After being hospitalized with COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, Marianne Faithfull recovered; however the singer was left with three residual side effects — short-term memory loss, fatigue, and permanent lung damage.
The singer said during a recent interview with The Guardian, “I have to have oxygen and all that stuff. The side-effects are so strange,” she said. “Some people come back from it but they can’t walk or speak. Awful. I may not be able to sing ever again. Maybe that’s over. I would be incredibly upset if that was the case, but, on the other hand, I am 74. I don’t feel cursed and I don’t feel invincible. I just feel f***ing human.”
Phil Spector, who produced artists like the Beatles, George Harrison and the Ramones, died Saturday at age 81. The producer was serving a 19-to-life sentence for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson. He was convicted in 2009. Spector’s death was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, who released a statement, saying, “California Health Care Facility inmate Phillip Spector was pronounced deceased of natural causes at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at an outside hospital,” “His official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner in the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.”
Spector became a prolific producer and songwriter in the ’60s, working with the Ronettes, the Crystals, the Righteous Brothers (including the 1964 hit “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”) and Ike & Tina Turner. Spector famously worked with members of the Beatles and was recruited to turn the band’s Let It Be recordings into a final album. Spector also co-produced Lennnon’s 1970 LP, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band; his 1971 LP, Imagine; George Harrison’s 1970 record, All Things Must Pass; and his 1971 live album, The Concert for Bangladesh.
In 1974, the producer was involved in a near-fatal car crash and suffered injuries that prompted extensive surgery. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. On April 13, 2009, the producer was convicted of second-degree murder, over six years after Clarkson had been shot dead.
Selena Gomez made a surprise announcement last week on her Instagram that she was releasing brand new single, “De Una Vez”, which translates to “At Once.”
The single marks Selena’s return to Latin music after she appeared in DJ Snake’s track, “Taki Taki”, which also featured Ozuna and Cardi B. She also released a Spanish version of her hit single “A Year Without Rain” called “Un Año Sin Lluvia” back in 2010 and a duet version of Selena Quintanilla’s hit song, “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”, in 2012.
There’s no official word if Selena will release a a full Spanish album as of press time. Take a look at the video for “De Una Vez” – here.
Pop artists Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga will perform at the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies on Wednesday, January 20th, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States.
Actor Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV specialcelebrating Biden’s inauguration, Gaga will sing the national anthem and Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, where the ceremony will be taking place. Additional performers include Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and more.
Pop artists Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga will perform at the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies on Wednesday, January 20th, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States.
Actor Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV specialcelebrating Biden’s inauguration, Gaga will sing the national anthem and Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, where the ceremony will be taking place. Additional performers include Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and more.
President-elect Joe Biden introduced a $1.9 trillion spending package Thursday, aiming to speed distribution of the coronavirus vaccines and provide economic relief caused by the pandemic. The package proposal includes investing $20 billion in a national vaccination program, $1,400 stimulus checks and expanding unemployment insurance supplements to $400 per week.
Biden noted that this was the first of a two-part plan to in the road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden said that he would introduce a recovery plan next month during his address to a joint session of Congress. Biden’s proposed relief package comes several weeks after Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package in December. Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan will build off the bipartisan relief legislation passed in December.
Biden is suggesting $1,400 stimulus checks in addition to the $600 direct payments passed in December, and his relief package also lays out his vaccine distribution plan. “The vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure thus far,” he said, adding that he “will have to move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated.” Biden’s goal is to provide 100 million vaccinations during the first 100 days of his administration starting Jan. 20. But the pace has been slower than that so far, with 22 million doses distributed and 6.7 million administered by Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The NBA announced Thursday that Saturday’s game between the Suns and Indiana Pacers at Phoenix Suns Arena has been postponed “because of ongoing contact tracing within the Suns, the team does not have the league-required eight available players.”
The Suns (7-4) haven’t played since Monday’s 128-107 loss at Washington to end a three-game road trip. They were scheduled to begin a three-game homestand Wednesday against Atlanta, but the game was postponed the morning of the game for the same reason that Friday’s game against Golden State and now Saturday’s game against the Pacers have been postponed.
This is in accordance with the NBA’s health and safety protocols, which has received additional measures in a reaction to spike in COVID-19 cases throughout the country and NBA teams having players needing quarantines.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay announced Thursday that quarterback Jared Goff will get the start in Saturday’s NFC playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Goff was questionable with a thumb injury for the Rams’ wild-card game last week but was pressed into service when starter John Wolford suffered a neck stinger and was unable to continue. McVay ruled Wolford out for Saturday’s game and said veteran Blake Bortles will serve as the team’s backup quarterback.
Goff threw for 3,942 yards and 20 touchdowns this season for the Rams, but suffered a fractured thumb in his throwing hand in Week 16 and missed the team’s final regular-season game after undergoing surgery.
Lee Brice, Jake Owen and LoCash are confirmed to play during this year’s Island Time Music Festival. The event will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Other performing artists include Runaway June, A Thousand Horses, Vince Gill, Blackberry Smoke, Levi Hummon and many more. Kellie Pickler is set to host alongside her husband, songwriter Kyle Jacobs. The four-night festival, which is in its 12th year, will return in February 2021.
The Island Time Music Festival benefits the children of Isla Mujeres, a Mexican island off the coast from Cancun. It supports The Little Yellow Schoolhouse, a school for special needs children, enabling kids to enroll in the school free of charge. The event also helps raise money for The Little Yellow Schoolhouse through an annual auction. Past auction items have included a variety of vacation packages, trips to sports events and more.
General admission tickets for the Island Time Music Festival are available now. The four-night event will take place Feb. 24-27, 2021.
Garth Brooks has been named as one of the honorees for the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors. Along with Garth, The Kennedy Center Honors will celebrate the lifetime achievements of Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Midori and Dick Van Dyke.
Garth shared, “I’m humble. I’m proud. I’m all the good things. Probably most excited and most proud for country music. Any chance you get to ‘wave that flag’ among the many other flags of entertainment – not only in this country, but around the world – that’s always an honor.”
Garth has been to the honors ceremony before to pay tribute to such artists as Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Billy Joel and James Taylor. Garth said about the Kennedy Center Honors, “President John F. Kennedy was a childhood hero of mine, and he has continued to be through every stage of my life. He knew that a nation is defined by its culture and a culture is defined by its arts. I have watched many of my heroes sit in that booth during their ceremony, I have even had the joyous honor of singing for some of them on their special night. The hope is to have contributed to humanity like my heroes have, to inspire us to be the most we can be as individuals, global citizens, and a part of human history. But most of all, to simply laugh, cry, love, and dream through music… I have been blessed to do just that as a fan and as an artist.”
The Kennedy Center Honors will air June 6 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
