A new documentary focusing on Don McLean‘s epic 1971 song “American Pie” and its legacy will premiere in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on July 8 and will make its television debut July 19 on the Paramount+ streaming service.
The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s “American Pie” will include new interviews with McLean and will feature the singer/songwriter revealing for the first time secrets behind the tune’s creation and the meaning behind its lyrics.
The film also looks at important cultural moments and events in U.S. history that played a role in inspiring “American Pie” and features various people from different generations explaining how they were affected by the song.
The movie includes commentary from a number of celebrities, including Garth Brooks, The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson and actor Peter Gallagher, who share their admiration for the song and discuss how it has impacted their lives.
“This documentary is something that will make people think, especially since so many throughout the years have asked me what certain lyrics meant or whom I was referring to, but now I finally can solve many of those mysteries,” says McLean. “Everyone from Madonna to Garth Brooks to Weird Al Yankovic has recorded ‘American Pie’ and made it their own. So many people have their own interpretation of the song, and I love it.”
You can check out a trailer for the film now at Paramount+’s official YouTube channel. In the preview, we hear McLean explain of the song, “I wrote all the verses in about an hour, like a genie out of a bottle,” and how Buddy Holly‘s death helped inspire it.
The Day the Music Died also will be screened in select theaters around the world on July 14 and July 17.
Will & Grace executive producer Gary Janetti is looking back at Madonna‘s infamous cameo and hinted she made herself less funny because of how she dressed.
The “Ray of Light” singer appeared in the series’ fifth season as a woman named Liz, who becomes roommates with Megan Mullally‘s character, Karen.
Speaking to the Behind The Velvet Rope podcast, Janetti revealed there was a specific way that Madonna’s character was supposed to look, but the Grammy winner refused to “dress down.”
He described Liz as “an executive secretary” and said she was “the kind of woman who wears her sneakers on the subway and carries her shoes in her bag and goes to a happy hour after work but thinks she’s… a big deal in her tiny office.”
Janetti adds Madonna was supposed to wear suits with sneakers, but she “didn’t want to wear any of those clothes.” He noted that because the singer was “at the height of her fame,” she wanted to call the shots on her makeup and wardrobe. It was also apparent, to him, that Madonna was not going to budge.
So, Madge wore what she wanted and added “long, blonde hair extensions” — but it wasn’t her character’s vibe. Because of that, some jokes had to be rewritten because they “didn’t make sense anymore.”
“She looked like Madonna. She looked like a rich, fabulous celebrity, which wasn’t what the character was,” he said. He added, “As a result, it was about 50 percent less funny than it should have been.”
Janetti said Madonna was “funny” and had a “good sense of humor” but inferred that wasn’t enough to salvage her cameo.
Will & Grace ran for eight seasons between 1998 and 2006.
All aboard! New Ozzy Osbourne music is dropping this week.
The latest solo offering from the Prince of Darkness is a song called “Patient Number 9” and is scheduled to arrive this Friday, June 24. The song is set to feature guitar icon Jeff Beck.
You can check out a teaser video for the single via Ozzy’s Twitter. The post tags famed comic book artist Todd McFarlane, suggesting he might be involved in the track’s video.
Beck is one of many reported guests to be featured on Ozzy’s next solo album, the follow-up to 2020’s Ordinary Man. Others said to be appearing on the record include Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready, Black Label Society‘s Zakk Wylde and Metallica‘s Robert Trujillo.
As exciting as it is for fans to hear new Ozzy music, it’s probably even more so for the man himself, who’s been battling a host of medical issues over the past few months. In addition to testing positive for COVID-19 in April, the 73-year-old rocker underwent surgery just last week, which his wife Sharonsaid would “determine the rest of his life.”
In a statement following the procedure, Ozzy shared that he was “home from the hospital recuperating comfortably.”
“I am definitely feeling the love and support from all my fans and send everyone a big thank you for their thoughts, prayers and well wishes during my recovery,” he said.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s calls for Congress to pass a gas tax holiday were being met with skepticism Wednesday from both sides of the aisle.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he had several concerns with the proposal and signaled he would not support it.
“I’m not a yes right now, that’s for sure,” Manchin said, just hours before Biden was set to speak Wednesday afternoon.
For the last 25 years, all revenue from the federal gas tax has gone to the Highway Trust Fund, the major source of federal funding for highways, roads and bridges. Manchin noted Congress put an additional $118 billion into the fund when it passed the bipartisan infrastructure package.
“Now, to do that and put another hole into the budget is something that is very concerning to me, and people need to understand that 18 cents is not going to be straight across the board — it never has been that you’ll see in 18 cents exactly penny-for-penny come off of that price,” Manchin said.
Biden is expected to call on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax, which amounts to roughly 18 cents of gasoline and 24 cents per gallon of diesel through the end of September. Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee took issue with the timing ahead of the fall midterm elections.
“My other would be the political ramification. It goes off at the end of September. Which politician up here is going to be voting to put that 18-cent tax back on a month before the November election? So, we just dig the whole deeper and deeper and deeper,” Manchin said.
He added, “we have an infrastructure bill for the first time in 30 years that we can start fixing roads and bridges, but electric vehicles have to pay proportionally also as they use the same roadways and vehicles. They’re not. They’re paying nothing. So, we need a lot of adjustments made.”
Manchin called on Congress to start thinking about Americans in their home districts, insisting “the people in West Virginia are having a hard time — they really are — these inflation checks have hit hard no matter how many checks we sent out during the COVID relief that’s all forgotten it’s all for not,” Manchin said.
“We put over $5 trillion out into the marketplace and it’s all forgotten and all we have now is higher inflation and really more hardship on people that need some good decisions here in the Congress. We just need to start looking at the long-term effect of what we are doing and how we are doing it,” he said.
Other Democrats skeptical, too, while Republicans not interested
Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois said it’s important to provide relief, but contends a gas tax holiday is a “temporary only” solution.
“Long term, it’s going to be an expensive infrastructure investment, which I support,” Durbin said. “We’ve got to get this behind us.”
But for Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, a key Democrat negotiator on the roughly $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that passed last year, the hit that a gas tax holiday would take to the Highway Trust Fund, and therefore the nation’s infrastructure spending, is concerning.
He said he’s “hesitant” about supporting a gas tax holiday. He also cited concerns about the president’s proposal to end the holiday in September.
“I want to make very clear if we were to take this action — its easy to take away this tax its hard to put one back on,” Warner said.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said he’s “willing to support” Biden’s gas tax holiday call but doesn’t know whether it will get the support it needs to pass the Senate.
And with even some Democrats sour to the idea, the president is unlikely to make up support with Republicans.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, in floor remarks Wednesday morning, called the proposal an “ineffective stunt to mask the Democrats’ war on affordable American energy.”
The second-ranking Senate Republican echoed that.
“I think a lot of things being suggested by the administration are very gimmicky, short term, and I wonder if they would have any real impact,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said. “This stuff is clearly political gimmickry it’s not the right long-term solution.”
Rocking a lime green mini dress, the “Levitating” star headlined a Spotify party Tuesday night, playing for a packed house in 90-degree weather. The New York Post reports that the show was the event of the evening, with people turned away at the door long before the music began.
According to the Post, Dua and her 10 dancers to the stage about a half-hour after midnight and performed an hour-long set that included “Don’t Start Now” and her Elton John duet, “Cold Heart.” She posted footage of herself performing “Levitating” on her Instagram Story.
One of the attendees was Post Malone, who’s set to headline his own Spotify party on Wednesday night. Dua posted several pics of herself and songwriter Billy Walsh hanging out and hugging the “Circles” star, who showed off his cowboy boots and his jeweled grill. Walsh posted more footage of Dua’s performance on his Instagram Story.
Dua’s next concert is Thursday night in Helsinki, Finland.
“Better Together,” Luke Combs’ romantic hit single from 2019, is one of the top choices for newlyweds picking wedding and first dance songs.
That news comes from wedding site Hitched.co.uk, which compiled data from Spotify playlists. Out of all popular playlists featuring the term “Wedding” or “First Dance,” Luke’s song appears in 211 of them, making “Better Together” the most popular wedding/first dance choice from the country genre.
Some fans might be surprised to learn that Dan + Shay don’t hold that title, as they’re known for their romantic songs that fans often use for proposals, weddings and other special events. But the ballad-slinging country duo is also a popular musical choice for those planning a wedding.
Out of all wedding-related Spotify playlists, their song “From the Ground Up” makes an appearance on just 85, and the artists themselves appear on 224 — meaning that Dan + Shay have so many wedding-ready songs, fans have several to choose from.
As an artist, Chris Stapleton appears on 179 wedding-related playlists; his song “Tennessee Whiskey” is the most popular selection, appearing 108 times.
Curiously enough, while Luke’s “Better Together” is ranked number five in first dance playlists, it’s tied in that spot with another song called “Better Together” — from a completely different genre. Luke’s song and Jack Johnson’s 2005 pop hit both respectively appear on 211 playlists.
In partnership with Live Nation Urban, ONE Musicfest has announced the 2022 festival will take place in Atlanta on Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9.
The lineup for the two-day festival includes Ashanti & Ja Rule, Beenie Man, City Girls, Gucci Mane, Jazmine Sullivan, Jeezy, Lil Baby, Lauryn Hill, Rick Ross, Tems and more.
“We are super excited about this year’s line-up and new location,” said ONE Musicfest Founder J. Carter. “One thing we pride ourselves on is creating a diverse line-up that reflects the vast & beautiful breath of Black Music and Culture. We are also taking over the 4th Ward Area in Atlanta, GA, and increasing our footprint to four stages instead of three. ONE Musicfest 2022 will be our biggest year yet, but we still plan to keep the energy and vibrations intimate and comfortable.”
In it’s twelfth year, ONE Musicfest welcomes tens of thousands of music fans to enjoy performances by the industry’s top hip-hop artists of today. Past artists include H.E.R., Kendrick Lamar, Summer Walker, LilWayne, 2 Chainz, Jill Scott, Jhene Aiko and many others.
BET will partner with the festival this year to turn the grounds into a “Black Joy Playground,” according to the announcement press release. There will also be over 40 food trucks and more than 50 vendors for festival goers to patronize.
For ticket information and full musical lineup, visit the official website for ONE Musicfest.
Actor Elliot Page told Good Morning America he’s “really proud” of his character’s trans storyline on The Umbrella Academy season three, which premiered on Netflix Wednesday.
The Oscar-nominated actor appeared on GMA the same day alongside co-star Emmy Raver-Lampman, who plays Allison Hargreeves or Number Three, to discuss the new season.
Page, who came out as transgender in December 2020, announced in March that his character would transition in season three and be known as Viktor Hargreeves. Viktor goes by he/him/his pronouns and is also referred to as Number Seven.
“So far it’s seemed really positive, which makes me feel happy in terms of the representation and hopefully it meaning something to people,” Page said of how audiences have received him as Viktor thus far.
Page said working with showrunner Steve Blackman and Thomas Page McBee — a writer with whom Page previously worked on Tales of the City — on Viktor’s storyline and trans identity was “such an incredible experience.”
Raver-Lampman, meanwhile, teased that The Umbrella Academy season three will feature the “wild and crazy” Hargreeves family trying to get back to their original timeline. She also gushed about her friendship with Page, whom she called “just the best.”
“I’m just so lucky getting to have the privilege to not only work with you, but call you one of my dearest friends,” she told him.
The Umbrella Academy is based on the popular comic book series of the same name and was created and written by My Chemical Romance‘s Gerard Way.
The series also stars Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher and Justin H. Min.
Stream The Umbrella Academy season three on Netflix, now.
It may not have been “Lightning,” but something has crashed through the original lineup of Live.
In an Instagram post Tuesday, frontman Ed Kowalczyk revealed that founding guitarist Chad Taylor had been let go from the band.
That announcement was preceded by a comment Kowalczyk made while responding to a fan asking about potential tour dates, in which the singer wrote, “I would love to perform, but it’s not possible in the current situation with the band.”
“The three other original members are not speaking to each other, and I am stuck in the middle,” Kowalczyk shared. “If I try to go solo, there is a good chance they will sue me again.”
Kowalczyk had previously faced legal proceedings from his bandmates after he left Live in 2009. He eventually returned to the band in 2016.
“I have to do what’s best for me and my family and try to stay out of litigation by not performing in public at all,” Kowalczyk added. “Hopefully things change but until then I have to law low.”
Kowalczyk didn’t get into the specifics of Live’s current disagreements, but his follow-up post suggests that the blame lies with Taylor.
“As of last evening, I control 55% of Live,” Kowalczyk wrote. “Chad Taylor is fired. He will never stop the music again.”
Kowalczyk also thanked the fans for their “amazing love and support.”
“I cried multiple times yesterday reading your comments and messages,” he wrote. “It really meant the world to me and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
Presumably, Live still includes fellow founding members Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey alongside Kowalcyzk.
Live’s most recent release is the 2018 EP, Local 717.
Chris Stapleton fans in Denver and Salt Lake City will have to wait another week to see the country star’s All-American Road Show.
After contracting COVID-19, he postponed three upcoming shows: One in Salt Lake City on June 23, and two in Denver on June 25 and 26. He’s already got make-up dates for all three shows on the books, however. They’ll now take place on July 1, 2 and 3.
“To all my friends in Salt Lake City and Denver, I am very sorry to let you all know that I have tested positive for Covid and will be unable to perform this weekend’s shows,” Chris wrote in a statement on social media, adding that anyone unable to attend the make-up dates should contact their ticket point of purchase for a refund.
“I want to sincerely thank everyone who has waited so long for these shows,” Chris added. “We are incredibly grateful for your patience, love and support, and can’t wait to see you next week.”
Chris’ All-American Road Show Tour is set to run through October.
