THE ACADEMY CONFIRMS LADY GAGA AND BRADLEY COOPER WILL PERFORM AT THE OSCARS – (02/04/2019)

It’s official: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper will team up to perform their Oscar-nominated hit “Shallow” on the Academy Awards telecast.

In addition, the Academy confirmed that Gillian Welch and David Rawlings would perform another nominated song, “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings,” from the movie The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

Jennifer Hudson will sing “I’ll Fight,” from the documentary RBG, on the telecast, and another nominated tune, the Mary Poppins Returns song “The Place Where Lost Things Go,” will be performed by a “surprise special guest,” suggesting it won’t be sung by actress Emily Blunt, who Deadline reports is “apprehensive” about performing.

All that remains is for the Academy to confirm that the final nominated song, “All the Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack, will be performed by Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

Initially, the Academy was only going to feature “Shallow” and “All the Stars,” in an attempt to keep the telecast shorter. But reportedly, when the nominees banded together and demanded all or nothing, the Academy relented – but will allegedly shorten each song to 90 seconds.

Deadline reports the producers of the Oscars did want to cut three of the songs, but either Gaga or her reps pushed back on the “completely unfair” proposal and threatened to pull her “Shallow” performance. Clearly not wanting to lose what should be one of the evening’s most memorable moments, the Academy gave in.

The Oscars air February 24th, live on ABC.

TRAVIS SCOTT, KYLIE JENNER SPARK ENGAGEMENT RUMORS: The pair have yet to confirm or deny ongoing engagement rumors, but fans are convinced once again that Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are engaged. After performing with Maroon 5 at the Super Bowl Halftime show, Scott shared a cute shot of Jenner on Instagram Stories, starring a massive rock on that finger. This speculation comes after Jenner created a wave of excitement by posting a shot of herself and Scott captioned, “baby #2?” She later told fans she wasn’t pregnant … yet.

JUDGE RULES COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT AGAINST ED SHEERAN CAN PROCEED: A federal judge in New York has refused to dismiss a lawsuit involving Ed Sheeran’s Grammy-winning hit “Thinking Out Loud.” The heirs of Edward B. Townsend, who own the copyright to Marvin Gaye’s classic track “Let’s Get It On,” have accused Ed of copyright infringement, claiming that “Thinking Out Loud” is too similar to Gaye’s song. The judge’s decision noted that because there are substantial “material facts” in dispute he refused Ed’s motion to dismiss the suit. Those “facts” include whether or not the chord progression used in “Let’s Get It On” – and also used in “Thinking Out Loud” – is “commonplace.” Another fact is whether or not the musical elements in the two songs are so similar that the average person would hear “Thinking Out Loud” and feel that it had been appropriated from “Let’s Get It On.” The judge said there exists “substantial similarities between several of the two works’ musical elements” and noted that jurors “may be impressed by footage of a Sheeran performance which shows him seamlessly transitioning between [both songs].”

CHRISTINA AGUILERA DENIES ‘SWINGING’ AT PINK DURING PAST FEUD – (02/04/2019)

Christina Aguilera says she never swung at Pink during the height of their rumored feud.

The 38-year-old singer said on Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live that she tried to kiss, not punch, Pink during a night at a club following the recording of “Lady Marmalade.” “I seem to have a different memory of a night we had at a club where we played Spin the Bottle,” Aguilera told host Andy Cohen. “I have a love memory.” “I wouldn’t swing on her,” she said. “I was excited about a kiss. I was like, ‘Oh, a kiss and all’s good.’ She put her hand up [and covered her mouth]. I was like, ‘Oh, okay. That’s what we’re doing? Alright’.”

Aguilera did confirm she clashed with Pink while collaborating with the singer, Mya and Lil’ Kim on a cover of “Lady Marmalade” for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. “I’ve seen her Behind the Music and I know she had some, you know, feelings or whatever about how the recording of ‘Lady Marmalade’ went down and all that,” the star said. “I know [on] the actual video she intimidated me a lot because she was heckling me in the audience a little bit behind the director. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’” she recalled. “She’s a different person now. She’s, like, a mom. She’s cool.”

Pink had said on Watch What Happens Live in October 2017 that Aguilera tried to punch her during a night out. “I think I’m an alpha, and she’s an alpha,” the singer explained. “I’m used to taking my altercations physical and she’s used to having them verbal. We just are very different, we’re very different. And we were very young and new.” “Actually, she swung on me in a club. Hilarious!” she said. “I was like, ‘What’s happening right now? What’s happening’?”

Aguilera and Pink have made up since their reported feud. Pink told The Sun in December 2017 that she and Aguilera had recorded a new duet, but said she wasn’t sure if the song would be released.

PETE DAVIDSON AND KATE BECKINSALE SPOTTED HOLDING HANDS: Rumored new lovebirds Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale were spotted holding hands again after his stand-up show at Largo at the Coronet in West Hollywood. They were first spotted together in January, when they reportedly got acquainted at Netflix’s Golden Globes afterparty. 

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ADAM LEVINE BREAKS SILENCE ON SUPER BOWL CONTROVERSY – (02/01/2019)

Adam Levine is speaking out for the first time to address the controversy surrounding Maroon 5’s decision to perform in the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

There are many celebrities boycotting the Super Bowl this year due to the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick, who hasn’t played professionally in years following his decision to kneel during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality.

“I’m not in the right profession if I can’t handle a little bit of controversy. It’s what it is. We expected it. We’d like to move on from it and speak through the music,” Adam said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I silenced all the noise and listened to myself and made my decision based upon how I felt.”

Adam confirms that he consulted others on the decision to perform, but ultimately it came down to his own opinion. “No one thought about it harder than I did. No one put more thought and love into this than I did.”

“It took a lot of looking inward, it took a lot of introspection,” he added. “I thought to myself, ‘What’s my greatest tool, what’s the thing that I can use to express myself and what’s the best way for the band to express themselves, and how are we going to do it this year? What do we owe ourselves? What do we owe the people?’ And that’s what we did. And I’m beyond proud of the finished product and literally, I’ve never been more excited in my entire life to present this to people because I believe that it’s truly a reflection of all of us.”

In addition to Maroon 5, Outkast’s Big Boi – who hails from Atlanta – and Travis Scott will also be playing the big show this Sunday.

ARIANA GRANDE TRIES TO FIX TATTOO MISTAKE, DROPS ‘7 RINGS’ REMIX WITH 2 CHAINZ – (02/01/2019)

Ariana Grande’s wax figure was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Berlin on Thursday in Berlin, Germany. German actor Timur Bartels was on hand for the unveiling.

Meanwhile, Ari has dropped the remix for her latest single, “7 Rings.” She teamed up with 2 Chainz to release the remix.

It seems the remix is Grande’s way of burying the hatchet with 2 Chainz, who accused the pop singer of lifting from his “Door Swangin” video.

“7 Rings” is the latest single off of Ariana’s upcoming album Thank U, Next, which she’ll be releasing next week.

In other Ariana news, as reported earlier, the singer intended to celebrate her chart-topping new single, “7 Rings,” by having the title tattooed on her palm in Japanese characters – but she ended up accidentally paying tribute to a small barbecue grill. In an Instagram story Thursday, Grande posted a new video of her tattoo with the spelling corrected and thanked her doctor for the painkillers:

“Slightly better. Thanks to my tutor for helping me fix and to @kanenavasard for being a legend. And to my doctor for the lidocaine shots (no joke). Rip tiny charcoal grill. Miss you man. I actually really liked u,” she wrote.

Except, it didn’t exactly shake the BBQ reference.

According to a chat she had with her tutor, she was supposed to add the new kanji above and between the existing ones.

Instead, the updated tattoo has the new addition directly underneath the first one for “seven” and next to a heart. According to Buzzfeed Japan news reporter Eimi Yamamitsu, the new artwork now reads something to the effect of “Japanese BBQ finger.”

CARDI B AND OFFSET AREN’T BACK TOGETHER – (02/01/2019)

Reports surfaced on Thursday (January 31st) claiming that Cardi B and her estranged husband, Offset, have reconciled. TMZ reported that Cardi and Offset were “officially back on” and claimed that they will be back in the same Atlanta home together that they shared prior to their split. 

Cardi, however, took to social media to dispel the reports. In a tweet that has since been deleted, the Bronx rapper said that she hasn’t been in Atlanta since the holidays. According to Complex, she said, “TMZ why ya be lying. I haven’t even been in Atl since Christmas.”

KELSY KARTER REVEALS HER HARRY STYLES TATTOO WAS FAKE: Kelsy Karter, the singer who went viral for tattooing Harry Styles’ face on her own face, has revealed that the tattoo was fake all along. The tattoo was part of a promotional stunt for her song “Harry,” which she recorded over six months ago and was inspired by the One Direction singer. In a video titled, “How I rocked the entire world for $300,” Kelsy details the story behind the tattoo. “What would the rock legends that inspired me have done in 2019?” she questioned before coming up with the idea for the tattoo. “To pull this off, we needed a celebrity tattoo artist to make it look real… He traced Harry’s 2017 Rolling Stone cover, applied it to my face, and then a special FX makeup artist did her thing.” “BTW. We know it looked ridiculous. That was the point,” Kelsy added.

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ADAM LEVINE TO GIVE SINGLE INTERVIEW ABOUT SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE – (01/31/2019)

Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine has agreed to sit down for an exclusive on-screen interview with Kevin Frazier for Entertainment Tonight today in Atlanta to discuss his band’s upcoming halftime performance at the Super Bowl this Sunday.

News of the exclusive interview comes a day after the NFL announced the cancellation of the traditional pre-Super Bowl press conference with the halftime performers. The league said then that “as it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking.”

A source confirmed to Variety that no questions will be off-limits during the interview, which means it will be the singer’s opportunity to address the controversy surrounding the performance, which many fans have called for Maroon 5 to cancel out of solidarity with NFL players who’ve chosen to take a knee in protest of police brutality.

The interview will air via ETOnline, ET Live and ET Social, and will be featured on CBS This Morning on Friday. The Super Bowl airs on CBS.

Maroon 5, along with rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, will take the stage Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

WHOOPS! ARIANA GRANDE MISSPELLS JAPANESE ‘7 RINGS’ TATTOO – (01/31/2019)

Ariana Grande’s latest ink had a bit of a problem.

The singer recently posted a photo of a new tattoo on her palm, which is supposed to spell out the title of her new single “7 Rings” in Japanese Kanji character symbols. But the ink she actually got translates to “shichirin”…which means a Japanese-style barbecue grill.

Fans on Twitter quickly pointed it out to Ariana – and it turns out she was aware of the misspelling. In a since-deleted tweet, Ariana explained she had purposely left out some characters because the tattoo was too painful.

“Indeed, I left out ‘つの指,’ which should have gone in between,” Ariana wrote to a fan. “It hurt like f–k n still looks tight. I wouldn’t have lasted one more symbol lmao. But this spot also peels a ton and won’t last so if I miss it enough I’ll suffer thru the whole thing next time.”

She also added, “also….huge fan of tiny bbq grills.” Despite the error – made knowingly or not – the 24-year-old singer seems happy with her decision. “it’s my fvorite now tho so pls leave me and my tambourine grill alone. thank u,” she said.

JUSTIN BIEBER RELEASES FULL DREW HOUSE CLOTHING LINE – FANS NOT IMPRESSED – (01/31/2019)

After releasing hotel-inspired slippers last month, Justin Bieber has unveiled his full line of his Drew House clothing.

The first collection includes sweatshirts, t-shirts, corduroy pants, and a few button-ups, almost exclusively in varying shades of beige. Most items have either a smiley face logo or the word “drew” printed on it. Drew is Justin’s middle name.

The pieces are available for sale on TheHouseofDrew.com and range in price from $48-$148.

The site describes the brand as “a place where you can be yourself. Blah blah blah…Wear like you don’t care. Come chill. K. Bye.”

However, the line has left many less than impressed. According to Twitter, what people thought was going to be an “affordable range of high quality staples” is in reality just 13 basics with an unreasonable price tag. Some have even compared the “simple and overpriced” items to Kanye’s Yeezy collections.

RACHEL PLATTEN WELCOMES DAUGHTER, VIOLET SKYE – (01/31/2019)

“Fight Song” singer Rachel Platten’s bundle of joy has arrived.

The 37-year-old singer welcomed her first child, a daughter, with husband Kevin Lazan over the weekend. She announced the happy news on Instagram Wednesday.

Captioning a sweet photo of the newborn laying on her chest, Rachel writes, “Introducing Violet Skye Lazan. Born delicious & cuddly on 1.26, early in the am.”

She continues, “There is so much about this massive love that i want to share but don’t yet know how to. I am sure the words will come soon. For now we are busy falling deeeeply in love (and keeping our heads above water).”

Rachel concludes her message with gratitude for her fans.

“Thank YOU all so much for your kindness and support and curiosity and gentleness as i fumbled my way through this crazy brutal amazing journey to get here to motherhood,” she writes. “Wow. I’m a mom. :))) Xoxo, rach.”

Violet is the first child for Platten and husband Kevin Lazan, the owner of recently shuttered Los Angeles eatery The Gables.

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MAROON 5’S SUPER BOWL 2019 PRESS CONFERENCE CANCELED – (01/30/2019)

It’s tradition for the Super Bowl Halftime Show act to hold a press conference on the Wednesday before the big day, but Maroon 5 will not be doing one this year.

The NFL released a statement saying that the band’s halftime show will speak for itself. “Maroon 5 has been working hard on a Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show that will meet and exceed the standards of this event,” the statement reads. “As it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday. Starting with the Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show announcement, we began a cross-platform rollout of behind-the-scenes footage and content from each of the halftime performers. Instead of hosting a press conference, this social and digital media rollout will continue through Sunday across our owned and operated media assets as well as through the platforms of the artists.”

The band, joined by the NFL and Interscope Records, plan to make a $500,000 contribution to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America ahead of the performance, following a similar move made by fellow halftime performer Travis Scott, who required the NFL to make a $500,000 contribution to Dream Corps, a non-profit social justice organization.

The press conference’s cancellation came at a time when artists are being criticized for accepting the gig. Colin Kaepernick ripped Travis Scott after the rapper agreed to join Maroon 5 for the performance. And folks on twitter take objection to the NFL’s excuse. Most saw the statement as an excuse to keep Maroon 5 from answering questions about Kaepernick and social issues.

There’s currently a Change.org petition calling for the performers to take a knee during their set. The petition has over 110,000 signatures.

Meanwhile, Maroon 5 are keeping the details of their halftime performance under tight wraps, but Adam Levine and the guys pulled back the curtain a bit in a series of recent behind-the-scenes rehearsal pics. The images of the band working out their set in what looks like a giant warehouse were posted with no commentary other than the hashtag #M53.

Among the images is a short clip with Levine and ATL rapper and OutKast legend Big Boi, who will join the group for the performance along with Travis Scott. “There’s top secret things going out here on the west coast,” Big says in the clip, as Levine puts his finger to his lips. They also posted a recipe for a Maroon 5 Layer Trifle to go with those nachos and wings on Sunday.

The 2019 Super Bowl will take place on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia.

SHAWN MENDES LEADS 2019 JUNO AWARDS NOMINATIONS – (01/30/2019)

Shawn Mendes leads this year’s Juno Awards with six nominations – fan choice, single, album, artist, songwriter, and pop album, and just one behind is The Weeknd, who up against Mendes in four of the categories, fan choice, single, album, and artist, plus R&B/Soul Recording which he’s won four previous times.

Tied for the third-most Juno nominations are electronic duo Loud Luxury, plus German-Canadian pop singer Bülow. Artists who scored three nominations include last year’s host, Michael Bublé, as well as Alessia Cara, Tory Lanez, Hubert Lenoir, Killy and Bahamas.

The 2019 Juno Awards will take place on March 16th and 17th. Sarah McLachlan will host. The awards are spread out over two nights, the majority given out at a private gala dinner on March 16th, this year at the London Convention Centre. But the televised awards, which is performer-heavy usually with less than 10 awards, is the coveted of the two.

The 48th Annual Juno Awards broadcast will air live across Canada on CBC, CBC Radio and globally on CBCMusic.ca/junos.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA LANDS LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY SHOW – (01/30/2019)

Christina Aguilera is getting her own Las Vegas residency show.

Christina announced on Tuesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she will debut The Xperience show at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood.

“So, it’s been in talks for quite a few years now. But now that I’ve got my feet wet, I am going to do a residency in Vegas!” she told the audience.

Aguilera said performing at one venue will make her work demands easier on her family. She is parent to 11-year-old son Max with ex-husband Jordan Bratman and 4-year-old daughter Summer with fiancé Matthew Rutler.

“It’s less full-on travel and a little bit easier with them,” the star said. “How much easier for everyone to come to one place and fill the venue with fantasy and love and excitement and put on a show.”

“I’ve been actually accumulating for years these amazing ideas and taking people on this amazing ride and trip, and using the imagination,” she added. “I’m really, really excited for everyone to enjoy this experience – Xperience with me.”

The Xperience will feature 16 dates from May 31-June 16 and September 20–October 5. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

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RECORDING ACADEMY SAYS LEAKED WINNER LIST IS WRONG: Monday night, a Twitter account called Main Pop Data posted messages that it claimed reveal the winners of the 2019 Grammys. The account claimed it had “no video proof, just archived version of the webpage.” Winners, it claimed, included Cardi B’s I Like It as Record of the Year and Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” as Song of the Year. The Recording Academy, which puts on the Grammy Awards, told E! the reports are false. In a statement, the Academy said: “There is no legitimacy to this. GRAMMY Awards results are not shared, even with Recording Academy staff members, until the day of the GRAMMY Awards ceremony, when names of the recipients are delivered by Deloitte in sealed envelopes.” The real show goes down Feb. 10, 2019 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

SINGER GETS HARRY STYLES’ FACE TATTOOED ON HER CHEEK – (01/29/2019)

An up-and-coming singer from New Zealand has proved love for Harry Styles in an unusual way.

Singer Kelsy Karter loves the former One Direction star so much that she apparently got his face tattooed on her own face. The new ink is massive and it’s on her right cheek. She debuted the new tattoo – complete with Styles’ initials in a heart – on Instagram over the weekend, writing, “mama, look what i made me do.”

Apparently, she got the tattoo to celebrate Styles’ birthday on February 1st, because earlier  this month, Karter shared a tweet that read: “Finally know what I’m getting Harry for his birthday….”

Though Styles has yet to respond to this very unusual display of affection, fans are certainly confused about why Karter would do this. “Think someone needs to put a restraining order on Kelsey Karter on behalf of Harry Styles,” one tweeted.

Karter’s deep love for Styles is pretty well known since she talks – and tweets – about him whenever she gets the chance. She also just released the song “Harry,” which is described as an ode to the “special man in her life, Harry Styles.”

ARIANA GRANDE’S ‘7 RINGS’ DEBUTS AT NO. 1 – (01/29/2019)

Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the singer several chart milestones in the process.

Ari is now only the fifth artist in history with more than one No. 1 debut: She has two, following “thank u, next” in November. The others are Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Drake, and Britney Spears.

In addition, “7 Rings” becomes Ariana’s second No. 1 just two months and two weeks after she scored her first  with “thank u, next.” That’s the fastest anyone’s had two number one hits since Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” and “Sorry” back in 2016.

“7 Rings” also hit No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart with the second-biggest streaming week ever for a song by a female artist: 85.3 million streams. Ari herself holds the record for the biggest week, when “thank u, next” scored 93.8 million streams.

“7 Rings” is also No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart with 96,000 downloads sold – more than any song in six months.

 “7 Rings” is also only the 33rd single in the 60-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to debut at No. 1.

Meanwhile, model and deaf activist Nyle DiMarco is putting his own spin on Grande’s “7 Rings” video. The 29-year-old made an ASL version of the video, captions and signing included. Nyle recently criticized Vevo for not including captions on Ariana’s video for “Thank U Next.”

“You earn more than 650 mill per year and can’t even add captions to @ArianaGrande’s #ThankUNextVideo. There ARE closed caption services that will cost you ONLY $6 (or less) to INSTANTLY appeal to a wider audience. There are 466mill people with hearing loss,” he said at the time.

DiMarco is a deaf artist and winner of America’s Next Top Model and Dancing With The Stars.

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‘BLACK PANTHER’ AND ‘THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL’ WIN BIG AT ‘SAG AWARDS’ – (01/28/2019)

Black Panther took home the night’s biggest honors at last night’s (Sunday, January 27th) 25thAnnual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium and Exposition Center in Los Angeles.

Hosted by Will & Grace’s Megan Mullally, the SAG Awards are often considered more prestigious than other awards shows by the acting community, because the awards are voted on by the actors themselves and their peers.

Rami Malek won best actor for his role in Bohemian Rhapsody, and, as before, failed to acknowledge ousted (but credited) director Bryan Singer, who is also the subject of four new sexual assault claims.

Glenn Close won best actress for her role in The Wife. The biggest prize, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. (SAG’s equivalent Best Picture Award), went to Black Panther.

On the TV front, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel pulled off a hat trick, snagging Outstanding Performance by a Male and Female Actor in a Comedy Series for Tony Shalhoub and Rachel Brosnahan, and then also winning for Best Ensemble Cast in a Comedy Series.

Mullally kept things light, while still underlining the political issues that are still roiling Hollywood, including race and the lack of dynamic roles for women. “They cast black people in Black Panther, which was good. Asian people in Crazy Rich Asians. There’s even a green book in Green Book. You know there was some executive saying, ‘Can the book be white?” When the laughs were sparse, she added, “Not my favorite joke.”

Other Highlights From the Show Included:

Geoffrey Owen, the Cosby Show alum who was shamed for working at Trader Joe’s, made a surprise appearance in the opening montage, gently poking fun at both himself and his those who taunted him.

Darren Criss couldn’t believe he was named Best Male Actor in a TV Limited Series against the likes of Anthony Hopkins. “Boys, we got nominated with Anthony Hopkins,” Criss said to his fellow nominees. “That’s a feather in my cap I never could have imagined.”

When Patricia Arquette accepted her award for Best Female Actor in a Limited Series, she got political, thanking special counsel Robert Mueller “and everyone making sure we have sovereignty in the United States of America.”

A surprising riveting montage of the best moments from 25 years of SAG Awards ceremonies.

Director Alan Alda was honored by Tom Hanks, before he received his SAG Life Achievement Award. Hanks called him a man who “has shown us who we are and who we can be.”

Alda reminded his audience, who give him a standing ovation, “Let’s stay playful, let’s have fun and let’s keep searching. It couldn’t hurt.”

Sandra Oh gave a heartfelt shout-out to her fellow actors, who kept her fighting through challenging years and career low-points. “I just so want to thank my fellow actors. I have felt your support over these years.” She calls out Alfre Woodard, who told Oh, “We fight the same fight,”and Jamie Foxx, who said to her, “Keep going”.

Black Panther cast-members took a moment (or two … the dreaded “you’re speech is running too long” music came on) to mull their industry-changing film.

“Well, I’ll be. I didn’t think I’d have to speak,” said star Chadwick Boseman, pointing out his fellow cast-mates for their “passion and intelligence and resolve.” Hailing the film’s impact on Hollywood, he said: “To be young, gifted and black, we all know what it’s like to be told there’s no screen or stage to be featured on. We know what it’s like to be underneath and not above. … We knew we had something special we could give the world.”

BILL MAHER REIGNITES FEUD WITH STAN LEE FANS – (01/28/2019)

It’s been two months since Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee died at age 95, and Bill Maher is ready to beef again. Shortly after Lee’s passing, Maher blasted comic book culture, blaming Lee for, essentially, critics said, the downfall of Western Civilization. 

On Friday, Lee used his Real Time show on HBO to continue his assault, and mock adults for thinking comic books are “profound.”

“To every person on social media who’s asked me since November, ‘Bill, what do you have to say about Stan Lee?’ and every paparazzi outside a restaurant shouting at me, ‘Bill, what about the Stan Lee thing?,’ okay, your day has come,” he began.

DISHING THE BEEF

Maher continued, saying his initial blog, which wrote that America is in “deep, deep mourning for a man who inspired millions to, I don’t know, watch a movie, I guess” — was “no way an attack on Mr. Lee but took the occasion of his death to express my dismay at people who think comic books are literature and superhero movies are great cinema and who in general are stuck in an everlasting childhood.”

“Bragging that you’re all about the Marvel universe is like boasting that your mother still pins your mittens to your sleeve,” he continued.

“You can, if you want, like the exact same things you liked when you were 10,” Maher added, “but if you do, you need to grow up. That was the point of my blog. I’m not glad Stan Lee is dead. I’m sad you’re alive.”

TARGETING KEVIN SMITH

Maher then moved onto Clerks director Kevin Smith, who slammed Maher. 

“Again, my shot wasn’t at Stan Lee,” Maher reiterated, “it was at, you know, grown men who still dress like kids.”

Smith tweeted, “No, I’m not mad at all. Bill may talk tough but he’s a stoner like me and a real pussycat when confronted,” sharing a clip of him confronting Maher about his body-shaming remarks.  

ED SHEERAN DONATES LEGO SETS TO SCHOOL KIDS; RECORDS NEW SONG WITH THE GAME – (01/28/2019)

One of Ed Sheeran’s early hits was “Lego House,” and now he and his fiancée are helping some British school kids build their own.

A teaching assistant at All Saints Church of England Primary School was in a pub in Ed’s hometown of Framlingham and happen to spot Ed and his fiancée Cherry Seaborn there. The assistant, Ria Cox, is also the head of the school’s LEGO club, decided to send a note over to the couple which read, “Dear Ed and Cherry, Google reveals that you are not currently a president of a LEGO Club, but All Saints Church of England primary would love for you both to be ours. It would be lovely to see you at our weekly group some time.”

She later got an email from Ed’s assistant politely declining the invitation – and a week later, hundreds of dollars’ worth of LEGO sets arrived at the school. Along with them was a note that read, “Hope the children love the LEGO – love Ed and Cherry.”

Cox said, “Ed and Cherry’s generosity will allow us to open up the LEGO group to even more students, which is something we have wanted to do for a while. We are so grateful for the kind gesture from Ed and Cherry – it’s given the pupils lots of confidence and has definitely made them more excited.”

Meanwhile, fire crews were called to put out a “small building fire” at one of Ed’s properties near Framlingham. A spokesperson said that within 90 minutes, the firefighters “extinguished the fire quickly and then ventilated the area of heavy smoke.” It’s unclear if Ed was at the property at the time.

In other news, Ed is set to appear on a track by veteran rapper The Game. Game announced that Ed appears on a song on his upcoming album Born to Rap, which will be released later this winter. So far, the song doesn’t have a specific title, but it may be called “Gems in Los Angeles,” after the lyrics of a hook that Ed wrote. Variety reports that in the hook, Ed sings, “Welcome to the city of sin, living in the city of Angels.”

Sheeran and Game have been friendly for a number of years and in 2014, they actually recorded an entire album together. So far, only one track from that project, “Freakshow,” has surfaced.

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ED SHEERAN EARNS SECOND RIAA-DIAMOND CERTIFICATION WITH ‘SHAPE OF YOU’ – (01/25/2019)

Ed Sheeran has made history once more with the Diamond certification of his Grammy winning smash “Shape Of You,” achieving sales and streams exceeding 10 million. Reaching this milestone for the second time makes Sheeran only the 4th artist to score multiple Diamond certified songs since the RIAA first implemented the Diamond certification 20 years ago. Sheeran’s Grammy winning song “Thinking Out Loud” was Diamond certified in 2017.

Meanwhile, Sheeran made a surprise performance at a private event in Anaheim, California, this week to announce the launch of his new range of guitars, Sheeran by Lowden, a new line of acoustics made by the high-quality Northern Ireland guitar company.

Sheeran will resume his worldwide stadium tour in support of ÷ (Divide) later this month. The tour – which included a completely sold-out North American leg – set the world record in 2018 for highest grossing tour ever in a calendar year, according to Pollstar. Including the 2017 dates, the tour becomes the third highest grossing tour ever behind only U2 and the Rolling Stones.

PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN ARE GOING NANNY-FREE – (01/25/2019)

Forget a team of royal helpers, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly skipping hiring a nanny, a la Prince William and Kate Middleton. Per a report in Vanity Fair,  “they do not plan to hire a nanny or nurse initially, and will instead rely on the help of Meghan’s mother.”

Doria Ragland is reportedly moving in, and will have her own wing of the house. 

TECH

While the pair won’t be relying on human helpers, they will be setting up a very 2.0 nursery, fitted with cameras, a stereo and plenty of security. 

“They are going all out with the refurbishment of the house, and as Harry loves his gadgets, it’s going to be very cool,” a source says. “They’ll be able to control everything from their smart phones.”

GENDER NEUTRAL

The royals are also not thinking pink (or blue). Instead, they are preparing a gender-neutral eco-conscious nursery, with vegan paint infused with eucalyptus oil. 

Vicky Charles, Soho Farmhouse’s design director, has reportedly been hired to help. 

BACKSTREET BOYS TEACH CHANCE THE RAPPER SOME MOVES IN NEW TEASER FOR DORITOS SUPER BOWL AD – (01/25/2019)

In a new teaser for their upcoming Doritos Super Bowl ad, the Backstreet Boys attempt to teach Chance the Rapper some of their signature dance moves.

The clip opens with Chance trying out some choreography to the band’s song, “I Want It That Way.” “Terrible, dude,” AJ McClean tells him. “I think it’s the pants,” Chance explains. Brian Littrell chimes in and says, “No excuses, man, let’s do it again.”

The whole group shows him the dance move again, but he still can’t quite master it.

The first teaser for the Flamin’ Hot Nachos ad was released last week. It featured the guys of BSB posing in coordinating outfits as Chance squeezes his way into the frame and awkwardly joins the group.

The 30-second commercial is set to air on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3rd.

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