Category: Worldwide

Virginia rapper-singer-saxophonist Masego hasn’t confirmed that he’s working on a new project yet, but he’s definitely been working, capitalizing on the additional attention he’s received from his participation on Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy. Today, he released a smooth new single with Atlanta rappers Big Boi and JID, “Garden Party.” A celebration of all the things these boys enjoy, the Iman Omari and Jack Dine-produced single makes references to the film Stomp The Yard and the seminal 1985 Doug E. Fresh and MC Ricky D (aka Slick Rick) song, “La Di Da Di.”

The new track is the latest in a run of impressive guest verses for JID, who has popped up throughout the year on releases from Conway The Machine, Doja Cat, and fellow Dreamville rapper Lute. Conway’s song “Scatter Brain” also linked JID to another Atlanta legend, Ludacris, so it’s fair to say JID is making the most of the wait for his own next album.

Big Boi, meanwhile, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his and Andre 3000’s pioneering sophomore Outkast album ATLiensreissued pieces of vinyl. Big Boi also has a joint album with Sleepy Brown titled The Big Sleepover coming soon. Maybe he and JID can bond over their apparent shared love of Raymond Chandler adaptations.

Listen to Masego’s “Garden Party” featuring JID and Big Boi above.

Big Thief revealed in a recent Mojo interview that their next album is set to be a 20-track double album. The album is set for 2022, but today, they’ve shared a sample of it, “Change.” Adrianne Lenker described some of the band’s upcoming music as “raw and no fat, just songs, and acoustic,” and “Change” fits that bill, as it’s not too far off from the sound of Lenker’s 2020 solo album Songs.

In that Mojo interview, Lenker also noted, “I’ve noticed that a lot of this record is more uplifting and hopeful. Which is funny, given the times we’re in. And there’s more acceptance, of the self and of the whole paradigm we’re in. The mysteries of humanity and how it’s all unfolding. I’ll probably be writing about that until I die!”

Listen to “Change” above. Big Thief also just announced a run of 2022 tour dates, so find those below.

01/31/2022 — Lille, FR @ L’Aéronef
02/01/2022 — Paris, FR @ La Cigale
02/04/2022 — Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
02/05/2022 — Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo
02/07/2022 — Lyon, FR @ Le Transbordeur
02/08/2022 — Strasbourg, FR @ La Laiterie Artefact
02/09/2022 — Zurich, CH @ Kaufleuten
02/10/2022 — Munich, DE @ Cafe Muffathalle
02/12/2022 — Prague, CZ @ MeetFactory
02/13/2022 — Berlin, DE @ Huxleys Neue Welt
02/15/2022 — Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
02/16/2022 — Hamburg, DE @ Fabrik
02/18/2022 — Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall
02/19/2022 — Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
02/21/2022 — Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli Vredgenburg
02/22/2022 — Groningen, NL @ De Oosterpoort
02/24/2022 — Manchester, GB @ Manchester Academy
02/25/2022 — Glasgow, GB @ Barrowland Ballroom
02/26/2022 — Dublin, IE @ The National Stadium
02/27/2022 — Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy Bristol
03/02/2022 — London, GB @ 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
03/03/2022 — London, GB @ 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
03/04/2022 — London, GB @ 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
04/12/2022 — Ithaca, NY @ State Theatre
04/16/2022 — Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
04/18/2022 — Montreal, QUE @ L’Olympia
04/19/2022 — Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
04/21/2022 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
04/22/2022 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Ballroom
04/23/2022 — Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
04/25/2022 — Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
04/26/2022 — Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theater
04/27/2022 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
04/29/2022 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
04/30/2022 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
05/02/2022 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
05/03/2022 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
05/04/2022 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
05/07/2022 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
05/10/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
05/11/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
05/12/2022 — San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
05/14/2022 — Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s
06/09/2022 — Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound 2022
06/10-12/2022 — Berlin, DE @ Tempelhof Sounds

Even after securing funding, a rocket from Elon Musk, and a director crazy enough to join him for the mission, Tom Cruise‘s plans to be the first actor to shoot a film in space went out the window on Tuesday morning. Making good on their promise to beat Cruise’s production, a Russian film crew docked with the International Space Station on Tuesday where it will begin shooting a full feature film starring Russian actress Yulia Peresild.

According to CNN, the two person film crew already experienced its first bout of drama as concerns about its ability to dock with the station became an issue:

Russian mission control was worried about the amount of time left they had to communicate with the crew on the Soyuz spacecraft ahead of docking since it would be briefly pass out of range with ground control stations.

“Anton, we have very little time left,” Russian mission control said. “After that, just as you trained for. You’ll be fine.”

“I can see everything really well,” Shkaplerov assured them shortly before safely docking.

The spacecraft is usually capable of docking itself, and manual docking is rare. There was also an issue with Kurs, the docking navigation system, in July, when Russia’s newly docked Nauka module accidentally fired its thrusters, spinning the space station out of control.

It was practically like a scene out of a movie, just not one starring Tom Cruise who will have to settle with being the second actor to film in space, which is still pretty cool. And, hey, let’s not act like he won’t be the first to do some crazy stunt like jump off the top of the International Space Station, or ride a motorcycle in orbit. He’ll think of something.

(Via CNN)

Netflix’s Squid Game has been causing internet mayhem to the degree that the streamer got sued over the surge in traffic created by the frenzy to stream this show. The “world domination” jokes are actually no joke, given that it’s headed toward being the streamer’s most-watched show ever, and so many people want to watch the deadly (fictional) survival game (which skewers capitalism) that it’s topping the charts in 90 countries. Given the optimal timing, too, Squid Game shall surely be 2021’s most popular Halloween costume, and Netflix is here to assist with that as well.

Their merch shop (which contains The Witcher and Lupin offerings, and you can visit them here) is already pumping out Squid Game-themed apparel, including T-shirts and a hot-pink hoodie, which is part of a guard uniform with a show logo. That item can be customized with different shapes, so that one can pick their guard rank. So fancy! However, an actual contestant track-suit costume isn’t available as of yet.

Ominously enough, the apparel is offered up with this greeting: “Accept the invitation at your own risk. If you’re like us and love ‘Squid Game,’ you’ve come to the right place — and the stakes aren’t as high.”

Hmm… I wonder if Jeff Bezos is placing his order as we speak? The Amazon founder fired off a gracious congratulatory tweet over the weekend while writing that Netflix co-CEOs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos “get it right so often” with their content game. He also added, “Their internationalization strategy isn’t easy, and they’re making it work. Impressive and inspiring.” Bezos admitted that he hadn’t watched the show yet, and he might not be as big of a fan once he realizes that it’s a critique on capitalism, but hey, Halloween is for jokers anyway.

Taylor Swift has gotten involved in politics in recent years, far more so in years prior, as she has made her voice heard on topics like voter registration and has voiced support for specific candidates. Politicians are making note of her influence and using it to their advantage, as Swift’s name and her journey with her masters have found their way into the Virginia gubernatorial race.

Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe has launched a series of ads — which appear on Facebook, Instagram, and Google search — that connect Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin to Scooter Braun’s 2019 purchase of Swift’s master recordings. One ad states (as Billboard notes), “Did you know that Republican candidate for Governor, Glenn Youngkin, helped buy Taylor Swift’s masters out from under her when he was co-CEO of Carlyle Group?”

The Carlyle Group provided funding for Braun’s purchase of Swift’s masters.

Youngkin’s camp has responded to the ads and the claims they make, with Renzo Olivari, McAuliffe’s press secretary, saying (via Axios), “In 2019, McAuliffe was as a passive investor at Carlyle, and did not have any investments associated with Taylor Swift’s masters.” Youngkin spokesperson Christian Martinez also told the publication, “Terry McAuliffe has reached the stage of desperation in his campaign where he’s rolling out the most baseless attacks to see what sticks. It’s a pathetic fall that could only be achieved by a 43-year political hack.”

In a 2019 message to fans, Swift specifically addressed Carlyle Group, writing, “This is WRONG. Neither of these men [Braun and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta] had a hand in the writing of those songs. They did nothing to create the relationship I have with my fans. So this is where I’m asking for your help. Please let Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun know how you feel about this. Scooter also manages several artists who I really believe care about other artists and their work. Please ask them for help with this — I’m hoping that maybe they can talk some sense into the men who are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote. I’m especially asking for help from The Carlyle Group, who put up money for the sale of my music to these two men. I just want to be able to perform MY OWN music. That’s it. I’ve tried to work this out privately through my team but have not been able to resolve anything.”

Before he won four Emmys for his performance as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage was in a punk band. “We got together, and we just drank too much and played the old CBGB’s,” he said about his time in Whizzy (a terrible and terribly ’90s band name). “We had a following, but our following was, like, progressive rock. It was all guys. For some reason, just dudes came to our shows. I felt a little bit, like, what’s the point of being in a rock band if there’s no ladies?” Something tells me there will be more ladies in attendance when he shows off his musical chops in Cyrano.

Directed by Pride and Prejudice‘s Joe Wright, the musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac (you probably read it in high school) stars Dinklage as the love-struck title character, along with Haley Bennett as Roxane, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Christian, and Ben Mendelsohn as Count de Guiche. Indie rock legends The National provide the soundtrack, and while Dinklage doesn’t sing in the trailer above, rest assured, he does in the “gonzo” musical of the “greatest love story ever told.”

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Award-winning director Joe Wright envelops moviegoers in a symphony of emotions with music, romance, and beauty in Cyrano, re-imagining the timeless tale of a heartbreaking love triangle. A man ahead of his time, Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage) dazzles whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne (Haley Bennett), Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her — and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.).

Cyrano opens in select theaters on December 31.

If you remember a time when Corbin Bernsen was TV’s ultimate sex symbol, think of Harry Hamlin as more than just a recurring character on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, or get all hot and bothered when someone mentions “The Venus Butterfly,” we have great news: L.A. Law is coming back!

As Deadline reports, ABC has ordered a pilot for a sequel to the hit legal drama, which will see Blair Underwood reprise his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins, as well as serve as an executive producer. The series, according to Deadline, will center around “the venerable law firm of McKenzie Brackman reinvent[ing] itself as a litigation firm specializing in only the most high-profile, boundary-pushing, and incendiary cases. Underwood’s Jonathan Rollins has gone from idealistic to more conservative as he clashes with millennial JJ Freeman to decide the best path forward for the firm to effect political and legal change.”

The Emmy-winning series, which ran for eight seasons between 1986 and 1994, was a precursor to the era of prestige television that got its start in the late 1990s. Co-created by über-producer Steven Bochco, the legal drama may seem tame by today’s standards, but it dared to address such topics as abortion, racism, homophobia, AIDS, and capital punishment at a time when no other TV show would even sniff around such taboo subject matter. It also provided some now-famous stars, including Bryan Cranston, Kathy Bates, Steve Buscemi, CCH Pounder, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, and Stephen Root, with some of their earliest TV gigs. The series also helped to make Underwood a household name, when the acclaimed actor—who was then just 23 years old—joined McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak in L.A. Law’s second season.

The new series, which has been in development since December, will be partly overseen by the late Bochco’s son, director/producer Jesse Bochco, and his widow, Dayna Bochco, who will executive produce the show. Bochco the younger mentioned the project during a virtual TCA panel, noting that: “We are working with brilliant, brilliant people and I think we’re going to get it to the world.”

(Via Deadline)

One of Jake Gyllenhaal’s early breakout roles was in The Good Girl, the 2002 comedy-drama written by Mike White (The White Lotus) that also starred John C. Reilly, Tim Blake Nelson, Zooey Deschanel, and Jennifer Aniston. The film has a stacked cast, but the experience was “torture” for Gyllenhaal due to his crush on the Friends actress.

During a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Gyllenhaal was asked by Howard Stern what it was like to film a romantic scene with Aniston, with the host sarcastically suggesting that it must have been “torture” for him. “Oh yeah, it was torture, yes it was,” The Guilty star replied while laughing. “But it was also not torture. I mean, come on, it was like a mix of both.” He continued:

“Weirdly, love scenes are awkward, because there are maybe 30, 50 people watching it? That doesn’t turn me on,” Gyllenhaal, 40, said. “It’s oddly mechanical. And also it’s a dance, you’re choreographing for a camera. You can get in it but it’s like a fight scene, you have to choreograph those scenes.”

Gyllenhaal used the “pillow technique” for his sex scene with Aniston. “That was just preemptive and used generally always when actually in a horizontal place in that movie,” he said. “I think that was actually a Jennifer suggestion, she was very kind to suggest it before we began. She was like, ‘I’m putting a pillow here.’”

You can watch his The Howard Stern Show interview above.

(Via Yahoo!)

Facebook has officially changed its relationship status with the world to ‘It’s Complicated.’ Over the past week, Frances Haugen—a former product manager for the social media behemoth—has become a household name since leaking documents about the harmful effects the company has to The Wall Street Journal, giving a scathing interview to 60 Minutes, and, on Tuesday, going scorched Earth on her former employer in front of Congress as she talked about how Facebook’s products “harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy.”

While Haugen isn’t really telling us something we didn’t already know, it’s one of the first times that someone with such intimate details of the company’s inner workings has spoken up to the government about the dangers that something as seemingly inconsequential as a Facebook status update or Instagram post could pose. And Facebook CEO/co-founder Mark Zuckerberg isn’t happy. Nor is he in agreement with Haugen’s take on the company or its values.

As The Verge reports, Zuckerberg posted a lengthy response to Haugen’s attacks on his public Facebook page, in which he noted that the accusations being made against the company don’t “reflect the company we know” and that Facebook “care[s] deeply about issues like safety, well-being, and mental health.” After stating that “many of the claims don’t make any sense,” and wondering why, if they wanted to ignore research data, they would “create an industry-leading research program to understand these important issues in the first place?,” Zuckerberg went on to write:

At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritize profit over safety and well-being. That’s just not true. For example, one move that has been called into question is when we introduced the Meaningful Social Interactions change to News Feed. This change showed fewer viral videos and more content from friends and family—which we did knowing it would mean people spent less time on Facebook, but that research suggested it was the right thing for people’s well-being. Is that something a company focused on profits over people would do?

The argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical. We make money from ads, and advertisers consistently tell us they don’t want their ads next to harmful or angry content. And I don’t know any tech company that sets out to build products that make people angry or depressed. The moral, business, and product incentives all point in the opposite direction.

It’s Zuckerberg’s first public statement about the accusations Haugen is making, ever since her identity was revealed on 60 Minutes (though something tells us Zuck already knew who was making all the noise). While there’s nothing overly surprising in his more than 1,300-word response, it doesn’t read as particularly honest. Just last month, The Wall Street Journal shared some findings from the company’s own research team, including the fact (as was included on an internal presentation slide) that Instagram (one of Facebook’s products) “make[s] body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.” (You can read more from that WSJ report here.)

You can read Zuckerberg’s full statement here.

(Via The Verge)

Following R. Kelly being found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering, it is now a bit harder to find his songs and videos: YouTube has permanently suspended the RKellyTV and RKellyVevo channels, which hosted official uploads of Kelly’s videos and songs.

Nicole Alston, YouTube’s head of legal, told Bloomberg, “Egregious actions committed by R. Kelly warrant penalties beyond standard enforcement measures due to a potential to cause widespread harm. Ultimately we are taking this action to protect our users similar to other platforms.”

Alston also noted that Kelly will no longer be able to use, own, or create YouTube channels. A YouTube spokesperson also said in a statement, “We can confirm that we have terminated two channels linked to R. Kelly in accordance with our creator responsibility guidelines.”

That said, as it stands now, at least a portion of the videos that originally appeared on these channels are still accessible, but with caveats. Searching YouTube for “Ignition (Remix),” for example, shows an audio-only result (a video just featuring cover art) that appears to be from the RKellyTV channel. When clicking on the channel link, though, the channel is blank except for the message, “This account has been terminated for a violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service.”

When going to watch that actual “Ignition (Remix)” video, the page is accessible and the video is able to be played, but the page indicates the video is from the “R. Kelly – Topic” channel, instead of RKellyTV as indicated in the YouTube search results.

Meanwhile, the page for the RKellyVevo channel behaves differently than the RKellyTV channel. Instead of a message about the channel’s termination, it is as though the channel never existed at all, as the error page is the same one yielded when trying to access an invalid YouTube URL: “This page isn’t available. Sorry about that. Try searching for something else.”

Videos for songs on which Kelly features, like Ja Rule’s “Wonderful” and Nick Cannon’s “Gigolo,” are still available on YouTube, as they were uploaded to different channels. As of now, Kelly’s music is still available on YouTube Music, as it is on other audio streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.