Baller Alert Entertainment & Lifestyle
Wimbledon canceled for the first time since World War II, Elton John raised $8 million towards the coronavirus relief effort, Florida officially issued a statewide shutdown and more.
Baller Alert is back to give you the latest details regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. There’s good, there’s bad, but that’s the reality, and we’re here to keep you sane through it all.
Over the weekend, Elton John hosted “Living Room Concert for America,” an in-home musical performance that featured artists including Mariah Carey, Billie Eilish, Alicia Keys, and more. The hour-long event aired on Fox and iHeartMedia radio stations and raised nearly $8 million for the fight against the coronavirus. In addition to music, the concert also included inspirational messages from Russell Wilson, Ellen DeGeneres, Ryan Seacrest, and others.
Also in the spirit of giving is Disney theme parks, who have donated 100,000 N95 face masks to New York, California, and Florida in an effort to help the coronavirus relief. Baller Alert previously reported that Disneyland and Disney World have closed down its parks temporarily. Disney released a statement about the donation this Wednesday. “Disney Parks has a longstanding history of helping hospitals and communities, dating back to the 1930s, when Walt, himself, took Disney characters and animators on outreach visits. Sharing the magic of Disney continues today through contributions, collaborating with nonprofit organizations, in-kind gifts, and employee volunteerism. These are some of the ways Disney brings positive, lasting change to communities around the world,” read the statement.
In other news, Justin Bieber has postponed his 2020 tour amid the pandemic, and several movies have also been rescheduled. “While Justin—along with his band, dancers and crew—has been hard at work preparing an amazing show, he has always put the health and well-being of his fans first and foremost,” said a statement from Bieber’s camp. The tour will be rescheduled to start May 14. And kiddos won’t be able to see their upcoming films Minions: Rise of Gru, Sing 2, or Wicked as they’ve all been postponed. The Minions sequel will now be in theaters July 2, 2021, and “Sing 2” has been pushed to Dec. 22, 2021. As for Wicked, it has been indefinitely delayed.
Falling in line with postponements is this year’s Rolling Loud festival in Miami, which has been moved from May 8 through the 10th to early next year. It will still keep its lineup with featured artists Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Megan Thee Stallion as well as others. Travis Scott, Post Malone, and ASAP Rocky are also sill set as the festival’s headliners.
And for the first time since World War II, the Wimbledon Championships has been completely canceled due to the outbreak. All England Club made the announcement on Wednesday on its website. “It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be canceled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic. Uppermost in our mind has been the health and safety of all of those who come together to make Wimbledon happen — the public in the UK and visitors from around the world, our players, guests, members, staff, volunteers, partners, contractors, and local residents — as well as our broader responsibility to society’s efforts to tackle this global challenge to our way of life.”
The not-so-great news in this update is federal prisons will be starting a 14-day lockdown to fight the virus. Inmates have been ordered to stay in their cells for two weeks, but the time could be extended, the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement on Tuesday. The lockdown will begin on Wednesday. “Limited group gathering will be afforded to the extent practical to facilitate commissary, laundry, showers, telephone, and [computer] access,” the Bureau’s announcement said. “During this time, to the extent practicable, inmates should still have access to programs and services that are offered under normal operating procedures, such as mental health treatment and education.” So far, there have been several inmates and 30 staff members who have contracted the virus.
Florida will also be performing its own lockdown on the entire state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is very close to Donald Trump, issued a stay-at-home order to residents to alleviate the travel of COVID-19. The order will force Florida residents to “limit movements and personal interaction outside the home” to just essential services and activities, MSN reports. “It makes sense to make this move now,” said DeSantis. Floridians can leave under the order only if it’s for groceries, purchasing gasoline, or going to the doctors’ offices, among other things.
