Lifestyle & Arts

Bigsound is back on the industry calendar. While the health crisis wrecks the touring industry around the globe, Australia's main music industry conference and showcase is set for a return to Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley in 2020 at a later date than usual, and in a condensed, COVIDSafe format. The announcement this week caught the industry by surprise. The southern state of Victoria and its capital Melbourne, widely regarded at the country’s cultural mecca, has just entered a second lockdown to try curb a worrying spike in coronavirus cases. And there are worrying signs of an outbreak or two in New South Wales. The Bigsound show, however, will go on. Originally announced for Sept 1- 4, this year’s event will be reduced to a two-day, two-night event from Oct. 21. All activ...

Must’ve been his “Late Registration.” Rap superstar Kanye West has already bowed out of his late-entry bid for the presidency, according to a report. The billionaire rap icon, who announced his entry into the presidential arena in a July 4 tweet, told election strategist Steve Kramer that he was out of the race, New York Magazine reported Tuesday. Kramer was one of the campaign staffers hired by West to help get his name on the ballot in Florida, South Carolina and other states, according to the magazine. Last week, according to Kramer, West’s team was “working over weekend there, formalizing the FEC and other things that they’ve got to do when you have a lot of corporate lawyers involved.” The election strategist on the West campaign was tasked with getting signatures t...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is concerned that the anti-Semitic views spouted by former NBA player and activist Stephen Jackson, along with NFL player DeSean Jackson, can lead to what he fears most: "apathy to all forms of social justice," which he dubbed the "Apatholypse."   As part of his columnist role at The Hollywood Reporter, the former Los Angeles Lakers and UCLA Bruins star center took both Jacksons to task, along with Big3 founder Ice Cube for his own insensitive social media threads, in a piece titled "Where is the Outrage Over Anti-Semitism in Sports and Hollywood?"  Abdul-Jabbar was quick to point out that while the apologies from DeSean Jackson and Stephen Jackson largely fell flat, the lack of condemnation from most others in sports and entertainment, compared to the rise in supp...

ABC announced that Tyra Banks will replace Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews as the host of "Dancing with the Stars." The news comes just one day after Bergeron announced on Twitter that he will not be returning to the show for its upcoming 29th season after being its host since it debuted in 2005. In a statement provided to Fox News, a representative for the 65-year-old comedian explained that the move was ultimately the network’s call. “ABC opted not to pick up Tom's option. In the fine tradition of Hollywood cliches, they're ‘Going in a different direction,’” the statement reads. CELEBRITY 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' FANS REACT TO TOM BERGERON'S EXIT FROM THE SHOW Now, the network has confirmed that Banks, who co-created "America's Next Top Model" and previously hosted "America's Got Tal...

Some of La La Land's most recognizable movie props in the filmmaking history are finally being released to the public -- but none of this stuff comes cheap ... not by a long shot. The famous Prop Store -- which houses a treasure trove of on-set Hollywood memorabilia collectibles -- is hosting a MONSTER auction in late August that's going to put some iconic items up for bidding for the first time ever. And, get this ... just 20 items are being sold in all, but they're expected to fetch upwards of $6 million, based on how the pros have priced each piece individually beforehand. Okay, let's get to the loot -- Tom Cruise's actual fighter pilot helmet in "Top Gun" (RIP, Goose), the 11-foot model Nostromo space ship used in "Alien" and Robin Williams' Peter Pan swo...

Some of La La Land's most recognizable movie props in the filmmaking history are finally being released to the public -- but none of this stuff comes cheap ... not by a long shot. The famous Prop Store -- which houses a treasure trove of on-set Hollywood memorabilia collectibles -- is hosting a MONSTER auction in late August that's going to put some iconic items up for bidding for the first time ever. And, get this ... just 20 items are being sold in all, but they're expected to fetch upwards of $6 million, based on how the pros have priced each piece individually beforehand. Okay, let's get to the loot -- Tom Cruise's actual fighter pilot helmet in "Top Gun" (RIP, Goose), the 11-foot model Nostromo space ship used in "Alien" and Robin Williams' Peter Pan swo...

Some of La La Land's most recognizable movie props in the filmmaking history are finally being released to the public -- but none of this stuff comes cheap ... not by a long shot. The famous Prop Store -- which houses a treasure trove of on-set Hollywood memorabilia collectibles -- is hosting a MONSTER auction in late August that's going to put some iconic items up for bidding for the first time ever. And, get this ... just 20 items are being sold in all, but they're expected to fetch upwards of $6 million, based on how the pros have priced each piece individually beforehand. Okay, let's get to the loot -- Tom Cruise's actual fighter pilot helmet in "Top Gun" (RIP, Goose), the 11-foot model Nostromo space ship used in "Alien" and Robin Williams' Peter Pan swo...

Sheldon Riley doesn't waste his voice on trifling matters. Like speaking, with America's Got Talent judges. During Tuesday night's auditions, the Sydney, Australia hopeful initially played the silent type, before revealing a voice which had Simon Cowell and Co. in raptures. Performing in an exotic black gown and a shimmering mask which could have been been lifted from Prince's vault, Riley lit the torch with a dramatic rendition of Billie Eilish's "idontwannabeyouanymore". Riley later explained his quiet start. He'd rather let his performance do all the talking. Afterwards, Cowell praises Riley's mystery and originality. "You have an amazing voice," Howie Mandel enthused. "And the fact that I don't know what you look like, and the costume and the drama, for me, that's what...

Chrissy Teigen revealed she has blocked more than one million people on Twitter after her account was 'flooded by sick psychopaths'. On Tuesday, the model, 34,  admitted that she was 'worried for her family' after receiving vile attacks on Twitter from conspiracy theorists who have been bizarrely linking the model to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein since last October.  Later that day, the mother-of-two said she had spent the day 'venting and crying' after being subjected to vile abuse on the social media platform, where she boasts 13.1million followers.  Tough time: Chrissy Teigen revealed she has blocked more than one million people on Twitter after her account was 'flooded by sick psychopaths' in the wake of wild conspiracy theorists bizarrely linking her to co...

It's July 15 and it's really time to file your taxes now This time it's for real: Wednesday is the deadline to file your 2019 federal tax return. Earlier this year, the IRS postponed the tax-filing deadline from April 15 due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. As of mid-June, millions of Americans still had not filed their return, due to a variety of difficulties, including lack of access to tax preparers, job loss, and caring for sick family members. If you still haven't gotten your act together, you can file for an extension. But there's a catch: Even though an extension gives you until Oct. 15 to file, you'll still have to pay any owed taxes by July 15 or face penalties. Segway ends production of its namesake vehicle Segway, which boldly claimed its two-wheeled persona...