The Grateful Dead‘s Dancing Bears can adorn your dancing feet this holiday season, thanks to a new capsule collection the band authorized with eco-conscious shoe brand Sanuk.
The unisex Sanuk X Grateful Dead collection features Puffy Chiller slip-ons and fuzzy Furreal sandals, all featuring the Dead’s Dancing Bears logo. Both feature recycled polyester faux fur, as well as midsoles and outsoles created out of either recycled material or a material made of sugar cane.
The shoes range from $55 to $85, making them the perfect gift for the Deadhead in your life whose feet are perpetually cold.
This is the latest in a string of Sanuk X Grateful Dead footwear collections.
Lars Ulrich has shared a statement reflecting on Metallica‘s tribute to late Megaforce Records co-founders Jon and Marsha Zazula at their concert in Florida over the weekend.
In an Instagram post, Ulrich calls the show “an absolutely epic, unique, and unforgettable night.”
“Thank you to everyone who came from near and far away to partake,” the drummer writes. “Incredible to see so many familiar faces in the front row, out in the house and backstage.”
The Zazulas launched Megaforce in 1982 and signed a then-unknown Metallica to their first record deal. Marsha passed away in January 2021, followed by Jon in February 2022.
To celebrate the legacy of the Zazulas, Metallica’s tribute set focused entirely on the band’s early days, with performances of songs from the 1983-84 era.
“Special shout out to the three Zazula daughters, Danielle, Rikki & Blaire, our comrades from the Old Bridge Militia and our old school touring partners in Raven for making the trek and joining in the shenanigans,” Ulrich writes. “Mad love to all.”
Metallica’s next scheduled concert is their Helping Hands charity concert, taking place December 16 in Los Angeles. Greta Van Fleet is also on the bill.
ABC Newsprojected Maxwell Frostto be the first member of Gen Z elected to Congress following his race for a House of Representative seat in Florida’s 10th district. Fittingly, he’ll celebrate his victory in a very Gen Z way.
In response to news of the results, the 25-year-old Democrat tweeted that he plans to see The 1975‘s concert this Thursday in Washington, D.C.
“I’ve been campaigning for over a year this is wild!!” Frost wrote. “I’m gonna see @the1975 on Thursday to celebrate!!!”
The 1975 is currently on a U.S. tour supporting the band’s new album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, which dropped in October. The outing’s already made headlines this week after footage surfaced of frontman Matty Healy appearing to eat raw meat onstage during Monday’s show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
As an actress, cookbook author, entrepreneur, mom and more, Tia Mowry wears many hats.
One of those acting endeavors was starring in the 1994 sitcom Sister, Sister alongside her twin Tamera Mowry. Over the years there have been whispers of a reboot before she shut it down with a TikTok last year. So has anything changed?
“Oh, my gosh. You know, no, I’m sorry to say,” Mowry tells ABC Audio while promoting her latest collaboration with LACTAID, a lactose-free dairy product. “We have so many things going on in our lives. I have so many things going on. I don’t even know if there will even be any room for it.”
“But who knows? I never, never say never,” she adds. “You know, Tamera and I could be in our 60s. And could you imagine?”
Nevertheless, Mowry says the fact that the series, which ran for six seasons, still resonates decades later makes it “a huge success.”
“I feel like this show is constantly living on over 20 years later. And to me, that is a huge success,” the mom of two says. “… having the show still perform well and people resonate with it and it’s still being a success with where it’s at now. I think that’s something to celebrate.”
Another reason to celebrate is the exciting project Mowry has coming up that she “cannot wait to share with the world.”
“There is something that I will be announcing in January that was on my vision board for years,” she reveals. “And I cannot wait to share with the world this special project that I have been working on. I’m all about inspiring and encouraging and representation, so I think you’re going to love it, hopefully.”
It’ll be a full-circle moment when Dierks Bentley steps onstage at the CMA Awards tonight, November 9, to honor living legend Alan Jackson.
“I mean, he was one of the first guys I listened to when I got turned on to country music in ‘94,” Dierks reminisces to ABC Audio.
In fact, AJ was one of Dierks’ very first country celebrity sightings after he moved to Nashville to pursue music in the ‘90s. “I was at the mall, Green Hills Mall, and there’s Alan Jackson and his wife, Denise,” he recounts.
“And I was like, ‘Oh my, I have to meet him. So I waited outside for about half an hour,” Dierks continues. “He came out, [I] shook his hand. He said, ‘Thanks a lot, son,’ you know, got in his truck and drove away. And so it’s kind of a full-circle moment for sure.”
Dierks is in a unique spot in country music: His discography boasts many radio hits, but he also releases and performs bluegrass-leaning music and always makes time to connect with both the mainstream and roots worlds.
“I’ve always been really happy with my spot in country music, you know? I know a lot of the bluegrass guys and the older country guys, and I love being a part of that world,” he reflects. “But I’m also a huge fan, and I get to collaborate sometimes with the next upcoming generation of kids that are out there making their mark.”
Case in point: Dierks teamed up with Breland and Hardy for “Beers on Me,” which earned a CMA nomination for Music Event of the Year in 2022.
The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Viola Davis is going from The First Lady to the president of the United States.
The actress who was seen as Michelle Obama on Showtime’s The First Lady earlier this year will be playing President Taylor Sutton in an upcoming Amazon original action movie she’s producing called G20. Sutton is a military vet who goes all John McClane in Die Hard when terrorists take over the G20 summit.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, she “must bring all her statecraft and military experience to bear to defend her family, her fellow leaders, and, of course, the world.”
In the announcement, Amazon Studios’ movie head Julie Rapaport called Oscar winner Davis, currently in theaters in the hits The Woman King and Black Adam, a “one-of-a-kind talent both in front of and behind the camera.” “[W]e can’t wait to watch her bring the dynamic character that is President Sutton to life,” she added.
Viola and her husband and producing partner, Julius Tennon,will shepherd the movie under their JuVee Productions banner.
A new book on Jimi Hendrix is in stores now, while one on Genesis will arrive early next year.
Jimi is written by Hendrix’s stepsister Janie Hendrix and John McDermott of Experience Hendrix L.L.C. It features rare and previously unpublished pictures of the late guitar legend as well as lyrics and personal memorabilia. Quotes from Jimi’s famous fans, from Paul McCartney, Lenny Kravitz and Ron Wood to Jeff Beck and Dave Grohl, are also included.
If this Hendrix book inspires you to write your long-delayed novel, Montblanc has a Jimi Hendrix collection of ballpoint and fountain pens. Each one celebrates a standout year in Hendrix’s career, from 1967 to 1969. But with prices that range from $940 to — no joke — $37,000, you might be better off buying a guitar.
Meanwhile, a unique book on Genesis is due March 17, 2023. Called Play Me My Song – The Music Of Genesis, the 558-page tome is described as “the biggest book ever published on” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. But rather than simply being a band biography, it’s made up of extensive essays about every song and album in the band’s entire catalogue.
According to the publisher, Play Me My Song — named after a line in the Genesis song “The Musical Box” — “blends song histories, musical analysis, critical reviews, autobiographical tales, the fun of countdowns, and a dash of pure silliness.” You can pre-order it now.
Cody Johnson is headed into tonight’s CMA Awards already a winner: He won Music Video of the Year for “‘Til You Can’t” in an early victory ahead of the ceremony.
He’s still got three nominations in the running: Two in the artist-focused categories of New Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year, and another for Single of the Year, also for “‘Til You Can’t.”
Though any of those trophies would be a dream come true, Cody says that Single of the Year is the one he’s most excited about.
“Simply because Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers wrote one of the greatest songs ever, in my opinion. And I got to be the voice,” he tells ABC Audio. “Trent Willmon, my producer, and Jack Clarke, my engineer — they built one of the most incredible tracks I’ve ever heard in the studio.”
In other words, a win in the Single category wouldn’t just be a win for Cody — it would celebrate all the people who helped make this massive, chart-topping song.
“I think that would be a team win. So I just think that would feel better,” he continues.
When it comes to categories like Male Vocalist, the competition is fierce — Cody’s up against Eric Church, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and Chris Stapleton — but the singer says he’s just happy to be in the mix.
“I would be honored to win any of it, but at the end of the day, I win. I’m here. I’m being accepted,” he points out. “My music is being accepted and celebrated. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
The 2022 CMA Awards kick off tonight at 8 p.m. in Nashville. The show will broadcast live on ABC.
The CMA Awards haven’t even officially started yet, but the first winners are already being named.
Ahead of tonight’s show, Cody Johnson won the Music Video of the Year category for his “‘Til You Can’t,” a gripping and emotional visual component to his equally poignant breakout hit.
Cody is by no means finished with the awards show ceremony: He’s up in three more categories, including Male Vocalist of the Year, and he’s set to perform on the awards show stage tonight, too.
Next up, Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde won their latest accolade for “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” in the category of Musical Event of the Year. Their chart-topping duet is now two for two in that category at major awards shows; it won Music Event of the Year at the ACM Awards back in March, too.
Both early winners were announced during a special segment on ABC’s Good Morning America. The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Taylor Dayne, the singer known for hits like “Tell It to My Heart,” “I’ll Always Love You” and “Love Will Lead You Back,” is stepping back into the spotlight to raise awareness about the importance of routine cancer screenings.
“Life is precious,” Taylor, 60, told ABC’s Good Morning America. In July, she was diagnosed with colon cancer after a routine colonoscopy, which she has twice a year after past procedures showed benign polyps. This time, doctors discovered a polyp that held an aggressive cancer.
Taylor said her world went “dark” at the word “cancer,” but her doctor reassured her that they’d caught it early, which increases the chance of positive treatment outcomes.
“He never even said the stage,” said Taylor. “All I could do is [think], ‘OK, five months ago, I know there was nothing. So this is early detection.”
While colon cancer is the third most leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society, it’s also highly treatable and curable, if found early through a colonoscopy.
After her diagnosis, Taylor had 10 inches of her colon removed and was declared cancer-free. But she said she experienced a “complication” during recovery, and developed a post-op infection that required her to stay in the hospital for 15 or 20 days — which brought back traumatic childhood memories of suffering from terrible kidney infections.
“This has challenged me mentally, emotionally,” she said. “I am now back in a therapy program.”
The singer wants others — especially women — to talk to their doctors about when they should be screened for things like colon cancer.
“When you’re really sick, you don’t have the energy, you’re really relying on your champions around you, your soldiers, your people,” she said. “Find the doctor that will tell you the truth. Be a warrior for yourself.”
