Music

After taking a break from touring amid the global pandemic, The Weeknd will return will a vengeance with his first-ever worldwide stadium tour.  He also unveiled his opener: his “You Right” collaborator, Doja Cat.

The After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour begins this summer, with the first pit stop set in The Weeknd’s hometown of Toronto, Canada, on July 8.  The tour, which wraps September 2 in Los Angeles, combines the two albums he issued during the pandemic, marking the first time he gets to perform After Hours and DAWN FM live before fans.

Tickets for the North American trek go on sale next Thursday, March 10 and 10 a.m. ET on TheWeeknd.com/tour.  However, those lucky fans who scored tickets to The Weeknd’s After Hours arena tour will be able to cut the line and access a special pre-sale starting Friday, March 4 via a web link that’ll be emailed directly to them.

In addition, Verizon subscribers will also be able to access a pre-sale of their own for select shows starting Monday, March 7, at 10 a.m. local time through the customer loyalty program Verizon Up.  That pre-sale expires on Wednesday, March 9 at 10 p.m. local time.

The Weeknd will also offer a pre-sale opportunity for the Spotify users who stream his music the most via Spotify Fans First; that’ll begin Tuesday, March 8.

One dollar from each ticket sold will benefit The Weeknd’s newly launched XO HUMANITARIAN FUND, which is part of the United Nations World Food Programme to fight world hunger, for which he serves as goodwill ambassador.  

The Weeknd plans to launch additional tour legs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America.  Those dates are forthcoming.

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Slipknot and Iron Maiden have joined the growing list of rock artists canceling shows in Russia due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The affected Knot dates include their headlining set at Moscow’s Park Live festival this summer, which has already seen a number of acts drop off the lineup, as well as shows in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Minsk, Belarus.

“We had looked forward to reuniting with our fans in these incredible cites, coming back together after global lockdown,” Slipknot writes in a statement. “But we take this step in support of our community and in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, for whom the struggle continues, in a new and more terrible form.”

The masked metallers add, “We also acknowledge that our Russian and Belarusian fans are overwhelmingly united with the Ukrainians in their fight for peace.”

Maiden, meanwhile, has scrapped shows in Kyiv and Moscow scheduled for May 29 and June 1, respectively. In their statement, the metal legends write, “Our priority is, and will always be, the safety of our fans.”

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson — rapper, actor, and executive producer of Starz’ hit Power franchise — is not happy with the cable network, again.

In a series of Instagram posts, Fiddy showed himself stuffing clothes into suitcases, noting, with some colorful emoji use, “This is me packing my stuff, STARZ…Sucks, my deal is up over here I’m out.”

At issue was the network’s decision to grant another season to another series, Hightown, while remaining mum about the fate of his so-called Power Universe.

“They Renewed High town [sic] and FORCE is the highest rated show they have it sitting in limbo,” Jackson griped, referring to Power Book IV: Force. “If I told you how much dumb sh** I deal with over here,” he vented, with the facepalm emoji. 

As previously reported, Force launched on February 6 to Starz’ highest ratings ever, and bested high-profile premieres like The White Lotus on HBO and Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood.

Force wraps up on March 27, but with Fiddy’s G Unit production deal set to expire, as he alluded to, it looks like the rapper’s already calling it a wrap with Starz. The fate of Book V: Influence remains unclear.

When ABC Audio recently spoke with Fiddy for Force, he didn’t hold back as to how the network treated him, initially passing on Power and then allegedly underpaying him before the original show launched a successful franchise. 

“I was getting paid seventeen thousand dollars per episode to be a producer, act on the show, and to be the marketing…” he admitted. “[I]n the beginning, I’m looking at it like, ‘Bro, I coulda went to the nightclub and waved.’ I would have got paid more to go to a nightclub and waved. Like, you know what I’m saying?”

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2022 marks Madonna‘s 40th year as a recording artist, and she’s kicking off the celebration with a new take on one of her classic hits.

Madonna’s dropped a new remix of her 1998 song “Frozen,” based on the viral version by producer Sickick that took over TikTok last year, soundtracking more than 100,000 videos. It’s called “Frozen (Fireboy DML Remix),” and is credited to Madonna, Sickick and Fireboy DML, a Nigerian singer who’s currently on the charts with an Ed Sheeran collaboration called “Peru.”  A video for the remix is coming “soon,” according to Madonna.

In other Madonna news, The Hollywood Reporter has more information on the casting process for the Queen of Pop’s upcoming biopic, which she co-wrote and is directing.  The publication says Ozark‘s Julia Garner, Black Widow‘s Florence Pugh, Euphoria star Alexa Demie, indie-film star Odessa Young and Mayor of Kingstown actress Emma Laird are in the running to play Madonna, and even pop star Bebe Rexha has been part of the search.

The audition process is described as “grueling,” involving 11-hour-a-day choreography sessions with Madonna’s choreographer and then with Madonna herself.  The callbacks consist of readings and singing auditions, again with Madonna — so, no pressure, right?  One insider tells The Hollywood Reporter, “You have to be able to do everything.”  Just like Madonna.

In October, Madonna told Jimmy Fallon that she’s so involved in the project because “A bunch of people have tried to write movies about me, but they’re always men.”

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Jennifer Hudson, will make her daytime TV debut this fall with the launch of The Jennifer Hudson Show on Fox Television stations.

“I have experienced so much in my life; I’ve seen the highest of the highs, the lowest of the lows, and just about everything in between, but as my mother always told me, ‘Once you think you’ve seen it all, just keep on living,’” Hudson said in a statement obtained by Variety on Wednesday.

“People from around the world have been a part of my journey from the beginning — twenty years ago — and I’m so ready to join their journey as we sit down and talk about the things that inspire and move us all,” the statement continued. “I have always loved people, and I cannot wait to connect on a deeper level and let audiences see the different sides of who I am, the human being, in return. And I couldn’t be more thrilled to do it alongside this incredible team. We’re about to have a lot of fun and shake things up a little bit!”

Hudson first rose to fame as a contestant on American Idol in 2004. In addition to releasing several albums, she went on to star as Effie White in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she won an Oscar, appeared in dozens of TV and film projects and starred on Broadway in The Color Purple.

Most recently, Hudson portrayed Aretha Franklin in the biopic, Respect, which earned her another Oscar nomination and the award for outstanding actress in a motion picture at the Sunday’s NAACP Image Awards, along with the entertainer of the year award.

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LOCASH admit that during the touring shutdowns that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo worried that their country music careers might be starting to fade.

“We thought they forgot us for a while,” band mates Preston Brust and Chris Lucas admit. But that all changed with their 2020 return to the top spot on country radio with “One Big Country Song,” after a four-year gap since their last number-one hit. Then, the 2022 ACM Awards nominations came out, and they learned they were up for Duo of the Year.

“It feels incredible. It’s great to be back, man,” they continue, adding that they’ve already got big plans to blow off a little steam while they’re in Vegas for the show.

“Gamble, eat sushi at KUMI…Chris has got to go to Sinatra, it’s his favorite restaurant,” Preston says, when asked what they’re most looking forward to doing in their down time. “Just kind of hang loose and drink a little bit, kind of lighten up, because we got kids at home.”

He jokes, “We got the IVs lined up for after the party!”

But when it comes to the awards show itself, LOCASH is all business — at least, sort of. The band mates joke that they’re working on rigging the Duo of the Year category in their favor with help from their buddy and one-time duet partner Jimmie Allen, who’s co-hosting.

“I texted Jimmie the other day,” Chris adds. “I was like, ‘I don’t care what name is in that envelope. If you’re announcing, you better say LOCASH.’”

The ACM Awards will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on March 7. The event will livestream on Amazon Prime Video.

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Everyone talks about “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” but the Encanto song that snagged an Oscar nomination is the touching ballad “Dos Oruguitas (Two Caterpillars),” which appears on the soundtrack in both English and Spanish. Colombian star Sebastián Yatra, who sings both versions of the song, has a simple explanation for why Encanto‘s music is a massive hit.

“Y’know, there’s some people that just really know what they’re doing…One of those people is Lin-Manuel Miranda,” Yatra tells ABC Audio. “And he understands emotions and people, and he really understands kids and what can trigger all these emotions in the whole family, and take them somewhere special.”

Sebastián adds with a laugh, “I mean, it’s not a coincidence that he’s done what he’s done. So we’re following the leader on this one, and he did it right!”

As for why “Dos Oruguitas” was submitted for the Oscars and not “Bruno,” Sebastián describes it as the “heart and soul” of the movie, comparing it to an obscure album track that “not as many people have heard of,” but that has “a huge impact on their lives.” 

“I’m just happy about the whole soundtrack and the movie and Colombia being [in] the spotlight in such a positive way,” he adds.  He’s also happy that he’ll be attending the Oscars to see if the track wins. Meanwhile, he’s performing it on his just-launched tour, which hits the U.S. in August.

“It was amazing to sing…the whole crowd just sings [along]…and the kids go berserk!” he says.

And if “Dos Oruguitas” is the first song you’ve ever heard by Sebastián and you’d like to hear more, he advises, “Listen to my new album Dharma from start to finish and go to the tour…I feel like you guys are going to get something really special out of it.”

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We haven’t heard from Taylor Swift in a minute, but at least Avril Lavigne has. On Instagram, the singer showed off a thoughtful gift she received from Taylor to congratulate her on the release of her new album Love Sux.

Taylor sent Avril a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, along with a note that reads, “Been dancing around my kitchen to your fabulous new album!! It’s AMAZING, like you.”  She signed it, “Your forever fan, Taylor.”  Avril posted a video of the flowers and the note, soundtracked to Taylor’s hit “Style.”

When Taylor was on her 1989 World Tour in 2015, she invited Avril to join her onstage in San Diego; the two performed Avril’s debut hit “Complicated.”

Love Sux features guest appearances and production from Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, blackbear, Machine Gun Kelly and Avril’s boyfriend Mod Sun.

Avril will appear on The Kelly Clarkson Show today.  Coincidentally, both singers became household names in 2002, but Avril had a bit of a head start: She released “Complicated” 20 years ago this week, while Kelly won American Idol in September of 2002.

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On March 8, Dolly Parton will celebrate her just-released novel, Run Rose Run, and its companion album of the same name.

But that’s not all. March 8 is International Women’s Day, and the country legend plans to celebrate the best way she knows how: With flowers. Dolly has curated three special floral arrangements for 1800Flowers.com.

Of course, roses are at the center of all three bouquets. Fans hoping to pick up some Dolly-themed items for the special woman in their life can choose between a simple bouquet of yellow roses — the singer’s favorite flower — a mix of yellow roses and lilies, or Dolly’s Roses of Many Colors bouquet, featuring flowers in pink, white, red and yellow.

“I remember as a little girl, running into the meadows behind our house so I could pick fresh flowers for my mama,” Dolly says. “I loved the smell and that they felt like a little ray of sunshine that I could share. To this day, I feel the same way. I’m partial to yellow roses, but I love all different kinds of flowers.”

Fans can place their orders through March 11. For the complete Dolly-style celebration of International Women’s Day, add her album and novel to your cart at checkout.

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Mary J. Blige, the nine-time Grammy Award winning R&B singer/songwriter who rose to fame in the early ‘90s, is showing no sign of slowing down.

On Wednesday, the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul” announced she’s teaming up with Lifetime to executive produce Real Love, a film inspired by her 1992 hit of the same name.

“I wrote ‘Real Love’ based on my real-life experiences and my fans connected to it in a deeply personal way,” Blige said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “It’s exciting to now use this song and my music to create a new story by way of film, continuing to build on a pillar of the foundation of my production company, Blue Butterfly. My passions for acting and music now include developing diverse stories with music as the backdrop.”

The Lifetime coming-of-age drama will follow a “determined” Kendra who goes off to college in upstate New York. Kendra tries hard to keep a professional relationship between her and film class partner Ben, but things don’t go as planned. “Despite disapproving parents, financial hardship, and competition for the top spot in class, Kendra and Ben find themselves falling hard for each other and ultimately learn the meaning of real love,” the press release detailed, according to EW.

Though widely recognized for her musical talents, Blige is no stranger to television. In addition to her popular role as Monet Tejada in Power, Blige produced the 2020 movie The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel for Lifetime.

“We are so thrilled to be able to partner with her again on this new opportunity to bring her music to life in the form of a movie that we know audiences will love,” Tanya Lopez, EVP of scripted content at Lifetime, said.

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