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David Byrne’s ‘American Utopia’ Broadway show announces final run of dates, ending in April

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne‘s acclaimed stage production David Byrne’s American Utopia has announced dates for a final run of Broadway performances at the St. James Theatre.

The show’s engagement, which previously had been scheduled through March 6, now is scheduled to close after a performance on Sunday, April 3.

Six performances of the show are scheduled during a standard week — at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturdays and at 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets can be purchased by visiting AmericanUtopiaBroadway.com/tickets.

In addition, a limited number of discounted $44 tickets are available via an online lottery at LuckySeat.com. Ticket requests are limited to one or two per entrant, and entries open at 10 a.m. ET on the Monday of the week prior to the performance. Those chosen to receive tickets will receive an email with digital tickets on the morning of the performance.

As previously reported, the American Utopia show features Byrne accompanied by 11 musicians, dancers and singers who move freely about an almost-empty stage. The production includes several Talking Heads songs, material from David’s 2018 American Utopia album, and other tunes from his solo catalog.

The show’s original Broadway run took place from October 2019 to February 2020 at the Hudson Theatre. After an 18-month layoff because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the production began a new run at the St. James Theatre in September of last year.

Susan Lucci opens up about undergoing 2nd heart procedure

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Actress Susan Lucci is opening up about her battle with heart disease.

The 75-year-old, best known for her role as Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama All My Children, told Good Morning America‘s Amy Robach that she recently underwent an emergency heart procedure for the second time.

“I was having kind of a shortness of breath,” said Lucci, adding that she soon also felt discomfort around her ribcage and her back, similar to symptoms she had three years ago with her first heart scare.

“I thought, ‘This is crazy. These are the same kind of symptoms that I had three years ago but it can’t be,'” she said. “But when I lay down, I started to feel a sharp coming-and-going pain in my jaw.”

After undergoing several tests, Lucci’s doctor told her that she experienced an 80% blockage in one of her arteries due to plaque buildup. She was rushed to a cardiac catheterization lab, where another stent was put in to open up the blockage.

“She wasn’t having a heart attack this time and she wasn’t unstable,” Lucci’s doctor, Dr. Richard Shlofmitz, chairman of cardiology at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York, told GMA. “But she had symptoms that were certainly concerning to me that something might be wrong.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. About 1 in 16 women age 20 and older have coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease in the U.S.

Now Lucci, an advocate for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, is urging other women to listen to their bodies.

“Listen to your heart and act on [the symptoms],” Lucci said. “Give yourself permission to take good care of yourself. Be your own best friend. Be your own advocate. You’ll save your life.”

Icy Season continues with Saweetie’s new “Closer” music video featuring H.E.R.

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

All aboard Icy Air! Saweetie and H.E.R. will be your pilots this evening, taking you “Closer” to your destination.

Saweetie released the official music video for her collaborative single with H.E.R. on Valentine’s Day, which sees the two piloting a jet full of women around the world in search of some serious arm candy. The group trots the globe as the local men fawn all over them.

Of course, the duo are blinged out for their epic global adventure, from wearing glittering diamonds to shimmering, seductive dresses as men spoil them rotten. Saweetie scores herself several men, one of which showers her with designer shoes and other expensive gifts in Paris while another takes her to a private island for a private tennis lesson in the Philippines.

“Closer” is set to appear on Saweetie’s debut album, Pretty B**** Music. The studio effort is set to drop later this year after it was pushed back from its original June 2021 release date. The Grammy nominee has previously released the tracks “Tap In” and “Best Friend,” which features Doja Cat, to hype her forthcoming album.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Rage Against the Machine announces rescheduled dates for postponed reunion shows

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Rage Against the Machine has unveiled the rescheduled dates for the postponed shows on the band’s much-anticipated reunion tour.

As previously reported, the “Killing in the Name” outfit announced this past January that the first half of the upcoming outing, including dates scheduled from March 31 in El Paso, Texas, to May 23 in Detroit, would be delayed. Those shows are now set to take place in February, March and April of 2023.

Previously purchased tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Those who can no longer attend the shows have until March 15 to request a refund.

The second leg of the tour, which kicks off in July and will conclude with a five-night stand at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in August, is still on to run as scheduled.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Tour.RATM.com.

Rage Against the Machine had originally scheduled the tour for 2020 after announcing their reunion in 2019, ending the hiatus they’d been on since 2011. The outing’s been postponed a number of times amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In between all the rescheduling, Rage dropped off the lineups for festivals including Coachella and Boston Calling.

Kevin Hart announces the Reality Check Tour

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Kevin Hart is getting back on the road, announcing his first stand-up tour in four years, kicking off July 2 in Las Vegas.

The star will be making more than 30 arena stops across North America on his Reality Check tour, including in Dallas, Miami, Boston, Chicago, and Montreal. The tour wraps up Saturday, October 1 at San Francisco’s Chase Center.

“I am hype as sh** to go back out on tour,” Kevin said in a statement. “There is nothing better than making people laugh, I can feel the energy in the venues like caffeine pumping through my veins.”

Hart adds, “I’ve been cooking up something special and have thoughts I need to get off my chest. Go get your tickets and come ready to have a good night!”

Tickets go on-sale this Friday, February 18 at 10 a.m. local time at KevinHartNation.com. Fans will also have access to a special Live Nation pre-sale beginning Wednesday, February 16th at 10 a.m. through Thursday, February 17th at 10 p.m. local time.

The dates for Kevin Hart’s Reality Check tour are available on his website.

Lauren Alaina sings “Walkaway Joe” with Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks during Opry induction

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Lauren Alaina is officially a member of the Grand Ole Opry — with a little help from Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

During the Opry’s Saturday night broadcast, the “Road Less Traveled” singer became the Opry’s newest member when she was inducted by Trisha, who also extended the invite in December.

“Since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of this moment,” Lauren said through tears, calling the honor “the biggest dream come true.” “Most little girls dream of their weddings, I dreamed of this.”

The night was made even more special for the new inductee when Trisha invited husband Garth onstage to play guitar on “Walkaway Joe,” much to Lauren’s shock and awe. The two Georgia natives traded vocals on the classic country hit, with Lauren giving Garth a hug as he strummed the melody.

At 27, Lauren is now the youngest living member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Where to find free at-home COVID test kits in New York City

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — New York City began distributing free, at-home COVID-19 test kits across the five boroughs Monday.

Tests, made by the company Flowflex, will be available at 27 public library branches and 14 cultural landmarks including the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Staten Island Zoo.

Across the city, there are 13 sites where tests can be picked up in Queens, 10 in Brooklyn, seven in Manhattan, six in the Bronx and five in Staten Island. More sites are expected to be added over the next few weeks.

“Our mission remains to make testing resources accessible for all New Yorkers to safely and confidently manage the pandemic,” Dr. Ted Long, executive director of the NYC Test & Trace Corps, said in a statement. “Distributing at-home tests at cultural sites and libraries provides familiar, prominent locations for people to pick up the resources they need to know if they have COVID-19 and to return to the beloved destinations that make our city so special.”

He continued, “I am grateful for our cultural and library partnerships and excited to see them lead New York City safely forward.”

Test & Trace will be delivering kits to the libraries and cultural sites once a week, and supplies are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We will have sent out over 350,000 tests by end of week. [Distribution] to each site varies, but we are confident that we can meet demand,” a spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals, which oversees Test & Trace, told ABC News in a statement.

Test kits are limited to one per person and, although distribution will be up to the individual site, Test & Trace is recommending one per day, the spokesperson added.

Test & Trace said its website will be updated daily with the hours and locations of sites where the tests are available.

The new program comes just two weeks after Mayor Eric Adams said the city will be offering free at-home, same-day delivery of COVID antiviral pills for those with mild to moderate symptoms.

The city is also pushing for more residents to get vaccinated. Over the weekend, Adams announced the return of cash incentives including a $100 gift card for anyone who gets their first dose or is boosted at a city-run or SOMOS Community Care site through the end of February.

The gift cards will be eligible for use through March 31.

Parkland father climbs crane near White House, demands Biden do more on gun control: Report

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — On Monday’s fourth anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting, during which his son was killed, Manuel Oliver climbed atop a construction crane near the White House and unfurled a banner calling on President Joe Biden to do more to get gun control legislation passed, according to news reports.

Photos showed a large banner depicting an image of his son, Joaquin Oliver, who was one of 17 victims in the shooting at the high school in Parkland, Florida, and read “45K PEOPLE DIED FROM GUN VIOLENCE ON YOUR WATCH.”

Oliver climbed down the crane with another individual at approximately 10 a.m., and was met by officers who escorted him into an ambulance in handcuffs for a brief moment before he was led away, ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV reported.

In a statement to ABC News, the Metropolitan Police Department said officers located and apprehended one individual on the 700 block of 15th St., NW at approximately 5:40 a.m.

“Two other individuals were located on a crane near the location. At approximately 10:06 am, the two individuals located on the crane were taken into custody as well. Preliminarily, three individuals were arrested from the scene,” the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed.

The Metropolitan Police Department did not release the identities of the individuals arrested, but WJLA identified Oliver.

In a statement marking the shooting’s anniversary, Biden said his administration stands with the Parkland families, “Americans in every corner of our country who have lost loved ones to gun violence or had their lives forever altered by a shooting” and “those working to end this epidemic of gun violence.”

“I have put forward a comprehensive plan to reduce gun crime that includes curbing the proliferation of ‘ghost’ guns, cracking down on gun dealers who willfully violate the law, issuing model extreme risk protection order legislation for states, and promoting safe firearm storage, among other efforts,” Biden wrote.

Jill Biden plays Cupid, again, decorating White House for Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — First Lady Jill Biden is spreading love — and offering a teaching moment to elementary school students — at the White House on Monday to mark Valentine’s Day.

For the second year in a row, the first lady delivered a valentine to the nation with a colorful heart-filled display on the White House North Lawn.

The decor, this year, features hand-painted wooden artwork in the shapes of the family’s first pets — new cat, Willow, and German Shepherd puppy, Commander.

A massive, wooden heart between the two pets is inscribed with Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.”

The heart-shaped decorations also extend inside the White House to the East Wing, where the first lady has featured the “heart-work” of second-grade students in Washington whose teacher, Alejandro Diasgranados, was awarded teacher of the year for 2021.

According to the first lady’s office, the students were asked to incorporate words reflecting her values including “family,” “kindness,” and “peace” to guide their Valentine’s Day heart designs. Diasgranados and some of the 21 students that created the 42 paper hearts on display in the East Landing are scheduled to visit the White House on Monday to see their work.

Three large, red hearts reading “hope,” “healing” and “love” were also on display in the East Wing.

After spending the weekend at Camp David, President Joe Biden and the first lady returned to the White House earlier Monday morning holding hands as they walked into the residence. Biden did not answer questions but lowered his mask to tell reporters, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

For the Bidens’ first Valentine’s Day in the White House, the first lady decorated the North Lawn with three giant, hand-painted hearts that read “hope,” “unity” and “love.”

Rihanna stuns fans after unexpectedly dropping in at her Savage X Fenty store

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Now that Rihanna no longer needs to hide her pregnancy, the “Umbrella” singer can step back into the public eye and continue doing what she loves — making people happy. Over the weekend, she and boyfriend A$AP Rocky shocked fans when they decided to pay a surprise visit to one of her Savage X Fenty stores.

People reports that the couple, both 33, crashed the Savage X Fenty store at the Westfield Culver City mall in Los Angeles. Rihanna wore a Valentine’s Day ensemble comprised of a striking crimson hooded robe and matching strappy heels that showed off her white pedicure.

As for her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky wore matching red and white trainers along with a blue-gray pinstripe tuxedo, white undershirt and black tie.

The two posed for photo ops around the store, including in front of mannequins that were modeling signature pieces from Rihanna’s new Valentine’s Day line.

Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty stores transitioned from an online-only platform to brick and mortar locations this year, with the first location opening in Las Vegas in January. She plans to open more locations in Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

The “Diamonds” singer first announced she was opening physical Fenty stores via Twitter on January 7, and said in a subsequent tweet, “[I] can’t believe it’s actually that time, and I can’t wait for you to have this experience irl.”

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