Elton John & his family show off their matching Versace robes

J.Sciulli/WireImage for Audi of America, Inc.

Someone like Elton John isn’t just going to wear a regular old terrycloth bathrobe now, is he?

On the Rocket Man’s Instagram, he’s posted a photo of himself, his husband David Furnish and their two sons, Zachary and Elijah, posing on a balcony in what looks like Italy, with their backs turned toward the camera.  They’re all wearing matching Versace bathrobes with their names embroidered on the back.

The pic is captioned, “Grazie mille [thank you] @donatella_versace. Thank-you for your generosity and kindness. You made our Summer so glamorous. Ti amo [I love you].”  Donatella replied in the comments, “I love you all!! You look FABULOUS!!!” 

If you have $600 to spare, you can get the same personalized robe from the Versace website.

Elton has been friends with Donatella for many years, and was also close with her late brother, Gianni Versace, who was murdered in 1997. Elton recently told an Australian radio station that he got his pal Ed Sheeran together with Donatella, so she could provide him with the snazzy suit he sports in the “Bad Habits” video.

“I said, ‘Ed, listen. You’ve worn the baggy shirts and the trousers and it’s got you so far but it’s now time to make a change,'” recalled Elton, whose company used to manage Ed.

“About a year and a half ago, I hooked him up with Donatella Versace and got him some stuff,” Elton added, “I said ‘If you’re making the “Bad Habits” video, you’ve got to look great’…I rang Donatella, she made him the clothes.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)

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Cardi B launches second Reebok collection, “Let Me Be…In My World”

Reebok

After her “Rumors” collabo with Lizzo debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chartCardi B launched her second fashion collection with Reebok over the weekend.

“I was so happy to see the love for my first Reebok apparel collection so I’m really excited to introduce this one,” the “WAP” rapper said in a statement. “This NYC-inspired collection features some of my favorite pieces to wear — from corsets to tracksuits to fly kicks, all inspired by my time and love of New York.”

The “Let Me Be…In My World” line follows Cardi’s ’90s-inspired “Summertime Fine Collection,” which was released in April.

In addition to apparel, the new collection also includes a Cardi B leather sneaker for kids and women. The Grammy winner, who is pregnant with her second child, made sure her designs fit females of various sizes, from 2XS to 4X.

“DONT worry momma BARDI got you!!!,” she tweeted. “I made this collection Witt everybody body shapes in [mind]!!!!!” Cardi also posted a video on Instagram in which models displayed two outfits from her line in a mini-fashion show.

Before working with Reebok, the New York City native partnered with Steve Madden in 2017. She also released two collections with Fashion Nova.

Cardi ended her mini-show informing fans not to wait to support her collection. “If it sells out,” she said on Instagram, “don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Check out Cardi’s “Let Me Be…In My World” line on the Reebok website

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Luke Bryan makes “Waves” at the top of the country charts

ABC/Eric McCandless

Luke Bryan is once again reigning at the top of the charts, as his latest single “Waves” claims the #1 spot at country radio.

This makes a whopping 27 #1 hits for the country superstar and is the fifth consecutive chart-topper off his 2020 album Born Here Live Here Die Here, following “Knockin’ Boots,” “What She Wants Tonight,” “One Margarita” and “Down to One.”

“Woke up this morning as a writer on the number one song in the country. Thank you @LukeBryanOnline and the whole team for making it a hit!” “Waves” co-writer Ryan Hurd writes in a celebratory Twitter post

“Waves” is featured on the deluxe edition of Born Here, which reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the top five of the all-genre Billboard 200. 

Luke continues on his Proud to Be Right Here Tour through October. 

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Taylor Swift’s “blown away” by Halsey’s NIN-produced album

ABC; Lucas Garrido

Halsey‘s new album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, which was produced by Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, has been turning a lot of heads, included that of the one and only Taylor Swift.

On Sunday, Swift tweeted a message of support to Halsey, writing that she’s “blown away” by the “Without Me” star’s “artistry and commitment to taking risks.”

“Giving us all a brave new era to dive into and explore together,” Swift commented. “Please stream and buy the album!”

Halsey then replied back, “Thank you T means so so much.”

When If I Can’t Have Love dropped on Friday, Halsey thanked the Nine Inch Nails duo for helping her take those artistic risks.

“They saw a festering crack in my armor and forced it open from miles away,” Halsey wrote. “This is the album I have always wanted to make, but never believed I was cool enough.”

She added, “There are not enough words to thank them for…taking a chance on me and lending me their genius talent. I hope you love our very unlikely and very special matrimony.”

In addition to Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters also want you to listen to If I Can’t Have Love, which features Dave Grohl on the song “honey.”

“Check it out,” the Foos tweeted Monday, along with a link to the album.

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Two Van Morrison streaming concerts events to premiere on nugs.net in September

Courtesy of nugs.net

A pair a virtual Van Morrison concerts will stream globally at nugs.net on consecutive days, September 10 and 11.

The first show will feature Morrison delivering a 65-minute concert that will include renditions of songs from throughout his expansive catalog. The second concert features Van showcasing tunes from his 2021 studio album, Latest Record Project: Volume 1, as well as performing select classics.

The performances were recorded at Peter Gabriel‘s Real World Studios near Bath, U.K. The shows will begin at 6 p.m. ET. both days.

Tickets for the concerts can be purchased individually for $14.99 in HD and $19.99 for the high-res 4K format at nugs.net/vanmorrison. Two-night bundles also will be available.  Nugs.net subscribers can purchase the streaming events for a discounted price.

Morrison released Latest Record Project: Volume 1 in May. The 28-track collection finds Van continuing to delve into his love of classic soul, blues, R&B and jazz. The album features a variety songs that offer commentary of modern life, some of which focus on Morrison’s dissatisfaction with how the U.K. government has handled the COVID-19 health crisis.

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“Stay”-ing power: Justin Bieber and Dua Lipa achieve new chart milestones

Columbia Records

“Stay” is staying on top of the charts for yet another week.

The Justin Bieber/The Kid LAROI collab has notched a fourth week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. That makes “Stay” Justin’s longest-running number-one hit as a lead artist, passing “Sorry,” which was number one for three weeks in 2016. 

Yes, Justin was number one for 16 weeks with “Despacito,” but as Billboard notes, he was just a featured artist, not a lead artist, on that track, which was officially credited to Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.

“Stay” has also just hit number one on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart for the first time. It’s LAROI’s first number one on that chart, and Justin’s ninth. He’s now tied with Bruno Mars among male solo artists for the most Pop Airplay chart-toppers.

Meanwhile, Dua Lipa has set a new record with her hit “Levitating.” It’s now spent a whopping 34 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 — the longest stay there ever for a song by a woman. The record was previously held by Cardi B as part of her collaboration with Maroon 5, “Girls Like You,” which lasted 33 weeks in the top 10.

The only songs overall that have spent more weeks in the Hot 100’s top 10 are Post Malone‘s “Circles” with 39, and The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” with 57. It seems possible that Dua might pass Post Malone in the near future.

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Drake confirms ‘Certified Lover Boy’ release date

CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images

After cryptically teasing the release of his long awaited Certified Lover Boy album with a handwritten note Friday on ESPN’s SportscenterDrake confirmed the release date Monday morning on Instagram.

The “What’s Next” rapper posted, “Certified Lover Boy September 3” with twelve emojis of pregnant women. Numerous stars responded very enthusiastically, including Offset from Migos, who posted two hands-up emojis and two fire emojis. Trina was even more excited, commenting with six fire emojis, and Sevyn Streeter also commented with four fire emojis. black-ish star Marsai Martin is also pumped about the album, posting, “Yessirr.”

As previously reported, Sportscenter opened Friday morning with its usual montage of sports highlights. Then suddenly, an image appeared, reading “CLB September 3,” as captured by XXL Magazine.

The Champagne Papi’s sixth studio album was delayed after originally being scheduled for release in January. It follows Drake’s 2018, RIAA five-times Platinum album Scorpion, which features the number-one hits “Nice for What,” “In My Feelings,” and “Nonstop.”

Since the release of Scorpion, Drizzy dropped his Care Package compilation project in August 2019, the Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape in May 2020, and his Scary Hours 2 EP in March.

The first single from Certified Lover Boy, “Laugh Now Cry Later,” featuring Lil Durk, was released August 14, 2020 and hit number one.

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Watch first trailer for director Todd Haynes’ upcoming Velvet Underground documentary

Courtesy of Apple TV+

The first trailer has been released for acclaimed indie-film director Todd Haynes‘ upcoming documentary about The Velvet Underground, the influential New York City-based band fronted by Lou Reed during the late 1960s and early ’70s.

The movie, simply titled The Velvet Underground, will premiere in theaters and on the Apple TV+ network on October 15.

The documentary features new interviews with surviving Velvet Underground members John Cale and Maureen Tucker, as well as with other people associated with the band and with late artist Andy Warhol, who managed and helped promote the group during its early years.

The film also includes previously unseen Velvet Underground performance footage, as well as clips of rare recordings and Warhol films.

The trailer features brief snippets of the Welsh-born Cale sharing his recollections of how filthy New York City seemed when he first arrived there, and discussing the band’s sonic explorations, and Tucker commenting about how the group began gaining a following but couldn’t get radio airplay.

The Velvet Underground, classic lineup of which featured Reed on lead vocals and guitar, Cale on bassist and viola, Tucker on drums and the late Sterling Morrison on lead guitar, came to fame as the house band at Warhol’s psychedelic multimedia show The Exploding Plastic Inevitable. The group’s songs explored dark themes such as drugs, kinky sex and domestic violence in the midst of the “Flower Power” era.  The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Meanwhile, a companion soundtrack album also is due out on October 15. The collection, which will be available as a two-CD set and in digital formats, will feature a mix of classic Velvet Underground tunes and rare recordings.

Here’s the track list:

Disc 1
“Venus in Furs” — The Velvet Underground
“The Wind” — The Diablos featuring Nolan Strong
“17 XII 63 NYC The Fire Is a Mirror” — The Theatre of Eternal Music
“Heroin” (Mono) — The Velvet Underground
“Road Runner” (Live) — Bo Diddley
“The Ostrich” — The Primitives
“I’m Waiting for the Man” —  — The Velvet Underground & Nico
“Chelsea Girls” — Nico
“Sunday Morning” — The Velvet Underground & Nico

Disc 2
“Sister Ray” (Live) — The Velvet Underground
“Pale Blue Eyes” — The Velvet Underground
“Foggy Notion” — The Velvet Underground
“After Hours” (Live) — The Velvet Underground
“Sweet Jane” — The Velvet Underground
“Ocean” — The Velvet Underground
“All Tomorrow’s Parties” — The Velvet Underground & Nico

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OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder on selling his songs for $276 million: “I got really lucky”

Jamie McCarthy/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

For most of his career, OneRepublic‘s Ryan Tedder admits, he thought of the money side of the music biz as “grotesque” and didn’t pay attention to it.  But now he’s changed his attitude, which led to the recent sale of his song catalogue for $276 million.

“For me, it was just a perfect storm,” Ryan tells The Sydney Morning Herald. “If I’d done it four years ago it probably would’ve sold for half that, so I got really lucky. My business team was like, ‘Ryan, if you’re ever going to do it, it’s now or never.’”

Ryan explains that in his 20s and 30s, he “didn’t want to be bothered with anything that had to do with money” because “I thought it was grotesque…it undermined the reason why I got into music.” But, he adds, “In the last five years I’ve sharpened up and I’ve been using my left brain more often.”

Ryan also admits he doesn’t have any “emotional or sentimental attachment,” to any of his songs.  As he explains, “The fact that I sold it, I don’t sit there and go, ‘Oh, it’s not my song anymore.’ I wrote that; that’s still my song and I can still perform it.”

And besides, Ryan points out, “In the U.S., your copyrights are legally returned to you after 35 years. I’ll be an old man by then but at least I know all those songs that I just sold I’ll get back and my kids and my grandkids will have them.”

Now, Ryan says he’s focusing on “building a whole new catalogue,” including OneRepublic’s new album, Human, and the songs he’s writing for everyone from Avril Lavigne to Lil Nas X.

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Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert, and many more stars join Jay-Z for his 40/40 club 18th anniversary

Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for 40/40 Club

Jay-Z was definitely in a “Empire Stare of Mind” as Beyoncé and many of their celebrity friends joined them as he hosted the 18th anniversary party for his 40/40 sports club Saturday in New York City.

Megan Thee Stallion, Swizz Beatz, Meek Mill, Busta Rhymes, Lil Uzi Vert, Remy Ma, Pusha T, JT from City Girls, J Balvin, and Vic Mensa were among the stars arriving on a blue carpet at the bi-level venue in Manhattan, according to Billboard.

The name “40/40” represents the rare baseball achievement of hitting at least 40 home runs and stealing at least 40 bases in a single season. Only four MLB players — Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Canseco and Alfonso Soriano — have accomplished the feat.

Hova and Queen Bey star in the new Tiffany ABOUT LOVE ad campaign in which she wears wears the iconic Tiffany Yellow Diamond, and Hova was flowing with words of praise for his wife.

“She’s super detail oriented, obviously, as you can see from her work,” Jay told Entertainment Tonight. “She’s an incredibly hard worker, super talented, very inspiring.”

The Roc Nation CEO has partnered with Fanatics to bid on opening a sportsbook in NYC, and he’s thrilled about the prospect of bringing mobile sports betting to his hometown.

“New York City’s a big thing, obviously, [I’m] a kid from Brooklyn, you know, so it’s big for us,” he said.” It’s very important because typically in these things there’s no sort of diversity, there’s no one that represents the city, no one from the city. So, all those things make it a real exciting opportunity.” 

The sportsbook would add to Jigga’s many sports ventures, which include representing over 100 professional athletes and consulting the NFL on the Super Bowl halftime show and other special events.

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