Month: December 2021

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Entertainment Daypop

Ryan Seacrest extends deal to host ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’

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46-year-old television and radio personality Ryan Seacrest has signed a multi-year deal extension with MRC Live & Alternative to host and executive produce ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve for years to come. 2021 will mark Seacrest’s 17th year as host and the special’s 50th anniversary. This year’s show will air Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Seacrest said: “It’s been a privilege to spend the last 17 years ringing in the new year on Times Square with friends in person and at home. I’m looking forward to continuing the traditions and making new memories as we go into this next chapter. I’m grateful I get to do what I love every year and collaborate with the best-in-class teams at MRC and ABC on this annual event.”

Seacrest first joined the special in 2005 after creator and original host Dick Clark had a stroke. Clark served as co-host until his death in 2012. This year, Seacrest will host the New York special in Times Square; and Billy Porter and Ciara will host the New Orleans and Los Angeles celebrations, respectively.

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Entertainment Daypop

‘Jagged Little Pill’ closes permanently on Broadway amid COVID-19 surge

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Jagged Little Pill, the Broadway play based on Alanis Morissette’s Grammy-winning album of the same name, is officially closing. The show halted performances due to the sudden surge of Omicron-specific cases on Saturday, December 18, and the following week the producers announced that the show will not reopen.

A statement posted on Jagged Little Pill’s Instagram page read: “We are dismayed by what appears to be another substantial public health crisis, and— due to the detection of multiple positive COVID-19 cases within the company—need to prioritize the health and safety of the cast, crew, and entire team working on ‘Jagged Little Pill.’ In light of the extreme uncertainty ahead of us this winter, and forced to choose between continuing performances and protecting our company, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors.”

Jagged Little Pill first opened in 2019 and features music and lyrics by Morissette, and a book by Diablo Cody.  Morissette also wrote new songs for the Broadway musical. These songs help tell the story of the Healy family as they encounter topics like addiction and sexual assault. The show won two Tony Awards with 15 nominations, and it also won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

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Rock Daypop

Listen to Evanescence’s rendition of The Beatles song ‘Across The Universe’

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Evanescence has brought their version of The Beatles‘ “Across the Universe” to streaming services for the first time, four yers after they first covered the legendary track. “Across the Universe,” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was first released in 1969 under the charity compilation album No One’s Gonna Change Our World. A different version later appeared on The Beatles’ studio album Let It Be in 1970.

Evanescence first performed “Across the Universe” in 2018 during its Synthesis World Tour. In spring 2021, Evanescence released a studio version of their cover on the deluxe box set for the band’s recent studio album The Bitter Truth, which went No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Hard Rock Albums chart.  The band wrote on Twitter: “It was such a pleasure to cover this legendary song,” adding that its version of “Across the Universe” can be found on all digital streaming providers.

Listen to Evanescence’s version of “Across the Universe” – here.

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Rock Daypop

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss perform on NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk (Home) Concert’ series

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Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are sharing their performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series in support of their new album, “Raise The Roof.”

For the “home” edition of the long-running program, the pair were joined by an all-star cast of musicians at Sound Emporium studios in Nashville, TN – where they recorded the project in 2019 – to deliver a three-song set of tracks from the project. “Raise The Roof” is the follow-up to Plant and Krauss’ Grammy Award-winning 2007 record, “Raising Sand”, and recently debuted at No. 7 on the US Billboard 200.

Check out Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ ‘Tiny Desk (Home) Concert – here.

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Pop Daypop

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” becomes the first song in Billboard Hot 100 history to reach No. 1 in three holiday seasons

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Nearly three decades after its 1994 debut, Mariah Carey’s classic holiday tune “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has become the first song in Billboard Hot 100 history to reach No. 1 in “three distinct runs”.

According to Billboard, the song made its third streak at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, last topping the charts on December 21st, 2019, December 28th, 2019, and January 4th, 2020. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has extended its record for spending the most weeks at No. 1 with its sixth week atop the Billboard Hot 100. With 85 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Carey is the first artist to have the historic rank in four distinct decades.

In honor of the holiday season, Carey recently teamed up with McDonald’s for ‘The Mariah Menu’, twelve daily menu deals in the McDonald’s app that offers free merchandise to select participants. Like other recent McDonald’s celebrity collaborations, ‘The Mariah Menu’ will be available for a limited-time, ending on Christmas Eve.

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Pop Daypop

The posthumous single ‘Poison’ from Aaliyah is released, featuring The Weeknd

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The estate of the late R&B singer Aaliyah released a new posthumous single, titled “Poison”, featuring The Weeknd.  Aaliyah (born Aaliyah Dana Haughton) died at 22-years-old in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001, over 20 years ago.

The Weeknd previously sampled Aaliyah’s 2001 hit “Rock the Boat” for his single, “What You Need,” which appeared on his 2012 record, Trilogy.  The streaming service Spotify revealed in August that the first of several posthumous releases by Aaliyah would drop, beginning August 20 with One In A Million, a double-platinum record initially released in 1996. The Romeo Must Die soundtrack (2000) followed on September 3, and Aaliyah’s 2001 self-titled arrived on September 10. The I Care 4 U compilation album and Ultimate Aaliyah dropped on October 8.

Aaliyah’s new album, which does not have a release date as of yet, will be released via Blackground Records 2.0 and EMPIRE.

Check out the new song “Poison” – here.

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News Daypop

Former President Trump sues NY attorney general Letitia James seeking to stop investigation into his company

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Former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have sued New York Attorney General Letitia James to ask a federal court to halt or limit her office’s ongoing investigations.  The lawsuit from Trump comes on the heels of James’ office seeking to depose Trump as part of its civil fraud investigation into the Trump Organization, also seeks to enjoin James’ involvement in any civil or criminal actions against the former President or his company.  James’ office is investigating whether the Trump Organization manipulated the value of its properties, and is also working with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s office on a parallel criminal investigation into the Trump Organization. The two investigations are separate, but some attorneys from James’ office have been designated to work on the criminal investigation, which is ongoing.

Filed in federal court in Northern New York on Monday, the lawsuit accuses James of misconduct, claiming she has abused her investigatory powers to target her political adversaries and advance her career.  The suit states: “Since taking office, she has tirelessly bombarded him, his family and his business, Trump Organization LLC, with unwarranted subpoenas in a bitter crusade to ‘take on’ the President.”   The suit also accuses James of “relentlessly pushing” Vance’s office into a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization. A spokesman for Vance’s office declined to comment.

James responded to the suit in a statement Monday, saying the Trump Organization has repeatedly attempted to delay her office’s investigation into its business dealings. James said in a statement:  “To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions. Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump.”

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News Daypop

Stock market drops due to fears of Omicron surge, setback to Biden’s spending plan

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The stock market took a hit on Monday as investors began the trading week with fears of the surging Omicron COVID-19 variant and the setback to President Biden’s Build Back Better social spending bill. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down by about 433 points at the end of trading Monday afternoon, while the broader S&P 500 dropped 1.14%. The Nasdaq Composite sagged 1.24%.

Travel, entertainment and retail stocks had some of the greatest losses earlier in the day but bounced back some by closing. The energy sector also took a significant hit as U.S. crude oil prices tumbled 3% to below $69 per barrel as investors worried that new restrictions might cut into energy demand. The sell-off came after the World Health Organization said Omicron cases are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in countries where transmissions are documented. European leaders reacted by imposing new restrictions on Friday and over the weekend.

Analysts blamed some of Monday’s market downturn on Sen. Joe Manchin’s surprise announcement Sunday that he would not support President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion Build Back Better social spending agenda. The measure, with its billion of dollars in economic stimulus spending, is unlikely to pass the Senate.

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Sports Daypop

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Chris Godwin out for season with torn ACL

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is done for the season. After taking a brutal hit during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ shutout loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Godwin limped off to the sideline and didn’t return to the game. On Monday morning, it was reported he’d likely be done for the remainder of the regular season.

According to head coach Bruce Arians, Godwin’s injury was initially believed to be an MCL sprain; but after undergoing an MRI it was discovered Godwin suffered a torn ACL, which will not only end his regular season, but the postseason as well.

The news means the return of Antonio Brown from suspension will be imperative to the team’s future success. The Buccaneers loss to the Saints pushed them to No. 3 in the NFC playoff seeding, and they can’t afford another loss before the postseason arrives.

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Sports Daypop

Rafael Nadal tests positive for COVID-19, uncertain about Australian Open

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Rafael Nadal announced on social media Monday that he tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation at his home. Nadal told reporters that he “can’t guarantee” his participation in the 2022 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament on the annual tennis calendar. The 35-year-old Nadal said he tested negative while in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, with his most-recent negative result coming Friday.

Nadal wrote on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: “I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that has been performed on me when I arrived in Spain.”  He added:“I am having some unpleasant moments, but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me. As a result of the situation I have to have total flexibility with my calendar and I will analyze my options depending on my evolution. I will keep you informed of any decisions about my future tournaments.”

Nadal is the latest top men’s player to cast doubt on his participation in the Australian Open. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia has not said if he will compete, but was on the tournament’s official entry list. No. 16 Roger Federer of Switzerland and American Serena Williams, the No. 41 player in the WTA rankings, will not compete in the Australian Open.

The tournament will be held Jan. 17 to 30 in Melbourne.

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