In 2018, United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats played a pivotal role in getting a referendum passed to boost teacher pay and school safety — standing alongside former Miami-Dade … Click to Continue »
Ganja could soon be coming to a Florida gas station near you — in a new initiative to bring the hotly debated psychoactive flower buds to a larger audience. No, … Click to Continue »
NEW YORK — Former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is expected to be called to testify as a defense witness in the trial of Colony Capital LLC founder Tom Barrack on … Click to Continue »
In 2007, Miami-Dade county officials created the goal to increase the county’s tree canopy coverage to 30% by 2020. A tree canopy cover is the percent of a given land … Click to Continue »
Justin Timberlake took to Instagram on Wednesday (Oct. 19) to celebrate 10 years of marriage with Jessica Biel — and to the pop superstar: “10 years ain’t enough!”
“You make me a better husband and father every day!” he wrote in the sweet caption. “I love you so much you beautiful human! Run it back!”
Timberlake shared a carousel of seven photos and videos with his wife, starting with a pic from the beginning of their relationship followed by a photo from just earlier this month, when the couple took part in the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 2022 Gala.
He also included a clip of the couple sharing a noodle Lady and the Tramp-style and a panoramic video “on top of the world” after reaching the peak of a mountain together.
Timberlake and Biel began dating in 2007 and were married on Oct. 19, 2012, in Fasano, Italy. They have two children together, both boys: 7-year-old Silas and 2-year-old Phineas.
Biel shared Timberlake’s tribute on her own Instagram Story, adding “10 years” with a red heart emoji.
Many of the couple’s famous friends chimed in with their own anniversary well-wishes, including Miguel, who wrote, “Big love to you guys ! Happy anniversary !” Quincy Jones commented with a heart emoji, while Biel’s Seventh Heaven sister Beverley Mitchell wrote, “Love you guys! Happy Anniversary to one of my favorite couples!”
See Timberlake’s post below:
IVE, a rising girl group known as being “complete” from the time of its debut and now hailed as the “wannabe icons of the Gen MZers,” are now leading the contemporary K-pop scene.
The six members of IVE are: Yujin (19, former leader of IZ*ONE), Wonyoung (18, another popular former IZ*ONE member), Gaeul (20), Liz (17), Leeseo (15), and Rei (18, hailing from Japan). The name of the group is the contraction of “I have” and is based on the concept of showing what “I have” to the audience with confidence. Confidence is the key word of the group.
As the first group to launch after IZ*ONE’s disbandment, IVE attracted much attention from before its debut. When the girls released their debut single “ELEVEN” in Dec. 2021, it became a smash hit overnight. The six members give a captivating and graceful performance over exotic melodies for this number, and the accompanying music video showcases the girls’ beauty as well as the quality of their confident performance throughout, from the choreography to facial expressions led by the two experienced members. The group’s first album launched with 150,000 copies, the most among all acts that debuted in South Korea in 2021, and the single went on to win first place on music shows in the country 13 times. IVE is now one of the leading acts of the so-called fourth generation girl groups, following ITZY and aespa.
IVE has proven that its hype isn’t temporary. The group has released three singles — “ELEVEN,” “LOVE DIVE” (Apr. 2022), and “After LIKE” (Aug. 2022) — that have all become the group’s signature songs after recording long-running hits in South Korea and abroad. All three tracks are currently charting on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 dated Oct. 5, with “After LIKE” at No. 23 (peak position: No. 13), “ELEVEN” at No. 71 (No. 16), and “LOVE DIVE” at No. 79 (No. 8). 15 of the 100 songs on the list are K-pop, including three each by BTS and TWICE, and two by BLACKPINK, so IVE’s achievement is remarkable considering that the group hasn’t officially debuted in the country yet.
Over on Billboard U.S.A.’s Global 200 list, “ELEVEN” charted for ten weeks after peaking at No. 68, “LOVE DIVE” for 26 weeks (No. 15), and “After LIKE” for 5 weeks (No. 20), all consecutively. In particular, the ongoing record for “LOVE DIVE” is the longest streak for any K-pop song released this year.
Why is IVE achieving such amazing results globally? The first reason is the outstanding quality of their music. The three songs released so far can be described as being captivating, mysterious, and sentimental, respectively, each displaying a different side of the group without limiting it to a single color. Additionally, while the instrumentation and vocals for each song have been meticulously arranged, each features a simple structure — first verse, second verse, chorus, last chorus — familiar to K-pop and J-pop listeners, making them easy to listen to for the group’s core fanbase.
Each of IVE’s songs have distinctive points. In the debut song “ELEVEN,” there’s a bridge leading up to the chorus after the quietly beating first and second verses, in which Rei and Leeseo take turns singing “I didn’t know that my heart was so colorful” in the Korean version and “It’s a colorful suggestion from this point on” in the Japanese. This part where the girls slow down to belt out this line is one of a kind and fans love to sing along when the song is performed live.
“LOVE DIVE” was composed by creators from outside the girls’ native countries, and is a stylish number with a simple, bold rhythm and a deeply reverberated chorus refrain that radiates a sense of mystery. In the latter half of the song, a breath-like voice repeats “hold your breath and LOVE DIVE,” building up to the drop that sonically expresses the concept of “diving into love” through the dreamy sound.
In contrast, “After LIKE” is a danceable pop-house track, sampling Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 hit “I Will Survive” in the interlude. The song gives an EDM twist to the disco sound from the ‘70s and ‘80s, creating a nostalgic, sentimental feel that has led to the track’s popularity among older audiences. The lyrics feature clever wordplay that seem to express the way Gen Zers enjoy romantic relationships. While the members often perform with cool expressions on their faces, they are all smiles in the music video accompanying this song, again showcasing the breadth of their performance as a group.
While IVE’s music shows such wide range, the group’s dance is consistent in that it mostly features elegant choreography that makes the most of the curves of the body. The dancers’ upper body snakes from the waist up and their hand gestures also often ripple from the arms to fingertips. Even “After LIKE,” IVE’s cutest song so far, brims with the group’s signature grace. What’s more, the height of all six members average 169 cm (5’6) — Wonyoung is the tallest at 173 cm (5’8) — so this aspect is another feature that makes their dancing stand out.
All the songs feature lyrics about girls with high self-esteem heading straight into love. “ELEVEN” depicts how a girl’s heart becomes saturated with fantastical colors when she falls in love. In “LOVE DIVE,” she encourages her love interest to make the first move, to “jump in without fear if you dare to love,” and in “After LOVE,” she honestly expresses her feelings: “I don’t just like you, what’s ‘After LIKE’?” The protagonists in every song have inner strength, but the way they struggle with love is endearing. IVE’s way of expressing a girl’s crush is to display a confidence from within, rather than making an appeal through strong words and sounds.
Thus, the sonic variety of the group’s songs, the consistent stance of the protagonists depicted in the lyrics, the girls’ outstanding dance performances and their absolute good looks generate synergy that is powering the group’s skyrocketing popularity.
This year alone, 16 K-pop girl groups have debuted by the end of September. Among the particularly strong lineup of newcomers, IVE is considered a strong contender for Newcomer of the Year awards in its home country. The girls are set to debut in Japan on the 19th with the Japanese version of “ELEVEN,” taking the next step towards global recognition.
–This article by Maho Kakei first appeared on Billboard Japan
Gloria Gaynor had an enduring hit with the disco anthem “I Will Survive.” The two-time Grammy Award winner won’t survive in The Masked Singer competition any longer, after she was let go Wednesday (Oct. 19) in another double unmasking.
Fox’s quirky hit show slid back onto our TV sets after skipping last week when a rain delay caused the baseball playoffs to spill over.
There were thrills and spills aplenty this time, as the contestants celebrated “Andrew Lloyd Webber Night.” The British king of musicals was on hand to watch all the action, which saw Maize and Mermaid unmasked.
After performing “Heaven On Their Minds,” Maize accumulated the fewest number of votes and was sent packing. He lifted his helmet to reveal Mario Cantone, the actor, comedian and singer.
Mermaid performed “Any Dream Will Do,” then entered into a battle with “Robo Girl” on “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita.
One had to go, and Mermaid was sunk.
Under the mask was singing star Gaynor, whose signature song “I Will Survive” logged three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979.
“You are one of the greatest singers of our generation,” Lloyd Webber told the 79-year-old New Jersey native after the big reveal.
And why did Gaynor come on board? “I’ve been watching it, it just looked like so much fun,” she explained. “I said, ‘yeah, I gotta do this.’”
Earlier, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger returned to Cats with a performance of “Memory.” Scherzinger made the song her own when she joined the cast for the 2014 West End revival of Cats, in which she played Grizabella and received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for best actress in a supporting role.
Gaynor and Cantone join Daymond John (Fortune Teller) and the “Brady boys” Mike Lookinland, Barry Williams and Christopher Knight (Mummies), Montell Jordan (Panther), Jeff Dunham (Pi-Rat), Chris Kirkpatrick (Hummingbird), Eric Idle (Hedgehog) and William Shatner (Knight) as the celebrities eliminated from the current season of The Masked Singer.
Season 8 of TMS rings in the changes, with several big tweaks to its format.
For the first time, each episode features a completely new round of masked celebs with only one contestant moving forward by the end of the hour. Plus, the audience votes in-studio for their favorite performance of the night, and the singer with the lowest tally will then unmask in the middle of the show before taking his or her place in the new Masked Singer VIP section to watch the rest of the episode.
While K-pop stars have risen to newfound worldwide fame in the last decade, major players in the esports world are not too far behind in larger recognition, as made clear by a new collaboration.
“Last Man Standing” is a new theme song crafted by K-pop super-producer Raiden, boy band The Boyz and T1, the South Korean esports organization with multiple world-champion titles for the massively popular, online multiplayer battle game League of Legends. The track follows up T1’s first foray into K-pop music with Raiden last year via “Runner,” which featured EXO member Baekhyun and Korean rapper Changmo. The collaboration will boost support as T1 competes in the League of Legends World Championship (also known as Worlds) that kicked off in September in Mexico City, which will hold its quarterfinals on Oct. 20 in New York City, ahead of the finals in November in San Francisco. Lil Nas X was tapped to record the official anthem for the overall League of Legend Worlds.
“Coming back as an executive producer for T1’s 2022 theme song ‘Last Man Standing,’ I feel more confident than ever,” Raiden tells Billboard. “I imagined this song to be ringing in everyone’s ears as we march for the Worlds trophy. In our music video, we worked with ILLUMIN, a very talented creative director, on a message ‘speaking through light.’ We captured The Boyz, T1 players and myself as the last men standing in saving the world. It is very cinematic and I’m happy that The Boyz were just as passionate as I was in delivering this song both vocally and on set.”
Produced by Raiden and co-written by The Boyz member Sunwoo, “Last Man Standing” is described as a culmination of creative admiration among the different artists. “We shared a lot of ideas together, so this is truly a collaborative project,” Raiden adds. “Sunwoo is such an amazing songwriter and a rapper—it was a pleasure being able to work with him creatively as well.” Billboard can also share exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and reflections from those involved.
“I’m a big fan of T1 so it’s a dream to be able to deliver their 2022 Worlds theme song,” Sunwoo says of the track he helped co-write. “I think this song fits T1 and players very well. It has a majestic twist to it. What an experience—I’d love to play and learn the game from them more. Looking forward to reuniting!”
Meanwhile, T1 leader Faker adds that “It was great working with Raiden again after ‘Runner’ and I hope that the fans enjoy the music video for our theme song ‘Last Man Standing’ and cheer us on during Worlds 2022.”
Raiden, T1 players and members of The Boyz were all on hand to shoot the music video shoot for “Last Man Standing” where The Boyz gifted the gamers a signed copy of their latest album Be Aware featuring their summer hit “Whisper.”
“It was a very astonishing and cool experience to be at the shoot and a part of the same project with Raiden and T1 players,” The Boyz’s Jacob shares of the collaboration. “Personally, I am a big fan of League of Legends and T1 of course. ‘Last Man Standing’ is an amazing song!” Juyeon echoes the sentiment: “It was such a fun experience to shoot with Faker, Oner and Gumayusi, and sing their anthem. I will always cheer for T1 and their result for Worlds championship 2022.”
Even in the recording process, The Boyz leader Sangyeon says they envisioned the song helping the League of Legends champs. “I recorded this song, hoping that our voice could help empower T1 and their endeavor for Worlds championship. I could not be happier with the final product. I hope for their best results at Worlds. This project united The Boyz, T1 and Raiden into one and I want to spread a joyful message to everyone through this amazing song.”
Plus, many of The Boyz members also follow T1.
“As a T1 fan, I hope for T1’s great results in their journey at T1 and onwards,” Younghoon says. “It’s an honor to be a part of this project.” And Hyunjae says, “this song fits T1 like no other—it sounds heroic and powerful. I will always be T1’s fan.”
The Boyz’s Kevin calls the collaboration “an honor,” member New called it “amazing,” while Q describes it as a “cool tune with a majestic edge to it.”
But Ju Haknyeon may sum up things best by saying, “This is a project with the world’s best team T1, and global DJ artist Raiden, it’s an honor to have all of us together for one song,” before adding a cheering message of his own: “Let’s go, T1! Let’s take on Worlds!”
Watch the music video for “Last Man Standing” below:
Cardi B didn’t hold back when she took the witness stand Wednesday (Oct. 19) in a lawsuit claiming her sexually-suggestive album cover left a man “humiliated,” repeatedly sparring with an opposing attorney, requesting “receipts” and claiming her accuser is “harassing” her in hopes of scoring a settlement.
The rapper’s testimony came in an unusual case filed by Kevin Brophy, a California man who claims parts of his back tattoo was unwittingly photoshopped onto the cover of Cardi’s 2016 mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1 to make it look like he was performing oral sex on the now-superstar.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Cardi and Brophy’s attorney, A. Barry Cappello, battled repeatedly. At two different points during their sparring, the judge dismissed the jurors from the courtroom to calm the bickering down. On the second dismissal, things got so heated that the judge told Cappello he had “totally crossed the line,” and even threatened to declare a mistrial after jurors had left the courtroom.
Earlier in the day, Brophy’s attorneys said they had sent the star a cease-and-desist seeking to have the image removed – prompting Cardi to fire back that the case was really about money, not changes to an album cover.
“This is not about taking anything down. Y’all have been harassing me for $5 million,” the star said to Cappello. Cardi later noted that the mixtape did not even earn that much, and her cut was even less.
The star also took exception to the suggestion that Brophy’s image on the cover had somehow contributed to her meteoric success over the past decade – a key part of his legal case against her. She said she had been “working my ass off [for] two kids” and that it’s “really insulting to me as a woman that a man is claiming responsibility.”
Released in 2016, the cover image of Gangsta Bitch certainly raised eyebrows. In it, the then-rising star is seen taking a swig of a large beer, staring directly into the camera with her legs spread wide and holding a man’s head while he appears to perform oral sex on her.
The actual man in the image was a model who had consented to the shoot, but a giant tattoo on the man’s back belonged to Brophy. Unbeknownst to Cardi, a freelance graphic designer had typed “back tattoos” into Google Image, found one that fit (Brophy’s), and Photoshopped it onto the model’s body. It apparently didn’t occur to him that he would need anyone’s approval to do so.
Brophy sued in 2017 for millions in damages, claiming he was “devastated, humiliated and embarrassed” by the cover. He says Cardi and others violated his so-called right of publicity by using his likeness without his consent, and also violated his right to privacy by casting him in a “false light” that was “highly offensive.”
Cardi’s legal team has argued those accusations are “sheer fantasy” and “vastly overblown” – and that Brophy is just suing her in an effort to “cash in the legal equivalent of a lotto ticket.” Her legal team says nobody would have recognized a relatively unknown man based merely on his back, and that he has little proof anyone did.
The trial kicked off on Tuesday, when Brophy testified that Cardi’s “raunchy” image had caused severe stress on his life. He called it a “complete slap in the face” that had caused him “hurt and shame.”
But at Wednesday’s hearing, Cardi pointed out from the witness stand that the model in the image was “a Black man that’s fit” who has hair. Brophy is white with a shaved head.
“It’s not Mr. Brophy’s back. It doesn’t look like Mr. Brophy at all,” she told Cappello. “There has been not one receipt he has provided in the court claiming, ‘Hey, that’s you on Cardi’s mixtape.’”
Wednesday’s proceedings also featured testimony by Brophy himself and his wife, as well as Cardi’s former manager Klenord “Shaft” Raphael. Testimony will continue on Thursday, with a verdict expected on Friday.
The 911 call is painful to hear: Miami Only Fans model Courtney Clenney, over the sound of a barking dog, frantically summons help as her boyfriend lays mortally wounded, a … Click to Continue »
