Entertainment News
John Prine “Picture Show” Livestream to Feature Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Bill Murray & More
The life and legacy of John Prine will be celebrated later this week with a star-studded livestream tribute concert. Presented by the folk legend’s own family, “Picture Show” promises appearances from Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Bonnie Raitt, and Brandi Carlile. Also included on the lineup are Eric Church, Sara Watkins, Kurt Vile, Vince Gill, Margo Price, Courtney Marie Andrews, Fiona Whelan Prine, Jack Prine, Tommy Prine, John Paul White, and The Secret Sisters. Additionally, Prine’s own longtime backing band — that’s Kenneth Blevins, David Jacques, Fats Kaplin, Jason Wilber — is participating. The virtual event will also be “attended” by actors and TV personalities such as Bill Mu...
Mudhoney’s Live Mud Album Receives First-Ever Digital Release: Stream
Mudhoney’s 2007 live album Live Mud has receives its first-ever digital release. Stream it below via Bandcamp. Producer Brett Ellason recorded the band’s December 10th, 2005 performance at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. In 2007, the concert was packaged as Live Mud for a limited vinyl release, and it’s been hard to come by ever since. This is the first time it’s been available in a digital edition. The 11-song set featured three previews of the 2006 album Under a Billion Suns, two tracks from 2002’s Since We’ve Become Translucent, and a powerhouse tour of early Mudhoney favorites, including breakout single “Suck You Dry” and beloved cuts from the band’s Sub Pop days like “Mudride”, “Touch Me, I’m Sick”, “No One Has”, “In & Out of Grace”, and a rollicki...
Music, TV, and Film Production Can Resume in California on June 12th
After months of shutdowns crippled the entertainment industry, governor Gavin Newsom has announced guidelines to resume music, film, and television production in California. Via The Hollywood Reporter, work can begin again on June 12th, as the Golden State transitions into Stage 3 of its coronavirus recovery plan. Stage 3 allows for the re-opening of some “higher-risk workplaces.” Concerts won’t return until stage 4 (and even then, it might not be a typical concert experience) but most recording studios should be back after next Friday. Additionally, many of the film and television productions that paused during the pandemic seem likely to resume. However, the guidelines are purposefully vague, and several questions remain. In a statement, the California Department of Public Health sa...
J.K. Rowling is Being Transphobic Again
J.K. Rowling, photo via Facebook Late last year, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling drew accusations of transphobia after expressing her support for Maya Forstater, a researcher who was fired from the Centre for Global Development after opposing changes to the Gender Recognition Act that would allow for individuals to self-identify themselves. In a message posted at the time, Rowling wrote, “Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real?” Rowling was seemingly unmoved by the criticism over her past remarks, as the literary giant has tweeted more problematic, transphobic commentary regarding transgender people, non-binary ...
Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam Will No Longer Use Guns in New Looney Tunes Episodes
With the launch of HBO Max comes the return of Bugs Bunny and his furry friends as the streaming service commissioned 1,000 minutes of new Looney Tunes cartoons. As the New York Times notes in a new profile on the project, producers sought to harken back to the early glory days of Looney Tunes by emphasizing art direction and music over formal plots, with each episode running between one to six minutes in length. “We don’t do scripts,” Peter Browngardt, the series executive producer and showrunner, told the Times. “I hired cartoonists. So we get them together in a room and we just draw pictures and gags.” However, there is one notable difference between the new Looney Tunes and the episodes of yesteryear: Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam will be without guns. Instead, the show’s animators ...
Beyoncé, BTS Give Commencement Speeches for the Obamas’ “Dear Class of 2020”: Watch
On Sunday, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama hosted YouTube’s virtual graduation ceremony “Dear Class of 2020”. The five-hour, festival-style event combined classic commencement day themes with a diverse array of entertainment. As part of the festivities, both Beyoncé and BTS gave commencement speeches, which you can replay below. Beyoncé began her commencement speech by recognizing the global health crisis and racial pandemic that has simultaneously gripped America. “The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others have left us all broken. It has left the entire country searching for answers,” Beyoncé commented. Even still, she commended the graduating class for using “your collective voice and letting the worlds know that Black lives matter.” S...
Adekunle Gold & Simi Welcomes Baby Girl, Adejare
Nigerian Entertainment couple, Adekunle Gold and Simi have welcomed the birth of their first child in the United States. Reports made the rounds weeks ago, that the couple have both been situated in the United States way before the commencement of the lockdown issued across countries plagued with the Coronavirus. Fans and followers have been anticipating the birth of the couple’s first child and now, the wait is finally over as they’ve just announced the birth of their daughter. In an e-mail shared by the proud father to his fans, Adekunle Gold referenced the lovely moment he first held his baby in his arms. According to him, he was filled with tears when he welcomed his baby girl into the world and even cried more when he stared into her eyes. He also names the child, Adejare&nb...
Cast of Schitt’s Creek Reunite Alongside Mariah Carey: Watch
The cast of Schitt’s Creek reunited alongside an unexpected surprise guests during the Obamas’ “Dear Class of 2020” virtual graduation ceremony on Sunday. Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, Noah Reid, and several other Schitt’s Creek cast members reprised their characters for a virtual salute to teachers. “We gave been given the essential task of sending our preceptors… some panegyrical words,” said O’Hara’s Moria Rose. Following some more humorous banter between the Rose family, the rest of Schitt’s Creek joined the Zoom to sing Mariah Carey’s “Hero”. *Spoiler* Near the end of the performance, Carey herself crashed the Zoom to join the sing-along. After offering her own words of gratitude to teachers, Carey then ended her appearance by singing a b...
BTS Headline “Dear Class of 2020” Post-Graduation Party: Watch
To close out the Obamas’ “Dear Class of 2020” virtual graduation ceremony, BTS and Megan Thee Stallion headlined a post-graduation party. BTS kicked off their mini-set with a high-energy, choreographed version of “Boy With Luv”. They then sat on stools for a soothing version of “Spring Day”, before closing out their performance with “Mikrokosmos”. Earlier on in the event, BTS gave a poignant commencement speech during which he member of the K-pop shared their own memories from graduation day. [embedded content] Meagan Thee Stallion delivered a medley of hits, including “Big Ole Freak”, “Hot Girl Summer”, “Captain Hook”, “Cash Shit”, and “Savage (Remix)”. [embedded content] The five-hour, festival-style event also featured performances from Katy Perry and Malmua. Perry sang her new sin...
Grace Potter Performs “Eachother” with Jackson Browne, Marcus King, and Lucius on Colbert: Watch
Last month, Grace Potter released “Eachother”, featuring soaring vocals from Jackson Browne, Marcus King, and the gals of Lucius. On Friday, Potter re-assembled that superstar ensemble for a social-distance performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “Eachother” is an uplifting ballad for the time of coronavirus, with imagery of empty streets, bare shelves, and neighbors who talk, “but we don’t get too close.” The first time that all the voices join together in bewitching harmony, it’s like a streak of sunlight bursting through the clouds. Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius blend their tones unselfishly, while Marcus King steals the show with his smoky, searing tenor. Jackson Browne, fully recovered from COVID-19, grounds the proceedings with his bluesy lower register. Grace Pot...
Pearl Jam Unearth Uncensored Version of “Jeremy” Video: Watch
In recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 5th, Pearl Jam unearthed the uncensored version of their 1992 video for “Jeremy”. To date, “Jeremy” remains one of Pearl Jam’s most chilling and affecting songs, based on the real-life suicide of high school student Jeremy Wade Delle, who shot himself in front of his classmates in January 1991. The accompanying video depicts the incident in graphic detail, though the edited version zoomed in on Jeremy’s face so that his gun could not be seen. The uncensored version includes the haunting final scene with Jeremy putting a gun in his mouth. “The increase in gun violence since the debut of ‘Jeremy’ is staggering,” Pearl Jam wrote in an accompanying social media post. “We have released the uncensored version of the video which w...
RZA Shares New Bruce Lee-Inspired Song “Be Like Water”: Stream
RZA has released “Be Like Water”, a new song dedicated to Bruce Lee soundtracking ESPN’s forthcoming “30 for 30” documentary on the iconic martial arts expert and actor. “Bruce Lee’s teachings extended beyond physical martial arts. He was full of philosophy and mindfulness,” RZA said of Lee’s legacy in a statement. “His quote ‘Be Water my friend’ is profound and multi-tiered in definition,” the founding member of Wu-Tang Clan continued. “It inspires the idea that in adapting to life situations, sometimes we have to flow smoothly as a stream, while other times we have to crash like a Tsunami.” On his new track, RZA can be heard instructing, “Be like water/ Water crosses over every border/ From the mud of the Yangtze River to the sand beaches of Florida.” He later praises Lee’s films, s...
