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Director Kasi Lemmons says she knew Naomi Ackie would “be incredible” playing Whitney Houston in biopic

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is in theaters, taking an honest and intimate look at Houston’s rise to fame and her eventual fall from grace. It’s one of many biopics on the late star, but the only one her estate approved. They selected Naomi Ackie to play the star, and director Kasi Lemmons says she believed Ackie would deliver for the role.

“Well, I saw her screen test. And I knew that she had been chosen by the estate, because they saw something in her after a rigorous search for who was going to play Whitney,” Lemmons tells ABC Audio. “And I knew that not only would she be incredible playing the role, but I would enjoy working with her.” Lemmons says she connected with Ackie, and knew they’d take care of and support each other through the “daunting” process. “You know, it’s daunting to try and kind of recreate something like that with authenticity and artistry and to make it this really powerful tribute.”

Also cast in the film was Nafessa Williams, who portrays Houston’s former assistant Robyn Crawford, who insisted in her book, A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston, that she and the singer also had a romantic relationship. Williams says the couple’s bond was based on love.

“That’s all it was, they loved each other, they adored each other, they respected each other, they were very loyal to each other,” Williams says. “And I think Robyn was just a real stand-up person, like, she had pure intentions for Whitney. She liked to have fun, she played her position really, really well and supported Whitney.”

She hopes that Robyn “is pleased with my performance and how I portrayed her” in the film.

Janis Ian praises Violet Grohl’s performance of ‘At Seventeen’

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and producer Greg Kurstin are in the midst of their annual Hanukkah Sessions, performing songs by Jewish artists. One of those artists was Janis Ian, who was thoroughly impressed by the performance.

The clip had Grohl on drums, Kurstin on keyboards and Dave’s daughter Violet Grohl singing Ian’s classic “At Seventeen.” Ian, who recently revealed she can no longer sing due to scarring on her vocal cords, loved hearing it.

“This morning I woke up and thought ‘How strange. I’ll never be able to sing “At Seventeen” again.’ And I don’t mind admitting that it was really depressing,” she shared on Facebook. “But what better antidote could there be than to hear my work, 47 years after I wrote it, beautifully and sincerely sung by Violet Grohl?”

She added, “What a perfectly happy day this turned out to be. Thank you, Violet. Thank you, Dave. Thank you.”

Macca, I’m coming home: Ozzy Osbourne wants to work with Paul McCartney

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Ozzy Osbourne‘s worked with a ton of legendary rockers over his long career — just look at the guests on his new Patient Number 9 solo album — but there’s one that’s continued to elude even the Prince of Darkness.

In an interview with Yahoo, Ozzy shares his dream to one day work with Paul McCartney.

“That will never happen,” Ozzy says of collaborating with the Beatles icon. “I asked him one time, and he had some excuse.”

Should an Ozzy/Macca joint track ever occur, though, the metal legend declares, “Then I could go, ‘OK, I’ve achieved all my dreams.'”

The artists who contribute to Patient Number 9 include Ozzy’s Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith, Guns N’ Roses‘ Duff McKagan, Black Label Society‘s Zakk Wylde, Metallica‘s Robert Trujillo and late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Ozzy also reached out to Jimmy Page to guest on the record, but told Metal Hammer that he never heard back from the Led Zeppelin guitarist.

Elsewhere in the Yahoo interview, Ozzy opens up about wanting to return to the road. A variety of health issues — not to mention a worldwide pandemic — have kept him from touring since 2018.

“I just wanna get back on that stage,” Ozzy says. “I’ve gotta get back on that stage. It’s driving me nuts, not being able to.”

“I can’t relax,” he adds. “I’ve always gotta be doing something … I mean, I could say let’s call it a day, but I can’t stop.”

Dave Grohl & Greg Kurstin jam with Beck for The Hanukkah Sessions night five

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

For night five of The Hanukkah Sessions, Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin jammed with Beck in honor of the “Loser” artist’s Jewish roots.

Beck joined the Foo Fighters frontman and the producer for a particularly rocking version of his song “E-Pro” alongside some enthusiastic backing vocals. You can watch the performance streaming now on YouTube.

For The Hanukkah Sessions, which is now in its third year, Grohl and Kurstin release a cover of a song by a Jewish artist for each of the holiday’s eight nights. This year’s edition was recorded live at the Los Angeles club Largo earlier this month and so far has included versions of Blood, Sweat & Tears‘ “Spinning Wheel” featuring director Judd Apatow, Pink‘s “Get they Party Started,” 10cc‘s “The Things We Do for Love” with Inara George and Janis Ian‘s “At Seventeen” sung by Grohl’s daughter Violet.

The last two Hanukkah Sessions spawned covers of artists including KISS, Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Drake, Lisa Loeb, Ramones, Amy Winehouse and Billy Joel.

“I had no idea what I was doing”: ‘Avatar’ star Sam Worthington on losing 007 role to Daniel Craig

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

20th Century Studios

As the search continues to find the next James Bond going forward, Avatar lead Sam Worthington is looking back at the time he blew his audition to play the suave secret agent.

In a chat with Variety, Worthington recalls he was a finalist for the role, which eventually went to Daniel Craig. Now-former Superman Henry Cavill, and E.R. veteran and recent Hellraiser star Goran Visnjic were also in the running, the trade notes.

Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson put the actors through their paces, and into a tux, to perform one of Sean Connery‘s scenes from 1963’s From Russia with Love.

It seems Broccoli was pulling for Worthington, even personally cutting his hair before the audition, which the actor admits he biffed.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” he expressed.

“I could play Bond as a killer, but I couldn’t get the debonair down for the life of me,” the Aussie recalled, adding, “The suit did not fit.”

Speaking of ill-fitting suits, Worthington also revealed he lost out on playing Green Lantern in an eventually drubbed 2011 film.

“It didn’t make much sense to me — the suit comes out of his skin?” Worthington says. “And I was like, ‘He’s got this powerful ring that can create anything. Well, what can beat the ring?’ The answer was nothing. I was like, ‘Well, something needs to beat it, or it won’t be very interesting.'”

A “very bizarre” attempt to psyche him up by putting on the actual ring prop didn’t help, either.

While Craig went on to play Bond in five films, losing Green Lantern helped Worthington dodge a bullet: Ryan Reynolds took the job and hasn’t stopped making fun of himself for it since.

Another Taylor Swift fan sues Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Yet another Taylor Swift fan has filed a lawsuit against Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster.

Billboard reports that the class-action lawsuit was filed in California federal court by Michelle Sterioff. It accuses Live Nation and Ticketmaster of “intentionally and purposefully” misleading “millions of fans into believing” that bots and scalpers would be prevented from participating in the Taylor Swift Eras Tour presale.

The suit also accuses the companies of violating federal antitrust and unfair competition laws. It claims that the two companies have a monopoly when it comes to ticket sales and have used their power “in a predatory, exclusionary, and anti-competitive manner.”

In the suit, Sterioff says she registered for the presale, but wasn’t able to get a ticket. After Ticketmaster canceled the public sale, Sterioff says, she had to buy tickets on the secondary market. But since Ticketmaster doesn’t let fans resell tickets unless they do it through its own secondary ticketing platform, the amount she paid was subject to the company’s “monopolistic prices.”

Sterioff’s suit also accuses the companies of intentional misrepresentation and violation of California’s False Advertising Law. She’s asking for legal fees, punitive damages and more.

Members of Congress have already announced they’ll be holding a hearing to look into the concert ticket industry. There have also been reports that even before the Taylor mess, the Justice Department was examining whether or not the companies constitute an illegal monopoly.

Philadelphia Soul icon Thom Bell dies at 79

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Thom Bell, one of the members of “The Mighty Three” architects of the Philadelphia soul sound, passed away Thursday at the age of 79. No cause of death was revealed.

Bell’s lawyer tells Billboard, “Thom Bell left an indelible and everlasting mark on the history of popular music,” adding, “The music world has truly lost one of the greats.”

The Mighty Three, which also included Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, are credited with such hits as The O’Jays’ “Back Stabbers,” Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ “I Miss You,” and more. In addition, Bell wrote and produced hits for artists like The Stylistics, The Spinners, The Delfonics and more, including “You are Everything,” “La-La (Means I Love You),” “Betcha by Golly Wow, “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” and more.

In 1975, Bell became the first winner of the Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. He was inducted into the Songwriting Hall of Fame in 2006 and was also honored with a trustee award by the Recording Academy in 2017.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports both Gamble and Huff paid tribute to Bell, with Gamble sharing, “Leon Huff and I were proud to have him as part of our Mighty Three music writing team, which helped create our signature brand of TSOP,” adding, “He was a great talent and my dear friend. The name of Gamble Huff and Bell will last forever.”

Huff added, “Thom Bell was my favorite musician, arranger, songwriter and music producer of all time. It was my esteem, honor and pleasure to work with him creatively and as a business partner. Rest in peace.”

‘Curtsy-gate’: Former UK politician, Internet users find footage of Meghan Markle curtsying on ‘Suits’

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

One of the more headline-grabbing moments of the Netflix series Meghan and Harry was Meghan Markle claiming to be nervous before meeting Queen Elizabeth II for the first time.

At issue was Meghan’s claim nobody taught her how to properly curtsy, as royal etiquette requires. As Prince Harry watched, the former Suits actress pantomimed an extremely exaggerated, and many said, disrespectful bow she said she did before the Queen Mother.

Markle also compared the pomp and circumstance of meeting the longest-serving monarch in modern history — and Harry’s beloved grandmother — to “Medieval Times, dinner and tournament.”

Critics of the so-called “runaway royal” cried foul on the curtsy claim, among them right-wing former British Parliament member-turned journalist Nigel Farage. And this week, he brought receipts: a clip from Markle’s former show Suits, in which she performed a perfect curtsy.

“So there you are, in her professional life, she had to curtsy, but somehow when she married Prince Harry, she forgot what a curtsy was and had to make a huge, huge deal of it.” Farage recently sniped on his GBN show. “How awkward, and difficult the whole thing was, no doubt she felt oppressed by all of it.”

The Internet also caught that same clip, and with one Instagram user commenting it “only proves she knew well how to curtsey [sic] long before she met Harry,” calling, “her whole BS on Netflix about curtsying to the [Queen Elizabeth II] was just a mockery.”

On his show, Farage said some criticism of Markle is over the top, but admits, “Meghan does tend to just drive people absolutely, totally, and utterly barmy.”

Country stars’ Christmas Day celebrations are all about the kids

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

There’s nothing quite like seeing a child light up at the magic of Christmas. Lady A even released their own holiday song about the joy of being a parent on Christmas, called “Christmas Through Your Eyes.”

They’re not the only country stars who are keeping the focus on the kids this Christmas. Jackson Dean says he’s looking forward to getting to know the younger set of his family this year.

“My sister had a kid, my brother had a kid, and there’s about 11 of us in the immediate family now,” Jackson tells his record label, saying that after a few years of logging long hours on the road, he can’t wait to spend some quality time at home.

“I’m excited this year to see Ophelia and Tom, my niece and nephew, gettin’ and rippin’ open presents, ‘cause they’re knee-high to a stump right now,” he continues. “Probably getting to see that will be a gift enough for me.”

Brantley Gilbert’s also got kids who will be unwrapping presents on Christmas morning, though he says they’ve got simple tastes and would be just as likely to play with a “water bottle” as they would an expensive new toy.

Bikes are a big staple gift in the house: The singer’s daughter, Braylen, got a bike for her third birthday and his son, Barrett, got a four-wheeler for Christmas one year.

But it’s not just human kids who are the star of the show at the holidays. Brian Kelley and his wife, Brittney, may not have any children, but their four dogs are at the center of all their Christmas plans.

“Our dogs are our babies, and it’s always fun to kinda give ‘em some Christmas treats around that time and make it extra special for them,” the singer says.

Charlie Cox teases new Disney+ ’Daredevil: Born Again’ series

December 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Daredevil is getting a new life on Disney+ and a whole new vibe, according to star Charlie Cox.

Cox starred in Netflix’s hit Daredevil series for three seasons and he’ll reprise role as blind attorney/costumed vigilante Matt Murdock in the upcoming Disney+ revival Daredevil: Born Again in 2024. In an interview with NME, he teased what viewers can expect form the new show.

“This has to be a reincarnation, it has to be different, otherwise why are we doing it?” the English actor said. “My opinion is this character works best when he’s geared towards a slightly more mature audience. My instinct is that on Disney+ it will be dark but it probably won’t be as gory.”

And to fans who may be expecting the new series to be a continuation of the previous one, Cox said, “I would say to those people, we’ve done that.”

He added, “Let’s take the things that really worked, but can we broaden? Can we appeal to a slightly younger audience without losing what we’ve learned about what works?”

Cox most recently appeared as Daredevil in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and had a cameo as the character in the global smash Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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