Music

In an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, Britney Spears‘ sister Jamie Lynn Spears insists that contrary to what Britney has implied, she did, in fact, support the superstar singer during her conservatorship, which Britney called “abusive.”

“I’ve always been my sister’s biggest supporter,” Jamie Lynn told ABC News’ Juju Chang in an interview to promote her memoir Things I Should Have Said. “So when she needed help, I set up ways to do so. Went out of my way to make sure that she had the contacts she needed to possibly go ahead and end this conservatorship and just end this all for our family. If it’s going to cause this much discord, why continue it?”

“Everyone has a voice, and it should be heard,” she continued, adding that she even spoke to her sister’s previous legal team and it “did not end well” for her. Jamie Lynn said she took the steps to help, but it was up to Britney to “walk through the door.”

In her book, out January 18, Jamie Lynn describes Britney’s behavior before the conservatorship as “erratic,” “paranoid” and “spiraling.”  And now? Jamie Lynn says “can’t really speak to anyone else’s state of mind.”

Britney’s conservatorship was put in place in 2008 and ended this past November, which Jamie Lynn says she was “happy” about. However, she told Chang, “When it was put into place, I was 17 years old. I was about to have a baby, so I didn’t understand what was happening. Nor was I focused on that. I was focused on the fact that I was a 17-year-old about to have a baby. I understand just as little about it then as I do now.”

And while Britney currently seems to have issues with Jamie Lynn and the rest of her family, Jamie Lynn told Chang, “That love is still there. 100%. I love my sister.”

She added, “I’ve only ever loved and supported her and done what’s right by her, and she knows that, so I don’t know why we’re in this position right now.”

Meanwhile, Britney is hinting she may write a memoir of her own. On Instagram, she posted a photo of an old-fashioned typewriter and captioned it, “Shall I start from THE BEGINNING???”

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Two men have been taken into police custody in connection with the November shooting death of rapper Young Dolph in Memphis, Tennessee.

Justin Johnson, 23, was captured on Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Marshals Service said, nearly a week after law enforcement announced he was wanted by police in connection with a number of alleged charges, including first-degree murder, criminal attempted first-degree murder and property theft.

A second suspect was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of the Memphis rapper, said Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.

Cornelius Smith, 32, was indicted on additional charges of attempted first-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony and property theft. He is being held without bond.

Young Dolph’s brother, who was with the rapper when he was killed, is the victim in the attempted murder count.

Smith was arrested on Dec. 9 in Southaven on an auto-theft warrant involving the white Mercedes Benz vehicle that was used in the killing of Young Dolph, the U.S. Marshals Service said. The vehicle was taken in a carjacking on Nov. 10 at a gas station and was found on Nov. 20 — three days after the murder — behind a home in Orange Mound, where a tipster said it was abandoned.

Young Dolph, whose given name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was shot and killed in Memphis on Nov. 17 while visiting Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, a bakery in South Memphis that the rapper was known to frequent. He was 36.

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Spoon has released a new song called “Wild,” which will appear on the band’s upcoming album, Lucifer of the Sofa.

The track is described as a “full-on rock song just made for walking [with] conviction down highways real or imagined.” You can download “Wild” now via digital outlets, and watch its accompanying Western-styled video streaming now on YouTube.

Along with the new tune, Spoon teases the announcement of “new tour details coming later this week.”

“Wild” is the second track to be released from Lucifer on the Sofa, following lead single “The Hardest Cut.” The whole album arrives February 11.

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Trey Songz is denying allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman by the name of Dylan Gonzalez.

A rep for the R&B crooner tells TMZ, “Trey and his team are confident in the legal process and that there will be an abundance of exonerating information to come over the next few weeks.”

The response comes after Gonzalez, an artist and former University of Nevada Las Vegas basketball player, accused Trey of rape, and follows two separate previous allegations of sexual assault against the “Bottoms Up” singer that emerged in November and December of last year.

Taking to Twitter Tuesday, Gonzalez issued a statement showing support for other victims alongside the hashtag “BeStrongNotSilent.”

“With what seems like endlessly reoccurring news of the alleged sexual assaults committed by Trey Songz, I am forced to repeatedly relive in my mind, and suffer anew, the long-suppressed horror and unbearable PTSD of my rape by his very hands at a well known Las Vegas hotel,” she wrote.

“I want to send my love, strength, and hope to all who are victims of sexual assault and its fatal nature. You are not alone,” the athlete continued. “I stand with you and encourage all those who have suffered abuse to speak out and come forward. Suppression of our voices only emboldens our oppressors, and you cannot heal what you do not reveal.”

Gonzalez then requested “privacy, consideration and compassion while I fully commit to pursue the best course of action and all of my legal options” and directed all further inquiries to her attorney George Vrabeck.

Gonzalez’s statement comes after she sent a New Year’s Eve tweet with the initial accusation, “Trey Songz is a rapist. Lord forgive me I Couldn’t hold that in another year. “See you in 2022.”

Details regarding when the incident occurred were not disclosed.

#BeStrongNotSilent pic.twitter.com/zSY3Vfd3rC

— Dylan Gonzalez (@IIGonZ_) January 11, 2022

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Rob Thomas has said that when he and Matchbox Twenty launch their twice-delayed tour this May, they’ll have some new music to perform.  But now Rob says fans shouldn’t expect anything a new album from the band, which hasn’t released a full-length project since 2012.

“Right before the holidays, the guys were in New York at the studio,” he tells Smashing Interviews magazine. “None of us really had the time or emotional bandwidth to put together an entire album in the way we’d want to put together whole record.”

So instead, Rob says, they’ll just do something on a smaller scale.

“So we’re just going to put out probably just a four-song EP [to have] some new music for fans and stuff to play live,” he explains. “It’s just not about going out to support a whole record right now…like going out and doing all the TV shows and all that stuff. It seems like a lot more fun to have a song out and let the tour be the promotion for it.”

Matchbox Twenty’s North American tour with The Wallflowers gets under way May 17 in Vancouver and is set to wrap up in mid-August.

Meanwhile, Rob says he’s got an entire solo album ready to go — which he’s back-burnered this year in favor of doing Matchbox stuff — while “Move,” his 2021 reunion single with his “Smooth” buddy Carlos Santana, is still on the radio.  Rob reveals that after Carlos unexpectedly had heart surgery in November, he sent the legendary guitarist a special “get-well” present.

“I sent him this box set. It was like the 100 greatest DVDs in Warner Bros. history,” he laughs. “It was all these movies from the 1930s until today…So I sent him that to help him recuperate.”

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Twenty One Pilots would’ve probably liked an extra 21 degrees during their first concert of 2022.

The “Stressed Out” duo took the stage in Indianapolis for the outdoor show this past weekend, where temperatures dropped to below-freezing levels. In a newly released recap video of the show, we see Tyler Joseph prepare for the cold by trying on one of his signature ski masks.

Drummer Josh Dun, however, was undeterred by the cold, and still took off his shirt for the performance.

“The first show of 2022 was outside in the 20 [degree] chill of Indianapolis,” reads the recap video’s caption. “Wasn’t cold enough to keep Josh’s shirt on his back, though.”

Ironically, the Indianapolis show was not part of Twenty One Pilots’ upcoming Icy tour, named after their 2021 album, Scaled and Icy. The Icy tour is set to kick off August 18 in Minneapolis, when it will — hopefully — be much warmer.

the first show of 2022 was outside in the 20° chill of indianapolis. wasn’t cold enough to keep josh’s shirt on his back, though. pic.twitter.com/NajOxol0wG

— twenty one pilots (@twentyonepilots) January 11, 2022

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Judas Priest is preparing to relaunch their 50 Heavy Metal Years tour in March, and the legendary British rockers have now revealed that they’re planning to perform as a quartet rather than a five-piece outfit moving forward.

In a new Facebook message, the band says, “We are chomping at the British Steel bit to return to World touring…celebrating 50 Years of Judas Priest as an even more powerful, relentless four piece Heavy Metal band.”

In 2018, longtime Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton announced that he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and would no longer be able to tour regularly with the group. The band’s recent co-producer Andy Sneap was then tapped to take Tipton’s place on the road, although Glenn has frequently made guest appearances at select concerts.

Now, Sneap is stepping away from the Judas Priest touring lineup, although the band notes that Tipton will be “coming out on stage with us here and there as before.”

In the Facebook post, Priest thanks Sneap “for all you’ve done and continuing to be in the production team for our new album.”

As previously reported, Judas Priest was forced to postpone most of its 2021 North American tour dates after guitarist Richie Faulkner suffered an aortic aneurysm onstage during the band’s set at the Louder than Life festival in Kentucky in September.

Thankfully, Faulkner announced in November that his recovery was going well, and he’s expected to be back out with the band when the tour kicks off March 4 in Peoria, Illinois.

You can check out the band’s full itinerary at JudasPriest.com.

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Ludacris is continuing his quest to become a master chef, as second two of Luda Can’t Cook will debut February 15 on Discovery+.

“I put 100% into everything I do, including learning how to cook, and exploring different cuisines from across the globe with world-renowned chefs has been incredible,” the Fast & Furious star says in a statement. “I’m excited for viewers to experience Haitian, Korean and Cuban food with me — and see how I put my own style into each dish.”

In each of the one-hour episodes, the rapper/actor immerses himself in a specific type of cuisine guided by an expert.

In the first episode, the 44-year-old entertainer visits Little Haiti in Miami to learn the fundamentals of Haitian cuisine from Haitian-born chef Alain Lemaire. Then he throws a block party featuring a three-course tasting menu for guests, including Chef Gregory Gourdet.

In the next episode, Ludacris teams up with Chef Seung Hee Lee in Atlanta to learn about Korean food, and then prepares a three-course meal for Chef Edward Lee and comedian Lil Duval.

Finally, the three-time Grammy winner travels to the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami to master Cuban cuisine with Chef Michael Beltran. Timbaland drops by to taste his food, and best-selling author and restaurateur Chef Lorena Garcia critiques Luda’s three course menu.

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The Topps trading card company has just announced plans for a new collection of cards focusing on the life and career of the “King of Rock and Roll,” the late Elvis Presley.

The first three cards in the collection were released on Tuesday, January 11, and three new cards will be issued every week on Tuesday throughout 2022 until the entire 150-card series is available.

Each card will share details about a historic moment, highlight, or achievement in Presley’s life.

The first three cards will be available for purchase until January 18 — individually for $9.99 or in a three-card bundle priced at $24.99. The cards include a photo of Elvis as a toddler with his parents, a pic of Presley as a child and a school photo taken when he was 13.

Visit Topps.com for more details about the “Elvis Presley: The King of Rock and Roll” card collection.

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Lee Brice‘s latest single “Soul” finds him experimenting with a pop-leaning sound, and he admits he was a bit hesitant to release it.

“It’s funny, I was worried a little bit. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to put it out as a single because I don’t know if my country music listeners are going to dive into it,'” he explains of his mindset about the catchy tune that boasts steamy lyrics like “Your body’s got me weak/You’re Mozart in the sheets/You make a sinner out of me/Imma need a priest.” 

Despite his hesitancy, Lee took the leap of faith and released the single to country radio. It’s clear his instincts were correct, as he got approval from an unlikely source – his Uncle Al, who lives in a small rural town in South Carolina. 

“I get a call from my Uncle Al from New Zion, South Carolina, ‘hey Lee, it’s your Uncle Al.’ I’m like, ‘Well hey Uncle Al,’ [he] never call me for anything ever in his whole life. ‘Man, I heard ‘Soul’…I’m telling you right now…it’s going to be your bad, biggest number one bud,'” the singer recalls of his uncle’s positive reaction. “I’m like, well, if he’s into it, I think I’m OK with the country music listeners.'” 

“Soul” follows Lee’s latest #1 hit, “Memory I Don’t Mess With,” which topped the charts in 2021. 

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