Sam Smith and Harry Styles definitely have style, which is why they’ll be a part of a major new menswear exhibition coming to London’s famed Victoria & Albert Museum.
Opening March 2022, the exhibit, Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear,will “celebrate the power, artistry and diversity of masculine attire and appearance,” according to the museum. The exhibit will highlight 100 looks and 100 artworks, arranged thematically across three galleries. Outfits worn by Harry and Sam will be mixed in there, as well as ensembles sported by rock legend David Bowie and Billy Porter.
No word on which of Harry or Sam’s looks will be included, but since both have pushed the boundaries of fashion and mixed the masculine and the feminine, there are any number of looks the curators could pick from.
Fans will have to wait a little bit longer for host Wendy Williams to officially return to her daytime talk show.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, The Wendy Williams Show announced that due to Williams’ ongoing health concerns, she won’t be able to return as host for the season 13 premiere on October 18.
“The Wendy Williams Show will start airing originals on Monday, October 18, with an exciting lineup of guest hosts and panels to be announced shortly,” the message begins. “Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis. She is making progress but is experiencing serious complications as a direct result of Graves’ Disease and her thyroid condition.”
Although the statement does not offer specific details on Williams’ condition, the note states that “more time is needed before she is able to return to her live hosting duties.”
The news of the Williams’ delayed return as host comes after the show’s initial September 20 premiere date was pushed back several times due to her continued health issues, including testing positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
After calling Wendy a “valued and stalwart member” of Debmar-Mercury, The Wendy Williams Show‘s production company, the message promises that “as soon as [Wendy’s] ready, she will be back in her treasured purple chair.”
“We very much appreciate the respect for Wendy’s privacy, as well as all the good wishes from her fans, station partners and advertisers,” the statement concludes.
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Styx‘s formation, and the band will start celebrating the milestone with a new five-show Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Theatre scheduled for January 28 and 29, and February 2, 4 and 5.
Joining the veteran rockers as the special guest during the engagement will be Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson, who released her debut solo studio album, You and Me, in May.
“We are thrilled to announce that Nancy Wilson, the super talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist performer we’ve enjoyed as a member of Heart, will be joining STYX on stage when we return to the Venetian,” frontman Tommy Shaw says in a statement. “Talk about ‘these dreams’ coming true!!!”
Adds Wilson, “I’m so pleased to be part of the STYX plus Nancy Wilson collaboration. I think it’s going to be fun and really different from other shows.”
For the shows, Styx has created a special set list and a new stage production. The 2022 residency follows Styx’s September 2021 engagement at the same venue, which is located inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
Tickets for the new Vegas shows go on sale to the general public this Friday, October 15, at 10 a.m. PT. Styx fan club members will be able to buy pre-sale tickets starting Wednesday, October 13, at 10 a.m. PT, while Live Nation customers and members of The Venetian Resort’s Grazie loyalty program can purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Thursday, October 14, at 10 a.m.
You can buy tickets via Ticketmaster.com, VenetianLasVegas.com, the box offices at the resort, and by calling 702-414-9000 or 866-641-7469.
Styx, which released a new studio album titled Crash of the Crown in June, also has many other U.S. tour dates on their schedule. Visit StyxWorld.com for more info.
Nicki Minaj is featured on Jesy Nelson‘s new “Boyz” single, and as the former Little Mix member is being accused of Blackfishing, Pink Barbie is coming to her defense.
Following the release of the song, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, the only current Black member of Little Mix, slammed Jesy for attempting to look Black in leaked messages.
“Sweetheart, take them text messages and shove it up your f***ing a**,” Minaj said during an Instagram Live session. “Don’t try to come out and ruin anyone. Let her enjoy this time. If you was in this woman’s group and you ain’t taking about this sh** for 10 years, and as soon as you see she got a video come out with Nicki Minaj and Puffy, now you sending the stations text messages and all this sh**.”
Nelson said to Minaj during the IG Live session, “My intention was never ever to offend people of color with this video and my song…’90s R&B were the best years in music. I just wanted to celebrate that. I just want to celebrate that era of music is what I love.”
“It’s just hard for me because I was in a group with two women of color for nine years and it was never brought up to me up until the last music video,” Jesy added, referring to Little Mix’s 2020 music video “Sweet Melody.” She said that was the first time Pinnock made Blackfishing accusations about her.
Following their Instagram Live discussion, Minaj tweeted, “Don’t call things out when they benefit your personal vendetta to ppl. Call them out immediately once you see it chile. Don’t wait a decade after you’ve made millions with the person.”
Warning: Thomas Rhett‘s post honoring he and wife Lauren Akins‘ wedding anniversary may make you teary-eyed.
On Tuesday, Thomas celebrated the couple’s ninth wedding anniversary with a 10-year-old throwback photo that shows a young Thomas, before he had a beard and several #1 hits, and his beautiful future bride posing for a selfie in a field in their native Tennessee.
“I knew from this one night that we were gonna get married and grow old together. Here we are 9 years into marriage,” Thomas pens alongside the photo. “I’m thankful to God everyday that You said yes to marrying me! What a wild ride of just being us two for 5 years, to now having 3 beautiful baby girls, to almost welcoming our 4th baby! What is life?!?! I love you so much @laur_akins and I can’t wait to see what the next 50 years has to hold for us.”
The couple wed on October 12, 2012 in Tennessee. Since then, they’ve welcomed daughters Willa Gray, who they adopted from Uganda in 2017, plus Ada James and Lennon Love. They’re expecting their fourth girl in November.
Machine Gun Kelly, Metallica‘s James Hetfield, and Guns N’ Roses‘ Slash are all contributing signed items to an upcoming auction benefiting MusiCares, which provides medical, financial and personal assistance to in-need members of the music community.
Both MGK and Hetfield are offering signed guitars: a salmon pink Schecter Diamond Series, and a black ESP Vulture, respectively. Kelly’s guitar, which is expected to fetch between $2,000 and $4,000, features the inscription “I’m Selling Tickets to My Downfall MGK,” a reference to the title of his latest album. The Hetfield guitar has an estimated worth of $4,000 to $6,000.
If you’re interested in the MGK guitar, you probably won’t have to compete with anyone who caught his Aftershock festival set this past weekend, which saw attendees throw bottles at the “Bloody Valentine’ singer. The incident is the latest entry in Kelly’s feud with the metal community after he insulted Slipknot.
Meanwhile, Slash is parting ways with one of his famous top hats, signed and featuring a hand-drawn skull-and-bones sketch. That’ll be sold alongside a sterling silver ring for an estimated total of $5,000 to $7,000. Slash is also contributing a signed Epiphone Slash Les Paul Deluxe, valued between $1,000 to $2,000.
The auction will also include items from Depeche Mode, Mötley Crüe‘s Tommy Lee, Jeff Beck and the late Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland.
Julien’s Auctions will handle the sale, which takes place January 30, ahead of the 2022 Grammys on January 31. For more info, visit JuliensAuctions.com.
Hey now, Steve Harwell is retiring from Smash Mouth.
In a statement to TMZ, Harwell, 54, says, “Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream.”
“To my bandmates, it’s been an honor performing with you all these years,” he adds. “I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.”
Harwell’s announcement comes after his bizarre performance at a recent Smash Mouth concert in upstate New York, during which he repeatedly yelled and swore at the audience while slurring his speech. That show followed a string of dates in which Smash Mouth played with another singer instead of Harwell, who’d taken a break from the band due to his ongoing cardiomyopathy heart condition.
At the time, a rep for Smash Mouth said the replacement singer was only a temporary measure, but TMZ now reports that the New York show convinced Harwell to make the change permanent.
“To our loyal and amazing fans, thank you, all of this was possible because of you,” Harwell says. “I’ve tried so hard to power through my physical and mental health issues, and to play in front of you one last time, but I just wasn’t able to.”
“I cannot wait to see what Smash Mouth accomplishes next,” he adds, implying that the group will continue without him. “[I] am looking forward to counting myself as one of the band’s newest fans.”
Harwell co-founded Smash Mouth in 1994. The band has released seven albums, including the RIAA triple-Platinum Astro Lounge, and has scored hits with singles including “All Star,” “Walkin’ on the Sun” and a cover of The Monkees‘ “I’m a Believer.”
A head-to-toe silver ensemble worn by Katy Perry and a stage-worn black jacket from fellow American Idol judge Lionel Richie are just two of the items that are going on the auction block early next year for a good cause.
Katy wore the silver outfit, including a snowflake crystal headpiece, to perform “California Gurls” on the 2010 TV special The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! — Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night. It’s just one of the items up for grabs in the 2022 MusiCares charity auction organized by Julien’s Auctions. As the charitable arm of the Recording Academy, MusiCares provides medical, financial and personal assistance to in-need members of the music community.
Katy’s outfit is expected to fetch between three and five grand. A black jacket Lionel wore to perform at the U.K.’s Glastonbury festival in 2015 has an sales estimate of six to eight thousand dollars.
A Chromatica CD signed by Lady Gaga and a 7-inch pink vinyl single of “Watermelon Sugar” signed by Harry Styles are also up for grabs in the auction, which will take place January 30, the day before the 64th annual Grammy Awards on January 31.
It just might be the ultimate BTS collectible: The outfits and jewelry the group wore to perform “Dynamite” at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards earlier this year are going on the auction block.
The seven Louis Vuitton ensembles worn by the group for their first-ever solo Grammy performance, plus three rings worn by J-Hope, are just one of the many items up for grabs in the MusiCares charity auction organized by Julien’s Auctions. As the charitable arm of the Recording Academy, MusiCares provides medical, financial and personal assistance to in-need members of the music community.
BTS’ outfits are estimated to fetch $30,000 to $50,000, while the rings might bring two to four grand. If you’re not a fan of BTS, Katy Perry is selling a silver ensemble she wore to perform “California Gurls” on the 2010 TV special The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! — Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night.
A salmon pink guitar signed and inscribed by Machine Gun Kelly, a 7-inch pink vinyl “Watermelon Sugar” single signed by Harry Styles, a Chromatica CD signed by Lady Gaga and two pairs of boots worn by Demi Lovato are also up for grabs in the auction, which will take place January 30, the day before the 64th annual Grammy Awards on January 31.
Earlier this year, Police guitarist Andy Summers revealed to ABC Audio that he planned to release a new solo instrumental album in the fall titled Harmonics of the Night. Now full details about the project have been unveiled.
The album, which features 12 tracks, will be released this Friday, October 15, on CD, as a digital download and via streaming services.
Summers considers Harmonics of the Night the third in a trilogy of instrumental solo records, following 2015’s Metal Dog and 2017’s Triboluminescence. He recorded the album at his Hill of Beans studio in Venice, California, and co-produced it with longtime collaborator Dennis Martin Smith.
The 78-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also shot the photos featured on the album’s cover and in its packaging.
Andy says lead track “A Certain Strangeness” was written as a sound installation to accompany his 2019 photo exhibit of the same name that opened in Montpellier, France.
“Bringing the two mediums together was a natural move and from that first piece came this whole new recording,” Summers explains. “In a word, it set the mood for the rest of this album.”
Andy has released a track called “Chronosthesia” as Harmonics of the Night‘s first single, which is available now digitally. You can check out a music video for the tune at Andy’s official YouTube channel, featuring photos Summers shot in downtown Los Angelesm along with superimposed footage of Andy playing guitar.
Harmonics of the Night also will be released as a two-LP vinyl set boasting three tracks not included on the CD or digital versions.
In August, Summers published his first fiction book, Fretted and Moaning: Short Stories, which is available at AndySummersBook.com.
Here’s the Harmonics of the Night CD and digital track list:
“A Certain Strangeness”
“City of Crocodiles”
“Aeromancer”
“Chronosthesia”
“Harmonics of the Night”
“Mirror in the Dirt”
“Prairie”
“Fantoccini”
“Aphelion”
“Spell”
“Inamorata”
“Strange Return”
And here’s the vinyl track list:
Disc 1
Side A
“A Certain Strangeness”
Side B
“City of Crocodiles”
“Aeromancer”
“Chronosthesia”
“Harmonics of the Night”
Disc 2
Side A
“Mirror in the Dirt”
“Prairie”
“Fantoccini”
“Aphelion”
Side B
“Spell”
“Inamorata”
“Micrografia”*
“Ecstasy Blooms”*
“A Joint in West Kensington”*
