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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Hello Metaverse: Elton John announces Roblox collaboration

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Earlier this year, Elton John‘s husband and manger, David Furnish, told MusicWeek about the possibility of bringing the Rocket Man into the metaverse. Now, that virtual dream has become a virtual reality.

Elton has announced a collaboration with the popular online game platform Roblox. Titled Beyond the Yellow Brick Road, the virtual experience will, as a press release puts it, “let fans follow the yellow brick road through an interactive world inspired by Elton’s life and legacy.”

Users will be able to collect digital items inspired by John’s famed stage outfits, including the sequined Los Angeles Dodgers uniform he wore during his 1975 Dodger Stadium concerts.

In a statement, Elton shares that he’s “absolutely thrilled” about the project.

“I’ve always been myself and used my image, eyewear, and music to express myself, and Roblox really encourages that self-expression,” Elton says. “Now my fans can do the same, and that’s really exciting.”

“At every step of my career, I’ve always wanted to push forward and look to the future, and ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ is the next step on that journey as I prepare to step away from live touring after 50 years on the road,” he continues. “It’s genuinely thrilling, and I can’t wait to see the response from my fans and the Roblox community.”

Elton is set to play his final U.S. concert, taking place in Dodger Stadium, on November 20. The show will stream live on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

“It was just so much blood”: Chris Redd details attack outside New York City’s Comedy Cellar

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In a chat with Daily Beast’s The Last Laugh podcast, stand-up comedian and former SNL star Chris Redd detailed the October 26 attack that left him bloodied outside New York City’s Comedy Cellar.

“A surprise party of one fist,” Redd jokingly called the incident when talking to host Matt Wilstein.

Redd said contrary to published reports, he wasn’t exiting a car when his as-yet-unidentified attacker struck him, but instead was on foot. He said he was texting his cousin who works at the Olive Tree Cafe, the eatery above the famous comedy venue.

He continued, “As I put my phone in my pocket … this man hit me in the face with something metal … I thought it was brass knuckles because it cut my nose to the bone.”

The attacker then fled.

Redd said, “I jumped back on my feet very quickly … but I did hit that ground for five seconds, though.”

Redd continued, “I’ve taken a punch to the face before, so it wasn’t terrifying, but what was worrisome was how much blood was coming out of my face.” It left him unable to chase his alleged attacker, he explained.

He said the amount of damage done to his face leads him to suspect he was hit with some kind of weapon. “I got two fractures in my nose and one in my cheek.”

Redd revealed he still wanted to go onstage that night to talk about the situation, but he couldn’t perform because he was bleeding so much.

The suspect remains at large.

The full interview with Wilstein drops November 8 on all podcasting platforms.

Johnny Depp to appear in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Johnny Depp has booked a high-profile appearance following his legal victory in his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard in June.

ABC Audio can confirm the former Pirates of the Caribbean star will appear in Rihanna‘s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4, which debuts on Amazon on November 9.

The fashion show also boasts appearances from other famous faces, including Black Panther‘s Winston Duke, Shang-Chi‘s Simu Liu, Abbott Elementary Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph, Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, model and actress Cara Delevingne, and upcoming Beverly Hills Cop sequel star Taylour Paige.

Dolly Parton’s at work on a rock album + she’s not the only country star to try her hand at rocking out

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

When Dolly Parton was named as a nominee to join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she initially demurred, saying that as a country artist she hasn’t earned the honor.

But the fans and voting members alike disagreed, so Dolly’s going into the Hall, whether she thinks she deserves it or not. The country legend has said she hopes to earn her rock bona fides by putting out a rock album — and in a new interview with Pollstar, Dolly says that’s still the plan.

“When I got nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I thought, ‘Well, no better time to do it.’ I had always wanted to do it,” she says, explaining that her husband is a rock fan and she’d love to put out an album full of rock songs for his sake, too.

Dolly says she’s getting her affairs in order to work on that project once her schedule frees up a bit and even hints that she’ll “maybe have some of the greats, the legends of rock ‘n’ roll, sing along with me.”

She certainly wouldn’t be the only country artist to dip her toe into the rock world. Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Brenda Lee and Jerry Lee Lewis are just a few Hall of Famers who straddle the country and rock worlds.

Modern country has plenty of rockers, too. Carrie Underwood has been collaborating with Axl Rose onstage quite a bit recently — and covering “Welcome to the Jungle” live on tour — and hitmakers like Brantley Gilbert and Hardy are known for touring on bills that include both country and rock artists.

Sammy Hagar says Eddie Van Halen “deserves” tribute concert, but he and Alex Van Halen “don’t talk” anymore

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Another day, another ‘will-they-or-won’t they?’ story about a Van Halen tribute concert to Eddie Van Halen featuring past and present members.

The answer remains no, with the latest update coming from former frontman Sammy Hagar, who says he and drummer Alex Van Halen aren’t even on speaking terms right now.

Appearing recently on Sirius/XM’s Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk show, Hagar was asked if there had been any progress on a rumored tribute show to the band’s late guitarist that’d feature guitarist Joe Satriani and Metallica bassist Jason Newsted joining Alex for a show. According to Blabbermouth, Hagar revealed he was approached and was up for it, but under one condition.

“I’ll do anything with Al and Mike and play music with people, but it’s not gonna be Van Halen,” Hagar shared. “There is no Van Halen, I don’t care what anyone says. Wolfie is Van Halen, okay?”

Hagar of course was referring to Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, who replaced estranged bassist Michael Anthony in Van Halen some 15 years ago before achieving Grammy-nominated success with his own band, Mammoth WVH.

But what to call the band apparently isn’t the issue. Asked if original frontman David Lee Roth was the holdout, as rumored, Hagar replied, “It ain’t just one guy. Alex Van Halen and I don’t talk,” adding that he “reached out” to the drummer after Anthony “had a sad thing happen in his family…and [Alex] wouldn’t return my call or my e-mail. And so I said, ‘You know what? F*** it. It’s not on the top of my list, my agenda.”

Hagar’s still up for it, though. “I think Eddie deserves, definitely, a tribute,” he says, adding “the whole world would show up and the whole world would do it.”

‘So Help Me God’: Brantley Gilbert readies new album, teases collab with Blake Shelton + Vince Gill

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Brantley Gilbert is back with another collection of new music. The singer announced his next album, So Help Me God, this week; it drops November 10.

Some of the songs on the 10-track collection will be familiar. The track list includes previously-released tunes like “How to Talk to Girls,” a Jason Aldean duet called “Rolex on a Redneck” and “The Worst Country Song of All Time” with Toby Keith and Hardy.

But the album also includes several songs fans haven’t heard before. There’s one more big collaboration on the project: Brantley’s next single, “Heaven by Then,” a duet with Blake Shelton that also features Vince Gill.

The singer acknowledges that it’s been a while since he had a new record out; his last project was 2019’s Fire & Brimstone.

“I’ve always taken a little longer than most artists, especially in this genre, to put an album out and that’s partly to do with me being a perfectionist,” he explains. “But we’ve been looking forward to getting this album out for a long time.”

He adds, “I’ve been blessed to sit down with some of the best writers in the country, and I feel like we’ve written some wonderful stuff.”

Brantley is a co-writer on all 10 tracks of So Help Me God. The album is available for pre-order now.

No more ‘Bad Blood’ for Jennifer Lawrence after Amanda Seyfried’s “terrific” Elizabeth Holmes in ‘The Dropout’

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

There’s no bad blood between Jennifer Lawrence and Amanda Seyfried, and that’s why there will be no more Bad Blood for J Law.

In a chat with The New York Times, Lawrence said she has pulled out of producing and starring in an Apple TV+ film of that name about Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced former CEO of the medical company Theranos.

The scandal was covered by Hulu’s miniseries The Dropout, and Amanda Seyfried won an Emmy for her portrayal of Holmes. “I thought she was terrific,” the Oscar winner said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, we don’t need to redo that.’ She did it.”

The project, which would have reunited Lawrence with her Don’t Look Up director, Adam McKay, was to be based on John Carreyrou‘s book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.

Holmes took Silicon Valley and Wall Street by storm with the invention of a revolutionary blood scanner, only to be exposed as a fraud when it was discovered she knew the machines never worked.

Holmes was convicted on four counts of fraud and is currently awaiting sentencing after a hearing scheduled for last month was delayed.

Zac Brown Band officially welcomes Caroline Jones, the band’s first female member

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

After years of touring and performing with the group, Caroline Jones has officially become the newest member of the Zac Brown Band.

The move felt like a natural fit for everybody, frontman Zac Brown tells ET Online. “It feels like Caroline has been part of Zac Brown Band for years. She has done a few tours with us and has also been in the recording studio creating with us,” he explains. “She sings the highest and works the hardest.”

Caroline is the ninth band mate of ZBB, and the only woman. She’s worked with the group in many different capacities before: Zac has even produced a song she put out as a solo artist.

“I am extremely proud to share the stage with such a diverse and gifted group of musicians,” Caroline states, vowing to “give my whole heart and soul to contributing to the music that we all know and love, and the music that is yet to be made.”

In addition to their busy schedule of releasing and touring their music, ZBB has recently been dedicating time to supporting another member, John Driskell Hopkins, who is battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease.)

Travis Barker grieving death of French bulldog, Blue: “You were the best dog”

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Travis Barker and his family are grieving the death of their dog Blue.

The Blink-182 drummer shared the sad news in his Instagram Story Wednesday alongside various photos of him and his daughter Alabama petting, holding and adoring the pooch, a French bulldog.

“I’ll miss you Blue,” Barker wrote in one post. “You were the best dog. I was always waiting for you to say something. Love you 4ever boy.”

Between Blue’s passing and Travis’ hospitalization with pancreatitis, 2022 probably hasn’t been the easiest year for the Barker family. Still, Barker’s year has had some highs, including reuniting Blink-182 with former bandmate Tom DeLonge and getting married to Kourtney Kardashian over multiple ceremonies.

Harry Styles models his Gucci collection in new campaign photos

November 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Harry Styles is dressed to the nines in new campaign photos that show off his Gucci collection HA HA HA.

The collaboration, designed by Harry and Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, is part of a yearslong project that aims to bring about a “masculine transformation,” according to a press release obtained by GQ.

Harry rocks everything from vintage purses to flared pants in the photos, wearing shades that vary from muted plum to bright yellow. He is photographed with his signature painted nails, wearing graphic tees with bunny rabbits and cartoon bears, various double-breasted jackets and even a suit dotted with bright red cherries.

“I’m so happy to see this project finally come to life,” Harry said in a statement. “I’ve known Alessandro for years now, and he’s always been one of my favorite people. I’m always inspired watching him work, so doing this collaboration with my friend was very special to me.”

You can view the entire HA HA HA collection, and sign up for updates on its release, on Gucci’s website.

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