Entertainment News
Van Morrison Announces Anti-Lockdown Song Series
The coronavirus death toll is currently 947,000, and Europe is in the midst of its second wave of the pandemic. And yet somehow there are still people like Van Morrison who believe it’s all a hoax and insist on putting more people’s lives in danger. In a statement last month, the Northern Irish songwriter dismissed socially distanced concerts as “pseudo-science”, and called on fellow musicians to join him in demanding a return to “full capacity audiences.” Now, to further drive his ill-informed point home, Van Morrison has announced a series of anti-lockdown protest songs. As the BBC reports, the “Brown Eyed Girl” musician plans to release three different singles in the near future. All of them bear cringe-worthy titles — the kind that Trump or one of those embarrassing Target Flash Mob an...
UK’s Socially Distanced Music Venue Shut Down Amidst Spike in COVID-19 Cases
The UK’s new socially distanced music venue has been shut down amidst a spike in coronavirus cases within the country. The Virgin Money Unity Arena opened in Newcastle earlier this summer, offering live music junkies the chance to see a concert live and in person in a safe setting. Specifically, the venue’s viewing area consisted of a series of enclosed platforms — each spaced six feet apart. Individuals or small groups could watch the concert standing or seated on these platforms, while concessions and bathrooms could be accessed through a one-way system. All told, it was a pretty creative setup that safety accommodated up to 2,500 music fans who turned out to watch concerts put on by Two Door Cinema Club, Sam Fender, The Libertines, Maximo Park, and more. Unfortunately, as the UK fa...
Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak Uncork New Song “YUUUU”: Stream
Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak will turn this car around on their banging new driving song “YUUUU”. It’s the latest single from Busta’s forthcoming album Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God. As an ode to U-Turns, “YUUUU” is much more metaphorical than literal, though the sparkling production would certainly lend flair to any high-speed swerving in your future. But in a broader sense, “YUUUU” is a stunt track framed as a willingness to change course, retrace, and take care of unfinished business. “Bitch I had to bust a Uuuu!” .Paak sings, his voice high but falling. He adds, “Know I had to finish what I started/ No, it ain’t too late to turn around, is it?” Busta Rhymes takes his high-octane verse in sixth gear, but he also slows down for a memorable bridge: “Now I’m gettin’ back li...
Lykke Li Covers Gloria Gaynor Classic “I Will Survive”: Stream
It’s been well over a year since we’ve heard anything new from Lykke Li. That changes today, however, with the release of a fresh cover song. Fitting considering these unprecedented times, she has tackled the Gloria Gaynor anthem “I Will Survive”. In 2018, the Swedish songwriter effortlessly turned mournful brooding into something hot and heavy on her bluntly titled but very good so sad so sexy. It should come as no surprise, then, that her rendition of a disco classic sounds far and away from Gaynor’s original 1979 vision. That’s not to say the cover isn’t worth a spin or two, especially if you’re a fan of the way Li can evoke a very specific fragile ambiance. Hear it for yourself below, and then revisit Gaynor’s recent interview on This Must Be the Gig. Lately, Li has been surviving...
Dolly Parton Pays Tribute to RBG: “She Was Small in Stature but Even the Tallest Looked Up to Her”
Dolly Parton, Pearl Jam, Hayley Williams of Paramore, Margo Price, and several other musicians have joined Stevie Nicks in paying tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “She was small in stature but even the tallest looked up to her,” Parton said in a statement post to social media. “Her voice was soft but her message rang loud and clear and will echo forever. Thank you, RBG. Rest In Peace. Respectfully, Dolly Parton.” “A life that was the very definition of service,” wrote the members of Pearl Jam. “May she rest now in peace and may we not rest until we have carried her legacy forward.” “Major thanks to this badass,” remarked Williams. “Rest in peace & power #RBG now, let’s all PLEASE just fucking vote! I feel especially inclined to mention how much our reproductive rig...
Eddie Murphy Wins First-Ever Emmy Award for SNL Comeback
Eddie Murphy’s long-awaited return to Saturday Night Live late last year has earned the legendary comedian and actor his first-ever Emmy Award. During the fourth and final night of the Creative Emmy Awards, Murphy won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his turn hosting SNL. The December 2019 episode marked Murphy’s first time hosting the sketch comedy show in 30 years, and saw him reprise many beloved characters from his time as a cast member, including Mister Robinson, Gumby, Buckwheat, and Velvet Jones. Murphy had been nominated for Emmys twice before during his time on SNL in the early 1980s, but this marks his first-ever victory. Meanwhile, Maya Rudolph’s SNL portrayal of Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris earned her Outstanding Guest Actor in a ...
Stevie Nicks Pays Tribute to Her “Hero” Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stevie Nicks has penned a poignant tribute to her “hero” Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The longtime Supreme Court Justice passed away Friday night (Sept. 18th) due to complications from pancreatic cancer. “She fought for me, and all women,” Nicks wrote in a statement posted to social media. “I I feel today very much like I felt on the night my own mother died. I feel like someone punched me in the stomach. My tears have not stopped since a friend tip toed into my room and said ‘Stevie, Ruth died.’ (No need for the last name…)” “I so believed that she would live for a few more years,” Nicks continued. “I wanted to meet her. I wanted to hold her hand and give her a huge hug and thank her for all she had done for women, and for all she would continue to do.” Nicks expressed regret that she never ...
Tyler Childers Drops Surprise New Album Long Violent History: Stream
Country artist Tyler Childers has dropped a surprise new album titled Long Violent History. Stream it below through Apple Music and Spotify. Childers announced the follow-up to 2019’s Country Squire in a six-minute video essay on YouTube. The first eight tracks are traditional fiddle instrumentals “intended to create a sonic soundscape for the listener, to set the tone to reflect on the last track, which is my own observational piece on the times we are in.” That final statement, “Long Violent History”, is an explicit appeal to rural white voters on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement. Childers asks his listeners how they would behave if their friends and families were treated the way that Black Americans have been treated. He sings, “How many boys could they haul off this mount...
That ’70s Show’s Danny Masterson Appears in Court, Denies Rape Charges
Danny Masterson, former star of That ’70s Show, appeared in court Friday on charges of raping three women. According to the BBC, while the actor did not enter a plea, his lawyer, Tom Mesereau, dismissed the charges against him as “politically motivated.” The alleged assaults took place between 2001 and 2003 and involved three women between the ages of 23 and 28. If convicted as charged, Masterson faces a possible maximum sentence of 45 years to life in prison. All three accusers attended Friday’s hearing, as did about 20 of Masterson’s friends. These supporters were forced to wait outside the courtroom due to pandemic restrictions. Masterson has previously argued that he is an innocent victim being persecuted for his membership in the Church of Scientology. His la...
R.I.P. Lee Kerslake, Drummer for Ozzy Osbourne and Uriah Heep Dies at 73
Lee Kerslake, drummer on Ozzy Osbourne’s classic solo albums and longtime member of Uriah Heep, passed away Saturday (September 19th) at the age of 73. The veteran musician died after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. The drummer’s death was reported by Ken Hensley, a fellow former member of Uriah Heep. “It’s with the heaviest of hearts that I share with you that Lee Kerslake, my friend of 55 years and the best drummer I ever played with, lost his battle with cancer at 03:30 this morning,” wrote Hensley. “He died peacefully, praise The Lord, but he will be terribly missed.” He continued, “I know many of you were praying for him not to suffer and I thank you for that and, now that Lee is at peace, our thoughts and prayers should turn to his wife Sue who will need all the support she ca...
Jamila Woods Shares New Version of “SULA (Hardcover)”: Stream
Last month saw Jamila Woods return with “SULA (Paperback)”, her first new music since releasing one of 2019’s best albums, LEGACY! LEGACY!. Now, she’s shared a different version of the track, appropriately called “SULA (Hardcover)”. Inspired by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison’s 1973 novel of the same name, “SULA” finds Woods rejecting conventional ideas of identity in order to “embrace my tenderness, my sensitivities, my ways of being in my body.” Whereas the “Paperback” version did this as a peaceful mantra, the “Hardcover” take features a more sensual grove. With a silky beat from Slot-A, “SULA (Hardcover)” fully embodies the sexuality at the song’s core. As does the accompanying music video. The clip would be labeled slightly NSFW in normal days, but let’s be real, this is a pa...
Lady Gaga Premieres New “911” Video: Watch
Lady Gaga has premiered her epic new music video for the Chromatica single “911”. Watch the clip down below, directed by filmmaker Tarsem. Considered by the pop megastar as a “short film”, the clip follows Gaga as she traverses a desert and follows a mysterious horseback rider to a remote village. It’s there where the previously masked Gaga marches out one incredibly detailed outfit after another in true Gaga fashion. Some have her draped in blue, see-through lace, while others feature ornate headpieces. She and those around her perform ritualistic movements, and there’s more than a handful of seemingly religious imagery (one Mary-like character wears an elaborate white dress with a red cross emblazoned on her chest). There’s also a scene in which Gaga ascends into the air, but a rope...
