Mike Tyson says he was “beaten into submission” to get his COVID-19 vaccination

Mike Tyson says he was “beaten into submission” to get his COVID-19 vaccination
Mike Tyson says he was “beaten into submission” to get his COVID-19 vaccination
ABC News

Mike Tyson says he lost the fight against getting vaccinated.

Ahead of his reported December fight with boxing great Lennox Lewis, Tyson told USA Today that he only received the COVID-19 vaccination so he could travel without any issues.

“I didn’t do it willingly,” Tyson said. “I’m a little apprehensive of that. I was pretty much beaten into submission to do this because I travel internationally. And if I don’t travel, we don’t eat.”

He continued, “So I decided to take the risk and take the shot. And people, they have their own choice. I never got sick.’’

While the boxing legend notes that he didn’t have an adverse reaction to the vaccine, Tyson shares that he “might have caught” COVID-19 at one point because of some recent symptoms, which included “coughing, throwing up water” and being “dehydrated.”

Now, he says, he’s feeling much better. “I really feel well. The best I ever felt,” he declares.

Tyson appears to be getting back into competitive shape. On Wednesday, the 55-year-old former boxing champ shared a photo on Instagram of himself in the ring sparring with another athlete.

“Adversity makes the strong stronger, and the weak weaker,” Tyson captioned the photo.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers unveil dates for 2022 world tour; US leg kicks off in July

Red Hot Chili Peppers unveil dates for 2022 world tour; US leg kicks off in July
Red Hot Chili Peppers unveil dates for 2022 world tour; US leg kicks off in July
Credit: Clara Balzary

Red Hot Chili Peppers have revealed the details of their upcoming 2022 world tour.

The global outing is set to kick off with a European run starting June 4 in Seville, Spain, before arriving stateside for a U.S. trek beginning July 23 in Denver. Dates are currently scheduled through a September 18 performance in Arlington, Texas.

The Peppers will be joined at various dates on the tour by a wide array of opening acts, including Beck, The Strokes, St. Vincent, HAIM, A$AP Rocky, King Princess, Thundercat and Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals.

Tickets go on sale to the general public next Friday, October 15, at 10 a.m. local time. A fan pre-sale for the U.S. dates begins October 9, and October 13 for the Europe and U.K. shows.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit RedHotChiliPeppers.com.

The tour is RHCP’s first since guitarist John Frusciante rejoined the band at the end of 2019.

(Video contains censored profanity.)

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Report: Battery charges against Chris Brown dropped

Report: Battery charges against Chris Brown dropped
Report: Battery charges against Chris Brown dropped
Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

Battery charges against Chris Brown stemming from an incident in the summer have reportedly been dropped.

The Los Angeles City Attorney decided to dismiss the charges due to insufficient evidence, according to TMZ. Police were called to his home in the California San Fernando Valley in June, where a woman claimed that Breezy assaulted her on the back of her head. An arrest was not made.

Police also arrived at his home in May to break up Brown’s 32nd birthday party, attended by over 400 guests, after receiving multiple calls about loud music and cars double-parked all over his neighborhood.

The Grammy winner is facing more legal problems, however. He and Drake were sued this week for copyright infringement for their RIAA-certified eight-times platinum song “No Guidance,” according to Billboard. The track, from Brown’s 2019 Indigo album, reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Song.

Singer Braindon Cooper and producer Timothy Valentine claim that the song lifted elements from their 2016 track, “I Love Your Dress.”

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The Offspring premieres video for ‘Let the Bad Times Roll’ song “The Opioid Diaries”

The Offspring premieres video for ‘Let the Bad Times Roll’ song “The Opioid Diaries”
The Offspring premieres video for ‘Let the Bad Times Roll’ song “The Opioid Diaries”
Concord Records

The Offspring has premiered the video for “The Opioid Diaries,” a track off the band’s new album, Let the Bad Times Roll.

The clip provides a visual representation of the dangers of addiction, interspersed with statistics regarding overdosing and criticism of the pharmaceutical industry and what many say is its complicity in the U.S. opioid crisis.

“I wrote this Offspring song about addiction,” says frontman Dexter Holland. “While drug addiction is certainly not a new issue, the opioid epidemic in America is different. It’s different because it was created by, and driven by, Big Pharma — and I wrote this song to say that the pharmaceutical industry should be held accountable for its consequences.”

The video ends with the message, “You can get help,” along with a link and phone number to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

You can watch “The Opioid Diaries” video streaming now on YouTube.

The Offspring released Let the Bad Times Roll in April. It’s the band’s first new record in nine years.

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Watch Walker Hayes & Kesha party in the parking lot in new “Fancy Like” video

Watch Walker Hayes & Kesha party in the parking lot in new “Fancy Like” video
Watch Walker Hayes & Kesha party in the parking lot in new “Fancy Like” video
Courtesy of Monument Records

Walker Hayes has brought Kesha along for the ride in the new video for the remix of his viral hit, “Fancy Like.”

Kesha may be a pop star but she grew up in Nashville, where her mom was a songwriter whose works were recorded by Dolly Parton, among others.  So when Kesha joins Walker to sing about “chillin’ in the deep South” and going to Waffle House, she knows what she’s talking about.

In the clip, Walker, Kesha and a bunch of friends pull up to the parking lot of a diner in LA, where they unload a truck and set up an impromptu barbecue, then have fun skateboarding and participating in makeshift games of limbo, horseshoes and mini-golf until the sun goes down. 

Of course, they also do the famous “Fancy Like” TikTok dance and drink plenty of “Natty” — that’s Natural Light beer, in case you don’t know — and box wine.

The original version of “Fancy Like” is on Walker’s latest EP, Country Stuff.

 

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Watch Carlos Santana & Rob Thomas rock their way through a storm in “Move” video

Watch Carlos Santana & Rob Thomas rock their way through a storm in “Move” video
Watch Carlos Santana & Rob Thomas rock their way through a storm in “Move” video
BMG

The official video for “Move” — the single that reunites “Smooth” duo Carlos Santana with Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas — has arrived.

The black-and-white clip features Thomas singing alone under a stormy, lightning-filled sky, while Santana tosses off his signature guitar licks standing on a mirror in a black void. 

In the second verse, American Authors singer Zac Barnett joins Santana on the mirror, which begins to crack.  Later, Santana stands on top of a massive pile of speakers, playing the maracas.

“Move” is from Santana’s new album, Blessings and Miracles, which arrives October 15.

Regarding the song, Santana previously said it’s “about awakening your molecules. Ignite and activate yourself – you know, move. When Rob and I work together, we have a sound that’s splendiferous.”

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Watch Dave Grohl drum along to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on book tour date

Watch Dave Grohl drum along to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on book tour date
Watch Dave Grohl drum along to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on book tour date
Credit: Magdalena Wosinska

Dave Grohl is flashing back to 1991 on his The Storyteller book tour.

During his stop in New York City earlier this week, the Foo Fighters frontman brought a drum kit to the stage and played along with the studio recording of Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

You can watch fan-shot footage of the performance streaming now on YouTube.

Grohl released The Storyteller, his debut memoir, earlier this week. His tour is set to continue Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, Nirvana will be releasing a 30th anniversary reissue of Nevermind on November 12. The expanded collection includes the full live recordings of four Nirvana concerts from 1991 and 1992.

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Old Daddy: John Mellencamp celebrates his 70th birthday today

Old Daddy: John Mellencamp celebrates his 70th birthday today
Old Daddy: John Mellencamp celebrates his 70th birthday today
Credit: Marc Hauser

John Mellencamp, the Indiana-born singer/songwriter who came to fame in the early ’80s under the name John Cougar, was born 70 years ago today.

Known for his roots-rock songs often celebrating small-town life in America, Mellencamp enjoyed his major commercial breakthrough with his fifth studio album, 1982’s American Fool, released under the John Cougar moniker.

American Fool is John’s only album to date to top the Billboard 200 chart, spending nine weeks at #1. It features his classic songs “Jack and Diane” and “Hurts So Good,” which peaked at #1 and #2, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.

Starting with his next album, 1983’s Uh-Huh, he began releasing his records under the name John Cougar Mellencamp, and beginning in 1991, he dropped “Cougar” altogether.

Among the other hits Mellencamp has scored during his long career are “Crumblin’ Down,” “Pink Houses,” “Lonely Ol’ Night,” “Small Town,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to ’60s Rock),” “Cherry Bomb,” and a cover of Van Morrison‘s “Wild Night,” the latter a duet with Me’Shell Ndegéocello.

In 1985, Mellencamp, along with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, organized the first Farm Aid concert, and the charity event continues to raise money to support family farms each year.

Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

John’s resumé also includes a collaboration with horror author Stephen King on the Southern Gothic stage musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, which premiered in 2012. In addition, Mellencamp is an accomplished painter whose artwork has been exhibited numerous times.

Mellencamp’s latest release is a duet with Bruce Springsteen titled “Wasted Days,” and the track also will appear on John’s next studio album, Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, due out in 2022.

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N.O.R.E. shares which hip hop legend sold him on joining WE tv’s ‘Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition’

N.O.R.E. shares which hip hop legend sold him on joining WE tv’s ‘Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition’
N.O.R.E. shares which hip hop legend sold him on joining WE tv’s ‘Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition’
Courtesy of WE tv

Hip hop legend N.O.R.E. and wife Neri are one of the couples featured on the new season of WE tv’s Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition.

N.O.R.E. says that although he and his wife of 10 years prefer to be private, opening up about their marital issues on national television didn’t deter them from joining the reality-based series.

“I’m fan of the process,” N.O.R.E. tells ABC Audio. “I’m a fan of these programs, so it’s literally like me sitting at home and watching basketball and saying, ‘I could do that.'”

N.O.R.E’s wife concurs, noting that the show gave her the opportunity to “see [her] husband in a different form.”

“Most of the time, our problems are kept privately at home, but now since airing it out in front of other couples, in front of [Dr. Ish Major], in front of [Judge Lynn Toler] — I got to see him open up,” she says. “So for us to be open…in front of other couples, it was a different light that I saw him in. And… it was kind of good to see him in that light, because I’m always seeing him… privately.”

Meanwhile, for N.O.R.E., the real sell of the show came after he spoke with fellow rapper and The Lox member Styles P, who was featured on a previous season with his wife, Adjua.

“My friend Styles P… [was] telling me that it actually improved his marriage,” N.O.R.E. shares. “It was something I was interested in, besides being a fan of the show…and the therapy and all of that… So I figured, why not learn something? Why not have some fun and do a little business in the process? So it was a win-win.”

WE tv’s Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET. 
 

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Coldplay announces interactive ’Music of the Spheres’ events

Coldplay announces interactive ’Music of the Spheres’ events
Coldplay announces interactive ’Music of the Spheres’ events
Credit James Marcus Haney

Coldplay has announced a series of interactive, in-person events to celebrate the release of the band’s upcoming new album, Music of the Spheres.

Presented by Amazon Music, the exhibits are described as a “five-minute immersive experience, transporting you into the Music of the Spheres universe.” They’ll be held on October 15 and 16 in New York City, London, Tokyo and Berlin.

To reserve your slot, visit ColdplaySpheres.com.

Music of the Spheres, the ninth Coldplay album, is due out October 15. It includes the lead single “Higher Power,” the number-one smash hit BTS collaboration “My Universe,” and a forthcoming song with Selena Gomez called “Let Somebody Go.”

Coldplay will keep the Music of the Spheres party going with a week-long residency on CBS’ The Late Late Show, starting October 18.

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