Month: September 2024

Categories
Rock Daypop

Mötley Crüe to drop new EP ‘Cancelled’

Motley Crue's Vince Neil^ Nikki Sixx at the Netflix 'The Dirt' Premiere on March 18^ 2019 in Hollywood^ CA

Mötley Crüe have announced a three-song EP titled Cancelled, set for release on October 4th.

The three-song package includes the top five radio hit “Dogs of War,” the title track “Cancelled,” as well as a cover of the Beastie Boys classic “Fight for Your Right,” which you can listen to: here.

All three tracks were recorded in April 2023 with Bob Rock, who produced the band’s famed 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood. The EP will be available on CD, red/black splatter 12-inch 45 RPM vinyl, and digitally. In a statement, Mötley Crüe hinted at more music to come: “It was really great getting in the studio and working on some tracks together. What started out as a couple demo ideas turned into this EP produced by Bob Rock. We look forward to getting back into the studio again soon and writing more new music, as well.”

Mötley Crüe have a handful of gigs and festival dates remaining on their 2024 schedule, including appearances at the Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals.

To preorder the ‘Cancelled’ EP, head HERE.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

Seether releases their new single ‘Illusion’

Vocalist/Guitarist Shaun Morgan of the Heavy Metal band Seether performs in concert October 5^ 2011 at the Comfort Dental Amphitheater in Denver^ CO.

Seether have released their new single “Illusion,” the follow-up to “Judas Mind” which hit No. 7 on both the Mediabase Active Rock chart and the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Illusion is off the band’s upcoming ninth studio album The Surface Seems So Far, set to drop September 20th.

Bassist Dale Stewart shares of the latest track: “‘Illusion’ is one of the highlights for me on this album. With its hypnotic opening riff chugging away like industrial machinery, the haunting melodies in the chorus and the all-out intensity of the bridge, I feel this song is a step forward for us whilst simultaneously being Seether through and through. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.”

The Surface Seems So Far, Seether’s ninth studio album, features 11-tracks and is produced by frontman and songwriter Shaun Morgan with veteran producer Matt Hyde (Deftones, Slayer) as engineer and mixer. You can pre-order The Surface Seems So Far – HERE.

Seether will support the release of the album on the road this fall on an 18-date co-headlining tour with Skillet as well as festival appearances at Louder Than Life and Aftershock, bringing their authentic and electrifying live show across the US.

See the official lyric video for ‘Illusion’ – HERE.

Editorial credit: TDC Photography / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Attorneys for Hunter Biden surprise prosecutors with ‘Alford plea’ deal in tax trial in Los Angeles

Hunter Biden addressed the media on December 13^ 2023 explaining that he would not testify behind closed doors to the US Congress.

Attorneys for Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, offered to settle a range of federal tax charges against him with an “Alford plea” during a court appearance Thursday in Los Angeles. ABC News reported that the surprise offer came as proceedings began on Day 2 of Hunter Biden’s trial on nine felony and misdemeanor charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 through 2019.

U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi temporarily adjourned the trial (which is in the pre-jury selection phase) after Biden’s attorneys surprised prosecutors with the offer of an Alford plea. Under such a plea, defendants can admit that prosecutors have enough evidence for a conviction yet maintain they are innocent of the charges (per The Washington Post.) Prosecutors said they were not informed in advance after Biden attorney Abbe Lowell announced the plea deal offer.

The latest legal move comes after Biden’s attorneys unsuccessfully sought to dismiss the tax case by citing a recent decision by a federal judge in Florida who throw out the classified documents case against Trump on the grounds that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional.  Last month, Scarsi shot down that argument for being untimely and an attempt to re-litigate an earlier decision quashing a previous attempt by Biden to have the case dismissed. Biden last year was poised to plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses, but the deal fell apart in July when the two sides could not agree on a separate gun offense.

Biden is also awaiting sentencing on three gun-related charges. He found guilty in June on charges stemming from his purchase of a handgun in 2018 when he was allegedly struggling with drug addiction. He faces up to 25 years’ imprisonment and hefty fines when sentenced.

Editorial credit: Andrew Leyden / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

14-year-old suspect in Georgia school shooting charged with 4 counts of felony murder

Crime scene tape; McDonough^ Georgia- December 6^ 2018

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (‘GBI’), the 14-year-old Georgia school shooting suspect has been charged with four counts of murder. Two students and two teachers were killed in the shooting on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga, with nine others hospitalized with injuries

Per the Atlanta Journal, the suspect, Colt Gray, is set to appear in Barrow County Superior Court for his first appearance Friday morning. Per Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice spokesperson Glenn Allen, the 8:30 a.m. Friday hearing will be virtual. Gray is expected to be tried for murder as an adult in the mass shooting at Apalachee High School.

The GBI wrote on X: “Gray has been charged with 4 counts of felony murder in connection to the shooting at Apalachee HS yesterday. He was taken to the Gainesville RYDC. Additional charges are expected. Gray’s first appearance will be tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. — The investigation into the shooting at Apalachee HS is still active & ongoing. This is day 2 of a very complex investigation & the integrity of the case is paramount. We ask for the public’s patience as we work to ensure a successful prosecution & justice for the victims.”

The GBI has identified those killed as 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, math teacher and assistant football coach RIchard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and math teacher Christina Irimie, 53. The nine wounded victims were expected to recover.

The FBI said that the teenage suspect, who used an AR-style weapon in the shooting, surrendered immediately and was taken into custody within minutes. On Thursday night he was taken to a youth detention center in Gainesville. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said that the suspect was a new student at the school, having only been there for a partial day; the day of the shooting was his first full day at the school.  Gray was previously investigated in May 2023 after anonymous tips regarding threats he allegedly made to commit a school shooting. At the time, Gray denied making the online threats and the FBI said there was no legal basis for charging him for any crime.

During the shooting, the school used a new Crisis Alert System made by the Atlanta-based private company Centegix. In that system, teachers wear badges with the ability to press a button to notify law enforcement if a shooting is happening.

GBI Director Chris Hosey said that investigators are looking into how Gray got the weapon he allegedly used in the school shooting and are also looking for a possible motive. Hosey added that investigators know about previous contacts between Gray’s family and the state’s Department of Children and Family Services, and are also looking into that.

Editorial credit: Lee Reese / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Sports Daypop

San Francisco Giants sign 3B Matt Chapman to 6-year, $151M extension

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman jogs from the dugout during a game against Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum. July 5^ 2022

The San Francisco Giants announced Thursday that they have signed third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year, $151 million contract extension, beginning in 2025 and running through the 2030 season. Chapman, 31, will earn $25 million annually through 2030. He also will earn a $1 million signing bonus in 2025 and make annual donations of $125,000 to the Giants Community Fund.

Chapman was the No. 25 overall pick by the Oakland Athletics in 2014, making his MLB debut in 2017 and selected as an All-Star in 2019. The A’s traded the veteran infielder to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022; and the Giants later signed him to a three-year, $54 million contract earlier this year.

Chapman owns a career .241 average with 177 home runs and 24 stolen bases through his first 1,004 appearances. He hit .247 with 22 home runs, 33 doubles, 69 RBIs and a career-high 13 stolen bases through 136 games this season.

Editorial credit: Conor P. Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Sports Daypop

USWNT star Alex Morgan announces retirement, pregnancy

Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride) of United States during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Semi Final match between England and USA at Stade de Lyon on July 2^ 2019 in Lyon^ France.

USWNT star Alex Morgan – considered one of the most-decorated players in the history of the U.S. Women’s Soccer – announced on Thursday that she will retire from soccer after her final match Sunday with the San Diego Wave. In a four-minute, 33-second video posted to her social media with the caption ‘Thank you🫶’, Morgan, 35, announced that she had decided to retire, and also announced that she is pregnant with her second child.

Morgan said: “I’m going to get to the point quickly: I’m retiring… I have so much clarity about this decision and I’m so happy to be able to finally tell you. It has been a long time coming and this decision wasn’t easy, but at the beginning of 2024, I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season I would play soccer. Soccer has been a part of me for 30 years and it was one of the first things that I ever loved. I gave everything to this sport. What I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

Morgan is a two-time World Cup champion and an Olympic gold medalist. She will go down as one of the greatest goalscorers in USWNT history, finishing her illustrious career with 123 goals (fifth most in program history) in 224 international appearances.  Her 123 goals trail only Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, Carli Lloyd and Kristine Lilly. The former team captain also totaled the ninth-most assists (53). Morgan won a gold medal at London 2012 and a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020. Morgan also was a member of World Cup winning teams in 2014 and 2019. She was on the second-place squad at the 2011 World Cup.

U.S. Soccer posted a video tribute to Morgan after news of her retirement went public (HERE), captioned: Two-time Women’s World Cup Champion and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Alex Morgan announced her retirement from professional soccer on September 5, 2024. She closes her incredible international career with 224 caps, 123 goals and 53 assists, and led the USWNT to three world championships. Her undeniable impact on the field is matched by a remarkable influence on the broader game, championing women’s soccer and female athletes worldwide through her advocacy for equity, accessibility and support for mothers

Morgan said in her video: “Success for me is defined by never giving up and giving your all and I did just that. Giving my all every single day on the field, and I did that. Giving my all in the relentless push for global investment in women’s sports because we deserve that. Giving my all in my various businesses beyond the soccer fields and giving my all as a mom to my daughter, Charlie. Charlie came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up she wants to be a soccer player and it just made me immensely proud, not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because a pathway exists that even a 4-year-old can see now. We’re changing lives and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible. I’m proud of the hand I had in making that happen and pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I’m so happy and proud of.”

Morgan will play her final professional game for the San Diego Wave on Sunday against the North Carolina Courage at 8 p.m. EDT Sunday in San Diego. The Wave also announced that they will celebrate Morgan’s career at their final home match Nov. 3 at Snapdragon Stadium.

Editorial credit: Jose Breton- Pics Action / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Luke Bryan to release eighth studio album ‘Mind Of a Country Boy’

Luke Bryan performs in concert at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on July 13^ 2019 in Wantagh^ New York.

Luke Bryan revealed that his new album, Mind Of a Country Boy, will drop on Sept. 27.

Bryan posted on his socials: “Y’all will finally know what’s on my mind. The Mind Of A Country Boy ALBUM will be out on 9/27. It’s been a long time coming. Pre-save / pre-order and you’ll get #ClosingTimeInCalifornia now. #MindOfACountryBoy”

Produced by father-son production team Jeff and Jody Stevens, Mind of a Country Boy marks Bryan‘s eighth studio album. Bryan shares: “I’ve been able to take my time and really compile songs. If it’s a song that I cut two or three years ago, and I still love it, and it still sounds fresh, then I feel like it’ll stand the test of time. I think this album, as I’ve tried to do with all my albums, just has a little bit of everything. I do some things different vocally on this one that I’ve not done before. It’s about each song having its place and having its meaning. It’s trying not to be overly redundant with songs. I think that’s why I’ve been blessed to have a long career and what I feel like this album’s going to do.”

Mind of a Country Boy features Bryan’s hit single “Love You, Miss You, Mean It,” as well as the Top 5 hits “But I Got a Beer In My Hand” and “Country On.” Other songs on the album include the title track, “Mind of a Country Boy,” which Bryan co-wrote with Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip, and Rhett Akins.

Mind of a Country Boy will be released during Bryan’s 2024 Farm Tour, which includes stops in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio, with proceeds going towards supporting the communities that host the shows.

To pre-order Mind of a Country Boy head HERE.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Academy of Country Music Awards sets date for 2025 ceremony, Reba McEntire to host

LAS VEGAS - APR 7: Reba McEntire at the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 7^ 2019 in Las Vegas^ NV

The Academy of Country Music Awards will return in May 2025. A post on social media read: “✨ @Reba is BACK to host the 60th #ACMawards – on May 8, 2025 – LIVE on @PrimeVideo from @thestarinfrisco! Our 60th Anniversary celebration is gonna be our BIGGEST PARTY YET 🎉 Join the free ACM A-List to be the first to know when tickets go on sale → https://lnk.to/A-List!TP”

Prime Video, the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and Dick Clark Productions announced in a press release Tuesday that the 60th annual ACM Awards will take place May 8, 2025, at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The show will stream on Prime Video.

Country music star and 16-time ACM Award winner Reba McEntire will host the ceremony for the 18th time. Additional details, including nominees and performers, will be confirmed in the coming months. Said McEntire: “I’m thrilled to be coming back to host the 60th ACM Awards on Prime Video. It’s going to be an absolute can’t miss show and I can’t wait to see everybody back in Texas!”

ACM CEO Damon Whiteside added: “We’re so excited to honor and celebrate the legacy of the ACM Awards all year long surrounding the 60th anniversary show returning to Amazon Prime Video next May. Reba McEntire has hosted more ACM Awards shows than any other artist in history, and after her triumphant return this year for the 59th show, there is clearly no one better suited to helm this milestone show! Our landmark 50th anniversary show in 2015 marked our debut in Texas, and we’re thrilled to return again to celebrate another major moment in ACM history. We look forward to seeing our industry, artists, and fans celebrate in Frisco, Texas, next may for an unforgettable week!”

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

See trailer for Ryan Murphy’s new series ‘Grotesquerie’ premiering on FX in September

Ryan Murphy attends Netflix The Politician premiere at DGA Theater. New York^ NY - September 26^ 2019

FX announced that Ryan Murphy‘s new 10-episode horror/drama series “Grotesquerie” will premiere Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. on FX. Grotesquerie is written and created by Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken; the series centers on “a series of heinous crimes” in a small community, with detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts), feeling the crimes “are eerily personal, as if someone — or something — is taunting her.”

Per a show synopsis, Lois (Nash-Betts) is struggling at home with “a strained relationship with her daughter, a husband in long-term hospital care and her own inner demons,” and teams up with Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond), a nun and journalist with the Catholic Guardian:  “Sister Megan, with her own difficult past, has seen the worst in humanity, yet she still believes in its capacity for good. Lois, on the other hand, fears the world is succumbing to evil. As Lois and Sister Megan string together clues, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers.”

“Grotesquerie” stars Niecy Nash-Betts as Detective Lois Tryon, Courtney B. Vance as Marshall Tryon, Lesley Manville as Nurse Redd, Micaela Diamond as Sister Megan, Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Father Charlie, Raven Goodwin as Merritt Tryon and NFL star Travis Kelce in an undisclosed role.

FX first shared a teaser for the series (seen here) and later released the official trailer, with Kelce saying in the introduction: “Check out the trailer for FX’s Grotesquerie. That’s right. You might see some familiar faces.”

Grotesquerie premieres Sept. 25 on FX at 10 p.m. EDT and will stream on Hulu the next day, Sept. 26.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe star in trailer for ‘Kraven the Hunter’

Aaron Taylor Johnson attends the Madrid photocall for "ACQUA DI GIO" By Giorgio Armani at Matadero Madrid on March 07^ 2024 in Madrid^ Spain.

Sony Pictures released the promo for director J.C. Chandor‘s feature film ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe. Kraven the Hunter centers on the Spider-Man villain who debuted in the comics in 1964.

The film follows Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff, who is left for dead by his hunter father (Crowe) after a lion attack. The animal’s bite then appears to give superpowers to Sergei, who becomes known as Kraven the Hunter and uses violence to protect the animal kingdom.

The trailer for the film opens with a panorama of a snowy landscape, and a man’s voice saying, “My son, we are hunters, the greatest the world has ever known.”  The voice belongs to Kraven’s father, Nikolai Karvinoff (Crowe), and it echoes throughout clip.

Kraven the Hunter premieres Dec. 13; take a look at the trailer: HERE.

Editorial credit: OSCAR GONZALEZ FUENTES / Shutterstock.com