rihanna
Latest
Rihanna, Migos and more are getting official metaverse avatars
Fans will be able to buy and sell NFT merchandise for virtual versions of Universal's artists.
Donald Glover's new movie is streaming for free on Amazon
As of this writing, Childish Gambino is still performing live at Coachella (which you can watch on YouTube all weekend), but he also has a new movie premiering on Amazon Prime. Guava Island is available (in 4x3 aspect ratio -- it's a choice) for free for at least 18 hours, so if you'd like to check out the hour-long flick about an island-based musician trying to put on a music festival while being kidnapped and dating Rihanna, now is the time to do it. There's a longer trailer out now, but it doesn't really explain more about the plot, so you may be just as well off going directly to the movie. According to Vanity Fair, Guava Island will also stream on Twitch and YouTube at 8 PM ET tonight.
Childish Gambino's 'Guava Island' movie comes to Amazon this weekend
Donald Glover already has something special planned with Google's Pixel 3 to go with his performance at Coachella this weekend, but he's not stopping there tie-ins. After his set ends on Saturday morning (he's scheduled to take the stage at 2:25 AM ET) the actor, comedian and musician will release a new movie, Guava Island, on Amazon Prime Video at 3:01 AM ET. It was inadvertently announced in a YouTube press release promoting the concert live stream, but appears to be an Amazon exclusive. Dubbed "A Childish Gambino Film," it's directed by Glover's Atlanta collaborator Hiro Murai, and will co-star both Rihanna and Letitia Wright. A tweet announcing the flick included a 15 second teaser but we don't really know what the movie is about. According to IndieWire, it was filmed on-location in Cuba, and a screening at Glover's PHAROS event suggested a plot where he gets kidnapped. Update: An exclusive behind the scenes report for Vanity Fair has a few more details on the flick, calling it a "music-driven hour-long film." Once it goes live on Amazon Prime, it will be free to watch for 18 hours, and will also stream once on Twitch at 8 PM ET on Saturday, with a simulcast on YouTube's Coachella stream. Portrayed as a thriller, the movie apparently focuses on Glover as a local musician determined to throw a festival. We'll find out more once it's released early Saturday.
YouTube will stream Rihanna's fashion show on September 12th
Paul McCartney isn't the only superstar to have lined up a live YouTube stream these days. Rihanna is broadcasting her Savage x Fenty brand's fashion show on Google's service at 7:30PM Eastern on September 12th. She's promising an "immersive experience" that, to no one's surprise, will showcase the label's lingerie and "intimate accessories" (which, of course, you can buy after the show). You might not want to invite your parents to watch with you, then.
Rihanna slams Snapchat over ad that mocked domestic violence
A few days ago, Snapchat allowed an ad on its platform that plenty of folks thought made light of domestic violence. The ad was apparently for a game and it asked if viewers would rather "Slap Rihanna" or "Punch Chris Brown," likely referencing Brown's 2009 felony assault on the pop star. Snap then apologized for letting the ad through, telling the BBC that the ad had been published in error and had been removed immediately. Now Rihanna has seen the ad and responded on her Instagram Story, and Snap came back with another apology.
We're listening to: Sia, Tove Lo and 'Where Should We Begin?'
Welcome back to IRL, our series dedicated to the things that Engadget writers have been playing, using, watching and listening to. This week we're focusing on music and podcasts, from Sia's Christmas album through to Rihanna's stunning Anti. First up, executive editor Dana Wollman on the joy of listening to other people's problems.
Netflix is making the internet's Rihanna/Lupita buddy movie
According to Entertainment Weekly, a movie dreamed up on social media based on nothing more than a picture of Lupita Nyong'o and Rihanna is actually going to happen. The two were captured sitting next to each other during Paris Fashion Week 2014 when a writer named Roxy posted this caption on Tumblr "They look like they're in a heist movie with Rihanna as the tough-as-nails leader/master thief and Lupita as the genius computer hacker." The idea resurfaced as a tweet this past April and quickly became a viral meme "Black Twitter" and beyond, with fans tagging both stars and tossing in more suggestions for the flick they'd like to see.
German law urges parents to rat out kids' illegal downloads
When it comes to piracy, institutions typically go after individual offenders and platforms, especially illicit ones. But Germany's highest court just ruled that children aren't just on the hook for illegally downloading music or movies -- their parents are, too. And if they don't rat out their kids, they'll get stuck with the court-decided fine.
Tidal's Rihanna exclusive drove a ton of interest in the app this week
Rihanna released her long-awaited new album ANTI earlier this week, her first release since 2012's Unapologetic. It was a surprise launch, and it had a twist: Rihanna offered it up for free in partnership with Tidal and Samsung. They offered 1 million free copies, which ran out less than two days after the announcement; to get the album, you had to install the Tidal app and get a download redemption code. The album is now out to buy on iTunes, but Tidal retains the exclusive streaming rights for Rihanna's latest, at least for now -- you can't stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music or the rest.
Dance Central 3 DLC includes three artists, zero last names
This month's Dance Central 3 downloadable content celebrates both single-name performers, and former child actors. Degrassi: The Next Generation alum Drake's "Take Care," featuring Rihanna, will be available March 5. The next week, Rihanna's own "Umbrella" and "SOS" will be available as a 400 MSP ($5) bundle or alone for $3 each.Finally, on March 19, "London Bridge" by Fergie of Kids Incorporated fame will be released as danceable DLC.
Dance Central 2 busts out some Rihanna DLC
Na, na, na, na, na, come on! Chains and whips excite us, but so do these Rihanna tracks for Dance Central 2. Actually, "What's My Name" is lukewarm, but "S&M" and "Only Girl (in the World)" more than make up for it. The Rihanna pack can be purchased tomorrow, December 20, for 640 MSP ($8), or for 240 ($3) a pop. The new tracks join other Rihanna ditties "Rude Boy" on Dance Central 2, "Pon de Replay" from DC1 and "Disturbia," available as DLC. The Rihanna tracks arrive a month after Dance Central 2 went go-go with Gaga.
Dance Central adding Rihanna, Janet Jackson and Blur DLC
Harmonix, look -- we gotta talk. Last DLC pack? It was some good stuff. Great songs, great routines -- we loved it. But these three new tracks coming to Dance Central tomorrow, December 21, for 240 Microsoft Points ($3) each? We're at a loss. What moves, exactly, will we be prompted to pull off? The "Creepy Guy Spinning the Wheel," as seen in Rihanna's "Disturbia" video? Or what about the "Wear a T-Shirt Describing Your State of Mind or Geographical Location," as made famous by Blur's "Girls and Boys" ... in 1994? Dare we dream of doing the "Well-Off Teenager Making Millions and Living at Home with her Parents Shows the Courage to Persevere," just like Janet showed us in "Control?"
Rihanna kitchen scale features iPod dock, Heavy D's scale plays vinyl
If you haven't yet invested in an iPod dock for the kitchen, the kids at ADE (a German company that manufactures cooking equipment for commercial and home use) have something right up your alley. The Rihanna kitchen scale features an iPod dock, an LCD display, and a 2 watt speaker that sits demurely beneath glass weighing area. This bad boy will handle up to 11 pounds (graduated in .04 ounce steps). Look for it soon-ish for around $105. And no, it has nothing to do with the popular recording artist of the same name.
WoW Moviewatch: Why can't I raid?
You may remember Taintedlore from her remake of The Womanizer Song. She's hooked up with movie maker Leonnardum to create a new parody video, called Why can't I raid? If you don't recognize the music, it's based of Rihanna's song, Unfaithful.The video's pretty solid, and does a nice job of complimenting the lyrics. I like how Leonnardum has found little visual queues to match Taintedlore's singing, without overwhelming the music with complex visuals. What really struck me about the final piece, however, was the use of modulation with Taintedlore's singing. She seems to have a great voice, and I like hearing her sing. I don't understand is why her voice is going through the electronic modulation, since it didn't appear in the original song. I'd like to hear her real voice. Though, as always, it's possible some artistic technique flew over my head, and I should get why it's in the synthetic style.Overall, I continue to be interested in Taintedlore's work, and I would definitely like to see more from Leonnardum going forward.[Via WarcraftMovies.com]
