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Judge denies motion to reduce bond for parents of Michigan school shooter

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(PONTIAC, Mich.) — The parents of the accused Michigan school shooter were denied a request to reduce their bond on Tuesday.

Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews said the events leading to the arrest of Jennifer and James Crumbley make the bond currently set appropriate, as their actions were “premeditated to conceal their whereabouts.”

The two are charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter after allegedly failing to recognize warning signs about their son in the months before their son allegedly shot and killed four of his classmates at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.

Prosecutors have accused the parents of giving their son a gun that was later used in the school shooting and allege the parents hid in an abandoned warehouse in Detroit and had concealed their car by hiding their license plates instead of turning themselves in the day they were charged.

Their son, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, is facing 24 counts, including four counts of murder and a terrorism charge

A judge ruled that Ethan Crumbley must remain in adult jail. His lawyers said in January they will claim an insanity defense. He is being held in isolation, under behavior watch, and must be checked on every 15 minutes.

The Crumbleys’ bond is set at $500,000 each, which they were attempting to get reduced to $100,000 each.

A lower court denied a similar motion to reduce their bond in January.

Slipknot announces Knotverse metaverse experience

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Slipknot is headed to the metaverse.

The masked metallers have announced the launch of Knotverse, a collaboration with self-described “decentralized gaming ecosystem” The Sandbox. According to a press release, Knotverse will offer “unique NFTs and generative collections, plus metaverse concerts, gaming experiences, fan experiences, unique collaborations, wearables and much more.”

“It will ultimately offer fans of the heavy culture utility through unique access to new music, IRL events, festival experiences, merchandise, gear, masks, and more,” the release continues.

In a statement, Slipknot’s M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan declares, “Slipknot has always been about creating new experiences.”

“Opening Knotverse as a shared space is a continuation of our culture as a collective that includes our fans,” Crahan says. “Everyone who’s ever attended Knotfest, or wanted to, now has an open door to step into a digital version of the experience in The Sandbox that’s live 24/7.”

For more info, visit Knotverse.io.

If you’d like to see Slipknot in real life as well as in the metaverse, their U.S. Knotfest Roadshow tour resumes in May.

Is Taylor Swift collaborating with Drake? Throwback photo sparks wild ideas

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The internet is ablaze with rumors that Taylor Swift has another collaboration in the works — this time with “Hotline Bling” rapper Drake.

The reports surfaced Monday night when Drizzy shared a carousel of photos along with the caption, “They too soft to understand the meaning of hard work.” For Taylor’s Easter-egg-loving fans, they were quick to note the last snap in the slide is a throwback photo of Drake hugging her.

“Drake wouldn’t randomly post a photo with Taylor Swift just like that… Looks like the collaboration is really coming,” one fan speculated.

Others pointed out that, perhaps, this is related to Taylor’s re-recorded 1989 album, with one fan declaring, “He posted this as the 5th photo and 1989 is her 5th album and she has a 1989 era haircut!!”

Speculation is also swirling that Drake will appear on a “From the Vault” track, doubling down that there were rumors about a possible collab during the 1989 era.

Fans also cited the hilarious Apple commercials each filmed in 2016, which saw them working out to each others’ hits before having disasters at the gym.

It’s currently unknown when Taylor will drop her new and improved 1989 album, but most believe it’s coming soon, especially since she’s already released her version of “Wildest Dreams.” Some fans also think she subtly revealed its release date during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a year ago last week, when Taylor displayed a “Mood board” decorated with eight hearts and nine stars, which can be read as “89.” Based on other numerical Easter eggs fans fans believe they spotted in the interview, it’s believed the album drops on Friday, May 14.

Of Monsters and Men premieres new song, “This Happiness”

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Of Monsters and Men has premiered a new song called “This Happiness.”

Despite its title, the slow-burning track isn’t exactly of the uplifting sort. That’s reflected in the accompanying video, which shows vocalist Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson dressed as a sad clown.

You can listen to “This Happiness” now via digital outlets, and watch its video streaming now on YouTube.

“This Happiness” follows Of Monsters and Men’s recent singles “Visitor” and “Destroyer.” All three songs will be included in an upcoming EP titled Tíu, due out June 10. The five-track set also includes another new track called “Lonely Weather,” as well as an alternate recording of “This Happiness” dubbed “The Saddest Version.”

Tíu is also the title of an upcoming Of Monsters and Men documentary, which will premiere this June at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Of Monsters and Men’s most recent album is 2019’s Fever Dream. Last fall, they released a 10th anniversary reissue of their 2011 debut album, My Head Is an Animal.

David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani weigh in on proposed Van Halen tribute after Jason Newsted revealed project

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A few days ago, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed in an interview with The Palm Beach Post that six months ago he’d jammed with drummer Alex Van Halen and guitarist Joe Satriani in advance of a proposed Van Halen tribute tour that he said had “fizzled.”

Then, on an episode of the Rock of Nations with Dave Kinchen on Monday, Satriani admitted that he’d been talking with Alex and David Lee Roth “for about a year about doing…a tour [or] something like that…that was gonna be a true tribute to Eddie [Van Halen] and the Van Halen legacy.”

Now, Roth has shared an exclusive statement with the Van Halen News Desk fan site regarding a possible Van Halen tribute project that reads, “In my mind Van Halen 4K, in the age of COVID is going to require two of us for every position. Satriani and [Toto guitarist Steve] Lukather, [longtime Van Halen bassist Michael] Anthony and Newsted, Al or [Motley Crue drummer] Tommy Lee. Probably the only one who could do my job today would be Pink.”

Satriani, meanwhile, had more to say about the Van Halen tribute during the podcast.

“For me, it was a terrifying prospect of doing something like that, but I realized that it was something that would be a real labor of love for me,” he explained about being asked to participate. “I was just so honored to take on the challenge.”

He added, “It’s very complicated. And…if it does happen, I know we’ll make it the greatest thing ever for the fans and we’ll all celebrate together, not only the great Eddie Van Halen but the legacy that that band created, the amazing amount of music and the goodwill and good vibes they created as a band.”

Nicolas Cage says he turned down two of the biggest movie franchises of all time, for family time

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In his new movie, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Nicolas Cage plays an over-the-top version of himself that pokes fun of the public’s perception of him. However, in real life, the Oscar winner says he’s far more grounded.

In fact, Cage tells People, “[T]here’s no version of Nic Cage in reality that doesn’t want to spend time with his children.”

“There’s no version of Nic Cage that didn’t put family first over career. I turned down Lord of the Rings and I turned down Matrix because I didn’t want to go to New Zealand for three years or Australia for three years because I needed to be home with my son, Weston, that’s a fact,” the 58-year-old says.

Weston is now 32; Cage is also the father of 16-year-old Kal-El, and is expecting a baby with his fifth wife, Riko Shibata.

When it comes to his filmography, which is peppered with Oscar winners like Leaving Las Vegas, action hits like Con Air, recent acclaimed performances like Pig and Unbearable Weight, and plenty of more forgettable straight-to-streaming titles, Cage is circumspect.

“I always say to myself, ‘I never had a career, only work.’ What I mean by that is sometimes — and I won’t mention names — but when you get into this career-minded perception of one’s self it can be a slippery slope, and it can lead to things where you start believing in your own mythos, and you start taking yourself way too seriously.”

He adds, “You become pretentious and then you fall into the realm of diva, and that’s when mistakes happen in your personal life and on camera.”

Also starring Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, and Neil Patrick Harris, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent hits theaters Friday.

Lizzo confirms she has a boyfriend, says her fame is “not even a factor”

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Lizzo is feeling “Good As Hell” thanks to several things. There’s her new shapewear line, YITTY, her upcoming album, Special, her hit Watch Out for the Big Grrrls reality series, and her just recently confirmed new boyfriend.

Speaking with Andy Cohen on Monday, the singer was asked if she and the “mystery man” she was photographed with in February were still together. With a laugh, Lizzo confirmed she’s kept him around, adding, “Whatever! Yeah.”

Cohen pressed Lizzo further, asking if her fame has been an obstacle in her new relationship, especially since no one knows who her new beau is. “If you have the right person, no… Not at all. It’s not even a factor,” the Grammy winner insisted. “It should be mutually supportive, no matter what that person does.”

On the topic of being “supportive,” Andy pried even more by asking if Lizzo’s mystery man was present in the audience and cheering her on during her Saturday Night Live stint over the weekend. “Damn, you’re really good at this… You get the scoop, don’t you?,” she cracked before confirming with a quick, “Yeah.”

Lizzo did not drop any clues about who her mystery man is, nor did she reveal when the two became exclusive.

The singer admitted back in February during an interview with Variety that she was “a little bit” in love and teased that, perhaps, we will know more about her new flame in her upcoming Special album. “It is a love album,” she confirmed at the time, adding that it is a “personal” record for her.

Special arrives July 15 and is available to pre-save/pre-order now.

Red Hot Chili Peppers performing on 2022 ‘Billboard’ Music Awards

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Get ready to do a little dance and drink a little water at the Billboard Music Awards.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to perform at the 2022 edition of the ceremony, airing May 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The set will mark the “Give It Away” outfit’s first BBMA performance in 23 years.

The Peppers have certainly made an impression on the Billboard charts this year: their new album, Unlimited Love, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with the biggest week for a rock record in over a year, while lead single “Black Summer” is the number-one song on the Alternative Airplay chart, and is number three on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking.

While the Chilis aren’t BBMA nominees themselves this year — Unlimited Love was released after the 2022 eligibility period — those competing for the Top Rock Artist prize include Machine Gun Kelly, Twenty One Pilots, Måneskin, Imagine Dragons and Glass Animals.

Kelsea Ballerini on why getting her first tattoo was liberating

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Tattoos often hold special meaning, and that rings true for Kelsea Ballerini.

The Knoxville native signed her record deal when she was 19, and admits that she soon “panicked,” thinking that if she were ever to get a tattoo one day, that people would assume that she was out of control. But rather than letting others’ preconceived notions get the best of her, Kelsea took matters into her own hands and got her first tattoo in 2014, the line “how sweet the sound” from the classic hymn, “How Great Thou Art,” on her left forearm.

“I had this whole thing in my head and I went to the tattoo shop and I got a tattoo the day before my first ever photo shoot. It was my way of going ‘I need to find a way to be consistent. I need to find a way to keep it as real as I can from day one of this public facing journey that I’m hopefully going to be on,'” she explains to Aerie about the rationale behind getting the special tat.

Kelsea’s ink collection has since expanded to three tattoos, one on her ribcage that features the word “love” written twice in her mother and father’s handwriting, and a square inside a circle placed just below her wrist in honor of her song, “Square Pegs.”

Watch Toni Cornell perform ”Nothing Compares 2 U” on ‘The Late Late Show’

April 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Toni Cornell, daughter of the late Chris Cornell, performed her cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” during Monday night’s episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden.

The 17-year-old delivered a stirring rendition of the Prince-written track, which Sinéad O’Connor turned into a hit in the early ’90s. Toni previously performed “Nothing Compares 2 U” last December on The Tonight Show. In 2018, Toni released a duet version of the song that she recorded with her dad ahead of his death in 2017.

Proceeds from the duet version will be donated to the International Rescue Committee humanitarian aid organization, for which Toni is an ambassador.

Chris, of course, covered “Nothing Compares 2 U” several times throughout his career. A recording of the cover is featured on the posthumous compilation No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1, which was released in 2020. Both No One Sings Like You Anymore and the “Nothing Compares 2 U” cover were nominated for Grammys this year.

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