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11 Sep 2023

Lil Nas X’s Doc Reveals That He Helped His Brother Come Out As Bisexual: ‘He Helped Me Be Real With Myself’

Lil Nas X has always been unabashedly himself, never shying away from being out and proud in a genre that hasn’t always been accepting to the LGBTQ community. The “Industry Baby” rapper also reveals in his new documentary, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, that he helped his brother, Tramon Hill, come out as bisexual.

The film — which has its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night — includes a scene in which Hill describes how Lil Nas, 24, made him comfortable discussing who he is as well, according to EW. “My brother really opened doors for a lot of people,” Hill says in the film, EW reported. “Yeah, he opened a door for me. What I mean by that, like, I’m not gay, though, you feel me? I’m bisexual. He helped me be real with myself. My brother made me more open to it.”

Later in the movie, Hill says that while he was worried about losing some of his cherished relationships after coming out, Lil Nas helped show him the way again. “If you f–k with me, you f–l with me. If you don’t, you don’t. Bye. Get out of my presence. I don’t need you,” Hill says. “At the end of the day, people are going to f–k with who they f–k with, so stop trying to chase a friend. A friend is going to always be there.”

The film also follows Lil Nas as he hits the road for his debut tour, 2022’s Long Live Montero, hangs with Madonna and faces off against homophobic protesters outside his shows. EW also noted that Lil Nas tells a funny story toward the beginning of the movie about running into How to Get Away With Murder star Viola Davis at the iconic L.A. grocery store Erewhon that did not go as expected.

“I met Viola Davis at an Erewhon, but I don’t think she knew who the f– I was,” Lil Nas says while showing directors Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel a photo of David taped to his bedroom wall, which also features images of Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Euphoria star Alexa Demie. “I was like, ‘I’m such a big fan,’ and she was like, ‘Oh, thanks,’ and she hurried out the store. It was kind of funny.”

At press time there was no release date yet for the film, whose debut this weekend was delayed by 20 minutes after a bomb threat was called in to the festival; authorities later verified that the threat was not credible.

11 Sep 2023

Method Man Stars In New York Jets Motivational Video

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Celebrities Attend The New York Giants Vs New York Jets Game

Source: Al Pereira / Getty

Method Man has lent the New York Jets some powerful aid in the form of starring in a new video before they start the National Football League regular season.

On Friday (September 8th), the iconic Wu-Tang Clan member shared a video through his Instagram account entitled, entitled “What’s Past Is Prologue”. It begins with the rapper and actor overlooking Met Life Stadium, which the team calls home. “This here is where we write the story,” he begins. “For city, for land, for nation. Not bound by ancestral borders — just loyalty to these colors,” he says while decked out in the green and white gear of the team.

The montage captures various people wearing Jets gear, as Method Man continues: “This team — and this team’s been through it, man. Long days. Cold nights. Hardships and heartbreak. But you know what? We learn from it. We learned that the greatest heights conquered often begin in the greatest debts.” The last sentence is punctuated by cut scenes showing Sauce Gardner being drafted and the One World Trade Center building breaking the clouds in an overhead shot. “And the past need not define what we would will ourselves to become. It was a hard road to get here. Yeah. But you know what? The journey that’s easy never matters. Sacrifice is the price for greatness.”

Shots of the new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the team’s training camp along with other players are seen as Method Man’s narration concludes: “So, to the ones coming for us, I say bring it. We want all the smoke. Give us your titles, your strongest — your players yearning to be champions — ’cause we trained for this. We bled for this. We met the worst and came out the other side to now — to this moment — our time.” He finishes with a grin: “What’s past is prologue. The story begins now,” as the video ends.

The new video was captioned “JetLifestadium stand up .. the journey that’s easy never matters.. the 2023 season is here… J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets… #jetlifestadium.” It’s another step in the relationship the Power: Book II actor has been forming with the team, having been invited by the team to one of their training camps this summer.

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11 Sep 2023

‘Deadpool 3’ Director Credits “Nerds” For Comic-Accurate Wolverine Costume

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Deadpool & Wolverine

Source: @deadpoolmovie / Marvel

When Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverine in the highly-anticipated Deadpool 3, fans will finally be able to see Wolverine in his comic-accurate custom glory and the film’s director explains how and why exactly this happened.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Shawn Levy admits he too has been waiting on an X-Men film where Wolverine would finally be rocking one of his few classic superhero bodysuits from the comic books and now that he had the chance to get it done, he jumped at the opportunity.

Entertainment Weekly reports:

“Like the rest of the world, I’ve waited two decades to see Wolverine in a whole movie with Deadpool, and I don’t know if this is our last shot at Wolverine on screen, so I was going to make goddamned sure we get the old yellow and blue just once, and that we get it right,” Levy tells EW at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, in an interview for his upcoming Netflix series based on the novel All the Light We Cannot See.

…

Levy explains that he and his team went through “multiple, multiple, multiple iterations and fittings” to make sure the suit was correct. “It also helps that I’m making this movie within the MCU, so I have access to an army of the nerdiest nerds available to a Marvel project,” he continues.

Seems like just yesteryear the term “nerd” was considered slander by, well, nerds. We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time.

As for rumors about the film and all the Marvel characters that are set to make cameos or appearances such as Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) taking on the Dark Phoenix (Famke Janssen) or Wolverine finally taking on Mark Ruffalo’s The Hulk, one would only hope such a spectacle will take place, but Levy did throw a little cold water on those takes.

“I’d rather not weigh in on that, but I’ll say this,” Levy teases. “The rumors of actors, singers, sports stars who are all apparently in Deadpool 3 are fabulous. If all I read was the internet, I would have the greatest cast ever assembled in the history of cinema, so I’ll simply say that some of those rumors are true, and some of them aren’t.”

Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Deadpool 3 is set to hit theaters sometime in 2024. We. Can’t. Wait.

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11 Sep 2023

Coco Gauff Wins U.S. Open in Her Signature New Balance Shoes: Where to Buy the Sneakers

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The 2023 U.S. Open Tennis has crowned Coco Gauff as its champion! After a close match between the 19-year-old and No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, it was Gauff who came out victorious on Saturday (Sept. 9). And she did it wearing her signature New Balance sneakers.

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To celebrate her big win, the tennis pro took to TikTok and posted a video of herself holding the trophy in an all-pink Barbiecore-inspired outfit.

“This barbie is the us open champion,” the caption read.

The championship also marked a few firsts for Gauff, as not only did she take home her first Grand Slam win, but she did so in her first-ever signature Coco CG1 Tennis Shoes with New Balance.

Their partnership began before she entered this year’s U.S. open, though, as New Balance first saw her talent back when she was 14 years old. The brand said they “could see what a special talent she was on the court, but also off,” according to a press release. Now that she’s taken home the U.S. Open champion title, she couldn’t be more thankful for their ongoing support.

“This victory means the world to me, and I hope it inspires others to chase their dreams with determination and passion,” said Coco Gauff in a press statement. “I could never have done this without the support of my family and my team, and I am forever grateful for partners like New Balance that feel like an extension of my family and who have been with me since I was 14 years old.”

Even before she won the Grand Slam, many could see the tennis prodigy’s talent, including Bose, who sat down with her to talk about her life, family and how music and sounds impact her game. She said she always tries to be “authentically [herself] and don’t try to fit in any mold,” which you can see in the bold colorway of her CG1 tennis sneakers.

Want to sport the winning look yourself? The exact tennis sneaker is available to buy now, but not for long. Sizes of the red, black and yellow sneakers are quickly selling out from retailers including New Balance and Dick’s Sporting Goods, which means you’ll have to act fast to secure a pair of your own.

Keep reading to shop the New Balance sneakers below.

red, black and yellow sneakers

New Balance

New Balance Coco CG1

$169.99

Channel your inner champion with a pair of these New Balance sneakers, whether you’re practicing tennis, pickleball or just grabbing lunch with friends. The shoes take inspiration from basketball silhouettes and ’90s aesthetics, resulting in a pair of bold athletic wear that’ll support your feet with FuelCell cushioning and new Energy Arc technology.

Size not available? Be sure to check out Dick’s Sporting Goods as well or resale sites such as eBay that might have pairs available.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best running shorts, men’s sneaker deals and shoes for travel.

11 Sep 2023

Jermaine Dupri Tells Story Of DMX Robbing Reporter With Dog

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DMX

Jermaine Dupri has seen plenty in his still-ongoing career as a performer, producer, and music executive, and he’s celebrating the 30th anniversary of his iconic label, So So Def Records, this year. During a recent Instagram post dedicated to the anniversary, Jermaine Dupri shared a story of DMX robbing a music reporter with his dogs during the recording of Dupri’s debut studio album.

In a series titled “30th Anniversary Stories,” Jermaine Dupri is sharing some of the career highlights he’s accumulated over the years in his various roles along with his unique insider perspective in some of the biggest moments in the culture.

While recording his 1998 studio debut album Life in 1472, Dupri spoke about a visit he made to New York during the session recordings for the project and decided to hire a music reporter to capture the experience. Dupri couldn’t quite recall if the reporter worked for The Source but did send them to the recording studio where they encountered DMX.

Dupri goes on to say that DMX grilled the reporter then robbed them of their belongings via dog point, no guns or other weapons were involved. It isn’t known if the reporter recovered their goods or if Dupri did some damage control but the memory of the moment had the veteran exec chuckling.

Check out Jermaine Dupri and his wild DMX story in the Instagram video below.

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Photo: Getty

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11 Sep 2023

Watch Queen Latifah Sing the National Anthem at the Giants-Cowboys Sunday Night Football Game

When talking about versatile entertainers, Queen Latifah’s definitely makes the list. The Grammy-winning rapper and Oscar-nominated actress reminded New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium of her talent with a winning rendition of the national anthem at the New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday night (Sep. 10).

Donning a spiffy ivory checkered pantsuit, Queen Latifah soared through a moving jazz and musical theater-informed arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The New Jersey native was at ease behind the microphone, delivering a pitch-perfect performance that elicited impassioned cheers from the packed stadium by the final note.

Queen’s performance drew some surprise on social media from viewers who were not aware of her singing abilities. In addition to her hip-hop career — which yielded the Grammy-winning “U.N.I.T.Y.” and All Hail the Queen, which was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress earlier this year — Queen Latifah has dabbled in jazz, film and television.

In 2004, she released The Dana Owens album, a covers set that reached No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy nomination for best jazz vocal album. A second jazz album, Trav’lin’ Light, followed in 2008, earning a Grammy nomination for best traditional pop vocal album. Years before Queen tried her hand at jazz, she earned her first Academy Award nomination for her dazzling performance in 2002’s Chicago. The artist, who won an Emmy in 2016 for producing the acclaimed Bessie television movie, currently stars in The Equalizer on CBS.

Watch Queen Latifah perform the national anthem below:

11 Sep 2023

A$AP Rocky Recalls How Virgil Abloh Discovered A$AP MOB During Acceptance Speech

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16th Annual Harlem's Fashion Row Fashion Show and Style Awards - Show

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

The culture continues to learn how deep Virgil Abloh’s influence goes. A$AP Rocky reveals that the late great discovered A$AP MOB.

As spotted on HipHopDX the Harlem, New York native recently was honored at Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) 16th Annual Fashion Show & Style Awards the world famous Apollo Theatre. The “Wild for the Night” rapper received the Virgil Abloh Award and recalled how the creative was one of the collective’s earliest fans. “Virgil discovered A$AP as a bunch of kids before I got my record deal and any of that. We wasn’t old enough to get into this club called Le Bain. We were sneaking in type sh*t,” he explained.

“Virgil peeped us and unbeknownst to us, he was like, ‘Wait, y’all are those Harlem kids. The trendy ones.’ We was tripping like, ‘Wait, Virgil know about us. The fashion world know about us.’ A year later, I become A$AP Rocky.” He went on to further detail Virgil’s contribution to his solo career. “Virgil went on to design my first album cover and my first tour. It’s crazy because to be a trendsetter, it takes a lot of balls… The reason I can talk in front of y’all today is because of Harlem. Thank you Harlem fashion, bro.”

You can see A$AP Rocky’s discuss Virgil Abloh below.

Photo:

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11 Sep 2023

MTV & TelevisaUnivision Announce Partnership to Simulcast the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards

MTV and TelevisaUnivision announced on Monday (Sept. 11) a “first-of-its-kind partnership” for a simulcast of the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, taking place on Tuesday, Sept. 12. The live three-hour broadcast — to be hosted by Alejandra Espinoza — will air on UniMás at 8 p.m. ET with an encore on Univision at 11:30 p.m. ET.

“We are thrilled to partner with TelevisaUnivision for this groundbreaking partnership as we further expand the VMAs worldwide footprint and amplify our massive lineup of international icons to make this year’s show the biggest celebration of global music in MTV history,” said Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming & events, Paramount and chief content officer, music, Paramount Global. 

“We are excited to be the exclusive Spanish-language destination in the U.S. for this year’s VMAs, a celebration of music that will honor Latin artists like never before,” added Ignacio Meyer, president of U.S. networks, TelevisaUnivison. “As home to the leading U.S. Hispanic networks, our commitment to delivering the best in entertainment is unwavering. We’re thrilled to partner with MTV to deliver more fan-fueled music events to our passionate viewers.”

The 2023 VMAs will air live from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Taylor Swift leads this year’s nominations with eight nods, followed by SZA (six), Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith (five each). General fan voting is now closed; voting remains open for best new artist.

Shakira, a four-time VMAs nominee this year, will make history at the VMAs when she becomes the first South American artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award. The Colombian star is also set to perform on the VMAs for the first time in 17 years. Other Latin powerhouses confirmed to take the stage include Anitta, Karol G and Peso Pluma.

Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic are executive producers of the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. Barb Bialkowski is co-executive producer. Alicia Portugal and Jackie Barba serve as executives in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is music talent executive.

11 Sep 2023

Travis Barker Returns to Blink-182 Tour After Racing Home for Kourtney Kardashian’s ‘Urgent Fetal Surgery’

Travis Barker is back on the road with Blink-182. The band resumed its tour overseas on Friday (Sept. 8) in Antwerp, Belgium, after the drummer raced home to be with wife Kourtney Kardashian earlier in the month. Blink had postponed three shows, saying only that Barker had to leave the tour for an “urgent family matter.”

The rocker shared multiple photos of Belgium on his Instagram Stories Friday, which have since expired. The same day, he shared a video of a fan holding a sign that read, “Can I have a drumstick?” In the clip, the drummer then walks out with a pair of drumsticks in his hand, gives them to the emotional fan, before the two share a quick hug. “1st day of tour,” Barker captioned the video post.

Neither the drummer nor the reality TV personality — who are expecting their first child together — have shared specific details about what the issue was. But Kardashian revealed in a Sept. 6 Instagram post that she had to have “urgent fetal surgery” to save the life of their unborn baby boy.

“I will be forever grateful to my incredible doctors for saving our baby’s life,” she began her message. “I am eternally grateful to my husband who rushed to my side from tour to be with me in the hospital and take care of me afterwards, my rock.”

The Poosh founder — who shares three kids with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick — went on to share that because her previous pregnancies were “really easy,” she was not prepared for the terror that engulfed her this time, and shared her respect for mothers who have battled for their babies. She concluded, “Walking out of the hospital with my baby boy in my tummy and safe was the truest blessing.”

Barker also shared his own message of gratitude on Wednesday. “God is great,” he began his tweet. “I flew home for a life-threatening emergency surgery for our baby that I’m grateful went well. I want to say thank you for all the support. Tour resumes Friday.”

Blink-182 has tour dates around the world through mid October, then returns to the United States for a show in Las Vegas on Oct. 21.

See Barker’s latest Instagram post from tour below:

11 Sep 2023

Sorry Cardi, Offset Said He’s Keeping His Michael Jackson Stomach Tat Even Though It Makes Sex Weird

Offset is keeping his giant Michael Jackson stomach tattoo even though wife Cardi B recently said it makes private time kind of awkward. The “Bongos” rapper stopped by Hot 97 last week to talk to the morning crew and she revealed that the King of Pop does not make things pop for her in the bedroom.

“I really need y’all to see the Michael Jackson tattoo he got on his stomach,” she said of the giant portrait of MJ on the left side of Offset’s belly (which you can see here). “I don’t even wanna take it there. I will take it there, but it’s just like, y’all really have to see it. Because every single time I, you know like, [mimes oral sex], it just be looking at me. I swear to God. You gotta see that tattoo. The tattoo really be looking at me like, ‘Yeahhhh.’”

TMZ said it spoke to Offset in New York last week and asked him about Cardi spilling on her bedroom botheration and the Migos member said he’d rather discuss the matter in private, making it sound like the ink is staying. “Never,” was his exact response, according to a video posted on site.

It’s no surprise ‘Set has an image of the late King of Pop from his legendary “Thriller” video inked onto his body, as he’s long expressed admiration for the pop superstar with a complicated legacy due to repeated allegations of sexual impropriety with children; Jackson and the singer’s estate have denied the allegations.

Cardi confirmed to Hot 97 that Offset loves “Michael Jackson, he love Prince, he loves James Brown.” Offset wore an MJ-like military outfit during his recent cameo appearance during Beyoncé’s L.A. Renaissance tour stop.

Watch Cardi discuss the tattoo below.