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Express Tribune
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Nicki Minaj features on Vogue Italia cover, opens up about balancing motherhood with music career
Nicki Minaj, 42, graces the cover of Vogue Italia this month, where she opens up in a candid interview about the pressures of fame and her decision to delay motherhood. Despite being one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 100 million records sold, the rapper revealed that the relentless criticism she has faced over the years has often made her question her place in the industry. "I've heard every possible criticism about me," Minaj confessed. "I've thought about quitting so many times. I'm glad I didn't. I hope my story can be an inspiration to others and encourage them not to give up," she continued. The Super Bass hitmaker, who is a mother to a four-year-old boy with her husband Kenneth "Zoo" Petty, also shared her personal reasons for delaying motherhood. She explained that the pressures of her career, particularly the need to support her family, meant that she postponed having children. "I didn't go to every Thanksgiving, every Christmas, or birthday party because I had to work," Minaj noted. "The price I paid was not having a 'normal' life." Nicki emphasized that while her career has allowed her to provide her son with opportunities she never had, there are still challenges, particularly around maintaining his privacy. "When we go out, I have to worry that someone will take his picture," she said. Reflecting on her upbringing, Minaj spoke about the discipline she received as a child. "I was one of those kids who could tell when an adult was stupid. I had nothing, and I wanted it more than anyone else," she added. Minaj's determination and ambition from a young age have been integral to her success, as she often told others she would one day become a star. The full interview, along with her cover feature, will be available in the May 28 issue of Vogue Italia and online at
Chicago Tribune
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Vern's Tavern in downtown Elgin closes this week with karaoke party and goodbyes
Freddy Laqunana and Andrea Michel got the crowd at Vern's Tavern dancing, cheering and jumping Wednesday night with their karaoke rendition of the Nicki Minaj song 'Super Bass.' They sang to a packed house as people flooded the downtown Elgin bar to say goodbye on its final night before closing after four years. 'It's a special night; we're saying goodbye,' the DJ spinning the music said. Jamie Berry, who named her business after her grandfather and used his signature from love letters to her grandmother for her logo, announced the South Grove Avenue bar's closure on Facebook last week. She described it as an 'unfortunate transition' but has not said why she decided to shut it down or if she wants to reopen elsewhere. 'So now I write a love letter to you,' Berry said in her social media post. 'Our dear family, friends, customers, and neighbors. … It is with both a deep sadness and also a growing excitement that I share with you some hard news. For reasons beyond our control … Vern's Tavern will be closing and moving out of our space. 'We have made a home in this space for the last 4 years and have created some of the most spectacular memories, met the most amazing people, and celebrated huge milestones together. Just like papas love notes, we will 'write' while we are away. We will continue to show up in the community in ways that we can.' Berry said naming bar after her 'papa' was a way to honor a 'southern gentleman with a big heart and a hard exterior. He worked hard for his family and instilled in us a way of life filled with strong values, sacrifice, and open arms.' Customers felt that welcoming spirit. Elgin City Councilman Dustin Good lives in the neighborhood and frequently dropped in at Vern's, he said. He was among those saying goodbye Wednesday night. The tavern provided a 'sense of belonging' to all kinds of people, Good said. It was a place for people living downtown to stop by and hang out. With the recent renovation of DuPage Court and the soon-to-be-occupied Courtyard 40 apartment complex, Vern's would have benefited from more people downtown, he said. What's next for the building is not known. It's owned by Andrew Cummings and Cummings Holdings LLC, which has purchased 14 buildings around downtown Elgin. Cummings could not be reached for comment. Jason Bauer was a regular customer at Vern's who stopped by Wednesday for one last time. He always liked the place for 'the vibes, the entertainment and the people you meet,' he said. Bauer said he shed a tear when he heard about the closure, but added that he and his friends had created 'great, great memories' while there. In addition to being a place to drink and do karaoke, Vern's offered live entertainment, including burlesque shows and drag performances, held sip-and-paint classes and other events, and most recently hosted an adult Easter egg hunt. One night a week they had Vern's Silent Book Club, where patrons were invited to read and have a drink in silence. Joanna Wells and Louis Salas started coming to Vern's on a regular basis when karaoke night started in January. Salas said the atmosphere was a little like the sitcom that aired before he was even born. 'This is like that show, 'Cheers,' where you come here and everyone knows your name,' he said. What the future might hold was referenced in a sign the placed outside the bar: 'This isn't goodbye. But a see you later. It will all be OKAY.'
Campaign ME
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Campaign ME
The Spin: Marketing boo-boos immortalised on products and packaging
March was a fun one: while The Spin normally comes across several mishaps in the media sphere, this month was characterised by several submissions we received of marketing mistakes immortalised on products and packaging. We begin with the OnePlus Watch 3. For those of us who love our watches, the face offers an attractive display, a stainless-steel case with titanium bezel, dual-frequency GPS and built-in health monitoring systems. However, before we get overly excited, the release date reportedly has been delayed to April due to an unfortunate typo on the back panel – which many a trained eye in global media outlets have had a field day with. Another one on a pizza box raises questions, too. Makes you wonder whether the pizza provided is, indeed, 'fesh from the oven', if it states, 'prefect taste'. Guess that depends on whether the prefect is Cedric Diggory, Hermione Granger or Percy Weasley. On another note, here's how you can probably tell whether the Super Bass headphones you've received in gorgeous gift wrapping is authentic or fake. Find out whether its 'foldadle' or 'supprots memory cards'. For this, you'd probably want to judge the book by its cover. Having said that, we did come across an original ad for a 'bear trimmer', which we're pretty sure is neither a reference to the animal nor a particularly hairy individual. If it works on either, though, it will make for a pretty great device. Closer to home, The Spin spotted two unfortunate Ramadan ads. The first one – and we note that the brand is not to blame – had a beautiful caption on LinkedIn, which the platform's algorithm translated quite awkwardly. The second Ramadan ad featured here truly raised eyebrows. From the grammatically incorrect copy to the creative that fails to align with the timing mentioned, this one's going into the catalogue of 'spot the mistakes' for young creatives. We close out this edition of The Spin with a clearance sale ad that probably shouldn't be offering 90 per cent off on a product that forgets to add the term 'treatment' after 'C Difficile Infection'. Clearly, The Spin doesn't agree with the fact that this could be 'the ultimate deal'.
