Month: January 2022

When trusted ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported yesterday (Jan. 29) that 44-year-old football legend Tom Brady had decided to retire from the NFL, it took the world by storm. While it was a decision that some fans had already expected, nothing could prepare football lovers for the exit of, arguably, the sport’s all-time best player.

However, soon after this report came in, there were soon clashing reports from Tom Brady’s father, his agent and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager that indicated he had not yet made his decision about hanging up his shoulder pads. In a text to Mike Giardi of NFL Network, Brady’s father Tom Sr. labeled the story “total conjecture.”: “This story Mike is total conjecture. Tommy has not made a final decision one way or the other and anybody else that says that he has is absolutely wrong.”

Other reports that align with the belief that Brady has not made a final decision come from Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, who says Brady called him personally to let him know.

Brady’s agent Don Yee also sent a text to Schefter after he had broken the news that Tom was still on the fence about retirement: “I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future. Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”

When asked to confirm the story later on, ESPN’s Schefter stood by his reporting, saying that Brady will ultimately still retire, even if he is sending out a conflicting message publicly.

With all these different reports, it would be wise to simply wait until the decision comes from Brady’s mouth, which his agent Yee says will be sometime very soon.

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Thanks to Lifetime’s Janet documentary, fans of Miss Jackson have been given a super-exclusive look into the  55-year-old recording artist’s life, and some of its most important events including her childhood growing up with Michael and her other brothers, her infamous Super Bowl incident with Justin Timberlake, and her split from 49-year-old Jermaine Dupri.

The fourth part of the doc aired on Saturday, January 29th, and left many viewers shocked as the record producer admitted to cheating on Jackson during their seven-year relationship. “One of the weird things is that dating Janet attracts other women – girls wanted to talk to me more because I was dating her… and I’m a man,” Dupri recalled.

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The Velvet Rope hitmaker also spoke on her ex’s infidelity, saying, “I had heard he was cheating, but there were other things… I needed more than he was giving me.” The Indiana native called Dupri a “workaholic,” revealing that when he had had enough of his work for the day, he would head out to the club.

“I would ask him to carve out a little time for me,” Jackson told the camera. “I always felt that he didn’t have enough time for a girlfriend… I would say that world was his girlfriend.”

Following the final part of the show’s premiere, viewers flocked to Twitter to express their shock at Dupri’s actions, many people slinging insults at the North Carolina-born entrepreneur, asserting that he isn’t good-looking enough to have done someone as beautiful as Jackson so dirty.

Despite all the drama, the former lovers have remained on good terms over the years. “She’s one of the sexiest women in the world,” the producer gushed. “I think she gave more women confidence to try everything. I feel like we’re always going to have a friendship, regardless of what I’m doing or who’s in my life, or regardless of what’s going on.”

In another episode of Janet, the “All For You” singer spoke on her childhood relationship with older brother Michael, who she claims called her some pretty damaging and hurtful names – read more about that here.

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Jackass Forever star Johnny Knoxville says he suffered serious brain damage while filming the upcoming movie. Knoxville detailed the injury during an interview with Howard Stern, earlier this week.

“My cognitive abilities were in steep decline after that hit,” Knoxville admitted. “No one in my family is happy with the stunts.”

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“The bull hit was the worst hit I’ve ever taken from a bull or maybe period. I remember taking some tests. The neurosurgeon said, ‘Do you have trouble paying attention right now?’ I said, ‘Yeah, why?’ He goes, ‘Because you scored a 17 on [your attention].’ That’s out of 100.”

In addition to his brain injury, Knoxville says the bull stunt landed him a broken wrist and broken ribs.

“I can’t take any more hits to the head…. My brain was just playing tricks on me. I got really depressed and over-focused on things. I did have to start medication for the first time in my life. It completely turned me around — that and doing therapy. It was a really hard recovery from this last injury but I’m great now. I feel like I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been.”

Jackass Forever arrives in theaters on Febuary 4.

Check out Knoxville’s discussion with Stern below.

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Janet Jackson says that she and Justin Timberlake remain “very good friends” and that the 2004 Super Bowl scandal was overblown. The legendary singer discussed the incident for Lifetime and A&E’s new documentary event, Janet.

“Honestly, this whole thing was blown way out of proportion. And, of course, it was an accident that should not have happened, but everyone is looking for someone to blame and that’s got to stop,” she said of the incident.

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“Justin and I are very good friends, and we will always be very good friends,” Jackson continued. “We spoke just a few days ago. He and I have moved on, and it’s time for everyone else to do the same.”

Timberland has faced criticism for years since the performance, during which he accidentally exposed Jackson’s breast.

Jackson added that she told Timberlake he shouldn’t make a statement at the time with the hope she could keep the drama away from him.

“We talked once and [Justin] said, ‘I don’t know if I should come out and make a statement,'” Janet said. “And I said, ‘Listen, I don’t want any drama for you. They’re aiming all of this at me.’ So I said, ‘If I were you, I wouldn’t say anything.'”

In February 2021, Timberlake released a public statement on Instagram apologizing to Jackson for his handling of the incident.

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says that Kanye West must be fully vaccinated if he wants to perform in the country following reports that West plans to tour abroad, later this year.  Tennis star Novak Djokovic was recently deported from Australia for being unvaccinated.

“The rules are you have to be fully vaccinated,” Morrison said during a news conference Saturday, according to the Independent. “They apply to everybody, as people have seen most recently.”

He added: “It doesn’t matter who you are, they are the rules. Follow the rules, you can come. You don’t follow the rules, you can’t.”

Neilson Barnard / Getty Images

West has yet to confirm whether he is fully vaccinated for COVID-19; however, during his interview on Drink Champs in November, he revealed that he had received his first shot.

In addition to rumors of prepping for a tour, West is also expected to release a sequel to his 2021 album, Donda, in the coming months. 

Earlier this week, West confirmed that he plans to drop the album on February 22, 2022, and that it will be executive produced by Future. Fans should be hesitant about putting too much faith in that date, as West is known for delaying his albums beyond their initial release date.

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Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty is preparing for a massive expansion that will see the lingerie brand opening 10 store locations throughout the year. In doing so, Savage X Fenty has secured $125 million in new funding from investors.

Within the next three months, the brand hopes to open locations in Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, and Virginia, with a total of 10 store openings coming across the country throughout the year. Earlier this month, Savage X Fenty opened a location on the Las Vegas Strip.

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Savage X Fenty co-president Christiane Pendarvis discussed the brand’s plan in a recent interview with Forbes.

“We’ll start with a limited amount of stores,” Pendarvis told the outlet. “It will represent a small percentage of our business. This is about making sure we’re getting the right formula and assortment mix in stores.

“This is an extremely curious test-and-learn year for us then you’ll see us ramp up next year,” Pendarvis added.

Investors for the new venture include Neuberger Berman, L Catteron, and Marcy Venture Partners, the firm co-founded by Jay-Z.

Becoming a primary focus for Rihanna since 2018, Savage X Fenty has rocketed her net worth to $1.7 billion.

Check out a glimpse of Savage X Fenty’s store setup below.

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