grandson has premiered the video for his latest single, “Drones.”
In the clip, streaming now on YouTube, the “Blood//Water” artist sets up an old school phone booth in downtown Los Angeles that plays the song.
“We asked fans, friends and total strangers to pull up and blind react to my new song and album direction,” grandson says. “The emotions you see are genuine and reflect the time we are going through. We all need an outlet.”
“Drones” appears on grandson’s upcoming album I Love You, I’m Trying, along with song “Eulogy.” The sophomore follow-up to 2020’s Death of an Optimist arrives May 5.
RATT’s classic albums are being celebrated with a brand new box set. Ratt: The Atlantic Years’ Limited Edition Box Set, dropping June 9, will feature five studio albums, all remastered on 180g black vinyl.
Albums in the set include 1984’s Out of the Cellar, which features their classic song “Round and Round,” 1985’s Invasion of Your Privacy, 1986’s Dancing Undercover, 1988’s Reach for the Sky and 1990’s Detonator. They all feature the classic RATT lineup of Stephen Pearcy,Warren DeMartini, Robbin Crosby, Juan Croucier and Bobby Blotzer.
In addition to the remastered albums, the box set will feature a seven-inch single of “Nobody Rides for Free, which was released in 1991 and featured in the Patrick Swayze/Keanu Reeves flick Point Break. The set also includes a 12-page replica tour book, with never-before-seen photos, a poster, bumper sticker, replica backstage pass and a guitar pick.
When Ben Affleck approached the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, about the movie Air, the GOAT had one major note: Another GOAT had to play his mother Deloris — EGOT winner Viola Davis.
Jordan explained to Ben that it was his mother who was the backbone of the story, which showed how his iconic Air Jordans came to be — and it was Deloris who insisted he get paid, to this very day, for using his name and likeness on the iconic kicks.
While snagging the actress was for co-writer/producers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to work out, Viola explains she had to get her head around MJ’s personal recommendation.
“Listen, I wish it were my style to, like, get into ‘best, great.’ It doesn’t help me at all, you know?” she admits. “But it is flattering because I do go in with a sense of, ‘Do I belong?’ Impostor syndrome. So it’s nice to feel wanted. But then the next thought is now I got to step into the role.”
Davis adds of the character, “If you watch videos on Doloris Jordan, she is a study in Zen neutrality. The woman is very, very steady and quiet…”
She continues, “So to really just sort of envelop that spirit and everything was a challenge for me because I’m I’m the woman who always has a chip on her shoulder. I go in bombastic, you know?”
She adds, “It was both flattering, challenging and then just a joy to work with Matt and Ben and all these terrific actors. Me and Julius [Air co-star and husband Julius Tennon] still talk about it to this day. One of the greatest experiences.”
Air, which also stars Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, and Jason Bateman, is now in theaters.
Searching high and low for the perfect dessert for Easter? Fret not, Miranda Lambert’s got you covered with a delicious, “showstopper” recipe.
“One recipe in my ‘Y’all Eat Yet?’ cookbook that’s a real showstopper is the Hummingbird Cake,” she reveals on Twitter. “The first time I made it was for the Countryfest Cakewalk in Lindale. It’s a great one for Easter, so y’all can preorder the book + get the cake recipe here: http://m.cmpgn.page/FXtBQv.“
Miranda’s debut cookbook, Y’all Eat Yet? Welcome to The Pretty B*tchin’ Kitchen, arrives April 25. The collection will feature both recipes and family stories, inspired by her mother, grandmother and her mother’s close group of girlfriends.
“Watching my mom and her friends, I saw the way pitching in, working together, loving music and being there for each other is the greatest gift you can have in life,” shares Miranda. “I think my mom inherited that gift from her mom, because they both attracted the most awesome group of girlfriends.”
Other recipes in Miranda’s cookbook include Nonny’s Banana Pudding, Stacked Enchilada Bake, Jalapeño Pimento Cheese, Roasted Root Vegetable Winter Salad and Whiskey Cupcakes.
Lizzo isn’t just a Grammy-winning superstar: She’s also a serious Star Wars nerd, which is why she’s taken to Instagram to rave about how happy she is to be guest-starring in this week’s episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+.
In the episode, which is streaming now, Lizzo and Jack Black play The Duchess and Captain Bombardier, the leaders of the planet Plazir-15.
“When I was a young girl my dad introduced me to Star Wars like a rite of passage,” Lizzo writes. “The trilogy’s [sic] are his favorite movies and quickly became mine. When [Mandalorian creator/writer/producer] Jon Favreau called me and offered the role of The Dutchess [sic] I cried all day wishing my dad was still with us cus he’d be so proud.”
She continues, “Star Wars was a dream I never thought was possible— but thanks to Jon, [director] Bryce [Dallas Howard], and everyone in the galaxy I am now part of the ever-expanding saga of the stars. I am in honorable company and forever grateful.”
She signed off with the slogans of both the Mandalorians and the Jedi: “This is The Way…. and May the Force be with you.”
Lizzo illustrated her post with a number of photos from the set, including an adorable one of her waving along with Grogu, aka Baby Yoda. As previously reported, Lizzo dressed up as Grogu for Halloween 2021.
Wicked is about to scratch Cats from a slot on the Broadway record books. The musical will play its 7,486th performance at the Gershwin Theatre on Tuesday April 11 — surpassing Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s classic Cats, and making it the fourth longest-running play in Broadway history.
The musical, inspired by The Wizard of Oz and based on Gregory Maguire‘s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, has been seen by 65 million people worldwide, grossing more than 5 billion bucks from performances in more than 100 cities in 16 countries around the world.
Wicked, which is being adapted into a feature film debuting on Christmas Day, 2024, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in October. The Tony-winning play from Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman made superstars of original leads Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda).
Currently, Alyssa Fox and McKenzie Kurtz play the respective roles on Broadway.
(SAN FRANCISCO) — Bob Lee, Cash App founder and executive at cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin, died after “apparent stab wounds,” the San Francisco Police Department said on Thursday.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on Wednesday described the killing of Lee as “horrific.”
Police responded to a report of a stabbing early Tuesday, around 2:35 a.m., and found a 43-year-old man suffering from stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said on Thursday.
Police confirmed Lee’s identity in a statement late Wednesday and said the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Detail is investigating the incident.
“There is no place for this kind of violent crime against anyone in our city. I want to assure everyone that our investigators are working tirelessly to make an arrest and bring justice to Mr. Lee and his loved ones, just as we try to do on every homicide that occurs in our city,” said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott in a statement.
Officers called for medics, who transported the victim to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, the police report said, adding that the victim ultimately died from the injuries.
“We do not tolerate these horrific acts of violence in San Francisco,” Jenkins said.
London Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, said in a statement to ABC News that Lee’s death marks a “horrible tragedy.”
“My sympathies go out to his family and friends,” Breed said. “The police are actively investigating what happened and will share details as soon as they can.”
Lee served as the first chief technology officer at Square, a digital payment company founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
“Bob was a dynamo, a force of nature,” Joshua Goldbard, the CEO of MobileCoin, told ABC News in a statement.
“He was made for the world that is being born right now, he was a child of dreams, and whatever he imagined, no matter how crazy, he made real,” Goldbard added.
During the 2000s, Lee worked at Google, where he helped develop Android.
Cash App did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lee is survived by his wife, Krista, and their two children.
“Bob’s real resume is the hearts and minds he touched in his time on earth,” Goldbard said. “Bob’s legacy is the feeling that you can make a difference if you try, and of course his amazing children.”
ABC News’ Annie Pong and Alex Stone contributed to reporting.
(NEW YORK) — A manhunt is underway in Georgia for a man convicted of murder who apparently left an Atlanta correctional facility while on parole.
The Georgia Department of Corrections issued an alert Wednesday for residents to be on the lookout for Charles Smith, who it said had “walked away” from the Atlanta Transitional Center.
“DO NOT APPROACH,” the agency warned.
Smith was convicted and given a maximum life sentence for a 1992 murder in Clayton County, according to online prison records, which list his current status as parole. He is a resident of the transitional center, officials said.
Authorities described Smith as standing 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing black pants and a black shirt.
The Georgia Department of Corrections also issued an alert for another escaped convict early Thursday.
The agency warned residents to be on the lookout for Johnson State Prison inmate Dshawn Garrison, who was sentenced to 25 years on a rape conviction, online prison records show.
Garrison escaped from Johnson State Prison in Wrightsville Wednesday evening and was last seen in Sparta, about 45 miles northwest of the facility, authorities said.
Washington County sheriff’s deputies pursued a vehicle matching the description of the one Garrison allegedly fled in until it crashed in Sparta, the sheriff’s office said. The occupants fled on foot, authorities said.
“At this time, many law enforcement agencies are in this area attempting to apprehend the inmate and his accomplices,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post while urging residents in the area to “use caution.”
Authorities described Garrison as standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 167 pounds with brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a state-issued inmate uniform.
Organizers of Virginia’s FloydFest recently revealed that plans for the fest were up in the air due to problems with their planned location. Well, now they’ve decided to cancel the festival altogether.
This year’s festival, dubbed FloydFest 23: Forever, was supposed to take place July 26-30 in Virginia, featuring The Black Crowes, My Morning Jacket, Sheryl Crow and Goose. Original plans called for it to happen at a new location, FestivalPark, but “final permitting and logistical factors” caused organizers to seek an alternative location, which apparently did not work out.
“To ensure that our beloved patrons receive the best FloydFest experience possible, and to protect the FloydFest vibe that means so much to so many, we have made the difficult decision to cancel FloydFest 2023, after a review and thorough vetting of multiple alternative options,” organizers share. “Make zero mistake — FloydFest is not going anywhere. We hope to see each of you, our FloydFest Family, in July 2024, as we christen your new home, FestivalPark.”
Ticket holders have the option of holding on to their tickets for next year, or getting a full refund. Fans have until May 5 to decide which option they are choosing.
(NEW YORK) — The judge overseeing the criminal case against former President Donald Trump has received dozens of threats in recent days, police sources told ABC News.
Trump himself had lashed out at New York Judge Juan Merchan, calling him “Trump hating.” Merchan previously oversaw the tax fraud trial of the Trump Organization that ended in a conviction.
Most of the threats against Merchan are in the form of harassing calls and emailed death threats, the sources said.
“Over the past weeks we have continued to evaluate and assess security concerns and potential threats and have maintained an increased security presence in and around courthouses and throughout the judiciary and will adjust protocols as necessary,” a spokesman for the Office of Court Administration told ABC News.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
