Blake Shelton might be leaving The Voice, but that doesn’t mean country music is leaving the show.
In fact, Blake’s fellow coach John Legend is hoping that another superstar from the format replaces the Voice veteran once he steps down. “I think it should be someone in country,” John told Extra on the red carpet before the live shows kicked off.
“We’ve never had another country coach before, because it’s only been Blake,” John points out. “You know, I could see Carrie [Underwood] doing it.”
Of course, Carrie’s already pretty familiar with NBC, the network that airs The Voice — as John notes, she’s performed the Sunday Night Football theme for nine years now. “She could be good,” he adds.
Of course, John might be just a tad biased, as he and Carrie have collaborated together in the past. Carrie’s 2020 holiday album, My Gift, includes a duet they recorded called “Hallelujah,” which John co-wrote.
Blake announced last month that he’s leaving The Voice. The show is currently in his 22nd season, and the next season — Season 23, in the spring of 2023 — will be his last.
Mötley Crüe has announced a new box set collecting each of the band’s first five albums.
Dubbed Crücial Crüe: The Studio Albums 1981-1989, the package will arrive on February 17, 2023, and will be available in five-LP and five-CD configurations, each of which is limited to just 10,000 copies.
Inside Crücial Crüe,you’ll find 1981’s Too Fast for Love, 1983’s Shout at the Devil, 1985’s Theatre of Pain, 1987’s Girls, Girls, Girls and 1989’s Dr. Feelgood. In the vinyl edition, each of the records will be printed on a different colored LP.
Mötley Crüe spent their 2022 on their reunion Stadium Tour alongside Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. They’ll link back up with Def Leppard for an international tour in 2023, though they’ll do so without guitarist Mick Mars, who’s retired from the road. Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 will fill in for Mars.
Count American Idol winner Jordin Sparks in Chris Brown‘s corner. She joins Kelly Rowland in defending Brown following the controversy stemming from the 2022 American Music Awards.
Rowland stuck up for Brown when the audience booed his win for Favorite Male R&B Artist. The booing came after Brown claimed the AMAs nixed his tribute to Michael Jackson. It had been previously reported he was tapped to perform with special guest Ciara, but the offer was reneged last minute for unknown reasons.
It was believed Brown’s dismissal stemmed from his violent physical assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.
TMZ caught up with Sparks on Wednesday, and the singer expressed that people need to let go of the past. “We love Chris… he should have been there,” she noted of her “No Air” collaborator.
She added the 2009 incident “honestly shouldn’t even be a conversation anymore,” and people should instead focus on “his talent.”
“They shouldn’t cancel the performance. That’s how I feel about it,” Sparks said. “People should be able to grow and learn and be able to live their life without things hanging over them. Everybody deserves that. Him especially.”
Dua Lipa‘s British, and, as such, doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but nevertheless, she’s revealed what she’s most thankful for in her monthly Service95 newsletter.
“For those that don’t know, it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow in the United States, and although I’m not American, I love a holiday that encourages people to gather around a table with their family, eat delicious food and count the things they’re grateful for,” Dua writes in the newsletter.
“I try to make a little gratitude list in my head before I go to bed most nights and, looking back at this incredible year, I’m so grateful for my health, my family and friends, my touring family, and my incredible fans I’ve had the chance to perform to all around the world!” she continues.
Dua also thanked those who read her Service95 newsletter, adding, “Without you, this would not be possible.”
It certainly has been a big year for Dua: Just this past Sunday, she found herself onstage with Elton John, performing “Cold Heart” at the final North American concert of his farewell tour.
On Instagram, she shared video and photos of the moment and wrote, “To my most magical friend @eltonjohn thank you for keeping the dream alive!!! It was an honour, a privilege and a joy to share the stage with you…on your last show at the Dodgers Stadium. Thank you for everything, forever and always. I love you!!!”
Elton replied, “A magical moment! Thank you for everything, Dua. I love you.”
Dua also posted a photo of herself posing with one of the VIP guests at Sunday night’s show: legendary singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell. Or, as Dua called her in the caption, “JONI MITCHELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of Michael Hutchence’s death, and the INXS frontman’s ex-girlfriend, supermodel Helena Christensen, paid tribute to him in a post on social media.
“Hey Michael, was just on the phone with some friends of yours who all love you very much. We shared some beautiful memories and of course we laughed a lot cause being around you was so fun and joyous,” she shared next to photos of them topless and hugging each other. “You made everyone feel alive and loved, there was always such a magical light shining from you ~ a light that will shine forever.”
The post comes just days after Michael’s sister, Tina,blasted Christensen for not revealing the truth about the singer’s state of mind at the time of his death. It wasn’t until the 2019 documentary Mystify that the model revealed he had suffered brain damage as a result of an assault by a taxi driver in Copenhagen, which caused him to suffer uncontrollable rages.
Two senators have announced a hearing to look into the alleged monopoly critics say Ticketmaster has on the ticketing industry.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, have taken the first steps to investigate whether there is a lack of competition in the ticketing industry. Both sit on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights.
The hearing was announced following the disastrous rollout of the presale tickets for Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour, where fans complained of hours-long waits, site crashes and exorbitant prices.
Klobuchar, who chairs the subcommittee, said in a statement, “Last week, the competition problem in ticketing markets was made painfully obvious when Ticketmaster’s website failed hundreds of thousands of fans hoping to purchase concert tickets. The high fees, site disruptions and cancellations that customers experienced shows how Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company does not face any pressure to continually innovate and improve.”
“That’s why we will hold a hearing on how consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industry harms customers and artists alike. When there is no competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences,” her statement continued.
Senator Lee, who is a ranking member of the subcommittee, said, “American consumers deserve the benefit of competition in every market, from grocery chains to concert venues. I look forward to exercising our Subcommittee’s oversight authority to ensure that anticompetitive mergers and exclusionary conduct are not crippling an entertainment industry already struggling to recover from pandemic lockdowns.”
At the moment, a date for the hearing and potential witnesses have not yet been announced.
As previously reported, Ticketmaster blamed the unprecedented demand and “staggering number of bot attacks” for creating havoc during the presale. They have since canceled general ticket sales.
The former talk show host, who completed another stint in rehab last month, appeared Monday night at a Q&A held at the annual “Circle of Sisters” event staged by her former radio station in New York City.
In a video posted by the station, Williams admits she’s very much on the market. “I’m looking for love,” she revealed. “It’s not enough that I’m sitting by myself at home at 58 years old.”
She added, to laughs from the crowd, “I love men. I never deny it, and the first thing I think when I see men is, ‘Are they wearing the finger?'” — meaning, not wearing a wedding ring — “’cause if they’re wearing the finger, then that’s an immediate ‘hello.'”
“But I can’t wait to fall in love,” she added. However, she noted, “I don’t want to get married.”
Williams said she hopes her special someone already has kids, and is either 10 years younger or 15 years older than she is, so they’d be free to do whatever they want to do on a whim.
“[T]hen we’ll be able to do things together,” she explained. “Like, if we want to all of a sudden want to fly from New York City, if we want to fly to France to be there for two days to have food or whatever, I want to be able, you know, I could be qualified with a man that [says], ‘Come on, baby. Let’s do it. Do we fly private or do we fly public?'”
Williams also recently appeared on Instagram, seated once again on her former show’s purple throne, promoting her forthcoming podcast, The Wendy Experience.
The TV personality has battled substance abuse and other health issues in the past, including the thyroid condition Graves Disease.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Imagesfor Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 presented by Prime Video
Rihanna may be the latest celebrity to have her very own documentary. Similar to Jennifer Lopez, this documentary will focus on her Super Bowl halftime show.
U.K. outletThe Sunclaims Apple TV+ is chronicling the events leading up to Rihanna’s grand return to the stage. It shouldn’t be all that surprising Apple nabbed rights to the film since the halftime show is a co-production between the NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music.
An insider spilled to the outlet, “She will be recorded during rehearsals and meetings in the lead-up to the big night and give an insight into what her life is really like now she is returning to pop as a mom.”
“Rihanna is a massive force to be reckoned with when it comes to music and so Apple has paid millions,” the spy continued.
The insider teased Rih’s halftime show will “be huge” but says the singer is feeling “immense” pressure to put on a blowout performance. “She is keen for the world to remember why she is one of the greatest performers of all time,” the source claimed.
Super Bowl LVII is scheduled to take place February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The halftime show will mark Rihanna’s first live public performance since the 2018 Grammys. The singer last released the album Anti and its supporting tour back in 2016.
(New York) — Former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll will file a new lawsuit against former President Donald Trump on Thanksgiving, the first day of New York’s new Adult Survivors Act that allows adult victims of sexual assault to file civil lawsuits that would otherwise be barred due to the passage of too much time, her attorneys said during a court hearing Tuesday.
Carroll is already suing Trump for defamation in federal court after he denied her claim that he raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, saying she was “not my type.” The new lawsuit, also being filed in federal court, will include a new allegation of defamation and an allegation of battery.
Attorneys for Carroll asked the federal judge presiding over the original case to delay a trial date to account for the new lawsuit, but the judge declined.
“The second action is technically not before me today,” Judge Lewis Kaplan said.
An attorney for Trump, Alina Habba, told the judge she didn’t know if she would be representing Trump in the new suit.
“The complaint has not been filed. I have not been retained,” Habba told the judge. “I don’t know whether I’ll be retained on that matter.”
“Your client has known this is coming for months and he would be well advised to know who is representing him in it,” Judge Kaplan replied.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said she asked Trump about the second alleged incident of defamation during a recent deposition.
Whether Carroll’s initial lawsuit can even proceed hinges on the outcome of a legal question before a different court.
Trump has argued the Justice Department should be substituted as the defendant in the case because as president, he was an employee of the federal government, which cannot be sued for defamation.
In September the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump was indeed a government employee under the terms of the Westfall Act, which shields federal employees from personal liability — but it left to the D.C. Court of Appeals to determine whether Trump’s denials fell within the scope of his employment.
The Court of Appeals, which retains jurisdiction over the conduct of federal government employees, has scheduled oral arguments for January to decide whether Trump was acting in his official capacity as president when he denied Carroll’s rape claim and allegedly defamed her.
If the court decides in Trump’s favor, any defamation suit would be void.
TV appearances and holiday tours keep some artists busy this time of the year, but others are able to take a moment to stop and count their blessings.
GAYLE‘s got plenty to be thankful for: She just landed a Grammy nomination, her song “abcdefu” is a global hit and she’s opening for Taylor Swift next year. But she gives full credit to the people who made all that possible.
“The fans,” she told ABC Audio at the AMAs when asked what she’s most thankful for. “For making the song what it is. I wouldn’t be here if people didn’t add the song to their playlist. I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t watch the music video … human beings got me to where I am today. I did not do this by myself.”
In 2022, Imagine Dragons released a new album, toured, scored a massive hit with “Enemy” and marked the 10th anniversary of their debut album. Bass player Ben McKee, singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon and drummer Daniel Platzman told ABC Audio they’re thankful for their kids, cats and being able to go back home to see family. Sermon says he’s most thankful for his “bros” in the band.
“A lot of things have changed over the years, but we’ve stayed close,” he notes. “Bros remain bros,” agrees Reynolds.
Some people, like ex-Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui, have stopped celebrating Thanksgiving entirely, as it’s a reminder of the slaughter of Indigenous people and the theft of their land. But she still has fond memories of a childhood Thanksgiving dish.
“I don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving, to be honest — you know, colonizer holiday,” she told ABC Audio. “I do love stuffing. My mom used to get this mushroom stuffing from this corner market by our house … it was so good.”
