Can Ticketmaster handle the Beyhive?
On Wednesday (Feb. 1), Beyoncé announced her first solo world tour since 2016. While the news sparked plenty of BeyHive buzz on social media, fans and media outlets alike are expressing concern about Ticketmaster handling sales for the tour with the same “Verified Fan” system used in Taylor Swift’s Eras tour presale disaster last year.
Beginning Feb. 6, tickets for the North American shows on Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour will be sold through the ticketing giant’s controversial system, in which fans sign up for a access codes intended to cut back on scalpers and ticket resellers’ access. When Ticketmaster applied the system to Taylor’s presale last fall, it tanked, leaving scores of fans stuck in online queues for hours, then in some cases, discovering their codes no longer worked or their tickets had disappeared from their carts.
At a subsequent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about Taylor’s ticketing debacle and Ticketmaster’s 2010 merger with Live Nation, Live Nation CEO Joe Berch “blamed ‘industrial scalpers’ and a ‘cyberattack'” for the fiasco, according to Forbes. Ticketmaster had previously apologized, saying unexpected demand surged beyond the ticket supply, forcing the company to cancel the general admission sale.
Bey’s tour kicks off in Europe in May; the North American leg begins July 8 in Toronto.
Keep reading for more news …
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Tom Brady follows up retirement news with photos of exes Gisele Bundchen, Bridget Moynihan
Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday (Feb. 1), promising “it’s for good” this time — and sharing a gallery of pics that included exes Gisele Bundchen and Bridget Moynahan. “I love my family,” the seven-time Super Bowl champ wrote on Instagram alongside a video of him sharing the retirement news, followed by multiple photos featuring Gisele and their kids. Over on the Tampa Bay Bucaneers quarterback’s Instagram Story, he included more pics of Gisele, plus a rare photo of Bridget and their son, Jack. “I love my teammates, I love my friends, I love my coaches, I love football, I love you all,” his caption continued. “I am truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️.”
The news comes three months after Tom and Gisele divorced amid rumors his previous “unretirement” in 2022 had caused marital tension. “Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream,” he said near the end of his emotional video announcement.
Gisele was among the many famous names who commented on Tom’s post. “Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life,” she wrote.
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Serena Williams seemingly addresses Will Smith Oscars slap: ‘We’re all human’
“We’re all imperfect and we’re all human.” So said tennis great Serena Williams while discussing “King Richard” — the film about her dad that won Will Smith his first Best Actor Oscar — with Gayle King on “CBS Mornings” this week.Will’s 2022 win, of course, came right after the star slapped Chris Rock onstage at the awards show over a joke Chris made about Will’s wife. Serena didn’t mention Will by name, according to ET, but while discussing the movie’s recognition, she seemingly referenced the slap and subsequent fallout.
“I thought it was such an incredible film and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that kind of was overshadowed,” she said. (Chris was presenting the Best Documentary Feature award when Will assaulted him; the Oscar went to Questlove for “Summer of Soul.”) “But I also feel that I’ve been in a position where I’ve been under a lot of pressure and made a tremendous amount of mistakes, and I’m the kind of person that’s just like, ‘I’ve been there. I’ve made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world,'” Serena continued. “We’re all imperfect and we’re all human and let’s just be kind to each other. So, that’s often forgotten a lot.”
Kaitlyn Bristowe says Chris Harrison friendship went ‘down the toilet’ when she landed ‘Bachelorette’ hosting gig
Kaitlyn Bristowe says her long-running friendship with former Bachelor Nation host Chris Harrison essentially ended when she was hired to help fill in as a co-host on “The Bachelorette” during Chris’ controversy-fueled hiatus. “I messaged Chris probably 10 times without him responding, and that is so not like him to me,” Kaitlyn said on this week’s “Not Skinny but Not Fat” podcast, per Variety. “I just wanted him to know that I thought he was irreplaceable, and I didn’t want to step on toes.”
Before Chris was ousted from his Bachelor Nation hosting roles, Kaitlyn said she was told she was hired only to “mentor” “The Bachelorette” star, Katie Thurston. Soon, she read headlines that indicated she was, in fact, one of two replacements for Chris. After multiple attempts to talk to Chris failed, Kaitlyn said she determined, “We were best friends and now he hates me.”
“I bawled my eyes out about it,” she said. “That friendship just felt like it went down the toilet.” She said he later replied when she congratulated him on his new podcast, but they’re no longer close. Chris, meanwhile, has said on his show that former associates “saw the blood in the water” when he exited and went after his job.
John Legend reveals meaning behind new daughter Esti Maxine’s name
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s newest family addition, Esti Maxine Stephens, has ties to her two matriarchs in her dad’s family. “It turns out, my great-grandmother was named Esther,” John said on the Wednesday (Feb. 1) edition of E! News. While Chrissy suggested the name Esti, John said he saw a connection right away. “It wasn’t intentionally after someone,” he explained, “but once Chrissy told me that idea, I was like, ‘Oh, my great-grandmother’s name was Esther.'” They’d already planned to include Maxine as their baby’s middle name in honor ofJohn’s grandmother, he added. “So, it’s a lot of my family in the name.”
Esti joined big brother Miles, 4, and big sister Luna, 6, on Jan. 13, after Chrissy’s devastating, late-term pregnancy loss in October 2020. “The house is bustling and our family could not be happier,” Chrissy shared on Instagram earlier this month while announcing Esti’s birth. “Daddy shed nightly tears of joy seeing Luna and Miles so full of love, and I am learning you still need diapers with a c section!?” she joked. “We are in bliss. Thank you for all the love and well wishes – we feel it all!”
Gillian Anderson is crowdsourcing help with book on women’s sexual fantasies
Since 2019,Gillian Anderson’s played sex therapist Jean Milburn on the Netflix comedy, “Sex Education.” Now, she’s writing a book about women and sex — and she wants fans to help. The actress kicked off her crowdsourcing with a lengthy piece in The Guardian published Wednesday (Feb. 1). Recalling her response to the cult classic 1973 book, “My Secret Garden: Women’s Fantasies,” by Nancy Friday — the “revolutionary, even provocative” book that soon “became required reading for everyone, a multimillion-copy global bestseller” — Gillian says she’s often asked if women ever confess their fantasies to her, since she plays a sex therapist on TV.
“Well, they don’t,” she writes. “Which ultimately is what gave me the idea for a book – a ‘My Secret Garden’ for the 21st century, so to speak – that would be revelatory and profound, and inclusive across the board.” Declaring that “anything is up for grabs,” Gillian writes: “I want women across the world, and all of you who identify intrinsically as women now – queer, heterosexual and bisexual, non-binary, transgender, polyamorous – all of you, old and young, whatever your religion, and married, single or other, to write to me and tell me what you think about when you think about sex.”
Elsewhere in the piece, the “X Files” alum writes that the “unfiltered and painful honesty” of ’70s-era women grappling with shame around sex and their imaginations “shook” her when she read “My Secret Garden.” “I’m hoping your voices from diverse nationalities and backgrounds will shed light on just how far we have come since 1973,” she explains. The piece closes with a link to “a secure email address” at dearjillian.com and a promise that the project — “for now, let’s just call it ‘Dear Gillian,'” she writes — will ensure all contributors’ “identities will be protected.”
Ozzy Osbourne announces retirement from touring at 74
Ozzy Osbourne has announced his touring days are behind him as he battles an array of health issues. In a social media statement posted Wednesday (Feb. 1), the Black Sabbath frontman prefaced the news by calling it “one of the hardest things” he’s ever had to tell his fans. Ozzy, 74, then recapped his ongoing recovery from the “major accident” he had four years ago in which he injured his spine. “My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on onstage,” he wrote. “My singing voice is fine,” he continued. “However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.” He went on to thank fans for “patiently” waiting for him to recover after his 2019 tour was postponed, but said he’s decided to cancel all dates scheduled for his planned farewell tour, set to begin in May in Finland.
The Prince of Darkness also revealed in 2020 that he’s been battling Parkinson’s disease. According to the statement, his team is “currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country.”
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