Plain White T’s frontman Tom Higgenson sang “Hey There Delilah” for one very special Delilah who’s battling pediatric cancer.
In a TikTok, the PWT’s shared a video of Higgenson surprising young Delilah in the hospital with an acoustic performance of the group’s signature hit.
“Delilah has been fighting cancer for over 4 years,” the caption reads. “During her cancer treatments Delilah’s favorite song has been ‘Hey There Delilah,’ so we surprised her with Tom and her favorite song.”
Delilah was understandably very excited — one might even say that Times Square can’t shine as bright as her smile.
ELO’s Jeff Lynne, Gloria Estefan and Sade are among the artists chosen for the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year.
Other artists making up the 2023 class include Teddy Riley; Snoop Dogg; Glen Ballard, who is best known for writing such hits as Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and Alanis Morissette’s ”You Oughta Know”; and Liz Rose, whose work includes Taylor Swift tunes “You Belong With Me” and “All Too Well.”
“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 shares. “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.”
Artists who were nominated, but not chosen this year, include Bryan Adams, the members of R.E.M., Patti Smith, Steve Winwood, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers and Blondie’s Debbie Harry, Clem Burke and Chris Stein.
The 2023 class will be celebrated at the 52nd annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala, taking place June 15 in New York City.
The 2023 Oscar season is officially in full swing.
Good Morning America revealed Wednesday that Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed and star of hit film M3gan Allison Williams will announce the Oscar nominees live next Tuesday, January 24.
Ahmed won the 2022 Oscar for Best Live Action Short film alongside director Aneil Karia for the short film The Long Goodbye. The year before, Ahmed was nominated for an Academy Award for his lead performance in the feature film Sound of Metal.
Williams is the star and executive producer of the new viral hit and horror thriller M3gan, which debuted earlier this month. Previously, Williams starred in Jordan Peele‘s Oscar-winning film Get Out.
Ahmed and Williams will announce the nominations live from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Tuesday, January 24, at 8:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. PT). The nominations will be aired live on Good Morning America and streamed live on Goodmorningamerica.com, ABC News Live, Disney+ and more.
The 95th Academy Awards will air on ABC on March 12 and can also be streamed on ABC.com, Hulu Live TV and YouTubeTV.
Late-night talk show comedian Jimmy Kimmel is back to host the awards for a third time.
Some top predictions for Best Picture this year include Avatar: The Way of Water, Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans and The Banshees of Inisherin.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is looking to get back on Facebook.
Attorneys for Trump, who was banned from Facebook after the Jan. 6 insurrection, have written to executives of Meta requesting a meeting to discuss “prompt reinstatement to the platform,” according to a copy of the letter reviewed by ABC News.
The letter, which is addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and two other executives, claims the ban on Trump’s account “has dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse,” and represents “a deliberate effort by a private company to silence Mr. Trump’s political voice.”
“Moreover, every day that President Trump’s political voice remains silenced furthers an inappropriate interference in the American political and election process,” the letter states.
The letter does not address the reason Trump was kicked off the platform in the first place — it does, however, note that Trump was allowed back on Twitter. Twitter CEO Elon Musk lifted Trump’s ban on the platform in November after putting the decision up to a poll.
He has not used the account despite being unbanned, and has said he plans to stick with TRUTH Social, the platform he founded after being banned from most social media sites.
Trump was removed from Facebook in January 2021, in the wake of the insurrection, over concerns his posts were inciting violence.
The company later said the removal was set to last for two years, at which point it would come under reassessment.
“We therefore write to request a meeting to discuss President Trump’s prompt reinstatement to the platform,” the letter says.
However, even as Trump announced his run for president in 2024, Facebook said in November it did not plan to reinstate him.
Seal is celebrating a milestone in his career the best way he knows how — by launching a massive tour.
The legendary singer is celebrating more than 30 years in the business and announced a North American tour that kicks off this spring. The 30th Anniversary Tour starts April 25 at the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix and will run for six weeks.
Seal, along with special guests The Buggles, will hit cities such as Austin, Charlotte, Minneapolis, New York City, Toronto and Los Angeles. The trek will take its final bow on June 12 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Seal says he was inspired to launch this 25-date trek to mark the 30th anniversary of his self-titled debut album, which was released in 1991, and the follow-up eponymous album, Seal II, which arrived three years later. The albums featured the hits “Future Love Paradise,” “Crazy,” “Don’t Cry,” and of course his triple-Grammy-winning song, “Kiss From A Rose.”
Tickets go on sale Friday, January 27, at 10 a.m. local venue time, but fans can also access a special presale a day earlier on Live Nation. Seal has updated his website to include ticket sales information and his complete tour itinerary.
The announcement comes a day after Seal performed his beloved hit “Kiss From A Rose” onJimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the deluxe edition of his debut album. He released it on four-CD and two-LP formats, which included an unreleased 13-track concert performance and never-before-seen photos.
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Derek Chauvin’s attorney is set to argue Minnesota should throw out his state murder conviction in the death of George Floyd in a Wednesday hearing.
The former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in June 2021 after he was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin was found guilty of pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes, resulting in Floyd’s death in May 2020. The death triggered a wave of protests against police misconduct and a racial reckoning nationwide.
Chauvin’s attorney, William F. Mohrman, will argue that pretrial publicity “was more extensive than in any trial ever in Minnesota,” and that publicity, ongoing civil unrest, alleged exclusion of evidence and “misconduct” from the prosecution led to an unfair trial, according to court documents.
Mohrman cites the local death of Daunte Wright, a Black man killed by police while Chauvin’s trial was pending; Minneapolis’ $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family; and the exclusion of evidence concerning Floyd’s past arrest as laying the foundation for an unfavorable trial outcome.
Mohrman is also questioning whether Chauvin’s third-degree murder should be overturned “because this charge allowed the state to introduce evidence of Chauvin’s ‘depraved mind’ which is irrelevant to unintentional second degree murder.”
The appellant brief, filed last year, requests the state “either reverse his conviction, reverse and remand for a new trial in a new venue or remand for re-sentencing.”
Chauvin was also sentenced to 21 years in prison on federal civil rights charges after pleading guilty to violating Floyd’s civil rights and using unreasonable and excessive force, even after he was aware Floyd had lost consciousness and a pulse.
A$AP Rocky has a released a new song in honor of the many artists who have passed on.
“Same Problems,” now available on streaming platforms, sees the rapper reflecting on the consistent deaths and the effect they’ve had on him.
“N****s dyin’ every other night, “N****s cryin’, that’s a part of life,” he raps on the song. “Lyin’ to my face, tryna say that it’s all good, No, I’m not alright.”
“You gotta know that we the highest statistic of losing people. No other genre loses rock stars, pop singers and country artists,” he said while introducing to the song. “Hip-hoppers, we get killed and shot every day. Overdoses, all types of unfortunate events. So this next song is dedicated to everybody we lost and anybody who ever lost somebody.”
Rocky then performed the track as photos of DMX, Drakeo the Ruler, Juice WRLD, King Von, PnB Rock, Takeoff, Pop Smoke and other fallen soldiers were displayed on the screen.
“Same Problems” is expected to appear on Rocky’s upcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb. Its release falls on the eight-year death anniversary of Rocky’s friend A$AP Yams, who was 26 when he died of an accidental drug overdose.
Madonna has just announced a 40th anniversary world tour and recently sat for an exclusive interview with the French, Spanish and Italian issues of Vanity Fair. She also participated in an extravagant photo/video project inspired by religious imagery.
The visual project features the Queen of Pop wearing designs by John Galliano for Maison Margiela, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Jean Paul Gaultier, styled by B. Åkerlund and photographed by Luigi & Iango.
In the accompanying interview, she tells Vanity Fair about her upcoming tour and biopic, noting, “I’m very excited about the challenges that come my way. I’m about to create another [live] show, and I’ve been working for several years on the screenplay about my life.”
She adds, “This is a good time for me — I’m gathering ideas, getting inspired, hanging out with creative people, watching films, seeing art, listening to music. I seek inspiration wherever I go.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Madonna says what makes her happy is “the time I spend with my children … seeing them happy, watching their development, discovering their passions.” While she notes that being a mother and an artist is “the hardest thing,” she adds, “Whoever you are, having children and raising them is a work of art.”
Asked what makes her fall in love, she says, “The feeling of affinity with someone. When you feel like you speak the same language, see the world the same way. I always fall in love with personalities who are creative, or at least express their creativity in some way.”
And asked what advice she’d give to the Madonna who moved to New York City 40 years ago with no money, she says, “That girl was broke, and hungry. I would tell her to face reality and cook for herself!”
Dolly Parton is spilling the T on her upcoming rock album.
The record, which she’s working on now, will include appearances from rock royalty like Paul McCartney, John Fogerty, ex-Journey frontman Steve Perry and Steven Tyler, the legend herself confirms.
As far as song selection, Dolly reveals she’s recorded Led Zeppelin‘s “Stairway to Heaven” and the Rolling Stones‘ “Satisfaction.” When asked if Mick Jagger will join her, Dolly promises, “I’m doing my best to try to get him on it.” In the meantime, she’s laid down vocals with Pink and BrandiCarlile.
The “Jolene” hitmaker also just finished recording with Stevie Nicks and dropped another bombshell regarding Cher, disclosing, “We’ve been trying to get the right thing together.”
The revelations came during Dolly’s appearance on ABC’s The View this week as she promotes the new additions to her Duncan Hines line of baking mixes.
While we don’t know when Dolly’s rock record will arrive, she’s hinted several times it’s coming this year. The icon announced her intention as her way of earning her recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which she initially didn’t believe she deserved.
Randy Newman is once again postponing his United Kingdom and European tour. Last March Randy pushed the tour to 2023 in order to recover from surgery to repair a broken neck, but now he’s pushing the dates again in order to continue his recovery.
“Unfortunately, due to ongoing recovery from his most recent surgery, Randy Newman is unable to safely travel or perform; therefore his European tour must be postponed,” read a post on social media. “His medical team is currently unable to determine when he will be ready, and they will continue to work on his healing and monitor his progress so he can return to doing what he loves: playing music for his fans.”
Randy’s An Evening with Randy Newman tour was initially supposed to kick off in Dublin, Ireland, in March 2022. The new dates were supposed to start next month.
