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24 Jan 2023

Live Nation’s Stock Price Rises Following Ticketmaster Hearing

Live Nation investors were either nonplussed or unmoved by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s political theatrics Tuesday (Jan. 24), probing the causes behind a disastrous ticket presale to Taylor Swift‘s Eras tour last November hosted on the company’s Ticketmaster platform. While Live Nation president and chief financial officer Joe Berchtold was being grilled by lawmakers about Ticketmaster’s technology and market power with a focus on monopolistic behavior, Live Nation’s share price rose as much as 2.3% to $77.71 before closing at $76.67, up 1.4% on the day, on about half of the average daily trading volume.

With that modest gain, Live Nation beat the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.3%), S&P 500 (-0.1%), Nasdaq composite (-0.3%) and Russell 2000 (-0.3%). It also outperformed two competitors, MSG Entertainment (+0.6%) and Germany’s CTS Eventim (-1.1%), that weren’t subjected to Congressional questioning.

Congressional oversight was already priced into Live Nation’s share price to a degree, though. Live Nation shares fell 7.8% to $66.21 on Nov. 18, 2022, after Sen. Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition, Antitrust and Consumer Rights, penned a letter to Ticketmaster about her concerns regarding its “system failures, increasing fees and complaints of conduct that violate the consent decree” under which Ticketmaster and Live Nation operate.

The hearing, titled “That’s the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment,” turned Live Nation and Ticketmaster into punching bags for senators who, as Sen. Richard Blumenthal noted, were brought together “in an absolute, unified case.” The legislators’ pointed questions and obvious frustration on behalf of their constituents made it clear Ticketmaster is one of the more loathed companies in the U.S. One witness, Kathleen Bradish, vp for legal advocacy at the American Antitrust Institute, called Live Nation and Ticketmaster “a very traditional monopoly” with a dominant market position that results in higher fees to consumers and less innovation.

Exactly what will come from the hearing is far less certain. While there may be some appetite amongst the senators to undo the 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, or implement some other structural remedies, Sen. Klobuchar said the committee will wait for a Department of Justice report before moving forward.

Some senators proposed non-legislative measures. Sen. Joe Kennedy suggested the person in charge of the ticketing presale should be fired. Sen. Marsha Blackburn called the bot-related service outages “unbelievable” and told Berchtold that the company “ought to be able to get some good advice” for better dealing with these kinds of issues.

24 Jan 2023

El Chapo Had Mexico’s Top Police Officer On His Payroll; Allegedly

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El Chapo’s money was longer than we all thought. It is alleged he had Mexico’s top crime cop literally on his payroll.

As per Raw Story, Genaro García Luna was once perceived by the country of Mexico as an upstanding public official who was dedicated his life to putting a finish to his country’s longstanding drug war. As the appointed secretary of public security, Luna added over 30,000 police officers to their federal force among other efforts to better fight crime. This week, his reputation took a huge hit during a federal trial where one of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s former associates, testified that he used to give Luna huge lump sums of cash to ensure he would turn a blind eye to his illegal activities.

”He also had a second job, a dirtier job, a more profitable job,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Pilmar said at Luna’s trial in Brooklyn Federal Court Monday, Jan. 23. The Sinaloa Cartel would pay to keep their operation going by paying “to buy off the federal police, to put them on the payroll, to make them them part of the organization,” Pilmar said. “The defendant took their cash and betrayed his oath to his country.”

At El Chapo’s trial, cartel confidant turned informant testified he would bring Luna millions of dollars at a time during meetings at a restaurant. The federal prosecutor claim Luna would advise the cartel on pending arrests, let drugs go unscreened at checkpoints and flip some of his local force to act as bodyguards for the drug syndicate. “Members of the jury, the evidence will show that the defendant, the person who was supposed to be in charge of fighting the Sinaloa cartel, was actually its most valuable asset,” Pilmar explained in his opening statement.

But Luna’s defense attorney Cesar de Castro alleges his client was not corrupt and all the evidence comes from criminals who wanted him dead. “What better revenge than to bury the man who led the war against the cartels?” de Castro said. “These murderers, torturers, kidnappers literally get to kill two birds with one stone.” On Dec. 9, 2019, García Luna was arrested in Dallas on charges of taking millions in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel. He has pleaded not guilty to the bribery charges.

Photo: NurPhoto / Getty

24 Jan 2023

Miley Cyrus ‘Forever Grateful’ for ‘Flowers’ Debuting at No. 1 on the Hot 100 & Across the World

Miley Cyrus took to social media on Tuesday (Jan. 24) to react to her new song “Flowers” debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and beyond.

“Thankful that Flowers is Number 1 around the world,” she tweeted above a behind-the-scenes snippet from the set of the single’s music video. “This song is dedicated to my fans & the steadfast self love I wish for each of you. Forever grateful, Miley.”

“Flowers” launched at No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100 (chart dated Jan. 27), as well as on the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts. The anthem is Cyrus’ second track to top the all-genre Hot 100 after “Wrecking Ball” spent three weeks at No. 1 back in 2013. It will appear as the lead single from Endless Summer Vacation, Cyrus’ upcoming eighth studio album, when it drops March 10 via Columbia Records.

To coincide with the chart-topping debut, Billboard broke down five reasons why the self-love groove has become the Hannah Montana star’s biggest hit in nearly a decade — from its close proximity to her latest New Year’s Eve special on NBC and finding in-demand hitmakers like Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson in the song’s credits to its explosion on TikTok and the litany of fan theories about the track’s lyrics being about her relationship with ex-husband Liam Hemsworth.

The song, which broke Spotify’s single-week streaming record after its Jan. 12 rollout, has also found a number of famous fans with its independent message, including Gloria Gaynor, Diane Keaton, Kerry Washington and more.

Check out Miley’s message to fans about the success of “Flowers” below.

24 Jan 2023

Kanye West & North West Spotted In Malibu With Ye’s New “Wifey” Bianca Censori

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Celebrity Sightings : Day Six - Paris Fashion Week - Menswear F/W 2022-2023

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Plenty of people have been talking about Ye aka Kanye West and his new “wifey” who isn’t really his wife and, aesthetically, is basically Kim Kardashian’s biggest cosplayer.

Anyway, Ye and Bianca Censori—the 27-year-old Yeezy architectural designer Ye “married” in Beverly Hills (it was a non-legal ceremony and the couple does not appear to have filed for marriage certificates yet)—have been spotted out on the town with Ye’s daughter, North.

According to Page Six, Ye and Censori were waiting on North, who had just arrived at Nobu in Malibu on Sunday.

Predictably, not everyone is thrilled about Ye’s new “marriage” to Censori—who, again, isn’t Ye’s wife because a non-legally-binding marriage is to a real marriage what Fox News is to actual news—or the fact that she appears to be spending time with her new non-husband and non-stepdaughter.

From Page Six:

Page Six exclusively revealed that the Kardashian family was confused and concerned about the news.

“The family isn’t taking this as a marriage yet,” a source told us. “They don’t know what it is. They aren’t sure if it is a PR stunt. They are waiting to see if he files for papers. They are nervous because if it’s real, she would be in the children’s life.”

Censori, who bore a striking resemblance to the “Kardashians” star before chopping off her hair and dyeing it blond, has not been in Kim’s good books since she started working full-time at Yeezy in November 2020.

“Kim hates her. [She] has a bad opinion of her,” an insider told us earlier this month. “This woman has done stuff to make herself look like Kim.”

To be fair, you might also have an unfavorable opinion of someone who fake-married your ex and then started jacking your steeze with a wardrobe that’s an exact replica of your closet and makeup collection.

I’m just saying, it’s kinda weird—even for Ye. 

24 Jan 2023

Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter Announces Debut Solo Project: See the Album Cover

The Daft Punk camp has been as quiet as an empty nightclub since the French icons officially announced their breakup in February 2021. But Tuesday (Jan. 24) offers tangentially related Daft Punk news by way of the group’s Thomas Bangalter.

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This April, the producer will release his first solo album, an orchestral project called Mythologies. The work comes with a predictably high-pedigree backstory, having been commissioned by French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj for the ballet of the same name. The show premiered in Bordeaux at the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine.

A press release on this project states that the 90-minute score “reveals a love of Baroque music and hints to traces of American minimalism, its brief phrases subjected to a process of progressive variation.” The orchestral work does not incorporate any electronic elements. See its cover art below.

The project, out April 7 via Erato/Warner Classics, began in fall 2019 when Preljocaj invited Bangalter to write the music for a new work. Preljocaj advised that this piece was intended for 10 dancers from the Opéra National de Bordeaux’s ballet company, 10 others from Preljocaj’s own company and the house’s resident orchestra.

“This invitation,” the press release continues with a wink to kismet, “arrived at the very moment that Bangalter was itching to write for a full orchestra.”  

The resulting 23-scene production and its corresponding music do nothing less than “delve into the legacy shared by all of humankind by embracing the ancient and modern myths that reflect and shape us.”

“I think all artists should have freedom,” Bangalter’s father Daniel Vangarde told Billboard last November. “I helped Thomas, Guy-Man and their friends as much as I could to allow them to release without barriers. They were only 20 years old and the industry could have squeezed them — a normal contract generates interference between your work and the time it’s released… My input was to help create a good environment that allowed them to produce freely.”

Thomas Bangalter,

Thomas Bangalter, “Mythologies”

Stephane Manel

24 Jan 2023

Angela Bassett Scores 2023 Oscar Nod For ‘Wakanda Forever’

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Renowned actress Angela Bassett secured an anticipated Oscar nomination for Wakanda Forever, one of a few for the blockbuster film.

On Tuesday morning (Jan. 24), the Academy announced the list of nominees for the 95th Academy Awards. Angela Bassett was nominated for her role of Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther sequel film Wakanda Forever, making history in a three-fold fashion. She’s the first person of color, the first woman, and the first Marvel Studios actor to obtain an Oscar nomination for a role in a film adapted from a comic book.

Her nomination stands out among the few nominations that the 2022 blockbuster received from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The Rihanna & Tems single “Lift Me Up” (written with composer Ludwig Göransson and Ryan Coogler) was nominated for Best Original Song. Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick were nominated for Best Visual Effects. Legendary industry designer Ruth E. Carter received a nomination for Best Costume Design, and Camille Friend and Joel Harlow were nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

For the 64-year-old veteran actress, this is her second Oscar nomination. She had been nominated for Best Actress in 1993 for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. Bassett is considered to be the favorite to win this go-round even as critics’ favorite Everything Everywhere All At Once (which dominated the 2023 Oscars nomination list) has two actresses in the category in Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Her riveting work recently won the Critics Choice Award and most recently the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. During her acceptance speech for the Globes award, she spoke of how the cast and crew banded together to honor the late Chadwick Boseman in filming Wakanda Forever.

“We have joy in knowing that with this historic Black Panther series, it is a part of his legacy that he helped to lead us to we showed the world what Black unity, leadership, and love looks like beyond, behind, and in front of the camera.”

The 95th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California Sunday, March 12, and will be aired live on ABC.

24 Jan 2023

Pimp C Almost Declined “Big Pimpin” Verse Due To Misunderstanding With Jay-Z Lyric

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Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin” was one of the biggest records of his career and while it featured UGK (Bun B and Pimp C), Pimp C actually had his reservations about getting on the track when he first heard it.

In an interview with R.O.A.D. podcast, former Roc-A-Fella A&R Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua reveals that Pimp C actually wanted nothing to do with the song after he misinterpreted one of Jay-Z’s lines on the track. “He thought Jay was saying that he was playing with his d**k in the truck. So he’s like, ‘Man, I’m not getting on no song with another man talking bout playing with himself in the truck. Young Hov, you my boy, but, damn, what you trying to have me doing?’”

We can see why he’d think that at first listen, but you’d have to hear it again to see that Jay actually said: “‘Til I need a nut, ’til I need to beat the guts/ Then it’s ‘beep beep’ and I’m pickin’ ’em up/ Let ’em play with the d*ck in the truck.”

But aside from the misunderstanding, Pimp C’s relationship with the late-great Tupac Shakur had him hesitant to work with Jay as well. Tupac had dropped a few bars aimed at Jigga over his friendship with The Notorious B.I.G. saying that Pimp was “a big 2Pac fan and 2Pac had just passed away not too long ago. And he heard of something, I guess ’cause Pac said something about Jay. So [Pimp C] was like, ‘I’m not f*cking with him, ’cause Pac ain’t f*cking with him.’”

Fortunately though, Pimp eventually decided to hop on the track and Hip-Hop history was made as “Big Pimpin” went on to become a smash record and went platinum back in 2000. What an era that was.

Check out the full interview with Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua below and let us know if “Big Pimpin” would’ve been as big a record as it was without Pimp C or UGK on the track.



24 Jan 2023

Chris Martin & Gwyneth Paltrow’s Daughter Apple Is All Grown Up at Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week Show

Apple Martin has officially made her debut at Fashion Week.

On Tuesday night (Jan. 24), the teenager — the daughter and eldest child of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin — attended Chanel’s Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 show at Paris Fashion Week.

The 18-year-old looked elegant in a two-piece set designed by the esteemed French fashion house, wearing a black-and-white plaid printed mini dress made of Chanel’s signature tweed fabric and matching jacket. Apple topped off the look with chunky-heeled shoes, a crossbody Chanel bag and shiny blond hair reminiscent of her mother’s.

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At the show, the budding fashionista sat next to Bohemian Rhapsody star Lucy Boynton, as well as All Too Well: The Short Film and Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, who were also dressed in threads from the brand.

Apple Martin

Apple Martin attends the Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 24, 2023 in Paris.

Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via GI

Sadie Sink, Lucy Boynton and Apple Martin

Sadie Sink, Lucy Boynton and Apple Martin attend the Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 24, 2023 in Paris.

Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via GI

Gwyneth Paltrow was in disbelief when her daughter turned 18 last year, lamenting back in May about Apple’s milestone birthday.

“18. I’m a bit of a loss for words this morning,” she wrote. “I could not be more proud of the woman you are. You are everything I could have dreamed of and so much more. Proud doesn’t cover it, my heart swells with feelings I can’t put in to words. You are deeply extraordinary in every way. Happy birthday my darling girl. I hope you know how special you are, and how much light you have brought to all who are lucky enough to know you. Especially me. I say it all the time and I will never stop… in the words of auntie Drew, I was born the day you were born.”

24 Jan 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: TAEYANG & Jimin Each Score First Solo Hit With ‘Vibe’

South Korean singer-songwriters TAEYANG and Jimin each make their first solo visit to the Billboard Hot 100, as their new collaboration “Vibe” debuts at No. 76 on the chart dated Jan. 28.

“Vibe,” released Jan. 13 via THE BLACK LABEL/Interscope Records, opens with 4.2 million official streams and 20,000 downloads sold in the United States in the week ending Jan. 19, according to Luminate. It debuts at No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales and No. 2 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart, as well as in the top 10 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. survey.

TAEYANG (real name: Dong Young-bae) and Jimin (Park Ji-min) are both longstanding hitmakers on Billboard’s charts. TAEYANG, also a member of the K-pop group BIG BANG, notched his first solo entry in July 2010, when “Wedding Dress” debuted on World Digital Song Sales (before peaking at No. 3). He’s scored 14 total solo tracks on World Digital Song Sales, including 10 top 10s and two No. 1s: “Good Boy,” with GD, in 2014, and now “Vibe.” He’s also sent three albums onto the World Albums chart: Solar (No. 14 peak in 2010), Rise (No. 1, 2014) and White Night (No. 1, 2017). Rise also reached No. 112 on the Billboard 200.

BIG BANG, with TAEYANG as a member, has charted 31 songs on World Digital Song Sales, including 26 top 10s and five No. 1s: “Loser” (2015), “Bang Bang Bang” (2015), “Let’s Not Fall in Love” (2015), “Flower Road” (2018) and “Still Life” (2022). BIG BANG has posted four titles on World Albums: Tonight (No. 3, 2011), Alive (No. 4, 2012), Special Edition ‘Still Alive’ (No. 3, 2012) and Made (No. 1, 2016). Alive also reached No. 150 on the Billboard 200, while Made peaked at No. 172. Tonight earned BIG BANG its first chart appearance when it debuted at No. 3 on World Albums and No. 7 on Heatseekers Albums in March 2011.

As for Jimin, “Vibe” earns the BTS member his first career solo Hot 100 hit. BTS has tallied 26 entries, since 2017, including 10 top 10s and six No. 1s: “Dynamite” (2020), “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat),” with Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo (2020), “Life Goes On” (2020), “Butter” (2021), “Permission To Dance” (2021) and “My Universe,” with Coldplay (2021). BTS also amassed 15 albums on the Billboard 200, including six No. 1s: Love Yourself: Tear (2018), Love Yourself: Answer (2018), Map of the Soul: Persona (2019), Map of the Soul: 7 (2020), Be (2020) and Proof (2022).

BTS made its first Billboard chart appearance in 2013, when “No More Dreams” debuted at No. 14 on World Digital Song Sales (before climbing to No. 2 seven years later). Since then, the group has broken numerous records, including the most Hot 100 No. 1 debuts among groups (five) and the most top 10 debuts among groups (nine). BTS notched its six Hot 100 leaders to-date over just a year and a month in 2020-21, the quickest accumulation of six since The Beatles earned six over a year and two weeks in 1964-66.

Outside BTS, Jimin has tallied one solo entry on Billboard’s charts: his collaboration with HA SUNG WOON, “With You,” spent a week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales last May. It also reached No. 14 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 19 on the Billboard Global 200.

Jimin is now the seventh member of BTS – encompassing all the group’s members – to score a solo entry on the Hot 100. J-Hope first earned the honor in October 2019 with “Chicken Noodle Soup,” featuring Becky G (No. 81 peak), and Suga, V, Jung Kook, JIN, RM and now Jimin have all since followed.

Here’s a look at every song by a BTS member to chart on the Hot 100, listed chronologically:

Artist Billing, Title (Peak Position; Peak Date):
J-Hope feat. Becky G, “Chicken Noodle Soup” (No. 81; Oct. 12, 2019)
Agust D (SUGA’s alternate billing), “Daechwita” (No. 76; June 6, 2020)
Juice WRLD & Suga, “Girl of My Dreams” (No. 29; Dec. 25, 2021)
V, “Christmas Tree” (No. 79; Jan. 8, 2022)
Jung Kook, “Stay Alive” (No. 95; Feb. 26, 2022)
PSY feat. Suga, “That That” (No. 80; May 14, 2022)
Charlie Puth feat. Jung Kook, “Left and Right” (No. 22; July 9, 2022)
J-Hope, “More” (No. 82; July 16, 2022)
J-Hope, “Arson” (No. 96; July 30, 2022)
JIN, “The Astronaut” (No. 51; Nov. 12, 2022)
RM with Youjeen, “Wild Flower” (No. 83; Dec. 17, 2022)
TAEYANG feat. Jimin, “Vibe” (No. 76; Jan. 28, 2023)

24 Jan 2023

Tony Bennett Sweetly Congratulates Lady Gaga on 4th Oscars Nomination: ‘So Proud of You!’

After the 2023 Academy Awards nominations were revealed on Tuesday (Jan. 24), Lady Gaga officially became a four-time Oscar nominee.

While the “Bloody Mary” singer has yet to share her feelings about being a contender at this year’s ceremony, former Love for Sale and Cheek to Cheek collaborator Tony Bennett extended his congrats to his dear friend.

“Congratulations to the amazingly talented @ladygaga on her 4th Oscar nomination!” the 96-year-old wrote via Twitter. “Today, Lady Gaga makes history as the first artist to receive three nominations in the Best Original Song category at the #Oscars. So proud of you!”

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As Bennett mentioned, Gaga is nominated in the best original song category for “Hold My Hand,” from the Tom Cruise-starring Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack. The track, which was written and produced by the pop star alongside BloodPop, peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Gaga was previously nominated in the best original song category at the Oscars in 2016 for “Til It Happens to You,” co-written with Diane Warren, from The Hunting Ground documentary. In 2019, she earned a best original song nom for “Shallow” from A Star Is Born — and won in the category — and made it into the best actress category for starring in the movie as Ally Maine.

“Hold My Hand” is currently nominated at the Grammy Awards for best song written for visual media; Gaga is also nominated for her work on the soundtrack in the best compilation soundtrack for visual media category.

In 2022, the singer was nominated alongside Bennett for their joint album, Love for Sale, which was up for album of the year and best traditional pop vocal album, the latter of which they won. The album’s track “I Get a Kick Out of You” was also nominated for best music video, best pop duo/group performance and record of the year. Their 2014 album, Cheek to Cheek, also won in the best traditional pop vocal album category.

See Bennett’s congratulatory message to Gaga below.