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Astroworld Festival promoter Live Nation to be subject of Congressional investigation

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The Astroworld Festival investigation is intensifying: Congress announced Wednesday it is studying the role of the event’s promoter, Live Nation, in the disaster.

ABC Houston affiliate KTRK reports that the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino requesting information about the deadly November event, during which ten people died of “compression asphyxia.”

“Live Nation Entertainment was the concert promoter reportedly responsible for ‘planning, staffing, putting up money, securing permits, finding vendors, communicating with local agencies,’ for Astroworld Festival,” said the letter, signed by Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney, James Comer, Al Green, Bill Pascrell Jr.and Kevin Brady.

“This a horrifying way to die, and absolutely preventable. Their families and our community deserve answers to make sure this never happens again,” wrote Brady. “I pushed for this Congressional investigation to hold the concert promoters and organizers accountable, identify the causes, and make sure families no longer have to wonder if their child, friend or loved one will come back from a concert alive.”

In the document, the representatives questioned whether Live Nation “took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival,” adding that reports indicate that ” security and medical staff were inexperienced or ill-equipped to deal with mass injuries.”

“Some attendees stated that the placement of barricades made it difficult to escape,” the letter continued. “Experts have stated that Astroworld Festival organizers failed to heed warning signs.”

In response, Live Nation issued a statement saying it would “will of course share information with the Committee,” adding, “Safety is core to live events and Live Nation engages in detailed security planning in coordination with local stakeholders including law enforcement, fire and EMT professionals.”

The company reiterated that it is “heartbroken by the events at Astroworld.”

Report: Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid are “taking a break” from their relationship

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dua Lipa is reportedly stepping into the new year as a single woman. According to a report from People, the “Levitating” singer and her boyfriend Anwar Hadid have gone their separate ways — at least for the time being

“Dua and Anwar are currently taking a break from their relationship and are spending time apart,” a source told the outlet on Thursday. “They’re figuring things out right now.”

No other information was available regarding the breakup or why the two decided to part ways.

Dua and Anwar, who’s the brother of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, began dating around June 2019. Speculation that the two had split began in early November when they stopped being seen in public together, and disappeared from each other’s social media posts.

Overall, the duo’s relationship took place out of the spotlight: Dua told British Vogue earlier this year that they liked to keep their personal lives “quite private” from the rest of the world.

“We’ll only show you as much as we want you to see,” she added. “We have all these incredible memories and experiences, and if there’s something that we want to share together, then O.K., that’s fun.”

Watch animated video for Joni Mitchell’s classic Christmastime ballad, “River”

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

It’s coming on Christmas, so what better time for the first official music video for Joni Mitchell‘s classic 1971 piano ballad, “River,” to make its debut?

The animated clip, which you can watch now at the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter’s YouTube channel, is basically a black-and-white watercolor painting come to life depicting a melancholy Joni as she looked in the early 1970s, alone in her home and then skating on a frozen river.

As the video nears its conclusion, the animated black-and-white icy river and snowy landscape floods with springtime colors.

At the end of the clip, a quote from Joni appears that reads, “‘River’ expresses regret at the end of a relationship…but it’s also about being lonely at Christmas time…A Christmas song for people who are lonely at Christmas! We need a song like that.”

The video was directed by Russian animator and painter Matvey Rezanov, and pays tribute to Mitchell’s own painting style.

“River” appeared on Mitchell’s acclaimed fourth studio album, Blue, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The song is believed to have been written about her breakup with Graham Nash.

Earlier this month, Joni, who turned 78 last month, was saluted for her lifetime achievements and artistic contributions at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., and she will be similarly feted at the star-studded 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year gala taking place in Los Angeles on January 29.

In November, the Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) box set was released, containing hours of unreleased home, studio and live recordings Joni made during and around the sessions for first four studio albums, including Blue.

Mariah Carey spontaneously pays McDonald’s employees a surprise visit

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Mariah Carey is currently enjoying the holidays in Aspen, Colorado, but she continues to spread that Christmas cheer to those who could use a little extra.

The Grammy winner shared in a video to Instagram that shows she and her 10-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan, “took an unexpected jaunt to” a local McDonald’s to get their hands on some tasty treats off her recently launched Mariah Menu.

The video starts with Monroe disguising her voice to sound like an angry old man when shout-ordering at the drive thru. Unfortunately, the drive thru-teller wasn’t in the mood for pranks and snipped, “Ma’am, can you please just leave the store and never come back?”

As it turns out, it was a ruse to distract the employees so Mariah could sneak in through the front and surprise them. She also deployed two of her assistants to keep the cashier busy as she crept inside.

Mariah was recognized immediately — probably because she was wearing a floor-length glittering ruby dress with matching pumps and a black face mask bedazzled in rhinestones. Mariah chatted with the delighted staff and shook their hands while posing for photos.

The most adorable reaction came from the store manager, who came out to the front to see what the commotion was about and placed a hand over her chest when she realized who was standing inside her restaurant.

This “spontaneous” surprise came off the heels of Mariah celebrating her latest honor — being inducted in to Spotify’s Billions Club because her 1994 holiday smash, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” has been streamed a jaw-dropping one billion times.

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Drake remembers the late Virgil Abloh with special tattoo

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

One month following the passing of Virgil Abloh, Drake is remembering his friend with a tattoo of the late Louis Vuitton artistic director.

Tattoo artist Ganga posted a photo on Wednesday displaying his design on Certified Lover Boy rapper’s arm. The photo-realistic creation shows Virgil from behind, throwing a paper airplane. “A remembrance of the great Virgil Abloh done on Drake,” the caption reads.

On November 28, the day Abloh died, Drake also paid tribute with a photo of the two of them, writing, “My plan is to touch the sky 1000 more times for you…love you eternally brother thank you for everything.”

The four-time Grammy winner attended the memorial service for Abloh on December 6 in Chicago with several other celebrities, including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Lauryn Hill, and Frank Ocean.

Abloh passed away after a private two-year battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare, aggressive form of cancer. He was 41. Virgil was the founder of fashion brand Off-White and the first African American to serve as artistic director for Louis Vuitton.

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Ed Sheeran teases upcoming collab with Camila Cabello

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Ed Sheeran is heading into 2022 with big plans, which include a major collaboration with Camila Cabello.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1, the singer revealed that he’s teaming up again with his “South of the Border” collaborator for an upcoming new single that is due out next year. According to Yahoo!Life, the exchange happened when the radio hosts prodded Ed about his upcoming single, “The Joker and the Queen.”

When asked if he’ll be featuring Camila on the forthcoming song, the Grammy winner let slip, “No. But, actually, we have done a song together that is going to come out next year.” He declined to reveal what the song’s title is and when we can expect to hear it.

The news comes shortly after Camila gave Ed a sweet shout-out, saying he and Taylor Swift showed her “kindness” when she was just starting out in the music industry.

“I remember approaching Taylor Swift and being like, ‘Hey, what do you do when you’re in a writing slump?’ or whatever, asking her for advice, and she showed me a lot of kindness. Ed Sheeran too,” Camila revealed. “These were my songwriting heroes, so I was stoked that they were even talking to me.”

Ed, Camila and Cardi B collaborated on the 2019 track “South of the Border” for Ed’s No.6 Collaborations Project album.

Nirvana files to dismiss ’Nevermind’ cover lawsuit

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Nirvana has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit that asserts the cover of the band’s 1991 album, Nevermind, which shows a naked baby swimming for a dollar bill, constitutes child pornography.

As previously reported, 30-year-old Spencer Elden, who was photographed at four months old for the Nevermind cover, sued Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and the late Kurt Cobain, represented by his widow and executor of his estate, Courtney Love, this past August, alleging that the grunge group committed “commercial child sexual exploitation of [Elden] from while he was a minor to the present day.”

In Nirvana’s dismissal request, obtained by Billboard, the band’s lawyers argue that Elden’s claims are “not serious” and “absurd.” Moreover, the motion maintains that the statute of limitations on Elden’s allegations have expired.

For Elden’s claims to fall within the statute of limitations, he would’ve had to filed his lawsuit within 10 years of “reasonably discovering” the “violation” or “injury.” Since he filed in August 2021, that means he must have learned of the “violation” no earlier than August 2011, which Nirvana’s lawyers argue is not true.

“Long before 2011, as Elden has pled, Elden knew about the photograph, and knew that he (and not someone else) was the baby in the photograph,” the motion reads. “He has been fully aware of the facts of both the supposed ‘violation’ and ‘injury’ for decades.”

The motion also brings up Elden’s own recreations of the Nevermind cover as an adult, as well as the Nevermind tattoo on his chest, and the claim that he used his fame as the Nevermind baby to “pick up women.”

“Elden has spent three decades profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed ‘Nirvana Baby,'” the motion reads.

Dan + Shay go Christmas caroling on Twitter, complete with epic holiday sweaters

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Merry Christmas from Dan + Shay!

The duo got merry and bright on their social media feed this week, getting all dressed up in Christmas sweaters and posing with their similarly festive friends in front of a decked-out Christmas tree.

With twinkling lights in the background and stockings hanging on the mantle, the pair start singing their new holiday song, “Pick Out a Christmas Tree,” with their friends — and apparently, they’re taking requests for what to sing next.

“Going Christmas caroling with the boys tonight. If we show up at your door, what is the first song you want us to sing?” they wrote in the caption.

Dan + Shay have plenty of holiday material to choose from, as they’ve shared several original Christmas tunes over the past couple years. Among those are this year’s “Officially Christmas” and the 2020 release, “Take Me Home for Christmas.”

“Pick Out a Christmas Tree” became the most-streamed holiday song across all genres in the U.S. after it came out this holiday season.

going christmas caroling with the boys tonight. if we show up at your door, what is the first song you want us to sing? 🎅🏽 pic.twitter.com/IgsdxgXi2l

— Dan + Shay (@DanAndShay) December 23, 2021

Michael Bublé admits he can’t listen to Christmas music after December 25

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Every year around Christmastime, you can expect to hear jokes about Michael Bublé coming out of hibernation. While his music does enjoy a second wind on the radio and the Billboard music charts during the holiday season, the singer admits there is only so much Christmas music he can personally stand to hear.

The Irish Daily Star quoted Michael as saying, “Christmas music reminds me of rich food: When you haven’t had it in a while, you are so excited for it and you eat as much as you can. By the 26th of December, you don’t ever want to hear it again.”

Still, Michael admits, “there are worse things than a season where people are kind.”

The 46-year-old Canadian singer adds that, just because he shuts off the holiday tunes the second Christmas is over, that doesn’t mean he feels Grinch-like about the festive season.

“I love Christmas so much and my parents made it so great for us that I still have that sense of wonderment. It’s not that I see it through the eyes of kids, I genuinely have that wonderment. Like, my tree was up November 1st,” he marveled.

Michael released his standout holiday album, Christmas, in October 2011 and it has gone on to sell over 14 million copies worldwide. With a decade now separating him from his best-selling album, he’s dealing with a new issue — feeling old.

“People come up to me that I think are regular middle-aged people and say, ‘Hi I’ve been listening to you since I was a little kid,’ and I go, ‘God I’m old,'” Michael quipped.

Jay-Z ignites Twitter fiery debate after he compares Beyoncé to Michael Jackson

December 23, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Jay-Z set Twitter on fire this week when he compared his wife, Beyoncé, to Michael Jackson.

During a Twitter Spaces chat with Alicia Keys and host Rob Markman, The Harder They Fall executive producer said, “Bey’s gonna be mad at this for saying this, but Michael Jackson never had a Coachella,” referring to Beyoncé’s epic performance at the 2018 Coachella Festival.

“She’s an evolution of him because she watched him at 9. And the kids are the same,” the rapper added. “Find me a concert that’s as culturally relevant and thrilling as Coachella. …Beyoncé is gonna be one of the best singers we ever heard because she is such a student.”

Reactions were fast and furious, predictably divided between fans of The King of Pop, and the Beyhive.

“I Love Beyoncé but don’t take it too far saying she’s better than Michael Jackson,” one MJ fan wrote.

Another tweeted, “Respectfully Michael Jackson never needed anything like Coachella throughout his lifetime. Michael Jackson has had double the audience of anything Beyoncé ever had. mj had people literally fainting and being transported on stretchers…no offense but MJ is unmatched,”

Queen Bey’s followers struck back.

“Beyoncé was pregnant & singing upside down at FWT [Formation World Tour], pregnant & throwing up when she did Glastonbury, sick when she sang her face off at Oprah’s show. Michael Jackson sprained his ankle & did an entire performance sitting down & lip-syncing for his life. the bar is SO low for men. TUH,” wrote a member of the Beyhive.

“Beyoncé is more talented than Michael Jackson. y’all just love to demote her talent because she is a woman. If Beyoncé was a man y’all wouldn’t be saying this,” added another Beyoncé fan.

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