Welcome to the Daily Lowdown podcast from HELLO!. In this episode, we're talking about Beyonce's team defending her after the singer faced criticism over her new album artwork.
Not only that, Meghan Thee Stallion announces UK shows for her Hot Girl Summer tour and Margot Robbie is reportedly set to produce a live-action movie based on hit computer game, The Sims.
Listen to the episode in full below…
Beyonce's representative has spoken out in defence of the singer after she unveiled the artwork for her upcoming album, Cowboy Carter. Beyonce was criticised by neo-soul singer Erykah Badu who claimed that Beyonce stole her look by sporting beaded braids, however, Beyonce's rep took to Instagram to share multiple images of the superstar wearing a similar look through the years, including in her Destiny's Child days.
Meanwhile, Beyonce shared with fans that her venture into the country genre was inspired by her 2016 performances at the CMAs with The Chicks singing her hit song, Daddy Lessons, from her album Lemonade. After the live show, the performance was taken down from social channels due to racist, hateful comments.
But this only spurred Beyonce to make a mark on the genre despite not feeling welcomed – proving that nothing will stand in her way. Cowboy Carter is out next week and we can't wait.
© Instagram / @beyonceMegan Thee Stallion is officially coming to the UK. The three-time Grammy-winning rapper will bring her Hot Girl Summer tour to London, Glasgow and beyond for a string of gigs starting from July. The singer will head to Scotland for the first date of the Europe leg of the tour, before heading to Manchester and London, as well as Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin. Tickets for the Europe leg go on sale on Friday.
Bigi, the youngest son of Michael Jackson, formerly known as 'Blanket', is in a legal dispute with his grandmother Katherine over the selling of the late singer's catalogue. The 22-year-old filed paperwork this week requesting to block his relative's attempt at using state funds amid her ongoing legal battle with estate executives in an appeal to stop large chunks of the singer's estate being sold off.
© Getty ImagesTMZ reports that Bigi and his grandmother were in agreement about blocking the sale before but that Bigi is keen to prevent more appeals and court rulings on behalf of Katherine, as it depreciates the value of the estate and incurs expensive legal fees. The move was in a bid to stop the ongoing battle over Michael's catalogue being sold off by industry bosses – something Katherine insists that the singer never wanted. The courts are yet to issue a judgement on the appeals.
© Stuart C. WilsonHas Margot Robbie lined up her next major post-Barbie project? The award-winning actor, who enjoyed immense success at the box office thanks to the Greta Gerwig movie about the iconic doll, is reportedly in talks to produce a live-action movie based around the cult computer game, The Sims. The actress and movie boss, who runs her own production company, will be the brains behind the film but it'll be Kate Heron, known for her work on Sex Education and Loki, who is set to direct. There's no word yet on casting or a release date, but we think this is going to be great.
Speaking of new TV and film projects, Simon Cowell is said to be extremely keen to find the next One Direction with a new talent show coming to Netflix. The Syco boss and music mogul, has been in talks for a huge deal with the streaming platform for the new show, and production has already commenced in the UK. Simon is said to be hellbent on making sure he finds the next big thing, years after his long-running show, The X-Factor came to an end.
