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How a Leonardo DiCaprio Film Inspired Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream'

“Teenage Dream” remains one of Katy Perry’s most popular songs. It captures the bliss of young love in a way few songs do. It shouldn’t surprise fans that the song was inspired by the youth of Bonnie McKee, one of Perry’s regular collaborators.

Specifically, McKee was thinking about her adolescent feelings about boys. Like many other women, McKee harbored a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio. One of his most celebrated romantic films helped McKee conceive of the song.

The Shakespearean origins of Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’

“Teenage Dream” has its origins in a vulgar song by the Teenagers called “Homecoming.” Songwriter Benny Blanco encouraged McKee and Perry to write a track inspired by its vibe. While writing the song, McKee was influenced by her past.

McKee told author Alex Kazemi “I thought about my own adolescent years, my own first love. I thought about watching Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and putting on a little mini disco ball light and just dreaming of Leo [the star of the film]. I thought about me and my friends sitting around at slumber parties in the 90’s, giddy even just THINKING about boys. Back when love and sex were still mysterious and magical.”

RELATED: How a Queen Song About a Prostitute Inspired Katy Perry’s Career

McKee drew influence from those feelings to write the song. Although the finished product doesn’t sound much like “Homecoming” by the Teenagers, the song did inspire her to use the word “teenage.” She felt the word was very descriptive.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is still one of the most powerful literary encapsulations of young love. It’s no surprise one of its many, many film adaptations inspired a song like “Teenage Dream.” While Romeo + Juliet inspired some of the song’s atmosphere, McKee said the track really came together when she came up with the phrase “Teenage Dream.”

The other elements that helped the song come together

RELATED: Katy Perry’s Most Popular Song Is Not What You Think

McKee told Billboard prior to coming up with the phrase, “We had some kind of filler shit that no one was feeling good about or satisfied with. Then I went off and had a good think with myself — looked at myself long and hard in the mirror and was like, “this is your Eminem 8 Mile moment — don’t f*ck it up.” And then “teenage dream” came to me. So once we had the words “teenage dream,” the rest of it really fell into its place.”

Although McKee’s contributions to the track were important, Perry did co-write the song. According to MTV, she described the song’s writing process as a “pure” moment for her because she wrote the track in Santa Barbara, California, the place where she grew up and the place where she began her journey as an artist. It seems that there was a nostalgic element in the song’s writing process for both McKee and Perry. Perhaps the track’s genuine longing for the simplicity of youth is part of the reason it connected with so many people.

Also see: How Katy Perry’s ‘Tight, Sexy’ Dress Inspired a Britney Spears Hit

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John Legend Gives Update on His Friendship with Kanye West: 'We're Doing Our Own Thing'



Legend has been a longtime friend of West's, even attending the rapper's 2014 wedding to Kim Kardashian West. But in 2018, the two men sparred online about West's support for Trump.

At the time, West tweeted a screenshot of a conversation he had with Legend, who, along with his wife Chrissy Teigen, had publicly supported Hilary Clinton during the 2016 election.

"Hey it’s JL. I hope you’ll reconsider aligning yourself with Trump,” Legend seemingly wrote in a recent text message exchange. “You’re way too powerful and influential to endorse who he is and what he stands for. As you know, what you say really means something to your fans. They are loyal to you and respect your opinion.”

Legend continued: “So many people who love you feel so betrayed right now because they know the harm that Trump’s policies cause, especially to people of color. Don’t let this be part of your legacy. You’re the greatest artist of our generation.”

West replied to the text: “I love you John and I appreciate your thoughts. You bringing up my fans or my legacy is a tactic based on fear used to manipulate my free thought.”

But just days later, the pair seemingly put their differences aside when West shared a selfie of he and Legend from Teigen‘s baby shower. “We got love. Agree to disagree,” West captioned the photo.

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Laurie Hernandez Shares Tips for Staying Healthy Amid Quarantine

Rolling with the changes. Laurie Hernandez shared her wellness and fitness tips amid the coronavirus pandemic — and revealed that everyone’s healthy place is different.

“There’s a pandemic happening and it can be really anxiety inducing and stressful,” Hernandez, 19, told Us Weekly exclusively on Wednesday, May 27, while promoting Stronger Than You Think’s mental health livestream. “So listening to your body [is key].”

The Olympic gymnast noted that it’s a “crazy time,” which is why no one should compare how they are coping to other’s tactics.

“Sometimes self-care is pushing yourself to move. Sometimes self-care is taking a break,” Hernandez explained. “So it’s deciding what works for you and doing the best that you can. That’s really all we can do right now.”

The New Jersey native revealed that although she’s been working out while at home, her motivation level changes daily.

“I mean, I’m not gonna lie, I kind of look like a bread roll right now,” she said, laughing, before noting “it’s just [about] making sure that you’re listening to your body.”

The Dancing With the Stars champion explained that amid the pandemic, some days she’s “really sluggish” so she tries to “get up, stretch, maybe do a little bit of yoga.” A few days later she might feel better and ready to go, which is when she ups her exercise routine.

“Other days I’ll wake up and I’m like, alright, you know, I feel pretty good. I want to go for a run today. I want to do some HIIT workouts,” Hernandez said. “So staying in tune with my body and doing my best to at least kind of get anywhere near my gymnastics workouts.”

She added: “I think there’s also a lot of pressure with social media being so prominent, this contest of, like, who’s the most productive, and I’m like ‘O-M-G, I haven’t moved in like a week!’”

The I Got This: To Gold and Beyond author does, however, have a goal to focus on — getting another gold medal at the Olympics. Even with the 2020 Tokyo Games being postponed, the gymnast has to stay as consistent as possible with her training.

“When we are able to go back, I want to be able to just jump right into the skills that make me feel happy. It’s kind of those higher difficulty skills,” she told Us. “But I can only do that if I have the basics down, if I’m able to do all my conditioning. Because if I’m physically not strong enough, I can get hurt and my motivator is wanting to come back and just enjoy it and have a good time.”

In the meantime, Hernandez has kept herself busy by cohosting Stronger Than You Think’s three-day livestream in May. The program was dedicated to talking about mental health and consisted of celebrities virtually joining together from Wednesday, May 27, to Friday, May 29, to openly discuss mental health with teens — with the help of nonprofits NAMI and One Mind.

“Corona has definitely flipped some things upside down, but we’re all alone together, which is something that’s comforting,” the gold medalist said of the event. “I’m so excited about it. Mental health is something that I grew up with.”

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Debenhams to keep cafes closed after lockdown with workers made redundant

DEBENHAMS will keep its cafes and restaurants closed when it reopens stores after lockdown, with staff facing redundancy.

The department store chain wouldn't confirm when asked by The Sun if this is a temporary or permanent measure but did concede roles at the retailer would be lost as a result.

It comes as a separate report from the BBC says the "majority" of Debenhams' cafes could be closed for good with bosses looking to make cutbacks at the struggling chain, which fell into administration for the second time in a year in April.

In one email reportedly seen by the BBC, catering staff were told they wouldn't have a job from May 31 and were advised; "we are unable to keep people on furlough if there is no job for them to return to".

Debenhams wouldn't tell us how many restaurants it runs, but when we covered a breakfast offer at the department store back in February it was valid in over 90 of Debenhams-operated restaurants, kitchens, and Loaf and Bloom locations, but not in its cafes.  

The troubled department store confirmed earlier this week that 90 stores in England would reopen from June 15 to coincide with the government easing lockdown restrictions on non-essential retailers.

Can I be made redundant if I'm on furlough?

EVEN though furlough is designed to keep workers employed, unfortunately it doesn't protect you from being made redundant.

But it doesn't affect your redundancy pay rights if you are let go from your job amid the coronavirus crisis.

Your employer should still carry out a fair redundancy process.

You will be entitled to be consulted on the redundancy lay-off first and to receive a statutory redundancy payment, as long as you've been working somewhere for at least two years.

How much you're entitled to depends on your age and length of service, although this is capped at 20 years. You'll get:

  • Half a week’s pay for each full year you were under 22,
  • One week’s pay for each full year you were 22 or older, but under 41,
  • One and half week’s pay for each full year you were 41 or older.

Sadly, you won't be entitled to a payout if you've been working for your employer for fewer than two years.

There should be a period of collective consultation as well as time for individual ones if your employer wants to make 20 or more employees redundant within 90 days or each other.

You are also entitled to appeal the decision by claiming unfair dismissal within three months of being let go.

Debenhams says the majority of branches will reopen on the day itself, with some following in the days shortly after.

But the retailer has confirmed stores will reopen with reduced hours.

It also's believed Debenhams will never reopen up to 22 of its 142 stores.

A Debenhams spokesperson said: "In the context of a retail industry undergoing profound change, the management team is working on the future shape of the group, with a view to seeking an exit from administration as a going concern.

"With a leaner and more flexible operating model, Debenhams will have the ability to adapt to what are likely to be fundamental shifts in the future trading environment.”

While clothes shops are allowed to reopen from June 15, cafes, pubs and restaurants have to remain closed until at least July 4 under government lockdown rules.

They can, however continue to operate for takeaways and deliveries, which has seen some retailers such as M&S reopen some of its cafes again.

 Costa and Pret have also reopened hundreds of branches.

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Mexican city Cancún offers free hotels, meals and tickets to entice tourists

With most of the world in lockdown, the tourism industry has been hit hard.

And as countries start to reopen (of course with social distancing restrictions still in place), some locations are offering discounts to encourage visitors to come back.

Japan said they want to subsidise flights for tourists and there is a similar scheme in Sicily in Italy.

The latest place to follow the idea is the city of Cancún in Mexico.

The holidaymaker hotspot had beautiful long golden beaches and is usually filled with visitors enjoying the sunshine.

Mexico plans to reopen tourism in the area from June 8 and this initiative will start a week later on June 15.

Of course, FCO is still advising against all but essential travel but you might be able to book something for when this is all over.

Unlike the scheme in Japan, this is a private initiative set up by 200 businesses in the area.

The theme is the number two – for example, hotels will offer two nights free for every two nights booked or a free stay for two children when two adults book.

For car hire, tourists would get two days free for every two days they book.

Businesses in Puerto Morelos, Tulum and the Caribbean island of Isa Mujeres, eight miles off the cost of Cancún are also expected to take part.

Roberto Cintron, President of the Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotels Association, said: ‘We are very happy and above all, committed because of the great participation in this campaign of the different state hotel associations as well as the tourist industry generally.

‘It’s designed to reactivate holidays to our destinations after the crisis caused by Covid-19.’

You can find out more on their website.

Do you have a story to tell? Let us know at [email protected]

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Coronavirus: Football Association still aiming to finish Youth Cup

The Football Association still hopes to finish this season’s FA Youth Cup even though the Premier League U18 league was called off earlier this month.

The competition had reached the semi-final stage when the season was brought to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic.

Chelsea are due to play Manchester United with Blackburn drawn to face Manchester City in the last four.

The entire Academy Games programme, from under-9s to under-23s, was brought to an end for the season on 1 May.

It is not yet clear when the 2020-21 season will begin.

However, after confirming its intention to play the FA Cup final on 1 August, it is understood the FA is hoping to conclude its flagship youth competition at some point and is working with relevant partners to find a solution.

Logistically, playing this season’s competition beyond the end of this summer creates difficulties as decisions about whether to offer under-18 players professional contracts would normally have been taken.

“It’s something we talked about as academy managers and with the Premier League and EFL,” said Brighton academy manager John Morling.

“In an ideal world, we would have made all these decisions a month or two months after coming back. But the legalities in terms of players’ contracts meant that wasn’t possible.”

It remains to be seen whether the four clubs in the semi-finals offer short-term contracts to players they intend to release.

However, while the situation is uncertain for all clubs, Morling feels the financial impact of the shutdown, together with anticipated restrictions on buying overseas players for all clubs once Brexit regulations are established, offers an opportunity that could benefit young players.

“For youth development as a whole, opportunities will arise from this, no question,” he said.

“Brexit will have a bigger impact in terms of being able to sign foreign players but between the two, it will put a reliance on making sure academies produce players for first teams.”

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Samsung and Sony TVs get an unexpected new rival with one huge advantage

If you want the ultimate supersized 8K TV, then it might be a good idea to forget the latest offerings from Samsung and Sony. That’s because there’s a new television in town and it offers something that its rivals simply can’t match.

Luxury audio firm Bang & Olufsen has announced the launch of its new Beovision Harmony TV, which arrives with a giant 88-inch 8K display. That makes this a world-first as no other manufacturer has made an 8K television quite that big before.

Bang & Olufsen are no strangers to luxurious audio kit, but it’s turned to the expertise of industry leaders LG for the OLED panel. This is the first time the South Korean tech firm has pushed things to such a large size.

With an 8K resolution, delivering four times more detail than 4K and 16 times more than standard HD, Bang & Olufsen say this TV has been designed to deliver stunning picture quality, upgraded performance and artificial intelligence-enabled features that brings movies and sports to life.

Along with looking pretty impressive the screen has also been optimised specifically for Bang & Olufsen, which means owners to get the full cinematic experience. So, along with stunning picture quality, there’s also some mightily impressive audio.

READ MORE

  • Your Samsung 4K TV gets a wealth of features – here’s what is new

You’ll find a pre-installed three-channel sound system and built-in dual subwoofer but if that’s not enough the TV is also compatible with Bang & Olufsen’s speaker program, allowing users to connect up to eight wireless Beolab speakers for true 7.1 surround sound.

To add to the luxury, owners will be treated to the Beoremote One, a remote crafted from a single piece of extruded aluminium. And, when not in use the screen gets partially covered by two oak and aluminium covers which automatically open like butterfly wings when you turn on the screen.

The display also rises up to give owners the perfect viewing height.

This is, of course, a premium TV and you’d better be sitting down before seeing the price.

Beovision Harmony including the LG 8K 88-inch OLED ZX TV optimised for Bang & Olufsen is estimated to retail from £44,100 – ouch!

It will be available in Bang & Olufsen stores from the end of June 2020.

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Mile-long line for food forms in one of the world’s wealthiest cities

As Europe started undoing its lockdown, an astounding mile-long line for food formed in Geneva, Switzerland, last Saturday.

Comprised of over 3,000 people living in one of the world’s richest cities, the line to collect $25 worth of food at an ice hockey stadium started forming at 2 a.m. last Saturday, according to the New York Times.

The majority of the people worked in hotels or as cleaners in homes and the city’s hotel industry which has been shuttered since the pandemic started. Most of them are undocumented immigrants and thus were unable to collect government benefits.

“If you wanted to pictogram Geneva, what would you put?” said Laura Cotton, a Swiss-British hospital decorator who volunteers at the stadium, to the Times. “Money, money, money. And, OK — cheese and chocolate. But COVID-19 has showed the flip-side.”

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Beyoncé Made a Powerful Statement About the ‘Senseless Killing’ of George Floyd

On Friday, Beyoncé lent her voice to the chorus of people calling for justice for George Floyd.

The singer took to Instagram to share her message with the masses on what she calls the "senseless killing" of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died at the hands of the police while being detained.

Since his death on May 25, multiple videos have emerged of Floyd's arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over the course of nearly nine minutes, Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt over Floyd's neck as the 49-year-old truck driver pleaded with the officer to get up, stating "I can't breathe" over and over again. Chauvin did not remove his knee from Floyd's neck until paramedics arrived, despite Floyd's plea for mercy. Chauvin has since been arrested and charged with third-degree murder, however, the three other former officers involved have yet to be charged.

In an Instagram video shared on May 29, Beyoncé opens up about her feelings of pain and hopelessness. "We need Justice for George Floyd," she begins. "We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We're broken and we're disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain. I'm not only speaking to people of color. If you're white, black, brown, or anything in between, I'm sure you feel hopeless by the racism going on in America right now." She adds, "No more senseless killing of human beings."

The singer then calls for people to "no longer look away" from the injustices happening around our nation. "George is all of our family in humanity. He's our family because he's a fellow American. There have been too many times that we've seen these violent killings with no consequences," she says. "Yes, someone has been charged, but justice is far from being achieved."

"Sign the petition and continue to pray for peace and compassion and healing for our country," Beyoncé concludes with a call to action for all of her 147 million followers. "Thank you so much."

In her bio, the singer links to her website, which lists four petition pages: Change.org, Color of Change, We Can't Breathe, and the NAACP, for her followers to choose from. She added to the page, "Rest in power, George Floyd."

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College Football Hall of Fame looted, damaged in George Floyd riots

The College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta was vandalized and looted Friday as part of riots in response to the death of George Floyd.

The windows of the hall of fame were smashed and the gift shop was looted, according to local police.

It is not known whether the museum portion of the building was vandalized and the total cost of damages.

The hall of fame is located near Centennial Olympic Park and CNN Center, which also was attacked in the riots.

“Protesters continue damaging businesses, looting and setting fire to buildings,” Atlanta Police Department Sgt. John Chafee said in a statement Saturday morning. “There has been looting at the College Football Hall of Fame … and many other businesses. We are grateful for the assistance being provided by multiple local and state law enforcement partners as we work to minimize the damage being caused by these individuals and to restore order in our city.”

A state of emergency was declared by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp while the National Guard was deployed to protect Atlanta.

The protest was in response to the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in Minneapolis who died at the hands of a white police officer last week. Derek Chauvin, the cop, was arrested Friday and is being charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after he pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck after Floyd was suspected of spending a counterfeit $20 bill while buying groceries.

In 2014, the hall of fame moved from South Bend, Indiana to Atlanta.

“We support the peaceful protests that honor [Floyd’s] memory but unfortunately deteriorated into chaos and disorder,” College Football Hall of Fame CEO Kimberly Beaudin said. “We are heartbroken to see the damage to our city and the Hall of Fame. As our Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said, we are better than this, better than this as a city, better than this as a country.

“In the coming days and weeks, we’ll work to pick up the pieces to rebuild the sacred walls that housed memories and honored those who played the game, many of whom fought these same injustices throughout their storied careers.”

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