Music

Van Morrison is among the music artists and composers who will discuss their Oscar nominations for this year’s Best Original Song honor during a virtual event hosted by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

You can tune in to watch beginning March 3 at 8 p.m. ET. The event is free to watch, though you do need to register ahead of time.

Morrison is nominated for his song “Down to Joy,” from the film Belfast.

The conversation will also include Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS, Diane Warren, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Dixson, who are nominated for their respective songs for the James Bond film No Time to Die, Four Good Days, Encanto and King Richard. Disco and funk legend Nile Rodgers, who is the current chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, will moderate the discussion alongside Oscar-winning composer Paul Williams.

Incidentally, Morrison is a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, as are Warren, Rodgers and Williams.

For more info, visit SongHall.org.

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You’ll have even more chances to see 311 live this year.

The “Down” rockers have added a second leg to their upcoming spring U.S. headlining tour, running from May 12 in Ventura, California, to June 5 in Grand Junction, Colorado. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. local time.

The tour’s previously announced first leg will wind through the States throughout March and April, and includes the live return of the 311 Day celebration, taking place March 11-12 in Las Vegas.

For all of 311’s upcoming tour dates and ticket info, visit 311.com.

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Ariana Grande and her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo are becoming great friends.  Cynthia, who plays Elphaba in the forthcoming movie version of the Broadway musical, told E! News, “Ariana and I have been meeting and chatting and talking and building our own relationship. Because we know that it’s a sisterhood. We both want to be ready and prepared to be there for one another.”  Cynthia added that she and Ari, who’ll play Glinda, are excited for production to start.

Katy Perry left the taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live in style — dressed as a giant poo.  People reports the “Roar” hitmaker wore a giant poop costume as she exited the late-night show last week.  The interesting attire is similar to a prop from her Play residency in Las Vegas, which appears from a giant toilet as she sings “California Girls.”

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Disney’s Encanto, is still the number-one song in America, now notching a fifth week atop the Billboard Hot 100.  The viral song was streamed 29.9 million times last week and sold an additional 6,600 copies.  Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves” remains in second place, while GAYLE climbs to third with her hit “abcdefu.”  Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Meghan Trainor and her son Riley are in the same mommy-baby music group as fellow new moms Mandy Moore and Ashley Tisdale.  Mandy told The Kelly Clarkson Show the class, which Hilary Duff started during the pandemic, was “essential” because it created a supportive “community” allowing their kids to “grow up together.”

Britney Spears celebrated fiancé Sam Asghari’s birthday by flashing her gigantic engagement ring. The two announced their engagement in September. “My hero … my mentor … my rock … my bliss … my love,” Britney called Sam in a sweet Instagram post.

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Jamie Foxx and Kanye West hit number one with consecutive collabos in 2003 and 2005, and now the Spider-Man: No Way Home star is hinting he and the superstar rapper are ready for round three.

The second episode of Kanye’s Netflix documentary series, Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, which debuted over the weekend, featured footage of the duo recording “Slow Jamz” at Foxx’s home studio in 2003. Following the episode, Ye and Jamie teased that they were working on another song together on XXL Magazine‘s Instagram Live.

“I told you, back at that time, man, that [Kanye] was young and hungry,” the actor/singer/comedian said. “Now look at us. There’s a reason we ran into each other. Can’t wait for y’all to see the next step.”

In the documentary, we see Yeezy playing Foxx a snippet of the then-in-process song that appeared on Twista‘s 2003 Kamikaze album, and Kanye’s 2004 solo debut, The College Dropout.

“Slow Jamz” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2004. Two years later, Kanye and Jamie also reached number one with their follow-up, “Gold Digger,” from Kanye’s second album, Late Registration. The song was certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA and won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.

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On Friday, actor, producer and TV host Nick Cannon cut the ribbon of a new San Diego eatery, Wild’n Out Sports Bar.

The massive-sized sports bar, which is inspired by the long-running MTV/VH1 show Wild’n Out, features an indoor/outdoor experience with food, drinks and an arcade.

Cannon posted an almost two-minute video on his Instagram page that features footage of him cutting the red ribbon outside of the restaurant and giving viewers a glimpse of the inside.

“It’s a beautiful opportunity to be able to open this up and to have people come out from the community and show love and to have the people that I came up with support a brand that I created,” Cannon said in the video.

On grand opening day, visitors were welcome to stop by and “enjoy mouth-watering burgers, tasty cocktails, and good vibes.” There also were opportunities to win a gift card and meet a few of the famous Wild’n Out girls.

“It’s homegrown,” Cannon said. “[It’s great] to be able to be homegrown, to bring that same fun and energy that we bring on television each and every night to a place where they feel they can feel safe and come and have a good time.”

Season 17 of Wild’n Out, hosted by Nick Cannon, kicked off last week on VH1.

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Eddie Vedder had a “serious” case of COVID-19 ahead of his just-wrapped solo tour.

The Pearl Jam frontman discussed his experience with the virus during his show in Los Angeles last Friday, telling the crowd, “I got the COVID right before we were supposed to start practicing [for the tour], probably five, six weeks ago.”

“[I] literally saw my life flash in front of my eyes,” Vedder said.

He added, “To get through that and then be back in a room like this facing this many people facing this way and listening to us play for you…it’s been a gift and an honor.”

You can watch fan-shot footage of Vedder’s comments streaming now on YouTube.

Vedder’s tour, which supported his new solo album, Earthling, concluded Sunday in San Diego. Both the LA and San Diego shows were postponed from earlier in February due to a positive COVID-19 test amid Vedder’s touring party.

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Did you notice that Kane Brown tucked a sneaky shout-out to his four-legged best friend into the music video for his single, “One Mississippi”?

It’s true: In the scenes that were shot at a bar, the whiskey featured on the shelves is a brand called Dough Ball, a cookie dough-flavored whiskey that hails from California.

If you look closely at the label on the bottle, the brand’s mascot is a bulldog that looks just like Kane’s own bulldog, Rambo. The singer often posts photos and videos of Rambo on social media, along with the family’s other pup, Nash, a presa canario breed dog who Kane adopted in 2017.

Kane’s dogs get a mention in his 2019 single “Homesick,” and these days, they share the household with Kane, wife Katelyn, and their two daughters, Kingsley and Kodi.

A new behind-the-scenes video about the making of the “One Mississippi” video points out Kane’s tribute to Rambo, plus several other fun facts about the clip and the experience of filming it.

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The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” was named “Global Digital Single of the Year” for 2020 by the Independent Federation of the Phonographic Industry, or IFPI, which represents the recorded music industry worldwide.  Now, he’s earned that title again for 2021, with his song “Save Your Tears.”

That makes the Canadian superstar the only artist ever to score that title from the IFPI two years running. The Global Digital Single Award is presented to the world’s best-selling single of the year across all digital formats, including downloads and streams.

What’s more, the IFPI’s list of the top 10 Global Digital Singles of 2021 includes The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” at number seven, more than two years after it was released.

The rest of the top 10 best-selling singles in the world for last year include, in descending order, “STAY” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, “Butter” by BTS, “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo,  “Peaches” by Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar and Giveon, “good 4 u” by Olivia, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” by Lil Nas X, and “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran.

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Carly Pearce is receiving a distinct honor from her home state. 

The “Every Little Thing” hitmaker will be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 later this year. The Taylor Mill native will join the likes of Loretta Lynn, Keith Whitley and The Backstreet Boys, who are also members of the institution.

“Kentucky is where I learned to love country music and the incredibly talented musicians who wove their stories and texture throughout the genre. From straight-up sass of The Judds and Patty Loveless or truly understanding Loretta Lynn’s heartache, to the bluegrass tinge of Ricky Skaggs and Bill Monroe, their influences have driven my music,” Carly says in a statement. “I am so excited and grateful to be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame this fall.”

The induction ceremony will take place on October 28 in Renfro Valley. An exhibit about Carly’s career opened at the museum last year.  

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