Month: March 2023

Categories
Sports Daypop

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant being investigated for possible gun law violation

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Police in Colorado are investigating Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant after he appeared to be brandishing a firearm while at a Glendale, Colo., nightclub, seen in an Instagram Live video that was posted Saturday morning, hours after scoring 27 points in the Grizzlies’ 113-97 loss to the Nuggets on Friday night. Glendale police are reportedly investigating whether the 23-year-old Morant broke state gun laws — even though Colorado is an open-carry state, it is illegal to possess a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. People around Morant were seen drinking alcohol in the Instagram Live, but Morant himself was not was not.

The NBA also opened an investigation into Morant over the weekend, and the Grizzlies announced he is expected to miss at least two games, with no timeline set to return. Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said that the team takes the incident “very seriously” and it is an “ongoing healing process.”

Morant’s agent Jim Tanner released a statement saying that Morant takes “full responsibility” for his actions in the Instagram video. The statement read: “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies’ organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”

Memphis (38–24) currently sits at No. 2 in the Western Conference, six games behind the No. 1 seed Nuggets (45–19). Memphis will next face the Lakers on Tuesday.

Editorial credit: Zsolt Biczo / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Justin Moore shares title track to new album “Stray Dog”

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Justin Moore is sharing the title track to his new album ‘Stray Dog’ due out on May 5. The eight-track project includes his duet with Priscilla Block “You, Me, and Whiskey,” as well as a collaboration with Riley Green on “Everybody Get Along.”  ‘Stray Dog’ also includes the song “With A Woman You Love,” written about Moore’s wife, Kate, whom he wed in 2007.

Says Moore of the new LP: “A long time ago I decided I wasn’t going to play games or pursue things that didn’t make me happy. Perhaps that’s made me a bit of an outsider in this industry, but it’s also what allows me to go to bed each night feeling good about what I’m doing.”

Moore co-wrote the song ‘Stray Dog’ with Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana and Jeremy Stover. Said Moore: “It’s a really personal, autobiographical song. I’ve never just gone along with the crowd. I’ve always tried to follow my heart and let the chips fall where they may, and I’m really proud of that.”

Take a look at the video for “Stray Dog” – here.
Pre-order the album ‘Stray Dog’ – here.

Editorial credit: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Take a listen to the fan-favorite single from Luke Combs, ‘Joe’

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Luke Combs has officially released the fan-favorite single “Joe” off his forthcoming Gettin’ Old. Combs dedicates the ballad to those who have struggled with alcoholism and those who are sober.

Says Combs of the track: “There have been some folks in my family that have struggled with alcoholism and addiction through the years, l’ve got buddies who live a sober lifestyle, and I’m sure y’all know someone who has struggled with these type of things, or maybe you, yourself do. This song (‘Joe’) is really important to me for that reason. Our genre has so many songs about drinking and partying, hell, I’m probably one of the worst culprits of it. There’s nothing wrong with that I don’t think, but sometimes I wonder what someone in the crowd who doesn’t drink, or struggles with addiction is thinking or feeling when there’s thousands of people around them screaming ‘Beer Never Broke My Heart’ or ‘1, 2 Many.’ I’ve always wanted a song for those people to have for themselves. To have a song they can sing at the top of their lungs and feel like they’re not forgotten. When Erik Dylan sent me the work tape of this a few years back, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. So if you’re reading this and this song speaks to you, I hope you love it. This one’s for you.”

Combs’ LP Gettin’ Old will be released on March 24th, and features 18 new songs. He will also be kicking-off his massive World Tour this March with 16 North American stadium shows including Arlington, TX’s AT&T Stadium; Nashville’s Nissan Stadium; and Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium. In total, the tour is comprised of 39 shows across three continents and 16 countries, with shows in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, France and Belgium. The tour is the largest ever for a country artist.

Take a listen to “Joe” – here.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

‘Creed III’ sets franchise box office record with $58M opening

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‘Creed III’, the latest installment in the Rocky Balboa spin-off saga, earned $58.7 million at the domestic box office in its weekend debut. The film, directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan alongside Jonathan Majors, set a franchise record after opening to rave reviews.

MGM’s head of distribution Erik Lomis told the Associated Press: “This is beyond all of our expectations. And we knew that we had something special — we tested the movie and it tested great, but the public responded so resoundingly to it  Everything went right here starting with the movie itself … It was just up to us not to break it when they gave it to us and we didn’t.”

‘Creed III’ also knocked reigning box office No. 1 ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ out of the top spot. The Marvel action film saw a 61% decline in its third weekend after taking in around $12 million. Following closely behind is Elizabeth Banks’ action-comedy ‘Cocaine Bear’, starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Keri Russell, and Alden Ehrenreich, which grossed $11 million after a 53% drop from its $23 million opening weekend.

Editorial credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Rachael Ray ending her syndicated talk show after 17-season run

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Syndicated daytime talk show “Rachael Ray” will end after 17 years. Ray shared in a press release: “In my more than 20 plus years in television I have had 17 wonderful seasons working in daytime television with ‘Rachael.’ However I’ve made the decision that’s it’s time for me to move on to the next exciting chapter in my broadcast career. My passions have evolved from the talk show format production and syndication model to a platform unencumbered by the traditional rules of distribution.”

Ray recently launched Free Food Studios, a new production company with the mission to distribute Ray’s “in the kitchen content.”  Ray partnered with longtime collaborator Brian Flanagan, and his partners at Intentional Content, Anthony Amoia and Sean Lee. The platform will also develop new upcoming new talent.

Steve LoCascio, president of CBS Media Ventures, added: “When Rachael debuted her show 17 years ago, she was a gamechanger in the daytime space. She made cooking accessible to the masses, taught viewers simple solutions on how to improve their lives and coaxed great stories out of celebrity guests with her relatable down-to-earth demeanor. We’re proud to have produced such a successful show with Rachael and her team for so many years. We’ll miss Rachael on the air every day, but we’ll always be family.”

“Rachael Ray” debuted in national syndication Sept. 18, 2006  In its 17 seasons, it earned 37 Daytime Emmy nominations, and won 3 Emmys for ‘Outstanding Talk Show.’

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last surviving original member, dies at age 71

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Gary Rossington, guitarist and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died Sunday at the age of 71. Rossington was the last surviving original member of the band.  The band wrote on Facebook: “It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today. Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”

Rossington and his friends, drummer Bob Burns and bassist Larry Junstrom, originally formed a band, with singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Allen Collins joining to create an early version of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band released their debut album in 1973, which included classics including “Tuesday’s Gone,” “Simple Man” and “Gimme Three Steps,” and the nearly 10-minute “Free Bird,” that became the group’s signature song thanks to Rossington’s slide playing on his Gibson SG.

No cause of death was revealed for Rossington, who overcame several health battles over the years and cheated death more than once. He survived a car accident in 1976 in which he drove his Ford Torino into a tree, inspiring the band’s cautionary song “That Smell.” A year later, he emerged from the 1977 plane crash that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, with two broken arms, a broken leg, and a punctured stomach and liver. In later years, Rossington underwent quintuple bypass surgery in 2003, suffered a heart attack in 2015, and had numerous subsequent heart surgeries. Most recently, he temporarily left Lynyrd Skynyrd in July 2021 to recover from another procedure.

The band was scheduled to co-headline 22 summer dates with ZZ Top this year on ‘The Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour’; it’s unclear if the band will continue without Rossington. Rossington is survived by his wife, Dale Krantz-Rossington, their two daughters and several grandchildren.

Editorial credit: Davide Sciaky / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

The Joe Perry Project adds tour dates for April

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Legendary Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has added a number of upcoming tour dates this April. Perry will head out on the road for a total of six dates with his band The Joe Perry Project. Perry will play songs from his extensive catalog, and will be joined on the tour by Gary Cherone on vocals, as well as Buck Johnson on keys, Jason Sutter on drums and David Hull on bass.

Perry’s tour dates kick off on April 15 beginning in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and include stops in New York City on April 18, Boston on April 16, before wrapping up on April 26 in Los Angeles.

Tickets are on sale now at the link: HERE.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

J-Hope shares the video for “On The Street” featuring J. Cole

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BTS member J-Hope has a brand new solo single titled “On The Street,” featuring a collaboration with one of his favorite rappers, J. Cole.

A video clip for the song shows the very moment the two artists met. In the recent Disney+ documentary J-hope In The Box, J-Hope gasps and tells J. Cole: “I’m so honored to meet you,” and then proceeds to let him know how much he admires him and which project was his favorite. “I love your mixtape Friday Night Lights. ‘Higher’ is my favorite song. Come here, I’m about to take you higher!”

In the accompanying music video for “On The Street,” J-hope takes to the streets and subway stations of New York, while Cole appears on a rooftop in front of the Brooklyn Bridge, where the two artists come together at the end.

Take a look at the official music video for “On The Street” – here.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Disney+ announces ‘Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation Backyard Sessions’ special

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Disney+ announced the original special event, ‘Miley Cyrus ‒ Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions)’ to celebrate the release of Cyrus’ eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation. Endless Summer Vacation will be available both digitally and at physical retailers on March 10th. The album will be available in multiple configurations, including black vinyl, exclusive red vinyl and an exclusive clear vinyl variant available exclusively via Cyrus’ webstore.

Cyrus serves as executive producer on the special, which will showcase new music from the album for the first time, as well as “Flowers,” which has been No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks since its debut. Cyrus will share exclusive interviews taken in the famed Los Angeles house where Frank Sinatra once lived – and where Cyrus shot the official music video for “Flowers.”

‘Miley Cyrus ‒ Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions)’ is set to premiere on Friday, March 10th at 1 pm EST/10 am PST on Disney+.

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Categories
News Daypop

5 people shot in altercation near gun buyback event at Los Angeles beach

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Five people were injured in a shooting at a Los Angeles beach, just a few miles from where city officials had hosted a gun buyback event earlier in the day.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department and City Councilmember Tim McOsker, the LAPD’s Harbor Division responded to a radio call of a shooting at Royal Palms Beach around 5:45 p.m. Saturday.  The LAPD said in a statement on Sunday that ‘five male Hispanic victims were at a barbeque, at the beach, with a group of approximately 10-20 people.’  Two suspect approached the group and got into a physical altercation, and ‘the suspects then produced a handgun and fired multiple rounds, striking the victims. The suspects then fled the location in a vehicle.’  Five victims were struck by gunfire, and the police said that the “last information we received was two victims are in critical condition, two victims are in serious condition and one victim is in stable condition.”

A joint statement by McOsker and Janice Hahn, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, read: “We’re outraged and saddened by the shooting at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro that has left 5 people injured. It’s tragically ironic that today we hosted a gun buy-back event just a few miles away from this location. Gun violence is wreaking havoc on our community … Royal Palms Beach will be closed Sunday and will close earlier on weekends as city officials work on plans to ensure safety and peaceful community use.”

Editorial credit: David A Litman / Shutterstock.com