Category: Worldwide

Charli XCX is gearing up to enter an “ultra pop star” mode, but her jokester brain can never fully shut down. After she dropped a recent set of photos on Twitter promoting a one week countdown for hew single and music video “Good Ones,” which included a seated bikini shot where she has high white socks on, one fan was wondering why we haven’t seen the pop star barefoot. Here’s the photo set in question:

And Charli’s very funny, very chaotic response to the fan musing: “how come charli xcx is always wearing socks.” Her deadpan response? Quote tweeting the fan she wrote “I could get serious money for my feet… if you wanna see them, you gotta pay.”

Now what could send the foot fetish community into more chaos than that kind of acknowledgement? Between her new era giving fans the pop bangers they haven’t been receiving from the likes of Taylor, Billie and Lorde lately, and her new podcast Charli XCX’s Best Song Ever, where she interviews other famous musicians about their personal music taste, the Charli fans will definitely be happy this fall. Keep your ears out for her brand new single coming next week, and feet aficionados, keep close watch for your opportunity.

The death of Chadwick Boseman one year ago was a shock to fans who had no idea the star was suffering through a painful colon cancer diagnosis. Heartbreakingly, some of his closest castmates in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and beyond didn’t know Boseman was close to death when his passing at age 43 was made public in August of 2020.

On Saturday, the anniversary of Boseman’s passing was a moment for fans and colleagues to share fond memories and once again pay tribute to the life and legacy of the Black Panther star.

Michael B. Jordan, who played Boseman’s antagonist, Killmonger, in the Marvel smash hit, shared a message on Instagram on the anniversary of his death.

Fellow Black Panther star Lupita Nyongo shared a heartfelt message about Boseman with a behind the scenes photo of the two of them on Twitter.

Another MCU star, Mark Ruffalo, paid tribute to Boseman as well.

Josh Gad re-shared the last messages the two actors exchanged on Twitter with a note of reflection.

Viola Davis, who worked with Boseman on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, shared her condolences as well.

Many others in Hollywood shared memories or tributes to Boseman as well on an anniversary that for many will never get easier to commemorate.

There were many other moments shared from his career and life that got a lot of attention on social media as well.

It’s clear that, a year later, Boseman’s impact and loss still weighs heavy on Hollywood and movie fans.

Trying to survive these days is tough enough amidst a still-surging pandemic, which apparently is why TikTok has decided to deplatform one of its most dangerous viral stunts.

Friday brought word that the wildly popular social media platform was making it much harder to see one of its most popular trends in recent days: the “milk crate challenge.” The challenge, which became a phenomenon if you knew where to find 15 milk crates, became a viral hit as people tried to climb over crates stacked up on top of each other without falling. The result of this challenge was fine for some with excellent balance and a bit of patience. But often the most popular videos were of people falling off, sometimes to catastrophic effects.

Commenting on the challenge and its viral popularity became a meme in its own right on other platforms like Twitter, but as doctors and other medical officials started to condemn the craze the pressure was put on TikTok to actually ban the hashtag to limit its popularity online. And by Friday, the company had made the move to do exactly that.

As CNN notes, searching the platform for the challenge’s hashtag now comes up empty.

TikTok has deleted search results for the hashtag “milk crate challenge” and explained in a statement that the challenge was publicizing a dangerous activity.

“TikTok prohibits content that promotes or glorifies dangerous acts, and we remove videos and redirect searches to our Community Guidelines to discourage such content,” a spokesperson said. “We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behavior whether online or off.”

Some searches for “milk crate challenge” had “no results found” come up, with a note that indicated “this phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines.” Because, well, now it does.

You can find a bunch of these compilations on YouTube, if you’re still looking for some action. But maybe it’s best everyone stops trying something that could put you in the hospital, there aren’t nearly as many beds available nationwide as the popularity of a stunt like this may indicate.

Matthew Mindler, a child actor who appeared in several projects in the 2010s, died at 19 after a disappearance while at college. Variety reported on Saturday that Mindler, a child actor who most notably appeared alongside Paul Rudd in Our Idiot Brother, had died at 19.

Mindler had been reported missing at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, where he was in his first year as a student. The school had previously reported him missing earlier in the week, sparking a search by the school and local police.

By Saturday, though, Mindler was reported dead and Millersville had sent students an email with that announcement.

“It is with a grieving heart that I let you know of the death of 19-year-old Matthew Mindler from Hellertown, Pennsylvania, a first-year student at Millersville University. Our thoughts of comfort and peace are with his friends and family during this difficult time,” the email said.

According to the report, Mindler was reportedly found in nearby Manor Township. The death is currently under “further investigation” and a cause of death has not been disclosed. Mindler was best known for his role as River in 2011 movie Our Idiot Brother, but appeared most recently in a 2016 TV movie, Chad: An American Boy.

[via Variety]

Charli XCX has been on a rampage lately. As if last year’s fast-paced pandemic release how i’m feeling now wasn’t enough, she’s already back at work and about to release yet another new album. According to Charli, this one is an “ultra pop star” moment that’s decidedly “poptastic,” and she is going in the opposite direction of her last record. Even though how i’m feeling now was the perfect glitchy and chaotic accompaniment to quarantine life, this new era seems like an equally exciting one.

Since Charli already announced the first single for this massive new album, “Good Ones,” would be released on September 2, it’s not surprising that she’s begun teasing looks from the music video that will accompany it. “vid nxt week” she wrote on Twitter, while sharing several va-va-voom photos that confirm what we already knew — her new phase will be ultra glam on an aesthetic level, too.

According to more scans of her social media feed, the new song “Good Ones” has lyrics like “I always let the good ones go,” and she’s shared plenty more photos that seem tied to the new video, too. Check those out below and look for the new song and video coming next week.

For Lizzo, simply existing as a successful artist in the music industry is an act of self-empowerment. While strides have been made of late to stop the historic, disgusting fatphobia that’s permeated American culture — especially in the entertainment world — there’s still a long way to go. And never was that more clear than when this singing, rapping superstar made it big. As a Black woman in America, Lizzo is already held to an excruciating double standard, and as a woman of size, she’s constantly berated by those who think it’s their right to police her body.

But despite all this, she still remains positive, gracious, and keeps pushing against stereotypes, even if the release of her latest single, “Rumors” led to a deluge of hateful comments, she’s got people like Cardi B and T.I. in her corner, and she’s made it clear that no matter how hard the haters flex their muscles, she’s only going to emerge stronger.

“Just reminding myself that I’m the finest b*tch in the universe and can’t nobody convince me otherwise not even myself,” she wrote on Twitter today, along with a series of photos that confirm her caption a hundred times over. Keep shining Lizzo, the keyboard warriors have nothing on you.

Kanye West and Drake’s beef flared up last week after the former dissed him during a guest verse on Trippie Redd’s “Betrayal.” The act seemingly led to West posting and deleting Drake’s address to his Toronto mansion, which for the record was already public information. It’s no telling where the back and forth will head next, but the beef has now extended to the rappers’ fans as West’s South Shore Chicago childhood home was visited by Drake fans.

Three signs were left at the GOOD Music rapper’s former house that dissed him, promoted Drake’s upcoming album Certified Lover Boy, and took a shot at Justin LaBoy.

Each of the signs were placed against an individual step at West’s childhood home. Top to bottom they read: “45 44 burnt out,” referencing Drake’s lyrics from “Betrayal,” “F*ck Justin LaBoy,” who’s helped promote West’s upcoming album Donda, and “CLB coming soon.” For what it’s worth, it should be easy to repair this “vandalism” as throwing out the signs will return the home to its normal state.

Last year, West purchased the home for $225,000 and is currently in the process of renovating it. A replica of the house was also at the center of his most recent listening event for Donda. As for Drake, the rapper recently announced that Certified Lover Boy would arrive on September 3. On Friday morning, the rapper “hacked” an episode of SportsCenter on ESPN to share the news. It comes as Donda is rumored to finally drop alongside Certified Lover Boy on September 3.

You can take a look at the “vandalism” in the post above.

Baby Keem had the internet in a tizzy on Friday after sharing his latest single, “Family Ties” with Kendrick Lamar. The track gained a boatload of attention, mostly because it marked Kendrick’s official return to the game as it was his first musical contribution of 2021. It was yet another great single that brings fans closer to the release of Keem’s upcoming album, The Melodic Blue.

The Vegas rapper announced the project’s title in an April tweet and thanks to his latest post on Twitter, it appears that the album could arrive very soon.

In a tweet Keem shared on Friday night, the rapper outlined his plans for the future in a brief message. “No more singles,” he wrote. “Album time.”

It should be no surprise that Keem has deemed this as the time to take the next steps toward releasing the project. He’s already released five singles that could appear on the new effort. It began at the end of 2020 with the release of “Hooligan” and “Sons & Critics Freestyle,” then followed “No Sense,” and “Durag Activity” with Travis Scott. And of course, now “Family Ties” with Kendrick Lamar.

The Melodic Blue will be Baby Keem’s first project since his 2019 mixtape Die For My B*tch. During an interview between himself and Kendrick for i-D, Keem said the project gave him “a chance to play with my sounds and open up the lane to grow in confidence,” something that will hopefully be on full display with his upcoming project.

You can view Keem’s tweet above.

Perhaps it’s because her own music is so formal and classical, but when Adele gets down to another artist, fans love it. Of course, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” isn’t just any other artist, and the song’s rightful place in raunchy, X-rated rap song history has been established long before Adele hair-flipped to the track. But, it’s still another great co-sign to see another pop star acknowledging the song’s power while out and about at the function.

Multiple people caught videos of Adele getting down to “WAP” while attending a birthday party for Savannah Brinson, aka the wife of basketball legend LeBron James. While it’s not like she’s grinding or twerking to the song — she’s still seated in the videos captured — she’s definitely enjoying the song and singing along. Which lets us confirm, if nothing else, that she’s not team Tucker Carlson. If you remember correctly, Conservatives lost their minds when “WAP” came out last year. Instead, Adele is flipping her hair and enjoying the song, as it was intended. Check out clips below.

Of course, the British superstar has also been known to return the favor — a few years ago a couple danced so hard at her show that she reportedly decided to attend their wedding. Game recognize game.

Cardi B is already well-known and loved for doing things her own way, whether it’s making hit singles about the power of female sexuality, or lamenting the influence of Peppa Pig on her daughter, the Bronx rapper always keeps it as real as can be. That hasn’t changed at all as Cardi enters the world of fashion and brand collaborations, as she’s been promoting her line of classic Reebok sweatsuits.

The vintage-inspired suits are size-inclusive, something else that has been important to Cardi in the past, and is probably even more top of mind after her most recent collaboration with Lizzo on “Rumors” sparked a slew of hateful, fatphobic backlash. Cardi supported Lizzo through her tearful reaction to those hateful comments, and is letting women of all sizes know that

“If you got a fat ass p*ssy or you got a boney p*ssy with some grip DONT worry momma BARDI got you !!! I made this collection Witt everybody body shapes in mine !!!!!
@Reebok,” the rapper wrote on Twitter yesterday of the collection. Her hilariously raunchy description is actually addressing something important though. The “City Fierce” collection is available in both straight size and plus size, something that has finally become a priority in fashion over the last few years. Check out the full collection here.