Kelsea Ballerini is appreciating the little joys in life in a new song.
Kelsea treated the audience at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night to a brand new song which she debuted live for the first time. The singer shared she is in the early stages of making her new album, and one of the themes that keeps arising is using the forced downtime of the COVID-19 pandemic to take into account what we’re grateful for.
“It’s made you look at what you have differently. For me, I’ve started to really appreciate the little things a lot more,” she expressed.
Kelsea carries this mentality into the unreleased track wherein the lyrics state that comparison is the thief of joy, while encouraging others to honor where you’re at in life. “I got a roof over my head/I’ve got a warm body in bed/I’m doing alright/Right where I’m at/With what I have,” she relays in the chorus.
“This is a song that I’m really proud of,” Kelsea told the audience. “Maybe if you like it, I’ll put it on the album.”
Kelsea’s current single “Half of My Hometown,” a collaboration with Kenny Chesney, is climbing up the charts, sitting inside the top 10 on country radio.
The Big Game is just weeks away and we are learning more about Megan Thee Stallion‘s hotly anticipated Super Bowl commercial about Frito-Lay’s Flamin’ Hot snacks. It was revealed on Monday that the advertisement will also feature Charlie Puth.
While the full commercial has yet to drop, Frito-Lay has shared several sneak peeks of the upcoming commercial. For Charlie’s teaser, he’s seen scrolling through his phone and beatboxing as he walks over to his trailer. He quickly notices something is amiss when he looks up to see the door open and evidence that someone has been in his space.
The commercial ends with Charlie discovering two open bags of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Doritos on the table, as well as incriminating bright orange animal paw-prints all over the furniture. He also picks up a bright orange feather and begins saying, “What the–” before the screen turns black.
As for Megan’s teaser, the “Body” rapper finds that she is locked out of her respective trailer. After she knocks on the door, a sloth’s arm slowly emerges and knocks her nameplate off the trailer. “Ah,” she cries out as the trailer door locks again, “Excuse me?!”
The full commercial goes live on February 13, which is Super Bowl Sunday.
Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
Kelly Clarkson‘s ex-husband Brandon Blackstock scored a minor legal victory over their hotly contested ranch in Montana. The two have been locked in a months-long battle over the Warren Peak Ranch property.
According to legal documents obtained by People, the “Piece by Piece” singer agreed to give Blackstock 5.12 percent of the $17.7 million property — roughly translating to $908,000. The documents also made it clear that Kelly retains sole ownership of the property adjoining the ranch and that Brandon is not entitled to any property ownership interest.
This comes after Kelly was awarded the spacious ranch in October, but Brandon refused to vacate the property and continued living there under the claim it was “marital property.” A judge rejected his argument that he was entitled to 50 percent of the ranch and referenced the pair’s prenuptial agreement. But, the singer failed to evict her husband in December following another legal battle.
Kelly and Brandon ended their seven-year marriage in June 2020. The former couple share two children, River Rose and Remington Alexander.
The two-part HBO documentary Phoenix Rising — Part One: Don’t Fall premiered virtually at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival over the weekend, and in it, actress Evan Rachel Wood speaks in detail of the abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of her former fiancé Marilyn Manson, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
When she first testified about her abuse to Congress in 2018 to support a bill benefiting sexual assault survivors, Wood didn’t directly name Manson, born Brian Warner, as her abuser. In the film, she explains that was because she was afraid that Warner or one of his fans might harm her, her child or her family if she did so.
She later publicly named Warner in a February 2021 social media post. At the time, he responded with a statement saying “recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality.”
Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, in Phoenix Rising, Wood describes Warner’s physical, sexual and psychological abuse, including how he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her while filming the video for “Heart-Shaped Glasses.”
However, The Hollywood Reporter notes that the movie is less about excoriating Warner and more about “helping others recognize warning signs in their own troubled relationships” and “influencing lawmakers.” Indeed, the movie is named after the Phoenix Act, which increases the time that survivors have to bring charges against their abusers. The law passed in the California State Senate in 2020, following the testimony of Wood and other victims.
Since Wood spoke out, more women have come forward with accusations of sexual, physical and mental abuse against Warner, including actor Esmé Bianco, model Ashley Morgan Smithline, and Warner’s former assistant, Ashley Walters, all of whom filed lawsuits against him. Through lawyers, Warner has denied the allegations.
For anyone affected by abuse and needing support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474.
Hall & Oates singer Daryl Hall will release his first-ever solo best-of compilation, titled BeforeAfter, on April 1, and to promote the album, Daryl will be teaming up with fellow Philadelphia-area native Todd Rundgren for a series of eight joint U.S. concerts that month.
BeforeAfter is a 30-track collection that features selections from all five of Hall’s solo studio albums, as well as eight performances from his acclaimed TV/web series Live from Daryl’s House, six of which are previously unreleased.
Hall’s work outside of Hall & Oates includes his 1980 solo debut, Sacred Songs, produced by King Crimson‘s Robert Fripp, and 1986’s Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, which was co-produced by Eurythmics‘ Dave Stewart and included several tunes co-written by Stewart.
“I picked this collection of songs from my solo albums because I feel they encapsulate certain periods of my career,” says Hall. “It also shows the diversity of working with collaborators like Robert Fripp or Dave Stewart. And, having some tracks from [Live from Daryl’s House] on it…really makes the compilation complete.”
BeforeAfter kicks off with “Dreamtime,” which reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. The Live from Daryl’s House performances include a rendition of Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain Again” with Stewart, a version of Rundgren’s “Can We Still Be Friends” with Todd, and covers of hits by Ruby and the Romantics and Gladys Knight and the Pips.
As for Hall’s tour with Rundgren, it runs from an April 1 concert in Chicago through an April 16 show in National Harbor, Maryland, and includes stops at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and New York City’s Carnegie Hall on April 5 and April 14, respectively.
BeforeAfter can be pre-ordered now. Here’s the full track list:
Disc One:
“Dreamtime”
“Babs and Babs”
“Foolish Pride”
“Can’t Stop Dreaming”
“Here Comes the Rain Again” (Live from Daryl’s House) — with Dave Stewart
“Someone Like You”
“Talking to You (Is Like Talking to Myself)”
“Sacred Songs”
“Right as Rain”
“Survive”
“North Star” (Live from Daryl’s House) — with Monte Montgomery
“In My Own Dream” (Live from Daryl’s House)
“NYCNY”
“What’s Gonna Happen to Us”
Disc Two:
“Love Revelation”
“Fools Rush In”
“I’m in a Philly Mood”
“Send Me”
“Justify”
“Borderline”
“Stop Loving Me, Stop Loving You”
“Eyes for You (Ain’t No Doubt About It)”
“The Farther Away I Am”
“Why Was It So Easy”
“Can We Still Be Friends” (Live from Daryl’s House) — with Todd Rundgren
“Cab Driver”
“Our Day Will Come” (Live from Daryl’s House)
“Laughing Down Crying” (Live from Daryl’s House)
“Problem with You” (Live from Daryl’s House)
“Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First to Say Goodbye)” (Live from Daryl’s House)
And here are Daryl’s tour dates with Todd:
4/1 — Chicago, IL, Auditorium Theatre
4/3 -– Nashville, TN, Ryman Auditorium
4/5 -– Atlanta, GA, Atlanta Symphony Hall
4/7 -– Northfield, OH, MGM Northfield Park
4/9 -– Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia
4/11 -– Boston, MA, Orpheum Theatre
4/14 -– New York, NY, Carnegie Hall
4/16 -– National Harbor, MD, The Theatre at MGM National Harbor
Todd Rundgren will join forces with fellow Philadelphia-area native and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Daryl Hall for a series of eight U.S. concerts in April that will help promote the Hall & Oates singer’s first-ever solo best-of compilation, BeforeAfter, which will be released on April 1.
The eight-date trek runs from an April 1 concert in Chicago through an April 16 show in National Harbor, Maryland, and includes stops at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and New York City’s Carnegie Hall on April 5 and April 14, respectively.
Rundgren will appear on one track on BeforeAfter, a 30-track collection that features selections from all five of Hall’s solo studio albums, as well as eight performances from his acclaimed TV/web series Live from Daryl’s House, six of which are previously unreleased.
Todd is featured on one of the Live from Daryl House performances — a version of his own “Can We Still Be Friends.”
Hall’s studio work outside of Hall & Oates includes his 1980 solo debut, Sacred Songs, produced by King Crimson‘s Robert Fripp, and 1986’s Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, which was co-produced by Eurythmics‘ Dave Stewart and included several tunes co-written by Stewart.
“I picked this collection of songs from my solo albums because I feel they encapsulate certain periods of my career,” says Hall. “It also shows the diversity of working with collaborators like Robert Fripp or Dave Stewart. And, having some tracks from [Live from Daryl’s House] on it…really makes the compilation complete.”
4/1 — Chicago, IL, Auditorium Theatre
4/3 -– Nashville, TN, Ryman Auditorium
4/5 -– Atlanta, GA, Atlanta Symphony Hall
4/7 -– Northfield, OH, MGM Northfield Park
4/9 -– Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia
4/11 -– Boston, MA, Orpheum Theatre
4/14 -– New York, NY, Carnegie Hall
4/16 -– National Harbor, MD, The Theatre at MGM National Harbor
And here’s the full BeforeAfter track list:
Disc One:
“Dreamtime”
“Babs and Babs”
“Foolish Pride”
“Can’t Stop Dreaming”
“Here Comes the Rain Again” (Live from Daryl’s House) — with Dave Stewart
“Someone Like You”
“Talking to You (Is Like Talking to Myself)”
“Sacred Songs”
“Right as Rain”
“Survive”
“North Star” (Live from Daryl’s House) — with Monte Montgomery
“In My Own Dream” (Live from Daryl’s House)
“NYCNY”
“What’s Gonna Happen to Us”
Disc Two:
“Love Revelation”
“Fools Rush In”
“I’m in a Philly Mood”
“Send Me”
“Justify”
“Borderline”
“Stop Loving Me, Stop Loving You”
“Eyes for You (Ain’t No Doubt About It)”
“The Farther Away I Am”
“Why Was It So Easy”
“Can We Still Be Friends” (Live rom Daryl’s House) — with Todd Rundgren
“Cab Driver”
“Our Day Will Come” (Live from Daryl’s House)
“Laughing Down Crying” (Live from Daryl’s House)
“Problem with You” (Live from Daryl’s House)
“Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First to Say Goodbye)” (Live from Daryl’s House)
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for God’s Love we Deliver
Last year, Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson told ABC Audio that both she and her sister and band mate Ann were interested in touring together again, possibly in 2022, but Nancy now says a conflict with her sibling has put those plans on hold.
On Friday, Nancy took part in a livestream chat at the social-networking site TalkShop.Live, during which fans could buy signed copies of her 2021 solo album, You and Me.
During the interview, Nancy revealed that discussions about a new Heart tour between her and Ann’s camp broke down over a disagreement regarding the musicians that would back her and Ann.
“[T]hey were trying to bring their new lineup of players that Ann wanted to put on stage as Heart with me and I wasn’t really willing to do that,” Nancy explained, referring to Ann’s current solo group, which is called The Amazing Dawgs.
“I don’t know those guys, you know, and I didn’t want to feel like a sideman,” Nancy continued. “So, [the tour]…kind of went away. They didn’t really respond to any of our responses in response to…what they [wanted]…They wanted this and I didn’t want that and nobody responded to anything, so…”
She added, “[M]y thing was that everybody that’s played on the last big Heart tour [in 2019] would be back, you know, in the same band,” then noted, “I think Ann might be a little bored with Heart. I don’t know.”
It’s worth pointing out that most of Heart’s backing band for their 2019 tour are part of Nancy’s current solo group.
Also during the interview, Nancy revealed that she also has plans for a solo acoustic album and a Christmas album.
You can buy signed CD and blue-vinyl copies of You and Me at TalkShop.Live.
Adele disappointed thousands of fans when she postponed her Las Vegas residency, Weekends with Adele, the day before it was set to begin at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace due to COVID-related production difficulties. But one extremely unlucky fan who’d tried and failed multiple times to see Adele got a special consolation prize: a FaceTime call from the super singer.
Billboard reports that the fan, Eleni Sabracos, shared her sad story to TikTok, explaining that she was a three time loser when it came to Adele. First, she bought tickets off Craigslist that turned out to be fake. Then, she flew to London, only to have Adele cancel the show. And then she arrived in Las Vegas and got the bad news.
But there’s a happy ending to the story: Some fans who went to the Weekends with Adele merchandise store at Caesars Palace were selected by members of the singer’s team to receive video calls with Adele herself — and Eleni was one of them.
She posted the moment to TikTok with the caption, “Update: I talked to Adele,” and she’s seen chatting with the star. “I love you! I’m sorry,” she says, to which Adele responds, “Why are you sorry?” “Because I feel for you,” Eleni explains. “I know you’re doing everything you can.” Eleni also told Adele she wanted to get drunk with her.
Adele promised that when Eleni finally does make it to the show, she’d pose for a photo with her.
USA Today reports that any fan who showed up at the merch store and showed their ticket was given a free tote bag filled with Adele merch. And on Friday night, fans gathered at the Colosseum and started a singalong of “Rolling in the Deep.”
Oliver Tree’s new album Cowboy Tears drops February 18, and he just released the first single, “Cowboys Don’t Cry.” However, people are still focused on his previous single, “Life Goes On,” which came out in May of 2021. So, while he’s grateful for the song’s success, Oliver admits that, timing-wise, it’s not ideal.
“I think it’s a good problem to have, first and foremost,” he tells ABC Audio. “That anyone cares at all, y’know? I’ve been doing this for 10 years professionally and I’ve been waiting for a moment like that for 10 years. So I have to say I’m thankful anything’s connecting at all.”
“But yeah, in the same breath, it is a little bit annoying,” he adds. “I was hoping to roll out my album around the time that this started taking off.”
As for why “Life Goes On,” from the deluxe version of his album Ugly Is Beautiful, has become his breakthrough hit, Oliver says, “I think it’s probably the simplest chorus by a long shot….I think people that don’t speak English at all can sing along with the chorus, [which] is essentially no words at all.”
He laughs, “A lot of people don’t even know what it says. They think it says ‘onion’ or “nahnee nahnee nah.’ It’s like, is that my greatest lyricism? No. But is it great that finally, there’s something that can be a connection with what’s happening right now? Yes.”
Especially since, as Oliver notes, he wrote the song seven years ago.
“I think a song like that, it was ahead of its time when I made it, and if I had released it then, I don’t think anyone would have cared,” he muses. “So it’s just a timing thing. And luckily, the timing was right with that.”
Regina King is grieving the death of her only child.
The Oscar-winning actress’ son Ian Alexander Jr., who had celebrated his 26th birthday on Wednesday, has died by suicide.
“Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” King said in a statement obtained by ABC News over the weekend. “He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time. Thank you.”
King shared Alexander Jr. with her ex-husband, record producer Ian Alexander.
King’s son frequently attended red carpet events with his mom, telling E! News on the 2019 Golden Globes red carpet, “She’s just a super mom. She doesn’t really let bad workdays or anything come back and ruin the time that we have. It’s really awesome to have a mother who I can enjoy spending time with.”
If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.
