Celebrity deaths: Successes dominate

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Nate Derrenbacher

By NATE DERRENBACHER

On Wednesday, the estate of Hugh Hefner released a statement that the Playboy founder passed away, age 91, in his infamous Playboy Mansion. Known for many things, Hefner was most recognized for his lifestyle that encompassed his Playboy brand.

But through the years, Hefner was in the spotlight for some negative things, including loss of some of his fortune, how he treated his beloved “Playmates” and scrutiny for his sometimes “dangerous” lifestyle. As referred to by many of those close to him, “Hef” was so focused on his Playboy image that as he aged, he retreated from the spotlight in his final years.

Until the sale of his popular LA home for $100 million in 2016, Hefner was shying away from public appearances, hosted fewer Playboy parties and was not featured in the news.

But following his death, the world has been pouring out their memories and reflections on the late Playboy founder. Every news station, every newspaper and every social media site is covering his death nonstop. More than just a magazine publisher, Hefner started a new revolution of sexual acceptance and extravagant living – shifting the Playboy brand from just a magazine to a brand and lifestyle.

All news outlets, celebrities and everyone in between has been sharing kind words and remembrances of Hefner, and a total disregard for the criticisms that many shared in recent times.

Hefner is not the first celebrity to experience this kind of coverage post-mortem. Before his death in 2009, Michael Jackson was in the news media for scandal after scandal and legal and personal problems. Immediately following his death, the world came together to remember his profound impact on the music industry, and nothing else.

It seems that, especially with the era of “fake news” and social media, scandals and rumors overshadow some celebrities’ work and careers until they are dead. With so much competition, all media outlets need to stay current, and get viewers and readers engaged, so, sometimes coverage of trivial celebrity drama is the best thing to achieve this.

Once celebrities die, it is newsworthy in itself, so media outlets have the time and flexibility to dig deeper into their lives and appreciate what made them famous. The coverage of Hugh Hefner shows that media is on this path, and doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

USA Today reviews access to president

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Andres Arenas Grayeb

By ANDRES ARENAS GRAYEB

The Trump empire has far from fallen off since Donald J. Trump took office and some of its most profitable locations have been the president’s private golf clubs. President Trump has visited the clubs in Bedminster, N.J., and Palm Beach, Fla., among others, several times since becoming president.

Apart from being a getaway for the president, his clubs raked in $600 million in 2015 and 2016. And the upper class’s interest in the clubs has only increased in recent times.

According to USA Today, 71 of the members in his private clubs are executives from companies that hold federal contracts, lobbyists and trade group officials. Of the 71, two-thirds of them have played on one of the days that the president was visiting. This membership, which grants them open access to the president through a service that enriches him, is perfectly legal.

Despite being legal, however, it does bring up ethical concerns, primarily in regard to the possibilities for bribery and unfair access, since most people cannot afford the $100,000 initiation fees that many of the club members can. Another such case is that of Jay Vroom, CEO of a pesticide trade group that convinced the government not to ban the insecticide chlorpyrifos, which has been linked with neurological development delays in children. Vroom admitted to seeing the president once since he took office.

USA Today did a thorough and detailed story on Trump. In a section at the end of the article entitled “How we reported this story,” editors explained how reporters tracked down and interviewed as many members of Trumps clubs they could find, making use of a public golfing website where players keep track of their scores, among other sources such as social media posts and news stories. They also interviewed both sides of the story, for the sake of being objective.

From Walter Shaub, resigned director of the Office of Government Ethics, who called the situation “new territory” and expressed concern for the easy access, to Jay Vroom, who claimed to have not spoken to the president about his company’s interests at all. Overall, USA Today excelled at covering every angle of the story in great detail while remaining impartial to either side.

Diana is remembered after 20 years

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Nina Garza

By NINA GARZA

It has been 20 years since Princess Diana of Wales died in Paris after the car that she was riding in crashed. People gathered in Britain to pay their respects to the princess, whose legacy still lives on.

Flowers, candles and letters were left outside the gates of the Kensington Palace in memory of the late princess. People also took to social media to pay their tributes.

Elton John, who sang at Princess Diana’s funeral, tweeted a photo of him and Diana with the caption, “20 years ago today, the world lost an angel. #RIP #Diana20”. Piers Morgan took to Instagram with a picture of the two of them, captioning it, “RIP Princess Diana. The biggest star of them all.”

Diana was famous for many things, one being her AIDS activism. She often visited patients suffering with HIV, being almost the first person with a high profile to have her picture taken hugging AIDS victims.

From the streets of London to posts on social media, the media has done a great job reporting people paying respects and remembering Diana’s legacy, To further commemorate the princess, a documentary on her life and death, starring her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will air on BBC in seven days.

CNN fires Griffin over gruesome photo

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Neydja Petithomme

By NEYDJA PETITHOMME

CNN made a quick decision to remove comedian and New Year’s Eve co-host Kathy Griffin after posting a photo holding a bloody head which resembled that of President Donald Trump.

Following the post, President Trump responded in this, “Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!

According to CNN, Sen Al Franken was deeply disturbed by the footage taken by Griffin, but will still plan to appear with Griffin at an event in July. This was not easily said by New Years Eve Co host Anderson cooper. Cooper said he was “appalled by the photo shoot.” “It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate,” he wrote on Twitter.

Cooper cancels his New Year’s Eve plans with Griffin, which undoubtedly, he should. This act of withdrawal allows viewers to understand the importance of what you say and what you post.

As for Griffin this was no accident. Griffin and her photographer thoroughly planned every ounce of the shoot. Prior to the shoot Griffin mentioned they will have to move to Mexico after exposing the photo. It does not matter if you are a Republican or Democrat, or in this situation a lover or hater of President Donald Trump, this is not acceptable to do.

Griffin lost her endorsement deal with “squatty potty.”

Tiger Woods arrested for DUI

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Isaiah Taylor

By ISAIAH TAYLOR

Since his career began 20 years ago, Tiger Woods has been involved in multiple scandals including a car crash and adultery. However, his most recent journey into news headlines is by far the worst.

At 3 a.m., on Monday, Woods was pulled over in Jupiter, Fla., and charged with driving under the influence. Woods spent eight hours in custody and released a statement on Monday night explaining the issue.

In his statement, he acknowledges his behavior and assures the public that he was not under the influence of alcohol, but “prescribed medications.” He then apologizes to his fans and thanks the police department and sheriff’s office that dealt with the matter. He also stated that he cooperated fully with them, yet there have been reports that Woods refused to take a Breathalyzer test after the police who arrested him smelled alcohol.

The medications in question were prescribed after he underwent surgery one month ago, for unbearable pain due to back issues. This was his fourth back surgery, yet he claimed in his statement that he had an “unexpected reaction” to the medications he was given.

Whatever the cause of his state, Woods was not the first athlete to get in trouble due to a DUI and he certainly will not be the last, although he may have been the most famous. Other high profile DUIs in the athletic community include Abby Wambach, an Olympic women’s soccer player who won two gold medals, and Bernard Pierce, a running back for the Baltimore Ravens.

Woods had kept mostly under the radar since his affair scandals years ago and hadn’t played competitive golf for months due to his back problems. He is still remembered for his amazing accomplishments, but only time will tell what will happen to his legacy after this arrest.

Golf great Woods arrested in Jupiter

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Neydja Petithomme

By NEYDJA PETITHOMME

Winning 14 major tournaments — second only to Jack Nicklaus, Golfer Tiger Woods was arrested around 3 a.m. Monday morning in Jupiter, Fla. According to Jupiter police spokeswoman Kristin Rightler, Woods was taken into custody in a local jail and was released the same with no bond. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, it was unclear if Woods was tested positive for alcohol consumption.

According to the information that I have been given, it should be necessary to arrest a person due to alcohol or drug assumption. Either a person tests positive or not. In this specific situation, whether a person is successful or not and even famous or not, the safety of the people around us, who are on the road is just as important. Whether Woods tested positive for drugs or alcohol, taking him off the road is just as important.

“I want to thank my doctors for their great work and support throughout this process. I also want to thank the fans for your phenomenal support. It means more than you know. There’s a long way to go, but as I said, words cannot convey how good it feels to be pain-free.” Woods said about his recovery from back problems earlier this year.

For those unaware, Woods has not won a major tournament event since 2008. He has had a rough process since his divorce. According to CNN’s contributor, David Close, Woods took time off from professional golf, to think about his actions towards his fans and family back in 2010.

It’s clear when a person goes through a troubling time in their lives, it can be hard to come back from it. Woods was never the same again after his divorce.

Lebron James or Michael Jordan?

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Myles Valentine

By MYLES VALENTINE

For every professional basketball connoisseur out there in the sports world, there’s always going to be the dreadful question.

Who is the best ever?

I believe the real question here is, who would you rather have on your team? LeBron James or Michael Jordan?

First off there is no right or statistically correct answer to this question. When it comes to Jordan-James statistics, they duel back and forth, like Tom and Jerry. Jordan scores more. James rebounds and passes better. They shoot about the same, block shots about the same and are both fantastic defenders.

I know I said there’s no statistically correct answer, we must keep in mind that LeBron James just passed Jordan as NBA all-time playoff scorer. During the just-ended Eastern Conference finals, it was a three-point shot that gave James 29 points for the game and 5,989 points for his postseason career. That total continued to rise all the way to 5,995 points. Jordan’s mark of 5,987 points stood for 19 years. James is now in the NBA championship game for the seventh consecutive year.

Yes, Jordan needed fewer games than James (179 to 212). But James also reached his point total with fewer field goal attempts (yet more free throw attempts) than Jordan.

Michael Jordan still leads James in several significant categories, including championship rings (six to three), MVP awards (five to four) and regular-season scoring titles (10 to one).

It should be fair to say that Michael Jordan and LeBron James are the two greatest players. They both dominate the game but they both did it in very different ways. I think it comes down to this Michael Jordan was great for his time. But LeBron James is the new and best thing since the iPhone.

Tommi Lahren sues The Blaze

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Courtney Adelman

By COURTNEY ADELMAN

Tommi Lahren is an outspoken conserve commentator that formally worked for Glenn Beck and has filed suit against The Blaze for ” wrongful termination.”

“The suit, filed in Texas Friday, alleges that Beck and The Blaze got rid of Lahren and her nightly talk show due to her making pro-choice comments on “The View” last month,” CNN reported.

Her comment on the view was “I can’t sit here and be a hypocrite and say I’m for limited government, but I think the government should decide what women do with their bodies,” she said on the broadcast.

It was because of this comment that she was let go from her job and was informed that she would have no more shows.

She is not one to do nothing about it so she exclaimed in a tweet that “playing dead,” isn’t her style so she has decided to sue for wrongful termination.

Lahren may not have a lot of people on her side, but she will stop at nothing to get her voice heard.

She is certainly relentless and her strong conservative beliefs will take charge as she tries to win her case on wrongful termination.

Whether or not this is news is debatable, however her comment on the view caused a lot of uproar as it can be considered extremely inappropriate or even incorrect.

Another heartbreaking Hollywood split

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Chelsea Lovell

By CHELSEA LOVELL

Everyone was heartbroken after word got out of the split between one of the most iconic couples in Hollywood. The news of the d word (divorce) between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took over the media. From social media to entertainment news and even major news networks everyone was talking about it.

According to reports, Jolie decided to end their marriage after 12 years because she was “extremely upset” with the way Pitt has been parenting the kids. She sought out joint legal custody, but not joint physical custody.

“This decision was made for the health of the family,” attorney Robert Offer said in a statement. However, other reports say their split could have been brewing for years.

Despite everything, Angelina has said they will “always be a family”.

Dailymail.com reports that Pitt has been spending around 15 hours a day in a Los Angeles studio, where he is working on an art sculpture. A source has said “he spends all night working on his art and listening to emotional songs. Everybody knows it’s related to what’s going on with him personally, but nobody says anything. He’s a quiet guy, and very humble. He’s learning at a fast pace.”

Drake releases ‘More Life’

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Chantal Alba

By CHANTAL ALBA

If you’re a Drake fan like myself, then you know how great this week has been because he finally dropped his album, “More Life.” The internet was buzzing with the release because this album is following “Views,” which was probably his biggest project before this one.

“More Life” features other rap artist like 2 Chainz, Young Thug, Quavo, Travis Scott and Kanye West (which gave us a little of the old Kanye back in my opinion). Most of Drake’s albums have a theme or fit together as narrative piece of his life stories. This album did not follow that same outline. However, a lack of structure is what made “More Life” so great.

While listening to this album, I realized the songs ranged in genre, era, culture and slang, which make it a blast to listen to whether you have work to get done or you’re just vibing with friends.

Drake’s idea to make such a wide range of music shows that he is in-tune with what is going on around him and what everyone is doing musically. It’s clear the Drake veered away from commercial rap, pop, and R&B styles, but this just shows his growth as an artist and his confidence level in himself.

He’s making music that he wants, the way he wants, without the fear of losing his “Top 2” status. This may not be his best album or even a classic, but this just shows Drake evolving into his true 6 God status and that’s accomplishment enough.

Rodriguez, media clash off field

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Josh White

By JOSH WHITE

On March 23, the Watsco Center field house was packed with some of the brightest minds in the sports industry.

Inside the glass doors, the 2017 University of Miami Sport Industry Conference was underway.

The event drew 305 top sports businessman and women, students aspiring to become successful in the sports industry and a middle-aged man named Alex Rodriguez.

Although Rodriguez was known for his towering home runs, boisterous attitude and PED use late in career, since his playing days, ARod has developed into a business pioneer.

Rodriguez is the CEO and founder of a company called ARod Corp.

ARod Corp. ventures in real estate, auto dealerships and high-end fitness centers in Mexico and The United States.

While there was plenty of knowledge in the room, news media coverage was lacking.

Only two news media outlets were on hand; CBS Miami Channel 4, and UMTV. After Rodriguez delivered a talk to the attendees and participated in a question-and-answer session, ARod spoke to the two TV stations.

After a short interview with UMTV, Rodriguez spoke to sports anchor Jim Berry from CBS Miami. This is where it spiraled downhill.

Rodriguez, who had recently been seen with celebrity Jennifer Lopez, was asked a question about it. Thrown off guard, Rodriguez gave a vague answer and concluded the interview.

Not only were very few outlets in attendance to cover a sports celebrity giving a local talk, but then a question that had nothing to do with the event was asked.

First off, I think more news media organizations should’ve covered the event because Alex Rodriguez is a prominent sports figure especially in the Miami community. Secondly, a very unprofessional question having nothing to do with the conference and Rodriguez’s business ventures should not have been asked.

Rihanna honored with Harvard award

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Shellie Frai

By SHELLIE FRAI

Grammy award-winning singer Rihanna is no longer just recognized for her influence in the music and fashion industries but also for her impactful involvement in a number of charitable causes.

On Tuesday, Rihanna accepted the Harvard Foundation’s prestigious 2017 Humanitarian of the Year Award. It is an honor that was given to gender-right activist Malala Yousafzai and workers-right activist Dolores Huerta in years past.

For most of Rihanna’s career she has worked to better the lives of children, the poverty-stricken and the sick.

When she was just 18 she founded the BELIEVE Foundation, a charity to help critically ill children.

Six years later, she founded the Clara Lionel Foundation, after her grandmother passed away from cancer, where she was able to build a state-of-the-art oncology center in her hometown of Barbados.

As a pop star and fashion icon she has used her influence to become a global advocate for access to healthcare, women empowerment and education.

She has served as an ambassador to the UNICEF Tap Project, which raises money for clean drinking water, as well as being involved in the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project, which helps children get an education in more than 60 developing countries.

When she accepted her award, Rihanna gave an inspiring speech that was followed by a standing ovation from the crowd, which included dean of Harvard College, Rakesh Khurana.

She explained how she use to watch television commercials that asked to donate 25 cents to save the life of a child that was suffering. She would wonder how many quarters could save all the kids in Africa.

“People make it seem way too hard, man. The truth is, and what that little girl watching those commercials didn’t know, is that you don’t have to be rich to be a humanitarian. You don’t have to be rich to help somebody. You don’t gotta be famous,” said Rihanna accepting her award.

While, Rihanna’s philanthropic endeavors include a global scholarship program and bringing education to developing countries, Rihanna herself has never attended college.

In her speech, she acknowledged her regret for never going to college and her wish to be able to go.

“I mean I wish I was [college educated], especially today. I might come back. So, I made it to Harvard. Never thought I’d be able to say that in my life, but it feels good.”

Oscar’s Hollywood-sized mistake

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Chelsea Lovell

By CHELSEA LOVELL

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, the presenters for the final award of the biggest night in Hollywood, were incorrectly given the Best Actress Award envelope. Beatty got confused after he saw Emma Stone’s name and the name of her film, “La La Land.” He handed the envelope to Dunaway who then announced the musical as the Best Picture winner.

The cast of “La La Land” took the stage and even began giving their speeches, however, the group stopped midway through when those on stage began to realize there had been a mistake.

Jordan Horowitz, producer of “La La Land,” shocked the audience of the Dolby Theatre when he announced “There’s a mistake. ‘Moonlight,’ you guys won Best Picture. This is not a joke, come up here.” The producer added, “Moonlight has won Best Picture.”

Beatty went to the microphone to explain what happened. He said “I want to tell you what happened. I opened the envelope and it said Emma Stone, ‘La La Land.’ That’s why I took such a long look at Faye and at you. I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“Moonlight” beat out “La La Land,” “Hidden Figures,” “Manchester by the Sea,” “Arrival,” “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Hell or High Water,” “Lion,” and “Fences.”

This incident was easily the highlight of the night. The video went viral on Twitter and Facebook. Every news station headlined the Oscar’s using the big mistake as their attention grabber and the story led most news coverage throughout Monday.

Perry performs eye-opening awards act

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Veronica Spagna

By VERONICA SPAGNA

The 2017 Brit awards took place last Wednesday in London and are Britain’s annual pop industry music awards, in other words, the British version of the Grammy’s. This year’s ceremony took an unexpected turn, as when it was time for the American singer Katy Perry to perform, the viewers were presented with a politically charged performance.

Katy Perry, a popular figure in the international world of pop music, performed her new single “Chained to The Rhythm” live at the Brit awards alongside Skip Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson.

The performance raised awareness on the importance of encouraging unity and stopping the hate. It had a lot to visually intake as it involved a lot of subtextual symbolism.

It is important for me to point out that even though the visual aspect of the performance already sent a powerful message, the lyrics really helped highlight and intensify the idea.

The performance started with rows of lit-up miniature houses held by backup dancers, seemingly portraying a pop-up neighborhood. Katy Perry wore a pinstripe pantsuit, she started walking among the houses singing, as the backup dancers dressed like homes moved around her.

As the performance continued, a dancing Skelton figure dressed in a black suit with a red tie entered on one side of the stage, simultaneously another dancing skeleton figure dressed in a red blazer and skirt entered on another side of the stage.

These two figures were quickly noticed to be representations of Donald Trump and Theresa May, the prime minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the conservative party. The two skeletons danced around the houses on stage and met in the front center of the platform. Skip Marley then came out to rap his verse.

The verse rapped by Marley in “Chained to the Rhythm” clearly refers to the lies and chaos brought by the political situation in the United States and invites the listeners to take a stand, referring to the people as lions. Donald Trump has attacked a variation of minorities and groups, threatening to build walls and making unacceptable generalizations leading to hate speech and intangible segregation of the people.

Skip Marley rapped:

It is my desire, Break down the walls to connect, inspire”
Ay, up in your high place, liars
Time is ticking for the empire
The truth they feed is feeble
As so many times before
They greed over the people
They stumbling and fumbling and we’re about to riot
They woke up, they woke up the lions

Towards the end of the performance the skeletons held hands, the act ended with the two singers holding hands together and pumping a fist in the air symbolizing taking a stand together and fighting back with nonviolence and unity.

I do believe that the lyrics do make the overall message incorporated in the performance stronger. Katy Perry clearly shared her concern to the people on how this situation cannot be ignored, but people are distracted by other things and if something isn’t done there will be consequences. This was the first verse:

Are we crazy?
Living our lives through a lens
Trapped in our white-picket fence
Like ornaments
So comfortable, we live in a bubble, a bubble
So comfortable, we cannot see the trouble, the trouble

Lately Katy Perry has been saying that she intends to make her pop music “purposeful.” Perry had never really made any political statements before the 2017 Grammy Awards, she has always been a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton and actively campaigned for her when she was running for office.

If you didn’t watch the 2017 Grammy Awards, Katy Perry performed the same song with Skip Marley, also sending a message through symbolism and collaborating with the online No Hate Speech movement. The No Hate Speech movement is youth campaign for human rights online to reduce the acceptance levels of hate speech and to raise awareness on the impacts that hate speech has on society.

At the Grammy’s, she was striding around a home surrounded by picket fences on stage, wearing an armband with the word “Persist.” Ending the set with an image of the U.S. constitution projected on the screen and shouting “no hate.” Perry’s shouting of “no hate” is associated with the online No Hate Speech movement.

There were individuals who responded to these performances with aggravation, as they were a little irritated that politics was involved in this sort of scene at the Brit Awards. But personally, I think that people are not going deep enough in understanding the message behind the performance.

Some assumed Katy Perry was just trying to make Donald Trump and Teresa May scary or just intentionally mocking them.

The irritation of certain individuals to this politically charged performance highlights what Katy Perry and Skip Marley were trying to communicate, that we cannot live in a bubble and ignore what is happening around us.

The articles covering this performance were more focused on covering the act as a parody. At some point in the performances one of the backup dancers dressed as a house fell off stage. The news media refer to this dancer as Perry’s “New Left Shark,” because during her Super Bowl performance last year, one of her dancers wearing a shark costume forgot the moves and since then the dancer has become known as the “Left Shark.”

There were many articles that focused on how funny the backup dancer that fell off stage was and not enough coverage on Katy Perry’s association with the No Hate Speech movement.

Numerous news article titles referred to Katy Perry’s performance as funny and entertaining. Journalists focused on covering how Perry made fun of Donald Trump by making his skeleton figure dance on stage. I think that this type of media coverage is distracting from the actual message of the performance and that more attention should be given to its purpose.

I admire Katy Perry for taking a risk in performing her single “Chained to The Rhythm,” her intentions are good and eye opening. Although a big part of the news media portrayed the act as a parody and focused on its political orientation, it is beautiful to see how the performance went beyond politics and entertainment, encouraging unity and respect.

Chance demands his independence

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Andrea Huete

By ANDREA HUETE

You may have heard of an unconventional rapper out of Chicago named Chance The Rapper. He did a song with Kanye West on West’s “Life Of Pablo” album in 2016 called “Ultralight Beam” that gained lots of attention in the music industry.

Chance The Rapper’s album cover.

That being said, Chance The Rapper dropped his third mix tape in 2016, “Coloring Book,” and was nominated for seven Grammys in this past awards show, according to the New York Daily News.

Well, Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, aka Chance The Rapper, took home three of those seven Grammy’s without even dropping an album yet.

One of those wins was Best New Artist, which has not been received by a black artist since Lauryn Hill in 1999.

The most insane part about all of this, is that Chance The Rapper is still labeled an independent artist.

Chance The Rapper.

Despite sources saying Chance was turning down $5 million signing deals with major record labels before his Grammy wins, the artist is choosing to hold on to his freedom.

Chance The Rapper addressed the choice in staying an independent artist in one of his acceptance speeches saying “I know that people think independence means you do it by yourself but independence means freedom.”

Essence magazine, one of the pioneers in black magazines, reported that Chance The Rapper is now turning down deals since his three Grammy wins that are twice the amount of the deals before. Labels are offering him $10 million to sign with them.

Lauryn Hill.

However, could his reasoning for staying independent be linked to his pride in his blackness? The 23-year-old rapper is very involved in social justice issues.

“I think #BlackLivesMatter is a huge campaign that is important and integral to our advancement as a people,” he said in an interview with Hot 97.

Being from Chicago, he’s also addressed gun violence, as well as colorism and discrimination against the beauty of black women. In one of his songs he even refers to the mother of his child as his “black queen.”

The music industry, like the rest of the world, is white washed. The award with the most extreme racial divide, Best New Artist, has white artists winning the award 77 percent of the time historically.

From left, Beyonce, Chance and Jay-Z.

In addition, Solange Knowles, addressed the white washing of the Grammy’s in a tweet saying “There have only been two black winners in the last 20 years for album of the year there have been over 200 black artist who have performed.”

Chance The Rapper is very close to the Knowles and the Carters, even calling Beyoncé his auntie, and Jay-Z unc.

By staying independent, Chance can attribute his success only to the people that he chooses to surround himself by, and not an organization that is so blatantly white washed and bias, two things he speaks up against frequently.

Oscars try to shake things up

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Chelsea Lovell

By CHELSEA LOVELL

In 2016, a trending hashtag was #OscarsSoWhite.

Well, you might have noticed you haven’t seen it any more. This is not because the hashtag just went out of style. This is because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’s voting board made some major changes. Along with the voting board being shaken up, this year’s nominees are showing a lot more diversity.

In 2015, all the acting nominees were white. “Selma” a drama about civil rights received nothing for its cast or for its director, Ava Du Vernay. Activist April Reign responded by tweeting “#OscarsSoWhite they asked to touch my hair.” This tweet catapulted a hashtag movement bringing a light to Hollywood’s diversity problems that the Academy could not turn a blind eye to.

For best actor Denzel Washington accepted his seventh for “Fences.” This nomination extends his record as the most-nominated black actor.

Oscar nominees Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone and Viola Davis at the Oscar nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills on Feb. 6, 2017 (Photo by Aaron Poole, courtesy of AMPAS).

His co-star Viola Davis was nominated for best supporting actress. With three nominations, she is now the most-nominated black actress.

Other black actresses getting their acknowledgements are Octavia Spencer for “Hidden Figures” and Naomie Harris for “Moonlight.” Mahershala Ali landed a nomination for supporting actor as well for “Moonlight.”

Also recognized in supporting actor was Dev Patel, a British actor of Indian descent, for “Lion.”

In the lead actress category, Ruth Negga was nominated for her work in “Loving.”

Acting wasn’t the only category where colored people got acknowledged. “Manchester by the Sea” was nominated for best picture. Kimberly Steward is only the second black female to be nominated for producing. The first was Oprah Winfrey for “Selma.”

The Oscars will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. It will be aired live on ABC.

Adele pulls a Kenye, makes Beyoncé cry

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Chelsea Lovell

By CHELSEA LOVELL

Adele pulled a Kanye, but on herself this time, at the Grammy’s on Sunday in Los Angeles.

After winning the Grammy for “Album of the Year,” she dedicated her award to Beyoncé. Her hit “25” not only beat Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” but she also beat fellow nominees Drake, Justin Bieber, and Sturgill Simpson.

“I can’t possibly accept this award and I’m very humbled and very gracious and grateful, but my artist of my life is Beyoncé and this album to me — the ‘Lemonade’ album is just so monumental, Beyoncé,” an overwhelmed Adele said to the audience.

Beyoncé was nominated for nine categories and won for “Best Music Video” and “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” However, Adele made a clean sweep. She was nominated for five awards including, “Record” and “Song of the Year” for “Hello” and she left with all five. Now her Grammy award total is 15.

In her acceptance speech, she took the time to thank the Recording Academy, the team that worked on the album and her husband and son, but she was driven to shift the focus of her speech on Beyoncé’s powerful visual album.

“[It is] so monumental, and so well thought out. And so beautiful and soul-baring and we all got to see another side to you that you don’t always let us see, and we all appreciate that, and all us artists here… adore you,” she continues while Beyoncé starts to tear up.

“You are our light and the way that you make me and my friends feel — the way that you make my black friends feel — is empowering. And you make them stand up for themselves and I love you and I always have, and I always will.”

Other events that happened that night were Chance the Rapper’s three wins, making history for becoming the first artist to win a Grammy without selling physical copies of his music—or selling much of his music at all, for that matter.

There was a tribute to George Michael, which was performed by Adele. Despite these and many other special moments that happened at the Grammys, nearly every entertainment news organization headlined Adele’s heartfelt speech to Beyoncé. Chance the Rapper made history, yet he was overshadowed in the news media by Adele and Beyoncé crying.

DIGITAL NEWS REPORTING

Journalism and Media Management Department, School of Communication, University of Miami

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