Music

Wondering who’s in the Backstreet Boys NCAA Basketball Tournament’s Final Four final bracket?  Head over to Caesars Sportbook to see which teams BSB wants to go all the way. 

Nick Carter, who dubbed his final four bracket the “Will Never Break Your Heart,” thinks Texas Tech, North Carolina, Miami and Arizona will tip off at the main event.  As for AJ McLean, his “Bracket They Want It That Way” predicts Duke, UCLA, Michigan and Miami.

Kevin Richardson bets Gonzaga, UCLA, Villanova and Kansas as part of his “All They Have to Give” bracket, while “Bracket It Won’t Play Games with Your Heart” from Howie Dorough predicts a Duke, North Carolina, Michigan and Miami Final Four.  

Brian Littrell is going “Larger Than Life” with his predictions and has Duke, St Peter’s, Michigan and Miami on his bet slip. 

We’ll see whose bracket reigns supreme as the NCAA Tournament enters the Sweet 16 rush of games today and determines the lucky players making it to the Elite Eight this Saturday.  The Final Four tips off next Saturday, April 2.

The “Everybody” singers are gearing up to kick off their DNA World Tour 2022 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace starting April 8 with shows running until April 16.  

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Chris Stapleton is joining the bill for the 2022 Grammy Awards. He’s part of a newly-announced, all-genre round of performers also including Jon Batiste, Foo Fighters, Nas and H.E.R.

Chris’ latest album, Starting Over, is nominated for Best Country Album at the Grammys this year. Two of the album’s songs, “Cold” and “You Should Probably Leave,” are also nominated this year, for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance, respectively.

One of the country genre’s most legendary voices, Chris has been a mainstay of the Grammy Awards over the last several years. He’s won five trophies in the past, netting Best Country Album wins both for his major-label debut, Traveller, and From A Room: Volume 1.

This year’s Grammy Awards will air on CBS on April 3 at 8 p.m. ET. Another just-announced performance segment is a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, performed by Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt, and Rachel Zegler.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Surprise! Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ new song “Not the One” is out a day early.

Bassist Flea had previously announced that the track would drop on Friday, but the band instead just released it today via digital outlets.

While we’re a little hurt Flea and the rest of the Peppers led us astray, at least we have a new song to comfort us.

“Not the One” will appear on RHCP’s forthcoming album Unlimited Love, due out April 1. It’s the third track to be released from the record, following lead single “Black Summer” and the funky “Poster Child.”

The Peppers will launch a worldwide tour in support of Unlimited Love this summer. The U.S. leg kicks off in July.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Foo Fighters will not only be competing for three honors at the the 2022 Grammys, they’ll be performing during the ceremony, too.

The Dave Grohl-fronted band is among a list of newly announced performers for the event, which takes place Sunday, April 3, in Las Vegas. Jon Batiste, H.E.R., Nas and Chris Stapleton also have joined the lineup, alongside previously announced performers Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brothers Osborne, BTS and Brandi Carlile.

The Grammys for which the Foo Fighters are nominated this year are Best Rock Album for Medicine at Midnight, Best Rock Performance for “Making a Fire,” and Best Rock Song for “Waiting on a War.” The band has won 12 previous trophies.

The 64th Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on April 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Daniel Johns, frontman for the now-defunct Australian grunge band Silverchair, is admitting himself to rehab after being charged with drunk driving.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Johns crashed his SUV into a van carrying two people while driving down Australia’s Pacific Highway Wednesday night. Johns’ breathalyzer test reportedly returned a result of 0.157%, above Australia’s legal blood alcohol content limit of 0.05%.

The two people in the van were reportedly treated on the scene. One was admitted to the hospital but has since been released.

In an Instagram post following the incident, Johns wrote, “As you know, my mental health is a work in progress. I have good days and bad days bu it’s something I always have to manage.”

“Over the last week, I began to experience panic attacks,” Johns continued. “Last night I got lost while driving and was in an accident. I am OK, everyone is OK.”

Johns added that he’d been “self-medicating with alcohol to deal with my PTSD, anxiety and depression.”

“I have to step back now as I’m self-admitting to a rehabilitation center and I don’t know how long I’ll be there,” Johns wrote. “Appreciate your love and support as always.”

Silverchair released their RIAA double-Platinum debut Frogstomp in 1995 when Johns was only 15. The group released four more albums before going on hiatus in 2011.

More recently, Johns teamed up with fellow Australian Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun to form the band Dreams in 2018, and just last year, he launched a podcast called Who Is Daniel Johns? He also announced plans to release a new solo album, FutureNever, on April 22.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jack Harlow is the latest celebrity to team up with a major fast-food chain.  He’s partnered with KFC to highlight his menu favorites. 

According to a press release, the “Industry Baby” rapper — a Kentucky native who says he grew up eating KFC — has curated a brand-new menu stuffed with his go-to items, which include “The Spicy KFC Chicken Sandwich, Secret Recipe Fries, Extra Crispy Tenders, a side of Mac & Cheese and of course, KFC’s famous biscuits,” according to a press release.  His menu, which is available now, is called Jack’s Kentucky Fried Favorites.

Jack even met with KFC’s head chef, Chris Scott, to learn how the menu items are made and enjoy the “whole KFC experience.”  Photos taken from the visit show Jack smiling as he poses in front of some new portraits of him that now hang at KFC headquarters.

“Partnering up with KFC feels like poetic justice. I’ve begun traveling the world and no matter how far I go, KFC is one of the first things people want to bring up when they find out where I’m from,” the Grammy nominee said. “I’m excited to align myself with something that started in Kentucky, but resonates all over the globe.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Country Music Hall of Famer Hank Williams Jr. is mourning the loss of his wife of over three decades, Mary Jane Thomas.

Thomas died unexpectedly earlier this week in Jupiter, Florida. TMZ reported the news, saying that a spokesperson for the Jupiter police department indicated that they responded to a call from the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Thomas was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Also per TMZ, early indications suggest that Thomas’ death may have been the result of a complication, such as a blood clot, following a medical procedure.

People also confirmed the news of Thomas’ death with the couple’s son, country artist Sam Williams.

“My dear Mama Mary Jane was a beautiful soul who forever affected everyone who knew her. She had a smile and presence that lit up every room and she never met a stranger she didn’t befriend,” Sam says in a statement. “Her spirit was gentle and giving. She could take down a ten-point buck and fix dinner for her grandchildren at the same time!”

Thomas’ death comes in the wake of a difficult couple of years for the family. In 2020, Hank Jr. and his wife mourned the loss of their daughter, 27-year-old Katherine Williams-Dunning, after she was killed in a car crash.

Hank Jr. met Thomas, a former model for suntan lotion brand Hawaiian Tropic, in 1985. They married in July 1990. Katherine and Sam are their only children together, though Hank Jr. has three other children from previous marriages.

The couple’s last public appearance together was in 2021, when Hank Jr. was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Miley Cyrus used her Twitter account to do a special performance for her fans in Paraguay, after the festival at which she was due to headline in that country was canceled due to inclement weather.

To make up for it, the “Midnight Sky” singer took to Twitter to film herself singing her song “Stay,” from her album Can’t Be Tamed, while soaking in an ultra bubble-filled bath. 

“I wish I could’ve STAYed & performed for all of my fans in Paraguay. Please STAY safe. I love you,” Miley wrote, and included a black heart emoji.  “Also if you can’t tell I’m a little sick, I think just super exhausted from the stress of yesterday! Got a few days to recover before BRAZIL.”

In a hoarse voice, Miley continued, “This song is for all my fans in Paraguay, who I missed out on seeing due to the festival being canceled because of weather, a terrifying plane experience and y’all made ‘Stay’ number one for me — so this is for you.”

She finished her performance by blowing a kiss to the camera and remarked, “Love you, thank you for your support, thank you for all of your best wishes, stay safe everyone.”

As previously reported, Miley’s plane ran into bad weather as it was flying into the Paraguayan capital of Asunción on Tuesday and had to make an emergency landing.  Then she found out that her headlining set at the Asunciónico Festival had been canceled due to severe storms and flooding.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Metallica has announced the release of seven concert films on the Coda Collection, a music-themed channel on Amazon Prime Video.

The series kicks off today with the premiere of 1998’s Cunning Stunts, which was filmed during a 1997 show in Fort Worth, Texas, and 2009’s Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México, which captures three concerts in Mexico City.

The next two weeks will see the debut of newly edited and remixed broadcasts of Metallica’s two 40th anniversary concerts, which took place last December in San Francisco. Night one will air March 31, followed by night two on April 7.

Those will be followed by the 1992 doc A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica premiering April 21, and then 2009 concert films Quebec Magnetic and Français Pour Une Nuit on May 19 and June 9, respectively.

Metallica announced a partnership with the Coda Collection last year, which is set to include a “full slate of concert films, documentaries, and additional content.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.