Justin Bieber's first time taking the stage for a live show in 3 years will be seen online all over the world, but will have an odd feel to it ... which perfectly sums up the year for big musical acts.
JB's putting on a New Year's Eve concert Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton hotel, his first concert since his Purpose World Tour wrapped up in September 2017.
Bieber was seen rehearsing Wednesday on the custom stage with scaffolding. Though the show will be virtual, we're told there will be a small crowd in the balconies ... with social distancing and mask protocols in place, of course.
The NYE concert will begin streaming worldwide on the Moment House platform starting at 7:15 PST ... sponsored by T-Mobile. If you haven't heard of it, Moment House was founded in L.A. in 2019 by a team coming from the USC Jimmy Iovine & Dr. Dre Academy for the Arts.
The platform allows artists to create special, ticketed experiences -- AKA "moments" -- for their fans no matter where they are in the world ... which has become a huge deal in the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Access to Bieber's concert will cost ya $25 ... except for T-Mobile customers, who can watch for free.
Speaking of money ... this is a way Justin and other musicians can make money during the pandemic, since live concerts are pretty much out of the question for the foreseeable future.
In the year of everything going virtual -- including the ball drop -- what more can you expect?
To give fans something to ring in 2021, SM Entertainment will be putting on a virtual concert. SMTOWN LIVE “Culture Humanity” will feature multiple artists under SM Entertainment and will be free for fans to stream online. Here is how K-pop fans around the world can tune in to SMTOWN LIVE “Culture Humanity.”
SuperM | Rich Polk/Getty Images for Capitol Music Group
The artists performing in SMTOWN LIVE ‘Culture Humanity’
At midnight KST on Dec. 28, SM Entertainment announced the free concert and released a video teaser for the acts performing. The concert will feature many high-profile artists and bands.
All four NCT sub-units, NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV, will perform. K-pop supergroup SuperM is made up of members from SM Entertainment’s EXO, SHINee, NCT 127, and WayV and will perform in the concert.
Baekhyun and Kai of EXO will perform their new solo material. In 2020, Taemin of SHINee released his solo album Never Gonna Dance Again and he is included in the performance lineup.
In 2020, SM Entertainment debuted a new girl group called aespa, and aespa is set to perform in SMTOWN LIVE “Culture Humanity.” Red Velvet, one of the most popular girl groups in South Korea, will perform as well.
The special concert event will also feature Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon, Super Junior, TVXQ, H.O.T.’s Kangta, and DJs Raiden, GINJO, and IMLAY.
How to watch SMTOWN LIVE ‘Culture Humanity’
SMTOWN LIVE “Culture Humanity” will stream on Jan. 1, 2021 at 1 p.m. KST and Dec. 31, 2020 at 11 p.m. EST and 8 p.m. PST. The concert is free for fans to attend, and it will be available to stream on multiple platforms.
In the tweet sharing the link to the concert livestream, SMTOWN wrote, “During this difficult time of COVID-19, enjoy the #SMTOWN_LIVE ‘Culture Humanity’ concert, that will encourage and cheer you up, for free all around the world.”
The artists designed tickets for fans
To invite fans to the event, SMTOWN social media accounts posted tickets designed by the performing artists. The artists also posed for photos while holding physical copies of the tickets to promote the event.
On the SMTOWN YouTube channel, videos were posted showing the artists taking photos and designing the tickets for fans.
“It’s been so long since I did something like this,” Jungwoo of NCT 127 said as he decorated a ticket.
“SMTOWN (concert), it’s been so long since we last did it,” Taeil of NCT 127 said. “I think it will be a happy day.”
Haechan added, “It’s been so long since the last SMTOWN. It happened the summer of last year.”
Taeyong is currently recovering from an injury
Taeyong is a member of SM Entertainment’s NCT and SuperM. On Dec. 24, SM Entertainment announced that Taeyong would be taking a break from activities due to an injury, and he did not perform in NCT’s “Beyond Live” concert on Dec. 27.
At 12:04 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2021 in South Korea, Taeyong shared a New Year’s message with fans and promised to come back stronger.
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As promised, Justin Bieber has dropped not simply a new single, but a music video in which the singer squares up to fight, a fitting tribute to everyone who had their ass absolutely kicked by 2020. Bieber dropped the track and accompanying video at midnight, January 1, after premiering it during his T-Mobile Presents New Year’s Eve Live With Justin Bieber on Thursday night. “Oh yeah I’m performing my new single #ANYONE during #BieberNYE, tomorrow night“ he tweeted Wednesday.
The video, directed by Colin Tilley, has the singer going full Rocky for Zoey Deutch’s Adrian, running on the beach, drinking raw eggs, falling in love, and, of course, walloping his opponent. “I can’t think of a better way to close out 2020 and kick off 2021 than celebrating with my fans all over the world and sharing this new music with them,” Bieber said in a news release posted by Billboard. “Music has gotten us all through so much this year, and for me personally it’s been healing and transformative.” Check out the “Anyone” music video below.
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Fans object to Justin Bieber's New Year's Eve concert
Justin Bieber is fighting it out with his neighbours over holding a New Year's concert at the Beverly Hilton hotel.
According to an exclusive source cited by Page Six, neighbours were left fuming after a soundcheck session on Wednesday.
As per reports, the musical event will be held at an “iconic” location, outdoors at the Beverly Hilton, revealed insiders.
An annoyed resident said Bieber's concert soundcheck was not entirely pleasant to begin with.
“It was like a car was parked outside of my house blasting music at 1 million decibels,” the source said. “Many people in the neighborhood called the hotel [to complain], and the hotel referred them to the Beverly Hills police, and permit department.”
Meanwhile, another one objected, "Why are we required to stay home while Bieber gets to work?”
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BTS and ARMY show off their creative sides in a special version of the “Life Goes On” music video!
BTS released a version of their “Life Goes On” music video, featuring special appearances made by ARMY! BTS hosted a #LifeGoesOn challenge on TikTok, encouraging fans to creatively interpret the track in their TikTok videos.
The challenge ran from November 20 to December 5, gaining 463,275 entries from ARMYs across the world, while the video views for the challenge reached 930 million in only 15 days. Lucky ARMYs were selected and shown in the “Life Goes On (ARMY ver.)” music video!
BTS themselves kicked off the challenge, making their appearances at the beginning of the video. Members expressed the song lyrics through decorative polaroids, leaves, flip-books, and other art projects.
The video continued by showing ARMY interpreting the meaning of the song through their own creations. This included calligraphy, painting, digital art, and videos of themselves enjoying BTS content.
“Life Goes On” is the song that expresses the honest thoughts of BTS regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Though many bitterly endure its effects, the track is a message of comfort and acknowledgement that though the situation is terrible, “life goes on”.
The representation of daily life in the special music video united well with the acoustic song. The video created an optimistic atmosphere, portraying its lyrical message. BTS connected with their fans through this project, further displaying the message of consolation their song expresses.
Meanwhile, the group will connect with fans over the world once more during the upcoming 2021 NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE Presented By Weverse, live-streaming December 31. The digital concert will feature Big Hit Label artists including BTS, Lee Hyun, Bumzu, NU’EST, GFRIEND, TXT, and ENHYPEN.
Driven from China during Mao’s rule, Mr. Fou kept up a correspondence with his father that became a beloved book in the wake of the Cultural Revolution.
Fou Ts’ong, a Chinese pianist known for his sensitive interpretations of Chopin, Debussy and Mozart, and whose letters from his father, a noted translator and writer, influenced a generation of Chinese readers, died on Monday at a hospital in London, where he had lived for many years. He was 86.
The cause was the coronavirus, said Patsy Toh, a pianist, who had been married to Mr. Fou since 1975.
In 1955, Mr. Fou became one of the first Chinese pianists to achieve global prominence when he took third place in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, also winning a special prize for his performance of Chopin’s mazurkas.
Almost overnight, he became a national hero at home. To China’s nascent Communist-led government, Mr. Fou’s recognition in a well-known international competition was proof that the country could stand on its own artistically in the West. Chinese reporters flocked to interview Mr. Fou, while many others sought out his father, Fu Lei, a prominent translator of French literature, for advice on child-rearing.
But the authorities’ good will did not last long.
Two years later, Mao Zedong initiated the Anti-Rightist Campaign, during which hundreds of thousands of Chinese intellectuals, including Mr. Fu, were persecuted. Many were tortured and banished to labor camps. Mr. Fou, then studying at the Warsaw Conservatory in Poland, was made to return to China to undergo “rectification” for several months.
Not long after going back to Warsaw, Mr. Fou found himself in a quandary. Having witnessed the increasingly tumultuous political climate back home, he knew that if he returned to China upon graduation — as the government expected him to do — he would be expected to denounce his father, an unimaginable situation.
So in December 1958, Mr. Fou fled then-Communist Poland for London, where he claimed political asylum.
“About my leaving, I always felt full of regret and anguish,” he later recalled in an interview. So many intellectuals in China had suffered, he said, but he had escaped. “I felt uneasy, as if I owed something to all my friends,” he added.
After his defection to London, Mr. Fou maintained a written correspondence with his father in Shanghai — a special privilege that was said to have been personally approved by Zhou Enlai, the Chinese premier.
Then, in 1966, Mao unleashed the Cultural Revolution, a decade-long period of chaos that upended Chinese society. Militant Red Guards accused Mr. Fu, a prolific translator of writers like Balzac and Voltaire, of having “capitalistic” artistic taste, among other crimes. They humiliated and tortured the scholar and his wife for days until the couple, like many other Chinese, were driven to suicide. Mr. Fou, still in London, did not learn of his parents’ deaths until several months later.
In 1981, after China’s post-Mao government posthumously restored the reputations of Mr. Fou’s parents, a volume of letters written by his father, primarily to Mr. Fou, was published in China. Full of advice, encouragement, life teachings and stern paternal love, the book, “Fu Lei’s Family Letters,” became an instant best seller in China.
For many, the long disquisitions on music, art and life offered a welcome contrast to the Cultural Revolution years, which saw sons turn against fathers, students against teachers and neighbors against neighbors — all in the name of politics.
“If you imagine the environment we grew up with, it was very rigid,” said Xibai Xu, a political analyst who first read the letters in middle school in Beijing. He added, “So when you read ‘Fu Lei’s Family Letters,’ you realized how a decent human life could be — a life that is very delicate and artistic, with real human emotions and not just ideology.”
Besides influencing a generation of Chinese, Mr. Fu’s words resonated long after his death with the person for whom they were originally intended.
“My father had a saying that ‘First you must be a person, then an artist, and then a musician, and only then can you be a pianist,’” Mr. Fou once recalled in an interview. “Even now, I believe in this order — that it should be this way and that I am this way.”
Mr. Fou performing in New York City in 2006.Nan Melville for The New York Times
Fou Ts’ong was born on March 10, 1934, in Shanghai. His father, in addition to being a translator, was an art critic and a curator. His mother, Zhu Meifu, was a secretary to her husband.
Under the strict supervision of their father, Mr. Fou and his brother, Fu Min, were educated in the classical Chinese tradition, and they grew up surrounded by both Western and Chinese cultural influences. As a child, Mr. Fou studied art, philosophy and music, frequently making use of his father’s phonograph and extensive record collection.
A lover of classical music from a young age, Mr. Fou began taking piano lessons when he was 7. He later studied under a number of teachers, including Mario Paci, the Italian conductor of the Shanghai Philharmonic.
But the chaos of wartime China prevented the young pianist from receiving a systematic musical education. In 1948, Mr. Fou, then in his teens, moved with his family to the southwestern province of Yunnan, where he went through what he described as a rebellious period. It was only after returning to Shanghai several years later that he began to dedicate himself in earnest to the piano.
In 1952, Mr. Fou made his first stage appearance, playing Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. The concert caught the attention of officials in Beijing, who selected the young pianist to compete and tour in Eastern Europe, Mr. Fou’s first trip abroad.
Soon, Mr. Fou moved to Poland, where he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory on a scholarship. To prepare for the fifth Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1955, he practiced so diligently that he hurt his fingers and was nearly cut from the first round of competition.
After the deaths of his parents in 1966, Mr. Fou stayed abroad, rising to become a renowned concert pianist on the international circuit. Though he was best known for his interpretations of Chopin, he also received acclaim for his performances of works by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Debussy. In a review of a 1987 recital in New York, the critic Bernard Holland wrote in The New York Times of Mr. Fou’s “sensitive ear for color” and “elusive gift of melody.”
“We should hear Mr. Fou more often,” Mr. Holland wrote. “He is an artist who uses his considerable pianistic gifts in pursuit of musical goals and not for show.”
In 1979, after Mao’s death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, Mr. Fou was granted permission to return to China for the first time in more than two decades, reuniting with his brother to hold a memorial service for their parents.
On subsequent visits, Mr. Fou gave performances and lectures; he became known to many Chinese as the “Piano Poet” for his lyrical musical interpretations. Later versions of “Fu Lei’s Family Letters” were updated to include some of Mr. Fou’s letters to his father.
Mr. Fou’s death came at a time of resurgent nationalism in China. On Chinese social media, some ultranationalist commentators called him a traitor to the country for having defected decades ago, echoing similar accusations that Mr. Fou faced in the 1950s not long after settling in London.
“What would I tell them? There was nothing to say,” Mr. Fou once said of such critics in an interview. “It’s not that I was longing for the West.”
“I was choosing freedom,” he added. “It was not an easy situation. There was no other choice.”
Many other Chinese honored his memory, including well-known pianists like Li Yundi as well as Lang Lang, who called Mr. Fou “a clear stream in the world of classical music and a beacon of light in our spirit.”
Mr. Fou in Chengdu, China, in 2007. The pianist Lang Lang called him “a clear stream in the world of classical music.”VCG/VCG, via Getty Images
“Fou Ts’ong’s legacy was to show people and musicians the importance of integrity, character and music beyond technique,” said Jindong Cai, a conductor and the director of the U.S.-China Music Institute at Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Mr. Fou’s first marriage, to Zamira Menuhin, daughter of the prominent violinist Yehudi Menuhin, ended in divorce, as did a brief marriage to Hijong Hyun. In addition to Ms. Toh, Mr. Fou is survived by a son from his first marriage, Lin Xiao; a son from his marriage to Ms. Toh, Lin Yun; and his brother, Mr. Fu.
Mr. Fou remained passionately devoted to music in his later years, playing piano for hours every day even as his fingers grew frail. It was a love that he invoked often in interviews, alongside nuggets of wisdom from his father.
“When I was very young, I wrote to my father from Poland that I was sad and lonely,” he once recalled. “He wrote back: ‘You could never be lonely. Don’t you think you are living with the greatest souls of the history of mankind all the time?’”
K-Pop star Seo Minwoo dies at age 33 from cardiac arrest
K-Pop star, Jung Il-hoon, who was under investigation by South Korean police for marijuana usage, has departed from the boy band BTOB.
Earlier in December, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said in a statement to Korean media that the 26-year-old Ilhoon had been referred for prosecution in July. The former BTOB rapper is indicted for violating South Korea's Narcotics Control Act.
K-pop star Ilhoon from BtoB bandIlhoon (@ilhoonmj/Instagram)
Jung Ilhong's agency has released a statement clarifying that Jung Ilhoon takes the responsibility for breaking the trust of his fans and causing disappointment to many. After a lot of discussions, it was decided that he will withdraw from the group.
"We feel a strong responsibility for this recent incident, and we will do our duty in order for him to diligently participate in the upcoming investigation. BTOB will now continue activities with six members, and we will provide our best efforts and unchanging support for BTOB to showcase more mature music and performances. We once again apologize to the fans who support and cherish BTOB," the agency said via Soompi.
BtoB group:
South Korean Born to Beat was formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment and consists of Seo Eun-Kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-Sik, Peniel Shin, Jung II-hoon (now a former member), and Yook Sung-Jae.
BTOB bandBTOB Official Instagram (@cube_official_btob/Instagram)
The BtoB group first debuted in 2012 after performing "Insane" and "Imagine" on M Countdown. The group's debut EP, Born to Beat was released the same year. Since their formation, BtoB has received multiple awards, including the 30th Golden Disc Awards Best Vocal Group in 2016 and the 2017 Melon Music Awards.
Jung Ii-hoon was the main rapper of the group. In the K-pop world, he is known for his collaborations with artists such as Hyuna and G.Na, as well as for being an assistant MC on the variety show Weekly Idol.
Fans reaction to Ilhoon leaving BtoB:
As per reports, the rapper-songwriter allegedly used virtual currency to purchase the drug second-hand from an acquaintance of his. Following the news that he no longer be a part of Born to Beat, K-pop fans immediately took to Twitter to show their sadness.
IlhoonTwitter
IlhoonTwitter
That being said, several fans understood the decision that Il-hoon was under criminal investigation and it would reportedly create some problem for the band if he continues with them.
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It's been nearly two months since BTS member Suga underwent shoulder surgery, and in a new update, he confirmed that he's still recovering.
During a Monday, December 28 appearance on V Live, Suga, whose real name is Min Yoongi, shared that he's no longer wearing a brace, but his shoulder isn't completely healed. “I can’t lift my arms up to 90 degrees yet,” he said, according to Metro. “I still feel that they are not my arms. My arms are like the arms of a newborn baby.”
Suga confirmed that he's continuing with recovery treatment, saying, “I’m trying to move only to the extent I can. I’m doing various exercises. I’m getting better but I’m recovering at a slow speed…It’s recovering slower than weight exercise so I’m a little anxious, but I’m still working out continuously."
Looking toward future performances, he hinted at the possibility of an appearance on Big Hit Entertainment's New Year's Eve celebration. “I’m recovering well so I guess I can appear but I can’t perform.” He also pointed out that, because of the surgery, he's currently unable to hold a microphone in his left hand.
Back on November 6, Big Hit Entertainment announced via Weverse that Suga had undergone surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum. The tear was related to an injury that occurred in 2012 when the performer was hit by a car during one of his delivery boy shifts. The November 3 surgery came after Suga experienced ongoing complications, the statement explained.
Suga gave fans his first post-surgery update on November 21, assuring followers that he was on the mend. "It almost doesn’t hurt at all now and the pain has gone down a lot. The first three days after surgery were really painful. I couldn’t sleep well. I’m sleeping well now and there are no big problems,” he said at the time.
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For the first time ever, artists under Big Hit Labels will be putting on a joint concert. “2021 New Year’s Eve Live” will feature Lee Hyun, Bumzu, NU’EST, BTS, GFRIEND, Tomorrow X Together, and ENHYPEN. Halsey, Steve Aoki, and Lauv will also make appearances. Hanbin, the semi-finalist of the Mnet show I-LAND, will make an appearance on the pre-stage.
The concert will be presented by Weverse on Dec. 31. Here is how to watch “2021 New Year’s Eve Live” with BTS, GFRIEND, TXT, Lee Hyun, ENHYPEN, NU-EST, Bumzu, Halsey, Lauv, and Steve Aoki.
BTS performing for the 2020 American Music Awards | Big Hit Entertainment/AMA2020/Getty Images via Getty Images
Details about ‘2021 New Year’s Eve Live‘
“2021 New Year’s Eve Live” is a live New Year’s countdown show. It is one of the many virtual shows artists under Big Hit Labels have put on in 2020 in an effort to connect with fans amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to a press release, the virtual concert “will unfold a new ‘music story’ every year through performances that bring artists and the audience closer together. This year’s theme, ‘We’ve connected,’ will be narrated by music, performances and stages broken down into the sub themes ‘WE,’ ‘RE,’ ‘NEW’ and ‘2021 Connect.'”
The press release states that the goal of the event is to “extend a message of hope and consolation to music fans all over the world who communicate through ‘music’ in a time when physical encounters and networking are neglected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In addition to Lee Hyun, Bumzu, NU’EST, BTS, GFRIEND, TXT, and ENHYPEN, the New Year’s show will put an emphasis on global connection, and Lauv, Halsey, and Steve Aoki will take part in a “Global Connect Stage.”
How fans can purchase tickets for ‘2021 New Year’s Eve Live’
“2021 New Year’s Eve Live” will be broadcast on Dec. 31 at 7:30 a.m. EST, 4:30 a.m. PST, and 9:30 p.m. KST. Tickets went on sale on Dec. 8 and can be purchased on Weverse Shop until Dec. 31 at 6 a.m. PST, 9 a.m., EST, and 11 p.m. KST.
There are multiple ticket options available for fans to buy. For members of NU’EST, BTS, GFRIEND, TXT, and ENHYPEN fanclubs there are membership-only tickets. There are also multiview and “Online Meet & Greet” tickets available.
An HD Multi-view 4 ticket is priced at $47.61 and gives fans access to the concert’s main camera along with three additional multi-cam screens. This ticketing option is available to all fans. A Single View ticket of the main stage was available to all fans and priced at $37.99. The Single View ticket sold out before ticket sales ended.
The HD Multi-view 6 ticket for “2021 New Year’s Eve Live” is only available for NU’EST, BTS, GFRIEND, TXT, and ENHYPEN fanclub members. This ticketing option is priced at $47.61 and includes access to the main concert stage, a three-screen multi-cam, and a two-screen view of the concert’s backstage “Online Meet & Greet.”
The last ticketing option available for members of NU’EST, BTS, GFRIEND, TXT, and ENHYPEN fanclubs is a 4K Single View + HD Multi-view 6 ticket and it is priced at $57.23. With this ticket, fans have access to everything from the HD Multi-view 6 package with an additional single-view camera of the main concert stage in 4K.
How to watch ‘2021 New Year’s Eve Live’ with Big Hit artists like BTS and TXT
After fans have purchased tickets on Weverse Shop, a link will be provided. Fans must then sign in with their Weverse Shop account. If it is a fan’s first time logging into a virtual concert event put on by Big Hit Entertainment, they can create a nickname to be used in the fan chatroom.
Fans must then verify their ticket on the Live Viewing Page before the concert begins in order to view the concert. After verifying their ticket, all fans have to do is wait for “2021 New Year’s Eve Live” to begin.
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Liam Daniel / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
"I feel really proud of those scenes honestly," Dynevor said while discussing on-set work with an intimacy coordinator that made the scenes feel "like they were intricate stunts": "We worked really hard at making them feel real."
Liam Daniel / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
"We were immensely well-prepared," Page added. "We had dance lessons, writing lessons—essentially, a lot of time in each other's arms before we even hit the set.
Liam Daniel / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
"And so once you've spent that many hours on the dance floor with someone, being close to someone, literally catching each other when you fall — and we didn't fall because we weren't brilliant dancers — then a lot of it happens quite organically."
Liam Daniel / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
"It's so important for the journey of the characters to see those scenes," Dynevor continued. "They're not just there to be there. They're there to tell this story of this sort of sexual awakening that Daphne is having and I think that's so important for her story particularly."
Liam Daniel / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
Showrunner Chris Van Dusen also weighed in on the BTS details: "We had many many conversations about exactly what we were doing. It was all so that the cast would feel comfortable, and we all we really left it in their hands to take the scenes for as far as they wanted to take them."
Liam Daniel / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
"Those scenes were heavily choreographed, much like an action sequence, like 'Your hand goes here, your leg goes there.' They were all really, really rehearsed."
Liam Daniel / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
No answer in the interview to the question on everyone's minds just yet (will it get renewed?!?), but in the meantime it's more than interesting to get some BTS deets after you've finished up the season.
Liam Daniel / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
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Justin Bieber is 'studying to be a minister'... after former mentor Carl Lentz's controversial exit from Hillsong Church
Lentz was booted from his leadership role at the superchurch in November for what founder Brian Houston described as 'leadership issues' and 'moral failures'
'Justin believes he can take a leadership position in restoring order' to Hillsong after Lentz's departure, said sources
He was also reportedly integral in Justin's ill-fated attempt to reunite with Selena Gomez, who has since left the Hillsong flock
Bieber has since moved on to a new spiritual guide, Judah Smith of Chruchome, who officiated his 2019 wedding to wife Hailey
The Purpose pop star, who has credited Hillsong Church for pulling him out of his most 'dark' times, is reportedly interested in taking a leadership role at the church following the controversial exit of pastor/former mentor Carl Lentz, 42.
Following Lentz's exit for what the church called 'leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures' in November, Bieber, 26, 'believes he can take a leadership position in restoring order,' according to insiders.
Father Justin: Justin Bieber is reportedly studying to become a pastor, hoping to take on a leadership role in his beloved Hillsong Church after former mentor Carl Lentz's controversial ouster
The Canadian crooner feels like it's his job to give back to the community after all the ways they'd helped him.
'Justin has never felt happier or healthier, and he says he owes it to the church,' explained the source.
They went on, saying: 'Justin believes he can take a leadership position in restoring order' to Hillsong after Lentz's departure.
According to OK's insiders, the Holy crooner has an active role in Hillsong, participating as a choir member.
And Justin's doesn't plan on his new spiritual role taking him away from music.
'[He] doesn't plan to give up his music career, but he feels there's a bigger calling out there for him,' says the source. 'He wants to be a full-fledged minister next year.'
Straying from the flock: Lentz exited the church after what founder Brian Houston described as 'leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.' He's seen in 2017 above
Estranged: Bieber's relationship with Lentz was close and very public, even calling the pastor 'second father' at one point according to sources. They're seen in 2017 above
Though Bieber's relationship with Lentz was close and very public - even calling the pastor 'second father' according to TMZ - the pair appeared to have distanced themselves, even prior to the cleric's ouster from Hillsong.
Even as early as 2018, there were reports that Justin and Carl had cut ties after Bieber's failed romantic reconciliation with fellow Hillsong-er and on/off ex Selena Gomez months prior, a reunion which Lentz was reportedly integral in.
Shortly after Bieber began dating now-wife Hailey and by September 2018, the pair were married in a quickie ceremony at an NYC courthouse.
And while Lentz was a guest at their official church-sanctioned South Carolina nuptials the year later, Bieber seemed to have moved on from their relationship, choosing new spiritual guide, Judah Smith of Churchome, to officiate.
And after this November's revelations about Lentz's behaviour, he and wife Hailey made their break official on a digital level - offering the ultimate blow after both stars unfollowed the disgraced pastor on Instagram.
Whoops: As early as 2018, there were reports that Justin and Carl had cut ties after Bieber's failed romantic reconciliation with fellow Hillsong-er and on/off ex Selena Gomez the year prior, a reunion which Lentz was reportedly integral in. The pair are seen together in 2017 above
No longer on top: While Lentz was a guest at the Bieber's official church-sanctioned South Carolina nuptials the year later, Justin chose new spiritual guide, Judah Smith of Churchome to officiate (above
Earlier this month Lentz entered an outpatient facility for treatment for 'depression, anxiety, and pastoral burnout,' according to source with People magazine.
'He wants to be better for his family and is dedicated to doing the work,' the source told the outlet. 'His family is supporting him and hopes their privacy will be respected on this journey.'
The source noted that Lentz harbors 'has no ill will towards the church and recognizes that they needed to take some course of action to address his missteps.'
In November Hillsong founder Brian Houston went public with his former colleague's departure, sharing a statement saying Lentz had broke ties with the church amid 'ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.'
'They have a heart for people and we are confident that after a time of rest and restoration, God will use Carl in another way outside of Hillsong church,' he said in the statement. 'In terminating his tenure, we in no way want to diminish the good work he did here.'
Unholy behavior: Earlier this month Lentz entered an outpatient facility for treatment for 'depression, anxiety, and pastoral burnout,' according to source with People magazine. He was accused of cheating on his wife Lauren (above in 2016) as well as other 'moral failures'
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The random shooting death of a 7-year-old girl in Atlanta has prompted a coalition of politicians, police and businesses to ramp up calls to establish a private security force to supplement the Atlanta Police Department.
Kennedy Maxie.Atlanta Police Department
Seven year old Kennedy Maxie was fatally shot on Dec. 21 shortly after she had finished Christmas shopping with her family at the Phipps Plaza mall in Buckhead, an affluent residential and commercial neighborhood in Uptown Atlanta.
A stray bullet passed through her family's car and struck Kennedy in the back of the head, police said.
The girl was in critical condition for days before succumbing to her injuries on Saturday.
Atlanta police confirmed to NBC News that the girl's shooting death was one of a record-breaking number of homicides investigated by the department in 2020.
"As of the end of the week 52 reporting period we are at 154 homicides compared with 99 for the same period of 2019," Atlanta Police Officer Steve Avery said in a statement. "That is an increase of 61%."
Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms said that the Atlanta Police had "significant leads" in their search for suspects of what she called a "senseless murder" in a statement to NBC affiliate WXIA.
Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed tweeted that "the current level of violence in our city can’t stand. We all have to work to push back against it. It is a solvable problem. We have done it before. Full stop."
Some local politicians and interest groups are linking Kennedy's death to renewed calls for a security overhaul — including a private police force — to supplement the Atlanta Police Department in the area.
"The violent protests and looting in early spring was followed by a steady stream of local shootings and other crimes throughout the summer and fall," Atlanta City council member Howard Shook wrote in an email to NBC News.
"Then, when we didn’t think it could get any worse, it did when little Kennedy Maxie was fatally shot."
Speaking to Channel 2, council member J.P. Matzigkeit said "I don’t think that we’re doing effective policing right now because I don’t think we’re putting enough resources and attention to it like we are with the police reform work that we’re doing. We have to do both."
In response to the death of Kennedy, Matzigkeit, Shook, and fellow council member Matt Westmoreland all announced Monday that they were allocating $125,000 of their municipal funds to the Buckhead Security Plan, a proposal for a private police force in the business district.
The Buckhead Coalition, an advocacy group that says the neighborhood "has been called 'The Beverly Hills of the East,'" assembled the plan, which it said would "enhance public safety in Buckhead."
Also backing the plan are the the Atlanta Police Foundation, the Atlanta Police Department, members of the Fulton County Commission, a member of Mayor Lance-Bottoms' administration and several community groups.
"Buckhead has a very robust and organized business community, and they saw the need to expand into the public safety vacuum created by the City," Council member Shook said, adding that he contributed $50,000 from his budget.
Jim Durrett, the Buckhead Coalition's president and executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, said in a press release that the Security Plan's boosters "understand the urgency of the situation and are committed to responding in ways that meet the needs of this moment and put Buckhead on a solid footing for years to come.”
A donate button on the Buckhead Security Plan website directs to an Atlanta Police Foundation.
The security plan calls for a wider net of surveillance cameras and license plate readers throughout the popular commercial district. It also calls for crackdowns on drag racing, "party houses" and for a "Dedicated Buckhead Supplemental Security Force."
The force would operate as "a coordinated security patrol consisting of extra-duty officers from the Atlanta Police Department, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia State Patrol, and private security firms, within the commercial and residential areas of Buckhead."
The Buckhead Security Plan website notes that as of this month, "overall city-wide crime rates are down approximately 17% when compared to 2019," but that certain crime categories have increased.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the plan is estimated to cost $1.6 million and that the private police officers are now scheduled to begin patrols in January.
"I don’t know that any of that would have staved off the horrible shooting," Shook said of the security plan.
"The mall in question has hundreds of cameras and has upped their security force (including gun-sniffing dogs). Despite it — or, perversely, because of it — trouble-makers show up there," Shook said.
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Entertainment
'This is the worst illness I've ever had': John Bishop, 54, reveals he and his wife are battling coronavirus and details the 'debilitating headaches, chronic fatigue and skin pain'
The funnyman, 54, took to Twitter on Wednesday to share a picture of his NHS notification informing him he had tested positive for the virus
Alongside the screenshot, he penned: 'This came through on Christmas Day This is the worst illness I have ever had, debilitating headaches and muscle joint'
He added that his wife Melanie had also been diagnosed, concluding: 'My wife and I are fit non smokers and it's flattened us. I don't wish this on anyone'
The news comes after John queried the government's methods to attacking coronavirus in a lengthy Instagram post shared in August
In his memoir, which was released in November last year, John spoke about his health and revealed he had been diagnosed with shadows on both lungs
John Bishop is battling coronavirus after testing positive alongside his wife Melanie over the Christmas period.
The comedian, 54, took to social mediaon Wednesday to share a picture of the NHS notification informing him he had tested positive for the virus, describing it as 'the worst illness I have ever had'.
Alongside the screenshot, he penned: 'This came through on Christmas Day. This is the worst illness I have ever had, debilitating headaches, muscle joint and even skin pain, dizziness, nausea, no appetite, incredibly chronic fatigue'.
John, who revealed last year that he has shadows on his lungs, added that both he and Melanie are not considered to be vulnerable, concluding: 'My wife and I are fit non smokers and it's flattened us. I don't wish this on anyone'.
Pained: John Bishop revealed he and his wife Melanie have battled coronavirus over the Christmas period (the couple pictured last year)
Liverpudlian John - one of Britain's highest paid and best loved comedians - reached out to his 3.5m Twitter followers and 690,000 Instagram followers on Wednesday.
The shocking news comes after John queried the government's coronavirus methods in a lengthy Instagram post shared in August.
Next to a mask-clad selfie with his sister Carol, John wrote: 'Travelling with my sister Carol ...it's incredible how the world has changed in six months...
'Nobody is suggesting Covid 19 is not a significant problem but to change the way we all live and the damage it is doing to our young people I honestly think we need to consider if the choices being made are the right ones...
Shocking: Alongside the screenshot, he penned: 'This came through on Christmas Day This is the worst illness I have ever had, debilitating headaches, muscle joint and even skin pain, dizziness, nausea, no appetite, incredibly chronic fatigue'
Open and honest: He shared a screengrab on his NHS letter
'It seems risk assessments were made months ago when we knew significantly less than we do now and nothing has changed despite the correlation between infection and illness shifting...
'The media reporting is one note of fear with nobody challenging the narrative. I am sure we will come out of it but I think that will happen sooner if we keep checking if what we are being asked to do makes sense...
'Long message but felt like getting it off my chest. Cheers'.
John and Melanie have been married since 1993, with an 18-month separation that began in 2000. and they share sons Joe, 26, Luke, 24 and Daniel, 22.
Last year, John spoke of his health in his memoir How to Grow Old: A Middle-aged Man Moaning, which was released in November.
He detailed how a terrifying cancer scare left him 'contemplating death', after he was sent for an X-ray to asses a prolonged cough three years ago.
Questioning: The shocking news comes after John queried the government's coronavirus methods in a lengthy Instagram post shared in August
Back in August: Next to a mask-clad selfie with his sister Carol, John wrote: 'Travelling with my sister Carol ...it's incredible how the world has changed in six months'
He said: 'I was told that unless I heard anything, I should regard everything as normal and the cough would go. I heard nothing and gradually my chest cleared, so I thought no more about it...
'Three months later I received a call saying the results of the X-ray had been misreported by one of the junior staff.;
After his GP suggested an emergence CT scan he began to panic, as he went on: 'So I organised a private CT scan at the local hospital...
'I spent a few hours alone thinking it could be the start of the end. This is because a Google search of 'shadows on lungs' does not make you believe the prognosis will be good.'
His love: John and Melanie pictured in March 2012
The funnyman explained how it was the first time in his life that he had thought about his health and death properly: 'It was the first time I had seriously contemplated my own death...
' I was filled with sadness for all the things I'd miss – my family, my sons getting married, my parents, becoming a grandparent, laughing, blue sky days when you are so happy that you almost feel guilty to be so lucky. Football, music, films.'
He then revealed he was with Melanie when he was given the all-clear, writing: 'The GP called me as soon as he had the results. I had shadows on both lungs but it was nothing sinister and was caused by increased bone mass in my sternum.
'I put the phone down grateful for the life I had ahead of me.'
Candid: Last year, John spoke of his health in his memoir How to Grow Old: A Middle-aged Man Moaning, which was released in November
