High School Students Workout For Free All Summer Long

 

Planet Fitness, one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, is inviting high schoolers ages 14 – 19* to work out for free at any of its more than 2,200 Planet Fitness locations throughout the United States and Canada from May 16 through August 31 as part of the High School Summer Pass initiative.

High School Summer Pass was formally known as Teen Summer Challenge, which was the first program of its kind launched in 2019 and saw more than 900,000 teens sign-up and complete more than 5.5 million workouts over a three-and-a-half-month period. Starting today, high schoolers can visit PlanetFitness.com/SummerPass to pre-register, and get a reminder to formally sign up when the program officially kicks off on Monday, May 16. Teens under 18 must register with a parent or guardian online or in-club.

Beyoncé Donates $6M to Coronavirus Relief

The donation is in partnership with several organizations to provide mental health help and other services to communities in need.

Beyoncé is getting into formation to help those in need during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Grammy winner, 38, announced that she has committed $6 million to help those disproportionately affected by the public health crisis, particularly those on the frontlines who will need assistance even after the pandemic.

"Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD recognizes the immense mental and personal health burdens being placed on essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic," a rep for Beyoncé said in a statement. Beyoncé spoke about the heroes of the pandemic, while also shining a light on the communities devastated the most by the deadly virus.

Mick Jagger Joins Dave Grohl In New Song 'Eazy Sleazy'

 

Mick Jagger and Dave Grohl are itching for an end to the pandemic shutdowns on a new single, "Eazy Sleazy."

The optimistic and at-times satirical new track features the Rolling Stones frontman on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and the Foo Fighters frontman on everything else.

“It’s a song that I wrote about coming out of lockdown, with some much needed optimism," Jagger said in a statement. "Thanks to Dave Grohl for jumping on drums, bass and guitar, it was a lot of fun working with him. [H]ope you all enjoy 'Eazy Sleazy.'”

Mariah Carey Joins Jennifer Lopez And More For Rise Up New York Performance

The one-hour benefit was presented by the New York-based poverty fighting organization Robin Hood and iHeartMedia.

Mariah Carey opened the streaming event with a beautiful medley of her 2002 track Through The Rain and the 1991 single Make It Happen, helping to raise money for New Yorkers affected by COVID-19.

Mariah Carey who is a native of New York prefaced the performance with some uplifting words: 'I know we're strong enough to get through this. We will rise again. We can do this together.' She belted her iconic high notes from home, accompanied by three backup singers, also performing from their respective homes.

RZA and GZA of Wu-Tang Talk 'The Game Of Life'

For as long as the two leaders of the Wu-Tang Clan have known each other, it still shocks GZA that he never played chess with RZA as a kid.

The pair are busy practicing this week for their Twitch debut on Saturday, where they will play and compete in a chess tournament hosted by Chess.com and Hennessy. It’s to benefit Black, Latinx and Asian small businesses struggling with the pandemic. GZA says he still remembers vividly to this day when his cousin taught his 9-year-old self how to play chess.

“I guess I remember it well because he had a black and red checkerboard, but the pieces were like clear plastic neon,” GZA tells The Washington Post in a video interview, who said he never forgot the lesson. “And they were weird colored, and they were caked in green. And he showed me the names of the pieces and how they moved.”

#MusicVideo by Kosha Dillz 'Solo' Ft Gangsta Boo

 

The pandemic has been hard for everyone and Kosha Dillz is no stranger to it. During the last week before the complete lockdown, the unlikely pair of Three 6 Mafia's Gangsta Boo and Kosha Dillz recorded "Solo" with 2021 Grammy Nominated producer Sam Barsh (Anderson Paak, Earthgang, Logic) for Kosha's album Nobody Cares Except You, which was the precedent going into the loneliness of the pandemic.

Now that most of society is on an upswing out of it, the temperature has changed the possibility of happiness, and a whacky creative music video could be what we need!

Can Music Keep Up in the Attention Economy?

Music streaming services have continued to add U.S. subscribers this year, according to MIDiA Research, growing by 11 million paying users from January to September, to 117.9 million. But in a potentially troubling sign for the recorded music business, the number of total streams has remained the same.

Coachella Music Festival Announces 2022 Return

After two years of rescheduling due to COVID, Coachella music festival announced it would return for Spring 2022.

One of the world's largest musical festivals, the event has been held every spring in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado desert since 1999. 

Beyoncé Now Helping Black-Owned Businesses

The star has teamed up with the NAACP to found the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund.

Beyoncé has launched a new fund to give Black-owned businesses grants through her BeyGOOD foundation.

The fund has been started in collaboration with the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People (NAACP).

The Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund will provide grants of $10,000 (£7,923) for business owners “in select cities to help sustain business during this time”.

Beyoncé to give $5,000 grants to families facing eviction

 

The “Drunk In Love” singer and her philanthropic organization, BeyGOOD, are awarding $5,000 grants to families or individuals who are facing eviction and/or foreclosure as the housing moratorium is set to end this month.

“When the pandemic hit, we helped organizations across the country that were aiding and assisting people with basic needs like food, water, household supplies and COVID testing. We also provided mental health support,” read a press release. “We then launched our BeyGOOD small business impact fund and to date, over 250 small businesses have received $10K grants.”

“This holiday season while many are stressed with what they will do next regarding their housing, we are proud to share some GOOD news,” the press release continues. “Beyoncé is giving $5K grants to individuals and families facing foreclosures or evictions.”

Anyone who wants to apply to receive the grant is asked to send their application to the NAACP. The online application process is set to open on Jan. 7 and 100 recipients will be chosen. The grants will be sent out later that month. Round two of the applications will open in February.

See How Beyoncé and Jay-Z Celebrated 13 Years of Marriage

 

The most powerful couple in music, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, just celebrated 13 years of marriage with a quick trip to Las Vegas, as you do.

The “Drunk in Love” spouses got married on April 4, 2008. You can catch a glimpse of their wedding—plus other sweet, candid moments from their relationship—in the “Die With You” video, released on their ninth anniversary:

This year Bey didn’t drop a video, but she did share photos from their two-person party. In a series of snaps called “Sin City” and posted to her website, Bey and Jay-Z are shown taking a private jet and dining at Cipriani Vegas.

#NewMusic AC/DC - Realize

 

AC/DC has unveiled a second single from its forthcoming 17th studio album, PWR/UP.

With a ceaseless backbeat and wordless refrain, "Realize" is one of AC/DC's hardest-driving tracks in years. You can listen to it via the player above.

The release of "Realize" comes about a month after the Aussie rock legends unveiled their first new single in six years, "Shot in the Dark," which has all the hallmarks of an instant AC/DC classic.

Selena Gomez and J.Lo headlining concerts for COVID-19

 

Backed by an international concert hosted by Selena Gomez and headlined by Jennifer Lopez, Global Citizen is unveiling an ambitious campaign to help medical workers in the world’s poorest countries quickly receive COVID-19 vaccines.

The anti-poverty organization is announcing the musical event — “VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World” — with the goal of enlisting corporations and philanthropists to raise $22 billion for global vaccinations. The concert, which airs May 8 on ABC, CBS and FOX as well as on iHeartMedia radio stations and YouTube, will also showcase the Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder, J Balvin and H.E.R.

R. Kelly Pleads Not Guilty

R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to a set of federal sex-trafficking charges leveraged against him in New York in mid-March, including those that he knowingly spread herpes to two people. He entered the plea via teleconference from a Chicago federal jail on Thursday.

As the coronavirus pandemic has escalated, Kelly has requested early release from prison twice, and was most recently denied on April 22. Kelly was indicted on multiple state and federal sex-abuse charges in New York, Illinois, and Minnesota last year. He has so far pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

Are Americans out of poverty?

 

The child tax credit helped push a key measure of poverty to its lowest level on record, according to new Census Bureau data Tuesday that signaled just how critical government assistance was to propping Americans up in the second year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Median income remained essentially static in 2021, and the official poverty rate did as well. But the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which adjusts for government assistance like tax credits and stimulus checks, dropped 1.4 percentage points to 7.8%.

This Will be The Concert to Reunite the World

 

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will play host to an all-star concert that will be broadcast and streamed worldwide as part of a global effort to inspire confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and encourage people to be inoculated, organizers announced today.

Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World will be pre-taped at SoFi Stadium and air May 8 as part of a worldwide event broadcasting on ABC, CBS, Fox, YouTube and on iHeartMedia radio stations. Selena Gomez will host the event, which will include performances by Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin and H.E.R.

Jennifer Lopez Production Company Does Internal Promotions

 

Nuyorican Productions, the company led by Jennifer Lopez and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, has made a number of new hires and internal promotions, we’ve just learned.

Natalie Haack Flores joins as VP of Development having previously worked at Legendary while Kevin Sauer joins Nuyorican as Director of Development, having previously worked at STX.

David Lee Roth New Song Is Dedicated To Eddie Van Halen

 

David Lee Roth has revealed a lofty, acoustic guitar-driven new track that he has dedicated to his longtime bandmate Eddie Van Halen.

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill..." was one of a number of previously-unreleased songs written and recorded by Roth and John 5 circa 2014, with Greg Bissonette playing drums.

Almost a month since Eddie's death, Roth was apparently moved to release the sentimental feeling track along with a message to his longtime collaborator and frenemy embedded in the artwork, "Hey Ed, I'm gonna miss ya'. See you on the other side..."

Beyoncé Covers British Vogue’s December Issue

 

The singer, 39, posed for three covers for British Vogue’s December 2020 issue, on newsstands November 6.

Photographed by 21-year-old Kennedi Carter — the youngest photographer to shoot any British Vogue cover in the magazine’s 104-year history — Bey fronts one issue in a lime-colored Ivy Park look from her latest “Drip 2” collection, including a knit catsuit ($140), organza jacket ($160) and mesh bucket hat.

On the other two covers, the pop superstar wears a sheer Mugler bodysuit and a bold-shouldered Alexander McQueen blazer, sans pants.

“Everyone always wants to know what it’s like to work with Beyoncé and her incredible team, and the answer is… flawless,” British Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enniful wrote about the experience. “A perfectionist to the core, more than anything, she wanted her Vogue moment to be filled with positivity as this trickiest of years draws to a close.”

Tyrese Defends R. Kelly

Tyrese Gibson is out here defending R. Kelly and he doesn’t appear interested in hearing the allegations from numerous alleged victims. R. Kelly is under trial for multiple sex crimes against underage girls. He has not been sentenced yet as the coronavirus pandemic appears to have delayed some of his appearances in court.

Over the weekend, Tyrese joined Fat Joe for a chat on social media. At one point, the topic of R. Kelly came up and Tyrese felt the need to come to the disgraced singer’s defense.