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NPR reports: The singer formerly known as Sinéad O’Connor, and most recently named Magda Davitt, has converted to Islam. She is now using the name Shuhada’ Davitt. She has written on Twitter that she is “very, very, very happy” and is giving thanks to “all my Muslim brothers and sisters who have been so kind as to welcome me to …

People Magazine reports: What’s your plan? Everytown for Gun Safety has released a video featuring more than 20 celebrities and influencers (including Kevin Bacon, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Susan Sarandon) encouraging fans to hit the polls for the midterms. “What’s your plan for voting? Mine is to walk,” Will Arnett says in the video. “To my car, and then drive to …

Playbill reports: The Greatest Showman—Reimagined hits shelves November 16, featuring pop stars performing covers of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s songs from the movie musical. Among the roster is Grammy-winning performer Pink joined by her daughter Willow Sage Hart for the song “A Million Dreams.” In the movie about the life of P.T. Barnum, the song is originally sung by …

Playbill reports: Every Act of Life, the new documentary film about the life and work of four-time Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, is set for a November 6 release on digital and VOD streaming platforms. Written and directed by Jeff Kaufman, Every Act of Life features interviews from his many collaborators and artists who’ve brought his work to the stage, …

Inside Edition reports: “Skibidi” — it’s a word you can barely pronounce, but the viral hit from Russian band Little Big will certainly have you dancing. Little Big’s video for “Skibidi” was published on YouTube on Oct. 5 and it already has more than 34 million views. With a thumping beat and super catchy moves that involve punching across the …

Billboard reports: Katy Perry shined in her baby-blue ensemble at Thursday’s amFAR Gala in Los Angeles as she accepted the amFAR Award of Courage. The superstar was recognized along with TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie for their efforts in the global fight against AIDS and HIV. Perry has been a longtime advocate for finding a cure for AIDS/HIV, and her speech …

Billboard Magazine reports: Within hours of reports that Rihanna declined an offer to headline the Super Bowl LIII halftime show, celebrities have taken to social media in support of RiRi’s stand with exiled former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Amy Schumer posted a lengthy message to her Instagram page, urging men and white Americans to stand up for what’s …

The bizarre antics of Hallandale Beach government officials have gone past public accusations of anal bleaching and comparisons to Hitler. Here’s the Miami Herald‘s lede from the latest installment: It’s a spy-drama love story with a late plot twist straight out of Hollywood. Well, Hallandale Beach, actually. It begins in the lead-up to the 2016 local elections. Victor Elbeze, a …

The Huffington Post reports: Banksy stunned the art world this month with the partial shredding of his “Girl With Balloon” artwork moments after it sold at Sotheby’s auction house in London for $1.4 million. But a new video that the guerilla street artist shared to YouTube suggests the stunt was slightly botched. “In rehearsals it worked every time,” a note …

Newsweek reports: A Florida man who believed he was meeting a teen girl for sex told police upon his arrest he came to the area because he “thought it would be cool” to see a sex sting in action. James Bowen, 34, who is a co-owner of Bob’s Barber Shop in Gainesville, was one of seven men detained by officers …

A Halloween-themed entry from our pal Matt Baume: The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a huge failure, at least when it premiered. It was too weird, too queer, too musical at a time when moviegoers stopped caring about show tunes. But within a few years, it found a new life as an underground phenomenon where everyone dresses up, shouts along, …

TIME Magazine reports: Remember Palm, the company behind those handheld PDAs (no, not that kind of PDA) that were so prevalent in the 90s? It’s back Monday with something truly weird: The Palm, a tiny Android-powered smartphone that’s meant to supplement, not replace, your current handset. You can’t even buy the Palm on its own — it’s available only as …

Theater Mania reports: The Rockettes held an open rehearsal on Thursday, October 11, to preview the brand-new finale to the 2018 Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The new finale, “Christmas Lights,” will begin following the iconic “Living Nativity” scene. As the North Star appears, aerialists will fly across the stage as 100 drones form various shapes and patterns surrounding Santa Claus. …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), Gabriel Bateman (Lights Out), Daniel Radcliffe, comic-turned-actor Jim Gaffigan (Chappaquiddick) and singers Meghan Trainor and Adam Lambert lead the voice cast for family pic Playmobil: The Movie. Trainor and Lambert will also sing original songs for the film. The animation-live action hybrid movie, based on the popular kids toy line, is due out …

Playbill reports: The first teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action Aladdin offers a wealth of riches far beyond whatever lies in the Cave of Wonders. We’re talking lush orchestrations, dramatic establishing shots, and what we can presume is a much more realistic Iago. The teaser also gives us our first look at Mena Massoud as the title role. Joining him are …

The Associated Press reports: Police at the Orlando airport removed a Florida woman who refused to get off a Cleveland-bound flight after she was found carrying an “emotional support squirrel.” Passengers had already boarded Frontier Airlines Flight 1612 at Orlando International Airport on Tuesday night when they were told there was a “situation” and everyone needed to get off the …

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: A Florida man abandoned a black Lamborghini early Saturday after the sports car rear-ended a pickup truck in Miami. The driver then jumped into a friend’s waiting Mercedes and fled the scene, surveillance video shows. A Miami Beach firefighter said he was driving to work around 7:30 a.m. when a Lamborghini struck the back of his …

The Miami Herald reports: Last month, the mayor of Hallandale Beach, Keith London, bizarrely accused fellow commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub of profiting from bleaching her sphincter, causing public outrage and series of #MeToo posts on social media. Now, Lima-Taub is the one under fire for apparently comparing the mayor to Adolf Hitler during Wednesday night’s regularly scheduled commission meeting. “A man …

Billboard Magazine reports: Bradley Cooper earns his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Oct. 13), as “Shallow,” with Lady Gaga, arrives at No. 28. After the actor made his first Billboard chart visit last week, the song debuts on the Hot 100 following its first full week of tracking. It bows with 8.3 million U.S. streams and …

The New York Times reports: “Tina,” a jukebox musical about the turbulent life of the rock star Tina Turner, is coming to Broadway. The show, with the full title “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” will open next fall, the producers said this week. They did not announce a specific date or a theater. The musical has been running in London …