Music

After just 10 hours of deliberation, a Chicago jury has found actor Jussie Smollett guilty on five of six counts for filing a false police report related to the hoax racist attack he suffered at the hands of two men in January 2019.

The former Empire star had claimed two racist supporters of President Trump beat him up, poured bleach on him, called him racist and homophobic slurs, and tied a noose around his neck.

Not long after giving a tear-filled recounting of the alleged crime to ABC News’ Robin Roberts, Smollett’s story fell apart, and police claimed two associates of his admitted the actor paid them to stage the attack.

Prosecutors maintained he paid brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo $3,500 to “fake beat him up” to raise his profile on Empire. Smollett, who took the stand in his own defense, claimed the attack was real, because the bodybuilding brothers were homophobic.

Smollett was initially charged on Feb. 20, 2019, with Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson saying the attack was orchestrated because he was unhappy with his salary on the Fox hit show.

The charges were dropped against Smollett in March 2019, but in February 2020, a special prosecutor announced an indictment for six disorderly conduct charges for allegedly filing a false police report. Smollett pleaded not guilty.

The 39-year-old now faces up to three years in prison, though will likely not receive such a stiff sentence.

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Kelly Clarkson and Sandra Bullock are going viral for the most adorable reason — the two couldn’t stop laughing during their interview.

The “Catch My Breath” singer recently welcomed Sandra onto her daytime talk show and the two took a moment to bask in each other’s presence.  But the shenanigans started shortly after the Bird Box star referenced Kelly’s American Idol win, which opened herself up to being asked if she supported Kelly’s rival Justin Guarini in the finals.

“I’m just kidding,” the singer guffawed and doubled over in her seat. Collapsing into giggle fits was the definite theme of their interview.

As the ladies continued to gush over each other in an attempt to establish who admired the other more, they were completely unable to maintain a straight face.  Kelly announced several times that she was “sweating” because of her deep admiration for Sandra and, at one point, threatened “I’m gonna cry” because they had been laughing so hard.

Kelly and Sandra also commiserated over the challenges of motherhood, from not understanding new math, battling over screen time, to trying to convince their young children that they aren’t ready for a cellphone. 

The two also philosophized over the value of forgiving and forgetting, but even that deep conversation was interrupted by frequent giggles and zingers about why people drink.

The Oscar-winning actress was there to promote her serious movie, The Unforgivable, which is about a woman who is rebuilding her life after being incarcerated for a violent crime.  The two did not crack a smile when discussing the film and its heartbreaking theme of learning to love someone by letting them go.

The Unforgivable is streaming now on Netflix.

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As a father of three, including seven-year-old son Aadyn, Jimmie Allen interacts with the American school system on a daily basis — and he’s got some thoughts.

The singer took to Twitter this week to share those thoughts, which range from light-hearted to serious. First, he wondered why school has to start so early every morning, saying that he thinks it would be easier on everyone if the school day ran from 9:30-4:30.

“Why does school start so early?” he wrote. “If they moved start time back to at least 9:30 I’m sure students, parents and teachers would be cool with it.”

Next, the singer offered a more serious point: The plight of underpaid educators. “Teachers need to get paid more. They are overworked and underpaid,” Jimmie tweeted.

“They are educating our children and future leaders. They have all these educational requirements they have to achieve,” he went on to point out. “Teachers go to college and some collect a lot of debt just to get out and be underpaid.”

Finally, Jimmie ended his constructive criticism with a final, more light-hearted thought: “I also do not understand the purpose of homework,” he wrote.

Jimmie’s interest in education and bettering the lives of children everywhere is well-documented. Last year, he was a CMA Foundation ambassador to promote music education everywhere. He also recently released My Voice Is a Trumpet, his first children’s book.

Jimmie also recently experienced a much scarier parenthood moment when his newborn daughter, Zara, was hospitalized after she contracted respiratory syncytial virus and stopped breathing. He shared the experience — as well as the sub-par care the says they received at one unnamed hospital — with fans, and subsequently provided the happy update that Zara was on the mend.

Teachers need to get paid more. They are over worked and underpaid.
They are educating our children and future leaders. They have all these educational requirements they have to achieve. Teachers go to college and some collect a lot of debt just to get out and be under paid.

— Jimmie Allen (@JimmieAllen) December 9, 2021

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As Juice WRLD Day is being held Thursday in the Chicago hometown of the late rapper, the cover and tracklist for his new album was revealed.

The inaugural Juice WRLD Day celebrates the life and music of the rapper, born Jarad Higgins. Fans around the world can view the activities, including surprise performances, during a live stream on the Amazon Music app and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, beginning at 8 p.m. CT/ 9 p.m. ET.

Fighting Demons, WRLD’s fourth studio album, will drop Friday featuring collaborations with Justin Bieber, Trippie Redd, SUGA of BTS, and Polo G.

“There was nothing Jarad ‘Juice WRLD’ Higgins enjoyed more than delivering new music to his millions of fans around the world. He left behind an astonishingly deep catalog of music that will ensure his fans will have new songs to listen to for years to come,” his mother Carmela Wallace, said in a statement.

“Jarad was always searingly honest about his struggles and through his musical genius he articulated what was on his heart and mind vividly through his art. He never gave up and his friends and family never gave up on offering their support to him,” she continued. “We encourage all of you who struggle with addiction and mental health to never give up the fight. We continue to extend free support to you via LiveFree999.org created in his honor.”

In April of 2020, Wallace established the Live Free 999 Fund, which honors the legacy of her son by supporting young people battling addiction and mental health issues.

Juice WRLD will also be remembered with the HBO documentary, Into the Abyss, debuting December 16. Wednesday marked the second anniversary of his passing. Higgins died December 8, 2019 from an accidental drug overdose. He was 21 years old.

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Over their 25 years of marriage, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have had their share of ups and downs, but ultimately, they’ve always found strength in leaning on each other.

Tim’s long been open about his struggles with alcohol, for example, and he says Faith’s support was key to his recovery.

“Those demons always come back,” he reflects to People, 13 years after getting sober. “But you always have a partner that’s willing to fight them with you. We made a commitment to each other a long time ago that we’re not going to give up.”

“When you love someone, you commit to be there for them for the highs, the lows, anytime. You face the struggles,” Faith agrees.

The two country stars have also seen each other through family challenges, such as through the deaths of their parents. Tim’s dad, major league baseball pitcher Tug McGraw, died in 2004, and Faith lost her father more recently, in 2019. Her mom had died just three years earlier. It was a painful time in her life, the singer remembers.

“It’s difficult to lose parents just a couple of years apart and watch them pass right in front of you,” she says, but adds that Tim’s support helped her through that time.

“He was so present for the passing of both my parents,” she recalls. “You reveal yourself when you are going through struggles and that’s just another layer of partnership.”

These days, Tim and Faith are embarking on a new venture together: They’re co-starring in Yellowstone prequel 1883, which premieres December 19 on Paramount +.

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Rise Against has announced a North American tour for 2022 in support of the band’s new album, Nowhere Generation.

The newly scheduled dates will launch April 9 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and will wrap up April 22 in Bakersfield, California.

Tickets go on sale next Wednesday, December 15, at 10 a.m. local time. A pre-sale begins this Friday, December 10, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit RiseAgainst.com.

Nowhere Generation, Rise Against’s ninth album, was released in this past June. It’s title track gave the Chicago punk outfit their first number-one single on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

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Nicki Minaj turned 39 years old Wednesday, and she celebrated in her usual, uninhibited Pink Barbie style, with a trio of nude Instagram photos.

In two shots, the “Chun-Li” rapper wears a thong, holding a birthday cake with her right hand, while hiding her breasts with her left hand. She commented, “Say Happy Birthday to da Bad Guy.” The other photo shows Nicki wearing nothing but her candy-pink hair while she straddles an enormous teddy bear.

Minaj also posted a video montage of her over the years, including photos with her husband, Kenneth Petty, and their baby boy. “My fans said I never come online on my bday,” she wrote. “I made it my business today to change that this year. Love you guys so much.”

Porsha Williams, Naturi Naughton, Tami Roman, Foxy Brown, and Phaedra Parks were among the many stars sending her birthday blessings.

 

 

 

 

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Gwen Stefani is already decked out for the holidays, but she wants to make it feel like Christmas for everyone.  The “Slow Clap” singer has teamed with IMAX for a special livestream event dedicated to her favorite holiday film, Elf.

Per the Thursday press release, Gwen will not only play the Will Ferrell film in full, she will also share why the movie — and the Christmas season — is so near and dear to her heart.  It is a one-night only event, so if you want to cozy up with the No Doubt frontwoman, you better clear your schedule for Monday, December 13.

She also has a special surprise in store for one lucky guest from each participating IMAX theater — an autographed vinyl record of her deluxe edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas.  In addition, everyone who buys a ticket will score an additional 10 percent off merchandise in Gwen’s online store.

The two-hour event will be streamed at 8 p.m. ET across 10 different IMAX locations. Visit the theater chain’s official website to find the screening closest to you and purchase tickets.  

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Former Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui says Perez Hilton “violated” her when he publicly “outed” her on his gossip blog in 2016, before she was ready.

Lauren, who is openly bisexual, was the latest guest on Gloria Estefan‘s Red Table Talk on Facebook Watch to discuss cyberbullying — something they believe is what made Perez famous. Gloria opened the discussion by saying the blogger was “the harbinger of doom” for the young singer when he publicly outed her five years ago and stole her “opportunity to come out.”

“I had been dating the girlfriend that I had at the time for like, probably a year at that point, but we had fallen in love when I was like 15,” Lauren recalled.  She had invited her partner to her uncle’s wedding, which had a photo booth, and she said, “My girlfriend and I, we were drunk, so we had taken a picture kissing.”

Lauren’s aunt then “innocently posted” all the photo booth pictures to Facebook, adding, “It was like a link for the family to be able to click on,” but her overzealous fans found it and Perez publicly posted the photo across his accounts.

“[Perez] definitely outed me. I wasn’t ready,” she said. “I felt like my own process was violated.”  Lauren says his actions also affected her family because they had to “deal with [it] on a public scale.”

Perez on Wednesday responded to the “Worth It” singer and said he is “NOT sorry for that tweet” because “that was not ‘outing’ her.”

“All I did was send out a tweet talking about the leaked photo and I said “Why are #FifthHarmony fans being so extra over this photo,'” Perez continued. “I don’t regret that. I never claimed or presumed anything about her sexuality.”

All I did was send out a tweet talking about the leaked photo and I said “Why are #FifthHarmony fans being so extra over this photo of @LaurenJauregui (in the red) kissing another girl? NBD!” I don’t regret that. I never claimed or presumed anything about her sexuality.

— Perez (@ThePerezHilton) December 8, 2021

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