The Canadian Press – Sep 21, 2020 / 1:19 pm | Story: 311182

Photo: The Canadian Press

In this video grab captured on Sept. 20, 2020, courtesy of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and ABC Entertainment, Maria Schrader, center, and the team from “Unorthodox” accept the award for outstanding directing for a limited series, movie or dramatic special during the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast. (The Television Academy and ABC Entertainment via AP)

The novelty of television stars getting Emmy Awards delivered to their homes wasn’t enough to keep the annual show from slipping further in popularity.

The Nielsen company said 6.1 million people watched the Emmys on Sunday night, down from 6.9 million in 2019 and the third straight year of record low viewership.

The Emmys faced competition from both NFL football and the NBA Finals. The coronavirus pandemic eliminated any chance fans had of seeing stars on a red carpet, although host Jimmy Kimmel gamely tried to make do in a mostly empty auditorium with actors accepting awards remotely.

Still, it illustrated how the Emmy Awards are becoming a boutique event. Last year was the first time viewership slipped under 10 million people. As recently as 2013, the Emmys had 17.6 million viewers.

The Emmys were once a celebration of all things television timed for the beginning of a new fall season. Yet the pandemic has delayed the return of many favourite shows.

Viewership is also fragmented across many different networks and streaming services, and several shows don’t have a wide audience. Of the 128 Emmys awarded before and during Sunday’s show, 18 went to the Big Four broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

HBO dominated with 30 awards and Netflix had 21.

Reginald Hudlin, an executive producer of the Emmys telecast, said Monday that it has been hard for all of the major awards shows to get the audiences that they had been used to.

“We’re not three networks anymore,” Hudlin said. “We went from three networks to 60 with cable, and with streaming services there’s just endless choice.

“So people are now used to watching a show that’s specifically for them,” he said. “No matter how narrow that audience is, there’s a show that speaks to, ‘I’m a left-handed person who loves fishing’ … And the challenge is there’s not a thing that connects to everybody.”

The Canadian comedy “Schitt’s Creek,” which was once shown on Netflix but has since been airing on the little-known Pop TV network, swept the comedy awards. It won seven trophies during Sunday’s show and 10 overall.

Since the show was structured to frontload the comedy awards, the Emmys were on the air for an hour Sunday before any show other than “Schitt’s Creek” won an award.

ABC and Kimmel, mindful of being accused of airing an obscenity, flashed the show’s name on the screen every time the title was mentioned.

WENN – Sep 21, 2020 / 7:10 am | Story: 311140

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Kelly Preston

Fans took to Twitter to blast the omission of Kelly Preston, Kobe Bryant, and Nick Cordero from the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards’ In Memoriam segment on Sunday.

As usual, the Emmy Awards honoured icons that the entertainment world has lost over the past year, such as Chadwick Boseman and Naya Rivera, in their touching highlight reel. However, some fans were left disappointed that a few big names were noticeably absent, particularly Preston, Bryant, and Cordero.

Athlete Bryant – who tragically died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others – was a mainstay on television during his years-long career. And with the virtual ceremony taking place at The Los Angeles Staples Center, the home of his famous team the Los Angeles Lakers, also popularly known as “the house that Kobe built” – his exclusion ruffled feathers.

“Surprised that they left #KobeBryant out of the In Memoriam segment. Granted, he wasn’t really part of the television industry, but as an NBA star, he still had a strong presence on television,” tweeted one fan.

“What! No #KobeBryant #inmemoriam? He was on TV all the time!” another added.

Meanwhile, Broadway star Cordero’s tragic death from COVID-19 complications in July came after a very public months-long battle.

As well as his roles onstage he’d also had several prominent roles in numerous TV shows, including recurring roles on Blue Bloods and Law & Order: SVU, which many fans pointed out.

Meanwhile, Preston’s exclusion was met with surprise. The actress – who also died in July after a private battle with cancer – was best known for her film roles, as well as her romance with Pulp Fiction star John Travolta.

However, many fans were left stunned the star who had many roles on the small screen didn’t get a mention in the lengthy segment, with one fan tweeting: “Did you folks just snub Kelly Preston?”

Other celebrities left out included Mythbusters star Grant Imahara, Monty Python co-creator Terry Jones and horror icon Sid Haig, as was two-time Oscar winner and Emmy nominee Olivia de Havilland.

According to Entertainment Tonight, Emmy bosses acknowledged that not every celebrity who has died this year would be featured in their tribute, citing time constraints. An extensive In Memoriam tribute is listed on their website, with Cordero and Preston both included but Bryant still notably absent.

WENN – Sep 21, 2020 / 7:04 am | Story: 311139

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Frances McDormand

Frances McDormand’s acclaimed new movie Nomadland is beginning to look like a clear Oscars frontrunner after landing the Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award on Sunday.

The Chloe Zhao-directed picture, which picked up the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion honour for best movie earlier this month in Italy, beat out Regina King’s first feature as a filmmaker, One Night In Miami, to score the coveted prize, which is often a good indicator of the Academy Awards’ Best Picture winner.

Nomadland follows a 60-something woman, who loses everything and embarks on a journey through the American West, living in a van.

McDormand is also an early frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar – she last scored the award for Three Billboards Outside Ebbings Missouri in 2018, and also picked up the honour for Fargo.

WENN – Sep 21, 2020 / 7:02 am | Story: 311138

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Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton gave their on/off friendship a big boost on Friday with a night out.

The stars, who were close in the early 2000s before Kardashian found fame in Keeping Up With the Kardashians, took to their Instagram accounts to post videos of the get-together, with Kim calling the pair “cuties.”

“We’re opposite twins,” she added, prompting her one-time boss to reply: “I know, I love it.”

Kim, who once served as Paris’ assistant, also took a moment to rave about her pal’s new YouTube documentary This Is Paris, adding: “We’re just hanging out, just a fun day, me and Paris. If you haven’t seen her documentary on YouTube, you guys should check it out.”

She and Hilton rekindled their friendship – after growing apart – in 2016 at Kris Jenner’s Christmas party.

Last year, Kim credited Hilton for launching her career: “I am really grateful for my experiences with her,” she said on E! True Hollywood Story. “She’s a huge, huge reason of my success.”

WENN – Sep 21, 2020 / 6:52 am | Story: 311135

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Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy has shelved his return to stand-up comedy because the coronavirus is no laughing matter.

The Nutty Professor star was making plans for a big show, but then the pandemic hit.

“This year we’d be working on doing stand-up and getting stuff together, but all this happened,” he said during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards virtual backstage event online on Saturday night, after picking up his first ever Emmy – with an Outstanding Guest Actor Comedy Series win for Saturday Night Live.

“These are really serious times, no times for joking. I don’t know right now if there should be any comedic commentary. We’re still right in the middle of everything.

“In a year or so, we’ll be need comedic commentary and some laughs, but now we’re right in this.”

WENN – Sep 21, 2020 / 6:50 am | Story: 311134

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Kanye West

Kanye West has given future music moguls a template for how to manage contracts with their biggest artists amid a freedom bid against executives at Sony and Universal.

The rapper is attempting to buy back his masters as part of a plan to shut down his restrictive contract, which he shared with followers on social media last week, while insisting that he was coming up with a plan to help JAY-Z and Taylor Swift obtain their back catalogues.

And he shared his new vision for what record deals should look like on Sunday, urging music industry bosses to adopt his guidelines, so he and his peers can enjoy a fairer share in the albums and singles they record.

“It sounds basic and logical but it does NOT exist,” he wrote on Twitter. “They (executives) focus on top earners and ZERO look at the 440 stores… Only the top few. Artists are global. That’s why their contract territory says GLOBAL.”

The rapper’s manifesto urges music moguls to allow artists to automatically own the copyright to the songs they record for a label and lease tracks to companies for a year, maximum.

He also suggests record label bosses and publishers should get a lesser share of any profits during that year.

And he calls on label lawyers to make their contracts simpler and banish legal jargon: “We need Plain English contracts,” he writes. “A Lawyers role is to IMPROVE deals… not charge for contracts we cannot understand or track.”

Kanye also feels artists should be allowed to manage their own back catalogues, adding: “You should need NO ONE else to understand the business you’re in.”

The Canadian Press – Sep 20, 2020 / 6:59 pm | Story: 311120

Photo: Twitter / Schitt’s Creek

“Schitt’s Creek,” the little Canadian show about a fish-out-of-water family, had a big night at Sunday’s Emmy Award, sweeping the comedy category with best series honours and awards for its stars, including Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy.

“Our show at its core is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance, and this is something we need more now than ever before,” said co-creator and star Daniel Levy, who encouraged people to register and vote to achieve that goal.

O’Hara accepted the award virtually in the pandemic-safe ceremony.

“Though these are the strangest of days, may you have as much joy being holed up in a room or two with your family as I had with my dear Roses,” O’Hara said, surrounded in a decorated room by mask-wearing co-stars who play the Rose family members.

Levy called it “ironical that the straightest role I ever played lands me an Emmy for a comedy performance. I have to seriously question what I’ve been doing” for the past 50 years.

Moments later, Levy’s son Daniel won the award for comedy writing for an episode of “Schitt’s Creek,” then shared a directing award and captured the supporting actor comedy trophy. The supporting actress trophy went to his co-star Annie Murphy.

Daniel Levy thanked his father and O’Hara for teaching an extended “master class” in comedy.

References to coronavirus were an ongoing part of the ceremony, with essential workers — including a teacher and a UPS deliveryman — presenting awards and Jason Sudeikis ostensibly getting a COVID-19 test onstage.

In a year with a record number of Black nominees, 35, there was a notable lack of diversity in the show’s early going. With “Schitt’s Creek” gobbling up comedy awards, that left “Insecure” and creator Issa Rae empty-handed Sunday.

That was also true of Ramy Youssef, creator-star of the semi-autbiographical comedy “Ramy,” about a young Muslim American’s love and religious life. Yousef tweeted a video of a haz-mat suit-wearing person clutching an Emmy and waving goodbye after he lost the lost the comedy actor category.

An exception was Regina King, who won the lead actress trophy for a limited series, “Watchmen.” The Black actor was showered by confetti as she accepted in an armchair, wearing a T-shirt that honoured police shooting victim Breonna Taylor.

“This is so freaky and weird,” said King, who regained her composure and called on viewers to vote.

Mark Ruffalo, who won the limited series acting trophy for “I Know This Much is True,” seconded the call to vote in the Nov. 3 general election, saying love had to prevail.

Host Jimmy Kimmel opened the show with a monologue that appeared to be defiantly delivered in front of a packed, cheering theatre — until it was revealed they were clips from past Emmy shows.

“Of course I’m here all alone. Of course, we don’t have an audience,” he said. “This isn’t a MAGA rally. It’s the Emmys.”

With more than 100 long-distance video feeds with nominees ahead, “what could possibly go right?”

A minor gaffe marred Saturday’s virtual Emmys for technical and other honours, when Jason Bateman’s name was announced for a guest acting award that belonged to Ron Cephas Jones of “This Is Us.” Other guest acting honours went to Eddie Murphy and Maya Rudolph for “Saturday Night Live” and Cherry Jones for “Succession.”

Bateman was one of the few people on hand at the Staples Center for Sunday’s show, sitting in the audience during Kimmel’s opening monologue. Bateman sat stone faced amid a collection of cardboard cutouts, trading jokes with Kimmel after the host pointed out he was there.

HBO’s limited series “Watchmen” is the leading nominee. “Succession,” “Ozark” and “The Mandalorian” were vying for the drama series crown.

“Euphoria” star Zendaya could become the youngest winner in the drama actress category at age 24 (topping Jodie Comer, who was 26 when she won last year for “Killing Eve”).

The producers of Sunday’s broadcast have said gaffes could occur. Kimmel is on stage at downtown LA’s Staples Center, central command for camera feeds relayed from 130 nominees socially distanced at home or elsewhere in 10 countries and 20 cities.

Morgan Freeman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, D-Nice, Patrick Stewart and Oprah Winfrey are among those taking part in the show, which also included the oddity of a live appearance by an alpaca named Isabella.

Other recent awards shows, including the BET Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards, bowed to the coronavirus with a mix of pre-taped and live segments. How the Emmys fare may influence Hollywood’s awards season.

The creative Emmys that were handed over five days, culminating Saturday, underscore the point: awards have been collected by 29 outlets representing cable channels, streaming services and broadcast networks. So far, longtime leader HBO and rising Netflix are tied with 19 awards each, followed by Disney+ and NBC with eight honours apiece.

“The Mandalorian,” home of the character dubbed “baby Yoda” by fans, earned the bulk of the Disney service’s honours, seven to date. “Watchmen” has a matching number, with “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” led among comedies with four awards going into Sunday’s ceremony.

WENN – Sep 20, 2020 / 3:56 pm | Story: 311102

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Photo: WENN/Instar

The finale of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday (19Sep20) was a night of firsts, with historic wins for Eddie Murphy, Ron Cephas Jones and Michael Jordan.

Murphy picked up his first Emmy for hosting Saturday Night Live, and Jordan also claimed his only Emmy for hit sports docu-series The Last Dance, while This Is Us star Cephas Jones made history with his daughter Jasmine, who picked up an actress honor for Quibi series #FreeRayshawn earlier this week – with the pair becoming the first father and daughter to win Emmys.

Ron claimed his second Emmy on Saturday night for his guest turn on This is Us.

Speaking to the media virtually after his big win, the actor said, “Winning another Emmy is the icing on the cake, but to see my daughter progress and move into this place where she’s earned an Emmy is beyond words and I tear up every time I think about it to be honest with you. To see my daughter become healthy and happy, that’s a parent’s dream.”

There were also big wins for Dave Chappelle (Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Variety Special for Sticks & Stones), Cherry Jones (Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series for Succession), Hugh Jackman’s acclaimed TV movie Bad Education (Outstanding Television Movie), Maya Rudolph (Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series for Saturday Night Live), Watchmen (Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series Movie or Special) and RuPaul, who picked up his fifth Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.

The fifth night of the Creative Arts Emmys was marred by a technical glitch when the winner for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series was mixed up.

Cephas Jones appeared onscreen while the voiceover read Jason Bateman’s name – the Ozark star was nominated in the category for The Outsider. After a commercial break organizers posted an apology during the telecast explaining Jones was the winner.

Heading into Sunday night’s Primetime Emmys, The Mandalorian and Watchmen lead the pack with seven awards apiece.

The full list of night five winners is:

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SERIES

The Last Dance

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Cherry Jones – Succession

OUTSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXTENSION OF A LINEAR PROGRAM

Mr. Robot

OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE

Bad Education

OUTSTANDING STUNT COORDINATION FOR A DRAMA SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Ryan Watson – The Mandalorian

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A NARRATIVE PERIOD OR FANTASY PROGRAM (ONE HOUR OR MORE)

The Crown

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN/LIGHTING DIRECTION FOR A VARIETY SERIES

Saturday Night Live

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL

Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Ron Cephas Jones – This Is Us

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL

Insecure

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL

Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES (ONE HOUR)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance & We Are The Dream: The Kids Of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest

OUTSTANDING UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM

Cheer

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Maya Rudolph – Saturday Night Live

OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE DESIGN

Godfather Of Harlem

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY FOR VARIETY OR REALITY PROGRAMMING

So You Think You Can Dance

OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A SERIES (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE)

Ludwig Goransson – The Mandalorian

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL (PRE-RECORDED)

Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones

OUTSTANDING PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER HAIRSTYLING

Hollywood

OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY COSTUMES

Schitt’s Creek

OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY MAKEUP (NON-PROSTHETIC)

Euphoria

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL

Watchmen

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR COMPETITION PROGRAM

RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING

The Cave

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Eddie Murphy – Saturday Night Live

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES MOVIE OR SPECIAL

Watchmen

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM

Rick And Morty

WENN – Sep 20, 2020 / 7:24 am | Story: 311080

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Carrie Underwood

Academy of Country Music Awards bosses are standing by Wednesday night’s historic Entertainer of the Year Award tie at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, insisting both performers scored exactly the same votes.

Carrie Underwood and Thomas Rhett became the first-ever dual winners of the coveted prize in the ACM Awards’ 55-year history, and both took to the stage to graciously accept the trophy and honour each other.

But country fans were seething, and many took to social media after the televised ceremony to ask how there could be a tie for the biggest award of the night.

Academy CEO Damon Whiteside has now assured fans that everything was above board and the tie stands, telling Billboard in a statement: “We were as shocked as (ceremony host) Keith Urban when we heard the results.

“We have an independent third party accounting firm that tabulates our results based on nearly 5,000 voting members of the Academy. Our awards policy is that in the event of (a) tie both artists receive trophies. While the odds are highly unlikely for a tie, it has happened in the past in other ACM award categories and with other awards shows.”

He added: “Both of this year’s winners are so worthy, and we are thrilled that Thomas Rhett won his first Entertainer of the Year. Carrie Underwood’s record-breaking third win in that category is much deserved. This certainly was an exciting cap off to an unprecedented year, and we are proud to have created a spectacular, historical show.”

WENN – Sep 20, 2020 / 7:18 am | Story: 311078

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Cardi B wants fans to know she “doesn’t really need” their support amid her divorce from rapper Offset because she has “not shed one tear.”

The WAP hitmaker filed documents on Tuesday to end her three-year marriage to the Migos star, with a hearing set for Nov. 4 – and during an Instagram Live stream, the star took a moment to update fans on her well being.

“I want to say thank you so much. However, like, I don’t really need it,” Cardi shared. “I’m OK. I want to let you know I have not shed not one tear.”

She also explained why she’s not as sad about her break up this time around.

“This time, I wasn’t crying. Wanna know why? The reason my divorce is not because of none of that s**t that ever happened before. It’s not because the cheating,” Cardi, who shares daughter Kulture, two, with Offset explained. “I’m seeing people (saying) ‘Oh, he has a baby on the way.’ That’s a … complete lie.”

The Kream star then revealed the biggest reason for her and Offset’s split, telling her followers: “I just got tired of f***ing arguing. I got tired of not seeing things eye to eye.

“When you feel like it’s not the same anymore, before you actually get cheated on, I rather just be, you know what I’m saying? Like, I’m tired of people.”

In her legal filing, Cardi is asking for legal and primary physical custody of their daughter Kulture, and wants Offset to pay child support for the tot. She states via her lawyer that the marriage is “irretrievably broken,” adding that the former couple is currently separated, the papers go on to add that “there are no prospects for a reconciliation.”

According to the paperwork, the divorce is “contested,” with Cardi listed as the plaintiff and Offset the defendant. However, the Bodak Yellow rapper ultimately hopes it will be “settled by agreement of the parties.”

WENN – Sep 20, 2020 / 7:10 am | Story: 311077

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Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga’s new music video for 911 is a nod to her mental health struggles.

The singer took to social media to explain the meanings behind the wild visuals in the promo, which dropped on Friday. Set in a fantasy desert, the scenes are revealed as a hallucination, with the video ending with footage of a major accident.

“This short film is very personal to me, my experience with mental health and the way reality and dreams can interconnect to form heroes within us and all around us,” Gaga wrote on Instagram on Friday. “I’d like to thank my director/filmmaker Tarsem for sharing a 25 year old idea he had with me because my life story spoke so much to him.”

Lady Gaga went on to thank her other collaborators and fans for supporting the creation of 911.

“It’s been years since I felt so alive in my creativity to make together what we did with 911,” she added. “Thank you little monsters.

“I’m awake now, I can see you, I can feel you, thank you for believing in me when I was very afraid. Something that was once my real life every day is now a film, a true story that is now the past and not the present. It’s the poetry of pain.”

Lady Gaga also went into detail about the lyrics for her latest single release from the album Chromatica, revealing the song is related to the psychiatric medication she takes.

“I wrote a song on Chromatica called 911, and it’s about an antipsychotic that I take, and it’s because I can’t always control things that my brain does, I know that. And I have to take medication to stop the process that occurs,” she said during an Apple Music interview.

WENN – Sep 20, 2020 / 7:07 am | Story: 311075

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Kanye West

Kanye West’s fans are concerned for the rapper’s mental health again after he tweeted and deleted a disturbing message to his eldest daughter North.

The Stronger hitmaker, who recently confessed he and his wife Kim Kardashian had considered aborting their firstborn, while speaking at a political rally in South Carolina, opened up to North about being murdered, claiming people are threatening to take her out of his life.

“NORTHY I AM GOING TO WAR AND PUTTING MY LIFE ON THE LINE AND IF I AM MURDERED DON’T EVER LET WHITE MEDIA TELL YOU I WASNT A GOOD MAN…,” he wrote on Friday. “WHEN PEOPLE THREATEN TO TAKE YOU OUT OF MY LIFE JUST KNOW I LOVE YOU.”

Kanye also shared a photo of North.

He quickly deleted the post, but not before fans and followers had checked it out, expressing their concern for the star’s well being.

“You need help from doctors, family and friends,” one wrote. “this is not going to end well without that.”

“He needs help ya’ll. Real Help. Stop feeding into this,” another devotee added.

The post came just days after Twitter footage of West urinating on a Grammy Award landed him a 24-hour ban from the micro-blogging site.

Back in July, following Kanye’s abortion claims, he raged against wife Kim Kardashian and his mother-in-law Kris Jenner on Twitter, claiming they were trying to put him in the hospital and take his kids away from him. He also told fans he had been trying to divorce Kim for two years.

She later jumped on social media and suggested her husband was experiencing a bipolar episode.

He later publicly apologized to her.

The drama comes as Kanye continues his bizarre bid to become the next U.S. President – the rap star is fighting to get his name on state ballots for the general election in November.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, he was forced to remove a tweet featuring the phone number of Forbes’ chief content officer, Randall Lane.

This week he has also raged about music industry injustices on Twitter as he fights to buy back his master recordings from Sony, pledging not to release new music while he remains tied to the label.