Music

Michael Bublé is many things, but above all else, he admits he’s a bit of a “dramatic b****.”

Speaking to iNews, the “I’ll Never Not Love You” singer revealed he and wife Luisana Lopilato are polar opposites.  While she’s the calm, cool and collected one — he’s not.

“My wife would tell you that my life is high drama. I would tell you that I’m easy-going, but actually I’m a dramatic b****,” he confessed. “I love the drama. I think you’ve gotta love it to perform. It’s part of what makes me creative.” 

Michael said his drama fed into him being a workaholic. “I sometimes feel like a little gerbil going round and round who doesn’t know where it’s going,” he admitted, but says he has a much healthier work/life balance. After his eight-year-old son, Noah, was diagnosed with liver cancer and is now in remission, Michael said he’ll “work hard, but I will never allow it to take over my life again.”

“I’ll never shirk my responsibilities of being a dad. I just know it’ll end in tears,” said Michael. “I would rather look back and think, ‘If I had worked harder, I could have sold more records and had bigger grosses on the tour.’ I can accept that — but I can’t accept thinking, ‘If only I had been with my kids more.'”

Michael also says his kids inherited his flair for the dramatic, acting like they “were being dragged off to a camp of death and would never be seen again” after their maternal grandparents left to go back to Argentina after waiting out the pandemic at their house.

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Sheryl, a new documentary about Sheryl Crow, gets its world premiere tonight at the South by Southewest festival in Austin, Texas, and now comes word that a companion soundtrack album will be released on May 6, coinciding with the date that the movie will debut on Showtime.

Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary is a 35-track compilation that features the Grammy winner’s biggest hits, including “If It Makes You Happy,” “Soak Up the Sun,” “All I Wanna Do,” “Strong Enough,” “Everyday Is a Winding Road” and many others.

The album also is packed with deep tracks and three newly recorded songs, as well as collaborations with such famous artists as Stevie Nicks, Eric Clapton, Sting, Keith Richards and the late Johnny Cash.

Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary, which can be pre-ordered now, will be available digitally and as a two-CD set.

The Sheryl documentary premieres tonight at SXSW starting at 8 p.m. CT. According to a press release, the doc “[n]avigates Crow’s seminal yet hard-fought musical career battling sexism, depression, perfectionism, cancer, and the price of fame — before harnessing the power of her gift.”

Here’s the full list of songs on the soundtrack:

“If It Makes You Happy”
“Leaving Las Vegas”
“All I Wanna Do”
“What Can I Do for You”
“Run, Baby, Run”
“Hard to Make a Stand”
“Sweet Rosalyn”
“A Change Would Do You Good”
“Home”
“Love Is a Good Thing”
“Strong Enough”
“Can’t Cry Anymore”
“Everyday Is a Winding Road”
“Redemption Day”
“The Difficult Kind” (Live with Sarah McLachlan)
“I Shall Believe”
“Real Gone” (Live)
“My Favorite Mistake”
“Riverwide”
“Crash and Burn”
“Steve McQueen”
“Soak Up the Sun”
“Out of Our Heads”
“Detours”
“Be Myself”
“Prove You Wrong” (featuring Stevie Nicks & Maren Morris)
“Tell Me When It’s Over” (featuring Chris Stapleton)
“Beware of Darkness” (featuring Brandi Carlile, Eric Clapton, and Sting)
“The Worst” (featuring Keith Richards)
“Story of Everything” (featuring Gary Clark Jr., Chuck D, Andra Day)
“Everything Is Broken” (Live with Jason Isbell at The Ryman)
“Redemption Day” (with Johnny Cash)
“Forever”
“Still the Same”
“Live with Me”

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Not 24 hours after a Chicago judge sentenced Jussie Smollett to five months behind bars for staging a racially motivated attack on himself, attorneys for the disgraced former Empire star have filed an appeal. 

According to ABC affiliate WLS-TV, Smollett is now in protective custody at Cook County Jail, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office noted in a statement, clarifying that the actor is not being held in solitary confinement, contrary to some reports.

A statement from the Sherriff’s Office explains that confinement like Jussie’s is “routinely used for individuals ordered into protective custody who may potentially be at risk of harm due to the nature of their charges, their profession, or their noteworthy status.”

The message also notes, “Mr. Smollett is being housed in his own cell, which is monitored by security cameras in the cell and by an officer wearing a body worn camera who is stationed at the entrance of the cell to ensure that Mr. Smollett is under direct observation at all times.”

The statement adds regarding Smollett’s confinement, “During such times out of cell, other detainees will not be present in the common areas…The safety and security of all detained individuals, including Mr. Smollett, is the Sheriff’s Office’s highest priority.”

Before sentencing Thursday, Cook County Judge James Linn excoriated Smollett, calling him a “charlatan” who “denigrated” actual hate crime victims.

“You got on the witness stand. You didn’t have to…But you committed hour upon hour upon hour of pure perjury,” Linn said.

Smollett was led off in handcuffs, screaming, “I am not suicidal! I am innocent!”

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A third batch of stars has been announced to present at the upcoming 94th Academy Awards: Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, and Oscar nominees Daniel Kaluuya and John Travolta, will join Mila Kunis, Wesley Snipes and Naomi Scott on podium duty this year. 

Previously announced presenters include Academy Award winners Kevin Costner, Anthony Hopkins, Lady Gaga and Rami Malek, as well as former Oscars host Chris Rock, and nominees including Uma Thurman and Rosie Perez. 

Will John Travolta have another “Adele Dazeem” moment on stage? Find out on March 27 when the Oscars are broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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Sheryl Crow isn’t just getting ready for her closeup for the upcoming SHERYL documentary from Showtime, she’s also readying an all-new album.

She announced Friday that, in tandem with her upcoming documentary, she’s releasing Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary.  The project drops May 6 and will compile the Grammy-winner’s biggest hits, including “If It Makes You Happy,” “Soak Up the Sun, “All I Wanna Do, “Redemption Day” and many others.  It’ll be released digitally and on a two-CD format.

In addition to her recognizable tracks, Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary comes packed with additional goodies such as deep tracks and three newly recorded songs.  The album is now available for pre-order from the usual outlets. 

SHERYL, the documentary, premieres tonight at SXSW starting at 6 p.m. ET.   According to the press release, the doc “Navigates Crow’s seminal yet hard-fought musical career battling sexism, depression, perfectionism, cancer, and the price of fame – before harnessing the power of her gift.”

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After years of making theater-inspired albums, AJR‘s Broadway dreams are finally coming true.

The “Bang!” band’s Jack and Ryan Met are writing original songs for an upcoming Broadway musical adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s book Harold and the Purple Crayon.

In this version of the story, Harold is now a young adult who, as a press release puts it, “can no longer rely on his magical purple crayon.”

The project’s stage rights were acquired by TEG+, a new company from Broadway producer Vivek J. Tiwary, whose Tiwary Entertainment Group staged the Green Day and Alanis Morissette musicals American Idiot and Jagged Little Pill, respectively.

“We adored Harold and the Purple Crayon growing up, and we thought: what if we saw Harold as a young adult, realizing that his problems are too profound to simply draw away,” AJR says. “Vivek’s incredible musical work and his passion for this idea made him the perfect partner for the reimagining of the classic story.”

An opening date for the musical has yet to be announced.

AJR, meanwhile, is about to launch a U.S. tour in April in support of the trio’s very theatrical 2021 album, OK ORCHESTRA.

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Cowboy hats, twangy guitar and…sushi? It may seem like an odd addition to a country-themed menu, but Luke Bryan‘s bar and restaurant in downtown Nashville, Luke’s 32 Bridge, has a rooftop sushi bar, and for good reason: It’s one of the country star’s personal favorite cuisines.

Bar hoppers on Nashville’s lower Broadway can take in the Music City skyline while they chow down on California rolls and pork dumplings.

Downstairs, the fare is a little more conventional. 32 Bridge offers burgers, Nashville’s signature hot chicken and, of course, an array of cocktails named after Luke’s hit songs.

Luke’s 32 Bridge is just one of a variety of country star-owned bars on Nashville’s downtown strip; fans can also dine in style at bars and venues owned by Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean and many more.

However, none of them have a sushi bar quite like Luke’s.

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Billie Eilish and FINNEAS have dropped a new single from the just-released Pixar film Turning Red that captures the pining heartbreak anthems of the early aughts. The tune, “1 True Love,” was composed by the siblings for the fictional boy band 4*Town that’s featured in the animated flick.

The song starts out as a ballad with over-the-top dreamy vocals about how the group cannot live without the love of their life by their side. 

“Heavy rain from my cloudy eyes/ Every time you say/ That it isn’t wise to call you babe/ But you’re the light of my life/ I drove by your house 29 times today/ Nobody else could make me feel this way,” the song goes. “‘Cause you have opened my eyes/ And stolen my heart/ You make me believe/ That love can be art/ And I could never survive a minute apart.”

The slow-paced song continues about how the object of their affection is “my one true love,” before ending with a declaration, “Nobody else.”  

Turning Red — which is set in 2002 — is now available to stream on Disney+. Billie and Finneas composed all the songs for 4*Town, which parodies the boy band craze from 20 years ago. The soundtrack is available to purchase now across major retailers.

Pixar is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Rob Zombie‘s The Munsters movie will feature Elvira herself.

Cassandra Peterson, who portrayed the iconic ’80s horror hostess, has joined the cast of the “Dragula” rocker’s upcoming film, based on the ’60s TV show.

According to an Instagram post from Zombie, Peterson will be playing the character Barbara Carr, described as “the #1 real estate agent in all of Mockingbird Heights.”

“Yes, the Mistress of the Dark has joined the cast of The Munsters,” Zombie writes. “Stay tuned for more exciting news to come.”

The Munsters cast also includes Sherri Moon Zombie and Jeff Daniel Phillips as Lily and Herman Munster, respectively, as well as Lost actor Jorge Garcia.

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From intimate love songs to heartfelt rap tracks and bops with catchy beats, check out this week’s New Music Friday for the culture’s latest & greatest in music. 

New Music

– Latto ft. 21 Savage, “Wheelie” — The Atlanta rap duo teamed up yet again for the latest single off Latto’s upcoming 777 album. The two previously collaborated on “Pull Up” from Latto’s 2020 debut album, Queen of Da Souf. 

– NLE Choppa, “The Gender Reveal Song” — The Memphis rapper released the new song as a tribute to his unborn child. He and his girlfriend announced the news that they recently lost the baby after suffering a miscarriage.

– Tory Lanez, “Cap” — In Tory-like fashion, the rapper delivered heavy lyrics over a catchy beat. The song is said to be a diss record about Megan Thee Stallion‘s boyfriend, Pardi Fontaine.

– Mariah the Scientist, Buckles Laboratories Presents: The Intermission — The R&B singer released her 4-track EP which is comprised of never-released music, according The Source. 

– Lucky Daye, Candydrip — The 36-year-old Louisiana singer dropped his second studio album, which features artists like Lil Durk, Chiiild and Smino.

– Shenseea, Alpha — In the midst of constant radio plays for her single “R U That,” the Jamaican-born artist delivered her 14-track debut reggae album.

Hits Heavy in Rotation

– Ella Mai — “DFMU“

– SZA — “I Hate U“

– Jack Harlow — “Nail Tech“

– Shenseea ft. 21 Savage — “R U That“

– Fivio Foreign, Kanye West & Alicia Keys — “City of Gods“

Artist on the Rise

Omeretta The Great is an up-and-coming rapper from Atlanta. Her recent success on the controversial track “Sorry Not Sorry” boosted her to the top of the “who to look out for” lists and landed her a collab with fellow-Atlanta rapper Latto.

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