Defamation lawsuit filed against Drake by alleged home intruder is dismissed

Defamation lawsuit filed against Drake by alleged home intruder is dismissed
Defamation lawsuit filed against Drake by alleged home intruder is dismissed
Ross Gilmore/Getty Images

A judge has ruled in favor of Drake and dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against him by a woman who was allegedly arrested for breaking into his home.

Megan Collins filed the lawsuit in the summer and claimed that the Champagne Papi defamed her and invaded her privacy by divulging private information on Instagram. She demanded to be paid $4 billion. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed the case, writing that Drake’s posts could not be linked to Collins, Billboard reports.

In referring to Drake by his birth name, Aubrey Graham, Judge Virginia Keeny wrote, “Plaintiff Collins has not demonstrated any of defendant Graham’s statements were about plaintiff Collins or that he used her identity, name, or likeness in his Instagram posts or endorsements. Even if plaintiff Collins could establish the statements were about her, she has failed to establish that such statements were of a private fact that is offensive and objectionable to the reasonable person.”

The Certified Lover Boy’s attorneys say that Collins was arrested in 2017 for trespassing and breaking into Drake’s LA home. They also denied her accusations, calling her lawsuit a “frivolous case” based on “delusional figments of her imagination.”

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New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert reveals harrowing medical ordeal: “[I] was minutes from death”

New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert reveals harrowing medical ordeal: “[I] was minutes from death”
New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert reveals harrowing medical ordeal: “[I] was minutes from death”
Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns

New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert has revealed he spent the last two weeks in the hospital due to a cancerous tumor.

In an Instagram post, Gilbert relates his harrowing journey, which began on December 5 when his wife Lisa found him “unresponsive in bed.”

“I’d been waking up drenched in sweat the last few days and we thought I was sick,” Gilbert shares. “Not being able to wake me, she called 911 and performed CPR and mouth to mouth. Apparently I was doing something called ‘agonal breathing’ and was minutes from death.”

Gilbert was then taken to the emergency room, and was diagnosed with a rare tumor called a pheochromocytoma. While usually benign, Gilbert’s pheochromocytoma turned out to be malignant, and required surgery.

The procedure took place on December 13, and successfully removed the tumor while leaving Gilbert with an “insanely big” scar. After a few days of recovery, Gilbert returned home on December 19.

“I’m home with my wife and baby and so thankful to be alive!” Gilbert writes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Chad Gilbert (@xchadballx)

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Mariah Carey showered in confetti as kids celebrate her return to #1 on the ‘Billboard’ Hot 100

Mariah Carey showered in confetti as kids celebrate her return to #1 on the ‘Billboard’ Hot 100
Mariah Carey showered in confetti as kids celebrate her return to #1 on the ‘Billboard’ Hot 100
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for MC

Mariah Carey has much to celebrate after her 1994 holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this week, making it the first song in history to top that chart in three separate years. 

To mark the song’s continued dominance, Mariah’s twins Monroe and Moroccan woke their mom with a special surprise.

“The kids just woke me up with confetti,” Mariah announced in a voice note that she shared to Twitter on Monday. She also revealed that her boyfriend, Brian Tanaka, “Brought in two mimosas — one for him, one for me. We’re celebrating!”

Mariah also posted on Twitter a photo of card Monroe got her that says, “Congrats, Mama, #1 for the billionth year!…best mama ever, Billboard Hot 100 #1.”

Mariah shared that she will never get “bored of this news” and marveled, “To have another Billboard Hot 100 [number one] with a song that means so much to me — I can’t even, I can’t!  I literally don’t know what to say and I’m just so thankful.”

She also hinted that she has to do a lot of cleanup after her kids joined in the festivities and cracked, “It’s just, like, very, very, very festive in here, confetti all over the floor.”

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” wasn’t eligible to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994 because it wasn’t commercially available as a single. That rule eventually changed, and now, every year since 2012, the song has returned to the chart. For the past three years — 2019, 2020 and 2021 — it’s reached number one.

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Jimmie Allen & family head to Delaware for Christmas festivities

Jimmie Allen & family head to Delaware for Christmas festivities
Jimmie Allen & family head to Delaware for Christmas festivities
ABC

The holiday season is in full swing for Jimmie Allen and his family. 

To get in the Christmas spirit, Jimmie and his wife Alexis took two of their three children, one-year-old daughter Naomi and 7-year-old Aadyn, whom Jimmie had from a previous relationship, to Schellville Christmas Village in their native Delaware.

The singer turned to Instagram to share a photo of the family roller skating with a luminous Christmas tree in the background.

“Christmas things back home in Delaware are always special. We love bringing our kids back to where we grew up. No matter where I go, Delaware will always be HOME,” Jimmie writes, alongside holiday-themed emojis.

The country hitmaker also posted a photo of him and his son with beaming smiles as they pose in front of an oceanfront Christmas tree at Lighthouse Dewey Beach. “My Ace,” he captions the sweet picture.

Both Jimmie and Alexis are from Milton, Delaware, but didn’t meet until adulthood when they were introduced by Jimmie’s cousin’s wife. They recently welcomed their second daughter, Zara, in October.  

The country star is set to perform “White Christmas” on Disney Parks’ Magical Christmas Day Parade, airing December 25 at 10 a.m. ET on ABC. 

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Metallica announces re-airings of 40th anniversary concert streams; beloved Cliff Burton shirt returned to family

Metallica announces re-airings of 40th anniversary concert streams; beloved Cliff Burton shirt returned to family
Metallica announces re-airings of 40th anniversary concert streams; beloved Cliff Burton shirt returned to family
Credit: Ross Halfin

Metallica is here to help make your holiday season a bit heavier.

The metal legends have announced rebroadcasts of their recent 40th anniversary concert streams. You can watch both shows on-demand via the Coda Collection channel on Amazon Prime Video from December 24 at noon ET through December 27.

Metallica’s 40th anniversary shows took place December 17 and 19 in the band’s hometown of San Francisco, and were streamed online for free. The sets included performances from songs off every one of ‘Tallica’s 10 studio albums.

In other Metallica news, a beloved shirt belonging to Cliff Burton has finally been returned to the late bassist’s family. The shirt, which featured the logo from the ’70s horror classic Dawn of the Dead, was brought back by Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin, who’d played with Burton in their first band, EZ-Street.

“A huge Thank You to Mike ‘Puffy’ Bordin for bringing Cliff’s original Dawn of the Dead shirt back home where it belongs,” the Burton family writes in an Instagram post. “It’s been a roller coaster of emotions and we appreciate Mike and the person who kept it safe for us for 30 plus years.”

“Our only regret is Ray isn’t here to see it,” the post concludes, referring to Cliff’s late father, who died in 2020.

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Is Madonna re-recording her 1998 hit?

Is Madonna re-recording her 1998 hit?
Is Madonna re-recording her 1998 hit?
Ke.Mazur/WireImage

Madonna is teasing new music…but it might just be a new version of her old music.

On Instagram, the Queen of Pop wrote, “So great to be back in the studio making Music again……Surprises in the New Year.” 

Madonna included pictures of herself posing with rapper Swae Lee — who appeared on her 2019 album, Madame X — as well as with vocal producer/engineer Laura D’Elia, and rapper and songwriter Jozzy, who co-wrote Billy Ray Cyrus‘ verse on “Old Town Road,” among many other tracks.

As for what Madonna is working on, the British tabloid The Sun claims one of the projects is a new version of her 1998 hit, “Frozen,” from her album Ray of Light.  Reportedly, that’s because a remix of the song has blown up on TikTok — Madonna even posted a video on her Instagram Story that her daughter Estere created using the remix.

The remix has been used on loads of TikTok videos and she is hoping that by getting Swae Lee involved it will help the song reach new audiences,” The Sun quotes a supposed “music insider” as saying, adding, “Madonna has always been an artist who has adapted and moved with the times.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)

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‘Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1883’ breaks records for Paramount+

‘Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1883’ breaks records for Paramount+
‘Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1883’ breaks records for Paramount+
Emerson Miller/Paramount+ (C) 2021 MTV Entertainment Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Sunday’s premiere episode of the Yellowstone prequel 1883 wrangled some big ratings for Paramount+.

The series, starring Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, broke the record for the most-watched original series premiere ever on the streaming service. It also delivered 4.9 million total viewers during its special airing on Paramount Network following Yellowstone, making it the biggest new series premiere on cable since 2015.

Created by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan, 1883 centers on America’s often brutal westward expansion, following the Dutton clan “as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America…Montana.”

(Video includes uncensored profanity.)

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Watch Billie Eilish perform acoustic version of “Billie Bossa Nova”

Watch Billie Eilish perform acoustic version of “Billie Bossa Nova”
Watch Billie Eilish perform acoustic version of “Billie Bossa Nova”
ABC/Randy Holmes

Billie Eilish has premiered the video for a new, acoustic version of her Happier Than Ever song, “Billie Bossa Nova.”

Accompanied by her brother/collaborator FINNEAS on guitar and some appropriately nightclub-esque lighting, the unplugged rendition gives the already swanky tune an even smoother, jazzier vibe.

You can watch the acoustic “Billie Bossa Nova” performance streaming now on YouTube.

Eilish released Happier Than Ever, her sophomore effort, this past July. Just like its predecessor, 2019’s WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, Happier Than Ever is nominated for a slew of Grammys, including Album of the Year.

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Plug pulled on Harry Styles’ pre-Orange Bowl concert amid new COVID-19 surge

Plug pulled on Harry Styles’ pre-Orange Bowl concert amid new COVID-19 surge
Plug pulled on Harry Styles’ pre-Orange Bowl concert amid new COVID-19 surge
Handout/Helene Marie Pambrun via Getty Images

Harry Styles is bowing out of his upcoming pre-Orange Bowl concert as the country grapples with a new COVID-19 surge caused by the Omicron variant.  

Capital One announced that it’s pulling the plug on its Capital One Beach Bash, which Harry was set to co-headline with Khalid in Miami, Florida on December 30.

“Due to increasing logistical and production challenges related to the pandemic and after consultation with the artists and their production teams, we have jointly made the difficult decision to cancel the Capital One Beach Bash,” organizers said in a statement on Tuesday. “While we are disappointed to not host the concert, we are excited for a great Playoff Semifinal game at the Capital One Orange Bowl.”

Tickets for the event were free but needed to be reserved in advance.  Attendees were required to either be fully vaccinated or show a negative COVID-19 test taken within the past 72 hours before the start of the show.

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‘Jagged Little Pill’ musical to permanently close on Broadway amid new COVID-19 surge

‘Jagged Little Pill’ musical to permanently close on Broadway amid new COVID-19 surge
‘Jagged Little Pill’ musical to permanently close on Broadway amid new COVID-19 surge
Bruce Glikas/WireImage

The Broadway lights are permanently going dark for the Alanis Morissette musical Jagged Little Pill, based on her landmark 1995 album of the same name.

Amid the new COVID-19 surge caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, producers confirmed the sad news on Tuesday.

“We are dismayed by what appears to be another substantial public health crisis, and – due to the detection of multiple positive Covid-19 cases within the company – need to prioritize the health and safety of the cast, crew, and entire team working on Jagged Little Pill,” the statement read. “In light of the extreme uncertainty ahead of us this winter, and forced to choose between continuing performances and protecting our company, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors.”

The producers assured the two-time Tony Award-winning musical will live on by other means and referenced a production that recently opened in Australia.  “We also hope and intend to find a way to bring this vibrant and vitalizing musical back to the Broadway stage, once the current crisis is past, but at this time we are in the unfortunate position to determine Friday, December 17, 2021 as the final Broadway performance of Jagged Little Pill,” they added.

Jagged Little Pill is currently the only musical to permanently dim its lights on the Great White Way amid this new COVID-19 surge, but other musicals have announced temporary closures, including Hamilton, Aladdin, Hadestown and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

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