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☆ Drena De Niro says fentanyl killed her son
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Drena De Niro has shared the cause of death for her 19-year-old son. Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, the grandson of Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, recently died after ingesting fentanyl, his mother wrote on social media. “It is with immeasurable shock and sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved son Leo,” Drena De Niro posted Monday in a statement on her verified social media. “Someone sold him fentanyl laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him so for all these people still f**king around selling and buying this sh*t, my son is gone forever,” De Niro wrote in response. “I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo,” Robert De Niro said in a statement to CNN.

Persons: Drena De Niro, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, Oscar, Robert De Niro, Leo, ” Drena De Niro, –, ” De Niro, “, ”, De Niro, ” Robert De Niro, “ We’re, ” Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Maxime ” Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control Locations: “

☆ Robert De Niro’s grandson Leandro dead at 19
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, the grandson of Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, has died, his mother announced on social media. Actress Drena De Niro, Robert De Niro’s daughter, wrote about the loss of her son in a post on Instagram on Sunday. Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was also an actor. He appeared, along with his mother, in the 2018 film “A Star Is Born,” starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. CNN has reached out to representatives for Robert and Drena De Niro for comment.

Persons: CNN — Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, Oscar, Robert De Niro, Drena De Niro, Robert De Niro’s, “, Carlos Rodriguez, Carlos Mare, ”, ” Mare, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Maxime, Robert Organizations: CNN Locations: “

☆ Kylie Minogue’s ‘Padam Padam’ and the Queer Club-Pop Canon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The song defining Pride month this year is Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam,” a thumping tease that’s lightly campy and has taken on outsize importance as a gay nightlife anthem and meme-culture staple. For Minogue, 55 — a bona fide superstar abroad but more of a pop curio here — it’s one of a handful of breakthrough moments that have cemented her embrace among gay listeners. But “Padam Padam” is also part of a longer list of diva anthems — from Lady Gaga, Madonna, and many others — that become, in effect, gay canon. On this week’s Popcast, a conversation about “Padam Padam” and how songs get inscribed into the gay pop canon, Minogue’s not-quite-stardom in the United States, and how a younger generation of pop aspirants like Rina Sawayama and Charli XCX perform their embrace of their gay fans.

Persons: Kylie Minogue’s “, ”, Minogue, Lady Gaga, Madonna, “, Minogue’s, Rina Sawayama, Charli XCX Locations: United States

June 22 (Reuters) - Pop star Kesha on Thursday settled a lawsuit brought by her former producer Dr. Luke, who claimed that she defamed him by accusing him of raping her. Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, denied assaulting Kesha and said it was "time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life." A lawyer for Dr. Luke had no further comment, and a lawyer for Kesha could not immediately be reached for comment. The court also said that Kesha should be allowed to file counterclaims against Dr. Luke for emotional distress, punitive damages and legal fees. In 2014, Kesha sued Dr. Luke and Sony Group's (6758.T) Sony Music in order to get out of her multi-album recording deal, saying the producer had drugged and raped her in 2005.

Persons: Kesha, Luke, Kesha Rose Sebert, Lukasz Gottwald, Dr, Sony Group's, Lady Gaga, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: New, The New, Appeals, Sony, Thomson Locations: The New York, New York

☆ Al Pacino is a new dad again at 83
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —Actor Al Pacino and girlfriend Noor Alfallah have welcomed a baby boy, a representative for Pacino told CNN. Pacino, 83, and Alfallah, 29, a film producer, named their child Roman Pacino. When news broke earlier this month that Pacino was set to become a father again, his friend and fellow actor Robert De Niro, who at 79 welcomed his seventh child last month, shared his excitement. “Go Al, God bless him,” De Niro said. Pacino’s most recent feature film credit was 2021’s “House of Gucci,” in which he played Aldo Gucci opposite Adam Driver and Lady Gaga.

Persons: Al Pacino, Noor Alfallah, Pacino, Roman Pacino, Beverly D’Angelo, Jan Tarrant, Robert De Niro, ” De Niro, Gucci, Aldo Gucci, Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, ” costarring Logan Lerman Organizations: CNN, Amazon

The ruling reverses a mid-level appeals court that said Dr. Luke was a private figure subject to a lower burden of proof because he is not a household name. The court also said a state judge should have allowed Kesha to file counterclaims against Dr. Luke for emotional distress, punitive damages and legal fees. Christine Lepera, a lawyer for Dr. Luke, said she was confident that Kesha's counterclaims would ultimately be rejected. Kesha sued the producer and Sony Music in 2014 seeking to get out of a multi-album recording deal, and Dr. Luke counter-sued her for defamation. A New York state judge ruled against Kesha in 2020 and an appeals court upheld that decision in 2021.

Persons: Lukasz Gottwald, Luke, Adam Lambert, Kesha, Read, Gottwald, Michael Garcia, Kesha Rose Sebert, Christine Lepera, Dr, Lepera, Sebert, Kesha's, Lady Gaga, Daniel Wiessner, Alexia Garamfalvi, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: ASCAP, American Society of Composers, New, Sony Music, Thomson Locations: Hollywood , California, U.S, New York, York, Albany , New York

☆ There's never been a better time for "Vanderpump Rules" stars Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney to open their sandwich shop
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Buzz has never been higher around "Vanderpump Rules" stars Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney. It's the perfect time for them to open their much anticipated sandwich shop, Something About Her. Searches for "something about her sandwich shop menu" spiked 5,000% on Wednesday. "Vanderpump Rules" is pulling series-high ratings, with the first reunion episode garnering 2.7 million more viewers than the show was getting pre-scandal, The Wall Street Journal reported. In the days following the cheating revelation, the pair's restaurants Tom Tom and Schwartz and Sandy's were review-bombed, vandalized, and dealt with canceled reservations.

Persons: Buzz, Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, —, Madix, Maloney, it's, Gaga's, there's, katie, ariana, they'd, Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss, panini, Tom Schwartz, Tom Tom, Schwartz, Sandy's, Addison, Rae, Jeffrey Ten Organizations: Service, Gaga's Haus, Street Journal, Global, Brand, Madix

☆ Opinion | Seeking Cures for Loneliness
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Surgeon General: We Have Become a Lonely Nation. It’s Time to Fix That,” by Vivek H. Murthy (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, April 30):The surgeon general is right to take on the problem of loneliness as a systemic societal ill. However, he didn’t address one of the greatest drivers of loneliness: the design of our built environment. Until we build dense, walkable neighborhoods and invest in public and nonmotorized transportation, we’ll remain isolated by design. To the Editor:The surgeon general reminds us that maintaining our mental health requires more than therapy; it’s important to create social connections and kind relationships.

☆ Angelina Jolie unveils new sustainability-focused fashion venture
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has become the latest celebrity to announce their own fashion brand with the launch of Atelier Jolie. The Oscar-winning actor announced the new fashion venture in a post on Instagram on Wednesday. “I’m starting something new today — a collective where everyone can create,” wrote Jolie. “Atelier Jolie is a place for creative people to collaborate with a skilled and diverse family of expert tailors, pattern makers and artisans from around the world,” she added. From Angelina JolieThe brand also has its own Instagram account, and one post provides further explanation of its purpose.

☆ How TikTok sensation Squishmallows found Warren Buffett
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

May 13 (Reuters) - Squishmallows joined Warren Buffett's business empire two years after Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and others helped make the plush stuffed toys a viral sensation on TikTok. They married in 1993 and embarked on law careers, but Judd Zebersky soon realized that wasn't his destiny. Laura Zebersky, a litigator, sold her practice in 2005 and joined him, becoming Jazwares' president. "This was a brand that needed a lot of love," Judd Zebersky said. "Greg is exactly what we have all learned about the Berkshire model," Laura Zebersky said.

☆ The live volcano sitting below Santorini
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Everywhere you look on Santorini, you’re reminded that you’re on a volcano. Few realize that beneath the hypnotic kaleidoscope of colors lies an active volcano. The East Mediterranean’s most active underwater, and potentially dangerous, volcano, Kolumbo, is five miles northeast of Santorini and part of the same volcanic system. They include a visit to the volcano of Nea Kameni: one of five islands that form the Santorini volcanic complex, and a national geological park in itself. A simmering volcanoTourists can take boat trips to Nea Kameni, home to an active volcano.

☆ Twitter users including Justin Bieber, Bill Gates, and Kim Kardashian are seeing their blue checkmarks disappear as Elon Musk charges $8 a month for verified accounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Kate Duffy | Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter appeared to start removing legacy blue checkmarks from many accounts on Thursday. Some Twitter users are watching their legacy blue checkmarks disappear from their accounts as Elon Musk implements an $8 monthly subscription program. Notable business figures including Bill Gates, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, and "Shark Tank" star Barbara Corcoran no longer showed blue checkmarks on their Twitter accounts Thursday afternoon. The only way users can keep their blue checkmarks is to sign up to Twitter Blue, a subscription program that costs $8 a month. Twitter Blue has sparked controversy since it was rolled out.

☆ Marilyn Minter's 'Elder Sex' depicts radical images of intimacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“There’s so much contempt for elder sex. Marilyn Minter/Courtesy Marilyn Minter & LGDRA handful of the ensuing images were originally published in the New York Times Magazine, accompanying a candid editorial feature about seniors’ sex lives. Minter is now publishing the series in full in the forthcoming book “Elder Sex,” and exhibiting them at New York gallery LGDR. Marilyn Minter/Courtesy of JBE Books & LGDR“We wanted to (include) all races, all types of sex,” Minter explained. What?”Minter hopes "Elder Sex" will serve as a radical body of work and will help normalize sex at older ages.

☆ Blackpink's Jisoo makes solo debut with 'ME'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, March 31 (Reuters) - K-pop group Blackpink's Jisoo became the last member to make a solo debut with her EP "ME" released on Friday. Many meetings and a lot of thought went into her first record, she said, before adding that she was not nervous about her solo debut. Rose and Lisa also made their solo debut in 2021. Earlier this month, the K-pop superstars also became the most-streamed female band on streaming app Spotify, according to Guinness World Records. Their songs had a whopping 8,880,030,049 individual streams, overtaking British pop group Little Mix, Guinness World Records said at that time.

☆ Manhattan DA warns staff they might hear 'fictional explosions' as Lady Gaga films 'Joker' sequel nearby and threats loom over Trump investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg warned his already nervous staff that they might hear "fictional explosions" near their office. The Manhattan office has faced threats amid the hush-money investigation into Donald Trump. There's been crowds of media and police, increased security measures, violent threats, a package of "suspicious white powder," and now, warnings of "fictitious explosions" from a movie shoot. Bragg's warning came after a package with "suspicious white powder" arrived at the address where the grand jury is meeting. "You may see reports about an envelope of white powder that was sent to the office.

☆ French bulldog claims title of top US purebred, dethroning Labrador retriever
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

2 spot the previous year, according to the club, which maintains the largest registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the country. They're great companions, cute and show great affection," said breeder Johnny Danley Jr., of Atlanta. But we sell to blue-collar, 9-to-5 people who want to spend a little for a great companion," Danley said. The breed's rising popularity - and price tag - has led to a surge in French bulldog thefts in recent years, according to the club. The former top dog, the even-tempered Labrador retriever, still has plenty of fans, as it slipped a notch to the No.

☆ On Oscars Carpet, the ‘Naked Dress’ Ruled
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Rory Satran | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Rihanna and red carpet host Ashley Graham in complementary revealing looks on Oscar night. Today’s Naked Dress trend, in full effect at the Oscars and its various celebrations Sunday, is in line with Saint Laurent’s prescient vision of glamorous nudity. On the Academy Awards’s red carpet, the Naked Dress continued its proud, chilly parade with looks such as Eva Longoria’s Zuhair Murad white lace gown and Ashley Graham’s fully sheer black tulle dress with cutouts. To the Vanity Fair Oscars party, Olivia Wilde wore a white Gabriela Hearst column cut away to reveal a leather bra. Rihanna’s custom Alaïa leather dress worn over a sheer jersey bodysuit was a provocative pregnancy twist on the look.

March 9 (Reuters) - Bytedance's TikTok Inc persuaded a federal jury in Los Angeles on Thursday that its Stitch feature does not violate trademark rights belonging to British video-editing company Stitch Editing Ltd. The jury rejected Stitch Editing's argument that TikTok confuses consumers by using the Stitch name to brand the popular social-media platform's technology for "stitching" videos together. It sued in 2021 over TikTok's Stitch technology, which allows users to splice other videos on the platform into their own. Stitch Editing told the court that TikTok's use of "Stitch" gave users the mistaken impression that the companies are affiliated and threatened to drown out its brand. The case is Stitch Editing Ltd v. TikTok Inc, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No.

☆ How ‘RRR’ Created the Most Rollicking Movie Scene of the Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It’s the first song from an Indian film ever nominated for an Academy Award, and it has a good shot at beating numbers from pop heavyweights including Lady Gaga and Rihanna at next Sunday’s Oscars. But despite the addictive chorus and propulsive beat of “Naatu Naatu,” the biggest force behind the song’s success is a dance—a heel-thrusting, suspender-bending, dust-kicking sequence that accompanies the tune in the action epic “RRR.”

☆ Victoria's Secret is resurrecting its famous fashion show in 2023 after a 4-year hiatus and a total brand revamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Victoria's Secret is bringing back its famous runway show this year after a four-year hiatus. The lingerie retailer canceled the show in 2019 after criticism, scandal, and lagging sales. Victoria's Secret has previously said the show would eventually return, but never set a date. Victoria's Secret began airing an annual fashion show beginning in 1995. Consumer tastes had begun to change, shifting away from the push-up bras and sexpot style defined by Victoria's Secret and toward more comfortable bralettes and sports bras.

☆ Fact Check-Rihanna was not wearing a pentagram belt during the Super Bowl halftime show, contrary to online claims her belt was ‘satanic’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pop and R&B superstar Rihanna was wearing a safety harness during her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show. Posts on social media shared a grainy photograph of her outfit and claimed her belt had a pentagram on it, as an ode to satanism. Posts on Twitter (here) and Facebook (here) include blurry images they purport show Rihanna wearing a black buckle with a six-pointed star. Higher definition photographs of the halftime show published by Reuters show that Rihanna’s harness did not have any kind of star on it, but a regular buckle (here) (here). Rihanna was not wearing a pentagram during her halftime show performance.

☆ Pregnant Rihanna lights up Super Bowl stage with 'Diamonds'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 12 (Reuters) - Pop and R&B superstar Rihanna made a grand return to the stage on Sunday, floating high above the Super Bowl field, thrilling the crowd with a fast-paced medley of her hits and revealing that she is pregnant with her second child. It was the 34-year-old Grammy winner's first stage performance in five years. The Hollywood Reporter and other media outlets said a representative for the singer confirmed that Rihanna was indeed pregnant. She concluded her Super Bowl set with "Diamonds" as fireworks lit up the sky around the stadium. Rihanna joined a list of music luminaries who have performed at the Super Bowl, from Lady Gaga to Beyonce, Prince, Madonna and the Rolling Stones.

☆ The Proud Boys crashed my story hour: A drag king recounts a joyful but 'terrifying' showdown at a NYC library
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Proud Boys protested Drag Story Hours on 18 occasions across the US last year, new data shows. 'Oliver H,' a NYC drag king, read to 50 kids during 2022's 'terrifying' but joyful final protest. Outside the library, some three-dozen Proud Boys, neo-Nazis, and religious activists were shouting "groomer!" Drag performer Oliver H prepares for Drag Story Hour at Queens Public Library in Jackson Heights on December 29, 2022. See Insider's interactive US map of what happened each of the 53 times the Proud Boys joined or led anti-LGBTQ+ protests last year.

☆ James Gunn unveils DC's new film and TV plan, including fresh spins on Supergirl, Batman
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In a taped video posted to social media, Gunn outlined nearly a dozen projects that will be part of the DCEU's first new chapter, dubbed "Gods and Monsters." "So as many of you know, DC has been disconnected in film and television for a long time," Gunn said in a video posted on Twitter. "And it's one of our jobs, mine and Peter's, to come in and make sure the DCU is connected in film, television, gaming, and animation that the characters are consistent, played by the same actors and it works within one story." This includes "The Batman – Part II," a follow up film to Matt Reeves' "The Batman." Here is what is coming as part of the next wave of DCEU projects.

☆ Gucci's challenge: reigniting heat while boosting timeless appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

PARIS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Sabato De Sarno, newly appointed by Kering (PRTP.PA) to reinvigorate its prized Gucci brand, needs to spark heat with a new direction, analysts say - a delicate task, given the emphasis executives have also put on the label's timeless appeal. De Sarno, a senior fashion designer from Valentino, is tasked as creative director with reviving the fortunes of the brand that accounted for two-thirds of Kering's profits in 2021. Analysts welcomed Kering's choice of a seasoned but relatively unknown designer, noting that previous creative director Michele did not have a public profile when he was appointed in 2002. His experience at Valentino suggests a "less eccentric aesthetic" than Gucci's previous designer, noted Carole Madjo of Barclays. The designer rose through Valentino's ranks after his arrival in 2009 to become fashion director overseeing both the men's and women's collections, working closely with chief designer Pierpaolo Piccioli.

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