Author: JD
John Legend Backs Out of Pre-Grammy Party Because of Hotel Boycott
Singer won’t attend the ‘L.A. Confidential’ bash ‘in light of the horrific anti-women and anti-LGBT policies approved by the hotel’s owner, the Sultan of Brunei.’ Los Angeles Confidential‘s plans to host the first major entertainment industry party inside the Beverly Hills Hotel amid a widespread Hollywood boycott have backfired as its cover star John Legend has backed out of a planned appearance, and the Human Rights Campaign has fired off an official letter to the mag’s publisher. L.A. Confidential had announced last month that it would be hosting a party in the Pink Palace’s Crystal Ballroom (a longtime A-list destination for Hollywood events) on Feb. 5 to celebrate its December/January cover and honor Legend, who is currently nominated for an Oscar for best song for his work with Common on the track “Glory” for the civil rights drama Selma, as well as a Grammy for “All of Me.” The party would be the first notable event held at the BHH since early 2014 when the boycott started, following the Sultan of Brunei’s passage of barbaric Sharia Law, which calls for the stoning of gays and adulterers. (Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah owns the BHH and the Hotel Bel-Air through his Dorchester Collection.) Grammys 2015: All Our Coverage Reached by THR on Monday, the magazine’s publisher Alison Miller said in a statement: “Los Angeles Confidential Magazine is an avid supporter of equal rights for all people. Our decision to hold our event at the hotel in no way suggests that we support any anti-human rights policies.” A day later, Legend’s rep Amanda Silverman told THR that her client is no longer going. “John Legend will not be attending the L.A. Confidential party at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Thursday, February 5th in light of the horrific anti-women and anti-LGBT policies approved by the hotel’s owner, the Sultan of Brunei. These policies, which among other things could permit women and LGBT Bruneians to be stoned to death, are heinous and certainly don’t represent John’s values or the spirit of the event. John does not, in any way, wish to further enrich the Sultan while he continues to enforce these brutal laws.” A rep for the magazine did not return a request for additional comment as of press time. Sources tell THR that Legend’s team requested that the party be moved but that a new location could not be secured in time for the event on Thursday, one of the busiest nights in town leading up to Sunday’s Grammy Awards. L.A. Confidential had issued a media alert for the party, announcing confirmed celeb attendees including Legend, wife Chrissy Teigen, Common, Ava DuVernay, Diplo, Bastille, Keke Palmer, Paul Oakenfold, Henry Sanders, Evan Ross, Ernie Hudson, Carmen Electra, Ali Landry and the mag’s Miller with editor-in-chief Spencer Beck. It’s unclear how many of these attendees will show in Legend’s absence. Also unclear is if the magazine had planned the BHH return as a litmus test to see if it was safe to return during what has become a foggy boycott — human rights supporters have steered clear of the BHH in large part, while the Hotel Bel-Air has not seen as much of a dip — that has lost steam in recent months. Sources tell THR that top executives and talent have been spotted at the hotel’s Polo Lounge and Fountain Coffee Shop. The Polo Lounge even ranked in THR‘s recent top 25 of Hollywood’s top Power Lunch spots. (THR was one of many that pulled events from the hotel.) Meanwhile, the HRC issued a letter to Miller on Tuesday, urging the magazine to find a new venue. “We feel strongly that those who support the rights of women and the LGBT community should take their business elsewhere. I write to ask that you reconsider your decision to host an event at the Beverly Hills Hotel, or any hotel owned by the Sultan of Brunei, and join other prominent organizations who have found alternative venues,” HRC global director Ty Cobb writes in the letter, obtained exclusively by THR. “LGBT citizens in many countries around the world remain persistent targets of harassment, arrest, and violence. Though it has long been the case that LGBT Bruneians and LGBT travelers to Brunei are considered criminals for simply being who they are, this decision means that Brunei will soon become the tenth nation that includes the death penalty as an option for ‘punishing’ LGBT people.” This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
What if you had 24 hours to live! Would you be able to look back at your life and smile or look at it with regret! Tomorrow is too Late!! Do it NOW!!! CONQUER THAT FEAR! LIVE YOUR LIFE & DON’T TAKE ANY PRISONERS!!! ***Drops the Mic*** -Ash’Cash (@IamAshCash)
Mr. Collipark Going Back To His DJ Roots For His Musical Comeback, Reveals His Plans
Grammy nominated producer, DJ and CEO of Collipark Music (previously home to Ying Yang Twins, Soulja Boy, Hurricane Chris, V.I.C., Vistoso Bosses, Translee, Treal Lee & Prince Rick), sits down with DJ Smallz and explains why he took a break from the music industry, why he wants to come back into it, and what he plans on doing within it. http://youtu.be/m9V0lA8xcBg
Ferrari Unveils 488 GTB
Ferrari will be rolling out a new Berlinetta – the latest culmination of F1 heritage with the brilliant innovation found in Ferrari’s consumer models. At the height of its class in power, output, torque and responsiveness, the Ferrari 488 GTB boasts a 2903 cc V8 under the hood, a new benchmark for the prancing horse. The impressive 0-200 km/h sprint in 8.3 seconds is only made more sensual thanks to the meticulously engineered soundtrack of the 488 GTB; a full and distinctive roar that resonates across the full rev range. The 488 GTB will make its official debut in March. For more information, head over to Ferrari.com.
Detroit Man Who Walks 21 Miles a Day to Work ‘So Grateful’ More Than $149,000 Is Raised for Him
When James Robertson’s 1988 Honda Accord broke down a decade ago, the Detroit man didn’t just go out and buy a new one. Instead, Robertson, who makes $10.55 an hour – not enough to buy, maintain and insure a car – decided he was going to walk to and from work, a journey that stretches a marathon-length 21 miles. He also takes a bus partway to his job destination: Schain Mold & Engineering. Last Sunday, the Detroit Free Press reported that the 56-year-old has been making this long trek for years, no matter the weather. “I don’t think what I do is big deal,” Robertson tells PEOPLE. “I do what I have to do to get to work in the morning. It’s just a part of my life.” What it takes, he says, is determination and faith. “My parents taught me hard work ethic growing up in Detroit,” he says. “It’s all about keeping your schedule on track and focusing your mind on what matters.” Paying It Forward After the newspaper article on Robertson was published, Evan Leedy, 19, a student at Wayne State University, became inspired. “I was blown away,” Leedy tells PEOPLE. “He has been doing this for so long and doesn’t complain. I thought of myself and how most people could never do what he does every single day.” As Leedy was looking through the readers’ comments on the story, he saw people asking how they could donate money to help Robertson get a car. “I then decided to create a GoFundMe page where people could donate,” says Leedy. “I set the goal for $5,000, but I really didn’t think many people would see it or donate.” Before he knew it, thousands of dollars were coming in. One day later, more 5,300 people donated a total in excess of $149,000. “We now have car dealerships and car companies saying they will donate a car,” Leedy says. “We can now use this money to truly change James’ life.” Robertson currently doesn’t live in a great neighborhood, and even with a car, he lives far from work. “We can get him a nice place to live,” Leedy says. “A place he deserves.” On Monday night, Leedy and Robertson met for the first time. “It was so amazing to finally meet James,” Leedy said. “I am really just so happy people trusted that the money was going to him so we can help turn his life around. He deserves it.” The first word that comes to Robertson’s mind when he thinks of Leedy and the thousands that have donated: Shocked. “I am just so stunned,” he says. “Who would have thought that just a simple walk would have turned into this? I would have told you that you were crazy a few days ago.” Robertson is looking forward to putting his walking days behind him. “I am taking this as a sign that it’s time I start driving again,” he said. “And getting more than two hours of sleep a night.” A Typical Work Day Robertson leaves for work at 8 a.m. to get to work in time for his 2 p.m. shift as an injection molder. When he finishes work at 10 p.m, he starts his trek home. His colleagues notice that although he never complains about having to walk, they can see it’s taking a toll on his body. “He comes in here looking real tired – his legs, his knees,” his coworker Janet Vallardo, 59, of Auburn Hills, told the Free Press. Robertson doesn’t just make this walk for his paycheck. He also cares about the people he has worked with for so many years. “We’re like a family,” Robertson, who also gets fed dinner every weeknight by the plant manager’s wife, tells the newspaper. “I look at her food, I always say, ‘Excellent. No, not excellent. Phenomenal.'” Despite his long and strenuous commute, Robertson is never late for work. “I set our attendance standard by this man,” Todd Wilson, plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering, told the newspaper. “I say, ‘If this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain ….’ Well, I’ll tell you, I have people in Pontiac, 10 minutes away, and they say they can’t get here – Bull!”
Rick Rubin Annotates Kanye West, Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash Songs on Genius
Genius just got a new genius: Rick Rubin. The producer has annotated several entries for songs he worked on, including stuff by Kanye West, Johnny Cash, Beastie Boys, Jay Z, Slayer, LL Cool J, the Dixie Chicks, and more. He also writes his opinions on tracks he didn’t work on, including stuff by D’Angelo, Beck, Vampire Weekend, Ghostface Killah, James Blake, and more. Read all of his annotations here, and check out a few highlights below. He tells the story about finishing Kanye’s new single “Only One”: I was in St. Barths two days before the single came out. Kanye said, “I’m thinking about putting out ‘Only One’ tomorrow at midnight.” I said, “Should we mix it?” He was like, “It hasn’t really changed — it’s pretty much what it was.” I hadn’t heard it in almost two months, so I asked him to send it to me, and he did. And I said, “I think this can sound better than it does.” We never really finished it. So we called all the engineers — and I’m trying to get all this to happen all remotely — and we got maybe three different engineers. This is the day before New Year’s Eve, and we’re all finding studio time, getting the files. Then they all start sending me mixes. I thought one was better than the others, and Kanye agreed. One guy mastered it, because it was due, and they turned it in. I had another guy master it, and it was better, but it was already too late. I think it switched the following morning. It was in real time! Like as soon as it was better, we had to switch it. That’s how it works in Kanye world. It used to really give me anxiety, but now I just know that’s what it is. That’s how he likes to work. He writes a lot about Jay Z’s “99 Problems”. On the ad-lib, “You crazy for this one, Rick”: When we were finished, when we were putting it together, I was taking that ad-lib out, and he was like “No, no. That stays in.” I was like, “Really?” I come from an era of hip hop where we didn’t do shoutouts. A pre-shoutout era. In the entry for “Hurt”, he wrote about working with Johnny Cash: What I came to realize about that whole Johnny Cash experience was that he was a great storyteller. The song didn’t matter—all that mattered were the words. All that mattered was if the character of Johnny Cash—the mythical Johnny Cash, the man in black—would say those words. If that’s what you would want to hear him talking about, then that would be a good song to do. So it was never about like melody, it was just about if the lyrics were right. On Vampire Weekend: An album gets me really excited is Modern Vampires of the City. I love it. I love it. What I like about it is that it sounds completely modern and it sounds completely traditional. It could be a Paul Simon record, but it sounds really modern. And no one else who’s doing modern has that much tradition in it. And that combination really speaks to me. Read all of his annotations here.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
While on this road to maintain the new, improved and focused you, you are sometimes going to feel impatient and tempted to switch your plans and go in a different direction! Don’t!! Give your plans a chance to work! We must realize that the only way for us to get what we want out of life is to make a decision then see it to the very end! -Ash’Cash (@IamAshCash)