Music

Last month, around the time of the Friends reunion special, Courteney Cox posted an amazing video on Instagram in which she, Elton John, Ed Sheeran and singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile all sang Elton’s hit “Tiny Dancer,” but changed to lyrics to “Hold me close/young Tony Danza” — in reference to what Lisa Kudrow‘s Friends character Phoebe thought Elton was singing.  Now, Cox has revealed how she got the all-star group together.

As many fans know, Ed and Cox are longtime pals, and Ed even introduced the actress to her boyfriend, Johnny McDaid.  Cox tells Entertainment Weekly that both Ed and Brandi were staying over her house for Brandi’s birthday when Ed asked her, “Do you mind if I have Elton John over for dinner?'”

Once Elton confirmed he was coming, Cox says, it was Ed’s idea to film the number. “He said, ‘Maybe it’d be really funny if we do a thing, the Lisa Kudrow ‘hold me closer,'” Cox recalls.

So Cox, who plays piano, asked a friend to teach her how to play “Tiny Dancer” 20 minutes before Elton was set to arrive. She says, “After dinner, Elton was like, ‘Of course I’ll do it,’ and then I was playing with Ed, Brandi, and Elton. And Elton had his arm around me, and I was like, ‘I love this moment, but I’m panicking.'”

She got through it, but once they sang the chorus, Cox says Elton asked her, “What are you doing? Why are you stopping?”

“And I’m like, ‘Dude, I only know that part of the song!'” she laughs. “It was amazing.”

What’s more, Cox says after filming the clip, Elton entertained them by playing two deep cuts from his 1970 self-titled album: “The Greatest Discovery” and “I Need You to Turn To.”

 

 

 

 

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The Dr. John Estate has issued a statement declaring that the upcoming Dan Auerbach-directed documentary about the late musician is unauthorized.

“The Official Estate of Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., p/k/a Dr. John, clarifies that the Estate has not authorized the recently announced documentary on the life of Dr. John purportedly to be produced by Impact Artist Productions (and Management) and Radical Media,” a statement posted to the Estate’s website reads. “For clarity, Impact Artist Productions (and Management) does not manage or speak for the Estate, which has its own team with, as Mac would say, a gang and a half of legalizers.”

“The Estate thanks Mac’s fans for their support and assures that the Estate will ‘Walk on Guilded Splinters’ to deliver new music and an officially authorized documentary, to be announced In the Right Place at the right time,” the statement continues, referencing several of the New Orleans icon and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s songs.

Auerbach’s film, which will mark the Black Keys frontman’s directorial debut, was announced last week. In a statement, Auerbach said he was “thrilled” to tell Dr. John’s story with the currently untitled film.

“From his mysterious voodoo stage persona Dr. John, to his real, humble self Mac Rebennack — the street poet, the family man, the junkie, the Grammy award winner and all that’s in between, this documentary will introduce the world to him in a way they haven’t seen him before,” Auerbach said.

Dr. John died in 2019 at age 77. His penultimate studio album, 2012’s Locked Down, was produced by Auerbach.

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Lorde burst into the music scene with her mega-hit “Royals” when she was only 16.   Now, at 24, the New Zealand singer admits the new crop of teenage artists stepping into the limelight made her feel insecure.

In a new letter to fans, Lorde revealed what inspired her new single, “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” from her upcoming album Solar Power, due out August 20.

“I started writing this in the first six months after stopping touring for [Melodrama],” referring to her 2017 sophomore album. “I was so tired by the end, I’d been so busy for so long.”

Lorde recalled wanting to take a break after touring nonstop for two years, explaining how blissful it felt to “run a bath at 10am and eat a slice of cake in it.”  However, the Grammy winner admits the vacation didn’t last long.

“But eventually, of course, the insecurity that this was my life now, that I wasn’t a titan of industry, but someone who just… cooked and walked the dog and gardened crept in,” Lorde confessed.

She continued, “I was starting to fall out of step with the times culturally, I didn’t have my finger firmly on the pulse for the first time in my life, and I could feel the next round of precocious teenagers starting to come up, and I felt insecure that they were gonna eat my lunch, so to speak. Was I over the hill?!!”

“I know now that as hard as I try to run towards or away one of the sides of my life, they’re both very much who I am,” she said. “And writing this song was a real step toward embracing that.”

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Did Selena Gomez shade ex Justin Bieber in her latest TikTok video?  That’s what fans believe after the “Lose You to Love Me” singer shared a video of her discussing red flags in a relationship.

Selena, who turns 29 today, shared a video of herself wearing an oversized cranberry-colored sweater while drinking Coca Cola out of a straw. However, it’s the words she mouths along to that has fans buzzing: She lip-syncs to TikToker Owen Unruh‘s judgemental message, “So, you’re telling me that you can read his astrological birth chart, but you can’t read the red flags?”

Selena pauses to take a knowing sip of her drink before mouthing, “Sis.”

The video has gone viral, amassing over three million likes since it was uploaded.

While Selena mogul hasn’t mentioned who, if anyone, the video may be directed at, some fans believe it’s a jab at former boyfriend Bieber, with commenters joking about Justin’s astrological sign — which is Pisces.

However, other fans note that Selena may just be having some fun on TikTok while sharing some solid dating advice with her 31 million followers.

@selenagomez

Sis

♬ original sound – Owen Unruh

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PnB Rock, Swae Lee, and Pink $weats are ready to hit the stage tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The three artists will perform their banging new collaboration, “Forever Never,” from PnB’s upcoming album, To Be Honest. 

“Forever Never” follows the release of PnB’s April single, “Need Somebody.” Since landing his first solo on the Billboard Hot 100 with 2017’s “Selfish,” the melodic rapper placed several collaborations on the chart, including YFN Lucci‘s “Everyday We Lit,” Meek Mill‘s “Dangerous” with Jeremih, and Layton Greene‘s “Leave Em Alone” with Lil Baby and City Girls. 

PnB Rock and Pink Sweat$ are both natives of Philadelphia, yet Pink Sweat$ is known for his pristine falsetto. The R&B singer is still riding the wave of his debut project, PINK PLANET, which featured the fan-favorite “At My Worst” remix with Kehlani. 

Meanwhile, Rae Sremmurd‘s Swae Lee is gearing up to present his highly-anticipated solo album, HUMAN NATURE. The Mississippi-bred rapper has released a slew of singles in the last year, including “Someone Said,” “Reality Check,” and “Dance Like No One’s Watching.”

Catch PnB Rock, Swae Lee, and Pink $weats’ appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday at 11:35 p.m EST on ABC, with guest host Anthony Anderson. 

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This Saturday, Jimmy Eat World‘s 2001 album Bleed American celebrates its 20th anniversary. The record spawned what would become the Arizona band’s signature song: “The Middle,” now a staple of the early 2000s pop-punk scene, and a favorite of the one-and-only Taylor Swift.

Reflecting on two decades of “The Middle,” frontman Jim Adkins tells ABC Audio that the song’s continued success and relevance feels “pretty nuts.”

“The fact that so long after that initially was released that people are still finding and connecting with it, I mean, it’s the biggest compliment ever, for a musician,” Adkins says. “It’s the highest compliment you can have. I just hope I’m doing right by appreciating it.”

The success of “The Middle” was especially surprising to Jimmy Eat World at that time, especially since it was such a no-hassle song to record.

“That song happened really quickly, without a lot of artistic suffering,” Adkins laughs. “It just seemed, like, ‘OK, yeah, what do we do here? Oh, we do this. Cool, that works. Great! Song’s done!’ Like, ‘It doesn’t need anymore. This is exactly what it should do. Here it is.'”

Twenty years later, Adkins says he’s still “always excited” to play “The Middle” in concert. In fact, the idea of getting sick of “The Middle” has never even crossed his mind.

“Let me break this down for you: Am I bummed out that something I wrote is connecting with thousands of people who are freaking out ’cause we’re playing it?” Adkins says.

“Tell me to stop if that ever happens,” he adds. “What are you doing with your life that you’re bummed out that so many people are freaking out over something you did? I don’t know. I love playing it.”

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The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson has unveiled dates for a 2021 U.S. solo tour that kicks off August 29 in Long Beach, California, and is followed by a run of October concerts in the Northeast and Midwest.

The fall dates start with an October 5 show in Huntington, New York, and are mapped out through an October 23 performance in Waukegan, Illinois. The tour has been dubbed “Greatest Hits Live!” and, as in recent years, Brian and his band will be joined by two fellow Beach Boys alums: Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin.

Pre-sale tickets for most shows are available now; visit BrianWilson.com for more details and the full list of dates.

In other news, Wilson recently relaunched his official website, which features a new Timeline that looks at different eras of his life and career. The various sections feature historical recaps, photos, images of memorabilia, audio commentary and rare recordings, including previously unheard demos, outtakes and live performances.

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