#BamaRush documentary… The Kid Laroi’s BIG tip… Morgan Wallen gave an update… Drew Barrymore has dropped out as host… and Ed Sheeran wins copyright trial
Listen to “Showbiz – May 5, 2023” on Spreaker.
The trailer for the documentary “Bama Rush” is out! It promises to pull back the curtain on the long-held traditions and newly beloved hashtags of sorority recruitment at the University of Alabama. If you follow #BamaRush on TikTok, then you are very familiar with the cutthroat recruitment process that first went viral in August 2021. We found ourselves mesmerized by the girls’ social schedules and finding out what they were wearing every day. We started rooting for our favorites and were either overjoyed or heartbroken when she found out if she’d been chosen for a sorority or not. “Bama Rush” follows four students as they prepare to rush at the University of Alabama in 2022. It comes out May 23 on Max, the new name for HBO Max.
— HBO Max (@hbomax) May 4, 2023
After performing a show Tuesday night, The Kid LAROI and his buddies headed over to Dublin’s Pass Irish Pub & Restaurant in Springfield, Illinois, where they ordered some wings, mac & cheese and brownies. It wasn’t a huge tab…only $133.58. But the guys left without paying the bill, so obviously the waitress blasted them on social media the next day. The Kid LAROI would like us all to know that he did NOT dine and dash. He was under the impression that his security team put down a credit card for the bill — as they were supposed to do — but someone simply neglected to do that. They only realized what happened after they read the dine-and-dash story on TMZ. Not only did LAROI reach back out to the restaurant to apologize for the oversight, he added a $2500 tip to make up for all the trouble.
The Kid LAROI Tips Server $2,500 After Accidental Dine and Dash https://t.co/PMusBoR1lI
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 4, 2023
A couple weeks ago, Morgan Wallen pulled the plug on his performance in Oxford, Mississippi, at the very last minute. He’d lost his voice and was under doctor’s orders to take a week to rest his voice. Morgan finally returned to the stage last night in Jacksonville, Florida, but first, he went on his IG Story to apologize again for what happened. He said, “We are going to play a show tonight — and all weekend. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% but I’m doing a lot better. And to everyone in Oxford, I just wanted to reiterate how sorry I am for the way that went down. I thought I was going to be good to go and I just wasn’t. We’re working on a rescheduled date — we are close to having a rescheduled date, I just don’t have the exact one yet. So as soon as I do, I’ll let you know.” Morgan previously explained that, before that show in Oxford, he knew his voice was in trouble. However, he spent the day on vocal rest and then went through his vocal exercises, but after talking to his doctor, he ultimately realized he just couldn’t do it. He ended up being sued by a fan, who dropped the lawsuit, but last we heard, a lawyer was trying to gather a big group together for a class action lawsuit.
Morgan Wallen gave an update on his health after cancelling his Mississippi concert right before showtime over reported vocal issues. https://t.co/bl8CPgQf3M
— billboard (@billboard) May 5, 2023
Drew Barrymore was supposed to host the MTV Movies & TV Awards this Sunday night, but she’ll be watching from home instead. Drew announced she made the decision to stand in solidarity with the writers who are now on strike. Hours later, Lala Kent announced she would do the same. Lala was not only supposed to present an award, she’s also got a couple nominations. Her show “Vanderpump Rules” is nominated for Best Docu-Reality Show, while Lala, Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney and Scheana Shay are nominated for Best Reality On-Screen Team. Lala released a statement saying, “…I have decided to stay home in support of the many hard working writers who deserve to be compensated fairly. Although ‘Vanderpump Rules’ falls under the unscripted sector of TV, that is not an excuse for me to remain silent and carry on as if there isn’t so much at stake for every writer and their families.” More celebrities will likely follow Drew and Lala’s lead. Among those scheduled to appear at the ceremony are Kaia Gerber, Riley Keough, Suki Waterhouse, Halle Bailey, Busta Rhymes, Lil Dicky, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tiffany Haddish and Jamie Lee Curtis. The MTV Movie & TV Awards will air live Sunday at 7pm Central.
Drew Barrymore Pulls Out of Hosting MTV Movie & TV Awards in Support of Writers Strike, Plans 2024 Return (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/5qEGrT24vP
— Variety (@Variety) May 4, 2023
Ed Sheeran said if he lost in court, he would retire from music. We’ll never know if he meant that or not because a jury decided Ed did NOT copy Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his song “Thinking Out Loud.” He and his co-writer Amy Wadge both broke down in tears of joy and relief when the verdict was read. After the jurors left the courtroom, Ed and the plaintiffs spoke for about 10 minutes before they smiled and hugged each other. Outside the courtroom, Ed told reporters, “I’m just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will not allow myself to be a piggy bank.” While Ed says he’s obviously happy with the outcome AND about not having to retire, he said, “At the same time I’m unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all. We’ve spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords which are also different and used by songwriters every day all over the world. These chords are common building blocks which were used to create music long before ‘Let’s Get It On’ was written and will be used to create music long after we are all gone. They are in a songwriter’s alphabet, our toolkit, and should be there for all of us to use. No one owns them or the way they are played, in the same way that no one owns the color blue.” If the verdict had gone the other way, Ed said, “We might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters” because they would constantly be worried about their creativity being called into question. One of the jurors told a reporter that one of the key factors in making their decision was hearing Ed play the guitar on the stand. When the plaintiff’s attorney played a clip from a concert in Switzerland showing Ed segueing between “Let’s Get It On” and “Thinking Out Loud,” he thought that was a “gotcha” moment. But Ed just picked up his guitar and showed how he could create mashups of a bunch of different songs to “spice it up a bit” for the audience.
Ed Sheeran celebrated his victory but added he’s “unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.”
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 4, 2023
“No one owns [these chords] or the way they are played, in the same way nobody owns the color blue.” https://t.co/f9CQotH3u9
