Music

Rolling Stone’s list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time has caused a lot of controversy since its release this week, and Gene Simmons has something to say about it.

A TMZ reporter asked the KISS frontman how he felt about being left off the list, to which he replied, “Well, that’s OK,” joking, “I was thinking of buying Rolling Stone.”

“Well, it’s skewed. You have to consider who’s popular and who’s not,” Simmons elaborated. “But if you really think about it, how good somebody sings may be part and parcel of what they do. For instance, if Jimi Hendrix, who had a long, well, actually, a short career, but he was very famous, would he make it on American Idol? How about Bob Dylan … And I wrote songs with Bob Dylan; I know the guy. Would he make it on American Idol?”

He also added, “How well you sing is not the most important thing. It’s, do you have style? Do you have a fingerprint that says, ‘I know that voice immediately’?”

Simmons insists artists shouldn’t really care about the list. “If you’ve got success, that’s enough,” he says. “Accolades and all that, you get that when you do a concert or when fans come up. That’s the best thing. To be on a poll by a magazine by people in the backroom, I don’t know how much that means.” 

And Simmons also shared his thoughts on Ozzy Osbourne making the list at #112: “That’s a crime.”

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Jamie Lynn Spears recently revealed how big sister Britney Spears‘ fame impacted her mental health.

Jamie Lynn starred in the Wednesday premiere of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, in which celebrities undergo training similar to the U.S. Special Forces, and spoke about how she struggled with her self-worth.

The actress admitted that she feels like whatever she works hard for is invalid. “Growing up, my sister became famous — worldwide famous — when I was very young,” Jamie Lynn began.

While she said she is “so proud” of Britney and that she “love[s] her to death,” Jamie Lynn confessed she sometimes feels like she’s “never been able to have anything for myself.” During the episode, the actress was instructed to leave the past behind.

“I can be extremely proud of my sister but also have my own identity and be expected to be seen as my own person,” she said. “I struggle with self-esteem all the time and, as a parent, you really want to fake it because you don’t want to ever see your children feel the same feelings you feel.”

Jamie Lynn also suffered a breakdown during the episode when she was tasked with doing a backward dive into the ocean from a helicopter. The activity triggered a traumatic flashback to her daughter Maddie‘s near-fatal accident. 

When Maddie was 8, her ATV was submerged in a pond and she almost drowned. Jamie Lynn said she was brought back to the exact moment when she dove into the water and was unable to pull her daughter to safety.

Maddie, who is now 13, survived and is doing well.

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and streams the next day on Hulu.

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Following Trevor Noah‘s exit in December after a seven-year run on The Daily Show, Comedy Central has announced the dates for the series of guest hosts who will be taking his spot behind the anchor desk.

Things kick off the week of January 17 at 11 p.m. with SNL vet Leslie Jones as host. The following week, comedienne and actress Wanda Sykes will take the chair, while a week later, comic D.L. Hughley will get his shot.

The week of February 6 will feature Chelsea Handler as guest host, followed by Sarah Silverman the week of February 13.

The dates for other already announced future fill-in hosts John Leguizamo, Al Franken, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn and Marlon Wayans will be forthcoming.

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Hurry up, Swifties! You only have until midnight Thursday to get your hands on four special editions of Taylor Swift‘s Midnights album.

Taylor quietly updated her online store to sell the exclusive versions of her album, which are filled with new goodies, such as new artwork and behind-the-songs bonuses.

Swifties can access unreleased covers to songs like “Bejeweled,” “Mastermind,” “Anti-Hero” and “Karma” based on what album they buy.

And, just like she did with her vinyl editions of Midnights, each of the four digital albums contain a quarter of a clock face — meaning collecting all four will complete the clock. 

Each digital copy retails for $4.99 and comes with a never-before-seen promotional photo of Taylor.

But hurry, you only have until 11:59 p.m. Thursday to snag these limited-edition albums. Once the clock on Taylor’s online store runs out, they’ll most likely be gone forever.

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Iron Maiden is set to receive quite a unique honor. The heavy metal icons will be the subject of a new collection of stamps to be released by the Royal Mail.

The collection will feature 12 stamps: eight with pictures from their world tours, ranging from 1980 to 2018 and featuring the current members of the group, and four with their mascot, Eddie.

Founding bassist Steve Harris says the stamps “look superb,” noting, “I think they really capture the essence and energy of Maiden. We’re all very proud that Royal Mail has chosen to honor the band’s legacy like this and we know our fans will feel the same way.”

Iron Maiden is the fifth group to be honored with a stamp collection from the Royal Mail, joining The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen and The Rolling Stones.

Fans can preorder the Iron Maiden stamps starting Thursday. They will be available starting January 12.

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Country music gets just a little bit more intimate during the month of January, as the Grand Ole Opry moves back to its former home at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. 

Country Music Hall of Famers Connie Smith and Vince Gill kick off opening weekend on Friday, January 6, with Carly Pearce, Chris Young, Lauren Alaina and many more on the schedule throughout the month.

If you want to experience the famed acoustics and authenticity of the Mother Church of Country Music, you’ll need to hurry. Come February 3, the Opry will be back at its permanent home on the north side of Music City with Jackson Dean.

You can find a complete schedule and ticket information at Opry.com.

The Opry moved to its new home at the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974, as the historic Ryman had fallen into disrepair. Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris helped bring attention to the much-loved former church, leading to its renovation and eventual renown as one of the most-coveted concert venues in the world. 

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Buckcherry will be lighting up your summer with a new album.

The 10th studio effort from Josh Todd and company is set to arrive in June. The first single will premiere in March as Buckcherry launches a co-headlining U.S. tour with Skid Row.

“Response so far has been GREAT and we are currently working on more shows with Skid Row for later in the year,” Buckcherry says.

The upcoming Buckcherry album will be the follow-up to 2021’s Hellbound.

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In 2022, many new artists received their first Gold and Platinum RIAA certifications — 39 in all, including GAYLE, Stephen Sanchez, Em Beihold, Jax, Lauren Spencer Smith, JVKE and Armani White. But among the RIAA’s Class of 2022, GAYLE’s the one who really stood out.

The singer’s Grammy-nominated hit “abcdefu” was certified three-times Platinum — marking sales of 3 million — which was the highest certification of any other Class of 2022 artist. In fact, GAYLE is the only one who received a multiple-Platinum certification, period.

Songs that were certified Platinum this year, signifying sales of 1 million, include Beihold’s “Numb Little Bug” and Sanchez’s “Until I Found You.” Coincidentally, there’s a remix duet version of “Until I Found You” featuring Stephen and Em.

Songs certified Gold this year include Emmy Meli‘s “I Am Woman,” Jax’s “Victoria’s Secret,” Armani White’s “Billie Eilish,” Benson Boone‘s “Ghost Town,” Lauren Spencer Smith’s “Flowers” and “Fingers Crossed,” Leah Kate‘s “10 Things I Hate About You” and JVKE’s “this is what falling in love feels like.”

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Fetty Wap will have to wait a little longer to learn his fate: AllHipHop reports the rapper’s drug case sentencing has been delayed. 

Judge Joanna Seybert issued the court order Wednesday, pushing the initial January 18 hearing back to March 19.

Fetty was arrested in October 2021 at New York’s Citi Field, where he was supposed to take the stage for Rolling Loud NY. He was charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine for allegedly running a Long Island-based drug ring that transported, distributed and sold over 100 kilograms of cocaine, opioids and crack cocaine from the West Coast to Long Island.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and faces five to 40 years in prison.

Fetty Wap was initially granted a pretrial release after posting $500,000 bond in November 2021. The bond was revoked in August 2022 after he allegedly brandished a gun and threatened to kill someone during a December 2021 FaceTime call — a violation of his release conditions.

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