Month: September 2023

The Electric Zoo Festival went down in New York City this weekend, and things did not go as planned.

There were issues from the very start, as the fest’s first day (September 1) was canceled just hours before it was set to commence. A statement from festival organizers read in part, “It is with a broken heart that we deeply regret to inform you that, despite our tireless efforts and round-the-clock commitment, we have made the painful decision to cancel the first day of Electric Zoo. This year has presented unparalleled challenges for everyone. The global supply chain disruptions have impacted industries worldwide, and, sadly, our beloved festival has not been immune. These unexpected delays have prevented us from completing the construction of the main stage in time for Day 1.”

Then there was Day 2, which also hit a bit of a snag. Organizers explained, “We are thrilled to announce that we’re opening the festival doors today, but will need to do this two hours later than initially planned, at 3pm. […] We understand that yesterday’s delay has been disappointing, but rest assured that our production team has been working tirelessly to ensure that everything is in place for an extraordinary experience. Your safety, enjoyment, and the quality of our festival are our top priorities.”

Things went sideways on Day 3 yesterday: At 6:35 p.m., organizers announced in a statement, “It is with deep regret that we need to inform you that due to the challenges caused by Friday cancelation, we have reached our venue’s capacity earlier than anticipated for today, Sunday. For the safety and well-being of everyone on site, we will not be admitting any additional attendees today. If you are on your way or were planning to come later, we kindly ask that you refrain from coming to the festival site.”

Some ticketholders didn’t take this news well: ABC7NY reports that after being told they wouldn’t be allowed into the festival, some attendees started “pushing their way in, rushing the gates, jumping over and crawling through a security checkpoint, then running into the festival.”

Check out some videos of the chaos below.

LSU and Florida State met on Sunday night in the biggest game of the college football weekend, as the only top 10 matchup on the Week 1 schedule. After a wild game a year ago, things picked up where they left off with both teams creating huge chunk plays on offense in the first quarter, but also shot themselves in the foot some to keep things tied at 7-7 going into the second.

LSU in particular would’ve felt like they left a lot on the field early on, as they got stopped on six plays inside the five yard line, failing to put points on the board on their opening drive. After redeeming themselves with a touchdown drive on their second possession, they took over in a tie game and again marched into FSU territory. Jayden Daniels showed his talents throwing and running, but learned a painful lesson about trying to hurdle defenders when he decided to leap over the line in front of him and got absolutely smoked by FSU star defender Jared Verse, who saw an opportunity to put a monster hit on the QB and did not miss.

Hurdling defenders is always a dicey decision, but trying a hurdle in the middle of the line and not going for a touchdown is just a truly terrible choice to make. It really looks like a move you’d see in a wrestling ring, as Daniels gets lifted even higher off the backs of the guys he tries hurdling, straight into the waiting arms of Verse who delivers one of the cleanest monster hits we will likely see all season in college football.

Daniels is a terrific athlete, but this will hopefully serve as a reminder to him that even he has some limits and those limits are hurdling an entire defensive front seven. Luckily, he popped up from this massive hit, but it’s not a guarantee when you get hit after leaving your feet like that that you will bounce up as quickly.

On Thursday (August 31), users raved online about a stray dog that went to SoFi Stadium to attend Metallica’s M72 World Tour stop in Inglewood, California, on August 27. As odd as the canine’s journey to the SoFi Stadium, considering it couldn’t even join the band’s epic mosh pit. Its animal instincts must’ve given him a hint that the band would be taking a brief hiatus soon.

Yesterday (September 2), via the band’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, a representative revealed that their show scheduled for tonight (September 3) at Phoenix, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium was postponed.

In the group’s statement, they shared that lead vocalist James Hetfield had contracted COVID, which forced them to pull the plug. The show has been rescheduled to September 9 in the hopes that Hetfield is fully recovered by then. For ticketholders who cannot attend the new date, they did list refund options.

Read the complete statement below.

NIGHT TWO IN GLENDALE IS RESCHEDULED TO SEPTEMBER 9!

We’re very sorry to report that tomorrow’s scheduled M72 date at State Farm Stadium has been postponed to Saturday, September 9, 2023, as, unfortunately, COVID has caught up with James. We’re extremely disappointed and regret any inconvenience this has caused you; we look forward to returning to complete the M72 No Repeat Weekend in Glendale next Saturday.

All tickets for September 3 will be honored at the September 9 show. For more information, including refund details, if you cannot join next weekend, please visit http://SeatGeek.com. Keep your eyes on http://Metallica.com and our socials for additional details and updates.

PS: All M72 Weekend Takeover events scheduled for today and tomorrow (9/2 and 9/3) are still happening.

In addition to their ongoing tour, Metallica is also set to perform live at Power Trip Festival, slated to go down in October.

Smash Mouth’s former frontman, Steve Harwell, retired from music in 2021. In a bizarre video clip dating back to the time, Harwell is seen onstage disorientated as he attempts to get through a song. Since then, he has kept a relatively low profile.

According to a report from Variety, his fade from fame’s birth light was partly due to Harwell’s health. Today (September 3), TMZ has dropped a bombshell update on his condition. The outlet has shared that Harwell is allegedly near death, or as the publisher stressed, “[Harwell] is on his death bed with only a few days to live.”

A source claiming to be the manager of Harwell went on record to share that his past alcohol abuse has taken an intense physical toll. They added that Harwell is in the final stage of liver failure. Harwell also dealt with cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and Wernicke’s encephalopathy over the years.

After announcing his retirement in 2021, he issued a statement about his time spent with his bandmates.

“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream. To my bandmates, it’s been an honor performing with you all these years, and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with,” Harwell gleefully declared.

When Harry Met Sally… may be considered one of the great rom-coms of the ‘80s, but it’s best remembered for one scene. Yep, that one. It takes place at Katz’s Delicatessen, home to arguably NYC’s finest pastrami. (Although let’s not sleep on Pastrami Queen or 2nd Ave. Deli, off of 3rd, or David’s Brisket House, in beautiful Bed-Stuy.) Meg Ryan’s Sally doesn’t have the pastrami, instead favoring some monstrous OCD concoction she mostly doesn’t eat. What she does have is cinema’s loudest, most epic fake orgasm, all while Billy Crystal’s Harry patiently looks on. But not everyone’s a fan of the iconic faux-O.

Ryan recently did a fun little interview for Interview with Carol Burnett. In a bit teased out by Entertainment Weekly, the chat turned to the Katz’s outburst.

“It’s funny, my son just called me this morning and he’s in New York staying at a hotel that’s right across the street from Katz’s Deli,” Ryan said. “My daughter was here and everybody was on speaker, and they were like, ‘Mom, this is a very unique embarrassment.’”

Ryan added, “He said, ‘You know you can go into that deli and there’s an arrow pointing down to the table where you shot that scene.’” (This is true.)

Ryan has been mostly absent screens for a way too long, but that’s about to change. She teamed up with David Duchovny for What Happens Later, a rom-com about two ex-lovers who run into each other at an airport and proceed to sort out why on earth they broke up in the first place.

What Happens Later hits theaters on October 13. When Harry Met Sally…, meanwhile, currently streams on Max.

(Via Interview and EW)

A week-and-a-half ago the world was gifted with a truly wretched image: Donald Trump’s glowering mugshot photo. The pic inspired yuks. It even inspired arousal. And it inspired the Trump campaign to quickly slap the photo onto merchandise and hawk it to a ton of money. But by doing that, the guy who can’t do much right may have once again shot himself in the crotch.

As per Raw Story, SiriusXM radio host Dean Obeidallah penned an op-ed for MSNBC, in which he argues that by selling merch emblazoned with the mugshot, Trump may have violated copyright laws:

But as various legal experts have noted, Trump’s sale of that mug shot, taken by the Fulton County sheriff, may violate U.S. copyright laws. This could mean that theoretically, the millions he is making off that photo may rightfully belong to the Fulton County sheriff — an entity that just happens to be in desperate need of funds to address the horrific conditions in the Fulton County Jail.

Obeidallah points out that mugshots taken for federal criminal cases are considered in the public domain. Those taken as part of state and local proceedings are not. And Trump’s mugshot was taken in Georgia.

While it’s true that the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office did release Trump’s mugshot — and the ones for the 18 other defendants in the Fulton County case — that doesn’t mean anyone has the right to reproduce and sell the image for profit.

In the meantime, Don Jr. is begging MAGA heads not to only buy possibly illegal Trump mugshot merch from him and not from grifters.

(Via MSNBC and Raw Story)

Fans are still awaiting an official release date for Drake’s forthcoming solo album, For All The Dogs. But on Saturday, September 2, during his It’s All A Blur Tour second night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the rapper treated one concertgoer to something arguably even better.

Amongst the crowd, one attendee help up a sign reading, “I spent my furniture money on tickets to your two shows, OVO [October’s Very Own (Drake’s record label)] For Life.” It caught Drake’s attention, prompting him to read it out loud. He then vowed to make it up to him.

“My manager is my DJ… You know what, my man, your furniture money,” exclaimed Drake before he continued, “I’m going to give you 50 bands (thousand dollars) tonight because I love you.” He then turned his attention to his DJ, saying, “Make sure he gets his money tonight.”

As the crowd erupted, Drake took a moment to share a life lesson with his supporters. “You never know what the next person is going through,” he said. “You never know what the person in front of you, to the left, right, or behind you, is going through. So, I want to take a second in Las Vegas tonight. And the same way I just did what I did, I want you to open up your heart for a second and turn to someone you do not know to give them some love or a compliment. I want you to make somebody’s night in Las Vegas tonight.”

Millions worldwide struggle financially to afford their basic necessities, including furnishings for their home or concert tickets. Also, it won’t make a dent in Drake’s pockets as his current tour’s gross earnings are well into the millions.

Festival lovers are willing to endure some tough weather conditions purely out of the sheer admiration they have for their favorite acts. For others, the advertised ambiance is the biggest selling point (see Fyre Festival). Each year, this passion shows as thousands of brave fans make the voyage to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to attend the multi-day event Burning Man.

Unfortunately, no one could have foreseen that a freak rain storm on September 1 would leave attendees stranded in muddy terrain, which eventually led to road closures. Musician Diplo and comedian Chris Rock were able to make the 5-mile hike to a getaway ride, which escorted them to safety. Not everyone else was as fortunate. According to AP, local authorities are currently investigating a death take took place at the festival.

The outlet cites KNSD-TV’s initial report, which quotes the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office. In their authorities’ statement, they did not share the name of the deceased or the potential cause of death, just simply confirming that someone had tragically passed away.

The Bureau of Land Management, as well as the Sheriff’s Office, have advised the nearly 70,000 attendees that to ensure their safety, all access points for the event have been closed.

Read the note shared on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday (September 2) below.

“Due to recent rainfall, the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office officials have closed the entrance to Burning Man for the remainder of the event. Please avoid traveling to the area; you will be turned around. All event access is closed.”

No matter how severe the situation media mogul 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson) finds himself in, he will let out his inner troll. Although Jackson could potentially face felony battery charges for unintentionally causing bodily harm to an attendee of his The Final Lap Tour, he found a way to joke about the gruesome incident in an Instagram post.

Instead of directly addressing the microphone-tossing incident during his Los Angeles tour stop on August 30, Jackson shifted the focus to the technical issues he faced, looping fellow rapper Lil Wayne into the fracas.

On Friday, Jackson uploaded a screengrab of Radar Online‘s report on Wayne’s audio hiccup during his opening performance at Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour stop in Inglewood, California. He captioned it, “Damn, the only thing left is Taylor Swift show. I fired everyone involved in the audio department. If the mic don’t work, your ass don’t work here.”

Lil Wayne was slated to take the stage before Jackson at the now infamous show. While the joke was at his expense, rather than Jackson’s alleged microphone victim, Power 106‘s host Bryhana Monegain, but fans still believe that Jackson should issue a public apology to Monegain for the reported injuries she faced.

However, due to the legal parameters surrounding this incident, it’s probably best for Jackson to exercise his right to remain silent.

Gender Reveal Parties can be nice, but they’ve also taken strange turns, but over the weekend one ended in tragedy. As per The Daily Mail, one such event held in Sinaloa, Mexico on Saturday was supposed to be big, complete with a plane — which unfortunately suffered a fatal misfunction.

Video of the sad incident went viral, showing a small Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee aircraftflying over the crowd of reveler, as well as a giant sign reading “Oh Baby.” The plane was what was meant to reveal the gender, dumping either blue or pink spray. It dumped pink — only for one of its wings to suddenly fall off, causing the plane to sail wildly over the guests, crash landing behind them.

The crowd didn’t seem to notice the crash, at least at first, continuing to party. The pilot, Luis Angel N., who was the only person in the aircraft, was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

It’s far from the first time a gender reveal party has ended in death. In October 2019, a party in Iowa went south after a homemade pipe bomb that had been made to spray out pink or blue wound up shooting out shrapnel, killing a grandmother.

(Via The Daily Mail)