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Madison Square Garden Entertainment’s earnings for the quarter ended June 30 showed the beginning of a long climb out of the pandemic shutdown.
Quarterly revenues for MSGE’s fiscal 2021 fourth quarter totaled $99.8 million, up from $9.0 million in the same period in 2020, according to the company’s earnings report filed Monday (Aug. 23). Adjusted operating loss was $70.0 million, up from a $103.5 million loss a year earlier. (Adjusting the 2020 operating loss removes a one-time impairment to Tao Hospitality of $105.8 million at the pandemic’s onset.)
Investors welcomed the improvement that exceeded the consensus revenue of $71.5 million, according to FactSet (per MarketWatch). Shares of MSGE rose 8.7% to $67.87 on Monday morning, after hitting a 52-week low of $60.26 last Thursday.
Full-year results show a broader effect of the pandemic: for the 12 months ended June 30, total revenues fell 76% from the fiscal year prior, from $762.9 million to $180.4 million. Despite the last quarter’s improvement, the entertainment division’s revenues dropped 86% from $585.2 million to $82.3 million over the same period.
The entertainment division — which houses such venues as Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall — improved its revenues to $31.1 million from $8.6 million, showing the concert business improved but was far from the $174 million it grossed in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2019 before COVID-19. MSGE’s Tao Hospitality Group, a collection of restaurants and entertainment venues, had quarterly revenues of $69.7 million, up from $1.3 million in the prior year period. Tao’s April 27th acquisition of Hakkasan Group accounted for $27.6 million of the group’s revenues.
MSGE’s acquisition of MSG Networks, a regional sports network that broadcasts sports teams in MSG Sports’ portfolio (New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Liberty), closed on July 9, 2021, and was not counted in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter financials. MSG Networks had total revenue of $166.1 million in the quarter, up 9% from the prior-year period.
On Monday afternoon, Tory Lanez (né Daystar Peterson) appeared in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, where a judge ordered him to pay $250,000 bail after the rapper violated a protective order that requires him to stay at least 100 yards away from Megan Thee Stallion.
The judge increased the sum from a previous amount of $190,000.
During the hearing, Lanez spoke briefly to greet judge Keith H. Borjon and again to swiftly apologize for his actions.
The penalty comes nearly one month after Lanez made a surprise appearance at the Rolling Loud Miami festival on July 25, in which he joined DaBaby onstage to perform — moments after Megan Thee Stallion delivered her set. For Lanez, attending and performing at the event was in violation of the protective order he was issued in October, which mandated that he stay at least 100 yards away from Megan at all times.
At one point in court, the judge revealed that he was going to issue Lanez a court-ordered tracking device. But the rapper’s attorney, Shawn Holley, helped prevent the measure by giving a series of arguments. She said, “It was a unique circumstance, errors in judgement were made, but this can easily be prevented from happening again.” She went on to say, “If [Tory’s] intention was to harass or intimidate [Megan Thee Stallion], she would have known he was there at the time. He would have seen her and she would have seen him … He went there for a legitimate purpose as far as his artistry is concerned .. to perform a song, a part of a song.”
Prosecutor Kathy Ta however, did not agree with Holley. She argued that Lanez’s appearance at Rolling Loud was not situational and that he went out of his way to violate his orders. “I don’t think music festivals are unique, I think if anything, they happen rather frequently,” she said. “This was not a situational circumstance. The share amount of effort it required [for Tory] to get to this venue and do everything that he did, I think that speaks volumes about his conduct. It wasn’t by chance and it wasn’t a situational situation, it was by design.”
Though Lanez was not detained because he could post bail, the judge warned that he would be remanded if he comes near Megan again. He also noted that Lanez is “really fortunate” to be in the position to be able to post bail and avoid detainment.
“You’re facing years in prison, over 22 years in prison,” Judge Borjon said. “They could have filed an additional charge based on violating the protective order because that’s a violation of law as well. You do not want to be doing things like this sir. You have the means and the where with all and a lot of smart people around you to advise you as to how you should be conducting your life so we don’t have to have hearings like this.”
Lanez is due back in court on Sept. 2.
According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, the rapper was charged on Thursday (Oct. 8) with one felony count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm – personal use of a firearm – and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. He also faces a gun allegation and that he personally inflicted great bodily injury. If convicted, he faces a maximum state prison sentence of 22 years and eight months. Lanez allegedly shot Megan Thee Stallion in July 2020 after the pair had an argument.
R. Kelly’s sex trafficking trial – which includes accusations of bribery, kidnapping and forced labor – continued on Monday (Aug. 23) at the Eastern District of New York courthouse in Brooklyn.
Taking the witness stand on Monday was Jane Doe #5, who was involved with the R&B hitmaker for five years. She first met Kelly in 2015 when she was 17 years old, attending one of his shows in Orlando with her parents. A member of his entourage gave her a wristband so she could watch the show from the pit and have access to the backstage meet and greet. “[He sang] a lot of his songs to me and showed me a lot of attention,” she testified. Before she left, she said someone from his entourage gave her a piece of paper that read “Rob” and had a cell phone number on it and told her not to tell anyone about it.
An invite from Kelly to audition for him as a singer followed. She met up with him a few days after the show, initially telling him she was 18 despite being 17. During the “audition,” Jane Doe # 5 says Kelly sexually pursued her, eventually coercing her into receiving oral sex, and promised to “take care of [her] for life.”
After this initial one-on-one, Kelly’s assistant, Cheryl Mack, allegedly booked a number of plane tickets for Jane Doe #5, despite knowing her age, to visit Kelly throughout his tour stops. When they first had sex, it was without protection and the R&B singer did not disclose his STD. She soon began staying at his home in Atlanta, where he continued laying down rules, demanding she get permission from Kelly or an assistant before leaving a room, calling him “daddy,” making her urinate in a cup and directing her on what to wear.
Jane Doe #5 testified he and Kelly had sex almost every day during the summer of 2015, and he made recordings of their sexual encounters “almost immediately.” She described one particular incident to the court that involved Kelly sexually humiliating her in front of his stylist. She first realized she had contracted herpes from him in Connecticut when she was 17; “I couldn’t physically even walk,” she said of the pain. “I felt this man had purposely given me something he knew he had,” she said between tears.
After making her delete her social media accounts, he allegedly presented her with even more rules, which included, “Stop defending myself” and “tell daddy [the defendant] one thing I appreciate about him.” On Sept. 19, 2015, Kelly and Jane Doe #5 received a letter of consent from her mother allowing the 17-year-old to live with Kelly and be home schooled with him in Chicago. This came after the defendant allegedly slapped Jane Doe #5 with an open palm when she revealed her age to him at a park in Chicago.
She testified that the defendant recorded them having sex at various tour stops he had her flown out to, a potential violation of the Mann Act, which makes it a felony to transport “any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose” over state lines. In Oct. 2015, Jane Doe #5 believed she was pregnant. “He wanted me to get an abortion so I would keep my body tight,” she said. “He expressed to me that if I had been any other age, he would’ve wanted to start a family.” (While she did not turn out to be pregnant, Jane Doe #5 did, in fact, become pregnant by the defendant in 2017 and had an abortion, orchestrated by his assistant, under pressure from him.)
While living in a house with several other women also involved in sexual relationships with the defendant, she was introduced to “chastisings”: “He would spank me [if I didn’t follow rules].” In one instance, she bought a clothing item that wasn’t to his size specifications and was left in a room for three-to-four days until she apologized. The door wasn’t locked but she said she feared repercussions, as she had seen him “drag [other live-in women] by their hair,” throw shoes at them and hit them.
She also testified he mentioned his marriage to Aaliyah multiple times. When one of his live-in girlfriends asked why he married the late singer when she was 15, Kelly responded that Aaliyah found out she was pregnant by him, and as a minor, he had to marry her to accompany her to get an abortion.
Jane Doe #5 testified that Kelly had his girlfriends write multiple letters to “exploit us to protect him,” instructing them to write apologies for stealing from him and write about being molested by their family members, all of which was untrue. One of his live-in girlfriends, known as “Juice,” would check the signatures on the letters to make sure they matched the signatures on their government IDs, after which Kelly would give the letters to his attorneys. Jane Doe #5 was also involved in video “punishments,” which included him directing her to describe a false incident of her father molesting her, which she did on camera after he had her in tears from more than a dozen open-handed spankings. He also made her eat feces and pretend to enjoy it as a “punishment”; initially displeased with her on-camera enthusiasm, he asked her to re-shoot it, which she refused.
Jane Doe #5’s testimony follows several days of similar testimonies from other women.
Kelly was arrested more than two years ago and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted on all counts, he faces 10 years to life in prison.
Reporting by Neena Rouhani.
Billie Eilish’s blond hair just got shorter than ever, and she definitely got it from her mama.
The Happier Than Ever singer took to her Instagram Story on Monday (Aug. 23) to show off her cropped look in the car, while also revealing her inspiration. Eilish posted two black-and-white pictures of her mother Maggie Baird from back in the day, and the resemblance between mother and daughter is uncanny.
Eilish’s latest project Happier Than Ever is currently spending its third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and it’s leading an all-female top three on the albums chart for the first time in over a decade. The Nos. 2 and 3 spots are occupied by Doja Cat’s Planet Her and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour, respectively.
Eilish will soon debut her Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles “cinematic concert experience,” which is due Sept. 3 on Disney+. She’ll perform the album top-to-bottom at the Hollywood Bowl while being accompanied by her brother Finneas on bass guitar and conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
See Eilish’s cropped locks below, or watch her Instagram Story starting here.
AmericanaFest has revealed updated health and safety guidelines for this year’s festival, which is slated for Sept. 22-25 at several venues in Nashville.
According to the new protocols, all festival attendees are required to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry to any of the festival’s events, including concerts and panels. Proof of full vaccination must show a final dose at least 14 days prior to Sept. 22, while a negative COVID-19 test must be within 72 hours to enter any of the official AmericanaFest-produced events. Masks are encouraged for indoor events, regardless of vaccination status.
“The safety of our community including attendees, artists, speakers, partners, volunteers and staff for AmericanaFest 2021 and the Americana Honors & Awards is our top priority,” the organizers of AmericanaFest said in a statement.
This year, 240 artists are slated to showcase during AmericanaFest, among them Brandy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Lilly Hiatt, Waylon Payne, Allison Russell and more.
The updated protocols come as several Nashville venues have decided to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry, including the 5 Spot, Exit/In, City Winery Nashville, The Bluebird Café, the Cannery Ballroom, Mercy Lounge and the High Watt.
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