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Megan Thee Stallion & Jonas Brothers Cancel Jingle Ball Atlanta After Crew Members Test Positive for COVID-19

“I’m extremely disappointed to let my hotties down,” the rapper tweeted.

Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage during weekend two, day one of the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park on October 08, 2021 in Austin, Texas.Rick Kern/WireImage

Megan Thee Stallion and the Jonas Brothers have canceled their appearances at the Power 96.1 Jingle Ball in Atlanta on Thursday (Dec. 16) after members of their teams tested positive for COVID-19.

The sibling trio announced Thursday morning on social media that an unspecified member of their production crew tested positive for coronavirus, and that they would not be performing at the show, which is taking place at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.

“We are extremely disappointed that we can’t be there with our fans in Atlanta,” the Jonas Brothers wrote on their Instagram Story.

Megan Thee Stallion also shared on Thursday evening that she was pulling out of Atlanta’s Jingle Ball after members of her team were exposed to COVID. “While I tested negative today, I’m not feeling well, and as a safety precaution, I won’t be able to perform at Jingle Ball in Atlanta,” the rapper tweeted. “I’m extremely disappointed to let my hotties down. Hoping to feel better tomorrow.”

The remaining acts on Thursday’s lineup include Black Eyed Peas, Big Time Rush, Tate McRae, Monsta X, Bazzi, Dixie D’Amelio and Tai Verdes.

Since late November, the 2021 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour has made stops in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. The final show is scheduled for Sunday (Dec. 19) at the FLA Live near Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.

The news comes on the heels of other positive COVID cases hitting musicians, including Doja Cat, who shared earlier this week that she was pulling out of the remainder of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour after testing positive for the virus. Lil Nas X and Coldplay were also forced to drop off the U.K.’s annual Jingle Ball in recent days after unspecified members of their teams tested positive.

See Megan Thee Stallion’s cancellation tweet below and the Jonas Brothers’ announcement here

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George Floyd Murder Trial Starts

Ex-Police Officer Derek Chauvin Shows His Face In Court To Fight Murder Charges

george

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd, appeared in court for his first day of trial and is attempting to argue he did nothing wrong in an effort to avoid a prison sentence. 

The highly anticipated trial started off with an intense showdown between prosecutors and Chauvin’s legal team. The prosecutors started by presenting their arguments to the jury. 

Prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell argued the former police officer committed homicide during Floyd’s arrest. He said the footage from the scene lays it out clear to anyone who views it. 

Blackwell spoke of the viral video of Floyd’s murder that led to worldwide protests demanding police reform. 

He spoke to the jury members telling them, “You can believe your eyes, that it’s a homicide. You can believe your eyes. You’ll be able to hear his voice get deeper and heavier his words further apart, his respiration is more shallow. You’ll see him when he goes unconscious, and you’ll be able to see the uncontrollable shaking he’s doing when he’s not breathing anymore.”

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, said his client did nothing wrong. He told the jury the ex-officer “did exactly what he had been trained to do.”

He added, “The use of force is not attractive, but it is a necessary component of policing.

The trial will resume tomorrow. Behind the scenes, prosecutors and Chauvin’s lawyers went at it over evidence before the trial started.

  According to court documents obtained by Radar, the prosecutors demanded the court grant their motion to “exclude any characterization of George Floyd’s subjective, internal motivations.” 

The motion read, “In particular, both sides should be permitted to state that, based on MPD policy and his training, Defendant should have (or not) perceived Mr. Floyd to be unable to comply due to a medical condition, a behavioral crisis, or the influence of drug or alcohol use.” 

derek

The incident that resulted in Floyd’s death went down on May 25, 2020. The Minneapolis Police originally responded to an alleged forgery in progress. Floyd was accused of buying a pack of cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. 

The officers arrived at the scene and found Floyd sitting with two other men in a parked car. Officer Thomas Lane pulled his gun on Floyd and ordered him to show his hands. 

The body camera footage reportedly shows Floyd being cooperative with officers at the start and apologizing to the police as they approached him. Two officers placed Floyd in handcuffs. 

As the officers attempted to place Floyd into the police car there was a scuffle between the parties. At some point, Chauvin entered the picture and forcefully slammed Floyd to the ground, and placed his knee on his neck. 

The autopsy noted his knee was on Floyd’s neck for over 8 minutes.

Video from the scene showed Floyd pleading “I can’t breathe” as four officers did nothing. The other officer, Tou Thao, was seen scolding bystanders and telling them to back off while they cried for Floyd to be helped. 

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Two other officers, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, were involved in the arrest but not seen in the video.

All four officers were fired following Floyd’s death. Chauvin was arrested and is facing charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. The three other officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao, and Thomas K. Lane, have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

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Kid Cudi Talks Mental Health & Drug Use On Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red Table Talk”

Confronting Mental IllnessJada reveals her struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. Grammy-winning rapper Kid Cudi joins the Table and talks about his mental health problems and battle with addiction.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Kid Cudi stopped by Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk to discuss his mental health issues and battle with drugs. After Pinkett Smith opened up about her own struggles, the veteran actress brought out Cudi for a revealing conversation about his troubles.

Cudi spoke about dealing with depression, which he said was exacerbated by his fame. The multi-platinum artist noted that he felt a tremendous amount of pressure to live up to the lofty standards projected on him by fans and industry players alike.

Later on, Cudi delved into his drug use. The “Day ‘n Nite” creator said he secretly used cocaine, which is why it flew under the radar for so long.

“It was a very private thing,” he explained. “I was dealing with my shit alone. I never did drugs around a bunch of people.”

Cudi said he was good at keeping his drug abuse hidden, even from his close friends.

“I really went out my way to keep what I was going through hidden because I was ashamed,” he stated. “I think that’s why I quit the first time because I got arrested then everybody knew about it. But I didn’t quit for the right reasons. I didn’t quit because it wasn’t good for me.”

He continued, “I was really worried, and I kinda like had that moment where I was just like, ‘Do I really wanna get back on drugs and do cocaine again? Do I really wanna go back on this journey at 32?’ I woke up one morning, and I was just thinking like, ‘Man, this isn’t healthy. And I don’t know what else to do but get some help and find some place I can go.’ And I found a place.”

Cudi gave fans some positive news when he announced he’d been off cocaine for two years. He also had a special moment with one of the show’s production assistants, who tattooed lyrics from Cudi’s “Ghost!” on his arm.

Check out the entire episode of Red Table Talk above.

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Whitney Houston Was Molested

It’s been nearly two months since the new documentary Whitney debuted at Cannes on May 16, making public a shocking claim that the late superstar was molested as a child by Dee Dee Warwick, her cousin and Dionne Warwick’s sister.

Now Whitney’s mother Cissy Houston is breaking her silence on the painful allegation. In this week’s PEOPLE cover story she speaks out for the first time, on behalf of herself and niece Dionne Warwick, sharing their “horror” about the claim made by Whitney’s longtime assistant Mary Jones.

Jones says in the film that Whitney confided in her, revealing that as a child she had been sexually abused by Dee Dee. Whitney’s brother Gary also claims in the film that he was molested by Dee Dee between the ages of 7 and 9.

 

Whitney Houston; Dee Dee Warwick
Whitney Houston; Dee Dee Warwick
Rex/Shutterstock (2)

For more on Whitney Houston’s shocking untold story, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.  

While Jones stands by her decision to air the allegation in the film, Cissy, in conjunction with her niece Dionne, has issued the following emotional statement, revealing their deep concerns about the claim, and the film as a whole.

Cissy Houston and Dionne Warwick’s full statement:

My niece Dionne Warwick and I make this statement to raise our voices above the din surrounding the release of the film, Whitney. Although the film is marketed as a Houston Family approved/endorsed project, neither my son, Michael, Dionne nor I knew of the allegations of abuse, the direction the film would take, until two days before the screening at Cannes.

To begin we want to state clearly that the horror of what victims of sexual abuse experience is unimaginable. We make no attempt to minimize the pain, the trauma and perhaps lifelong damage to the psyche of abuse victims. We understand and acknowledge that there are no rules governing a person’s reaction to trauma and every person reacts differently. By this statement we do not intend to defend, condone or excuse the crime of molestation.

Cissy and Whitney Houston

Cissy and Whitney Houston
ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images

RELATED: Whitney Houston Sings to a Young Bobbi Kristina in Exclusive Clip from New Documentary

We cannot, however, overstate the shock and horror we feel and the difficulty we have believing that my niece Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne’s sister) molested two of my three children.

I’ve been told—as justification for the invasive theme of this film—that Whitney was a public person and therefore the public has a right to know any and everything about her. I say, NO, she was a famous person … a singer, an actress, a quiet but generous philanthropist. She wasn’t running for office, asking for money or trying to win the right to run anyone’s life. Her job does not entitle the “public” to know every intimate detail of her life beyond what she herself revealed during her lifetime. Although she spoke about her struggle with drugs, the interventions, her daughter Krissi and issues in her marriage, she never PUBLICLY spoke about her father’s stealing from her or revealed any claim that she had been molested. IF she was molested I do not believe she would have wanted it to be revealed for the first time to thousands, maybe millions of people in a film.

I know the woman who was identified as Whitney’s “close confidante”. If she was my daughter’s “close confidante” it would seem she chose to betray Whitney’s confidence by publicizing rumors and hearsay. In any case Dionne, Michael and I do not know her the way we knew and loved Dee Dee Warwick. Dee Dee may have had her personal challenges but the idea that she would have molested my children is overwhelming and for us unfathomable. We cannot reconcile the Public’s need to know about Whitney’s life as justification for invasion of her privacy or the charge against Dee Dee, a charge which neither Whitney nor Dee Dee is here to deny, refute or affirm. Neither I, Dionne, nor my son Michael who was very close to his sister, and in the film is VERY candid about their drug use, has ever heard these allegations; we have never heard anything remotely connected to the crimes charged against Dee Dee in the film. How can that be fair to my daughter, to Dee Dee, or to our family?

I spent many years in recording studios (sometimes with Dionne and/or Dee Dee) where I earned my living. I also went “on the road” with my group The Sweet Inspirations to try to help provide a good life for my family BUT my children always came first in my heart and in my life. When I was away they did not stay with four or five different families; they stayed at home where their longtime babysitter, Phyllis, or my dear friend Bae or their father took care of them. In all the years I traveled Dee Dee, who was 21 years older than Whitney, NEVER BABYSAT for them.

Cissy and Whitney Houston

Cissy and Whitney Houston
Jack Vartoogian/Getty

RELATED VIDEO: Whitney Houston’s Cousin Slams Kanye West for Using Photo of Her Drug-Covered Bathroom

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Dionne’s mom, my oldest sister Lee, was there for me after my mother died when I was eight years old, and during some of the darkest times of my young life. Lee died several years ago and although I miss her every day I am comforted by the knowledge that she is not here to live this experience

How I wish I could ask Dee Dee and Nippy what happened, but this film distinguishes itself from the other films about her by spreading rumor, innuendo and hearsay; leaving questions to which I’ll never have the answers.

RELATED: Jada Pinkett Smith Shares Throwback Photo with ‘Fierce’ Friend Whitney Houston: ‘You Are Missed’

Dionne and I are part of a family whose members have always worked hard for themselves and their children to be successful. The goal of most parents is to help their children achieve more than they did. The film treats my family’s aspirations with the heavy handedness of people who are viewing an African American family through a lens lacking in cultural sensibilities. Like most parents we gave our children names we liked … Gary Joseph, Michael Blair and our longed-for baby girl, Whitney Elizabeth, not for any other reason. We did not name our daughter because it was the name of a character in a “WHITE SITCOM” or because we were striving to be considered middle class as alleged in the film. I loved the name Whitney and Elizabeth was her grandmother’s name.

Whitney Houston as a child

Whitney Houston as a child
REX/Shutterstock

I am heartbroken that despite all she accomplished fans and haters alike are left with the notion that she lived her life as a victim. She made mistakes and in the last few years she did live her life in the grip of the drugs that drove her and all the consequences of that, both as a woman and as a mother. She loved Krissi with all her heart and she did the best she could as Krissi’s mother, but being in a struggle with drugs is inconsistent with being a great mother. She faced challenges in her life, exacerbated by fame, divorce and family issues but she was not a victim.

After people have seen the film they will draw their own conclusions and we are not trying to change that. We just want people to know there is another side. While the filmmakers certainly had the legal right to make this film, I wonder at the moral right. 

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Remy Ma is ‘All About Empowerment’ For Women’s History Month

Remy Ma praises the power of women. The outspoken rapper consistently uses her platform to discuss self-image, and the video for her latest single “Melanin Magic (Pretty Brown)” — the Mint Condition-sampling track featuring Chris Brown — celebrates the beauty and diversity of black women. It’s not a far departure from her 2006 hit “Conceited,” when Remy first let the world know that her self-confidence was unshakeable. 12 years later, she’s encouraging more women to feel the same way.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Remy has crafted a playlist that is, naturally, very pro-women. “This month is all about empowerment so I wanted to share some of the songs that keep me motivated and moving forward and I hope they do the same for you!” she told Billboard. With tracks from Rapsody, Dej Loaf, and Missy Elliott, the playlist prominently displays the talents of female rappers from various generations.

 

Courtesy of Columbia Records

 

Remy Ma Previews New Music, Brings Out Lil’ Kim, Desiigner and More For Star-Studded NYC Show

Remy also wants to foster a culture of collaboration among female emcees. During the NBA All-Star Weekend, Remy hosted a Women’s Empowerment Brunch, where she told Variety that “there’s strength in numbers.” She continued, “We all bring something different to the table, and once people realize that, stop fighting each other, work together and help build each other up, we’ll grow even more.” Her playlist hints at this collaborative spirit with a feature of Queen Latifah’s empowering anthem, “U.N.I.T.Y” Also heavily featured on the playlist? Another rap queen, Lil Kim, who Remy recently brought out at her NYC show on March 16.

The remainder of Remy’s 25-track-long playlist neatly blends ’90s hip-hop staples with today’s hits. From Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “All the Stars” to Bruno Mars and Cardi B’s “Finesse,” the list is packed with songs that make you want to groove. In many ways, it’s a family affair, featuring fellow members of Terror Squad including Big Pun’s posthumous “It’s So Hard” and Remy and Fat Joe’s “All The Way Up.” Even Remy’s husband, Papoose makes an appearance with his single “Back On My Bull—“.