Singer Duffy revealed in a poignant Instagram post the reason for her singing hiatus: She was rapped, drugged and held captive.
In the post, Duffy said she revealed her story to a journalist over the summer and plans to speak more candidly about her experience in a spoken interview set to be released soon.
The recovery took time, Duffy said in the post. Theres no light way to say it. But I can tell you in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine.
Duffy rose to international prominence after the release of her 2008 album, Rockferry, in which she garnered numerous awards, including a Grammy for best pop vocal album, according to Wales Online.
BuzzFeed News reports the singer took a hiatus in 2011 after the release of her second studio album, Endlessly. Since then, the singer has kept a low key presence, prompting some to ask, Whatever happened to Duffy?
Speculation occurred online for years as to why the singer stopped performing, with some guessing her disappearance from music was due to plain old overexposure.
Fans responded online in shock to Duffys Instagram revelation.
My goodness. I too always wondered where Duffy went. This is so sad. But I am glad she is doing well! https://t.co/DljH98c1jf
Duffy doesnt owe us anything, but Im glad that she survived and healed to the point that shes able to even say this. This is SO sad, man… https://t.co/ramfCGyZLA
In a recent live stream, Dave Daubenmire, a right-wing Christian activist, releases a rallying cry to viewers saying he wants to sue the NFL over the electrifying half time show, the A.V. Club reports.
Daubenmire, who also goes by Coach Dave online, criticized the show for not having any warnings that he says couldve prevented young boys from becoming sexually excited. Throughout his video, he repeatedly calls Lopez and Shakiras dancing as being laced with crotch shots.
In the video, Daubenmire said he wants to sue the NFL for $867 trillion. Responding to the Daily Dots request for comment, Daubenmire said the NFL should have had a televised warning before the show aired.
How about a warning label for parents so they could remove young eyes from the soft porn? Daubenmire said in an emailed response.
In a Facebook live post, Daubenmire said he didnt watch the Super Bowl or the halftime show in its entirety.
He described the show as a strip club performance. A marching band would have been a better alternative option for NFL, he suggested. A quick look through the comments of the video show viewers agreeing with Daubenmires assessment.
Its ironic and sad that at a time when women are crying for equality and respect, the entire Super Bowl halftime show is women objectifying themselves and calling it family entertainment. #superbowlhalftime
The @SuperBowl halftime show was just a bad strip show. We have had so much positive discussion about not treating women like sexual objects, then they go & do this. You cant cry that women need to be treated better then support this display of sexual objectifying #SuperbowlLIV
Despite the online rebukesand threats of a potential lawsuit against the NFLLopez and Shakira have appeared unbothered on social media, posting continuous accolades and behind-the-scenes looks from Sundays mega-performance.
An old Wendy Williams with Keke Palmer has . Fans are applauding Palmers response to Williams, who had asked her about her conflict with Trey Songz.
In 2017, Palmer accused Songz, whose real name is Tremaine Neverson, of featuring her in the music video for Pick Up the Phone without her consent. Palmer says she was secretly filmed for the video, and Songz tried to intimidate her into appearing in the video.
Nick Cannon is taking aim at Eminems past in yet another diss track released on Thursday.
The song, titled Canceled, points to a rhyme made by Eminem prior to his fame, in which he states, among other things, that Black girls are dumb.
Cannons song, his third diss track against Eminem this month, samples the disparaging comment and also accuses the Detroit rapper of being racist.
Eminem previously apologized for the remarks in 2003, blaming the lyrics on his anger, stupidity, and frustration.
The tape was something I made out of anger, stupidity, and frustration when I was a teenager. Id just broken up with my girlfriend, who was African American, and I reacted like the angry, stupid kid I was, Eminem said at the time. I hope people will take it for the foolishness that it was, not for what somebody is trying to make it into today.
Unfortunately for Cannon, it doesnt appear that Eminem will be canceled anytime soon. The former Nickelodeon stars latest track is already receiving widespread ridicule from hip-hop fans.
But the pushback doesnt seem to bother Cannon. Just last week while on the set of his MTV show Wild n Out, Cannon reportedly commandeered a DJ booth to one of his other diss tracks, , an estimated 20 times.
Cannon also released this month a diss track called Pray For Him, which likewise failed to receive praise from music fans.
The beef between the two stems back to 2009 when Eminem took shots at Cannon and his then-wife Mariah Carey on the track Bagpipes from Baghdad. Eminem claims to have dated Carey despite the female singers repeated denials.
After a volley of diss tracks from Eminem, Cannon, and Carey over the years, the feud was reignited at the beginning of December when Eminem called Carey a nut job on Lord Above. Cannon, whose relationship with Carey ended in 2014, has been on the attack ever since.
Five years after his release and three years after the hit , Justin Bieber finally released new music. To the delight of fans, the Canadian singer dropped his new single Yummy on Friday and hinted at a new album coming in 2020. But not everyone was thrilled with the hype over what Bieber gave us.
Twitter users almost immediately began dragging Bieber for his mediocre song and music video.
In 2020, can we stop letting male artists get away with being THIS mediocre? If a female dropped a song and visual like this theyd be dragged, Twitter user @fkajack wrote.
in 2020, can we stop letting male artists get away with being THIS mediocre? if a female dropped a song and visual like this theyd be dragged. pic.twitter.com/rHOEQxGZeN
Biebers song is a subdued but catchy bop with lyrics like, Aint on the side. Youre number one. Yeah every time I come around, you get it done. He continues with the lyrics, Love the way you split it. Hundred racks. Help me spend it, babe. Light a match. Get litty babe. The music video features a neon pastel palette and Bieber simply feasting and partying.
The music video has been compared to an SNL skit and was even called the worst song of the decade.
If someone told me Justin Biebers new song Yummy was an SNL skit I would believe them..how is this real music pic.twitter.com/GMfC6kUSwi
A number of high-profile celebrities and influencers are promoting a music festival in Saudi Arabia, and people are confused.
The celebs social media posts were published just days following news of the sentencing of five men in conjunction with Jamal Khashoggis death. The Washington Postcolumnist was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. His death is widely considered to be linked to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
The sentencing brings bad press to a country already fraught with negative news. The social media campaign promoting the MDL Beast music festival, and travel to Saudi Arabia, has been widely criticized. But some of the campaigns most vocal critics are fellow influencers, many of whom say they turned down offers to participate in the promotion.
Emily Ratajkowski, a model and prominent influencer, joined fellow model Teddy Quinlivan in her criticism of the promotion. If youre been thinking youre seeing a lot of influencers in Saudi Arabia youre not wrong, Quinlivan wrote in her Instagram story. The Saudi Arabian Government is paying influencers to positively promote travel and events in Saudi Arabia. To save face after the brutal assassination of Journalis[t] Jamal Kashoggi (sic).
She called out influencers for promoting tourism to a place to (sic) openly kills journalists and LGBTQ people.
Ratajkowski agreed. I have always wanted to visit Saudi Arabia, but when a recent opportunity came to me involving making and promoting an appearance there, I had to decline, she wrote in her own Instagram story. It is very important to me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community, freedom of expression and the right to a free press. I hope coming forward on this brings more attention to the injustices happening there.
Teddy Quinlivan and Emily Ratajkowski posted about the recent influx of influencers visiting Saudi Arabia. Ratajkowski revealed that she turned the trip down. pic.twitter.com/6XXpf5vivR
Several high-profile names were among the influencers paid to promote the music festival. Sofia Richie, Winnie Harlow, and Armie Hammer were among the promoters. They populated their social media pages with photos and stories of the electronic music festival held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over the weekend. Criticism quickly flooded the comment sections of the posts. How much did Mohammed Bin Salman pay you to say this, one commenter asked of Hammer.
He wasnt the only influencer to receive criticism. Commenters harshly went after each of the social media figures who promoted the MDL Beast festival. There were those who came to the celebs defenses as well, but far more disapproving comments populated the posts. Saudi Arabia has been criticized in recent months for its human rights violations. People brought up issues like Khashoggis death, the recent capture of two gay journalists, and the countrys historic violations of womens rights.
In response to many of her colleagues supporting the music festival, Quinlivan spoke to BuzzFeed News about her decision to turn down her invite and criticize those who attended. Many of these influencers I know personally and are amazing people, she said. I assumed many of them had no idea what they were promoting because maybe theyd been misinformed or hadnt been paying attention to current events. I was shocked to see no one talking about it and I felt I needed to speak up.
Actor Ryan Phillippe took to his own comment section to vehemently defend his decision to attend. Fuck off pos, he told one critic. You believe every thing put in press. youre brainded. go see cats. His responses to most critics followed the same vein.
As of Tuesday, the criticism just keeps flooding in for celebrities who attended.
Remember when Kevin Spacey to his sexual assault allegations on Christmas Eve in 2018? Well, buckle up, because the disgraced House of Cardsactor is back with a sequel video. Apparently, this is not only a new holiday tradition that no one asked for but also an ongoing YouTube series.
In this new, one-minute video titled KTWK, the first upload on his channel in exactly one year, Spacey greets viewers from beside a crackling fire. Donning the persona and southern drawl of Frank Underwood once again, he looks directly into the camera and wishes viewers a merry Christmas. In case you were wondering, Spacey said hes had a pretty good year and that hes grateful to have [his] health back.
Spacey goes on to say hes made some serious life changes. Then, in possibly the most cringe-inducing bit of dialogue of the decade, he professes his intention to cast [his] vote for more good in this world in 2020. This may be another attempt to undercut his current unfavorable reputation due to several sexual assault allegations. Maybe its simply a play on Frank Underwoods political status. Regardless, its corny.
The video, unfortunately, gets worse.
Responding to disbelief from an imaginary audience, Spacey says hes dead serious. Then, perhaps most disconcertingly of all, he offers the following advice to viewers: The next time someone does something you dont like, you can go on the attack but you can also hold your fire and do the unexpected. You can kill them with kindness. Cue ominous music.
The use of the word dead herealong with Spaceys skin-crawling pauses before and after saying kill them with kindness is unsettling. One of Spaceys accusers recently died, resulting in the case being formally dropped. While the anonymous accuser reportedly died of cancer, the morbid convenience of the situation (for Spacey, at least) spawned conspiracy theories that the actor was somehow responsible for the death.
At best, this is profoundly poor wording on Spaceys part. At worst, this is his twisted way of referencing his accusers death. Either way, this carefully-crafted monologue is a truly bizarre PR stunt for someone in Spaceys position. Since things can only get weirder from here, well just have to wait to see how Spacey follows this up in 2020 with the inevitable part three.
Forget . The most heartwrenching romantic film of 2019 is a series of posts on Miranda Julys Instagram account featuring actress and dancer Margaret Qualley.
The series, which presents itself as reality, stars filmmaker artist and writer July alongside Qualley. Using FaceTime calls, text messages, Instagram comments, a captivating final ritualnot to mention an extended guest appearance by Jaden SmithJuly weaves a thoroughly modern unrequited love story.
Its so perfect that writing about it feels a little bit dangerous. But a story this meticulous and so steeped in minutiae begs to be explained. So here goes.
Part of the pleasure of watching this bit of cinema is that it requires a sort of digital scavenger hunt. The scenes and components are interspersed between posts on both Julys and her would-be lover Qualleys Instagram pages. If you want to experience it in its best and purest form, you should start at the endand then work your way back through Julys and Qualleys Instagram accounts to piece together the story of this strange and beautiful ritual. Seriously. Stop reading this article right now. Click on that link above. And then try to find your way back to the start.
OK, now that youve consumed it piecemeal, heres a linear version of events.
The Miranda July-Margaret Qualley Instagram love story, explained
1) The FaceTime call
It all starts with a FaceTime call that July posted to Instagram on Nov. 8. Qualley appears to be crying from the start. She wipes away her tears and insists that she isnt, but its clear that there is a lot at stake here. Shes happy and sad at the same time. July is reticent and nervous but yearning. They exchange some kind words, but throughout they hint at a past love that ended painfully.
Qualley brags that she was in a movie with Brad Pitt! July knows; she saw. But when she clarifies that she didnt actually see the movie, she just saw that Qualley was in it, Qualleys face falls. She asks to see July. Her demands become urgent. She gets up and does a funny little dance, insisting that they can be less serious and have fun together. But July protests. Shes married. She has a family.
In a last-ditch effort, a desperate Qualley shows her foot. She dropped her computer on it this morning and theres an injury, you can see where the skin has broken. July says she wants to kiss it, then immediately tells her to put it away. Put your sock on! she orders. Qualley laughs at her sternness, and then July hangs up on her.
Like Qualley, we are left hanging and wondering what we can hope for.
Posted on Nov. 14, and set to a Ray Davies demo of I Go to Sleep, this devastatingly sexy video features nothing but July, a water bottle, and the artsiest striptease dance youve ever seen. July takes a sip from her water bottle then places it in front of the camera, distorting the striptease that follows so her body appears to merge with itself. July doesnt speak, but the songs lyrics tell a story of deep longing: When I look up from my pillow I dream you are there, with me. The caption reads, Im sorry I hung up on you @margaretqualley.
The next video, dated Nov. 21, depicts a ruminating Qualley at a Hollywood event. Music booms in the background while Qualley confesses that she watched the water bottle video a stupid amount of times. Qualley reflects that maybe July is suggesting they can love each other through their art. But thats not what she wants. I dont wanna watch you on my phone, like everybody else, she explains.
Qualley regrets that her video isnt as artful as Julys. When she steps back to show July her dress, she does an endearing little stomp and sticks her tongue out before confessing, I get dressed for you every day. Its almost too painful to watchbut its impossible to look away. Finally, Qualley forces a smile and asks Miranda to marry her, if only in secret.
The video solidifies whats so captivating about the series. Its a secret, but one we can watch unfold in real-time. And of course, we want more.
4) Jaden Smith wants to help
Shortly after Qualley posted the video, Jaden Smith commented, tagging July and saying he believed he could help the two.
But instead of diving right in, July expertly teased this conversation, too.
Miss Fame rejected an offer to appear in a music video after the singers team offered her only $500. The drag queen and beauty mogul is now calling out the entire industry for trying to exploit LGBTQIA+ artists.
According to Paper, she shared a screenshot of an offer text from a member of Biebers team.Miss Fame expressed outrage over their compensation offer in a series of Instagram stories.
UserKLJohnneslater shared screenshots of Miss Fames stories on Reddit.
Texted with MF [Miss Fame] and wondering if she is IN LA on Nov 14 (this coming Thurs) to cameo in the new Justin Bieber music video, the alleged message reads. We only have $500 and cars to offer along with AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. JB would love her to be in the video as the ONE AND ONLY drag QUEEN!
Miss Fame, who rose to prominence for being acontestant, then directed her response at @justinbieber team in a follow-up Instagram story.
If you want to involve LGBTQIA+ Artist in a JB music videos, I suggest respectable compensation/rate for their (mine) time & talent, she wrote, per Paper. I cant pay my rent off of the honor or experience.’
She also had words for other industry brands she says are attempting to look good for the Gay dollar, while not properly investing in the community.
You do not have permission to tokenize my talent, my queerness is not a trend, she wrote, per KLJohnnes Reddit post. If you request my services, pay my rate. I have bills to pay.
Summer Walker, who is known for having social anxiety and being an introvert, was called out on Instagram by a fan for barely speaking to her during a . The interaction was captured in a screenshot and later posted to Twitter.
Such an anticlimactic and disappointing experience meeting Summer Walker yesterday, the Instagram caption, under a photo of Walker and the fan, reads. Not only did she move the meet and greet last minute to after the show, the meet and greet itself was literally five seconds. We were informed to have our phones out, ready with flash, and not sit too close or touch her. She barely spoke to anyone, every couple of people shed say Hi.’
The woman wrote that Walker didnt autograph anything for her.
I sat around for hours trying to figure out what item of mine I wanted you to sign and what I might say to you. I didnt even get an autograph. Granted I didnt expect minutes of your time but I at least expected some sincerity, she wrote.
She also made sure to note that she was now an ex-fan after the meet-and-greet.
It was a big hurt piece for me because I really idolize her and her work. I knew she was an introvert and kind of closed off but there was no effort in this at all, whatsoever. For a fan who supports you and your music! Helps put money into your pocket. There was not a care or a sense of compassion for all the waiting and money spent into getting to that moment, she wrote.
Yall gone learn that yall buy the music. Not the person. The MUSIC. Your idolization is your own fault. Not theirs. https://t.co/B5eW6ybdXO
