People
The 2022 Video Music Awards were chock-full of memorable moments courtesy of music’s biggest stars, including Nicki Minaj, Bad Bunny, Lizzo and Taylor Swift.
After turning heads on the red carpet and performing a show-stopping medley of her hits “About Damn Time” and “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready),” Lizzo briefly considered addressing “the (expletive) that got something to say about me in the press” — before thinking better of it. (The singer was referencing Minaj’s infamous 2015 VMAs speech, in which Minaj called out Miley Cyrus for comments Cyrus made in an interview with the New York Times.)
“You know what? I’m not gonna say nothing,” Lizzo decided while accepting the video for good award. “They be like, ‘Lizzo, why don’t you clap back? Why don’t you clap back?’ ‘Cause (expletive), I’m winning.”
The “Special” artist’s remarks came shortly after Aries Spears body-shamed her in an interview with the Art of Dialogue, which caused many to interpret her speech as a response to the comedian.
“Lemme make one thing VERY clear — I wasn’t addressing anybody in my speech last night,” Lizzo tweeted Monday morning. “I was addressing EVERYBODY.”
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PHILADELPHIA — Penn students, if you happen to see Will Byers from "Stranger Things" hanging around the dorms this semester, you’re not in the Upside Down. He’s just pursuing a higher education.
Actor Noah Schnapp, who plays Will on the show, revealed he would be attending the University of Pennsylvania. Schnapp said that he’ll be living in the dorm like many other incoming freshmen at the school. Move-ins started this week.
Schnapp, however, won’t be studying film or drama — instead, his focus will be in business.
“I was thinking of going for acting,” he said. “Acting was just kind of repetitive, and I wanted to try something new.”
He added that "Stranger Things" co-star Millie Bobby Brown is taking a similar approach to her education as a human services major at Purdue University, though she is attending that school virtually.
“She’s kind of learning about other things,” Schnapp said. “I thought it would make more sense to do something different. And business was a pretty clear next thing for me.”
Schnapp, it turns out, is a founder of the snack company TBH, which focuses on providing a more sustainable version of Nutella that the company makes without using palm oil. He told Forbes last year that harvesting palm oil is a significant contributor to deforestation.
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The 27-year-old rapper Megan Thee Stallion has been cast in “She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law,” the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe show starring Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, Megan confirmed Monday.
No other details were released about the character or how big the role is.
The first season premiered Aug. 18 and will wrap on Oct. 13 with its ninth episode.
The rapper has stuck mostly to the stage so far in her career, but that’s not for a lack of trying, she said. Before she was famous, she auditioned for “P-Valley,” a show about a strip club in the deep South. The role eventually went to Brandee Evans, but Megan had a guest appearance last year.
On the music side, “Traumazine,” her newest album, released earlier this month.
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ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish court on Monday released pop star Gulsen from jail but placed her on house arrest as she awaits trial on charges of “inciting hatred and enmity” for a joke she made about Turkey’s religious schools.
Last week, the 46-year-old singer and songwriter was taken away from her home in Istanbul for questioning, and ordered arrested and jailed pending a trial. Her arrest sparked outrage on social media and deepened concerns about the Turkish judiciary, whose independence has been questioned.
The charges were based on a joke the singer made during an April concert, where she quipped that one of her musicians’ “perversion” stemmed from attending a religious school.
Acting on a request submitted by Gulsen's lawyer, an Istanbul court released her from jail on the condition that she not leave her home. The court cited the fact that the singer has a small child to look after, is not a flight risk and was unlikely to tamper with evidence, the agency said.
Gulsen’s lawyer said he welcomed the house arrest but said he would also seek her release from it.
Government critics said the singer's arrest was an effort by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to consolidate support from his religious and conservative supporters ahead of an election next year.
The singer had previously become a target in Islamic circles due to her revealing stage outfits and for unfurling an LGBTQ flag at a concert.
