Another Travis Scott endorsement has been put on hold in the wake of the Astroworld Festival tragedy.
Dior announced Tuesday that it has indefinitely postponed its capsule collection collaboration between its men’s artistic director Kim Jones and Scott’s Cactus Jack line, which was slated to launch in January.
“Out of respect for everyone affected by the tragic events at Astroworld, Dior has decided to postpone indefinitely the launch of products from the Cactus Jack collaboration originally intended to be included in its summer 2022 collection,” the luxury fashion house said in a statement to Women’s Wear Daily.
Scott’s team told WWD that he and Dior mutually decided to postpone the collection’s launch. It would have marked the first time Dior partnered with a musician on a collection.
Dior is the latest brand to press pause on a collaboration with the “Franchise’ rapper.
Nike announced on November 16 that it was postponing the launch of Scott’s Baroque Brown and Saturn Gold Air Max 1 X Cactus Jack sneakers. On December 11, Anheuser-Busch revealed that it will no longer distribute Scott’s Cacti Agave Spiked Seltzer.
Ten people died at Astroworld from compression asphyxia after crowds rushed the stage at the NPG Park in Houston on November 5. Scott organized the event and was the headliner.
Sandra Bullock’s The Unforgivable is unstoppable at Netflix.
The film has officially made Netflix’s Top 10 Most Popular films list, joining her 2018 Netflix film Bird Box. This makes Bullock the first actress with two entries on the tally, which is based on hours viewed in the first 28 days of release.
The Unforgivable comes in at number nine, having been viewed 186,900,000 hours to date, according to Netflix, though it is expected to rise once it hits the 28-day mark. Bird Box is at number two.
Bullock is matched only by Ryan Reynolds, who also has two entries on the list: Red Notice is currently at number one, while 6 Underground is at number six.
The Unforgivable, released December 10 on the streaming service, stars Bullock playing a woman who’s released from prison after serving 20 years for murder.
(NEW YORK) — As a judge reconsiders the controversial 110-year sentence of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, his mother said that she wouldn’t stop fighting until her son is back home with his family.
“I feel very sad for the people who lost their lives,” Oslaida Mederos told “Nightline” on Monday in an exclusive interview. “And my son is suffering from it, as well as I am. We are Christians, we believe in God and we pray for them. He is a good boy.”
Mederos was sentenced on Dec. 13 to 110 years in prison for a 2019 fatal crash on I-70, outside Denver, that killed four people and injured several others – a sentence that the judge in the case said he wouldn’t have chosen if he had the discretion.
Amid public outcry over the case, Jefferson County District Attorney Alexis King – the prosecutor in this case – filed a motion earlier this month asking the court to reduce Mederos’ sentence, suggesting a 20-30 year sentencing range instead.
Judge A. Bruce Jones, who was the judge in this case, responded to the motion in a hearing on Monday and scheduled a hearing to reconsider the sentence for Jan. 13, 2022.
“We want our client home and with his family,” family attorney Leonard Martinez told “Nightline” on Monday. “I’m not sure we’ll get there with the judge, obviously. And not sure we’ll get there with the governor, but we’re going to try. We’re going to continue to try to get him home as soon as possible.”
Mederos was charged with 42 counts and was found guilty by a Jefferson County jury of 27 counts — the most serious was first-degree assault, a class-three felony.
The number of the charges, mandatory minimum laws and a classification that mandates some sentences to be served consecutively resulted in the lengthy sentence.
‘Accident’ or ‘crime’
At the heart of the case is the debate over whether the crash was an “accident,” as the defense has argued, or a “crime” – an argument made by prosecutors during the trial and supported by some of the family members of those who died.
“As the jury found, Mr. Aguilera-Mederos knowingly made multiple active choices that resulted in the death of four people, serious injuries to others, and mass destruction,” King said in a statement, adding that the 20-30 year sentencing range “reflects an appropriate outcome for that conduct, which was not an accident.”
A group of crash survivors and family members of the victims spoke exclusively with ABC News last week, describing the trauma that the crash caused their families and said that Mederos should still serve time in prison, even if his sentence is reduced.
“I think we all can agree that [110 years] is excessive,” Duane Bailey, the brother of William Bailey who died in the crash, told “GMA” but added that the jury “came to the correct decision to convict [Mederos].”
Crash victims speak out amid push for governor to commute truck driver’s 110-year sentence
Mederos testified that his brakes failed – a point not contested by prosecutors. In this case, some of the points of contention appear to be decisions Mederos allegedly made before the crash took place and once he found out that he was having brake problems.
Police said Mederos was driving at least 85 mph before the crash on a stretch of the highway with a 45 mph speed limit for commercial vehicles.
After his brakes failed, Mederos drove past a runaway truck ramp and crashed into stopped traffic, police said.
A runaway truck ramp is essentially an escape lane or exit that allows a vehicle experiencing brake problems to stop safely.
Prosecutors argued that after the brakes failed, Mederos intentionally passed the ramp — one of the reasons that some crash victims and families of those who died argued Mederos should serve time in prison.
“Firstly, he had the choice to pick that ramp. He didn’t. Whatever his real reason was, we’ll never know. But that was a choice by him,” Bailey said.
Attorney James Colgan, who represented Mederos during the trial, told ABC News on Monday that Mederos’ defense team “never agreed with prosecutors that he intentionally avoided the ramp” during the trial.
“By the time he realized it was there, he was past it,” Colgan said, adding that Mederos was “under a lot of stress” at the time.
Mederos, who police said was not intoxicated during the crash, testified that after his brakes failed, he crashed into vehicles that had stopped on the highway due to backed up traffic as a result of another crash on the highway and another truck parked on the shoulder of the road.
“I know that Rogel’s intention when he woke up that morning, was [to strap] his work boots on, get in a truck and work and provide for his family. There was no [malicious] intent on his part when he went to work,” Martinez said. “That’s why it should be called an accident.”
What’s next?
As the judge reconsiders the sentence, there are other legal avenues that Mederos’ team can pursue.
Mederos’ attorneys filed an application for clemency last week, urging Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to commute the sentence.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, one of the largest Latino civil rights groups in the U.S., met with Polis last week to advocate for Mederos.
“It should be about justice, not vengeance,” LULAC President Domingo Garcia told “Nightline.”
“I sympathize with those family members who lost a loved one; I cannot imagine how difficult the pain must be,” he added.
Prosecutor seeks reduced sentence for truck driver who got 110 years for fatal crash
The deadline for Mederos and his legal team to appeal is 49 days following sentencing, which would be Jan. 31, 2022. Mederos also has up to a year from the Dec. 13 sentencing to file a motion under Rule 35b for the judge to reconsider his sentence.
During the sentencing, Mederos expressed remorse for those killed and injured in the crash and said that the accident was unintentional and he is “not a criminal.”
“I want to say sorry. Sorry for the loss, for the people injured,” he said. “I know they have trauma, I know, I feel that.”
ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin, Knez Walker, Marjorie Mcafee, Candace Smith and Michelle Mendez contributed to this report.
(ORLANDO) — Police in Florida are on the hunt for a fugitive driver involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed two children and sent four others to the hospital.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday they located the 2009 Honda Accord involved in the incident in Wilton Manors, Florida, the previous afternoon.
Investigators said the car’s male driver veered around a school bus that was trying to merge onto the road, drove off the roadway onto the sidewalk and struck multiple children.
The driver then allegedly fled the scene, according to investigators.
The victims’ ages ranged from 2 to 10 years old, according to police.
Andrea Fleming, 6, and Kylie Jones, 5, were killed at the scene.
Draya Fleming, 9, Johnathan Carter, 10, Laziyah Stokes, 9, and Audre Fleming, 2, were rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, police said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the suspect has not been identified and his whereabouts were unknown, the police said.
Anyone with information is urged to call (954) 493-TIPS (8477).
Because the new Billboard chart is technically dated January 1, 2022, that means the song is the first ever to be number one in four distinct years: 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. It had just recently set the record for being the first song ever to top the chart in three different years.
Plus, the additional week on top has allowed Mariah to extend a bunch of records she already held. For example, she’s the artist who’s spent the most weeks at number one overall in her career: now a total of 86. In second place is Rihanna, who’s racked up 60.
Mariah also holds the record for most weeks at number one for a holiday hit — now a total of seven — and the record for being the artist who’s reached number one in the most distinct years: now a total of 18. Those years were 1990-2000, 2005-2006, 2008, and 2019-2022, if you’re keeping track.
Meanwhile, this week’s top 10 also includes, for the very first time, The Ronettes‘ “Sleigh Ride,” which was originally released in 1963. It’s the legendary girl group’s second top 10, and its first in 58 years and two months, setting a new record for the longest gap between top-10 hits.
The Ronettes’ first top 10, “Be My Baby,” hit number two in October of 1963.
He revealed the diagnosis in a social media post Tuesday; all performances of his new Broadway musical The Music Man have now been canceled through January 1.
“Just wanted you to hear it from me,” Jackman wrote, along with a video message. “I tested positive for covid. Mild symptoms and as soon as I’m cleared … looking forward to getting back to The Winter Garden [theater]!”
His Music Man co-star, Sutton Foster, previously tested positive for the virus, forcing her to miss several shows. She is expected to return to the stage on January 2, while Jackman is expected to resume performances on January 6.
The musical’s official Twitter feed announced that all tickets for the canceled shows can be refunded or exchanged at point of purchase.
Just wanted you to hear it from me. I tested positive for covid. Mild symptoms and as soon as I’m cleared … looking forward to getting back to The Winter Garden! @MusicManBwaypic.twitter.com/q1oEAzXX02
In December 9, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald refused to dismiss a a copyright case involving Taylor Swift‘s hit “Shake It Off,” and ruled that it should go to trial. Now, as Billboard reports, Taylor’s legal team is asking the judge to reconsider his “unprecedented” decision, saying he made a “clear error.”
The case, originally filed in 2017, was brought by songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, who wrote the 2001 3LW song “Playas Gon’ Play.” They claim Taylor infringed on their copyright because the lyrics in their song go “playas, they gonna play” and “haters, they gonna hate.” Taylor’s lyrics go, “‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”
Earlier this month, Fitzgerald ruled that there were “significant similarities in word usage and sequence/structure” between the two songs, but declared that it was too close to call, so a jury would have to decide.
But now, Taylor’s lawyers are claiming that if permitted to go to trial, the case could result in Hall and Butler being able to sue “everyone who writes, sings, or publicly says ‘players gonna play’ and ‘haters gonna hate.’”
The lawyers claim that Fitzgerald’s mistake was that he failed to apply an important test of copyright law: the process where judges have to filter out material in the public domain before comparing two works.
Taylor’s attorneys argued that the only thing the two songs have in common are “two short public domain phrases – ‘players gonna play’ and ‘haters gonna hate’ — that are free for everyone to use” — and then the repetition of those phrases.
In a statement to Billboard, a attorney for Hall and Butler says the motion to dismiss the case is “groundless,” adding, “All it asks is for the court to reverse itself because Swift is unhappy with the ruling.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kanye West is determined to reconcile with his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian.
After unsuccessfully calling for her to “run right back to me, baby” at the Free Larry Hoover concert on December 9, Ye is now taking another approach. He bought a house in California right across the street from Kim, according to People.
The Donda rapper paid $4.5 million for the house that initially was listed for $4.1 million. The home was constructed in 1955 and reportedly needs to be rebuilt.
“It will be family-friendly. He wants to be able to have the kids over as much as possible,” a source says. “Living only in Malibu was making visits more tricky for Kanye.”
Kanye and Kim share daughter North, 8, son Saint, 6, daughter Chicago, 3½, and son Psalm, 2½.
Kardashian filed for divorce from West in February after nearly seven years of marriage. Kim is now dating Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson.
Prior to dedicating his song “Runaway” to Kim at the Free Larry Hoover concert, Yeezy talked about reuniting with her at the Los Angeles Mission’s Annual Thanksgiving event in November,
“When God brings Kimye together, there’s going to be millions of families that are going to be influenced to see that they can overcome the work of the separation,” West said.
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason‘s current band, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, has announced that its planned North American tour, scheduled to begin in January, has been postponed.
A message on the band’s official Twitter feed announced, “It is with great regret that due to the uncertainty surrounding the Covid pandemic, it has been decided to postpone the North American tour until later in the year. Apologies for any inconvenience or disappointment due to this.”
“We are working on rescheduling the dates and will announce them as soon as we can,” the message continued. “Ticket holders are advised to await further information from the venue and/or ticket company where they purchased their tickets.”
The trek, called the Echoes Tour, had already been postponed for over a year due to the pandemic. This time, it was set to kick off January 18 in Toronto and wrap up February 23 in Vancouver, with 23 U.S. concerts in between.
Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets performs Pink Floyd music that predates the band’s classic 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. The group also features Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp, longtime Pink Floyd and David Gilmour touring bassist Guy Pratt, and veteran session musicians Lee Harris and Dom Beken on guitar and keyboards, respectively.
Break out your pom-poms: Cheer is back for season two.
Netflix dropped a surprise trailer for the docuseries, announcing its return on January 12.
This season, the competitive cheerleading team at Texas’ Navarro College will be dealing with their newfound fame, as well as the aftermath of the arrest of one of their teammates, Jerry Harris, who was booked last year on multiple charges, including soliciting child pornography.
“I can’t even, like, process it right now,” coach Monica Aldama says in the trailer.
The trailer also shows Navarro dealing with a new adversary in Trinity Valley Community College’s cheerleading team.
Season one of Cheer was a huge hit for Netflix when it debuted in January 2020.
