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From Snoop Dogg’s surprisingly stylish clothing line to Sabrina Carpenter’s favorite fragrance, here’s what we’re picking up from Walmart this season.
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The Department of Justice issued a report detailing the numerous abuses by the Memphis Police Department based on their investigation after the death of Tyre Nichols.
On Wednesday (Dec. 4), the Department of Justice released a scathing report containing the findings of an investigation into the Memphis Police Department, revealing that the department “engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, conducting unlawful stops, searches and arrests and discriminatory policing of Black people and residents with behavioral health disabilities,” according to DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. The department began its investigation 17 months after the beating death of Tyre Nichols by Memphis Police officers in 2023 after a traffic stop.
The report went into detail on how officers would employ excessive force “almost immediately in response to low-level, nonviolent offenses, even when people are not aggressive.” One example detailed how nine police cruisers and 12 officers responded to a call of a mentally ill person who stole a $2 soft drink from a gas station, using a Taser and pepper spray in the process. Another data point by Clarke highlighted the disparity of police interactions between Black and white residents, where she noted: “MPD cites or arrests Black adults for marijuana possession at 5.2 times the rate of White adults.” Another instance detailed how a Memphis Police officer picked up an 8-year-old with behavioral issues and tossed him onto a couch. These were in addition to “inconsistencies” between written reports and body camera footage.
The city of Memphis held a press conference to respond to the findings of the report. “In the last three years we have changed over 700 policies… that help to direct process, help to improve officer response. Community engagement has been a significant part of the work we have been doing,” said Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn “C.J” Davis. Davis is Black, as is 50% of the police department, including the five officers involved in beating Nichols. Memphis City Attorney Tannera George Gibson stated that the city had been presented with a consent decree granting further federal oversight over the department, but it declined in a letter, writing: “Until the City has had the opportunity to review, analyze, and challenge the specific allegations that support your forthcoming findings report, the City cannot — and will not — agree to work toward or enter into a consent decree that will likely be in place for years to come and will cost the residents of Memphis hundreds of millions of dollars.”
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President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to sit down with NBC’s Kristen Welker for his first network interview after winning the 2024 election last month.
According to reports, Donald Trump has agreed to sit down with Meet The Press moderator Kristen Welker for his first network interview since being reelected to the White House in last month’s presidential election. The interview with Welker will take place Friday (Dec. 6), and will be recorded and aired Sunday (Dec. 8), during the 10:30 a.m. time slot that Meet The Press usually airs in, as announced by NBC.
Trump and Welker have a turbulent history as interviewer and subject. Welker interviewed him for Meet The Press in September 2023, which would be Trump’s only major network appearance. Welker was taken to task by critics for not firmly fact-checking Trump on his talking points, which included immigration and the policies of his then-Republican primary opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. That interview stood out among his appearances on Fox News networks and with podcast hosts such as Joe Rogan and Adin Ross during the presidential election cycle.
Welker was also attacked by Trump as being “biased” before his debate against then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in September 2020. He’d later praise her during the debate, hosted by NBC News. “By the way, so far, I respect very much the way you’re handling this. I have to say,” he said at the debate stage in Belmont, Tennessee. She also sparred with Vice President-elect JD Vance over his backpedaling on abortion after his debate in October.
The interview is significant as other outlets are plotting on how to cover and approach Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to get revenge on those whom he felt had wronged him. Most recently, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, have been under constant criticism after they visited Mar-a-Lago last month after the election. Scarborough blasted critics of the meeting in a 20-minute rant Thursday morning (Dec. 5), claiming that other networks are plotting out their own sit-downs with Trump. “Do we judge CNN for doing it? No,” he said. “You know why? It’s their jobs! Grow up! It’s their jobs. The only thing we did that caused this Twitter storm is we told you. Now, if you’d prefer that we don’t tell you everything that we do that’s fine. But we just thought in this case that transparency was best.”
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On the heels of receiving four Grammy Award nominations just a few weeks ago, TDE’s up-and-coming artist Doechii took her talents to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and showed everyone in the audience and viewers at home why she’s going to be a problem for years to come.
Taking to the stage with two look-alike back-up dancers decked out in some spiffy Gucci attire and interlinked braids (that was a dope touch), Doechii performed her hit singles “Denial Is A River” and “Boiled Peanuts” much to the delight of the crowd. After giving a captivating performance you can understand why she’s up for Best New Artist and even has her album Alligator Bites Never Heal up for Best Rap Album of 2024. While she has some stiff competition in the likes of Drake and Eminem, we’re sure she’s honored to even be in the running.
Check out Doechii do her thing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Dolly Parton wants to give you the chance to slip into her fabulous footsteps. On Thursday (Dec. 5), the country icon and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer announced an open internet casting call for her upcoming Broadway show, Dolly: An Original Musical. “Hey there, it’s Dolly, and I am so excited to share some […]
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Whenever Will Smith tells his story expect some flowers to be given to those that helped him. He says his relationship with Alfonso Ribeiro changed his life.
As per HuffPost, the Philadelphia, Penn., native recently made an appearance on Vice’s Black Comedy in America series. During the in depth interview the multi-hyphenate discussed the many people that helped him during his historic career. When discussing his run as a rapper he made sure to highlight his partner DJ Jazzy Jeff. “There’s been a couple of creative relationships I’ve had that have totally transformed my life. And the first one was Jazzy Jeff,” Will Smith explained.
When it came to acting he revealed that meeting his The Fresh Prince of Bel Air co-star Alfonso Ribeiro was a game changer. “When you meet somebody who understands you in a way that other people don’t understand you. And they’re able to understand you, then craft things for you to create and shine and explode. And Alfonso was that guy for sure” he said.
The “Summertime” rapper went on to detail that the man who would go on to be forever known as Carlton Banks has always been special. “When he came in for the audition, there was like no question. That’s the one,” Will added. “Nobody commits as hard as Alf. We call it the ‘comedic limb.’ You know where you gon’ try this joke and you gon’ go out there with it, and you gon’ risk it all. And one of his big things, why he would commit so hard with the lines, he says, ‘You commit so the writers can know it doesn’t work.’”
You can see Will Smith discuss Alfonso Ribeiro below.
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If we know anything about Cardi B it’s that she’s all about getting that bag. But when she revealed her latest endorsement of clothing brand Shein, people reacted with shock and criticism as the “W.A.P.” rapper is known for rocking high-end clothing brands.
As surprising as it was to see Cardi B co-sign a clothing brand that many people wouldn’t admit to wearing just because it’s, well, “cheap,” some people began to roast Cardi for daring to promote affordable coats and jackets, saying she must be strapped for cash if she’s willing to go this route. “Shien?!?! Are you kidding me. That’s embarrassing,” one commenter said. Still, many others came to her defense in the comments section reminding people that Cardi came from the bottom to the top responding with comments like, “She humble she grew up hustling she buys shein and. Nothing wrong with it and she paired it with red bottoms she knows.”
Not one to take any disrespect lying down, Buzzfeed is reporting that Cardi addressed her haters herself by going on X Spaces and reminding everyone she’s still getting plenty of money.
Per Buzzfeed:
“People say that I’m surviving on Shein deals and brand deals,” she began. “Y’all like to talk about tour deals a lot. I want to let y’all know I could wake up tomorrow, sign a contract, and have half of $65 million — or half of $70 million – in my bank.”
Adding that she was offered that much on her “off year,” she continued, “I don’t want to take tour deals until I announce my album. When I announce my new album I know they’re going to up it. You’ve got to move smart like a bitch. You can’t act like you’re hungry, especially when you’re not.”
“I’m not surviving, baby. Spend like about $3 million in a month,” Cardi said, later adding that she’s waiting for an $80 or $100 million deal. “As long as my bills is paid, I can buy whatever the fuck I want whenever the fuck I want. Shit, I can go spend $500,000 on a fucking car tomorrow. I could buy me a $300,000 watch tomorrow. Bitch, I could buy your mother.”
Yeah, don’t try to slander Cardi’s money moves cause she will respond.
What do y’all think about Cardi B’s Shein deal? Is she too big of a star to go that route or do y’all think it’s much ado about nothing? Sound off in the comments section below.
Chris Martin and Coldplay are giving all their love to Dick Van Dyke on the legendary performer’s 99th birthday.
On Friday (Dec. 6), the rock band unveiled a short-film-style music video for its Moon Music ballad “All My Love” focusing on the Hollywood icon’s life and career as Van Dyke celebrates his last double-digit trip around the sun. Directed by Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore, the seven-minute visual shows the Mary Poppins star limberly dancing in a suit and bare feet, showing off his infectious sense of humor and offering up musings about his personal journey in between shots of Martin playing piano.
“I’m acutely aware that I could go any day now,” Van Dyke says at one point while looking back on old family photos and heirlooms from his expansive filmography. “But I don’t know why, it doesn’t concern me. I’m not afraid of it. I have that feeling — totally against anything intellectual I have — that I’m gonna be all right.”
The project was filmed at the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor’s house in Malibu. Toward the end, he’s joined by his extended family, who applaud and give the patriarch hugs during the track’s high point.
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On Thursday night, Martin and Van Dyke appeared side by side on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to share how the video came together. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t know who he was,” Van Dyke told Kimmel about the call to make the video with the band. “I didn’t know who you were,” Martin quipped back with a big smile. “I said, ‘we’re looking for an old guy. Who’s the oldest guy?’”
Martin then admitted that he’s a “super fan” of the Hollywood legend and revealed that Van Dyke is (kind of) a neighbor and one day a few years ago he invited the legend over for breakfast. In fact, the singer then busted out what he said is his one and only impression: the dry laugh that Van Dyke did as old banker Mr. Dawes in Mary Poppins, which cracked the actor up.
“This really may be the most fun thing I’ve ever done. It makes me so grateful,” Martin said. “It’s a big deal for me.”
A shorter version of the visual will arrive Dec. 13, the date Van Dyke officially turns 99.
The day prior, Coldplay will make its performance debut at the Billboard Music Awards live from the band’s Music of the Spheres World Tour stop in Australia. The “All My Love” music video comes about two months after Coldplay dropped its 10th studio album, Moon Music, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Ariana Grande has been in the spotlight for more than half of her life. In an interview with YouTube personality Sally this week, the Wicked star got very candid about what that has felt like, specifically how it feels to constantly have strangers evaluating and judging her body. And, in a super honest moment, she had a simple message for people who do that.
“There’s a comfortability people have with commenting on that [my body] that I think is really dangerous. And I think it’s dangerous for all parties involved,” she said, as her Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo, held the singer’s hand and comforted her as she appeared on the verge of tears while answering a question about the struggle for women to live up to society’s exacting, often unreasonable, beauty standards
“I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish since I was 16 or 17, so I have heard it all,” Grande said. “I’ve heard every version of it… of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons. But that’s everything from – even just the simplest thing – your appearance, you know?”
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Grande, 31, said it’s hard to protect yourself from that noise and it’s uncomfortable no matter where you experience such pressures. “Even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner, and someone’s granny says, ‘Oh my God, you look skinnier! What happened?’ or ‘You look heavier! What happened?’” she said. “That is something that’s uncomfortable and horrible no matter where it’s happening… and I think in today’s society there’s a comfortability that we shouldn’t have, at all, commenting on other’s looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes, or health, or how they present themselves.”
Getting animated, Grande said those kinds of judgements about what women are wearing and how their bodies and faces look are “dangerous.” She counted herself lucky to have a good support system that allows her to “know and trust that I am beautiful… but I do know what the pressure of that noise feels like… I just don’t invite it in anymore. It’s not welcome. I have work to do. I have a life to live. I have friends to love on, I have so much love and it’s not invited.”
She added that however you have to block that noise out, whether it’s deleting a toxic social app or blocking trolls online, “you keep yourself safe. Because no one has the right to say s–t!”
The latter comment drew a clap from host Sally, as well as an “amen” seconded by Erivo. “Can you tell I needed that today?” Grande said with a smile as Erivo grabbed her arm and displayed yet another example of the way the two women have openly supported and big-upped each other during the exhaustive press tour in support of the hit movie musical which has already rolled up $372.9 million in ticket sales so far.
Grande has spoken before about fans’ concerns over her appearance, including in a TikTok video last year in which she had similar thoughts about people’s concerns about her body.
“I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies — no matter what. If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is. Healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy, I don’t… We just shouldn’t. We should really work towards not doing that as much,” she said at the time.
“But I also just wanted to say one, there are many different kinds of beautiful,” she added. “There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. I know personally for me, the body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body. I was on a lot of anti-depressants, and drinking on them and eating poorly, and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my ‘healthy.’ But that, in fact, wasn’t my healthy. I know I shouldn’t have to explain that, but I do feel like maybe having an openness and some sort of vulnerability here, something good might come from it.”
Check out Grande and Erivo’s interview with Sally below.
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Country music’s biggest stars are shining bright this holiday season with the 15th annual CMA Country Christmas special. Hosted by Grammy winners Amy Grant and Trisha Yearwood for the second year in a row, the variety show brings together country singers and gospel singers to celebrate the Christmas season.
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While it originally aired on ABC this week, you can now watch CMA Country Christmas online through Hulu. The streaming service has CMA Country Christmas available to stream on-demand for all subscribers, as part of its “Huludays” festive lineup.
Log into Hulu.com with your account details to start watching all the performances from CMA Country Christmas online. Not a subscriber? Hulu‘s latest promotion gets you up to one month of access to the streaming service for free, with no commitment. Your free trial lets you watch all of Hulu’s on-demand shows, movies and specials from your TV, computer, tablet or phone (via the Hulu app).
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Sign up for Hulu’s free trial here. Plans start at just $9.99/month after your trial period is up. See full details here.
CMA Country Christmas features a cavalcade of artists performing both Christmas classics and new festive hits. Grant and Yearwood team up to perform “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” and Grant’s 1982 Christian hit, “Sing Your Praise to the Lord.” Grant also performs “Tennessee Christmas,” while Yearwood takes on a Christmas medley.
The lineup of performers also includes FOR KING + COUNTRY and Carin León, who team up to perform “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” while recent CMA winner Cody Johnson performs “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
Ashley McBryde and Brittney Spencer team up to perform “Man With The Bag,” Jon Pardi sings “400 Horsepower Sleigh,” and Gospel legend CeCe Winans takes the crowd to church with a spirited rendition of “Joy to the World.”
This is the 15th year that CMA Country Christmas has been broadcast. Filmed in Nashville in front of a live audience, the holiday special is an official production of the Country Music Association.
Watch CMA Country Christmas on-demand now on Hulu.