Month: December 2021

Categories
Sports Daypop

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo likely out at least 4 weeks due to thumb surgery

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The Miami Heat franchise announced on Wednesday that star center Bam Adebayo will undergo surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. In a statement, the Heat said Adebayo suffered the injury during Monday’s 120-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets, and will have the procedure done this weekend.

The Heat also noted that a timetable on Adebayo’s return will be provided after the surgery, however ESPN reported that Adebayo is expected to be out for four to six weeks, and could likely miss between 15 to 20 games.

Through 18 games this season, the 24-year-old Adebayo has averaged 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals. In Adebayo’s absence, veteran Dewayne Dedmon will step into the starting lineup for the Heat. Dedmon is averaging 5.3 points and 4.9 rebounds through 21 games (three starts) this year.

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Categories
Sports Daypop

WTA suspends tournaments in China due to Peng Shuai allegations

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The Women’s Tennis Association announced on Wednesday that it will not hold tournaments in China in response to the country’s handling of star player Peng Shuai’s sexual assault allegations. The suspension also applies to tournaments held in Hong Kong. Peng, a former world’s No. 1 doubles player, accused former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault on social media platform Weibo on Nov. 2. Supporters expressed concern that she hadn’t been seen publicly after she made the accusation, however, China arranged for her to take part in a video call with International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach on Nov. 21.

WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon accused Beijing of censoring Peng’s allegations and failing to fully investigate the alleged sexual assault, saying: “Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way. While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation. The WTA has been clear on what is needed here, and we repeat our call for a full and transparent investigation — without censorship — into Peng Shuai’s sexual assault accusation.”

Simon added that ignoring allegations of sexual assault would cause an “immense setback” for the WTA:  “I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault. Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022.”

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Categories
Country Daypop

Randy Travis & Drew Parker release new edition of “There’s A New Kid In Town”

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Randy Travis has just released the “From The Vault” edition of his 30-year-old Christmas single “There’s A New Kid In Town.” The new version of the song features the country icon alongside rising country performer Drew Parker.

Said Parker of the collab; “I just remember getting to spend quality time with Randy and his family out on his ranch in Texas. Driving around the property and getting to take in all of God’s creation with one of my heroes. It was a very special day and one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”  Parker added, “I hope [country music fans] can see that I plan on carrying on the kind of country music that Randy started years ago. The kind of music that I want to make [is] country music about fun, faith and family.”

The video for the song resonated with Parker, as Christmas is his favorite holiday and Randy Travis is a personal inspiration. He said: “Getting to feel those Christmas traditions and emotions while watching a video of me getting to spend time with Randy Travis is incredible. There’s a scene in this video of me and Randy sitting on a couch in his awards room at his house. We shot that scene one time and when we got done I told the director that whatever had just happened in that room couldn’t be replicated.”

Take a look/listen to the new edition of “There’s A New Kid In Town” – here.

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Categories
Country Daypop

Keith Urban to kick-off the North America leg of ‘The Speed of Now’ tour in June 2022

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Keith Urban announced on social media Wednesday the 2022 North American dates for his The Speed of Now world tour.

The 54-year-old Urban will kick-off the North American leg on June 17, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. before wrapping up Nov. 5 in St. Paul, Minn. Ingrid Andress will join Urban as his opening act. Urban will perform his hits and new songs from his album The Speed of Now Part 1, released in September.

Urban shared with People magazine that he’s looking forward to “re-igniting that person-to-person connection I feel with everyone that comes out to see our shows. It’s pure magic when you look out and see everyone just letting loose. I’ve really missed that! After two years we’re finally gonna get the chance to play some of the new songs we haven’t done live before. We’ll throw in a bunch of the songs that everyone comes to hear, a couple of which we’ll rework a bit, and it’s really gonna be tough to get us off the stage.”

For ticket and other information, head to keithurban.com.

Keith Urban Announces 2022 Tour Dates

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Categories
Entertainment Daypop

See the trailer for the Sex and the City revival ‘And Just Like That…’

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HBO Max’s new trailer for “And Just Like That…”, the revival of “Sex and the City,” reveals where Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and the rest of her friends are more than 11 years after we last saw them in the movie “Sex and the City 2.”  “Sex and the City” ran for six seasons on HBO from 1998 to 2004, based on Candace Bushnell’s 1996 book of the same title.

Along with Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon have returned to their roles as Charlotte and Miranda, respectively.  Chris Noth, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler and Willie Garson (who passed away in September) also reprise their past roles.  Sara Ramírez, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker and Karen Pittman have also been added to the cast.

The 10-episode season of And Just Like That… will premiere on HBO Max on Dec. 9 with two episodes, and will then air weekly on Thursdays through Feb. 3. Take a look at the trailer – here.

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Categories
Rock Daypop

Judas Priest announce rescheduled 50th anniversary dates with support from Queensryche

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Judas Priest postponed dates on their 50th-anniversary tour after guitarist Richie Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection (his aorta ruptured) during the band’s performance at the ‘Louder Than Life’ festival. Now that Faulkner is recovering and on the mend, the band have announced a new run of rescheduled dates. The six-week trek begins on March 4 in Peoria, Ill., and concludes on April 13 in Hamilton, Ont.

Queensryche will serve as support on all rescheduled dates; Queensryche were originally scheduled to open for Scorpions on their Las Vegas residency, however, they have pulled out of those shows and will be replaced by Skid Row.

You can see the new 2022 dates at the link below. Most tickets are on sale now on Ticketmaster, however a few shows will go on sale Dec. 3.

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Categories
Rock Daypop

Foo Fighters announce 2022 North American tour dates

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Foo Fighters announced a leg of North American tour dates for 2022, including concerts at stadiums and amphitheaters in May, July and August.  The band will kick off the tour at The Pavilion At Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania on May 14, hitting North Carolina and then New York City’s Citi Field on July 17. From there the band hits Saratoga Springs, New York on July 19; Toronto on July 22; Philadelphia on July 24; Bangor, Maine on July 27 and Montreal on July 29. The group travels to Noblesville, Indiana on August 1 before stops in Minneapolis on August 3 and Denver on August 6. Foo Fighters perform in West Valley, Utah on August 8; Big Sky, Montana on August 10 and Seattle on August 13 ahead of two nights at Banc Of California Stadium in Los Angeles on August 18 and 20.

Foo Fighters North American Tour 2022 tickets go on sale this Friday, December 3 at 10 a.m. local time. For pre-sale and other info, head to the link here.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Elton John releases ‘Lockdown Sessions’ documentary

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Elton John has releasing a documentary based on his recent Lockdown Sessions album.  Inside The Lockdown Sessions, an exclusive feature with Apple Music, documents the making of John’s new music during the lockdown and includes a three-part, behind-the-scenes look at John working in his home studio during the pandemic with interviews with collaborators Stevie Nicks, Miley Cyrus, Eddie Vedder, and more.

John revealed the surprise release of the documentary on social media:  “Surprise!” he posted on Twitter. “Just in time for the holidays, I’m taking you ‘Inside the Lockdown Sessions.’ Watch as I go deep into the making of my latest album with all of my collaborators.”

The Lockdown Sessions is a collection of 16 songs, and features 20 collaborators including Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks, Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, Eddie Vedder, Gorillaz, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, and Rina Sawayama.

Check out the documentary at the link – here.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ to premiere Dec. 16

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Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett will perform together as part of a new installment of MTV Unplugged, which will premiere on Dec. 16 at 9 p.m. EST. The duo will perform stripped down versions of songs from their latest collaborative album Love for Sale, which was released in September.  The episode featuring Gaga and Bennett was filmed earlier this year in New York City in front of an intimate audience.

MTV Unplugged returns during MTV’s month long ‘Love Music with MTV’ event which celebrates the brand’s top music shows and moments. Gaga and Bennett’s MTV Unplugged is their second planned special after the pair starred in CBS’ One Last Time: An Evening with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett.  A third special, a documentary titled The Lady and the Legend, is set to arrive on Paramount+ at a later date.

Love for Sale was nominated for Album of the Year at the 64th annual Grammy Awards. The album marks Bennett’s final studio album after the music legend announced that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.

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Categories
News Daypop

3 dead, 6 injured after shooting at Michigan high school

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Sheriff’s officials have confirmed that at least three people were killed and six others injured on Tuesday after a shooting at a southeast Michigan high school. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said deputies arrested the suspected shooter — a 15-year-old sophomore student at the school — and recovered a handgun, adding that they don’t believe there were any other shooters involved. A statement from the sheriff’s office said: “There was no resistance during the arrest and the suspect has asked for a lawyer and has not made any statements as to a motive.” Undersheriff Mike McCabe said about 15 to 20 shots were fired during the shooting, and that the suspected shooter was not injured.

Officials received reports of an active shooter at Oxford High School in Oxford Township at 12:51 p.m. Oxford Township is located about 35 miles northwest of Detroit. The sheriff’s office said three people died in the shooting and six others, including a teacher, were injured. WXYZ-TV in Detroit reported that officials believe the dead were students, saying that multiple medical helicopters arrived on the scene, but it’s unclear if any transported victims to a local hospital.  Students were evacuated from the school and were reunited with parents and guardians at a nearby grocery store. Oxford Community Schools Superintendent Tim Thorne said: “Pray for our families here in Oxford and our students.” 

U.S. Rep Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said she was en route to Michigan, adding in a statement: “This is a dark & painful day for Michigan. I send my deepest condolences to the families of the three students who have lost their lives — they have received the worst news any parent can ever imagine. We must continue to pray and hope for the additional students and teacher who have been injured, and for the students who are in shock right now. They will somehow have to make sense of one of their peers doing this to them.”

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