Episodes – Page 1389

NBA legend Kobe Bryant explains why he kept his tap dancing a secret

David Livingston/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Kobe Bryant revealed that although he once took up tap dancing to improve his skills, the NBA star said he felt forced to keep it a secret.

Bryant spoke out about his secret lessons in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday, when the late-night host asked him if he had any celebrity friends who might surprise his fans.

“Surprised? I don’t know. Maybe not surprised, but, you know, recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Debbie Allen,” Bryant said, referring to his famous dance teacher.

The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar said he began tapping in 2000 when he sprained an ankle during the NBA Finals. He said the tap lessons helped him recover, improved his endurance and even built up his strength

But he still felt embarrassed.

“Well, it was kept secret for obvious reasons,” Bryant said Tuesday, adding that he had to get customized size-14 tap shoes. “I had to get them made. I can’t go to a store and be like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take those size 14s. Tap.'”

He said he doesn’t consider himself an “accomplished tapper,” but does think he had some potential.

“[At one point,] I could, like, tell my feet to do this, and they would actually do that,” he said. “I walked into the studio, and it’s all these, like, 6-year-olds … and these kids are looking up at me like, what in the world? What’s this grown-ass man doing in here learning tap dance?”

Bryant, who revealed the secret in his new bodycare book, said spoke out about it because thought it might help young athletes.

In “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” Bryant said he reveals other secrets about the game, but the key is to teach athletes about the importance of holistic self-care.

“We psych ourselves up too much,” he said. “If you try to talk yourself into, ‘This is a big moment, it’s a big shot,’ you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself. You’ve shot that shot hundreds and thousands of times, just shoot another one. It’s like breathing. You do it so many times, you just do it again.”

Mary J. Blige on attending the first all-female “She Is the Music” song camp: “This event represents strength for us”

ABC/Craig SjodinMary J. Blige was the headline artist for the first all-female “She Is the Music” song camp held last week in Nashville, and she says it was inspiring to create new music with other women in the music business.

“This event represents strength for us,” the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul tells Rolling Stone. “When we come together as women, when we do something like this, we inspire and uplift each other. We encourage each other. And we encourage other people to do something similar.”

The three-day event at the recording studio owned by veteran producer Ron Fair was deigned to increase opportunities for women in the music industry. Sponsored by the performers’ rights organization ASCAP, it involved female songwriters, producers and engineers who have worked with Beyonce, Rihanna, Childish Gambino, Usher and Chris Brown.

“It’s hard out here in music, and in any business, for women,” Blige adds. “It’s really hard on women, so women are hard on each other. So when you see us come together, it’s like, ‘This is good. This is God.’ To see us come together and write songs and be in the same room and smile and compliment each other is very empowering.”

The nine-time Grammy winner, who began her recording career in 1992, offered advice to the other participants in the song camp.

“Continue to speak your truth,” Blige says. “Continue to write other people’s truth and continue to give other people what it is that they want and they need. Always be flexible and always be true to yourself. You’ll be around if you speak your truth.”

Alicia Keys is among the people who founded the “She Is The Music” program, in response to a report from USC Annenberg that revealed huge inequalities for female musicians.

Diddy pledges $1 million to new Bronx charter school

Combs EnterprisesDiddy is continuing his commitment to education with a pledge of $1 million for a new charter school in New York City.

The Bad Boy CEO is supporting the Capital Preparatory Schools network which will open a new school in the Bronx section of New York City next year for 160 students in the 6^th and 7^th grades. The network already has locations in Harlem and Bridgeport, Connecticut.

“I came from the same environment these kids live in every day,” Diddy says in a statement. “I understand the importance of access to a great education, and the critical role it plays in a child’s future.”

“Our school provides historically disadvantaged students with the college and career skills needed to become responsible and engaged citizens for social justice,” he continues.” We don’t just teach kids to read, write and compute, we teach them how to make a difference and nurture them to be future leaders of our generation.”

Diddy is working closely with Dr. Steve Perry, founder of Capital Prep Schools.

“Mr. Combs’ commitment and leadership continue to inspire us,” Dr. Perry says. “On behalf of the Capital Prep students, parents and teachers I want to express our sincerest gratitude for such a generous gift,”

“Mr. Combs wanted to open schools to develop leaders,” he continues. “What he’s done with his investment is embody what we expect students to do, which is to invest their resources in our communities.”

Bey and JAY break the bank: On The Run II tour earns over $250 million

2018 Parkwood EntertainmentBeyonce and JAY-Z broke the bank on their On The Run II tour, earning over $250 million.

Round two was more than twice as successful as the first On The Run tour in 2014 which earned $109 million from 980,000 tickets sold in 21 stadium shows. Bey and Jay performed 48 stadium concerts during OTR2; 18 in Europe and 30 in North America, grossing $253 million, according to Billboard Box Score.

They sold over 2 million tickets for the entire tour, grossing $5.3 million for each show.

Following the end of the tour, Beyonce praised her husband, commenting on Instagram, ”To Shawn Carter, my Clyde, my best friend: this journey on OTR2 has been a highlight of my life. Thank you for every moment. I’ll be your hype man any day! To the Hive and all the fans who supported OTR2, cheers to you and I. Salud!”

DJ Khaled and Beyonce’s proteges, Chloe X Halle. opened the North American shows. During the tour, $100,000 scholarships were awarded to high-school seniors in 11 cities. The Boys & Girls Club of America selected the winners.

The On The Run II tour kicked off June 6 in Cardiff, Wales. The North American leg began July 25 in Cleveland, and wrapped up October 4 in Seattle.

Sushi or shellfish? Congressmen place bets on the World Series

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Will it be sushi or shellfish?

That’s the friendly bet Democratic Reps. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts and Adam Schiff of California have placed on the outcome of the World Series as the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers prepare to face-off in Game 1 Tuesday night at Boston’s Fenway Park.

Kennedy represents the area surrounding Fenway Park, while Schiff represents the area bordering Dodger Stadium.

“It’s been 30 years since the Dodgers won the series, which may not seem like that long to Sox fans, but as a point of reference, it’s almost as long as Joe has been alive,” Schiff joked in a joint statement with Kennedy.

The winner of the bet, along with staff from the winner’s office, will be treated to a seafood dinner from the loser’s state: sushi from California or shellfish from Massachusetts.

Friendly sports wagers are nothing new in Congress, but in recent years, they’ve shown a flair for theatrics.

When the Dodgers lost to the Houston Astros in last year’s series, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat, flew across the country to Los Angeles with a suitcase full of the ingredients for French dip sandwiches after losing his wager. The rabid Dodgers fan who represents downtown Los Angeles used a cart decked out in Dodgers gear to deliver the sandwiches to the office of Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat who represents the area where the Astros’ stadium is located.

It has been more than a century since the Dodgers and Red Sox last met in the World Series in 1916 — Boston took the title then, and Kennedy believes history will repeat itself.

“Unless Adam has shared some deeply classified information that I can’t access with Dave Roberts, my staff and I will be figuring out why LA insists on eating raw fish in a few weeks,” Kennedy said.

Kanye West donates $73,000 to Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia

ABC/Randy HolmesKanye West is following the lead of his good friend Chance the Rapper and supporting the campaign of Amara Enyia who is running for mayor of Chicago.

Kanye donated $73,000 to her campaign, matching the amount of fines she owes from her 2015 campaign for not filing financial reports, according to the Chicago Tribune. She faced a December 20 deadline to pay the fines.

The candidate immediately used his donation to pay the fines, stating, “the $73,540 debt to the Illinois State Board of Elections has been paid in full.”

“The Amara Enyia campaign thanks Chicago native, Kanye West, for his generous action,” the statement continues. “Amara’s campaign is energizing people around the city with bold ideas and solutions that move Chicago forward. We are excited to engage people of all walks of life as we focus our efforts on getting on the ballot.”

Kanye tweeted, “I just gave to Amara Enyia. Join us! Contribute today.”

Last week, Chance endorsed Enyia during a press conference at City Hall in Chicago.

“The one person in my research of this wide-open race that’s views align with me, would obviously be, candidate Amara Enyia,” Chance said. “We haven’t had anybody that is truly an activist,” he added. “Somebody that’s going to be active in office. So if you’re afraid of change you’re probably not going to vote for Amara, but if you’re willing to see what this city could be, then you will vote for Amara.”

Kanye previously announced he was moving back to the Windy City, and would produce Chance’s upcoming album.

John Legend, Wendy Williams, and R. Kelly’s ex-wife featured in Lifetime docuseries, “Surviving R. Kelly”

Randee St. Nicholas/RCA RecordsA three-part Lifetime docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, will explore the secret world of the three-time Grammy winner.

“For the first time ever, survivors and people from R. Kelly’s inner circle, are coming forward with new allegations about his sexual, mental, and physical abuse. They are now finally ready to share their full story and shed light on the secret life the public has never seen,” Lifetime says in a press release describing the series.

The trailer begins with a female voice saying, “There’s a difference between R. Kelly and Robert. R. Kelly’s this fun, laughing, loving guy. But Robert is the devil.”

The series explores the “Bump n’ Grind” singer’s legal troubles, beginning with being acquitted of 21 charges of child pornography in 2008. It also follows the “Mute R. Kelly” protest movement. and police investigating allegations he is running a sex cult.

Over 50 people are interviewed, including John Legend, Wendy Williams, Kelly’s ex-wife Andrea Kelly, former girlfriend Kitti Jones, singer Sparkle, and Kelly’s brothers Carey and Bruce Kelly.

The six-hour series premieres January 3 at 9 p.m. It will continue on January 4, and conclude on January 5.

Report: Tracy Chapman suing Nicki Minaj for illegal sampling

Republic ecordsTracy Chapman is reportedly suing Nicki Minaj for sampling one of her songs without permission.

TMZ reports that Chapman has filed a lawsuit charging that Nicki illegally sampled “Baby Can I Hold You” from Chapman’s 1988 self-titled debut album for the song “Sorry” featuring Nas.

The four-time Grammy award winning singer says that Nicki made multiple requests to license the song in June, and she denied her requests. “Sorry” was released in August.

As previously reported, in July, Nicki commented that she was waiting to clear a Tracy Chapman sample, and surveyed fans on Twitter if she should wait to clear the track and drop the album on August 17, or keep the August 10 release date. The voting was split. She dropped the album on August 10 without the song “Sorry.”

Chapman is demanding that the song not be released again and wants unspecified damages.

She's a “knockout”: Mariah Carey to serve as key advisor on “The Voice”

Trae Patton/NBCMariah Carey is joining The Voice starting next week.

The diva will serve as a key advisor for Season 15’s Knockout Rounds on October 29. She’ll work with and mentor the remaining 32 contestants, along with coaches Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.

In the Knockout Rounds, the contestants will have to compete against each other in pairs, but each contestant will choose their own songs, which they’ll perform individually; their competitor will then have their turn to do the same. The goal is to have their coaches choose them for the next phase of the competition: the Live Playoffs.

The show’s Battle Rounds continue tonight, with CeeLo Green, Halsey and country stars Keith Urban and Thomas Rhett advising, respectively, Team Adam, Team Jennifer, Team Blake and Team Kelly.

Mariah’s new album Caution arrives November 16, and her Caution World Tour will get underway February 27 in Dallas, TX.

Listen now: Cardi B releases new single, “Money”

Atlantic RecordsAfter announcing on Instagram that she would release her new single, “Money,” on Thursday, Cardi B couldn’t wait and dropped the track today.

Cardi appears nude in the cover photo, wearing only a gold lampshade, with her arms covered with jewels. “Money” is the follow-up to “Ring” featuring Kehlani, which is certified platinum.

The “I Like It” rapper also bragged that she and husband Offset hold the number one and two positions on the Billboard Hot 100. With a screen shot of the chart’s top ten songs, Cardi commented, “MOMMY SHARK & DADDY SHARK #1 #2.”

She’s number one as the featured artist on Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You,” and Offset is featured on the number two song, “ZEZE” by Kodak Black also featuring Travis Scott.

Cardi also teased a solo album from Offset, writing, “Set album coming soon.”