Entertainment News
Alice in Chains to Release Facelift 30th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set
Alice in Chains’ seminal debut album, Facelift, is getting the deluxe treatment in celebration of its 30th anniversary. The band has announced a box set that is due to arrive on January 29th. The album actually turned 30 on August 21st. As we detailed in a recent feature, it helped give rise to the ’90s alternative-rock movement. Led by single “Man in the Box”, the 1990 LP’s success paved the way for albums like Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s Ten, which came the following year. The deluxe box set should have Alice in Chains fans salivating, as it’s jam-packed with collectibles. Housed in an acrylic deluxe box with gel transparencies, the set includes a remastered 2-LP vinyl picture-disc edition of the album; a cassette version of the LP; a custom hardcover photo book; a two-sided post...
Nicki Minaj Confirms Birth of Baby Boy
Congratulations to Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty! In a new Instagram post today, October 15th, Her Pinkness confirmed the birth of her first child, a baby boy. Via TMZ, the birth took place on Wednesday, September 30th. Minaj didn’t reveal the child’s name or any baby pictures. But she did share notes of congratulation from various musicians, artists, and fashion luminaries. “Thank you to Queen B, Kim & Ye, Riccardo Tisci, Winnie, Karol & everyone who sent well wishes during this time,” she wrote. “It meant the world to me. I am so grateful & in love with my son. Madly in love. My favorite liddo boy in the whole wide world.” The well wishes can be viewed below, and the differences between them might be notable for the gossip-inclined. For example, Beyoncé ...
Chromeo Remixes Dirty Projectors’ “Lose Your Love”: Stream
Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors (photo by Jason Frank Rothenberg) and Chromeo (photo by Heather Kaplan) In May, the Dirty Projectors released the perfectly effervescent new single “Lose Your Love”, fronted by keyboardist and percussionist Felicia Douglass. That little slice of heaven has already attracted one remix from Jimmy “The Senator” Douglass, a Grammy-winning producer who also happens to be Felicia’s father. Now, electro-funk duo Chromeo have dropped remix number two, giving the track their own disco-ball spin. The original “Lose Your Love” used warm synths and whimsical, chipmunk-soul samples to put some bounce in your step. In contrast, the Chromeo remix finds a harder, sweatier approach, the better for dancing all night. In Club Chromeo, the strutting bass line holds the flo...
Bring Me the Horizon Announce New EP Featuring BABYMETAL, Amy Lee, and More
Babymetal (photo by Kevin RC Wilson), Bring Me the Horizon Horizon (photo by Raymond Ahner), Amy Lee (photo by Joe Russo) Bring Me the Horizon have announced a new EP, Post Human: Survival Horror, that features some prominent guest spots. The nine-song effort, due October 30th, boasts appearances by BABYMETAL, Evanescence vocalist Amy Lee, UK singer YUNGBLUD, and British rock duo Nova Twins. The UK band has already unveiled three songs from the EP over the past year. The track “Ludens” came out in November 2019 as part of the soundtrack to the video game Death Stranding, while “Parasite Eve” and “Obey” (featuring YUNGBLUD) arrived over the past few months. Japanese pop-metal act BABYMETAL appear on the song “Kingslayer”, while Amy Lee provides guest vocals on the poetically titled “One Day...
Korn Announce World of Tanks Blitz In-Game Event, Share Video for “Finally Free”: Watch
Korn will appear in free-to-play online game World of Tanks Blitz for the rollout of the new “Burning Games” mode. The band also shared the music video for “Finally Free”, a song from 2019’s The Nothing, which features tanks and imagery from the game. The five-stage “Convergence” event takes place from October 16th through 24th. All players will be able to complete in-game challenges to uncover pieces of band artwork and special Korn-related items. Korn are no stranger to video-game crossovers. The band played a virtual concert last year within the role-playing games AdventureQuest 3D and AdventureQuest Worlds. Meanwhile, World of Tanks developer Wargaming has teamed with bands such as Iron Maiden, Sabaton, and The Offspring for in-game promotions and augmented-reality events. “Korn is the...
Stevie Nicks: There Would Have Been No Fleetwood Mac “If I Had Not Had That Abortion”
The death of Stevie Nicks’ “hero” Ruth Bader Ginsburg has the songwriter worried about the future of women’s rights. In a new interview with The Guardian, she put the issue of abortion in personal terms, saying, “If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac.” Nicks terminated a pregnancy in 1979, while dating Don Henley of The Eagles. By bringing it up now, she wasn’t trying to claim that Fleetwood Mac would never have existed otherwise — after all, her procedure happened at the apex of the band’s post-Rumors fame. Instead, she seems to have been suggesting that Fleetwood Mac wouldn’t have turned into the cultural heavyweight it became, and Nicks wouldn’t have realized her potential. Now, she’s concerned that Trump’s nominee to replace Gi...
Promoters Behind The Chainsmokers’ Packed Hamptons Concert Fined $20,000
Over the summer, The Chainsmokers threw COVID caution to the wind with a “drive-in” concert in the Hamptons. VIP tickets cost upwards of $25,000, which is just $5,000 more than the promoters behind the event will now have to pay in fines to state of New York. Videos from the concert — thrown during peak pandemic back in July — immediately sparked backlash when they started spreading on social media. More than 3,000 attendees had arrived in over 600 vehicles, and they clearly weren’t staying within their designated parking perimeters. Even worse, most appeared to be gleefully flouting mask requirements. The New York State Department of Health launched an investigation into the concert over violations of its COVID-19 safety regulations. Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the event’s...
Joaquin Phoenix to Play Napoleon in New Ridley Scott Film Kitbag
After nailing his big role in Joker last year, Joaquin Phoenix is now preparing to portray a comparatively smaller character: Napoleon. The Oscar-winning actor has been cast as the 5’6″ French emperor in the new film from Ridley Scott, Kitbag. Kitbag is an “original and personal” feature film about Napoleon’s story — from his time as a military leader to his rapid ascent to Emperor of France — told through the lens of his volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine. According to Deadline, the goal of the movie is to “capture Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition, and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.” Scott, who previously worked with Phoenix on Gladiator, is onboard as director and producer. Joining him is screenwriter David ...
R.I.P. Saint Dog, Founding Member of Kottonmouth Kings Dies at 44
Kottonmouth Kings founding member Steven Thompson, a.k.a. Saint Dog Kottonmouth Kings founding member Steven Thompson, a.k.a. Saint Dog, has died at the age of 44. TMZ reports that the Southern California rapper was found dead early Wednesday (October 14th) at a friend’s home in Victorville, California. Police found no obvious signs of foul play and are awaiting the results of an autopsy and toxicology report to determine his cause of death. A founding member of Kottonmouth Kings alongside D-Loc and Johnny Richter, Thompson appeared on the group’s first four releases, Stoners Reeking Havoc, Royal Highness, Stash Box, and Hidden Stash. He departed the Kings in 1999 to pursue a career with his brother. After guesting on 2012’s Mile High, Thompson rejoined Kottonmouth Kings in a full-tim...
Post Malone Forgets How to Lip-Sync During Billboard Music Awards: Watch
Post Malone led the 2020 Billboard Music Awards with 16 nominations across 15 categories. The Hollywood’s Bleeding rapper also performed during the telecast, appearing remotely from a Los Angeles refinery, where he was joined by Tyla Yaweh. Unsurprisingly given the location, the “performance” was clearly lip-synched — and not terribly well. Posty started from atop the industrial structure, barely keeping himself timed to the playback of “Circles”. As he walked down to join Yaweh, fireworks started shooting off around them… silently, because again, none of the audio was live. The pair “delivered” their collaborative single “Tommy Lee”, gamely trying to sing along but coming off more as a pantomime of a rap performance. Frankly, the entirety of the pandemic-era 2020 Billboard Music Awar...
Killer Mike Accepts First-Ever Change Maker Award at Billboard Music Awards: Watch
Killer Mike is one of the best rappers in the game — and perhaps the most socially active. His passion could be heard when he gave a speech to Atlanta protesters after the murder of George Floyd, or when he subsequently appeared on Colbert. His careful consideration and belief in Americans’ rights could be read in his op-ed supporting Black gun ownership. And he literally put his money where his mouth is earlier this week when he announced the launch of his Black-owned digital bank, Greenwood. Honestly, the Run the Jewels rapper’s credentials pretty much speak for themselves, but a little recognition never hurt anyone. At Wednesday night’s Billboard Music Awards, Killer Mike was honored with the first-ever Change Maker Award. “Killer Mike’s dedication to equality, social justice and financ...
BTS Perform “Dynamite” at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards: Watch
If you thought K-pop couldn’t get any bigger than it already was, just look at the year BTS have been having. The septet became multi-millionaires when their label, Big Hit, went public; they took over The Tonight Show for an entire week; and their most recent single, “Dynamite”, became not only their first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, but the first song from a Korean group to ever take the top spot. That’s on top of the two LPs they’ve already released this year, Map of the Soul: 7 and the Japanese-language companion LP Map of the Soul: 7 – The Journey. On Wednesday night, they continued their mega-success by taking home the Billboard Music Awards’ Top Social Artist trophy — for the fourth year in a row. To celebrate, BTS delivered a performance all the way from South Korea. In wha...
