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‘Laverne & Shirley’ star Cindy Williams dead at 75

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Cindy Williams, who played the perky but straitlaced Shirley Feeney on TV’s Happy Days and its spinoff, Laverne & Shirley, has died. She was 75.

In a statement provided to ABC News, her children Emily and Zak said via a spokesperson, “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed. Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege.”

The statement continued, “She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved…May that laughter continue in everyone, because she would want that. Thank you for loving our Mom, she loved you too.”

While Williams also starred in classic films like George Lucas‘ American Graffiti and Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Conversation, she was best known for her role as Shirley opposite Penny Marshall‘s Laverne. The two characters were introduced on an episode of Happy Days, and were then spun off into their own series, which ran on ABC from 1976 to 1983.

The show, which began with the women working as bottle cappers in a Milwaukee brewery in the 1950s and ended with the gang living in Burbank, CA in 1967, was the most-watched TV series in America during its third season. It was nominated for several Golden Globes and an Emmy, and also spun off a short-lived Saturday morning cartoon.

After Laverne & Shirley, Williams appeared in two other sitcoms — Normal Life and Getting By –– and guest-starred on numerous series, from Law & Order: SVU to 8 Simple Rules. She also appeared on Broadway and did national tours of shows like Grease and Deathtrap.

Williams and Marshall reunited onscreen in a 2013 episode of Ariana Grande‘s Nickelodeon sitcom Sam & Cat. In 2015, Williams published her memoir Shirley, I Jest!

Williams’ death leaves Michael McKean, who played the girls’ neighbor Lenny, as the sole remaining main cast member of the beloved sitcom. Marshall died in 2018, while David Lander, who played Lenny’s best friend and roommate Squiggy, died in 2020. Eddie Mekka, who played Shirley’s boyfriend Carmine Ragusa, died in 2021.

What’s Fall Out Boy teasing with “overcast on the horizon” tweet?

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Fall Out Boy‘s new album, So Much (for) Stardust, has officially been announced, but that doesn’t mean the mysterious teasers are over.

The “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” outfit hinted at more news coming in a tweet Monday: “Things are looking overcast on the horizon. Check back tomorrow to see if weather conditions improve.” The post also includes an image of a white umbrella against a black background.

As for what exactly that means, fans in the replies have offered a couple theories. One is the return of Fall Out Boy’s fan club, which was called the Overcast Kids, while another is some kind of collaboration with Bring Me the Horizon. Not only does Fall Out Boy’s tweet pointedly use the word “horizon,” but the accompanying image is quite similar to the cover of BMTH’s 2015 album, That’s the Spirit, which also features a white umbrella against a black background.

Adding credence to the Bring Me the Horizon theory is that frontman Oli Sykes received one of the seashells Fall Out Boy sent out in the mail leading up to the So Much (for) Stardust reveal.

Stay tuned Tuesday to see if all is revealed.

Along with whatever is on the “horizon,” Fall Out Boy has been teasing a tour announcement.

So Much (for) Stardust arrives March 24, and includes the singles “Love from the Other Side” and “Heartbreak Feels So Good.”

KISS manager says End of the Road tour will definitely end this year

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

KISS fans have been wondering when their End of the Road tour will finally end, and now the band’s manager is confirming it will definitely happen this year, although he didn’t reveal a specific date.

The band’s longtime manager, Doc McGhee, said on Podcast Rock City that the last show will “be finalized in the next few days, and we’ll be making an announcement probably in the next 10 days.”

“One thing about KISS, we’ve always been that band that went to places where most bands didn’t go,” he says. “So we play everybody’s town … You name it, we’ve played there. So we always go where the people are anyways.”

McGhee says the pandemic is the main reason the tour is still going on, but adds, “We had to end it at some time, which will be this year.”

As for the future of KISS, and whether it can go on without Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, McGhee noted, “There’s a lot of talk about everything. And nobody knows what’s gonna happen in the future.”

He adds that Simmons and Stanley are definitely “hanging their hats up after the (final) show, which is gonna be very, very difficult and very emotional for them after 50 years of doing this,” especially because “they love it.”

AMC Theatres slashing prices to $5 for ‘Wakanda Forever’, ‘Devotion’ and more for Black History Month

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

AMC Theatres slashing prices to for ‘Wakanda Forever’, ‘Devotion’ and more for Black History Month

AMC Theatres has announced it is dropping ticket prices to $5 to celebrate diversity on the big screen during Black History Month. From February 3 to March 2, more than 200 AMC locations will screen various films as part of the initiative.

February 3-9 will see the acclaimed historic movie Till starring Danielle Deadwyler playing at AMC theaters; the week of February 10-16 will play the Korean War film Devotion starring Jonathan Majors; February 17-23 will be Oscar winner Viola Davis in The Woman King; and the final week, February 24 to March 2, will be Oscar nominee Angela Bassett and company in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

In a press release, Elizabeth Frank, AMC’s executive vice president of worldwide programming and chief content officer, noted the $5 movie offering is part of the company’s “long-standing commitment and track record of inclusive programming and initiatives that highlight diverse, creative talent behind the camera and on the big screen.”

Eddie Murphy says he’d reprise Donkey in ‘Shrek’ in “two seconds”

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Eddie Murphy currently stars in the well-reviewed comedy You People on Netflix, but if he had his druthers, he’d make another Shrek movie, too.

Murphy voiced the green ogre’s buddy Donkey in four Shrek movies, and Eddie tells eTalk it would take him “two seconds” to say yes to a fifth.

“Oh, I’d absolutely be open,” Murphy said. “If they ever came with another Shrek I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey.”

He also shaded his cartoon co-star’s spinoff, saying, “They’re doing Puss in Boots movies. I was like, ‘They shoulda done a Donkey movie. He’s funnier than Puss in Boots,'” he said with a laugh. “I mean I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funnier than a donkey.”

Murphy continued, “I’d do a Donkey movie, I’d do another Shrek in two seconds.”

He then reached out to DreamWorks Animation directly, saying, “DreamWorks, if you y’all wanna do it, just call me. I’m just sitting and ready to do Donkey.”

In the same interview, Eddie also took issue with Martin Lawrence, who recently told Jimmy Kimmel that his daughter Jasmine is dating Eddie’s son Eric and he’s going to make Eddie pay for the wedding if they get married.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Eddie insisted with a smile about his Life co-star. “That’s not how it goes. Because my daughter just got married, and I had to pay, I really had to pay. And you have to do the same, Martin. Don’t try to switch it up … You paying for the wedding. If it goes down, Martin is paying, and the wedding better be wonderful.”

Phil Collins gets birthday shoutout from daughter Lily Collins

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Phil Collins turned 72 on Monday and his daughter, Emily in Paris star Lily Collins, paid tribute to him with a sweet post on Instagram.

Lily shared a carousel of pictures showing just how much she and the Genesis frontman are alike, including photos of them both posing in a bathtub, wearing tuxedos and rocking overalls.

“Like father, like daughter. Happy birthday, dad,” she wrote. “Thank you for being a constant inspiration, constant laugh, and constant legend. I love you so much and am celebrating you big time today!”

Surprisingly, several of Lily’s fans seem to have been unaware that the rocker is her dad. As one noted, “Am I the only one just learning This is her dad ?! Doh.”

It’s official: Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is the highest-grossing tour of all time

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Ed Sheeran‘s Divide tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time — until now. Billboard reports that Ed’s pal Elton John has just taken over the world record.

Billboard reports that Elton’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road has taken in $817.9 million across 278 shows — and the tour isn’t done yet. Billboard says it’s the first tour in its archives to earn more than $800 million. By comparison, Ed’s tour took in $776.4 million.

According to Billboard, it was Elton’s run of shows from January 8 through January 24 in Australia and New Zealand that allowed him to cross the finish line to the record-breaking milestone. Billboard notes that by the time the entire tour wraps up this summer in Europe, he’ll likely cross the $900 million mark.

Right now, Elton’s career total when it comes to concerts stands at $1.863 billion grossed and 19.9 million tickets sold. That’s the highest for any solo artist in Billboard Boxscore history.

The one record Elton doesn’t currently hold is most tickets sold for one tour. That record is still held by Ed’s Divide tour, with 8.9 million tickets, followed by tours by The Rolling Stones, Coldplay and Guns N’ Roses. Elton’s tour has sold 5.3 million tickets so far. While he probably won’t catch up to Ed by the time the tour is done, Elton might end up passing Coldplay and Guns N’ Roses.

Morgan Wallen’s 36-track ‘One Thing at a Time’ is coming March 3

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Morgan Wallen‘s third album, One Thing at a Time, will arrive March 3, but you don’t have to wait that long for a preview. Three tracks — “Last Night,” “Everything I Love” and “I Wrote the Book” — will arrive Monday night.

Still, that’s barely a preview of the 36-song project that includes contributions from HARDY, Eric Church, Travis Denning, ERNEST, Miranda Lambert, Devin Dawson and Ryan Hurd, just to name a few. Morgan’s sister Ashlyne even sings harmony on the track “Outlook.”

“This record represents the last few years of my life, the highs and the lows,” Morgan says. “It also brings together the musical influences that have shaped me as an artist — country, alternative and hip-hop.”

“There are 36 songs on this album,” he explains, “because we just kept exploring with fresh lyrics, music and production ideas and these are the songs that felt right to me. It was a blast to create, and I was so grateful to be back in the studio to lay this out for my fans.”

It’s the follow-up to 2021’s Dangerous: The Double Album, which set an all-genre Billboard record as the longest-running top 10 album by a solo artist. So far, it’s at 104 weeks and counting.

Here’s the complete track listing for One Thing at a Time:

“Born with a Beer in My Hand”
“Last Night”
“Everything I Love”
“Man Made a Bar” (featuring Eric Church)
“Devil Don’t Know”
“One Thing at a Time”
“’98 Braves”
“Ain’t That Some”
“I Wrote the Book”
“Tennessee Numbers”
“Hope That’s True”
“Whiskey Friends”
“Sunrise”
“Keith Whitley”
“In the Bible” (featuring HARDY)
“You Proof”
“Thought You Should Know”
“F150-50”
“Neon Star (Country Boy Lullaby)”
“I Deserve a Drink”
“Wine into Water”
“Me + All Your Reasons”
“Tennessee Fan”
“Money on Me”
“Thinkin’ Bout Me”
“Single Than She Was”
“Days That End in Why”
“Last Drive Down Main”
“Me to Me”
“Don’t Think Jesus”
“180 (Lifestyle)”
“Had It”
“Cowgirls” (featuring ERNEST)
“Good Girl Gone Missin'”
“Outlook”
“Dying Man”

“I’m not having a breakdown”: Britney Spears reactivates Instagram

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Britney Spears has reactivated her Instagram and let fans know why she briefly deleted the app last week — because she can.

Fans called police to request a wellness check on her last week when the singer deleted her account, which is something she’s done multiple times before. Britney has since spoken out about the incident and asked fans to respect her privacy.

Britney returned to Instagram on Monday with a new message to fans that said in part, “I’m not having a breakdown.”

Sharing a picture of a pink rose, the hitmaker said in the caption, “Since everyone thinks they know my story. THINK AGAIN !!!”

Britney said she’s moving forward with her life and that she’s “never felt better.” The singer added she is exploring her newfound freedom after her 13-year conservatorship, which was terminated in late 2021.

“If you walked in my shoes, then maybe just maybe you could understand,” she penned, noting she is “still learning this no rules thing.”

She signed off by telling her followers, “PS yes I took my Instagram down and now it’s back up because I can !!!” The singer previously said on Twitter she left the platform again “because there were too many people saying I looked like an idiot dancing and that I looked crazy.”

Commenting has been disabled on Britney’s recent Instagram posts.

Gabriella Wilson says “it’s time for people to really get to know the person” behind H.E.R.

January 30, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Gone are the days when H.E.R. wore various shades to disguise her identity. The 25-year-old picked up roles as Gabriella Wilson in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast and in The Color Purple musical film. In her cover of Vogue Philippines, she explains why she felt the need to be incognito.

“There were so many reasons why I wanted to be anonymous and why I wanted the music to shine,” Gabriella says. “I had been through so much stuff that a young woman goes through. I wanted people to hear the message and really understand what I’m saying and not be so focused on what I look like or who I’m dating or what I’m wearing and all those things that to me, we started to focus on more because of social media.”

With a few EPs and a debut album under her belt, Gabriella believes her fans know H.E.R and the music. She thinks “it’s time for people to really get to know the person.”

“Throughout these past few years with success and all the great things that have happened, I think I’ve been moving so quickly,” she says. “Now I’ve taken a second to be like, what do I want and who am I? I think that’s a coming of age moment.”

Part of that thinking’s also resulted in a change of style, as Gabriella’s donning “bolder” and “more assertive looks.”

“Being 25, the things that worked when I was 18 and 20 don’t work for me now and the things that I want are different,” she continues. “I know that’ll be forever changing, but I’m comfortable in that. I can’t tolerate anything or anyone that will try to take that away and try to make me something I’m not.”

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