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30 Oct 2023

Travis Barker & Kourtney Kardashian Look Positively Spooky in Beetlejuice & Lydia Halloween Costumes

With Halloween just around the corner, celebrities are flocking to social media to share the spooky activities and flashy costumes they donned over the weekend in the lead-up to the holiday. Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian took to Instagram on Monday (Oct. 30) to share photos of themselves dressed as Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz from the 1988 classic Beetlejuice.

The couple shared their costume in a joint post to their Instagram accounts, with photos of Barker decked out in pale-white face makeup, a dark purple suit and the crazy hair of the movie’s namesake character played by Michael Keaton, while Kardashian wore the signature red wedding dress worn by Lydia, played by Winona Ryder.

“I’m the ghost with the most, babe,” the photos were captioned, referring to the movie’s scene in which Lydia and Beetlejuice meet for the very first time.

The Blink-182 drummer and Poosh founder’s costume post comes just days after he shut down fans of The Kardashians who speculated that he was the source of the feud between his wife and her sister, Kim Kardashian. Some viewers of the show exhumed excerpts from Barker’s 2016 memoir — in which he described Kim as “f—ing hot” — and an Us Weekly interview where he reflected on a 2006 trip to Amsterdam he took with his girlfriend at the time, Paris Hilton, to point to a potential love triangle between himself, Kourtney and Kim. “Kim was eye candy … I was in no way disrespectful to Paris, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off Kim,” he told Us in 2015.

Referring to the rumors in a Sunday interview with the Los Angeles Times, Barker said, “It’s like, ‘Kourtney’s fans are worried about Travis. He’s a womanizer,’” he said. “I obviously shared all that stuff because I wanted to move past it. It was therapeutic for me. That’s her sister. She knows we used to talk. Nothing bad was going on.” He continued that they were ultimately making something out of nothing, adding, “You give people a little information and they think they’ve solved the mystery of ‘this is why they’re fighting.’ It’s just so ridiculous.”

See Barker and Kourtney’s Halloween costume below:

30 Oct 2023

Kendrick Lamar & Dave Free’s pgLang Partners with Light for Minimalist New Phone

Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free’s pgLang is moving into the tech space with its newest device: the Light Phone II. 

Slated to drop Thursday, the Light Phone II comes through a partnership with tech company Light. The minimalist phone will not include a Web browser or color interface and is positioned to be a less-distracting alternative to the modern cell phone. The limited release will consist of 250 phones exclusively available at pg-lang.com and is billed as “just a phone” to interested consumers.

Founded by Joe Hollier and Kaiwei Tang in 2015, Light’s website touts their business as “not just another tech company.”

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About the phone, the website details the following: “We build all of the tools from scratch to ensure there are absolutely no third party apps tracking you. In this time of ‘Surveillance Capitalism’ and the ‘Attention Economy,’ the Light Phone represents a different option. You are the customer, not the product. This is a phone for humans.”

As for notable new features, there’s a “language tool” exclusive to the 250 phones. Users can ask the phone a question, shake it, and receive a response on the screen. The Light Phone II will include a calendar, notes/voice memos, directions, podcasts, music, an alarm, a hotspot and a calculator. The phone will be available for $250.

Last month, pgLang partnered with Converse for a black colorway version of the Converse Chuck 70. Similar to the trailer for Light Phone II, pgLang released content pieces for the shoe starring Dominic Fike and directed by Jack Begert. 

Watch the Light Phone II trailer below. 

30 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift Holds On to Hot 100 No. 1, Best Halloween Costumes of 2023 & More | Billboard News

Celebrities are showing off their best Halloween costumes during the creepiest, crawliest time of the year. We round up the best costumes donned so far this Halloween season. Can Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” continue its run at No. 1? Morgan Wallen continues to have a big impact on our charts, SZA and Luke Combs continue to stay strong in the top 10 of the Hot 100. Flavor Flav of Public Enemy sang the national anthem at the Hawks-Bucks game this weekend. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Music’s biggest stars step out for Halloween. Flavor Flav added his signature flavor to the national anthem. We run down this week’s top 10 on the Hot 100. We learned five things about PinkPantheress. And Edgar Barrera plays ‘This or That.’

Welcome to another week of Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly, it’s Monday, October 30th, and tomorrow may be Halloween, but this year’s costumes are already epic. From musicians cosplaying as other musicians to your fave’s questionable choices — it’s not even Halloween yet but we’ve got a ton of costumes to get inspo from. We all know Paris Hilton loves Halloween and Britney Spears. Her “Toxic” costume is so perfect, we’ll forgive using “Gimme More” for this look. She also channeled Katy Perry from her Vegas show, and you know she got her right since she got an up close and personal view of the original. Lizzo honored the late Tina Turner with her Halloween look this year. Justin Bieber stepped out twice in what we are assuming is a scuba diver costume and the BamBam to Hailey’s Pebbles.

Also getting into the spooky spirit were Demi Lovato as Snow White, Halsey as some sort of sea creature, Sabrina Carpenter as a princess, and Paris Jackson serves Hobbit realness.

Watch the full video above!

30 Oct 2023

North West Dresses As Ye’s “Dropout Bear” For Halloween

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Yeezy show, Runway, Fall Winter 2020, Paris Fashion Week, France - 02 Mar 2020

Source: WWD / Getty

North West pays tribute to her dad Ye aka Kanye West’s Graduation album by dressing up as the “Dropout Bear” mascot for Halloween.

On Saturday morning (Oct. 28), North West shared a video to the TikTok account that she shares with her mother Kim Kardashian. The video begins with the 10-year-old facing the camera operated by her mother, showing off how much she resembles her father, Ye aka Kanye West before donning the head of the “Dropout Bear” costume and dancing around to a sped-up version of “American Boy,” the 2007 smash hit by Estelle which featured Ye.

There were two other posts on the popular social media platform featuring the preteen in the costume. One showed her singing and dancing to “I Wonder,” from the Grammy Award-winning Graduation album and the other featured her dancing nonstop for almost a minute in full costume to “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.”

The costume itself is the one from West’s third album, Graduation, which showed the “Dropout Bear” mascot decked out in dark denim jeans, a blue and gray varsity jacket and a “Jesus piece” chain. The artwork of the bear was done by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. The mascot became famous after being featured on the cover of West’s debut album The College Dropout in 2004.

It’s not the first time that North has paid homage to her famous father. Earlier this year, she showed off an outfit featuring a Ralph Lauren long-sleeved rugby shirt with blue and orange stripes similar to what Ye wore at the time of The College Dropout’s release. The spooky season of Halloween has seen North West and her siblings honor other notable music artists in the past. Last year, she dressed as the late singer Aaliyah wearing a full ensemble by Tommy Hilfiger while Saint dressed up as Snoop Dogg. Chicago dressed like the singer Sade, and Psalm sported a costume inspired by the late Eazy-E.

30 Oct 2023

Nike Unveils Doernbecher Freestyle XIX Collection

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NIKE Doernbecher Freestyle XIX Collection

Source: NIKE / NIke

NIKE continues to grow one of their most important partnerships with care. The Doernbecher Freestyle XIX Collection has been unveiled.

NIKE Doernbecher Freestyle XIX Collection

Source: NIKE / NIke

On Friday, October 27 the sports apparel company announced the latest installment of releases in conjunction with the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Originally launched in 2004 the program has raised over $33 million dollars for the medical facility that provides pediatric care. Each year the program gives six OHSU patients the distinct opportunity to design footwear, clothing and accessories that are auctioned as per the hospital’s fundraiser.

“Created with a team of Nike product experts volunteering their time and expertise, each patient’s collection items are adorned with intricate details, hidden messages and unexpected color palettes to represent their individual passions, life experiences, medical journeys and relationships” the press release read. This year’s drops will highlight six iconic NIKE silhouettes including the Air Jordan III, a Nike Dunk High, a Nike Go FlyEase, a Nike ACG Mountain Fly 2 Low, a Nike Cortez and a Nike Air Max 1 ’86.

Each of the pieces, ranging from tops, hats, bags and sneakers, all carry the patient-designer’s thematic through out. Hugo Covarrubias Molina’s Air Jordan III for example feature his catch phrase “It’s OK To Be Different” on a transparent outsole with matching green slime on the heel and quarter panel. Hailey Leyva’s Air Max ‘86 has five hand drawn hearts, each representing the members of her family, on the toe box.

The NIKE Doernbecher Freestyle XIC Collection will be available in December. You can read more about the partnership here. 

Doernbecher Freestyle XIX: Hugo Covarrubias Molina

Source: Nike / NIke

30 Oct 2023

Boygenius’ Lucy Dacus & Julien Baker Recreate Ariana Grande & Pete Davidson Meme for Halloween

Boygenius’ Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker gave fans a serious throwback to 2018 with their Halloween costume over the weekend, recreating a viral photo of Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson that has since become the base of countless memes.

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In the snap posted to Instagram on Monday (Oct. 30), Baker takes on the role of the former Saturday Night Live comedian, dressed in an oversized plaid hoodie, black track pants and a purple hat with a lollipop in his mouth. On Baker’s arm is Dacus as the “Positions” singer, rocking an orange hoodie as a dress, thigh-high beige boots and her hair in Ari’s signature ponytail. Just like the OG photo of the former couple, Dacus’ Grande looks up lovingly at Baker’s Davidson while licking a lollipop.

See the photos here.

Grande and Davidson began dating in May 2018, shortly after the former’s split from Mac Miller and the latter’s breakup with Cazzie David. By June, the two were engaged. In October of that year, the couple parted ways.

Besides coming up with creative Halloween costumes, in other Boygenius news, the group is set to appear as musical guest on Saturday Night Live on Nov. 11, just weeks after the release of new four-track EP The Rest. Timothee Chalamet is scheduled as host. Boygenius’ reacted to the SNL news Sunday (Oct. 29) on Instagram with the simple but telling: “!!!”

30 Oct 2023

Kodak Black Threatens Ray J With The Fade Over ‘Drink Champs’ Comments

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2023 One Music Festival

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Kodak Black wasn’t pleased with Ray J’s assessment of his Drink Champs appearance, threatening him via social media Sunday (Oct. 29).

The recent appearance of Kodak Black on the latest episode of the Drink Champs podcast hosted by N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, sparked a good amount of commentary on his behavior. It also caused some to express concern, with Ray J being one of the more vocal commenters. “Yo somebody need to grab bro and make sure he good,” Ray J wrote in a now-deleted post on Instagram after the episode aired. “This ain’t the interview Nore. We gotta help this dude. I took him to Trump house and he did the most. They were not happy with the experience bc he had no guidance and respect.” He also directly addressed the influential West Coast figure Wack 100. “Yo [Wack 100] let’s figure out how we can help this guy instead of watching him self-destruct.”

The words of concern didn’t go over well at all with Kodak Black, who expressed his anger through an Instagram Live session. “Ray J your little a*s is a b*tch, homie” he snapped in the video. “I don’t need your help, p*ssy-a*s n*gga. I’m straight. F*ck wrong with you, homie? Beat your little a*s.” The ”No Flocking” rapper continued to curse out the singer and entrepreneur while walking around a residence, sometimes walking off camera.

“You had nothing to do with that Trump sh*t,” he continued. You had nothing to do with that Trump sh*t. They be hating that p**ssy-ass n*gga. You just want to go viral. You want to go viral on the street. Talking about you took me to Trump house. Who the f*ck you is? Trump got me out of prison, homie. You think I need you to take me to Trump’s [house]?”

The reference to former President Donald Trump stems from a dinner meeting that Ray J had with him in March of this year at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate a year after the rapper was pardoned by Trump. Video footage from that event showed Kodak Black, aka Bill Kahan Kapri, meeting Trump who asked him “How are you” as the two came face to face, even exchanging a fist bump as they briefly spoke. “It was the right thing to do,” Ray told Page Six of the New York Post at the time. “Trump pardoned him.”

30 Oct 2023

8 Things We Learned From Jay-Z On ‘CBS Mornings’

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2018 Roc Nation THE BRUNCH

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Landing an interview with Jay-Z is no easy feat, but when your name is Gayle King it can be a bit easier to do so as her name holds the kind of weight that Jay-Z used to a move a lifetime ago.

Getting the exclusive with arguably the greatest rapper of all time, Gayle King and Jay-Z linked up at the Brooklyn Public Library where they toured his lifework and got into different aspects of his accomplishments and what they mean to him today.

From explaining where the diamond hand sign that became synonymous with Roc-A-Fella Records to revealing why he and Beyoncé named their daughter Blue Ivy, Jay-Z opens up about various topics and shows us how a lot of his life’s work is much deeper than rap.

Take a look at the full interview below and check out the eight things we learned from Jay-Z on CBS Mornings.

The hands displayed at The Book of Hov exhibit are actually Jay-Z’s hands

Jay-Z did the impression for the eventual mold. Interestingly enough, he didn’t know what he was doing it for. He says the team simply asked him to do it, so he did without questioning it. As for why he and his Roc-A-Fella team began throwing up the diamond sign, Jay-Z says it came from their belief that their R&B group Christión would sell 10 million records and go diamond. So they would throw up the diamond sign in support of Christión. They did not go diamond or even platinum, but that diamond sign itself definitely blew up.

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30 Oct 2023

Magic Johnson Finally Joins Michael Jordan LeBron James & Tiger Woods In The Billionaire Boys Club

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Magic Johnson Becomes 4th Athlete To Become A Billionaire

Source: Tasos Katopodis / Getty / Magic Johnson

The Billionaires Boys Club for Black notable athletes just got its fourth member, and it’s none other than Magic Johnson.

According to the financial bible, Forbes, Magic Johnson is now a billionaire. The NBA champion and Pro Basketball Hall-of-Famer reached the wealth milestone thanks to a combination of all of his lucrative investments in “professional sports teams, movie theaters, Starbucks cafes, and a health insurance provider,” according to the website.

Johnson becoming a billionaire makes him only the fourth professional athlete to do so, joining his buddy Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Tiger Woods.

Forbes reports Johnson’s minority stake in the Washington Commanders after billionaire Josh Harris’ $6.05 billion purchase of the team in May, stakes in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, and the MLS’ LAFC, plus other major investments pushed his net worth to $1.2 billion.

While Johnson’s investments in sports franchises, Starbucks, and Loews get all of the attention, Forbes points to his investment in Iowa-based life insurance company EquiTrust as the one that makes up the most significant portion of his net worth.

Per Forbes:

Forbes now estimates his net worth to be $1.2 billion—the result of his stakes in those teams, and major investments in a slate of industries, including a 60% stake in Iowa-based life insurance company EquiTrust he purchased in 2015.

EquiTrust makes up the largest portion of Johnson’s personal net worth—since the purchase, the Iowa-based company’s assets have skyrocketed from $16 billion to $26 billion, with annual revenues of roughly $2.6 billion.

Magic Johnson Could Have Been A “Trillionaire” Already

While Johnson has nothing to be upset about regarding his net worth, he could have already been a trillionaire if he had made one investment back in his playing days, and that’s taking Nike’s offer of stock options instead of the cash with Converse.

According to the numbers, Johnson missed out on $5.2 billion.

Still, being worth $1.2 billion is nothing to sneeze at. Congrats to the Magic man on the accomplishment.

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Photo: Tasos Katopodis / Getty

30 Oct 2023

Travis Barker Hits Back at ‘Ridiculous’ Speculation About Kourtney & Kim Kardashian’s Feud

Travis Barker would like to have a word with fans of The Kardashians.

In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times (published Oct. 29), the Blink-182 drummer spoke about fans of the show speculating that he was the source of the feud between sisters Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, telling them to “stop it.”

Claiming that there could be a potential love triangle between the trio, fans pointed to resurfaced excerpts from Barker’s 2016 memoir in which he described Kim as “f–king hot,” as well as a 2015 interview with Us Weekly in which he recalled a 2006 trip to Amsterdam with then-girlfirend Paris Hilton. “Kim was eye candy … I was in no way disrespectful to Paris, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off Kim,” he said at the time.

Speaking with the Times, Barker said that what his flirtation with Kim back in 2006 doesn’t mean there’s anything going on between them. “It’s like, ‘Kourtney’s fans are worried about Travis. He’s a womanizer,’” he said. “I obviously shared all that stuff because I wanted to move past it. It was therapeutic for me. That’s her sister. She knows we used to talk. Nothing bad was going on.”

He continued, adding that he felt fan speculation had gone too far. “You give people a little information and they think they’ve solved the mystery of ‘this is why they’re fighting.’ It’s just so ridiculous,” he said.

As fans continue to see Kourtney and Kim’s feud develop on The Kardashians, Barker and the Poosh founder are currently gearing up for the arrival of their first child together (a baby boy). While the couple has kept quiet about the baby’s due date, the pair threw a lavish Disney-themed baby shower last month.