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13 Oct 2023

Ye aka Kanye West’s Hitler Love Angers Italian WWII Vets

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Celebrity Sightings In Milan - September 22, 2023

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Ye aka Kanye West is seeking to throw a concert in Italy, which is drawing the ire of the nation’s World War II veterans over his past comments praising Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

According to reports, Ye is currently in the midst of plans to put on a concert in the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. News of the potential concert has caused veterans from World War II who fought against the Nazi regime and Adolf Hitler as well as Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to voice their anger, citing West’s past comments praising Hitler last year.

There has been nothing made officially public, but sources have said that there are negotiations underway to build a giant event stage at the RCF Arena for a show to be held this weekend or the next. Word has it that there will potentially be a crowd of 80,000 fans who will attend, which has further angered the veterans – for historical reasons. The town of Cervarolo, which is 40 miles away from Reggio Emilia, was a key part of the Gothic Line. The Gothic Line was a defensive position by Nazi Germany. Ceravolo was where the Nazis murdered 24 people which included the village priest.

“Someone can be a fantastic singer but then they are also judged by what they say, and West has made some inhumane declarations and with what’s happening in the world today we cannot accept this concert,” said Albertina Soliani, the vice president of the National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI). ‘We are focused every day with carrying certain values, which are liberty and democracy and then with this we just have to start again from the beginning.

Some have suggested that if West doesn’t get to have a live audience, he might perform and have it available to stream for fans. West has been on an extended vacation in Europe with his wife, Bianca Censori. They’ve been spending time in Italy since August and caused a stir by engaging in sexual activity while vacationing in Venice, leading to them being banned by a water taxi group..

13 Oct 2023

Westside Gunn Drops ‘And Then You Pray For Me’ LP, X Salutes The Fly God

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Westside Gunn, alongside his Griselda outfit, helped transform the landscape of modern Hip-Hop with several high-quality releases over the past few years as the empire expanded. The Buffalo, N.Y., mastermind has curated what is rumored to be his final studio album in And Then You Pray For Me, and the early returns are in on X, formerly Twitter.

Westside Gunn has threatened retirement from music several times to focus on his other growing businesses but it appears that he’s still very much into releasing music and doesn’t intend to stop. That said, And Then You Pray For Me is the latest collection of art from WSG and some of the usual suspects appear on the drop.

Gunn and his family members Conway The Machine, now the head honcho for Drumwork Music, and Benny The Butcher, the top captain of the Black Soprano Family, show up early in the project. We’ve also got Syracuse, N.Y.’s Stove God Cooks, along with Rick Ross, past collaborators Estee Nack and Rome Streetz, Boldy James, Jeezy, and Ty Dolla $ign among others.

It has been written that this release is a sequel to WSG’s celebrated Pray For Paris album although it is a departure in sound with several trap-heavy sounds present. Gunn is aware that core fans aren’t going to love it and has a message for them below.

Producers include the talented Conductor Williams, Tay Keith, Beat Butcha, RZA, Denny LeFlare, Daringer and plenty of work from Miguel Da Plug. It isn’t known if Westside Gunn intends to release the highly-anticipated Michelle Records project that he teased for much of 2022, but for now, this platter will have to hold folks over.

Check out the reactions, some of which are mixed, to And Then You Pray For Me from X below along with an X post linking to the project.

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Photo: Getty

13 Oct 2023

Star Trek Cudi & More Must See Booths At New York Comic Con 2023

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New York Comic Con - Star Trek x Kid Cudi

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New York Comic Con 2023 kicked off on Thursday, October 12 at the Javits Center in New York City and it was the grand spectacle we’ve come to expect. The first day was once the “slow” day but if the massive crowds were any indication, the entire weekend will be jam-packed.

While the cosplayers were once again in full effect—see our gallery of the best cosplay here—there were plenty of booths, activations, panels and even actual comics for all sorts of fans of all things fantasy.

We got there early enough to peep some booths on the show floor you should definitely take the time to visit if you’re a Hip-Hop head making your way to New York Comic Con this weekend. From Kid Cudi getting in his Star Trek bag to Crocs being sold on the floor via Foot Locker, there’s plenty to see, so make sure your shoes have plenty of cushioning.

Check out our recommends…

Stranger Comics – Booth #3317

New York Comic Con - Stranger Comics

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Stranger Comics is the publisher of actress and activist Amandla Stenberg’s renowned Niobe character and comic. Niobe is a Black, half human and half elven hero and she kicks ass. What more do you need to know? Definitely worth tapping into the World of Asunda.

Foot Locker x Crocs – Booth #3001

New York Comic Con Crocs x Foot Locker

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Speaking of, Crocs are supposed to be comfy and Foot Locker was in the building and moving plenty of pairs of the collab between Crocs and Demon Slayer at Booth #3001

New York Comic Con - Crocs x Foot Locker

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Kid Cudi x Star Trek – Booth #2653

New York Comic Con - Star Trek x Kid Cudi

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Mr. Rager is rocking with the Star Trek franchise and they collaborated for an official capsule collections that includes tees, hoodies and a mean varsity jacket.

New York Comic Con - Star Trek x Kid Cudi

Source: aqua / iOne

New York Comic Con.- Star Trek x Kid Cudi

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BAIT – Booth #1435

New York Comic Con

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The BAIT store has gotten bigger and bigger each year at New York Comic Con. This year’s installation includes collabs with the anime series One Piece and Yu-Gi-Uh!

New York Comic Con - BAIT

Source: aqua / iOne

New York Comic Con - BAIT

Source: aqua / iOne

Heroes & Villians: MUTATIS MUTANDIS – Booth #1335 

New York Comic Con

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X-Men fans are surely familiar with the Xavier School for Gifted Youngster. Turns out they were freshly dipped with a collection, via the Heroes & Villains “Mutatis Mutandis” booth, that includes tees, hoodies hats and varsity jacket. The prep-familiar fashion is inspired by Wolverine, Rogue, Storm and other classic characters.

New York Comic Con - Heroes & Villains X-Men

Source: aqua / iOne

New York Comic Con Heroes & Villains X-Men

Source: aqua / iOne

The Boondocks – Booth #1043

New York Comic Con - The Boondocks

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The Boondocks booth offered prints and Boondocks apparel. Even the dude who voiced Uncle Ruckus was on hand to sign autographs and take photos.

13 Oct 2023

Britney Spears Jokes She Had ‘No Idea’ Who J Balvin & Maluma Were

Oops, she did it again. After getting together with two of the biggest stars in Latin music, Britney Spears took to Instagram to joke that she actually had no clue who they were.

Included in a video of her recent trip to New York City, the 41-year-old pop star shared a photo of her seated at a table with two so-called strangers. “Quick trip to NY… I had no idea who these boys were at this restaurant,” she captioned the since-deleted post Friday (Oct. 13).

But wait, who was she with? None other than J Balvin and Maluma, both of whom Spears tagged in the post.

The surprising trio seemed to have a ball Thursday night (Oct. 12), grabbing drinks and posing for a picture shared to Instagram by Maluma. “Who like me in love?” the “Hawái” musician captioned the snap in Spanish.

Balvin, who hugs Spears in the photo, responded in the comments: “Oh God hahahahahahahaha I can’t get over it.”

The “Toxic” singer is just days away from releasing her hotly anticipated memoir The Woman in Me on Oct. 24, which she made sure to promote in her post with Balvin and Maluma by adding the hashtag, “#TheWomanInMe.” According to a press release from publisher Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, the book is a “brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.”

Brit’s night out with the boys comes amid her split from husband Sam Asghari, who filed for divorce in August citing “irreconcilable differences.” The two were married for a year and a half before calling it quits, something Spears opened up about on social media.

“As everyone knows, Hesam and I are no longer together … 6 years is a long time to be with someone so, I’m a little shocked but … I’m not here to explain why because its honestly nobody’s business !!!” she wrote in an Aug. 18 Instagram post. “But, I couldn’t take the pain anymore honestly !!!”

See Maluma’s photo with Britney Spears and J Balvin here.

13 Oct 2023

‘Friday the 13th’: How to Watch & Stream the Horror Film Series

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Spooky season fans are living the ultimate nightmare this year, as Friday the 13th occurs in October. And, what better way to commemorate this chilling event than by watching Halloween movies — but not just any films — this day calls for the series that started it all: Friday the 13th. As we gear up for the release of Friday the 13th: The Awakening, catch up on all the previous movies that made the series a classic.

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Sure, you could indulge in the classic horror movie Halloween, but nothing sends chills down the spine like Jason Voorhees and his frightening hockey mask. Don’t own the movie? Thanks to the many affordable streaming options out there, you can stream the movie or, if you’re a collector, you can own the entire series on Blu-ray to watch year-round — no subscription required.

Keep reading to learn how to watch and stream the Friday The 13th film series.

What is Friday the 13th About?

For those new to the horror movies, Friday the 13th is considered one of the most successful slasher-film series. The first movie came out in the ’80s and continued on until 2009, when the 12th movie was released. At the center of it is the murderous Jason, who is famous for his bone-chilling hockey mask disguise as he goes from killing spree to killing spree, even having a showdown against another timeless scary movie villain: Freddy Kreuger from Nightmare on Elm Street.

How to Stream Every Friday the 13th Movie

You can stream every single movie from the Friday the 13th series on Max, which is HBO’s new streaming platform. If you already have Max, then just sign into your account, and you can find the movies under the horror category.

Looking for additional ways to save? Prime members can add Max as a channel through Prime Video, which will widen your library of offerings, including access to the entire Friday the 13th series. If you’re not a Prime member, new users get a 30-day free trial when they sign up, which means you can get Prime Video for free. After your free trial is up, you’ll be charged the regular $14.99/month subscription price. Just make sure to add Max to your Prime Video channels, which will be an additional $15.99/month. You can also rent Friday the 13th for $3.99 each, or buy the films for $12.99 each.

Students and those with qualifying government aid programs can get 50% off a Prime membership. Student members will also receive a six-month free trial, and EBT/Medicaid members will get a 30-day free trial.

Hulu subscribers can also get access to the Max library by adding the channel to their subscription for $15.99/month. If you’re new to Hulu, you can take advantage of its 30-day free trial when you sign up. You’ll still need to add Max to your subscription for $15.99/month in order to watch the Friday the 13th series. Once your free trial ends you’ll be charged the subscription price of the plan you choose. Plans start at $7.99/month for the ad-supported version, but the Premium plan is ad-free and is only $17.99/month. Students can take advantage of Hulu’s student discount that gives them the ad-supported package for only $1.99/month.

For additional savings, you can bundle with Hulu and get Disney+ and ESPN+ for just $14.99/month. And, if looking to expand your library of content even more, you can get Hulu + Live TV and have access to the entire Hulu library in addition to hundreds of live TV channels.

Finally, Paramount+ offers all of the Friday the 13th movies except for Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 reboot. As a bonus, the streamer even has the Friday the 13th series that you can also stream for free. Just sign into your account and search for it and you’ll be able to watch it for no additional cost.

Not a Paramount+ subscriber? New users get a seven-day free trial when they sign up for the platform, which means you can watch the movies available for free. After you free trial is over you’ll be charged the regular subscription fee based on the plan you choose. Paramount+ offer two plans: Paramount+ Essential ($5.99/month) and Paramount+ with Showtime ($11.99/month). The Essential plan gives you access to the entire Paramount+ library as well as NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League, some ads and live 24/7 news through CBS. The Paramount+ with Showtime plan includes everything in the Essential plan with no ads, access to the entire Showtime library, live TV, CBS, college football and the ability to download content offline onto smart devices.

If you’re a Prime member, you can also add Paramount+ as a premium channel to your Prime Video library.

Other Ways to Watch Friday the 13th Movies

Amazon is offering an exclusive collectable version of the entire Friday the 13th series on Blu-ray — and it’s on sale!

disc set and all movies on display

Amazon

You can enjoy every movie from the bone-chilling series on Blu-ray through this collectable boxed set, which is currently 19% off. Each disc comes with special features including exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes info that you won’t get through streaming. All the movies come in a collectable box that you can put on display to show off to all your other horror-loving friends.

13 Oct 2023

LeBron James Voices Support For Israel, X Users React

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As Israel is in the midst of conflict with the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza region, LeBron James expressed support via social media which drew a lot of mixed reactions and plenty of disapproval.
On Wednesday night (October 11), LeBron James posted a statement to X, formerly known as Twitter, addressing the current turmoil in Israel after the southern region including the Gaza Strip suffered an attack from members of the militant Hamas organization. James began, “The devastation in Israel is tragic and unacceptable.”

“The murder and violence against innocent people by Hamas is terrorism,” the post continued. “The SpringHill Company family sends our deepest condolences to Israel and the Jewish community. We pray for peace in the region and reiterate our continued commitment to fight hate in all its forms. We all must work to ensure this tragedy does not spread even more hate, racism, and antisemitism.” The statement was also co-signed by James’ business partner, Maverick Carter.

The Los Angeles Lakers forward’s statement is one of a series of releases by noted celebrities who have expressed similar sentiments about the conflict in the region which is now in its fifth day after Hamas members killed and kidnapped Israelis in the region in a shock attack over the weekend.

To date, Over 1,200 Israelis have reportedly been killed with close to 2,700 injured while in Gaza, it is estimated that 900 Palestinians have been killed along with 5,000 that were injured. It has increased divisions between those who believe the Israeli government to be too brutal in attacking innocent Palestinians in Gaza, and those who try to conflate the support of the Palestinian people with the support of Hamas.

James’ statement was met with dismay by quite a few users on X, who feel he made that statement to placate right-wing individuals. Others flatly accused him of “selling out” by not even mentioning the Palestinian people in the statement.

And tangentially, of course, many took the opportunity to crack jokes against LeBron James, saying he will never be a better player than Chicago Bulls guard and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.

Keep scrolling to see the reactions from X below.

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Photo: George Pimentel / Getty

1. Kordeli

This X user simply said, “NO LEBRON NOOOO” in response to the statement.

2. Captain MB

A meme featuring Lightning McQueen from “Cars” spinning out of control comes into play to express this user’s disappointment.

4. A Bro Next Door

A meme satirizing LeBron’s penchant for being pictured reading a book.

5. Kanki

One user replied to James with a tweet commenting on the way Palestinians are depicted as opposed to Israeli when violence comes into play.

6. Maor Melikson

This user was one of the lone voices fully supporting LeBron’s statement – with one caveat.

7. StaticMMIV

This X user queried out loud if celebrities were to be censured if they didn’t put out a statement of support for Israel. 

8. Blue_999

A comparison of LeBron James losing his hair to the land lost by Palestinians since 1948 in Israel. 

9. Mr.

“See what the man you pretend to read says and you didn’t go beyond the first page just for the sake of photographing!”, this user wrote.

13 Oct 2023

Blink-182 Notches Second Straight Alternative Airplay No. 1 With ‘One More Time’

Blink-182 scores two consecutive No. 1s on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart for the first time as “One More Time” rises to the top of the Oct. 21-dated survey.

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The song reigns in its fourth week on the tally, marking the quickest rise to No. 1 in 2023 and the fastest since Blink-182’s own “Edging” took three frames in November 2022, starting a 13-week domination.

“One More Time” is the trio’s fifth No. 1 on Alternative Airplay, the three before “Edging” and “One More Time” not leading in succession. The band first ruled with “All the Small Things” beginning in December 1999 (eight weeks at No. 1), followed by “I Miss You” in April 2004 (two) and “Bored to Death” beginning in July 2016 (five).

Of those five No. 1s, four feature Blink-182’s most famous lineup of Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker. “Bored to Death” led during DeLonge’s absence from the band, with Matt Skiba replacing him on guitar and co-lead vocals.

Concurrently, “One More Time” shoots 16-11 on Mainstream Rock Airplay as the list’s Greatest Gainer. On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, the song repeats at its No. 2 high with 7.6 million audience impressions, up 10%, according to Luminate.

On the most recently published multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs survey (dated Oct. 14, reflecting the tracking week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5), “One More Time” ranked at No. 19. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 3.2 million official U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads.

“One More Time” is the second single from Blink-182’s upcoming album of the same name, its ninth studio set, due Oct. 20.

All Oct. 21-dated Billboard charts will update on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

13 Oct 2023

Shakira Plays Fishing for Answers | Billboard

Shakira plays Fishing for Answers with Billboard backstage at Billboard’s Latin Music Week 2023.

Shakira:
Welcome! I’m Shakira, and I’ll be Fishing for Answers with Billboard.

Let’s see … the first one. What’s the craziest thing that has ever happened to me live on the stage?
Everything has happened to me. I have fallen, I broke my tooth. I think that’s the craziest that has occurred to me.

Let’s see … What’s my guilty pleasure food? Brownies.

The other one. Do you like to record or go on tour the most? Tough one. Lately, the recording studio is one of my happy places. It brings me lots of peace — I don’t know, I love it. It’s where I feel free the most. But I really want to go on tour and to return on stages. I actually feel very happy when I’m on stage. So, I don’t know … everything has its own time. After being in the studio for a long time, I really want to be playing live. But after some time being on tour, well … I like to come back home and to enjoy making music. Also at my place. The recording studio is also my place.

Watch the full video above!

13 Oct 2023

Kelly Clarkson Teases ‘Kelly Clarkson Show’ Season 5 Music Video Featuring Special Guests in NYC

The wait for The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s new season is almost over. And to celebrate the fast-approaching return of her daytime Emmy-winning series, Kelly Clarkson shared behind-the-scenes clips of an upcoming music video that will kick off season five on Monday (Oct. 16).

The BTS footage finds Clarkson strutting through the halls of 30 Rock — the new home of her previously California-based show — in a boss-like black pantsuit with cameras trailing her the entire way. At one point, the multi-hyphenate walks around outside through the streets of New York City, where a bunch of nearby fans can be heard cheering for the singer.

Clarkson isn’t the only star of the project, though. Also featured in the music video will be a handful of her new neighbors at 30 Rock, including Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, Al Roker, Lester Holt and more. “I Won’t Give Up,” a song from the American Idol alum’s new deluxe edition of her June-released album Chemistry, will soundtrack the video.

“From season one, everything has happened,” Clarkson explains in the behind-the-scenes video. “We’ve not had one normal season. I love the fact that we’re singing ‘I Won’t Give Up.’”

“We pivot well,” she added, laughing.

The program’s new season comes after an extended break due the WGA writer’s strike, which resolved after months of picketing with a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios in September. In May, Rolling Stone reported alleged toxic work conditions at the talk show that Clarkson herself was largely unaware of.

“In my 20 years in the entertainment industry, I’ve always led with my heart and what I believed to be right,” Clarkson said in response to the accusations in a statement at the time. “I love my team at The Kelly Clarkson Show, and to find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable.”

The first week of season five is slated to feature a number of famous faces, including Seth Meyers, Alanis Morissette, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sesame Street‘s Elmo and Oscar the Grouch, Billy Porter, Bowen Yang and more. And yes, Kellyoke will be coming back too, with Clarkson set to perform Patti LaBelle’s “New Attitude,” Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ “Crimson and Clover,” Bowling for Soup’s “1985” and her own hit, “Stronger.”

Watch the teaser for Clarkson’s season five kickoff music video above.

13 Oct 2023

BLACKPINK’s Jennie Takes BLINKs Behind the Scenes of ‘You & Me’ Performance & Live Video: Watch

BLACKPINK‘s Jennie is the latest member of the group to release solo material. The rapper dropped her highly anticipated solo single “You & Me” on Oct. 6, and later followed the track — which first made its debut during the K-pop group’s Born Pink World Tour — with a live jazz version earlier this week, and a performance video the week prior. Jennie followed up both clips on Friday (Oct. 13) with a behind-the-scenes video documenting the filming process for the recent visuals.

“This is the shooting site for my ‘You & Me’ performance video. As we wrapped our world tour, I wanted to gift ‘You & ME’ to our BLINKs. So I’m finishing this as soon as I finished the concert,” Jennie — who was wearing the red and ruffled outfit from the performance video — told the camera.

Scenes of the K-pop star performing alongside backup dancers, as well as the glittering moon backdrop, play in slow motion before the video switches to the scene of her and a male dancer performing their duet together. “The set is so pretty, right? There’s still one more set left, so please enjoy,” she said, before clips of her singing the “You & Me” jazz version played. “We shot the live video and performance video in one day,” she revealed.

Concluding the video, Jennie reflected on the experience and noted that she wanted to make something special for BLACKPINK fans. “For BLINKs, I put everything in the box and even sprinkled it with sparkles on top!” she added. “Everyone worked so hard and it was such an exciting shoot.”

“You & Me” marks Jennie’s second solo track after her 2018 release, “Solo.” She is the only member of BLACKPINK who hasn’t yet released a solo EP or album.

Watch the behind-the-scenes video for “You & Me” above.