Page 6531 – 105.7 WDNY

James Earl Jones reportedly putting Darth Vader’s voice into the hands of tech wizards

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s description of Darth Vader being “more machine now than man” is coming true.

According to an article in Vanity Fair, James Earl Jones has signed off on Lucasfilm using the AI tech from a company called Respeecher to imitate his menacing voice for the black helmeted Dark Lord of the Sith from now on.

It’s the same company that provided the voice for a 30-something Luke Skywalker, digitally de-aging 71-year-old Mark Hamill‘s voice for Luke’s appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Jones, 91, reportedly gave his blessing to the Ukrainian company’s team up with Lucasfilm’s Emmy-winning sound designer Matthew Wood, with the former using “machine learning” to recreate Jones’ Vader voice for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+.

“He had mentioned he was looking into winding down this particular character. So how do we move forward?” Wood commented to the magazine.

Likening the legendary actor to a “benevolent godfather,” Jones guided Wood and his team as a very serious deadline fast approached: Respeecher is based in Ukraine, and the collaboration happened feverishly between its designers and Wood, even as the threat of Russian shelling grew.

Wood explained to Vanity Fair, the Respeecher team’s attitude was: “Let’s work, let’s work in the face of this adversity, let’s persevere.'”

Jones and his family were reportedly pleased with the results.

Lucasfilm is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

Charlie Puth to release “Charlie Be Quiet” on Friday, jokes he sings like a goat

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Charlie Puth has several things to celebrate — first off being the release of his new song, “Charlie Be Quiet.”

A clip of the track has blown up on TikTok and fans will finally hear it in full this Friday. The singer teased the good news on his account in a since-deleted announcement.

The song is about Charlie knowing he’s in love but struggling to not to let his girlfriend know he’s ready to say the “L” word out of fear she’ll leave him.

Charlie has been having fun on TikTok and sarcastically revealed he’s expanding his One Night Only Tour across Europe, with new dates added for London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, because fans are interested in spending a night with him between the sheets.

Tickets for his European fans go live this Friday, September 30, at 12 p.m. local time. The tour is in support of his forthcoming album, Charlie, due out October 7.

In other Charlie news, he joked about suffering a vocal faux pas onstage while singing his hit “Left and Right.” He had been performing “in front of like 85,000 people” and joked he “started singing like a goat.” The clip shows Charlie struggling to hit the song’s high notes before mimicking a goat’s high-pitched bleat.

Despite the embarrassing onstage snafu, Charlie is in good spirits and laughed off his vocal misfortune. The singer joked in the caption, “Not so pitch perfect now huh.”

Roger Waters’ 2023 Polish concerts canceled; Waters writes open letter to Putin

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Founding Pink Floyd singer/bassist Roger Waters‘ April concerts in Krakow, Poland, were canceled by promoter Live Nation Polska and the Tauron Arena, according the venue’s official website.

The cancellation comes after Waters’ recent comments defending Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine drew the ire of Krakow city councilor Łukasz Wantuch, who has called for the rocker be declared “persona non grata” in Krakow.

In early September, Waters posted an open letter to Olena Zelenska, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s wife, suggesting that Ukraine negotiate with Russia rather than continue fighting. He maintained that U.S. military support for Ukraine was prolonging the conflict.

Zelenska responded with a Twitter message that read, “It is Russia that invaded Ukraine, destroys cities and kills civilians. Ukrainians defend their land and their children’s future. If we give up — we will not exist tomorrow. If Russia gives up — war will be over.”

Roger then wrote a lengthy response to Zelenska reiterating his beliefs.

Now Waters has penned an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the invasion of Ukraine.

The message reads in part, “I know some people who think you want to overrun the whole of Europe, starting with Poland and the rest of the Baltic states. If you do, f*** you, and we might as well all stop playing the desperately dangerous game of nuclear chicken that the hawks on both sides of the Atlantic seem so comfortable with, and have at it.”

He also declares, “[Y]our invasion of Ukraine took me completely by surprise, it was a heinous war of aggression, provoked or not.”

Waters concludes by asking Putin to reply to his letter, writing, “I would mightily respect you for it, and take it as an honorable move in the right direction towards a sustainable peace.”

Melissa Etheridge says Ellen DeGeneres, Ricky Martin, Barry Manilow and Jodie Foster all asked her for advice on coming out

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Celebrities coming out as LGBTQ doesn’t seem to be a big deal these days, but back in 1993, when Melissa Etheridge came out, it was. In fact, Melissa was such a pioneer that many other super-famous but closeted celebrities asked her for advice about doing it themselves.

Melissa tells The Daily Beast that Ricky Martin, Barry Manilow, Jodie Foster and Ellen DeGeneres are some of the now-out gay stars who approached her. “I had people come to me and say, ‘I see you being out,’ and they would apologize to me because they were not out,” Melissa recalls. “I would say, ‘Look, it’s very personal. It’s totally up to you, you don’t have to explain anything to me.’”

Melissa recalls that Manilow was concerned about coming out because, he said, “all my fans are women.” “I was so glad when he came out,” she notes. She says Ricky Martin was worried because he was a sex symbol. She says she told him, “Dude, it’s obvious you’re gay.”

“It’s been wonderful to see all these people finally come into themselves,” she adds. “The ones who come out do much better than the ones who don’t, or didn’t.”

Melissa also tells The Daily Beast that the TV show The L Word was based on her real-life group of friends in the late ’80s to mid-’90s, who at the time included everyone from Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts to k.d. lang, DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell. Another member of the group was Ilene Chaiken, who went on to co-create the show.

Melissa laughs, “I stopped watching The L Word because I lived it!”

“You keep her alive, and you set everything right”: HBO releases chilling teaser to ‘The Last of Us’

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

On Monday, HBO released a teaser to its anticipated series adaptation of the hit video game The Last of Us.

September 26 is known as Outbreak Day to fans of the PlayStation hit: According to the game, it’s the day people began being infected by a deadly disease caused by the cordyceps fungus, which turns the infected into shambling, zombie-like predators.

The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal stars as Joel and fellow Game of Thrones vet Bella Ramsay plays Ellie; as in the game, Joel is tasked with protecting the young woman at all costs.

The teaser, set to “Alone and Forsaken” by Hank Williams, gives some creepy peeks at the post-apocalyptic world in which they live.

There are shades of the COVID-19 pandemic in the footage — something the PlayStation hit couldn’t predict in 2013, when the first game came out. Tattered signs warning passersby of the symptoms of infection seem eerily prescient as Joel makes his way through deserted streets.

The smuggler is charged with leading Ellie out of a dangerous quarantine zone and across a post-apocalyptic United States. “You keep her alive, and you set everything right,” someone urges him in voiceover.

Ellie is immune to the disease and may be the key to reversing the plague.

Also starring Nick Offerman, Gabriel Luna and Anna Torv — as well as Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who respectively voiced Ellie and Joel in the game and its sequel — The Last of Us is set to debut in 2023.

Luke Combs’ wife gives update on baby Tex, says they won’t be sharing photos of his face

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Luke Combs and wife Nicole are about three months into parenthood, and their young son Tex is thriving — but don’t be surprised if you don’t see much of him on social media.

Nicole answered some fan questions in an Instagram Stories AMA and explained why it’s important to her to keep Tex’s identity relatively private.

“Not going to keep him hidden away from the world, but will not be posting his face on the internet,” she explained. “I’ve gotten a lot of advice on this & it’s for the best. I appreciate everyone being kind and understanding about this.”

She also said that Tex has been “awesome” on the tour bus, but the family is still limiting how often they take him on the road. She noted that “he takes up a whole bunk” and they designed the bus before she was pregnant, so it’s not built to accommodate a baby.

“We will probably reconfigure it,” Nicole says, and for good reason: In response to another question, she said that she and Luke probably aren’t finished having babies.

“I would love to have 4,” she says.

Luke’s been on the road quite a bit lately, due to his 2022 Middle of Somewhere Tour. He has also booked a sprawling international tour for 2023.

Harry Styles’ “As It Was” is now the longest-running #1 solo song on ‘Billboard’ Hot 100

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Harry Styles continues to make history on the Billboard Hot 100 — his song “As It Was” notched its 15th week atop the chart.

Styles’ song has a month to go before he could tie the record for the longest-running #1 song of all time — it’s currently held by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus‘ “Old Town Road,” which spent 19 weeks in the top spot. But Harry is one week away from tying with the songs that boast the second-longest running streak on the chart.

Luis Fonsi‘s “Despacito,” which featured Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee, and the Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men collab “One Sweet Day” both spent 16 weeks at #1.

With that said, Harry can claim the title of owning the chart’s longest-running song by a solo artist. Mariah previously had the honor when “We Belong Together” topped the chart for 14 weeks back in 2005.

That’s not the only record Harry broke. “As It Was” is now the longest-running #1 by a British act — besting Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” collab with Bruno Mars and Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight.” Those acts only spent 14 weeks at #1.

“As It Was” is now the first song in Billboard history to spend its first 25 weeks within the top three slots. The song never descended below third place since its April release.

Over the past week, fans streamed “As It Was” 13.5 million times and purchased 3,000 additional copies.

In other Harry news, his new movie, Don’t Worry Darling, is #1 at the box office. The last time an artist simultaneously had a #1 song and movie was back in 2003 when Eminem released “Lose Yourself” from his hit movie, 8 Mile.

“Over the moon”: Kane Brown reflects on performing in Australia and New Zealand for the first time

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kane Brown traveled a long way from home to entertain his fans.

Following a four-day stint headlining arenas in Australia and New Zealand for the first time, Kane is flying high on the experience, recalling how he never imagined while growing up in the South that one day he’d be performing for fans across the globe.

“A Boy from a small town in north Georgia who never really left until he started doing music went all the way to Auckland New Zealand , Sydney, Brisbane , and Melbourne Australia and had a freaking blast!” Kane writes in an Instagram caption alongside a gallery of photos that show him singing in front of massive crowds, greeting a young fan and drinking out of a cowboy boot. “I’m so over the moon! Y’all were amazing and I’ll see y’all again soon.”

The “Like I Love Country Music” singer ventured Down Under as part of his international Drunk or Dreaming Tour, which also takes him across Canada and Europe this year.

His new album, Different Man, dropped on September 9.

KiKi Layne not worrying about getting cut from ‘Don’t Worry Darling’

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

KiKi Layne has posted to Instagram that she’s not sweating being mostly cut from Olivia Wilde‘s talked-about movie Don’t Worry Darling.

Apparently, the If Beale Street Could Talk star was in good company: Tony and Grammy Award winner Ari’el Stachel‘s scenes also ended up on the cutting room floor. But the pair ended up together.

“The best thing about #DontWorryDarling is that I was lucky enough to meet @arielstachel,” Layne Instagrammed on Sunday, along with a video of the new couple on set together.

“They cut us from most of the movie, but we thriving in real life,” she continued, adding “Love you Ari,” heart emoji, along with the cheeky #GotMyCheck#GotMyMan#EverythingHappensforaReason.

Satchel replied, “My love. You are a queen and your talent shines so bright. I was thirsty then and I’m thirsty now.” He also returned the favor with a post of his own.

He told his followers, “This woman did phenomenal work and I was thirsty the second I met her,” calling meeting her the “best part” of working on the movie.

Read excerpt from Linda Ronstadt’s upcoming book, ‘Feels Like Home’

September 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Linda Ronstadt will release a new memoir, Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonora Borderlands, on October 4 that focuses on her family connections to the culture and music of the Sonoran Desert region of the American Southwest and Mexico.

The October/November issue of AARP The Magazine features an excerpt from the book, which was co-written by Ernesto Lechter, along with a brief interview with Ronstadt.

Linda grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where her family’s home sat on a 10-acre plot that used to be part of a cattle ranch.

“I felt very connected to both my grandparents,” Ronstadt tells the magazine. “We still lived like ranch owners, with horses and chickens. It was their way of life, and it became my way of life too.”

Regarding her attachment to the area, she writes in Feels Like Home, “Wherever I’ve lived, wherever I travel, my soul is always winging it down the road, south over the border, back to my land and my roots in Sonora. I feel the pull like a summons from my father’s parents and their parents and grandparents, from a chain of ancestors, most of whom I never knew.”

Linda also notes, “[M]y sense of connection to my ancestors is strengthened by my own vivid sensory memories of Sonoran things they also knew and loved, particularly those involving music and food.”

The book also features recipes from Ronstadt’s family; the AARP article includes a meatball recipe from Linda’s grandmother.

In conjunction with the book, a companion album that Ronstadt curated titled Feels Like Home: Songs from the Sonoran Borderlands — Linda Ronstadt’s Musical Odyssey will be released this Friday, September 30. For more details, visit Putamayo.com.

+ More