Beyonce’s 2018 Coachella festival headlining act is the focus of “Homecoming,” a documentary premiering on Netflix. Timing on this couldn’t be more perfect as it’s sandwiched between Coachella’s 2019 first and second weekends.
It took just one word for Netflix to send Beyonce fans into a full-on freak out.
The streaming giant on Sunday posted on its social media channels a yellow image with the word “Homecoming” across it. The only other information was a date: April 17. Netflix teased Homecoming – a nod to the collegiate undertones of the Coachella performance, including Beyoncé’s Beta Delta Kappa sorority and a full marching band – on social media on Sunday. Earlier this year, the singer, through her BeyGood initiative, announced the Homecoming Scholars Award Program.
The tease, which borrows its yellow color and typography from Beyoncé’s Coachella wardrobe, came days after Us Weekly reported that the superstar teamed with Netflix for a Coachella documentary; according to that report, the film will feature Beyoncé’s performance, which live-streamed, as well as unseen footage. (Rolling Stone has not independently confirmed that any unseen footage will be used in the film.)
That’s when Netflix is expected to premiere a Beyonce special that may feature her performances at last year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Though Netflix declined to share any more information, the font and color and of the announcement was the same as Beyonce’s was for her Coachella appearance.
Beyonce also last year launched a scholarship program dubbed the Homecoming Scholars Award Program.
The singer is known for debuting new work shrouded in secrecy. No details were announced before her 2016 HBO special “Lemonade.”
R. Kelly Hits the Club For Money
R&B singer R. Kelly made a paid appearance early Sunday at a club in Illinois’ capital city, but the fans who each shelled out $50 to $100 for tickets got only a 28-second performance, followed by a half-hour meet-and-greet.
Hours before his appearance at the Dirty South Lounge in Springfield, Kelly posted a video on Instagram asking the media to “take it easy” on him because “this is how I got to get paid now, for right now.”
Kelly, 52, was charged in February with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse that accused him of assaulting four women during a roughly 10-year period starting in the late 1990s. Three of the accusers were underage at the time. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
Since his arrest, the cash-strapped singer has struggled to get work in the U.S., Kelly’s lawyer Steve Greenberg wrote in a motion last month seeking permission for Kelly to perform in Dubai and meet with members of the sheikhdom’s royal family.
Kelly has been scrambling to pay child support, legal fees and everyday expenses because of the cancellation of Illinois concerts and a record contract, as well as the removal of his songs from streaming services, he wrote.
Kelly’s lawyers later put the motion on hold. Dubai’s government denied that Kelly had any concerts planned there and the claims that he would meet with members of the royal family.
About 100 people showed up for Kelly’s appearance at the Springfield club, which has a 450-person capacity, TV stations WICS and WRSP reported. There was a $100 entrance fee, which was lowered to $50 once Kelly arrived at 1:30 a.m.
Kelly thanked supporters, sang a line from one of his songs for 28 seconds and spent about 35 minutes taking selfies, dancing and conversing with fans. The club closed at 3 a.m.
Some fans said it wasn’t worth the $100 and that they wouldn’t pay again. Fans also defended showing up at the event, saying they separate the accusations from the artist, the stations reported.
Don Lemon Makes It Official
CNN anchor Don Lemon has announced his engagement to New York real estate agent Tim Malone.
Lemon, who has two dogs with Malone, posted on Instagram photos of customized canine tags that read: “DADDY WILL YOU MARRY PAPA?” on Saturday.
Referring to Malone, the 53-year-old Lemon wrote in the caption: “He gave me a present on his birthday. How could I say no?” Malone confirmed the engagement on his Instagram story, posting: “He said YES!”
Other photos show Lemon and Malone together with friends for Malone’s birthday celebration at a New York restaurant Friday.
Page Six and People report the two began dating in 2016. They shared an on-air kiss during CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage last year.
Lemon anchors CNN’s weeknight news show.
Coronation Street Finally Catches Up
The long-running British TV soap “Coronation Street” is welcoming its first black family in its 59-year history.
The soap opera is set to introduce the Baileys, a family with two sons. It will explore themes of racism and homophobia in sport, with a story line featuring one of the sons, a soccer player, coming out as gay.
The show has charted the goings-on in the fictional northern England community of Weatherfield since 1960. It has cast individual black characters but not brought in a black family together before.
Producer Iain MacLeod said Saturday he didn’t really know why it has taken so long, but it “did feel sort of overdue we did this and represented modern Manchester a bit more accurately.”
Bret Hart Injured By Fan
Wrestler Bret “The Hitman” Hart was tackled by a spectator Saturday while he was giving a speech during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The attacker was promptly subdued by several people, including other wrestlers, who came to Hart’s defense. Hart, 61, is OK.
The person ran toward the ring from the crowd, spectator Alan Fisher told media outlets.
“I couldn’t believe that the security had missed him in the first place and the next thing you know there was Shane McMahon and Travis Brown on top of him the crowd was going crazy booing,” Fisher said. “Everyone was cheering when one of the wrestlers punched him.”
New York City Police arrested 26-year-old Zachary Madsen, of Lincoln, Nebraska. He faces assault and criminal trespass charges. An email to the district attorney seeking someone who could comment on Madsen’s behalf wasn’t immediately answered.
Several shocked onlookers posted footage of the tackle online.
The induction event resumed, with Hart continuing his speech, after the fan was taken into custody.
“He should have never attacked Bret Hart especially at such a special moment in his life,” Fisher said.