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Sports Daypop

Robert Sarver starts process to sell Phoenix Suns and Mercury after NBA suspension

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Robert Sarver, the majority owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WBA’s Phoenix Mercury, said on Wednesday that he would be selling both teams, following a one-year suspension by the league for creating a hostile work environment that included racist and sexist allegations.

In a written statement, Sarver announced he was beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury: “Words that I deeply regret now overshadow nearly two decades of building organizations that brought people together—and strengthened the Phoenix area—through the unifying power of professional men’s and women’s basketball. As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness. I expected that the commissioner’s one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love. It has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible—that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past. For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury.” He continued: “I do not want to be a distraction to these two teams and the fine people who work so hard to bring the joy and excitement of basketball to fans around the world. I want what’s best for these two organizations, the players, the employees, the fans, the community, my fellow owners, the NBA and the WNBA. This is the best course of action for everyone.”

The NBA suspended Sarver on Sept. 13 and fined him $10 million after conducting an independent investigation into racist and sexist conduct. The investigation came after an ESPN article last year highlighted workplace abuses, and included interviews with 70 former and current Suns employees who said Sarver created a “toxic and sometimes hostile workplace” over his 17 years owning the team and included charges of racism and sexism.

Sarver said he believed an “unforgiving climate” would not allow him to continue as the owner once his suspension was over: “In the meantime, I will continue to work on becoming a better person, and continuing to support the community in meaningful ways. Thank you for continuing to root for the Suns and the Mercury, embracing the power that sports has to bring us together.”

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Categories
Country Daypop

Reba McEntire to release ‘The Ultimate Christmas Collection’

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Reba McEntire is set to release Reba: The Ultimate Christmas Collection, a curated mix of previously-released, holiday recordings that includes classics like “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Winter Wonderland.”  The collection, due out on Oct. 14, also includes “I Needed Christmas,” a track featured in Reba’s 2021 Lifetime movie, Reba McEntire’s Christmas in Tune.

McEntire said: “I’m excited to share this newly packaged collection of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. It was so hard to narrow down to just twelve songs, but I hope my fans enjoy this journey through time!”

Reba: The Ultimate Christmas Collection will also be available as a limited pressing on white vinyl, beginning Nov. 4. Fans can pre-order their copy and snag limited-time merchandise at McEntire’s official online store.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley and more set to perform at 5th Annual ‘Dance Party To End ALZ’

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Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley and his Hot Country Knights, Lindsay Ell, and more will perform at the 5th Annual “Dance Party to End ALZ”, set to take place at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon on Nov. 13. Funds raised will directly support the Alzheimer’s Association’s research grant program.

The star-studded benefit, hosted by Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ashley Williams, and Jay Williams, will also feature performances from Tracy Lawrence, Ashley Campbell, Melinda Doolittle, Charles Esten, Chrissy Metz, and other special guests. Artists will perform their favorite songs from the ’90s to raise awareness and funds in the fight to end Alzheimer’s.

Said Williams-Paisley: “For the past five years, Dance Party to End ALZ has been bringing people together to dress up, dance and experience great live music as some of the biggest names in country music sing cover songs from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Most importantly, though, my siblings Ashley, Jay and I throw this event to help drive awareness and funds for a cause that affects millions of American families, including our own. To date, we’ve raised more than $1.3 million for the Alzheimer’s Association, helping fund research that is going to one day help lead us to a cure for this devastating disease.”

General admission tickets and VIP table packages are available now at alz.org/danceparty.

Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley Among Stars Of Fifth Annual Dance Party to End ALZ

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Categories
Entertainment Daypop

80th Golden Globe Awards ceremony returning to NBC on Jan. 10th

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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (“HFPA”), dick clark productions and NBC announced that the 80th Golden Globe Awards will air live on NBC and Peacock on Jan. 10, 2023. No host has been announced as of press time.

Frances Berwick, chairman of entertainment networks at NBCUniversal television and streaming, said in a statement: “We recognize the HFPA’s commitment to ongoing change and look forward to welcoming back the Golden Globes to NBC for its landmark 80th anniversary in January 2023.” 

Helen Hoehne, president of the HFPA, added: “We are thrilled to announce the return of the Golden Globe Awards on NBC and to hosting the ‘party of the year’ for audiences around the world who have been waiting for its return. It’s great to be back at the Beverly Hilton for the must-see celebration recognizing the best in film and television. The HFPA remains committed to important changes and supporting programs which prioritize diversity, inclusion, and transparency. See you on Jan. 10!”

The Golden Globes, honoring excellence in film and TV, were canceled last year as the HFPA worked to improve its business practices and increase the diversity in its membership. The Globes voting body is now 52% female, 51.5% racially and ethnically diverse, with 19.5% Latinx, 12% Asian, 10% Black and 10% Middle Eastern.

Editorial credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Sarah Paulson to portray Gwen Shamblin Lara in HBO Max’s scripted adaptation of ‘The Way Down’

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Sarah Paulson is set to executive produce and star as the late Gwen Shamblin Lara in the HBO Max scripted adaptation of its docuseries, The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin.

Shamblin rose to fame with her ‘Weigh Down Workshop,’ a Christian-based diet program, and founded the the controversial, Tennessee-based Remnant Fellowship Church.  The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin explored the practices of the Remnant Fellowship Church and the legacy of Lara — a flamboyant and charismatic figure with a carefully curated image, who was accused of emotional, psychological and physical abuse and exploitation for the church’s alleged cult-like practices.

The Way Down docuseries launched in September 2021 with three episodes, becoming the streamer’s most-watched docuseries at the time. Just before finishing the series, Shamblin and her husband died in a plane crash; and the series aired two more episodes where they spoke to more people about the controversial Remnant Fellowship Church. The second part examined the mysterious circumstances surrounding the crash and investigation into the aftermath, including new stories from former survivors who share their experience following Shamblin’s death.

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Categories
Rock Daypop

Iron Maiden recruit Within Temptation for their Legacy Of The Beast mobile game

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Iron Maiden have recruited Within Temptation for the latest collaboration for their Legacy of the Beast free-to-play mobile game.  You can watch a video of the game premiere – here.

Within Temptation will be joining Iron Maiden on the second leg of their US tour, beginning in October 2022.  The game has previously featured collaborations this year with Disturbed, Powerwolf, Arch Enemy, Five Finger Death Punch.

Details of the game expansion are as follows: “This exciting collaboration has culminated in a dungeon event called ‘The Purge’ inspired by Within Temptation’s 2020 single of the same name and a newly created character, Genesis. In this new storyline, Genesis teams up with the Different World iteration of Eddie – who was inspired by the lyrics, themes and imagery of Iron Maiden’s 2006 track ‘Different World’ and the subsequent music video. This week-long event will take fans and players on a journey with Different World Eddie and Genesis, who’s now been woven into the Legacy of the Beast lore, as mother of the Different World.”

To play the Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast mobile game, head here.

Editorial credit: Piotr Swat / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Rock Daypop

Smashing Pumpkins announce the rock-opera album ‘ATUM’ with the debut of their single ‘Beguiled’

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Smashing Pumpkins announced the release of their upcoming, 3-act rock opera ATUM (pronounced “Autumn”), which will serve as a sequel to 1995’s iconic Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and 2000’s Machina/The Machines of God. 

ATUM — written and produced by Corgan over the past four years — is due out in April 2023.  The 33-song collection will be released in segments; each act of 11 songs will come out every 11 weeks on digital streaming platforms. The ATUM vinyl box set will include 10 unreleased songs.

Billy Corgan also announced a brand new podcast, Thirty-Three With William Patrick Corgan. Every week, a new song from ATUM will debut on the podcast, which will also feature classic tracks and a discussion of the band’s history. The first two episodes of the podcast are available here.

Smashing Pumpkins previewed the ATUM collection with the new single “Beguiled,” which the band debuted on its TikTok account.  It is also available for listening here. The Smashing Pumpkins will perform the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Sept. 23, and is also scheduled to launch a North American tour at the beginning of October alongside Jane’s Addiction.

Editorial credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Taylor Swift announces title of the 13th track on her upcoming album Midnights, called “Mastermind”

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Taylor Swift dropped the name of the 13th song on the tracklist for her upcoming album Midnights. The singer, 32, revealed the song is titled “Mastermind.”

Swift shared the news in a new TikTok series called “Midnights Mayhem With Me.” Said Swift: “I know that I have a habit of dropping cryptic clues and Easter eggs when giving you information about my music, and I am not here to deny that. But I am here to defy that. Welcome to a new series I’m calling ‘Midnights Mayhem With Me.’” Using a bingo ball cage, Swift explained that she was going to allow fate to decide what track titles to announce and in what order, saying: “In this cage are 13 Ping Pong balls labeled one through 13, each representing a track on the Midnights album. So, let’s leave it up to fate.”  The first ball that rolled out of the cage was the one labeled with the number 13, Swift’s favorite number. She said, “Track 13…because of course.” Picking up a red phone, Taylor then revealed the name of the song ‘Mastermind’.

Swift announced her upcoming album at the 2022 MTV VMAs in August while accepting the Video of the Year award.  She has continued to drop hints about Midnights since then, such as by sharing the cover art and posting behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the album. In an August Instagram post, Swift described Midnights as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered” throughout her life.

Midnights will be released Oct. 21.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Mariah Carey plans to release her ‘lost’ alternative-rock album

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Mariah Carey revealed in her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, that she made an alternative rock album in the ’90s, but she kept it hidden until two years ago. The 1995 album Someone’s Ugly Daughter by the band ‘Chick’ was her ‘lost grunge’ album, and Carey’s lead vocals were recorded over by a musician named Clarissa Dane. In a 2004 interview with Dane, the Chick singer explained that she was Carey’s roommate at the time of the recording sessions.  While the Chick album isn’t currently available to stream, upon its initial release it had major label support and spawned singles such as “Malibu” and “Demented.”

Back in 2020, Mariah tweeted – “Fun fact: I did an alternative album while I was making [my 1995 album] Daydream ..my friend Clarissa … performs the lead, [with] me as a hidden layer.” Carey said at the time she recorded it “just for laughs, but it got me through some dark days.”

Now according to a new interview with Carey on Rolling Stone’s Rolling Stone Now podcast, a version with Carey’s original vocals has evidently been recovered by the star, and she plans to release it. Carey discovered the buried version of her secret alt-rock album with her own lead vocals intact. Carey said she is planning to release those versions, and is also planning something ‘mysterious’ related to the project with ‘another artist.’ It is currently unknown who the other mystery artist is.

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Categories
News Daypop

Residents of Jackson, Mississippi file class action lawsuit over water crisis

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Residents of Jackson, Mississippi, have filed a class action lawsuit against the city, its current and former mayors, city officials and engineering companies, alleging that years of neglect culminated in a recent water crisis for more than 150,000 people.  Last week, the city finally had clean water restored following a boil water advisory from July when tests showed water quality was “cloudy.”

The residents asked the court in the lawsuit to force the city to repair the water system and to cancel any bills or debts held by residents for unsafe water or water that was not delivered, and also asked for community health centers to care for people who may have been injured by contaminated water and for an unspecified amount of money for damages.

Flooding of the Pearl River exacerbated the water crisis by causing water pressure issues in the city’s already-damaged system. The plaintiffs also allege that they were poisoned by lead and other contaminants released in Jackson’s drinking water before the water supply failed in August. The lawsuit reads: “These residents lack more than just drinking water, or water for making powdered baby formula, cooking, showering, or laundry. During the long period where the city pipes had no water pressure — and were unable to facilitate the flow of water — residents of Jackson could not flush their toilets for days at a time. This public health crisis, decades in the making, was wholly foreseeable by Defendants’ actions and has left Jackson residents in an untenable position — without access to clean, safe water in 2022 in a major United States city.”

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