After an almost 30 year run Ruby’s Diner announced the permanent shut down of both their Huntington Beach and Oceanside locations on Friday.
In an Instagram post made by their official account they said, “We are deeply saddened to be closing our doors, but we are so thankful for all the wonderful memories that were shared over the years at the end of these two iconic piers.”
The post prompted some to ask whether other locations would meet the same fate, such as their location in Laguna Beach. Ruby’s Diner assured everyone in a secondary post to Instagram that their other locations would remain open.
“Many people have asked if we are shutting down all of our locations. This is not true at all. A lot of our locations across Orange County and beyond are still open and serving our famous burgers, shakes and fries,” the post said.
The diner continued to remain optimistic about the future promising their patrons they have “exciting” plans in the works.
Since the inception of the pandemic, thousands of restaurants across California have closed down. According to a survey conducted by the California Restaurant Association, 30 percent of restaurants say they will either close their restaurant permanently, or they will downsize by closing some locations.
With that being said, no official reason has been given for the closure of both establishments.
Houston-born artist Solange Knowles made a “significant donation” on Thursday to an abolitionist collective in order to support their post-freeze housing effort in Houston. “The Houston love is REAL,” wrote Mutual Aid Houston on Twitter.
sending so much love back home🖤and im committed to doing more… my heart breaks man thank you for all the endless work u guys are doing on the ground https://t.co/l1AORY9wT8
Texas has been facing brutal weather conditions this past week like they’ve never seen before. More than 100 million Americans are being affected due to severe weather, many of them having to go without power or even clean water.
In Houston alone 20 deaths have been reported all of which are attributed to the storm.
Knowles is a Houston native who’s never been shy about disclosing her hometown. In 2019, she dedicated an entire album to Houston writing many songs about its culture and appropriately titling them after various parts of the community. “Sending so much love back home… and I’m committed to doing more” the singer tweeted in response to Mutual Aid Houston.
The small organization in question is relatively new, according to their website, Mutual Aid Houston was formed by locals in response to Covid-19 and police brutality following the death of George Floyd. 100 percent of donations are said to go directly toward their efforts as their team is unpaid.
Within the past week they’ve gained significant traction for their successful relief efforts in Houston and high-profile donations.
Their most recent GoFundMe dedicated specifically toward winter storm relief raised $228,849 in only two days. On Friday they redistributed $54,000 worth of donations directly to 545 Houstonians in need.
HOUSTON, WE’RE STILL GOING: Today we were able to distribute $54,500 directly to 545 Houstonians in need thanks to YOUR support — for a total of ~$75,000 in the past 24 hours. And we’re nowhere close to stopping: watch this space in the coming weeks for our progress! pic.twitter.com/nFsfw9feBQ
With that being said, they are still working on delivering donations “as fast as possible” however according to their Twitter posting itemized receipts has been a challenge. Nonetheless, they’ve promised to distribute all funds in a “timely manner.”
Rapper IDK posted several vague stories to his Instagram page after wiping his account clean Tuesday evening.
The first was a photo of his zeroed out post number with the caption, “I’d like to speak with everyone please turn post notifications on. Sorry for this.” The next story came a few hours after the first, it was just a black screen with text that read, “Hey everyone. Unfortunately I have to make an announcement tomorrow that may not be ideal for everyone but I hope it will be understood.”
These messages obviously worried fans and caused many to inquire about the artists health. A third and final story from IDK confirmed he was fine. “I’m alive and well kids don’t worry,” he said.
That same morning IDK sent a text to his followers promising an official release of a snippet he posted a few weeks prior. Whether this is an attempt at building hype for his new single is unknown.
IDK is known for his unorthodox methods of promotion, creating secret private accounts for his fans to follow or even sending them a dollar for every typo he publicly makes. So something like this isn’t out of the ordinary.
Regardless of what the “unfortunate” news may be, all will be answered on Wednesday.
EDIT 2/25/21: The following day IDK posted a photo asking fans to check back every 24 hours for a new info on his upcoming album USEE4YOURSELF. He changed the name of his alternate account, where he posts exclusive information about his work, from isheareal.wtf to us4y.love. The same day IDK created an official discord server as per fan request.
IDK hasn’t revealed much concrete information about his upcoming work, but claims the album is done and could be released at any time. When asked about features all he could say was, “I cannot spoil the movie.” As far as the album goes fans will just have to wait and see.
EDIT 3/1/21: A pinned comment revealed the album would feature “a lot of special friends.” He continued saying, “This will be a display of my ability to produce music and artists.” Another pinned comment simply read, #FREEMARTIN.
IDK has posted some cow imagery on his alternate account recently and could be referencing some future themes for his record. The album cover for his 2019 album “Is He Real” featured farm animal imagery as well. Perhaps this could be a running motif for his conceptually driven records.
EDIT 3/7/21: IDK recently posted two snippets of covers he was doing to his accounts. The covers are set to release on the 8th. The first being a cover of Pooh Shiesty’s Back In Blood and the other a cover of Brent Faiyaz’s Gravity.
EDIT 3/10/21: IDK has since removed the original post that featured pinned details in the comment section. However, today he posted a photo of himself and Brent Faiyaz together. Could this allude to a possible collaboration between the two? The post itself received over 3000 comments to which IDK promised he would host a movie night on discord and release new merch.
EDIT 3/15/21: IDK after reaching another milestone has also promised to release a new single on the 19th titled “Just Like Martin.” He also has been teasing new information from yet another account of his @cluenotclue.
EDIT 3/22/21: Over the past week IDK has done various comment challenges in return for various prizes and promises. “Just Like Martin” was released this week with an accompanying music video directed by himself.
Coca-Cola released a new advertisement on Sunday featuring a soundtrack created by Grammy-award winning artist Tyler, the Creator. The California-based rapper tweeted the day of release, “I PROVIDED COCA-COLA WITH ALL THE SOUNDS FOR THIS =)” followed by a link to the ad.
The video itself features a variety of people drinking out of the classic Coca-Cola bottle as Tyler murmurs “sip, sip, sip, sip, sip” in the background. After taking their first drink each person in the commercial begins to dance uncontrollably no matter the occasion, whether it be in a store, at choir practice or even at the family dinner table.
Tyler shared a few more insights into the creation of the track tweeting, “drums are fucking hard the low end is shaking.” and, ““thats me playing the flute at the beginning.”
He ended the series of tweets with one final thanks to Coca-Cola ending the statement with, “commercials need sounds like this, thanksssss.”
mannnn thanks coca cola for reallll big love for the opportunity i was like ehh idk but then i fucking ran with it. commercials need sounds like this, thanksssss
This isn’t Tyler’s first time creating a soundtrack for such a big name like Coca-Cola, however. In 2018 he was credited as an additional composer for DreamWorks adaptation of The Grinch. Just a year prior, Tyler was also responsible for recreating Bill Nye’s iconic theme song for his original Netflix series Bill Nye Saves the World.
It would seem this commercial is just another step forward for this prolific artists growing musical catalog.
This was originally published on the independent publication Sciberr News.
The endlessly influential French electronic duo known as Daft Punk has split up after a 28-year run. The news broke when an eight-minute clip from their 2006 film Electromawas released on their official channel on the morning of Feb. 22.
Following the release of the video, titled “Epilogue,” their publicist Kathryn Frazier confirmed the news to several publications but declined to state an official reason for the split.
The clip in question features the two wearing their iconic robotic masks, wandering through a desert. Eventually one of them stops in their tracks removing their leather jacket to reveal a switch on their back.
The other hesitantly switches the button on, starting a detonator. After the switch, the first walks away and explodes. The other continues on into the desert while their 2013 track “Touch” plays in the background.
Daft Punk was formed in 1993 in Paris by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, who made music together when they were teenagers. Their name came from a negative review they received for a song they made under a different band.
The review from Melody Maker described the sound as “a daft punky thrash” and from then on the name stuck. The two formed a new group under the name and quickly became part of the French house movement during the late 90s.
Their debut album “Homework,” released in 1997 under Virgin Records, became an instant classic in the electronic music scene. This was thanks to their first two singles “Around the World” and “Da Funk” reaching widespread popularity.
Both singles were not only critically acclaimed but a must-listen for those interested in the dance scene during that period. Following the release of the album, they performed mostly without their iconic robot helmets, but for their sophomore record, they would emerge wearing their mechanical faces.
The choice to cover their faces came from their rejection of the celebrity life. Thomas Bangaltar, the one who wore the silver mask, went on record saying both of them disliked the star system and wished for their music to speak for itself. Following the release of their 2001 album “Discovery,” they never performed without their notorious masks. From then on their recognizable robotic masks became their staple image.
“Discovery” brought with it a new batch of fresh synth-pop sounds and another collection of widely popular singles which broke the duo out onto the music scene even more. Their first single “One More Time” nearly topped the UK singles chart and the other two “Digital Love” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” saw similar success both in the UK and the United States charts.
The latter of which would be sampled by Kanye West six years later and began a relationship between the artists that would lead to several successful collaborations.
After ‘Discovery” came their 2005 record “Human After All.” Despite being met with mixed reception, many believe this record to be responsible for some of their most memorable live performances to date.
The Alive 2006/2007 tour began with an appearance at the Coachella Festival in Indio, California followed by several more appearances on various dates in Europe and Japan. The tour went over well so it spawned their second live album “Alive 2007” consisting of cuts from their 2007 performance at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy arena in Paris.
In the years following the release of “Human After All,” they would only re-emerge in 2010 to release a soundtrack for Disney’s sequel to the 1982 film “Tron.” However, in the years that followed, the eclectic duo would not only reinvent themselves but the music industry as a whole.
Their fourth and final album “Random Access Memories” would become their most popular and applauded album yet. The success of their initial single “Get Lucky” which prominently featured vocals provided by Pharrell Williams would be their very first UK No.1 single and be the shove that propelled them into super-stardom.
The album was released just a few weeks after the single in May 2013 and displayed a completely new sound for Daft Punk. The album was recorded almost entirely with live instruments and used minimal digital equipment. The innovation of their sound would award the duo with five Grammys.
Daft Punk would pursue other projects after the release of “Random Access Memories” only returning to work on collaborations. The one most prominent with The Weeknd in 2016.
At their best, Daft Punk was one of the most influential acts of the last two decades, releasing some of the most popular dance songs ever conceived. In their wake, they left a new wave of artists who’ve been inspired by their unique tone and image.
Few can deny their importance in the music scene, millions around the world danced to their now classic tracks, and this will likely continue years after their departure.
Senator Ted Cruz spoke to reporters Thursday evening after photos of him emerged of him at an Airport in Cancun, Mexico. Cruz, in his statement, admitted that leaving Texas while it encountered one of its most devastating crises “didn’t feel right.”
For the past five days, millions of Texans have had to go without power, clean water and even food in what is becoming one of the most brutal weather conditions the nation has ever had to face. Adding insult to injury was their Senator seemingly abandoning them during their time of need in order to take a vacation in Cancun.
Cruz has since returned from his shortened trip after an onslaught of criticism from his fellow constituents and Texans.
Initially Cruz told NBC that the trip had been for his daughters stating, “With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”
Once Cruz had arrived back from the airport he told reporters: “I started having second thoughts almost the moment I sat down on the plane, because on the one hand all of us who are parents have a responsibility to take care of our kids, take care of our family….but I also have a responsibility I take very seriously of fighting for the state of Texas…”
Since this incident the Texas Democratic Party have called on Cruz to resign. In an official statement made by the Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa he said, “Ted Cruz jetting off to Mexico while Texans remain dying in the cold isn’t surprising, but it is deeply disturbing and disappointing.”
“The Texas Democratic Party calls on Ted Cruz to resign or be expelled from office… We must restore ethics, competence, and a government that works for the people,” the group added.
Others did not wish to share their thoughts on the matter, like Gov. Greg Abbott who said, “I haven’t been following people’s vacation plans.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner shared similar sentiments during a press conference on Thursday stating, “My job is to stay here until the situation is resolved so that’s it you know, I’m gonna let the senator speak for the senator.”
As this occurred many Twitter users were quick to point out Cruz had recently made a hypocritical Tweet just last December, where he criticizes Mayor of Austin Steve Adler for flying to Cabo, Mexico during lockdown.
Hypocrites. Complete and utter hypocrites.
And don't forget @MayorAdler who took a private jet with eight people to Cabo and WHILE IN CABO recorded a video telling Austinites to "stay home if you can…this is not the time to relax." pic.twitter.com/KSvkiwxgga
Cruz made no attempt to defend his now ironic tweets saying, “I got no defense. A blizzard strikes Texas and our state shuts down. Not good. Stay safe!”
Turn off the Bright Lights 