HARDY‘s sophomore album, the mockingbird & THE CROW, drops Friday, and the hit singer/songwriter’s getting ready to promote it in a big way.
He and CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Lainey Wilson will do their top 15 hit “wait in the truck” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, January 25. The only time they’ve performed it together previously was on the CMA Awards last November.
The following morning, HARDY will perform the album cut “screen” during the third hour of NBC’s Today show.
Since the mockingbird & THE CROW is a two-part, 17-track odyssey that combines rock and country, HARDY’s got some pretty cool plans to showcase the record live at two legendary Los Angeles venues. On Monday, January 23, he’ll perform the country tunes at the Troubadour and do the rock jams at The Roxy.
From there, the Mississippi native heads out on his 16-date headlining tour with Jameson Rodgers and rock band Blame My Youth. It kicks off February 16 in Indianapolis.
When Dolly Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she said she was going to have to record a rock album, and she’s lined up some huge names to help her with it.
During an appearance on The View, Dolly revealed that she’s already recorded songs for the record with a whole host of special guests, including Paul McCartney, John Fogerty, ex-Journey frontman Steve Perry and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
She also spilled the beans on some of the songs on the album, including Led Zeppelin‘s “Stairway to Heaven” and the Rolling Stones‘ “Satisfaction.” She’s still hoping to recruit Mick Jagger to join her, noting, “I’m doing my best to try to get him on it.” Right now Brandi Carlile and Pink appear on Dolly’s version of the Stones classic.
So far there’s no word on when Dolly’s album will be released, but she has hinted that it may be out this year.
H-D Homecoming is one of several festivals Foo Fighters are set to play this year, along with Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and Sonic Temple, which will mark their first shows back since announcing they plan to continue on as a band following the 2022 death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, and the Friends episode “The One with the Candy Hearts,” confectioner Brach’s has announced a limited-edition collabo for its classic candy hearts.
The Friends Conversation Hearts feature 26 iconic quotes from the beloved sitcom, including “PIVOT,” “Ur My LBSTR,” “MOO POINT” and, if things go wrong, of course, “ON A BREAK.”
The candies come in watermelon, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, cherry and orange flavors.
In its announcement, Brach’s said, “Friends is an iconic pop culture representation of friendships, so it was a natural collaboration to team up for friends and families to enjoy this Valentine’s Day.”
Of course, the candy company’s traditional hearts will also on sale for V-Day.
(NEW YORK) — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Amazon on Wednesday for failing to furnish a place of employment that was free from recognized hazards that were causing serious physical harm to employees.
This is the second set of OSHA citations issued after referrals from federal prosecutors in New York who have been investigating workplace complaints.
The new citations said employees at three Amazon facilities were exposed to ergonomic hazards, which put them at high risk for lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders.
They resulted from the high frequency with which workers are required to lift packages and other items; the heavy weight of the items; awkward postures, such as twisting, bending, and long reaches while lifting; and long hours required to complete assigned tasks, OSHA said.
“Amazon became the nation’s largest online retailer thanks, in no small part, to the hundreds of thousands of Americans who work each year in Amazon’s massive warehouses. Each of these workers has the right to a place of work free from severe safety hazards,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement Wednesday.
Amazon told ABC News it intends to appeal.
“We take the safety and health of our employees very seriously, and we strongly disagree with these allegations and intend to appeal. We’ve cooperated fully, and the government’s allegations don’t reflect the reality of safety at our sites,” Kelly Nantel, Amazon spokesperson, told ABC News. “Over the last several months, we’ve demonstrated the extent to which we work every day to mitigate risk and protect our people, and our publicly available data show we’ve reduced injury rates nearly 15% between 2019 and 2021. What’s more, the vast majority of our employees tell us they feel our workplace is safe.”
The cited warehouses are located in New Windsor, New York; Waukegan, Illinois, and Deltona, Florida. Additionally, at the Deltona, Florida, warehouse, OSHA also cited Amazon for exposing workers to the hazard of being struck by falling boxes with merchandise.
Amazon faces a total of $60,269 in proposed penalties for these violations, according to OSHA.
These citations arise out of workplace safety inspections at six Amazon warehouses across the country that OSHA began conducting in mid-July and early August of last year. OSHA’s investigation at three facilities — located outside of Albany, New York, Boise, Idaho, and Denver, Colorado — is ongoing.
“Each of these inspections found work processes that were designed for speed but not safety, and they resulted in serious worker injuries. While Amazon has developed impressive systems to make sure its customers’ orders are shipped efficiently and quickly, the company has failed to show the same level of commitment to protecting the safety and well-being of its workers,” OSHA Assistant Secretary of Labor Douglas L. Parker said.
OSHA cited Amazon in December 2022 for 14 recordkeeping violations as part of the same investigation.
Gloria Estefan and Sade are among the singer/songwriters who’ll be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this June.
Along with those two multi-Platinum artists, this year’s other inductees are legendary rapper Snoop Dogg, R&B writer/producer Teddy Riley, ELO‘s Jeff Lynne and Glen Ballard, who’s probably best known for co-writing Alanis Morissette‘s Jagged Little Pill album. Nashville songwriter Liz Rose, probably best known for co-writing Taylor Swift songs like “You Belong With Me” and “All Too Well,” is also being inducted.
This year’s induction ceremony will take place June 15 in New York City. Special award recipients will be announced soon.
CHIC‘s Nile Rodgers, the chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, said in a statement, “The music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first … we are therefore very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time.”
Rodgers added that the 2023 slate “represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives and, in their time, literally transformed music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world.”
Sade Adu, Snoop Dogg and Teddy Riley are among the artists slated to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The stars will be welcomed into the 2023 class during the organization’s 52nd annual Induction and Awards Gala on June 15.
Sade’s being inducted for writing her songs “Smooth Operator,” “No Ordinary Love,” “The Sweetest Taboo,” “By Your Side” and “Is It A Crime.”
Snoop’s being credited for his songwriting on “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “Gin & Juice,” his andDr. Dre‘s “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” and “The Next Episode,” and Wiz Khalifa‘s “Young, Wild & Free,” on which he also appears.
Producer Teddy Riley’s induction, however, comes for the songwriting he’s done for other artists. He’s being recognized for his pen on Keith Sweat‘s “Make It Last Forever” and “I Want Her,” Johnny Kemp‘s “I Just Got Paid,” Guy‘s “I Like” and Bobby Brown‘s “My Prerogative.”
Sade, Snoop and Teddy are among a class of a seven, which also includes Glen Ballard, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne and Liz Rose.
“The music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first. Without them there is no recorded music, no concert business, no merch … nothing, it all starts with the song and the songwriter,” SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement. “We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time and that the 2023 slate represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives and, in their time, literally transformed music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world.”
Special award honorees will be announced at a later date.
(NEW YORK) — Microsoft said it will lay off 10,000 employees this year, the latest tech firm to slash jobs as the sector contracts after a pandemic-era boom.
The layoffs will affect nearly 5% of Microsoft’s global workforce, the company said.
“As we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we’re now seeing them optimize their digital spend to do more with less,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a memo to employees on Wednesday.
“We’re also seeing organizations in every industry and geography exercise caution as some parts of the world are in a recession and other parts are anticipating one,” he added.
The company said the job cuts, changes to its hardware portfolio and consolidation of its real estate holdings would result in a $1.2 billion charge.
A tech industry downturn – marked by a 33% drop in the Nasdaq last year – has brought job cuts across the sector, including at large firms like Amazon and Facebook-parent Meta.
The layoffs at Microsoft arrive in response to “macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities,” the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The move follows a wave of job cuts in October that eliminated nearly 1,000 positions.
Shares of Microsoft fell roughly 1% in early trading on Wednesday morning in response to the news.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Microsoft employs about 221,000 workers worldwide.
Sales at top tech firms have retreated from the blistering pace attained during the pandemic, when billions across the world were forced into isolation. Customers stuck at home came to rely on delivery services like e-commerce and virtual connections formed through social media and videoconferencing.
Persistent recession fears, rising interest rates and a shift back toward a pre-pandemic lifestyle have bludgeoned the industry, experts say.
Microsoft announced the layoffs on the same day that Amazon began cutting 18,000 workers. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company was set for layoffs in a memo to employees earlier this month.
In the memo, Jassy cited an “uncertain economy” as the primary reason behind the job cuts.
Amazon officials are “deeply aware that these role eliminations are difficult for people, and we don’t take these decisions lightly or underestimate how much they might affect the lives of those who are impacted,” Jassy said.
Over the past year, major tech companies have cut hundreds of thousands of jobs. The list of companies that have undertaken layoffs includes Twitter, Lyft, Stripe, Salesforce, Coinbase and Robinhood.
“When I think about this moment in time, the start of 2023, it’s showtime – for our industry and for Microsoft,” Nadella said. “As a company, our success must be aligned to the world’s success.”
Anthrax‘s tour with Black Label Society kicked off Tuesday in Idaho, but one member of the “Madhouse” metallers had a particularly tough time getting there.
In an Instagram post, bassist Frank Bello shares that his flight into Boise ahead of the show landed in a literal ditch.
“Ever have one of those flights to start a tour where on landing you feel a ‘thud,’ then you hear the brakes screech a bit, and when you finally stop moving the plane is a bit tilted down to the right side in the front?” Bello writes. “Well after keeping us in the plane for 3 hours after landing – we found out we were in a ditch.”
Understandably, Bello feels the incident was “not the best way to start a tour,” but nonetheless is looking forward to “good times ahead.”
Those good times ahead include the rest of Anthrax’s tour with Black Label, which runs into mid-February. The two bands previously toured together last summer.
Dua Lipa at 2019 Met Gala; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Dua Lipa has just hit peak fashion: She’ll be one of the co-chairs of the 2023 Met Gala, the year’s most glamorous night.
As Vogue reports, Dua will be one of the co-chairs of the event, along with Penélope Cruz, retired tennis legend Roger Federer, Vogue’s Anna Wintour and I May Destroy You creator/star Michaela Coel.
As for the this year’s theme, it’s already been announced that the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s exhibit is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, a tribute to the iconic designer who died in 2019. Therefore, as announced Wednesday by Vogue on Instagram, this year’s dress code is “In honor of Karl.”
Since Lagerfeld designed for not only his own brand but also Balmain, Patou, Chloé, Fendi and Chanel throughout his illustrious career, this year’s attendees have a lot of options in terms of what they choose to wear on the red carpet.
Dua skipped last year’s Met Gala because she was performing in London on her Future Nostalgia tour. She also missed it in 2021, because she was shooting her film debut in Argylle. The gala was canceled in 2020, of course, but in 2019, she hit the red carpet in Versace.
