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02/12/2025
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02/12/2025
President Donald Trump was elected chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., he announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Wednesday (Feb. 12). He replaces financier David M. Rubenstein as chair.
Deborah F. Rutter, who had served as president of the Kennedy Center since 2014, was subsequently fired from her position. Rutter had announced last month that she intended to step down at the end of 2025.
Trump’s Truth Social post read: “President Donald J. Trump was just unanimously elected Chairman of the Board of the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The President stated, ‘It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees. We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!’”
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On Monday, Trump posted on social media that he would appoint Richard Grenell, who was ambassador to Germany during the first Trump administration, as the center’s interim executive director, saying that he “shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture” and would make sure there was no more “ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.”
On Wednesday, shortly after Trump was elected chairman, singer and songwriter Ben Folds said he would resign his post as an adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, which is overseen by the Kennedy Center. “Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic adviser to the N.S.O. Not for me,” Folds wrote on Instagram.
The Kennedy Center oversees the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Washington National Opera, in addition to presenting theatrical shows, the Kennedy Center Honors and more.
In his first term as president, Trump broke with precedent by not attending the annual Kennedy Center Honors, something all previous presidents had done since the honors program began in 1978, minus rare cases when they were called away by urgent events. Trump also was a frequent critic of the Center’s programming.
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday (Feb. 7).
He continued: “I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP! Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
Trump’s social media reference to “Drag Shows” appeared to be a reference to a show the center hosted last year called “Dragtastic Dress-up,” which was aimed at LGBTQ+ youth.
The Center has in recent days scrubbed its site of references to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Trump has been highly critical of such programs.
The Kennedy Center has historically been run by bipartisan boards. On Monday (Feb. 10), the Trump administration officially removed 18 board members who had been appointed by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
The members removed include some of Biden’s closest aides — Karine Jean-Pierre, the former White House press secretary, and political strategist Mike Donilon — as well as artists including Grammy and Oscar winner Jon Batiste.
The board is now entirely comprised of Trump appointees, including the president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles; Dan Scavino, a longtime Trump aide; and Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance.
Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a lawsuit on Wednesday (Feb. 12) against NBCUniversal, claiming the company defamed him with the Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.
According to documents filed in New York state court, Combs’ lawsuit claims the documentary — which debuted on Peacock in January — knowingly defamed him by making false murder and sex trafficking allegations, among other claims, which his attorneys say there is no credible evidence to support.
“The entire premise of the Documentary assumes that Mr. Combs has committed numerous heinous crimes, including serial murder, rape of minors, and sex trafficking of minors, and attempts to crudely psychologize him,” the lawsuit reads. “It maliciously and baselessly jumps to the conclusion that Mr. Combs is a ‘monster’ and ‘an embodiment of Lucifer’ with ‘a lot of similarities’ to Jeffrey Epstein.”
According to the lawsuit, the documentary “maliciously” claims that Diddy played a role in the deaths of his ex-wife Kim Porter, Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace and Dwight “Heavy D” Myers.
The documentary “shamelessly advances conspiracy theories that lack any foundation in reality,” the suit adds, “repeatedly insinuating that Mr. Combs is a serial killer because it cannot be a ‘coincidence’ that multiple people in Mr. Combs’s orbit have died.”
Combs is seeking $100 million in damages from the multimedia giant.
“As described in today’s lawsuit, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, Peacock TV, LLC, and Ample LLC made a conscious decision to line their own pockets at the expense of truth, decency, and basic standards of professional journalism,” Diddy’s attorney, Erica Wolff, said in a statement. “Grossly exploiting the trust of their audience and racing to outdo their competition for the most salacious Diddy exposé, Defendants maliciously and recklessly broadcast outrageous lies in Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.”
Wolff continued: “In the purported documentary, Defendants accuse Mr. Combs of horrible crimes, including serial murder and sexual assault of minors — knowing that there is no evidence to support them. In making and broadcasting these falsehoods, among others, Defendants seek only to capitalize on the public’s appetite for scandal without any regard for the truth and at the expense of Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial. Mr. Combs brings this lawsuit to hold Defendants accountable for the extraordinary damage their reckless statements have caused.”
Billboard has reached out to NBCUniversal for comment.
Combs has remained behind bars since his arrest in September on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He’s accused of being the face of a multi-faceted criminal enterprise with the goal of satisfying his sexual fantasies, including by hosting so-called “freak-off” parties. The disgraced hip-hop mogul has repeatedly been denied bail and will stay in the custody of Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center until his trial begins on May 5. He faces life in prison if convicted on all charges. In addition to his criminal case, Combs has been hit with dozens of lawsuits alleging sexual assault and other crimes.
Millie Bobby Brown wasn’t just an eager participant when Sabrina Carpenter faux-arrested her at a Short n’ Sweet Tour stop October; the bit was the Stranger Things star’s idea, she revealed in a new interview.
Months after a video showing the “Espresso” singer detaining Brown for being “too hot” at the former’s Atlanta concert went viral, the actress told Vanity Fair in a new cover story published Wednesday (Feb. 12) that she had actually been the one to initially message Carpenter before the show.
“Can you arrest me?” she’d asked
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The Grammy winner — who has also performed “arrests” on Margaret Qualley and Saturday Night Live‘s Marcello Hernández at other Short n’ Sweet shows — obliged. “I would love to arrest you,” Brown recalls Carpenter replying.
Fast-forward to the actual show, and Brown’s big smile at Carpenter’s shout-out was one of the most talked-about moments of the Oct. 22 show at State Farm Arena. “I’m really distracted right now because I see this gorgeous girl,” the Girl Meets World alum said at the time, as the Enola Holmes star’s face came on over the jumbotron. “It’s so unfortunate we have to arrest you because you’re so beautiful, that sucks.”
The Short n’ Sweet show isn’t the only recent concert Brown is still thinking about, though. The Florence by Mills founder also saw Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop in Cincinnati in 2023, about which Brown raved to VF, “It was amazing, it was unbelievable.”
Brown also now knows the live choreography to Swift’s “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” number, which she learned with husband Jake Bongiovi, who is the son of Jon Bon Jovi. The Damsel star married the actor in May 2024, before once again exchanging vows in Tuscany four months later — a ceremony that she says included the newlyweds performing a six-minute Grease dance routine “that we choreographed ourselves.”
“We started with leather jackets and glasses, then took them off,” she recalled, noting that “Summer Nights,” “You’re the One That I Want” and “We Go Together” were all part of the show. “I was in my Sandy jumpsuit, and he was in this cool T-shirt, pants, and really shiny shoes.”
See Brown on the cover of Vanity Fair below.
AJ Tracey and Jorja Smith have linked up once again for an absolute banger. The pair started promoting the Rhythm & Grime song earlier this week with a clip on social media, with Jorja rapping her verse in a driveway with a beautiful money-green BMW E30 and AJ Tracey dipped in a pink Palace and […]
Influential French electronic duo Justice has been a staple in the dance/electronic community since the early 2000s, but the pair finally earns its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated Feb. 15) with a new collaboration with The Weeknd, “Wake Me Up.”
Released Feb. 7 on The Weeknd’s new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, the song opens at No. 45 on the Hot 100 with 10.9 million official U.S. streams, 1.4 million radio audience impressions and 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. The set launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 490,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week, the largest opening figure since Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department in May 2024.
“Wake Me Up,” the first cut on Hurry Up Tomorrow, interpolates the classic title track from Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller and Georgio Moroder’s “Main Title” from the 1983 film Scarface. The late Rod Temperton, who wrote “Thriller,” is credited as a co-writer of “Wake Me Up,” along with The Weeknd, Justice, Belly, Mike Dean, Johnny Jewel and Vincent Taurelle; The Weeknd, Justice, Mike Dean, Johnny Jewel produced it. Moroder, notably, is credited as a featured artist on Hurry Up Tomorrow track “Big Sleep,” which just misses the Hot 100, opening at No. 3 on the list’s Bubbling Under ranking. He has charted two songs on the Hot 100: “Chase” (No. 33 peak in 1979) and “Reach Out,” featuring Paul Engeman (No. 81, 1984).
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Justice, which comprises Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, first appeared on Billboard’s charts with Cross, which debuted at No. 1 on the Top Dance Albums chart dated July 28, 2007. The project is noteworthy for including hundreds of samples, helping usher in the bloghouse era and, later, the EDM boom.
The duo has charted six additional projects on Top Dance Albums, including four other top 10s: A Cross the Universe (No. 8 peak in 2008), Audio, Video, Disco (No. 4, 2011), Woman (No. 1, 2016) and Hyperdrama (No. 1, 2024).
Justice has also charted three hits on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart: “D.A.N.C.E.” (No. 13 peak in 2013, from Cross), “One Night/All Night,” with Tame Impala (No. 10, 2024) and “Neverender” (No. 8, 2024).
“Neverender” won best dance/electronic recording at the 67th Grammy Awards. It’s the pair’s third Grammy win, joining trophies for best remixed recording, non-classical for “Electric Feel (Justice Remix)” in 2009 and best dance/electronic album for Woman Worldwide in 2019. Cross was nominated for best electronic/dance album in 2008, while its breakout song “D.A.N.C.E.” earned a nod for best dance recording.
Justice’s collaboration with The Weeknd was first teased more than a year ago, when a demo leaked online. In an interview ahead of the release of Hyperdrama, Justice’s longtime manager Pedro Winter told Billboard that the duo had been inspired to partner with collaborators who felt like authentic fits.
“Justice has been a band saying ‘no’ to everything, exactly like when I used to work with Daft Punk,” he said. “They really wanted to focus on their own music. Now it has been a 20-year career, so it’s time to open the door and work with other people,” adding “Of course, a lot of [their fans] will not get the Justice sound … but out of those millions, let’s try to grab the attention and love of some of them.”
Saquon Barkley is in the midst of celebrating his 2025 Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he’s not feeling so celebratory about the way some of his team’s supporters treated Taylor Swift at the Big game over the weekend. During a SiriusXM interview with Howard Stern on Wednesday (Feb. 12), the superstar running […]
Lady Gaga is the latest star to take on First We Feast’s Hot Ones challenge, and the superstar deals with an uncomfortable wardrobe choice in a teaser for the upcoming episode. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the one-minute clip, Gaga rocks a dress with a […]
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Streamers like Kai Cenat are known for their bold reactions, but his take on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime performance raised some eyebrows. While reacting to Kendrick’s performance, Kai made a claim that caught many off guard. He suggested that the NFL added crowd noise behind Lamar’s performance to make the crowd’s reaction sound louder and more intense than it actually was.
Lamar’s halftime show was widely praised for its depth, artistry, and the way it brought hip-hop to the biggest stage. Fans saw it as a celebration of culture, and many argue it was one of the best Super Bowl performances ever. However, Kai’s comment, implying that the NFL enhanced the sound, caused an immediate uproar. He was quickly met with backlash from Kendrick Lamar fans who vehemently denied any fake crowd noise.
They argued that the raw emotion and energy of Kendrick’s performance was enough to elicit a powerful crowd reaction without any artificial help. Despite the controversy, Kai stood by his point, claiming that it was something he noticed while watching the show.
Despite the controversy, Kai stood by his point, claiming that it was something he noticed while watching the show. His statement led to heated discussions across social media platforms, with fans debating whether the NFL might have enhanced the sound for dramatic effect. While the debate rages on, it’s clear that Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance is still a defining moment in halftime show history.
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Source: GREG BAKER / Getty / Google
Google isn’t done kissing Donald Trump’s ring. Not only did they adopt the stupid Gulf of America name change, but they have also removed Black History Month from the calendar.
Spotted on NewsOne, Google is getting in line with Donald Trump and his administration’s continued assault on DEI and “woke” initiatives as part of his mission to make America white again; oops, we mean “great again,” the Alphabet-owned company has removed several cultural observances from Google Calendar, including Pride Month, Black History Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In an email, the company explained its reasoning for its head-scratching move in an email sent to Newsweek that the previous system it had in place to update the calendar was “unsustainable” and that from now on, Google would only display public holidays and national observances.
Google Calendar users quickly noticed that events like Black History Month (February), Pride Month (June), Women’s History Month (March), and Indigenous Peoples Month (November) were no longer on the calendar after being there in previous years.
As expected, the decision sparked outrage on x, formerly Twitter.
“Hey @Google yall do realize your president declared February Black History Month, even though it was already Black History Month so I think you need to put that back. I don’t fuck with that man, but he is your president and you do need to listen to him,” one user wrote.
Another user added, “Disgusting @Google. Even Trump recognized Black History Month. You are trying to outdo him? Disgusting. The excuse is worse. You are using are global calendar that doesn’t have federally recognized honorifics on it. Wow. Your own search engine recognizes Black History Month.”
https://x.com/hawkgrrrl/status/1889488355311886829
In response to the pushback, Google spokesperson Madison Cushman Veld noted that the company received feedback about the missing events, noting that manually adding hundreds of cultural observances was not sustainable.
Maybe they should use AI to do it. Just saying.
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