Entertainment News
CupcakKe Drops Off New Single “Elephant”: Stream
Last year, CupcakKe announced her intention to quit the music industry. The Chicago MC has clearly scrapped those plans, however, as she’s spent 2020 releasing a new single every couple of months. Following this past spring’s “Discounts” and “Lemon Pepper”, she’s back today with “Elephant”. On this new cut, CupcakKe calls out all her various critics — from those that say she needs to jump on more collaborations to the folks who have a problem with the way she handles press. “They like, ‘cupcakKe you gotta do more, why the fuck you don’t do features?’” she raps, before putting these complainers in their place: “Want a verse? Gotta pay me/ Ain’t shit free, no JT.” (The latter line is a reference to the formerly jailed JT from City Girls.) Elsewhere, she seems visibly bothered that fell...
R.I.P. Pierre Kezdy, Naked Raygun Bassist Dead at 58
Naked Raygun bassist Pierre Kezdy has died at the age of 58 following a battle with cancer. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Kezdy passed away early Friday (Oct. 9th) at a hospice in Glenview, Illinois. A legend of the Chicago punk rock scene, Kezdy had served as Naked Raygun’s bassist since 1985. He’s also credited with writing some of the band’s seminal songs, including “Home” and “Vanilla Blue”. Years later, Naked Raygun’s impact is still widely felt. Everyone from Foo Fighters to Fall Out Boy to Alkaline Trio has cited the band’s music as a major influence on their own. In addition to Naked Raygun, Kezdy was a founding member of the short-lived, but influential punk band Strike Under. He also played in Pegboy and Arsenal. In 2011, Kezdy suffered a stroke that briefly rendered h...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Had COVID-19 and Still Has Lung Damage Months Later
Tool singer Maynard James Keenan has revealed that he contracted COVID-19 back in February. Moreover, he is still feeling the effects months later, as he deals with lung damage and coughing fits. While speaking to the Arizona Republic about his band Puscifer’s upcoming album, Existential Reckoning, Keenan was asked about Tool having to shut down their tour plans due to the pandemic. He responded, “I was still recovering from having gotten COVID at the end of February. I’m still dealing with the residual effects. But it was ugly. I survived it, but it wasn’t pretty. So I definitely had to deal with that.” When the interviewer expressed surprise at the singer’s revelation, Keenan explained, “I kind of didn’t want to run around screaming it. But it’s real. And there’s after-effects. I had to ...
Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, 9th Wonder Serve Up New Dinner Party Album Dessert: Stream
Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper (photo by Philip Cosores), Robert Glasper (photo by Todd Copper) Over the summer, Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, and 9th Wonder cooked up their self-titled debut album as Dinner Party. But the jazz-funk supergroup isn’t quite done feasting: Dinner Party are back at the table to serve up a new dish titled Dessert. As its name suggests, this project is closely tied to the tasty meal that was Dinner Party; it features all seven tracks of that first album, but reworked with the help of new guest “chefs” Snoop Dogg, Herbie Hancock, Bilal, Tank and the Bangas, Cordae, and Rapsody. Buddy, Punch, and Alex Isley also jump in the musical kitchen to lend a helping hand. Phoelix, who sang on the original debut LP, still has vocals throu...
Broadway Extends Shutdown Through Spring 2021
Broadway has been entirely shut down since March 12th of this year, and it doesn’t look like the lights will be coming back up anytime soon. Today, it was announced the iconic theater district will remain shuttered well into 2021. The Broadway League, a trade association of producers and theater owners, announced that they’re officially suspending all ticket sales for New York City productions until May 30th of next year. However, the League’s president, Charlotte St. Martin, expressed skepticism that the city’s 41 theaters will even be operating by the summer. “Certainly a lot of shows are making their plans, and some think we will open in the summer, and I hope they are right,” she said in an interview with the New York Times. “But I think people’s bets are the fall of next year.” An add...
Killer Be Killed Unveil New Song “Dream Gone Bad”: Stream
Supergroup Killer Be Killed are readying the release of their new album, Reluctant Hero, due out on November 20th. The band has now shared the music video for the latest single, “Dream Gone Bad”. Killer Be Killed touts one of the strongest lineups of any heavy metal supergroup in recent memory: vocalist Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan; Soulfly and ex-Sepultura leader Max Cavalera; Mastodon singer-bassist Troy Sanders; and Converge drummer Ben Koller. Not surprisingly, its makes for a crushing collaboration on “Dream Gone Bad” as propulsive guitars give way to epic vocals. Sanders handles most of the singing on this track. Mastodon fans take note. “Dissecting the idea of uncertainty and how you pull from that to find your way,” Sanders said in a press release. “‘Dream Gone Bad’ wa...
Jeff Goldblum Recreates Iconic Jurassic Park Pose 27 Years Later
Jurassic World: Dominion may have been pushed back to 2022, but Jeff Goldblum has given thirsty fans quite the gift to tide them over until then. On Instagram late Friday, the actor recreated his iconic Jurassic Park pose, unbuttoned shirt, oiled up chest, and all. Goldblum reproduced the memorable 1993 shot as a reward to fans who registered to vote ahead of Election Day next month. “WOW! Thank you to everyone who used my @HeadCount page to make sure that you’re #GoodToVote!” Goldblum wrote on Instagram. “Nearly 3,000 of you are ready for this November’s election. Here’s your reward… how time flies.” Indeed, it’s been 27 long years since Dr. Ian Malcolm first posed ever so seductively. The fact that Goldblum, who turns 68 in just a few weeks, still looks this good should probably be a cri...
Stephen King’s The Stand Miniseries Unfolds In Exciting Comic-Con Trailer and Panel: Watch
Stephen King’s The Stand was on full display at New York Comic-Con. On Friday afternoon, CBS All Access’ highly anticipated miniseries adaptation took over the virtual convention with a star-studded panel that culminated in the reveal of a brand new full-length trailer. Unlike the teaser that dropped back in August, this trailer offers a true in-depth look at the apocalyptic epic. A few of the images should send a shiver down your spine, particularly as we deal with our own ensuing pandemic. We get shots of the principal characters, we get glimpses of the world-building at hand, and we see a ton of allusions to the original novel. If you weren’t hyped already, this should leave Constant Readers champing at the bit for December. Watch the trailer below. [embedded content] Hosted by Van...
New Joy Division and New Order Podcast to Feature Surviving Band Members, Bono, Damon Albarn, Jonny Greenwood, More
Mark those calendars because a new podcast focused on the origins of Joy Division and New Order is set to debut later this month. Transmissions: The Definitive Story will trace the story of the two iconic and closely linked bands — from Joy Division’s formation up until New Order’s release of the 1983 hit single “Blue Monday”. Of course, the tragic death of Ian Curtis in 1980, and the subsequent split Joy Division, will receive substantial coverage. Fittingly, this history will be told by those who actually lived it — surviving band members such as Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, and Gillian Gilbert. The pod will also feature interviews with special guest musicians like Damon Albarn, Radiohead’s Jonny and Colin Greenwood, U2’s Bono, Liam Gallagher, Johnny Marr, and Karen O. Add...
Green Lantern HBO Max Series Rings Seth Grahame-Smith as Showrunner
Green Lanterns (image via HBO Max) and Seth Grahame-Smith, photo courtesy of author In brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall escape Seth Grahame-Smith’s sight! The author-turned screenwriter/producer will serve as showrunner on HBO Max’s forthcoming series based on DC Comics’ Green Lantern. Originally announced a year ago, the show has also received a straight-to-series 10 episode order. Graham-Smith (IT producer, The LEGO Batman Movie writer) will co-write the first of those shows alongside Marc Guggenheim, the co-creator of The CW’s Arrowverse. Guggenheim previously co-wrote the failed 2011 Green Lantern movie with Greg Berlanti, who also returns for the TV adaption as producer. But who’s behind the series is perhaps less interesting to fans than who’s in it. The Green Lanterns ...
BABYMETAL Announce Mysterious 10th Anniversary Best-Of Collection, Unveil “BxMxC” Video: Watch
BABYMETAL have been around for 10 years, and they’re celebrating with a mysterious new best-of collection. In addition, the Japanese pop-metal sensations just unveiled a music video for their song “BxMxC”. As young as founding members Su-metal and Moametal still are, it’s hard to fathom that BABYMETAL are celebrating their 10-year anniversary. At the time of their formation in 2010, the two singer-dancers were roughly aged 12 and 11. Now, to mark a decade of BABYMETAL, the band has announced a greatest-hits collection dubbed 10 BABYMETAL Years. The compilation is due December 23rd, and will be available in 10 different editions. Where it gets interesting is that the tracklist for at least one edition will be determined by fan vote, thanks to a bracket-style tournament. There will also be a...
Benny the Butcher Announces New Album Burden of Proof, Drops Lil Wayne and Big Sean Collaboration “Timeless”: Stream
Benny the Butcher (photo by Setor TsiKudo), Lil Wayne (photo by Ben Kaye), and Big Sean (photo by Philip Cosores) Benny the Butcher has announced a new album called Burden of Proof, due out next week. As an early look, the Griselda rapper is sharing a collaboration with fellow rap veterans Lil Wayne and Big Sean that’s appropriately titled “Timeless”. Benny’s prolific label mates, Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn, have each already dropped three albums (!) in 2020 alone, but the New York-bred MC is slowly but surely catching up: Burden of Proof marks his second effort of the year following his joint record with DJ Drama from July. Clearly going for a quality over quantity approach, Benny enlisted renowned beatmaker Hit-Boy (Kanye West, Beyoncé) to produce the entire project. ...
