The daily gossip: Tina Turner dies at 83, Taylor Swift announces new edition of 'Midnights,' and more
Today's top entertainment and celebrity news
- 1. 'Queen of Rock 'n' Roll' Tina Turner dies at 83
- 2. Taylor Swift announces new edition of 'Midnights' featuring Ice Spice and more Lana Del Rey
- 3. Margot Robbie gave Ryan Gosling a 'pink present' every day while filming 'Barbie'
- 4. Rapper Fetty Wap sentenced to 6 years in prison
- 5. Max enrages guilds by crediting writers and directors as 'creators'
1. 'Queen of Rock 'n' Roll' Tina Turner dies at 83
Tina Turner, the trailblazing "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" and one of the most iconic singers of all time, has died. She was 83. Turner's representative confirmed to The Guardian that the singer died "peacefully" at home near Switzerland on Wednesday after "a long illness." She was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016. "With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model," the representative said. Turner's most memorable songs included "What's Love Got to Do with It," and she won eight Grammys throughout her career. In 2021, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist after already making it in with Ike Turner. "Tina Turner was an icon," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, calling her death a "massive loss to the communities that loved her and certainly to the music industry." She was simply the best.
2. Taylor Swift announces new edition of 'Midnights' featuring Ice Spice and more Lana Del Rey
How many more hours are there left in the day, Taylor? Taylor Swift has announced another new version of her album "Midnights" titled "Midnights (Til Dawn Edition)." This deluxe album will include a new version of "Karma" featuring Ice Spice, who Swift praised as "incredible" and "THE ONE to watch." Their song will drop tomorrow at, well, midnight. The "Til Dawn Edition" will also include "Hits Different," a song previously only available in a Target exclusive. Plus, after fans complained that Lana Del Rey was barely present on the original version of "Snow on the Beach," Swift said "Lana and I went back into the studio specifically to record more Lana on" the song. Because the woman refuses to sleep, Swift is also selling a special edition CD at her East Rutherford shows featuring a never before heard song called "You're Losing Me." Call us when the 2 p.m. nap edition is out.
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3. Margot Robbie gave Ryan Gosling a 'pink present' every day while filming 'Barbie'
Like Jared Leto, Margot Robbie gave her co-star gifts as part of the acting process, though hers were less revolting. Ryan Gosling told Vogue his "Barbie" co-star helped him get into character as Ken by leaving him "a pink present with a pink bow, from Barbie to Ken, every day while we were filming." These gifts "were all beach-related," such as "puka shells, or a sign that says 'Pray for surf,'" as Ken's "job is just beach." So Gosling suggested Robbie was "trying to help Ken understand, through these gifts that she was giving." That, or she had more junk left over from a garage sale than expected. Other nuggets from the Vogue interview included that Gal Gadot was considered for the film and that writer and director Greta Gerwig wrote an "abstract poem" about Barbie, which "shares some similarities with the Apostles' Creed." Your 2024 Best Director Oscar winner, ladies and gentlemen.
4. Rapper Fetty Wap sentenced to 6 years in prison
Fetty Wap will be waking up behind bars for the foreseeable future, as the rapper has been sentenced to six years in prison and five years of post-release supervision for drug trafficking conspiracy. Prosecutors said Fetty Wap, whose real name is William Junior Maxwell II, was part of an organization that distributed "more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey" between June 2019 and June 2020. The rapper "was a kilogram-level redistributor for the trafficking organization," according to the DOJ. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine, and he was facing a minimum sentence of five years. According to the New York Times, Maxwell apologized in court, telling the judge, "I only ever wanted to help my family. I never asked myself if it was all-the-way right."
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5. Max enrages guilds by crediting writers and directors as 'creators'
As far as launch weeks go, Max's could be going better. The streaming service formerly known as HBO Max faced backlash from writers and directors on Wednesday over a tweak to the way credits are displayed on the new platform. They're now listed in a section simply labeled "creators," which just has a bunch of names thrown together with no indication of who is the writer or director. In a strongly worded statement, the president of the Directors Guild of America called this a "grave insult to our members and our union," while the Writers Guild of America West warned it's not only "disrespectful and insulting," but a "credits violation." Max has already apologized, vowing to "correct the credits" while claiming this was just a "mistake" due to "an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max." Don't you hate it when you accidentally hit the button that gives Steven Spielberg the same job title as PewDiePie?
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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