Nightlife Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Police officers around the world are finding new and fascinating ways of abusing their power, with cops in New York City and London facing charges and penalties for misconduct surrounding their presence at music festivals. First off: a bottle service heist. On Monday, The New York Times reported that three detectives had been charged in the theft of $3,000 worth of champagne at Electric Zoo.

drug-induced robbery scheme that is alleged to have led to the deaths of two gay men in New York City last year has pleaded guilty to robbery, grand larceny, and identity theft charges, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.Eddie Ashley, 30, is alleged to have been part of a scheme that targeted at least 16 nightclub patrons from September 2021 to August 2022, resulting in the overdose-related deaths of 25-year-old social worker Julio Ramirez and 34-year-old John Umberger, a political consultant from Washington, D.C. Both Ramirez and Umberger were seen leaving gay bars with a group of other men, only to be found dead hours later.Part of the scheme involved the suspects drugging their victims with a substance that made them compliant and then using their incapacitated bodies and facial recognition technology to unlock their cell phones and access bank accounts to rob them.Ashley, who faced charges related to four separate incidents, including the drugging scheme, had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.On Monday, he changed his plea to guilty.Terrence Grifferty, Ashley’s attorney, confirmed his client’s guilty plea, telling NBC News that Ashley is expected to be sentenced to nine years in state prison on November 20.He is currently being held at Rikers Island jail, but declined to comment further on the case or answer whether his client had accepted a plea deal.Umberger’s mother, Linda Clary — who has been critical of how the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has handled the case — said she was grateful that Ashley was willing to admit his guilt in the robbery scheme, adding that he should face consequences for his actions.

Following the highly-publicized Senate hearings that took place after a botched Taylor Swift ticket sale, legislation has been introduced for debate by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): The “Unlock Ticketing Markets Act” seeks to “to improve competition in live event ticketing markets,” according to a statement from Klobuchar’s office. If signed into law, the bill would allow the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to crack down on extended contractors between artists and venues, the kind used regularly by Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation.

Musical Mondays features “a curated open mic” hosted by Tula at which guests are encouraged to “bring your sheet music: We’ll have live piano accompaniment.” (4/17, 7 p.m.)Glass House: A Drag Variety Show features Citrine, Logan Stone, Vagenesis, and Venus Valhalla, with lip-syncing and live music, comedy, and more. (4/8, 7 p.m.; $15)Curtain Call, presented by Capital Cabaret and hosted by Barbara Papendorp and Parker Nolen, is billed as “D.C.’s newest and coolest open mic, where Broadway veterans and national cabaret artists mingle alongside up-and-coming artists.” (4/10, 7 p.m.)Catch the Holy Spirit with Shi-Queeta-Lee’s Drag Gospel Brunch, offering entertainment led by the D.C.

The Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) has approved naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, better known as the opioid overdose treatment Narcan, for over-the-counter, non-prescription purchase. The change in status will take place over the coming months, with specific guidelines for the availability and price of the medicine to be left to the manufacturer.

her as Sherry Vine — a name Levy devised on a lark to suit the drag persona he essentially conjured up as a gimmick roughly 30 years ago, shortly after Levy moved to L.A.“Sometimes I regret not having a wittier name,” Vine told Metro Weekly in a previous interview. “Unless I tell you the story, it doesn’t really make any sense or anything.”Of course we needed to know the story! And after a little prodding, she coughed it up, explaining that her drag persona was named after the place of conception: a former whorehouse called The Sherry on Vine Street in the Hollywood Hills.Last year, the week before Christmas, Vine showed up LIT for the Holidays to help christen Crazy Aunt Helen’s and its upstairs cabaret space with her debut holiday show.And just like that, she’s already ready for a return.

Few festivals have accumulated the level of respect and reverence that attendees hold for Primavera Sound Festival, and even fewer (if any) have managed to sustain it. For twenty years now—sixteen of them at its current location, Parc del Forum on the northern coast of Barcelona—the festival has cultivated a vanguard reputation for its genre-agnostic and (as of 2019) gender-balanced international lineups.

We don’t recommend the swordfish tonight. How about sword swallowing? New York City nightclubs are raising their game this spring as they look to revive the post-pandemic scene with over-the-top entertainment that includes sword swallowers, belly dancers, magicians and “next-level pole dancing.” Wonderland, a nightclub and “adult” venue that opens this Wednesday in the Flatiron District, is beckoning guests with a human blockhead to go with their charcuterie plates and Wagyu cheeseburger sliders. Jewel Thief, a speakeasy in Manhattan’s NoMad District, is offering up belly dancers to electric violinists.

celebrate without COVID restrictions. NYC dropped mask and vaccine mandates on March 7, with Mayor Adams declaring that the city was “back.” Now, revelers are primed to raise an unapologetic pint of green beer and toast to the city’s return. “I’m excited to pick up the St.

Drake perform live or get a lap dance from a topless lady? If so, you might want to head to downtown Miami.That’s where the group behind E11EVEN — an “ultra” club so exclusive that Halsey couldn’t get a table during last year’s Super Bowl, featuring jiggling breasts, world-famous DJs and a cult-like following — is creating a first-of-its-kind branding concept.

it was repealed. Separate Cabaret Law zoning regulations are still on the books, but possibly not for much longer. “We can’t let outdated regulations hold back our economic recovery from COVID-19,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

Live Nation, one of the largest live entertainment companies in North America, will require all artists, members of their crew, and attendees to show a proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test, according to a Rolling Stone report. Live Nation employees will be required to receive a full vaccination.

Entertainment company AEG has announced a vaccine mandate for every employee and attendees at its upcoming festivals and any event at an AEG-owned venue, according to a Variety report.

Concert attendees in New York City will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend all indoor shows as part of new pandemic mitigation procedures implemented on Tuesday. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the plan as part of the "Key To NYC Pass," which will also require New York City residents to get at least one COVID vaccination shot to work out in a gym, eat inside a restaurant, and more.

who had passed away the day before. The summer’s hottest new pool party is at Queens’ Rockaway Hotel, a new luxury resort that opened in September blocks from the ocean, giving the city its first chic beachfront place to stay — and party — in at least a generation.“This is a whole new world. This is beautiful,” said Brooke Weingarten, who lives nearby and had rented a cabana for her mother’s 59th birthday.

pandemic has brought the hospitality industry to its knees, and some of the city’s hottest clubs won’t return. But a nightlife insider told us that the writing was on the wall for some of the city’s most famed spots even before coronavirus hit.

COVID-19 restrictions regarding social events remain clear: “Indoor and outdoor gatherings statewide at private residences will be limited to no more than 10 people,” according to New York state health officials.But party monsters are rarely apt to play by the rules, let alone be dissuaded by law enforcement — despite the highly contagious coronavirus having sickened over 21 million Americans since January 2020 and killing 371,000 people so far.

reported Vice. Many aren’t wearing masks despite the fact that most Chinese clubs post placards telling patrons to do so.The brazen displays come after Wuhan — where the outbreak originated — was deemed COVID-free after officials tested 9.9 million people.

Coyote Ugly” has aged like a fine whiskey.Released 20 years ago Tuesday, the movie starred Piper Perabo as Violet, an aspiring songwriter from New Jersey who winds up bartending at the raunchy and rowdy NYC saloon owned by Lil (played by Maria Bello) and helmed by a trio of bartender babes (Tyra Banks, Bridget Moynahan and Izabella Miko).The cheesy “small-town girl with big city dreams” trope was not a hit with big-screen pundits. In fact, “ugly” was an understatement.

indoor activities — including malls and museums — are still off the table, insiders are scrambling to figure out the future.“Being on a dance floor used to be hot.

If you’ve ever wanted a glimpse of what star-studded club culture is like, you probably won’t get it at #ZoomFest.

Primavera Sound 2020 has been cancelled. The festival was originally set to run from June 3-7 before being postponed to September and finally called off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers say that the next edition of the hold its 20th anniversary celebrations from June 2-6, 2021.

By Brandon Bentley

A tweet circulating from New York Magazine contributor Yashar Ali suggests that Coachella 2020 has been postponed. Per Ali's tweet, the megafestival will be moved to two consecutive weekends in October, marking an involuntary return to form, of sorts (the first-ever Coachella festival, which Rage Against The Machine also headlined, was held in October 1999.)

South By Southwest's 2020 conference has been cancelled due to concerns over CO-VID19. The cancellation was announced in a press conference held at Austin City Hall on Friday afternoon. "This is not a panic-based decision, it is a decision based on medical expert opnion," said Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt during the press conference.

There are few things that can hold up to a Chicago winter, and we’ve learned that one of those things is rum. On one of the coldest nights of the year, All-Star 2020 Weekend attendees were invited to BACARDÍ® Rum Room, an event that brought the heat in more ways than one.

Former Mayor Richard J. Daley once famously dubbed Chicago “The City That Works.” That slogan spoke to the hard-working nature of our citizens but also applied to how we approach our hospitality.

Romantic love gets all the hearts on Valentine’s Day.

Friday, Feb. 14