NEWS
Game of Thrones Broadway Play is in the Works
There are currently six Game of Thrones spinoffs being developed for HBO Max — two prequels, an animated series, and three other offshoots — but the iconic fantasy saga is also making its way on to the big stage. A Broadway play adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s creation is currently in the works, and it promises the return of some beloved fallen characters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the dramatic stage production is being helmed by producers Simon Painter and Tim Lawson, who previously produced the magic extravaganza, The Illusionists. Martin himself will be penning the story alongside English playwright Duncan MacMillan (1984) and director Dominic Cook (The Courier, The Hollow Crown). The story itself provides a unique angle for longtime Game of Thrones heads, a...
Ariana Grande Joins The Voice As Coach, Replacing Nick Jonas
Ariana Grande is joining NBC’s The Voice as one of the coaches for Season 21, which kicks off this fall. She is taking over Nick Jonas’ spot, joining Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Blake Shelton as the American singing competition’s coaches. “I’m so honored and excited to join The Voice family! I have been a huge fan of the show for such a long time,” Grande said in a statement. “I can’t wait to go head-to-head with the incredible coaches, get to know these new artists, and help to take their craft to the next level.” Past Voice coaches include Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell, Gwen Stefani, and Alicia Keys, while artists like Taylor Swift, Mary J. Blige, and Missy Elliott have played advisory roles. Grande is coming off a Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammys win for...
Reading and Leeds Festival Will “Almost Certainly” Require Vaccine Cards
Reading and Leeds Festival is still planning to go forward with their August dates, but with some COVID-19 protocols that The Stone Roses’ frontman Ian Brown will have problems with: namely, vaccine cards. In a new interview with the BBC, Reading and Leeds organizer Melvin Benn said that twin festivals will “almost certainly” require attendees to show proof that they received their COVID-19 shots with special vaccination passports. The UK is on track to lift pandemic restrictions in the coming months, which would be just in time for Reading and Leeds’ weekend from August 27th through the 29th. “I’m taking the prime minister at his word that from June the legal restrictions will be off and as he and the culture secretary said: ‘We are looking forward to a summer of fun’,” Benn told&nbs...
You’re Living in 2021, the New Lexus LF-Z Electrified Concept Is Living in 2025
Lexus was an early adopter of hybrids, having introduced the RX hybrid SUV in 2005 and offering hybrid variants of many of other models since—just like its parent, Toyota. Also like Toyota, Lexus seems to be dragging its feet a bit on battery electric vehicles (BEV); the luxury automaker’s first effort, the UX-based UX300e, won’t even be sold in America. But an ambitious turnaround is afoot, evidenced by the newly-revealed LF-Z Electrified concept. It previews Lexus’s big plans to move to the front of the pack come 2025, the year by which they have promised all Lexus models will offer some sort of electrification. But First, That Design Let’s start with the LF-Z Electrified’s design, which is, er, different. Lexus’s controversial hourglass-shap...
Britney Spears Says She ‘Cried for Two Weeks’ Over ‘Framing Britney Spears’ Doc
In a new Instagram post, Britney Spears addresses Framing Britney Spears, the buzzy documentary about her time in the spotlight, saying she “didn’t watch” the New York Times doc but that she was “embarrassed by the light they put me in.” This is the first time Spears has directly addressed the doc, which debuted last month on FX and Hulu and brought negative attention to the conservatorship she’s been under since she was involuntarily committed to the hospital more than a decade ago. “I didn’t watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in,” Spears wrote Tuesday (March 30) on Instagram. “I cried for two weeks and well …. I still cry sometimes !!!! I do what I can i...
Justin Bieber Addresses Controversy Behind ‘MLK Interlude’ on ‘Justice’: ‘I Want to Keep Growing & Learning’
Justice continued Bieber’s successful streak when he secured his eighth No. 1 LP and “Peaches,” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first solo male artist to debut at the top of both charts simultaneously. Kristal Terrell, one of the co-founders of Bieber Nation, the first JB-dedicated club on Clubhouse, asked Bieber himself in his first-ever Clubhouse room on Tuesday (March 30) about how he believed music could continue to play a role in social advocacy. But the 27-year-old singer took a minute to reflect on the part of the album that speaks volumes to what Bieber believes to be a profound example of someone who would die for what they stand for — but it was also a part of the album he discovered online...
Virgin Music Label and Artists Services Launches In Australia
The team Down Under “has a genuine passion for partnering with and servicing the best and most innovative independent artists and labels from around the world,” he adds. Joining Janes at Virgin Music Australia are former Caroline Australia colleagues Sam Cross and Ella Symons, who switch over to the positions of Senior Label Manager (both were Label Relations and Marketing Managers at Caroline), while ex-Caroline label coordinator Claire Tate shifts into the newly-created role as marketing and audience manager. Also, Lachlan Duthie joins as label coordinator, and Juliette Younger and Jodie Grinsted are named media and promotions managers. With the new team in place, enthuses Janes, “we are energized for our biggest year yet, and I cannot wait for this new chapter to begin.” That new chapte...
Australia’s Recording Industry Posts Growth During Pandemic
Again, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and the myriad streaming brands powered the market, posting total growth of 14% in 2020, for income of A$362 million ($275 million). If there’s one sour note to be gleaned from the numbers, it’s the slowing rate of growth for subscription services, which had raced to 30% growth in 2019. Vinyl albums are another bright point, spinning A$29 million ($22 million) in sales, up 32% versus the previous year. Sometime in 2021, the vinyl market will overtake the CD business, once a powerhouse format that’s now worth just 5.6% of the total market. Digital single and album sales continue to trend down, shrinking by 27% year-on-year. Downloads now represent just 6% of the total market. ARIA’s trade results were reported with no fanfare, and were oversh...
Staind Announce New Live Album and Livestream Performance of Break the Cycle in Full
It’s been a while, literally, since Staind put out any music, but Aaron Lewis and company have just announced a new live album documenting their 2019 comeback shows. Live: It’s Been Awhile will arrive on May 7th, and will be sandwiched by a pair of livestream events, including a full performance of the band’s multiplatinum 2001 album, Break the Cycle. The live album was captured at Staind’s pair of reunion shows at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, in October 2019. The concerts marked the group’s first headlining gigs following a five-year hiatus, and featured such hits as “For You”, “So Far Away”, “It’s Been Awhile”, and “Outside”. Their first show back was a set at the Louder Than Life festival a week earlier. Cameras were there to capture the show, and as part of...
R.I.P. Brian Rohan, “Dope Lawyer” for Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey Dead at 84
Brian Rohan, the San Francisco “dope lawyer” who represented celebrity clients like Grateful Dead and author Ken Kesey, has died at 84. He passed away at home in the Bay Area after a six-year-long battle with cancer, confirmed his daughter Kathleen Jolson. “My father grew up very straitlaced, and he was fascinated by what he saw in the Haight. He was looking for somebody to help, and he saw that nobody was there to protect the kids flocking to San Francisco,” Jolson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He worked until the last day of his life, clutching his phone in one hand and his iPad in the other. He fought for his clients, he fought for his friends, and he fought for what he thought was right.” Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1936, Rohan spent his high school years rocking the debate team...
Britney Spears Responds to Documentary: “I Cried for Two Weeks”
Framing Britney Spears, the documentary exploring Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship, premiered back on February 5th. Since then, nearly everyone has commented on the film, including her father Jamie Spears, media stars, and even Justin Timberlake. However, one crucial voice has been missing from the discourse on the documentary — Britney Spears herself — and now she’s finally speaking up about it. In a new post on Instagram, Spears revealed that she’s only seen parts of Framing Britney Spears. Understandably, she had been putting it off due to the overwhelming nature of its content and the massive response from viewers. “My life has always been very speculated… watched… and judged really my whole life,” reads the caption. “I didn’t watch the documentary but from what ...
Papoose ft. Wiz Khalifa & Brady Watt “Is It Worth It,” Vic Mensa ft. Zacari “Fr33dom” & More | Daily Visuals 3.29.21
HipHopWired Featured Video With Love & Hip Hop having been on hiatus for a while now due to the pandemic, it only makes sense that artists like Remy Ma, Papoose and others actually get back to making music and one-half of Black Love is doing just that. Today Papoose returns with some new heat in “Is It Worth It” where he, Wiz Khalifa and Brady Watt rock out in jail where the inmates are obviously running things. This joint go hard, b. Vic Mensa meanwhile continues to get his activism on and for his latest Zacari assisted clip to “Fr33dom” takes all kinds of shots at 12. Don’t be surprised if Hip-Hop police comes for Vince after seeing this one. Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Neek Bucks featuring Benny The But...
