Month: August 2023

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Pop Daypop

Keke Palmer to launch first tour in support of her album ‘Big Boss’

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Keke Palmer announced on Instagram that she’s hitting the road on tour in support of her new album, Big Boss. Palmer released her new album, Big Boss, on May 12, and accompanied the new project with a 41-minute short film.

The 29-year-old Palmer wrote: “It’s here, y’all! I told you I wouldn’t keep you waiting too long. Can’t wait to hit the road on the Big Boss Tour this September with Big Boss energy! We’re kicking it off in Oakland and wrapping up in my hometown of Chicago. Get your tix & let me know what city you’re reppin’ in the comments: kekepalmer.com/bigbosstour”

The R&B singer will be making stops at eight venues in September throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles, Dallas and Brooklyn before wrapping up in Chicago on Sept. 26.  Palmer said in a statement: “I’m beyond excited to hit the road for the ‘Big Boss Tour’ and bring ‘Big Boss’ energy to the stage. I can’t wait to connect with my fans and create an unforgettable experience for them. This tour is all about empowerment, self-love, and celebrating our journeys together.”

General tickets are on sale now, with VIP and meet and greet packages available for purchase as well. Packages include a ticket, early entry into the venue, meet and greet plus photo opportunity, and a special VIP gift. For information, head to kekepalmer.com.

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Doja Cat shares video her new song ‘Paint the Town Red’

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Doja Cat has shared her new song “Paint the Town Red,” accompanied by an official video directed by Nina McNeely in collaboration with Doja Cat. The video was shot in Los Angeles, CA, and is inspired by three paintings Doja Cat designed.

“Paint the Town Red” is Doja Cat’s second single of 2023, following “Attention” which dropped in June. This fall, Doja Cat will embark on her first headlining North American tour, The Scarlet Tour, with special guests Ice Spice and Doechii serving as support.

Take a look at the video for ‘Paint the Town Red’ – here.

Doja Cat releases ‘Paint the Town Red’

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Suspect involved in shooting of two Orlando, Fla police officers is dead after standoff

Authorities confirmed that the suspect believed to be responsible for shooting and injuring two Orlando, Fla., police officers has been killed following an armed standoff. The two Orlando officers stopped a vehicle late Friday which was believed to be related to a homicide in Miami, when a suspect inside the vehicle opened fire, hitting both officers before carjacking another vehicle and driving away from the scene, leading to a police pursuit. Police identified the suspect as Dalton Viel, 28.

According to a press release, two members of the Orlando Police Department remain in the hospital with critical injuries; however, both are expected to survive and fully recover from their injuries.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said in a joint statement: “After an extensive search, we were able to find the suspect at the Holiday Inn located in the 5900 block of Caravan Court. The SWAT team responded to the hotel at 6:00 a.m. EDT and was able to safely evacuate the hotel. The suspect then barricaded himself inside a hotel room. Several attempts to get him to surrender were made but he refused to cooperate.”  

Police Chief Smith later told reporters that the suspect began shooting at the tactical officers who then returned fire, and he was killed in the exchange of gunfire.  Smith said: “We would like to thank Orlando Health and all of the law enforcement agencies who have helped us throughout the night with this investigation. We also want to thank everyone from our community who has been sharing information and providing support for our department. Our officers are lucky to be alive and we ask that you continue to pray for them.”

Orlando Mayor Dyer added on social media: “I’m grateful for the doctors and nurses providing the essential care that the injured officers need at this time. I also want to join Chief Smith in thanking the officers and our law enforcement partners who’ve ensured the suspect is no longer a threat to our community.”

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Death toll from train derailment in Pakistan rises to 30 with dozens more injured

At least 30 people are confirmed dead and more than 90 injured after a train derailed in southern Pakistan on Sunday. CNN reported that The Hazara Express train carrying 950 passengers went off the tracks near the city of Nawabshah in the Benazirabad District of Sindh province. The train departed Karachi, a city on the coast of the Arabian Sea more than 160 miles away, at about 8 a.m.

Senior railway officer Mahmoodur Rehman Lakho that that ten cars of the train bound for Rawalpind had derailed near the Sarhari railway station off Nawabshah, with some overturned, trapping many passengers. Lakho, who is in charge of railways in the accident area, said rescue crews took injured passengers to the nearby People’s Hospital in Nawabshah. Police officer Abid Baloch said from the scene of the accident that 30 bodies had been recovered while more than 90 people were injured, many in critical condition. Baloch said women and children were among the dead and injured.

Railway minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said an emergency declaration has been issued for all hospitals in Sukkur and Nawabshah to treat the injured.  Pakistan army rangers arrived on the scene, some by helicopter, to undertake rescue efforts, while the cause of the investigation is under investigation.  Officials also believe that the death toll may rise as rescue operations continue.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/train-derailment-kills-15-injures-50-southern-pakistan-102053249

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Doja Cat to headline ‘The Victoria’s Secret World Tour’

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Prime Video announced that Doja Cat will headline The Victoria’s Secret World Tour, sharing a teaser for the special showing the 27-year-old singer/rapper posing on and off the runway.

The Victoria’s Secret World Tour, described as ‘part fashion show and part documentary,’ marks Victoria’s Secret’s first onscreen event since its televised runway show in 2018. The new special promises to feature behind-the-scenes footage, and will introduce the VS20 – a group of 20 creatives who worked with Victoria’s Secret on a reimagined version of its annual runway show

Doja Cat helped design the looks for her performance, including a futuristic nude-colored latex ensemble. She told Harper’s Bazaar: “Victoria’s Secret has always been such a fun, go-to brand for me since early on, and I love that I can still say that today. Being a part of a global phenomenon like the Tour has been an incredible experience. Because the Tour is a celebration of the strength and unique talent of creatives, we really wanted to channel this message through this look. I felt so powerful and confident wearing these pieces, which is so important to me.”  Doja added: “I don’t want to spoil too much, but like past projects, there’s lots of different energy to songs, plus new sounds that I’ve never explored before. So that is exciting to me, and I can’t wait to put it out.”

The Victoria’s Secret World Tour will debut on Prime Video on September 26.

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Lady Gaga returning to Park MGM for Jazz & Piano residency

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Lady Gaga announced her return to Dolby Live at Park MGM with her papule “Lady Gaga: Jazz and Piano” show, beginning on August 31st. Gaga also announced the news on her Instagram with a trailer including footage from previous shows and teasing “stripped-down versions of her hits” and music from “the Great American song book.”

Lady Gaga will perform 12 total Jazz and Piano shows on the following dates:

August 31
September 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 28, 30
October 1, 4, 5

Tickets went on sale to the general public on Friday, Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. PT., with a limited number of on-stage seats available. Any remaining tickets can be purchased on the Ticketmaster website or on Lady Gaga’s website: vegas.ladygaga.com

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Two US Navy sailors arrested on charges of sharing sensitive information with China

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U.S. officials said Thursday that two U.S. Navy sailors have been arrested on charges accusing them of handing over sensitive national security material to China; — including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material.

Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, was charged with conspiracy and bribe-taking in connection with taking nearly $15,000 in exchange for photographs and videos of sensitive U.S. military information between August 2021 through at least this May; while U.S. Navy sailor Jinchao Wei, 22, was charged with conspiring to send national defense information to China in exchange for thousands of dollars. The two sailors, both based in California, were charged with similar moves to provide sensitive intelligence to China, but it was unclear if the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme.

Zhao, who was based at Naval Base Ventura County, is accused of sending his Chinese handler plans for U.S. military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region, electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan and security details for U.S. naval facilities in Ventura County and San Clemente Island outside Los Angeles. Wei, born in China and assigned to the San Diego-based USS Essex, was arrested Wednesday on a charge related to espionage involving conspiracy to send national defense information to Chinese officials. Federal officials allege Wei was paid thousands of dollars for sharing the information.

U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman of the Southern District of California said that “through the alleged crimes committed by these defendants, sensitive military information ended up in the hands of the People’s Republic of China,” adding that the charges demonstrate the Chinese government’s “determination to obtain information that is critical to our national defense by any means, so it could be used to their advantage.” Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen added that because of the men’s actions, “sensitive military info ended up in the hands of the People’s Republic of China.” Federal officials declined to specify whether the sailors were aware of each other’s actions.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the allegations.

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Donald Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges in special counsel probe

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Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to four charges alleging his attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election led to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The new 45-page federal indictment accuses Trump of four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The charging document describes, but does not name, six unindicted co-conspirators.

At the arraignment at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse on Thursday, Judge Moxila Upadhyaya read Trump his charges; in response, the former President Trump spoke loudly without the need for a microphone to enter his own not-guilty plea.  Upadhyaya warned Trump, as is standard practice, that violation of the conditions of his release means an arrest warrant can be issued for him to be detained. Trump was released on the promise to return to court, without bail being set, but has been ordered not to communicate with any witnesses in the case except through or in the presence of his lawyers. The first hearing date in the case has been set for 10 a.m. on Aug. 28.

This is Trump’s third arraignment on criminal charges. In June, Trump was arraigned in a federal court in Florida on charges he kept classified documents after leaving office, and state charges were filed in New York on business fraud relating to hush money payments made to an adult film star. He has pleaded not guilty in all of those cases.

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Taylor Swift adds new North American dates to her Eras Tour

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Taylor Swift has announced a new run of North American dates on her ‘Eras Tour’ for late 2024. The 33-year-old singer-songwriter announced 15 more shows, sharing on social media: “Turns out it’s NOT the end of an era 😝 Miami, New Orleans, Indy and Toronto: The Eras Tour is coming to you in 2024 with @gracieabrams! Verified fan registration for all shows is open now – visit http://TaylorSwift.com for more information”

Swift’s return to North America in 2024 will kick off with three shows each in Miami, New Orleans and Indianapolis, with six performances set for Toronto in October and November of next year. Gracie Abrams will serve as support all dates.

Swift will wrap the first leg of her North American run with six shows in SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles that kicked off on August 3rd running through August 9th.  She then heads to Mexico for three dates in August followed by South American stops in Argentina, Rio de Janeiro and Brazil in November. Swift will spend most of 2024 on the European leg of the Eras Tour, beginning May 2024 with stops in Sweden, Portugal, France, Spain, The UK, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, and Austria.

Verified Fan registration is open now on Ticketmaster through 5 p.m. ET Saturday, August 5th at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT. Fans will receive confirmation if they will have access to the Verified Fan on sale or if they’ve been placed on a waiting list on Tuesday, August 8th. The Verified Fans on sale runs Wednesday, August 9th through Friday, August 11th with assigned specific on sale windows.

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Lizzo responds to allegations made against her by former backup dancers

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Lizzo is speaking out after news broker earlier this week that a lawsuit was filed against her by three of her former backup dancers. Lizzo — whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson — addressed the claims made by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez in the lawsuit, which accused her of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

The 35-year-old singer posted a lengthy statement to her social media accounts, saying: “these last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed. These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.” Lizzo added: “I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art than represents me and my fans. With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team.”

Sayiing that she doesn’t want to be “looked at as a victim”, Lizzo wrote: “But I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days. I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not. There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight … I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time.”

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 1, names Lizzo, as well as her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and Shirlene Quigley, the captain of her dance team as defendants. The dancers are suing Lizzo for sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, as well as seeking damages for emotional distress including unpaid wages, loss of earnings, and attorney fees.

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