Drake claps at the end of the game between the Sacramento Kings and the Toronto Raptors during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on November 2, 2024, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Drake is making amends with anyone named Janice following the release of the Iceman track “Janice STFU.”
Taking to his Instagram Story Thursday, he wrote, “All my Janice’s in NY, LA, MIA, TO, HOU, look out for my invitation for Sunday.”
Now Toronto later followed with a report of an event scheduled for Sunday at Cactus Club in Toronto. The party will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is exclusively being held for people named Janice, who must present a government-issued ID to gain entry. Details for the parties planned in the other cities will soon be revealed.
“Janice STFU” appears on Drake’s Iceman album and includes shots at the media, critics and fellow rappers. With the apology parties, Drake seems to be making it up to the real Janices who may have been offended or caught in the crossfire.
Fans, however, are still unsure whether Janice refers to an actual woman or is just a metaphor for someone else.
“Janice STFU” peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100. It currently sits at #7.
Gracie Abrams has done something her friend Taylor Swift did quite a few albums — and one relationship — ago: She’s written a song with her famous actor boyfriend.
On the New York Times‘ Popcast, Gracie was asked about the fact that on her new album Daughter From Hell, one song, “Imaginary Friend,” was co-written with her love, Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal. And unlike when Taylor co-wrote songs with her ex, Paul is credited under his real name.
“I don’t like the feeling of hiding,” Gracie explained. “I also love privacy where it feels like the right thing. But that was so fun to write together. That wasn’t some groundbreaking event for us. We have a very creative home with friends who are, like, so good at what they do and everyone feels happy to share that with one another.”
Acknowledging that writing a song with Paul might open her up to online hate, Gracie argued, “I … think … if you know how happy your experience was making something, or how much you learned about yourself or your partner or whatever the thing is, it’s like, no, amount of hate or trolling or whatever could take that away.”
“And I think that is a part of my life that brings me so much peace and joy,” she added. “And I’m not gonna pretend like that’s not true.”
As for the song itself, Gracie said it was “just us f****** around,” in an attempt to write a “strummer” — an acoustic guitar-based song, as she did on The Secret of Us.
“I kind of wanted the show to have one or two more moments where it could be super small in that way,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Gracie has released another song and video from Daughter From Hell: “Look at My Life.”
Gracie Abrams has done something her friend Taylor Swift did quite a few albums — and one relationship — ago: She’s written a song with her famous actor boyfriend.
On the New York Times‘ Popcast, Gracie was asked about the fact that on her new album Daughter From Hell, one song, “Imaginary Friend,” was co-written with her love, Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal. And unlike when Taylor co-wrote songs with her ex, Paul is credited under his real name.
“I don’t like the feeling of hiding,” Gracie explained. “I also love privacy where it feels like the right thing. But that was so fun to write together. That wasn’t some groundbreaking event for us. We have a very creative home with friends who are, like, so good at what they do and everyone feels happy to share that with one another.”
Acknowledging that writing a song with Paul might open her up to online hate, Gracie argued, “I … think … if you know how happy your experience was making something, or how much you learned about yourself or your partner or whatever the thing is, it’s like, no, amount of hate or trolling or whatever could take that away.”
“And I think that is a part of my life that brings me so much peace and joy,” she added. “And I’m not gonna pretend like that’s not true.”
As for the song itself, Gracie said it was “just us f****** around,” in an attempt to write a “strummer” — an acoustic guitar-based song, as she did on The Secret of Us.
“I kind of wanted the show to have one or two more moments where it could be super small in that way,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Gracie has released another song and video from Daughter From Hell: “Look at My Life.”
It’s been more than a year since Dylan Scott released his latest album, Easy Does It, but with the arrival of his new radio single, it seems like the follow-up may be coming together.
“Dear Big City” is a parent’s letter to the place that will someday lure a child away.
“This song was captivating to me from the day I heard it, and I knew I wanted it to be my next single right away,” Dylan says. “The lyric itself spoke to me because not only did I leave the small town when I was younger to move to Nashville to chase my dream, but I also know there are so many people in this world who have a similar story or know somebody who has.”
“Whether parents had a kid leave home and move off to college or if the parents themselves did the same thing for a job, I think everyone can relate to a song like this,” he adds.
“Dear Big City” follows April’s “Slow Down Ol’ Son,” which was inspired by Dylan’s late mother. Also in April, the Louisiana native grabbed his seventh #1 with “What He’ll Never Have.”
Dylan’s playing fairs and festivals this summer after wrapping his Till I Can’t I Will Tour in May.
Ice Nine Kills has premiered a new song called “Play Dead.”
While the band is known for writing music inspired by horror movies, they’re trying out a different artistic medium with “Play Dead,” which was recorded for the survival horror video game Dead by Daylight.
You can watch the “Play Dead” video, which features a cameo from skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, streaming now on YouTube.
“Play Dead” follows INK’s February single, “Twisting the Knife,” which was inspired by the movie Scream 7 and features cast member Mckenna Grace.
“Twisting the Knife” currently sits at #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
A post on the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s Instagram account reveals that “Vienna” is now his third song to reach the milestone.
Already in the Billions Club are “Piano Man,” which joined in April and has currently been streamed over 1.3 billion times, and “Uptown Girl,” which joined in September 2024 and been streamed over 1.4 billion times.
The increase in Spotify streams is likely due in part to a popular TikTok trend that started in 2024 where women in their 20s and 30s expressed their emotional feelings about their life, pressure and more. The posts particularly identified with the song’s lyric, “slow down, you’re doing fine.”
“Vienna,” which Joel has said is one of his favorites of his songs, is a track off the rocker’s 1977 breakthrough album The Stranger and was originally the B-side of his top-10 single “Just the Way You Are.” He released an official video for the song in 2024.
It has gone on to become a fan favorite, and a song Joel often plays live in concert.
Jonathan Rinderknecht is seen in a photo released by the Department of Justice. (Department of Justice)
(LOS ANGELES) — The judge declared a mistrial Friday in the federal trial of the man accused of starting the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles last year, with the jury deadlocked.
Jonathan Rinderknecht was accused of “maliciously” starting a fire that six days later developed into what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.
He was indicted on three federal counts — destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire — which carry up to 45 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty.
The jury began deliberating Wednesday morning. They reported being deadlocked Thursday afternoon, noting that there were two jurors with unwavering stances. The jury remained deadlocked on Friday, with 10 for not guilty and two for guilty, and Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said his office plans to retry the case.
“The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire,” Essayli said in a statement on social media. “We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.”
Federal prosecutors alleged that Rinderknecht, who was working as an Uber driver at the time, ignited a brush fire that became known as the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025.
Despite being suppressed by fire crews, prosecutors allege that the fire continued to smolder until it surfaced again nearly a week later amid high winds and eventually became the Palisades Fire, which leveled neighborhoods in Los Angeles County and left 12 people dead.
Rinderknecht, a former Los Angeles resident, was arrested in Florida nine months after the Palisades Fire.
Prosecutors alleged he was upset about a past relationship, was fixated on wealth disparity and climate change in messages with ChatGPT and wanted “revenge” against society for his problems.
The government also alleged he was fixated on Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Following the December 2024 shooting, they say he searched for news on Mangione as well as used the search terms “free Luigi Mangione,” “lets take down all the billionaires” and “reddit lets kill all the billionaires.”
Prosecutors said Rinderknecht ended up working on Dec. 31, 2024, because he had no plans to celebrate New Year’s Eve. They said he went to Skull Rock Trailhead in Topanga State Park after dropping off a passenger in the Pacific Palisades.
They alleged he used a BIC lighter to ignite the Lachman Fire, which they said was not found to be caused by lightning, fireworks or power lines.
Rinderknecht called 911 multiple times to report the fire while close to the ignition site of the Lachman Fire, and took videos of it, according to prosecutors. He also made a screen-recording on his iPhone of himself attempting to call 911, which prosecutors argued during closing statements was suspicious and pointed to his guilt.
When interviewed in the wake of the Palisades Fire, he told investigators that he saw no fireworks in the area when the Lachman Fire started, prosecutors said. When asked why someone would start a fire in the Pacific Palisades, he mentioned wealth disparity could be one of the reasons why, according to prosecutors.
The defense said Rinderknecht went to the area to watch fireworks, and argued that the Lachman Fire was started by fireworks. His defense attorney, Steve Haney said Rinderknecht called 911 to try to stop the fire, and that the government found no evidence that he was planning a fire.
During closing statements, Haney argued there was no direct evidence supporting that Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire and questioned the government’s theory that it was a “holdover” blaze that developed into the Palisades Fire.
Over two weeks, jurors heard testimony from arson and fire experts, saw digital and cellular evidence and heard audio of Rinderknecht’s interviews with investigators and his 911 call reporting the Lachman Fire. They also heard testimony from those impacted by the Palisades Fire.
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, decimating the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to California fire officials.
It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.
The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, allowed them to spread quickly.
The cast of ‘Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.’ (Disney+)
The first trailer for Disney’s Descendants: Wicked Wonderland is here.
The next installment in the popular Descendants franchise, which follows the children of Disney heroes and villains, sees the return of Red and Chloe, played by Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker. The new trailer was released Friday.
This time around, Red and Chloe are forced to deal with the fallout of a changing past and face a new villain named Maddox Hatter, portrayed by Leonardo Nam, as they try to save the Queen of Hearts and Wonderland.
Rita Ora reprises her role as the Queen of Hearts, with Paolo Montalban as King Charming, Melanie Paxson returning as the Fairy Godmother and Brandy as Cinderella.
Wicked Wonderland will also welcome new cast members Liamani Segura as Pink, Red’s younger sister; Brendon Tremblay as Max Hatter, Maddox’s son; and Alexandro Byrd as Luis Madrigal, Luisa Madrigal’s son.
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland premieres on Disney Channel on July 16 and will be available to stream on Disney+ starting July 17.
China’s national flag flutters in the wind next to the CITIC tower on May 12, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Maxim Shemetov Pool/Getty Images)
(BEIJING) — A small aircraft crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper before falling down in front of the building, according to eyewitnesses who spoke with Reuters and the Associated Press.
Videos taken by people near the Citic Tower appeared to show the plane striking a high floor before it spun downward and crashed to the ground in front of the tower’s entrance.
Photos showed what appeared to be a hole or broken glass on one side of the building.
Authorities have yet to address the incident. Videos, images and search results of the crash are actively being scrubbed from the Chinese internet.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Taylor Swift ensembles on display at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Courtesy Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)
Taylor Swift is heading to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
No, she’s not being inducted — yet — but there’s a new display dedicated to her at the Cleveland, Ohio, landmark. It’s based around her video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” an elaborate production that featured her wearing many different looks that reflect multiple historical periods, from the 1800s to today.
The display, located on level 5 as part of the “Legends of Rock” exhibit, includes Taylor’s swimming costume and long beaded gown from the clip, as well as some props and costumes worn by the dancers in the video.
Plus, another Taylor Swift Fan Day at the museum is in the works for a future date. There have been two so far.
Taylor, who inducted Carole King into the Hall in 2021, won’t be eligible for induction herself for another five years, since the earliest you can be inducted is 25 years after the release of your first single. Taylor just celebrated the 20th anniversary of that first single, “Tim McGraw,” so 2031 is the magic year.
