Will Smith Resigns From Academy After Chris Rock Oscars Slap

Will Smith, in the wake of slapping Chris Rock at Sunday’s Oscars, has decided to resign from the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said he was heartbroken and would accept all consequences for his conduct.

“My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said in the statement. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.”

Earlier this week, the Academy began disciplinary action against Smith after a meeting of its board of governors, and issued a statement saying Smith was asked to leave the show following the slap but that he refused. The statement didn’t provide details, but also acknowledged that the Academy “could have handled the situation differently.”

Rock was presenting best documentary feature at the 2022 Oscars on Sunday when he made a G.I. Jane joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has a shaved head (the actress has alopecia). Smith later went on to win the best actor award for his performance in King Richard.

Smith’s resignation means he can no longer vote for the Oscars — but he can still be nominated for future Academy Awards, attend future ceremonies and keep the statue he won. But the Academy’s formal review will continue.

“We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,” the Academy said in a statement. “We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

/by

Jerrod Carmichael Shares Personal Coming-Out Story on HBO Special ‘Rothaniel’

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael publicly shares that he is gay in his new HBO special Rothaniel, premiering Friday night (April 1).

In Rothaniel, the comedian, who is set to host Saturday Night Live this weekend, details coming out while sharing stories about his family history, including one that recalled the moment he caught his father cheating on his mother and the feelings that came with holding on to that secret.

“I don’t know if I would’ve said anything if I had the courage because I only saw this secret as something that could’ve torn our family apart,” he says, adding that he later made his father tell his mother the truth. Reflecting on the event made Carmichael share the internal conflicts he was left to confront.

“Once that was done, I was left alone feeling like a liar, because I had a secret,” he says. “One that I kept from my mother and my father, my family, my friends, and you, all of you. Professionally, personally. And the secret is that I’m gay.”

After taking a moment to pause, the audience erupts into cheers, leaving Carmichael to express his gratitude. “It means a lot. I’m accepting the love, I really appreciate the love. My kind of ego wants to rebel against it,” he says.

“I rebelled against it my whole life. I never thought I’d come out. I didn’t think I’d ever, ever come out,” he explains. “Probably at many points I thought I’d rather die than confront the truth of that, to actually say it to people. Because I know it changes some people’s perceptions of me. I can’t control that.”

Carmichael later reflects on coming out to his friends, even sharing his best friend’s comical reaction in which he said he “felt like he was tricked into having a gay best friend.”

Later on, he reflects on his family’s reactions including his brother and parents, admitting that he “hid it” from his mom because he “was afraid that her reaction would be to just go inside with it.” He recalls his mom telling him, “I can’t go against Jesus” and says she has since been “trying to accept it.”

In a teaser released ahead of the special, Carmichael said he wanted to focus the conversation on secrets: “I’ve been trying to be very honest because my whole life was shrouded in secrets and figured the only route I haven’t tried was the truth.”

Rothaniel was taped in February at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. Bo Burnham directed while Carmichael, Burnham, Eli Bush, ​​Matthew Vaughan and Josh Senior executive produced.

It marks Carmichael’s third HBO stand-up comedy special, having made his HBO debut in 2014 with Jerrod Carmichael: Love at the Store. The special was followed by Jerrod Carmichael: 8 in 2017. In 2019, Carmichael premiered the two-part video diary Home Videos and Sermon on the Mount on HBO.

Rothaniel debuts on HBO on Friday night at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

/by

Big spender? Here are 10 areas in Miami-Dade County with priciest apartment rents

Renters are still willing to drop plenty of dinero to live in Miami-Dade County’s priciest enclaves. With financial and technology company expansions, wealthy transplants continue to drive up apartment prices … Click to Continue »
/by

19-year-old charged with having over 100 files of child porn, Hollywood police say

A Hollywood teenager downloaded over 100 files of child pornography, police said. He’s now in cuffs. Daniel Saul Durocher, 19, was charged with five counts of possessing and viewing depictions … Click to Continue »
/by

Two Miami-Dade brush fires rage on opposite sides of Krome Avenue, burning 7,100 acres

Continuing dry weather conditions have sparked another brush fire in west Miami-Dade County, burning nearly 6,500 acres of a conservation area, according to the Florida Forest Service. Officials are monitoring … Click to Continue »
/by

Which U.S. airports have the longest wait times? The top two are in South Florida

Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport have the two longest wait times for security and passport control among the nation’s largest airports, according to a survey examining Transportation … Click to Continue »
/by

Hugs are coming back to Disneyland: ‘My inner child is so happy’

Hugs from Mickey, high-fives from Pluto and autographs by Mulan — a part of the Disney experience suspended by the pandemic — are coming back. The Walt Disney Co. announced … Click to Continue »
/by

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek to Be Deposed in Eminem Copyright Infringement Suit

A federal judge says Spotify CEO Daniel Ek must sit for depositions in a copyright lawsuit over Eminem’s music, rejecting the streamer’s arguments that he’s not personally involved in “day-to-day” licensing operations or that he’s too busy to participate in the case.

Spotify claimed that Ek had little information to offer about the lawsuit and that Eight Mile Style was trying to drag him into a deposition simply to “harass and annoy” him. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery S. Frensley ruled Thursday (March 31) that the executive would need to find the time.

“Undoubtedly Mr. Ek has a full schedule [and] the Court credits Spotify’s assertion that he is very busy indeed,” Judge Frensley wrote. “Yet, the issue of proper licensing relationships with the artists whose work comprises the entirety of Spotify’s business and its sole product is surely also a matter of importance to Spotify, worthy of some of Mr. Ek’s time and attention.”

The ruling came in a copyright lawsuit filed by Eight Mile Style in 2019 that claimed Spotify had streamed Eminem’s music “billions of times” without obtaining the proper mechanical licenses. The 2018 passage of the Music Modernization Act was designed to fix that problem, but Eight Mile Style said the company had essentially ignored the law’s requirements and was still on the hook for infringement.

Ahead of Thursday’s ruling, Spotify had sought a so-called protective order that would have shielded Ek from facing a deposition. The company’s attorneys argued he was not “directly involved in Spotify’s day-to-day licensing practices, let alone its U.S. mechanical-licensing practices in particular.” And the streamer said a top-level executive should not be drawn into a court case without very good reason, because it imposes a heavy burden on someone who “leads a corporate entity with a global reach.”

But Judge Frensley didn’t buy it: “The Court is inclined to agree with plaintiffs that ‘Mr. Ek’s entire argument for burden is, essentially, that he is busy.’”

The judge did conceded some points. In order to “minimize the likely annoyance to Mr. Ek and the disruption of his schedule,” Judge Frenlsey said that Ek could be deposed for no more than 3 hours. And the hearing will take place remotely.

A trial is currently scheduled for September 2023. It’s unclear when Ek will be deposed.

Spotify did not respond to immediate request for comment.

/by

Fans Thank Harry Styles for the ‘Instant Serotonin Boost’ of ‘As It Was’: ‘I’m Alive But I’m Dead’

Ahead of the May 20 release of his third album, Harry’s House, Harry Styles released “As It Was,” the first song and video from the new album, on Thursday (March 31) — and fans are in their feelings.

The Stylers took to Twitter en masse to share their love for the jubilant song with the uber-personal lyrics. “If you ever need an instant serotonin boost, just listen to Harry Styles #asitwas,” one fan tweeted, while another thanked the pop star for the “free therapy.”

The “As It Was” video shows Styles walking through the world in a baggy red overcoat only to shed the oversize jacket for a two-piece red spandex set once he’s inside that lets him be his true self. Fans are reading into Styles’ sartorial choices in the video, suggesting: “The different versions of him in front of people and alone/ with people he loves and trusts. he covers himself up completely in public but he strips down all his clothes and shoes, his true self in private. In public it’s what’s expected out of him it’s a facade.” Another Twitter user simply says the video “is about losing one’s self, finding one’s self and embracing the change.”

It remains to be seen if the synth-pop “As It Was” is a sign of things to come from Harry’s House or a stand-alone sound. For now, Harry’s fans are happy with what they hear.

Watch the video and see some of the best fan reactions to “As It Was” below:

/by

All the Grammy Album of the Year Winners That Were Released Right Under the Wire

If Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love for Sale wins the Grammy for album of the year on Sunday (April 3), the two stars need to really thank the Recording Academy, which decided the album could compete this year.

The album’s eligibility was in question. The collection of Cole Porter songs was released in some configurations — including cassettes — on Sept. 30, 2021, the last day of eligibility for the 64th annual Grammy Awards. The album was released in all other configurations on Oct. 1. The Academy decided to treat Sept. 30 as its day of release.

The last album of the year winner that was released on the last day of the eligibility year was Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind, which won the 1997 award. (Apparently, legends like to cut it close!)

Eight times in Grammy history, an album that was released in the final month of the eligibility year wound up winning album of the year. Here’s a full list:

1958: Henry Mancini’s The Music From Peter Gunn

Release date: By all accounts, this album was released in January 1959. The last date of the Grammy eligibility year was Dec. 31, 1958. (This was the first and only time the Grammys used a calendar year as their eligibility year.) A 1995 RCA box set of Mancini’s most memorable works, The Days of Wine and Roses, lists the album’s release date as “1/59.” So what’s the story? The Academy may have bent the rules to let the album compete, not even knowing if the awards would make it to a second year. Or it may have just been a gaffe. This was decades before the Internet made double-checking facts easy.

About the album: This was the first and only TV soundtrack to win album of the year. The album beat two classic Frank Sinatra releases, Come Fly With Me and Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely. Sinatra was not pleased. Fortunately, he was nominated again the following year with Come Dance With Me!. This time he won. Phew!

1962: Vaughn Meader’s The First Family

Release date: The album was released in November 1962; the eligibility year ended on Nov. 30.

About the album: This was the second comedy album in three years to win album of the year; the first that dealt in political humor. The album gently tweaked (by current comedy standards) John F. Kennedy and his family. JFK was assassinated in Dallas a little more than six months after this was named album of the year.

1975: Paul Simon’s Still Crazy After All These Years

Release date: Simon’s album was released on Oct. 6, 1975, nine days before the end of the eligibility year.

About the album: This was Simon’s first solo album to take the top award. Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water had won the award five years earlier.

1976: Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life

Release date:  This classic double album was released on Sept. 28, 1976, two days before the end of the eligibility year.

About the album: This was Wonder’s third consecutive studio album to win the award, following Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale. No one else has ever done that, though Adele could equal the feat if she wins at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in January 2023. (Just keep it in mind…)

1997: Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind

Release date: The album was released on Sept. 30, 1997, the last day of the eligibility year.

About the album: This was the first (and is still the only) Dylan album to win album of the year. (Better late than never!) Dylan had won an album of the year trophy as one of many artists on The Concert for Bangla Desh, the 1972 winner, but George Harrison was the lead artist on that album. Time Out of Mind won a second award as best contemporary folk album.

2003: OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Release date: The double album was released on Sept. 23, 2003, one week before the end of the eligibility year.

About the album: This was the second hip-hop album to win album of the year, following Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It’s also the most recent one to win. Speakerboxxx won a second award as best rap album.

2007: Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters

Release date: The album was released on Sept. 25, 2007, five days before the end of the eligibility year.

About the album: This was the second jazz album to win album of the year, following Stan Getz and João Gilberto’s Getz/Gilberto. That 1964 album included the global bossa nova smash “The Girl from Ipanema.” River: The Joni Letters won a second award as best contemporary jazz album.

2012: Mumford & Sons’ Babel

Release date: The album was released on Sept. 21, 2012, nine days before the end of the eligibility year.

About the album: Babel won album of the year, even though it lost in its “genre album” category, best Americana album, to Bonnie Raitt’s Slipstream. Babel was the second album in three years to win the top award without winning its genre album award. Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, the 2010 album of the year winner, lost best alternative music album to The Black Keys’ Brothers. I guess if you’re going to win one and lose one, you’d want to win the big one.

/by