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Olivia Newton-John Was a Classic Hollywood Star Born at the Wrong Time
The passing of Olivia Newton-John on August 8th at the age of 73 after a long battle with cancer, inspired a rare moment of social media unity in her memory. While the Australian singer, actress, and activist had a decades-long career that resulted in her being one of the best-selling music artists from the second half of the 20th century, she is forever iconic thanks to her performance as Sandy in Grease. A major hit in the ‘70s and a nostalgic beacon during its ‘90s revival, Grease was a knowing pastiche of ‘50s teen comedies that loved the genre it mocked so mercilessly. Populated by a cast of tax-paying adults playing high-school kids who sing about sex and yearning, it’s a giddy mess that has stuck around long after the fads it parodied. What holds it together, amid the dirty gags and...
A League of Their Own Review: The Series Adaptation Remixes the Classic Film From Overlooked Points-of-View
The Pitch: You might think you know this story… but you don’t. The Penny Marshall film A League of Their Own, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, was a landmark production as well as a damn great sports movie, chronicling the inaugural season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, despite the 1943-era sexism that had men chanting from the stands, “Girls can’t play ball!” As groundbreaking as the original film was, 1992 was a long time ago. So in creating a new take on A League of Their Own as a TV show, co-creators Abbi Jacobson (Broad City) and Will Graham (Mozart In the Jungle) have effectively made a remix of the original film, fully centered in the underrepresented voices that, in the movie, only lurked at the edges of the frame. The story is still focused on h...
Broken Bells Detail New Album INTO THE BLUE, Share “Saturdays”: Stream
Broken Bells have announced their new album, INTO THE BLUE, is out on October 7th via AWAL. The musical duo of The Shins’ James Mercer and Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) also shared the latest single “Saturdays.” INTO THE BLUE finds Broken Bells drawing influence from The Beatles and Pink Floyd, as well as pulling from genres ranging from ’60s psychedelia and ’70s rock and AM Gold to ’80s new wave and ’90s trip-hop. The roster of the underground label Elephant 6 also continued to serve as a major inspiration. Pre-orders for the album are ongoing. See the artwork and tracklist below. Related Video Living up to its name, “Saturdays” wears the aforementioned inspirations on its sleeve and brings to mind a lazy weekend afternoon in the sun, though its lyrics aren’t as joyful as the melodies. ...
’90s-Leaning Flannel Nation Festival Canceled After Bands Bail Out
The ’90s-leaning Flannel Nation festival, which was set to take place Saturday (Aug. 13) in San Pedro, Calif., has been canceled after multiple bands dropped out due to various logistical issues. “We regret to announce that due to ongoing problems and logistical setbacks, putting on Flannel Nation as intended has become infeasible. Therefore we are forced to make the tough decision to cancel this weekend’s event,” Flannel Nation organizers wrote on Facebook. “Our goal is to retool and reschedule the event and tickets will be honored for the new date when announced.” Last night, Everclear jumped ship, announcing on Instagram that Flannel Nation organizers “do not have the adequate means to provide the level of experience our fans expect and deserve while attending an Everclear show.” The ba...
Verve Label Group Ups Jamie Krents to President of Verve Imprint, Dawn Olejar to GM
UMG’s Verve Label Group has promoted Jamie Krents to president of its Verve, Impulse! and Verve Forecast labels, while the company’s executive vp Dawn Olejar has added the role of general manager to her responsibilities. The New York-based executives will both report to Dickon Stainer, president and CEO of Verve Label Group and Universal Classics and Jazz. “These two exciting promotions mark a crucial moment in the evolution of Verve,” said Stainer in a statement. “Jamie Krents becoming President of Verve and Impulse! is a true testament to his unique and exceptional vision for artist development as these legendary labels enter a new era under his stewardship. Dawn Olejar is a role model for outstanding label management, and her new combined responsibilities as EVP and General Manager refl...
The Isley Brothers Talk Teaming with Beyoncé, Taking Their Career to the Next Phase
The year is 1975. The Isley Brothers are onstage in Chicago, the latest stop on their current tour, and performing songs from their new album The Heat Is On. Featuring future Isley classics such as the funk-rock political anthem “Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2)” and stirring ballad “For the Love of You (Part 1 & 2),” there was another song that made temperatures rise that night. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “We started playing ‘Make Me Say It Again Girl,’ guitar mastermind Ernie Isley tells Billboard during an exclusive interview. “And Ronald was dressed in this sharp leather outfit. Then on the last verse and chorus of the song, one of our co-workers came onstage and draped a white mink over Ronald. I think every woman in there pr...
Travis Scott Teases Further Studio Sessions For ‘Utopia’ Album
Travis Scott is teasing a return to the studio. The rapper who is coming off back-to-back shows at London’s O2 Arena over the weekend — his first major performances since the Astroworld Festival disaster that resulted in 10 deaths and dozens of injuries in November — teased fans on Monday (Aug. 8) that he’s preparing to get back to work on his anticipated Utopia album. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I’ll be back when it’s album time,” the rapper tweeted. A day earlier, he posted a flurry of pictures from the London shows, with one including the caption, “Now to finish [CD emoji].” Scott has been priming the pump for Utopia on-and-off all year. Back in April, fans posted images from a series of billboards that popped up near the Coache...
Lunay: El Niño Con Un Sueño
A young Jefnier Osario Moreno remembers growing up in the small town of Corozal in Puerto Rico’s countryside and having his eyes set on a bigger stage, the city of San Juan. Little did he know that his early clippings of covers and freestyles uploaded to SoundCloud and Facebook would launch his music career globally. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Lunay, the stage moniker adopted by Moreno, figuratively represents “sacrifice, commitment, discipline, and responsibility,” he says. For him and his fans, it is a daily reminder that no dream is too big or unattainable with determination, ambition, and hard work. As a young boy, Moreno spent much of his childhood on the field, perfecting his dexterity and agility in soccer. His energy came t...
Broken Bells Sets Release Date for First Album Since 2014
Broken Bells has set an Oct. 7 release date for its third album, Into the Blue, and released what’s being described as the project’s first official single, “Saturdays.” The track is accompanied by a video directed by Johnny Chew. [embedded content][embedded content] As previously reported, Into the Blue finds The Shins’ James Mercer and producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) re-teaming for the first time in several years and is described as “a kaleidoscopic genre- and decade-spanning ode” to mutual influences such as Pink Floyd, ’80s new wave, ’90s trip-hop and Georgia’s influential Elephant 6 collective. Into the Blue also introduces samples into the Broken Bells sound for the first time. Into the Blue is the follow-up to 2014’s After the Disco, which reached No. 5 on The Billbo...
‘Plastic Crack’: Pharoahe Monch on the Addictive World of Marvel Figurines
Deep within the shadowy regions of the underworld of collectors, it’s commonly referred to as “Plastic Crack.” Perhaps it’s even more addictive than cooked cocaine, but the comparisons to the infamous ‘80s drug probably stop at the insatiable ability to hook you after only one hit. I mean, I don’t think cats are stripping aluminum siding off houses to cop, but the anxiety, and withdrawals, are 100% a reality. I officially became an addict of collecting figurines during the pandemic lockdowns of NYC.Zooms became a part of everyday life. Like a lot of us, I needed to find a small nook somewhere to front, and I hated it. I decided to order a cheap ring light and shovel out an area in the house to display some memorabilia and some of my old Monchhichi collectibles. Yes! I collected those, henc...
Fat Joe Calls Irv Gotti A “Sucka” Over Ashanti Obsession
Written By Alvin aqua Blanco , Director of Content Posted 22 hours ago @aqua174 Alvin aqua Blanco is the Director of Content in the Men’s Division for iOne Digital, steering Cassius Life and Hip-Hop Wired. Representing the Bronx, he was nurtured by a steady diet of Hip-Hop culture and music. He graduated from the University of Virginia, with a B.A. in African American Studies and Psychology. His prior work has appeared in XXL, The Source, Vibe, The Village Voice, and other notable print and online publications. Other stops in his over 15-year journalism career include BET, MTV News, and AllHipHop.com. Alvin joined iOne in 2017 and continues to always make sure the culture—be it music, business, fashion, sports, sneakers, and everything in between—is thoroughly and accurately document...
Wiz Khalifa Apologizes To DJ Community After Mishap With Club DJ’s
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz Wiz Khalifa is showing that he can admit when he is wrong. He has now formally apologized to the DJ community for his recent outburst against two club DJ’s. As per XXL the Pittsburgh talent is now saying sorry to all DJ’s worldwide. Last week he was performing tracks from his newest project Multiverse at Poppy nightclub in Los Angeles. During the set he berated DJ Mikey Danger over his alleged struggle skills on the turntables. He got so mad he offered to run the fade. “B*tch-ass ni**a, if you want to fight we can do it,” he said. “Y’all ni**as suck. Don’t hug me, b*tch,” after the DJ tried to hug him. “Play my new sh*t, ni**a. Play it. Play ‘Bad Ass B*tches.’” Related Stories Naturally the footage quic...
