Understanding The Jennifer Lopez Documentary “Halftime” At Tribeca Festival

 

The Jennifer Lopez documentary “Halftime” is kicking off the 21st Tribeca Festival on Wednesday, launching the annual New York event with an intimate behind-the-scenes portrait of the singer-actor filmed during the tumultuous year she turned 50, co-headlined the Super Bowl and narrowly missed out on an Oscar nomination.

The star-studded, musical premiere at the United Palace in Washington Heights serves as an appropriate opener for the Tribeca Festival, which has jettisoned “Film” from its name to better reflect the wide array of concerts, talks, television premieres, podcasts and virtual reality exhibits that increasingly fill its busy live-event schedule alongside movies.

New Movie Studio And Condos

A big movie-making project just reached blockbuster status. The Los Angeles-based production company behind “Iron Man 2,” “The Avengers” and the next three “Avatar” films has been chosen to manage the Atlanta Media Campus in Norcross. It’s a 114-acre development.

A-Rod & J.Lo Photoshoot At Biden’s Inauguration

 

The stars are coming out for the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.

Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will be at the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

So will former New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and his fiancée Jennifer Lopez. Lopez arrived in D.C. on Thursday and showed her appreciation for the troops.

How a Hustler From Brooklyn Became a Billionaire

 

Jay-Z has long been known as one of the greatest rappers of all time, but now he’s known even more for his business acumen and massive wealth. Forbes recently named him Hip-Hop’s first billionaire, and with his diverse portfolio of investments, business ventures, and personal assets, it’s not hard to believe.

Despite the fact that it may seem like Jay-Z earned all of his wealth overnight, it was actually a long process that was decades in the making. Many people know the man, but few know the story.

The Las Vegas Shakeup

When the Hakkasan Group launched its flagship Las Vegas club and restaurant at the MGM Grand in 2013, its executives hinted at something more to come. The company had just opened the doors at a $100 million dollar, 80,000 square-foot facility–the largest of its kind in North America—but CEO Neil Moffitt cautioned that it was just the beginning for the hospitality brand.

Since then, Hakkasan Group has negotiated a series of global partnerships and acquisitions, the largest of which may be a deal for a Las Vegas competitor that would alter the nightlife landscape of Sin City. According to multiple sources, Hakkasan is set to acquire Morgans Hotel Group’s stake in Light Group, the operator of Vegas nightclubs including Light and 1 Oak.

While the final purchase price is unclear, those familiar with the negotiations suggested that the deal could be valued at more than $40 million in cash and debt, with Hakkasan taking control of about 20 restaurants and clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami. Hakkasan would be buying Morgans’ 90% stake in Light Group, which the New York-based hospitality company bought in late 2011 for $46.5 million in cash and debt.

Those familiar with the deal said that negotiations between the two companies have gone on for months as Hakkasan continues its aggressive expansion strategy.  Earlier this year, the company bought San Diego-based Enlightened Hospitality Group, which operates Southern California fine dining restaurants, and partnered with MGM Resorts MGM -1.78% to build non-gaming hotels in a joint venture known as MGM Hakkasan Hospitality.

Multiple sources also confirmed that Hakkasan had made inquiries to buy out nightlife operator Tao Group, whose venues include Vegas’ Marquee Nightclub and New York’s Marquee. Those inquiries were made earlier this year, but never led to substantial negotiations, said those close to the companies.

By purchasing Light Group, Hakkasan will consolidate the crowded nightlife industry and absorb one of the newer venues to open on the Las Vegas strip. Located inside the MGM-owned Mandalay Bay, Light Nightclub opened in May 2013 and was set up to compete with Hakkasan’s behemoth venue, which launched in April of that year.

Since debuting its Vegas venue, Hakkasan Group, whose ownership can be traced back to Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has continued to establish itself as a major player in Sin City entertainment. The company will also add to its Vegas portfolio with the opening of the 75,000-square foot Omnia at Caesars Palace in the spring of 2015.

If Hakkasan is able to complete its deal for Light, the hospitality firm may own three of the largest nightclubs by the time of Omnia’s opening next year. It would also presumably take over Light’s smaller properties and restaurants, including Japanese eatery Yellowtail and Bellagio-based club, The Bank. One person close to the negotiations noted that, as part of the deal, Hakkasan would be committing money toward the future improvement of current venues and the development of new properties.

I.K.P. - Magic Ft Swanny River

Emcee/spoken word artist/producer I.K.P. (Infamous King of Positivity) presents "MAGiC!", his new single produced by Swanny River from In Positivity We Trust: I.K.P. 4 President, Pt. 2, out now. Born in the East New York section of Brooklyn, New York and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, I.K.P. is a rapper and head of Reigning Positivity Music as well as a veteran of the U.S. Marines.

Jaheim or Lyfe Jennings?

I was an instant fan of both R&B artist when they had there debut. While Jahiem made good loves songs, Lyfe Jennings hit fans with ghetto love songs that had a new touch.

Fans Favorites is now asking music lovers which of the two artist would you rate higher than the other? Which R&B singer had the best hits?

 When Jaheim was 15, he entered one of African-American music's famous talent competitions—the Apollo Theater in New York's Harlem neighborhood.

He was signed by Naughty by Nature's Kaygee to Divine Mill Records in 2000, and released his debut album Ghetto Love in 2001.

 After his release in late 2002, Lyfe Jennings first album, released in 2004, was "Lyfe 268-192," borrowing his inmate number for the title. He eventually moved to New York and later Atlanta.

Who would you name as your top? Comment below and let us know. Read more articles below!

Should R. Kelly Still Be Named King Of R&B?

Jeremih Or Jacquees

R. Kelly Pleads Not Guilty

R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to a set of federal sex-trafficking charges leveraged against him in New York in mid-March, including those that he knowingly spread herpes to two people. He entered the plea via teleconference from a Chicago federal jail on Thursday.

As the coronavirus pandemic has escalated, Kelly has requested early release from prison twice, and was most recently denied on April 22. Kelly was indicted on multiple state and federal sex-abuse charges in New York, Illinois, and Minnesota last year. He has so far pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

Phil Jackson Talks Knicks

The +New York Knicks has a new spokes person! Phil Jackson doesn’t want anyone to blame Derek Fisher, because he’s been holding things together throughout adversity , but the organization now has their sites on free agency and attracting top-flight talent to improve.

“This is a mea culpa. I take responsibility for it. Obviously I didn’t do the right thing in picking the group of guys that were here. A lot of it was etched in stone, we had guys with guaranteed contracts. But in anticipating that we were going to better, that we were giving hope to our fans that maybe there’s a possible playoff opportunity here, you know, that goes on me. We now have to take responsibility and move forward and make things happen, that also goes on me. Now I have to do the job that I was brought here to do.

The fans, I want them to leave Derek alone in this regard. He’s doing the best job possible. It’s not his fault.

We’re all worried about the fact that money is not going to just be able to buy you necessary talent. You’re going to have to have places where people want to come and play,” said Jackson, who signed a five-year contract worth a reported $60 million last March to serve as team president. “But I do think that New York situation holds a high regard in players and agents that have contacted us. We have no lack of agents that have contacted us for their players. We still think that we have a really good chance to develop a team.”

Will Kanye West Surpass Jay-Z?

For the better part of hip-hop’s existence, it was solely considered a genre of music. We now recognize the larger cultural movement surrounding the New York-bred art form as a leading force driving growth in fashion, entertainment, food and beverage, and technology. As a result, the top 10 highest earners of 2019 on Forbes’ annual list of hip-hop’s richest account for a staggering $633,500,000 in combined earnings. And for the first time in his career, Kanye West ($150 million) has outpaced the rest of his competitors to take the top spot — leapfrogging JAY-Z by $69 million.

It was certainly a banner year for West, especially considering he claimed to be $56 million in debt just over three years ago. While earning the top spot is certainly noteworthy, his income jumped dramatically between 2018 and 2019, accounting for a net increase of $122,500,000. Although the entire industry had a great year — with the top 20 acts’ revenue increasing by 33 percent since 2018 — the huge financial increase poses an interesting question: with an album on the way, YEEZY accounting for $1.5 billion in annual sales, and a track record of exploring radical projects, will Kanye West be joining JAY-Z in the billionaire’s club?

Spotify Now Searching For Female Podcasters @Spotify

Spotify sees a clear market opportunity when it comes to this new space for content creation. Even with the success of the show, a recent study showed that only 22% of podcasts are hosted by women, and the number’s even smaller when it comes to women of color. Spotify wants to change that.

Famous Dex Ft King Tucka - Shooters New York

Famous Dex has been nothing, if not consistent this year as he continues to crank out new music videos. This latest one is for "Shooters New York" featuring King Tucka.

Kai-Way - Proud @KaiWay99

Atlanta-based wordsmith, musician and storyteller Kai-Way makes crafty music that blends the beat-centric groove of old-school New York City hip-hop, the poetic flow and clever rhymes of west coast rap and the smooth soul of R&B.

Thieves Steal $6 Million

A building worker explained the likelihood of the robbery being an inside job to The Post. “It’s weird to me that they randomly tried that floor in the building. How would somebody know to come here? That’s real fishy,” the building worker said. “It definitely seems like an inside job. The timing is weird too.” Another building worker said the robbers might have had someone leave the freight entrance open for them since it could only be accessed with a key. The store was not being guarded at the time of the heist. The store’s owner is currently in India and hasn’t publicly commented on the manner as of Tuesday.

Three burglars took advantage of mass police distraction on New Year's Eve and were able to lift over $6 million in jewelry from a 36th Avenue New York City store.

NY Law enforcement told the New York Post that the heist taking place at midnight was intentional. Just as the ball dropped in Times Square, the three men wearing hoodies and masks ripped off Greg Ruth, a commercial jewelry store known for its yellow and pink diamonds. One of the robbers faces can be seen in the surveillance footage. Police believe the heist was an inside job and surmised that the robbers entered the store through a freight entrance. Jewels including 18-karat gold bracelets, earrings and emeralds were taken from safes that the burglars appeared to have known the combination to or had left open for them from someone on the inside. The safes were temporary for the jeweler who had planned to acquire a more secure vault sometime in the near future.

The Insane Lifestyle of Paul Stanley

 

Paul Stanley is an American singer, songwriter and painter, best known for being the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's highest-charting hits.

He lives in Beverly Hills with his wife Erin and their 3 children; Emily, Sarah and Colin. Paul's oldest son Evan is a music major graduate of the Tisch Music Program at NYU.

Kiss is an American rock and roll band that has a net worth of $300 million. Kiss formed in New York City, New York in January 1973. The band is known for their face paint stage outfits, as well as their elaborate live performances.

Be On The Look-Out For Fake Marijuana

25 people has been hospitalized in New York from what police suspect was synthetic marijuana. Among those hospitalized, 15 people were treated at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull in Brooklyn. As of Sunday morning, about half of them had been released and the others were in the emergency room “under observation.”

Kanye West Announces Two New Albums @kanyewest

In the middle of a long series of Tweets that will make up a philosophy “book” that Kanye West announced that he’s writing on Twitter, the MC casually mentioned on Thursday that he’s dropping not one, but two new albums next month.

Joe McKnight Shot And Killed

Ronald Gasser and McKnight's vehicle were stopped side-by-side at an intersection where they reportedly got into an argument. A witness told the Times-Picayune that she saw a man yelling at another man, who was trying to apologize. McKnight was shot multiple times. The witness added that the shooter shot McKnight, stood over him and said, "I told you don't f*** with me."  He then fired again.

“At approximately 2:43 p.m. today we received a call of a shooting that occurred here at Holmes and Behrman Highway,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said. “Our officers arrived on the scene and immediately began giving CPR to an individual who was shot, lying on the ground, with EMS and others assisting at this location."

McKnight died of his wounds; he was just 28-years old. Normand says Gasser stayed at the scene and gave his gun to responding officers. Gasser was taken into custody and is being questioned. Sheriff's spokesman Col. John Fortunato says they're anticipating charging Gasser, but it's unclear what he will be charged with.

McKnight is a native of Kenner, Louisiana, and a former John Curtis High School football standout. He played for the University of Southern California, the New York Jets, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

McKnight is the second NFL player this year to die as a result of a possible road-rage incident. The trial is set to begin Monday for Cardell Hayes, who's accused of shooting and killing former New Orleans Saint Will Smith, as well as shooting and injuring his wife in the Garden District in April after a traffic crash and subsequent altercation.

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Inside The Mind Of The Underground King of Hip Hop (Part 1)

The underground music scene is wide open right now as the music industry is evolving into it's next phase. Every since the days of Myspace.com and Google+, ways for unsigned artist has changed dramatically.

The Wrap-Up Magazine.com conducted a interview with one of the biggest underground pr's Gansta Marcus of Lima, Ohio to hear his thoughts on how emerging artist are changing the entertainment  industry.

New YEEZY Basketball Shoe Banned

Kanye West is expected to debut his first-ever Yeezy basketball sneaker on the feet of Adidas athletes during the upcoming NBA season. But the league office would ban the current version of the sneaker on court because of its gleaming, reflective-material heel, according to industry sources.

While the monochromatic sneakers won’t violate the league’s footwear color restrictions, the issue is the reflective “3M” heel panel, which the NBA would find potentially distracting for both in-arena spectators and television viewers.

Carmelo Anthony faced a similar issue with the metallic chrome heel of his Jordan M10 signature sneakers while playing for the New York Knicks. He later wore an updated version with a matte paint finish.

Players are no longer required to wear shoes matching their team’s uniform colors, but the league still has an approval process for new silhouettes from brands in advance of the season.

According to Christopher Arena, the NBA’s vice president of identity, outfitting and equipment, companies will typically submit sneakers for the first half of the season by early August, with shoes scheduled to be worn after the All-Star break required for approval by early December.

While the league office has yet to receive and formally review the new Yeezy basketball shoe in person, the version shared online by West would not be permitted on court as is, according to a source. Alternative versions of the sneaker that don’t incorporate the reflective material would likely be approved.

The league has banned or issued warnings for several sneakers in its history, most famously Michael Jordan’s black and red Nike Air Jordan 1 sneaker in 1985. Nike almost instantly turned the buzz around the Bulls star’s banished debut sneakers into a marketing campaign, vaulting the signature series into rare air and sparking the dawn of collectible-sneaker culture. Three decades later, the Jordan Brand has become its own fully fledged subsidiary of the Nike Inc. company, with annual revenues topping $3 billion.

In a recent post on his @KanyeWest Instagram, the Chicago native explained that his Yeezy basketball shoe has been in development for over three years and undergone nearly 300 sample updates.

The new model is expected to finally make its much-anticipated debut during the 2018-19 season, with Adidas non-signature athletes like Donovan Mitchell, Brandon Ingram, John Wall, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Nick Young potentially wearing the shoe in early 2019. Retail release dates and a finalized price point have yet to be determined.

Earlier Monday, during an interview with paparazzi in Los Angeles, West discussed his long-term vision for his collaborative brand with Adidas and his eventual goal to bring the manufacturing of his sneaker line stateside.

“The Yeezys will be made in America,” he said. “We’re putting a factory in Chicago.”