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While any Brooklyn Nets will undoubtedly reserve all praise for D'Angelo Russell until he becomes a livelier defender, his All-Star nod is a sure-tell sign he has come a long way since his precarious days as a Los Angeles Laker. The Brooklyn Nets point guard will effectively replace the injured Victor Oladipo in the NBA All-Star waiting pool - where he'll await his appointment to either Team LeBron or Team Giannis in an All-Star draft taking place next Thursday. This is the 2nd year the NBA is going with this format in lieu of the East-West variable - this being the 1st year the selection process will be televised. Through 52 games, D'Angelo Russell is averaging career highs in basically every statistical category: 19.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game, and is shooting at a 37 per cent clip from beyond the arc. Earlier in the day, it was reported that Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade were added to the All-Star extravaganza as "special additions," their 14th and 13th respectively. It's widely believed that both NBA legends are on their last legs in the league, albeit on the happiest of notes. NBA observers would wise to factor Russell's performance in the month of January as the "wind of change" by which the NBA All-Star has opened for the young floor general. Within the last month, Russell stats jumped up to 23.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, and he even rinsed the Magic for 40 big ones in a winning effort. View the full article

Philadelphia is taking a serious move in canceling R. Kelly since announcing an alliance that is all for banning the disgraced singer from the city in Pennsylvania. "We live in a powerful moment where we can say we will no longer accept a system that protects powerful men at the expense of women," Philly city council member Helen Gym tweeted. "For decades, R Kelly's survivors have been trying to get someone to pay attention. Today, we're paying attention," she added: "To every survivor speaking out across the country and especially in our city: This resolution honors your voice, your resilience, and your fight for justice." The move comes after the release of Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly documentary the had numerous women speak on the horrific allegations against the singer. R. Kelly's 21-year-old daughter, Joan, recently opened up about the allegations saying she's "very torn." "At the end of the day, it's still family. He's still my blood, so yes, I do still love my father," she said. "If my father's a toxic person then, unfortunately, we just have to love him from a distance. There's no love lost but, I just had to separate myself." Jason Merritt/Getty Images View the full article

Tekashi 6ix9ine's baby mother opened up after the father of her child pleaded guilty to nine counts in his federal trial for racketeering and firearms charges. Earlier today, news broke that he pleaded guilty to nine counts in his federal case for racketeering and firearms charges. Court documents revealed that he sang like a canary and dimed out his co-defendants. Sara Molina, the mother of his three-year-old daughter, opened up about the news and explained how it affects her and her family. Sara Molina, who says she's been with 6ix9ine for seven years, told TMZ that she expected more out of the situation and how it has played out. She said that 6ix9ine's only looked out for himself ever since his rap career took off a year ago and now, he's leaving her and their three-year-old daughter in a tough situation that might lead to danger. "To an extent, yeah," she said in response to whether she feels her and their daughter are at risk because the rapper snitched. "He left -- he did what he did. He made his bed and now he has to line it but he didn't think about how it's going to affect others," she said. "He's only thinking about himself in this situation... I'm left to pick up the pieces of whatever mess he's made which is and has always been a thing." Unfortunately, Molina admitted that she wouldn't feel right if 6ix9ine reached out asking to have a relationship with his daughter. "I can't feel comfortable allowing him to bring whatever he has with him into my daughter's life," she said. "My job is to protect my daughter at all costs even if that means him." View the full article

While the early reports indicate that Kanye West has surrendered all his MAGA hats to an unknown disciplinary body, and rapper/friend GLC is certain it'll never happen again. Kanye's longtime friend is, last I heard, still signed to G.O.O.D. Music in some capacity, so it's not at all surprising that a majority of his recent interview with Van Lathan was spent talking about the sunken genius. Check out this 1-minute clip taken from Van Lathan's in-studio recording of the "The Red Pill Podcast." According to GLC, Kanye gave him his solemn word he would stop supporting Donald Trump, by sporting the hat or otherwise. GLC says the convo transpired a few weeks ago, which in turn has TMZ digging deep into the timeline for inconsistencies. As they point out, Kanye West tweeted went on a pro-MAGA, pro-Trump Twitter rant on New Year's Day - which for all intents and purposes, doesn't appear to invalidate GLC's claim of a week's worth of reasonable doubt. After withstanding a bit of pressure from his host, GLC finally admitted that he was never behind Kanye West's decision to rock the MAGA hat, but stood but he stood by him regardless, as "chosen family" often does. Back in May of last year, GLC deemed it necessary to openly criticize his friend right after the now-infamous TMZ interview. But in hindsight, if it weren't for brutally honest confidantes like GLC, Kanye West would be in the hands of the wrong prophets, would he not? View the full article

The drama surrounding Maroon 5’s decision to perform during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show continues, with Colin Kaepernick’s attorney weighing in Friday on “Good Morning America.” On Thursday, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine responded to the backlash on “Entertainment Tonight,” saying of his... View the full article

A few months back Luka Sabbat and Kourtney Kardashian were spotted out together and one little photo was picked up by the media sparking dating rumors between the two who are 18 years apart. At the time, both parties didn't seem to respond in full, maybe because they thought the idea was so bogus and now Luka has finally responded in full with an interview with The Cut. “We’re definitely not dating,” he told the publication, telling them just how much he wants a girlfriend. Luka's known for his reoccurring role in Grown-ish as well as his fashion and influencer movies. But if you ask him, the whole influencer thing is a trend that will soon die out. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images “The influencer bubble is going to pop in the next few years,” he said told the publication. “With a lot of these so-called influencers, brands are going to realize that they’re not actually capitalizing off them and the influence isn’t actually working. There are too many of us. Eventually, it will be hard to differentiate between a real influencer and, like, some wack person.” He added: "The internet exposed kids to new styles that they never would have been able to see before, but it also created some of the worst style. Kids basically just mash every style they see into one fucking disgusting muck." View the full article

Michael Rapaport is one of the most outspoken people in entertainment but that does get him into some hot water sometimes. Speaking to "You Up With Nikki Glaser" on Sirius XM's Comedy Central Radio, he opened up about his controversial stance on Ariana Grande and why he's still upset with Pete Davidson over his suicide scare on social media. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images Rapaport stirred up a lot of controversy in 2018 after he called out Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson after Davidson posted a troubling Instagram post about suicide. Rapaport blamed Grande for the scare which he doubled down on while speaking with Glaser. "This is f–––––g Ariana Grande's fault," he said. "So I sent a tweet about Ariana Grande, I said something like, 'She's 25, she acts 12, without all the makeup, the high-heeled boots, she's not as cute as my barista at Starbucks...No disrespect to Starbucks.' And then [people] were like, this is sexist and it went on." He added, "And was like, I'm not apologizing for this s––t anyway! And I was, like, because in twenty years she's going to be like Mariah Carey f–––––g up the lyrics to her own song, drunk at a New Year's thing." Rapaport discussed Davidson's Instagram post and claimed that he was offended for the fact that the SNL star didn't apologize or "acknowledge it." "The Pete Davidson thing, I was annoyed with this f–––––g guy and his f–––––g suicide attempt note, and then not apologizing for it. That really offended me," he said. "The fact that he's come back and didn't acknowledge—yo to all my fans, to the New York City police department, to the people I work with and all my fans that were worried—I apologize for saying that." Rapaport continues to explain that when he had a hospital scare, he made sure to tell his fans that he was fine. He went on to say that Pete's lack of apology is some sucker shit before concluding on a bit of a more positive note. "We're glad you're good, but you freaked everybody out," he said. [Via] View the full article

The Oscar-nominated songs “I’ll Fight” from “RBG” and “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” will be performed during the upcoming Oscars ceremony after all. And so will “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson... View the full article

An imprisoned Suge Knight used his sparingly-limited phone time to converse with the DailyMailTV's Stephanie Haney. And let it be known: Suge and Stephanie were rather economical with their allotment, covering a range of issues which included the unreleased Tupac recordings he's kept hidden from his estate, his son's outlandish "2Pac is alive" conspiracies, and even a word or two on the artists he'd like a posthumous Tupac to "record with" when the time is right. In order of least shocking to most, Suge Knight addressed his son's assertion that 2Pac was alive and well. "For me personally, there were sightings. I knew my son was one of those times," Knight answered in response to Haney's suspicion over reported 2Pac sightings over the years. While Knight repeatedly told the interviewer, "Tupac is good, Tupac is good," he nevertheless fell short of confirming or denying his existence, choosing instead to leave things open-ended, in the interest of his son's public image. As for the precious unreleased Pac recording under his control, he told Haney it was only a matter of time before they saw the light. "I'm not putting a timeline,' he specified. "I'm moving like a business man. I'm a mogul millennial." When asked to describe the type of artist 2Pac would have gratified with his presence if he were still "keeping busy," Suge Knight channelled the businessman within in naming the biggest acts that came to mind. He even referred to Cardi B as "Tupac in a skirt," those were his exact words. "When it's time to do a real Tupac album, you get the right people that work with him," he continued. "That he would work with, you know, like Drake or... Beyonce likes Tupac music. He would definitely appreciate to see her with him." You can read the rest of the interview transcript in the above thumbnail. View the full article

At the risk of being dubbed greedy, is it too much to ask for another project from Chicago rapper Valee? True, the laid-back rapper has been doling out a smattering of loosies and guest-verses, but many feel the rapper's defining moment has yet to come. While GOOD JOB, You Found Me emerged as a fan favorite, we're a little over one month shy of the first anniversary, with still no full-length in sight. Yet the wheels are in motion, at least, in theory. Valee and producer Cardo have been concocting a collaborative project, though the process appears to have reached a halt, though self-perpetrated means. In response to an open question on whether the people still want that Valee and Cardo tape, Valee himself came through with an enthused (by his standards) "Yes." Cardo quickly retorted, placing some of the onus on the rapper and his overtly strict "screening" practices. "Answer ya phone then, lol," writes the producer, suggesting that he's game to get the ball rolling the minute Valee steps to the plate. But don't be alarmed, should he decide to continue playing hooky. Cardo also has a tape with Smino in the works, so expect movement from the producer in the near future. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images View the full article

Actor Alejandro Edda describes the experience of facing his real-life doppelganger in court in an Op-Ed with the New York Times. For those who don't know, Alejandro Edda plays a fictionalized version of Mexican kingpin El Chapo. Nevertheless, the showrunners for Narcos: Mexico venture far beyond El Chapo's dealings as the head of the Sinaloa Carter - the series traces the roots of the Narco trade all the way back to the shores of Colombia. But Edda wasn't the first member of the Narcos crew to set foot in the "El Chapo" trial, as it was showrunner Eric Newman who first sat in the gallery section for the opening statements back in November. This past Monday, Alejandro Edda was granted the same wish - to attend in the gallows, but unlike his producer-friend Newman, the actor was far too public a figure to go unnoticed, and as you might be aware, El Chapo is a big fan of his own Narcofiction. Of course, there have been several where the novelization of the drug trade has led to attempted murder and even death, Narcos-included. If you'll recall, a Narcos location scout in Mexican was found dead under back in 2017. All the parties involved, including Netflix, were quick to sweep the issue under the rug, through no fault of their own: it was either go silent or face the same fate. As for Edda and his cursory exchange with the drug lord he portrays onscreen, he described the experience as nothing less than bone-chilling. According to the actor, it was El Chapo who made the first move, smiling and waving in his direction as he entered the courtroom. "I didn’t smile back. I was just paying respect to him," Mr Edda told the NYT. "I was shocked in a way. He has a very intense look. His eyes say a lot. He’s a bit intimidating." View the full article

NBA commissioner has announced that long time All Stars Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade have been added to the 2019 All Star Game as "special team roster additions." According to NBA.com, Nowitzki and Wade will be selected in a new third round of the 2019 NBA All-Star Draft, adding a 13th player to each active All-Star Game roster. “Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade embody the best of the NBA: remarkable skill, drive and professionalism as well as a deep devotion to strengthening their communities and growing the game around the world,” said Silver, per NBA.com. “As a global celebration of basketball, our All-Star Game is an ideal setting to salute these first-class NBA champions and Finals MVPs.” The upcoming game will mark Dirk's 14th All Star appearance and Wade's 13th. Team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will select the 10 All-Star Game starters in the first round, the 14 reserves in the second round and Nowitzki and Wade in the third round. Because LeBron had the most votes, he will make the first pick in the first and third rounds and Giannis will have the first pick in the second round. The NBA All Star Draft will air on TNT on Thursday, February 7. The 2019 All Star Game, taking place at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, will air on TNT on Sunday, February 16 at 8pm ET. View the full article

Seemingly out of nowhere, Adidas dropped its MiAdidas feature which allowed users to customize their own pair of kicks. From Superstars to UltraBoosts, consumers were able to put their own unique spin on their favorite Adidas silhouettes. Well, that initiative has now been discontinued but Adidas has offered to comment on it all with a statement courtesy of Sole Collector. Per Sole Collector: "We’ve made the strategic decision to close our custom footwear business, miadidas. We believe that the future of customization lies in co-creation, and we’re working diligently to offer a new experience for the consumer who wants to join in the creation of our products at a deeper level. Thank you for being a fan of miadidas, and we can promise an even better digital experience in the future." Image via Adidas Based on their response, it appears as though something new is on the way, although there aren't really a ton of details on it just yet. Nike just recently changed the name of the "Nike ID" campaign to "Nike By You" which just goes to show that companies are looking for better ways to bring customization to the public. Are you disappointed by Adidas' decision to discontinue MiAdidas? View the full article

Matt Barnes and Gloria Govan are still dealing with issues surrounding the custody of their twin sons, after the blowout altercation that happened last year. If you can remember, Gloria arrived to pick up her sons from school on a day that Matt was scheduled to have them. The twins were left "terrified, screaming hysterically and crying” after their mom followed them in Matt's car and blocked their vehicle that resulted in Gloria getting arrested and charged with child endangerment. Matt was awarded sole custody of his sons and now Gloria is claiming he owes her child support for the 29% of the time she has them, The Blast reports. The publication got its hands on documents that detail how Gloria understands that her payments have been cut to $7,500 from $20,000 a month but apparently Matt hasn't paid for November 2018 or December 2018 and has only given her $3,750 for January 2019. Gloria claims Matt owes her $23,750 and both parties are set to attend court this month to hash it out. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Matt welcomed his third child with his model girlfriend Anansa Sims last month and his name is Ashton Joseph Barnes. The former NBA player has been sharing adorable updates of his growing son and his love for his mom. "His first word is still gonna be Daddy but his first love is Definitely mommies boobies lol. He’s very protective over them too," hecaptioned teh photo below. View the full article

Tink's been on a steady grind for the majority of this decade but she, unfortunately, hasn't broken out to the extent that she should've. It's been nearly a year since she blessed us with her project, Pain & Pleasure. 2018 will hopefully be the year we get a full-length project from her. However, she's still here blessing us with new music whenever she can. Today, Tink enters the month of love with some seriously smooth vibes with her latest single, "Falling In Love." Tink is back with her latest track, "Falling In Love." The song follows the release of "Lost" which dropped last week. Her latest single is a love ballad that speaks directly to the emotions associated with the song's title. Tink showcases both her singing and rapping skills on the track. It's another strong effort by her. Keep your eyes peeled for more new music from Tink. Quotable Lyrics Hella bitches wanna have you I'm the only woman that could bag you Got me intertwined and I'm jealous over mine If somebody gon' be dyin' View the full article

In the wake of his first Breakfast Club appearance, the notorious Blueface found his business being openly discussed, with specific regards to his record contract. Certain reports, including this one from HipHopDX, indicated that Blueface actually had ties to several separate record labels: Cash Money West, Republic Records for distribution, and Universal Music Group by association. Blueface himself seemed to prefer an "ignorance is bliss" approach, which prompted the Breakfast Club hosts to implore him to do his due dilly. Keipher McKennie/Getty Images Now, with talk of Blueface's contract situation reaching an all-time high, Cash Money West's own Wack 100 has issued a statement regarding the rapper's deal. "For the record, no artists on Cash Money West in a 360 deal," says West. "I won't even allow that shit, n***a. It's not going to happen...I got the blessing to continue a legacy based on something they built, cause they trust my hand and trust my judgmentt." "All Blueface gon' know is me, what the fu*k else he supposed to know?" asks Wack. "I'm the one paying his checks. I handle all his business. The fuck else he supposed to know. I do know this. The world gon' know who he is. We got a motherfuckin' machine behind us called Cash Money." Wack doubles down, claiming that BlueFace ain't signed to three different companies, asserting that anyone who believes such foolishness are deserving of the title of "stupid motherfuckas!" View the full article

Back when the Air Jordan 1 "Shattered Backboard" released, there was a ton of hype around the shoe. It was a classic Jordan colorway that was finally coming to the market for everybody to enjoy. Sure the shoe was released in fairly limited quantities but it was still great to see Jordan Brand bring the orange, white, and black colorway to the market. Considering just how limited and hard to get the shoe was, receiving a pair with flaws on them would be pretty frustrating, especially if that flaw was an upside-down Nike swoosh. Well, that exact thing happened to Andrea Canziani, who owns a consignment shop in Milan called Dropout Milano. Canziani bought the shoe from a Foot Locker in 2016 and never returned them after seeing the flaw. Instead, he figured he had a one of a kind shoe, saying "It's like winning the lotto," according to a new interview with Vice which you can watch below. The shoes are on display in his store and he is looking to sell them for $140,000 although the most he's ever been offered for them is $3,000. It's a hefty price for a shoe that's flawed but considering it's a one of a kind shoe, he might find a collector crazy enough to pay it. View the full article

The World Health Organization is looking to make up for lost time, as far as Mary Jane is concerned. And while that majority of buddha-lovers are probably in unison when they "WHO CARES!," the organization "re-organization" is still a pretty big W for the weed advocates who fought long and hard for decades on end. What this all means on a more profound level is this: the WHO will change all the official writing or regulations regarding Marijuana - that includes the removal of whole-plant marijuana and cannabis resins from the "extremely restrictive" list of substances logged under the heading Schedule IV in their official database. All THC-contaminated substances or isomers as they're called in the scientific community will also switch over to a less restrictive category - to match the U.S. Government's Schedule I categorization. As the original report goes on to explain, the pro-Marijuana turn comes vetted by UN reps. So when the WHO recommodifies their database, UN reps will then engage with World leaders to coerce (not enforce) rule changes across the board. To the casual smoker who lights up without provocation, all these regulatory changes might seem redundant on the surface, but as I said before, this is a big WIN for the activist community, several years too late. View the full article

The Chicago Bulls officially waived Carmelo Anthony today, paving the way for the veteran forward to sign with a team of his choosing, such as the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls finally opted to release Melo today because they needed a roster spot after acquiring the Oklahoma City Thunder's Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. According to ESPN, the Thunder will save $7.3 million toward its luxury tax bill by sending Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Bulls. The Bulls officially acquired Anthony on January 22 following a deal with the Houston Rockets, but he never suited up for the team and it was always a matter of when he would be released. Now that the time has come, it is believed that Melo will wait until after the NBA's February 7 trade deadline to see which team is the best fit. According to Bovada, the Lakers are the odds on favorite to land Anthony, but the Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are also among the teams listed in the Carmelo sweepstakes. Anthony, 34, has not played since November 8 after the Houston Rockets announced that they'd be parting ways with the 16-year veteran. In 10 games with the Rockets this season, Melo averaged a pedestrian 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in a career-low 29.4 minutes per night. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Lakers are certainly interested in adding Melo, but they do not want to waive a guaranteed player to create a roster spot for him. View the full article

21 Savage and J. Cole show the importance of family in the new "A Lot" video. Some brief glimpses of jail and casket hint at a deeper meaning beneath the celebratory affair. View the full article

If you loved the antagonistic chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in The Fate of the Furious, you're in luck because there's a spin-off in the works focused on their rivalry. Both actors began their respective roles in the Fast and the Furious franchise as antagonists for the main team, but they’ve become the breakout favorites of the series and will likely continue a new strain of movies to the side of the ongoing central installments led by Vin Diesel. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is still many months away, but the movie's first trailer has arrived in time to air during the Super Bowl. The spot not only showcases the reunion of the titular odd-coupled hero and antihero but we get an introduction to Idris Elba's bad guy... Read More View the full article

Reel-Important People is a monthly column that highlights those individuals in or related to the movies that have left us in recent weeks. Below you'll find names big and small and from all areas of the industry, though each was significant to the movies in his or her own way. Bill Anagnos (1958-2019) - Stunt Performer. He was a stunt driver for Hackers, The Fisher King, Jungle Fever and the 1998 Godzilla and also performed stunts in Saturday Night Fever, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Catch Me If You Can, Doctor Strange, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Warriors and numerous other movies. He died of cancer on January 15. (Legacy) Jo Andres (1954-2019) - Filmmaker. Best known as the wife of Steve Buscemi, she also directed the shorts Black Kites and Liquid Tara and was... Read More View the full article

Just one year ago today Kylie Jenner finally revealed to the world that she was pregnant all along (after months of speculation) and gave birth to her daughter, Stormi Webster. "I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark through all the assumptions,” she wrote. “I understand you’re used to me bringing you along on all my journeys. My pregnancy was on I chose not to do in front of the world," she wrote after welcoming her child. Exactly one year later, little Stormi is celebrating her first birthday and Kylie has shared a series of photos of some of her most special moments with her daughter and husband, Travis Scott. "How did I get so lucky to have such a sweet, smart, happy baby. I just couldn’t have dreamt you up, storm. i wish you could stay this little forever and i could protect that contagious smile and laugh of yours," Kylie captioned the images. "I know you won’t remember much about the first year of your life but i pray that you’ll never forget to keep sharing your joy and laughter with the world. my love grows for you a thousand miles a minute. every day with you is the best day of my life. happy birthday to my angel on earth." Another video shows Kylie and Travis embracing each other, seemingly just months after Stormi was born. Sister Kim Kardashian even shared an image of her daughter and Chicago and Stormi hanging out in matching toys. "Happy Birthday to the sweetest baby girl Stormi! We love you so much!!!" she wrote. View the full article

The Recording Academy has announced a sweeping inclusion initiative focused on correcting gender inequity in the music industry. It’s the first public display from the association, which administers the Grammy Awards, on an issue that was stirred up last year when academy President Neil Portnow... View the full article

The Recording Academy has announced a sweeping inclusion initiative focused on correcting the gender imbalance in the music industry. It’s the first public display from the association, which administers the Grammy Awards, on an issue that was stirred up last year when academy president Neil Portnow... View the full article