Hip Hop News

Sen. Ted Cruz made a joke about his infamous Cancun trip during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Friday, during which, he also declared that former President Donald Trump, “ain’t going anywhere.” Cruz faced national backlash after being seen traveling to Cancun during the historic winter storm that struck his home state of Texas, earlier this month.

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“God bless CPAC,” Cruz said Friday. “I gotta say Orlando is awesome. It’s not as nice as Cancun. But it’s nice.”

In the days following his attempted Cancun trip, Cruz defended himself as being a “good dad,” who was looking out for his children.

Later in his CPAC speech, Cruz warned of a return of Trump: “There are a whole lot of voices in Washington who want to just erase the last four years,” Cruz said. “And they look at Donald J. Trump and they look at the millions and millions of people inspired who went to battle fighting alongside President Trump, and they’re terrified. And they want him to go away.”

“Let me tell you this right now, Donald J. Trump ain’t going anywhere,” he emphasized.

The former President is expected to speak at CPAC later this weekend.

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Emmanuel Acho is officially set to replace Chris Harrison as host for The Bachelor’s season finale episode, following a racism scandal, earlier this month. Harrison faced backlash after appearing to defend contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who has been accused of publishing racist posts on social media.

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“IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose & am honored to be hosting the @bachelorabc After the Final Rose this year,” Acho announced on Twitter, Saturday. “It’s been a pivotal season & this episode will be one of the most storied shows in its history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. See y’all then!”

In response to Good Morning America revealing the news, Acho replied, “Life changing. I can’t wait!”

Harrison announced his decision to take a break from the show, earlier this month with a statement apologizing for his defense of Kirkconnell: “This historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions. To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special.”

Kirkconnell has been accused of attending an antebellum plantation-themed party in 2018, wearing an offensive Native American costume, and posting pictures of Confederate flags on social media.

The season finale of The Bachelor airs on March 15.

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Following reports that a Black Superman film may be imminent, Ray Fisher, who starred as Cyborg in 2017’s Justice League and accused director Joss Whedon of misconduct, is continuing to criticize Warner Bros. Saturday, Fisher reminded his followers of the accusations he leveled against the makers of the potential film.

“Do ya’ll remember that time Walter Hamada and @wbpictures tried to destroy a Black man’s credibility, and publicly delegitimize a very serious investigation, with lies in the press? But hey, Black Superman… A>E,” Fisher wrote in a tweet, Saturday.

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He added in a separate tweet: “As I’ve said from the start: Walter Hamada ATTEMPTED to interfere with the JL investigation. He was unsuccessful in doing so because I did not allow him to. Having the investigator make a statement claiming there was no interference is purposely misleading and desperate. A>E.”

Fisher has previously referred to Hamada, an executive at Warner Bros., as  “the most dangerous kind of enabler.”

Justice League costar Gal Gadot has also admitted that her experience with Whedon, “wasn’t the best,” telling The LA Times in 2020, “I had my own experience with [him], which wasn’t the best one, but I took care of it there and when it happened.”

The new Superman reboot is expected to be written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

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Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson says the late beloved Jeopardy! host, Alex Trebek, loved the sketch comedy show’s recurring “Black Jeopardy!” bit. Speaking with Sean Evans on a recent episode of Hot Ones, Thompson recalled meeting Trebek in 2019 and discussing the iconic SNL skit.

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“That was the first thing he mentioned,” Thompson said of running into Trebek backstage at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. “He actually said ‘God bless you for figuring out how to do a Jeopardy! behind the legendary Will Ferrell Jeopardy!”

The “Black Jeopardy!” sketch first aired in 2016. Thompson gave a shoutout to Michael Che and others on the SNL writing staff for helping him put together the concept.

“He was patting me on the back about that, but I was patting him on the back for probably being one of the smartest people in the world,” Thompson continued. “Because it seems like he knows the answer to all of those Jeopardy! questions. He has a way of responding to each question like, ‘No, of course, it’s this, and that, and the other, because I read this book or I’ve known about this historic town in Rome.’ You know what I’m saying? He was incredible.”

Check out the full interview below.

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Jonah Hill called out the Daily Mail, Friday night, for publishing a story titled, “Jonah Hill slips into his black wetsuit for surf day in Malibu… before showing off his tattoos while going shirtless to towel himself off.” Hill used the opportunity to criticize the publication for body-shaming and reflecting on how long it took him to overcome insecurity about his own image.

“I don’t think I ever took my shirt off in a pool until I was in my mid-30s even in front of family and friends. Probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities weren’t exacerbated by years of public mockery about my body by press and interviewers,” Hill admitted in the lengthy statement.

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He continued: “So the idea that the media tries to play me by stalking me while surfing and printing photos like this and it can’t phase me anymore is dope. I’m 37 and finally love and accept myself. This isn’t a ‘good for me’ post. And it’s definitely not a ‘feel bad for me post.’ It’s for the kids who don’t take their shirt off at the pool. Have fun. You’re wonderful and awesome and perfect. All my love. Oh and Daily Mail, not even you can take that smile from my face ;)”

The Superbad actor has spoken at length about his weight in past years, telling GQ in 2020, “I always had an interest in personal style and fashion, but I was always a bigger guy. It’s really hard when you’re overweight to dress a certain way, because clothes aren’t made for people who are overweight to have style. So, I think it surprises people.”

Hill is set to star in Adam McKay’s next film, Don’t Look Up, which is slated to release on Netflix, later this year.

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Despite rumors to the contrary, Emma Watson is not retiring from acting, her manager announced in a recent statement. Inaccurate reports of Watson’s retirement began to spread following a Daily Mail piece that alleged she had “given up acting.”

“Emma Watson has gone ‘dormant’ according to her agent,” the outlet reported. “That appears to be movie-speak for she’s ‘given up acting.'” The outlet also cited an unnamed publicist.

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Watson’s manager at Untitled Entertainment, Jason Weinberg, shot down the rumors earlier this week.

“Emma’s social media accounts are dormant but her career isn’t,” he told EW in a statement.

The Daily Mail also reported that Watson’s decision “to step back from the limelight” was done “to spend time with rumored fiancé Leo Robinton.” 

Watson and Robinton began dating in 2019.

Watson, 30, has been in the spotlight throughout her life after garnering national attention for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, starting when she was just 9-years-old. She’s also starred as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2017), Sam in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and numerous other roles. She most recently starred in Little Women in 2019. 

In 2013, British GQ named Watson as their Woman of the Year.

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Vanessa Bryant slammed Evan Rachel Wood, Saturday, for calling her late husband, Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant “a rapist” in an old tweet. The tweet, which Vanessa labeled “slanderous,” was posted shortly after the beloved basketball star’s death on January 26th, 2020.

“Your false, insensitive, defamatory and slanderous tweet on 1/26/20 is vile and disturbing to say the least,” the widow wrote in response to seeing Wood’s original tweet. “Behavior like this is part of the reason why innocent black men go to jail for crimes they didn’t commit. An accusation doesn’t make someone guilty.”

“YOU DON’T KNOW THE FACTS OF THE CASE,” she continued.

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All criminal charges brought against Kobe during the 2003 sexual assault case were dropped after his accuser refused to testify. She decided to sue the Lakers’ guard and both parties reached a settlement.

“What has happened is tragic,” Wood wrote on the day of Kobe’s death. “I am heartbroken for Kobe’s family. He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously.”

Vanessa also called out film producer Abigail Disney, who tweeted a similar message last year.

Wood recently came forward to accuse Marilyn Manson of abuse and sexual assault.

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