Well, this isn’t very festive: Mariah Carey was forced to cancel her concert in Pittsburgh on Dec. 11 just hours before showtime because she’s sick.
She wrote on social platform X, “Pittsburgh, I’m sorry to say I’ve come down with the flu. It breaks my heart that I unfortunately have to cancel tonight’s show. I love you all so much.” The arena also posted that fans will receive refunds for the show.
But there is some good news: Mariah’s also announced that she’ll be appearing on NFL Christmas Gameday live on Netflix. In the promo, she says, “This Christmas, we all get our wish. The NFL is live on Netflix. And I’ll be there too!”
The Chiefs will take on the Steelers and the Ravens take on the Texans during the Dec. 25 event, but it’ll be a diva matchup, too. Mariah will open the festivities with a pretaped performance of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and Beyonce will perform live during the halftime show for the Ravens/Texans game.
(SEOUL) — The leader of South Korea’s ruling conservative People Power Party said he is now in favor of impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived declaration of martial law, telling reporters “there is no other way,” during a briefing Thursday.
One week ago, ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon suggested similar action against the president, stating that “prompt suspension of his duties is necessary.”
But those intentions were, in part, waylaid by a motion of impeachment that had already been initiated by the opposition party.
When that motion moved through South Korea’s National Assembly, lawmakers in the People Power Party declined to join in the vote.
That left Yoon in power — and the ruling party back where it started.
“Since it has been confirmed that President Yoon Suk Yeol has no intention of resigning early, an immediate suspension from office is necessary,” Han said Thursday morning in Seoul. The sentiments echoed those he shared the previous week, and again carefully avoided using the word “impeachment.”
However, this time, Han was slightly more specific about the intentions behind his words, stating, “Our party members should attend the National Assembly and vote according to their consciences at the next vote.”
In a late-night speech last week, Yoon declared martial law in the country. The move, which touched off a wave of protests, included banning political activities and called for a stop to the “dissemination of fake news” and the manipulation of public opinion.
Within hours, the National Assembly voted to demand that the president lift the martial law order — which he soon did.
“From the time martial law was declared until now, we have consistently taken a firm stance that those involved in martial law, including the president, should be severely punished, and we will continue to do so,” said Han. “The president should be immediately suspended from state affairs, including the right to command the military. We must prevent any further confusion, and now there is only one effective way to do so.”
South Korean police then raided the president’s office on Wednesday as a part of the ongoing investigation into the martial law declaration.
Embattled president says he will ‘not avoid’ responsibility for martial law crisis
In a defiant speech on Thursday, local time, Yoon said he will defend himself if his critics try to impeach or investigate him.
“Whether they try to impeach me or investigate me, I will speak for myself. I will not avoid legal and political responsibility regarding the declaration of martial law,” Yoon said.
Yoon explained why he believed he needed to invoke martial law, saying he felt the “majority opposition party continued to abuse its constitutional authority and repeat unconstitutional measures,” causing him to “exercise the president’s authority within the framework of the Constitution.”
“I intended to prevent the collapse of the liberal democratic constitutional order and normalize the function of the state,” Yoon said.
Yoon’s statement came just hours before the opposition party was expected to submit a new impeachment motion against Yoon, which could come up for a vote on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
Grateful Dead has unveiled a new logo celebrating their upcoming 60th anniversary, which is happening in 2025.
The logo, designed by pro freeskier and artist Chris Benchetler, features the signature Dead skull with the number 60 in the brain area, along with sun rays, roses and the tag line “60 Years So Far.”
“The inspirational significance that I found for this piece represents the band’s impactful 60 year journey,” Benchetler shares. “The band’s music and live concerts represent many decades of sunshine filled positive light and energy, that the music has given to so many people.”
In a video that debuted alongside the reveal, Benchetler says it was “humbling and an honor” to create the logo “and become a small part of Grateful Dead history.”
He explains that the roses in the logo “symbolize our deep love of the Dead,” and says he added a patina to the color to age it in order to represent “the 60 years of this unbelievable musical journey.”
“This logo is meant to pull from GD lore, yet be a contemporary interpretation for where we are now,” he says. “I purposefully listened to a wide array of the Dead from early – to middle – to later years to help inspire what I was working on.”
He adds, “As an artist I went on my own musical journey while I was creating this piece.”
Envy of None, featuring Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, has dropped another new song.
The band, which also features bassist Andy Curran, guitarist/keyboardist Alfio Annibalini and singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, just dropped the new tune “Under the Stars,” along with a new animated video.
“Alf & I toiled over this one for months and really felt, even at its rough demo stage that we had something special,” Curran shares. “I’m a romantic at heart and the message here is universal. Soul mates, ‘two against the world!’”
The song is the second track the band has released this year; they dropped “Not Dead Yet” back in October. Prior to these tunes, Envy of None released the EP That Was Then, This Is Now in 2023 and their self-titled debut album in 2022.
And more music is on the way. The band is currently in the studio working on a new album that’s expected out in spring 2025.
Elton John is sharing what he hopes his legacy will be — aside from his iconic music career.
“My music speaks for itself,” the “Rocket Man” singer, 77, told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in a new interview that aired Dec. 11. “My legacy is that I was a great husband and an even better father.”
“The music, the career is fantastic. It’s been mind-blowing, groundbreaking,” he continued. “But the most important thing to me in my life is making sure my children are happy, they have a wonderful life and that I was good to them. That’s all that counts.”
John shares sons Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11, with husband David Furnish.
They all joined him onstage at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in November 2022 for the final U.S. stop of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, and Furnish said a photo from that “beautiful moment” hangs in the family’s kitchen at home.
“Elton wanted the world to really see and feel why he made the decision to stop touring,” Furnish reflected.
As for whether Elton’s kids know just how big of a deal their dad is, Furnish — who co-directed Elton John: Never Too Late, the new documentary on the Grammy-winning singer — said “they do and they don’t.”
“I think one of the things that Elton’s always done, he does a show, comes home, he doesn’t talk a lot about what he does, he doesn’t play his music all the time in the house,” Furnish explained. “He’s daddy.”
Elton John: Never Too Late begins streaming Dec. 13 on Disney+.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Good Morning America.
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” made its annual return to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on Monday. Mariah found out the news that night in the best way possible: while she was performing a concert on her current Christmas tour.
On Instagram, Mariah posted footage of the moment, which shows her accepting a congratulatory bouquet from her twins, Moroccan and Monroe. “Wow, that was a perfect moment to find that out,” said the diva in the clip.
She captioned the post, “Last night on stage in Raleigh, North Carolina, I found out that All I Want For Christmas Is You returned to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better time or place to celebrate the news than on stage with my amazing fans, my kids and my #Christmastime tour family. I love you and am so grateful to you all.”
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” came out 30 years ago, but it didn’t hit #1 on the Hot 100 until 2019. Since then, it’s continued to top the chart for multiple weeks. It’s currently #1 for a 15th overall week.
A concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan’s classic album Blood on the Tracks is being put on by the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The concert, Shelter From The Storm, is happening Jan. 24 at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa and will feature performances by Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Lucinda Williams, Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray, actor Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy, Sharon Van Etten, Robyn Hitchcock and more.
The evening will be hosted by actor Luke Wilson, with the artists performing songs from Blood on the Tracks, as well as other tunes from Dylan’s catalog.
“Blood on the Tracks is undisputedly one of Dylan’s greatest albums and a landmark in rock and roll history,” says Steven Jenkins, director of the Bob Dylan Center. “We are thrilled to celebrate its enduring influence on generations of musicians, singers and songwriters by gathering together this astonishing group of artists to interpret the album’s ten songs in a fresh context.”
Tickets for the concert go on sale Thursday to Bob Dylan Center members and on Friday at 10 a.m. to the general public. More info can be found at bobdylancenter.com.
Released in January 1975, Blood on the Tracks was a #1 album for Dylan and one of his biggest commercial successes, with the record certified double Platinum by the RIAA. It features such classic Dylan tunes as “Tangled Up In Blue,” which was a top-40 hit, “Simple Twist of Fate” and “Shelter From the Storm.” It is often considered by critics to be one of Dylan’s best albums.
Def Leppard is set to headline the inaugural Boardwalk Rock festival, taking place May 17-18 in Ocean City, Maryland.
Also headlining the fest are Mötley Crüe, Nickelback and Shinedown.
The festival will feature three stages on the shores of Ocean City’s Inlet Beach at the Ocean City Boardwalk. Other artists on the bill include Alice Cooper, Poison’s Bret Michaels, Night Ranger, Everclear, Three DaysGrace and 3 Doors Down.
Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday, with a presale beginning at 10 a.m., followed by a public sale at 11 a.m. Info on the complete lineup and tickets can be found at boardwalkockfest.com.
A New Jersey politician has been forced to admit that he fudged his Spotify Wrapped in order to make it appear that his most-played songs were all by New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen.
Democrat Josh Gottheimer, who is running for governor of New Jersey, posted his Spotify Wrapped on social platform X on Friday, with his top five songs being The Boss’ “Thunder Road,” “Because the Night,” “Glory Days,” “Badlands” and “The Rising.”
“No surprises here,” he captioned his post. “Fun fact: My first ever concert was at Meadowlands to see The Boss!”
But the politician was soon called out by NJ.com reporter Matt Arco, who noted how dissimilar Gottheimer’s post was to other Spotify Wrapped posts, particularly the fonts and spacing, suggesting the list was faked.
After being exposed, Gottheimer owned up to fudging his list, although he insists he’s a huge Springsteen fan.
“This would be my Spotify Wrapped if I didn’t share my account with my 12 and 15-year-old kids,” Gottheimer said in a statement to New Jersey Advanced Media. “While it’s Springsteen all day for me — don’t get me wrong, I still love listening to Taylor Swift!”
The Rolling Stones began shooting the concert film Rock and Roll Circus.
The film was shot over two days and featured The Stones, as well as The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal and Marianne Faithfull, performing on a stage set that looked like a circus.
It also featured a one-time-only performance by The Dirty Mac, a group made up of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and more.
The film was originally supposed to air on the BBC, but, unhappy with their performance, The Stones opted to hold back the broadcast. It took 28 years for them to change their mind and release it. It premiered as part of the New York Film Festival in October 1996. A soundtrack followed two days after the premiere.
A remastered edition of the film in Dolby Atmos received a limited theatrical release in March 2019.
