Back in March, Maroon 5‘s Adam Levine said the band was working on a “special” song that he called “one of the best things we will have put out in a long time.” Well, we’ll finally get to hear it next week.
The song, called “Middle Ground,” arrives on May 19. On May 23, Maroon 5 will be back at Adam’s old stomping grounds, The Voice, to perform it on the show’s season finale. That day will also see the premiere of the song’s music video, directed by David Dobkin. Wedding Crashers director Dobkin was also behind the camera for Maroon 5’s videos for “Sugar,” “Memories” and “Girls Like You.”
The song is described as “an anthem unlike anything else in their catalog,” which carries a message of “fragility and humanity on both a personal and universal scale.” It also, according to a press release, “harks back to the … spirit of” Songs About Jane, the group’s 2002 debut.
Maroon 5 will resume their M5LV Las Vegas residency show at Dolby Live at Park MGM in July.
Lionel Richie is going on vacation in November — and he wants you to join him.
The American Idol judge has announced a destination festival event dubbed Dancing on the Sand, which will take place at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas from November 30 to December 3. Joining him will be Sheryl Crow, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Vanessa Carlton and country star Megan Moroney.
A fan club presale for the event starts May 16; another presale starts May 18 at 10 a.m. ET at dancingonthesand.com. The general onsale date is May 19.
In addition to concerts by all the artists involved, fans will get to attend a hosted conversation with Lionel and exclusive pool parties, one of which is an ’80s-inspired bash. There are also VIP packages, one of which includes a meet-and-greet photo op with Lionel and Sheryl.
In a statement, Lionel says, “I’m beyond excited to spend the weekend with my fans beachside in the Bahamas later this year … so this party will be going All Night Long!”
This is the third live event that Lionel has announced for 2023. Starting August 4, he’ll hit the road with Earth, Wind & Fire for the Sing A Song All Night Long tour. From October 11-21, he’ll be performing his all-new headlining show Lionel Richie: King of Hearts at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.
In a bit of a surprise for the normally private Oscar winner, Robert De Nirohas shared the first photo of his new baby girl with CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King.
Little Gia Virginia Chen De Niro was born 8 pounds, 6 ounces, according to King. Gia is De Niro’s seventh child and first with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
Gayle explained the exclusive photo was something of a make-good with King, who — like many other journalists — interviewed De Niro about his new comedy About My Father over the weekend without his mentioning his baby news.
She explained she spoke with him after the interview, asking why he didn’t break the news with her. He reportedly said he “thought about it” but “didn’t want to take away from the movie,” in which he plays the father of comic Sebastian Maniscalco‘s hotelier character.
Instead, the 79-year-old new dad let the news slip that he “just had a baby” to a surprised ET Canada reporter; King said De Niro explained he did so at that moment because he “didn’t want to deny” the baby when the other journo mentioned he’s a “father of six.”
Beyoncé released her latest album, Renaissance, about a year ago, but visuals for her singles never followed. After months of fans questioning when Bey would finally drop a music video, the singer addressed the Beyhive in one of the best ways she knows how: her music.
During a performance of “Formation” on the first night of her Renaissance World Tour, a voice-over was heard saying words that were also displayed on huge screens. “I know you hear me. You’ve asked for the visuals,” the voice says. “You’ve called for the queen, but a queen moves at her own pace, b**** … A queen decides when she wants to give you a f****** taste.”
Bey’s Renaissance World Tour kicked off Wednesday with a performance at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Footage of the show captures the star as she did the viral dance that accompanies Lil Uzi Vert‘s hit “Just Wanna Rock,” which was mashed up with her song “Diva.”
She also mixed Britney Spears’ “Toxic” into the Renaissance cut “Thique” and reportedly performed all other songs from the album. Collabs with her husband, including “Lift Off” and “Family Feud,” also made the cut.
Bey’s tour, her first solo outing since 2016’s Formation World Tour, will continue its European leg through June, before making its way through North America from July to September.
Last summer Joni Mitchell surprised the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival with her first live performance in 20 years — and now fans who didn’t catch the show will finally hear what went down.
The new live album At Newport, produced by Brandi Carlile, the artist responsible for getting Mitchell back on the stage, is being released July 28. It features songs from the onstage “Joni Jam,” with guest appearances by Carlile and her bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Wynonna Judd, Marcus Mumford, Celisse, Lucius’ Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith and more.
The album, with liner notes by Oscar-winning director Cameron Crowe, features performances of such Joni classics as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “A Case of You,” “Both Sides Now” and more.
At Newport will be released in a variety of formats, including digitally, on CD and two-LP black vinyl, and in Dolby Atmos. There will also be a two-LP clear vinyl set sold at independent record stores and Barnes & Noble.
And Mitchell’s return to performing isn’t over. She’s set to headline a “Joni Jam” on June 10 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington, with Carlile as special guest. The show is the legendary singer’s first ticketed performance in 20 years, and it sold out almost immediately.
Introduction by Brandi Carlile
“Big Yellow Taxi”
“A Case Of You”
“Amelia”
“Both Sides Now”
“Just Like This Train”
“Summertime”
“Carey”
“Help Me” – Celisse
“Come In From The Cold”
“Shine”
“The Circle Game”
Lohan and Curtis in 2003 — Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
Twenty years after Freaky Friday was released, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis say they would be “open to” a sequel.
“Jamie and I are both open to that, so we’re leaving it in the hands that be,” Lohan told The New York Times in a joint interview with Curtis. “We would only make something that people would absolutely adore.”
Lohan was just 16 when she starred in the popular Disney film, which was a remake of Mark Waters‘ 1976 comedy.
Lohan played Anna Coleman, who swaps bodies with her mom, Tess (Curtis), after receiving cryptic fortunes at a Chinese restaurant.
“Our relationship was very easy,” newly minted Oscar winner Curtis said about working with Lohan.
Lohan remembers Curtis taking her under her wing and having Curtis talk her through her first on-camera kiss.
“She talked to me in my trailer and made it funny so that I wouldn’t stress about it,” Lohan said.
Lohan added that she and Curtis would collaborate together and feed off each other when it came to how lines should be delivered.
“One big thing was slowing down my speech,” Lohan said. “I would tell Jamie, ‘Remind me if I’m going too fast.’ And she would say, ‘Should I do this more slang?’ We were feeling it on a daily basis.”
Reigning ACM Group of the Year Old Dominion is nominated for their winning category once again. This marks the eighth year they’ve received a Group of the Year nod and the potential sixth time they’ll win it.
How certain are they of walking home with that title for the sixth consecutive year? Well, lead vocalist Matthew Ramsey and guitarist Trevor Rosen are divided on that.
“It’s ridiculous that we’ve won five times. It’s quite a run,” Matthew tells ABC Audio. “So, the longer this goes on and the longer we’re nominated, it just feels like more and more that it’s anyone’s award at this point.”
“I think we did have that moment where, you know, around the third time where we were probably the most confident,” he recalls. “I remember Trevor was like, ‘I personally guarantee that we’re going to win.’ I don’t think he’s willing to say that yet, right?”
“Oh, no, I guarantee it,” Trevor responds. “Yeah, I guarantee it.”
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, streams live on Prime Video Thursday, May 11, at 7 p.m. ET.
Pete Townshend‘s solo catalog is the latest to get the reissue treatment on half speed mastered vinyl.
The first two releases in the series areRough Mix, Pete’s 1977 collaboration with late Small Faces bass player Ronnie Lane, and his 1980 solo album Empty Glass. Both will be available June 23 but can be preordered now.
Both albums have been mastered on limited edition black vinyl by noted producer and engineer Jon Astley, who’s also Pete’s former brother-in-law. The half speed mastering technique produces superior quality vinyl LPs. The albums have also been repackaged in their original sleeves; Empty Glass also comes with a 12-by-24-inch poster.
Rough Mix, whose best known track is “My Baby Gives It Away,” was recorded during The Who‘s hiatus after their 1976 tour. It features contributions from The Who’s John Entwistle, as well as Eric Clapton, who co-wrote the track “Annie,” and The Rolling Stones‘ Charlie Watts.
In addition to compositions by Townshend and Lane, the album features a cover of country star Don Williams‘ 1976 #1 hit “Til All the Rivers Run Dry.”
Empty Glass features one of Townshend’s biggest solo hits, “Let My Love Open the Door,” as well as the classic rock staple “Rough Boys.” Its songs were inspired by what Townshend was going through at the time, including substance abuse, problems in his marriage and his sadness over the 1978 death of Who drummer Keith Moon.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — An Army sergeant convicted of murder in the fatal 2020 shooting of an armed Black Lives Matter protester during a demonstration in Austin, Texas, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday, even as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott seeks to grant him a pardon.
Attorneys for 35-year-old Daniel Perry asked a judge to consider giving their client a 10-year sentence for the murder of Garrett Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran, citing Perry’s lack of criminal history and presenting evidence that he has post-traumatic stress disorder from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
But Travis County, Texas, Criminal Courts Judge Clifford Brown rejected the plea for leniency and sentenced Perry to 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors have asked Brown to consider a sentence of at least 25 years.
“This man is a loaded gun, ready to go off at any perceived threat. He’s going to do it again,” Travis County Assistant District Attorney Guillermo Gonzalez told Brown during Tuesday’s hearing.
Brown announced his sentencing after Foster’s mother and sister testified Wednesday morning.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit here facing the evil that killed my son, sitting here thinking how surreal it is that this is happening, finally. After three long years, we’re finally getting justice for Garrett,” Sheila Foster testified.
Anna Mayo, Garrett Foster’s sister, testified that her brother was an U.S. Air Force veteran who comes from a family of military combat veterans, including her father.
“When I look at you, I see a very small man who used his military status as a means to kill,” Mayo testified, speaking directly to Perry, who sat at the defense table wearing black and gray striped jail clothes and with his head bowed down. “I do not see any honorable traits and I see no remorse for what you’ve done. You can’t even look at my family.”
Perry, who was an active-duty U.S. Army sergeant based in Texas at Fort Hood, was working as a driver for a ridesharing company when he drove onto a street crowded with protesters on July 25, 2020, in downtown Austin.
Foster, 28, who was white, was pushing his fiancee Whitney Mitchell’s wheelchair during the Austin protest over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis when authorities said protesters surrounded Perry’s ridesharing car. Foster, who was legally wielding an AK-47 rifle in accordance with Texas’ open carry law, was fatally shot when he approached Perry’s vehicle, according to prosecutors.
During the trial, defense attorneys argued that Perry fired at Foster in self-defense, alleging the protester pointed the rifle in his direction. But prosecutors argued that Perry could have avoided the fatal confrontation by simply driving away and witnesses testified at the trial that Foster never raised his rifle at Perry.
After a jury convicted Perry of murder on April 7, Abbott said he was “working as swiftly as Texas law allows” to pardon Perry.
Abbott criticized both the jury’s decision to convict Perry and Travis County District Attorney José Garza for pursuing the case.
“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” Abbott said in a statement.
During Tuesday’s hearing, prosecutors called Mitchell, who lost both her legs to sepsis, to the witness stand and she gave emotional testimony of how difficult her life his become since losing Foster, her primary caregiver.
“It’s hard to sleep in my bed because he’s not there. To have to learn how to do all of that stuff that Garrett was doing for me for a decade, and it’s hard because I have to get comfortable being vulnerable,” Mitchell testified, according to ABC Austin affiliate station KVUE.
Defense attorneys called forensic psychologist Greg Hupp to testify. Hupp said he believes Perry suffers from PTSD and has personality characteristics consistent with an autism spectrum disorder.
Following the trial, Judge Brown unsealed court records revealing racist messages and anti-protest sentiments Perry posted on social media prior to the shooting. In one of the social media posts, Perry wrote, “Black Lives Matter is racist to white people … It is official I am racist because I do not agree with people acting like monkeys.”
During the two-week trial, the jury did not see or hear Perry’s social media posts.
Two soldiers, Ronald Wilson and Traveon Napper, who served in the Army with Perry were called to the witness stand Tuesday and both testified that Perry, in their opinion, is not a racist. Wilson testified that sharing such social media posts was a way to cope with the daily stress of serving in the military.
Perry’s mother, Rachel Perry, also took the witness stand, testifying her son has shown remorse for the fatal shooting.
“He cried a lot when this happened,” Rachel Perry testified. “His intention was just to protect himself, not to go out and shoot anybody.”
Following Perry’s conviction, his attorneys requested a new trial, citing juror misconduct. The defense attorneys alleged jurors brought outside information into the jury deliberation room concerning self-defense law during their deliberations.
Judge Brown rejected the motion for a new trial.
Perry’s attorneys said in a statement that they will appeal the verdict and “are now in a position to fully cooperate in the Texas pardon process.”
“In short, in the event Sgt. Perry might ultimately receive a pardon, it would simply reflect the strong self-defense laws that exist in Texas and the political efforts of a rogue district attorney to curtail the rights of Texas citizens in an effort to appease the district attorney’s own political supporters,” the defense attorneys said.
ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.
Reggae legend Bob Marley died from cancer at a hospital in Miami, Florida, at the age of 36.
In July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma under a toenail. By the fall of 1980, the cancer had spread to his brain, lungs and liver, and he played his final concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 23, 1980.
After the cancer spread throughout his body, he went to Germany to undergo an alternative cancer treatment, but during his flight home his health got worse and he was taken to the hospital in Miami, where he passed away.
He was laid to rest with a state funeral in Jamaica on May 21, 1981.
Marley is best known for his 1984 album Legend, which is the bestselling reggae album of all time. It features a live version of the Marley classic “No Woman No Cry,” along with other classics like “I Shot the Sheriff,” “One Love,” “Is This Love,” “Get Up Stand Up” and more.
Marley was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
