Daryl Hall is currently on the road celebrating his new solo retrospective BeforeAfter, but if you weren’t able to see him on the first leg of the tour, here’s a reminder that you can enjoy it from home this weekend.
On Sunday, April 24, you can watch Daryl’s full set, recorded April 3 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, via the livestream platform Mandolin. Twenty bucks gives you access the show, which features Daryl performing solo hits like “Dreamtime” as well as Hall & Oates hits like “Sara Smile,” “I Can’t Go for That,” “You Make My Dreams” and “Wait for Me.”
The second leg of the tour launches May 12 in Seattle, Washington.
BeforeAfter is a two-disc set featuring 30 tracks from all five of Daryl’s solo albums, as well as six never-released performances from his Live from Daryl’s House series.
Emmy nominee Kerry Washington‘s character will have her hands full on The Simpsons. The Scandal vet will be playing troublemaker Bart’s teacher starting on Sunday.
Washington’s Rayshelle Peyton will replace Springfield educator Edna Krabappel as Bart’s minder; the character was retired after the 2013 death of the actress who voiced her, Marcia Wallace.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Washington says of her Springfield alter-ego, “She’s a great teacher, but like all the best teachers, she knows that her students have just as much to teach her as she has to teach them. And teaching Bart is a job filled with growth opportunities.”
Bart is apparently dealing with “complicated” feelings for his new teacher.
Co-executive producer Carolyn Omine, who wrote Washington’s debut episode “My Octopus and a Teacher,” notes of Ms. Peyton, “She’s really good at figuring out what the kids need, but she can’t really figure out what [Bart’s] problem is until he finally comes clean.”
Incidentally, Washington helped manifest the recurring role for herself. In 2020, when longtime Simpsons voice of Apu, Hank Azaria vowed to no longer lend his voice to characters of color, the actress tweeted, “Dear animators looking for black voices… I’m avail.”
One of the people who saw that tweet was Omine, who tells EW, “That just got it into my head. I began thinking, ‘Maybe she could be the new teacher. We’ve had this spot.”
Omine and co-producer Matt Selman started writing the teacher with Kerry in mind from that point, Omine explains.
Despite being a globally known pop star, Joe Jonas admits his fans don’t know much about his private life — and he would like to keep it that way.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the DNCE frontman explained why he and wife Sophie Turner have revealed very little about their family. They welcomed a baby girl in 2020 but never publicly revealed her name, and now the two are reportedly expecting their second child, news they again have yet to confirm.
“It’s almost like in pandemic words, but like your bubble. You’re protecting your family, your friends and those around you,” Joe said about his reasons to keep his private life under wraps. “It’s really being decisive on what you want.”
Added the “Cake by the Ocean” singer, “You wanna be really protective over how much you wanna share in your personal life, and I feel like as artists, we get the opportunity to express our heart through our music, and so that’s where I’m personal and honest as I can be.”
“I don’t really try to hide too much,” admitted Joe, “but I think it’s about protecting what you keep close to your heart.”
While he says he’s “sorta always been” private about his life, he added, “But, I feel like in the last two years, you wanna take a little more time off. I’d say I love what I do, and I’m so grateful I get to do this every day and still perform and make music for a living, so I’ll take none of that away.”
Although he loves his career and fans, Joe said family comes first because, “If I’m able to get home sooner, then I’m always a little happier.”
Rock artists are marking Earth Day by speaking up about climate change.
Eddie Vedder has partnered with NASA to interview the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. In their conversation, which you can watch now on YouTube, the Pearl Jam frontman asks the crew about their insights into climate change looking down on Earth from outer space, and the lessons learned living aboard the ISS that might help those of us on the ground live more peacefully.
Vedder previously teamed up with NASA to release a video for his song “Invincible,” which appears on his new solo album, Earthling. The clip features footage from various pre-launch tests and animation related to NASA’s upcoming Artemis I lunar mission.
Meanwhile, Annie Lennox, Pretenders, Brian Eno, Bruce Cockburn, Tom Morello and funk legend Bootsy Collins are among 6,000 music industry figures who’ve signed on to support an environmental initiative called Music Declares Emergency US.
“We call on all those within the US music industry to join us in declaring a climate emergency and to work towards making the cultural and operational changes necessary to contribute towards a sustainable future,” the campaign says.
In a statement, Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde says, “This declaration needs to be the moment where music steps up and really pushes the truth to our audiences and confronts governments so that things happen much more quickly.”
Jason Aldean drops his Georgia collection today, and with it comes his tender new ballad, “Your Mama.”
“The one that brought you in the world / You’ll always be her baby / The one that makes it all okay when everything goes crazy,” Jason sings in the chorus of the song, which is a father’s ode to his wife — as told to their child. It’s a stand-out emotional moment on the track list, but the singer admits recording “Your Mama” fell outside his comfort zone.
In fact, it’s “so outta left field for me, something I would typically never in a million years cut,” Jason tells Billboard, adding, “I really just wanted to record it for my son.” That’s four-year-old Memphis, whom Jason shares with his wife, Brittany.
“It’s probably the most personal thing I’ve ever done on a record,” Jason explains. “I’ve had this song for a few years and kept going back and forth on whether to record it. But with a double album, it was the perfect time to put it out there.”
Georgia is the second half of Jason’s double album. The first half, Macon, arrived last November.
From relationship R&B ballads to collabs by today’s rising stars and even a sports player’s music debut, check out this week’s New Music Friday for the culture’s latest & greatest in music.
—Pusha T, It’s Almost Dry— As no surprise to many, the highly anticipated fourth studio album from Pusha T boasts features from Ye, Pharrell, Lil Uzi and Jay-Z.
—Bankroll Freddie, From Trap to Rap— The Arkansas rapper dropped off his debut album, which is rich in trap songs and features from top artists like Moneybagg Yo, Lil Baby and the late Young Dolph.
—Antonio Brown, Paradigm— The former professional football player debuted his rap abilities in the new album, which features artists DaBaby, Young Thug, Fivio Foreign and more.
—Daniel Caesar ft. BadBadNotGood, “Please Do Not Lean” — The Grammy Award-winning singer- songwriter debuted the angelic song during weekend one of Coachella. He teamed up with the Canadian band for track, the first single off his third studio album.
—Justine Sky, “What a Lie” — The 26-year-old New York native poured her heart and past relationship issues out on the new track, which is said to be a shade record about her ex-boyfriend, Giveon.
—Coi Leray ft. G Herbo, “Thief in the Night” — The new track off Coi’s debut album, Trendsetters, features Chicago’s G Herbo on the catchy, beat-heavy single.
—PJ Morton ft. Stevie Wonder and Nas, “Be Like Water” — PJ teams up with two of his musical heroes on the new track, off his forthcoming album Watch the Sun, due out April 29.
After teasing the unexpected collab on Thursday, Train dropped their “AM Gold” remix featuring Spice Girl singer Melanie C
Frontman Pat Monahan said of the collab, “My family and I have always loved Melanie and her group, and when we asked her to be a part of this, she was kind enough to accept and did an incredible job on it.”
“Then we topped that off by having the insanely talented Tobtok do his thing,” Pat said of the Swedish DJ. “Vibez for days. Hope you love this like we do!”
This is the latest remix of their title track of their forthcoming AM Gold album, which arrives May 20.
Train is about to head on AM Gold tour with openers Jewel, with whom they collaborated for “Turn the Radio Up,” as well as Blues Traveler, which kicks off June 8 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. They will hit over 35 stops across North America before wrapping things up on August 6 at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.
In addition, the band is bringing back its Sail Across the Sun fan cruise: The seventh edition of the floating festival gets underway February 17, 2023, sailing from Miami aboard the Norwegian Pearl.
The Chainsmokers surprise-dropped “Riptide,” the next single off their forthcoming studio album, So Far So Good. The song is about wanting to be with someone, even though it’s unsure they’ll stick around for the long term. EDM duo also released the song’s lyric video on Friday.
After previewing it at Coachella and watching fan-captured videos of the performance go viral, Megan Thee Stallion dropped her ferocious new single, “Plan B.” The breakup anthem has the Grammy winner rapping about the sins of her ex and why she needs no man because “Imma die independent.” She also urges, “Ladies, love yourself.”
Alesso teamed with fellow Swede Zara Larsson for “Words.” “With its dizzying yet immaculately arranged layers of beats, the high-energy track takes on a thrilling intensity as Zara confesses to a certain fear of vulnerability in love,” the press release teases, adding the song is “an unstoppable anthem for owning your fear and following your heart.”
David Guetta teamed with “Ghost” singer Ella Henderson and Becky Hill for “Crazy What Love Can Do,” a dance-fueled track about falling head over heels in love and experiencing the wild side effects. The trio also released the track’s music video, which features Ella and Becky leading police on a wild police chase, which is overseen by Guetta.
Train teamed with Spice Girl singer Melanie C for an all-new remix of their track “AM Gold.” Frontman Pat Monahan said of the collab, “My family and I have always loved Melanie and her group, and when we asked her to be a part of this, she was kind enough to accept and did an incredible job on it.” The remix also features Swedish DJ Tobtok.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has now launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, as it attempts to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol and secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 22, 12:19 pm
UN chief to meet with Putin in Moscow
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday.
Guterres wrote separate letters to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday asking to meet “to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine,” a U.N. spokesperson said earlier this week.
The international swimming federation FINA said it has suspended swimmer Evgeny Rylov, a Russian Olympic gold medalist, for allegedly attending a March concert where Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine. The suspension will last nine months.
FINA also said Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials won’t be invited to any FINA events through the end of 2022.
Apr 22, 9:30 am
European Council president holds call with Putin
European Council President Charles Michel and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Friday. Michel said afterwards on Twitter that he “strongly urged for immediate humanitarian access and safe passage from Mariupol and other besieged cities all the more on the occasion of Orthodox Easter.”
Michel also said he “firmly reiterated” the EU’s support for Ukraine and “condemnation and sanctions for Russia’s aggression.”
According to the Kremlin’s readout of the call, Michel asked Putin to have direct contact with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Kremlin said Putin “reaffirmed the well-known position on this matter, noting that such a possibility depends, in particular, on concrete results in the ongoing negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, during which the Ukrainian side is showing inconsistency and is not ready to seek mutually acceptable solutions.”
Apr 22, 8:15 am
UK to reopen embassy in Kyiv
The United Kingdom announced Friday that it will soon reopen its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.
The U.K. Embassy in Kyiv, in northern Ukraine, was forced to temporarily close in late February due to Russia’s invasion. A contingent of British staff remained in western Ukraine to provide humanitarian and other support. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Friday that the embassy will reopen next week, “dependent on the security situation,” according to a press release from the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
“The extraordinary fortitude and success of President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in resisting Russian forces, means we will shortly be re-opening our British Embassy in Kyiv,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement. “I want to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of the Embassy team and their work throughout this period.”
The embassy premises in Kyiv are currently being made secure before staff return, starting with U.K. ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons. The U.K. continues to advise its citizens against all travel to Ukraine, according to the FCDO.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
Apr 22, 7:58 am
Russia aims to ‘contain Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol,’ UK says
Russia’s decision to blockade a steel plant in Mariupol “likely indicates a desire to contain Ukrainian resistance” in the strategic port city “and free up Russian forces to be deployed elsewhere in eastern Ukraine,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Friday in an intelligence update.
The Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant is the last holdout for Ukrainian fighters in besieged Mariupol.
“A full ground assault by Russia on the plant would likely incur significant Russian casualties, further decreasing their overall combat effectiveness,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, heavy shelling and fighting continues across eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region as Russian forces seek to advance further toward settlements including Krasnyy Lyman, Buhayikva, Barvinkove, Lyman and Popasna, “as part of their plans for the region,” according to the ministry.
“Despite Russia’s renewed focus they are still suffering from losses sustained earlier in the conflict,” the ministry added. “In order to try and reconstitute their depleted forces, they have resorted to transiting inoperable equipment back to Russia for repair.”
Apr 22, 6:34 am
Putin to speak with European Council president
Russian President Vladimir Putin will have a telephone conversation with European Council President Charles Michel on Friday before meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“Putin will now have an international conversation,” Peskov told reporters Friday. “It will be the President of the European Council, Michel. And then during the day, Putin is scheduled to have an operational meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council.”
The U.S. has assessed that the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol remains contested, and that Russian airstrike activity remains focused there and on the Donbas region, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday.
Russia now has 85 battalion tactical groups, each made up of roughly 800 to 1,000 troops, inside of Ukraine, the official said. More of these groups are headed to the Donbas region, the official said.
Rock artists are marking Earth Day by speaking up about climate change.
Eddie Vedder has partnered with NASA to interview the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. In their conversation, which you can watch now on YouTube, the Pearl Jam frontman asks the crew about their insights into climate change looking down on Earth from outer space, and the lessons learned living aboard the ISS that might help us here on the ground.
Vedder previously teamed up with NASA to release a video for his song “Invincible,” which appears on his new solo album, Earthling. The clip features footage from various pre-launch tests and animation related to NASA’s upcoming Artemis I lunar mission.
Meanwhile, artists including Tom Morello, Arcade Fire and Billie Eilish have signed an environment initiative called Music Declares Emergency US. “We call on all those within the US music industry to join us in declaring a climate emergency and to work towards making the cultural and operational changes necessary to contribute towards a sustainable future,” the campaign says.
Among the 3,000 artists who’ve signed Music Declares Emergency US are Pretenders, The 1975, Milky Chance, Tegan and Sara, ODESZA and The Wombats.
And if you’re looking for new tunes to listen to this Earth Day, artists including R.E.M.‘s Michael Stipe and Coldplay have released songs in partnership with the environmental charity EarthPercent. Stipe has teamed with legendary producer Brian Eno for a new single called “Future, if Future,” while Coldplay has shared a live version of the Music of the Spheres cut, “Humankind.”
