Brie and Nikki Bella Announce They Are Both Pregnant - E! NEWS

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Congratulations to Nikki Bella and Brie Bella!

The Total Bellas stars are BOTH pregnant! That's right, Nikki is expecting her first child with fiancé Artem Chigvintsev, while Brie is expecting her second child with husband Daniel Bryan. The best part? The sisters are due a week and a half apart!

"[It was] a total surprise," Nikki tells People. "It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm pregnant.' I'm not ready for it."

"Wait, twins being pregnant at the same time?" Brie shares with the outlet. "People are going to think that's a joke. We both are shocked. People are going to think we planned it, but you can't really plan pregnancy!"

This exciting news comes just under three years after Brie and Bryan (née Bryan Danielson), both WWE stars, welcomed their daughter, Birdie Joe Danielson. The couple welcomed their first child in May 2017.

The baby news also comes just weeks after Nikki and Dancing With the Stars pro Artem announced their engagement. In early January, Nikki took to Instagram to share the engagement news with her fans.

"Excited for 2020 and the next decade with you @theartemc. I said yes in France in November!" Nikki wrote. "We have been trying to keep it a secret but really wanted to share our excitement for the New Year!"

Along with the announcement, Nikki, 36, and Artem, 37, both shared a photo of the gorgeous engagement ring.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me," Artem wrote to Nikki. "So excited for what's to come I love you more than anything and thank you for saying Yes."

Nikki and Artem first became friends during season 25 of Dancing With the Stars in 2017. They later reconnected as pals following Nikki's 2018 split from John Cena. Then, in Jan. 2019, a source told E! News that Nikki and Artem had updated their relationship status.

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As for Brie, 36, and Bryan, 38, they'll be celebrating six years of marriage later this year. The superstar couple tied the knot in April 2014 surrounded by friends and family. In late 2019, Brie opened up about her fertility struggles in an interview with Health.

"We were trying for eight months, and I couldn't get pregnant. I was stressed, and it wasn't happening," Brie shared. "There were a couple times that I was so late and was sure I was pregnant. Then I would get my period and bleed really badly. I think the universe was telling me something—like, it's not a great time to have another baby."

"To be honest, I'd get these sweats thinking about how to travel with two. I hear going from one to two changes things big-time. Bryan travels all the time," Brie continued. "We were talking about it, and think it would be amazing to see Birdie as a big sister. I just have to think about my career—and does it fit in now, or do I need to wait until my husband is home more?"

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When Nikki was asked if about babies, she told the outlet she "definitely" wants to be a mom one day, but noted it's all about timing.

"I'm in this unfortunate situation where I'm 36 and everyone is reminding me, 'Your eggs, your eggs!' So I'm freezing my eggs," Nikki shared. "I also found out I have PCOS—it kills your fertility. I'm getting brown spots all over my face, acne, weight fluctuations, and hair loss. I actually just found out and was devastated. You research it, and there is no cure."

"I just pray I have some fertile eggs left and that I can still be a mom," Nikki added. "So yes, I do feel like being a mom is in my future. I am just not sure how soon."

We're sending our love to Nikki and Brie and their growing families! And Total Bellas fans will be able to see the exact moment the sisters found out about their pregnancies on the new season of the E! series, premiering this spring.

Watch E! News weekday mornings at 7 a.m.!

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2020-01-29 12:34:00Z
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Prince Harry, Meghan Markle knew 'fairly early on' royal life 'just wasn’t working out,' Harvey Levin says - Fox News

LOS ANGELES – Harvey Levin not only has his thumb on the pulse of Hollywood, but the lively lawyer is also plugged into the goings-on within the royal family in a big way. 

Fox News went inside the studios of Thirty Mile Zone (TMZ) and sat down with Levin, who founded the outlet, to pick his brain about what viewers can expect to see from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following their announcement earlier this month that they will take "a step back” as senior members of the royal family.

Levin was tapped by FOX to executive produce “Harry & Meghan: The Royals in Crisis,” an all-new one-hour TMZ special investigation into the couple’s decision. The probe will “cut through the noise, inaccuracies and speculation surrounding the couple’s surprise announcement,” the media release said.

MEGHAN MARKLE'S SISTER SAYS SHE FAILED TO 'FIX' FAMILY ISSUES, RACISM NOT TO BLAME FOR PUBLIC BACKLASH

When asked explicitly how Prince Harry, 35, and Markle, 38, might be able to carve out a niche for themselves, Levin said the pair will have no problem earning big money and told Fox News that after speaking with Mark Cuban -- the “Shark Tank” star and owner of the Dallas Mavericks -- he believes they’ll become billionaires.

“Make no mistake about it, Harry and Meghan are incredibly marketable, incredibly marketable," Levin said. "I mean, we talked to Mark Cuban, who knows a thing or two about branding and business and entertainment, and he thinks they're going to be billionaires, and the reason is simple.

“They are sought-after people. They are young, beautiful, intelligent, interesting people and Oprah [Winfrey] has already partnered with Harry on a mental health docuseries,” the "Objectified" host continued of the pair, who said in their Jan. 8. announcement that they will "work to become financially independent" of the crown.

“So [Harry] put his foot in the entertainment pond and Meghan has been in it," Levin said.

"So they are... somebody we interviewed calls them the 'Junior Obamas' when it comes to making money because they are extremely marketable," Levin added, referencing former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.

While the 69-year-old maintained that Prince Harry and Markle likely have a windfall looming, Levin made it a point to note that the real variance among the pair of couples largely centers on the fact that the Obamas aren’t royals, thus the former president and first lady don’t have to deal with the queen.

MEGHAN MARKLE’S FATHER THOMAS CLAIMS ‘EVERYTHING WILL COME OUT’ IF HE FACES THE DUCHESS OF SUSSEX IN COURT

“The difference between Barack and Michelle Obama and Megan and Harry is that Barack and Michelle never left anyone,” Levin said. “And Harry and Megan left their country, and Harry left the family. And that's the difference. And they have to navigate that. The Obamas didn't have to navigate that. They [Harry and Meghan] do.”

When asked what he was most taken aback by throughout his years-long royals coverage leading up to Prince Harry and Markle stepping back, Levin pointed right off the bat to the worldwide spectacle that was their wedding, explaining that there was immense chaos behind the scenes that, according to Levin, would ultimately play a factor in Meghan wanting to leave the U.K.

MEGHAN MARKLE ‘REALLY REGRETS’ GIVING UP HER HOLLYWOOD CAREER FOR DUCHESS OF SUSSEX ROLE, ROYAL AUTHOR CLAIMS

“I guess the biggest surprise is kind of figuring out under the surface what went wrong with Meghan and Harry in the royal family, and a lot went wrong,” Levin said. “When you covered this glamorous wedding -- which is just like a fairy tale and it's beautiful and everything else -- what you don't know is the nightmare behind it.”

TMZ headman Harvey Levin told Fox News Prince Harry's previous work with Oprah Winfrey positions himself for success in the media spectrum.   (Reuters, AP)

“And there were all sorts of problems that the engagement and wedding [have] impaired, if not, destroyed," he claimed. "Relationships between [brother Prince] William and Harry; between Meghan and [William's wife] Kate [Middleton] -- and [it] impaired the relationship between Harry and the queen.”

MEGHAN MARKLE'S DAD: 'I LIED' TO MAKE HER, PRINCE HARRY'S IMAGE LOOK 'A LITTLE BIT BETTER'

“So there have been a lot of problems that you find you when you look below the surface at this glamorous, beautiful event but under the surface, it was anything but," Levin further claimed.

What’s more, Levin believes that Harry and Markle had been planning their "step back" at least six months in advance simply due to the fact Harry allegedly no longer wanted to remain a member of the royal family, and Levin said based on information he’s received from insiders he’s spoken to that the Duke of Sussex likely would have bolted from the family whether Markle was in the picture or not.

“There is no doubt it was more than six months ago that they decided that they wanted to do something like this," Levin said. "But based on what we know, I think it was the better part of 2019 that they knew fairly early on, this just wasn't working out. Even before [their son] Archie was born and they had to make their decisions.”

He continued: “But remember, you're dealing with an American woman who isn't... really has no connection to the royal family and who had trouble fitting in. And then you're dealing with her husband, who doesn't particularly like being a member of the royal family and enjoyed his time away from them. Not that he didn't like his family. He just didn't like the trappings of all of it.”

MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY: WHAT THEY'VE SAID ABOUT BEING MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY

“And Harry likes having fun,” Levin added. “Harry likes being on his own. Harry's not necessarily into glamour. And when you look at that backdrop, they were ready for something like this.”

When pressed about what “quiet moves” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already made, Levin said: “Well, I think success will find them. I don't even think they need to search out success. They are very marketable, desirable people, both of them, and together. And they will make a lot of money.”

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Levin continued: “They can pretty much do what they want to do. So I don't think they're quiet moves, although we're going to get into the quiet moves [in the special] -- I don't know that it's necessary. I think that there are a lot of people that would love to work with Meghan and Harry. And when you look at our queen, Oprah Winfrey, she has already signed Harry up on the dotted line.”

“Harry & Meghan: The Royals in Crisis” airs on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

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2020-01-29 10:03:57Z
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Meghan Markle 'never really came to terms with what was expected of the royal family,' source claims - Fox News

There are some things Meghan Markle may not miss about life across the pond.

A palace insider who has worked with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told UK media commentator Neil Sean there were certain aspects of royal life that the former American actress was eager to ditch.

On Jan. 8, the 38-year-old and her husband Prince Harry announced they were taking “a step back” as senior members of the royal family and instead work independently, splitting their time between the United Kingdom and Canada.

“She never really came to terms with what was expected of the royal family and the need to publicly suppress opinion,” the source told Sean. “She did not get that you can’t be political and have those thoughts discussed in public despite saying so to Harry at the start… [Kensington Palace] was just beyond anything she had known before.”

MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY’S ROLES COULD BE REPLACED BY PRINCESSES BEATRICE AND EUGENIE, ROYAL EXPERT CLAIMS

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are stepping back from royal duties. (AP)

PRINCE WILLIAM APPOINTED TO NEW ROYAL POSITION BY QUEEN AMID MEGXIT

Sean told Fox News that Markle yearned for simple freedoms she once enjoyed in Hollywood.

“Meghan loved to drive herself around and felt hemmed in with bodyguards and such,” Sean explained. “She told this contact, ‘It’s the freedom of just jumping in a car and zooming off into the world.’ That was demonstrated when she closed her own car door on a visit and this then became headline news.”

Etiquette expert William Hanson previously told Radio 1 Newsbeat that closing your own car door as a royal did not constitute a breach of protocol, as reported by PopSugar. However, Hanson noted, “Usually, if you are a member of the royal family or a dignitary, you have a member of staff to open and close a car door for you.” Hanson added that this is specifically for security reasons.

“There is a security element as to why doors are left open so that should anything occur the royals can be bundled into a car and driven off,” said Sean.

Sean also claimed the former “Suits” star was stunned that despite being family, one allegedly cannot casually reach out to another royal.

MEGHAN MARKLE HIGHLIGHTS HER CHARITY WORK PRIOR TO MEETING PRINCE HARRY ON SUSSEX ROYAL INSTAGRAM

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry met through a mutual friend in Toronto in 2016. The American actress went on to become Britain's Duchess of Sussex. (Getty)

MEGHAN MARKLE WON’T BE SEEN IN THE UK 'FOR A LONG TIME,' ROYAL EXPERT CLAIMS: 'WHY WOULD SHE COME BACK NOW?'

“Meghan never really got used to royal protocol and how you simply could not just ring up or go see other members of the family without an appointment,” the source told Sean. “It just baffled her. While Prince Harry was sympathetic, he too couldn’t make her understand this is how things ran and would run.”

Even something as simple as a marriage proposal requires permission if you’re a royal. According to the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, royal descendants must seek the reigning monarch’s approval before popping the question. Queen Elizabeth II approved all the unions of her children and grandchildren, including Harry’s.

But royal historian and blogger Marlene Koenig pointed out there is a way to get past the formalities when it comes to daily communication with other royals — to a certain extent.

"There is a sense of informality among the younger royals with a WhatsApp chatroom," she clarified. "But for official business, one has one's private secretary or another high-level staffer contact the queen's private secretary to make an appointment. One cannot just drop in on the queen."

Royal fashion was also allegedly difficult for Markle to get used to.

“She hated wearing nude tights and simply in the end, refused,” the source told Sean. “That is why we saw her wearing trousers more and slowly returning to her own wardrobe that she felt more comfortable in.”

While it’s not mandatory for members of the royal family to wear tights, it is seen as a sign of respect while in the presence of senior royals, especially the queen.

CANADIANS DEMAND MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY PAY FOR THEIR OWN SECURITY IN NEW PETITION

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry showed off their royal baby, known as Baby Sussex, two days after his birth. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (Getty)

MEGHAN MARKLE'S DAD SAYS ROYAL FAMILY IS 'STIFFER' THAN DUCHESS' AMERICAN RELATIVES

British hosiery brand Heist got in touch with the duchess in 2019 after she was spotted wearing too pale nude tights at Buckingham Palace three days after her wedding, People magazine reported. A rep for the brand told the outlet they got in touch with Markle to offer a selection of their nude tights that better complemented her skin tone.

People shared the brand initially tried to gift a box of products to the new royal, but were returned as members of “The Firm” are unable to accept gifts. However, a selection of tights was purchased by the palace and later worn by Markle. She went on to be photographed wearing the brand at several royal engagements.

But Sean claimed that one thing Markle missed more than going bare was sharing her voice online.

“The thing she really missed was her own website, The Tig,” said Sean. “[She told the source], ‘It was my outlet. I put so much effort and love into [it] and then bam — it was out and gone. I missed that connection so much and yet there was nothing I could do.’

“She [also] loved the power and positive side of social media,” Sean continued. “For a while, she admitted that it was best she was off it. But… she used it so much during her time as an actress to promote her brand. She soon found it frustrating that she could not express any opinion in public in any form.”

MEGHAN MARKLE GETS SYMPATHY FROM ACTRESS, BRITISH ARISTOCRAT JULIE MONTAGU: UK PRESS IS '100 PERCENT RUTHLESS'

Meghan Markle's alleged request for privacy has sparked a fiery debate on social media. (AP)

MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY 'WERE BULLIED OUT OF THE ROYAL FAMILY,' AUTHOR CLAIMS

Before marrying the prince, Markle had carved out a successful career not just as an actress, but also as a lifestyle influencer with The Tig, the now-defunct popular blog. It was an outlet where Markle also candidly discussed her humanitarian efforts before becoming a royal. The site shuttered in April 2017 after her relationship with Harry became more serious.

But shortly after the Duke and Duchess announced they were stepping back as senior royals, they launched a comprehensive website outlining their plans for the future. The couple turned to Toronto-based firm Article to help them with the site’s design, Town & Country reported. The outlet shared that Markle previously worked with Article on The Tig.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex previously announced their decision to “step back” came “after many months of reflection and internal discussions.”

"We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," the couple said on Instagram. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.

MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY ‘ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING’ WITH ‘MEGXIT,’ ROYAL COUSIN CHRISTINA OXENBERG SAYS

Actress-turned-royal Meghan Markle captivated the world when she married Prince Harry. However, the star endured harsh criticism from British tabloids while she attempted to navigate her new life as a royal. (AP)

MEGHAN MARKLE'S FIGHT TO PROTECT SON ARCHIE CONTRIBUTED TO MEGXIT: REPORT

"We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages," they continued. "This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity."

The couple added they will continue to work with the reigning monarch, 93, as well as Harry’s father Prince Charles, and the 35-year-old’s older brother, Prince William.

"We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support."

They will keep their royal titles.

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2020-01-29 10:01:22Z
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Mark Cuban, Ryan Seacrest Think Harry & Meghan Could Get Super Rich - TMZ

Exclusive

TMZ.com

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry aren't going to be left penniless -- FAR from it actually, according to Ryan Seacrest and Mark Cuban ... so long as they follow this advice.

The two titans of industry -- who've successfully forged their own paths in entertainment and sports, and branded themselves masterfully -- sat down for the new, TMZ/FOX special, "Harry & Meghan: The Royals In Crisis," to share their thoughts on PH and MM's financial future in entertainment.

As you might've heard, the former Royals are kinda on their own now. And, life ain't free!!!

The question ... can they make an honest buck, and if so, how? Seacrest says it all depends on what they have to offer, which may come as a surprise to both the public and maybe even themselves, especially Harry. Bottom line, RS thinks there's untapped potential there.

Mark Cuban is right there with him ... saying, if Har and Meg play their cards right, they could be just as successful and wealthy as the Obamas, if not more so.

TMZ.com

FOX's one-hour special gets into more than just what lies ahead for them though ... it's also a deep dive into what got them here to begin with. Piers Morgan has thoughts on that.

Check it out ... he makes no bones about how he believes Meghan manipulated her way to the top, only to strip his country's Prince away from his people and family. Oof, harsh!

Renowned writer Afua Hirsch has a different take, however, with which many others agree.

Get ready for fireworks! 'The Royals in Crisis' airs on FOX Wednesday at 8 PM ET/7 PM CT.

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2020-01-29 08:40:00Z
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Arrow Series Finale: What That Green Lantern Tease Means - GameSpot

Just like that, Arrow, the series that launched a universe of superhero shows on The CW, has come to a close. The series finale gave closure to nearly every character on the show. However, it also teased something that could come in the future.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Arrow series finally, titled "Fadeout." If you haven't watched yet and don't want to be spoiled, walk away now.

In the final minutes of the series finale, Arrow finally paid off a fan theory that's stretched over multiple seasons. As he was packing up his family to move to Metropolis, John Diggle (David Ramsey) was knocked off his feet by a meteor crashing to the Earth. Upon inspecting the crater, he found a box that contained something glowing and green.

While it's not confirmed, this seems to point to Diggle's future as a Green Lantern, which was teased on the show during the Elseworlds crossover. As for what this means for the larger Arrow-verse, that's a bit more complicated.

"This was something that was worked out over a year ahead with DC Entertainment," executive producer Marc Guggenheim revealed during a post-screening Q&A. "We very specifically negotiated and discussed the parameters and I feel like, to say anything beyond, you know, what we have showed you would violate our agreement with DC."

However, for those keeping up with what's coming to The CW, it was recently announced that Superman & Lois, a Metropolis-set series about the Man of Steel and the ace reporter, was ordered to series.

With Diggle and his family moving to Metropolis, does that mean we'll see him again? While Guggenheim wouldn't confirm that one way or the other, he explained, "We've actually talked a lot about Diggle's and David's post-Arrow future. We've got some really good ideas. And I'm going to stand pat on that. I will also say David has become a remarkable director. And so we're as interested in him behind the camera as we are in front."

That certainly is not a confirmation, but it's also definitely not a denial. There's also that Green Lantern series being developed by Arrow executive producer Greg Berlanti for HBO Max, though it has not been revealed whether or not that particular series is set in the Arrow-verse. Whatever the case, there's hopefully plenty more Diggle (and by extension, Green Lantern) in the future of these shows for years to come.

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Now Playing: Elseworlds: Every DC Easter Egg In The Arrowverse Crossover

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2020-01-29 06:00:00Z
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Neil Young says the MacBook Pro has ‘Fisher-Price’ audio quality - The Verge

Musician Neil Young and tech executive Phil Baker have been trying to push the tech industry to make it easier for consumers to listen to high-quality audio for almost a decade now. The duo’s hi-res music player Pono aimed to fix problems they said plagued MP3 players like the iPod and music software like iTunes — including compressed, lossy, and low-fidelity audio files that were not similar enough to their original recordings.

But five years after the Pono was released, Young believes the tech industry has still not advanced enough for consumers to easily listen to high-resolution audio. Their new book, To Feel the Music: A Songwriter’s Mission To Save High-Quality Audio, details the hurdles they had to overcome to create the Pono as well as what the tech industry should do in order to get consumers to realize what they’re missing with streaming and “CD-quality” music.

In an interview with The Vergecast, Young tells Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel that even though Grammy-winning artists are able to make music almost anywhere they go on their laptop or mobile devices, they’re still sacrificing on audio fidelity.

Below is a lightly edited excerpt of that conversation.

So many artists today write their songs on tour in a hotel room on a MacBook. They’re not starting with the big analog studio. They’re not starting with tape. They’re starting digitally. Does that carry through? Is it even worth it to talk about the output format when it’s teenagers in bedrooms writing hits right now?

What’s the problem with teenagers in bedrooms writing hits?

Well, they’re starting on a MacBook, recording straight to MP3.

Yeah, I know. But if that’s what they want to put out as a record, that’s a problem.

Right. But I’m saying... I’m looking at the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. Apple gave me a review unit. They said, “Look at all of the artists who use this thing with GarageBand to start.” But you’re saying that shouldn’t be where the recording starts?

It’s a piece of crap. Are you kidding? That’s Fisher-Price quality. That’s like Captain Kangaroo, your new engineer. A MacBook Pro? What are you talking about? You can’t get anything out of that thing. The only way you can get it out is if you put it in. And if you put it in, you can’t get it out because the DAC is no good in the MacBook Pro. So you have to use an external DAC and do a bunch of stuff to make up for the problems that the MacBook Pro has because they’re not aimed at quality. They’re aimed at consumerism.

That’s what Steve Jobs told me. He told me that exact thing: “We’re making products for consumers, not quality.” So they don’t want audio quality. They don’t want to spend a lot of time on that. Audio quality — for your reference and for anybody else that’s listening — is deeper than visual quality.

You can look at things and think you’re seeing everything with a hi-res whatever you’re looking at in a picture. But true audio dimension is so deep, and there’s so much data there if you want to capture it all — in the echo and the softness and the loudness and the difference as things are decaying and getting smaller and smaller as they go away. That’s part of the beauty of sound, and the beauty of music based on that is that you can hear all of the detail.

Now, when you talk about doing that on a MacBook Pro, it makes me barf. This is where we are.

But I see so many artists... we talk to artists, we interview them. We did a video with a guy who won lots of Grammys, works for lots of people, and he’s like, “I assemble samples in the back of my car using my MacBook Pro. I love it. This is how music is made.”

I’ve never won a Grammy for music, so I wouldn’t know about that quality.

Sure. I’m just saying, we talked to the people who are making the money, and they’re like, “I assemble samples on my MacBook Pro.”

It’s not about money. It’s not about hits. It’s about quality. It’s about sound. It’s about museum quality. It’s about the real thing. The facts. The real sound. What happened when you opened your mouth and sang? What went into the air? That’s what we’re not getting with the new technology.

The older technology used to give you a reflection of it so that you could still feel it. Today, it’s reconstituted. It’s poorly sampled. It’s garbage that has less bits to save people memory, which is not even relevant anymore. We have so much memory we’ve got it coming out of our ears. Yet we’re still saving memory, saving quality, so we can store more crap. It’s just we’ve gone down this bad street, and we’re way down. So if you talk to somebody about quality and they’re using anything from that, they’re not going to hear it. They’re going to hear today’s quality. And they may be great as far as today’s quality goes, but to me, it’s just like it doesn’t matter.

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2020-01-28 13:51:37Z
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Pictures show Kobe Bryant's helicopter in ball of fire after deadly crash - New York Post

Horrifying images have emerged of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter exploding in a ball of flames after slamming into a Los Angeles hillside, killing the NBA superstar, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others.

A man who was riding a mountain bike with a friend captured photographs of the inferno after witnessing the fogbound Sikorsky S-76B shortly before 10 a.m. Sunday, according to the UK’s Sun.

“Out of the fog came a helicopter and it slammed into the mountainside about 200 feet from where we were standing,” said the man, who asked to remain anonymous.

“We were close enough that we could feel the air from the propellers. There was a huge fireball,” he said.

“One of the helicopter doors landed about 10 to 15 feet away from us. Helicopter parts were flying everywhere. There was very little left of the helicopter,” the witness added.

He and his pal rushed to the blazing wreckage to lend assistance, “but there were obviously no survivors,” the man said.

“We didn’t realize that Kobe Bryant was in the helicopter until we got back down to the parking lot,” he added. “Just the fact that a whole helicopter full of people crashed was shocking to us.”

Pilot Ara Zobayan had asked for and received what’s known as a “special visual flight rules” clearance to fly by sight in worse than normal visibility in the controlled airspace.

Flying at 1,400 feet, he veered from Highway 101 below and smashed into the Calabasas hills, authorities said.

“We are not just focusing on weather,” Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said Monday. “We look at man, machine and the environment, and weather is just a small portion of that.”

Radar data indicates the chopper climbed to 2,300 feet and then began a left descending turn, she said.

The aircraft didn’t have a black box, nor was it required to, Homendy added.

In addition to Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, the victims included college baseball coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa Altobelli and wife, Keri Altobelli; girls’ basketball coach Christina Mauser; mom Sarah Chester and her 13-year-old daughter, Payton Chester; and Zobayan.

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2020-01-28 13:29:00Z
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