Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} When the Time Comes by Chelle Dugan Enjoy these 10 tropical cocktails at the spots where they were invented. Many of the world's most iconic tropical cocktails were mixed for the first time during the early 20th century in the Caribbean. Using flavors of coconut, pineapple, citrus and, more often than not, rum, these libations were designed for beachside sipping. If you want to try them at their source, here's where to go. The Painkiller | Soggy Dollar Bar. Jost Van Dyke, BVI. Enjoyed throughout the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, the creamy, dreamy Painkiller originated at this quintessential beach bar. The Soggy Dollar was voted the best in the Caribbean and named for the condition of sailors' currency after wading in from their yachts. Invented in the 1970s, this iconic cocktail not only eases pain, it induces imbibers into a sweet island lull with its blend of dark rum, pineapple and orange juices, cream of coconut and a grate of nutmeg. Goombay Smash | Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar. Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas. Home to the Goombay Smash — Photo courtesy of Chelle Koster Walton. A rum concoction that does pretty much what its name promises, most Goombay Smash recipes call for four types of rum – coconut, light, gold and dark – with pineapple and orange juices. The original recipe, kept under tightly locked lips, was created in the 1970s by teetotaling Miss Emily, whose daughter Violet survives her at this out island outpost, which a ferry ride away from Great Abaco. Like many of Abaco's out island bars, it attracts the yachtie crowd that likes to leave T-shirts and other apparel hanging from the walls and ceilings. Dark 'n' Stormy | Harry's. Bermuda. Iconic island drinks often have a sailing tale in their genes, and the Dark 'n' Stormy is no exception. Said to have been created by a sailor who likened its light-and-black layering to storm clouds at sea, it requires Bermuda's own Gosling's Black Seal Rum and the island's spicy ginger beer. Add a splash of lime, and you're ready to weather the drink, now popular with mariners around the world. Harry's, a waterfront institution, is one of the most popular spots to rub elbows with sailors come ashore for their ration of post-sailing rum. Piña Colada | Caribe Hilton. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Arguably one of the Caribbean's most iconic cocktails, the piña colada is also one of the earliest invented in the islands. In 1954, Caribe Hilton bartender Ramon "Monchito" Marrero blended together coconut cream and heavy cream with pineapple juice and white rum for a cocktail that has endured across generations. Marrero personally served his creation for 35 years as a hotel bartender. In 1978, it was declared the official cocktail of Puerto Rico, and in 2004, Governor Sila Maria Calderon signed a proclamation supporting the 50th anniversary of the piña colada. Killer Bee | Sunshine's Bar & Grill. Nevis. Sunshine's, home of the Killer Bee — Photo courtesy of Chelle Koster Walton. Imbibing on Nevis often involves getting stung by a secret-recipe rum concoction known as the Killer Bee. It can be found at a beach shack on Pinney's Beach, named for its locally famous owner who invented the fruity libation. The grilled chicken, ribs, lobster and fish here are nearly as legendary as the drinks. Wise beach-goers order a helping before they've imbibed more than one Killer Bee, an intoxicating blend of rum, sweet-tart passion fruit juice, orange juice, honey, club soda, nutmeg and black pepper. Have a look around the walls, and you'll find you're in good company at Sunshine's – past guests have included Oprah, Beyoncé and Kevin Bacon. Nipper Juice | Nipper's Beach Bar & Grill. Abaco, Bahamas. Gorgeous beach and frozen drinks at Nipper's — Photo courtesy of Chelle Koster Walton. Now famous for its Sunday wild boar roast buffet that brings in up to 1,000 revelers, Nipper's has long been quenching salty thirsts and feeding beach-bum appetites on Great Guana Cay. A spot of cranberry juice adds color and differentiation to the OJ, pineapple juice and rum equation in the frozen Nipper Juice. Hot Chelle Rae's 'Do The Damn Thing' Music Video Is Finally Here (Exclusive Premiere!) Hot Chelle Rae ‘s brand new single “Do the Damn Thing” has been one of this Spring’s hottest songs so far and now, Just Jared has the exclusive music video premiere right here. The group – Ryan Follese , Nash Overstreet and Jamie Follese – collaborated with Nash ‘s brother Chord Overstreet and LEVI on the infectious new song and the music video is a must-see. “This has gotta be one of the easiest and most fun songs we’ve written. My brother Chord came in with ‘let’s do some 60’s soul type progression’… and I immediately knew what I was gonna do with the beat to freshen that up,” Nash explained to Just Jared . “This record represents the exact feeling and mood of what we do all the time. No matter who’s house it is or how many people roll up… we have fun, laugh, smoke and drink and just feel good being around good vibes.” And the colorful vibe of the video was all shot on an iPhone! “We shot this entire video on my iPhone, which was honestly, almost an experiment. SUPER hyped on how everything came out, and we had an amazing editor add in some fun animation and make it all come together!,” Nash added. How the Grammys Descended Into Behind-the-Scenes Chaos. W hile the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards featured many upbeat performances in January, a dark cloud hung over the proceedings. Over the past few months, the Recording Academy has been locked in a vicious battle against its former president and CEO Deborah Dugan, who had led the organization for not quite half a year before being placed on administrative leave on Jan. 16. Between that point and the ceremony, accusations of harassment, corruption and conflict of interest whizzed back and forth, with the rancor seemingly only escalating by the day. On Jan. 21, Dugan filed a 44-page complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, accusing the Academy of retaliation and voting irregularities; in a public statement, the Academy accused Dugan of being “abusive and bullying.” On March 2, the Recording Academy officially fired Dugan, writing in a statement that she “failed to perform her job duties as promised and expected.” While the dispute centers on one woman, its implications go far beyond her, shedding light on the Grammys’ gender imbalance and the larger music industry’s issues of inequality and reported backdoor dealing. In a January interview on Good Morning America , Dugan claimed that the Grammy awards are often rigged by board members: “There are incidents of conflict of interest that taint the results,” she said—sparking a denial from the Academy. Whether or not her accusations are true, the controversy is a huge blow for the Grammys, an organization desperately trying to shake off its stodgy reputation and turn the corner on a troubled era in which high-profile artists like Drake and Frank Ocean have renounced them. Here’s what you need to know about how the Recording Academy arrived at this tenuous position, and what’s at stake. In 2018, a Firestorm Erupts Over Representation. Four days before the 60th Annual Grammys, a study on the music industry was released by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which found that just 9 percent of the 899 people nominated over the previous six Grammy Awards were women. In addition, barely any female producers or songwriters were credited on the country’s top-charting songs. “When it comes to women’s ability to contribute and to lead, they’re being shut out of the process,” Stacy Smith, the professor who led the study, told the New York Times in 2018. At the awards show four days later, only one woman, Alessia Cara, won a solo Grammy on air. In a backstage interview at the show, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow told reporters that women “who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level” need to “step up.” While Portnow later said he regretted the unfortunate turn of phrase, which put the onus on women rather than the institutional obstacles that held them back, the damage was done. His comments were met with a fierce backlash across the music industry, with #GrammysSoMale exploding as a trending topic on Twitter; many prominent female artists called him out on social media and demanded his resignation. Dugan Attempts to Turn the Page. Portnow stepped down in July 2019 at the end of his contract. To replace him, the Academy tapped Deborah Dugan, an executive who previously served as the CEO of Red, a nonprofit founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver with a mission to eradicate AIDS. Dugan pledged to fight inequality in the organization by enacting wide-sweeping changes. “All the issues that Neil has addressed have led us to a larger conversation, and that is a conversation, of course, that we need to have about women and diversity in music,” Dugan told the Los Angeles Times in May 2019. Dugan’s goals were buoyed by the Recording Academy’s first Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, which was hastily assembled in the wake of the Annenberg 2018 report. In December 2019, the task force, led by Times Up president Tina Tchen, filed a 47-page report documenting the representation shortcomings of the organization—including the fact that just 22 percent of Grammy voters are female—and issued 18 demands for the Academy to meet. Dugan announced that she would take up all but one of the recommendations. “We’ve known as an industry for a long time that we have a monumental problem with gender issues,” she told NPR in December. “This is a major restructuring to allow for immediate diversity.” Dugan Clashes With Academy Insiders. As Dugan strove to implement changes, she found herself at particular odds with two people at the Academy: Joel Katz, a powerful industry lawyer who represents the Grammys, and Claudine Little, Portnow’s former assistant. Dugan alleges that prior to her hiring, Katz propositioned her and tried to kiss her at a dinner. Katz, in a statement issued by his lawyer to TIME, “categorically and emphatically denies her version of that evening.” Little and Dugan also clashed as Dugan settled into her job. Dugan claimed in the EEOC complaint that Little, who worked at the Academy for over 19 years, “was not up to the task” of being an assistant: that she didn’t know how to use an Outlook calendar and received complaints about her conduct. (The original version of the complaint stated that Little was criticized by Barbra Streisand’s manager. But Michael Willemin, one of Dugan’s lawyers, said that it was actually Streisand’s “executive producer” who made the comment.) Little, in turn, accused Dugan of being verbally abusive and creating a hostile workplace environment. “Ms. Dugan’s choice to litigate in the press and spread a false narrative about the Academy and me and my colleagues is regrettable, but it is also emblematic of Ms. Dugan’s abusive and bullying conduct while she served as the Academy’s President and CEO,” she wrote in a statement to TIME. Dugan is Ousted. Ten days before the 2020 Grammys, the Recording Academy released a statement announcing Dugan was out: “In light of concerns raised to the Recording Academy Board of Trustees, including a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team, the Board has placed [Dugan] on administrative leave, effective immediately.” The record producer Harvey Mason, Jr. was named interim president. The “senior female member” in question was Little, who says she filed the allegation of misconduct—which Dugan characterized as an allegation that she “acted in a hostile manner” towards Little—on Dec. 17. However, Dugan said in the complaint that Little’s allegation was a smokescreen for the academy—and that her dismissal actually stemmed from a harshly worded note she wrote on Dec. 22 to the Academy’s head of human resources. In that note, she recounted Katz’s alleged harassment and claimed that board members approved payments to themselves and were plagued by conflicts of interest. She also wrote that Portnow had been accused of rape by a female recording artist—and that Dugan had only learned of the accusation after she agreed to be CEO. Portnow, in a statement, responded that “the allegations of rape are ludicrous, and untrue”—and added that after the accusation was made, “an in-depth independent investigation by experienced and highly regarded lawyers was conducted and I was completely exonerated.” The Dispute Spills Out into the Open. In the week in between Dugan’s dismissal and the Grammys, a media firestorm erupted, with each side releasing a volley of statements to the press. On Jan. 20, Mason, Jr. alluded to Dugan’s creation of a “toxic and intolerable” and “abusive and bullying” work environment—and said that when she was asked to step down, she asked for millions of dollars to withdraw her own allegations. “I’m deeply disturbed and saddened by the ‘leaks’ and misinformation, which are fueling a press campaign designed to create leverage against the Academy for personal gain,” he wrote. On Jan. 22, Dugan responded by filing an explosive complaint in which she claimed that her dismissal was the result of her efforts to uncover a range of misconduct at the Academy that was “all made possible by the ‘boys’ club’ mentality and approach to governance.” Dugan says she was asked to sign her name on misleading tax documents; that other high-ranking women at the Academy had been harassed and silenced; and that the organization had tried to make her hire Portnow as a consultant for $750,000 following his dismissal. The Academy responded to the complaint in a statement: “It is curious that Ms. Dugan never raised these grave allegations until a week after legal claims were made against her personally by a female employee who alleged Ms. Dugan had created a ‘toxic and intolerable’ work environment and engaged in ‘abusive and bullying conduct.’ Ms. Dugan was placed on administrative leave only after offering to step down and demanding $22 million from the Academy, which is a not-for-profit organization. Our loyalty will always be to the 21,000 members of the Recording Academy.” Willemin, one of Dugan’s lawyers, denied this claim in a phone call with TIME. “It’s clearly a narrative the Academy is pushing to make her look terrible and besmirch her even more,” he said. Dugan’s complaint also waded into the Grammys’ voting process. Dugan claimed that board members use shadowy and unsupervised nomination review committees “as an opportunity to push forward artists with whom they have relationships.” For example, she said that in the race for the 2019 Song of the Year, an artist who initially ranked 18th out of 20 in the category garnered a nomination because they were not only represented by a member of the Board, but also allowed to sit on the nomination committee itself. In a statement released in January, the Academy refuted these claims. “Spurious allegations claiming members or committees use our process to push forward nominations for artists they have relationships with are categorically false, misleading and wrong. This process is strictly enforced with everyone involved and has no exceptions.” The statement added that while artists may serve on a committee in which they have received a nomination, they are not allowed to vote in that category. Battle Lines Are Drawn. Several high-profile artists came to Ms. Dugan’s defense, including Chuck D and Sheryl Crow. “I salute Deborah Dugan for her truth and courage to try and effect change. As always, a bunch of ignorant, testosterone-fueled, usually old white men stop progress and screw it up,” Chuck D, from Public Enemy, wrote on Instagram. A group of four women on the Academy’s executive committee released their own statement on Facebook. They pledged to investigate all claims but also defended the culture at the Academy, writing, “We would not have taken precious time away from our families and careers if we felt that it was a ‘boys’ club.’” On the evening of Jan. 23, the Recording Academy Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion weighed in to express disappointment and demand swift changes from the Academy—including the appointment of a Diversity and Inclusion Officer. “We are deeply disappointed at the level of commitment by some of the Academy’s leadership in effecting the kind of real and constructive change presented in our report,” the statement read. “These are changes that need to be made at the highest levels and institutionalized so that they outlast any single leader.” Dugan is Officially Fired. On March 2, the Academy’s Board of Trustees voted to fire Dugan without a settlement. A public letter written by the organization’s executive committee said that two independent investigations were carried out involving 37 witnesses, in which Dugan was found to have “consistent management deficiencies and failures.” No specifics were provided. “The investigation overwhelmingly confirmed the serious complaints that had been lodged against her by a multitude of Academy staff members,” vice chair Tammy Hurt wrote in an accompanying statement. “The damage she has caused this organization is truly heartbreaking.” Dugan quickly responded to her firing in a statement, expressing disappointment but vowing to keep the pressure on the organization and its voting procedures. “Is anyone surprised that its purported investigations did not include interviewing me or addressing the greater claims of conflicts of interest and voting irregularities?” she wrote. “I will continue to work to hold accountable those who continue to self-deal, taint the Grammy voting process and discriminate against women and people of color. Artists deserve better.” Josh Dugan's greatest bargaining chip for a contract extension may be his experience. A maiden NRL premiership and a desire to mentor the next generation of Sharks players through the rigour of an NRL season has Josh Dugan keen on extending his contract with Cronulla beyond 2021. “I feel good,” he said Thursday. “I’ve got one more year left on my contract and I’ve spoken to the club about maybe extending. I’m going through that process at the moment.” It was just over six months ago when reports emerged claiming Dugan was trying to leave Cronulla and that medical retirement was an issue due to a chronic knee injury. "I never actively sought medically retiring," Dugan told reporters at the time. "It was tossed up and I said if it did come down to it, I've had a good run. It's something you just have to accept being in the league for 12-plus years. "I thought about it, I was definitely disappointed to hear that this may be the end for me but at the same time I didn't want to fully accept it.” Since then, Dugan has appeared in 13 games of a possible 17, returning in time to fill Josh Morris’ departure after round 2. He missed the round 11 derby against St George Illawarra and then was kept on ice for another week against the Broncos with hamstring dramas, but since his return – aside from being pulled from the Titans game due to a HIA – he’s appeared in nearly every minute. “I feel like I’ve been playing pretty good footy and I have next year as well,” Dugan said. “I’m in a mindset where I feel like I can keep going for a year or two. For the rest, we’ll see how we go.” Whether Cronulla feel the same remains to be seen. Dugan was shopped around to rival clubs, even fielding an offer from Catalans, in the off-season. Of the players to feature in 2020 so far, Matt Moylan, Shaun Johnson, William Kennedy, Nene Macdonald, Billy Magoulias, Mawene Hiroti, Sifa Talakai, Connor Tracey, Toby Rudolf and Aaron Woods are all off-contract in 2021. Hard decisions will have to be made. The former Test and Origin star won’t be signing a multi-year contract worth north of $750,000 a season again. However, while the Sharks have been locking up their young talent to multi-year deals, there remains a dearth of experience in the backline. Of the four other back five named in round 1 (Josh Morris started in place of Dugan), just one player has notched up 50 NRL games. Will Kennedy is 23 and has played 15 NRL games. Sione Katoa is 23 and has 32 NRL games. Jesse Ramien is somehow still just 23 and has played 54 NRL games since debuting in 2017. Ronaldo Mulitalo is 20 and has notched up 20 games. Cronulla will have to decide if Kennedy is their long-term fullback and what Matt Moylan’s future looks like, but the Sharks backline needs experience. Dugan wants to be that guy. “I’m at a stage in my career where I can be more of a teacher as well, helping out the young guys with defensive systems and just learning the game,” Dugan said. “I have a little bit of unfinished business, too. We’ve got a good young squad here and have signed a lot of the younger guys for a bit longer, so I’m definitely keen to be a part of that.” Mulitalo knows Dugan’s influence better than most. Typically standing outside Dugan on Cronulla’s left, the winger has relied on the Test and Origin rep. "Dugie is one of those influential players, I think it’s harder to explain it," Mulitalo said. "It’s one of those things if you actually play with him, you understand. "Playing outside him, he makes you feel comfortable, he comes in and does the work he needs to do. We can always expect something out of him and we know what we’re going to get out of him. "Being able to play that many games speaks for itself, he’s one of the best teammates I’ve had so far and he’s helped me so much in my short career so far." Mention Dugan and there’ll be the inevitable claim that he misses too many games. He did manage just 14 games in an injury-marred 2018 campaign, his lowest return since 2013. What often gets lost is that he played 23 games in 2019, crossing for 11 tries. Dugan has to get through this year. And next. That’s a lot of runway. 22-year-old Jackson Ferris made his NRL debut in round 12, yet remains off-contract. Sifa Talakai has moonlighted in the centres but Sharks coach John Morris has already indicated that Talakai’s future is in the back row. Jensen Taumoepeau has re-signed through 2022 after debuting for Newtown in 2019, but is still just 20. Hiroti is off-contract in 2021 but is a winger, scoring 17 tries in 19 games last year for North Sydney in the Canterbury Cup to be named in the NSWRL Team of the Year. Morris has shown a willingness to promote from within and, unless Cronulla is going all-in on a Kotoni Staggs or Stephen Crichton (assuming he tests the open market, which is unlikely), Dugan’s retention – if healthy – makes sense. According to Fox Sports’ Statslab , Dugan has 1,400 running metres on 150 carries. On the Sharks’ favoured right edge, Ramien has 1,780 running metres on 206 runs. Dugan has comparable tackle busts, line breaks and has missed less tackles. Cronulla’s $350,000 salary cap penalty will have ended by the time Dugan is off-contract, yet the salary cap for 2022 – originally slated to be $10 million, is likely to be lower, as the game deals with the financial hit of COVID-19. Peter V’Landys has hinted that he wants to keep the cap at the originally agreed $9.9 million figure for 2020, but the decision ultimately rests with the ARL Commission as a board. The Sharks will have to make some hard calls on their off-contract players as they build towards another premiership window – but Dugan’s case is worth considering. The Biggest Grammys Drama Is Unfolding Offstage. Here's What You Need to Know About Deborah Dugan's Lawsuit. At the 62nd annual Grammy Awards, to be held this Sunday in Los Angeles, viewers can expect electric performances from the likes of Billie Eilish and perhaps a buzzy acceptance speech or two from Lizzo. What they might not know is that most of the major Grammys drama has already happened offstage. The controversy extends to last year's show, which saw a dearth of female representation and the ousting of CEO Neil Portnow. This week, his replacement Deborah Dugan filed a discrimination charge against the Recording Academy days before the show is scheduled to air. Below, everything to know about the behind-the-scenes turmoil plaguing this year's Grammys. Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan has alleged a "boys club" culture and conflicts of interest at the organization. On January 16, the Academy of Music's most recent CEO, Dugan, was placed on administrative leave. On Tuesday, January 21, she filed a charge of discrimination with the Los Angeles office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The document alleges that she was forced out in retaliation for raising complaints about sexual harassment, improper voting conduct, and conflicts of interest at the company's highest level. The allegations were first formally raised in an email memo sent on December 23, 2019, to Shonda Grant, the organization's managing director, people and culture. Dugan's attorneys Douglas Wigdor and Michael J. Willemin included it in the charge against the Recording Academy. ( Billboard has published the memo in full.) In the memo, Dugan recounts several events that she said gave "serious pause for concern and in some instances made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe." Dugan claimed to have witnessed a number of issues before signing her contract, including news of her hiring being leaked prior to accepting the position. Dugan also alleged a number of "egregious" conflicts of interest within the Executive Committee, including board members allegedly approving payments to themselves for hundreds of thousands of dollars to oversee Grammy events that Dugan says "do not need their oversight." Dugan also alleges that Recording Academy general counsel Joel Katz sexually harassed her throughout her time with the organization. In May 2019, prior to the start of her tenure, she had dinner with Katz where he allegedly made comments about her appearance that made her "uneasy," including him repeatedly calling her "baby." She alleges that Dugan attempted to kiss her at the end of the evening and proceeded to make suggestive comments throughout her tenure. (Katz "categorically and emphatically" denied account, in a statement from his attorney to Billboard .) The complaint also states that former CEO Neil Portnow "allegedly raped a female recording artist" after her concert at Carnegie Hall. Dugan alleges that this was "upon information and belief, the real reason his contract was not renewed." (Portnow called the statement "ludicrous and untrue" and told The Hollywood Reporter , "There was no basis for the allegations and once again I deny them unequivocally.") In the memo, Dugan claims that members of the executive committee knew about the sexual harassment claim but did not share it with the board. Dugan concluded the email memo with this statement: On January 23, the Recording Academy Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, chaired by Time's Up president and CEO Tina Chen, addressed Dugan's complaint. The statement, which Billboard has in full, begins: "As representatives from across the music community serving on the Recording Academy Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, we want to speak in our own voice about our shock and dismay at the allegations surrounding the Recording Academy and its leadership that surfaced this week." The statement urges the Academy's Board of Trustees to immediately enact "real reform, take concrete steps to implement all of the Task Force reforms, and transparently and regularly report on their progress—including transparently reporting on the pending investigations they have announced are underway." The Academy has questioned Dugan's credibility. In a statement, per The New York Times , the Academy said: The Academy's statement, via Deadline , went on to allege that when Dugan did bring concerns to HR, she instructed the department "not to take any action." The organization says they "immediately launched independent investigations" to review both Dugan's alleged misconduct and her own allegations, which remain ongoing. Next, the statement claims that Dugan reportedly requested a $22 million settlement from the Academy, which Dugan called "flat out false" in her complaint. The Academy's statement concluded, "We regret that music’s biggest night is being stolen from them by Ms. Dugan’s actions and we are working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible." Two sources told Billboard that the Academy originally countered Dugan's alleged $22 million request with a multi-million dollar offer that was "far less" than Dugan's original ask. However, the Recording Academy would not confirm the counter offer but said in a letter to the Academy’s membership on January 20 that Dugan’s attorney “informed the Executive Committee that if Ms. Dugan was paid millions of dollars, she would ‘withdraw’ her allegations and resign from her role as CEO.” (Per Deadline , Dugan's attorneys denied those claims, stating, " on the morning of the day she was put on leave, the Academy offered Ms. Dugan millions of dollars to drop all of this and leave the Academy. The Board Chair demanded an answer within the hour. When Ms. Dugan refused to accept and walk away, she was put on leave.") On January 22, the women of the Recording Academy executive committee released a statement denying the "boys club" atmosphere and affirming their willingness to cooperate with all investigations and "address all concerns, allegations and accusations with facts in hand." Variety has their full statement. Why was Dugan suspended in the first place? Dugan's January 16 suspension came three weeks after her email was sent to Grant. She was placed on administrative leave by the Academy's board of directors following a misconduct complaint that alleges workplace bullying. It was filed by a senior female staffer identified as Claudine Little, Portnow's former executive assistant. In a January 17 statement, Dugan's attorney Bryan Freedman foreshadowed her bombshell memo. "When our ability to speak is not restrained by a 28-page contract and legal threats, we will expose what happens when you ‘step up’ at the Recording Academy, a public nonprofit," he said in a statement, per Billboard. Harvey Mason, Jr. has been named interim president and CEO of the Recording Academy, which has hired two independent third party investigators to address the allegations, and they are expected to conclude in early spring, according to Billboard . What led to Dugan's hiring and Portnow's exit? Dugan was hired in May 2019 as the first-ever female CEO of the Recording Academy. She officially became president in August, replacing Portnow after his 17-year tenure. According to Billboard 's sources , Dugan's initial deal was for three years with an annual salary of slightly less than $1 million, plus bonuses. Dugan alleges in her complaint that the organization asked her to hire Dugan as a consultant for $750,000, a request she reportedly denied. Portnow's exit came in 2018 after only one woman was presented with a solo Grammy during January's telecast. When asked about that stat backstage, he suggested women in the music industry should "step up" if they wanted to receive Grammy recognition. While he claimed the comment had been taken out of context, several music artists including Pink, Katy Perry, and Halsey called out Portnow's comments. He stepped down in July 2019. "When I had the honor of being selected to lead this great organization in 2002, I vowed that on my watch, for the first time in our history, we would have a thoughtful, well-planned, and collegial transition," Portnow said in a statement at the time, via NPR . "With a little more than a year remaining on my current contract, I've decided that this is an appropriate time to deliver on that promise." The Academy hired Tchen, Michelle Obama's former chief of staff and co-founder of Time's Up, to lead a diversity and inclusion task force in March 2018. The interim Academy president has vowed to follow new initiatives developed with the Diversity Task Force. On Sunday, January 26, the Academy's Interim CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., addressed the controversy and outlined a plan to address the Academy's diversity issues in a letter to its members. In the statement, Mason acknowledged, "It’s been a challenging week for our Academy family," adding, "I’ve heard from many of you who feel betrayed and hurt by the untruths being spread about our motives and actions, the integrity of our process and the artists who've rightfully earned their GRAMMY Nominations, and the reminders of the hard truths we do have to face as a community." He outlined five initiatives that the Academy would be prioritizing moving forward: The Academy will hire a dedicated Diversity & Inclusion Officer within the next 90 days. The Academy will establish a fellowship, funded by the Academy, that will be responsible for independent review and reporting of the progress of the Academy's Diversity & Inclusion efforts. This will be in place within 120 days. The Academy will create a fund to be distributed annually to different “women in music” organizations that will be managed by the D&I Officer. This will go into effect immediately. The Academy will recommit to meeting all 18 of the Task Force Recommendations as outlined in the full report and in a manner that will endure, with the caveat that we will have a deeper exploration, along with the Task Force into voting processes for the GRAMMYS. The Academy is committing to meet with the Task Force to review progress on these as well as the rest of their eighteen initiatives. This first meeting will happen ​in 45 days​. There will be subsequent follow ups to review progress. Does this mean anything for this year's Grammy Awards? While it's hard to say how the controversy will be addressed during Sunday's telecast (if at all), Dugan's complaint has already marred the organization's voting credibility. In the charge of discrimination, Dugan alleges that the Grammy voting process is "ripe with corruption." This alleged manipulation includes certain songs or albums receiving nominations "when the producer of the Grammys [Ken Ehrlich] wants a particular song performed during the show." (Ehrlich, who will retire after this year's ceremony, has not spoken publicly about the allegations.) Dugan's complaint also alleges, "It is not unusual for artists who have relationships with Board members and who ranked at the bottom of the initial 20-artist list to end up receiving nominations." She claims that 30 of this year’s Grammy nominees were added by the committees despite not making the cut during Academy voting. Specifically, Dugan alleges that one of this year's Song of the Year nominees was voted 18th in the category but was able to secure a nomination because the individual personally served on that category's nominating committee. On Saturday, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Champagne brand Billecart-Salmon was pulling sponsorship from the ceremony in solidarity with Dugan. Celebrities including Megyn Kelly, Gabrielle Union, and Sheryl Crow have also tweeted support for her. Coulda sworn this is the same board that told women to "step up" Clearly what they really meant was stand down, turn a blind eye to problems, or be fired. #DeborahDugan truly stepped up & tried to make necessary changes & was shown the door. Been there, done that, got fired too. https://t.co/xwm3qUln3x — Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) January 18, 2020. So Deborah Dugan files an HR complaint vs Grammys org - where she was CEO - and suddenly gets fired for “bullying?” Now she can’t speak bc a PUBLIC NON-PROFIT is muzzling her? Ummm - no. #deborahdugan #thisisehathappenswhenwomenstepup #grammysstepup https://t.co/CmtAQuakjl — Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) January 18, 2020. Rolling Stone music business editor Amy X. Wang told CBS News, "You can bet that it's going to cast a big shadow over the recording academy for days, if not weeks to come."