The Dan + Shay singer announced his wife, Hannah,gave birth to Abram Shay Mooney on Tuesday, January 17, in a touching post on his socials.
“Grateful doesn’t begin to cover it,” Shay says, adding a heart emoji alongside a moving video of him holding Abram and singing “When I Pray for You,” a song he and Dan recorded for the movie The Shack.
Abram joins big brothers Asher, who’ll turn 6 next week, and Ames, who’ll be 3 next month.
As previously reported, Crosby, Stills & Nash’s Graham Nash and Stephen Stills have already paid tribute to their bandmate David Crosby, who died Thursday at the age of 81. Now Neil Young, who joined the trio in 1969, has taken to his Archives site to pay respects to his former bandmate.
“David is gone, but his music lives on,” Young shares. “The soul of CSNY, David’s voice and energy were at the heart of our band. His great songs stood for what we believed in and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together.”
His tribute continued, “‘Almost Cut My Hair’ ‘Deja Vu,’ and so many other great songs he wrote were wonderful to jam on and [Stephen] Stills and I had a blast as he kept going on and on. His singing with Graham [Nash] was memorable, their duo spot a highlight of so many of our shows.”
Young adds, “We had so many great times, especially in the early years. Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things.”
Finally he offers, “My heart goes out to Jan and Django, his wife and son. Lots of love to you. Thanks David for your spirit and songs, Love you man. I remember the best times!”
Oscar winner Regina Kingposted to Instagram a heartfelt tribute to her son, Ian Alexander Jr., Thursday evening, on what would have been his 27th birthday.
King’s only child, from her former marriage to record producer Ian Alexander Sr., died by suicide on January 22, 2022, days after his birthday on January 19.
“January 19th is Ian’s Worthday,” King began, next to a photo of a paper lantern floating into the night sky. “As we still process his physical absence, we celebrate his presence. We are all in different places on the planet … so is Ian. His spirit is the thread that connects us.”
She said of the flame setting the lantern aloft, “Of course orange is your favorite color. It’s the fire and the calm.”
King added, “I see you in everything I breath [sic],” King added. “My absolute favorite thing about myself is being …. Regina the mother of Ian the GodKing. Continue to shine bright, my guiding light.”
If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
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.
