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Dua Lipa teams with Truly Hard Seltzer to curate a virtual concert series

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dua Lipa with Truly Strawberry Lemonade Hard Seltzer/Courtesy Truly Hard Seltzer

Dua Lipa sure knows how to keep busy. A day after announcing a joint single with Elton John, she’s now announcing a virtual concert series.

Dua has teamed with Truly Hard Seltzer for the series, called Truly Inspired. She personally selected the three acts who’ll perform on the series: Irish singer/songwriter Dermot Kennedy, U.S. hip-hop duo EARTHGANG, and Yaeji, a Korean-American singer, DJ and producer. Their shows will stream on the Live Nation Channel on Twitch.

“Each of these artists represents an individual perspective, a distinctive part of the world, an original corner of music, and they all inspire me uniquely,” Dua says in a statement.

She adds, “In addition to the performances, I will be sitting down with each artist, and together we’ll chat, have some fun and maybe even have a couple of drinks, as we explore how” — as Truly’s slogan says — “No One Is Just One Flavor.”

EARTHGANG’s appearance will stream on August 24 at 9:30pm E.T. Dermot Kennedy appears September 9 at 4 p.m. ET, and Yaeji will play September 21, at a time to be determined.

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Darius Rucker faced some backlash after Hootie & the Blowfish blew up in the ‘90s, but he laughed it off

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

As the frontman of one of the ‘90s biggest rock bands, Hootie & the Blowfish, singer Darius Rucker has had to deal with his fair share of the backlash that comes along with being hugely popular.

“That’s a problem you have when things get so big, when you get something that’s selling a million records a week, people have to hate it. Or they’re not cool,” the singer explains in a new episode of People’s PEOPLE in the ‘90s podcast.

For example, Darius once saw a bumper sticker that read “F*** Hootie” while driving down the highway — but the singer says he took it in stride.

“I laughed my a** off,” he recalls. “I was driving my brand-new truck to my brand-new house and was playing in front of 20,000 people that weekend.”

A bumper sticker with a mean message directed his way was the least of his worries. “I’m good!” he added.

Since those early days, Darius has racked up lots more experience in making career decisions based on what he wants to do, and ignoring naysayers in the process.

His move from Hootie & the Blowfish frontman to solo country act surprised many, but he got the last laugh. As a country artist, he’s scored nine chart-topping hits, including his most recent number-one, “Beers and Sunshine.”

Kim Kardashian credits Kanye West for teaching her to “be more confident in myself”

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for ULTA Beauty / KKW Beauty

Kim Kardashian had nothing but kind words for ex Kanye West when sharing the important life lessons he taught her during their nearly 10-year relationship.

Speaking with Kristen Bell and Monica Padman on the We Are Supported By… podcast on Wednesday, the former reality TV star revealed how West taught her the value of standing up for herself.

“Being in a relationship with Kanye for a decade, someone that absolutely didn’t care about likability factor or what any of perception of him was as long as he was true to himself… that taught me so much in the best way of just being me and living in the moment,” said Kardashian, 40.

Kim admitted that, prior to dating the “Stronger” rapper, she “used to be such a people pleaser.” Now, she understands the value of putting herself first because “You don’t have to please everyone.”

“You have one life and you’re living it for you,” she expressed. “That taught me to just be more confident in myself and truly not care as much of what other people thought.”

Kardashian and West began dating 2012 and wed in 2014. They share four children together: eight-year-old North, five-year-old Saint, three-year-old Chicago and two-year-old Psalm.

The couple went their separate ways earlier this year, with Kim filing for divorce in February. However, the two reportedly remain amicable, with the Keeping Up with the Kardashian alum most recently supporting her ex in Atlanta, where he’s currently living as he finishes his 10th studio album, DONDA.

US jobless claims drop again, near pandemic low

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Weekly unemployment claims dropped slightly last week, with 375,000 Americans applying for first-time benefits.

That figure dropped for the third consecutive week, according to the Department of Labor, a sign that employers are laying off fewer people amid an increase in consumer demand. That as some employers insist they are struggling to fill open jobs. Still, new claims are near the pandemic low of 368,000, set last month.

The job market and the broader economy are getting better despite the rise in coronavirus infections from the delta variant that are starting to crimp some economic activity. The latest jobs report showed 943-thousand jobs were created in July, the biggest increase in nearly a year.

Prior to the pandemic, weekly unemployment claims were at about 220,000 per week.

Still, consumers continue to see an increase in the costs of goods and services. In July, the consumer price index rose 0.5 percent. Still more price hikes are on the horizon, with 44 percent of small businesses surveyed this month saying they plan to raise prices.

More festivals announce COVID vaccination or negative test requirements

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Festivals including Life Is Beautiful, Louder than Life, Aftershock and Inkcarceration have announced a COVID-19 vaccination or negative test requirement.

Attendees who are not fully vaccinated — i.e. two weeks after the second of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna shot, or two weeks after the one-shot Johnson & Johnson jab — must have obtained a negative test within 72 hours of entering the festival.

Danny Wimmer, whose production company Danny Wimmer Presents puts on Louder than Life, Aftershock and Inkcarceration, says, “Before you react negatively to our policy, please consider this: What I see is that the fans feel the world needs music festivals now more than ever.”

“We need to bring people back together to heal from the past 18 months,” Wimmer continues. “We need to get the people and artists whose livelihoods depend on live events back to work. I am confident that these requirements are what is needed to guarantee that we have fun and safe festivals this fall.”

Other festivals that have previously announced vaccine or negative test requirements include Bonnaroo and Summerfest.

Life Is Beautiful will be held September 17-19 in Las Vegas, and will be headlined by Green Day, Billie Eilish and Tame Impala.

Inkcarceration, Louder than Life and Aftershock will take place September 10-12, September 23-26 and October 7-10 in Mansfield, Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, and Sacramento, California, respectively. Metallica is headlining Louder than Life alongside Nine Inch Nails and Korn, and Aftershock alongside Limp Bizkit and Misfits. The Inkcarceration headliners include Slipknot, Rob Zombie and the reunited Mudvayne.

Halsey unveils ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’ track list: “I can’t wait for you to hear everything”

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Halsey has unveiled the track list for her new album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, due out August 27.

Unlike her previous album, Manic, this album doesn’t have any features on it. “It feels very cool to have an album with no features again. It felt like this had to be entirely from my voice, similarly to Badlands,” she tweeted, referring to her 2015 debut. “I can’t wait for you to hear everything.”

When a fan asked if they’d always planned to make the record — produced by Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — a concept album, Halsey replied, “Weirdly enough it was always supposed to be about mortality and everlasting love and our place / permanence. It was just amplified by me being pregnant. Introduced new themes of control and body horror and autonomy and conceit.”

When another fan predicted that the track named “The Lighthouse” “was gonna hurt,” Halsey replied, “Oh no. You’re gonna LOVE IT.”

Another fan asked what the track called “honey,” is about, leading Halsey to reply, “A wild girl.”

Finally, referring to a tweet from December in which Halsey stated that she was “keeping five secrets,” a fan asked if all the secrets were “out on the open now.” She replied, “Nope,” with a smile.

Here’s the If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power track list:

“The Tradition”
“Bells in Santa Fe”
“Easier than Lying”
“Lilith”
“Girl is a Gun”
“You asked for this”
“Darling”
“1121”
“honey”
“Whispers”
“I am not a woman, I’m a god”
“The Lighthouse”
“Ya’aburnee”

Darius Rucker remembers laughing off the Hootie & the Blowfish backlash of the ’90s

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

As the frontman of one of the ’90s biggest rock bands, Hootie & the Blowfish singer Darius Rucker has had to deal with his fair share of the backlash that comes along with being hugely popular.

For example, Darius once saw a bumper sticker that read “F*** Hootie” while driving down the highway — but the singer says he took it in stride.

“I laughed my a** off,” he recalls. “I was driving my brand-new truck to my brand-new house and was playing in front of 20,000 people that weekend.”

Since those early days, Darius has racked up lots more experience in making career decisions based on what he wants to do, and ignoring naysayers in the process.

While his move from Hootie & the Blowfish frontman to solo country act surprised many, he got the last laugh. As a country artist, he’s scored nine chart-topping hits — and he still gets to record and tour with Hootie whenever he wants.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss reunite for second duets album, ‘Raise the Roof’; plot 2022 tour

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant has reteamed with acclaimed country-bluegrass artist Alison Krauss to record a new collaborative album titled Raise the Roof, a follow-up to their Grammy-winning 2007 duets collection, Raising Sand.

Like its predecessor, the 12-track Raise the Roof collection was produced by T Bone Burnett and features mostly of covers songs.

The album includes renditions of tunes by Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, The Everly Brothers, British folk legend Bert Jansch and many others. Raise the Roof also features a new original tune called “High and Lonesome” that Plant co-wrote with Burnett.

One of the tracks, a version of the Randy Weeks song “Can’t Let Go” — which Lucinda Williams previously covered for her 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road — has been released as an advance digital single.

Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo and Robert’s Band of Joy collaborator Buddy Miller contributed to the album, as did a few musicians who also appeared on Raising Sand — drummer Jay Bellerose, guitarist Marc Ribot and bassist Dennis Crouch.

Discussing working with Krauss again on the Raise the Roof material, Plant notes, “You hear something and you go ‘Man, listen to that song, we got to sing that song!’ It’s a vacation, really — the perfect place to go that you least expected to find.”

Adds Alison, “We wanted it to move. We brought other people in, other personalities within the band, and coming back together again in the studio brought a new intimacy to the harmonies.”

In support of Raise the Roof, Plant and Krauss are planning to tour together in 2022.

Raising Sand won five Grammys in 2009, including Album of the Year.

Raise the Roof will be released on November 19, and can be pre-ordered now.

Here’s the full track list:

“Quattro (World Drifts In)”
“The Price of Love”
“Go Your Way”
“Trouble with My Lover”
“Searching for My Love”
“Can’t Let Go”
“It Don’t Bother Me”
“You Led Me to the Wrong”
“Last Kind Words Blues”
“High and Lonesome”
“Going Where the Lonely Go”
“Somebody Was Watching Over Me”

Gbenga Akinnagbe explains why his episode of ‘Modern Love’ really spoke to him as a working actor

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Gbenga Akinnagbe felt a deep connection to his Modern Love storyline, which follows the relationship between his character Jordan and Zoe, a woman who has delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS).

Akinnagbe, who was one of the stars of Broadway’s How To Kill a Mockingbird, tells ABC Audio that having a late-night sleep pattern is something he’s quite familiar with as an actor.

“Unless I exclusively date actresses, that’s basically what I’m asking people who I date to do,” he says.

“When I was doing Mockingbird, I only was able to see people at night after the show when I got back to Brooklyn,” Akinnagbe shares. “That’s when our dates would start. And to a lot of people… that is strange.. its opposite [of] their sleep patterns and jobs. So I’ve asked people to accommodate this crazy life I lead… so I can have some sort of interaction with with people.”

The actor admits that “not everyone [is] up for it,” noting it’s “triggering” to some.

“There was someone I was seeing and she had come to see the show — seen it like three different times…And then we’d like hang out afterwards,” Akinnagbe says. “But after a while, those hours would start to trigger… old patterns.”

He continues, “And so one time she said to me, ‘Why do I only see you at night?’ ‘Because I’m working!’ [She’s] like, ‘Those are booty call hours.’ I’m like, ‘You know what I’m doing! You’ve seen [the play] three times!”

Even with those overwhelming drawbacks, Akinnagbe says he’d still be down to date a character like Zoe.

“Would I do it? Yeah, because I’ve experienced the other side where I’ve asked people to do it,” he says.

Season two of Modern Love launches on Amazon Prime Friday.

Kate Burton returning to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ for upcoming 18th season

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Michael Desmond/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

Paging Dr. Ellis Grey.

In an announcement that’s sure to delight Grey’s Anatomy fans, Deadline confirmed that one of the medical drama’s original stars, Kate Burton, is returning for the 18th season.

Burton played Ellis, the domineering and intimidating mother of Ellen Pompeo‘s Meredith Grey, who lost her battle with Alzheimer’s during the third season of Grey’s. Following Ellis’ death, she regularly appeared in flashbacks, dream sequences and in episodes exploring alternate realities. Her most recent appearance was in 2019, when she appeared to Meredith in a dream during the episode “Blood and Water.”

It is unknown what purpose Burton will serve in the upcoming season, but the outlet confirms she will star in multiple episodes.

Pompeo’s Meredith was haunted by several familiar faces in the last season, during which she battled COVID-19 and saw a slew of familiar faces as she faded in and out of consciousness.

Most famously, Patrick Dempsey returned as her late husband, Dr. Derek Shepherd. In addition, T.R. Knight and Chyler Leigh reprised their roles as George and Lexie, respectively.

Filming for Grey’s Anatomy season 18 is currently underway, with a premiere set for September 30 on ABC.

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