Music

The trailer for the upcoming BET+ special Martin: The Reunion dropped on Monday, and there’s a great chance that after watching the minute-long video you’ll need your tissues.

Joining one another on the iconic green couch from the classic ’90s show are cast members Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II, who dedicate the upcoming 90-minute special to former castmate Thomas Mikal Ford, who died in 2016 at the age of 52. 

“This one’s for you, Tommy,” they say in sync before the trailer cuts to clips of past episodes of Martin. 

The reunion, hosted by comedian Affion Crockett, will take fans back to the beloved Martin living room set for an evening of answering questions, reminiscing and revisiting hilarious moments.

Upon initial news of the upcoming special, Lawrence said in a press release, “To be able to sit here 30 years later with this amazing cast that has had such an impact on pop culture is truly a blessing.” He added, “I am always humbled that the fans still want more of the show and its characters. I am looking forward to the reunion special.”

Also seen in the trailer is rapper Snoop Dogg, singer Brian McKnight and actor Tommy Davidson, all of whom appeared in episodes of Martin during the show’s five-season run from 1992 to 1997. 

Toward the end of the trailer, Crockett asks, “Will there be a Martin reboot?” That question, of course, goes unanswered for now, which most likely leaves viewers wanting to know how Lawrence will respond.

To find out, you’ll have to tune into Martin: The Reunion premiering on BET+ June 16.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Country fans will get to take a walk down memory lane in a new series about Austin City Limits. 

Circle Network is partnering with ACL to present the 12-episode series Austin City Limits: Country, going back into the ACL vault to air episodes from decades prior.  

Circle has acquired the licensing to several episodes featuring country music greats, including Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Reba McEntire and George Jones, which will air throughout the course of the series this summer.

Narrated by Rodney Crowell, the show will offer insight into each artist’s career at the time, as well the remastered ACL performances that haven’t aired since their original broadcast and never-before-scene interviews. 

The first episode in the series is the late Charlie Daniels‘ performance on ACL in 1976, where he performed his signature hits “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and “Long Haired Country Boy.” In a re-airing of Reba’s episode from 1987, fans will get to see her sing “Whoever’s in New England,” while the Johnny Cash episode sees him teaming up with his wife June and The Cash Family in 1987 in his only appearance on ACL, where they sang his legendary hits “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” 

Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr. and more are also featured in the series, which will air Wednesday nights on the Circle Network beginning June 8 at 10 p.m. ET. 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Christina Aguilera is juggling many hats these days — she’s raising two kids, working on new music and is about to headline LA Pride — so how does she cool off after a super busy day?

The Grammy winner will “wine down,” she told People, and described what that looks like. “It’s by the pool. Just relaxing, you don’t have to go in, you can lounge around. I really like it at night. I love a night swim. It just has a sexy vibe to it,” she revealed.

Christina also spoke about her swanky pool, adding, “I literally have it where it lights up in multiple moody colors. So it can be purple, red, green … I’m all about a mood, and all about an ambiance and an aesthetic.”

“I don’t always need to go out or be seen,” she continued. “When you do, that’s great, too. But I love entertaining in the backyard for my friends and my family and bringing everyone in and feeling the togetherness.”

Speaking of the LA Pride Festival, where the “Beautiful” singer will take the stage as this year’s headliner on Saturday, she remarked, “Performing at Pride is so special, because it is unique within the fact that there is such a strong sense of community, and oneness and support and equality where everyone’s just there to have a good time.”

“They don’t try to conform to a rulebook and they want to live colorfully and out loud, and whatever that means to them,” Christina said. “It’s such a crowd of creativity and expression.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kate Bush didn’t need a deal with God to finally notch a top-10 hit, just a placement on Stranger Things.

The English singer’s song “Running Up That Hill,” which has seen a resurgence over the past week after being featured in the newly premiered fourth season of Netflix’s ever-popular sci-fi series, reenters the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 this week at #8. It had previously peaked at #30 following its original release in 1985.

All told, “Running Up That Hill” waited 36 years, nine months and one week to hit the top 10 after it first appeared on the Hot 100. That’s the longest gap between Hot 100 debut and top-10 placement since Chuck Berry‘s “Run Rudolph Run” took 62 years and two weeks to reach the mark in 2020.

The renewed interest in “Running Up That Hill” even led the notoriously press-shy Bush to issue a public statement.

“It’s all really exciting!” Bush wrote, adding that she’s a big Stranger Things fan. “Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Last year, Perry Farrell and his Kind Heaven Orchestra project performed a rooftop concert at the Pendry Chicago hotel to celebrate the return of Lollapalooza, which had been canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That unique show is now set to stream online next month.

The streaming platform Veeps is set to premiere the performance on July 22. A press release describes the concert as an “audio sensory journey of artistic fusion set against the glistening skylines of Chicago,” featuring renditions of songs by Farrell’s bands Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros, as well as original Kind Heaven Orchestra material.

“At that point there were no festivals happening; for almost 2 years,” Farrell recalls. “We needed to come back. Lolla went for it. Listened to the science, worked with the doctors and the mayor. Suddenly there we were, the Kind Heaven Orchestra set on high, surrounded by Chicago skyscrapers. Our hearts were released.”

Tickets to watch the stream are on sale now via PerryFarrell.Veeps.com.

Farrell, meanwhile, has been busy reuniting Porno for Pyros, which played their first show in 26 years during May’s Welcome to Rockville festival. The group has also announced shows in Chicago and Los Angeles for July.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The news of Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan‘s split shocked the entertainment world over the weekend after People reported that the pair had called it quits after a year and a half of dating. New developments by the magazine say that the 25-year-old beauty entrepreneur “wasn’t ready to commit” to Jordan. 

According to an update shared by People on Monday, a source close to Harvey says that while she and Jordan “were making plans for their future,” Harvey “realized that they weren’t on the same page.”

The source says “she is very focused on her career” and that she “still wants to have fun and be free.”

“Michael is a great guy. She is sad that their relationship didn’t work out, but she is moving on,” says the source.

Harvey, who is the daughter of Steve and Marjorie Harvey, recently cleared her Instagram page of photos of her and Jordan. The two celebrated their one-year anniversary in November 2021 after making their relationship Instagram official in January. 

Jordan has yet to comment about the breakup and as of Monday morning still had photos of them on his Instagram. The Creed actor was spotted out at the Celtics vs. Warriors NBA Finals game in San Francisco on Sunday night. 

When initial rumors broke on Saturday, an insider told People of the split, “Michael and Lori are both completely heartbroken,” adding that “they still love each other.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

It’s no secret Megan Thee Stallion is gearing up to release her second studio album soon. According to multiple reports that surfaced over the weekend, the title of the new project could be “Traumazine.”

As revealed in documents shared on Twitter by trademark attorney Josh Gerben, the 27-year-old rapper filed the trademark application for the word “Traumazine” on May 27, using the Hot Girl Trademark Holdings, LLC as the owner of the mark.

Gerben said in a tweet, “The trademark application, filed on May 27th, is drafted in such a way that this could (emphasis on COULD) be the name of @theestallion’s next album.”

As previously reported, Megan shared details about the forthcoming album in an interview after her Webby Awards win for Artist of the Year last month. 

“I’m probably, like, 95% done with my new album,” the rapper said during a chat backstage. “I wanna tease that for the Hotties. I haven’t even told them nothing about my album, but yeah.”

The Houston Hottie’s sophomore project will follow her hit debut album, Good News, which debuted at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Billboard chart. 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.