Songs, Movies & Moments: August 2023

A Look at Entertainment

by T.J. Moore –

A concertgoer’s drink-throwing incident with Cardi B recently has social media accusing the rapper of having a “Milli Villi” moment on stage.

The “fan” threw her drink at Cardi while she performed her breakout hit, “Bodak Yellow” at Las Vegas’s Drai’s Beachclub. The liquid landed on Cardi while the fan got a headful as the mother of two chucked the microphone and hit the fan. Cardi called out the rude concertgoer allegedly screaming, “Wassup!…(expletive) outta here.”

On Twitter, other fans discussed Cardi’s lip-syncing as much as her incident with the concertgoer in the crowd. Many think the woman in the crowd threw her drink at the “Money” rapper because Cardi used a backing track on stage. Others who found fault with the performance recalled that Milli Vanilli’s Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan lost their 1990 Grammy for Best New Artist after the Recording Academy found out the duo completely lip-synced their break-out album, Girl You Know It’s True.

Much has changed since the Milli Vanilli scandal. It is common for artists to sing to backing tracks from time to time. Some do it to conserve their voice, and it’s also done for taped performances and videos.

As for the incident itself, Cardi B won’t face charges after throwing her mic at the fan. According to the Las Vegas Metro Police, the case was closed for insufficient evidence.

Lizzo speaks out for the first time since the shocking lawsuit against her by three former dancers came to light.

The 35-year-old Grammy winner posted a lengthy response Aug. 3 to the disturbing lawsuit filed against her and a response to the allegations against her, her production company Gig Grill Big Touring, Inc, and dance team captain, Shirlene Quigley.

The singer says that while she’s not a victim, she’s not “the villain” either. She didn’t reference the body shaming, sexual harassment, and emotional harm she’s been accused of. Also, she didn’t admit to any wrongdoing or apologize for how her dancers felt in the allegedly hostile work environment she and her dance captain led.

Actor Jonathan Majors’ domestic violence trial was postponed until at least Sept. 6 after New York City prosecutors asked Aug. 4 for more time to prepare.

Majors appeared in court for what was to have been the start of his trial on charges stemming from a confrontation in March with a woman who accused the actor of twisting her arm behind her back and striking her in the head. The woman was treated at a hospital for minor neck and head injuries, including an ear cut.

Majors is charged with misdemeanors, including assault, and could be sentenced to as much as a year in jail if convicted.

Actor Dwayne Johnson is helping to support his fellow actors in the midst of the actors’ union and EGA’s strike for better working conditions in Hollywood and across the country.

According to Variety, Johnson made a seven-figure donation to the foundation, which will help thousands of actors currently out of work due to the strikes The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is associated with, but not part of, the union, and helps provide aid and financial assistance to the over 160,000 members through its Emergency Financial Assistance Program.