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Taylor Swift to address graduates, receive honorary doctorate from New York University

Taylor Swift will receive an honorary degree from New York University – her first — and will address graduates during a commencement ceremony in May. The upcoming NYU commencement will honor the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 following the pandemic, to be held on May 18 at Yankee Stadium.

Swift will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, and speak at NYU’s morning commencement event. Disability rights advocate Judith Heumann will also receive an honorary degree and address graduates.

NYU president Andrew Hamilton in a press release:  “I cannot overstate how thrilled I am to be coming together in person with graduates, parents, faculty, and honorees for NYU’s Commencement. Since 2019, we have been deprived of Commencement’s festive, communal joy, and its absence has been keenly felt. Few groups of graduates are more deserving of a celebration than these classes: their pursuit of their studies disrupted, isolated by a daunting pandemic, these classes — 2022, 2021, and 2020 — have distinguished themselves with their grit, grace, and forbearance. We reconvene at Yankee Stadium with a renewed sense of appreciation for the act of celebrating together in person, a recognition of our graduates’ enormous achievements, and a respect for their character and perseverance.”

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Pop Daypop

Elton John announces last North American dates on his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour”

Elton John has announced the final dates of his North American Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour, added to his previously announced stadium dates.   John posted on Instagram“I am loving every minute of these shows and I can’t wait to see you on the last dates of my Farewell Yellow Brick Road The Final Tour  🏟  Tickets go on sale on April 6. Join the Rocket Club for an exclusive presale from April 1.  Full info at EltonJohn.com #eltonfarewelltour

Elton will launch the upcoming leg at North American stadiums this summer.  The newly announced shows will include concerts in East Rutherford, NJ, Foxborough, MA, Toronto, ON, Vancouver, BC, and Phoenix, AZ, along with a third show added at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. and stops in Santa Clara, CA, San Diego, CA, and Tacoma, WA.  Elton shared: “This year will see my grand finale in North America, playing stadiums all around the country, with the most spectacular production I’ve ever had. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I cherish these memories we’re making together. It has been nothing short of incredible and I look forward to seeing you very soon one last time, on my Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.”

General tickets go on sale on April 6; join the ‘Rocket Club’ for an exclusive presale from April 1.  For more details and information, head to EltonJohn.com.

Elton John Adds More Dates to his “Farewell” Tour

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News Daypop

Second round of COVID-19 booster shots are approved for ages 50 and older

On Tuesday, public health officials approved a second round of COVID-19 booster shots for those over the age of 50, with shots to likely be available in pharmacies this week. Those 12 and older are currently eligible for a booster shot five months after their initial vaccine series if they received an mRNA vaccine like Pfizer or Moderna, or two months after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

For those over 50, officials at the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have decided the data on waning immunity justifies making another shot available four months after the first boost.  CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said it was especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions. Walensky said on Tuesday: “This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time.” 

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said to reporters:  “If it were my relatives, I would be sending them out to do this again. Because after all, COVID-19 has had a really disproportional adverse effect on people 65 years of age and older and those with comorbidities. By choosing age 50 and up … we felt like we would capture the population that might most benefit from this fourth booster dose. Just to reiterate, the good news is that for most people who have been vaccinated and had one booster, their original booster shot is continuing to provide you with good protection from being hospitalized or dying.”

While Tuesday’s announcement only applies to older Americans, the FDA will convene a panel of vaccine experts on April 6 to discuss the plan for other age groups. They will talk about the efficacy of booster shots and the potential need for a variant-specific booster instead of continual booster shots designed for the initial strain of COVID-19.  A decision would likely be made later this summer or fall.

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House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol identifies almost 8-hour gap in phone records

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol has identified an almost 8-hour gap in official White House records of then-President Donald Trump’s phone calls as his supporters stormed the building. The time-gap extends from a little after 11 a.m. to about 7 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, and involves White House phone calls.  The committee is investigating the gap in the official White House log, which includes the switchboard and a daily record of the president’s activities.

The House panel has made broad requests for separate cell phone records and has talked to more than 800 witnesses, including many of the aides who spent the day with Trump. The committee also has thousands of texts from the cell phone of Mark Meadows, who was then Trump’s chief of staff.

The committee is focusing on what the president was doing in the White House as hundreds of his supporters beat police, broke into the Capitol and interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory. The missing records raise questions of whether Trump purposefully circumvented official channels to avoid records.

The committee also is continuing to receive records from the National Archives and other sources, which could produce additional information and help produce a full picture of the president’s communications. During the roughly eight hours in question on Jan. 6, Trump addressed a huge crowd of supporters at the nearby Ellipse and told them to walk to the Capitol, make their voices heard and “fight like hell.” He then returned to the White House and watched as the mob broke into the Capitol.  Several of Trump’s calls that day are already publicly known. He spoke to Vice President Mike Pence between 11 a.m. and 11:30, lobbying Pence publicly and privately to object while presiding over the certification. He also spoke with several GOP members of the House and Senate as his allies in Congress were preparing to challenge the official vote count.

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Sports Daypop

New Orleans Saints agree to one-year deal with QB Andy Dalton

The New Orleans Saints agreed to a one-year deal with 11-year veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, worth up to $6 million in incentives and including $3 million in guarantees. The 34-year-old Dalton spent last season with the Chicago Bears, completing 63.1% of his throws for 1,515 yards, eight scores and nine interceptions in eight appearances. He posted a 3-3 record as a starter.

Jameis Winston is expected to be the Saints’ starting quarterback. The Saints signed Winston, 28, to a two-year, $28 million contract earlier this off-season. Winston completed 59% of his throws for 1,170 yards, 14 scores and three interceptions in seven starts last season, missing 10 games due to a knee injury.

Backup quarterbacks Taysom Hill, Blake Bortles and Ian Book also remain. At the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday, Saints coach Dennis Allen told reporters that Hill will spend most of his time at tight end. Hill started five games at quarterback in 2021 and drew nine starts at the position over the past two seasons.

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Sports Daypop

NFL changes rules for playoffs overtime; each team to possess the ball

On Tuesday, the NFL team owners voted to change the rules for overtime in the playoffs, allowing each team to possess the ball.   Competition committee chairman Rich McKay made the announcement at the league’s annual meeting at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, saying that the Kansas City Chiefs’ overtime win over the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 23 in the divisional round of the playoffs led to the change. The Chiefs ended that back-and-forth matchup with a walk-off touchdown on the first possession of overtime. The Bills were not given a chance to answer the score under the old rules.

Under the old regular-season and playoff rules, the team that received the overtime kickoff won the game if it scored on the first possession, and will still apply in the 2022 regular season. Under the new playoff rules, the team that kicks off in overtime will get a possession, even if the receiving team scores on its opening drive. That second possession will be played out in full, even if the clock runs out. In addition, under the new playoff format, if both teams score touchdowns on their opening drives, the next team to score will win the game.

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Country Daypop

Brad Paisley to launch 2022 world tour in May

Brad Paisley has announced plans for his new 2022 World Tour, writing on Instagram: “Excited to hit the road this summer…”

The 49-year-old Paisley will kick off the tour May 27 in Uncasville, Conn., and will tour across the world before wrapping up on Oct. 8 in Auckland, New Zealand.  Tracy Lawrence, Scotty McCreery, Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack will join Paisley as special guests.

Tickets go on sale April 8 at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets available for all dates at bradpaisley.com either April 1st or April 8th at 10 am local time.

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Country Daypop

Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson and more set to perform at inaugural Palomino Festival

Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson and Family, and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will headline the inaugural Palomino Festival, which will be held July 9 at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The event is from promoters Goldenvoice, the same team behind the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Festival.

Also on the bill for the Palomino Festival are Turnpike Troubadours, Orville Peck, Old Crow Medicine Show, Valerie June, Charley Crockett, Paul Cauthen, Nikki Lane, Morgan Wade, Sierra Ferrell, Langhorne Slim, Amythyst Kiah, Sierra Hull, Low Cut Connie, Jamie Wyatt, Ian Noe, Logan Ledger and The Compton Cowboys.

For more information on Palomino, including ticketing pricing and options, head to the festival’s website.

Kacey Musgraves, Turnpike Troubadours Set for Inaugural Palomino Festival

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Entertainment Daypop

Kim Kardashian apologizes for her controversial “get up and work” comments

Kim Kardashian appeared on Good Morning America, where she responded to backlash over her recent advice to women in business, saying her controversial comments about work were “taken out of context.”

In an interview with Variety earlier this month, the 41-year-old television Kardashian said the advice she’d give to women is to “Get your [expletive] up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.” However on GMA, Kardashian said that her comments became a sound bite really with no context, explaning she made the remarks after being told that “After 20 years of being in the business, you’re famous for being famous. My whole tone and attitude changed with the previous question that went into that question about what advice would you give to women. The advice that I would give is just that having a social media presence and being on a reality show does not mean overnight success. You have to work really hard to get there, even if it seems like it is easy.”  Kardashian acknowledged that people work hard, saying, “It wasn’t a blanket statement towards women, or to feel like I don’t respect the work or think that they don’t work hard. I know that they do. That was taken out of context, but I’m really sorry if it was received that way.”

The Kardashian-Jenner family will return to television in the new Hulu series The Kardashians.

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Entertainment Daypop

Take a look at the new trailer for Disney-Pixar’s film ‘Lightyear’

Disney-Pixar shared a trailer for the animated sci-fi adventure film ‘Lightyear,’ a spinoff of the Toy Story film series. The new movie serves as an origin story for Buzz Lightyear, the fictional astronaut who inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy in Toy Story.  Pixar posted on social media: ‘Get ready to go beyond infinity with Disney and Pixar’s #Lightyear, only in theaters June 17.’

Chris Evans voices Buzz in Lightyear, which also features the voices of Keke Palmer, Dale Souls, Taika Waititi, Peter Sohn, Uzo Aduba and James Brolin. The trailer shows Buzz (Evans) take flight from a remote planet and face off with a “massive robot.”

Lightyear, written and directed by Angus MacLane, opens in theaters June 17.

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