Diddy is sharing his newest joy with the world. He has posted the first ever photo of his newborn baby on Instagram.

As per Page Six, the Bad Boy Entertainment mogul has made the official reveal for his newest daughter Love Combs. On Tuesday, Dec. 27 he took to social media and posted a visual of his newest addition to his family. The first photo featured her sitting in her car seat and the second shows the “Hello Good Morning” rapper holding her while she sleeps on his chest. The caption read “Baby Love ?.”

This was not the first time Diddy has flaunted her. Last week he shared a holiday themed photo with him and all his children. Everyone was wearing striped pajamas and the Harlem, New York native sat in the middle holding Love Combs but her face was not visible. Earlier this month he announced her birth via Twitter. “I’m so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world,” wrote Combs, who did not share the identity of the baby’s mother. “Mama Combs, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie and myself all love you so much! God is the Greatest!” he wrote.

Naturally the news took the internet by storm and put the spotlight on his Shorty Wop, Yung Miami. In the most recent episode of Caresha Please, G Herbo asked her how she found out about the baby. “Did you know about that baby before October?” he said. The City Girl responded saying ”Yeah, I did, I think…when you’re dealing with somebody, communication is key. It wasn’t, like, a surprise to me.” You can see them discuss Love Combs below.

Photo: Revolt Media

28 Dec 2022

Twitter Reacts To 1-Year-Old Waffle House Brawl Video, Amazed At White Employee Deflecting Chair

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Waffle House worker Deflects Chair During Brawl, Twitter Reacts

Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty / Waffle House

Only at Waffle House can customers get a side of hands and feet with their grits, cheese eggs, bacon, and waffles.

*Trigger Warning, this story will contain written and visual references to a fight.*

The famed down south 24-hour breakfast hot spot is usually the go-to destination after the club lets out or whatever late-night activities are wrapped up.

The food should be the main topic of discussion with any food establishment, but with Waffle House, the brawls always seem to be on the menu.

Recently a video of a brawl going down in the establishment between customers and Waffle House employees has gone viral on Twitter.

Most believe it was recent, but the person who kindly deposited it on Elon Musk’s Twitter, @rbaylor_74, says he was holding onto it for a year.

Also, many people think the Waffle House brawl went down at a Georgia location on Christmas Day. It was in Texas, and one thing, in particular, has caught Twitter users’ attention.

In the video, a white employee is all the talk because she wanted all the smoke and wasn’t even fazed when a customer chucked a chair at her.

Dine at Waffle House at your discretion. Unfortunately, we expect to see more of these incidents at other locations in the future.

You can peep more reactions to the brawl video in the gallery below.

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Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty

2. Howling

3. It should be a dish on the menu

5. This is brilliant

28 Dec 2022

Shawn Mendes Swims in Freezing Cold River in His Underwear: Watch

It’s safe to say that Jack Frost nipped at Shawn Mendes‘ nose, toes and everything in between this Christmas. In a daring video posted to his Instagram, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter revealed that he celebrated the holiday by taking a swim in a freezing river — and as if that wasn’t cold enough on its own, he did it while wearing nothing but his underpants.

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In the video, Mendes and a friend stand in the snow next to the river, which is visibly capped with sheets of thick ice. The “Mercy” singer then strips off his pants, sweater and boots until nothing but his black boxers are left, and he proceeds to take the plunge.

“It’s cold!” the Ontario native shouts after dipping his head into the frigid water.

And later, as he’s stepping out of the river — his skin flushed pink from the cold — he confesses, “I can’t feel a thing.”

“MERRY CHRISTMAS,” Mendes captioned the excursion.

The “When You’re Gone” musician’s friends and fans took to the comments to cheer him on. “Can take the boy outta Canada but can’t take the Canada outta the boy,” wrote Mendes’ former MagCon costar Nash Grier. “BLUE BALLS. LITERALLY,” wrote producer and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.

Mendes’ video comes about five months after the pop star made the shocking decision to cancel the entirety of his Wonder World Tour, which he’d originally postponed by just a few weeks. He explained at the time that he needed to focus on his mental health, and the following month, he told TMZ that he was spending his time off going to therapy, hanging out with family and “taking it easy.”

In October, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, an animated film for which Mendes voiced the titular character, premiered. It featured an original song written by Mendes for the movie, titled “Heartbeat.”

Check out Shawn Mendes’ Christmastime polar plunge below:

28 Dec 2022

All the 2022 Billboard Latin Artists on the Rise: Quevedo, Yahritza Y Su Esencia & More

In 2022, Billboard‘s Latin Artists on the Rise series featured throughout a select group of artists who had a breakthrough inside or outside of their genre, scored a significant chart feat and/or created a buzz that was impossible to ignore.

This year, the series went from featuring two artists a month to only having one Artist on the Rise per month, which leaves us with a total of 12 up-and-coming acts who were spotlit — including 25-year-old Silvana Estrada, who was the first Artist on the Rise of 2022 and went on to win best new artist at the Latin Grammys in November (in a tie with 95-year-old musician Ángela Álvarez).

April’s Artist on the Rise was Mexican-American teenage trio Yahritza Y Su Esencia, who made history with their first-ever single “Soy El Único.” Siblings Yahritza, Armando, and Jairo Martinez first created a fan base on TikTok and then made history on the Billboard charts after their debut single (released March 25 via Lumbre Music) debuted at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs, and hit No. 20 on the Hot 100 chart, making the then 15-year-old Yahritza ​​the youngest Latin performer to enter the all-genre tally.

Another artist that was part of the exclusive list was Spanish artist Quevedo who, alongside Bizarrap, scored his first No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. thanks to their summer smash hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52.”

Below, we highlight all the artists who formed part of the coveted Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise series throughout 2022.

28 Dec 2022

Meek Mill Posted Bail for 20 Incarcerated Women So They Could Spend the Holidays With Family

A Christmas miracle. Meek Mill posted the bail of multiple women last week so they could spend the holiday with their families.

According to an Instagram post by his nonprofit REFORM Alliance, the 20 women were incarcerated at Philadelphia’s Riverside Correctional Facility. “The women, who were unable to afford bail, will now be able to spend the holiday season with their families and loved ones,” read the caption. “Five women were released today and will be reunited with their families, with the goal of 15 more women being released in the coming week. The women will also each receive a gift card to purchase groceries or gifts for the holidays.”

“For families impacted by the criminal justice system, the holidays can be an extremely challenging time,” said the rapper in a statement. “No one should have to spend the holidays in jail simply because they can’t afford bail, and no child should be without their parents during this time if we can do something about it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year.”

Posting bail isn’t the only good deed Mill performed during this holiday season. Earlier in December, he visited the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice facility to spend time with kids whose families are ensnared in the criminal justice system, tossing a football around to the cheers of the assembled children.

The Philly native’s split from Roc Nation Management was also addressed by his pal — and REFORM co-founder — Jay-Z this summer in his four-minute verse on DJ Khaled’s star-studded single “God Did,” in which Hov insisted “Me and Meek could never beef.”

Check out Mill’s act of Christmas kindness below.

28 Dec 2022

Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About a New Song on ‘This Is Me … Now’ & Its Special Symbolism

In 2023, Jennifer Lopez‘s new era will take flight with the release of her new album, This Is Me … Now. And in her latest newsletter, the 53-year-old singer-actress opened up about one of the songs she wrote for the set, and revealed how it inspired her and husband Ben Affleck’s blended-family Christmas celebrations.

“I wrote a song called ‘Hummingbird’ for my new album. To me, hummingbirds are messengers of love,” Lopez explained in her On The JLo newsletter. “They’re very agile — can fly forward, backward, and up and down. They’re also the fastest bird but they always have time to stop, eat something sweet and smell the roses.”

“I identify with them, but more than anything, whenever I see one, I feel like it’s a sign from God that everything is going to be OK,” she added.

The Marry Me star, who said she’d spent recent weeks “hunkering down at home” after wrapping up her newest movie Atlas, went on to say that she likes to create a different theme for each holiday she celebrates.

“I decided this year that the hummingbird would be a perfect theme,” she continued. “I wanted to have a tree in the house that was a hummingbird tree, reminding us that everything done in love and with love will always be OK.”

“We have blended families, doubled the people, doubled the fun, doubled the love, doubled the presents and tripled the chaos!!” added Lopez, whose household includes Affleck (whom she married in July), his three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner — 17-year-old Violet, 13-year-old Seraphina and 10-year-old Samuel — and Lopez’s two children with ex-husband Marc Anthony, 14-year-old twins Max and Emme.

One of the ways the “Let’s Get Loud” singer and the Oscar winner celebrated the holidays this year was by hosting a star-studded Christmas party in L.A., at which Lopez wore a Gucci dress with green and gold “hummingbird” colors, she pointed out in her newsletter.

This Is Me … Now is expected next year, though its exact release date has not yet been revealed. Lopez first announced the album — a follow-up to her 2002 record This Is Me … Then — in a late November Instagram post. She also at that time unveiled the tracklist, which lists “Hummingbird” at No. 8.

See the album announcement below:

28 Dec 2022

K.S. Chithra’s ‘Soul of Varisu’ Rules Hot Trending Songs Chart

K.S. Chithra’s “Soul of Varisu” from the upcoming film Varisu crowns Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated Dec. 31.

Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter and sponsored by Xfinity Mobile, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running Dec. 16-22.

“Soul of Varisu” is one of multiple songs composed by Thaman S to be featured on the soundtrack to the Tamil-language film Varisu, out Jan. 12, 2023.

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The song, sung by Chithra, was released Dec. 20 and has accumulated more than 9 million global views on YouTube since its premiere.

“Soul of Varisu” is followed by multiple songs from Stray Kids’ latest compilation album, SKZ-REPLAY, released Dec. 21. Pacing the pack is “Deep End,” performed by Stray Kids member Felix, which starts at No. 2.

In all, six songs from SKZ-REPLAY reach the chart’s top 10, with “Deep End” followed by “Stars and Raindrops,” “Doodle,” “Ice Cream,” “Love Untold” and “Up All Night” at Nos. 6-10.

Songs by Ava Max and NCT DREAM also reach the top 10.

Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.