Music

If it’s the fall, there must be a new Pentatonix Christmas album around the corner.

The Grammy-winning a cappella group will release their sixth holiday project, Evergreen, on October 29.  The first track, a version of the 1945 standard “It’s Been a Long, Long Time,” is out now, and you’ll get it free if you pre-order the album.

“It’s Been a Long, Long Time” isn’t actually a Christmas song, but its message of longing to be with loved ones after being apart for a while is apropos as the group returns to the road to see their fans, and people reunite with families they may not have been able to see for the holidays last year.

Pentatonix is also launching their Evergreen Christmas Tour 2021, which starts November 27 in Baltimore, MD before wrapping up in the group’s home state of Texas on December 22 and 23. Tickets go on sale October 1 at 10 a.m. local time.  More details are available at PTXofficial.com.

“We can’t wait to perform songs off of our new record for you this holiday season!” the group writes on Instagram.

Last year, Pentatonix released the album We Need a Little Christmas, in addition to their non-Christmas EP, At Home.  Earlier this year, the quintet released an album of original material, The Lucky Ones.

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Spencer Elden, who was photographed as a baby for the cover of Nirvana‘s Nevermind album cover, is pleading with the band to censor his genitalia on all future reissues of the album.

The album artwork famously depicts the then-infant Elden swimming naked underwater while reaching for a dollar bill on a fishing hook.  Last month, he sued Nirvana for child pornography.

According to Billboard, Elden has amplified his grievances by demanding the band censor the artwork, which includes the 30th anniversary reissues of Nevermind that arrive November 12.

In a statement obtained by Billboard, Elden’s attorneys declare, “Today, like each year on this date, our client Spencer Elden has had to brace himself for renewed unwanted attention from the media and fans alike throughout the world. This is a choice that he has never had. It has been thrust upon him, and for 30 years he has dealt with its devastating and painful consequences.  Our message to Nirvana is clear — redact the image of Mr. Elden’s genitalia from all future album covers.”

Nirvana nor its label, Universal Music Group, have publicly commented on the matter.

The band, comprised of members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and the late Kurt Cobain, released Nevermind on September 24, 1991. It’s since been certified Diamond by the RIAA for over 10 million sales.

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Britney Spears‘ fiancé Sam Asghari isn’t pleased with the recent spate of documentaries detailing Britney’s ongoing conservatorship case.

Ahead of FX/Hulu’s Controlling Britney Spears, which premiered on Friday, Sam posted a statement to his Instagram Stories, captured by Just Jared.

“Apparently my opinion has increased in value over the past few days,” the 27-year-old model/actor joked, before adding, “Past docs left bad after taste. I’m hopeful this one will be respectful.”

Referring to other documentaries, which include CNN’s Toxic: Britney Spears’ Battle for Freedom, the BBC’s The Battle for Britney: Fans, Cash and a Conservatorship and Netflix’s upcoming Britney Vs. Spears, Sam wrote, “I don’t blame CNN, BBC, or NETFLIX (which got me thru lockdowns) for airing them because as an actor i tell other people’s stories too.”

“I question producers who made them ‘just to shed light’ without input or approval from [the] subject,” he explained. “Any credit for light being shed should go to #freebritney.”

Sam didn’t mention FX/Hulu, whose first Britney doc, Framing Britney Spears, has been credited with helped reignite the #FreeBritney movement.

Sam’s message included a “Free Britney” illustration, a cartoon judge, and an image of Jason Statham with the caption “no sweat.”

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Doja Cat is following in the footsteps of Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Selena Gomez and Halsey by becoming the newest pop star to launch her own makeup line.

The “Kiss Me More” singer has teamed with BH Cosmetics for her BHxDojaCat collection, which offers a wide variety of products from eye shadow to lip-plumping glosses, and perfume.

“Inspired by the divine energy of nature and all its prismatic elements, Doja Cat’s first-ever beauty collection is a mystical journey of discovery,” the makeup line’s official website reads. 

Doja’s numerous eye shadow palettes offer an array of shades complimentary to the bold and attention-grabbing colors featured across her music videos — from hot pink to deep space blue.  The names also offer a bit of sass, from celebrating birth stones to titles such as “Lookin like a snack.”

In addition, Doja has created a variety of products that celebrate all things that glitter, such as shimmering powder highlighters, base booster glitter and shadow glue, plus decorative face and body jewels. There’s also a line of brushes, mirrors and other makeup tools.

Above all else, Doja seems to want her beauty line to be affordable: Prices range from $4 to $36.  The most expensive item is her unisex perfume, Devil’s Advocate, which costs $57.

Most of Doja’s eye shadow palettes, with 15 to 16 colors, retail for $18, while her Mega palette — which comes with 36 color options — retails for $36.

You can buy the products now at BHCosmetics.com and, starting October 3, at ULTA stores and online.

 

 

 

 

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Legendary singer Kelly Price is speaking out after being listed as a missing person following her release from a Georgia hospital following a severe battle with COVID-19.

In an interview with TMZ on Sunday, the 48-year-old singer said she never went missing and that, instead, she had isolated herself during her recovery. Price also claims that she almost died during her hospitalization.

“At some point, they lost me,” she told the outlet, “I woke up some days later and the first thing I remember is the team of doctors standing around me and asking me if they knew what [day] it was.”

She revealed she admitted herself to the hospital because her COVID-19 symptoms were “progressing in the wrong direction” after battling the virus for about a week. Thankfully, she is working toward a full recovery, but says she is still occasionally relying on oxygen and has trouble speaking for great lengths of time.

According to a previous report from TMZ, Price’s representatives confirmed the singer was taken to an undisclosed location to safely recover from COVID-19.

Prior to that, Price had been listed as a missing person with the National Crime Information Center following a welfare check at her home on September 18 by Georgia authorities. 

As for what caused her to be reported as a missing person, the “Friend of Mine” singer claims her family started the drama and lays the blame partially on her sister.  In the meantime, she is working with attorney Monica Ewing to have her name removed from Georgia’s missing person list.

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Jimmie Allen may be going into Dancing with the Star‘s first elimination tonight with the third-lowest score of the contenders, but he’s not letting that get him down.

In fact, he has a pretty positive view of how he and partner Emma Slater did doing the Tango.

“I’ve never danced before,” he explains, “so one, I’m just trying to remember myself that this whole, you know, Dancing with the Stars thing is like professional dancers paired up with celebrities that can’t dance, being judged by people that judge professional dancers.”

“So what I loved is, though,” he tells ABC Audio, “I love that they didn’t grade me like Jimmie Allen, the country singer. They graded me like a dancer, which was cool.”

After his first dance of the season, Jimmie sees nowhere to go but up.

“It showed the weaknesses, showed things I need to work on. It was fun and what I love about getting fives — after [judge] Len [Goodman] gave me a five, I was like, ‘I love fives!'” Jimmie laughs.

“But it’s room to grow… ” he reflects. “I figure the first week [if] you come out getting eights and tens and all that stuff, you know, you got a lot to live up to the next week. I got room to grow! That’s how I look at it.”  

See how Jimmie fares tonight doing the Rumba to his hit, “Make Me Want To,” starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Kelly Clarkson‘s new album When Christmas Comes Around…, due next month, is her second holiday album, following 2013’s Wrapped In Red.  Kelly says she hadn’t planned on another one — until she figured it might be just what she needs after the year she’s had.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Kelly, who’s going through a high-profile divorce from Brandon Blackstock, explains, “I kind of thought I’d never make another Christmas album because I love Wrapped in Red so much. And then I thought, ‘You know what? I feel like I could use some Christmas cheer, and maybe a lot of us could.”

“There’s a lot of songs on there that aren’t necessarily your, like, ‘Let’s play and get in a jolly mood’ kind of vibe,” she explains. “Some are, ‘Let’s really feel all the feelings’ Christmas songs.’ I think that’s why I named it When Christmas Comes Around, because when Christmas comes around, we are all in different places.”

“It’s very representative of all those different emotions that one might be feeling around Christmas time,” Kelly adds. “But there’s some happy stuff too. It’s like happy and sad…it kind of feels more like an album you release normal[ly], and then there’s Christmas sprinkled on it.”

The first single, “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You),” is an example of this, Kelly notes, adding that she feels like, “a lot of things in life got canceled” in the past 20 months due to COVID.

“I think if you’d been in a relationship that didn’t work out…it was like, ‘O.K., it didn’t work out. That doesn’t mean it’s all ruined. That doesn’t mean everything’s over,'” she explains.

The new album features collaborations with Ariana Grande and country stars Chris Stapleton and Brett Eldredge.

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After years of recovering from life-threatening plastic surgery, K. Michelle is now starring in a new reality show titled, My Killer Body.

The “V.S.O.P.” singer has often discussed her health struggles over the past few years as she attempted to recover from complications from a series of cosmetic procedures that nearly ended her life.

“Years ago I decided to share with the world my surgery complications,” she comments in an Instagram post announcing the new show, which is slated to premiere in 2022 on Lifetime. “I decided to have an open form of communication that could save someone’s life.”

In what is described as a “transformation series,” My Killer Body will help men and women desperate to reverse plastic surgery procedures that now threaten their lives. Each episode will follow two patients who need help, while also telling K. Michelle’s ongoing personal story.

“I’m so blessed to have met a group of individuals who are struggling to live, who just want to heal, and they want to share their true story to help other woman and men,” she notes in her Instagram message. “These are some of bravest women I’ve ever encountered.”

The former Love and Hip Hop star says her new series will document her journey to restore her health.

“You guys get to be all up in MY business and see my actual surgeries to recover, my healing, my family, my new music, and me just trying to grow as a woman,” Michelle writes. “I feel like y’all have grown up with me. There is no shame in my life mistakes and definitely not in my growth. See the truth on this so you can stop making up your own narratives.”

 

 

 

 

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Friday saw the release of “My Universe,” a collaboration between Coldplay and BTS, and now you can watch a mini-documentary showing how Coldplay’s Chris Martin traveled to South Korea to create the song with the K-Pop superstars.

The Inside My Universe doc dropped on Sunday and, in it, Chris explains that he was asked to collaborate with BTS 18 months ago, but he wasn’t sure how would be possible. 

Then, he explains, “My friend said the phrase ‘my universe’ one day, and I wrote it down. I thought, ‘That’s a cool title.'”  He then decided to turn the song into a demo to send it to BTS, who were thrilled that he was willing to work with them.

The various members of BTS talk about how Chris is the “king of the stadium tours,” not to mention one of their role models and influences.  “Just as I’ve heard, he’s humble down to earth and pure in heart,” says BTS member RM of Chris.

“The song is about how the power of love transcends all things: borders and rules and genders and race and every sexuality,” Chris explains. “If you look at people right now who are divided by a border, and can’t be together…that’s what the song is about, about how nothing can really stop people loving each other.”

“This song should definitely be dedicated to ARMY,” says RM, referring to their fans. “I wrote the lyrics while picturing the day we reunite with ARMY.”

“[Chris] said that when he wrote the song, he was thinking of Coldplay and BTS as representatives of Earth, coming together to build a new universe,” says Jin.

And, as Chris explains, BTS’ global popularity “just feels very hopeful to me, in terms of thinking of the world as one family.”  

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A lot has happened with Tom DeLonge since the last Angels & Airwaves album.

The former Blink-182 guitarist got divorced, finally returned to tour, made a movie, and, like the rest of us, was stuck at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All that went into what became Lifeforms, the first AVA record in seven years.

“I kept having these left turns that made me want to come back and rework the stuff I was doing and make it the best it could be,” DeLonge tells ABC Audio. “It’s just been a wonderful journey…I think it’s some of the best stuff I’ve ever done in my life. I definitely know it’s the most challenging.”

He laughs, “I definitely know it’s the most attention and focus I’ve ever given a record.”

Of course, another thing that happened to DeLonge over the past few years is that the videos of “unidentified aerial phenomena” that his UFO research company To the Stars Academy of Arts and Science published were declassified by the U.S. government.

The title Lifeforms is an obvious reference to that, as is the song “Losing My Mind” and its lyric, “I said we’re not alone/ And the government knows it.” The track itself, however, isn’t really about aliens. Instead, it’s  more about the idea that a government UFO report barely made the news since society is too hampered by issues such as racism.

“In that song, I was, like, ‘I told you guys what’s going on, the government said this, but you’re still fighting each other as though that’s the important issue, that your skin color is more tan than mine,'” DeLonge says. “It’s so ridiculous, it’s so medieval, and it’s such a low self-awareness, and it’s such a lack of love.”

Lifeforms is out now.

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