Lil Jon finally gave fans a pretty substantial taste of his unreleased track with Usher and Ludacris during his Instagram live battle with T-Pain on Saturday night, and it feels like it's 2004 all over again. Producers battling it out over IG live to has become a prominent trend since widespread quarantine started, and it's quickly turning into one of the greatest sources of joy for people (and, in particular, hip hop fans) during these stressful times. The latest battle took place on Saturday (April 4th), and saw two of the most prominent producers of the early aughts go head to head.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Lil Jon and T-Pain proved worthy opponents, with many unable to decide who exactly emerged victorious, but one of the highlights of the session actually came after the battle had finished. After each bumping a few extras that they didn't get a chance to play during the actual battle, Jon played the highly anticipated collab with himself, Usher, and Ludacris, that we were officially made aware exists last November and have high key been waiting for since like 2005.
The track follows the trio's multiple collaborative hits in the past, including "Yeah!" and "Lovers & Friends." Many are saying that this new song feels like a sequel to the latter track, incorporating 2000s R&B sound and bearing a similar lyrical theme. Jon revealed that they actually wrote and recorded the untitled track two whole years ago with Jermaine Dupri. He also kept teasing Usher about not letting them release the song, since it's meant to debut on his upcoming album, Confessions III. However, both Jon and Pain, as well as the almost 250K viewers in the comments, urged Usher to let Jon drop it in full. Hopefully, this public pressure will be enough to make Usher change his mind and put it out on streaming platforms, so we can all enjoy it. What do you think of the track?
Georgia To Reopen Beaches Despite COVID-19 Pandemic
Despite coronavirus concerns, Georgia is reopening its beaches after an executive order from the Governor.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has issued an executive order that reopens the state’s beaches, in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, sparking backlash.
Buda Mendes / Getty Images
“The Governor’s Executive Order suspends the enforcement of any local ordinance or order adopted or issued since March 1, 2020, that relates to COVID-19,” Josh Hildebrandt, director of public and governmental affairs for DNR, said in a statement, according to The Hill. “This Executive Order thus lifted any local ordinances or orders that had closed or restricted access to Georgia beaches.
“People who voluntarily leave their shelters to go to our beaches can only do so for the purpose of outdoor exercise,” he continued.
State government still strongly encourages everyone to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Tybee Island mayor Shirley Sessions is vehemently opposed to the Governor’s decision and explained why in a public statement.
“As the Pentagon ordered 100,000 body bags to store the corpses of Americans killed by the Coronavirus, Governor Brian Kemp dictated that Georgia beaches must reopen, and declared any decision makers who refused to follow these orders would face prison and/or fines,” she wrote. “While the beaches have to reopen under the Governor’s order, Tybee will not have beach access and parking lots will remain closed until further notice. It should also be noted that Tybee currently is not properly staffed with Emergency Medical Services and there are no life guards in place.”
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"Call Me by Your Name" Director Confirms Stars Will Return For Sequel
Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer are confirmed to return for a sequel to 2017’s “Call Me By Your Name.”
Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino says both Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer will reprise their roles as Oliver and Elio for a sequel to the 2017 film.
Joe Scarnici / Getty Images
Guadagnino told the Italian publication la Repubblica that the film had started production before the COVID-19 outbreak but is now on hold.
“Before coronavirus, I made a trip to the United States to meet a screenwriter I love very much, whose name I don’t want to say, to talk about the second part. Unfortunately, we had to put it on hold,” he said. “Of course, it was a great pleasure to work with Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Esther Garrel and the other actors. Everyone will be in the new movie.”
The film will likely be based on Find Me, the sequel to the book that Call Me By Your Name is based on. Find Me, written by André Aciman, was released in 2019.
Call Me By Your Name won the 2017 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for a number of other awards.
Chalamet will appear in Wes Anderson’s upcoming film, The French Dispatch, which has been delayed until October. He is also in talks to star as Bob Dylan in an upcoming biopic.
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Jay-Z & Meek Mill’s REFORM Alliance Donates 100,000 Masks To Prisons
Jay-Z and Meek Mill’s REFORM Alliance is sending 100,000 masks to prisons across the United States.
The REFORM Alliance, a criminal justice reform organization partnered by Jay-Z and Meek Mill, is sending 100,000 masks to correctional facilities across the U.S.
Nicholas Hunt / Getty Images
“It’s a very vulnerable population,” chief advocacy officer at REFORM Jessica Jackson told CBS News. “We’re really worried about the number of people coming in and out of the facility, and the fact that the people living there might be sitting ducks during this pandemic.”
Prisons, especially in New York City, are at great risk to the coronavirus. 231 inmates and 223 staff members at New York City jails have tested positive for COVID-19, as of Thursday.
Jackson says officials in New York City and Tennessee are interested in helping inmates but lack the supplies to do so.
“Overwhelmingly the response was, ‘please provide the masks, we really need them.’ They want to protect the people working and living in the facilities,” Jackson said. “I think Rikers Island especially, they are very aware the virus has hit and so many lives are now at risk.”
“We’re still looking at jail and prison populations that are completely overcrowded to dangerous levels when you’re looking at a pandemic like this head-on,” she added. “This is a movement, but we need all of the voices we can get.”
Many prisons are releasing inmates to combat overcrowding issues.
You can read more about the issue on The REFORM Alliance’s website.
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Joe Rogan Says He’d Vote Trump Over Biden, Goes Viral On Twitter
Joe Rogan remarks that he'd vote for Donald Trump over Joe Biden, sending Twitter into a frenzy.
Joe Rogan is trending on Twitter following a podcast with Eric Weinstein, where Rogan remarks that he'd rather vote for Donald Trump than Joe Biden.
Alex Trautwig / Getty Images
“I’d rather vote for Trump than [Biden],” says Rogan. “I don’t think [Biden] can handle anything. You’re relying entirely on his cabinet. If you want to talk about an individual leader who can communicate, he can’t do that. And we don’t know what the fuck he’ll be like after a year in office.
“The pressure of being president of the United States is something that no one has ever prepared for. The only one who seems to be fine with it is Trump, oddly enough.”
Throughout the segment, Rogan and Weinstein speak about Biden's problematic mental health, which seems to be deteriorating as this campaign goes on. Many Dem-alignment Twitter users are using Rogan's quote to further the mainstream narrative that he's a conservative, while others are opining that Rogan is the exact type of swing-voter that the Dems need to win over, rather than alienate.
Rogan found himself trending for political reasons earlier this year when he endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. Traditional Dems labeled Rogan a bigot in response.
Check out some of the reaction on Twitter below.
50 Cent Clowns Diddy & Kevin Hart For Their COVID-19 Hair
Thanks to the coronavirus, professional grooming is a dodgy proposition.
As such, we are learning that some celebrities have much grayer hair than they've been letting on.
Notorious troll 50 Cent called out 50-year-old Diddy, 40-year-old Kevin Hart and 52-year-old Deion Sanders for suddenly looking more their age.
View this post on Instagram"Man where the f*ck is the time machine, they got old on quarantine. LOL," Fif quipped.
Fif is 44. So he'll get his when the hair dye goes the way of toilet paper and runs out.
Concert Industry To Lose Upwards Of $9 Billion, New Study Finds
A new study shows the concert industry could lose upwards of $9 billion dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak.
One of the businesses hit hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak is the concert industry. Without the ability to gather in large groups, effectively all concerts have been canceled. A new study from Pollstar shows that loses could reach upwards of $9 billion for the concert industry if things don’t return to normal, fast.
Alexandre Schneider / Getty Images
“Estimating what might have been lost obviously depends on when the business rebounds,” the study reads, “but if the rest of the year is dark – which is a worst-case scenario and certainly not expected – the potential $12.2 billion yearly estimate minus the grosses from all the shows completed before cancellations and postponements places potential losses for the remainder of the year right at $8.9 billion.”
Total losses could be “much less, about $2.3 billion, if touring is possible as early as late-May,” the study continues. “And if quarantines continue through the summer, say, late-August, industry losses could total about $5.2 billion in just missed ticket sales alone.”
As of now, there is no definite answer as to when the world will return to business as usual. President Trump hopes by the end of April, while other suggest this could go on for as long as a year. Either way, the concert industry will struggle throughout.
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Uber Pledges 10 Million Free Rides & Deliveries To Healthcare Workers
Uber pledges 10 million free rides and food deliveries to healthcare workers and others affected by COVID-19.
Uber is pledging 10 million free rides and deliveries of food to healthcare workers, seniors, and others in need.
Peter Summers / Getty Images
The company announced the decision on its website.
“Uber Health is providing free transportation for frontline healthcare workers, helping them get to and from patients’ homes, as well as between healthcare facilities… We’re providing free meals on Uber Eats to first responders and healthcare workers in US and Canada, in coordination with local, state, and provincial governments.”
The company will also be transporting goods with Uber Freight: “While the federal government’s emergency declaration is in place, shipments of critical goods in the US will be transported with zero profit pricing by Uber Freight,” the website reads
The delivery fee for orders completed through Uber Eats has been removed for restaurants across the US and Canada.
A spokesperson says Uber is “working to distribute these meals and rides at scale in the coming months and tailor the offering based on the most pressing, local needs,” a spokesperson said. “And we’re covering the costs associated with delivering food, meals and rides: including free Eats meals, the cost of the ride or delivery of food from a food bank, payments to the drivers and couriers, etc.”
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NBA To Schedule A H-O-R-S-E Competition On ESPN: Report
The NBA season may not return, but the league is trying to set up a H-O-R-S-E competition with its best players to air on ESPN.
The NBA is planning a H-O-R-S-E that will involve several "high-profile players" who will complete from separate locations, to stay in line with social distancing.
Stacy Revere / Getty Images
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the story on Twitter, Saturday.
"The NBA and ESPN are working on televising a H-O-R-S-E competition involving several high-profile players, sources say," Woj wrote. "Players would shoot in isolation – presumably in home gyms – and match shots against competitors. Details are still being finalized."
It is appearing more and more likely that the NBA 2019/20 season will not return and effectively be canceled. ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained where the league is at on Sportscenter, Friday.
"It is clear that the NBA is angling to set up a deal that enables them to shut the season down," Windhorst said Friday on SportsCenter. "They don’t have to do that yet. The way they’re negotiating, they’re leaving an option either way. But they’re not having talks about how to restart the league. They’re having financial talks [regarding player salaries] about what would happen if the season shuts down. I think there’s a significant amount of pessimism."
As for the NFL, President Donald Trump told sports commissioners, Saturday, that he expects the league will be able to run as scheduled.
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Amazon Prime Adds Bond Films, "The Lighthouse" & More For April 2020
Amazon Prime has a ton of new content to stream for the month of April.
There are a handful of new movies and TV shows being added to Amazon Prime for the month of April that will help you overcome your quarantine.
James Bond fans will be excited to see a number of the series’ most famous classics such as Goldeneye, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and more are all ready to stream right now. No Time To Die is still many months off, but these iconic 007 films are a great way to get ready.
Larry Ellis / Getty Images
As for modern films, 2019’s The Lighthouse, starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson features some of the best acting from last year. The two star as lighthouse keepers who try to maintain their sanity while isolated from the world– a perfect social distancing film.
Other highlights include I Am Legend, Rambo: Last Blood, and even more James Bond movies.
Check out the full schedule of April’s Amazon Prime releases below.
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April 1
A View to a Kill (4K UHD) (1985)
Bangkok Dangerous (2010)
Bird Of Paradise (1932)
Blind Husbands (1919)
Broken Blossoms (1919)
Daniel Boone (1936)
Diamonds Are Forever (4K UHD) (1971)
Diary Of A Hitman (1991)
Die Another Day (4K UHD) (2002)
Dishonored Lady (1947)
Dollface (1945)
Dr. No (4K UHD) (1962)
Dr. T & The Women (2000)
Drums In The Deep South (1951)
For Your Eyes Only (4K UHD) (1981)
From Russia with Love (4K UHD) (1964)
Gator (1976)
Gods And Monsters (1999)
Goldeneye (4K UHD) (1995)
Goldfinger (4K UHD) (1964)
Gorky Park (1983)
Hotel Artemis (2018)
I Am Legend (2007)
Licence to Kill (4K UHD) (1989)
Live and Let Die (4K UHD) (1973)
Mark Of Zorro (1920)
Moonraker (4K UHD) (1979)
Mutiny (1952)
Never Say Never Again (4K UHD) (1983)
Octopussy (4K UHD) (1983)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (4K UHD) (1969)
Repentance (2014)
Shirley Valentine (1989)
Son Of Monte Cristo (1940)
Tarzan The Fearless (1933)
The Bodyguard (1992)
The Boost (1988)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
The Chumscrubber (2005)
The Hoodlum (1951)
The Living Daylights (4K UHD) (1987)
The Lost World (1925)
The Man with the Golden Gun (4K UHD) (1974)
The New Adventures Of Tarzan (1935)
The Sender (1982)
The Spy Who Loved Me (4K UHD) (1977)
The World is Not Enough (4K UHD) (1999)
Thunderball (4K UHD) (1965)
Tomorrow Never Dies (4K UHD) (1997)
You Only Live Twice (4K UHD) (1967)April 3
Invisible Life – Amazon Original movie (2019)
Tales from the Loop – Amazon Original series: Season 1April 10
Les Misérables – Amazon Original movie (2019)
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)April 14
Vault (2019)
April 16
The Lighthouse (2019)
April 17
Bosch – Amazon Original series: Season 6
Dino Dana – Amazon Original series: Season 3B
Selah and the Spades – Amazon Original movie (2019)April 20
Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
April 29
Footloose (2011)
