Friday marked the 40th anniversary of the release of Def Leppard’s third album, Pyromania, and the band celebrated by sharing a special message to fans on social media.
“So 40 years ago today, 20 of January 1983, we released Pyromania,” frontman Joe Elliott shares. “It was a breakthrough album for us in the U.S. and Canada, and a little bit in Japan,” adding it was a “hugely important record for our career and in America, it broke us wide open. It became one of the biggest records of the year, only behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller in sales.”
Rick Savage adds, “Wow, 40 years of Pyromania. I can hardly believe it, so many great memories in the making of that record … even back then we kinda knew we were really trying hard to make a groundbreaking metal album. I honestly think we succeeded. It still sounds great to my ears, even 40 years later.”
Phil Collen noted Pyromania was his first album with the band and he was amazed at how it exploded, sharing it was “probably the most exciting period that I can remember of the career … everything about it was amazing.” And drummer Rick Allen said he “learned more about playing drums doing that record working with (producer) Mutt Lange.”
Vivian Campbell, who joined the band in 1992, says of the record, “I was a fan. I bought it way before I was in the band. Now I get to play it onstage and that is terrific.”
Pyromania featured such hit songs as “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages” and “Foolin,” with the album reaching number two on the U.S. Album charts. It sold 6 million copies in 1983 and went on to be certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling over 10 million copies.
Nearly 20 years ago, Luther Vandross performed his last two shows at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and dropped an edited version of the concert that was 11 songs long. With the milestone anniversary of the show approaching, J Records/Legacy Recordings have announced that a special 20th anniversary edition will be released.
Luther Vandross – Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 – Expanded 20th Anniversary Edition – The Last Concert will drop on February 10 featuring the full concert, during which Luther displays his onstage banter, and the original track list, plus four new songs: “Power of Love/Love Power,” “Going Out of My Head,” “Any Day Now” and “Say It Now.”
The singer’s rendition of “I’d Rather,” which he also performed at the show, will be released Friday with an accompanying lyric video.
Luther passed away from a heart attack on July 1, 2005, two years after suffering a severe stroke.
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — A federal judge upheld Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of a state prosecutor who DeSantis viewed as “woke” — but in doing so, condemned the governor for violating the prosecutor’s right to free speech.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued the ruling Friday, several weeks after a trial in the case featured testimony from some of Desantis’ top aides.
At issue was the true motivation behind DeSantis’ suspension of Andrew Warren, a Democrat who was reelected in 2020 as the top state prosecutor in Tampa and surrounding Hillsborough County after running on a platform of criminal justice reform.
According to DeSantis’ executive order suspending Warren in August, the state attorney demonstrated “incompetence and willful defiance of his duties” by implementing certain “policies of presumptive non-enforcement” and by co-signing a left-leaning advocacy group’s public statements about state laws criminalizing gender-affirming care and abortions.
In his order on Friday, Hinkle wrote that, “The assertion that Mr. Warren neglected his duty or was incompetent is incorrect. This factual issue is not close.”
“Running a state attorney’s office is the state attorney’s job, not the governor’s,” Hinkle wrote. “A governor cannot properly suspend a state attorney based on policy differences.”
Hinkle said that, while DeSantis was wrong to dismiss Warren, it was not within the court’s power to reinstate him, and thus ruled in favor of the governor.
After the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade last year, Warren joined more than 80 local, elected prosecutors from around the country in signing a statement saying, “[We] commit to exercise our well-settled discretion and refrain from prosecuting those who seek, provide, or support abortions.”
The top lawyer in the Florida governor’s office, general counsel Ryan Newman, testified during the trial that any “reasonable person” would view the statements Warren signed as “a pledge,” making Warren’s suspension not only warranted but lawful under Florida state law.
However Warren disputed that the statements reflected any type of policy or pledge, testifying that he signed them because he “agreed with the general idea” behind them.
David O’Neil, an attorney for Warren, lauded the judge’s commentary on Friday and said he and his legal team were already considering next steps, which could include an appeal.
“On the merit and substance,” O’Neil said, “this ruling was a complete rebuke of Gov. DeSantis.”
Warren’s supporters also leapt at the ruling. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., released a statement calling on the Republican-controlled state Senate to “put partisanship aside” for Warren, “immediately reinstating him to his duly elected position.”
Britney Spears learned how quickly the internet can take things out of context when she posted, and quickly deleted, something about her ex Justin Timberlake after talking about getting a new tattoo.
The singer shared a video earlier this week of her getting a tattoo on her right forearm and told fans she “can’t show it because it sucks… I have to fix it.”
Later on, she posted a photo from 2001 of her and Justin wearing Los Angeles Knights jerseys and wrote in part, “When we used to shoot hoops TOGETHER … that’s when miracles happened.”
That update was quickly deleted, but fans felt there were some dots to connect between the two posts. Rumors sparked that Britney had gotten a tattoo in honor of her ex.
The rumor mill became too persistent for Britney, so she took to her Instagram Story to clear the air. “My tattoo had nothing to do with an ex in the past !!! I simply did it because I wanted to !!!”
“The pic with my ex is a time where there was less confusion on what it meant to be together … it is what it is,” she continued.
Mad Max: Fury Road co-star Riley Keough posted to Instagram for the first time since her mother, Lisa Marie Presley‘s, death on January 12.
Riley posted a black-and-white throwback photo of herself as a child, with her mom looking down at her, smiling as they look into each other’s eyes.
The post has gotten nearly 90,000 likes.
Lisa Marie died after suffering cardiac arrest at her Calabasas, California, home. She was laid to rest on Thursday next to her son, Benjamin Keough, in the Meditation Garden at her late father Elvis Presley‘s Tennessee estate, Graceland.
Benjamin, Riley’s brother, died by suicide in 2020.
A public memorial for Lisa Marie will be held at the estate on Sunday, January 22.
Whitney Houston would have turned 60 this August, so her estate and Primary Wave have arranged a special weeklong event in Hollywood to honor her memory.
The Whitney Houston Hotel was announced Friday, which will run during Grammy week in celebration of her life and achievements. The singer’s memorabilia will be featured at Hollywood’s W Hotel, as well as Sony’s 360 Reality Audio Immersive Listening Lounge.
Fans will be able to see photos of the late singer and some of the most iconic gowns she wore throughout her career.
In addition, the hotel will open its doors to two days of live music with performances by Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams, Glee alum Amber Riley, “Bad for Me” singer Teddy Swims, TikTok singer Natalie Jane and more.
The event will lead up to a Saturday night pre-Grammy gala hosted by Primary Wave Music and Whitney’s estate. The night will also include a special guest DJ, whose identity has not been revealed.
The weeklong event begins Wednesday, February 1, with an official unveiling and the opening of the Whitney Houston pop-up retail shop and gallery.
Whitney accidentally drowned in her hotel bathtub in 2012; drugs were found in her system. She was 48.
Pantera fans in North America have been waiting patiently for a U.S. tour since the announcement of their reunion — and now it’s here.
The band, which consists of original members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown joined by Zakk Wylde on guitar and Charlie Benante on drums, just announced a 20-city North American tour, featuring special guests Lamb of God.
The tour kicks off July 28 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and wraps September 15 in Bristow, Virginia. Tickets go on sale January 27 at 10 a.m.
Of course, these dates aren’t your only chance to see Pantera on the road. They are playing several rock festivals in 2023, including Welcome to Rockville, Inkcarceration and Rocklahoma, and they are also opening select dates on Metallica’s M72 tour in 2023 and 2024. A complete list of Pantera tour dates can be found at Pantera.com.
Earlier this week, the Harlem Festival of Culture announced that Lil’ Kim was launching the countdown to the annual event with The Jump Off with Lil’ Kim and Friends, the rapper’s first headlining show at the Apollo Theater. No lineup was unveiled at the time, but now a few of those “friends” have been revealed.
Joining Kim’s show will be Remy Ma, Ashanti and fellow Brooklynite Fivio Foreign. Additional performers will be announced at a later date.
The Jump Off with Lil’ Kim and Friends is slated to take place January 26, the 89th anniversary of the Apollo. According to the HFC, the event is also a perfect way to kick off the year celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.
“One of the tenants of HFC’s mission is to celebrate and preserve the cultural contributions of the Black Diaspora in music, media, art, fashion and entertainment,” said Yvonne McNair, HFC’s co-founder and technical & talent producer.
She added, “Hip hop culture has touched every single part of society and there is no artist that better represents its far-reaching impact than Lil’ Kim. We are so thrilled that Kim will help us to curate the evening to bring a full one-of-kind music experience to audiences in the city where it all began.”
(NEW YORK) — Victims of Jen Shah’s telemarketing scam are speaking out publicly for the first time after the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison.
Trisha, a 75-year-old retiree who lives in North Carolina and who asked not to use her last name, told “Nightline” she was “shell-shocked” after the Federal Trade Commission told her she may have been a victim of the scam.
“But it turned out to be true,” she said.
The decades long scheme involved telemarketers calling potential victims and claiming to offer services like website building and business coaching. Shah and her team specifically targeted older and vulnerable people, according to prosecutors. Shah pleaded guilty to wire fraud last July and was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison by a federal judge on Jan. 6 for defrauding thousands of people.
In 2016, Trisha created a website while attempting to start an online business. About three weeks later, she says she got a phone call from someone who gave her a business pitch.
“He did a sales speech about all of the perks if I went with them that they could teach me,” Trisha said. She paid the telemarketer $12,000 in that first transaction.
Over the course of several months, Trisha would finish a program, then immediately get a phone call to start a new one. The sales pitches were good, but full of empty promises.
“I invested more than half of the savings I had for retirement. I gave them directly about $47,000,” Trisha said.
It was Trisha’s story, and others like her, that would help bring down Shah’s network.
The FTC also found 44-year-old Iowa resident Molly McLaughlin, who said she went into bankruptcy after spending putting $44,000 on credit cards for the courses. “I couldn’t pay bills. I couldn’t make my rent. I really just couldn’t do anything,” she said.
Ralph Hallock, a World War II veteran, lost more than $100,000 dollars in the scam. He took his own life at the age of 92. His family told “Impact” they believe the scam contributed to his death.
There could be thousands of victims like them, according to prosecutors.
Trisha said she was hesitant to speak to the media, because she felt ashamed for falling for the scheme.
“I did feel shame. This is not easy for me, this interview, everything, because I’m telling the world I was stupid enough to get caught in a scam, and I’m not stupid person. But I did make a big mistake. Do I want to tell the world that? No, I really don’t. But I don’t want other people to have to go through that shame that I went through,” Trisha said.
As “Real Housewives” viewers watched the excessive wealth on display every episode, they had no idea that federal investigators were already on Shah’s trail. Even before the show debuted, the feds had been arresting suspects connected to Shah’s telemarketing scheme.
After Shah pleaded guilty, a trove of evidence against her was released. In text messages, Shah and her co-conspirators, including Stuart Smith, discussed ways to keep customers hooked and spending more money.
“[Shah] often joked about the victims’ suffering and her employees’ ability to victimize them,” stated a sentencing memo from federal prosecutors.
Trisha was one of several victims who submitted victim impact statements to the judge before sentencing. Others included a man who said he became homeless after the scheme.
For years, Trisha says she didn’t have any idea who was behind the scam that stole her retirement money. It wasn’t until months after Shah pleaded guilty that Trisha found out a “Real Housewives” star was linked to her case. Trisha said she is not a big TV watcher and had never seen the show.
Most people in Trisha’s life had no idea it happened to her — not even her family knows just how bad it got.
“I am just recovering from being in deep depression. And I’m gonna cry. You get to the point where there is no way out. That started when I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. I saw my mother and my brother both die that way,” Trisha said.
Trisha now says she’s on a mission to help potential scam victims.
“Anyone that we can stop is a gift to the families,” she said.
(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Tim Kaine announced Friday he will seek a third term, which is welcome news for Democrats as they face a tough 2024 cycle.
Kaine, who has represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate since 2013, said “there is so much to be done.”
“I am happy to announce that I will seek re-election in 2024 to keep delivering results for Virginia,” he said in a statement. “I’ve been honored to serve people as a missionary, civil rights lawyer, and elected official at the local, state, and federal levels. I love the Commonwealth and its citizens and want to keep being your Senator.”
Kaine handily won reelection in 2018, and Virginia is considered a must-keep seat for Democrats with control of the chamber on the line.
Democrats have more than twice as many Senate seats to defend in 2024 as Republicans, and the party already suffered a blow when Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., announced she would not be seeking another term in the battleground state.
Had Kaine decided not to run, it would’ve created an open seat in Virginia and placed even more pressure on Democrats as they try to hold onto their narrow majority in the Senate. Currently, Democrats and the independents who caucus with them hold a narrow 51-seat majority in the chamber.
Kaine acknowledged the tough map for Democrats as he spoke to reporters in Virginia on Friday.
“In thinking about serving for the next eight years, what’s the chances that I’m in the minority? That’s a significant chance,” Kaine said.
“It just tells you how closely divided our nation is,” he added.
The landscape in Virginia has changed since Kaine’s last election, with Republicans gaining ground statewide in 2021 with Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s victory.
Kaine began his career in the state as a civil rights attorney before turning to politics, eventually being elected as Virginia’s lieutenant governor and then governor. He was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and rose to national prominence in the 2016 presidential race as Hillary Clinton’s running mate.
As he announced his decision to run for reelection, Kaine touted his work in helping to pass the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration and more recent legislation on gun safety and infrastructure.
“I’m a servant. I love Virginia. I’m proud of what I’ve done. I got a whole lot more I want to do,” Kaine said. “That’s the four reasons.”
