Entertainment News
Cannabis Could Help Treat COVID-19, New Study Finds
Has Mike Tyson’s ritual of smoking $40,000 worth of weed every month been strengthening his immune system against the coronavirus pandemic? Probably not… but maybe! According to a new study by researchers at the University of Lethbridge, using cannabis could help treat COVID-19 by blocking coronavirus cells from entering the human body. This non-peer-reviewed, pre-clinincal study, titled “In Search of Preventative Strategies: Novel Anti-Inflammatory High-CBD Cannabis Sativa Extracts Modulate ACE2 Expression in COVID-19 Gateway Tissues”, was published in the peer journal Preprints in May. Lethbridge researchers began looking into a correlation between the two for a partnership between their university, pharmaceutical research company Pathway RX, and cannabinoid-based oral health compan...
Lana Del Rey Announces New Album, Rejects Critics Who Say She “Glamorizes Abuse”
Lana Del Rey has been teasing a spoken word record for the last few months, but apparently she has even more up her sleeve. In an Instagram post early Thursday, she announced she will release a new album on September 5th, the follow-up to last year’s stellar Norman Fucking Rockwell!. Del Rey also appeared to shade major pop stars of color like Beyoncé and Cardi B in a lengthy discussion about the glamorization of abuse and feminism’s place in pop music. Del Rey’s social media post was predominantly focused on rejecting the criticisms that her music glamorizes abuse. “I’m fed up with female writers and alt singers saying that I glamorize abuse when in reality I’m just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent abusive relationships all ov...
Christopher Nolan, Edgar Wright, Rian Johnson, and Karyn Kusama Surprise NYU Graduates Over Zoom
Who spoke at your graduation? Probably not Christopher Nolan, Edgar Wright, Rian Johnson, or Karyn Kusama. Well, that was a reality for this year’s graduating class of Cinema Studies majors at New York University. As IndieWire reports, the acclaimed auteurs all surprised the budding filmmakers with kudos as they head out into … eh, reality. Ever the realistic, Wright cut right to the chase of said reality: “I know this has been a long, hard journey to get here and I know you’d all love to celebrate with each other, and I’m sorry you cant do that, but this is still a milestone in your lives and you should all be very, very proud of yourselves for what you’ve done.” The Baby Driver filmmaker contended, “If it makes you feel any better, I never got to graduate either because I never went to f...
Guns N’ Roses Launch “Not in This Lifetime Selects” Concert Streaming Series: Watch
Having just postponed their summer North American tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Guns N’ Roses are offering an alternative “live experience” for fans. The band has launched a new streaming series, dubbed “Not in This Lifetime Selects”, showing pro-shot footage from their mega-successful tour. The “Not in This Lifetime Tour” kicked off in 2016, with Slash and Duff McKagan rejoining Axl Rose in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band. Over a four-year period, the extensive trek has earned $563 million, making it one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. The streaming series starts Thursday (May 21st) with select highlights from the band’s October 29th, 2019 show at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. That gig saw GN’R play 25 songs, including seven from their iconic d...
Christopher Nolan Unleashes New Tenet Trailer: Watch
Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. are insistent on getting Tenet into theaters — COVID be damned. To keep the hype machine going, they’ve unleashed a new trailer — which debuted live on Fortnite — that has us salivating for the time-warping thriller. Like the first preview that dropped in December, this latest trailer offers more eye candy and even more proof that this is, indeed, the “most ambitious film” Nolan has ever made. We’re still fuzzy on what the hell exactly is going on, but we know we want more. Once again, the film centers around a spy played by John David Washington, who’s been tasked with preventing World War III. Only it’s not nuclear holocaust he’s trying to stop — it’s someone with the ability to manipulate time in a very unique, mind-bending way. Editors’ Pic...
Sylvester Stallone to Host Rocky Watch Party Screening
“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Those words feel particularly relevant in 2020, which makes it the perfect time to revisit the start of the Rocky Balboa story — and you can do it with Philly’s Finest himself. Today, Sylvester Stallone will be hosting a livestream screening of Rocky on Facebook. To launch Creative Artists Agency’s (CAA) new weekly series “Screening Room with the Stars”, Stallone will be on hand to watch the 1976 classic with fans. The initiative will see a new film stream every Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT on the movies’ respective studio’s Facebook page, so Rocky will be screened on MGM’s page. Next week will find screenwriter and star Nia Vardalos hosting a viewing of My Big Fat Greek ...
HAIM Drop Groovy New Song “Don’t Wanna”: Stream
HAIM have dropped a new bop for summer playlists everywhere. “Don’t Wanna” is the latest single from their upcoming third album, Women In Music Pt. III. Listen in below. While today’s offering has a groovy bit of sun and pep in its step, ultimately it’s about trying to save a failing relationship. “Well we both had nights/ Waking up in strangers’ beds/ But I don’t wanna, don’t wanna/ I don’t want to give up yet,” sings Danielle Haim. The HAIM frontwoman also produced the track with assistance from Rostam Batmanglij and Ariel Rechtshaid. The highly-anticipated Women In Music Pt. III was initially slated for release in April, but was pushed back to June 26th due to the coronavirus pandemic. Still, the three-piece band has been busy promoting the record, having previously shared “I Know Alone...
Meskerem Mees Is Not Your Average “Joe” on Her Debut Single: Stream
You may not know Belgium-based singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees just yet, but she’s ready to charm you with a formal first impression. At least that’s the plan for her debut single, “Joe”, which she’s released today along with an accompanying music video. Mees is a 20-year-old indie folk artist with Ethiopian roots. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a gentle, scratchy voice, she whisks up music akin to Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling, and Jade Bird in a modest but nurturing style. After stealing the spotlight at local live shows in Europe, she’s finally begun making moves to formally record and release her music. That’s where “Joe” comes in. With a soothing, strolling guitar melody, Mees tells the story of a wandering man who won the protagonist over when she was just a teenager. The narrative...
This Face Mask Sums Up What Every Music Fan is Thinking Now
For all intents and purposes, the 2020 concert calendar has been wiped clear by the coronavirus, with most every major tour and festival having either been canceled or postponed. While concert promoters are experimenting ways to present live music, such as concert drive-ins and audience-less livestreams, it’s unlikely we’ll find ourselves together in a crowded space until at least 2021 (and even that may be ambitious). In other words, we’ll see you in the pit… eventually. Available now in packs of two, four, and six, this “See You in the Pit… Eventually!” is one of four designs available as part of a capsule of specialty designed face masks supporting Consequence of Sound, an independently owned company, and MusiCares’ COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund. The mask is reusable and washable, made in...
Davido, Tiwa Savage & Mr Eazi Cover Latest Billboard Edition
An Overview: Davido, Tiwa Savage & Mr Eazi Cover Latest Billboard Edition Global Nigerian superstars Davido, Tiwa Savage, and Mr Eazi are recently covered on Billboard. In a piece published today, the three artists are interviewed about the global prospects of the music coming out of Africa, African artists, and in general, the look of today’s music scene. Especially in Nigeria, a country that has led the export of indigenous sound globally, with artists like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Rema, and the trio of Davido, Mr Eazi, and Tiwa Savage, enjoying great success outside the shores, even as work still remains to be done, to enable African creators eat as large as they deserve from these tables. Tiwa Savage, not new to international acclaim and ...
Local Natives Team with Sylvan Esso for New Version of “Dark Days”: Stream
Local Natives (photo by Jonathan Chu) and Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath (photo by Shervin Lainez) Way back in March — when bands were still able to perform for live audiences — Local Natives debuted a new version of their song “Dark Days” featuring Sylvan Esso’s Amealia Meath on Kimmel. Today, they’ve shared the studio version of the indie collaboration. The update of the track from 2016’s Sunlit Youth finds Meath adding a brand new verse that, as Local Natives puts it, “taps into the nostalgia and the longing we all feel for a different time.” The new take was mixed by Spike Stent, known for his work with Madonna and Björk. “It was a joy to dip into summertime with Local Natives,” Meath said of working with the band. “‘Dark Days’ is a beautiful illustration of being youn...
DevilDriver Announce New Double Album, Unleash Single “Keep Away From Me”: Stream
DevilDriver have announced the release of a new album, Dealing With Demons I, due out this fall. The LP will be the first of a two-part double album, with the second one to follow at a later date. In advance of the release, the band has unveiled the single, “Keep Away From Me”. Aptly titled for the current times, “Keep Away from Me” has an anthemic quality as people social distance during the coronavirus pandemic. Serving as the album opener, the song touts a groove-laden, mathematic technicality and a passionate vocal delivery from frontman Dez Fafara. The video is rooted in the pandemic as well, featuring news footage with phrases like “censoring freedoms of speech” and “truth missing” flashing across the screen, a la The X-Files intro sequence. It’s an ominous way to begin the doub...
