Entertainment News
Andrea Bocelli Delivers Stunning Christmas Performance from Inside Italy’s Frasassi Caves: Watch
Andrea Bocelli is truly the gift that keeps on giving. The famed singer has already delivered two inspiring performances in 2020 — first an Easter Sunday concert in Milan titled “Music For Hope”, followed by “Believe in Christmas”, a holiday show done in collaboration with his own young daughter Virginia. But it turns out Bocelli has been saving the best for last. To close out the year, the Grammy-nominated opera legend performed a magical Christmas set from inside Italy’s famed Frasassi Caves. Surrounded by stunning and surreal limestone formations, Bocelli sung timeless classics like “White Christmas” and “Silent Night”. He also did “Caro Gesù Bambino”, “Pianissimo”, and “Fratello Sole Sorella Luna (Dolce è sentire)”. What’s more, Bocelli also gave a special poetry reading. His piece cau...
G Herbo Responds to Fraud Charges on New Song “Statement”: Stream
Earlier this month, G Herbo was arrested and charged with $1.5 million in fraud and accused of stealing identities to pay for chartered flights, a vacation in Jamaica, and designer puppies. Having entered a “not guilty” plea in a Massachusetts court, the Chicago MC is now making his case in the court of public opinion on the new song “Statement”. Herbo begins the verse by exploring the familiar landscapes of his hit song “PTSD”. “Same spot they shot my brother, next day I’m chillin at,” he raps. But after a tour through the mean streets of Chicago, he turns his attention to his recent arrest. “But anyway, said enough of that let’s talk about this paper/ Let’s talk about them jets, yeah let’s talk about Jamaica/ Ask about me I ain’t never been a fraud (ever)/ I went hard from the start (sta...
Bob Dylan to Release Archival 1970 Set Featuring Nine Songs with George Harrison
On the heels of selling his entire songwriting catalog, Bob Dylan has announced a special new archival set is on the way. It’s called 1970 and it features 74 previously unreleased tracks, demos, and outtakes, including nine songs that feature George Harrison. It’s due out on February 26th, 2021 via Columbia/Legacy. As the title suggests, 1970 focuses on the music Dylan released during that era. The three-disc set boasts outtakes from the sessions that birthed both Self Portrait and New Morning, the two albums he released that year, as well as alternate versions of select songs, such as “Alligator Man”, and instrumentals. Of course, the most alluring part of this special release is Dylan’s collaborations with the late Beatles guitarist. On May 1st, 1970, the two holed up in a studio to...
The Bird and the Bee Cover “Little Drummer Boy” with Medium Drummer Man Dave Grohl: Stream
Over eight crazy nights, Dave Grohl and his pal Greg Kurstin performed eight covers of Jewish musicians in celebration of Hanukkah. With the Festival of Lights concluding on Thursday, Grohl and Kurstin turned their attention to Christmas and linked up with Kurstin’s The Bird and the Bee bandmate Inara George for a cover of “Little Drummer Boy” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “The Little Drummer Boy” was composed by the music teacher Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. Apart from the melody, the song is instantly recognizable for the rat-a-tat-tat rhythm played by the titular little drummer boy. But medium-sized drummer man Dave Grohl had other ideas. He kicked off the song with a flourish before settling into a driving rock and roll groove, riding the cymbals and keeping the bass drum thumping. Kurst...
Fiona Apple Considers Boycotting the Grammys Over Dr. Luke Nomination
Fiona Apple singlehandedly delivered the best album of the year when she dropped Fetch the Bolt Cutters, and she was acknowledged for doing such with a handful of Grammy nominations last month. Now, in a new interview, Apple has shared her thoughts about what it means to be honored at the Grammys, her frustrations with producer Dr. Luke, and much more. The Guardian interview with Apple goes deep into a handful of subjects, spanning everything from the impact of her iconic 1997 MTV Awards speech to the very real person who inspired “Shameika”. However, the most topical segment arrived when Apple inadvertently brought up the Recording Academy, their suspended President and CEO Deborah Dugan, and their decision to nominate Dr. Luke (under the pseudonym Tyson Trax) despite Kesha’s allegations ...
David Bowie Musical Lazarus Starring Michael C. Hall to Stream on Bowie’s Birthday
A filmed recording of the David Bowie musical Lazarus will be streamed next month to coincide with the late musician’s 74th birthday as well as the fifth anniversary of his death. One of the final works created by Bowie prior to his passing, Lazarus premiered off-Broadway in late 2015. It was then staged at London’s King’s Cross Theatre the following year. The story is inspired by the Bowie-starring film The Man Who Fell to Earth, which itself was based on a 1961 novel by Walter Tevis (The Hustler, The Color of Money, The Queen’s Gambit). The musical was directed by Ivo van Hove, and featured Michael C. Hall (Dexter) as alien Thomas Newton and Broadway ingenue Sophia Anne Caruso as his muse. The corresponding soundtracks spans Bowie’s entire discogra...
Eric Clapton and Van Morrison Share Awful Anti-Lockdown Song “Stand and Deliver”: Stream
Van Morrison has officially fallen down the black hole of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and Eric Clapton is willfully joining him for the ride. This afternoon, the two veteran musicians teamed up to release a new anti-lockdown song called “Stand and Deliver”. Spoiler alert: it’s truly awful. “Stand and Deliver” is an original song written by Morrison and sung by Clapton. The mild blues rock track is all about how the government is preventing people from living their daily lives, and how it’s up to those people to stand up for their rights before they become brainwashed. “I just wanna do my job/ Playing the blues for my friends/ Magna Carta, Bill of Rights/ The Constitution, what’s it worth?” sings Clapton. “Do you wanna be a free man/ Or do you wanna be a slave?” There’s a generic gui...
12-Year-Old DJ Has Equipment Confiscated After School Bathroom Rave
Cael Bell, 12-year-old DJ and all-ages legend, had his equipment confiscated after hosting a rave in the school bathroom. As his mother Louise Bell related on Facebook, the saga began about two weeks ago, when the budding turntablist sent out a Snapchat announcement inviting “all the boys from year 8” at St. Antony’s Catholic College in Manchester, UK. Together, they held an impromptu dance fest in the boys lavatory during lunch period on December 11th. The set included complimentary soft drinks and Cadbury Twirls, and while a school bathroom is a below-average setting for such a lunch, it is certainly cleaner than your typical rave. The set lasted 30 minutes before anti-fun authorities broke it up. Bell’s mother said that the boy’s speaker and lights have been impounded, although she...
US Space Force Rips Off Marvel, Names Its Soldiers Guardians
The US Armed Forces has its soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen… and now, Guardians. Yes, right out of an intergalactic Marvel franchise of some renown, the US has officially named the members of the Space Force Guardians. Current-but-not-for-long Vice President Mike Pence announced the naming at a Friday ceremony celebrating the one-year anniversary of the nascent military branch. According to the official Space Force Twitter account (not @realSpaceForce, which belongs to the Netflix comedy), the name was selected partially as a tribute to the original motto of the 1983 Air Force Space Command: “Guardians of the High Frontier.” “The name Guardians connects our proud heritage and culture to the important mission we execute 24/7, protecting the people and interest of the U.S. and its allies,...
Dean & Britta and Sonic Boom Cover John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”: Stream
Earlier this week, Alanis Morissette festively covered the timeless John Lennon single “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Now, Dean & Britta, the musical duo comprised of Galaxie 500’s Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, have put their own spin on the holiday classic in collaboration with English producer Sonic Boom. Additionally, Sonic Boom has released his own song dedicated to the season. Jingling bells rattle throughout the warm and faithful rendition of “Happy Xmas”. But there’s also an echoing effect draped over the entire cover, giving it an almost trippy wall-of-sound sensation. According to a statement, Sonic Boom, a.k.a. Pete Kemper of Spacemen 3, came up with the idea for this version and mixed it himself at New Atlantis Studios in Portugal. As for Sonic Boo...
Melvins Announce “New Year’s Evil” Livestream Event
The Melvins have announced “Melvins TV: Volume 1, New Year’s Evil”, a livestream event to ring in 2021. The virtual show will feature a five-song performance by the Melvins, interviews, extras, and an opening set by Void Manes. The stream goes live on December 31st at 3:00 p.m. ET / noon PT, and tickets cost $5 each. “‘Melvins TV, New Year’s Evil’ is as close to a live show as we can get during this hideous pandemic,” Buzz Osborne said in a press announcement. “We’ll be doing more of these so tune in and enjoy! Happy New Year!” The Melvins lineup for the stream will consist of the band’s core trio of Osborne, Dale Crover, and Steven McDonald (of Redd Kross fame). A commemorative limited-edition poster and T-shirt designed by Junko Mizuno and Mackie Osborne will be available exclusively to ...
Grimes Changes the Album Artwork for Miss Anthropocene
When Grimes rolled out her excellent fifth studio album Miss Anthropocene back in February, it was clear that the full-length was an ambitious passion project bursting with imagination. Little did we know that nine months later it would get a new creative twist. As caught by FADER, the album artwork for Miss Anthropocene has been replaced with a painting by artist Rupid Leejm on all streaming platforms. When Miss Anthropocene was initially released, the album repped a black and pink graphic akin to a screenshot of Photoshop mid-assignment. As Grimes later clarified, the visual was an image of the software that the “new Gods” use to design the simulation, and the project they were designing was the record’s titular character. Now, streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music display a b...
