The Filter

#LadyGaga is offering a $500,000 U.S. reward for the return of two of her beloved dogs after they were stolen during an armed robbery Wednesday night.

The pop star’s dog walker, 30-year-old Ryan Fischer, took her French Bulldogs – Gustavo, Koji and Miss Asia – out near his West Hollywood home just before 10 p.m. local time. He was approached by two black males who demanded he turn over the dogs.

Fisher was shot four times in the chest and the thieves fled the scene in a white car with Gustavo and Koji. (0:14)

Miss Asia was recovered by police and turned over to one of Gaga’s security guards.

Fischer was rushed to hospital and is expected to recover.

#TaylorSwift is counter suing Evermore Park which is the park that sued her just a few weeks ago over the name of her latest album. 

Evermore Park in Utah filed a lawsuit since they say they have the trademark for the name and Taylor has not only used the name for her album but also used it on clothing and other merchandise. 

Taylor’s company TAS Rights Management is now suing the park for performing Taylor Swift songs at the park with out a license. They were apparently warned several times by the performing rights organization BMI and chose to ignore the rules. (1:01)

Britney Spears has been a hot topic the last few weeks since the release of the documentary #FramingBritneySpears came out in the states and finally we are able to view the documentary since it is being added to Crave in Canada tomorrow. (1:47)

The day is finally arriving, we are getting the Billie Eilish documentary called “The World’s A Little Blurry” tomorrow! (2:45)

Nick Jonas is going to be the host and music guest of SNL coming up this weekend and he is going to join a pretty small group of people who have done double duty on the show. (3:55)

Articles by JOHN R. KENNEDY 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/lady-gaga-s-dogs-stolen-in-armed-robbery-1.14654290 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/taylor-swift-sues-theme-park-that-sued-her-over-evermore-1.14653165 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/billie-eilish-talks-about-fans-new-album-1.14644689 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/framing-britney-spears-arrives-in-canada-1.14637382 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/nick-jonas-launching-spaceman-with-snl-appearance-1.14628111  

Watch New Episodes of #TheFilter Every Monday and Thursday!

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Saweetie calls in to talk to iHeartRadio's Shannon Burns about her highly anticipated album "Pretty Bitch Music"

She tells Shannon about how well she works under pressure and how being under pressure is her greatest motivator. Saweetie talks to Shannon about her idea of Manifestation and her attitude towards her life. 

She talks about her relationship with Quavo. 

Saweetie talks about her song "Best Friends" and support of women in the music industry, knowing it is important for her younger fans to see this. 

She talks about her relationship with Doja Cat and Paris Hilton. 

Saweetie talks about being a business woman, and how it has helped her navigate the music industry thus far. 

She talks about the reputation rappers have in the music industry and how she believes that she is breaking the perception of who a rapper is. 

Saweetie talks about self reward, and her belief in treating yourself. 

Saweetie talks about what her most Cancer Sign quality is, and Quavo's Most Aries Sign quality.

Finally She talks about her bunnies, and the tragic story of her Bunny Bugatti.

Listen to Saweetie on the iHeartRadio App: https://www.iheart.com/artist/saweetie-31917520/

Grammy-winning duo Daft Punk announced Monday they are calling it quits after nearly three decades.

The news came in the form of “Epilogue,” a nearly eight-minute video that features a version of their 2013 track “Touch.” A publicist confirmed the end of Daft Punk to media outlets but did not provide details.

Probably the person we would least expect to get a diss in a rap song is Jojo Siwa, yet it happened - by DaBaby. He dropped a freestyle video on his YouTube channel which included a lyric of him insulting 17 year old Jojo Siwa. This has caused a wave of people to head to Twitter to find out where that came from and why. Some people claim he was simply looking for a word that rhymed and it worked and others are saying it was more strategic, to cause controversy in order to get more views. James Charles, who is a friend of Jojo tweeted: “can someone please explain why da baby is dissing Jojo Siwa when she’s 12 years younger, 10 times richer, and 2 inches taller than him” Dababy ended going to twitter  to explain the lyric to Jojo directly where he said “my 3 year old princess is your number 1 fan. I brought her every product you have out. She thinks she’s you. Don’t let em trick you into thinking id ever have a problem with you. My word play just went over their heads.” 

Hilary Duff is being sued by a photographer after she called him out in a video she posted online. Last year Hilary posted a video on her Instagram of her confronting the man who was taking photos of her and her kids playing in a park. In the video you can hear Hilary saying to him, “I’m not asking for your ID. I’m asking you to stop taking pictures of our 7-year-old children if you don’t know anyone that’s here. I’m asking you human to human, as a mother, if you don’t know anyone here, can you please stop taking pictures of our children playing football this morning.”

The man is claiming that Hilary insinuated that he was a child predator or a stalker when he claims he is simply a photographer who was trying to take photos. Hilary has confronted paparazzi in the past when being followed by vehicles and on the street when trying to run errands. 

Wendy Williams played the clip on her show and is getting sued from the same man as well. 

Beyonce is helping a lot of people in her home state of Texas after they went through a historic winter storm. She announced on her Instagram Story that she teamed up with Adidas and the Houston based charity called Bread for Life along with her charity BeyGood to help anyone impacted by the storm could apply for a $1000 grand relief. They are currently working on going through everyone who applied and working on getting the money out to those who need it. They are also working on helping distribute food and water. Because of the storm there are currently 14 million people in Texas without access to clean water. 

We are getting a new album from Ed Sheeran this year! He is known for taking big breaks in between the released of albums to work on new music and spend time with his wife and now new daughter. Ed celebrated his 30th birthday and made a post on his instagram saying “I’ll be back online with the 4th instalment in the series later this year.” He has already released his song “Afterglow” as a one off single to hold us over until we get this new project. 

Niall Horan revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe last year and said that Ed had been challenging himself at the time to write a song a day in order to write the best songs he could come up with. This means we have high expectations for whatever Ed has in store next. 

Watch New Episodes of #TheFilter Every Monday and Thursday!

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Daft Punk Call It Quits After 28 Years

By JOHN R. KENNEDY https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/daft-punk-call-it-quits-after-28-years-1.14628689  

DaBaby Seemingly Insults JoJo Siwa in New 'Beatbox' Freestyle, and Fans Are Confused

By Anna Chan

2/21/2021 https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/9529128/dababy-insults-jojo-siwa-beatbox-freestyle-video  

Hilary Duff Being Sued By Photographer After She Confronted Him For Taking Pictures Of Her Kids

By JAMIE SAMHAN. 20 Feb 2021 6:04 PM https://etcanada.com/news/749293/hilary-duff-being-sued-by-photographer-after-she-confronted-him-for-taking-pictures-of-her-kids/

As we continue to celebrate Black History month during February, we’ve been showcasing and highlighting artists that have shaped popular culture and made an impact far beyond their respected craft. In this episode of Black excellence, we’ll take a look at who some are calling America’s most revolutionary artist: Janelle Monáe .

Born in Kansas City, Janelle was exposed to music at an early while being raised in the church. While always encouraged, the dream of becoming a famous singer couldn’t be further from reality as Janelle had to overcome obstacles early on. She comes from very humble beginnings, and while that in itself can be a crippling disadvantage, her father also battled with addiction. To quote Janelle directly “I come from a very hard working class family who make nothing into something… I’ve never forgotten where I’ve come from.” Those humble beginnings laid the foundation for success in her entertainment career.

Singing wasn’t the only thing Janelle was talented at… She was also a fantastic playwright. At just 12 years old, she penned a script that told the story of a boy and a girl who were competing for the love of a plant… A story inspired by Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants. She received a scholarship to study musical theatre at the American Musical an Dramatic Academy in New York, however it wasn’t the right fit for her. Feeling creatively stifled, Janelle decided to move to Atlanta and her breakthrough would come soon after.

While in the ATL, Janelle was on the music circuit trying to make a name for herself as a singer/songwriter. Her quest had her performing at an open mic one night, when just by chance Big Boi of the legendary Hip Hop duo Outkast was in the audience. Thoroughly impressed with her performance, she would start working with the group and make appearances on their Purple Ribbon All Stars Album, and soundtrack for feature film Idlewild. Following this, she caught the attention of infamous record producer Sean Puff Daddy Combs, and signed to Bad Boy Records. Her debut album, The ArchAndroid was released in 2010 and nominated for a Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammys. In 2012, she enjoyed the #1 Spot on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as in 12 other countries with her feature on Fun’s “We Are Young”. She was also named one of the new faces of CoverGirl saying “It's time that women truly owned their superpowers and used their beauty and strength to change the world around them.

While an exceptional musician and singer, her opportunity to fulfill her acting dreams came to fruition in 2016 starring in the brad pitt executive produced, Oscar winning film Moonlight. Moonlight, a powerful drama that explores a young man’s difficulties with sexuality, identity and emotions as he matures, launched Janelle into the spotlight. In 2018, she covered Rolling Stone magazine describing herself as “a Black Queer Woman.” Later I read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I’m open to learning more about who I am.” 

It should come as no surprise that she is willing to give back to the communities that rally and support her endeavours. In 2020, she was 1 of many high profile celebrities that offered to pay bail for the protestors in Minnesota following the killing of George Floyd. She is also a co-chair in Michelle Obama’s “When We Vote” campaign, and has

performed to benefit many human rights campaigns including “Turning Up The

Fight Against Poverty”

Art as a word in itself is subjective. What is art? Can it actually be defined? Or is it just expression in any form? If that is the case, and that is the answer then who is America’s Most Revolutionary artists? Whether it be music, musicals, plays, movies, or television… I think it’s safe to say it is Janelle Monae. From small beginnings to substantial impact, Janelle Monáe  is black excellence.

Check back for more #BlackExcellence​​​ videos throughout #BlackHistoryMonth​​​

Shawn Mendes posted a photo on Instagram that is having a lot of people wonder, why? The photo is of him and his girlfriend Camila Cabello and he is kissing her foot. He captioned it saying “I kiss your foot cuz I love you”. We are not sure what Shawn expected the reaction to be to this photo but it definitely got a reaction!

Meghan Trainer and her husband Daryl Sabara have welcomed their first child! The two of them have a baby boy that they named Riley. Really missed the opportunity to name their son Junie after Daryl’s Spy Kids character. Meghan posted a photo on her Instagram saying “This sweet baby boy’s due date was today on Valentine’s Day We got to meet him Monday, Feb 8th! We are SO IN LOVE. Thank you @darylsabara for the best Valentine’s gift ever! Welcome to the world Riley!”

With the release of the Britney Spears documentary in the US, a lot of people have been calling for the cancellation of Justin Timberlake. 

There were comments he made about Britney Spears in interviews that were viewed as inappropriate

Justin Timberlake has since released an apology statement. In the statement he said, 

“The industry is flawed. It sets men, especially white men, up for success. It’s designed this way. As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this. Because of my ignorance, I didn’t recognize it for all that it was while it was happening in my own life but I do not want to even benefit from others being pulled down again.” 

Ariana Grande blessed us with a remix of her song 34 + 35 with two huge stars Doja Cat and Megan The Stallion. They released a music video for the song on Friday that showed them hanging out by indoor pool and ordering room service. Actress Kerri Washington seemed to have a bit of FOMO about the entire thing. She tweeted tagging Ariana, Megan and Doja saying “if there is a 34+35 remix to the remix…I am available! Just wanted to throw that out there.”

Articles by John R. Kennedy: https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/justin-timberlake-apologizes-to-britney-spears-janet-jackson-1.14564320  

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/meghan-trainor-welcomes-baby-boy-1.14579275 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/britney-spears-father-to-remain-her-co-conservator-1.14561885  

Watch New Episodes of #TheFilter Every Monday and Thursday!

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Taylor Swift went on Good Morning America this morning to share the exciting news that tonight at midnight she is going to re-release her new version of her song Love Story! 

She also revealed that she has finished re-recording her entire Fearless album and that is going to be coming out with 26 tracks, including six songs that didn’t make it on the original album. She shared new album art work that looks very similar to the original. And it wouldn’t be Taylor Swift if she didn’t leave a cryptic hint for us somewhere. She posted a letter to fans on her Instagram and the whole letter is in lower case letters except for the letters that spell out April 9th, meaning that is going to be the release date of her new Fearless album. 

Nothing like a Thursday morning code for us to crack. All the rights of Taylor’s music was sold without her consent to record executive Scooter Braun and he has been profiting off the success of her music since. A way for Taylor to get around this is to re-record her old songs and encourage her fans to support that instead which is what she is now doing

Billie Eilish, is a singer, songwriter and now executive film producer? She is in talks of being a producer on the movie called Fever all about the live of the singer Peggy Lee who had a long career as a singer that lasted over four decades. The role of Peggy is being played by Michelle Williams. Billie would take on the role along side her mom Maggy Baird. Billie has produced and even directed several of her own music videos including her last one “Therefore I am” but this would be the first time she worked on a feature film. 

Everyone has been talking about Britney Spears this week since the New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears” came out in the states. It covered Britney’s life and career and focused on the conservatorship that Britney’s dad Jamie has on Britney as well as the #FreeBritney movement that started because of this situation. Everyone has been giving their two cents on the situation but we have finally heard from Britney herself. She made a post on her Instagram sharing a video of a performance of the song Toxic that she did three years ago. With the caption she wrote, 

“I’ll always love being on stage .... but I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person ..... I love simply enjoying the basics of every day life !!!! Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories !!!! We all have so many different bright beautiful lives !!! Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person's life it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens  !!!!

Don’t have a date for Valentine’s day? That’s okay because you can spend it with Justin Bieber! He announced that he is celebrating Valentines Day on Sunday with a performance of his album Journals on TikTok. Journals is the album that he put out in 2013 as part of his documentary Believe. The concert is going to start on Sunday night at 9pm EST. 

Apologies for the technical difficulties.  

Watch New Episodes of #TheFilter​ Every Monday and Thursday!

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Sources: 

Taylor Swift / @taylorswift / Instagram 

Britney Spears / @brtineyspears / Instagram 

Justin Biber / @justinbieber / Twitter 

Articles by John R. Kennedy:

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/taylor-swift-releasing-re-recorded-love-story-1.14555627 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/britney-spears-appears-to-comment-on-documentary-1.14548450 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/justin-bieber-announces-valentine-s-performance-on-tiktok-1.14555108

In this episode of #BlackExcellence we highlight a woman who’s first name alone is recognized worldwide as a pillar of artistry, philanthropy, business, social justice and overall Black Excellence.

iHeartRadio’s Jamar McNeil walks you through some of the many reasons why Beyoncé is an example of Black Excellence. 

Queen B’s evolution started as a Little B in Houston TX, performing in talent competitions. Beyoncé has said that seeing Michael Jackson perform when she was five years old inspired her to pursue a music career. She has also cited Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey as her influences.  

At 8 She was part of a 6 girl group called Girls Thyme who after a loss on the famous TV talent show Star Search, broke off to a 4 girl group called Destiny’s Child! By the time they split in 2005 Beyoncé and her group mates were considered one of the best girl groups of all time. 

As a solo artist Beyoncé went on to become a phenomenon. Hits like Single Ladies, Run the World, Halo, Baby Boy, Crazy In Love are STILL to this day Hip Hop and R&B party ANTHEMS.  She’s a literal hit maker. She is the first solo artist to have six consecutive albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the only artist, besides Mariah Carey, to have No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in four different decades.

Beyoncé is a singer a dancer producer voice actor, director Beyoncé Dominates On stage, Behind the Mic and in front of the camera. Beyoncé made her big screen debut as Foxxy Cleopatra opposite Canada’s Mike Myers in 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember. Four years later, she earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Dream Girls and has gone on to play the voice of Nala in Disney’s remake of The Lion King!

As her star and her voice grew so did her influence and with it, her desire to affect change. She’s a Self described modern day feminist, she’s spoken out in favour of gun control, LGBTQ discrimination and has been more than present during the social justice fight against anti Black racism. 

From start to finish Beyoncé's story is one of a Child of Destiny who’s become a Black Woman of Excellence. All hail Queen Bey, Beyoncé

Check back for more #BlackExcellence​ videos throughout #BlackHistoryMonth​

CREDITS:

Research By Jamar McNeil, John R. Kennedy

Single Ladies, Columbia Records 

Run The world, Columbia Records, Parkwood 

Halo, Columbia 

Baby Boy, Columbia Records and Music World 

Crazy In Love, Columbia Records and Music World 

Austin Powers, New Line Cinema 

Lemonade Film, Parkwood Entertainment, Good Company

Beyoncé Earns 6th No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart By Keith Culfield 

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/7350372/beyonce-earns-sixth-no-1-album-on-billboard-200-chart-with-lemonade  

Beyoncé calls for Social and Judicial Changes after this weeks Robbery of Lives By Hilary Weaver

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/07/beyonce-end-gun-violence

The yearly concert that music fans call the #SuperBowl happened last night

#TheWeeknd performed the #SuperBowlHalftimeShow and he went hard. 

Many were impressed with his high energy performance, singing hits like Starboy, The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face and “In Your Eyes”.

The performance was incredible, and as per usual, many people on Twitter immediately turning clips of the performance into memes

The Weeknd is the third Canadian to perform the Super Bowl halftime show. Dan Aykroyd hit the stage as his Blues Brother character in 1997 and Shania Twain was on stage with other of singers in 2003. 

On Sunday, the Mayor of Toronto John Tory announced that February 7th is The Weeknd Day in Toronto. 

On top of the Weeknd’s performance we also saw Miley Cyrus performing as part of the first ever #TiktokTailgate party.

Drake had a big payday as he was the star of the one of the SuperBowl commercials. We saw him rocking a State Farm shirt in a commercial for the company with people like NFL stars Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, and actor Paul Rudd.

Who do you think could play the Superbowl Halftime Show in 2022?

Watch New Episodes of #TheFilter Every Monday and Thursday!

Follow Us:

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iheartradioca 

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Articles by John R. Kennedy:

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/the-weeknd-s-super-bowl-show-inspires-memes-1.14535487 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/watch-the-weeknd-performs-explosive-super-bowl-halftime-show-1.14533009  

https://www.iheartradio.ca/news/watch-drake-stars-in-super-bowl-commercial-1.14535095 

Tweets Featured by: /RyanSchoket, /TylerJRoney, /skinclasshero

The inaugural edition of Black Excellence highlights a young man who has changed the sound of R&B pop music over the past decade. We hold him in high regard for all that he has achieved and accomplished… Plus he’s one of the biggest acts to ever come out of Canada.

iHeartRadio's Dames Nellas walks you through just some of the reasons Abel Tesfaye AKA The Weeknd is an example of Black Excellence.

Hailing from the east end of Toronto, The Weeknd starting making noise in 2010, and his his critically acclaimed mixtape “House OF Balloons” was released in 2011. He’d follow up with with Thursday and Echoes of silence before signing his first record deal with Republic Records.

It didn’t take long for him to climb up the Billboard charts, landing 2 #1 ’s “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills” in 2015. His album “Beauty Behind The Madness” also landed him his first Grammy for “Best Urban Contemporary Album”.  

Since then, The Weeknd has gone on to win 3 Grammys, 5 American Music Awards, 10 Junos and he’s even been nominated for an Oscar thanks to his song “Earned It".

With the success of his music, The Weeknd has been able to partner with companies like Marvel comics and Puma. 

In 2020, he announced a partnership with TD Bank to launch The Black HXUSE, which is an incubator for BIPOC entrepreneurs in Toronto. To date, he has raised over $2 million dollars to support social injustice platforms like Black Lives Matter, Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights defense initiative and TikTok's equal justice Initiative after the devastating explosion in Lebanon. 

 

While donating abroad is always encouraged, he has been doing his part in his home community as well. The Weeknd has donated thousands of dollars to the Ethiopic Studies program at UofT, while purchasing $500k worth of PPE for frontline staff at Scarborough Health Network to combat COVID 19

Check back for more #BlackExcellence episodes throughout #BlackHistoryMonth