Month: February 2023

Categories
Sports Daypop

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball ruled out for season due to knee injury

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Chicago Bulls announced on Tuesday that point guard Lonzo Ball has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign. Ball hasn’t played since last season due to a knee injury; his last game was on Jan. 14, 2022. The 25-year-old Ball is under contract through 2023-24, and his contract also includes a $21.3 million player option for 2024-25.

Bulls executive vie president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said in a news release: “Despite making significant increases in strength and function over the past several months, Bulls guard Lonzo Ball continues to experience performance limiting discomfort during participation in high level basketball-related activities. Considering the required time period to achieve the necessary level of fitness to return-to-play and the current stage of the NBA season, Ball will not return this season. The focus for Ball will continue to be on the resolution of his discomfort and a full return for the 2023-24 season.”

Ball averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game in 35 starts last season. He was first diagnosed with a bone bruise and meniscus injury, and has undergone two surgeries since then. The Bulls had said that Ball was scheduled to be reevaluated in 4 to 6 weeks after his most-recent surgery in September.

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Categories
Country Daypop

Luke Bryan adds new dates to his Las Vegas residency

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Luke Bryan has announced the addition of six new 2023 dates to his Luke Bryan: Vegas residency at Resorts World Theatre inside Resorts World Las Vegas. Bryan will perform August 30, September 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9th, and are in addition to the previously announced spring dates for March and April.

The announcement follows the enormous success of Bryan’s first year of Vegas shows at Resorts World Theatre which began in February 2022. Each performance from Bryan features a shifting stage that seamlessly lifts the country superstar and his band to the rhythms of his hit songs as well as a catwalk that descends from the ceiling and elevates Bryan to eye-level with audience members in the mezzanine.

Bryan will also launch the 36-city Country On Tour, kicking off June 15th in Syracuse, New York. Special guests throughout the tour include many of up-and-coming artists in country music, including Chayce Beckham, Tyler Braden, Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Jon Langston, Conner Smith, Alana Springsteen, Hailey Whitters, and DJ Rock.

Tickets for the newly announced Vegas residency dates are on sale now at rwlasvegas.com.

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Categories
Country Daypop

Jelly Roll to launch 44-city headlining ‘Backroad Baptism Tour’

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Jelly Roll has announced the 44-city “Backroad Baptism Tour,” kicking off this summer on July 28 at Bank Plus Amphitheater in Southaven, Mississippi. Ashley McBryde, Elle King, Chase Rice, Caitlynne Curtis, Merkules, Struggle Jennings, Three 6 Mafia, Yelawolf and Josh Adam Meyers will open on select dates throughout the tour. Along with his new tour, Jelly Roll will also open on several dates as direct support for Eric Church.

Jelly Roll scored his first No. 1 on country radio with his debut single “Son Of A Sinner,” which broke the record for most weeks spent at No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artist chart.  Jelly Roll also just released “She” as well as his current radio hit, “Need A Favor” from his forthcoming album.

The Backroad Baptism Tour will make stops in Milwaukee, Bakersfield, Houston, Lexington, Salt Lake City and more before wrapping in Tampa on Oct. 14. Tickets go on sale starting this Friday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. local time on Ticketmaster.com.

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Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Netflix’s ‘Sex/Life’ shares first trailer from upcoming Season 2

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Netflix has released the official trailer for Season 2 of “Sex/Life,” along with first look photos from the upcoming season. The second season follows the 2021 premiere of the eight-episode Season 1. The first season of “Sex/Life” was an enormous success, reaching 67 million viewers within its first four weeks on Netflix.

Created by Stacy Rukeyser, “Sex/Life” is based on the book “44 Chapters About 4 Men” by BB Easton. The series follows one woman, Billie Connelly (Sarah Shahi), as she examines her identity, unveils her desires, and navigates a love triangle between her husband Cooper Connelly (Mike Vogel) and her former flame, Brad Simon (Adam Demos). The series also stars Margaret Odette, Cleo Anthony, Craig Bierko, Darius Homayoun, Dylan Bruce, Jonathan Sadowski, Li Jun Li and Wallis Day. Creator Rukeyser also serves as an executive producer alongside J. Miles Dale and Jordan Hawley.

“Sex/Life” will premiere on Netflix on March 2.  Watch the official trailer – here.

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Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Rebel Wilson announces engagement to girlfriend Ramona Agruma

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Actress Rebel Wilson announced via Instagram that she is engaged to girlfriend Ramona Agruma. Agruma is the founder and owner of the Los Angeles-based sustainable athleisure brand Lemon Ve Limon.

In her social media post, Wilson shared photos of herself and Agruma wearing matching pink/white striped sweaters with black hearts posing in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland; she showed off her fiancé’s ring, which featured a silver band and diamond. Wilson wrote in the caption: “We said YES! 💗💗 Thank you @tiffanyandco for the stunning ring 💍 and to Bob Iger and the incredible team at Disneyland @disneyweddings for pulling off this magical surprise!”

Wilson revealed her relationship with Agruma in June 2022, captioning a selfie with Agruma: “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess” and the hashtag, “#loveislove”.  Wilson also welcomed her first child, a daughter named Royce Lillian, in November via surrogate. She and Agruma co-parent Lillian together.

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Categories
Rock Daypop

Halestorm, Alter Bridge, Five Finger Death Punch and more added to 2023 Download Festival lineup

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Halestorm, Five Finger Death Punch and Alter Bridge have been added to the lineup for the 2023 Download Festival, taking place June 8-11 at Donington Park, United Kingdom.  Other additional performers just added to the festival lineup include Mammoth WVH, Coheed and Cambria, Ice Nine Kills, Bad Wolves, The Hu, Avatar, Palaye Royale, Jinjer and Taipei Houston.

The 2023 Download Festival will be headlined by Metallica, Slipknot and Bring Me the Horizon. Metallica will headline two of the festival’s four days, and will play two distinct sets without any repeat songs. Other previously announced artists on the lineup include Evanescence, Ghost, Disturbed, I Prevail, Parkway Drive and more.

For tickets and other information, head to the official Download Festival website.

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Categories
Rock Daypop

Megadeth confirm reunion concert with ex-guitarist Marty Friedman

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Megadeth recently confirmed that they would reunite onstage with former lead guitarist Marty Friedman for a one-off show in Tokyo, as the band kicks off its 2023 world tour on Feb. 27 at the legendary Nippon Budokan arena. It has been 23 years since Friedman left Megadeth in 2000, following their 1999 album, Risk.

Said frontman Dave Mustaine: “Marty and I have remained friends over 23 years, since we last played together. However, I hear his music every night, and he still is among the top guitar players I’ve ever heard. This is an amazing treat for the fans, as well as myself. To be honest, I may drift off while listening to [Megadeth’s] Kiko [Loureiro] and Marty play together!”

Friedman is an accomplished solo artist who has lived in Japan for many years. In 2016, he was named Japan Heritage ambassador, and he recently shared his own official Japan Heritage theme song. Friedman shared news of the reunion in Japanese media, writing: “Megadeth, the band I used to play in, will play live at Budokan. Believe it or not, I’m gonna jam with them! … It’s gonna be a miraculously special night.”

Megadeth’s Budokan show on Feb. 27 will also air as the global livestream, They Only Come Out at Night. The livestream will begin at 4:00 a.m. ET / 1:00 a.m PT on February 27th, with advance tickets available for $15 here.  For tickets to all of Megadeth’s upcoming shows, head here.

Megadeth to Perform with Guitarist Marty Friedman for First Time in 23 Years

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” stays at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 for fifth week

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Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” remains at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for a fifth straight week, marking Cyrus’ longest-running #1 song ever.

“Flowers” debuted at No. 1 after it was released last month and as of this week it is the most-heard song on radio stations across the country. Billboard estimates the song made 85.8 million airplay audience impressions over the past week.  “Flowers” has also taken the #1 spot on Billboard‘s Radio Songs chart, making it Miley’s first track to ever hit the top spot. Only three other songs launched to the top of the Radio Songs chart in five weeks or less: Adele‘s “Hello;” Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor”, and TLC‘s “No Scrubs.”

“Flowers” has been streamed 33.7 million times over the past week, and on Spotify the song remains the #1 leader on its Weekly Top Songs chart. According to the platform, ‘Flowers’ has amassed over 508 million streams since it was released on January 12th.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

BTS’ Jimin announces first solo album “FACE”

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Jimin of the South Korean boy band BTS will release his first solo album, titled ‘FACE’, on March 24th.

Big Hit Music, the South Korean label behind BTS, made the announcement via global fandom life platform Weverse, with a logo motion revealed on the official Twitter account account of Big Hit Music. In a press release, ‘FACE’ is described as being the “story of fronting his true self and making a new leap forward as an artist. Through ‘FACE’, Jimin will present his own musicality with distinct timbre and impeccable dance performance.”

Jimin is the fourth member of BTS to release solo music in the past year. J-Hope released Jack in the Boxlast summer featuring “More” and “Arson,” Jin released “The Astronaut” last fall with Coldplay, and RM released his first solo album Indigo in December. The band is currently on hiatus as each member fulfills their mandatory military service commitment to South Korea. Each will serve — and release solo material — before they are expected to reunite as BTS in 2025.

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Categories
News Daypop

Police arrest suspect in killing of Bishop David O’Connell in Los Angeles

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A suspect is in custody in connection to the shooting death of 69-year-old Bishop David O’Connell of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.  During a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announced the arrest of 65-year-old Carlos Medina, who was arrested at his home in Torrance early on Monday morning. Bishop O’Connell was found dead in his home in the Hacienda Heights community in Los Angeles County, Calif., shortly before 1 p.m. on Saturday; he had served the Los Angeles Archdiocese since 1979.

Sheriff Luna identified Medina as the husband of a housekeeper who worked for O’Connell, and said the department received a tip that Medina made comments about O’Connell owing him money. Video surveillance showed a dark-colored SUV matching one driven by the housekeeper pull into O’Connell’s driveway and staying for a few minutes before leaving on Saturday. After deputies arrived at O’Connell’s home responding to a medical emergency, they discovered the bishop dead from a gunshot wound to the upper torso. The shooting is being investigated as a homicide.

O’Connell was an immigrant born in County Cork, Ireland, and studied at the All Hallows College in Dublin before moving to Los Angeles in 1979. Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a statement: “I am very sad this afternoon to report that our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell has passed away unexpectedly. It is a shock, and I have no words to express my sadness.” Gomez said O’Connell was a “peacemaker” who was particularly passionate about helping the poor and immigrants.

Chairperson of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Janice Hahn, recalled O’Connell as a longtime friend.  Hahn tweeted: “I was very sad to learn of the passing of Bishop O’Connell. He was a longtime friend. I was fortunate to work with him during my time on the city council and again as supervisor. I join with Archbishop Gomez and the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in mourning his loss.” 

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