Month: March 2023

Categories
Country Daypop

Jon Pardi to kick-off ‘Mr Saturday Night’ World Tour

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Jon Pardi will kick-off his ‘Mr. Saturday Night’ world tour named after his latest album. Pardi will kick-off the tour in Belfast in late August, with stops across the U.K., in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Oslo, Stockholm and across North America. Serving as support on select dates will be Midland, Jackson Dean, Randall King, Ella Langley, and DJ Highmax.

Pardi’s fourth studio album, Mr. Saturday Night, was released in September. The 14-track project included “Fill ‘Er Up,” “Last Night Lonely,” “Your Heart Or Mine,” “Longneck Way To Go” (Midland featuring Jon Pardi), the title track and other fan-favorites. Said Pardi when the LP dropped: “It’s kind of got everything. It’s got loneliness, it’s got happiness, it’s got love, it’s got drinking songs. You can’t have an album titled Mr. Saturday Night and not have a bunch of songs that are fun. It’s not too crazy different, but it’s just good, and I tried to make the best album I can. I think you all will dig it.”

General on sale begins Friday, March 24th at 10 am local time via Ticketmaster.

Jon Pardi announces 2023 Mr Saturday Night World Tour

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

James Gunn will write and direct ‘Superman: Legacy’ reboot

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James Gunn confirmed he will be writing and directing the upcoming Superman: Legacy film, with Deadline reporting that Gunn — the new head honcho of Warner Bros. DC Studios division — will be helming one of the most important projects for the rebooted DC Universe.

Kicking-off his “Chapter One, Gods and Monsters” of the DC Universe, Gunn and co-chairman & CEO Peter Safran are looking to add younger actors who can carry the DC franchise for the next decade and beyond. Gone from the DC Universe under Gunn’s leadership are Henry Cavill (Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Black Adam) and Jason Momoa (Aquaman).

Gunn announced last fall he was writing a new Superman movie, and that Henry Cavill would not be returning as the Man of Steel as the project deals with the character’s early days. Superman: Legacy will tell the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas, and Gunn has noted that his Superman will be younger than his 40s.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

Lollapalooza 2023 lineup to feature Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, and more

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Lollapalooza has announced the lineup for its 2023 music festival, taking place Aug. 3-6 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois. The festival, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021, will take place across nine stages and four days. Headlining the event are Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Odesza, Lana Del Rey, Karol G, the 1975, and Tomorrow X Together.

Also on the bill this year are Lil Yachty, Fred Again.., Noah Kahan, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, J.I.D., Pusha T, Maggie Rogers, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diplo, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Tems, the Rose, Rina Sawayama, Rema, Morgan Wade, Lainey Wilson, L’Impératrice, Ivan Cornejo, Sudan Archives, Joey Bada$$, Sylvan Esso, Key Glock, Alex G, Magdalena Bay, Beabadoobee, Hemlocke Springs, and many others on the 170+ artist lineup.

Festival organizers remain committed to giving back to Chicago, having donated $2.2 million to the Lollapalooza Arts Education fund to support arts education in the city’s public schools. The event also hosts an annual job fair, partners with other local festivals such as Black Culture Fest, and has helped fund improvements in Grant Park spaces.

Set times for each day of the festival have yet to be announced. Pre-sale for tickets begins Thursday (March 23) at 11 am ET at http://lollapalooza.com.

Editorial credit: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH signs with BMG, will drop new album this summer

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Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH has signed a new global recordings agreement with BMG to release its new upcoming new studio album, marking his first recordings deal with BMG, which also serves as Mammoth WVH’s music publisher. Mammoth WVH is Wolfgang Van Halen lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, bass, drums. and piano in studio, with a live band assembled for touring.  

Said Van Halen: “The Mammoth team and I are so excited to now be a part of the BMG family. The entire team have welcomed us with open arms and have been nothing short of wonderful. I couldn’t ask for better partners for the future of Mammoth.”

Mammoth WVH’s self-titled debut album reached No. 1 on a trio of Billboard charts including Rock, Hard Rock, and Independent Albums, while peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, led by the chart-topping mainstream rock radio singles “Distance” — which received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song — “Don’t Back Down,” and the Top 10 “Epiphany.”

Mammoth WVH is finishing up a tour with Alter Bridge before supporting select dates on Metallica’s “M72 World Tour” throughout 2023 and 2024.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Disney+ to air four-part Ed Sheeran documentary series ‘The Sum of It All’

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Disney+ will air an Ed Sheeran four-part documentary series entitled ‘The Sum Of It All’ on May 3rd. Sheeran shared the news along with a trailer on social media, ahead of the album’s next single, “Eyes Closed,” which is due out March 24th.  You can check out the documentary trailer – here.

Said Sheeran: “I’ve always been guarded of my personal life; the only documentary I’ve ever made has been one that focused on my songwriting. Disney approached me to make a four-part documentary on the making of my next album Subtract. Initially the documentary was just that, a documentary on the formation of an album. But, as my life took a few twists and turns, the subject matter of the album changed, and so did the documentary. It became something completely different to what I thought it would be. I wanted to provide context to the album as it touches on very personal things, that we all experience. I knew if I made a documentary, I would want to put my trust in the hands of the director, so it wouldn’t be sculpted by me, and was actually an accurate reflection of who I am, even if it’s uncomfortable to watch. The team at Fulwell Productions have done a fantastic job of that. I hope you guys connect with this 4-part series, ‘The Sum Of It All,’ streaming May 3rd Disney Plus.”

Sheeran is releasing his fifth studio album, – (Subtract), on May 5th, which will conclude his ‘mathematic album’ era that began more than ten years ago with + (Plus).  The project will be released on multiple formats including CD, Deluxe CD, LP, Deluxe LP, cassette and digital. The deluxe album includes nine bonus tracks, five of which are exclusive to the deluxe album format.

Sheeran will then launch a run of North American dates, kicking-off May 6th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Houston, Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville, Detroit, Denver and others are also on the bill for North America. The tour wraps September 23rd with a performance at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Editorial credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Billie Eilish makes her acting debut in Amazon Prime series “Swarm”

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Billie Eilish has made her acting debut in the new Amazon Prime thriller from Donald Glover, ‘Swarm.’ In addition to Billie, the show stars Chloe Bailey, Paris Jackson, Rory Culkin, and internet star Rickey Thompson.

Eilish had surprised fans last week with a short clip of her in the new series, which finds her sitting across Dominique Fishback’s character Dre, for a tense conversation.  Eilish whispers: “Did you hurt someone?” and when Dre answers “yes,” Billie responds “very good.”   Eilish then shared on Instagram a slide show of photos from behind the scenes of her cameo appearance.

Created by Donald Glover (also known as Childish Gambino) and Janine Nabers, Swarm will focus on an obsessed fan from Houston (Fishback) who goes to extreme lengths to get close to her favorite R&B singer Ni’jah, played by Chloe Bailey.  The story is said to be inspired by the Beyhive and certain fans’ relationship with their idol, Beyoncé.  However, a disclaimer appears at the start of each episode, reading:  “This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.”

Eilish’s role is inspired by the real-life NXIVM cult.  Co-creator Janine Nabers told the Hollywood Reporter “There is a cult that existed in the world that was very prominent during that time … And that is the kind of true-crime element to that episode. And I think that when people think of the idea of artists or celebrities, there is this idea of thinking about the cult of Taylor Swift, or the cult of The Beatles or whatever. What we were really interested in was just seeing someone who worships at the altar of ‘something’, and [exploring] this idea of what is the cult of the mind.”

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Billie Eilish makes her acting debut in Amazon Prime series “Swarm”

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Billie Eilish has made her acting debut in the new Amazon Prime thriller from Donald Glover, ‘Swarm.’ In addition to Billie, the show stars Chloe Bailey, Paris Jackson, Rory Culkin, and internet star Rickey Thompson.

Eilish had surprised fans last week with a short clip of her in the new series, which finds her sitting across Dominique Fishback’s character Dre, for a tense conversation.  Eilish whispers: “Did you hurt someone?” and when Dre answers “yes,” Billie responds “very good.”   Eilish then shared on Instagram a slide show of photos from behind the scenes of her cameo appearance.

Created by Donald Glover (also known as Childish Gambino) and Janine Nabers, Swarm will focus on an obsessed fan from Houston (Fishback) who goes to extreme lengths to get close to her favorite R&B singer Ni’jah, played by Chloe Bailey.  The story is said to be inspired by the Beyhive and certain fans’ relationship with their idol, Beyoncé.  However, a disclaimer appears at the start of each episode, reading:  “This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.”

Eilish’s role is inspired by the real-life NXIVM cult.  Co-creator Janine Nabers told the Hollywood Reporter “There is a cult that existed in the world that was very prominent during that time … And that is the kind of true-crime element to that episode. And I think that when people think of the idea of artists or celebrities, there is this idea of thinking about the cult of Taylor Swift, or the cult of The Beatles or whatever. What we were really interested in was just seeing someone who worships at the altar of ‘something’, and [exploring] this idea of what is the cult of the mind.”

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Pres. Biden issues first veto blocking retirement investment resolution critical of ‘woke’ ideas

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President Biden issued the first veto of his presidency on Monday, blocking a resolution that would have tossed what Republicans called a “woke” Department of Labor rule to weigh the effect of climate change and social factors when making investments.   Biden said in a tweet: “I just vetoed my first bill. This bill would risk your retirement savings by making it illegal to consider risk factors MAGA House Republicans don’t like. Your plan manager should be able to protect your hard-earned savings — whether Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene likes it or not.”

In a statement, Biden said: “There is extensive evidence showing that environmental, social, and governance factors can have a material impact on markets, industries, and businesses. But the Republican-led bill would force retirement managers to ignore these relevant risk factors, disregarding the principles of free markets and jeopardizing the life savings of working families and retirees. In fact, this bill would prevent plan fiduciaries from taking into account factors like the physical risks of climate change and poor corporate governance, that could affect investment returns.”

The resolution was introduced in the GOP-led House by Republican Rep. Andy Barr and passed in late February. The Senate soon voted 50 to 46 to overturn the rule, with Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Jon Tester joining Republicans in support. House GOP leaders intend to hold a vote on overriding the president’s veto, which would require the support of two thirds of both chambers. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said in a statement: “President Biden’s first veto is against a bipartisan bill that protects retirement savings from political interference. It is clear that President Biden wants Wall Street to use your hard-earned money not to grow your savings, but to fund a far-left political agenda. That will hurt seniors and workers, especially after President Biden’s reckless spending caused record inflation and rapid interest rate hikes.”

Editorial credit: Salma Bashir Motiwala / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Jury finds 3 men guilty in 2018 killing of rapper XXXTentacion

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On Monday, a Florida jury found three men guilty in the 2018 killing of rapper XXXTentacion (real name Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy), who was 20-years-old at the time of his death.  The jury in Broward County convicted Michael Boatwright, 27; Dedrick Williams, 26; and Trayvon Newsome, 24, on all charges — including first-degree murder for gunning down and robbing the rapper outside of a motorbike shop in Deerfield, Fla. The shooting was captured on surveillance video.

Prosecutors say the three men, along with 26-year-old Robert Allen, held up Onfroy and a family member outside of the shop while he was carrying $50,000 in cash on him (Onfroy reportedly was carrying the large sum of cash because he intended to buy a motorcycle that day, with the money kept in a Louis Vuitton satchel.). Onfroy’s family member was able to escape the scene despite Newsome pointing a gun at the vehicle he and Onfroy were in. Boatwright and Newsome were armed while Williams was driving the getaway vehicle. A struggle ensued and at least one of the men shot Onfroy. Allen testified that he plotted with the three defendants to rent a car and go on a robbery spree, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 2022. He is still awaiting his sentence. The prosecution closed by showing a video of the suspects dancing and celebrating with hands full of $100 bills hours after the shooting took place.

Boatwright, Newsome and Williams are scheduled to be sentenced on April 6.

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Categories
Sports Daypop

Coach Rick Pitino agrees to 6-year deal with St. John’s University

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Rick Pitino has been named the new coach at St. John’s University. The school announced Pitino’s hiring but did not disclose terms; however sources told ESPN that Pitino, who led Iona to the NCAA tournament this season, agreed to a six-year contract. Pitino will be introduced at a news conference Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach who has been to seven Final Fours.

Pitino informed his Iona Gaels team in a meeting Monday afternoon that he was leaving the squad that he led to two NCAA tournament appearances in his three seasons on the job. In a series of tweets on Monday, he thanked the Iona administration and his players, saying:  “… I’m not sad it ended. I’m so grateful it happened. To my players, the last three years. All I can say is you know how much I love you.”

Pitino is the only coach to lead three programs to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville), and won national titles with Kentucky and Louisville. St. John’s had been courting the 70-year-old Pitino since the recent firing of coach Mike Anderson, and is sad to have landed him with what’s being described as a ‘lucrative financial package.’  While meeting with St. John’s officials over the weekend Pitino laid out his vision for the program and engaged with the officials about the school’s commitment, as sources said he would be taking the job with the intention of competing for Big East championships and the national title. The two sides talked about what’s needed for the program going forward.

Pitino will be St. John’s most decorated coach since Lou Carnesecca stepped down in 1992.  St. John’s has been to two Final Fours in its history and reached just three NCAA tournaments since 2002. Pitino has not only won two national titles but has coached in 23 NCAA tournaments.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com