Music

Parker McCollum stands to win his first-ever CMA trophy tonight, November 9: He’s up in the New Artist of the Year category, but if it were up to him, that award would go to one of the other nominees in the category: Cody Johnson.

“You know, it’d be a disappointment to me if he didn’t win it,” Parker tells ABC Audio. “He just deserves it, man. I can’t speak enough about him.”

The two up-and-comers share more than their home state of Texas: Cody has been a generous friend and touring partner to Parker ever since the beginning, he explains.

“He’s been so good to me since I very first started, touring in Texas and stuff, and used to have me open for him all the time,” the singer relates. “I just got all the respect for him in the world. He’s the real deal. If anybody deserves to take that hardware home tonight, it’s certainly him.”

In the meantime, Parker’s making big plans for a glamorous date night with his wife, Hallie Ray Light, and he’s been hard at work on his outfit for quite a while.

“A woman that good-looking, you can’t waste a night to get her all fancied up,” he jokes. “This was actually the first year I was kind of specific on what I wanted to wear. I just saw a video of one of my favorite singers back in the day and said, ‘Man, I’d like to do something like that for the CMAs.’ So I had it all custom-made. It’ll be cool.”

To catch Parker’s special CMA Awards look — and to see who wins New Artist at the show — tune into ABC. The 2022 CMA Awards starts at 8 p.m.

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Falling the day after the U.S. midterm elections, the 2022 CMA Awards comes at a particularly tense moment in the country’s ever-divisive political climate.

But Luke Bryan has always believed that Americans have more commonalities than they do differences, and he’s hoping to underscore that point with a performance of his unifying top-ten single, “Country On,” at the show.

“It’s a really tense day in the world of politics today with the midterms,” Luke tells ABC Audio. “I’ll try to do a song to [highlight the fact that] we’re all Americans and we all love each other and stand together in unity, harmony.”

In fact, he’s got a new commandment or two to add: “Love thy neighbor, hug thy neighbor, drink beer with thy neighbor,” Luke adds light-heartedly.

His performance is just the beginning: Luke’s also co-hosting the show with Peyton Manning, and he says he’s hoping to draw inspiration for the gig from Peyton’s football career.

“You gotta make sure the plays are in order. So, he runs a tight ship,” Luke notes. “I think if we’re comfortable being loose and having fun, the room will be, too. The bottom line is just: Get up there, have fun in the room and honor the people that are winning — just make a great show and try to have fun in the moment.”

The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight, November 9, at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

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Louis Tomlinson tipped his hat to his “brother” Harry Styles and admitted to feeling a little green with envy over his massive success.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Louis confessed to feeling competitive when Harry seemingly rose faster than the other members of One Direction.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me at first. Only ’cos I didn’t know where to place myself, and really my only point of reference was other members of the band,” he said.

Louis has since made peace with Harry’s fame and said the “As It Was” singer’s success is “not surprising” because “he really fits the mold of a modern star.”

“It took me a while to work out where I stand,” Louis continued. “But I look on Harry like a brother, man. I have a lot of pride for what he’s doing.”

“He’s not just doing music, he’s got film as well, and the (stadium) tour he’s done is unbelievable,” Louis added. As for how the other three members of One Direction feel — Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Niall Horan — the singer said they all support one another.

“We check in on each other, we’re good like that,” Louis revealed, noting he “bumped into” Niall recently. “Even though we hadn’t spoken all year, it was like absolutely no time had passed.”

He added, “We’ve lived through such experiences together in One Direction, this bond that we have is for life.” 

Louis will release his sophomore album, Faith in the Future, on November 11.  

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Hozier has shared a new song called “Blood Upon the Snow,” which was recorded for the just-released God of War Ragnarök video game.

The track sees the “Take Me to Church” artists collaborate with composer Bear McCreary, who also provided the score for the game.

“I have always admired [Hozier’s] captivating lyrical sensibilities and rich, velvety tenor vocal tone,” McCreary says. “I had a blast hanging out with him in the studio and crafting a song together that supports the emotional arc between father and son. I believe our song is the perfect finale for this epic narrative journey.”

You can listen to “Blood Upon the Snow” now via digital outlets. God of War Ragnarök is out now on PS5 and PS4.

Hozier just released a new song called “Swan Upon Leda” in October. His most recent album is 2019’s Wasteland, Baby!

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Aaron Carter‘s fiancée, Melanie Martin, honored the late singer after his shocking death last week. The “I Want Candy” singer was 34.

Martin, who shares a son named Prince with Carter, broke her silence in a statement to People. “My heart is completely broken over the passing of my fiancé Aaron. I knew he was struggling, and I tried everything to help him,” she said.

Martin continued, “He has a very independent and strong personality, and I couldn’t help him in the way I felt he needed it.”

“I only wish I had more people to help me with him. I will now be raising our son as a single mother and this is the worst day of my life, but I have to be strong for our son,” Martin added. “I’m devastated.”

Martin and Carter embarked on an on-again, off-again engagement in 2020 and welcomed their son, Prince, last November. The status of their relationship at the time of his death is unknown.

Carter died unexpectedly on Saturday. A cause of death has not yet been made public.

Deadline has since reported Carter filmed a pilot episode for Group, a sitcom about mental health recovery, last month. The project will continue in Carter’s memory and be completed in his honor.

“Aaron was so excited about the show and helping raise awareness for mental health, a topic he was very passionate about. He said being a part of the show gave him something positive to work toward, and I’ll forever cherish that,” sitcom director and writer Brian Farmer shared in a statement.

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Most artists only get one award show cycle to celebrate a big song, but Kelsea Ballerini lucked into two.

Her song, “Half of My Hometown,” won her her very first CMA trophies last year for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year. Now, in 2022, the song is nominated for Single of the Year because it was a single during the eligibility window for this year’s show.

“So it’s like, this song is truly the gift that keeps on giving,” Kelsea jokes to ABC Audio. “I’m like, ‘Am I gonna be nominated for this next year, too? Is it still eligible for five years from now?’”

Out of all the songs in her discography, this one is special, the singer goes on to say. Not only is it a duet with Kenny Chesney — who also hails from her hometown of Knoxville — but at the crux, the track is Kelsea’s ever-evolving, complex relationship with the place where she comes from.

“I resented my hometown for a long time because in my brain, it was the place that was keeping me from being in Nashville and doing this, pursuing my dream,” she reflects. “As I’ve gotten older and wanted to learn more about myself and grow up eloquently, every time I come home, I find so much more of myself.” 

The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight, November 9, at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

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When it comes to casting Ozzy Osbourne for his upcoming biopic, the Prince of Darkness has one request.

“I don’t want to have anyone like Johnny Depp act as me,” Ozzy tells Consequence. “I rather have someone who is relatively unknown.”

The upcoming movie is set to tell Ozzy’s story through the lens of his relationship with wife Sharon Osbourne. It’ll be written by Oscar nominee Lee Hall, who also penned the 2019 Elton John biopic, Rocketman.

Sharon previously described the film as “an adult movie for adults” that won’t present a “squeaky, shiny clean” version of her and Ozzy’s life together. As for how he feels about the perhaps not-so flattering parts of his life being portrayed on the big screen, Ozzy declares, “I don’t give a s***.”

“I mean, if it’s a success, great,” he says. “As long as it’s not too slurpy and bulls***-y, you know?”

Jack Kilmer, son of Val Kilmer, previously played Ozzy in the metal legend’s video for his 2019 single “Under the Graveyard,” which was described as “semi-autobiographical.” Actor Tony Cavalero also portrays the Prince of Darkness in the 2019 Mötley Crüe biopic, The Dirt.

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The second teaser trailer for the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody arrived Wednesday and showed the singer taking charge of her life and career.

The trailer starts with Whitney, played by British actress Naomi Ackie, reacting to a radio host relaying criticism that her music “isn’t Black enough.”

“Who said that? That’s just bull and it makes me angry, actually,” Ackie’s Whitney responds. “That’s just hateful and uninformed.” She then offers what the critics are actually saying, which is, “She’s not obedient enough” or “fearful enough.”

“Music is not a color to me. It has no boundaries. I sing what I want to sing. Be how I wanna be,” she continues as scenes from her 1991 Super Bowl performance, where she belted out the “Star Spangled Banner,” flash across the screen.

The tone continues with Whitney falling in love with Bobby Brown, played by Ashton Sanders, and butting heads with her father, John Houston, who’s played by Clarke Peters. Her father, who also served as her talent manager, voices his opposition to her romance because “it’s damaging the brand.”

“Since when did your little girl become a brand? I missed that,” Ackie’s Whitney fumes.

There is also a scene showing Whitney cradling her newborn daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody is directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Anthony McCarten, who penned the Oscar-winning Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. The movie arrives in theaters on December 23.

“The greatest voice of our time has an even greater story,” the movie’s official synopsis reads. “Discover the Whitney Houston you never knew.” 

Whitney accidentally drowned in her hotel bathtub in 2012; drugs were found in her system. She was 48.

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