Music

Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing quit Judas Priest in 2011 amidst bad blood between him, his bandmates and their manager, Jayne Andrews. Priest invited Downing and former drummer Les Binks to join them for their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction last month, but now Andrews says she was disappointed that Downing wasn’t more grateful for the opportunity.

In a new episode of the podcast Gabbing with Girlfriends, from Geezer Butler‘s wife, Gabby Butler, Andrews says of the band’s approach to the induction, “We all said, any grievances or problems, we put them behind us. This is a very positive time. And that’s the way we looked at it. And it’s just a shame that [K.K.] didn’t seem to look at it the same way.”

She adds, “If ever there was a time to try and build bridges, that was it … it’s sad for him, really … when he had the opportunity, he didn’t take it.”

According to Andrews, she urged the band to invite Downing and Binks to join them onstage, telling them, “Be the bigger men.” But, Andrews tells Butler, “To me, he should have just stuck his head around the door and said, ‘Thank you for inviting me onstage with you.’ ‘Cause they didn’t have to.”

Andrews goes on to disparage Downing’s performance that night, telling Butler, “To be honest — and I probably shouldn’t really say this — [K.K.] seemed a little bit nervous and almost out of his depth.”

She added, “When we talked about it afterwards, we thought, well, Priest have carried on touring all these years; he hasn’t. So he’s probably lost a bit of confidence, coming to a big event like that, obviously, [and] having to confront all of us.”

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Taylor Swift will chat with director Martin McDonagh in Variety‘s upcoming Directors on Directors series on Monday. McDonagh directed The Banshees of Inisherin, while we know “All Too Well” what directing experience Taylor has. The interview goes live Monday at 11 a.m. PT.

Speaking of Taylor, she told fans on her Instagram Story that she was dreaming of the “All Too Well” short film for over a decade, revealing, “The first seeds of this short film were planted over 10 years ago.” She added of making the movie, “I loved every second of it and I will always remember it. All. Too. Well.”

And one more Taylor story: her song “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” was used during the red carpet premiere of the new horror film M3GAN. Billboard reports a bunch of girls dressed as the murderous doll danced to Taylor’s song, which is off her Lover album.

Cardi B told her fans not to get Brazilian butt-lifts, which are taking off as the latest plastic surgery trend. “When it comes to BBLs, if y’all want advice from me, before you get your BBL done you have to make sure your blood levels are alright,” she directed. “If a doctor says your blood levels are too low or you have diabetes or whatever, don’t do it!”

BTS’ V released a concept film titled Me Myself and V, ‘Veautiful Days’ in which he imagines what he’d be like across past eras and plays with the type of film that was available at the time. This is to promote his forthcoming photography book, but a release date hasn’t been announced.

Jeff Goldblum is joining the Wicked movie adaptation, as is Michelle Yeoh, reports E! News. They’ll respectively star alongside Ariana Grande’s Glinda as the titular Wizard of Oz and Madame Morrible. The movie is slated for a 2024 release.

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Sam Asghari finally broke his silence and addressed fans who are spreading rumors his wife, Britney Spears, still isn’t free — or worse.

Taking to his Instagram Story, the Iranian actor explained, “Social media can be traumatizing. Sometimes it’s good to take a break. [Britney] has her voice and is a free woman. I have respect for her privacy and I protect it at all times.”

Britney recently reactivated her Instagram profile after shutting it down earlier this month, sparking fans’ concern about her safety.

Sam continued, “I’ve always respected and supported her privacy with everything I’ve had. I ask of you supportive and protective fans to do the same.”

“Out of respect for her privacy I don’t post her 24/7. I ask for permission if I ever do,” he continued, seemingly to address why he doesn’t always feature her on his social media or bring her to public events. In reference to the latter, said Sam, “It would be my honor if she joins. For her those things are not fun. They’re [hectic] and full of stress.”

In closing, Sam asked fans to give Britney space by writing, “Sometimes being overprotective can cause more stress and damage.”

Britney hasn’t posted anything to her Instagram since she reactivated her account. Her most recent post was a message to her sons, which she wrote the day after her 41st birthday. “To both of my boys … I love you … I would die for you,” she wrote.

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Pharrell Williams is on a mission to save the polar bears. The entrepreneur and his Icecream design label have teamed up with MINI USA for an exclusive merch collection that will help raise money for the white bears.

Set to launch December 15 on NTWRK, the collection will feature a variety of products, including a keychain, hoodie and T-shirt, which retail for $150. The price point is meant to bring attention to the 150 billion tons of ice that Antartica, the polar bear’s habitat, is losing every year.

The MINI x ICECREAM collection goes on sale on December 15 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Proceeds will go toward Polar Bears International, which, according to a press release, “works to inspire people to care about the Arctic, the urgent threats to its future, and the connection between this remote region and our global climate.”

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Jhené Aiko‘s back to making music, but this go-round, her project aligns with her role as mother to newborn son Noah Hasani.

The singer is releasing her own installment of Sleep Soul, which, according to YouTube, is sleep music that consists of “R&B melodies combined with white, brown and pink noise.” Jhené’s Sleep Soul Volume 2 is slated for a December 9 release.

“2 more sleeps until volume 2 is out!” she captioned the announcement. “don’t forget to pre-save. link in bio [teddy bear, cloud, zzz emojis].”

As reported, Jhené welcomed Noah, her son with Big Sean, last month. She’s also a mother to Namiko Love from a previous relationship.

Her upcoming project, as its name implies, is the second of the Sleep Soul albums. The first, Sleep Soul Volume 1, is a 20-track project with R&B-inspired lullabies.

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The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach has released a new song with his side project, The Arcs.

The track is called “Eyez” and is available now via digital outlets. It’ll appear on The Arcs’ upcoming album, Electrophonic Chronic, the sophomore follow-up to 2015’s Yours, Dreamily.

Electrophonic Chronic is due out January 27 and is being released as a tribute to late band member Richard Swift, who died in 2018. Much of the album was recorded prior to Swift’s passing.

“Eyez” is the third track to be released from Electrophonic Chronic, following “Keep on Dreamin'” and “Heaven Is a Place.”

The Black Keys’ most recent album is this year’s Dropout Boogie.

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Kenny Chesney is currently mourning the loss of his rescue pit bull mix, Ruby — aka Da Ruba Girl — but he has found a way to make her memory larger than life.

The singer announced this week that he’s releasing an official version of “Da Ruba Girl,” a song he routinely aired on his SiriusXM channel, No Shoes Radio. Fans have long been asking for Kenny to make the song officially available to download or stream on demand; on Friday, “Da Ruba Girl” will be out on iTunes and all streaming platforms.

“No one had a bigger, bolder heart than Da Ruba Girl, whose name was Ruby,” the singer says. “She was a rescue my friend Mary brought into our lives, and she was the most loving, gentle soul. It’s why she inspired the song, and truly how she showed us better ways to be human.”

But Kenny’s new song will do more than just honor Ruby’s memory — it will also help other dogs find homes.

All proceeds from “Da Ruba Girl” will benefit Stray Rescue of St. Louis, which finds homes for dogs who have a harder time being adopted, such as pit mixes, older dogs and bigger dogs.

“While she was a rescue, she truly rescued every single person who came in contact with her,” Kenny continues. “To honor her life, I wanted that love and her ability to rescue people to continue. I wanted to do something that embodied what she was, and that would also help people know these dogs can save you.”

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