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Adam McKay is best known for comedies like the Anchorman movies, Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, but the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind the acclaimed financial drama The Big Short has taken a turn into the podcast medium with one called Death on the Lot.
The series, which launched its first free episode June 1, takes a look back at Hollywood’s history, and looks into the untimely deaths of superstars like George Reeves and James Dean.
The ‘cast features celebrity guests including actor-turned-Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, James Cromwell and Chuck D, and tracks Tinseltown through its formative postwar years, through the Red Scare of the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the crack epidemic of the 1980s.
Its producers tease, “The rules of the road for the next seventy years were being written in real-time, and not everyone would make it out alive. This is the story of how Hollywood sold us on a new American Dream, and left a few unlucky stars holding the bag.”
Brian May is revisiting his 1983 all-star collaboration, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Project, which featured Eddie Van Halen, Alan Gratzer, Phil Chen and Fred Mandel.
Recorded during a break from Queen, the mini album featured just three tracks: May’s reimagining of “Star Fleet,” a tune from a Japanese kid’s science fiction series; the tune “Let Me Out,” featuring guitar solos from May and Van Halen; and “Blues Breaker,” featuring 13 minutes of May and Van Halen trading guitar licks.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the project, a new deluxe box set will be released on July 14, featuring 23 tracks of previously unreleased material, including multiple takes of “Star Fleet” and “Let Me Out.” There are also newly remixed versions of all the songs, with “Star Fleet” out now. The set is made up of two CDs, one vinyl LP and a vinyl single, along with a badge and a booklet with extensive liner notes.
There will also be a separate 7-inch, double A-side single, which will also be released on CD, with the newly mixed versions of the two songs, as well as a red vinyl version exclusive to the Queen online store.
“We are going to give you everything … every take of every song, the things that went wrong, the laughing, the finding new things to do,” May shares on the set’s sleeve notes. “But it won’t be just a remaster – we’ve rescued everything from the original multitracks, every detail magnificently remixed, and more! You’ll hear every take from the historic 1983 sessions plus fragments of conversations, outtakes and musical experimentation.”
Lil Uzi Vert‘s Paramore fandom was on full display during the group’s tour stop at Madison Square Garden Wednesday. Amid a segment in which they typically bring a superfan onstage, they welcomed the rapper to join them in singing their 2007 hit “Misery Business.”
“We’ve been talking for a minute but this is the first time we’ve met in person. I love you,” Paramore’s Hayley Williams told Uzi. “You’ve said so many nice things about me. You’re so sweet to me, and to Paramore.” Hayley had previously revealed she turned down an opportunity to collaborate with the Philly native.
Uzi’s performance with Paramore follows their cover interview with fashion magazine 032c, which sees them discussing their pronouns and their time at rehab.
“I did take my time to learn as much as I could about [gender noncomformity] before I was able to proceed,” Uzi said of their decision to update their pronouns. “Taking the time to figure out who you are is a big part of what it means to be alive.”
“Once you figure out whether you’re here with it, there with it, or both, you’re not alone anymore,” they continued. “This community offers access to a certain kind of support that you might not have had your entire life because you weren’t raised that way.”
When discussing rehab, Uzi said they were initially against it, but after a seven-month stint, realized that “it’s pretty effective.” They credited Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez with helping them get into the program.
Uzi’s 032c cover sees them with an upside-down cross on their forehead and blood coming out of their nostrils. It’s already resulted in more Satanic allegations. Uzi had previously been accused of worshipping Satan after referencing the devil during his performance at Rolling Loud California.
Billy Joel‘s historic monthly residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden will come to an end next year.
It was announced Thursday that Billy’s Garden show in July 2024, the 150th MSG show of his career, will be his final residency performance. Joel’s September show at MSG will be his 140th lifetime performance at the Garden; the first of the final 10 concerts is October 20, 2023.
Since he started the residency 10 years ago, Billy has sold more than 1.6 million tickets.
Billy told reporters on Thursday, “It is an honor to be here. I’m kinda flabbergasted that it did last as long as it did.” He joked that his team told him he could keep on going if he wanted, but he said with 150 shows, “It’s ‘Alright, already!'” He also addressed the fact that he’s selling his home in Long Island, but noted, “I’m not leaving New York: I’m just spending a little more time in Florida like old Jewish guys from New York do.”
Variety reports that Citicard members can access tickets for the October 20 show in a presale June 5 at 10 a.m. ET. Verizon’s presale starts June 6 at 10 a.m. ET. The general on-sale begins June 9 at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster. Tickets will also be available at the Madison Square Garden box office on Saturday, June 10.
Billy hit 100 performances at the Garden in 2018; Bruce Springsteen joined him onstage for that show and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared it to be Billy Joel Day in New York State.
(DAVENPORT, Iowa) — The city government of Davenport, Iowa, has released dozens of documents in connection with an apartment building that partially collapsed as three residents remain missing and the community demands answers.
The documents were published Wednesday evening on the city’s website. Three of the files were reports by a structural engineer who inspected The Davenport at 324 North Main St. earlier this year. The city had ordered the building’s owner to hire an engineer following various complaints from residents.
During an emergency site visit on Feb. 2, David Valliere from Select Structural Engineering reported seeing “a localized area of brick [that] is cracked and crumbling” on the west exterior wall of the six-story property, which housed commercial space at the street level and residential units in the floors above.
“This engineer determined that this is not an imminent threat to the building or its residents, but structural repairs will be necessary,” Valliere wrote in a letter dated Feb. 8.
During a follow-up site visit on Feb. 23, Valliere reported that the recommended repairs were being performed by a mason and appeared “to be going to plan,” but “the mason pointed out that the area immediately to the north of the work area has a large and potentially dangerous void beneath the façade wythe of clay brick.”
“This void appears to have been caused by the collapse of some mass of clay brick between the façade and CMU,” Valliere wrote in a letter dated Feb. 28. “This collapsed mass is now settled and piling up against the inside face of the façade, pushing it outward. This will soon cause a large panel of façade to also collapse, creating a safety problem and potentially destabilizing the upper areas of brick façade. This condition was not visible in the early inspection(s) and did not become apparent until repairs were under way and an opening was made by a smaller area of failing façade.”
The engineer made another follow-up site visit on May 23, five days before the building partially collapsed. During that visit, Valliere reported seeing “several large patches of clay brick façade” that were “separating from the substrate” on the west exterior wall of the building.
“These large patches appear ready to fall imminently, which may create a safety hazard to cars or passersby,” Valliere wrote in a letter dated May 24. “The owner has already blocked off the area with cones and has begun removing drywall from the inside of the wall to get a view of what might be happening.”
“Inside the first floor, the drywall is being stripped away. This reveals that the window openings were never filled with brick or block. Rather, the clay brick façade was just run right over the openings, unsupported,” the engineer added. “This lack of bracing helps explain why the façade is currently about to topple outward. The brick façade is unlikely to be preserved in place, but it can be brought down in a safe, controlled manner.”
When ABC News called Select Structural Engineering for comment on Wednesday, the person who answered the office telephone said, “We are aware of the incident and do not have any more comments at this time as we are still trying to determine the details of the situation.”
Davenport Development and Neighborhood Services Director Rich Oswald said at a news conference Thursday that an inspector mistakenly issued a permit to start repair work at the building as “pass” last week, when it should have been marked as “incomplete.” Then a system error changed it to be viewed as “fail” on the public-facing system, he said.
“We had an inspector go down on [May] 25, they made a field inspection,” he said. “That inspector left for the weekend. And when they returned on May 30, they went into the system to update their notes from that inspection, and noticed that they had in error they had marked it ‘pass’ when they created the permit.”
“Our IT department has worked to resolve that glitch,” Oswald said, adding that the employee involved resigned on Wednesday.
A section of the building collapsed on Sunday afternoon. More than a dozen people evacuated at the time and eight others were rescued in the 24 hours that followed. Several pets were also rescued.
On Monday, officials said there was no credible information that anyone was missing and the city would move forward with plans to begin demolishing the remaining structure the next day. But that night, rescuers found a ninth person alive inside and pulled her out of a fourth-story window. It was unclear how the woman was not found earlier by crews using thermal imaging, drones and service dogs. The development prompted protests from members of the community calling for the demolition to be delayed.
On Tuesday, the city’s demolition plans were put on hold as officials announced that five residents were still unaccounted for, including two men — Branden Colvin and Ryan Hitchcock — who may be inside. Crews rescued several more animals from inside the structure that afternoon but no human activity was detected, according to officials.
Then, on Thursday, officials announced that only three people remain missing — Colvin, Hitchcock and a third resident who lived in the impacted area of the building and with whom authorities have not been able to make contact.
Police on Thursday called it a “recovery situation” for Colvin and Hitchcock, noting that they’re likely inside the apartment building in an area that’s “not sustainable for life.”
Officials have warned that the structure is unstable and continues to degrade. Crews are working with structural engineers on how to best search the building while avoiding the pile of debris, which is currently contributing to the stability and its “removal could jeopardize or accelerate the inevitable collapse of the building,” according to the city government.
The city has fined the building’s owner, Andrew Wold, $300 for failing to maintain a safe and sanitary building, plus $95 for court costs. Wold is expected to appear in court on June 9.
When asked for comment, Wold and the property management team told ABC News in a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants and families during this difficult time. We would like to thank the brave men and women of Davenport fire, Davenport police department, and all other first responders for their tireless efforts to ensure everyone’s safety. We have been working closely with the American Red Cross and other agencies to assist the displaced tenants.”
They are also working to refund all deposits to tenants as quickly as possible, a property manager told ABC News.
ABC News’ Laryssa Demkiw, Alexandra Faul, Jessica Gorman, Ahmad Hemingway and Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.
Robert De Niro made headlines in May when it was revealed the 79-year-old actorhad become a dad for a seventh time — only for fans to find out weeks later that his fellow Godfather saga star, Al Pacino, is expecting at 83.
“What a guy,” De Niro told People on Wednesday while promoting his upcoming Tribeca Festival. “Go Al, God bless him,” he added.
As confirmed by ABC Audio, Pacino is expecting his fourth child, his first with his 29-year-old girlfriend, Noor Alfallah.
Incidentally, ABC Audio was slated to speak with De Niro Wednesday, as well, only for the icon to pull out at the last minute — with a staffer explaining he had to feed Gia, his new baby with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
The album features Cher’s well-known version of Marc Cohn‘s “Walking In Memphis,” as well as the hit single “One By One.” It also includes Cher’s versions of songs previously recorded by Tina Turner, Don Henley and The Walker Brothers.
The box set includes a remastered version of the original U.K. album, which was different than the U.S. version, on two red and blue vinyl LPs, plus another two LPs on green and yellow vinyl that contain 11 rare remixes, and an exclusive, numbered lithograph of a photo of Cher. A two-CD version of the reissue is also available and comes with its own lithograph.
A previously unreleased and remastered director’s cut of the “Walking In Memphis” video — featuring Cher dressed as Elvis Presley — is also out now.
It sounds like Judas Priest has a reason to get excited. In an interview with My Planet Rocks with Ian Danter, guitarist Richie Faulkner revealed that the band has finished recording what will be their 19th studio album.
“I think, if I’m not mistaken, I think we’ve finished tracking,” Faulkner said. “We’ve got to mix it, we’ve got to master it and then we’ve got to manufacture the thing. It’s actually got to physically be made.” He adds, “The vocals were the last thing we needed to do and I think Rob’s (Halford) done them.”
And if that didn’t already get fans pumped, Faulkner shares, “It’s sounding fantastic. It’s sounding great.”
He admits, “Obviously I’m gonna say that, but if it didn’t sound great, we wouldn’t be bothering. You’ve gotta do something that we think is better than the last one, so to speak. And if it wasn’t, Priest don’t need to do that.”
Judas Priest released their last album, Firepower, in March 2018. Four years later, in 2022, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
So far a title and release date for the album have not been announced.
Paramore headlined New York’s Madison Square Garden for the second time Wednesday, and the show featured a surprise appearance by Lil Uzi Vert.
The rapper joined Hayley Williams and company onstage to sing the bridge to the band’s hit “Misery Business” aka the “I watched his wildest dreams come true” part. Fan-shot footage of the collaboration was posted to YouTube by the channel JAKE ELLENBOGEN.
As longtime Paramore fans will tell you, Williams often invites a fan from the crowd to sing the “Misery Business” bridge. While he may be a lot more famous than the average Paramore concertgoer, Lil Uzi Vert is definitely a certified member of the ParaFamily. In fact, Uzi reached out to Williams to collaborate.
As Williams told Apple Music, “I literally wrote him back on Instagram and I was, like, ‘Buddy, I love you so much, but I don’t want to be that famous.'”
Paramore’s tour continues Friday in Washington, D.C. They’ve been supporting their new album, This Is Why, which dropped in February.
Guitarist Ronnie Wood was born in Hillingdon, England.
The rocker is known for his work in several bands, including the Birds, Jeff Beck Group and Faces, before joining The Rolling Stones in 1975 after the departure of Mick Taylor. He became an official member of the group in 1976.
In addition to his work with the Stones, Wood has released several solo records, his most recent being the 2010 release I Feel Like Playing.
Wood was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 as a member of the Stones and again in 2012 as a member of Faces.
In addition to music, Wood is an artist, and his paintings, drawings and prints have been shown in galleries.
