Naomi Judd’s public memorial, Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, aired on CMT Sunday, and it’s become the network’s highest rated special in two years. In under 48 hours, the televised event racked up over 16 million cumulative views across all channels. Two encore presentations of the special will take place: this Thursday at 9 p.m. ET and Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.
Priscilla Block is taking her Welcome to the Block Party tour overseas for five dates this August. Head to her website for more information about the shows.
LoCash is sharing the stage with The Beach Boys at the Grand Ole Opry later this month. Set for May 27, the shows will mark the Beach Boys’ Grand Ole Opry debut. The two acts recently teamed up for LoCash’s new single “Beach Boys.”
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Fivio Foreign delivered the official music video for his single “Hello,” which lands at #7 on his 17-track debut album, B.I.B.L.E, which dropped last month.
The Bronx rapper toned down his usual hype drill flow and look for a more subtle romantic visual featuring a love interest to whom he wants to say ‘hello.’
The track is laced with vocals by rising singer KayCyy and Grammy nominee Chloe Bailey, the latter of whom stuns in the visual, wearing a yellow and black motorbike-looking bodysuit and black thigh-high boots.
After singing the chorus with KayCyy, Chloe breaks out into her verse, which reads in part, “Talk to me nice / I just might make you go viral / Raising your price / Being with me is so vital / Oh, it look good, don’t it? / The whole damn world want it / So show me how you gon’ own it.”
To watch the full video for “Hello,” visit Fivio Foreign’s YouTube page.
If it’s good enough for The Beatles, it’s good enough for Elton John.
What’s being described as the “official feature” on Elton John is heading to Disney+. Called Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and The Years That Made His Legend, the documentary features unseen concert footage from the past 50 years, modern-day footage of Elton and his family, and a look at his hand-written journals.
Ahead of its arrival on Disney+, the doc will have a limited theatrical run and will also screen at festivals.
Capturing Elton’s last months on the road on his farewell tour, with performance clips from Madison Square Garden, London and more, the film will culminate with the star’s final North American show at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium this November. It’ll also feature a special look at the first five years of Elton’s career, during which he scored seven #1 albums and became a global superstar.
Elton’s husband and manager, David Furnish, is a producer on the project. It’s directed by R.J. Cutler, who brought you the music doc Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, as well as BELUSHI, The War Room, A Perfect Candidate and The World According to Dick Cheney.
In a statement, Furnish says, “Elton and I could not think of a better collaborator than R.J. Cutler for a film that represents more than just Elton’s career — it’s his life. From the Troubadour to Dodger Stadium, we knew that R.J. would help guide Elton’s story and its many layers in a way that feels authentic and evocative.”
Elton has been part of the Disney family since 1994, when his music for The Lion King became a massive hit.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Dolly Parton fans may remember that she asked her goddaughter, pop star Miley Cyrus, to duet with her on her 2020 Christmas album over fax.
Two years later, faxing is still Dolly’s preferred method of contact, Miley revealed during a recent interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers. This is the case despite the fact that Dolly and Miley co-starred in a jokey “Do it For the Phones” PSA-style ad for T-Mobile in a 2022 Super Bowl commercial.
“She was doing it for the phones, yet every time I coordinate and communicate with Dolly, it’s still through fax,” Miley deadpanned. “So I don’t know what she’s talking about. She’s rarely on the phone. Next time we’ll have to do it for the fax machine.”
Miley also clarified exactly what she means when she says that Dolly communicates via fax.
“She does a fax, and then someone scans the fax, and then they put it into a text message and then that gets sent to me,” the singer explained.
Still, just because texting isn’t Dolly’s preferred means of communication doesn’t mean she hasn’t got the gear.
“She has a phone, she just doesn’t use it, I don’t think,” Miley added. “I think someone uses it for her.”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and for Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne, that’s personal. He has previously discussed his battles with depression and anxiety, saying that he went through a difficult period of depression and suicidal ideation in late 2019 that led to a hospitalization.
“I learned to be OK with not being OK,” he reflects. “Being OK with not being OK is just being patient with how you feel.”
Stepping onstage with his guitar and playing music for his fans is an outlet, John continues, that can help him keep his mental health stable. “It allows me to express myself — musically, but it [also] gets all of the feelings that I have inside out.”
And as a listener? John says that he doesn’t typically dance, but there’s one pop star who he likes to jam out to every now and again.
“I’m a wretched dancer, but if I’m alone and someone plays Dua Lipa, I might shake my butt a little bit,” he jokes.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if it feels like it, you are not alone.
Taylor Swift cheered on New York University’s 2022 graduating class in a heartfelt commencement speech about the importance of being resilient.
Taylor spoke Wednesday at Yankee Stadium and told the graduating class, “Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard. This outfit is much more comfortable.”
Taylor, of course, was referring to wearing a cap and gown for commencement for the first time because she never went to college. Despite not having a bachelor’s degree, NYU upgraded the Grammy winner with an honorary doctor in fine arts degree.
Jokes aside, the “Shake It Off” singer imparted her wisdom about becoming an adult. “Part of growing up and moving into new chapters of your life is about catch and release,” she expressed. “What I mean by that is, knowing what things to keep and what things to release. You can’t carry all things, all grudges, all updates on your ex, all enviable promotions your school bully got at the hedge fund his uncle started. Decide what is yours to hold and let the rest go.”
She also spoke of the value of appreciating the cringey things of childhood because, “I’m a big advocate for not hiding your enthusiasm for things.” Taylor also expressed, “Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth.”
The singer also spoke of being disappointed, telling the graduates, “My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life. And being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience.”
“Hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it,” she encouraged before ending her speech with, “So let’s just keep dancing like we’re the class of ’22!”
That’s right — if you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to join Kanye West‘s popular Sunday Service choir, the chance to do so is coming up. Unfortunately for adults who’d like to sing their hearts out alongside the Grammy winner, the upcoming auditions, which will be held this weekend in Los Angeles, are for children only.
Ye announced Wednesday that his Donda Academy is looking for kids in grades 2-12 “who love to sing and lift up the name of Jesus” to join the Donda Academy Gospel Choir for the 2022-23 academic year. Auditions are set to take place Friday, May 20, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT at Eighty Eight Studios in North Hollywood.
Per the Academy’s recently launched new website, the Donda school works to “promote ideation, prototyping, and real-world implementation,” all while allowing the students to “grow in their faith and community through daily all-school worship and celebration at Sunday Service.”
Parents who want to sign their children up for tryouts can do so online.
Lainey Wilson’s got a new single coming out on Friday, and she’s hoping it’ll make three for three atop the country radio chart. Her last two singles, “Things a Man Oughta Know” and a Cole Swindell duet called “Never Say Never,” each made it to the top spot.
“I’ve got a heart like a truck / It’s been drug through the mud / Runs on dreams and gasoline / And that ol’ highway holds the key,” she sings in the chorus.
“Heart Like a Truck” marks a new chapter for Lainey. It’s the first new music she’s put out since Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’, her major-label debut from early 2021.
Since that album came out, Lainey’s star has rapidly risen, and she shows no signs of slowing down: She’s joining Luke Combs on his Middle of Somewhere Tour this year, and she’s playing festivals like next month’s CMA Fest and the Dierks Bentley-led Seven Peaks Fest, plus appearing in Brian Kelley’s May We All musical.
Alice Cooper circa 1970; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
A new Alice Cooper action figure celebrating the shock rocker’s memorable early-1970s look and his band’s classic 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies has been released by the Super7 toy company as part of its ReAction Figure series.
The figurine depicts Cooper with his trademark face makeup wearing a black leather outfit, including a vest, gloves and knee-high boots with silver lightning bolts on the side. The toy also features two accessories — a microphone and Cooper’s pet snake.
The figurine comes packaged on a special billion-dollar-bill cardback similar to the one that came with the original Billion Dollar Babies LP.
Billion Dollar Babies is the only Cooper album ever to top the Billboard 200. It included the top-40 hits “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “Hello Hooray.”
The Cooper figure is available now at Super7.com and is priced at $18. Previous toys in the ReAction Figure series include figurines depicting Motorhead‘s Lemmy, late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, late Exodus frontman Paul Baloff, Iron Maiden mascot Eddie, King Diamond and Ghost singer Papa Emeritus II.
Cooper is set to kick off a 2022 European tour this Sunday, May 22, in Swansea, Wales. Check out his full schedule at AliceCooper.com.
A massive Al Stewart box set titled The Admiralty Lights, spanning the veteran Scottish singer/songwriter’s nearly 60-year career, will be released on June 3.
The 50-CD collection features remastered versions of all 21 of Stewart’s studio albums, 18 discs of previously unheard live recordings spanning from 1970 to 2009, three CDs of BBC sessions that Stewart recorded from 1965 to 1972, and eights discs of demos, outtakes and other rare tracks dating from 1964 to 2008.
The box set also includes a 160-page hardback book featuring extensive liner notes, an interview with Stewart, and rare photos and memorabilia; a 24-page “Collectors’ Book” with details about the various rare recordings; a print of the cover of Stewart’s smash 1976 album Year of the Cat signed by artist Colin Elgie; and a poster of Stewart’s 1988 album Last Days of the Century.
Stewart emerged from the British folk scene during the 1960s, but he enjoyed his biggest success as a rock artist with two platinum-selling, Alan Parsons-produced albums — Year of the Cat and 1978’s Time Passages.
Year of the Cat featured the hit title track, which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as “On the Border,” which fell just short of the chart’s top 40. The album peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200.
Time Passages reached #10 on the Billboard 200, while its title track became Stewart’s highest-charting single in the U.S., peaking at #7 on the Hot 100.
Other noteworthy recordings in the box set include Stewart’s 1969 Love Chronicles album, featuring contributions from Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones; and 1973’s Present & Future, which boasts appearances by Yes‘ Rick Wakeman and Queen‘s Roger Taylor.
