Friday Roundup (of News & Thoughts & Such) - June 17th, 2022

Welcome to the Friday Roundup of News and Thoughts and Such. It’s been an eventful news week. However, a file got dropped on my desk that is taller than I am. So this week, we’re heavy on the news, light on the thoughts, and I can’t imagine there being much “and such” at all, if any.

1. Justin Bieber suffers facial paralysis:

Justin Bieber announced via a video message that he had been stricken with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, caused by a “pretty serious virus” which has left him unable to move the entire right side of his face. There is, at present, no timeline for recovery. Our most recent update comes in the form of an Instagram post stating that “Each day has gotten better.”

2. Ozzy Osbourne has “life altering” surgery:

Sharon Osbourne shared on Monday that the heavy metal legend was undergoing a “major operation” that is “really going to determine the rest of his life.” Since that time, an anonymous source has claimed that the surgery relates to realignment of surgical pins implanted in Osbourne’s back and neck following an injury in 2019. The most recent updates indicate that the surgery went “well.”

3. BTS announces hiatus:

The K-Pop megastars have announced an indefinite, though allegedly temporary, break in their activities as a group to pursue solo projects. Probably the key quote here comes from RM, who said “The problem with K-Pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something. And after I get up in the morning and get makeup done there’s no time left for growth… In the past, I could still balance working on music alone and doing our group promotions but now I can’t do them together. It’s impossible, it just won’t work. I can’t be doing group stuff and then suddenly turning the focus to my own work like flipping a switch… I need time on my own.” Jungkook has since reassured fans that this hiatus is indeed temporary and is not a breakup.

4. Lizzo changes lyrics after concerns regarding “derogatory language”:

Good for her. Didn’t argue. Didn’t defend herself. Just did the thing.

5. Jay-Z / Dame Dash settlement

The lawsuit arose over Dash’s attempt to sell Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt as an NFT. All bad things in life stem from NFTs. Per the settlement, Dash is allowed to sell his one third stake in Roc-A-Fella Records but may not “in any way dispose of any property interest in Reasonable Doubt,” the copyright to which is held by the label itself rather than any individual corporate officer or shareholder.

6. Julee Cruise passes away: 

Julee Cruise, best known for her ethereal vocal performances (described as sounding like an “angel on Quaaludes”) which underscored some of the most memorable scenes in the Twin Peaks roadhouse, died by suicide on June 9, 2022. Give Julee’s first album, Floating Into the Night, a listen for some of the best, most haunting dream pop you’ll ever hear. Julee Cruise was 65. 

7. Beyoncé announces new album:

The album, Renaissance, is due out July 29 and marks Beyoncé’s first album in 6 years, following her 2016 masterpiece, Lemonade.

8. Lil Wayne denied entry to the United Kingdom due to past criminal charges:

His performance at June 18’s Strawberries & Creem music festival has been formally canceled. Ludacris has been subbed in as a last minute replacement. This is far from unprecedented; Tyler, the Creator was previously banned from the UK for several years in 2015, allegedly due to lyrics from his debut EP, Bastard.

9. Lady Gaga to star in Joker 2?: 

According to reports, Lady Gaga is in early talks to play Harley Quinn in the sequel to Todd Philips’ 2019 hit that I didn’t watch but have heard was fine. Also it’s a musical. 

10. Frank Ocean emerges from his Groundhog Day hole, will play Coachella in 2023

Editor's note: *unintelligible squealing noises*

11. There’s a Drake album too, I guess:

Y’all, I’m just trying to watch The Batman and Dane keeps throwing news stories at me. Dropped at midnight last night/this morning. It’s called Honestly, Nevermind, which is what I have said verbatim 3 tracks in to every Drake album that came out after 2013. 

What’s channel.WAV listening to this week?

Botts: Elvis will be gracing the big screen soon. Start jamming along now before it’s considered cliché.

Ritter: I shared the video for this track on last week’s Fresh Friday column, but it’s been stuck in my head for a week so now it can be stuck in your’s!

Slone: I am on all things synth-heavy this week. Listen to Chromatics’ “Shadow” and be in awe.

________________________________________________

Dane and I are no longer on speaking terms. Get the EXPLOSIVE story behind our falling out when you leave a comment below. Fuck, what an awful news week.

- Slone