Rachael Ray Gets a Nasty Taste of the Beyhive After the “Lemonade” Premier
In the song “Sorry” off Beyonce’s emotionally-raw visual album "Lemonade", she alludes to a husband cheating on his wife with “Becky with the good hair” and A LOT of people think it’s about Jay Z. A curiously-timed Instagram from fashion designer Rachel Roy, who's long been rumored to have had an affair with Jay Z, sealed the deal for many on “Becky’s” identity. Sadly, Rachel Roy kind of sounds a lot like Rachael Ray, the celebrity chef who has nothing to do with the scandal. But Ray and her emoji-vandalized Instagram page quickly learned that the Beyhive isn’t big on fact checking. [Buzzfeed]
Here Are Excerpts from an Episode of “The Simpsons” Starring Prince That Never Happened
The tributes to Prince have been rolling in since his death, and “Simpsons” showrunner Al Jean is paying his respects by tweeting out pages from an episode of the show that was supposed to star Prince but never came to be after the singer rejected the script for unknown reasons. The episode was meant as a follow-up to an earlier one starring another '80s pop icon—Michael Jackson—and based on the excerpts, it looks like a spider ruins Lisa’s chances of getting Prince tickets, Selma is a huge fan of Prince movies and the full spirituality of his love is not a good enough gift for Homer. [Esquire]
Cleveland to Pay Family of Tamir Rice $6 Million in Settlement
The family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy shot by police officers as he played with an air pellet gun outside a recreation center in 2014, have been awarded $6 million in a settlement with Cleveland — though the city did not admit any wrongdoing. Rice’s death sparked outrage, especially after a grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against the officers who shot him — police were not told by the dispatcher that the 911 caller who saw Rice with the gun said he was juvenile and that the gun was likely fake. [NPR]
Empathetic Judge Spends Night in Jail With PTSD Afflicted Former Soldier He Sentenced
A North Carolina judge and veteran who sentenced a former soldier to a night in jail after driving while under the influence, turned up at the jail himself and spent the night with the man fearing the closed quarters would trigger the man’s PTSD, the Washington Post reported. Judge Lou Olivera, who served in the Gulf War, told the Fay Observer which first reported the story, that sometimes it takes a veteran to know how to help another veteran. [Washington Post]
A Nostalgic Glimpse of New York City in 1993
A cameraman’s high definition footage of New York City in 1993 shows the pre-cellphone era, where people actually interact with one another and walk with their heads up. It was a very different time when we wore high-waisted jeans, put cigarette ads in Times Square, and our worries were not what they are today. Still though, the city retains some of the charm it had in the early 90s. [Technoman]
This Guy Set Up an Art Gallery Beneath Nevins Street
Phil America, an artist and “urban explorer” set up an art exhibit against gun violence in a place likely to get some attention but not many eyeballs: an abandoned subway tunnel somewhere underneath Nevins Street. [NY Curbed]
Watch Anthony Weiner’s Life Come Crashing Down
As Anthony Weiner’s “bulge” scandal broke, he had a documentary crew with him filming the whole thing. And now, the world can see some of that footage in the new trailer for the film, “Weiner,” out in theaters May 20. It’s a perfect New York political storm and media circus. Get your popcorn. [Indiewire]
Missouri Third-Grader Sells Lemonade to Pay for his Own Adoption
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. 9-year-old Tristan Jacobson set up a lemonade stand during a yard sale to help pay for legal fees in his adoption. “I’m happy because I have a new mom who loves me,” he told the Springfield News-Leader. The weekend yard sale and lemonade stand raised more than $7,100, his guardian Donnie Davis told the paper, and an online fundraising site collected more than $17,000. Davis said any extra money will go towards Tristan’s education. [Springfield News-Leader]
'Saturday Night Live' to Create Real, Funny Commercials
The long-running sketch comedy show is getting creative with what it produces — by teaming up with big brands and advertisers. Yes, the show notoriously known for its fake commercials, like the “Mom Jeans” and “Bass-O-Matic,” is teaming up with advertisers to create funny sketches with real products. The move, Linda Yaccarino, chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships told Mashable, “just makes complete sense” and comes at the heels of the show announcing it will cut about 30% of ads out next season. [Mashable]
New Streaming Service Launching for Film Buffs
Time Warner’s Turner and the Criterion Collection are launching a new streaming service together geared towards film buffs, with hundreds of indie, art house and classic films available. The new service, called FilmStruck will add 500 new films each month, and offer constant access to the Criterion Collection for an additional fee. The pricing hasn’t been announced and the service is expected to launch in the fall. [Quartz]
You’ll Soon Be Able to Drink Hi-C Ecto-Cooler Again
Children of the 80s and 90s can relive a bit of their childhood this spring: Coca-Cola is bringing back the beloved juice (?) drink Ecto-Cooler, part of a marketing campaign for the new “Ghostbusters” movie. The green beverage — known for having had “Ghostbusters” ghoul Slimer as its mascot — will be sold in cans as well as juice boxes. [TIME]
This column was compiled by DNAinfo reporters Eddie Small, Nikhita Venugopal, Noah Hurowitz, Carolina Pichardo, Camille Bautista, Jeanmarie Evelly, Gwynne Hogan, Rachel Holliday Smith, Emily Frost, Irene Plagianos and Shaye Weaver.
