Free Republic

“Being raised in the literal womb of America and the origin of this country’s oppression left an indelible impression on me,” Williams said. The “Happy” singer, who was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 White House run, later comparing the protests and riots in the wake of the death of George Floyd to the Boston Tea Party. “The desperate longing for economic justice that spurred unrest in the streets of Minneapolis after George Floyd’s murder reminds me of the same fire that burned in the veins of the Sons of Liberty when they dumped 342 chests of tea into...

Virginia Beach native and Grammy-winning pop superstar Pharrell Williams has teamed with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to announce the official declaration of June 19, “Juneteenth,” as a state holiday. “Every year we celebrate July 4th, Independence Day … but that freedom we celebrate did not include everyone … it’s time we elevate this, not just a celebration by and for some Virginians, but one acknowledged and celebrated by all of us because that’s how important this event is,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said on Tuesday. June 19, also known as “Juneteenth,” is a day celebrated for the final liberation of...

Authorities in Iran arrested four girls and women last week for posting videos of themselves dancing on Instagram. Only one of the girls, 17-year-old gymnast Maedeh Hojabri, has been identified. State TV in Iran aired her “confession” on Friday. Instagram is one of the few Western social media sites not heavily blocked in Iran, and Hojabri posted about 300 photos and videos before her account was temporarily shut down. Her account appears to be back up as of this morning. Hojabri posted a new video just hours ago addressing her critics. Hojabri, who reportedly has often spoken about gymnastics and...

In the West it would be considered an innocuous albeit amateur tribute video to singer Pharrell Williams’ massively popular song “Happy.” But in Iran, a video of six men and unveiled women dancing in Tehran to hit song was enough to be arrested over. “Sol Production” posted the tribute video on Monday to YouTube, which has already garnered nearly 40,000 views. Iranian police wasted no time in tracking down the happy Iranians, arresting them on Tuesday according to Al Arabiya. …

NEW YORK (AP) — Gospel singer Kim Burrell says she makes "no excuses or apologies" for a sermon at a Houston church where she referred to gays and lesbians as perverted.A tape of Burrell preaching at the Love & Liberty Fellowship Church began circulating online. She said that "the perverted homosexual spirit, and the spirit of delusion and confusion, it has deceived many men and women." She referred to specific homosexual acts as perverted.Meanwhile, Burrell is scheduled to sing a duet with Pharrell next Thursday on the talk show "Ellen," where host Ellen DeGeneres is one of show business' most...

Appearing on David Letterman last Thursday, Lady M proved again that you can never do too much self promotion (partial list so far this year: Kimmel, Fallon, Ellen, Glamour, Night Shift, and last butt hardly least, the Black Girls Rock! event).Black Girl, rockin’Donning a regal purple v-neck, flared dress MO dished with Dave on things like Joining Forces - Lady M’s military PR program - and college education (everyone should get one; for free).Then things shifted to more serious issues: Lady M’s career after being FLOTUS: she’s either going to be president, or a nanny for David Letterman’s children (although...

PETA is demanding to know: Why won’t Al Gore’s climate change music festival go vegan? On stage at Davos this year, Gore and Pharrell Williams announced the return of the Live Earth music festival — a concert series meant to raise awareness of climate change. And now the animal rights group is demanding each of the concerts exclusively serve vegan products, arguing that Gore’s own group touts the benefits of giving up meat to reduce greenhouse gas production. In a series of emails obtained by BuzzFeed News, representatives from PETA repeatedly ask Live Earth’s organizers if they plan to serve...

Will Madonna sue Lady Gaga? Will George Clinton sue OutKast? These idiotic questions became frighteningly legitimate after a jury ruled that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams committed copyright infringement. The jurors decided that yes, Thicke’s 2013 chart-topping single “Blurred Lines” had copied elements of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up,” and awarded Gaye’s family a walloping $7.4 million. The titles of the two songs in question could not have been more fitting. But it was the lack of detail on exactly which elements were copied that prompted a hard-swallow... The jury was instructed to make its ruling...