Month: February 2022

Categories
Pop Daypop

Silk Sonic’s Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak entering the world of Epic Games’ ‘Fortnite’

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R&B duo Silk Sonic — comprised of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — are making their way into Epic Games’ “Fortnite” battle-royale.  Epic Games will be bringing Silk Sonic into Fortnite with ’70s-inspired outfits, a new radio station and a player tournament.

Bruno Mars said in a statement: “When ‘Fortnite’ asked me if I wanted to create an outfit for the game, I asked, ‘Are CGI muscles off the table?’ They said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Deal.’ I’ll see you on the Island.”   Anderson .Paak added: “When ‘Fortnite’ agreed to give Bruno CGI muscles, I said, ‘I’m in.’ He could use the help, so I support it. And it makes me cool. Win, win.”  It’s the latest music partnership for Epic Games, which has featured Fortnite concerts with Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, J Balvin and Marshmello.

‘Silk Sonic’ outfits and accessories will be available in the Item Shop in Fortnite, beginning Feb. 10, 2022, at 7 p.m. ET.  Until then, players can compete in the ‘Silk Sonic Cup’ set to take place Monday, Feb. 7, for a chance to unlock the Mars and .Paak outfits before they are officially released.  Fortnite also debuted an in-game radio station, Icon Radio, featuring Silk Sonic and hosted by funk icon and Silk Sonic collaborator Bootsy Collins. Players can listen to tracks from “An Evening With Silk Sonic” by turning on Icon Radio in vehicles in the game.

Editorial credit: Miguel Lagoa / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

CNN President Jeff Zucker announces resignation after failure to disclose relationship with colleague

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Jeff Zucker has resigned as president of CNN Worldwide, effective immediately. The 56-year-old Zucker announced his resignation in a staff memo on Wednesday, explaining that the decision for him to resign was made after he failed to disclose a “consensual relationship” with a colleague.

The statement read in part: “As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years. I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today.”  Zucker did not disclose the colleague’s identity, but the network confirmed his relationship was with chief marketing officer Allison Gollust, who will continue to remain at the company.

Zucker added: “I came to CNN on January 28, 2013. Together we had nine great years. I certainly wish my tenure here had ended differently. But it was an amazing run. And I loved every minute.  I am grateful to the thousands of incredibly talented CNN and Turner Sports employees who helped make this such a joy for me, and such a success for all of us. I wish each of you nothing but the best in the years ahead.”

Zucker served as president and CEO of NBCUniversal before taking the role of president of CNN Worldwide. Zucker was married to Caryn Nathanson from 1996 to 2019; the former couple share four children together.

Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

President Biden to deploy 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe amid Russia-Ukraine crisis

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President Biden has agreed to deploy 3,000 additional U.S. troops to Eastern Europe to support NATO and Ukraine to dissuade Russia from any kind of military intervention in Ukraine.  The deployment follows talks between U.S. and Russian officials and a meeting of the United Nations Security Council this week over the Ukraine crisis.

The deployments include 1,000 who will be moving from Germany to Romania, and 2,000 from the U.S. who will head to Germany and Poland. On Wednesday morning, the Pentagon emphasized that the troop movement was temporary and that they would not deploy to Ukraine. ,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday: “I want to be very clear about something. These are not permanent moves. They are designed to respond to the current security environment. Moreover, these forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They’re going to ensure the robust defense of our NATO allies.”

The Pentagon has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could launch an invasion of Ukraine at any time.  President Biden has said no U.S. troops would deploy to Ukraine if Russia were to invade, but the administration did say it could deploy troops to the region even before an invasion. The U.S. and its partners in NATO have already sent assets to the region in a show of support. The U.S. has also put 8,500 stateside troops on heightened alert to deploy to Eastern Europe in case NATO activates its shared NATO Response Force, but the alliance has not yet activated it.

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Categories
Sports Daypop

Washington Football Team announces new name is the Washington Commanders

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The Washington Football Team has revealed its new name: the Washington Commanders.

Washington owner Dan Snyder said in a statement: “As an organization, we are excited to rally and rise together as one under our new identity while paying homage to our local roots and what it means to represent the nation’s capital. As we kick off our 90th season, it is important for our organization and fans to pay tribute to our past traditions, history, legacy and the greats that came before us. We continue to honor and represent the Burgundy and Gold while forging a pathway to a new era in Washington.”

Head coach Ron Rivera said he thought of leadership when he heard the new name: “In today’s world, we seem to have a lack of true leadership, and we need people to step forward and lead this country and really help to take us in the right direction. I think it’s greater than just the name of a football team as much as it’s really just something that we have to look and say, you know, it’s an opportunity for us to take charge, take command and go forward.”

The team officially made the announcement on the Today show, and tweeted it on the new Washington Commanders page, with the caption: “One legacy. One unified future. We are the Washington Commanders #TakeCommand”  The new name comes 18 months after the franchise dropped its old name under pressure from sponsors, following years criticism that it was offensive to Native Americans. The organization committed to avoiding Native American imagery in its rebrand, after being called the Washington Football Team the past two seasons.

Editorial credit: Steve Jacobson / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Sports Daypop

Hue Jackson implies Browns owner Jimmy Haslam paid him to lose during his time as Cleveland head coach

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As part of the proposed class-action lawsuit Brian Flores filed against the NFL, one allegation noted was that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered Flores $100,000 to intentionally lose games to improve draft positioning. Now former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson is implying that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam did the same. The 56-year-old Jackson has been out of the NFL since the middle of the 2018 season when the Browns dismissed him; he is currently the head coach of Grambling State University.

Jackson went on Twitter to express support for Flores, and responding to a tweet that said Haslam wasn’t offering Jackson $100,000 per loss, Jackson replied: “Trust me it was a good number!” Jackson went 3-36-1 in two-and-a-half seasons with the Browns,  going 1-15 in his first season and 0-16 in his second. The Browns ended up with consecutive No. 1 draft picks in the 2017 and 2018 NFL drafts, taking defensive end Myles Garrett and quarterback Baker Mayfield, respectively, with those selections.

In another thread on Twitter, Kimberly Diemert — listed as the executive director of the Hue Jackson Foundation — posted a tweet that said she had records that would help Flores’ case. Diemert claimed that the Browns paid bonus money to Jackson and front office executives Sashi Brown, Paul DePodesta and Andrew Berry to lose, claiming NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league knew about it and covered it up.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, a Browns spokesperson denied the allegations: “The recent comments by Hue Jackson and his representatives relating to his tenure as our head coach are completely fabricated. Any accusation that any member of our organization was incentivized to deliberately lose games is categorically false.”

Editorial credit: Chris Rubino / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Dolly Parton among the nominees for the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees were announced on Wednesday, February 2, and country music icon Dolly Parton is among the 17 nominees for induction into the ‘Class of 2022’.   Other artists up for consideration are Beck, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, DEVO, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Judas Priest, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Rage Against The Machine, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest and Dionne Warwick.

In order to be eligible for nomination, an artist must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of the nomination. Seven of the 2022 nominees are appearing on the ballot for the first time, including Parton, Beck, Eminem, Duran Duran, Richie, Simon and A Tribe Called Quest.  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Chairman John Sykes said in a statement: “This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture. Their music not only moved generations, but also influenced the sound of countless artists that followed.”

Starting now through April 29, fans can vote every day at vote.rockhall.com or at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland. The top five artists selected by fans will comprise a “fans ballot” that will be tallied with the other ballots to choose the Class of 2022.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 will formally be announced in May; the 2022 Induction Ceremony will occur this fall, at a date and venue TBD.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Luke Bryan to launch the ‘Raised Up Right Tour’ with Riley Green & Mitchell Tenpenny

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Luke Bryan is hitting the road this summer, announcing his Raised Up Right Tour kicking off June 9th in Charleston, West Virginia, with shows in 30 cities across the country. Riley Green and Mitchell Tenpenny, as well as DJ Rock, will serve as support on the tour on select dates.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public via Live Nation this Friday, February 4 at 10 a.m. local time. Luke Bryan fan club members can buy presale tickets, and Citi cardmembers have a presale to purchase tix available now.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees include Dolly Parton, Eminem, Lionel Richie and more

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Dolly Parton, Eminem, and Lionel Richie were among the nominees announced for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2022. Also nominated were Beck, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, DEVO, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Judas Priest, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Rage Against The Machine, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest and Dionne Warwick.

John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement: “This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture. Their music not only moved generations but also influenced the sound of countless artists that followed.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rules state that each nominee’s first single or album must be at least 25 years old. Fans can vote on the Class of 2022 nominees at vote.rockhall.com.  Every “fan ballot” gets tallied along with a voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and music industry professionals.  Between five-seven acts will be announced in May before being officially inducted in the fall.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Steve Carell and John Krasinski to reunite for the new film ‘If’

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Former co-stars of the hit series The Office — Steve Carell and John Krasinski — will team up again in the new film ‘If.’  Carell has joined the cast of the upcoming movie, directed by and starring Krasinski, who also will write and executive produce the film.  If is based on Krasinski’s original idea about a child’s journey to rediscover their imagination.

Ryan Reynolds, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Fiona Shaw had previously been announced to appear in the film, and now Alan Kim, Cailey Fleming and Louis Gossett Jr. have also been added to the cast.

Krasinski confirmed the casting news on Instagram with a collage featuring photos of Carell, Reynolds, Waller-Bridge and other cast members, along with the caption:  “Ah, what if one day I could assemble my dream cast? What… IF.”

The new movie is scheduled to debut in theaters Nov. 17, 2023.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

Judas Priest, Rage Against The Machine, Devo, Pat Benatar among the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees

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Judas Priest, Rage Against The Machine, Devo and Pat Benatar are among the 17 nominees nominated for the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class.  John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement announcing the nominees: “This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture. Their music not only moved generations but also influenced the sound of countless artists that followed.”

Ten of this year’s nominees have appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in previous years: Judas Priest, Rage Against The Machine, Devo, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, Eurythmics, New York Dolls, Dionne Warwick, Fela Kuti and MC5.   Seven artists are first-time nominees: Beck, Duran Duran, Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon and A Tribe Called Quest. Artists become eligible for the Rock Hall 25 years after releasing their first commercially available recording.

Fans will be able to vote for their favorite nominees on the Rock Hall’s website now through April 29. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will make up the “fans’ ballot” which will then be counted among the more than 1,000 ballots sent out to artists, historians and members of the music industry.

The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2022 will be announced in May. Details on the ceremony have yet to be revealed.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com