A rep for Nicki Minaj confirmed her father, Robert Maraj, was killed on Friday after he was struck in a hit-and-run accident in Long Island, New York. He was 64.
Nassau County, NY Police said Maraj was hit by a vehicle in Mineola, NY around 6 p.m. local time. According to TMZ, witnesses were unable to give authorities a description of the suspect and Maraj was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.The incident remains under investigation, and the Nassau County Police Homicide Squad is asking for the public’s help in finding the driver involved in the incident.
As of press time, Nicki Minaj has not spoken out publicly about her father’s death.
In the wake of the controversy surrounding the New York Times documentary “Framing Britney,”, the artist herself is speaking out. On Tuesday, Spears posted on social media, saying that after decades in the spotlight she is taking time to enjoy her everyday life.
The 39-year-old singer shared a 2017 clip of herself performing her hit song “Toxic” on Instagram while assuring her fans she’s been “enjoying the basics” of life. Said Spears, “I’ll always love being on stage …. but I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person. I love simply enjoying the basics of every day [sic] life !!!! Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories !!!!” Spears’ latest Instagram post comes just days before a new court hearing in her conservatorship case.
Spears’ boyfriend Sam Asghari also shared plans about the couple’s future following the release of The New York Times‘ unauthorized documentary, Framing Britney Spears. Asghari also spoke out against Spears’ dad, Jamie, on Tuesday, saying, “I am thankful for all of the love and support she is receiving from her fans all over the world, and I am looking forward to a normal, amazing future together.”
Billboard announced Monday that the 2021 Billboard Music Awards will take place in May, airing live May 23 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.
This year’s host, musical performers and nominees have yet to be announced. Nominees and winners are based on fan interactions with music, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, as tracked by Billboard.
The 2020 Billboard Music Awards took place in October after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic with singer Kelly Clarkson hosting the event.
Lady Gaga performed the National Anthem at President Biden’s inauguration, singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ as part of the event to mark President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration on Wednesday, January 20, 2021.
Gaga sang from the West Front of the US Capitol, dressed in a navy blue jacket, a red dress and a gold dove pinned on her jacket. On Twitter, Lady Gaga called for peace, captioning a photograph: “A dove carrying an olive branch. May we all make peace with each other.”
Jennifer Lopez sang ‘This Land is Your Land’ from the balcony of the famous building, and managed to get a line of her song, ‘Let’s Get Loud ‘ into the performance.
Garth Brooks performed a rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’, asking everyone at the event in person, at home and at work to join in. Brooks said: “I’m going to ask you to sing this last verse with me. Not just the people here, but the people at home, at work. As one, united.”
Justin Timberlake officially announced his wife, actress Jessica Biel, gave birth to their second child in 2020. Timberlake said in an interview that aired on Monday’s edition of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that their infant son’s name is Phineas.
“He’s awesome and he’s so cute,” Timberlake said of his baby boy after DeGeneres asked him for details. “Nobody is sleeping, but we are thrilled.” The couple had not publicly announced they were expecting or had welcomed a child before this confirmation, nor did Timberlake say exactly when Phineas was born.
Timberlake, 39, and Biel, 38, have been married since 2012. They are also the parents of a 5-year-old son named Silas.
Pop artists Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga will perform at the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies on Wednesday, January 20th, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States.
Actor Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV specialcelebrating Biden’s inauguration, Gaga will sing the national anthem and Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, where the ceremony will be taking place. Additional performers include Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and more.
UPDATE: The GRAMMYs have confirmed that the award ceremony has been pushed back to March 14. They said in a statement: “After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.
We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times.”
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The 2021 Grammys, originally scheduled for January 31st, have been postponed due to concerns over the spread of Covid-19. It’s unclear if original host Trevor Noah is still set to host this year’s show. The Grammys had already been planning the show without an audience, only allowing presenters and performers on-site during the show. Nominated artists wouldn’t have been allowed on-site, similar to the 2020 Emmys where nominees appeared and accepted awards remotely.
California has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases following the holiday season, setting a new single-day record of 74,000 new cases on January 4th.
Ariana Grande announced that she is engaged to boyfriend Dalton Gomez on Instagram. Grande revealed the news in a series of photos of the two cuddling up together, writing in the caption, “Forever n then some,” and also flashed a ring with a massive diamond sparkler and what looked like a white pearl on a thin platinum band.
Grande and Dalton first confirmed their romance in June, when they appeared together in her quarantine-themed duet with Justin Bieber, “Stuck With U.” The pop superstar reportedly “spent a lot of one-on-one time” with Gomez in quarantine at the singer’s home in Los Angeles amid the coronavirus crisis lockdown. Grande and Gomez, a Los Angeles real estate agent, largely kept their love life out of the public eye.
Grande was previously engaged to “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson in June 2018, but months later the pop star officially called off the engagement after their short-lived whirlwind romance.
Taylor Swift announced on Thursday that she was dropping her ninth studio album, sharing the surprise news on Twitter: “I’m elated to tell you that my 9th studio album, and folklore’s sister record, will be out tonight at midnight eastern. It’s called evermore.”
Swift also tweeted, “To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs. To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in.”
Swift shared on Twitter that the music video for her single “Willow” would be released at midnight, and shared the track list for “Evermore,” which features 15 tracks in total on the standard album, with two bonus tracks on the deluxe edition.
Cyndi Lauper has revealed the lineup for her annual Home for the Holidaysbenefit concert. The virtual show will feature appearances and performances from Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Dolly Parton, Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell, Cher, Henry Rollins, and more.
Home the Holidays premieres on TikTok on Friday, December 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern. The concert will also broadcast on YouTube and Facebook on Sunday, December 13 at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Cyndi Lauper’s concert supports True Colors United, which works to prevent homelessness in the LGBTQ+ youth community.
