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Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba calls When We Were Young festival “a Fyre Festival kind of stunt that worked”

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

When the When We Were Young festival lineup was announced earlier this year, the excitement over the 2000s-era emo and pop-punk bill was tempered slightly by fears that it was too good to be true. According to Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba, those concerns weren’t entirely unreasonable.

Speaking with Vulture, Skiba reveals that the When We Were Young lineup was announced “before anybody said yes.”

“It was a Fyre Festival kind of stunt that worked,” Skiba says. “And I only know that because my band was on that initial flyer, with every other band from our whole ilk. And they almost expertly started advertising it before they had a single band on the bill.”

“Somehow, all the bands agreed to do it,” he continues. “I’m not making this up. Somebody may correct me, but I know that Alkaline Trio, we hadn’t confirmed anything. And when we read that, we called other bands that were playing, and nobody knew about it.”

Skiba, by the way, has personal experience with the Fyre Festival. He was set to play the infamous 2017 event with Blink-182, who dropped off the lineup as the doomed festival was falling apart.

When Were We Young, however, seems to be actually happening — the jam-packed set times schedule was revealed Monday.

“Congratulations to whoever masterminded that, the Lex Luther of promoters,” Skiba says. “And I think everybody, including us, is really pumped about it. It’s going to be a great time.”

When We Were Young takes place October 22, 23 and 29 in Las Vegas. The lineup also includes My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Bring Me the Horizon, Jimmy Eat World, A Day to Remember and Avril Lavigne.

Microsoft lays off nearly 1,000 employees

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Microsoft announced layoffs on Monday for nearly 1,000 employees worldwide, the company confirmed to ABC News.

The move marks the latest sign of weakness among some of the largest U.S. tech companies amid persistent inflation, recession fears and stock market woes.

This year, shares of Microsoft have fallen nearly 30%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index, meanwhile, has fallen more than 31%.

The job cuts announced by Microsoft on Monday came across different positions, levels and geographic regions, Microsoft confirmed.

“Like all companies, we evaluate our business priorities on a regular basis, and make structural adjustments accordingly,” the company told ABC News in a statement. “We will continue to invest in our business and hire in key growth areas in the year ahead.”

Axios first reported the layoffs.

While significant, the job losses announced on Monday affected less than one half of one percent of the company’s 221,000 employees worldwide.

The cuts followed a round of layoffs in July that impacted less than 1% of the company’s workforce.

The most recent quarterly earnings released by Microsoft, in July, fell short of investor expectations, recording $51.9 billion in revenue compared with an expected $52.4 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Prior to this year, Microsoft saw blockbuster growth during the pandemic, as consumers and businesses turned to its products amid a spike in time spent at home.

Between March 2020 and December 2021, Microsoft’s stock price rose about 107%.

This year, however, an economic slowdown and a continued shift back to some pre-pandemic consumer habits has hurt many tech companies. Shares of cloud-computing competitor Amazon have fallen about 30% this year, while shares of Facebook-parent Meta have dropped 61%.

Microsoft will report its latest quarterly earnings next Tuesday after markets close.

Los Angeles City Council names new president amid controversy

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles City Council elected Paul Krekorian as its new council president a week after the previous president resigned following a leaked recording of her making racist and offensive comments about the family of a fellow council member.

“Paul is a committed and conscientious leader who can bring a smart, collaborative, and effective approach to a painful moment when Angelenos deserve steady leadership on the City Council,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement Tuesday. “I am confident that he’ll assemble a leadership team of bridge builders, and I’ll work closely with the Council to help heal the wounds caused by the hateful words of a few.”

The city council has been embroiled in controversy after a recording posted anonymously to Reddit earlier this month captured then-council President Nury Martinez making allegedly racist and offensive comments about a fellow council member’s son.

Protesters called on Martinez to resign and have continued to call for the resignations of Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, the two other city council members heard on the recording.

“Our collective mission must be partnering to press forward on the causes of racial justice and inclusive government — and pushing for new reforms to bring greater transparency, fairness, and decency to how business is conducted and people are treated by those who represent them at City Hall,” Garcetti said in a statement.

This is a developing story.

Music notes: BTS, Camila Cabello, Katy Perry, 5 Seconds of Summer, Britney Spears and Jack Harlow

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

BTS‘ Jin is about to release his new solo single, “The Astronaut.” His label, BIGHIT, confirmed on Twitter the song arrives October 28.

Speaking of K-pop, Camila Cabello saluted BLACKPINK singer Jisoo for covering her song “Liar.” She took to her Instagram Story to share a clip of the performance with the caption, “Get it girl.”

Katy Perry released the “Where We Started” music video with country singer Thomas Rhett. She said in a statement, “I loved being able to create a dreamy world for ‘Where We Started,’ going back to the Nashville singer-songwriter roots of where I started.”

5 Seconds of Summer released their music video for “Older.” The apocalyptic clip explores what “humans of all walks of life [would do] on their last day on Earth.” The song also addresses the fear of getting older. They added in a statement, “Usually, in life, the end comes without warning, but we wanted the video to capture what could happen if we knew exactly when the end was coming.”

Britney Spears unleashed alarming new allegations against her family in a Twitter thread. She said ending the 13-year conservatorship “has never been good enough for me” and that she wants her family — namely her father, James Spears, to endure what she allegedly went through. “I don’t see how they get to walk away so easily and get away with what was done to me … the world has shown me and the world only that cruelty wins,” she added.

Jack Harlow is hosting his second annual No Place Like Home arena show in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, on December 18. Tickets for the event, held at the KFC Yum! Center, go on sale Friday on Ticketmaster.

Music notes: Lindsey Stirling, Katy Perry, Adele and Meghan Trainor

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Lindsey Stirling says she’s “crazy for Christmas.” She teamed up with singer Bonnie McKee for a fun TikTok parodying their song of the same name, which is on Lindsey’s new album Snow Waltz. The TikTok invites fans to call out people they know who “celebrate Christmas too early.” Lindsey has already decorated her house with garlands, bows and tinsel. She previously revealed she already set up her Christmas tree — but decked it out in spooky decorations.

Katy Perry released the “Where We Started” music video with country singer Thomas Rhett. She said in a statement, “I loved being able to create a dreamy world for ‘Where We Started,’ going back to the Nashville singer-songwriter roots of where I started.”

Adele is counting down the days until her rescheduled Weekends with Adele residency kicks off in Las Vegas. Her team’s official Instagram said in its Story that Wednesday will mark exactly one month until showtime.

Speaking of countdowns, Meghan Trainor is reminding fans that her “Made You Look” music video premieres early for those who play Candy Crush Saga. The video will premiere on the app Thursday before launching Friday at midnight for everyone to see.

It’s slime time: ‘Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed’ unleashed on gaming platforms Tuesday

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If you’ve ever wanted to bust ghosts — or be one — Illfonic’s new Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed might just be for you.

Launching Tuesday on the Epic Games Store for PC gamers, as well as PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One platforms, the title lets players strap on a proton pack and hunt the haunters in a 4 vs. 1 setup. Conversely, the game also allows players to play as a ghost trying to get the better of the boys (and girls) in gray.

Gamers can play solo with A.I. allies and enemies, but there’s also a multiplayer option.

Fans of the Ghostbusters movies will feel right at home at locations like the professional paranormal investigators and eliminators headquarters, as well as Ray’s Occult, the bookstore owned by Dan Aykroyd‘s Dr. Raymond Stantz. Of course, players will also have at their fingertips all the iconic ghost busting equipment as seen in the films.

Aykroyd, the co-creator and co-writer of the first two Ghostbusters films, lends his voice to his character, as does his co-star Ernie Hudson, reprising as Winston Zeddemore.

It’s the perfect fix for Ghostbusters fans until an upcoming sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters.

Rod Stewart helps displaced Ukrainian family, calls Russian invasion “pure evil”

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Horrified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Rod Stewart is taking action. After bringing supplies to Ukraine, the singer is now personally helping a displaced Ukrainian family get back on its feet.

The legendary singer has rented out a home in Berkshire, England, for the family of seven and will be taking care of their bills for at least a year. He spoke to Daily Mirror about what inspired his good deed, which he says is his job as a knight.

Stewart was knighted in 2016 because of his philanthropic and musical efforts.

“I usually keep all my charitable efforts nice and quiet and just do it. But I thought, ‘I am a knight, I have been given this knighthood because of the things I’ve achieved in my life and the charity work I’ve done over the years,'” he explained.

Stewart added he couldn’t sit back as he watched reports of Ukraine being torn apart by the war. He said, “Words couldn’t describe what we were watching. The bombing of innocent children, the bombing of hospitals and playgrounds. Like everyone else, we were completely beside ourselves. I don’t wish that one anyone. This is evil, pure evil.”

The singer adds he was born after World War II and spoke of how the memories impacted his family. “That’s how devastating it was to me. I didn’t think we would see the likes of land war with tanks again,” he added.

He and wife Penny Lancaster are assisting couple Rostyslav and Olena, as well as their five children. Their youngest child is 2 and their eldest is 17.

Stewart says the family fled Ukraine when Russia began its invasion in February. They met when he drove 16 refugees to Berlin after bringing supplies to Ukraine.

Keke Palmer stars in ‘Don’t Run Out’, Uber Eats’ spooky Halloween candy giveaway

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

While Keke Palmer recently appeared in Jordan Peele‘s hit scary movie Nope, she’s now scaring up some laughs — and a million bucks’ worth of free candy — in Uber Eats’ new Halloween promotion.

The clever promo comes in the form of a spooky short movie, directed by Prey‘s Dan Trachtenberg. Keke plays a young woman searching for some sweet stuff for trick-or-treaters, no thanks to her lazy roommates who didn’t buy any. Oh, she’s also hoping to keep at bay the dreaded Candy Snatchers, who reportedly abduct whomever cheaps out come Halloween night.

The hook is, within the movie, Uber Eats has hidden promotional codes for up to $1 million worth of candy before the promotion expires on October 31 — up to a reported $830 per person.

And in true “trick-or-treat” fashion, not all the hidden words sprinkled in the background of the short film are valid promo codes. Viewers will have to enter them into their Uber Eats app to check.

The film ends with Keke being taken by the Candy Snatchers — only to be saved at the last minute by the candy she rush ordered via the app.

But like all classic horror movies, there’s a twist: While Keke’s character is relieved to find the baddies are just kids looking for sweets, one pulls his face off to reveal a hideous, toothy creature who pukes an endless gout of candy corn in her face. “Oh, it’s the worst candy!” she laments.

Daisy Ridley cries foul after learning of university’s purported “torment” of animals named after ‘Star Wars’ characters

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Daisy Ridley is fired up after learning the University of Massachusetts – Amherst reportedly experimented on monkeys named after Star Wars characters.

The English actress, who played Rey in the sequel trilogy, sent a letter to UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy on behalf of the animal rights group PETA, stating, “I obviously have a deep connection with this franchise, and it breaks my heart to hear that the names of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and several other beloved characters are now associated with such cruelty.”

In graphic detail, Ridley noted several of the experiments reportedly performed on tiny marmosets named after the iconic characters.

PETA had previously publicized video of tests performed on one marmoset named after Princess Leia and another who bore the namesake of Leia’s father, Anakin Skywalker. Isolation, sleep and water deprivation, and stress-inducing loud noises were purportedly part of the experiments, according to the videos shown.

Ridley concludes, “Would you please take a look at the torment that these delicate animals are forced to endure, make the compassionate decision to end these experiments and release the adorable marmosets
to a sanctuary, and then direct the resources instead toward human-relevant, animal-free science?”

PETA notes other Star Wars veterans, including Mark Hamill, Natalie Portman, and Solo leads Thandie Newton and Woody Harrelson have also come out against animal experimentation.

Billie Eilish is heading home for two special encore shows

October 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Billie Eilish just wrapped her Happier Than Ever, The World Tour — and now, she has something very special planned for her old stomping grounds.

She will revive her Happier Than Ever tour this winter for two encore events set at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Titled Happier Than Ever, The Hometown Encore, the two-night event takes place December 15 and 16.

“I’M COMING BACKKKKKKKK!! Happier Than Ever, the hometown encore!!!!!!!” she celebrated on Instagram. “LA i am so excited to see you one last time for the year!!!”

The hitmaker also shared a photo of her swarmed by fans at one of her concerts.

Billie is doing what she can to ensure her fans have first dibs on tickets and has partnered with Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program. Those hoping to score tickets can register for a presale by signing in with their Ticketmaster account by 11:59 p.m. PT on October 23.

Those who check all Billie’s boxes will then be sent a unique code to purchase tickets in advance, starting October 25 at 10 a.m. PT. General ticket sales go live the following day at 10 a.m. PT on Billie’s official website.

This encore event is meant to celebrate her successful global tour — her sixth overall — that sold out multiple arenas. At this time, it is unknown just how much the tour grossed across its seven-month run.

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