Classic Hits

If you could use some serious extra cash, better fire up that Snapchat account.  Mariah Carey has teamed with the video-sharing app for an all-new Spotlight challenge — the #AlwaysBeMyBaby Challenge — where the grand prize is $50,000. 

Entering is simple .  First and foremost, you need a Snapchat account.  From there, all you need to do is show Mariah how you’re cozying up with the one you love on Valentine’s Day, but you have to use her 1995 hit “Always Be My Baby” to get yourself entered.  

“Today’s all about love,” Mariah said in the official announcement. “Show me how you’re spending your special day!”  She even provided an example, where her boyfriend, Bryan Tanaka, brings her a tray with two champagne glasses and some chocolates.  He then pours her some Black Irish liqueur, which is Mimi’s own Irish cream brand, and the two toast.  This all happens as her hit song plays in the background.

The #AlwaysBeMyBaby Challenge is now open and video submissions will be accepted until Tuesday, February 15.  The grand prize winner will be hooked up with that $50,000 jackpot, while the second- and third-place winners will respectively win $30,000 and $20,000.  

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The nominations for the 2022 Oscars was announced this morning Oscar and among the nominees in the Best Original Song category is Van Morrison.

Morrison’s “Down to Joy,” from the film Belfast, will compete against “Be Alive” from King Richard, co-written by Beyoncé and singer, songwriter and producer Darius Scott, aka DIXSON; “Dos Oruguitas,” from Encanto, composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda; the title track of the James Bond film No Time to Die, co-written by Billie Eilish and and her brother and collaborator, FINNEAS; and “Somehow You Do,” from Four Good Days, written by Diane Warren.

Meanwhile, a number of noteworthy songs from 2021 films that had been shortlisted for an Oscar nod were passed over. They include U2‘s Sing 2 track “Your Song Saved My Life”; “Right Where I Belong,” from the Brian Wilson documentary Long Promised Road, which the Beach Boys legend co-wrote with My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James; and “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” which Carole King co-wrote with Jennifer Hudson and Jamie Hartman for the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect.

Meanwhile, the Questlove-directed Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), about the star-studded 1969 music festival in Harlem, New York, that came to be known as “Black Woodstock,” received a nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category. The film features archival footage of performances by Stevie Wonder, The 5th Dimension, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, The Staple Singers and many others.

The 2022 Oscars will air live March 27 on ABC.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lynyrd Skynyrd will headline the first day of of the Let’s Go! Music Festival, scheduled for June 3-5 in the Annapolis, Maryland, suburb of Crownsville.

Joining Skynyrd on the event’s June 3 bill is another veteran Southern rock band that emerged during the 1970s — The Outlaws.

The festival’s other headliners include country star Billy Currington and pop-rockers the Goo Goo Dolls, who will perform on June 4 and 5, respectively.

Single-day and three-day passes for the festival are available now at Etix.com. Visit LetsGoFest.com for more information.

Lynyrd Skynyrd currently only has a few other confirmed 2022 performances on their schedule. On April 9, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will be performing in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the RockYard venue as part of the 25th anniversary Arizona Bike Week event. On May 13, the band will headline a concert at the LA County Fair in Pomona, California. Lastly, on September 23, Skynyrd will be playing a show at the Nugget Resort Casino in Sparks, Nevada.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The recently announced auction of six one-of-a-kind Beatles– and John Lennon-themed NFTs focusing on memorabilia from the personal collection of Lennon’s son, Julian, took place today, bringing in an impressive $158,720.

Among the audio/visual digital tokens sold was one that featured the animated image of Paul McCartney‘s handwritten studio notes for “Hey Jude,” which fetched $76,800 — the highest price ever paid for a Beatles-related NFT at an auction.

In addition, NFTs of a Gibson 1959 guitar that John gave to Julian as a gift, as well as an Afghan coat that Julian’s dad wore during the filming of the Magical Mystery Tour special, both sold for $22,400, while NFTs of a black cape that John wore in the Beatles film Help! and a Gibson Les Paul copy guitar that he gave to Julian as a Christmas present in 1973 brought $12,800 each.

The sixth NFT, which focuses on a Gibson Les Paul 25/50 guitar that John gifted to Julian, sold for $11,520.

A portion of the proceeds raised by the “Lennon Connection: The NFT Collection” auction will benefit Julian’s White Feather Foundation, and will be used to support the charity’s efforts to help reduce global carbon emissions. You can check out full details of the auction at JuliensLive.com.

The sale was organized by Julien’s Auctions in partnership with the YellowHeart NFT marketplace.

Julien’s Auctions president and CEO Darren Julien says, “It’s been an honor partnering with Julian Lennon and YellowHeart in this first-ever event which confirms the growing interest and value of Beatles memorabilia as one-of-a-kind NFT collectibles.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of The Monkees, will pay homage to late band mates Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork during a series of special concerts visiting seven U.S. cities this April.

The shows, dubbed “Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees,” will feature Dolenz honoring the musical contributions Jones, Nesmith and Tork made to the group, while sharing recollections about his fellow band members, accompanied by a multimedia presentation including film footage and rare photos from Micky’s personal archives.

The concert series will run from an April 5 performance at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium through an April 16 show in Madison, Wisconsin.

“I felt it was important to gather the fans and properly celebrate the lives of Davy, Mike and Peter,” says Dolenz. “People have been contacting me, requesting that I honor them in a way where the extraordinary impact of The Monkees can be properly acknowledged. We spent such a great deal of time together; they were like my brothers, and I want to share some of the great joy we had together.”

The show’s set list will feature many classic Monkees hits, including “I’m a Believer,” “Daydream Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” along with tribute segments featuring songs written by Nesmith and Tork, and tunes that showcased Jones’ vocals. Dolenz will be backed by a seven-piece band at the concerts.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 11. Check out Micky’s full tour schedule at MickyDolenz.com.

Last year, Dolenz teamed up with Nesmith for a Monkees farewell tour that wrapped up in November. Sadly, Nesmith passed away on December 10 at age 78. Jones died in 2012 at age 66, while Tork passed away in 2019 at age 77.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rod Stewart spent the weekend celebrating two things: the engagement of his daughter, Kimberly Stewart, and the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II‘s ascension to the throne.

Kimberly, Rod’s daughter with his first wife, Alana Stewart, got engaged over the weekend to producer Jesse Shapira, People confirms.  Kimberly has a 10-year-old daughter, Delilah, with her ex, Benicio del Toro.

On Sunday, Alana posted photos of herself and Rod having a celebratory dinner in LA with Kimberly and Jesse, as well as Kimberly’s brother, Sean, and Renee Stewart, Rod’s daughter with his second wife, Rachel Hunter. Rod has eight children by five different women, and maintains good relationships with all his kids, and most of their mothers.

Meanwhile, Sunday marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II‘s ascension to the throne, and the official start of her Platinum Jubilee year.  Rod posted a few photos of himself greeting and chatting with Her Majesty over the years, and wrote, “She’s been a wonderful example of how to conduct yourself with integrity and grace for 70 years now (just like me!) and we should all look forward to acknowledging her magnificent service.”

“I remember quite vividly when I was invited to sing a few songs for Her Majesty at St James’s Palace for a charity event. It was without doubt the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Rod confessed. “Her Majesty looked somewhat terrified as well, I think she thought I was going to play a loud version of ‘Hot Legs’ or something(!) but I didn’t, choosing instead ‘What a Wonderful World’ from my American Song Book collection.”

Rod concluded, “Her Majesty smiled and looked extremely relieved. What a Lady…so cool!”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan celebrates his 60th birthday today.

Born David Rashbaum, Bryan is a co-founding member of Bon Jovi and also has co-written several of the New Jersey band’s songs, including “In My Arms,” a top-30 hit in 1993.

David was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 2018.

Outside of Bon Jovi, Bryan has forged a successful career as a composer for musical theater productions. Most notably, he wrote the music for Memphis, a Broadway musical that won four Tony Awards for the 2010 season, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

Bryan also co-wrote the music for the new Broadway production Diana the Musical, based on the life of the late Princess Diana. Unfortunately, the filmed version of the musical, which debuted on Netflix in October 2021, just earned the dubious distinction of receiving the most nominations for the 2022 Razzie Awards, “honoring” the worst in cinema.

Among the film’s nine nods is Worst Screenplay, with Bryan listed as a nominee alongside the film’s script writer and co-composer, Joe DiPietro, who also was David’s Memphis collaborator.

Back to David’s birthday, his longtime band mate Jon Bon Jovi tweeted a message to him in honor of the milestone, which reads, “Sweet 16 or sweet 60? We’re still doing it my friend!” The post also features a vintage photo that includes Jon and David that was taken when they were teenagers, and a pic of the current Bon Jovi lineup.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billie Joe Armstrong is looking for any help in recovering a car that was stolen from him.

In an Instagram post, the Green Day frontman put out a notice asking for any information on the whereabouts of the vehicle, a 1962 Chevy II.

“This car is near and dear to all our hearts and has been in the [Green Day] family for over 30 years,” Armstrong wrote in the caption.

To report any sightings or tips, Armstrong asks that you call California’s Costa Mesa Police Department at 714-754-5280.

“Please re-post, let’s all help find this car!” Armstrong wrote.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ringo Starr has unveiled updated plans for his 2022 North American tour with his All Starr Band that include a newly confirmed kickoff date and a lineup change.

The latest All Starr Band trek, which has been postponed twice since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, will get underway with a just announced May 27-28 engagement at Casino Rama in Rama, Canada.

This will mark the fifth time that Ringo and the All Starrs will begin a tour at the Canadian venue, after 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2014.

The group’s 2022 itinerary also features a new concert in Canandaigua, New York, on May 30 and a second show in Atlanta on June 21, which joins a previously announced June 22 Atlanta gig. In addition, previously confirmed concerts on May 31 in Asbury Park, New Jersey; June 3 in Worcester, Massachusetts; and June 21 in Richmond, Virginia, are no longer on the All Starr Band’s schedule.

As for the lineup change, veteran rocker Edgar Winter will be rejoining the group in place of founding Santana and Journey singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie, who had played with the All Starrs since 2012. Winter previously was a member of the All Starr Band from 2006 to 2011.

The rest of Ringo’s All Starr Band remains the same — Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay and former Average White Band guitarist/bassist Hamish Stuart, as well as sax player/percussionist Warren Ham and drummer Gregg Bissonette.

“I can’t wait to get back out on the road and play,” says Ringo. “This is the longest I’ve been off the road in years — up until 2020 I was touring every year with the All Starrs — and I’ve really missed it.”

Visit RingoStarr.com for more info about the trek.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Last year, Elton John‘s Oscar viewing party went virtual, but this year, it’s returning in-person.

The event on March 27 in West Hollywood Park will be the 30th annual installment of the event, which over the years has raised $515 million for Elton’s AIDS Foundation and the global fight against HIV/AIDS. 

Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, a good friend of Elton’s who appears on his Lockdown Sessions album, will perform at the bash.  Other performers are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

In a statement, Elton says, “[My husband and manager] David [Furnish] and I are so grateful to celebrate 30 years of the Foundation and especially grateful to Brandi Carlile and the many fabulous guests supporting us for another magnificent night in West Hollywood Park.”

“Our success reflects the passion, commitment, and generosity of our supporters. Together, we are making a difference and bringing light and hope to people living with HIV around the world,” Elton adds.

“Getting to perform for such a significant milestone of one of the most legendary Oscar Parties is an absolute honor,” Brandi says in a statement.

Elton currently has a concert scheduled for March 27 in Lincoln, Nebraska, so it’s not clear whether or not he’ll attend the party himself.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.