Ed Wheeler, a seasoned actor known for his roles in Law & Order, Blue Bloods, Broadcast News, and Mickey Blue Eyes, has passed away at the age of 88. Wheeler, who built a prolific career spanning film, television, stage, and commercials, died on August 21 at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey due to respiratory failure from complications of pneumonia. His wife, Messeret Stroman Wheeler, confirmed the news to Deadline.
Born on February 18, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, Wheeler initially made his mark in the entertainment industry through television commercials. Over the years, he became a recognizable face in national ad campaigns for major brands such as Luvs diapers, Reynolds Wrap, Sudafed, Pepcid AC, and Computer Associates, among many others.
Wheeler’s work in television and film extended across multiple decades, appearing in acclaimed series and films, and contributing his talents to a variety of genres. His work left an indelible impression on both the stage and screen, and his contributions to the industry will be remembered by fans and colleagues alike.
Ed Wheeler is survived by his wife, Messeret Stroman Wheeler, and will be deeply missed.
Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion has secured a small victory in the ongoing legal battle with her former personal photographer, who sued her six months ago for wrongful termination and creating a hostile work environment. The photographer, whose identity has not been made public, also claims he was misclassified as a contractor rather than an employee.
A judge in Los Angeles granted Megan Thee Stallion’s request to transfer the lawsuit to New York City, moving the case out of California where it was initially filed. This change of venue represents a strategic win for Megan, allowing her legal team to defend the case in New York, where many of her professional affiliations, including Roc Nation, are based.
The photographer’s lawsuit also named Roc Nation as a defendant, and although Megan’s legal team sought to have the entertainment company dismissed from the case, the judge declined to do so at this stage. Roc Nation, Megan’s management company, remains a co-defendant in the case, meaning they will continue to be involved as the legal proceedings move forward.
While this decision is just one step in the larger legal process, it signals Megan Thee Stallion’s readiness to fight the claims against her and defend her professional reputation.
West Coast rapper The Game may be at risk of losing his Calabasas home after failing to appear in court to defend against a motion that could result in the property being sold to satisfy a $7 million judgment. The judgment was awarded to Priscilla Rainey, a contestant on his dating show She Got Game, who successfully sued the rapper for sexual battery.
Two months ago, The Game was served with a notice for a hearing scheduled on October 7 to argue why his home should not be sold to cover the debt. However, according to documents obtained by AllHipHop, The Game did not show up for the hearing, nor did he inform the court of his absence.
The court’s minutes reflected the missed appearance: “The court notes that the judgment debtor failed to appear or alert the court of the non-appearance.” The judge is expected to issue an order to show cause regarding sanctions against the rapper later this week.
Priscilla Rainey’s lawsuit stemmed from a 2015 incident in which she accused The Game of inappropriate behavior during the filming of the VH1 reality show She Got Game. In 2016, a jury awarded Rainey $7 million in damages, but The Game has long resisted paying the judgment. His failure to appear in court could now result in the sale of his Calabasas mansion to satisfy the debt.
As the legal battle continues, The Game faces increasing pressure to settle the judgment or risk further legal and financial consequences.
Rapper Sage the Gemini, best known for his hits “Red Nose” and “Gas Pedal,” is facing serious allegations of sexual assault stemming from an incident that allegedly took place at Chris Brown’s Los Angeles home in September 2017. A woman filed a police report with the LAPD on Monday, accusing Sage of assaulting her during that time.
According to a report from TMZ, the woman claims she initially connected with Sage the Gemini via social media and was invited to Chris Brown’s residence. Upon her arrival at the house, she briefly met Chris Brown before being asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). She has clarified to authorities that Chris Brown was not present during the alleged assault and is not implicated in the incident.
The circumstances behind the woman’s decision to report the assault years later remain unclear, but LAPD sources have confirmed they are actively investigating the claims.
Sage the Gemini, who rose to fame for his music collaborations and high-energy hits, has yet to publicly respond to the allegations. As the investigation unfolds, fans and the public are waiting for further developments on this troubling accusation.
On this date in 2001, the self-proclaimed “King Of The South,” rapper/actor T.I., released his first album entitled I’m Serious.
Produced by several behind the board legends including ATL’s DJ Toomp, Jazze Pha, Lil Jon, The Neptunes, and few others, with features from Pharrell, Bone Crusher, Too Short, Pastor Troy, and many other South and West icons still did not garner him the commercial success that he would eventually be recognized for his music as well as in the cinema.
With this being T.I.’s lowest-selling album, Arista Records made the heartbreaking move to cut him from the label after selling less than 300K copies. This was the obvious silver lining in the cloud because T.I has not only went on to become one of the top-selling Hip-Hop artists to date but has also made his mark on the silver screen starring along with the likes of Denzel Washington, Ruby Dee, and many others.
Regardless of what the critics have to say, salute to T.I. for offering up this underground Hip-Hop classic!
Drake has provided an update on his collaboration album with PARTYNEXTDOOR. While on stage over the weekend, Drake stated: “Shoutout to my brother PX, album dropping soon.”
You can see the update below.
Drake CONFIRMS his collab album with PARTYNEXTDOOR is dropping SOON
On Aug. 2, Drake and fellow OVO star PartyNextDoor originally announced that they have something up their sleeve. On stage, they announced that they would release a collaborative album later this year. Well, okay, that announcement was long overdue.
Get this: the announcement went down during PartyNextDoor’s concert on Friday in their hometown of Toronto. Naturally, Drake made a surprise appearance onstage and gave fans what they wanted to hear, performing hits and the news of the upcoming project.
Here’s a couple quotes from the 6 God … ”On behalf of me and Party, we’ve been working on something for y’all,” Drake told the audience. “So, you get the summer over with, do what you need to do. I know all you girls are outside. When it gets a little chilly, PartyNextDoor and Drake album will be waiting right there for you.” That part.
So check this out, the show was originally PartyNextDoor’s concert, but Drake being the tour de force that he is, treated the crowd to a nearly hour-long surprise set. As you can imagine most of the surprise set was a medley of Drizzy’s R&B-ish tracks from his chart topping catalog.
If you don’t know Party was the first signee to Drake’s OVO Sound label. The “Recognize” (feat. Drake) artist has collaborated a ton with Drake over the past decade on bonafide smashes like “Come and See Me” and “Loyal,” as well as on Drake’s album tracks like “Wednesday Night Interlude,” “Members Only,” and “With You.” However, this upcoming LP marks the first time the two artists have worked together on an entire album.
ICYMI, PartyNextDoor released his latest LP, “PartyNextDoor 4”, in April. Outside of his recent season of diss tracks and Camila Cabello guest spots, Drake last released “For All the Dogs” in 2023. Prior to that, Drake collaborated with 21 Savage on their album “Her Loss” in 2022.
We are waiting like the rest of ya’ll for this collab but keep that same energy when it drops in case you wasn’t rocking with Aubrey this summer. Just saying.
GloRilla is still amazed that Rihanna made a video of her “TGIF” banger. In a conversation with Billboard, GloRilla revealed her reaction while showing some love to Beyoncé.
“Riri [was] asking for the album and dancing to the song,” GLo said. “She don’t be dancing to people’s song. When she did that, I was like, ‘Wow,’ ’cause you know, people be saying that’s my twin. They be hatin’ on me. I love Rihanna. I’m a big fan of Rihanna. I love Beyoncé. I’m the biggest fan of Beyoncé. This was my third time meeting her and she’s always so sweet every time. I love her.”
After the video, Rihanna contacted the Memphis star via IG DM with a playful question. Hmm, about her next project’s release date.
Rihanna kind of had the hilarious audacity to ask, “You got all summer sis! I know dis wild hypothetical, but when the album drop?”
Fans, being overly sensitive fans, were a bit more concerned with the long gestating drop of Rihanna’s own album, R9, than that of Glo’s debut body of work.
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, MF DOOM’s 2004 classic, MM..FOOD, lauded for its seamless blend of humor, wit, and social commentary that ushered listeners into a bizarre world of food-related metaphors, has been fully repackaged with all new artwork by Sam Rodriguez. The MM..FOOD (20th Anniversary Edition) vinyl and digital deluxe editions will be available on on November15th via Rhymesayers Entertainment.
The digital deluxe version of MM..FOOD will feature the original tracklist plus rare remixes of “One Beer” and “Hoe Cakes” by Madlib, Jake One and Ant, along with unreleased MF DOOM interview clips. Today, you can hear one of the remixes featured on the digital deluxe edition of the album, “One Beer” (Madlib Remix).
A limited deluxe edition of the 20th anniversary vinyl is also available exclusively via MF DOOM’s site, gasdrawls.com. The MM..FOOD deluxe 2xLPpicture disc vinyl is housed in a 12″ tip-on case-wrapped matte gatefold jacket with anti-scratch lamination treatment and silver foil stamped numbering. The deluxe vinyl also includes a bonus 7″ picture disc vinyl featuring the rare original version of “Kookies” as well as the Just Blaze remix, housed in a custom kraft paper pastry sleeve with plastic window, and a QR code sticker linking to an MM..FOOD Diner AR experience.
Additionally, the long out-of-print classic “Hoe Cakes” 12-inch vinyl will be reissued with its original artwork, now pressed on a “bug juice blend” colored vinyl. The 12-inch single includes “Hoe Cakes,” “Potholderz” (feat. Count Bass D), and the “Hoe Cakes Remix” produced by Ant, along with instrumentals for all. Taking its name from the sweet, hot water cornmeal patties whose origins can be traced back to pre-colonial America, “Hoe Cakes” is one of DOOM’s finest and most delightfully strange moments on wax.
The baseball world is saddened after confirming the news of the passing of pitching icon Luis Tiant, who was known for his signature, almost turnaround windup, passed away today at his home in Maine according to a statement from Tiant’s former team, the Boston Red Sox.
“Luis had the kind of unforgettable presence that made you feel like you were part of his world,” said Red Sox principal owner John Henry in a statement. “He was a pitcher with incredible talent, accomplishing so much with a style uniquely his own. But what truly set Luis apart was his zest for life, embracing every moment with an infectious spirit, even in the face of his many challenges. He channeled everything into his love for the game and the people around him. He was magnetic and had a smile that could light up Fenway Park. Luis was truly one of a kind and all of us at the Red Sox will miss him.”
The Cuban-born hurler spent 19 seasons in the majors, finishing with a career record of 229-172 with a 3.30 ERA, pitching for Cleveland (1964-69), Minnesota (’70), Boston (’71-78), the Yankees (’79-80), Pittsburgh (’81) and the Angels (’82). The three-time All Star never made it to Cooperstown, but the son of Negro Leagues legend Luis Tiant Sr. only had one goal while growing up as a child in Cuba; to follow in his father’s footsteps. Because of the political climate of Cuba and professional sports being prohibited by Castro in 1959, the senior Tiant warned his son in a letter he wrote to him during his time as a burgeoning pitcher in Mexico City.
“Don’t come home. Castro is not going to allow any more professional sports here — no baseball or boxing. If you do come home, I don’t think you’ll be able to get out again. They are not letting many people leave the island, especially young men of military age.”
In 1964, Tiant got his major league break when Cleveland requested a starter for a July 19 game at Yankee Stadium against a team that was in the middle of a dynasty. Tiant pitched a four-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts while outhurling the legendary Whitey Ford.
“I was not nervous, but had a little tension,” Tiant said in a 2009 documentary about his life, “Lost Son of Havana. You’re pitching against best team in baseball, you’re a rookie. That day was my day. They let me do what my father couldn’t do.”
“Luis had a style of pitching that was as memorable as it was effective, but to me, the rarer gift was his ability to lift you up with just a smile,” said Red Sox president & CEO Sam Kennedy in a statement. “When you were with him, you were reminded of what really matters. Whether you were a teammate, a fan, or just someone fortunate enough to share a conversation, Luis had a way of making you feel special, like you were a close friend.”
“His legacy on the mound is undeniable, but all of us today are mourning the man, the friend, the mentor who connected generations of fans and players. I am gutted by the news of his passing and will miss him more than words can express. Spring Training won’t be the same without Luis’s infectious energy spreading throughout camp.”
After undergoing a mandatory open heart surgery, Houston Hip Hop legend Brad “Scarface” Jordan gave an optimistic update to his fans about his current health condition, giving his thanks while recovimg from a procedure that he says “could’ve went either way”.
“6wks ago I underwent open heart surgery, to be upright and smiling today shows you that God aint nothing to play with,” he wrote alongside a photo of him looking both happy and dapper at the Grandmaster Awards in Las Vegas this past weekend.
Back in August, Face posted a pic of himself in a hospital bed in one of Houston Methodist Hospital’s facilities with several machines and nodules attached to his body. The former Def Jam South president didn’t disclose why he was hospitalized, but wrote in the caption, “Ouch… [three prayer hands emojis] Grateful.”
In celebration of his latest health prognosis, Scarface made an appearance at the Paid In Full Foundation’s Grandmaster Awards in Las Vegas, where the Geto Boy was honored alongside Hip Hop pioneers Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz and Roxanne Shanté.
