SZA‘s rapping on SOS songs “Forgiveless” and “Smoking On My Ex Pack” is apparently a tease for what she can really do. In an interview with Rap Radar Podcast, Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrence “Punch” Henderson revealed SZA, born Solána Imani Rowe, has a short project filled with nothing but rap songs.
“She’s always bended the genre, so it wasn’t nothing new, it was just going, pushing it further,” he said. “Like, she doing full rap records now … That’s all her, yeah, 100 percent.”
He continued, “She got like an EP’s worth of full rap records, like all the way out, no singing.”
SZA’s singing has earned her many accolades, including her recent Woman of the Year Award from Billboard and the top-charting position on the Billboard 200, where her sophomore effort, SOS, spent 10 nonconsecutive weeks. She’s sold out several shows on her current arena tour and, according to Punch, is “adjusting a lot better now” than she did following the success of her debut album.
“I think it’s finally starting to set in as to what’s going on and who she is,” he said. “Like, for the longest [time], I don’t feel she connected who SZA is to Solána. But I think now she’s starting to see it, to understand.”
He confirms the SOS deluxe album, which will include 10 new songs, is coming out soon.
(NEW YORK) — The FBI is investigating threats allegedly made on YouTube against Democrats, including President Joe Biden and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, law enforcement and the LGBTQ community, according to an unsealed criminal complaint.
The FBI received an online tip earlier this week from Google about an “unknown subject making threatening comments on Youtube” against law enforcement, members of the LGBTQ community and government officials, the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Thursday, stated.
More than a dozen comments posted between Feb. 18 and March 7 were cited in the complaint. They included threats against government officials, including “im going to kill these democrats biden deserves to die,” and “Im more than willing tot kill whitmer and I do live in Michigan. Ill assault her ugly face with my bullets,” according to the complaint.
The commenter also allegedly threatened to “kill lgbt freaks and democrat polioticians” and “shoot at” FBI agents if they show up to talk to him.
On March 7, the account was “observed with a display name of ‘kill all federal agents on sight and hang biden,’ and a handle URL of ‘@killthefeds420,'” the complaint stated.
FBI agents in Detroit were able to track the account to the residence of Randall Robert Berka II in Sebewaing, Michigan.
One of the account’s posts allegedly identified Berka, stating in part, “hey fbi! My name is randall the 2nd and I live in sebewaing Michigan and I am willing to kill these people, f— it I don’t care, f— the feds, f— them” and “I’ll kill anyone who tries to take my guns.”
According to the complaint, Berka was involuntarily committed for mental health treatment in 2012 and was determined to be “legally incapacitated” in 2013. Though he is prohibited from having guns, the complaint stated that his mother allegedly purchased four firearms for Berka but then became scared and “believes Berka should be arrested and put in prison,” the complaint stated.
“Berka has ammunition for his firearms and has gone to shoot them; he also possesses body armor,” the complaint stated.
Berka is in custody and has been charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. A detainment hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday. Online court records do not list any attorney information.
The alleged threats against Whitmer come a day after a man was indicted after allegedly posting threats on Twitter to kill Jewish politicians in Michigan.
Nearly 15 men were also arrested for a plot to kill the governor in 2019; most have been convicted.
ABC News did not immediately receive a response from Whitmer’s office seeking comment on the new FBI investigation.
It sounds like The Who fans shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for a new album. In a new interview with NME, frontman Roger Daltrey explains why the band has no plans to make new music together.
“What’s the point?” Daltrey tells the mag. “What’s the point of records? We released an album four years ago, and it did nothing,” he says, referring to the 2019 release Who. He adds, “It’s a great album too, but there isn’t the interest out there for new music these days. People want to hear the old music. I don’t know why, but that’s the fact.”
He also lays the blame on record companies, noting that despite the fact their fan base ranges “from 80-years-old, all the way down to eight-years-old,” companies “just don’t do the same job as they used to.”
Director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie and star and producer Tom Cruise are hard at work on Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning PartOne and Two, but they’ve had time to add another big star.
On Friday, McQuarrie posted an Instagram shot of the Emmy winner looking serious, wearing a baseball-style cap and looking into the distance as she stands at what appears to be a military installation.
The filmmaker noted, “And Hannah Waddingham…” adding the hashtags, “#Godspeed” and “#DeadReckoning.”
The “and” might be referring to the sheer size of the cast of the seventh and eighth Mission films, parts of which are being filmed concurrently.
Joining Waddingham of course, will be Tom Cruise as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt.
Cruise is again teaming up with Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Rebecca Ferguson; Vanessa Kirby also returns, with 1996’s Mission: Impossible heavy Henry Czerny, along with a slate of series newcomers: Esai Morales, Guardians of the Galaxy vet Pom Klementieff, her Marvel movie colleague Hayley Atwell, and Nick Offerman.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One debuts July 14; Part Two will hit theaters in June of 2024.
Tim McGraw has announced the title of his forthcoming 17th studio album with the release of its title track, “Standing Room Only.”
Leading fans on a powerful reflection on life, Tim sings in the chorus, “I wanna live a life, live a life/ Like a dollar and the clock on the wall don’t own me/ Shine a light, shine a light/ Like mama’s front porch when I’m lost and lonely/ Start forgivin’ and start forgettin’/ Be somebody that’s worth rememberin’/ Live a life so when I die/ There’s standing room only, standing room only.”
“‘Standing Room Only’ caught my ear the first time I heard it because of its message,” Tim shares. “For me, this song is so positive and life affirming. It isn’t about the funeral or the procession, it’s about how we live in the here and now. How do we push ourselves and in which direction do we push ourselves? For me, it’s a reminder to live a life filled with gratitude and not take things for granted. Also, it’s a reminder to give back and be there for others.”
“Standing Room Only” was produced by Tim and Byron Gallimore, and written by Craig Wiseman, Tommy Cecil and Patrick Murphy, who also shared a demo clip of the song on Instagram.
Tim’s forthcoming new record will drop later this year.
Nick Jonas sang in Hindi when jumping on a remix of the viral hit “Maan Meri Jaan,” a song from India’s breakout star King.
King originally released the song, which went viral, last year. Now, the two have combined forces on the romantic pop ballad and have dubbed it “Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife).” Nick contributed an English verse to the Hindi song and also sings a few lyrics in King’s native language.
King, born Arpan Kumar Chandel, said in a statement about the remix, “Bringing ‘Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife)’ to the world with Nick has been an exciting journey. We can’t wait for fans to hear how the blending of our styles has come to life.”
Likewise, Nick said of the new offering, “My love for India extends to its music and collaborating with King on his massive hit, ‘Maan Meri Jaan,’ is an honor.”
The Jonas Brothers member is married to Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, and the two celebrated their 2018 engagement in her native country. They also wed in India, at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, two years later.
Priyanka recently praised her husband in an interview with People, saying, “My husband is my greatest champion and he’s half Indian, as you will see when the music starts, but he’s just such a supporter of me.”
The actress added that Nick “champions me and reminds me when I forget.”
(REDMOND, Wash.) — A podcaster and her husband were shot and killed in their Redmond, Washington, home after a suspected stalker broke into the house at 1:45 a.m. Friday.
The stalking suspect, 38-year-old Ramin Khodakaramrezaei, was also found dead in the house.
Redmond police responded to a report of a shooting and found three people dead in the house after the mother of the female victim had escaped the home and called police from a neighbor’s house.
Upon arrival, officers found a man who lived in the house lying on the ground in the front yard with a gunshot wound to the chest. Officers attempted to perform lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Inside the home, officers found the bodies of Khodakaramrezaei and the man’s wife, who was allegedly being stalked by the suspect.
The suspect had broken into the house through a window, Redmond Police spokesperson Jill Green told Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO.
The suspect also had an altercation with the mother before she was able to escape.
“Khodakaramrezaei had reportedly listened to the female victim’s podcasts and began communicating with her. The victim and suspect became friends, but when things escalated, she filed a no-contact order against him,” Redmond Police said in a press release Friday.
Police were familiar with the victim and residence as there was an ongoing stalking investigation.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family and the Redmond community following this horrific tragedy,” Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe said in a statement. “This is an incredibly sad situation and the worst possible outcome of a stalking case. We will continue investigating what led to this tragic loss.”
David Bowie’s life and career are being explored in a new book of personal photos from his childhood friend Geoff MacCormack.
David Bowie: Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me, dropping March 20, features photos MacCormack took while on tour with the White Duke in 1973, while Bowie filmed The Man Who Fell to Earth, recorded Station to Station and more.
“I was very lucky,” the photographer tells People of his friendship with the rock star, noting that while it was happening he had “absolutely” no idea the photos were capturing history.
MacCormack previously released a limited-edition Bowie photo book in 2007, which included a forward written by Bowie, who claimed MacCormack imagined all their adventures. That forward is included in the new book, but as the afterward.
“Obviously the book is sad at the end because he departs,” MacCormack shares, referring to Bowie’s 2016 death. “So I’ve used that and it kind of lifts you up at the end.”
MacCormack shares some of the photos from the book with People, including one of what looks like Bowie moving a tree branch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where The Man Who Fell to Earth was shot.
“I’m totally mystified about this picture because I don’t remember taking it!” he says. “It looks like Santa Fe, if you look at the house, it’s got that kind of look about it.” He added, “Why would he be moving trees? It’s beyond crazy.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans appear no closer to reaching a deal on the 2024 budget to avoid a debt default, with the two sides taking swipes at each other Friday morning.
When touting Friday’s jobs report, Biden suggested Republicans weren’t capable of drafting a budget anytime soon and blasted a proposal from the House Freedom Caucus, just one day after presenting his budget plan which some Republicans say is “dead on arrival.”
“I told the speaker, soon as he’s about ready to lay out his budget, I’m willing to sit down. And now I’m hearing things like, ‘Well, we’re not going to have our budget till April or May maybe even June,'” Biden said from the White House. “Why all of a sudden can’t they get it done in March, or maybe even April? Maybe even May?… It doesn’t sound like on a level yet.”
As lawmakers debate conditions for raising the debt ceiling, a course of action the White House has said should be “non-negotiable,” the Treasury Department expects to exhaust its emergency measures sometime between July and September.
With that deadline looming, members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus outlined what they call a “blueprint” for spending restrictions on Friday that they say — if agreed to — would earn their votes for raising the debt ceiling.
The proposal, which is almost certain to face pushback from more moderate House Republicans, includes ending Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, rescinding all unspent COVID-19 federal assistance, recouping the $80 billion allotted to the IRS in the Inflation Reduction Act, and freezing all discretionary spending at the FY2022 level for 10 years.
“President Biden, your budget is dead on arrival. Let me just go ahead and say that now,” said Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
While the members were taking aim at Biden’s proposal with their remarks, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was a secondary target of the group’s remarks. Almost all House Freedom Caucus members speaking on Capitol Hill just ahead of Biden’s remarks were part of the faction that delayed McCarthy from obtaining the speakership, highlighting what just a handful of House Republicans can do amid a slim House GOP majority.
“You’re going to see us make history again, in this new Congress,” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., signaling they could vote as a bloc. “We’re going to actually cut spending in a meaningful way and put us on a path of fiscal stability as a nation.”
The speaker laid fault for the delay at the president’s feet.
“Well, we were going to do the budget in April but unfortunately the president’s so late with his budget, it delays our budget,” McCarthy, who said he’s waiting for Biden to invite him to the White House for another meeting, said when asked when he will release his budget proposal.
Back at the White House, Biden slammed the Freedom Caucus’s promise to raise the debt ceiling only if 25% of all non-defense spending is cut.
“That means cops, firefighters. It means health care. It means — that’s what they call discretionary spending, as you all know. And, and on top of that, what they’re really focused on that I saw here, I shouldn’t get into all this now, but is kind of surprised me. They, they want to make sure we don’t have enough IRS agents,” Biden claimed.
“The idea that I’m going to agree that we start to figure out where we cut 25% across the board …. I don’t know what there’s much to negotiate on,” he added.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed his remarks, calling the House Freedom Caucus plan a “gut-punch to the American middle class.”
“This is a blueprint for selling out the middle class, law enforcement, and American competitiveness,” she said.
Biden’s proposal includes $842 billion in defense spending, $6 billion in support for Ukraine to defend against Russia’s invasion, a tax increase for high-earners and a $1.4 billion increase to Social Security, among other measures.
The president celebrated Friday’s jobs report showing 311,000 jobs were added in February, and he painted a rosy economic outlook for the nation.
“People are moving back into work, but this may be the part that pleased me the most about the report, the jobs report, is people who’ve been staying out of the job market are moving back in, beginning to move back in. Jobs are available. People are working again. They’re becoming more optimistic about their future,” he said.
ABC News’ Jay O’Brien, Sarah Kolinovsky and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
Just when you thought the water was safe from cocaine bears comes news of Cocaine Shark.
A trailer just dropped for that very film, and if one suspected it’s an apparent zero-budget rush job after Elizabeth Banks announced she was making Cocaine Bear, you’d likely be right.
Complete with bargain-basement effects, the trailer tells the story of an experiment gone wrong that released all manner of aquatic “freaks of nature” in the water.
For all the decidedly non-blockbuster-worthy action, and despite its title, what the trailer doesn’t show is any cocaine, either visually or mentioned in the community theater dialogue, leaving a cynic to wonder if the movie could have been retitled to capitalize on the surprise success of Banks’ bear movie.
That said, Bret McCormick, the writer of Repligator, and Amityville in Space director Mark Polonia are evidently back in fine form, with Queen Crab‘s Ken Van Sant and Titus Himmelberger, who you undoubtedly remember from Sharkula, starring.
The movie from Wild Eye Releasing comes to DVD and streaming July 7, just in time for summer movie season.
