Entertainment winners, losers of the week

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(Jordan Allen /Amherst Wire)

This is the eleventh installment of “Entertainment winners and losers of the week,” covering Oct. 15-21.

With so much happening on social media, it’s hard to keep up. Here are the highs and lows of the week, selected by the Amherst Wire Entertainment staff.

Jonathan Kermah

Winner: Pusha T

The Drake and Pusha T beef moved to the podcast and television world last week. Rapper and G.O.O.D Music president Pusha T made an appearance on the Joe Budden Podcast to set things straight about his feud with Drake in late May. While Pusha talked about a variety of subjects, the highlight of the episode came when he revealed how he found about Drake’s then-secret child. His source … Drake’s producer Noah “40” Shebib.

According to Pusha, 40 let the information slip during pillow talk with a woman. That woman gave the information to Pusha. Whether this is true or not, it will probably cause Drake to consider distancing himself from arguably his most important collaborator. Pusha T is the Joker to Drake’s Batman, playing this rap rivalry like a game of chess. It will be interesting to see if Drake does anything to keep the feud alive.

Loser: The Los Angelas Lakers and Houston Rockets

Saturday night, a fight broke loose during a high-intensity game between the Lakers and Rockets in the Staples Center. The fight included Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram from the Lakers and Chris Paul from the Rockets. All three players were ejected.

While this is a loss for the NBA, its a huge win for NBA Twitter. The Twitter section loaded with hilarious memes relating to the fight. We’re only two regular season games into the LeBron in L.A. era, and its already must-watch TV.

Katherine Kelley

Winner: “A Star is Born” soundtrack

“A Star is Born” was a huge hit in the box office, and so is its soundtrack starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. The soundtrack hit No. 1 on the billboard 200 chart this week. Gaga and Cooper were a pair we didn’t know we needed. Here’s to hoping they do more projects together in the future.

Loser: Kendall Jenner’s stalker

A man who has supposedly been stalking Kendall Jenner was arrested Tuesday because he was trespassing on her property. She took to Instagram to slam the media who she says invades her privacy, ultimately putting her in danger.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpFTPPsF_Mj/?hl=en&taken-by=kendalljennersnapchats

Hayley Solomon

Winner: Disney Fans

Magic is coming next year, as the teaser trailer for the live-action version of “Aladdin” dropped earlier this week. This came after Will Smith, who will play Genie, unexpectedly released the first movie poster for the film. Smith has some big shoes to fill, as Robin William’s creation of this character is one to be remembered forever. The trailer dropped during Thursday Night Football last week, getting fans super excited.

The remake will be in theaters on May 24, 2019.

Loser: Pete Davidson

Not many seemed surprised by the breakup of Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson this week. But many have been left wondering about how Davidson is doing, since he joked about on SNL in his skit three weeks ago about a “breakup” and living in her apartment. A GoFundMe page was even started for him, and memes of his name being replaced in Ariana Grande’s song “Pete Davidson.” According to E! News, Davidson is “doing fine” and “focusing on himself.”

Barbara Talagan

Winner: Rihanna

Recently, Rihanna graciously turned down the Superbowl’s offer of headlining the halftime show. Her reasons for declining comes from her support for Colin Kaepernick and her views on the anthem policy of the NFL. This show would have been great exposure for Rihanna because she is currently planning her new album and tour, but her values come first.

Loser:  Drake Bell

Drake Bell missed a reunion of a lifetime this past week. Josh Peck and Miranda Cosgrove, stars from the hit TV show “Drake and Josh” finally met up after four years of not seeing each other. Throughout the reunion, both Cosgrove and Peck recited funny catchphrases from the show and made us all miss “Drake and Josh” even more than we already did.

Trevor Wilson:

Winner: Vince Staples

One of hip-hop’s most interesting personalities and Long Beach native Vince Staples has landed his first gig as an actor. “The Hollywood Reporter” was told by a representative that Staples will star in a lead role for an upcoming indie film titled “Punk.” Staples will play the role of a character named Peter who, after receiving “a disheartening rejection letter,” is joined by travelers who turn out to be bank robbers, headed by the members on the FBI’s most wanted list.

This isn’t Staples’ first time on the big screen. In 2015, he had a role in the cult-hit “DOPE” and voiced a character in the anime film “MFKZ.” It’s really cool to see artists step out of their comfort zones and try something new, especially acting. Staples is talented, but hasn’t made much of a buzz in the hip-hop world since his last project “Big Fish Theory.” I, for one, am a big fan of the move and will definitely see the film whenever it drops.

Loser: Drake

WELL, holy toledo Batman! What a plot twist this turned out to be. Right when everyone began trashing on Kanye for being the snitch, Pusha pulls the rug right from underneath our feet. Honestly, I did not see this coming at all. If you had told me 40 was the reason that Drake’s info got out I would say you’re lying. But whoa. Add this to the long list of things Drake could have done differently about the Pusha T beef. First, he gets baited, flamed, then finds out his best friends is spilling his secrets? Not a good look man, not a good look.

Kacey Connolly:

Winner: Meghan Markle

The big news that every Royal Family fan has been waiting for since May has finally come out — Duchess Meghan Markle is pregnant with a new baby. Despite the royal blood that’ll flow through this new baby’s veins though, he or she won’t get a title; burdened by another stupid Royal Family rule, since Markle and Prince Harry’s baby will be seventh in line for the throne, it rules him out of any cool names to come before his own. But I doubt Markle is too worried about that right now as she kicks off her 16-day overseas tour with her husband that started this week in the beautiful Australia. Must be fun being royalty and all.

Loser: Kim Kardashian’s new photo

Kim Kardashian released her raciest photo yet on Instagram Thursday and many fans are not impressed. All the Kardashian girls have been known to post some overly revealing pictures from time to time, but this naked shoot that was supposed to promote the Kardashian beauty line’s new eyeshadow was way too over the top. Advertising your makeup to viewers is one thing, but you don’t need to do it naked, and you especially don’t need to do it naked while draped in silky blue sheets either.

Tiffany Chasse

Winner: Wu-Tang Clan

For the first time since 2002, the Wu-Tang Clan has found a place on the Billboard charts. The group was featured on rapper Logic’s clearly successful newest album, “YSIV” and more specifically the song “Wu Tang Forever.” The album is currently in the number two spot on the Billboard 200, topped only by Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V.” While everyone is praising Logic for this amazing success, he praises the Wu-Tang Clan for being his inspiration.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo7mO_llY-_/?hl=en&taken-by=logic

“Wu Tang Forever” on its own placed No. 17 on R&B/hip-hop digital song sales as well as No. 44 on the all-genre digital song sales. While many albums and 16 years have passed since they last made the cut, I guess they’ve still got it. I mean, the title says it all — “Wu Tang Forever.”

Loser: “Orange is the New Black” Fans

As the anticipation of the “Orange is the New Black” season 7 premiere grows, fans are faced with the reality that this will be the last one. It has been one emotional, comical and drama-filled ride. Starting in 2013, “Orange is the New Black” has certainly grown a loyal fan base and saying goodbye will be no easy feat. On top of this already crushing news, the cast does not make it any easier.

While it’s sad to see such an impactful and unique show go, at least we still have summer 2019 to look forward to. However, it will no doubt be an odd feeling when we see our favorite actors in new roles in the near future.

Email Jonathan at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @JKermah98.

Email Katherine at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter @katkelley26.

Email Hayley at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter @hayley_solomon. 

Email Barbara at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter @xoxbarbara8.

Email Trevor at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @TrevorWilsonOG. 

Email Kacey at [email protected].

Email Tiffany at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter @tchasse7. 

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