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22 Mar 2023

French Montana Sued Over Shooting At Music Video

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French Montana

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It seems French Montana has to lawyer up. He has been sued for his role in a recent shooting during a music video.

As spotted on TMZ the South Bronx native has been served with paperwork. According to the celebrity gossip website he has been charged with his role of allegedly putting folks in harms way during shooting the music video for “Igloo” with associate Rob49 back in January. Plaintiff Carl Leon claims that he was asked to be an extra in the project. Originally the crew was supposed to capture footage across the street from The Licking in Miami Gardens but French had asked that the set be moved to the seafood eatery after some of the crew members were robbed at the original location.

Leon’s legal team that says an “unknown individual caused severe injury to multiple people, including the Plaintiff.” Leon also goes to say that the Miami Police Department investigated the matter and found French at fault for not working with local authorities to get the needed permits so the shoot could be monitored for safety.

French Montana’s representative Ted Anastasiou has shared a statement with TMZ and denied Leon’s claims. “Carl Leon was never invited to the restaurant at the night of the incident. His interest in litigation is solely to exploit and benefit financially from it, and his re-imagining of his invitation and current statements are simply an egregious profit play and publicity stunt.”

Leon is seeking 50,000 dollars in damages in claims that French Montana and company were negligent.

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22 Mar 2023

Tekashi 6ix9ine Hospitalized After Attack in Gym Sauna in Florida

Controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was reportedly hospitalized on Tuesday (March 21) after an alleged attack inside a South Florida gym. According to WPTV, an attorney for the 26-year-old “Stoopid” MC born Daniel Hernandez said he was beaten up in a gym sauna by “three or four thugs.”

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Lawyer Lance Lazzaro told the station that Hernandez suffered cuts to his face and bruises in the incident. “Employees heard the disturbance and the perpetrators fled,” Lazzaro said. “Police in South Florida were called and he [Hernandez] was transported via ambulance to a local hospital.”

At press time it was unclear what injuries Hernandez sustained and if he was still hospitalized. TMZ posted video of the alleged attack, in which an unidentified man can be seen punching and kicking Hernandez as the rapper struggles to evade the blows on the floor of what looks like a bathroom. Lazzaro told TMZ several men began attacking Hernandez — who did not have any security with him — without warning, with police and EMS responding to the scene before transporting the rapper to an undisclosed hospital.

The site posted pictures of Hernandez’s swollen, bloodied face and reported that he also suffered injuries to his back, ribs and jaw. At press time Lazarro could not be reached for comment on the incident. In the video, a bald man can be heard saying, “take a picture, I’m gonna be famous now,” as he grabs Hernandez by the hair while another man kicks him.

The unidentified person filming the video assures Hernandez “I’m a fan, homie,” as the rapper, his face dripping blood, exits the bathroom saying, “ya’ll jumped me, man.”

Speaking to TMZ, Lazarro said he is working on getting his client some protection given the rapper’s legal history; Hernandez was granted early release from federal prison in April 2020 following his arrest and sentencing to two years behind bars a year earlier on 9 charges, including drug trafficking, racketeering and firearms offenses tied to his involvement with the Nine Trey Bloods street gang. The rapper’s sentence was shortened after he cooperated with the feds in their cases against his former associates.

22 Mar 2023

Quavo Puts Aside Difficult Spell For ‘Nonsense’ Rap on ‘That’s My Jam’: Watch

The last six months have been nothing short of tragic for Quavo, whose Migos bandmate and nephew Takeoff was murdered in late 2022.

On Tuesday night (March 21), the rapper put aside grief and let the lyrics flow.

Quavo stepped up to the mic for the latest round of That’s My Jam, Jimmy Fallon’s hour-long music and comedy variety games show, to test his powers for rhyming gobbledygook.

The mission — to hit a “nonsense karaoke” version of Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz’s “Get Low,” replacing its words with drivel.

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For a taster, Quavo smashed out: “Remember Chunk? The Best Goonie/ Got a duck tat, saw it on a magazine.” He had the crowd waving their hands in the air, and they really didn’t care.

The “nonsense karaoke” bit is a world away from the release last month of Quavo’s “Greatness” video, his second tribute to Takeoff following his killing outside a bowling alley in Houston, Texas. He also released the emotional ballad “Without You,” earlier in the year.

Quavo made his first TV appearance since Takeoff’s death with a gripping rendition of “Without You” at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, on Feb. 5.

“I wish I had a time machine/ Just so you take a ride with me/ I miss just how you smile at me/ Unc & Phew until infinity,” sang Quavo, with Maverick City Music matching his somber tone.

The “nonsense karaoke” performance had anything but a somber tone. Watch below.

22 Mar 2023

Live Nation Acquires Majority Interest In Hong Kong’s Clockenflap

Live Nation has acquired a majority interest in Clockenflap, the Hong Kong-based event organizer behind the flagship Clockenflap festival.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed in the arrangement, announced just days after Clockenflap Music and Arts Festival made a triumphant return to the city, following a four-year hiatus.

Held from March 3-5 at Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront Event Space, the 2023 fest featured performances from Arctic Monkeys, Balming Tiger, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Cardigans, Wu-Tang Clan and more.

Organizers posted the “sold out” sign prior to the most recent edition, which boasted a 30,000 per-day capacity, before announcing a second 2023 fest would be held Dec. 1-3.  

Founded in 2008, Clockenflap is one of Asia’s highest-profile festival brands, and certainly HK’s premier contemporary music event.

According to a statement issued Wednesday (March 22), the Clockenflap team will continue to curate, manage and produce its festivals and events, though now with access to LN’s festival portfolio and resources.

“The Live Nation team share our vision for Clockenflap being one of the best city festivals in the world,” says Justin Sweeting, co-founder and music director of Clockenflap, “and with Live Nation’s support and resources, I’m excited for the future of the festival.”

By teaming up with LN, adds Mike Hill, co-founder and managing director of Clockenflap, “we can continue to grow the festival and expand our event activities in Hong Kong and regionally.”

Clockenflap also produces concerts in HK under the brand Clockenflap Presents, including recent sold-out shows for Cigarettes After Sex and Honne.

“Partnering with Clockenflap further demonstrates that Live Nation is committed to bringing world-class festivals and live entertainment experiences to Hong Kong fans,” explains Roger Field, Melbourne-based president of Live Nation Asia Pacific.

Through LN’s global network, Field continues, “we will enhance and grow the Clockenflap brand and deliver new and exciting live opportunities to the region.”

HK’s live music scene is said to be blooming, in part due to the scrapping of hotel quarantine restrictions for international visitors and a cooling in tensions between pro-Democracy protestors and the Chinese police forces, which led to the cancelation of the 2019 event.

22 Mar 2023

NariYella Scores Four-Chair Turn With ‘Shocking’ Performance on ‘The Voice’

NariYella put the “dream” into Dreamgirls when she performed “One Night Only” for her Blind Audition on NBC’s The Voice.

The 20-year-old native of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania saved the best to the end, when she strolled up Tuesday night (March 21) for the final episode of this early stage. She made sure the judges and everyone watching on wouldn’t forget her, with a sparkling performance from the Oscar-winning 2006 musical drama, Dreamgirls.

The performance was loaded with vocal gymnastics, soul and power. The baying studio audience felt the vibe, as did the four judges, all of whom turned to face the talent.

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“Incredible,” Chance the Rapper blurted out.

NariYella explained that she’s been singing since she could talk. No one would argue. And none of the judges would complain about the gifts she shared with each, blue kyanite tumble stones. “I’m very big on energy,” she explained.

Of the performance, Niall Horan commented: “That was insane. You were, like, so comfortable up there.”

Blake Shelton chimed in, “your voice…it was actually shocking to me, how powerful you are. Anybody who can be that open and connected to the moment, those are the artists that make it all the way.”

Kelly Clarkson then took the mic. “You have a personality that is just so incredibly captivating…you were so comfortable, and confident, so excited. And that kind of passion is what it takes to win a show like this.”

Chance rounded it out, remarking that he was “blown away” and that, technically, her skill level is “way, way, way beyond your years, way, way, way beyond your experience.”

The talking shop closed, and NariYella had to make a tough decision. She took a Chance.

Watch below.

22 Mar 2023

Vanessa Hudgens to Explore Her Filipino Heritage in Travel Documentary

Actress Vanessa Hudgens is heading to the Philippines to explore her family history as the star of a new travel documentary. The film will capture Hudgens’ first trip to the country of her mother’s birth, showcasing her close relationship with her family and her personal trajectory as an American-born, half-Filipino woman who has become one of the world’s most recognizable stars. 

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The project is set to begin shooting in the Philippine cities of Palawan and Manila later this month. Hudgens will be accompanied on the journey and in the film by her mother, Gina Guangco, and her sister, Stella Hudgens. The actress has often spoken with pride about the biography of her mom, who left the Philippines for the U.S. at age 25.

“I feel like ours is such a relatable story to so many women all over the world,” Hudgens says. “The more that we can share, the more we can lift each other up.”

The still untitled film will be produced and directed by Paul Soriano, director of Mañanita (a competition entry at the 2019 Tokyo International Film Festival) and the Manny Pacquiao biopic, Kid Kulafu. Soriano also produced Lav Diaz’s A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (2016), which won a special film award at the Berlin International Film Festival and Transit (2013), which was the Philippines’ entry in the Best International Film Category for the 86th Academy Awards. Philippine boutique studio TEN17P is producing the new Hudgens doc. 

“We are honored to work with Vanessa for this film project,” says Soriano. “It’s inspiring to note that with everything she has achieved in life, she wants to discover her Filipino roots and pay homage to her mother’s country. Hopefully, this opens doors for many more collaborations to come.” 

Hudgens most recently starred in Lin Manuel Miranda’s Oscar-nominated Tick, Tick…Boom! She began her career in the world of musical theatre at age eight, eventually finding global fame in the Disney Channel’s High School Musical. As a young adult, some of her other credits have included Spring Breakers, Gimme Shelter and Bad Boys for Life. She also executive produced and starred in the films The Knight Before Christmas, and all three installments of The Princess Switch for Netflix. She’ll next star in the indie comedy French Girl and Michael Bay’s Bad Boys 4.

Hudgens is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, The Lede Company and Ziffren Brittenham.

The forthcoming travel documentary will be executive produced by Paul D. Soriano and Mark A. Victor of TEN17P.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

22 Mar 2023

An Australian Senator Wore a Tame Impala Shirt In Parliament House

Tame Impala got an unexpected shout-out when senator David Pocock wore a branded band tee for an impromptu interview in Parliament House.

Pocock, a former captain of the Wallabies, Australia’s national men’s rugby union team, spoke to media in Canberra’s halls of power, fronting the scrum in a black, Tame Impala number.

Politics is no ordinary contact sport. When footage went wide of the independent senator rocking the Western Australian psychedelic-pop act, criticism rained down from the right-wing Sky News, the domestic affiliate of Fox News, which blasted Pocock for not wearing a “collared shirt.”

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“I’d come straight from an early morning game of tennis to celebrate 100 years of Tennis ACT and agreed to do a door stop (not a prearranged interview) in the hallway on the way out of the Press Gallery after a morning radio interview,” was Pocock’s response. “Great to see the big issues being reported,” he fired back.

Pocock is something of a renaissance man. Born in Zimbabwe, he represented Australia at the highest level of rugby, with 83 Tests to his name, and is a three-time nominee for world player of the year. He holds a Master of Sustainable Agriculture from Charles Sturt University, and campaigned for conservationism and social justice when he chose to retire from professional sports. He went on to run a successful campaign in 2022 for one of the Australian Capital Territory’s two Senate seats, and is now considered one of the most powerful people of Australia’s federal parliament.

Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker got a feel for life as an elite rugby player when, in recent weeks, he fractured his hip. To correct the injury, the production whizz underwent surgery to have screws and rods inserted into his femur, the strongest bone in the body.

In better news for Parker, his band Tame Impala released “Wings of Time,” on March 10, a soundtrack to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and he collaborated with Gorillaz on “New Gold,” which appears on Cracker Island, a recent No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

21 Mar 2023

GALE Scores First Top 10 on a Billboard Chart: ‘Such A Special Moment For Me’

Puerto Rican singer-songwriter GALE secures her first top 10 on any Billboard chart as “Nuestra Canción” lifts 16-10 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart (dated March 25).

“This is such a special moment for me, my team and my career,” GALE tells Billboard. “I am so grateful to everyone listening and supporting ‘Nuestra Canción.’ I will be dancing and singing it with my friends at the top of our lungs.”

“Nuestra Canción” was released Feb. 16 via Sony Music Latin. It reaches the upper tier in its third week after it debuted at No. 21 on the March 11-dated ranking. The song logged 1.1 million in audience impressions, up 46% — the biggest percentage increase of the week among the 25-deep tally — earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 16, according to Luminate.

The pop dancefloor female anthem was produced by DJ and producer DallasK and co-written by GALE, DallasK alongside Dani Blau. It bests GALE’s antecessor “Problemas” which reached a No. 15 high last September. “We all have that song that reminds us of our ex, that takes you back to the happy moments you shared together,” the singer-actress continues. “’Nuestra Canción’ is about letting go, about finally accepting that the relationship is over, and that instead of crying alone at home, you decide to go out dancing to that song and embrace the heartache to be happy again.”

Notably, GALE becomes just the 11th Latin female act to achieve a top 10 as a soloist, unaccompanied by another act, on Latin Pop Airplay in the last decade. Let’s look at the winners:

Artist, Title, Peak Date, Peak Position

Leslie Grace, “Be My Baby,” Aug. 3, 2013, No. 6

Alejandra Guzmán, “Mi Peor Error (Primera Fila),” Dec. 7, 2013, No. 8

Shakira, “Dare (La La La),” July 26, 2014, No. 2

Natalia Jiménez, “Creo En Mí,” Aug. 2, 2014, No. 2

Natalia Jiménez, “Quédate Con Ella,” Jan. 3, 2015, No. 4

Shakira, “Me Enamoré,” July 8, 2017, No. 1

Jennifer López, “El Anillo,” July 14, 2018, No. 6

Natti Natasha, “Me Gusta,” April 20, 2019, No. 3

Karol G, “Ay, ¡Dios Mio!,” Oct. 10, 2020, No. 1

Kali Uchis, “Telepatía,” July 3, 2021, No. 1

Natti Natasha, “Noches En Miami,” Oct. 16, 2021, No. 1

Anitta, “Envolver,” May 7, 2022, No. 3

Karol G, “Provenza,” July 9, 2022, No. 1

Becky G, “Bailé Con Mi Ex,” Sept. 10, 2022, No. 1

GALE, “Nuestra Canción,” March 25, 2023, No. 10

About the production of the song, GALE adds: “I wanted to create a contrast between a pop track, urban melodies and (my favorite part) a dance/EDM-style surprise at the end to dance your heart out!!!”

21 Mar 2023

Celeb Stylist Law Roach Details “Retiring” And Zendaya’s Reaction

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Versace Fall-Winter 2023 Fashion Show - Red Carpet

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One of fashion’s most sought after talents is hanging up his hat. Law Roach has announced his retirement and reveals his reasoning.

As spotted on Buzz Feed News the creative recently revealed he will be stepping down from creating some of your most beloved and respected red carpet looks. Over the last few years Chicago, Illinois native has styled the likes of Ariana Grande, Lewis Hamilton, Bella Hadid, and Celine Dion but is most synonymous for his stellar work with Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman.

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On Sunday, March 14 he took to social media to call it quits in a now since deleted post. “My Cup is empty….. thank you to everyone who’ve supported me and my career over the years,” his caption read which accompanied a visual of a “RETIRED” sign. “If this business was just about the clothes I would do it for the rest of my life but unfortunately it’s not! The politics , the lies and false narratives finally got me! You win … I’m out.”

In a statement to Vogue he explained the moment he knew he would be bowing out. “I was riding in the car and I made a decision. I said: ‘You know what, I’ve done everything I wanted to do in this career. I’ve received all the awards, the accolades, I’ve changed people’s lives…And I just feel like, I’ve had enough,’” he explained. “So that Instagram post wasn’t a PR stunt. It was really me giving myself the grace to say: It’s okay. You can do something else.”

Naturally the news quickly viral throughout the fashion industry, and he confirmed Zendaya found out the same way. She immediately called him on the phone. “She said, ‘Girl, I thought we make big decisions together?’” he said. “Of course, she supported me. She said, ‘Do you need me to send you on a vacation? Like, tell me what you’re going through?’” He went on to say she made it clear she was here for him and offered to help him out in anyway possible.

It is not clear Law Roach’s next steps professionally but rest assured the duo is still in tact.

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21 Mar 2023

“We Don’t Want Spring Break!”: Miami Beach Officials Impose Curfew Due To Shootings, “Unruly Crowds”

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US-LIFESTYLE-SPRING BREAK

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Over the past weekend, Miami Beach reportedly saw two shootings within two days that left two people dead, and because of that, along with instances of “excessively large and unruly crowds,” city officials have declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew to be enacted during spring break.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said in a recorded message to citizens of Miami Beach that guns and rowdy crowds have “created a peril that cannot go unchecked.”

“We don’t ask for spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, it’s too much disorder and it’s too difficult to police,” Gelber said.



Obviously, demanding no spring break activities in Miami Beach is like telling people to lay off the slot machines when they visit Las Vegas, but officials insist it’s necessary given recent events.

From CBS News:

The city said in a news release the curfew would be from 11:59 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday, with an additional curfew likely to be put in place Thursday through next Monday, March 27. The curfew mainly affects South Beach, the most popular party location for spring breakers.

The release said the two separate shootings Friday night and early Sunday that left two people dead and “excessively large and unruly crowds” led to the decision. The city commission plans a meeting Monday to discuss potential further restrictions next week.

Gelber noted that the meeting about next weekend’s potential curfew would have to wait until next week because the “manager’s emergency powers are limited to only 72 hours.”

For a few details on the most recent shooting that prompted the curfew, here’s more from CBS:

Police said the suspect, “without any provocation,” shot the victim multiple times. The victim died after being rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. A second person was hurt, but treated at the scene and released, police said on Twitter.

The suspect, identified as Dontavious Polk, fled on foot and dropped a gun while being chased by a police officer, according to the arrest report. Police recovered that gun, which they claim had been stolen, and arrested the suspect after officers tackled him a few blocks away, the report said.

After he was arrested, the suspect was taken to Ryder Trauma Center for what police described as a “pre-existing gunshot wound.” He was later discharged and taken to Turner Gilford Knight Correctional Center, police records showed.

Polk is facing a first degree murder charge, according to police records, although no charges had been officially filed as of Sunday night.

Enjoy your spring break, but be careful out there, good people. In Miami Beach, or wherever you are, stay safe. It’s wild out here.