Month: January 2022

Categories
Rock Daypop

David Bowie’s entire publishing catalog sold by his estate to Warner Chappell Music

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On Monday (January 3), David Bowie’s estate announced that the entire David Bowie catalog, which includes hundreds of songs, including massive hits like “Fame” and “Under Pressure,” is set to be sold to Warner Chappell in one of the largest music publishing deals. The deal is rumored to be worth around $250 million, and is the latest in a string of big catalog sales from the likes of Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, Bruce Springsteen, and others.

According to a statement from Warner Chappell Music Co-Chair and CEO Guy Moot: “All of us at Warner Chappell are immensely proud that the David Bowie estate has chosen us to be the caretakers of one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and enduring catalogs in music history. These are not only extraordinary songs but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever. Bowie’s vision and creative genius drove him to push the envelope, lyrically and musically—writing songs that challenged convention, changed the conversation, and have become part of the canon of global culture. His work spanned massive pop hits and experimental adventures that have inspired millions of fans and countless innovators, not only in music, but across all the arts, fashion, and media. We are looking forward to tending his unparalleled body of songs with passion and care as we strive to build on the legacy of this most extraordinary human being.”

Speaking for the Bowie Estate, entertainment lawyer Allen Grubman said: “We are truly gratified that David Bowie’s body of music will now be in the capable hands of Warner Chappell Music Publishing. We are sure they will cherish it and take care of it with the greatest level of dignity.”

Bowie’s estate is expected to release a posthumous album on Friday, January 7, in honor of what would have been his 75th birthday on January 8th. Bowie died of cancer in 2016.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Ellie Goulding opens up about her struggle with anxiety

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Singer Ellie Goulding shared a recap of her 2021 on Instagram, which began with her stating that this past year was “the very best [year] of [her] life.”  Said Goulding: “I became a mother, the greatest joy I’ve known. I’ve had time to sit down with great musicians and writers and made exciting new music that I hope will give people who hear it the same euphoric escape that I experienced when writing it. I have released my first book, performed to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the President and Joni Mitchell (and I can’t explain how grateful I am for that privilege).”

However, Goulding also shared how 2021 was also the “hardest of [her] life,” sharing, “I’ve struggled daily, nightly, hourly with a kind of panic I didn’t even know existed. If I was to really think about it, my anxiety has dictated quite a lot of my life and career, and I feel sad about that. But it has also made me who I am, and sometimes at my most terrified, when I feel there is no escape from the sheer panic and dread in my heart and brain, I remind myself that I can feel. I feel so much and that is how I have got to this place in my life. I want to tell you this on the last day of this year because so many of you have been asking how I’m doing and often do not get a reply. It’s because I’ve been too scared to admit that the answer is, not very good. I feel like something is broken inside—something that has been echoed deeply by the few I have opened up to.”

Goulding ended her post saying: “I have so much love and energy for anyone going through this. Let’s get through this together. 2022 is going to be a bright year. Positive energy. Together. Signing off (for a bit) and sending so much love, as ever, to you all xx.”

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Categories
Pop Daypop

The Weeknd confirms new album ‘Dawn FM’ will drop on Friday

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The Weeknd has announced that his new album Dawn FM will drop this Friday, January 7. The artist – real name Abel Tesfaye – teased the news over the New Year weekend on his Instagram.  On Monday, The Weeknd confirmed that the album will be out this week, writing in a caption alongside a video teaser of new music: “new album : dawn FM // january 7th.”  

Dawn FM is the follow-up to The Weeknd’s 2020 release After Hours.  He has since released multiple songs, remixes, collaborations and videos, and also starred in and co-wrote the forthcoming HBO series The Idol.  Dawn FM will be The Weeknd’s fifth album, in addition to three mixtapes he released in 2011.

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Categories
News Daypop

Twitter permanently suspends Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account for spreading COVID-19 misinformation

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal Twitter account has been suspended for repeated violations of the platform’s policies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.  Greene still has access to her official congressional account — @RepMTG — which was not found to have violated the company policies. A Twitter spokesperson said in a statement: “We permanently suspended the account you referenced(@mtgreenee) for repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy. We’ve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy.”  Greene had shared a tweet Saturday that included a misleading chart created from unverified data pulled from a government database.  The post falsely said that there have been “extremely high amounts of COVID vaccine deaths.”

Twitter introduced its strike system in March to “educate the public on our policies and further reduce the spread of potentially harmful and misleading information on Twitter.” The strike system features five levels, with an escalating series of locks on a user’s Twitter account, beginning with a 12-hour suspension after receiving a second strike.  The 47-year-old Greene had landed her fifth strike after Twitter issued her the fourth one in August, suspending her account for a week. In the past, Greene has been suspended for publishing false information about COVID-19 vaccinations and wearing face masks.

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Categories
News Daypop

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests positive for COVID-19

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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed in a statement on Sunday evening that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Austin, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, said:  “I tested positive this morning for COVID-19. I requested the test today after exhibiting symptoms while at home on leave.”  He added that his symptoms are mild and he is following his physician’s directions, referring to the CDC’s recently-updated isolation guidelines: “In keeping with those directions, and in accordance with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine myself at home for the next five days.”

Austin said he will be attending virtual meetings if possible while in quarantine: “I have informed my leadership team of my positive test result, as well as the President. My staff has begun contact tracing and testing of all those with whom I have come into contact over the last week.” Austin said that his last meeting with President Biden was on Dec. 21, “more than a week before I began to experience symptoms. I tested negative that very morning. I have not been in the Pentagon since Thursday, where I met briefly – and only – with a few members of my staff. We were properly masked and socially distanced throughout.”

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Categories
Sports Daypop

Stands collapse at FedEx Field as Eagles QB Jalen Hurts exits

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QB Jalen Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles closer to a spot in the postseason with a win against Washington in Week 17, but not before some drama ensued when Hurts exited through the FedEx Field tunnel at the end of the game. As Hurts walked into the tunnel, an avalanche of Eagles fans dropped at his feet when a section of the stands collapses under their weight. Fortunately, neither Hurts nor the group of fans seemed too fazed by the incident.

FedEx Field has been Washington’s home since it opened in 1997, but it has been subject to an increasing amount of criticism. Earlier in the 2021 season, video showed liquid leaking from the stadium on to the heads of fans during a game against the Los Angeles Chargers, while fans could be heard saying “it’s sewage.” The team, however, said it was from a storage tank filled with rain water.

Hurts said during his postgame press conference: “I’m just happy everybody is safe from it. That was crazy stuff right there. That was a real dangerous situation.”

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Categories
Sports Daypop

Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians says Antonio Brown is ‘no longer a Buc’ after tossing equipment, leaving field shirtless during game against Jets

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Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians told reporters that Antonio Brown is no longer with the team, after a bizarre incident that saw the veteran wide receiver leave Sunday’s win over the New York Jets mid-game and shirtless. Arians said after the game: “He is no longer a Buc. That’s the end of the story. Let’s talk about the guys who went out there and won the game.”  According to multiple reports, Brown also wasn’t welcome to fly back to Tampa with the team. Brown was in the midst of his second game back from a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols after he was accused of obtaining a fake vaccine card.

The incident happened late in the third quarter with the Jets leading, 24-10. During a break in second-half play, Brown abruptly took off his gear, threw his shirt and gloves into the stands and jogged off the field.  Teammates Mike Evans and O.J. Howard tried to sooth an upset Brown as he took off his jersey and shoulder pads. TV cameras then caught Brown removing his shirt and gloves and throwing them into the stands.  While both teams remained on the field during a break in play, Brown ran to the end zone, where he performed jumping jacks and gave the crowd a peace sign before exiting to the tunnel. It wasn’t clear immediately after the game what prompted the scene.

Tom Brady, who fought hard to get the Bucs to sign Brown in the first place last season, asked everyone to be “compassionate and empathetic” toward him after the game.  The Bucs signed Brown in 2020 on the heels of an eight-game NFL ban following multiple allegations of rape and sexual misconduct and a no-contest plea on a felony burglary conveyance charge. Arians said when Brown signed: “He screws up one time, he’s gone.”

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Categories
Country Daypop

Dolly Parton pays tribute to the late Betty White

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Dolly Parton took to social media to pay tribute to Betty White, who died on Friday morning (Dec. 31) at the age of 99. In a post on Saturday morning (Jan. 1) on Twitter, Parton says White “will live forever.”  She tweeted: “While watching the news last night I learned of Betty White’s passing. Betty will live forever not only in this world but the world here after. I will always love her as we all will!”   The feeling was mutual.  In a 2010 interview, White revealed that she was a country music fan, adding that Parton’s “9 to 5” was one of her favorite songs.  Said Betty: “I like Dolly’s whole approach to life with ongoing and uplifting songs. I never met Dolly but everything I ever heard about her she was a great gal to know and you could kind of get it in her music and her voice and her approach to lyrics.”

White was a television pioneer, becoming one of the first women to take control of her own career in a male-dominated industry. She became the first woman to produce a sitcom, and her work in sitcoms, as well as her extensive appearances on TV game shows, earned her eight Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Grammy Award. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Television Hall of Fame inducted White in 1985.

White also devoted much of her life to animal activism. She “died peacefully in her sleep” at her home on Friday morning, her agent, Jeff Witjas, said in a statement.  White would have celebrated her 100th birthday on Jan. 17.

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Categories
Country Daypop

Kane Brown and wife Katelyn welcome surprise second baby, daughter Kodi Jane

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Kane Brown and his wife Katelyn surprised fans by welcoming their second daughter on Thursday in a Nashville hospital. “New Year, new family member,” Brown wrote on social media. “Welcome to the family Kodi Jane. Secret (is) finally out.”  Kodi weighed 7 lbs., 9 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. She joins big sister Kingsley Rose, 2.  Katelyn posted:  “Blessed with another beautiful angel Kodi Jane Brown… we love you so much 💕”

Kane and Katelyn Brown didn’t disclose the pregnancy.The couple married in October 2018 and welcomed their first child, daughter Kingsley Rose, one year later. This time around, the Browns chose to keep their pregnancy with Kodi private.

Shortly after their daughter was born, Brown opened up about wanting to have more children, adding that he hopes to also add a son to the family one day: “Kingsley has changed my life. She smiles at me and my heart melts.  I want a boy, too. I want a boy and a girl.”  However on Saturday, Brown embraced being a #girldad and added a family maternity photo to his Instagram, captioning it, “Been holding on to these pics ❤ I’ve always wanted a son until I had Kingsley and now I’m good with all my girls 😘”

Kane Brown and Wife Katelyn Welcome Baby Daughter Kodi Jane

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Categories
Entertainment Daypop

100th Birthday documentary on the late Betty White will be released as planned

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The producers of the documentary film “Betty White: 100 Years Young” say a theatrical screening will proceed as scheduled on the comedy legend’s 100th birthday, despite her death on December 31st, just a few weeks shy of that milestone.

Producers/directors Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein said in a joint statement: “Our hearts mourn today with the passing of Betty White. During the many years we worked with her, we developed a great love and admiration for Betty as a person, and as an accomplished entertainer. We are thankful for the many decades of delight she brought to everyone. Betty always said she was the ‘luckiest broad on two feet’ to have had a career as long as she did. And honestly, we were the lucky ones to have had her for so long. We will go forward with our plans to show the film on January 17 in hopes our film will provide a way for all who loved her to celebrate her life—and experience what made her such a national treasure.”

The documentary will feature appearances by Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Carol Burnett, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Clint Eastwood, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, and many more.   The film was expected to screen at 900 theaters across the U.S. on White’s birthday, Jan. 17, 2022. You can learn more about the documentary at Fathom Events’ website.

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