Blake vs Gwen… Who you got? Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Month: February 2026
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Things started off so friendly.
A few years ago, Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively started off amicable.
Lively and other actresses from the film have accused Baldoni of wrongdoing. There’s a whole legal war going on.
Just a few months ahead of the trial, a friendly voice message from Baldoni has come out. He praised Lively as “beautiful.”
‘Thank you for sending those pictures’
TMZ has obtained a voice memo from before It Ends With Us began filming.
“Hey Blake,” Baldoni says in the audio recording.
“I hope the fitting was, uh, super successful,” he expresses.
“Thank you for sending those pictures,” Baldoni tells her.
He then praises: “It was really cool.”
Exclusive: Justin Baldoni calls Blake Lively “beautiful” in a voice memo before a film shoot. https://t.co/sSK7HG9bhB pic.twitter.com/v6ClPIEBFE
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 2, 2026
“I was in the department head meeting and they came through,” Baldoni details. “And I was, like, waiting for them to load.”
He raved: “And I legit got the chills when I saw it.”
Baldoni tells Lively: “You look beautiful.”
He concludes by assessing: “It’s gonna work so well.”
That is a very friendly and, in the context of responding to a wardrobe fitting, very professional work interaction. Sadly, the good times did not last.
That’s so different from later communications
Per TMZ‘s reporting, this memo came so far before filming that they had yet to even cast the actress who would portray the younger version of Lively’s character.
(Though that discussion is not public, it was apparently under discussion at the same time)
That is pretty normal. Wardrobe fittings can somehow help to define large portions of the aesthetic of a film.
In many cases, a boss telling someone at work that they are “beautiful” would cross a line.
But this, at least, is pretty normal for the entertainment industry (where evaluating someone’s look in a specific outfit is part of the job!) and sounds professional.
At this point during the movie-making process, it seems that Lively and Baldoni were still friendly.
In fact, Lively referred to Baldoni as a “friend” during another old communication.
They were, at the time, still figuring out the filming schedule.
Obviously, things went downhill pretty dramatically after this.
Lively accuses Baldoni of, among other things, sexual harassment. And she is not the only actress to have filed a complaint.
Their legal war plays out in full force in May
Fast-forward to late 2023, and now-released text messages tell a very different story.
Several disturbing conversations and alleged sexual harassment incidents later, and Lively was clearly counting down the days until the film hit theaters and she could detach herself from Baldoni.
That was before the smear campaign against her overshadowed the actual film.
Lively and Baldoni’s film came out in the summer of 2024. It’s now 2026, and they’re set to go to trial in May.
We’re sure that even more past communications and witness statements will come out at that time.
Justin Baldoni Praised ‘Beautiful’ Blake Lively in Voice Memo Before Filming was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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The list of country singers who died in plane crashes includes some of the biggest stars in country music history. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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Lainey Wilson is making waves in country music, teaming up with legends and newcomers alike. You won’t believe her favorite duet of all time. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is investigating use of force by ICE agents, according to a letter sent to the watchdog by congressional Democrats.
The probe comes as the Trump administration faces intense scrutiny over its nationwide immigration crackdown, which has at times turned violent in recent weeks, sparking concern from a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
The letter, sent Monday to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, cites the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis last month. The letter says the inspector general launched a review on Jan. 8 of the tactics undertaken by ICE and Customs and Border Protection, urging the watchdog to speed up the timeline of the probe.
“Given the urgency of this situation — with communities facing severe, and sometimes fatal, harm from ICE’s tactics on American streets every day — we request that your office conduct this review expeditiously and share any preliminary findings with Congress and the public on an expedited basis,” the Democrats wrote, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by POLITICO.
Democratic Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey — who led the letter along with Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.) — first requested the probe in June.
Thirty-six of their colleagues across the House and Senate signed on to the letter, which was first reported by The New York Times.
The inspector general’s office is conducting an “audit of ICE’s Processes for Investigating and Addressing Allegations of Excessive Use of Force,” per the office’s list of ongoing projects.
The probe seeks to “determine whether ICE investigates allegations of excessive use of force and holds personnel accountable in accordance with applicable Federal laws, DHS policies, and ICE directives.”
Spokespeople for the inspector general’s office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the probe.
The lawmakers asked the watchdog to prioritize its review in light of the fact that the office routinely misses its own goal of completing audits within 397 days, according to a January report from the Government Accountability Office.
The Trump administration has signaled a willingness to soften its approach to immigration enforcement in recent weeks, with Democrats threatening to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and withhold funding for the department over its aggressive tactics.
In a move seen widely as an attempt to tamp down tensions in Minnesota, the White House pulled Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino from the state and dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis last week.
Following meetings between Homan and Democratic leaders in the state, Noem announced on Monday that ICE and CBP officers in the city will begin wearing body cameras during immigration enforcement operations there — a key demand from congressional Democrats in their push for reforms of the agencies.
And White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — a central figure in the administration’s immigration enforcement campaign — conceded that CBP agents may not have been following protocol during the fatal shooting of Pretti, which is under review by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and DHS.
Still, President Donald Trump has aimed to downplay the shift in strategy, rebuffing suggestions that his administration is retreating from its aggressive deportation operation last week and continuing to disparage Pretti.
Politics
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Chappell Roan wore a VERY revealing outfit on the red carpet of the Grammy Awards this past Sunday night.
And now the singer has revealed her true feelings on it.
As you may have heard — or, to be more accurate, as you may have seen — Roan donned a sheer red Mugler dress this weekend … the bodice fabric of which was connected to a pair of nipple rings affixed to her breasts.
Otherwise? She was basically naked from the waist up. Scroll down to see what we mean…
The outfit turned heads and caused quite a ripple across social media.
But Roan doesn’t really comprehend why.
“Giggling because I don’t even think this is THAT outrageous of an outfit,” the artist wrote on Instagram on February 2. “The look’s actually so awesome and weird. I recommend just exercising your free will it’s really fun and silly.”
Chappell, who was up for Record of the Year and Pop Solo Performance at the event, concluded:
“Thank you for having me @grammys and those who voted for me!!”
For those wondering, the controversial star was actually wearing prosthetic nipples, so the look wasn’t quite as nude as it initially seemed. But still. Just look at that photo immediately above.
Once inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Roan changed into a second look by Rodarte that was a tad bit more tame as she presented this year’s trophy for Best New Artist.
This would seem to imply that she was at least somewhat aware of how her original piece of attire had come across.
Roan won her first Grammy last year, taking home the Best New Artist award after dominating the airwaves with her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
This year, she was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for “The Subway,” losting to Kendrick Lamar and SZA for “Luther” and Lola Young for “Messy,” respectively.
After the event wrapped up, though, most observers were more focused on Roan’s fashion choice than her music.
Responding to Billboard’s video of Roan on the red carpet, one post read, for example: “I love her but this is too much. Is she gonna get banned?”
Another individual wrote: “I don’t know what people have against wearing clothes.”
Known for her individual style and smash hits including Pink Pony Club, Hot to Go and Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell is really the alter-ego of the more reticent Kayleigh Amstutz.
In an interview with the BBC’s Mark Savage in 2024, she described Chappell as a “larger-than-life, drag queen version of myself,” who allows her to be rebellious and risqué.
“I couldn’t be Chappell all the time,” she explained back then. “I’d be absolutely exhausted.”
Chappell Roan Defends Nipple-Baring Grammy Outfit: Chill Out, People! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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We have sad news to report from the world of music today.
Chuck Negron — best known as the frontman for the legendary rock band Three Dog Night — has passed away.
He was 83 years old.
News of Negron’s passing comes courtesy of a statement from his publicist, who says that the singer died peacefully at his home in Studio City, California on Monday, “surrounded by his loving family.”
“Negron was a testament to never giving up – persevering through everything life throws at you, everything you may throw at yourself, and striving on,” the press release read (via People).
The statement noted that Negron had been diagnosed with heart failure in the final months of his life.
The condition exacerbated his existing health issues, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Born in Manhattan in 1942, Negron was a successful high school athlete who began to shift his focus toward music in his later teen years.
After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, where a chance meeting with Danny Hutton and Cory Wells led to the formation of the rock group Three Dog Night in 1967.
The band became one of the most successful acts of its era, scoring a nearly decade-long string of hits that included “Joy to the World,” “One,” “Easy to Be Hard,” “Just an Old-Fashioned Love Song,” and “The Show Must Go On.”
Sadly, in the midst of this success, Negron’s life offstage was marked by profound challenges.
He battled addiction and was arrested for possession of cocaine in Kentucky in 1975. Three Dog Night disbanded the following year.
After leaving or being expelled from more than 30 treatment programs, Negron finally got sober for good in 1991.
He returned to music with a string of modestly successful solo albums, and he shared his story in the candid memoir Three Dog Nightmare.
Negron is survived by his four children and his wife and former manager, Ami Albea.
Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
Chuck Negron Cause of Death: Three Dog Night Singer Was 83 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip