While Cyndi Lauper was nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, she didn’t make the list of the 2023 inductees. But it sounds like she’s not all that upset about it. At the Tribeca Festival premiere of her new doc, Let The Canary Sing, she told Peoplehow she felt about missing out this year.
“I always felt that rock ‘n’ roll could save the world, and as a rocker, you have to be an activist,” she says, noting that her goal as a musician has always been to make the world a better place.
“That will never change with me, whether I get a badge or not,” she shares. “I don’t need a badge. I need to be able to continue the work and help to make a difference.”
She adds, “You have to remember to be human and help other humans.”
J. Cole, a native of North Carolina, is part of a group that will purchase the state’s NBA team. According to NBA.com, the group has reached a deal with Michael Jordan to buy his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets.
Led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, the buyer group includes J. Cole, recording artist Eric Church, Hornets part owner Plotkin and a few local Charlotte investors. Schnall, former minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks, is in the process of selling his stake in that team.
Once approved and finalized by the NBA Board of Governors, the group will own the Hornets, the Greensboro Swarm (NBA G League) and Hornets Venom GT (NBA 2K League), while managing the Spectrum Center. Jordan, the first former NBA player to become a majority owner, according to Forbes, will stay on as minority owner.
J. Cole’s future part ownership role is another display of his love of basketball. He played for the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League and was credited for getting Caleb Martin signed to the Miami Heat, among other things.
Rammstein drummer Christoph Schneider has shared a statement in response to allegations of sexual misconduct against frontman Till Lindemann.
Reports broke Wednesday, June 14, that Lindemann was under investigation in Germany regarding the claims. On June 15, The New York Times reported that label Universal Music has “suspend[ed] promotional and marketing activities” for Rammstein.
One of the claims stems from an incident that allegedly occurred during a party around the time of a Rammstein concert in Vilnius, Lithuania, which the band denied. Rammstein later posted a statement on Instagram reading, in part, “We condemn any kind of transgression and ask you: do not engage in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made allegations. You have a right to your point of view. But we, the band, also have a right — namely not to be prejudiced either.”
Now, Schneider has published his own Instagram post, which, translated from German, reads, “The accusations of the past few weeks have deeply shaken us as a band and me as a person.”
“I feel like I am in shock by the things that have been shared and printed on social media and in the press about our singer,” he writes.
Schneider adds that while he doesn’t believe Lindemann did anything illegal, “Things seem to have happened that — although legally OK — I personally do not find acceptable.” He also notes that Lindemann has “distanced himself” from the rest of Rammstein recently, and that his parties are separate from the band’s own aftershow celebrations.
Schneider concludes that he hopes for “calm, level-headed reflection and processing” amid the situation for the band members.
“All together, six of us,” he writes. “We stand together.”
If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival
Young Thug has something on the way, according to mysterious post shared to his socials Friday, June 16. The post features a QR code that leads to a site with a live countdown in the middle of the screen. The clock appears to be counting down to 12 a.m. ET Thursday, June 22, when fans will seemingly get to see the big surprise.
“BUSINESS IS BUSINESS,” Thugger captioned the post. The QR code has since been reshared by producers Metro Boomin, London on da Track, Southside and Wheezy, leading some to believe Thugger is dropping new music.
Young Thug remains in jail on charges including conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO Act and participation in a criminal street gang. Prosecutors believe he’s the head of the Young Slime Life gang, which they allege has committed murders, shootings and carjackings, among other things.
Gunna had also been arrested in the RICO case. He was released after entering an Alford plea, in which he pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge while maintaining his innocence.
Gunna’s prison release sparked allegations he snitched against Young Thug, which are addressed on several songs on his new album. Gunna’s featureless A Gift & A Curse is now available on DSPs.
Bruce Springsteen has a reputation for playing three-hour concerts, and it sounds like Paul McCartney isn’t happy about it.
TheBeatles legend sat down for a chat with Conan O’Brien at the Tribeca Festival in New York Thursday, June 15, and, according to USA Today, complained a bit about the trend of longer concerts. He joked, “I blame Bruce Springsteen. I told him so. I said, ‘It’s your fault!’”
When Conan noted, “He ruined it for everyone,” McCartney agreed.
“We used to do a half hour. That was like The Beatles’ thing – and we got paid for it. I tried to work out, ‘Why was it so short?’ Well, because there was a lot of people on the (lineup),” he said. “When you went to a thing, if you were a comedian, the promoter would say, ‘How long can you do? Four minutes?’ And the guy would say yes. So we thought, ‘Half an hour – that’s epic!’ But that was it.”
He adds, “With a Beatles show, we were on and off like that, and it didn’t seem strange.”
Of course, McCartney concerts have gotten longer, with his last show at the U.K. Glastonbury Festival consisting of 38 songs.
McCartney was in New York promoting his new photography book, 1964: Eyes of the Storm, which is out now.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was impeached on May 27, becoming the state’s first statewide official to be impeached since 1917.
The proceedings were sparked by claims from former employees in Paxton’s office that he was misusing his power to aid a friend and donor. The impeachment also underlines the conflict between Paxton and a number of other Republicans, many of whom voted in the state House for his impeachment.
In a defiant statement last month, Paxton called the proceedings “unjust” and a partisan “sham,” labeling the state House Speaker Dade Phelan a traitor.
Phelan, for his part, has defended the process. “What happened this week is nothing I take pride in. It is not anything I was proud of. But it was necessary,” he said before the impeachment vote.
Who is Ken Paxton?
Paxton was suspended while serving his third term as Texas attorney general, the state’s top law enforcement officer, after holding office in the Texas House and Senate for approximately 10 and two years, respectively. Before that, he worked as a corporate lawyer and in private practice.
During his career as attorney general, Paxton has brought several significant lawsuits against both the Obama and Biden administrations, including an effort to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields some immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. as kids.
As an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, Paxton led an unsuccessful lawsuit contesting the 2020 presidential election results in four states.
While Paxton easily won two of his three attorney general elections, his time in office has also been marred by scandal.
When did the impeachment begin and what is Paxton accused of?
The case for Paxton’s impeachment traces back to 2020, when top aides accused him of abuse of office to benefit donor Nate Paul, himself and Paxton’s alleged mistress. That led to an ongoing FBI probe and multimillion-dollar whistleblower lawsuit, with some of those Paxton staffers claiming they were fired for speaking out.
An attorney for Paul declined to comment to ABC News. Paul has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier this year, Paxton agreed to a $3.3 million settlement with the former staffers and to apologize for calling them “rogue,” but he said he was settling in order to move past the allegations and that he’d done nothing wrong. He also sought to have the state — taxpayers — cover the cost. After that, state House lawmakers began looking into him, they have said.
On May 24, the state House’s investigative committee brought 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton alleging misconduct, including bribery, obstruction of justice and misappropriation of public resources.
By that Saturday, he was impeached and temporarily suspended from office, as required under state law, pending his trial in the state Senate.
He faces other legal troubles, too.
In 2015, he was charged with securities fraud related to investments in a tech company and has pleaded not guilty, though he has yet to stand trial. That case is referenced in the impeachment charges against Paxton.
Separately, last year, Paxton was also sued by the state bar over alleged professional misconduct for backing the lawsuit against the 2020 election results. “Texas Bar: I’ll see you and the leftists that control you in court,” he said then.
The state House investigating committee, which recommended the impeachment, held a public forum in May detailing the whistleblower claims. The evidence presented to legislators included three hours of testimony from investigators.
Afterward, the House voted to impeach Paxton in a bipartisan 121-23 majority vote.
What’s next?
Paxton awaits trial in the state Senate, which must start by Aug. 28. The chamber will review a set of trial rules on Tuesday, to be proposed by a seven-member committee chosen by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick who, like Paxton, has historically aligned himself with Trump.
One rule the committee will determine is whether the attorney general will be allowed to present a defense, which is an allowance that was not made for the state House proceedings and that Paxton criticized.
“My office made every effort to present evidence, testimony, and irrefutable facts that would have disproven the countless false statements and outright lies,” Paxton wrote on Twitter in May.
Where do legislators stand?
While a majority overwhelmingly supported Paxton’s impeachment in the state House, the Republican-controlled upper chamber requires two-thirds support to convict him, which would permanently remove and bar him from holding future Texas office.
State senators have largely remained mum on the pending trial, likely because of a commitment to protect the integrity of the proceedings, where they will essentially function as jurors, as stressed by the lieutenant governor, who presides over the Senate. In a streamed event with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Patrick spoke directly to the press, saying he couldn’t speak further on the case and asking for privacy as the trial proceeds.
“This is very serious. These are very serious people, and the Senate is going to do our job in a professional way,” he said.
The potential jurors include one unusual member, should she not recuse: the attorney general’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton. The Paxtons have long supported one another’s political endeavors: She could be found with a guitar in hand singing at his events and he gave a $2 million loan toward her state Senate campaign in 2018. She has not yet commented on the impeachment and has not been accused of doing anything wrong.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, has called the impeachment a “travesty” and defended the attorney general on Twitter. “Virtually all of the information in the articles was public BEFORE Election Day, and the voters chose to re-elect Ken Paxton by a large margin,” Cruz wrote.
Most state House Republicans voted for the impeachment. One of them, Rep. Stan Kitzman, issued a statement calling the charges “a slap in the face to every Texan who believes in the rule of law and the integrity of our public offices.”
In the legislative session that recently ended, the state House was able to pass multiple conservative priorities it set forth, like banning hormonal treatments for children under the age of 18. But it also failed to agree on other proposals, like more stringent immigration legislation — an example of the disagreements between the party’s more centrist and more hard-line wings.
The state GOP chair, Matt Rinaldi, alluded to that tension in a statement about Paxton: “The impeachment proceedings against the Attorney General are but the latest front in the Texas House’s war against Republicans to stop the conservative direction of our state.”
What could happen to Paxton?
Until Paxton’s trial, while he remains suspended, John Scott has been appointed interim attorney general by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Should the state Senate not reach a two-thirds majority to remove Paxton, he will continue to serve in his role as before, albeit alongside legislators, many from his own party, who voted to impeach him.
(NEW YORK) — Prince Harry and Meghan’s much-heralded deal with Spotify, one of the first deals they announced after leaving their royal roles, has come to an end.
Spotify and Archewell Audio, Harry and Meghan’s production company, confirmed the end of the partnership in a joint statement, saying, “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together.”
When the deal between Spotify and the Sussexes was announced in late 2020, it was described by Spotify as a multi-year partnership that would see Harry and Meghan both hosting and producing podcasts with the goal of building “community through shared experience, narratives and values.”
Shortly after the deal was announced, in December 2020, Harry and Meghan released a holiday special podcast that featured nearly one dozen celebrities, athletes, activists and intellectuals reflecting on the year and looking ahead to 2021.
The only other podcast that came from the partnership with Harry and Meghan was an original series hosted by Meghan that examined the stereotypes and labels faced by women.
The 12-episode series, titled “Archetypes,” featured interviews with everyone from Serena Williams and Mariah Carey to Mindy Kaling, Paris Hilton, Issa Rae and more.
The podcast won a People’s Choice Award for top podcast in 2022 and a Gracie for digital media in 2023.
Meghan described “Archetypes” as a “labor of love” in a statement celebrating the People’s Choice Award win.
“I loved digging my hands into the process, sitting up late at night in bed, working on the writing and creative,” Meghan said in a statement on the Archewell website. “And I loved digging deep into meaningful conversation with my diverse and inspiring guests, laughing and learning with them, and with each of you listening.”
Spotify announced last week that it plans to lay off 200 people, or 2% of its workforce, amid a change in the company’s “podcast strategy.”
Harry and Meghan have not commented publicly on the end of their partnership with Spotify beyond the joint statement from their production company.
The couple launched Archewell Audio, one arm of their broader Archewell nonprofit organization and production company, in 2020, after moving to California and stepping down from their roles as senior working royals.
The Sussexes, who live in California with their two children, also inked a deal with Netflix upon their departure from their royal roles. Meghan told The New York Times they hoped to create “content that informs but also gives hope.”
The couple’s biggest project to date with Netflix has been their six-part docuseries, titled Harry & Meghan, that saw them speaking out about their love story and their decision to step down from their royal roles.
Since leaving the U.K., Meghan has also written a children’s book, The Bench, and Harry released his bestselling memoir, Spare.
Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — It was a history-making moment Tuesday when special counsel Jack Smith and former president Donald Trump appeared together for the first time in the same Miami courtroom.
Then, hours later, after Trump pleaded not guilty to federal charges, he got on stage in front of supporters at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, and blasted the man who oversaw his indictment as a “deranged lunatic.”
“He’s a raging and uncontrolled Trump-hater, as is his wife,” Trump said.
As part of his strategy to discredit the investigation, Trump has repeatedly gone after Smith and his wife, who produced a 2020 documentary about Michelle Obama, as well as documentaries about other high-profile figures.
Trump’s repeated attacks on Smith and his family follow a familiar pattern of his lashing out at those leading probes into his conduct. His inflammatory comments about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge overseeing his hush-money criminal case in New York prompted questions about whether a gag order would be issued.
“Trump has done this with [New York Attorney General] Letitia James, he has done this with [Fulton County District Attorney] Fani Willis, just every prosecutor that’s investigated him,” Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told ABC News. James has sued Trump for alleged fraud and Willis is looking into Trump’s efforts to interfere with the presidential election in Georgia.
Trump has entered a not guilty plea to the fraud charges and had repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Smith, a career prosecutor, was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to oversee the investigation into Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office as well as his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The special counsel probe resulted in a 37-count indictment against Trump accusing him of willfully retaining documents containing the nation’s top secrets and obstructing authorities seeking to get them back.
Then on Tuesday, in court, the first public encounter between Smith and Trump unfolded. Smith sat in the first row, not far from Trump, who at times frowned and looked down at the floor, but never looked back at Smith.
That evening, Trump slammed Smith as a “thug” and accused him of doing “political hit jobs.”
Various legal experts have pushed back on claims by Trump and GOP congressional allies that the Smith’s prosecution is political “weaponization” of the Justice Department.
“His main focus as a prosecutor is, ‘Can I prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt?’ And what we’ve seen with him, just looking at who he’s prosecuted, he’s prosecuted people in all parties,” Steve Friedland, a law professor at Elon University and a former federal prosecutor, said of Smith.
Former colleagues of Smith lauded his experience and temperament in previous interviews with ABC News, with one calling him “completely apolitical.”
“This is someone that is not doing this for political reasons,” Rahmani said. “There’s plenty of evidence to support these charges.”
J. Michael Luttig, a retired conservative federal appeals court judge, shared that view in a Twitter post on Tuesday: “There is not an Attorney General of either party who would not have brought today’s charges against the former president.”
Garland, speaking on the Trump indictment for the first time Wednesday, also came to Smith’s defense on the weaponization claims, although he didn’t comment specifically on Trump’s attacks.
“Mr. Smith is a veteran career prosecutor,” Garland said. “He has assembled a group of experienced and talented prosecutors and agents who share his commitment to integrity.”
Government prosecutors on Tuesday did not ask the magistrate judge overseeing his arraignment to warn Trump to stop the attacks, nor have they asked the judge handling the case to do so, as a judge in New York warned Trump about comments he made about Manhattan District Attorney Bragg.
Trump and his defenders have taken aim at Smith’s cases involving one-time Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who was charged in an alleged plot to violate campaign finance laws, and former Virginia Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, who was indicted on corruption charges. The Edwards case ended in a hung jury, while McDonnell’s conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court.
“He destroyed that man and he destroyed that family,” Trump said of Smith’s prosecution of McDonnell. “And by the way, I will tell you, I’m here and I love you all. And I can take it. But what these thugs have done to my family is a disgrace.”
Smith has not responded to Trump’s disparaging remarks.
“Smith is not going to play this case out in public,” said Friedland, who closely followed the Edwards case in 2011. “And we’ve seen that with John Edwards. We’ve seen that in other cases, and that’s true for most prosecutors.”
In his statement after charging Trump, in which he urged the public to read the indictment and emphasized the defendants — Trump and his personal aide Walt Nauta — he said they “must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
“We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone,” Smith said. “Applying those laws. Collecting facts. That’s what determines the outcome of an investigation. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
Flavor Flav is ready for round two of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
The rapper, who went viral after attending Taylor’s Detroit show last week, tells TMZ he can’t wait to see her in concert again.
“Before I met Taylor Swift, I’ve always been a big fan of her music anyway, though,” Flav said, referencing their first meeting at an awards show back in March.
“Just like I’m a big fan of Christina Aguilera, or Gwen Stefani, or I love me some Miley Cyrus. You know what I’m sayin’? You’ll find me at their concerts, too,” the 64-year-old continues. “And a lot of people thought it was kind of weird seeing me at a Taylor Swift concert, I guess because of my age … But, you know, when it comes down to music, it has no age. Music don’t have no age.”
He says seeing her show in Detroit on June 9 was a “huge” moment for him and he’ll be trying to catch the Eras Tour again when it comes to LA.
“I can’t wait ’til she gets to LA. You’re gonna find me at that show there, too,” he says. “So, if they want to call me a Swiftie, that’s cool. I’m just trying to be swift like Taylor, baby.”
Wonderwell, the long-delayed fantasy film that was the last movie Carrie Fisher worked on before her death at age 60 in 2016, now has a trailer.
The modern-day fairy tale film shows Kiera Milward‘s inquisitive Violet finding a secret portal in a forest to a new dimension. There, she meets Fisher’s Hazel. “Are you the witch?” the little girl asks. “The witch or a witch,” the Star Wars icon corrects her, before showing her a magical new realm.
Also seen in the trailer is Rita Ora as the antagonist, a world-renowned fashion designer named Yana, who is a counter to Fisher’s character. Rita is seen in a variety of dramatic outfits and hairdos that are likely to get cosplayers’ gears going.
“We need to talk,” she tells Fisher’s character. “You know the rules. The forest is yours, the town is mine.”
There’s also a power play at hand over the new visitor. “My girl isn’t usual,” Fisher explains. “She’s not yours,” Rita replies. “It’s only a matter of time. See what happens,” she warns.
Hazel tells the little girl she has to make it back to her own world, lest she get stuck there forever. “Life can be just as magical as this garden,” she says of returning home. “Only it’s a lot more fun.”
The film will bow in AMC theaters on June 23 and will be available on streaming, as well.
