Month: September 2021

Lil Nas X attends the BET Awards 2021 at Microsoft Theater on June 27, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.Photo: Rich Fury (Getty Images) The Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention org for LGBTQ young people, has announced the recipient for its inaugural Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year Award and it’s none other than one of America’s favorite “Industry Baby”—Lil Nas X. Per a press release sent to The Root, this award comes as recognition for Lil Nas X’s “ongoing commitment to supporting The Trevor Project’s mission to end suicide among LGBTQ young people with his openness about struggling with his sexuality and suicidal ideation, his continued advocacy around mental health issues, and his unapologetic celebration of his queer identity.” “The Trevor ...

Joe Rogan, the host of the hugely popular podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” said on Wednesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus after he returned from a series of shows in Florida, where the virus is rampant. Mr. Rogan, who was rebuked by federal officials last spring for suggesting on the podcast that young healthy people need not get Covid vaccinations, said that he started feeling sick on Saturday night after he returned from performing in Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. He did not say whether he had been vaccinated. “Throughout the night, I got fevers, sweats, and I knew what was going on,” he said in a video on Instagram, adding that he moved to a different part of his house away from his family. (In an episode of his podcast in April, he mentioned that his chi...

Photo: Rachel Murray/Getty (Getty Images) A few months after Nia DaCosta officially signed on to direct the new Candyman—which has gone on to become the first movie directed by a Black woman to premiere at the top of the box office—the director happened to bump into New York Times columnist and illustrator Julia Rothman, who was randomly interviewing people on the street about their relationships to debt. While those not familiar with DaCosta’s earlier work like Little Woods might not have recognized her name at the time, what she said about her $100,000 student loan debt resonated with many who could relate to living with the constant stress of having to pay back that much money (plus interest). In order to rid herself of that kind of stress, DaCosta reasoned in 2019, she’d need to l...

Paramount has pulled the ejector seat on Top Gun: Maverick‘s November release date. In a move pushing back two Tom Cruise tentpoles, Top Gun: Maverick is departing its Nov. 19 date and will now open May 27, 2022. Meanwhile, Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 7 is leaving that May 27, 2022, date and will now open Sept. 30, 2022. The studio has also pushed back Jackass Forever, which moves to Feb. 4, 2022, departing an Oct. 22, 2021, date. The moves come as concerns over the delta variant continue to hamper theater attendance and make releasing tentpoles into cinemas a risky proposition for studios. Paramount, like other studios, regularly consults with epidemiologists on decisions such as this, and the studio is hopeful the box office will recover in 2022 when these films...

One of R. Kelly’s accusers testified on Wednesday that he kept a gun by his side while he berated her as a prelude to forcing her to give him oral sex in a Los Angeles music studio. "He had a weapon, so I wasn’t going to step out of line," the witness said while recounting the 2018 episode at the R&B singer's New York City sex-trafficking trial. When she spotted the gun, a stern-sounding Kelly told her not to look at it, she said, before demanding to know, "How many men have you seen naked?" He also instructed her to act "excited like a puppy" whenever she saw him, adding, "I still have a lot to teach you." She testified the last time she saw Kelly at a New York City hotel suite, she resisted having sex with him. She said he responded by warning her not to defy him, saying, "I'm a...

NeNe Leakes’ husband, Gregg Leakes, died of colon cancer Wednesday, Page Six can confirm. He was 66. “Today, the Leakes family is in deep pain with a broken heart. After a long battle with cancer, Gregg Leakes has passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by all of his children, very close loved ones and wife NeNe Leakes,” the couple’s rep said in a press release. The statement continued, “We ask that you pray for peace and strength over their family and allow them to mourn in private during this very, very difficult time.” After news of Gregg’s passing, Bravo host Andy Cohen and “RHOA” star Cynthia Bailey sent their condolences on social media. NeNe, 53, revealed over the weekend that Gregg was losing his battle with cancer, saying, “My husban...