NEWS
J Balvin Adds Karol G, Jhay Cortez, Tainy, Rauw Alejandro & More to Neón in Las Vegas
The Neón Experience will take place in Las Vegas during Mexican Independence Weekend, September 16-19, which traditionally has been a huge weekend for Latin music in Vegas, typically featuring big stars playing arena shows. Balvin’s event, coming in the wake of the pandemic, is something else entirely. Capped at just 3,000 tickets, the three days and nights of events are being curated by Balvin and will include a headlining concert with him. Different “experiences” will take place in various locales in the new Resorts World Las Vegas, including its entertainment venues Zouk Nightclub and Ayu Dayclub. The centerpiece of the event is a 90-minute concert headlined by Balvin where, for the first time, he’ll sing the songs from his Colores album live. “It’s the first event weR...
Elton John Condemns ‘Hypocrisy’ of the Vatican After Same-Sex Union Ruling
John, a fervent advocate for and member of the LGBTQ+ community, condemned the Vatican’s statement as “hypocrisy,” considering their financial investment in his 2019 biopic Rocketman, which depicts him coming out as a gay man and entering into a sexual relationship with his manager John Reid before eventually celebrating his marriage to husband David Furnish at the end of the movie. The couple, who’ve been together for 15 years, were married on Dec. 21, 2014, at their Windsor estate nine months after same-sex marriage became legal in England. “How can the Vatican refuse to bless gay marriages because they ‘are sin’, yet happily make a profit from investing millions in ‘Rocketman’ – a film which celebrates my finding happ...
Brandi Carlile Shares Cover of John Prine’s ‘I Remember Everything’
One of the more memorable moments of the Grammys was the reconfigured “In Memorium” segment. In it, select artists paid tribute to those who died in 2020 with performances of their songs. One of the best was when Brandi Carlile performed a tender version of John Prine’s final song, “I Remember Everything,” which won two Grammys in its own right. Prine’s song was recorded by producer Dave Cobb and engineer Gena Johnson, and it was bittersweetly Prine’s only No. 1 song. A day later, Carlile has released a studio version of “I Remember Everything.” <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,”height”:”270″...
Grammys Ratings See Steep Decline; Final Tally Could See Record Low
Last night’s Grammy Awards were pretty good! They had a nice mix of performances, quips and mostly got the actual awards part right — with a few exceptions, of course. However, that didn’t mean that people tuned in. According to early ratings reports from Nielsen, the actual telecast on CBS was the lowest-rated Grammys in history. The show pulled in an average of 7.88 million viewers with a 1.9 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic (which is the key figure for advertisers). Believe it or not, that’s less than half of the audience who tuned in for the 2020 edition that took place last January. The final numbers for that event were 18.69 million and a 5.4 rating. The 2021 figure also includes people who lived livestreamed the event. <!– // Brid Player Singles. ...
Reggie Warren Of ’80s R&B Group Troop Dead At 52
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Instagram / @stevenrussellhartss Troop, an R&B group that first amassed fame in the 1980s, lost one of its founding members over the weekend. Reggie Warren, who has battled health issues in the past, died surrounded by family and friends this past Sunday (March 14). Troop got their start in 1987 out of Pasadena, Calif. with Steve “Random” Russell, John “Jon Jon” Harreld, Rodney Benford, Allen McNeil, and Reggie Warren. Russell took to Instagram to share news of Warren’s passing, sharing a picture of his musical partner with a loving message. “ob well done my brother I will see you on the other side. RIP Reggie Warren #DamnReggie, Russell wrote. In the body of the post, R&B singer Case, Hit-Boy, Melba Moore, CeCe Peniston, and more offered their si...
The Falcon and Winter Soldier Get Into Funny Exchange in New Exclusive Clip
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Disney+ / Disney In just a few short days Disney+ will be continuing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s post-Endgame storylines with the debut of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and to hype up the series we got a quick clip of what kind of dialogue we can expect when Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) team up to save the day. In the new exclusive clip we find Sam and Bucky in a comedic exchange about “the big three” when it comes to villains: androids, aliens and wizards. After Bucky suggests that wizards like “Gandalf” don’t exist even though Doctor Strange technically qualifies as one, Sam questions how Bucky is familiar with the fictional character. “I read the Hobbit in 1937 when it first came out,” Bucky explains calmly and matter-of-fact...
Kirk Franklin’s Daughter Defends Dad After Son Leaked Heated Argument
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Ron Galella, Ltd. / Getty Kirk Franklin and his 32-year-old son Kerrion Franklin have been the center of discussion all weekend after a leaked phone call posted by the younger Franklin went viral. After the profanity-laced argument made its rounds, the Gospel star has since apologized over the argument but his daughter, Kennedy Franklin, defended her dad’s actions via social media. On Saturday (March 13), Kerrion leaked a portion of a phone call between him and his father then explained his actions in a lengthy Instagram caption. “This is why I’m done. No father should speak to their children like this,” opened the caption. “If I have any issues it’s because Of this type of treatment that ii deal with behind closed doors.” Kerrion continued, “Hanging up i...
The Talk Goes on Brief Hiatus After Sharon Osbourne’s Heated Defense of Piers Morgan
A heated conversation between The Talk co-hosts Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood about Piers Morgan has led CBS to conduct an internal review and put the show on a brief hiatus. The incident occurred on Wednesday’s program, when the two argued whether Morgan’s criticism of Meghan Markle was racist or not. Morgan walked off the set of his morning TV show Good Morning Britain when co-host Alex Beresford called him out after he had lambasted Markle for her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. The onetime America’s Got Talent host questioned Markle’s claims that she suffered mental health issues as part of the royal family and even contemplated suicide. The following day, Morgan permanently parted ways the show. Osbourne defended Morgan on Twitter, writing, “@piersmorgan, I am with you. ...
Maria Bakalova Nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Maria Bakalova, who stole scenes from Sacha Baron Cohen and exposed Rudy Giuliani in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 2021 Academy Awards. Bakalova’s satirical performance as Tutar Sagdiyev befuddled real-life shop workers, healthcare professionals, and the lovable babysitter Janise Jones. But even among people who never saw the movie, she’s known for enduring several minutes alone in a hotel room with Former President Trump’s personal lawyer. Giuliani was filmed telling Bakalova to “come here,” lying down on the bed, and reaching into his pants, before Cohen’s Borat character burst into the room. Giuliani later claimed he was only attempting to tuck in his shirt. The clip dominated the news cycle for several days, even as the c...
Riz Ahmed and Steven Yeun Earn Historic Best Actor Nominations at Academy Awards
Two of the best film performances of 2020 were Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal and Steven Yeun in Minari, and both actors were rightfully nominated for Best Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards because of such. However, in addition to the general excitement of Ahmed and Yeun getting those well-deserved nods, this also means they just made history as the first Muslim actor and first Asian American actor, respectively, to be nominated in the category. In Sound of Metal, Ahmed plays a heavy metal drummer named Ruben who’s learning to live with the loss of hearing, particularly in regards to his career as a musician and his love life — a performance that required him to study with an ASL coach for nearly a year. It’s an intimate and deeply moving character study, especially compared to the bi...
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Andra Day, H.E.R. Highlight Music Oscar Nominations
While the excitement of last night’s Grammy Awards is still fresh, the 2021 Oscar nominations landed this morning, with the prolific Nine Inch Nails duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross nabbing nominations for their work on David Fincher’s Mank and Pixar’s Soul. A pair of music films — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The United States vs. Billie Holiday — received Best Actress in a Leading Role nods for their stars, Viola Davis and Andra Day, respectively. Late actor Chadwick Boseman was nominated for Best Actor in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,”...
Kings Of Leon Rule Australia’s Albums Chart With ‘When You See Yourself’
Also new to the ARIA Albums Chat this week is A Day To Remember’s You’re Welcome, at No. 9. It’s the American post-hardcore band’s second Top 10 on the ARIA Charts, having hit No. 1 with their previous album, 2016’s Bad Vibrations. The Smith Street Band return to the chart with Unplugged In Wombat State Forest, the Melbourne rock band’s third live release in 12 months. It’s new at No. 11 on the national all-albums survey, and it’s this week’s best-seller on the ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart. Veteran Australia singer and songwriter Pete Murray impacts the chart for the first time since 2017 with The Night – EP, which starts at No. 22. Rising Australian funk/hip-hop artist Genesis Owusu makes his ARIA Top 50 debut with Smiling With No Teeth, bowing at No. 27. The Canberra artist collected AR...
