WebProNews

Author: Pam Wright

  • Taylor Swift: Music Industry Needs ‘Heart and Soul’… and Instagram

    Taylor Swift seems to think she has a clear vision on the future of the music industry.

    In a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece penned by the 24-year-old singer/songwriter, Swift spins a positive view of of the industry in a time when most people predict “the downfall of music sales and the irrelevancy of the album as an economic entity.” Swift, on the other hand, proclaims herself as “one of the few living souls in the music industry who still believes that the music industry is not dying…it’s just coming alive.”

    Honestly, she may have something relevant to say. Swift earned almost $40 million in 2013 from a combination of albums sold, digital downloads, touring revenue, branding and sponsorships.

    Swift concedes that “piracy, file sharing and streaming have shrunk the numbers … drastically.” But says people do still buy records.

    And the key to getting those sales? Producing work that has “heart and soul,” according to Swift.

    “They are buying only the ones that hit them like an arrow through the heart or have made them feel strong or allowed them to feel like they really aren’t alone in feeling so alone,” she writes. “The value of an album is, and will continue to be, based on the amount of heart and soul an artist has bled into a body of work, and the financial value that artists (and their labels) place on their music when it goes out into the marketplace.”

    Swift does seem to have a handle on one necessary aspect of achieving and keeping celebrity status — social media. She shared her views on the power of a strong fan-base, which can be achieved with enough followers, especially on Instagram and Twitter. Currently the singer has 41.8 million Twitter and 9.7 million Instagram followers.

    “There are a few things I have witnessed becoming obsolete in the past few years, the first being autographs. I haven’t been asked for an autograph since the invention of the iPhone with a front-facing camera. The only memento ‘kids these days’ want is a selfie. It’s part of the new currency, which seems to be “how many followers you have on Instagram,” she wrote.

    “A friend of mine, who is an actress, told me that when the casting for her recent movie came down to two actresses, the casting director chose the actress with more Twitter followers,” said Swift. “I see this becoming a trend in the music industry. For me, this dates back to 2005 when I walked into my first record-label meetings, explaining to them that I had been communicating directly with my fans on this new site called Myspace. In the future, artists will get record deals because they have fans—not the other way around.”

    So Swift thinks she has a clear view of the music industry. What does she predict for herself?

    “I’ll just be sitting back and growing old, watching all of this happen or not happen, all the while trying to maintain a life rooted in this same optimism,” the singer concludes. “And I’d also like a nice garden.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Dave Chappelle Says His Return to the Stage Is a ‘Healing Experience’

    Dave Chappelle says he is thrilled to be back on stage again.

    “It’s been wonderful,” Chappelle told People magazine Sunday at the 20th Annual Essence Festival in New Orleans. “Being back, what I’ve found this year is that everywhere I’ve gone, people have been overwhelmingly supportive.”

    The comedian sold out nine Radio City Music Hall performances last month and says he’s back where he belongs.

    The 40-year-old told the magazine he left his hit show, Chappelle’s Show, in 2005 because family took precedence over his career.

    “I never stopped being on stage. What I did was step off of the main stage,” he said. “That kind of attention wouldn’t have been conducive to raising a family.”

    Chappelle surprised the world when he gave up his $50 million dollar contract with Comedy Central to go explore Africa. Though he likely doesn’t regret his decision to leave the spotlight, the comedian still missed being on stage.

    “The audience-comedian relationship is one of the more consistent relationships in my life,” he said. “I started doing this at such a young age, that not doing it was alien. [Being back] has been a healing experience. I couldn’t even tell people what it means to me. It’s sincerely a pleasure to entertain.”

    In June, Chappelle made a stop by the Late Show with David Letterman and explained — sort of — why he left the way he did.

    “Technically, I never quit. I’m seven years late for work,” Chappelle jokingly told Letterman.

    The comedian also clarified some misconceptions about that infamous disappearing act to South Africa in 2005, stating that he never actually lived there.

    “I was there for two weeks,” Chappelle said. “I mean, there’s not too many good hiding places left in America.”

    Chappelle and his wife, Elaine, have two sons, Sulayman and Ibrahim, and daughter Sonal.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Zooey Deschanel Shows Her ‘Fiery Feminist’ Side: ‘Not Every Woman is Dying to Give Birth’

    Don’t think Zooey Deschanel is in any rush to have a few adorable babies of her own. Becoming a mom is not exactly on the New Girl‘s radar.

    “Like every woman is dying to give birth! I don’t think so. Nobody asks guys that,” Deschanel told InStyle. “And you go into a supermarket and every tabloid is like, ‘Pregnant and Alone!’ Stuck in the 1950s ideal of how a woman should live her life. This brings out the fiery feminist in me.”

    Deschanel credits her parents for her staunch independence and creativity. She remembers “drawing in one corner, writing or sewing in another. I was lucky to have parents who were really, really supportive in terms of creativity. We only went clothes shopping twice a year, but every single day of the week I had something else I was learning to do.”

    Deschanel, who co-founded the website HelloGiggles, believes it was her upbringing that has kept her from falling into the Hollywood trap of materialism and self-harm.

    “I’ve seen a lot of people turn—sometimes it unlocks who they really are. They turn into celebrities who are separate from themselves. That’s OK, but I just don’t want to be like that,” she says. “I have to be normal. My mother wouldn’t let me be any other way.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Elisabeth Hasselbeck Rants On Rosie O’Donnell’s Possible Return to ‘The View’

    Elisabeth Hasselbeck might want to just chill out a bit while on her vacation.

    The Fox & Friends co-host called into her new show — interrupting her vacation — to let the world know how she really feels about Rosie O’Donnel‘s possible return to The View.

    Hasselbeck got straight to the point, bringing up her infamous fight with O’Donnell, which led to the comic’s exit from the show.

    “What could ruin a vacation more than to hear news like this?” Hasselbeck asked co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade. “I know Rosie very well. We worked quite closely. Talk about not securing the border! Here comes in to The View the very woman who spit in the face of our military, spit in the face of her own network, and really in the face of a person who stood by her and had civilized debates for the time that she was there, coming back with a bunch of control ready to regain a seat at the View table.”

    Take a breath, Elisabeth, take a breath.

    O’Donnell‘s possible re-hiring is “not surprising” to Hasselbeck.

    “I think this has been in the works for a long time,” she told her co-hosts.

    Hasselbeck, who is well-known for her staunch support of American troops, insinuated that the reunion show was a precursor to O’Donnell’s return to The View.

    “I’ll go back to the reunion show for [Barbara Walters]. How odd is this, when you have the woman, who again, insinuated that our own troops were terrorists in Iraq at the time, then left the show…to have such ease the day of Barbara’s goodbye show was shocking to me? She walked around with a lot of control and I had the chance to talk to her,” said Hasselbeck. “Rosie herself told me, on-set, while we were mic’ed up, that she produced the reunion show to have everybody together and it was her idea. Now, would you think that the woman who left in the way that she did would be producing Barbara’s goodbye show? Here’s the shocker: It was actually her hello show.”

    Hasselbeck said she will be “very interested” to see how O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg might get on together if O’Donnell does indeed return to the show.

    “I don’t think it would be wise for Rosie O’Donnell to challenge Whoopi Goldberg on anything. I really don’t,” she cautioned. “And I would also say that after years of being there, Rosie found out one thing about me: Don’t mess with a pregnant mama and do not mess with our military when it comes to this girl sitting next to her.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Katie Couric Shares Beautiful Wedding Photos

    Katie Couric has shared a few of her beautiful wedding photos with NBC’s TODAY.

    The 57-year-old former TODAY cohost told Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday she couldn’t wait to marry John Molner and felt more relaxed than she dreamed possible.

    “I just wasn’t nervous at all,” said Couric. “For someone who is generally hyper, I was incredibly relaxed.”

    The bride and groom walked down the aisle together while a string quartet played the Broadway song Til There Was You. The ceremony took place in the backyard of her home in East Hampton, New York, on June 21, and was a very intimate affair.

    A second marriage for both Couric and Molner, their union was celebrated in a laid-back ceremony that was primarily planned by her 51-year-old new husband.

    Couric joked with Guthrie, saying she was “very glad that Matt and Howard Stern did not crash.”

    The Yahoo! Global News anchor wore an ivory crystal beaded and embroidered Chantilly lace halter gown designed by Carmen Marc Valvo. Daughters Ellie, 22, and Carrie, 17, joined Molner’s children, Allie and Henry, and 50 guests, to celebrate the wedding.

    Couric’s visit to her former show was an opportunity to talk about the fourth Stand Up To Cancer fundraiser, which will be simulcast Sept. 5 on 30 networks, including NBC, Bravo, Oxygen and E!

    Couric has been a staunch supporter of cancer research ever since she lost her first husband, Jay Monahan, to colon cancer in 1998.

    Image via Katie Couric, Twitter

  • Amal Alamuddin: George Clooney Lashes Out at Tabloid’s ‘Fabricated’ Story

    Amal Almuddin’s fiancé, George Clooney, is angry — so angry he felt he needed to lash out at a British tabloid who published on a story he says is “completely fabricated.”

    The Oscar-winning actor submitted an op-ed piece to USA Today disputing a recent Daily Mail article written by a “reputable and trusted freelance journalist” — as the Daily Mail refers to the journalist — which alleges that Clooney’s future mother-in-law is opposed to his upcoming marriage to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin because of her religious beliefs.

    Clooney quoted from The Daily Mail, which reported that “Amal’s mother has been telling ‘half of Beirut’ that she’s against the wedding. It says they joke about traditions in the Druze religion that end up with the death of the bride.”

    “Let me repeat that: the death of the bride,” said the 53-year-old actor.

    “First of all, none of the story is factually true. Amal’s mother is not Druze,” Clooney wrote. “She has not been to Beirut since Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no way against the marriage—but none of that is the issue. If they fabricate stories of Amal being pregnant, or that the marriage will take place on the set of Downton Abbey, or that I’m running for office, or any number of idiotic stories that they sit at their computers and invent, I don’t care.”

    Clooney went on to explain that the report affects not only Alamuddin and himself personally, but is a dangerous claim that can inflame hatred and create even greater misunderstandings among cultures.

    “The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit religious differences where none exist, is at the very least negligent and more appropriately dangerous,” said Clooney. “We have family members all over the world, and the idea that someone would inflame any part of that world for the sole reason of selling papers should be criminal.”

    Clooney is well-aware that his private life is of public domain, but draws the line when multiple media outlets pick up untruths like those in The Daily Mail‘s story.

    “The Daily Mail, more than any other organization that calls itself news, has proved time and time again that facts make no difference in the articles they make up,” he said. “And when they put my family and my friends in harm’s way, they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence. They must be so very proud.”

    The Daily Mail removed the article from its site and issued the following statement:

    “The MailOnline story was not a fabrication but supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted freelance journalist. She based her story on conversations with a long-standing contact who has strong connections with senior members of the Lebanese community in the UK and the Druze in Beirut. We only became aware of Mr Clooney’s concerns this morning and have launched a full investigation. However, we accept Mr Clooney’s assurance that the story is inaccurate and we apologise to him, Miss Amal Alamuddin and her mother, Baria, for any distress caused. We have removed the article from our website and will be contacting Mr Clooney’s representatives to discuss giving him the opportunity to set the record straight.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Michelle Rodriguez, Zac Efron Enjoying Some Summer Lovin’ in Italy

    Michelle Rodriguez and Zac Efron seem to be getting their summer lovin’ thing going on.

    The 35-year-old Fast & Furious star has been engaged in some blatant PDA in Sardinia, Italy, with the 26-year-old Neighbors actor.

    The lip-locking duo arrived in Sardinia July 4 and have been caught numerous times getting it on.

    Seems this isn’t the first time the two have hooked up. E! News reports that their first tryst occurred back in 2012.

    “Michelle is super-cool and laid-back and Zac has always been attracted to her because of that,” a source told E!. “She’s one of those people that everyone likes, she just gets on with all kinds of people and doesn’t take the fame thing too seriously. Zac likes the fact that she is laid-back and he can relate to her. He is attracted to her great attitude. They understand one another.”

    This may just be a rebound affair — Rodriguez reportedly broke up with female model Cara Delevingne and Efron was rumored to be dating his Neighbors co-star Halston Sage.

    Could this be a rebound thing, two kids just having some fun or a serous romance? Guess time will tell.

    Image via YouTube

  • Priscilla Presley Reassures Upset Fans, Telling Them to ‘Please Calm Down’

    Priscilla Presley is trying to reassure upset Elvis Presley fans, asking them to “please calm down” after a report that two jets once owned by the singer could be removed from Graceland.

    The Associated Press reported last week that Elvis Presley Enterprises — which operates Graceland in Memphis — informed the owners of the airplanes named the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II to prepare to remove the planes when an agreement to keep them at at the tourist attraction ends next April.

    The planes — bought by Elvis Presley in 1975 — were used to transport the legendary singer on concert tours. After his death on Aug. 16, 1977, the planes were sold and were eventually bought by OKC Partnership.

    In the mid-1980s, OKC Partnership and Graceland agreed to house the two jets at Graceland, giving OKC Partnership a portion of the ticket sales.

    On July 2, Priscilla posted her plea to fans:

    Post by Priscilla Presley.

    It is unclear from the posting if “negotiations” means there’s a possibility the planes could remain at Graceland.

    She posted again on Sunday:

    Post by Priscilla Presley.

    OKC Partnership does not want to remove the planes because the partners would lose money from ticket sales if the planes are removed. However, Elvis Presley Enterprises sent a letter to OKC Partnership’s K.G. Coker, asking Coker “to make arrangements for the removal of the airplanes and the restoration of the site on or shortly after April 26, 2015.”

    Much of this seems to stem from a lawsuit filed May 27 over a dispute about how tickets to the airplane exhibit are sold.

    Currently tickets are bundled in a package that includes the tour of the Graceland mansion, but Graceland’s operators want to sell the airplane tours separately.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sofia Vergara On the Rebound With ‘True Blood’ Star Joe Manganiello

    Recently single Sofía Vergara seems to have moved on from her ex-fiancé Nick Loeb and straight into the arms of True Blood star Joe Manganiello.

    The Modern Family actress and People‘s Hollywood’s Hottest Bachelor, Manganiello, were spotted having brunch Sunday afternoon in New Orleans, where Vergara is filming the comedy Don’t Mess With Texas with costar Reese Witherspoon.

    A photo was posted on Instagram of Vergara and Manganiello canoodling at a table with a plate of fried chicken. The post has since been deleted.

    “The restaurant was full with no tables available when they arrived with no reservation,” a witness told Page Six. “Sofía copped an attitude, and they made room for them.”

    A source told Page Six that the 41-year-old actress and Manganiello met at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this year and were “flirting” and “exchanged numbers.” A bit awkward, perhaps, considering Vergara attended the event with Loeb.

    “It is early days, but there is a big mutual attraction,” said another source.

    It all seems so clear now. Vergara and Loeb, who had been dating on and off since 2010, split shortly after the DC event, with the actress announcing the news to her fans on WhoSay.

    Manganiello hasn’t minced words when it comes to his lusting for — I mean crush on — Vergara. He laid it all out there in his People‘s Hottest Bachelor interview.

    “I love a butt. Sofía Vergara, that’s it. She’s got that Latin thing going. She’s got curves, she’s got a beautiful face, beautiful hair, just gorgeous. And she’s feisty!” he said.

    “There was a picture someone snapped at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner where they caught me looking at Sofia Vergara’s butt,” he continued. “When you talk about being manipulated, that’s what I’m talking about. It’s like a moment of zen. There is nothing in my brain. If only I could meditate that well. I don’t go after other people’s women. She’s got a guy. If she was single, I would be like, poof!”

    Manganiello was engaged to actress Audra Marie in 2010 and most recently dated model Bridget Peters for more than a year.

    Image via YouTube

  • Nicole Scherzinger Talks About Her Bulimia Hell, Calling It An ‘Endless, Vicious Cycle’

    Nicole Scherzinger put on her bravest face and held nothing back in talking about her debilitating struggle with bulimia in the August edition of Cosmopolitan U.K. magazine.

    “I had such a great life on the outside, the Dolls were on top of the world, but I was miserable on the inside,” said the ex-Pussycat Dolls singer. “I’m never letting that happen again.”

    The 36-year-old went public with her addiction in 2012 and concedes that sharing the darkest moments of her long-secret eating disorder is still very painful.

    “Thinking about it I try not to well up,’ she said.

    “It is such a horrible, paralyzing disease and it was such a dark time for me,” said Scherzinger. “I didn’t think anyone knew in my group or in my family because I hid it that well, I was so ashamed. I knew it wasn’t normal or healthy because I was hurting myself through this cycle of disordered eating. It was my drug, my addiction. It’s an endless vicious cycle.”

    The former X-Factor judge says it took nearly losing her voice and blacking out while on tour to finally force her to deal with her addiction.

    “I had started losing my voice, I couldn’t sing at shows, and then I remember my manager finding me passed out on the floor in Malta or in the south of France,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘I’m going to lose everything I love if I don’t love myself.’”

    Scherzinger said that today she is healthy, but still struggles with another issue in her life — being incredibly shy.

    “I get past my shyness by making everything about others and not thinking about myself,” she says. “That’s what I did on The X Factor – I can be goofy and playful when it’s about the acts. They are like my babies. But when I’m off stage I’m not as big and animated … for me all my smiles and confidence are a triumph because it came from a broken place.”

    Image via Nicole Scherzinger, Instagram

  • United Nations Now Recognizes Staff Members’ Legal Same-Sex Marriages

    The United Nations will now recognize and provide equal benefits to legal same-sex marriages of its staff members despite the laws of their home country.

    U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the news Monday at the world body.

    Prior to Monday’s announcement, a staff member’s personal status was based solely on the laws of their country of nationality, said U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq.

    “Human rights are at the core of the mission of the United Nations,” said Ki-moon. “I am proud to stand for greater equality for all staff, and I call on all members of our UN family to unite in rejecting homophobia as discrimination that can never be tolerated at our workplace.”

    Now the United Nations will recognize all same-sex couples, but only couples married in a country where it is legal, of which there are currently 18.

    “The Secretary-General said human rights are at the core of the mission of the United Nations,” Haq said. “He’s proud to stand for greater equality for all staff. He also calls on all members of the U.N. family to unite in rejecting homophobia.”

    UN-GLOBE, a United Nations LGBT group, released a statement via its president Hyung Hak Nam.

    “With this new policy in place at the UN, I believe that the entire UN system will follow suit, if history is any guide. And if any agency, fund or programme still refuses to change, we will make sure they hear from us,” said Hyung Hak Nam.

    “This includes the UNJSPF, our pension fund. In fact, with this new policy in place at the UN, it is my hope that the pension fund will be under a lot of pressure to change its discriminatory policies towards staff. And we will be front and center advocating for change.”

    The new policy became effective June 26, and will affect the U.N.’s estimated 43,000 employees worldwide.

    Employees of other U.N. agencies, including the children’s agency UNICEF and the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, are not under the new guidelines, Haq said.

    Image via YouTube

  • Philadelphia Row House Fire Leaves City Grieving the Loss of 4 Children

    Residents of a Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood are left to grieve the loss of four children killed in an early-moring fire that raged through a block of row houses on Saturday.

    The neighbors stood outside crying, praying and hugging as they came to grips with the fact that the children would no longer be running around the neighborhood.

    When firefighters arrived around 2:45 a.m., four homes were already ablaze, said Derrick Sawyer, the city’s fire commissioner. The fire quickly spread to eight homes before firefighters could bring the fire under control about 90 minutes later.

    The four children were in one home and were likely relatives, Sawyer said. They were identified as 4-year-old twins Marie and Mariah Bowah; 4-year-old Patrick Sanyee; and an infant, Taj Jacque, who was only 47 days old. Five other relatives in the home were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The children were the only fatalities in the fire.

    Battalion Chief Michael Bonner said the mother of the twins, Dwen Bowah, was able to save three of her children but was unable to save the other four children. The mother of the two boys was not in the house at the time of the fire.

    “This is a tragic, tragic day for the city of Philadelphia. Tragic,” said Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer.

    Mayor Michael Nutter said the entire city was grieving and praying for the victims.

    “We lost four precious lives, four little, innocent children, in a horrific tragedy on this street,” said Nutter.

    Red Cross officials said dozens of neighbors were displaced by the fire.

    The fire marshal’s office was investigating the cause of the fire.

    Image via YouTube

  • Billy Ray Cyrus Pays Tribute to Slain Nevada Teacher, Calling Him a ‘True American Hero’

    Billy Ray Cyrus payed tribute Saturday to a Nevada teacher who was killed by a 12-year-old student in an October 2013 shooting incident.

    Calling Michael Landsberry a “true American hero,” the Achy Breaky Heart singer honored the Reno middle school teacher and ex-Marine during a concert Saturday night.

    “Tonight we are here to honor a true American hero,” Cyrus told the audience. “Michael Landsberry made the ultimate sacrifice to save his students after serving three terms in Afghanistan.”

    Cyrus said Landsberry represented the courage of the Vietnam veteran he refers to in his song, Some Gave All. He then led the audience in a sing-along of the song.

    The country singer also presented a memorial plaque and “financial gift” to his widow, Sharon.

    During that fateful day in October, Landsberry tried to persuade the shooter to turn the gun over, but the student shot him in the chest instead. The pre-teen also wounded two classmates before taking his own life.

    Left to grieve the fallen hero are his wife and two daughters, Alisa Cook, 25, and Andrea Cook, 18. Thanking Cyrus, Landsberry’s widow said, “We all love him today. … He lives within all of us.”

    Cyrus and his father, Ronald Ray Cyrus, who died in 2006, made similar presentations honoring American heroes for more than a decade. Saturday’s presentation marks the first time Cyrus has continued the tradition since his father’s death.

    “Just about every year, my dad and I would find an unsung hero and present them with a ‘Some Gave All’ award. I kind of play everything by ear, and I thought sometime when the time is right, I would love to recognize the sacrifice Michael made,” Cyrus told the Associated Press.

    Cyrus works with a program called Do the Write Thing, which tries to reduce school violence by encouraging the public to alert authorities to potential problems at schools.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Joan Rivers Bashed for Being ‘Very Mean’, Bails on CNN Interview

    Joan Rivers is very good at criticizing others, but when she is the target of criticism, it seems she just bails.

    That’s what happened when the comedian-author stormed off the set of a pre-taped CNN interview with Fredricka Whitfield after the anchor said Rivers’ critiques on her E! Fashion Police show are “very mean.

    “Even with your fashion critiquing, while it’s very mean in some ways…” began Whitfield before she was quickly interrupted.

    “It’s not mean, it’s not mean, it’s not mean. I tell the truth,” replied Rivers, 81. “I’m sure I say the same things that all the viewers say to their friends sitting next to them on the couch.”

    “These ladies make $28 million a picture,” she continued of the celebrities she often bashes during her commentary. “Do you really think that Nicki Minaj cares I didn’t like her dress?”

    Whitfield then questioned Rivers’ lack of sensitivity for people involved in some taboo subjects Rivers jokes about, including Casey Anthony’s baby and Princess Diana.

    “Life is very tough, and if you can make a joke to make something easier, and funny, do it, done, that’s all! Darling, I don’t know what your life has been like but I have a lot of people who’ve gone through hell… Winston Churchill said, ‘If you make someone laugh, you give them a little vacation,’ and maybe you take the worst thing in the world, make it funny, and it’s a vacation for a minute from horror,” said Rivers.

    When Whitfield turned the tables and questioned Rivers’ fashion choice of fur for the cover of her new book, Diary of a Mad Diva, that’s when Rivers got a little hot under the collar and bailed.

    “You know this whole interview is becoming a defensive interview,” Rivers said. “Are you wearing leather shoes? Shut up.”

    “You know what, I’m going. I’m really going because all you’ve done is negative,” she ranted. “I’ve made people laugh for 50 years. I was put on Earth to make people laugh and my book is funny.”

    The interview aired July 5 on CNN.

    Image via YouTube

  • Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj Try to Clear the Air After ‘Feud’

    Iggy Azalea thinks everyone should just “let it go.”

    The Australian rapper finally spoke out following headlines that focused on an apparent feud between herself and Nicki Minaj.

    The brouhaha started after Minaj seemed to take a jab at her competitor, who is rumored to work with ghostwriters, during her Best Female Rapper acceptance speech at the BET Awards June 29, in which she said “you hear Nicki Minaj spit, Nicki Minaj wrote it.”

    Even though Minaj said that she wasn’t giving “shade” — in other words, disrespect — it came across to many as if she did indeed diss Azalea.

    Since then, Minaj and Azalea have both tried to clear the air.

    Minaj tweeted on July 2:

    After keeping silent on the issue for days, Azalea posted a statement on Twitter and Instagram:


    Whew! All’s well that ends well.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Shailene Woodley Thinks Parents Need to Chill When it Comes to Miley Cyrus

    Shailene Woodley thinks parents really need to chill when it comes to Miley Cyrus and her controversial antics.

    In Vanity Fair‘s July cover story featuring Woodley, the Fault in Our Stars actress told the magazine she feels parents should focus on something really important like bullying rather than what Cyrus is up to.

    In the end, Woodley believes Cyrus is just doing what Cyrus does, and it’s nobody’s business but her own.

    “Miley isn’t rude or mean or cruel to anyone in her actions,” said Woodley. “She just does herself. And regardless of whether you agree with what she’s doing or not, it’s none of your business what she does. She’s not in the world doing mean things.”

    Let’s check out Cyrus’ 4th of July weekend posts on Instagram.







    “Why are all these parents or all these people freaking out about Miley being herself?” said Woodley. “If you don’t want your kids to watch it, you know, you can change that situation at home, but don’t make a big deal of what she’s doing. Make a big deal about the bullies at school who are beating kids up.”

    Woodley also offered a shoutout in the cover story to another strong woman, Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.

    “Her music has sort of been throughout my entire life. [Fleetwood Mac] was always a part of something I listened to. And I also just love sort of who she is and that there’s no one in the world like Stevie Nicks. She was never the next anything. She was the first and only Stevie Nicks, and she was brave and she was strong, and she was her, no matter what that meant. She was her.”

    Gotta give Woodley credit. She knows her mind and is not afraid to speak out on behalf of women, their choices and originality.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Halle Berry Talks About Her TV Debut in New CBS Series ‘Extant’

    Halle Berry will be making her TV debut this week in a new CBS Sci-fi drama, Extant, and she recently opened up about the show and making the move to television.

    In the series, the Oscar-winning actress plays an astronaut, Molly Woods, who has been on a space station for a long time and is now back with her family and adjusting to normal life.

    During a recent press conference, Berry was asked what drew her to the Steven Spielberg project.

    “There were so many elements,” Berry said, “but probably the first one was being a mother. This was a character when I first read it that was so relatable to me. I felt like it was just in my DNA. I had a knowingness about this character. I had a fundamental understanding. While I’m not an astronaut or scientist, far, far from it, I still had an understanding about the human quality of this woman and her struggle to not only find time for herself, which is what she loves to do, … but also to be a good mother.”

    Berry said she can easily relate to her character of Molly.

    “She’s strong. She’s complicated. I’m complicated. But she has a will to survive, to win. She’s good at her heart,” said Berry.

    Like so many other big-screen actors who are making the move to television, she said the switch from the big screen to television no longer has stigma attached to it.

    “And for me I feel like the best writing now is on television,” she said.

    In the series, Berry‘s character has a robot son, Ethan (Pierce Gagnon), who was created by her husband, John (Goran Visnjic).

    She hinted that the robot theme will lead to questions about love and what makes us human.

    “I don’t think there’s one thing that makes us human and that’s what this series is all about,” she said.

    “Can we teach it to love? Can we give it free will? Will it act as human beings act over time? What intrigued me about this series is to try to discover the answer(s). Can we teach someone to be human? Hopefully by the time we finish this series, we might have a better answer. We might be able to intelligently talk about it. If you believe that love is what makes you human, then that beckons the question, will Ethan, will the robot, ever be able to really love? Will he be able to love Molly and John, his parents? That’s the question our show is also asking,” said Berry.

    Extant premieres Wednesday on CBS.

    Image via YouTube

  • Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry Kick Off Tour de France in Yorkshire

    Represent!

    Kate Middleton, Prince William and Prince Harry helped kick off the start of the 101st Tour de France Saturday in West Tanfield, England.

    The 32-year-old princess wore a green Allie coat and Suzannah tea dress for the opening ceremony, accessorizing with LK Bennett pumps and an Avona clutch.

    As for the princes, they looked dapper in matching suit jackets and blue pants.

    The royal trio took a few moments to speak to race officials, enjoyed a flyover by the Red Arrows and chatted with the cyclists, including British reigning Tour de France champion Chris Froome. They then stood with the rest of the crowd in front of the 18th century stately home Harewood House to hear the French and British national anthems played.

    To finish the ceremony, William, 32, and Harry, 29, flanked Kate as she cut the ceremonial ribbon to begin the month-long cycling race.

    Kate and William’s son Prince George was not on hand to celebrate the start of the prestigious race, but did receive a gift from organizers. A source told Us Weekly the 11-month-old prince was given a personalized, yellow cycling jersey that signalizes the leader during the Tour de France.

    Following the opening ceremony with the royals, Marcel Kittel went on to win the opening 190.5 km first stage of the race to take the race leader’s yellow jersey.

    Image via YouTube

  • Radamel Falcao, Colombian Striker, Criticizes Ref on Twitter Following 2-1 Loss to Brazil

    Colombian forward Radamel Falcao took to Twitter Friday to criticize Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo following the 2-1 loss to Brazil in the World Cup Quarterfinal.

    The injured Falcao isn’t the only one blaming the ref for sloppy officiating. It seems the whole nation blames the loss on Carballo.

    The 28-year-old hasn’t played in the 2014 World Cup because of a knee injury he suffered in January when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, but that didn’t prevent him from tweeting his mind about the officiating.

    Looks like he might not be that far off in his sentiments concerning the referee. According to WhoScored, 54 fouls were committed, beating the previous record of 51. Brazillian players committed 31 of them. However, only four yellow cards were handed out during the match.

    Translated: “For the next match, remember to call the referee, who today didn’t show up.”

    Twitter blew up with tweets from observers of the match who felt there should have been at least two red cards given. Many of the tweets ranted that Carballo had totally lost control of the match, risking injury for the Colombian players.

    One sports writer for Yahoo Sports thought there was a simple reason for the lack of yellow and red cards during the match.

    “Perhaps Carballo purposely didn’t want to show yellow cards so no players are suspended for the semifinals, as FIFA rules state that after the quarterfinal stage, all yellow cards are reset and all players are give a clean slate. It shouldn’t be an excuse, but it might have been the reason why no cards were shown for two-thirds of the game,” said Xoel Cardenas.

    Colombia’s James Rodriquez had the majority of fouls committed against him, and he had something to say about it.

    “We fulfilled all the dreams we had. It’s a shame we have to go. I’m crying because we gave everything. Unfortunately, the referee didn’t help much. Brazil is a good team, but we gave everything so we are calm. We wanted to carry on, but we hold our heads high. Thank you Colombia,” said Rodriquez following the match.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Nicole Brown Simpson’s Father, Louis Brown Jr., Dead at the Age of 90

    Louis Brown Jr., the father of Nicole Brown Simpson, has died at his Southern California home, a family attorney said Saturday. He was 90.

    Attorney Natasha Roit, in an email, said Brown died Thursday in the seaside community of Dana Point with his wife, Judi, and his children by his side. A statement issued on behalf of the family did not include a cause of death, although he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

    “It was his wish to remain in his home with those he loved,” Roit said.

    Brown served as a pilot in World War II and married his wife in Switzerland after the war.

    Brown and his daughter, Denise, founded the Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation. Through the foundation, Brown worked to raise awareness of domestic violence and increase funding for assistance to victims.

    This year marks the 20th anniversary of his daughter’s death. In a trial that captivated the world and changed the way courtroom drama is portrayed by the media, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the murder of his wife and her friend, Ronald Goldman, who were brutally murdered in front of her Brentwood condo.

    A civil jury found O.J. Simpson liable in 1997 for the deaths, providing a small victory for grieving relatives who felt the football great got away with murder. The jury awarded the families $33.5 million in damages.

    Louis Brown, who never flinched when the civil trial verdict was read, stood and smiled afterward. “I want to get outside and scream,” he told the AP at the time.

    Earlier this year, O.J. Simpson, who is currently serving a 33-year sentence in a Nevada prison for assault, robbery, and kidnapping, sought clemency from President Obama, saying he has terminal brain cancer.

    Image via YouTube

  • Scarlett Johansson Wins Lawsuit Against Author Using Her as ‘Sex Object’ in Book

    Scarlett Johansson, 29, won a defamation lawsuit against an author who wrote a book featuring a character based on the Avengers actress.

    In the lawsuit, the Captain America star accused French writer Gregoire Delacourt of making “fraudulent use of her name, fame and image” in his book La premiere Chose Qu’on Regarde (The First Thing We Look At).

    The character in the book is described as Johansson’s “exact double” who is treated as a “sex object” because of her looks.

    Delacourt claims he only used her image as a way of giving Johansson a compliment.

    “It was meant as the highest praise. She is an archetypal beauty of our times, very human with a touching fragility. She is a wonderful, iconic actress. I was hoping that she might send me flowers because this book is, in a way, a declaration of love. If I had known she was going to kick up such a racket, I would have picked another actress,” said Delacourt.

    The actress, who is currently expecting a baby with French fiancé Romain Dauraic, sued for $69,302, accusing the novelist of using her likeness to promote the story.

    Delacourt has sold more than 100,000 copies of his novel and was surprised when the actress brought the lawsuit against him.

    “I wrote a work of fiction. My character is not Scarlett Johansson,” he told the French newspaper Le Figaro. “I’m not sure she’s even read the book. It’s not been translated.”

    A court in Paris, France, ruled in Johansson’s favor, but she was awarded only $3,397. The Lucy actress also sought an injunction to stop the novel from being translated into other languages or adapted for a movie, but the court threw the request out.

    Delacourt’s publisher said that now that the suit is settled, the publishing house is open to offers for an English translation.

    Image via YouTube