Music

How can you tell it’s been a while since Kelly Clarkson has done an actual concert?  Perhaps by the fact that she doesn’t recognize the intro to one of her signature hits.

When actress Anne Hathaway visited The Kelly Clarkson Show on Tuesday, she and Kelly faced off in a game of “Sing That Name That Tune,” where the trick is to be the one who starts singing the song first, based on hearing the music.  In a clip posted to YouTube, as soon as Hathaway hears a drumbeat, she immediately launches into a note-perfect rendition Kelly’s 2004 smash “Since U Been Gone.”

Kelly proceeds to fall to her knees, and cries, “How did you know it from just that? She knew it from ‘boom boom boom boom boom!'”

Hathaway then says, “Kelly Clarkson, if you do not understand how much we all love that song…everybody here knew it on the first one. Everybody here knew it!”

“S***!” yells Kelly. “Should I just quit? This is embarrassing!”

The clip ends with Hathaway ahead of Kelly by a score of four-zip, as the host notes, “May I remind you, Kelly Clarkson just missed her own song!”

To which Kelly responds — quoting a song by another American Idol winner — “Jesus take the wheel!”

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Forty years ago today, on March 22, 1982, Iron Maiden released its classic third album, The Number of the Beast.

The Number of the Beast was the first Iron Maiden album to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and the legendary heavy metal band’s first record to reach the top 40 of the Billboard 200, peaking at #33. In the group’s U.K. homeland, the album ascended to #1, and yielded two top-10 hits the title track and “Run to the Hills.”

The Number of the Beast went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of one million in the U.S.

Iron Maiden is acknowledging the album’s 40th anniversary on its social media sites.

“Happy 40th anniversary to The Number of the Beast!” the band tweeted Tuesday. “Did you get the record on the day of release in ’82?!”

In honor of the milestone, Maiden has been sharing various archival photos and videos from the Beast era, as well as retweeting all sorts related posts from fans, such as photos of ticket stubs. Those who any 1982 memories to share can tag their posts with the hashtag #NOTB40.

Here’s the full track list of The Number of the Beast:

“Invaders”
“Children of the Damned”
“The Prisoner”
“22 Acacia Avenue”
“The Number of the Beast”
“Run to the Hills”
“Gangland”
“Hallowed Be Thy Name”

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If a Variety report that Queen Bey is planning an Oscar performance comes to be true, then the 94th Academy Awards will be one you definitely won’t want to miss. 

According to the media outlet, “Beyoncé‘s camp has been in deep talks with producers” to organize an iconic performance of her track “Be Alive,” which is nominated in the Music (Original Song) category and is featured in the Best Picture-nominated film King Richard.

The plan, according to a few people with knowledge of the talks, is to mount a satellite performance of the song — one that would possibly open the show — and broadcast live from tennis courts in Compton, California. The location is where sports legends Venus and Serena Williams practiced drills growing up under the supervision and instruction of their father, Richard Williams. 

There is even discussion to have Will Smith, who plays Richard in the film, appear onsite with Beyoncé and then make his way to Hollywood in time for the announcement of the winner of the Best Actor honor, for which he’s nominated. 

If true, this will be the fourth time Beyoncé performs at the Oscars; if she wins, she will take home her first-ever Academy Award. 

The heartwarming song “Be Alive” was co-written by Beyoncé and Roc Nation producer/writer Dixson.

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Taking Back Sunday has announced a reissue of the band’s 2002 debut album Tell All Your Friends in honor of its 20th anniversary.

The package will include remastered audio of the original album, as well as previously unreleased demos of the songs “Mutual Head Club,” “Bike Scene,” “The Blue Channel” and “Great Romances of the 20th Century.”

The reissue will arrive on multiple formats, including vinyl, CD, and digital, on May 27. You can listen to the “Great Romances” demo now via digital outlets.

Meanwhile, Taking Back Sunday has been working on a new album to follow 2016’s Tidal Wave. They’re also hitting the road this summer on a tour with Third Eye Blind, and will play the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas in October.

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After suing her own Houston-based record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, in 2020 over contractual issues, Megan Thee Stallion is now being countersued, according to Rolling Stone. 

The countersuit claims the “Savage” rapper, born Megan Pete, did not adhere to contract terms when she dropped her Something for Thee Hotties album last October, because the project only amounts to 29 minutes of new recordings featuring Megan and includes “freestyles available on YouTube and archival material from as far back as 2019,” therefore not qualifying as an album.

The label claims Megan’s contract states she “must include at least twelve new master recordings of her studio performances of previously-unreleased musical compositions” to qualify as an album under the terms of her contract.

Megan and 1501 CEO Carl Crawford exchanged words on social media on Monday after Crawford confirmed the countersuit and posted a screenshot of a TMZ headline about the suit.

“Stop playing the victim @theestallion u haven’t paid for 1 show since 2019 hiding behind #Rocnation.. U can keep that bulls**** a** mix tape and send over that straight drop whenever u ready #1501certified #tmz,” the post’s caption reads. 

Megan tweeted in response, “First the man over my label said I don’t make him any money … now he counter suing trying to keep me on his label because he wants to make more money lol if I ain’t making you no money why not just drop me?”

After more back-and-forth, Megan tweeted that she doesn’t want to be signed to Crawford’s “pill popping a**,” which prompted Crawford to respond with, “Defamation claim on the way!!”

Megan was granted a restraining order against her label back in March 2020 and has been signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation since September 2019.

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Taylor Swift is back at it, writing an original song for a high-profile movie.

She’s written and recorded the song “Carolina” for the movie version of the best-selling book Where the Crawdads Sing, which is being produced by Reese Witherspoon.  You can hear bits of the haunting song in the newly released trailer for the film.

On Instagram, Taylor writes, “Where The Crawdads Sing is a book I got absolutely lost in when I read it years ago. As soon as I heard there was a film in the works starring the incredible @daisyedgarjones and produced by the brilliant @reesewitherspoon, I knew I wanted to be a part of it from the musical side.”

Taylor continues, “I wrote the song ‘Carolina’ alone and asked my friend @aarondessner to produce it. I wanted to create something haunting and ethereal to match this mesmerizing story. You’ll hear it fully soon, but for now check out the @crawdadsmovie trailer for a clip!”

The film, in theaters July 15, is about a girl named Kya who grows up alone in the marshes of North Carolina, and then becomes embroiled in a murder mystery.

Other movies Taylor’s written songs for include CATS, The Hunger Games, Fifty Shades Darker and One Chance.  She’s also given previously written songs to the movies Valentine’s Day and Hannah Montana: The Movie.

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If you’re looking for an activity you can enjoy with your grandparents, might we suggest digging through the ditches and burning through the witches?

An older woman showed in a viral TikTok video that rocking out to Rob Zombie‘s “Dragula” is an all-ages activity.

The clip shows the woman absolutely tearing through a rendition of “Dragula” at a North Dakota karaoke bar. In the caption, the user who posted the TikTok wrote, “I’ve never seen anything better than this,” while text on the video reads, “Grandma just killed Rob Zombie.”

Zombie himself hasn’t responded to the TikTok, but perhaps he’ll be inspired to bring out an extra-heavy performance of “Dragula” on his recently announced Freaks on Parade tour. The trek, which also features Mudvayne, Static-X and Powerman 5000 on the bill, launches in July.

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Carrie Underwood is blending drama and fun on her upcoming album. 

The hit singer dropped her new single, “Ghost Story,” last week, a dramatic tale of a woman who promises to haunt the memory of her ex. “It’s enough of hopefully what people like about me. There’s some drama, it’s a cinematic song. It’s a great story song. It’s this little revenge song,” she describes the number to ET Canada.

“Ghost Story” is the first taste of Carrie’s anticipated seventh studio album following 2018’s Cry Pretty, her 2020 holiday album, My Gift, and the companion gospel project, My Savior, released in 2021. While “Ghost Story” offers a moody vibe, the singer hints that the album will also include lighter notes.  

“It’s a very sing into your hairbrush in your house, in your room, kind of album,” she shares. 

Days after its release, “Ghost Story” is climbing through the top 30 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.  

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If you like to spend time on streaming services checking out the music your older brothers and sisters or your parents listened to, we’ve got the perfect tour for you.

The I Love the 90’s Tour, a celebration of all things musical and pre-Millennial, gets underway June 14 in San Diego, CA.  The 20 announced dates run through an October 8 show in Evansville, IN, but more dates are expected to be announced in the near future.  Tickets go on sale to the general public on March 24 at ilovethe90stour.com.

You can also check the tour website to find out who’s playing on each date, because there’s a huge rolling lineup that includes Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, Six Mix-a-Lot, Color Me Badd, Coolio, All-4-One, 2 Live Crew, Sugar Ray‘s Mark McGrath, Treach of Naughty by Nature, C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams, Montell Jordan, Kid ‘n Play and more.

“Ice is back, and so is The I Love the 90’s Tour… FINALLY,” says Vanilla Ice in a statement. “We’ve been waiting what seems like forever for the chance to hit your town LIVE and IN PERSON, and I know you have too — so you better get in where you fit in and get back to the 90’s where the party never stops!”

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