What to do in Chicago this weekend: Chicago Pride Fest, Juneteenth Festival and Summer Smash
Get your rainbow on at the 24th annual Chicago Pride Fest. Jesse McCartney, Confidence Man, Deborah Cox, Aluna and The Aces headline the two-day celebration in Northalsted. Beyond the three stages — which also will feature drag performance and the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus — watch for the Proud Pet Parade at noon June 22 and check out spaces dedicated to teens and seniors.These Chicago LGBTQ-owned businesses offer rainbow cakes, colorful coffees and a 'third space' for allSoak up summer at Meltin' Margs, as this genre-defying festival brings together house and country music. Dance and sway all weekend long as a dozen acts perform, including Ship Wrek, Wuki and the Eli Young Band.Starting in 2020, Black boating enthusiasts have gathered on Lake Michigan for a 'floating festival of culture.' The event spills onto land with a lineup jam-packed with concerts and parties. Bring your own boat or join a Facebook group to network your way onto someone else's crew.Don Toliver and Yeat, Future, Young Thug and Chance the Rapper top the bill at this three-day hip hop festival. Want to plan your Summer Smash weekend? Check out Britt Julious's full guide on what not to miss.The Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Diana Krall offers a fantastic excuse to board the train to Ravinia. Perfect summer night. Ravinia's Reach Teach Play Jazz Mentors & Scholars will also perform.How many times have you walked past the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on your way to the Lincoln Park Zoo, but never ventured inside? Your visit is overdue, and now you have a great reason to go. On June 20, the museum will stay open late for a special evening featuring live animals, drop-by scientist tables, nature play, music, face painters, nature walks and more. While you're there, check out the rest of the museum and its new, interactive exhibit, 'By a Thread: Nature's Resilience.'More than 30 years since its founding in Australia, this beloved children's band continues to delight. The Wiggles' Bouncing Balls Tour rolls into the Rosemont Theatre — a fun, air-conditioned way to burn off preschooler energy.Keep the Juneteenth celebration going this weekend at a festival in West Pullman featuring live music and dance, family fun and food from Black-owned restaurants. Hosted by the Far South Community Development Corp., the event also offers small business and housing workshops.Juneteenth in Chicago: Ric Wilson, line dancing and AshantiJumpstart your exercise routine with something a little more scenic. Stretch on Millennium Park's Great Lawn with Raven Harris' pilates class or Paula Bui's yoga. Try cardio kickboxing with Jake Garcia or Zumba with Xavier Euzarraga. Mecca Perry programs the music for the first two classes.Can you summit Soldier Field's 1,600 stairs — roughly the equivalent of an 80-story building? Take on the challenge to support the American Lung Association.
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Buzz Feed
15 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
17 Musicians Whose Careers Were Ruined
Natalia Kills was slowly rising in fame over the early 2010s, opening for acts like Kesha, the Black-Eyed Peas, and Katy Perry, as well as featuring on an LMFAO song. Willy Moon was similarly rising in the music scene after going viral for his hit "Yeah Yeah." The two, who were married, both looked to be getting more notoriety with their first foray into reality television as judges on The X Factor New Zealand. However, in their very first live show, Kills and Moon made such cruel comments to a contestant that both of their careers were almost immediately ruined. After contestant Joe Irvine sang "Cry Me a River," Kills called Irvine out for dressing like Moon, with Moon joining in. The audience booed, and the other judges tried to step in, but they kept going. Natalia later issued an apology, saying, "A lot goes on behind the scenes of a reality TV show and [what] you see isn't always the whole story. ... I was encouraged to be outspoken, and things got out of hand. ... Joe, I hope you can forgive me and I wish you all the best!" but the damage was done. The duo was let go from the show after a viral petition to get them fired. Natalia did continue her career, but she changed her name and started a different band with Moon, which still has not released their debut album (though they do have an EP). Natalia later called the whole ordeal "a publicity stunt resulting in a viral media storm" and said she couldn't say more due to a "wide-reaching legal gagging-order". R&B duo Milli Vanilli reached worldwide fame in the late '80s with their debut album, leading them to win the award for Best New Artist at the 1990 Grammy Awards. However, their careers quickly took a nosedive when their producer Frank Farian revealed they didn't sing any of the album, which was confirmed by member Rob Pilatus. The Grammys swiftly revoked their award. The duo's swift decline is often attributed to a Club MTV live performance in 1989, where they were caught lip-synching, (Pilatus later admitted that the concert "was the beginning of the end for Milli Vanilli"), but they did continue to find success after the incident. Still, it led to them eventually being exposed as frauds. Pilatus and co-member Fab Morvan attempted a comeback in the early '90s, but the scandal followed them, and they were unable to gain traction. They attempted a second comeback in the late '90s, but Pilatus died in 1998, which ended that attempt. Morvan has continued to make music, even releasing a solo album, but is still best known for his time in Milli Vanilli. Billy Squier skyrocketed to fame in the early 1980s, but by 1984, his career had taken a nosedive. Why? The blame lies with the music video for his song "Rock Me Tonite," which was so bad many claimed it singlehandedly tanked his career. Even Squier said so: "The video had a deleterious effect on my career. The tour before, I was selling out arenas faster than Sinatra, and as soon as that video came out, I was playing to half houses," he said in 2011, according to I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. The song itself was a major hit, but the video — which mostly featured Squier dancing around in a bedroom, rolling on the floor, and ripping his shirt off — made people scratch their heads. "The video misrepresents who I am as an artist," Squier told the authors of I Want My MTV. "I was a good-looking, sexy guy. That certainly didn't hurt in promoting my music. But in this video, I'm kind of a pretty boy. And I'm preening around a room. People said, 'He's gay,' or 'He's on drugs.' It was traumatizing to me." Squier released multiple albums afterward, but none were as successful as his previous music had been. You can watch the video here. Vanilla Ice rose to fame incredibly quickly with "Ice, Ice, Baby" in 1990, but he attracted controversy just as quickly. First, reported details about his past (namely that he had a rough background) were proven false. His music was also criticized for being white-washed and "mainstream." Then, Jim Carrey parodied him on In Living Color, he had a disastrous appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show, and he was the subject of a diss track by 3rd Bass. Finally, he starred in the panned film Cool as Ice, which effectively ended his movie career before it began. He then attempted a career in motocross and jet skiing, as well as in reality TV (where he found moderate success), and had multiple run-ins with the law. While he did attempt a comeback, it was unsuccessful, and his music career never got back to what it was. Iggy Azalea looked like she was going to become huge after the success of "Fancy." With "Problem" and "Black Widow," Azalea proved she wasn't just a one-hit wonder. But her career stalled after continued accusations of racism and profiting off of Black culture — including using a "Blaccent" — as well as her perceived inability to freestyle and public feuds. She eventually canceled her debut tour. She continued to make music, but acknowledged her career had "fallen off a cliff," and never returned to her "Fancy" level of success. Azalea announced she was retiring from music last year and has since moved into business ventures, which has included launching her own meme cryptocoin. CeeLo Green went massively viral with his hit song "Fuck You" in 2010, which was followed by a stint as a guest-host on The Voice, along with performing at the Super Bowl halftime show. But allegations of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2012 derailed his career before he could become an A-List star. Rape charges were not filed due to a lack of evidence, and his charges were reduced to supplying ecstasy to the woman. Green pled no contest, and was sentenced to three years of probation. Green may have continued his career — his lawyer claimed the encounter was consensual — but then he took to Twitter to write things such as "If someone is passed out they're not even WITH you consciously! so WITH Implies consent" and "People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!" He deleted all the tweets, and later apologized, calling his tweets "highly irresponsible." Green quit The Voice (reportedly believing he'd be fired, though he later said, "I ran my course there just naturally"), and his reality show, The Good Life, was canceled. Green is still around and making music today, but he's not even close to the level of fame or success he had in the early 2010s. Ben Hopkins of Pwr Bttm also saw their career derailed by sexual misconduct allegations. Just as the group was gaining traction, days before the release of their second album, Hopkins was accused of being a sexual predator. Their label dropped them, streaming platforms removed their music, and their upcoming tour was canceled. Hopkins says the anonymous accusations are false and eventually released music as a solo artist in 2020 after taking a break from the public eye. However, they have yet to release a new album or make a full comeback. Rapper and actor Mystikal steadily rose in fame over the '90s and early 2000s. In 2003, he seemed on top of the world, gaining his first-ever Album of the Year Grammy nomination and starring in the film 13 Dead Men. However, in early 2004, he was convicted of sexual battery and sentenced to six years in prison. Mystikal attempted to make a comeback when he was released in 2010 and found some success in early performances. However, he continued to have run-ins with the law, being accused of rape and domestic battery, among other charges, and he is currently facing a life sentence (he pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his former attorney proclaimed his innocence). He has not released a solo album since 2001, and he is still in jail. Mystikal's trial on charges of first-degree rape, criminal damage to property, false imprisonment, domestic abuse battery by strangulation, simple robbery, and possession of multiple different drugs was delayed in March by the judge. In May, he finally had a court appearance, but due to a gag order, it's unclear what the status of the case is. Canadian-Chinese singer Kris Wu rose to fame through the Canadian-Korean boy band Exo before finding major success as a solo artist. He also made waves as an actor, appearing in the Vin Diesel film XXX: Return of Xander Cage, and seemed poised to break into the American market. But in 2021, the 30-year-old Wu was accused of sexual assault of a 17-year-old two years prior. He denied the allegations, but was arrested and ultimately sentenced to 13 years in prison, a conviction which was upheld upon appeal. Wu was quickly dropped from all of his major luxury brand deals, and obviously has not released any new music since then. Another musician whose career was derailed by jail time is Tory Lanez. Lanez was a rising star who was finding mainstream success in the late 2010s — and then he was accused of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. He was eventually convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Time will tell if he attempts to make a comeback after that. Lanez recently attempted to challenge his conviction by submitting new evidence, but the California Court of Appeals denied the two petitions. Despite legal trouble, 6ix9ine shot to fame quickly in the late 2010s, but his involvement with the Nine Trey gang led to his arrest in 2018 on racketeering, robbery, and firearm charges. He was ultimately sentenced to two years in prison after testifying against other Nine Trey members, leading to him being labeled a "snitch" and essentially ruining his credibility in hip-hop. 6ix9ine has released music since then, with moderate to low success (nowhere near his initial success), and has continued to generate controversy and have legal troubles. He's currently facing possible jail time. Keri Hilson had a wildly successful debut album and continued that success with her second album. But she never reached the career highs that were expected for her — due in part to her allegedly shading Beyoncé and Ciara in a few lyrics in her 2009 song 'Turnin' Me On" (which Hilson denied). Hilson continued to face what she referred to as "verbal abuse" from Beyoncé fans for years and ended up taking a years-long break from music, later revealing she was dealing with depression and the grief of her father's passing. Hilson eventually alleged her label had told her to diss Beyoncé, saying she was too young and insecure to refuse. She says she's since made up with Beyoncé. This year, Hilson eventually released her first studio album (well, it's actually part one of a three-part album) in 15 years, We Need to Talk: Love. This has marked a comeback for Hilson, though the album did not reach the heights of her previous success. Fiona Apple was an ingenue when her debut album was released to widespread acclaim, but public opinion turned swiftly against her when she won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. She got up on stage and said she hadn't prepared a speech, then famously said, "This world is bullshit and you shouldn't model your life ... about what you think that we think is cool and what we're wearing and what we're saying and everything." Apple was labeled afterward — in her own words — a "brat bitch loose cannon." She later said she felt like a "sellout" when she won and became "a paper doll in order to be accepted." Her infamous speech, along with storming offstage during a show in 2000, led her to be seen as "unstable," which followed her for her entire career. While Apple has continued to have an acclaimed, Grammy-award-winning career, she never again reached her pre-2000 commercial heights. Pop duo Karmin had just begun to find mainstream success (after making a name for themselves with YouTube covers) in 2012 with their EP Hello. But their performance on SNL that same year is widely cited as one of the worst SNL performances of all time. This effectively killed their momentum, and they ended up disbanding the group and starting a new music endeavor, Qveen Herby. This group still releases music and tours, but is not as well-known as Karmin. While Robin Thicke was around for years before "Blurred Lines," the song catapulted him into global superstardom and he became a household name, getting nominated for his first non-production-related Grammy in 2014. But his performance of the song with Miley Cyrus at the 2013 VMAs generated significant controversy, as did the lyrics and music video for Thicke's song (Thicke also lost a lawsuit about the song's similarities to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up"). Thicke may have been able to save his career — but his highly publicized divorce and ensuing album focused on getting his wife back, which was a massive critical failure, cementing his ousting from the music industry A-list. His next album wasn't until 2021 and did not cement a comeback for Thicke. The main thing he's currently known for is appearing as a judge on The Masked Singer. And finally, we'll end on Azealia Banks. In the early 2010s, Banks seemed poised for a long career in the music business, but since then, her outspoken and problematic Twitter rants and feuds have meant that she's more well-known for her controversial online presence than her songs. While she still performs, she certainly has not achieved the level of mainstream success she might have. What other up-and-coming musicians and singers essentially ruined their own careers? Let us know in the comments!
New York Post
15 hours ago
- New York Post
ESPN will ‘no longer proceed' with Spike Lee's Colin Kaepernick docuseries: ‘It's not coming out'
Director Spike Lee's multi-part documentary series for ESPN Films about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sparked a national debate when he protested racial injustice nearly a decade ago, will not be released, the filmmaker and ESPN said. 'ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,' ESPN said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday. 'Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.' Advertisement 3 Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree Spike Lee attends Harold and Carole Pump Foundation 25th Anniversary Celebrity Dinner at The Beverly Hilton on August 15, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images Lee told Reuters on Friday that the series was not going to be released. 'It's not coming out. That's all I can say,' Lee said on the red carpet ahead of the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation dinner, a fundraiser for cancer research and treatment, in Beverly Hills, California. Advertisement Asked why, the Oscar-winning director declined to elaborate, citing a nondisclosure agreement. 'I can't. I signed a nondisclosure. I can't talk about it.' 3 A television camera has a sleeve with the ESPN logo over its lens before the SEC Softball Championship Semifinals game between Oklahoma Sooners and Arkansas Razorbacks on May 9, 2025, at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens, Georgia. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016. He ignited a national debate in 2016 when he knelt during the U.S. national anthem to protest systemic racism and police brutality. Advertisement The 37-year-old athlete has not played in the NFL since that season. Many experts believed his political activism, which triggered a movement that drew the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, was the key reason teams were wary of signing him. He later filed a collusion grievance against team owners, which was settled with the league in 2019. 3 Colin Kaepernick puts his hand over his heart in response to a comment at a special training event created by Kaepernick to provide greater access to scouts, the media, and the public at Charles. R. Drew High School in Riverdale, Georgia, U.S., November 16, 2019. REUTERS A representative for Kaepernick said the player had no comment about the docuseries on Saturday. Advertisement Production on the series began in 2022, with Walt Disney-owned ESPN touting it as a 'full, first-person account' of Kaepernick's journey that would feature extensive interviews with the player. In September, Puck News reported the project faced delays amid disagreements between Kaepernick and Lee over the direction of the film, and that ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was open to allowing the filmmakers to shop it elsewhere.
CNBC
16 hours ago
- CNBC
ESPN will not air Spike Lee's docuseries on Colin Kaepernick, citing 'creative differences'
Director Spike Lee's multi-part documentary series for ESPN Films about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sparked a national debate when he protested racial injustice nearly a decade ago, will not be released, the filmmaker and ESPN said. "ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences," ESPN said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday. "Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film." Lee told Reuters on Friday that the series was not going to be released. "It's not coming out. That's all I can say," Lee said on the red carpet ahead of the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation dinner, a fundraiser for cancer research and treatment, in Beverly Hills, California. Asked why, the Oscar-winning director declined to elaborate, citing a nondisclosure agreement. "I can't. I signed a nondisclosure. I can't talk about it." Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016. He ignited a national debate in 2016 when he knelt during the U.S. national anthem to protest systemic racism and police brutality. The 37-year-old athlete has not played in the NFL since that season. Many experts believed his political activism, which triggered a movement that drew the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, was the key reason teams were wary of signing him. He later filed a collusion grievance against team owners, which was settled with the league in 2019. A representative for Kaepernick said the player had no comment about the docuseries on Saturday. Production on the series began in 2022, with Walt Disney-owned ESPN touting it as a "full, first-person account" of Kaepernick's journey that would feature extensive interviews with the player. In September, Puck News reported the project faced delays amid disagreements between Kaepernick and Lee over the direction of the film, and that ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was open to allowing the filmmakers to shop it elsewhere.
