Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch is dropping off the band’s tour due to testing positive for COVID-19.
In an Instagram video posted Thursday, Kerch shares that contracted the virus sometime during rehearsals, even though he’s fully vaccinated.
“I’d followed all the rules, wore a mask, washed my hands,” Kerch says. “Unfortunately, I’m one of those ones that got it even though I was [vaccinated].”
Kerch is currently quarantining, and says that while he’s “had symptoms,” his “health is good.”
“Until I’ve finished my quarantine and test negative, I’m stuck in these four walls,” Kerch says. “I can’t risk it for my band and my crew, they’re all doing fine.”
Shinedown will still continue with their tour, which kicks off Thursday in Davenport, Iowa, with Sixx:A.M. touring drummer Dustin Steinke filling in for Kerch.
In a year where many entrepreneurs saw their profits flagging, Dolly Parton was among those who not only survived, but thrived.
In fact, the legendary country multi-hyphenate saw her wealth increase over the last year, enough to land her a spot as one of Forbes’ 15 new additions to their list of the richest self-made women in the world.
With Dolly’s revenue coming from diverse sources — her her holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, a Netflix film, Christmas on the Square, and of course, her stake in her namesake theme park, Dollywood — the superstar’s net worth topped out at $350 million.
That puts her well over the $225 million cut-off to makes Forbes’ list, and in impressive company. Among those named to Forbes’ new crop of richest self-made women this year are supermodel-turned-skincare-entrepreneur Cindy Crawford, and CEO and chair of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi. At 75, Dolly is the oldest of the 15 women to make Forbes’ list.
Most recently, Dolly is expanding her portfolio yet again with the release of her new line of perfume. Called “Dolly — Scent from Above,” the fragrance is a collaboration with ScentBeauty. To go along with it, she released a new song called — you guessed it — “Sent from Above.”
Tito Jackson‘s new solo blues album, Under Your Spell, gets its release on Friday, and in advance of its arrival, the Jacksons member has debuted a star-studded music video for the record’s lead single, “Love One Another.”
The clip for the uplifting tune features an impressive cast of celebrities, as well as a slew of Jackson family members, including Tito’s brothers and band mates Jackie, Jermaine and Marlon, his sisters Janet and La Toya, and family matriarch Katherine Jackson.
Among the many famous music stars and other celebs appearing in the video are Smokey Robinson, Magic Johnson, Chris Tucker, Kathy Sledge, Morris Day, Deniece Williams, Brian McKnight, Deborah Cox, Kim Fields, Kim Kardashian West, Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Lori Petty, Merrill Osmond, UB40, and Yvette Nicole Brown, as well as Tito’s Under Your Spell collaborators Bobby Rush, Kenny Neal, and Claudette King.
“Love One Another” begins with Tito’s mom addressing the camera, declaring, “Stop the violence, killing, racism and all the bad things that are happening today. We need to love one another.”
Tito shares lead vocals on the song with his brother Marlon, Neal and Rush. The track also features a harmonica solo by none other than Stevie Wonder.
“[I wanted] to send a message out to all the listeners out there to remind them that it’s important for us to love one another,” Jackson explains of the song in a YouTube Q&A. “You know, with all the protesting, Black Lives Matter, the storming of the Capitol building and seeing all the violence and brutalities, I just felt it’s a message that should be out there and accepted.”
As previously reported, Under Your Spell also includes guest appearances from George Benson, The O’Jays‘ Eddie Levert, and blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa.
An official trailer for Marlon Wayans‘ HBO Max comedy special, Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is, has just been released.
As previously reported, Marlon’s new special explores his deepest fears, which include “raising a daughter, dealing with a rebellious teenage son, and… the realization that his bad decisions are what tore his family apart.” Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is debuts on HBO Max on August 9.
In other news, Richard Roundtree and Terri Vaughn have landed recurring roles on season two of Ava DuVernay‘s OWN anthology drama series Cherish the Day. The new season of the anthology series will follow Henry Simmons and Joy Bryant, two high school sweethearts that reunite in New Orleans. Roundtree will play Mandeville “MV” St. James, the “wry-humored former judge and widowed father” of Bryant’s character. Meanwhile, Vaughn will play Anastasia, the soon-to-be ex-wife of Simmons’ character and the mother of his kids. A release date for Cherish the Day has yet to be announced.
Finally, a release date for Danny Glover‘s upcoming Vietnam vet film The Drummer has been announced. The movie, which Glover will both star in and executive produce, will be available to purchase or rent starting on November 9 — just two days ahead of Veterans Day. The Drummer follows Glover as Mark Walker, a Vietnam war veteran who becomes a lawyer and political advocate for soldiers who “have suffered mental health issues through their tenure with the Army.”
The Hulu/FX documentary The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears reignited the #FreeBritney movement when it came out back in February, but Britney herself didn’t seem to be a fan.
In an Instagram post last month, the singer wrote in part, “I didn’t like the way the documentaries bring up humiliating moments from the past.”
Framing Britney Spears director Samantha Stark tells Billboardshe doesn’t blame Britney for feeling that way.
“While we were making the film, we talked a lot about re-traumatizing Britney and her family by showing these moments,” Stark says. “Part of the reason it’s called Framing Britney Spears is there are these still-photo frames that were humiliating to her.”
Stark continues, “We thought it was really important to pull outside the frame because so many people had all these assumptions based on one frame, one still image that they saw. In the end, we felt like we had to put some of them in because we wanted people to have more context.”
Stark concedes that Britney “100 percent deserves to be mad that we’re still looking at those photos, because it’s ridiculous that we’re still looking at them, and they shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
“As much as I want to explain myself to her, I totally understand where she’s coming from,” she says.
The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears received two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program.
And in Britney conservatorship news, People reports Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart filed a motion for an “immediate suspension” of her father Jamie Spears as conservator of her estate before her next court hearing on September 29.
Ever since Reba McEntire’s mother, Jacqueline McEntire, died last spring, the singer has been hoping to have the chance to have a public memorial for her late mom.
A service was previously scheduled for this Sunday, August 8, but Reba now explains that that event is being canceled in light of an uptick in local COVID-19 cases.
“If you knew mama, you know she would scold us to pieces for putting on a memorial on her behalf with so many lives in danger of COVID exposure,” Reba wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of her mother. “If and when we are able to honor our Mama, we will let you know.”
The singer also asked for help spreading the word to anyone who might have been planning on attending, since the cancellation was coming on such short notice.
Jacqueline died of cancer on March 14, 2020, at the age of 93. Earlier this year, on the one-year anniversary of her death, Reba remembered her mom with a moving social media tribute that featured her song “You Never Gave Up on Me.”
It looks like Jennifer Hudson is ready to take the Verzuz stage in a battle with another Grammy-winning vocalist.
“I live for Verzuz,” says Hudson during a recent interview captured by The Shade Room on Instagram. When asked if she would go hit for hit with Fantasia Barrino, Hudson replies, “That’s a dope idea.”
“I got some Verzuz ideas too that I want to see as well,” she continues. That’s a beautiful idea maybe one day we can make that happen, maybe one day. I want to see somebody like Smokey Robinsonvs. Stevie Wonder.”
Hudson said she loves old-school music, adding, “That’s why I’m sitting here.”
Fans sounded off in the post’s comments, declaring whether Jennifer Hudson or Fantasia would win a friendly Verzuz battle.
“She don’t want no smoke with Fantasia,” said one fan, while others suggested Hudson go against JazmineSullivan. Still others made it point to mention that Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia previously competed against each other on the third season of American Idol in 2004. Both made it to the final 12, though Fantasia was chosen as the season winner.
“American Idol vs American Idol. I’m with it,” wrote one fan in the comments, while another said, “OMG I’d tear up lol. They both got so much love, passion and soul in their music.”
Verzuz co-founder Swizz Beatz also caught wind of Hudson’s response, writing, “Let’s go.”
Gloria Estefan sings a new song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda in the new Netflix animated film Vivo, which starts streaming on Friday. You can watch a video of the sequence where Gloria’s character performs the song, called “Inside Your Heart,” on YouTube now.
Vivo stars Miranda as the voice of Vivo, a kinkajou who entertains people on the street by playing music with his owner, Andrés. Andrés’ former musical partner, a now-famous Cuban singer named Marta Sandoval, played by Gloria, invites him to her farewell concert. However, it eventually falls to Vivo to deliver to Marta a song that Andrés wrote for her many years ago.
Miranda wrote all the songs for the film, and Gloria tells Variety it was hearing the sad romantic ballad “Inside Your Heart” that convinced her to accept a role in Vivo.
“It was a moment when I was so incredibly busy, I thought it was going to be impossible,” she says. “But he sent me the demo of him singing it, and it tore my heart apart.”
She adds of Vivo, “It’s a story after my own heart because I’m Cuban American, and that story of love, loss and separation is near and dear to my heart.”
Weren’t in Los Angeles to catch Justin Bieber headline The Freedom Experience concert event last month? Well, you’re in luck. The whole show will be broadcast on YouTube for a limited time.
The concert, presented by 1DayLA, will be available to stream for free on the Love Has No Limits YouTube channel starting on Sunday, August 8, at 5:30 p.m. PT.
The show, which took place on July 24, also featured performances by Chance the Rapper, Jaden Smith, Tori Kelly, Kari Jobe and Chandler Moore, live from L.A.’s SoFi Stadium.
It capped off a week-long 1DayLA initiative that mobilized volunteers and helped organize city-beautification projects, back-to-school events, free medical clinics and homeless assistance, and aid distribution in communities throughout L.A.
Boosie has unveiled the music video for his latest single, “Premonition.” It features clips of the Louisiana rapper smoking in a car with friends while he raps about dreams and reflects on his time in prison. The nearly three-minute video also features an image of his former crush: Rihanna.
“Feeling like I can have her, now she don’t want me,” Boosie raps as a hologram of the singer with black hair appears next to him.
Due to Rihanna’s new relationship with A$AP Rocky, Boosie recently decided to let go of his years-long crush on the singer. But that didn’t stop fans on Twitter from making jokes about Boosie’s infatuation with Rihanna.
“Boosie is out his damn mind for putting a hologram of Rihanna in his video,” tweeted one fan, while another wrote, “Lil Boosie funny af. Rihanna is with A$AP Rocky, my boy. She ain’t never leaving him. She’d be a damn fool.” One more fan said, “Boosie better get his badazz on somewhere with that damn Rihanna hologram in his video.”
“Premonition” is available on Boosie’s mixtape,GOAT Talk 3, which is out now.
